Episode 100

I’ve seen many named characters.

Shin Tae-seok was nothing special, just one among many.

The woman beside Shin Tae-seok looked familiar, and upon closer inspection, I remembered someone.

Lee Seon-hee.

The woman who had saved me from some nasty people at Gapyeong Station before.

She bore a resemblance to her. Of course, it wasn’t the same person.

Lee Seon-hee would awaken about a year from now and become a moderate ally to Shin Kang-hoo in the original story.

She’s notable for her emerald hair and the long cross tattoo by her eyes.

‘I wonder how she’s doing? Since she’s still a civilian, there probably isn’t much news about her.’

Lately, Kang-hoo has been craving connections, so he didn’t take such encounters lightly.

He had made sure to leave a strong impression on Ban Se-yeong and Jeon Se-hyuk for that reason.

After saving Min Su-hyun, he also solidified his ties with Lee Hyun-seok for the same reason.

Jeonghwa Guild, and even more so, The Thirteen Stars, are not enemies he can take on alone.

If they were ‘dumb villains,’ it would be nice, but the original story’s meticulous characterization made them smart villains.

Therefore, without power akin to a god, it was impossible to take on The Thirteen Stars alone.

‘I was serious about The Thirteen Stars. They were a group of heroes who would save the world, and I wanted to make them cool.’

Kang-hoo reminisced about his time as the original author and smiled bitterly.

In the end, he had ended up giving the villains a lot of material.

Of course, now he’s trying to break the mold with Shin Kang-hoo’s body after putting in even more effort.

Nevertheless, while Lee Seon-hee came to mind, it seemed she couldn’t be utilized right away.

As time passed and she naturally awakened, their paths would likely cross again.

It was three hours later that Kang-hoo finally decided on the weapon item he would purchase.

Initially, he thought about checking the international market rather than the domestic one.

As he began to examine the selection more closely, several weapon items piqued his interest.

However, the selection of dagger-type items was disappointingly limited.

Furthermore, hunters seemed to show little interest in them.

Most close-range hunters preferred swords or greatswords.

The primary users of daggers were assassins, who constituted a small fraction of the hunter population.

Without any negotiation, the price was fixed at 100 billion won.

The deal was facilitated by a VIP market manager, who had been granted full authority by Kang Bokhwa.

His account balance plummeted from 161.6 billion won to 61.6 billion won in a blink, yet it remained a significant sum.

He was reminded of the immense profit the labyrinth dungeon raid had yielded.

Even after purchasing a grade 2 weapon item, he had a considerable amount of money left.

‘Maybe I should gather about 40 billion won more and invest in another grade 2 item.’

At that moment, greed began to take hold.

The sum of 100 billion won no longer seemed out of reach.

This phenomenon likely explains why hunters’ expenditures increase as they become stronger, broadening their financial perspective.

Greed propels one to aim higher, seeking a certain standard of quality, prestige, and wealth.

‘This feels new.’

Kang-hoo shifted his attention to the grade 2 weapon item he had just acquired.

Its purple glow was eye-catching, yet it failed to draw any interest.

Such indifference was typical in the VIP market.

For these individuals, acquiring a grade 2 item was hardly noteworthy.

Kang-hoo scrutinized the item.

This dagger offered 150 more strength, 100 more stamina, and 50 more magic resistance than Hyeru.

Considering the price difference, it was undoubtedly a valuable purchase.

The boost in the challenging-to-improve magic resistance stat was particularly attractive.

Of course, these stats were only ‘part’ of what made it satisfying.

I looked further down.

Items from grade 1 to grade 3 have “special effects” that define the item’s identity.

In the case of Hyeru, it had effects like ‘Taste of Blood’ and ‘Gluttony’.

“Hmm.”

I almost let out an exclamation but consciously suppressed my emotions, making it obvious to those around me.

For Kang-hoo, who possesses a variety of skills and types, the effect of Black Tears synergized exceptionally well.

For example, a leap skill that currently moves 12m would extend to 13.2m under the effect of Black Tears.

Considering how many hunters refine their skill proficiency just to move an extra 1m, or even 50cm…

It represented a significant change.

Moreover, this change comes easily, simply from wearing the item, without any additional effort.

Although Black Tears alone was satisfying, there were still two more special effects.

‘It feeds weapons to weapons.’

It reminded me of a model often seen in games, precisely the kind described as ‘feeding’.

Since it mentioned the same type, it means other daggers need to be absorbed.

With only 5 opportunities, it seemed best to feed it high-quality weapons.

Of course, caution is necessary.

It would be a loss to feed it a grade 1 weapon item in an attempt at Distorted Awakening.

It was a series of interesting contents.

Having recently developed an interest in set effects, this special effect came at just the right time.

Already in possession of the dagger ‘Corrupted Conviction’, it was time to search for the remaining four items.

The detailed tooltip displayed the locations of the other items, all of which were in dungeons.

“This is too good.”

Kang-hoo was pleased.

While the dagger already boasted passable basic stats and the Black Tears effect,

the addition of Distorted Awakening and the potential value of Corrupted Resolve made it even more appealing.

Had Corrupted Conviction been a long sword or greatsword, it would have been sold long ago.

The fact that there’s less demand for daggers, due to the scarcity of assassin professions, turned out to be quite fortunate.

From one to ten, everything was to his liking, including the unique purple glow of Corrupted Conviction.

Unless there’s a compelling reason to switch to a grade 1 weapon item, it seemed he’d be sticking with this one like a lover for a while.

Also, he made plans to search for the remaining four items of Corrupted Resolve if the opportunity arose.

Achieving the set effect sooner rather than later was preferable.

The move to Daejeon occurred immediately after leaving the VIP market.

I managed to catch the last KTX train to Seoul Station. There was no reason to delay, so I boarded the KTX right away.

“I’ve sent the dungeon location via text. I’ll come to Daejeon Station to pick you up, brother.”

“Is that necessary? Just rest there. I’ll come down and take a taxi.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why do you sound like an amateur? It’s not my first or second day doing this.”

“It’s because it’s dark outside.”

“How is it on your side?”

“It’s not very dark around here because there are factories operating 24 hours.”

“Then stay there.”

“Okay. What about food?”

“Let’s grab a sandwich before we go in. I’ll buy it from a convenience store, so you don’t need to get anything.”

“I want a chicken sandwich!”

“Order received.”

I had just finished a brief call with Yun Sang-mi while on the train to Daejeon Station.

Being nocturnal and not requiring much sleep, neither of us was tired.

Moreover, with Kang-hoo nearing level 100, his eagerness to reach that milestone was palpable.

He was also looking forward to testing the Corrupted Conviction he had purchased from the VIP market in a dungeon.

Time flew by quickly.

Upon arriving at Daejeon Station, Kang-hoo took a safety taxi to the dungeon where he was supposed to meet Yun Sang-mi.

Although safety taxis are quite expensive, they are driven by ‘hunters’ who have obtained taxi licenses, ensuring safety and emergency response.

“Hmm…”

But something felt off.

Right after disembarking at Daejeon Station.

Throughout the taxi ride, none of the calls made to Yun Sang-mi connected.

While the location was set, so proceeding as planned was enough, it was unusual compared to her usual promptness in answering calls before they even fully rang.

It was unlikely she was sleeping due to tiredness, nor did it seem like her to leave her smartphone behind to attend to something else.

‘She must be taking a break.’

He didn’t think much of it.

She wasn’t the type of hunter to be easily overpowered by some mediocre thugs.

Ten minutes later.

He arrived at the scene.

Kang-hoo paused momentarily while heading towards the dungeon located about 500 meters off the main road because he felt a heavy and damp, very sinister energy emanating from the direction of the dungeon they had agreed to meet at.

Clearly, it was magical energy at its core, but the nature of this magic was extremely dark.

Usually, there’s only one situation like this: when there’s a hunter skilled in black magic of the black mage type nearby.

Not a low-level black mage like Kim Mok-hyun he had encountered before.

But when there’s a high-level black mage of level 300 or above nearby, this kind of energy is often felt.

Is it right to say it’s an unmistakable energy?

Just as being near a flower allows you to smell its fragrance, being close to a black mage hunter darkens the nature of magical energy.

Beep.

Kang-hoo pressed the call button again, attempting to reach Yun Sang-mi.

The phone rang.

And then, a ringtone sounded from somewhere on the other end. Setting the latest songs as her ringtone was typical of Yun Sang-mi’s style.

But she didn’t answer. It wasn’t that she was deliberately ignoring the call, but rather, it seemed she was in a situation where she couldn’t respond.

“…”

Kang-hoo walked calmly.

It appeared something had indeed happened to her, but at least it didn’t seem like she had lost her life.

As he got closer, he could sense not only the energy of black magic but also the unique aura of Yun Sang-mi.

Who could it be?

Who would incapacitate Yun Sang-mi, rendering her unable to fight, and wait here for him?

It was clear the person was waiting for him. As if Yun Sang-mi wasn’t the main target.

The moment he arrived at the scene,

He finally met the gaze of the man who had Yun Sang-mi knocked out and tied tightly to a wooden pole, waiting for him with his arms crossed.

“Ah, this is it. I’ve been waiting for you. Nice to meet you, nice to meet you. Hahaha.”

The man’s expression, previously impassive, brightened at Kang-hoo’s arrival. He even smiled faintly.

But,

“Are you crazy? Starting with that creepy smile, you look like a fool.”

Kang-hoo’s harsh words hit their mark directly.

It was pure disdain, with no filter, for the repulsive intruder.

In that moment, Kang-hoo belatedly recalled the man’s identity, piecing together his memory.

The Fixer.

A lunatic among lunatics, even portrayed as a villain in the original story.

He had stumbled upon someone even more troublesome than Cha So-hee.