The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All-Chapter 249: Celestial Assassin’s Test (1)

Kang-hoo, having traveled from Incheon Airport to Seoul Station, began his journey in a secure limousine arranged by K.

Even if one has plenty of money, the cost of a limousine is often shocking.

Thanks to K’s generosity, the ride cost Kang-hoo nothing, making the experience all the more pleasant.

Upon boarding, the driver simply said they would depart and then promptly raised the middle partition.

This allowed Kang-hoo to gaze out the window and comfortably sink into his thoughts.

The first thing he did was recharge the durability of the Impeccable Wall.

The method was simple.

By checking the skill in the skill menu and infusing mana corresponding to the current durability, it could be replenished.

Being a mana-draining beast that consumed 1,000 mana, the recharge process took a fair amount of time.

Aside from Kang-hoo’s limited mana pool, there was an inherent time requirement, akin to filling up at a gas station.

It took approximately five minutes to fully charge the durability to 1,000, increasing by roughly 200 per minute.

While recharging during non-combat moments like now was manageable, it didn’t seem feasible during battle.

If recharging during combat were necessary, managing mana would be a significant challenge.

Mana had to be allocated both for using other skills and for maintaining durability, making resource management exceptionally tough.

The issue wasn’t just about consuming Mad Solarkium, but the sheer amount of required mana.

In any case, the recharge was complete.

Once durability surpassed 333, the state of being able to block an enemy’s attack at least once was activated.

It was reassuring.

Who would’ve thought that a hidden skill could resolve such a difficult defensive mechanism for an assassin?

Reflecting on it, Kang-hoo felt his rushed trip to Norway had been a good decision.

‘I’d like to visit the Sanctuary of Darkness at some point, but the problem is severing ties with the divine.’

Kang-hoo clicked his tongue while reviewing details about the fourth perk of the Pure Black Seeker—Spirit Training.

Though he wanted to go immediately, the issue was that visiting the sanctuary would sever all connections to divinity.

‘Of course, most major constellations tied to divine power have already been claimed at this point.’

The renowned constellations, often referred to as named, already had contractors. Notable examples included Elizabeth and Emilia.

Beyond them, hunters reputed for their mastery of divine power, both domestically and internationally, had completed their contracts.

However, there was one uncontracted constellation requiring extraordinary appeal to secure—the Angel of the Battlefield.

In the original story, Elizabeth contracted this constellation during an operation in North Korea.

The catalyst was a hybrid extermination campaign.

The Angel of the Battlefield appeared, mistaking Elizabeth’s actions against the hybrids—creatures deemed undead—for granting them eternal rest.

Though Elizabeth’s intentions were entirely different, the misunderstanding led to a beneficial contract.

‘Considering how inactive Elizabeth was among the Thirteen Stars, this constellation would be much more efficient with me.’

While Kang-hoo didn’t regard Elizabeth as a future enemy, neither did he consider her an ally.

To be frank, her motives were unpredictable.

Unlike Jang Si-hwan, who was clearly aligned with one side, or Takashi, who had reasons to betray, Elizabeth’s position remained ambiguous.

‘I’ll have to schedule a trip back to North Korea once matters with the Celestial Assassin are settled.’

The schedule was packed.

After meeting the Celestial Assassin, there would be dungeon expeditions related to the Groo Guild.

Following that, there was a mission in Germany with Ayane concerning the Corruption Series, where they’d work as mercenaries.

Then, there would be an opportunity to obtain Infernus, a top-tier talisman, through Kang Bok-hwa.

The Infernus matter was delayed because, around the time Kang-hoo arrived at Seoul Station, he received a message.

The family holding the talisman was staying in Vietnam longer than expected.

It seemed many hunters, tempted by the talisman’s effects and options, were risking their lives to challenge it.

Kang-hoo was confident there wouldn’t be any interception attempts.

Unless someone had directly read the original work and learned the method, taming the talisman would be impossible.

“Hoo.”

Kang-hoo closed his eyes.

Although he had slept well on the flight back from Norway, he still felt strangely fatigued.

In the past, his body had been in a constant state of tension, but now it seemed to truly rest when given the chance.

The ability to sleep when desired wasn’t a bad sign.

However, Kang-hoo remained vigilant, knowing the unexpected could happen at any time.

The easiest prey isn’t one who leaves themselves open but one who’s caught sleeping.

At that moment.

Bang!

Jang Si-hwan slammed his desk.

Apparently, pounding it with both fists wasn’t enough to vent his anger.

Whoosh!

He gripped the desk and set it ablaze with black magic, reducing it to ashes.

The Flames of Annihilation.

A vicious black magic that incinerates anything it touches, bringing instant death.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

Even after burning the expensive desk, Jang Si-hwan continued his tirade of curses.

His rage was so intense that even Chae Gwanhyeong, standing nearby, was startled into calming him down.

“Come on, let it go. Why are you so worked up? We haven’t lost, and the situation is still manageable.”

“Manageable? Do you even know how many heads we sacrificed in Dongducheon, you idiot?”

“Wow… Who knew you could curse so fluently? It’s strangely appealing in its own way.”

“Shut up.”

Chae Gwanhyeong laughed at Jang Si-hwan’s uncharacteristic behavior.

Though he normally acted like a saint, it often felt like swallowing a hundred sweet potatoes at once—a stifling façade.

Seeing this raw display of honesty made Chae Gwanhyeong think, “This is the friend I know.”

Meanwhile…

“……”

Behind Chae Gwanhyeong stood three executives, silently bowing their heads.

The Jeonghwa Guild’s top five members had all gathered here:

Rank 3: Shin Tae-seok,

Rank 4: Kim Dae-man,

Rank 5: Choi Sa-ra—the only woman in the group.

“Hoo…”

Jang Si-hwan sighed deeply, regaining his composure. Still, the awkward atmosphere prompted him to speak further.

“I apologize to everyone. I couldn’t control my anger and acted out of character.”

“Why are you suddenly speaking formally?”

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

Jang Si-hwan shot a glare at Chae Gwanhyeong.

Adjusting his disheveled clothing, Jang Si-hwan’s face returned to its usual stoic expression.

The heat of his earlier rage had subsided, but the venom in his eyes remained undiminished.

Jang Si-hwan continued.

“The situation with The Abyss spiraled because Moon Yu-seok’s betrayal was uncovered prematurely. Why do you think our covertly recruited Moon Yu-seok suddenly died?”

Jang Si-hwan’s gaze swept over Shin Tae-seok, Kim Dae-man, and Choi Sa-ra in turn.

However, none of them had any answers. Moon Yu-seok’s death had caught them all off guard.

“The recruitment of Moon Yu-seok was known only to us five. Unless this information leaked internally, there’s no way Moon Yu-seok would have been killed by Lee Hyun-seok.”

“So, are you saying one of us is a traitor?”

“Technically, you and I are excluded.”

“Haha.”

“Even if it wasn’t outright betrayal, I believe someone might have carelessly let something slip.”

Chae Gwanhyeong stepped forward at Jang Si-hwan’s words, casually placing a hand on Shin Tae-seok’s shoulder.

“Hey, Tae-seok. Was it you?”

“No, it wasn’t. Do you think I’d recklessly blab about something so sensitive?”

“Kim Dae-man. You like to drink, don’t you? Did you spill something while drunk?”

“Absolutely not, boss.”

“Choi Sa-ra. You… never mind.”

Both Chae Gwanhyeong and Jang Si-hwan knew that pointing fingers here wouldn’t uncover the culprit.

They also understood that this could easily devolve into pointless venting. It was entirely possible that Lee Hyun-seok had cleverly rooted out the mole.

What truly enraged Jang Si-hwan was how Lee Hyun-seok’s survival had derailed their entire plan.

Had they eliminated Lee Hyun-seok without Moon Yu-seok’s betrayal being exposed, The Abyss would have been absorbed into Jeonghwa Guild.

Instead, their failure had left Jeonghwa Guild locked in a fierce battle with The Abyss around Dongducheon.

As Jang Si-hwan had said earlier, over 100 Jeonghwa Guild hunters had already been lost in the conflict.

Each one was a valuable resource, a carefully nurtured elite.

Considering the time and expense required to train an elite hunter, their losses were painful.

“I don’t know how Lee Hyun-seok uncovered Moon Yu-seok’s betrayal, but it’s caused our Jeonghwa Guild to be needlessly bogged down.”

Jang Si-hwan bit his lip.

If he had known that Kang-hoo was the one who tipped off Lee Hyun-seok about Moon Yu-seok’s betrayal…

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From that moment on, Kang-hoo would have replaced Lee Hyun-seok as Jang Si-hwan’s top assassination target.

But unaware of the leak’s origin, Jang Si-hwan could only simmer in frustration.

After taking a series of deep breaths to calm himself, Jang Si-hwan issued an order.

“Contact the Public Safety Bureau. Gather all available forces and reinforce us. Unless they want to lose their footing in Seoul.”

This was a call for reinforcements: the Jeonghwa Guild’s Second Battalion, the Hunter Public Safety Bureau.

Kang-hoo, having arrived comfortably at Yuri Land via the secure limousine, met K at the entrance.

Without Moon Hyeong-seo or Hwang Bo-hye accompanying him this time, K scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“This makes me look bad. Should I consider hiring a proper gatekeeper?”

“How have you been?”

“I’ve been fine as always. But you seem to have gained some weight? Looks like you’ve been eating and sleeping well lately.”

“I’ve been sleeping a lot.”

“Good. Sleep when you can. This world doesn’t often allow restful sleep, does it?”

Though casually said, Kang-hoo found K’s words oddly impactful.

The more ambitious a hunter, the fiercer their challenges, and the greater their risks.

Being targeted by others meant fearing not only the darkness but also solitude and restlessness.

Kang-hoo asked.

“Where are we heading?”

“As I mentioned before, to my villa. I’ve been a bit selfish, but I feel you and my elder brother would make great teacher-student partners.”

“Thank you.”

“Maybe I’m meddling too much for an old man.”

“Not at all. I see it as thoughtful care, and I’m very grateful.”

“Is that so? Then, from now on…”

At that moment.

“Wait.”

Sensing something suspicious, Kang-hoo stopped in his tracks and grabbed K’s hand.

In the next moment, Kang-hoo asked, intuitively grasping the situation.

“Is this a test?”