The Genius Assassin Who Does It All Himself - Chapter 218



Only Noblemtl

Episode 218: The Queen of Crowds (1)

* * *

“Takashi, how are you?”

– Me? Well, I used to get along just fine on my own, didn’t I? But I feel good that you’re worried about me.

“Do you exercise?”

– Why don’t I do the most foolish thing in the world?

“Isn’t dealing with a clone ultimately dependent on your own health? Isn’t that too complacent?”

– It’s at times like this that I think of you as my mother or older sister, Yoo Cheong-hwa.

At that time, Yoo Cheong-hwa was on a video call with Takashi.

It wasn’t because there was any particular issue, but I thought of Takashi and connected the video call to ask how he was doing.

Usually when I call you, you usually answer in a rather depressed voice, but today you were full of energy.

It may have sounded that way because Takashi uses a voice modulator, but the tone he modulated was different.

Of course, what was shown on the video call screen was not Takashi, but an image that Takashi had displayed.

Even Yu Cheong-hwa, who prides herself on being quite close to Takashi, has never seen Takashi’s face in person.

Not to mention the voice.

I asked him to hear my real voice just once, but Takashi refused at all costs.

“What have you been doing?”

– I was just going through a few dungeons and organizing the information for areas that needed pattern analysis.

And… … I met an interesting hunter, and I’m looking for a dungeon to go to with him.

“Interest? Is there anyone you’re interested in, even though you find meeting people boring?”

– If you see it, you might recognize it. Just wait. I’ll show you a picture.

What appeared on the screen was Kang-hoo’s face.

Of course, it is also an old acquaintance to Yoo Cheong-hwa.

The first time we met was at Seoul Station.

I remember being intrigued by how the mental scan didn’t work on Kang-hoo, who appeared to be an outsider.

It was a face she couldn’t help but recognize, as Kang-hoo had bought items from the special market she ran later.

I was able to recognize her right away because I saw her on Huntergram during her recent activities in Japan.

“Shin Gang-hu?”

– Oh, I see. I’ve been curious about him lately. He’s totally my thing. Takashi Unit 2.

“Oh, really?”

If Takashi, who would be considered second to none if you look at it from a critical perspective, is interested to this extent.

It is clear that Takashi, like Yoo Cheong-hwa, was obsessed with something about Kang-hoo. It also means that he confirmed it with his own eyes.

– This guy… … .

And then Takashi’s long story began.

* * *

Same time.

Emilia drank Shackleton whiskey alone in the hotel penthouse with a clear view of the Eiffel Tower.

I haven’t had it lately, and it’s been a while since I took it out. The last time I had it was when I met Kang-hoo.

“Paris’ night view is beautiful no matter when you see it.”

Emilia loved her homeland, France.

However, it was the worst place to grow as a hunter, so I didn’t stay there for long.

Emilia, who had been eager to grow, joined Justice while actively working overseas.

Justice, with its many capable hunters, including Jang Si-hwan, was truly a new world.

Because it was a gathering of the elite, it was the best condition for expanding one’s network and enjoying that network.

With Justice’s embrace, I was able to go to dungeons full of rewards and experience points that I would not have been able to go to alone.

That’s why I stayed with Justice. Because I could always feel the fun of growing. Because it gave me constant stimulation.

But recently, she has been questioning the purpose of the group called Justice itself.

The colors of the mixed hunters were too different to be considered a mere friendship gathering.

For example, Vincent Meyer is a serial killer. He says so himself.

There is one reason why Emilia doesn’t show any dislike or contempt towards Vincent.

Because I didn’t want to miss out on the benefits that Justice gave me. And because I had to watch Jang Si-hwan’s expression.

“I’m not playing hero. I’m not even a villain… … .”

Emilia was unhappy with that.

It is certain that the purpose is not friendship. However, Jang Si-hwan always speaks vaguely about the purpose of this gathering.

They say they gathered like-minded people to lay the groundwork for the future… … What does that mean?

Of course, Jang Si-hwan never asked Emilia about her personal beliefs or thoughts.

And once before.

I once looked into Jang Si-hwan’s mind. I unintentionally used my psychic powers and it worked.

At that time, Emilia learned one peculiar fact. Jang Si-hwan was not the only one.

I definitely felt like there was another self, a veiled entity.

From then on, I thought that, although I don’t know about other people, there was a reason why I was hiding it from Jang Si-hwan at this gathering.

She wanted to know that.

Although she was no different from others in her pursuit of power and fame, she was very averse to Vincent’s overstepping boundaries and killing.

Not only that, Jang Si-hwan is a complete hypocrite.

She never truly trusted Jang Si-hwan.

This thought is not something that only she has. It is also something that her close friend, Yu Cheong-hwa, has been thinking about for a long time.

* * *

Around that time.

Kang-hoo was engaged in a melee with the Queen of the Crow.

It was an extreme brawl with no time to even catch a breath.

Mad Solarium had already been chewed and the Gakshinhwan was still between his lips, ready to be swallowed at any moment.

The one-on-one battle with the Queen of the Brood was still bearable. It was a battle of offense and defense.

The problem lay elsewhere.

‘This is fucking crazy.’

A few nymphs emerged from the body of the swarm queen and entered the bodies of the hunters who had just died.

Finally, the hunter who stabbed the queen with his greatsword also died, and he too was inevitably targeted.

Because of that.

“Ughhhhh… … .”

All the dead hunters had been turned into crossbreeds and were waking up.

Moreover, from the moment the purple aura began to emanate from the Queen of the Crow’s body, the surrounding environment also changed.

The hybrids that had been stationary in the village were flocking here.

In a situation where it was difficult to deal with the Queen of the Brood, the addition of the hybrid was like a death sentence for Kang-hoo.

‘then.’

Kang-hoo made a decisive move.

Any option other than one-on-one is out of the question here.

To begin with, the Queen of the Crows herself was a monster of a much higher level than Kang-hoo.

If a crossbreed that inherits the hunter’s abilities from his previous life joins here, death is certain.

So I moved behind the swarm queen using horizontal movement, and then immediately used teleportation.

【Would you like to teleport?】

【Teleportation of 2 or more people may not succeed. The probability is exactly 50%.】

If we succeeded, we would leave the battlefield together, but if we failed, we would just leave the village.

Because the heart of the Queen of the Brood cannot be more precious than her own life.

The next moment.

Pfft!

【Teleportation completed.】

It was a success.

The brood queen looked bewildered as she was suddenly moved to another battlefield.

The hybrids that had been used to provide strength had also disappeared, and the surrounding vegetation and atmosphere had completely changed.

But that was only for a moment, as the fact that Kang-hoo was in front of her did not change, so the Queen of the Crow continued her offensive.

The two arms, sharply raised, flew forward as if they were going to pierce Kang-hoo’s body.

【Air blast】

Kang-hoo first blocked the movements of the queen with his air cannon.

The air cannon immediately flew away from Kang-hoo’s fingertips, so the queen had no choice but to stop it for now.

Kuung!

A shockwave occurred, and the Queen’s body was pushed back a step.

But soon the queen of the flock, lifting her heels and putting strength into her forefoot, charged again.

WHACK! WHACK!

And he waved both arms threateningly.

If Kang-hoo hadn’t blocked it with the daggers in both hands as he stepped back, it would have cut off his hand or fingers.

‘It’s more difficult because you keep digging in like an infighter.’

The attacks of the swarm queen, who seemed to have erased the concept of defense from her mind, were extremely difficult.

In the first place, the level itself seemed to be around level 500. Even if you estimate it as low as possible, it was over 450.

With a picture like this, a long-term war is obviously not going to be good.

Perhaps because of the rough exchange of offense and defense from the start, there were also fluctuations in physical strength regardless of mana usage.

The Queen of the Crows also felt out of breath, but it felt like her pace had slowed down even more.

‘Let’s see it through to the end before we become more familiar with each other’s patterns.’

I made a decision.

Because we exposed more attack repertoire than planned in the early battle.

To throw a curveball before all moves fall into the predictable category of the swarm queen.

so.

Cadd!

He bit the pill he was holding in his mouth.

The finely broken pieces of the pill traveled down my tongue, into my throat, and then down my esophagus.

Bang! Bang! Kaang!

In the meantime, the Queen of the Crow launched three consecutive attacks, which Kang-hoo blocked by stepping back.

Because the level of the offensive was so high, it was difficult to defend in place.

The queen of the flock seemed to live only for today.

He didn’t even care about the several wounds on his body, and he didn’t even let out a single groan.

Right then.

“… … !”

Kang-hoo felt that everything in the world had changed into something completely different from before.

It was from the moment that the effects of the Gakshinhwan that had dissolved in my stomach began to stimulate all my senses and nerve cells.

The once dull and dark sky brightened as if enveloped in a radiance.

Where the sun was, the light was so bright that it felt like the gates to heaven were opening.

Plus the queen’s skin, fluff, the fluttering of her eyelashes, and the subtle blinking of her eyes.

Everything was cut into tiny pieces and looked as if under a microscope.

That wasn’t all.

The movement of the queen’s fluff and eyelashes swaying in the wind seemed to be split into frames.

I thought it would be a perfect metaphor to say that my movements were the same, but the world felt slow.

‘It’s visible.’

The Queen’s two arms are digging in again, and you can guess where the sharp thorns are aiming.

【All calculations regarding the simultaneous attacks and movements of enemies become possible.

It became possible to solve difficult math problems, and it was also possible to experience the passage of time relatively slowly.

It was exactly as written in the original text about each new ring.

The feeling of being released from limitations and breaking through limitations. A dramatic change has taken place.

Of course, the duration of this effect is about 10 seconds. Excluding the time for chewing, swallowing, and spreading, it is at most 7 seconds.

【acceleration】

I pulled up my movements to the max and avoided them by getting close to the queen of the group and attacking her.

Bold approaches and attempts at avoidance, which would normally be difficult to coexist with, were made simultaneously.

Kang-hoo twisted his body.

Without using any skills like quick evasion or jumping, only pure body movements were used.

Then, although it was precarious, the Queen of the Crow’s two arms passed by without clearly touching Kang-hoo.

The result itself was not strange, as the attacks had missed in previous battles.

The problem was that Kang-hoo dodged forward rather than backward.

That is, at the point where the Queen of the Brood’s attack missed, she revealed a fatal weakness.

As expected.

Phew!

Kang-hoo’s great sword landed squarely in the queen’s side.

It was so hard that Kang-hoo had to take out the replacement dagger he had in his bosom instead of pulling out the dagger himself.

“Gyaaaah… … !”

A high octave moan burst from the mouth of the queen of the flock who had never screamed before.

The tables have turned.