Ground Zero (3)

Because he was prepared, it turned out to be a profitable deal.

Had he passed by without any knowledge, he might have lost his life, his most valuable asset.

This is why even adventure-loving hunters usually avoid Ground Zero. It’s unpredictable when and how one might die here.

Thus, only criminals with nothing to lose flock to this place. Only those who are not afraid of death dare to roam around Ground Zero.

Looking around, he began to notice skeletons appearing gradually.

Even without the mutant sunflowers, many elements here could take a hunter’s life.

The skeletons bore evidence of the harshness of this place.

Items or wallets their original owners must have carried were nowhere to be found.

This meant that someone had taken the items and left the bodies as they were.

Such occurrences were common here, so he wasn’t surprised.

While observing the endless sea of skeletons, which resembled a giant graveyard, he ventured deeper.

He still had about 1km to go before reaching Area 5.

Since Ground Zero is vast, simply exiting one area takes time.

Moreover, the presence of many well-grown bushes, due to the lack of weeding or logging work, was problematic.

Nonetheless, as he neared Area 5,

Kang-hoo came upon a peculiar sight.

‘Why hasn’t anyone touched it?’

There was a hunter’s corpse near a rock.

It was in an advanced stage of decomposition, clearly indicating death.

But what was peculiar was a dagger emitting a red glow, still clutched in its hand.

While the surrounding skeletons had been stripped of even their clothing to the extent that everything had been taken, this particular body remained oddly intact.

A few days had clearly passed since the hunter’s death, but there were no signs that anyone had tampered with the body.

Rushing towards it would be the act of a complete amateur.

But to ignore it out of fear would be the behavior of a mid-level hunter.

A cautious but perhaps overly safe choice.

‘The Black Inducer.’

Kang-hoo immediately understood the true nature of the situation.

He detected a faint trace of mana emanating from the bulging clothes of the corpse, which lay with its head bowed down.

His mana tracking ability, far more sensitive than that of other hunters, had proven its worth.

It was a trap.

The dead hunter’s items were displayed to intentionally lure other hunters.

They would quickly attack any hunter that approached, leading them to death.

“Let’s give up.”

Shaking his head in refusal, he turned to walk in the opposite direction.

To anyone observing, it would have seemed the unmistakable behavior of a coward, feeling overwhelmed and leaving the scene.

And just as he was about to detour around a thick tree.

Ssssh!

He used Shadow Step.

The shadow Kang-hoo cast made a wide arc and headed towards the corpse.

Whoosh!

Kang-hoo precisely timed his switch with the shadow.

In an instant, he moved from behind the tree to stand before the corpse.

The move was executed with deceptive perfection.

Taah!

He swiftly grabbed the dagger from the corpse’s grasp.

Then, employing Shadow Step once more, he switched places with his shadow, which had surged forward with momentum.

“Ugh.”

He bit his lip tightly.

The Shadow Step skill not only drained mana, but it also placed the highest physical strain on him among all his skills.

In other words, there was a limit to how much his body and mind could endure before mana hypersensitivity set in.

Exceeding this limit led to mana hypersensitivity, and the strain from Shadow Step was particularly severe.

Using it twice consecutively pushed him past this limit, inducing mana hypersensitivity immediately.

Of course, it was precisely because he had used Shadow Step twice in a row that he was able to execute such a clever maneuver.

Kihehehek! Kihehehek!

The enraged Black Inducer, resembling a devilish figure, gave chase to Kang-hoo.

But it was unable to catch Kang-hoo, who, through sheer physical and mental resilience, used his movement skills in succession to stay ahead.

Eventually, the Black Inducer, with a furious expression, strangled and killed a thick tree before giving up the chase.

After confirming safety, he checked the options of the dagger he had taken from the corpse.

“Good.”

A useful weapon.

Of course, it wasn’t a ‘graduation’ weapon to use forever, but a stepping stone until he bought a 3rd Grade dagger item.

It had much better options, stats, and grade than his current Spear of Sky Joy.

Later, when he could afford a 3rd-grade dagger, it seemed like he could sell both the Spear of Sky Joy and the Boundary of Massacre.

Anyway, it turned out to be an unexpected fortune.

A 4th-grade weapon was worth at least a billion won in terms of value.

“Hmm. Should I go back?”

Kang-hoo turned his gaze.

If a hunter carried a dagger of this caliber, they must have been quite skilled.

They could have been a criminal, but if not, it might be okay to track the location of the corpse and collect the belongings.

Things like a hunter’s license, smartphone, identification, etc.

Perhaps this person was a missing individual being sought by family or acquaintances on the official hunter community.

Like bounties on criminals, there were rewards for finding missing persons, so he didn’t want to just pass by.

When he returned to the spot, the Black Inducer was gone.

Since Kang-hoo had taken the bait item, the corpse no longer had any value for use.

So, Kang-hoo could easily collect the belongings from the corpse.

“Park Min-sung. Not a name I recognize.”

He confirmed the real name of the deceased hunter.

Having collected everything except the corpse, he planned to check once he returned to Seoul.

All the while moving, he alternated between illusion and Shadow Step to be prepared for any variables.

Many monsters in Ground Zero used darkness to hide.

Finding monsters that didn’t do this was even harder.

Yet the monsters were not smart; many were fooled by Kang-hoo’s illusions and shadows, charging at him.

Thanks to this, Kang-hoo steadily gained experience as he moved.

He hoped to reach level 40 before finding the first Mad Solarkium, and his wish came true.

He reached level 40 just as he was about to enter the specific area.

‘The max proficiency bonus feels new every time. It’s so different from the basic skill.’

The corners of Kang-hoo’s mouth twitched.

Even the name had changed.

The original level 40 basic skill for the assassin class was ‘Evasion.’

But with the maximum proficiency effect, it became ‘Swift Evasion.’

Similarly, the Accelerated Stab skill upgraded to Bleeding Stab.

Moreover, the distance for evasive maneuvering had improved drastically from 1m to 5m.

In addition, a new bonus to evasion rate was added during evasion, increasing resistance to skills.

This meant there was a higher chance for skills to miss or only graze by.

Skills that made an assassin more assassin-like.

He couldn’t be more satisfied.

“The location is really something.”

Kang-hoo’s expression twisted as he spotted the blooming Mad Solarkium flower.

His previously brightening face was gone, replaced by a look full of dissatisfaction.

A Mad Solarkium flower peeked out in the middle of a cliff over 30 meters high.

And that wasn’t all.

As described in the original work, near the Mad Solarkium, there lay a guardian, an ‘Enforcer.’

The official name is ‘Punisher.’

The nature of the Punisher was determined by an arbitrary type, and the one guarding this place was an assassin.

“Ssssh!”

Red energy swirled around the Punisher’s body, making its overall aura feel stronger.

A feature of the Punisher was that its power changed depending on the composition and level of the hunters nearby.

Of course, this only applied within a 50-meter radius of the Mad Solarkium, so it was a special condition.

There was nothing to be wary of, anyway.

All the dungeons Kang-hoo had conquered so far had always been two to three times more challenging than his level.

The Punisher would become stronger too, but as long as it was within predictable limits, it wouldn’t be a problem.

“Whoosh!”

As expected of a guardian protecting the Mad Solarkium, it lunged at Kang-hoo first.

Its movement was faithful to the basic belief of the assassin class: ‘strike first to win.’

Kang-hoo used Swift Evasion immediately.

There couldn’t have been a more fitting situation for this skill.

The Punisher’s attack was so sharp that it drew an orange line in the dark night sky.

“Whoom!”

The Punisher’s attack only brushed past the afterimage of Kang-hoo, who had swiftly moved away.

The energy, filled with anticipation, was disrupted by the suddenly enhanced evasion rate.

The battle between assassins was thrillingly intense.

The moment an attack failed, the attacker was exposed to a counterattack, creating a hellish situation.

Timing was crucial, and now the Punisher’s first gamble had completely missed its mark.

So, without delay, Kang-hoo mixed acceleration with a leap, charging directly at the Punisher.

A counterattack in a situation where there was no chance to escape, completely cornered.

Kang-hoo, already induced with overload, decided to add another skill to the mix.

“Shadow Step.”

Shadows extended from behind Kang-hoo, forming a large circle towards the Punisher.

He focused the Punisher’s sight on one point and thrust the dagger straight.

Then,

Swish!

The Punisher pulled out another dagger and crossed them in the air, forming an X.

‘As expected,’ Kang-hoo thought.

The Punisher was no fool.

It tried to turn Kang-hoo’s counterattack, which resulted from its own failed attack, into another counterattack.

It was truly a sensible response, worthy of its name.

Had Kang-hoo rushed in thoughtlessly, it might have been the end of him.

But—

Ssssh!

At the moment the X-shaped energy was released, Kang-hoo had already moved behind the Punisher.

It was a masterful change in position.

It seemed that even the Punisher hadn’t anticipated this, hesitating to locate Kang-hoo’s new position.

That moment.

“Here I am, friend.”

Thud! Thud-thud! Thud!

Kang-hoo, perfectly positioned behind the Punisher, started thrusting his dagger into its neck, shoulder, and back of its head without hesitation.

Hell was…

Much closer than it had anticipated.