The Genius Assassin Who Does It All Himself - Chapter 284



Only Krnovel

Episode 284: Preparing to Return Home (2)

First of all, there was no specific contact from Park Dong-jae or Lee Ye-rin regarding Yu Ji’s whereabouts.

Even though they must be keeping track of the movement, seeing that there is no contact means that there is still no movement.

“Depending on the situation, I think I could try some spiritual training.”

As the Fallen Ones became Fallen Ones, the importance of the Dark Ages returned.

To instantly revive a destroyed corrupted beast, 500 Dark Age is needed, but Kang-hoo’s Dark Age stats are not yet up to that level.

Since training the spirit body can also help with dark age growth, it has become a challenge that must be taken on soon.

“The fallen waters have played quite a large role this time. I’ve had a lot of fun with the skills I’ve recently acquired.”

The most satisfying moment is when you see a big benefit from a skill you recently added. Do you feel a sense of accomplishment?

You can obtain skills from any dungeon you go to, as long as the middle boss or main boss is not the same as other dungeons.

That’s why Kang-hoo always enjoyed going to dungeons. There was always an expectation for his skills.

For the average hunter, it might just be a simple spin on conquering quests and obtaining loot.

For Kang-hoo, there was always a pleasure that went beyond that.

When you see a boss monster showing off its flashy performance and skills, your mouth will start to water.

“I never knew it would be so regrettable not to be able to use the non-heavenly sword.”

Kang-hoo lifted his leg from his seat and recalled the skill he had stolen from Lee, the Flying Strike.

When I was dealing with the Inspector Hunter, I was planning on using this to shatter his lower jaw, but I postponed it for later.

“Wait a minute… I think I need to close my eyes for a bit.”

It didn’t seem like Ayane’s cleanup would end quickly.

Three Hunters are dead, and since this happened overseas, there’s bound to be some thorough investigation into the situation.

Kang-hoo closed his eyes because he thought it would be enough to just take a deep breath and wake up. Sleep came faster than he thought.

* * *

After midnight, dawn is dark and thick.

At the bar on the top floor of the hotel, Kang-hoo and Ayane shared a glass of whiskey.

Unlike most places that close before midnight, this hotel’s bar had fairly long hours.

Thanks to this, the two were able to have a conversation over some strong alcohol to wrap up their schedule in Germany.

Kang-hoo had already arrived at the bar, and Ayane, who had just finished showering, came back after lightly drying her hair.

Although she had no makeup on, her skin was as elastic as usual.

“Ayane, how’s the situation?”

“It went well. Since the principle was to not intervene anyway, they just handled the situation and said they would hand it over to the Japanese National Police Agency.”

“You mean the corpse?”

“Yeah. That’s all. I didn’t even ask about the whereabouts of the items they were wearing or anything like that.”

“It’s kind of an unwritten rule.”

“That’s right. Once a kid is dead… … he can’t speak, right?”

Ayane’s gnashing of teeth once again hinted at her hostility towards the Hayabusa guild members.

They say that the life of a mercenary is one where you never know when you might die.

It seemed that he was really annoyed that he had sent people so far away to seek revenge.

It makes sense that he would feel a sinking feeling, since he almost died because of revenge.

“You’ve worked hard on this request.”

“I don’t think that’s something I should listen to. It just feels like I came from target practice, really?”

Ayane shook her head, as if Kang-hoo’s words about how hard it had been for her didn’t make sense.

No matter how I tried to recall it, it felt like I was just busy eating at the table Kang-hoo had prepared.

I didn’t hate it.

No, on the contrary, it was good.

I liked Kang-hoo’s active and moving appearance, so I wanted to be with him because I was attracted to that appearance.

Nevertheless, I wanted to make sure that I had a clear role in it, but I wondered if that was going well.

“anyway.”

“Thank you, Kang-hoo. Oh, I told you I didn’t like it when you kept saying thank you.”

“Yeah. That’s enough. I’m still embarrassed.”

They say that hearing compliments and gratitude over and over again makes you feel better.

The coldness deeply rooted in the character of ‘Shin Kang-hoo’ makes him strangely shy away from praise and gratitude.

You may nod your head once or twice, but soon you will start to wonder why you are so grateful.

For that reason, whenever I saw Ahn Young-ho and Park Dong-jae, who had become ‘gratitude bots’, I felt quite burdened.

In particular, Park Dong-jae does not hesitate to plant a death flag, saying he will sacrifice his life for him, which makes things even more intense.

“By the way, about the room. Should I have taken another one?”

“Okay. I’ll just sleep on the sofa. I’m not really a bed person to begin with.”

Perhaps because my body remembers the hardships I endured at the Cheongmyeong concentration camp, I find a comfortable bed uncomfortable.

Rather, places like a hard floor or a sofa that is difficult to sleep on for a long time are more suitable for the body.

It wasn’t exactly an empty remark, but she snorted and gave me a look telling me not to say something I didn’t mean.

braided.

The gazes of the two people who had downed a glass of whiskey in one gulp instead of speaking became a little deeper than before.

And for about a minute.

Without saying a word, I surrendered myself to the cool morning breeze and gave my emotions to the soft lighting of the bar.

I didn’t really feel the need to say anything. Just looking at each other was enough.

So, as a slight blush appeared on Ayane’s face, she continued speaking naturally.

“I’ll be honest with you. When I first saw you, I was more attracted to your handsome face and body.”

“I see.”

“So… … I just said let’s be faithful to each day. That way, it won’t be a burden to either of us, right?”

“Yes. I wanted that too.”

“Yeah. But the more I get to know you… … the more I fall for you. How should I put it, I can’t get out.”

“Do you like me that much?”

“Yeah. If you try to push it away, it gets better, and if you don’t push it away, it gets even better.”

Kang-hoo laughed.

It didn’t feel awkward to have someone like you, no matter how many times you experienced it. It felt good.

It was the same when the original author lived his life.

I lived with the sole happiness of knowing that my readers liked me, and I wrote diligently.

Moreover, it was impossible for her to dislike being in the heart of the opposite sex. Kang-hoo didn’t dislike her either.

She added.

“But for mercenaries like us, a relationship that is far-sighted seems meaningless. Should we just leave it like this?”

“If you don’t want to be shaken.”

Kang-hoo answered briefly.

A mercenary’s fate is that even if nothing happens today, tomorrow he may be stained with blood and death.

That’s why, if you put your heart into someone, it’s a life where you can easily get hurt.

Because you always have to be aware that that person can leave your side forever at any time.

“Kang-hoo, for you. And for me. I think this relationship is just right right now. Anyway… … Thank you so much. I will never forget what happened today. Even if I die tomorrow.”

“That death talk is a bit… … .”

“You know, I could have died today.”

“Don’t live with death in mind. Just live each day fiercely as if there is no tomorrow. There is no need to worry about death in advance.”

“Live fiercely today… … .”

“Stop spending your time on unnecessary luxuries. If you’re not even living properly today, why are you thinking about tomorrow’s death?”

“… … .”

Ayane was unable to respond to Kang-hoo’s sharp remark and fell into a swamp of silence.

When I think about it, it seems like I’ve always lived worrying about tomorrow.

Will there be work tomorrow? Will I be able to make some money? Will the incoming requests be a bit tricky?

In fact, what I was doing today was not in my thoughts.

That’s what Kang-hoo pointed out.

I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but it struck a deep chord in her heart.

“Today is the day I live. Tomorrow is the day I live, another day I welcome tomorrow as today. That’s how I live.”

Kang-hoo’s words were both advice to her and a promise to himself.

I always live fiercely in the present moment, because if I don’t, I never know when I’ll fall behind.

People say that Kang-hoo is a very powerful assassin who does everything by himself.

Actually, his own thoughts were different.

The road was long, but it was too long.

No matter how much he said he had caught up, Jang Si-hwan was still one of the top hunters.

There were still too many enemies to defeat and trample on to reach him.

Kang Dong-hyun, Ishihara Yuji, Jung Seon-rak, Vincent Meyer, etc… … and the number is expected to increase in the future.

“I’ll keep that in mind, Kang-hoo.”

“Don’t look far ahead. Life is tight enough to live faithfully today.”

Kang-hoo held out the glass.

This is how I planned to spend this morning, having a drink with her. I think the story will be long.

* * *

That day, at noon.

After waking up from a good night’s sleep.

Before returning home, Kang-hoo met Lars and gave him the magic ring he obtained in the dungeon.

Since it was something he had no need for, it was a good item to give away without any regrets.

It didn’t make any other appearance.

I gave the item to Lars as a nonchalant gift, as if I was just giving him a souvenir.

If I had just passed it on noisily and without showing off my true colors, I would have been undervalued by Lars.

I handed it over carelessly, but Lars actually responded better.

Anyway, I stamped the eye patch like that.

I asked Lars to sell me the items I had taken from the three hunters of the Hayabusa Guild yesterday, including the Pride of the Fighter.

On-site evaluation is being conducted.

The price was assessed to include all post-processing of ‘disputes’ arising from problems with obtaining the item in question, and a settlement of 135 billion won was received.

Total balance: 386 billion won.

Now, slowly, even with simple cash calculations, it has reached an amount that is enough to put a first-class item within sight.

As a general rule, a tier 1 item starts at a base price of 500 to 600 billion won.

If I just collected a little more, I could aim for a useful tier 1 item.

You might wonder if there really are that many expensive items, but there are plenty in the Hunter’s World.

The world is only as visible as one has experienced it.

The market where items worth hundreds of billions of dollars are traded was more active than the market where items worth less than that amount were traded.

With the settlement finalized, the first official schedule in Germany came to an end.

There were some unexpected incidents(?), but in the end it was a happy ending with great gains.

The moment of parting.

Lars said with a regretful expression, smacking his lips.

“I think I’ll be contacting you again soon at the guild level. It’s confirmed. Next time… … I definitely want to join you.”

“If you just call me.”

Kang-hoo smiled and nodded at Lars, whose eyes were sparkling.

Lars’ interest can be seen as a very positive sign. In fact, it is a good opportunity to appeal to him.

The more appeals you can make, the more opportunities you have to stimulate his greed and ambition.

Of course, to do that, you have to show that you have the merits to do so.

Anyway, what Lars wants is power.

If only we could satisfy our greed for it, we wouldn’t necessarily need an organization like Thirteen Stars.

After wrapping up their schedule in Germany, Kang-hoo and Ayane each boarded separate charter flights back home.

The two people came together, but when they left, their destinations were different, Korea and Japan respectively.

A brief separation.

The two promised to meet again soon and returned to their daily lives.

now.

The time has come for Kang-hoo to meet his first and last teacher, the thousand-year-old master.