The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All-Chapter 242: Norway (3)

From a broad perspective, the Myeongga Guild could also be considered an ally.

‘I’ll need to get closer to the Myeongga Guild. There’s nothing bad about forming ties with them.’

Kang-hoo quickly calculates his next steps.

Indeed, it’s not as if there’s no faction that opposes the Jeonghwa Guild. It’s just that such sentiments haven’t surfaced yet.

“Is there a way to get closer to the Myeongga Guild? Dong-jae, I think you’d be a great bridge for that.”

“Hyung, do you know what’s scary?”

“What is?”

“They’ve been wanting that for a long time. I’ve actually been holding it off on purpose because I thought it might burden you.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“They said they wouldn’t mention it unless you brought it up first. But now, I think it’s fine to talk about it.”

Could the Myeongga Guild have sensed Kang-hoo’s distaste for the Jeonghwa Guild? Probably not to that extent.

Still, considering that he hasn’t joined the Jeonghwa Guild despite his growing fame… they might have guessed.

“Then arrange a meeting.”

“I’ll let them know you’re interested in forming ties with the Myeongga Guild. You don’t really have ill feelings toward the Jeonghwa Guild, right?”

Oh, but he does. Very much so.

However, Kang-hoo saw no reason to share the intricacies of his relationship with Jang Si-hwan.

Without affirming or denying Dong-jae’s question, Kang-hoo responded with an awkward smile. Dong-jae didn’t press further.

“Dear passengers, we are preparing for landing. Please fasten your seatbelts and ensure your seats are…”

The announcement echoed as they prepared for landing.

Oslo Airport came into view.

After clearing immigration, Kang-hoo and Park Dong-jae followed a local male hunter who had come to meet them.

When asked, he explained that he was there at Oh Yoo-jin’s request. She seemed to have strong connections here.

Since his task was simply to escort them from Oslo Airport to the Oslo Cathedral, there wasn’t much conversation.

Instead, Kang-hoo and Dong-jae discussed the foreign scenery outside the car window, so different from Korea.

At that moment, a group of hunters undergoing large-scale training caught their attention.

They were training on a hill not far from the airport.

“The hunters training on that hill all seem to be part of the Norwegian Public Safety Bureau.”

“Yeah, their insignia definitely matches.”

“Unlike Korea, Norway seems to have a well-structured order centered around their Public Safety Bureau.”

“Right. Here, joining the Public Safety Bureau is considered the most honorable thing for a hunter. They even receive a lot of benefits.”

“It’s completely different from our country.”

“Yeah. It’s a bit disheartening.”

Few countries operated with a hunter-centric public safety agency like Norway did.

Norway was more of an exception. Most countries had systems similar to Korea’s.

In the U.S., while a Public Safety Bureau existed, it was divided among the states, leading to poor collaboration.

Even with the establishment of a federal-level safety bureau, its lack of authority meant cooperative efforts often fell through.

Japan’s safety bureau had an entirely different focus. Instead of maintaining order among hunters, it prioritized civilian protection.

Thus, even amid fierce battles between guilds and repeated bloody conflicts, the bureau didn’t intervene.

However, any hunter who dared harm civilians faced the bureau’s full force.

Korea’s Public Safety Bureau had a similar mission.

At least within the Jeonghwa Guild’s sphere of influence, the bureau maintained its authority effectively.

Before long, they arrived at Oslo Cathedral.

As expected, they saw thirteen dungeons, with their entrances arranged in the shape of a cross.

Kang-hoo and Dong-jae proceeded to the entrance marked as Dungeon 13, as previously planned.

Foreign hunters seemed to be common here, as no one paid them much attention.

Everyone was busy with their own tasks, and no one recognized them.

It was convenient.

While Dong-jae went to a nearby market for some final preparations, Kang-hoo received a new message. It was about something he’d forgotten.

[Congratulations. The designated waiting period has ended, and the new option has been activated.]

‘Oh, this must be from when I infused the Dagger of Corrupted Conviction with the Distorted Awakening. It mentioned a new option would activate.’

The memory resurfaced.

He had seen the message back then, but with no clear timeline for the activation, it had slipped his mind over time.

Since he’d completely forgotten, the sudden message felt less surprising and more like an unexpected gift.

[Yearning – Using three Hematites, you can upgrade this dagger to Grade 1.]

The new option required three hematites as offerings to upgrade the dagger by one grade.

Kang-hoo currently had two hematites. With one more, the upgrade would be possible.

‘I need to figure out how to get one more hematite. It’s a tough item to acquire, though…’

Obtaining hematites wasn’t guaranteed.

There was one place he knew had a stockpile of hematites, but conquering it was practically impossible.

That’s because it was located in the subspace controlled by Jang Si-hwan. Essentially out of reach.

The next best chance would be to hunt in dungeons in England with the help of the Spitfire Guild. The problem was the odds—they weren’t 100%.

While there were ways to acquire hematites, none were urgent.

Since they could occasionally drop from dungeons, there was a slim chance he might find one in the upcoming raid. The odds were extremely low, though.

For now, Kang-hoo acknowledged the new option and the need for another hematite as he finished his preparations.

Once Dong-jae returned, they would head out immediately.

Instinct of Sprint.

Focus.

Strategic Control.

As soon as they entered the dungeon, buffs immediately activated for Kang-hoo. These were familiar buff skills used by Park Dong-jae.

【Blessing of the Earth Mother】

【Evasion rate against skills is slightly increased. If no hits are taken for a certain time, a blessing enabling guaranteed evasion is activated.】

“Oh.”

“This is your first time seeing this, right?”

“You’ve picked up another skill already.”

“This buff skill is especially effective for you. What do you think?”

“I’ll have to test it out.”

Kang-hoo examined the newly added buff with an intrigued expression.

The slight increase in evasion rate wasn’t the core feature of this buff—it was only a minor aspect.

The highlight was that achieving certain conditions would activate a blessing for ‘guaranteed evasion.’

No matter how powerful the incoming skill, it would be dodged with 100% certainty.

The sudden boost from a buff felt like it doubled or tripled his combat efficiency.

As the saying goes, while some hunters never seek a buffer, those who do almost always come back for more.

Meanwhile, as Kang-hoo spent time without taking any hits, surrounded by the Blessing of the Earth Mother, a faint, translucent energy began to envelop him, signaling the activation of the guaranteed evasion effect.

At that moment, a monster called the Mad Stone Thrower appeared ahead.

Its name had been localized into Korean, but it was essentially a goblin that hurled stones.

Kang-hoo deliberately stood in front of it. The creature, enraged, hurled a stone with all its might at Kang-hoo.

The next moment—

Whoosh!

The stone, which should have struck Kang-hoo directly, veered off course.

It was as though two magnets with the same polarity repelled each other, creating an almost visual pushback effect.

“This is solid.”

Kang-hoo gave a thumbs-up to Dong-jae.

A skill like this was invaluable to Kang-hoo. The stone not only missed but veered far off its mark.

“You’re someone who can gain ten turns of advantage with just one. When I got this buff skill, I immediately thought of you. How is it? Awesome, right?”

“This is seriously fantastic.”

“After one guaranteed evasion, there’s a cooldown period before it can activate again. But it’s still really good.”

“Let’s keep using it. I’ll think about how to utilize it strategically.”

“Deal.”

From there, Kang-hoo and Dong-jae began their full-fledged dungeon raid.

Testing out the new buff skill had ignited their fighting spirit. They couldn’t hold back any longer.

The early stages of the raid progressed without any major issues.

Dungeon 13 was divided into three zones: Zones 1, 2, and 3.

Zone 1 wasn’t particularly difficult. Since there weren’t many large-scale battles, things didn’t get too complicated.

Thanks to this, Kang-hoo managed to level up to 243, gaining significant experience points.

As they neared the end of Zone 1, entering the cleanup phase of the battle, Kang-hoo struck up a conversation.

“Dong-jae, your buffs have improved. You’ve been working on your mastery, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, I’ve been focusing a lot on improving my proficiency. I’ve leveled up two ranks recently, so you probably felt the difference.”

“Also, your reverse buff earlier was really impressive.”

“Was it good?”

“It was perfect.”

Kang-hoo nodded in approval.

Reverse Buffs.

This refers to intentionally applying buffs to monsters.

At first glance, it might seem counterintuitive—why would you empower your enemies?

But the reality is different.

For instance, imagine a monster charging at you at a predictable speed. Now, suddenly, it receives an unexpected speed boost.

Its movements become clumsy.

If it doesn’t outright trip, it might stumble and hit its head or face on the ground.

The monster might lose its attack timing or even expose itself to a counterattack.

That’s exactly what happened to the monster Kang-hoo had just defeated.

When the sudden speed buff kicked in, the monster lurched forward uncontrollably, falling directly onto Kang-hoo’s dagger.

The damage inflicted by the dagger turned out to be critical.

While Dong-jae didn’t possess direct combat abilities, his creative use of buffs made him more effective than most fighters.

To Kang-hoo, Dong-jae’s support wasn’t a simple “1+1=2” addition but more like “1+1=2.5.”

“By the way, Kang-hoo hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“This is something I’ve been really curious about. How do you keep adding more and more skills?”

“That’s a trade secret.”

There were parts even Dong-jae couldn’t be told—specifically, about the Constellations and Kang-hoo’s origins.

“Setting everything else aside, the fact that all your skills cause bleeding is beyond broken…”

Visit freewёbnoνel.com for the best novel reading experience.

Thanks to the Constellation of the Bloodthirsty Soma, all of Kang-hoo’s skill-based attacks triggered a bleeding effect.

While the effect didn’t last long, the mere fact that it occurred made it seem overwhelmingly overpowered.

From Dong-jae’s perspective as a buffer, who had plenty of opportunities to observe the battlefield, it was even more apparent.

At that moment, confirming there were no monsters left nearby, Dong-jae handed a water bottle to Kang-hoo.

It was a heartwarming gesture, mirroring how Kang-hoo had handed him a bottle on the plane earlier.

However—

“Hyung. By the way, how much do you know about Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwanhyeong of the Jeonghwa Guild?”

Dong-jae’s casually delivered question wasn’t heartwarming. To Kang-hoo, it was a sensitive topic.