Infiltration (4)

“……”

“Were you actually missing detention center food or something? You’re insane. Walking in here like you want to die.”

At Jo Hwan-seong’s reaction, Kang-hoo smiled and replied.

“I came to hang your head right in the middle of the detention center. That’s reason enough to be here, don’t you think?”

“You may have escaped from our detention center before thanks to some clever tricks, but this time it won’t work.”

“Well, seeing how I got all the way into the warden’s office without anyone noticing, your words don’t hold much weight.”

“You’re all high and mighty just because our Eclipse organization put a kill order on you. I’ve always said punks like you shouldn’t be killed through an official order—we should track you quietly and finish you off.”

“Who said that?”

“Who else? Our esteemed commander, whom I respect so much.”

“Birds of a feather, huh? I can see why you admire them.”

Pssht. Pssssht.

Meanwhile, the doppelgangers and illusions vanished, having reached their time limit.

“See? Trickery like that has its limits for an assassin. Shin Kang-hoo. Back off now and I’ll spare your life. So get lost. No need to end up mangled.”

Jo Hwan-seong’s speech was lengthy, but Kang-hoo shook his head and replied. The content was nearly identical.

“See? Trash talk like that has its limits too. Jo Hwan-seong. Back off now and I’ll spare your life. So get lost. No need to end up mangled.”

“You little bastard!”

Infuriated by Kang-hoo’s response, Jo Hwan-seong lunged forward.

Even though the warden’s office was fairly spacious, it wasn’t large enough for two men to brawl with blood and sweat flying.

Kang-hoo planned to use his teleportation ability to escape if the situation turned into the worst-case scenario.

Knowing he had a fallback plan gave him peace of mind.

He imbued his dagger with elemental power.

For someone like Jo Hwan-seong, flame attributes were highly effective.

This was because flame-type powers suppressed physical enhancement and healing better than other elements.

At that moment—

“Haaaap!”

With a yell, Jo Hwan-seong boldly hurled his double-bladed axe at Kang-hoo.

Thrown from close range.

Instead of swinging it as his primary weapon, he threw it—a surprise tactic that caught Kang-hoo off guard, prompting an immediate reaction.

He held back Stage 2 for now, adapting to the situation.

If the distance between them had been greater, the timing of the 0.5 seconds would have been harder to judge, possibly forcing him to use Stage 2.

Ironically, being close to Jo Hwan-seong made timing predictions easier.

Clang!

“What the hell?!”

Jo Hwan-seong was shocked to see his double-bladed axe, thrown with high hopes, blocked and falling straight to the ground in front of Kang-hoo.

He had thrown that axe in countless battles, and many foes had perished because of it.

Some dodged it, and even if they blocked it, they’d be pushed back by the recoil.

Jo Hwan-seong had often exploited that recoil to press the attack and gain the upper hand.

But Kang-hoo had blocked it on the spot. He wasn’t pushed back, nor was he injured.

In the meantime, Kang-hoo retrieved the daggers that had fallen to the floor using Soul Imprint.

He cast the hallucination skill on the startled Jo Hwan-seong, then immediately followed up by hurling daggers with Lightning Flash Blade.

This time, he didn’t wait to see the effects of the hallucination skill—he threw the daggers the moment he cast it.

‘Prediction shot.’

This kind of attack is often called a prediction shot.

It’s based on the assumption that the opponent will fall into the hallucination, and the next skill is chained immediately.

If the hallucination lands, this produces a greater effect than throwing the dagger after observing the result.

Waiting to see the outcome allows time for the enemy to respond, but if you don’t, there’s no room for reaction.

‘Brute-type hunters usually have weak resistance to illusions. They may be tough, but I’ve rarely seen one with high magic resistance.’

Kang-hoo’s prediction hit the mark.

“Huh?”

Jo Hwan-seong, caught in the hallucination, momentarily lost his sense of direction and awareness of his surroundings.

Thwack!

“Guhh!”

Because of that, the dagger—thrown off-course—pierced straight into his left shoulder.

Since it hit before he could react, even the burly Jo Hwan-seong staggered sideways.

Kang-hoo followed up with Thunderquake Array.

Using Thunderquake indoors risks fire from the surging electricity, but—

He didn’t care.

He figured it would be even better if the flames became part of the backdrop. The more chaos, the more it favored the assassin.

BZZZZT!

“Gaaaah!”

Electricity surged through the wound in his left shoulder, making Jo Hwan-seong tremble violently, eyes rolling back.

The relentless skill combo had already thrown Jo Hwan-seong’s mind into disarray.

He couldn’t even tell whether he was fighting an assassin or a lightning-element mage.

But the limit of pain the body could endure was quite high, so Jo Hwan-seong was still able to think of a counterattack.

Goooooo…

Jo Hwan-seong quickly gained momentum by enhancing the strength in both legs and charged toward Kang-hoo.

He considered ramming Kang-hoo with a full-body charge, but he also planned to retrieve the axe he had thrown earlier.

This had always been his routine—throwing and then recovering the axe—and it had worked well as both an attack and a follow-up.

“……”

Kang-hoo, observing Jo Hwan-seong charging in, contemplated carefully.

Initially, it was his legs that had been glowing—now, it was his head.

Judging by how low he had bent his upper body, he clearly intended a full-force headbutt.

‘I’ve increased my durability quite a bit. This time, it might be worth taking it head-on with a skill instead of dodging.’

With that thought, Kang-hoo chose not to dodge and instead activated:

A skill that transformed his entire body surface into solid stone.

Back when his endurance was lower, he had doubts about its durability and avoided using it lightly.

But now that he had surpassed 1,000 in durability, the skill had become incomparably tougher than before.

And then—

CRASH!

A head-on collision occurred.

The sound of stone smashing against stone rang out clearly.

CRACK!

“Ugh.”

The petrified layer shattered, and Kang-hoo’s body was pushed back. Two or three steps weren’t enough—he slammed into the wall.

But Jo Hwan-seong took an even greater hit.

His eyes lost focus, and he flailed at the air in confusion.

“Damn, what the hell is this boulder…?”

Even so, he barely managed to retrieve his axe, gripping it to try and regain balance.

Jo Hwan-seong bit his lip hard against the pain—something he had never experienced before.

He had never failed to knock someone down with a headbutt using his hardened skull.

Especially against targets from the so-called “squishy” classes like assassins—he was undefeated.

But now, he had been struck head-on by a stone transformation skill—something he’d never imagined an assassin could use.

This wasn’t just beyond prediction; it was beyond imagination.

What kind of hunter expects an assassin to turn themselves into stone for defense?

It would be like expecting a brute-type hunter like him to stealthily sneak around and execute clean assassinations.

In short, it made no sense. But with Kang-hoo, nothing ever made sense.

Despite his body screaming in pain from the collision, Kang-hoo chained Acceleration and Leap, lunging forward at full speed.

Since Jo Hwan-seong had now retrieved his axe, a counterattack could be troublesome if given the chance.

And this moment—right now—was the perfect opportunity to exploit a gap in Jo Hwan-seong’s defenses.

Just as his vision was refocusing, Jo Hwan-seong noticed Kang-hoo’s approach and raised his axe.

He intended to block the charge by pushing it forward however he could.

But Kang-hoo was faster.

Using Jo Hwan-seong’s raised axe as a stepping stone, Kang-hoo vaulted upward.

Without hesitation, he executed Soaring Strike. In an instant, his right leg was cloaked in a violet glow.

And then—

SMAAAACK!

“Gahhh…”

Jo Hwan-seong heard a sound he never thought he’d hear from beneath his own jaw.

It was the sound of his jawbone being completely shattered.

At the same time—

Jeon Se-hyuk and Ban Se-yeong were checking the weather, which had just started to shift.

It had begun to rain earlier than the forecast predicted. For them, who were waiting for the rain, this was good news.

Ban Se-yeong looked uneasily toward the direction of Cheongmyeong Detention Center.

“Should we move sooner?”

“Why?”

“Kang-hoo oppa is strong, but I don’t think he can kill the warden on his own.”

“You mean he won’t stand a chance?”

“No, it’s not about the fight itself. It’s just… infiltration doesn’t make sense.”

“Hmm…”

“Be honest—don’t you think so too? A detention center isn’t some neighborhood convenience store. We already know from internal info that their security setup is no joke.”

“That’s true.”

“That’s why we designed the plan around the idea that without inside help, we’d face resistance from the get-go.”

“Still, for some reason, I feel like he’ll pull it off.”

“If it were that easy, it would’ve happened already. It’s not that I don’t trust Kang-hoo oppa—it’s just that the situation’s too rough.”

Ban Se-yeong remained skeptical about the outcome.

The detention center was too large and too fortified to be breached by a solo infiltrator.

But she didn’t believe success or failure hinged on Kang-hoo alone.

After all, Jeon Se-hyuk, his allies, and the full forces of Cheong-an and Heuksaja were already on standby.

According to the latest intel, Kang Dong-hyun and Eclipse’s main forces were still in the Cheongju Liberation Area.

Even if they realized what was happening in Cheongmyeong, it would take them time to mobilize.

Unless they had a teleportation array or something, the fight would be over by the time they arrived.

“No, I’ll get a call.”

Jeon Se-hyuk smiled as he looked back down at his phone. If Kang-hoo called, it would show up there.

He added,

“Whenever I look at Shin Kang-hoo, I get this feeling—like he’s a protagonist straight out of a novel. Like he can do anything, and the word ‘impossible’ doesn’t apply to him.”

“I do have that hope too… but I also try to be realistic in my thinking.”

“Yeah. Maybe I’ve placed too much of a burden on Shin Kang-hoo.”

Jeon Se-hyuk, now convinced by Ban Se-yeong, nodded. It really did sound unrealistic.

This wasn’t the kind of detention center one man could break into. If he did manage it, it would be like something out of fiction.

And just then—

Jeon Se-hyuk received a video call through Huntergram. The caller was Kang-hoo.

He was either mid-infiltration or mid-battle—so why a video call?

No—it must be that he gave up and is calling after pulling out.

Thinking that, Jeon Se-hyuk accepted the video call without expecting much.

But the first image that appeared onscreen was none other than Jo Hwan-seong, bloodied and collapsed on the ground.

And the words that followed sent a chill through both Jeon Se-hyuk and Ban Se-yeong.

– I’ve killed him.

No further explanation was needed.