Chapter 332: Knot (2)
The necklace worn by Kang-hoo, known as the Breath of the Reversed God, possessed a recovery suppression skill that nullified Yuji’s efforts, causing his strength to drain rapidly.
Meanwhile, Kang-hoo unleashed two skills in quick succession—Shadow Step and Illusion Technique—to disrupt Yuji’s judgment and throw off his vision.
But Yuji had a countermeasure against illusion-type skills. Mana Vibration instantly scattered the shadows and illusions, clearing the space between Kang-hoo and himself.
There was not even a moment’s rest.
At that instant, Kang-hoo charged at Yuji again, linking his next skill: Hallucination. This skill forcibly induced 0.75 seconds of absolute hallucination, regardless of resistance; it was impossible to avoid.
“Ha.”
Yuji let out a short breath.
As Kang-hoo relentlessly pressed the assault, the pressure on Yuji, the defender, was enormous. It felt as if he was constantly being dragged into Kang-hoo’s pace. Moreover, each skill Kang-hoo used was difficult for Yuji to predict. Skills like Hallucination were not normally part of an assassin’s toolkit; it was an absurd mutation.
“Damn it!”
In his hallucinated state, Yuji lost his ability to think clearly and wildly swung both arms, targeting his surroundings. Whether he liked it or not, if he wanted to land a meaningful blow, he had to close in, so he moved instinctively.His reaction wasn’t bad. The problem was, Kang-hoo had been waiting for the option Yuji would choose.
Fsssh!
‘Got him.’
Kang-hoo aimed for Yuji’s erratic defensive motions to trigger Rotating Bind, and it worked perfectly. Since it was a counter based on basic movement rather than a skill, it could be read and dodged.
“…?”
Yuji’s body stiffened from the Rotating Bind, and his eyes widened in panic. Kang-hoo was no longer in front of him. Instead, killing intent surged from behind.
Yuji realized he had given away the one space you should never allow in anti-assassin combat. In his current state, it was physically impossible to turn around. But he could still reinforce his body on the spot.
He activated Carapace Armor, a skill that hardened parts of his body. Though temporary depending on mana usage, it could fortify his skin and clothes. It was the most reliable countermeasure to block fatal wounds and minimize deep injuries.
Yuji protected his head, neck, and back—areas critical if struck. Even if he took damage, he couldn’t afford to lose vital systems.
Then—
Thud!
“Graaah!”
Kang-hoo’s dagger, empowered with the strength of Great Beheading, pierced straight into Yuji’s side. While Carapace Armor had some effect, the area struck was only partially reinforced. It had just been transitioning from reinforcing the head, neck, and back to the waist.
As Kang-hoo timed his strike to drive the dagger deeper—
Fwoosh!
Yuji’s breastplate suddenly flew at him.
Boom!
Kang-hoo reflexively deployed Wall of Integrity. It was an unexpected activation of the breastplate’s special feature. Apparently, the armor had an auto-release function where it separated and launched forward and backward.
As a result, the hefty armor flew at high speed, forcing Kang-hoo to block and retreat. Had he reacted even a second slower, the solid armor piece might have struck him with immense force.
‘Not a single second to spare!’
Even though it would have made sense to catch his breath, Kang-hoo reengaged using Shadow Step to reposition. This move matched both Kang-hoo’s strategic judgment and what Ayane had previously told him about Yuji’s weakness.
Yuji, who fully embraced the berserker class, had overwhelming firepower in a single blow. But the trade-off was that he required a “mandatory” charge-up phase to unleash that firepower. In other words, especially in the early phase of combat, he was surprisingly fragile—a so-called glass cannon.
Kang-hoo, knowing there was a stat and level gap between them, believed he had to go all in from the start if he wanted to kill Yuji. If he gave him even a second to breathe, that would open the gates of hell.
“Urgh.”
Even after consuming Mad Solarkium, the overuse of too many skills in such a short time caused an intense headache. Just like how even strong painkillers can’t suppress extreme pain—that’s exactly what it felt like.
His hypersensitized body kept shortening Mad Solarkium’s pain delay effect. But that only meant he had to press harder, and Kang-hoo pushed the tempo even more.
He activated Protective Barrier – Devastation, Kang-hoo’s counter move after seeing Yuji channel a large amount of mana to recover earlier. Devastation completely wiped out the surrounding mana.
Yuji’s confusion only deepened.
He tried to use Madness Infusion—a much higher-tier skill than Bloodthirsty Infusion—to recover massively. But the mana, evaporated by Devastation, blocked the skill activation, and Yuji froze like a broken machine.
For the first time ever, a skill of his was being interrupted by someone—Kang-hoo. As a result, his once-fluid rhythm was shattered, and Yuji’s mind went blank. He had no backup plan for the moment when the familiar became unfamiliar.
Fsssh! Fsshh!
Kang-hoo’s dual daggers, now imbued with knockback from Flashstorm Dagger, welcomed Yuji. As Yuji took a defensive stance to block them, an even bigger threat approached.
Kang-hoo arrived almost in sync with his dagger—a disaster Yuji failed to perceive as his vision was fixated on the blades.
“Shi—”
Before he could finish cursing, Kang-hoo’s hand closed around Yuji’s neck. Using the Hatred option of the Resentful Gauntlet, he firmly strangled Yuji. The gauntlet’s grip strength increased with mana consumption, giving it no limit to its power.
Yuji’s field of vision rapidly shrank, the edges darkening into blackout.
That was when Kang-hoo used the skill he had saved.
Greed – Stage 1, a hidden card acquired from the Tower of Greed, was the foundation of a strike aimed to end everything.
A flurry of offense and defense ensued. Pushed to the brink, Yuji began pouring out skills at an explosive pace, trading stamina for survival. It was foolish to burn the future for the present moment, but strategically, it was the right call. What use is tomorrow if you die today? With no tomorrow promised, spending it now was the only choice.
The clash raged on.
Kang-hoo endured the 50 seconds needed to transition from Stage 1 of Greed into a special phase. Since both were fighting without retreat, there were no strategic losses.
Amid the frantic exchange, injuries were unavoidable trophies—flesh was sliced from both sides. Blood sprayed in all directions, but Kang-hoo never once faltered from his sole, initial objective.
In a way, this felt like the most authentic fight as assassins—a life-or-death exchange of daggers at breathing distance. For Kang-hoo, this was his first real experience of such close-range battle.
As the duration of Stage 1 of Greed neared its end—
Tap.
Kang-hoo tossed an Awakening Pill into his mouth, and just like before, the world became vivid and slowed.
Shallow Flash, the next skill, caused blindness. Caught directly in the flash, Yuji couldn’t avoid being blinded.
【Due to loss of vision, you are entering a state of severe confusion.】
【You will recover from confusion in 10 seconds. You will gain 1-hour immunity to the same status effect afterward.】
Since becoming a hunter, this was Yuji’s first time experiencing “confusion.” It wasn’t just about losing his sense of direction—it brought psychological despair and hallucinations. It induced sensory loss, visual and auditory illusions, and the total breakdown of tactical awareness.
The scales tipped.
Kang-hoo calmly maneuvered to Yuji’s side and chained into Thorn Hell.
Stab!
Empowered by the Awakening Pill, the precision of his shadow energy cleanly disabled Yuji’s lower body.
“Aaaaagh!”
The upward-thrusting Thorn Hell pierced through Yuji’s thigh, immobilizing him completely.
Then—
Diagonal Slash of Distortion.
Kang-hoo pulled taut the line of distorted energy and sliced it from behind Yuji’s neck. When the distortion was activated, a horrifying scene unfolded as the front of Yuji’s neck was slashed open alive.
“G-guh! Kugh! Urgh!”
Yuji, fueled by a berserker’s crimson aura, struggled desperately to endure. The monstrous strength of a high-level hunter was no joke.
With sheer will, Yuji reinforced his neck muscles and skin using Carapace Armor, hardening them to absurd degrees. The Diagonal Slash of Distortion, instead of cutting, was repelled and pushed outward by the reinforced resistance.
‘In that case…’
Kang-hoo drew another card—crude, but suited for the current situation.
Yuji, as expected.
This moment reaffirmed that levels could never be built carelessly.
Kang-hoo cleanly abandoned maintaining the Diagonal Slash and stabbed his dagger beside Yuji’s jaw. It was a tiny opening that Carapace Armor hadn’t yet covered—but large enough for the dagger to slip in.
Thud!
A crimson torrent flowed from the wound.
Kang-hoo placed his hand on the gash and chose a ruthless option—to strip Yuji of everything.
Ruthless Devourer – Vital Energy Absorption.
【Absorbs vitality from monsters or hunters to recover health or boost combat power.】
This was the ability of the constellation Ruthless Devourer, stolen when he killed Jeon Jong-du, former leader of the Osho Mercenary Corps.
He activated Vital Energy Absorption.
This skill had little effect on intact or shallow wounds, but now? The deep wound was in a location that made the loss of vitality fatal.
Yuji, caught in confusion, didn’t even realize what skill he was being hit by. Though the confusion was beginning to lift, it hadn’t cleared yet.
That fleeting moment—that brief instant—was as precious as gold. But it had already passed.
“Guh—ugh! Gaaaaah!”
A grotesque sight followed.
Kang-hoo clutched Yuji’s face and activated Vital Energy Absorption, sucking everything out. Yuji’s face shriveled like a deflated balloon and mummified in an instant.
If the absorbed part had been an arm or leg, he might have had a chance. But with his head—the central control tower—compromised, it was over.
“Yuji… the one stronger than the boss… is losing…”
“He’s not losing, you idiot—he’s dead!”
“How can this be? A hunter over level 500 dies like that, powerless? Like a fool?”
“What are you doing? Run, you bastard!”
The dozen Eclipse members who had been confidently watching Yuji’s victory were now frozen. They were not only stunned but actively denying the reality before them.
And it wasn’t just the Eclipse members who couldn’t believe their eyes.
At the same time, Kang Dong-hyun—watching the live feed sent by his subordinates with Lim Jeong-wan—felt the same.
“Ishihara Yuji… that cocky bastard—I didn’t think he’d actually die…”
Even if he didn’t care about Yuji’s survival, he had believed in his victory without a doubt—a belief now completely shattered.
“This means… he could be targeting the boss next.”
Lim Jeong-wan’s comment pierced Kang Dong-hyun to the bone.
For the first time since learning about Kang-hoo, Kang Dong-hyun felt fear and dread toward him.
The weight of Ishihara Yuji’s death carried more meaning than expected.
It was the beginning of catastrophe.