The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All-Chapter 261: Angel Of The Battlefield (1)

How far had he traveled?

By the time he arrived at a location with a clear, unobstructed view and could be certain that there was nothing around— ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Kang-hoo got off the bike and began preparing to upgrade Fallen Conviction.

As for the Hematite needed for future endurance enhancements—more specifically, for upgrading Martial God’s Amusement Ring—he planned to find another way to obtain it.

He briefly reconsidered his priorities, but no matter the scenario, if it was the same Hematite, investing it into a weapon was the right choice.

It was already difficult to gather Hematite, but the moment it was absorbed into a weapon, the process was instantaneous.

Like a crab vanishing into a gust of wind, Fallen Conviction devoured three Hematites, evolving into a Grade 1 weapon.

【Fallen Conviction – Weapon】

【Grade: 1】

【Strength +550】

【Agility +200】

【Stamina +100】

【Magic Resistance +200】

【Endurance +150】

His stats immediately surged.

His Strength increased by 200, Agility—now a newly added stat—rose by 200, and both Magic Resistance and Endurance increased by 100 each.

【Black Tear – Increases the efficiency of all skills by 20% and damage by 30%.】

【Distortion Awakening – By utilizing Fallen Conviction, you can absorb a portion of the stats from weapons of the same type. Total absorption can occur seven times, and the higher the total stats of the weapon being absorbed, the greater the absorption. When bringing Fallen Conviction into contact with a weapon you wish to absorb, Distortion Awakening will activate.】

Additionally, the effect of Black Tear had increased from 10% to 20% efficiency and from 20% to 30% damage boost.

Furthermore, the number of times Distortion Awakening could be activated had expanded from 5 to 7.

So far, Kang-hoo had only fed one dagger to Fallen Conviction. This meant there was still room to absorb six more.

And there was more.

【Unification – If you collect all set items except for the dagger, you can consolidate the stats into a chestplate.】

“This… is really good.”

The reason Kang-hoo highly rated the Unification option was simple.

No hunter in the world could equip multiple items on the same body part.

The same applied to rings. While one could wear rings on all ten fingers, it was impossible to stack two rings on the same finger.

This was why top-tier hunters constantly pondered how to swap out equipment for better-grade items.

Since equipping duplicate items wasn’t possible, a poor equipment trade could lead to an outright downgrade.

However, with the Unification option, the Fallen Set—chestplate, two rings, and a necklace—could have their stats merged into the chestplate.

This would free up the slots for two additional rings and a necklace, significantly boosting his stats.

A massive advantage.

There were very few items in existence with such a stat-merging function. Anyone would drool over an option like this.

【The 'Fallen Fiend' can now evolve into the 'Ascended Fallen Fiend.'

The Ascended Fallen Fiend can condense dark energy scattered across dungeons or battlefields and supply it to its master.

Additionally, when needed, it can transform into Wings of Corruption, enabling aerial maneuverability for up to 30 seconds.】

“My weapon is basically complete now.”

Kang-hoo smiled with satisfaction.

The evolution of the Fallen Fiend was another massive gain for him.

It could now gather and replenish scattered dark energy on his behalf, essentially serving as a Dark Energy Station.

Even better, while it consumed dark energy, it also granted 30 seconds of aerial movement, which was a highly appealing perk.

One of Kang-hoo’s few weaknesses was his inability to maneuver in the air—but now, that issue was resolved.

With the Hematite upgrade, his weapon had gained a flurry of stat boosts.

At this rate, the only reason he would consider switching weapons was if he could upgrade Fallen Conviction from Grade 1 to Grade 0.

Otherwise, it was unlikely he’d abandon Fallen Conviction for another Grade 1 weapon.

Of course, better daggers existed.

But unless he was lucky enough to find one soon, it would take considerable time.

“Endurance at 810. 190 more to reach 1,000. From now on, all gathered Hematite will go toward endurance.”

His hunger for Hematite only grew.

It was a rare material. If only it rained down from the sky…

Unfortunately, such a scenario was not something the original story had arranged.

Even though he had imagined it many times in his subconscious, he had deliberately excluded such an element in the original for the sake of narrative coherence.

Gulp. Gulp.

He drank from the canteen in his backpack to quench his thirst.

Perhaps it was because he had just finished a battle, but the water tasted better than usual.

“Hmm… is my body remembering this?”

The cool water triggered a memory—the Cheongmyeong Detention Center.

Back there, he had never once tasted clean, refreshing water.

There wasn’t any clean water, and even when they could drink, it was always lukewarm and of unknown origin.

The guards, jokingly, had even told them they filled the canteens with their own urine.

Perhaps that past desperation for clean water was why the mere act of drinking brought back such vivid memories of the detention center.

Even after so much time had passed, those unpleasant memories resurfaced unexpectedly.

“Hm.”

A thought crossed his mind.

Either way, things with Eclipse were now beyond the point of reconciliation. It was a battle to the end.

If that was the case, why not turn Cheongmyeong Detention Center upside down?

There were still many rookie hunters suffering under Eclipse inside that place.

Until now, there had been two reasons why he hadn’t attacked Cheongmyeong Detention Center.

First, the detention center housed many hunters affiliated with Eclipse.

Second, there was no reason to take the risk.

But now, things were different.

If Cheongmyeong Detention Center collapsed, it would be the same as shattering Eclipse’s greatest symbol, making it a move of immense significance.

Moreover, with Eclipse’s diminishing influence leading to a decline in revenue—

A blow to their mana stone profits would be devastating.

If Cheong-an or Heuksaja decided to act, they could even seize ownership of the mana stone mines altogether.

“I should ask Jeon Se-hyuk and Lee Ye-rin about this at the same time. I know the inside of the detention center well.”

In the original story, Shin Kang-hoo had suffered for three years before managing to escape from there.

From unfinished escape tunnels to emergency routes, there was nothing he didn’t know about the interior.

As long as he infiltrated Cheongmyeong Detention Center, he was confident he could tear it apart from the inside.

“This is also about cutting ties with my cursed past.”

Even after escaping, the memories of Cheongmyeong Detention Center still haunted him like a trauma.

Seeing cellmates who were alive one day, only to end up reduced to ashes in the incinerator the next—that was normal.

If someone asked him who was responsible for all this tragedy, the answer was obvious—Kang Dong-hyun.

Tampering with the mana stone mines inside Cheongmyeong Detention Center was equivalent to raiding Kang Dong-hyun’s private vault.

Perhaps, it might even force Kang Dong-hyun to step onto the battlefield himself.

After all, it was his lifeline.

“Sounds fun.”

A twisted smile formed on his lips.

Was this the pleasure of tormenting an enemy?

The fact that he was planning to torment a villain made it even more satisfying.

For Kang-hoo, the only thing he had to lose was his life. As long as he kept himself alive, that was enough.

But for Kang Dong-hyun and Eclipse, it was different.

They had a lot to lose—and they would pay the price in blood.

A considerable amount of time had passed.

Kang-hoo managed to reach Kaechon City, in the northern region of Pyongan Province, without encountering any major battles or conflicts.

Along the way, he spotted several groups of Chinese hunters, but they hadn’t noticed his presence.

Judging by their movements, they seemed to be explorers or investigators from China, likely surveying North Korea, though their affiliations were unclear.

In the original story, around this time—

The Jeonghwa Guild was wiping out The Abyss, then using the Hae-yeong Guild to eliminate the Myeongga Guild, before finally absorbing the Hae-yeong Guild and consolidating its hold over the domestic hunter scene.

After that, Jang Si-hwan turned his attention to North Korea.

As a result, he expanded northward, driving out illegal factions that had established themselves there.

One of the most notorious factions was the Kashimar Guild, which had taken root in the eastern region.

However, the Jeonghwa Guild’s plans had been disrupted, so North Korea remained in a state of chaos.

‘It’ll probably stay that way for a while. The Abyss won’t give the Jeonghwa Guild the time to focus on North Korea.’

Instead of the Jeonghwa Guild taking over, there was a possibility that The Abyss would expand its influence into North Korea instead.

That, in itself, would be interesting.

After all, The Abyss had a force just as formidable as the Jeonghwa Guild.

At that moment—

Vrrrrrrrm.

Kang-hoo slowed down and focused ahead.

There were moving creatures.

In Kaechon City, there were only two types of moving entities—Hybrids and the Brood Queen.

‘As expected.’

A swarm came into view.

From the entrance of Kaechon City, Hybrids were already crawling everywhere.

One could even say the air itself was half oxygen and half Hybrids—and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

【You didn’t come here to die, did you? The yin energy is incredibly thick. Have you come to fill a void?】

Dimension Plunderer spoke cryptically.

She had been silent for a while, but now that she spoke, it seemed the sight before her was truly fascinating.

【Our brilliant contractor must have a plan, as always. Since you clearly came here with a purpose, why don’t you stop spouting nonsense?】

Not to be outdone, Strategist of the Wasteland joined the conversation.

And she was right on the mark.

【Ha. You think I said that seriously? I was merely mocking you for your shallow insight.】

【So what exactly needs filling? Are you saying the contractor has an excess of yang energy, so he should absorb some yin energy from those monsters?】

【Tch. I knew a lustful wench like you would only ever think of things in that way. I refuse to engage in this lowly exchange.】

【You should just shut your mouth and stop making a fool of yourself.】

Kang-hoo chuckled at the bickering of the two constellations.

It should have been distracting, but instead, it helped ease his tension before the battle.

He even wondered if they were intentionally putting on an act to lighten the mood.

Still, Dimension Plunderer was right—the Hybrids emitted dense yin energy, a type of dark energy.

To avoid being detected, he would have to use Silent Death frequently.

By doing so, he could mask his aura and be recognized as one of the undead, preventing them from noticing him.

Kang-hoo drove his bike as close as possible.

At this point, the bike had fulfilled its role as a means of transport.

From now on, it was nothing more than a weapon.

Additionally, since he no longer needed the spare fuel canister, he had no use for extra fuel.

Instead, he planned to set it on fire.

With gasoline, it would burn for a long time.

‘There are a lot of them. If I clear out just these monsters here, I should be able to meet her.’

A grin spread across Kang-hoo’s face as he thought of the Angel of the Battlefield.

He knew the summoning ritual just as well as the Dimension Plunderer.

It was time to stage a performance—a mix of scripted deception and real combat—to summon a higher constellation.

Everything was ready.