Chapter 19: The Shadow Assassin
A massive forest stretched out before his eyes.
Roooar!
Kee-yak!
Roars echoed from the distance.
Time to slaughter those gorillas…
[Warning!]
[There is currently 1 outsider inside the gate!]
“Huh?”
He wasn't particularly surprised.
Gate Hunter players encountered this event all the time.
‘Someone's crashed the party.’
Gates divided into sections each time someone entered.
Section 1, Section 2, Section 3…
Each section felt like a parallel world with the same boss.
Parties formed up and cleared them one by one.
‘They must've come in together before the sections split.’
Nine times out of ten, it was an assassin.
They had stealth skills and were pros at hiding.
The reason was simple.
‘Killing people pays.’
Regular monsters might drop one piece of gear if you were lucky.
Awakeners?
You could strip them from head to toe.
They'd be lower-ranked, easy pickings, and some just loved killing.
It was one big reason players partied up.
D-rank gates and below limited five entrants per section.
Party of five, leader stands at the gate, invite message pops for all.
It prevented assassins from slipping in.
Guilds and governments guarded popular gates too.
‘But determined ones always get through.’
Assassin stealth was tough to detect even at the same level.
To reliably catch intruders, guards needed much higher levels.
Not easy.
World was wide, gates plentiful.
Hiring costs, shortage of high-rankers…
Intrusions were structurally hard to stop.
‘At least C-rank.’
Below D-rank, exiting was the problem.
Clear and exit, or bail midway—gates flashed light.
Signaling “we're out.”
No one comes?
Assassin killed everyone, stealthed out.
Instant investigation.
D-rank? High risk.
Levels 101-150.
Few skills erased traces that low.
‘C-rank and up's different.’
151-250.
Solid mid-tier.
Assassins learned Trace Erasure.
Even top tools couldn't track them.
He had a good guess why this one tailed him.
Solo gate run?
High skill unless suicidal, meant good gear.
Tempting.
Minwoo smirked.
“I get why you came, but…”
Did this fool know?
He'd killed thousands of assassins in gates.
He was seasoned against them.
[Cedric Summon (SSS) used!]
[Skeleton Summon (F)+9 used!]
Undead summoned.
[Consuming Supreme Detection Potion!]
[Effect active for 1 hour!]
[Consuming Supreme Strength Potion!]
[Strength +50 for 1 hour!]
[Agility Boost…]
Auction house potions downed. Time to hunt.
* * *
Roooar!
Ook! Ookie!
Huge gorillas and monkeys charged in frenzy.
But their momentum fizzled as a small dagger flashed, spraying blood and corpses.
“Hmm.”
A woman, Lee Seoyoon, killed monsters with a delighted smile.
Top-tier assassin.
B-rank in weakling Korea.
High-end B too.
251-350.
B-rank range.
Early 300s.
Nickname: Dark Shadow.
Elusive in hunts.
Stunning beauty.
Elegant, refined air.
Huge fanbase.
Rivaled Sword Sage in fame. But behind the media darling lurked a ruthless killer.
Stab, kill, dismantle.
Pure joy.
Monsters? Boring.
Too many slain.
‘But people? Different.’
Severing tendons, watching them crawl—the thrill!
Past memories shrank her pupils.
Unique rush.
Like chugging soda straight into veins.
She killed one monthly minimum.
“Been too busy lately.”
'Group' tasks kept her from fun.
Finally carved out time.
E-rank gate.
Perfect playpen.
Nice prey too.
Solo uncle type.
E-rank solo? D-rank maybe.
C at most.
Even B-rank? No issue.
Confident in her skills.
Random spawn in gate, no party.
No extreme mid-zone edges.
Message up by now. He'd be rushing, praying she hit mid first.
Then.
[Humanoid Tracking (B) activated!]
Prey nearby.
She grinned, activating skill.
[Shadow Hide (B) activated!]
[Skill may cancel on attack or collision!]
Her body blurred instantly.
Not for cautious ambush.
Level gap overwhelming.
Unless A-rank+, no need caution.
Just.
‘Gonna scare the shit outta him.’
Pure fun.
They always freaked, trembling like epileptics.
Terrifying prey was why she came.
Step.
Step.
She melted into shadows, forest.
Found prey.
‘Huh?’
Eyes widened.
Unimaginable sight.
Fallen gorilla pack.
Not weird.
But skeletons did it.
Over four hundred skulls.
‘Necromancer?’
Thought swordsman with single blade.
Wrong job.
Worse.
‘Isn't that… him?’
Hotshot Korean rookie!
Kim Minwoo.
Obvious reason.
Skeletons fully geared. Per unit, billions easy.
Dozens? Maybe.
Hundreds? Only Kim Minwoo.
‘Jackpot!’
Eyes sparkled madly. Minwoo disguised? Made sense.
Too flashy otherwise.
Forged ID easy for him.
‘There! That's it!’
Cedric.
Broadcast star, headlines.
Set amid skulls.
Casual fun turned mega catch.
Cat eyeing mouse, curiosity and sadism gleamed.
She stepped forward, thrilled.
Click.
‘Huh?’
[Stepped on Exploding Shrapnel Trap.]
Boom!
Massive blast.
* * *
‘Gotcha.’
Minwoo’s eyes gleamed.
Supreme detection helped, but level gap.
Tough to spot stealthing assassin.
Key was finding first.
Miss, and backstabbed to death.
Hence, traps.
Rogues expert at traps? Sure.
‘Assassins hate traps.’
Not one or two. Skeletons littered area.
Assassins packed tracking: heat, humanoid.
‘Drew her right in.’
Especially low gates.
Hunting way weaker foes.
Complacent.
Kill quick, loot, bounce.
Traps pricey, no low-gate spam.
‘Never saw it coming.’
Skeletons? Rich boy Minwoo prey?
Gear worth billions.
Public newbie 20s level.
Not rush? Not assassin, Buddha.
Spot on.
Moth to flame, trapped.
‘Damage minor, but…’
Shrapnel stuck hard.
Assassin sparkled now.
Stealth useless.
Glowed bright.
“Nice to meet you?”
“… Hah.”
Greeted, she scoffed in disbelief.
Looked up, Minwoo startled.
‘Huh?’
Familiar face.
He knew her well.
‘Lee Seoyoon?’
Gate Hunter fame villain.
Media nice guy, psycho inside.
Grows to S-rank if ignored, story pest.
‘Meeting her now?’
Player favorite to crush.
Real world? Tough kill. Celebrity.
Had to time gate random spawn.
Random for hunter gates.
Nailed it now?
‘Pure honey.’
Then.
Seoyoon glared venomously.
“Kim Minwoo, ballsy huh? Thought you'd run, but traps?”
Poison dripped from her dagger.
“You got balls too? Coming at me.”
“Hah…”
She sneered, baffled.
Level gap over 200.
Normal? Run no look back.
“Don't know me? Kinda famous.”
“Let's see… level 300 trash assassin?”
“First psycho like you in my life?”