The Great Decapitation (2)

Han Seung-hyeok tilted his head.

The amount offered was attractive.

It was common for guilds not to rent dungeon licenses to strangers on the first meeting.

So, there was nothing unusual about quoting a slightly higher price.

From the lender’s perspective, if things didn’t align, they could simply choose not to rent.

However, Han Seung-hyeok couldn’t understand why Kang-hoo was interested in the Baltman Dungeon.

It would have been understandable if the dungeon offered sweet experience points or guaranteed high-quality magic stones.

But the Baltman Dungeon didn’t have such guarantees.

The boss ‘Baltman’ was indeed a distinctive monster, but the rewards weren’t special.

Han Seung-hyeok asked.

“May I know the reason?”

“I’ve wanted to tackle this dungeon for a while, and I had a very good dream last night.”

“Do you think you might get a good item?”

“Something like that.”

Thinking of burning 1 billion won on a dream seemed absurd to Han Seung-hyeok.

What dungeon is a lottery ticket? To justify 1 billion won, one would have to at least acquire a Grade 4 item.

Nevertheless, as Kang-hoo seemed quite eager to rent the dungeon license, Han Seung-hyeok changed his tune.

“Hmm. Since it’s in demand, you’ll have to pay 1.2 billion won.”

Scratch.

Kang-hoo pushed his chair back and stood up without a word, not even looking at Han Seung-hyeok.

If he had to pay more, he might as well negotiate from scratch with a warlord.

Warlords always wanted to amass military funds, so they frequently dealt in licenses.

“…Uh, excuse me?”

Han Seung-hyeok was flustered.

The manager’s commission for license rental was 10%. The original offer had already guaranteed 100 million won, but things seemed to be going awry.

“1 billion! Let’s settle at 1 billion! I got a bit greedy there, but let’s cleanly cut it off at 1 billion!”

Kang-hoo stopped.

Han Seung-hyeok probably thought it was a good deal.

Selling a dungeon license that didn’t sell well.

But for Kang-hoo, it signified something else.

For an assassin class, acquiring a skill like Great Decapitation was rare.

Even when secured via a skill book, it came with a high price tag.

At a minimum, it would cost around 10 billion won.

So, if one could master such a skill for just 1 billion won through a clever tactic, it was undoubtedly a lucrative opportunity.

Naturally, to Han Seung-hyeok, who was oblivious to these complexities, Kang-hoo might appear foolish.

It was better for him to think so.

The deal was sealed.

“When can I go?”

Kang-hoo swiveled his head and posed the most critical question to Han Seung-hyeok.

The timing couldn’t have been better.

The entrance time for the Baltman Dungeon was in six hours.

It turned out that was when it reset.

Therefore, Kang-hoo booked a motel room near the Baltman Dungeon to wait.

Feeling somewhat sluggish, he took a cold shower to invigorate his waning energy.

Post-shower, Kang-hoo inspected the stock of Solarkium in the fridge.

“Seven won’t be enough.”

The Baltman Dungeon demanded substantial firepower, and in the event of trouble, the Solarkium could diminish swiftly.

‘It looks like I have to head to Ground Zero.’

A trip to Ground Zero was imperative, regardless of the task involving Jo Gu-bin.

Once he decided to make the journey, a multitude of worries surfaced.

Ground Zero was a wilderness in the truest sense.

It teemed with various mutant monsters and rogue hunters.

Additionally, hunters from North Korea often ventured southward, raising the possibility of encounters.

Naturally, relations with North Korean hunters were strained. If luck wasn’t on his side, they could even become adversaries.

Beep.

On a whim, he flipped to the hunter-related news on TV and caught:

[The group ‘Taehwa River,’ centered around Ulsan’s Taehwa River Station, has initiated a large-scale offensive.

They’re targeting the Red Blood organization, now reeling from the severe injury of their leader.

Taehwa River seems to be rallying all nearby organizations to seize this opportunity to drive them out.]

“It’s turned into an age of warring states.”

Kang-hoo scoffed.

It didn’t matter how things unfolded.

Even if Gong Tae-su died, another like him would emerge.

When a bad guy dies, usually an even worse one fills the vacancy.

Driving out villains for a better world, a better era, is something that happens only in novels.

Then, a call came in.

It was obvious who would call him first among those who knew his number.

“Yeah, Seo-yeon.”

“Oppa, are you doing well?”

“It doesn’t sound like you called just to check in. Just tell me what you need.”

“Cha So-hee went down to Jeonju. Not sure why, but it seems she’s gathered some related information.”

“Did you have someone follow her?”

“Yeah. I hired someone personally because I was worried about you. There shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Thanks. But you don’t need to go to such lengths.”

“It’s not a bother. I’m just looking after what I can.”

“Alright.”

“Oppa.”

“Yeah.”

“If you want, I can open a path for you in Seoul. It’s really safe there.”

Although she used ‘Seoul’ as an indirect metaphor, she meant she could establish a connection with the Jeonghwa Guild for him.

For Kang-hoo, the Jeonghwa Guild was a place filled with antipathy, destined to be his greatest enemy in the future.

Of course, he didn’t think Han Seo-yeon brought it up with ill intent. It was her way of caring.

“It’s okay. Thanks for worrying about me.”

“If you ever need help, please tell me. Understand, oppa? Don’t struggle on your own.”

“Got it. Seo-yeon, you also take care of yourself and be safe, especially when you’re going into dungeons.”

“Yeah, I will!”

“I’m hanging up. Take care.”

Kang-hoo ended the call.

In the original story, Han Seo-yeon is someone who only ever had eyes for Shin Kang-hoo.

A symbol of pure love, so to speak.

In the latter part of the story, she sacrificed her life for Shin Kang-hoo.

Ironically, her sacrifice triggered his rampage, leading him to tragedy.

For the first time, Shin Kang-hoo, who had always maintained his composure against Jang Si-hwan, became emotional.

This became his fatal weakness, leading to his death at the hands of Jang Si-hwan.

It could be considered a splendid end for a villain at the climax of the story.

“Han Seo-yeon…”

During the time they loved each other, Shin Kang-hoo in the original story spared no sacrifice for Han Seo-yeon. He loved her without regret.

With those memories held dearly in her heart, she was now repaying a debt of gratitude to him.

With six hours of spare time, he would normally have gone straight to bed to sleep.

But today, with so many things on his mind, sleep eluded him.

So, he turned on ‘Huntergram.’

It was a social networking service exclusively for hunters, often used for promotion and cover videos.

Since many competent hunters openly displayed their skills, there were plenty of their videos.

Naturally, there were also videos of Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwanhyeong.

Their unique view count had surpassed 1 million in just one day after upload.

Their popularity was ‘crazy.’

“Hmm.”

Kang-hoo’s expression hardened as he watched the promotional videos.

Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwanhyeong were both high-level hunters with many contracted constellations, so their combined abilities were inevitably formidable.

The biggest issue, however, was the overpowered combination of their abilities.

Jang Si-hwan was a magic-space hunter, and Chae Gwanhyeong was a swordsmanship-space hunter.

Meaning they could freely change spaces and attack their opponents.

Instantaneously moving from east to west, a power guaranteed by their ability, it didn’t even overload their bodies.

Their hunter nature specialized in space movement, using short-distance movement skills to their heart’s content.

He couldn’t really blame anyone since he had crafted them that way in the original work.

“Even with the best disguise and hiding every nail and claw, it’s dangerous within the Jeonghwa Guild.”

He had considered joining the Jeonghwa Guild for faster growth, but the more he thought about it, the cons seemed to outweigh the pros.

Take An Yeong-ho for example; he was used and nearly kidnapped, wasn’t he?

Moreover, Yu Cheonghwa, one of The Thirteen Stars, was already in the Jeonghwa Guild, which was concerning.

If things went wrong, Kang-hoo’s skills could be copied by her. Not a good situation.

“If I really want to nestle in some faction, the warlords in Gangwon-do aren’t a bad option.”

Kang-hoo wasn’t only interested in the capital region.

In Gangwon-do, the warlords were more ‘human-like.’

Hunters gathered there under righteous beliefs like maintaining peace or eradicating crime.

He thought that place was also worth considering.

In the wilderness, survival is tough for many animals from birth due to predators.

And as they grow into adults, becoming attractive prey only makes survival harder.

Kang-hoo felt he was in a similar situation.

He thought he always needed to be on alert at least until he reached around level 200.

The risk of death is always present, no matter where one goes. Not a moment’s peace.

After the waiting time ended, Kang-hoo arrived at the Baltman Dungeon, where hunters dispatched by the Onnuri Guild were guarding the entrance.

‘This kind of service is nice.’

Being an officially rented place, they were meticulous in their follow-up management.

A few hunters looked at Kang-hoo curiously, and a hunter who seemed to be the team leader spoke to him.

“You’re level 33, and you’re entering the level 100 Baltman Dungeon? Solo?”

Since a level scan was mandatory in the rental process, his level being known wasn’t much of a concern.

But,

‘That damn numbers game is always the issue.’

The team leader’s words, which reduced his potential to mere numbers, irritated him.

Everyone seemed to judge by numbers, shuddering in fear and convinced they would die if the gap was too wide. They surrendered without even trying.

“…”

Kang-hoo tuned them out and stepped into the dungeon.

His strategy was to avoid engaging in multiple battles simultaneously.

Careful, slow, and composed, he began his assault on the Baltman Dungeon, ensuring he didn’t overextend himself.

Time was not of the essence.

Having invested heavily in the dungeon, he was determined not to miss out on any experience.

And so, he methodically increased his level.

Thanks to his passive skill, ‘Contempt for the Weak,’ his attacks from behind were particularly effective, smoothing the path of conquest.

Yet, there was a nagging dissatisfaction that persisted throughout.

“The class really can’t overlook the influence of a weapon.”

He was reflecting on his primary weapon, a dagger named ‘Sky’s Delight.’

Typically, named hunters possess costly, valuable, and highly functional primary weapons.

Such weapons are usually Grade 3 or above and come with a variety of utilities.

However, Sky’s Delight was only Grade 5 and offered little beyond non-combat recovery options.

This shortfall was a constant source of frustration.

Admittedly, it was impressive that he had reached his current level of skill without relying on a powerful weapon.

But, always striving for excellence, he couldn’t shake off a sense of deficiency and yearning in the present moment.