The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Chapter 350: Rose (3)

Chapter 350: Rose (3)

The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Dawn.

Yu Cheonghwa, who had been deep asleep, urgently picked up a call from her ‘red smartphone.’

It was a dedicated smartphone that only received calls from the Shinto Guild.

Since it was well-known that she was thoroughly a morning person, they would normally avoid calling at this hour.

For some reason, however, a call had come from the Shinto Guild—not from Go Cheon-yeong’s personal number, but through the official line.

“Hello?”

– Sorry for calling at dawn.

“It’s fine. What’s going on?”

– There is something urgent to report. The Master has passed away.

“What?”

Startled, Yu Cheonghwa threw off her blanket and sat up.

She had expected urgent news, but the content was too shocking.

She thought perhaps the Shinto Guild had been attacked by another guild, or maybe there was some minor internal issue.

But this was a far bigger incident. At first, she couldn’t believe it.

– Not only the Master. All the executives who accompanied him are dead as well.

“Who went with him?”

– That is...

The words that followed struck Yu Cheonghwa’s mind like a hammer, leaving her unable to think.

To summarize: from Go Cheon-yeong, the Shinto Guild’s number one, down to the fifth-ranked, every single one of them was dead.

The cause was said to be death from dungeon collapse. As far as death causes go, it was bizarre.

Usually, when a dungeon raid ended, the dungeon would undergo a reset period.

At that time, hunters inside could clearly see the dungeon starting to collapse.

Of course, the collapse wasn’t sudden—it proceeded slowly, giving ample time to escape.

In simple terms, it was like a building announcing its demolition schedule and giving you time to leave.

Unless abandoned inside with no help, there was always enough time to get out.

But not a single one of Go Cheon-yeong and the executives escaped and they all died in the collapse?

‘Someone forcibly triggered the dungeon’s reset. And when it restored, the corpses appeared.’

She had a strong suspicion.

Yu Cheonghwa asked:

“Then the Master and the others—were their corpses found lined up at the dungeon entrance?”

– Correct. All discovered in skeletal form. We identified them by the items they had equipped.

“I understand. You’re continuing calls beyond me, right?”

– Yes. After this, we plan to notify the Shinsu Guild as well.

“Why them?”

– By ranking, there are also individuals there who must be informed.

“Alright.”

– Yes. Then I’ll hang up.

The call soon ended.

Yu Cheonghwa’s expression hardened.

At first, she thought it was an accident, but recalling past events made it clear—it was deliberate murder.

The dungeon Go Cheon-yeong and his executives had raided had been discovered a month earlier and was completely unknown to the public.

At that time, Go Cheon-yeong had received a warning from an unidentified entity.

The message was simple: ‘I’ll tell you about other useful, undiscovered dungeons—just don’t set foot in this one.’

Since Go Cheon-yeong usually listened to others’ opinions before making important decisions, he had contacted Yu Cheonghwa then.

She had told him firmly not to go. To put aside his curiosity and accept the negotiation.

But it seemed Go Cheon-yeong had stubbornly gone exploring. And the executives who accompanied him must have agreed.

“At that time, he said a being with ‘purple eyes’ spoke to him...”

The memory was vivid.

It had broken through the Shinto Guild’s famously strong internal security and directly connected to Go Cheon-yeong’s computer.

The voice had been altered, but it had calmly tried to persuade him.

Now it was nothing but a thing of the past.

“Ha...”

Yu Cheonghwa swept back her tangled hair and headed to the bathroom.

If the Master and top executives were all dead, what remained would only be a war among hyenas for the throne.

With catastrophe clearly looming, she couldn’t just stay comfortably in Korea.

She would have to go to China.

Perhaps... it would be quite some time before she could return to Korea.

Two hours later, Kang-hoo and Emilia entered the dungeon after finishing their preparations.

Before entering, Emilia had asked Kang-hoo for his understanding and took about an hour to bathe.

Not because she suddenly wanted to wash, but because when her mind was tangled, it was a kind of routine.

Kang-hoo had a fair guess that his words had resonated with Emilia in some way.

So he respected her time.

And while she took her own time, Kang-hoo too prepared himself and warmed up his body.

The dungeon they entered turned out to be, just as Emilia said, a variable dungeon.

Its monsters’ levels were determined by the total combined level of the hunters entering, divided by their number.

Thus, the monsters were tough for Kang-hoo but weak for Emilia.

From an experience standpoint, only Emilia lost out, but since her purpose was clear, it wasn’t a problem.

Her goal had been to personally confirm and assess Kang-hoo’s skills from the start.

“May I simply watch quietly?”

“Isn’t that why you came?”

“That’s true. If things look dangerous, I’ll step in.”

“No, leave it. That too is a crisis I must overcome. I don’t need help.”

At Kang-hoo’s firm refusal, Emilia chuckled and opened a parasol adorned with a rose pattern.

The timing was good, as the clouds had just cleared and sunlight poured over the dungeon.

Swoosh.

Kang-hoo lowered his body and took his stance.

Usually, monsters didn’t appear near the entrance, but here, a few could already be seen.

‘Emilia knows the strategies. She’ll even have optimized routines. She’s holding the answer sheet while judging me.’

There was no need to overthink it.

It wasn’t about flashy performance, but showing efficient combat.

Kang-hoo thought he needed a decisive victory that could capture her heart, not just her eyes.

No matter how much one bluffed in gambling, if the hand itself was bad, the stakes were lost.

‘Keep the Jeokran skill in reserve.’

He considered using the Jeokran skill he had obtained earlier, but refrained.

If he couldn’t kill a monster in one strike, the flower it bloomed would become poison.

It would give the monster a chance to recover and deny Kang-hoo any real advantage.

‘In that case!’

【Acceleration】

【Sacred Leap】

After casting Acceleration to heighten his reflexes, he immediately began charging Sacred Leap.

Unlike the basic Leap skill, which triggered instantly upon use, Sacred Leap allowed free adjustment of its charge time with magical support.

Of course, it explosively consumed mana, so it was difficult to charge leisurely for long.

Moreover, from the early stages, he didn’t want to rely on Solarkium or Mad Solarkium.

The monster that appeared ahead was a Spider Knight—an arachnid monster with a bipedal form.

Of its eight legs, only two were used for walking, while the other six each held a sword.

From the opponent’s perspective, having to face its thorax and abdomen head-on made it quite a grotesque monster.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The Spider Knight, having located Kang-hoo, charged at full speed.

It seemed certain it could cut him down with all those swords.

“...”

Kang-hoo held his breath.

The charge continued.

To make the most of Sacred Leap overlapped with Acceleration, the target’s approach speed also had to be fast.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

The Spider Knight accelerated even more, swinging its swords menacingly.

‘Now.’

The timing to dive in appeared.

Fwoosh!

Sacred Leap was executed.

【Great Decapitation】

An attack linked to Great Decapitation followed fiercely—it was perfect for landing a decisive blow.

At the same time:

【Carapace Transformation】

Crunch. Crack!

Carapace Transformation spread across his body for defense against collision.

With preparations for both success and failure, Kang-hoo felt no burden.

And then—

Thunk!

“Kiieeek!”

The gamble he threw down immediately delivered triumph.

His dagger pierced straight through the Spider Knight’s chest.

At the same time—

Emilia was observing Kang-hoo’s every move carefully.

The first thing that astonished her was when she saw Kang-hoo’s Leap skill close a long distance in an instant.

It wasn’t the basic assassin’s Leap, but a unique variant he had personally mastered.

It was certainly not teleportation.

For a fleeting moment, she could see him physically cutting through space.

‘The resistance and friction should have been immense. Yet he endured by lowering his stance. Not only stable posture, but resilience too.’

Such a high-speed leap skill had the strength of instantly closing distance, but also the weakness of unavoidable physical stress.

The extra pressure from the enhanced speed transmitted directly into the body.

But Kang-hoo concealed that weakness completely, and landed a solid hit on the Spider Knight.

Gulp—

Without realizing, Emilia swallowed down built-up saliva. Her feet carried her a few steps forward.

She wanted to see more closely.

This assassin who had suddenly appeared like a comet—Kang-hoo. She wanted to know the judgment and thoughts behind his every move.

“So it can endure one strike, huh.”

Though his blade had sunk so deep it couldn’t be seen, the Spider Knight wasn’t dead.

Its outer shell was so thick, and its level so high, its resilience was terrifying.

Of course, while it could endure, the wound was far from light.

Krrraahh!

Sensing danger, the Spider Knight infused one of its nearest swords with mana.

In dungeons above level 500, it was common for monsters to use skills.

Detecting the attempt at a counter-skill, Kang-hoo launched a strategic gambit.

【Blood Flower】

Boom-boom-boom!

As always, Blood Flower inflicted unbearable agony on the enemy.

The blood gushing from its chest wound suddenly exploded, making the Spider Knight’s entire body shudder.

As a result, the counterattack it had been preparing swung helplessly through empty air.

But just then—

【Selfish Trade】

Kang-hoo deliberately took the Spider Knight’s wasted attack.

It was to activate Selfish Trade.

Even if his timing of 0.2 seconds failed, he judged strategically that a weakened strike like this was tolerable.

The next moment—

The Spider Knight’s sword grazed the protective barrier briefly activated by Selfish Trade.

And then—

【The trade has been established.】

【Designated skill ‘Blood Flower’ cooldown reset. 100 Dark Energy consumed.】

The cooldown of Blood Flower reset.

Once again, the blooming of the crimson flower was within reach.

Facing the Spider Knight still writhing in waves of agony—

Snap!

Kang-hoo flicked his fingers once more.

A second Blood Flower bloomed.