Episode 101

Fortunately, Yun Sang-mi appeared unharmed.

Sensing his concern for her, the fixer inquired,

“Is she your girlfriend?”

“What’s it to you?”

“With looks like yours, it wouldn’t be surprising if you had a girlfriend. Anyway, I’ve been perfectly mannered.”

“Knocking someone out cold and tying them to a tree, then picking a fight with me, and you talk about manners.”

“I was only following my orders to bring you in, nothing more.”

“Should I bow down in gratitude then?”

At Kang-hoo’s retort, the fixer laughed, his shoulders shaking. It seemed he found something amusing.

The fixer is a black mage.

Assuming equal skills.

Black mages are among the most challenging professions because of the wide range of techniques they can use.

There are far fewer black mages than assassins, making it difficult to gain combat experience.

Jang Si-hwan is called the best hunter in South Korea precisely because he is a renowned black mage.

Dealing with him is no simple task. He has an exceptional ability to create variables.

As the fixer fiddled with his handcuffs, Kang-hoo asked,

“Let’s get to the point. Why are you looking for me?”

“You’ve been to the Kimcheon Liberation Area. And you rescued a woman who stole an item from the leader of the Ebony Bone.”

“Did Shin Jun-ho send you?”

“That’s right. It’s strange to sit idly by after losing a second-grade item, isn’t it?”

“Impressive. There was no way you could have known my identity.”

“Hehe. That’s exactly my strength. I can track anyone with just a trace of mana.”

“Like a detection dog?”

“Not quite the right expression, but close enough in context. Kekeke! How amusing.”

“Your sense of humor is truly unique.”

Kang-hoo looked at him with disdain.

It seems Shin Jun-ho sent him. Strictly speaking, it would be correct to say he was after Min Su-hyun, the woman who stole the item.

But targeting him meant they were interested in his abilities.

Kang-hoo was aware of how Shin Jun-ho steals other hunters’ abilities.

“All the while I was tracking you, I could smell it. A very special scent. You have a very delicious and luxurious smell……”

“……”

Unable to think of a reply, Kang-hoo looked at the fixer with a disgusted expression.

However, the fixer, fully immersed in the atmosphere, continued with body language included,

“I’ve always dreamed of a battle like this. Fighting against someone with a unique and special power, different from others.”

“Must be nice to have your wish fulfilled.”

“Exactly! This moment is like a grand and splendid symphony of battle to me!”

“Sure, keep babbling.”

Kang-hoo folded his arms, listening to the fixer’s nonsense.

Meanwhile, he scanned the fixer’s constellations. He had four contracted constellations.

It was difficult to determine the exact level, but this suggested he could be in the 300s.

‘This won’t be easy.’

A top-notch black mage.

Though the magic and assassination fields see each other as natural enemies,

the ones who feel more pressured are usually the assassins.

They need to get close to engage in combat, an inevitable fate for close-range professions.

“Look at the constellation information. As expected, it’s totally insane.”

The constellation composition was unique.

The Guardian of the Dark Sanctuary, for example, is a constellation that grants the ability to convert mana into dark energy.

Dark energy.

It’s a concept used separately from mana, commonly utilized by undead-type monsters and bosses.

Hunters, except for black mages, hardly ever use it because they lack dark energy-based skills.

Dark energy-based skills are almost exclusive to monsters, with little connection to hunters.

But not for Kang-hoo.

He could steal skills from undead-type boss monsters, allowing him to utilize dark energy-based skills and harness dark energy.

“The constellation, akin to the Drug King, turns one into a crazier person when they consume drug-type substances.”

It seemed the fixer was surrounded by eccentric constellations that suited him perfectly.

The four constellations the fixer possessed were highly sought after.

There was no way the battle with the fixer would end well. If not killed, one would end up killing.

Even if the fixer captured him alive, being killed by Shin Jun-ho’s hand meant the outcome would be no different.

Kang-hoo – not paying attention to a word the fixer was rambling about – heard him finish.

Lost in his own high, the fixer stretched out his arms leisurely and said,

“If you defeat me, your girlfriend will be safe. But if not, she’ll suffer an unfortunate fate.”

“Thanks for the manners.”

Kang-hoo showed a thumbs-up, not forgetting to extend his middle finger after a brief pause.

Crunch.

He chewed on the last Mad Solarkium he had.

“Whether it turns out good or bad, I guess I have to go to Ground Zero.”

He needed more Mad Solarkium and had business with K. Now, there were even more reasons to go to Ground Zero.

And then,

“On a night shrouded in darkness, the stage is truly excellent. Let’s create harmony together, friend.”

With the fixer’s nonsensical talk, the battle commenced.

Kuuuu!

As Kang-hoo charged at the fixer, he was blocked by a wall of demons.

A level 50 basic skill of a black mage.

On terrain with variable elements like dirt or sand, it pulls up these elements to construct a wall.

Compared to Kang-hoo’s intangible protective barrier, the wall of demons was a visibly solid wall.

‘Fast.’

The fixer’s reaction was much faster than expected.

By the time Kang-hoo attempted to leap forward, the wall had already been erected.

Moreover, the wall exuded slimy black hands in clusters, indicating high proficiency.

Swoosh! Slash!

Kieee!

Kang-hoo stepped back, cutting off the hands. The hands writhed in pain before retreating back into the wall.

Once again.

Attempting to close the distance with a leap, the fixer had already erected triple walls.

“High proficiency.”

Naturally, proficiency in one’s main skills tends to increase with higher levels.

It seemed imprudent to regard the fixer’s black mage skills as merely ordinary in proficiency.

He might have elevated the proficiency of his basic skills to the maximum.

Carelessness was not an option.

“Then.”

Paaang!

I decided to change my strategy.

Using Shadow Step, I diversified my attack routes in unpredictable ways.

Since the Wall of Demons was constructed only in the direct path, circumventing it was simply a matter of going around.

“Hmm.”

The dispersal of five shadows in various directions, akin to Shadow Step, might fluster some.

But the fixer coolly shifted his gaze between the shadows and Kang-hoo’s real body.

His focus was neither overly concentrated on one nor too dispersed.

However, there was a gap.

The moment one shadow moved beyond the fixer’s field of vision!

Kang-hoo attempted to shift to the shadow’s location. Or at least, he tried to.

But then.

Fsssst.

“…Gone?”

The shadow disappeared.

It wasn’t attacked, nor did it exceed its range. It simply vanished.

“Kekeke. Tricks are good, but in the face of mana burning, everything is equal.”

The fixer waggled his index finger from side to side at Kang-hoo, signaling the futility of his efforts.

The fixer remained composed.

And his proficiency in each basic skill was high. This method could block many skills.

As Kang-hoo crouched, contemplating another skill to use.

The fixer said with a smile,

“Are you around level 300? Your jumping power is excellent, and the skills you possess are quite unique.”

It seemed the fixer believed Kang-hoo’s level was similar to his own.

Kang-hoo, for his part, saw no need to correct the misunderstanding, as it cost nothing to have one.

“I’ve been cutting corners too much. Yes, let’s admit that.”

Perhaps stimulated by the fixer’s leisurely response, Kang-hoo found himself naturally smiling.

So far, the battles had been about exploiting the enemy’s unpreparedness.

It felt like he had always been fighting and winning with a strong hand, being a powerful entity not well known to the outside.

However, the fixer had the insight to preemptively block various possibilities based on diverse combat experience.

Now, being seen as a hunter on his level by the fixer made him more cautious.

‘Shall we expand the game?’

Mind games and strategies were also Kang-hoo’s enjoyment. Deciding enough was enough, he moved to escalate the fight.

A curtain with a radius of 11m was laid down, and Kang-hoo disappeared.

The skill was mana-consuming but manageable thanks to the barbaric era cutting the mana requirement in half.

“……”

Kang-hoo, within the curtain, concealed his presence using the No Shadow skill and quietly moved along the edge.

He both approached and distanced himself from the fixer, moving outward.

“Absolute stealth skill, is that it?”

The fixer licked his lips with an intrigued expression, unable to sense even Kang-hoo’s minor movements.

But his contemplation didn’t last long.

Raising his hands high, the fixer began to summon purple flames.

A level 40 basic skill of a black mage, Falling Flames.

Each purple fireball vibrated intensely, and Kang-hoo noticed the intention.

‘He can’t detect me, but he’s trying to locate me by interference in the waves?’

The response was neat enough to deserve praise, even from an enemy.

It was enviable that the fixer had a method to deal with absolute stealth so effortlessly.

Of course, admiration only went so far.

Anticipating such a response from the fixer, Kang-hoo had a next plan in mind.

It was a simple yet sharp maneuver requiring precise distance measurement, abduction.

Being slightly away from the position where Technique’s Curtain was deployed, he couldn’t use it immediately.

Thus, at the edge of the Technique’s Curtain’s range, he sequentially used three skills.

Thanks to consuming Mad Solarkium, he endured; otherwise, he would have suffered from splitting headaches due to the combination.

The combination was executed in an instant.

“Argh!”

By combining the leap’s potential radius of 13.2m with the abduction range of 16.5m, he covered a total distance of nearly 30m in a single breath.

Bringing himself closer to the opponent and pulling them in made it feel like an instant approach!

It was a capture in the blink of an eye.

“This…?”

The fixer’s expression stiffened.

Can this really happen? That expression was vividly painted on the fixer’s face.