The Assassin Hunter Stops Time 24
KRRRKKKK!
“Hik… hik…”
So-hee was shoved backward two full steps and panted heavily, chest heaving.
She had been training without a single break for eight hours straight.
Park Moon-hyuk, her trainer, looked at her with genuine concern.
“That’s enough for today.”
“I can keep going. Just a little more… please.”
“You’ve already been at it for four hours. Rest is part of the training regimen. Why don’t you take a short break and then we’ll continue?”
“……Yes.”
So-hee collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud.
What she had done in the SW Technology training room for so long was nothing but Defense Training.
Inside the virtual combat zone, she had taken on countless simulated attacks from waves of monsters.
Even though her level hadn’t increased, simply experiencing the situations that would unfold in real dungeons was already an enormous amount of training.
At first she could barely handle even two green orcs, but now she could face groups of orc warriors with ease.
Of course, real combat was completely different.
‘Still…’
Moon-hyuk gazed at her with a mixture of pride and astonishment.
A tank required the greatest courage of all positions.
She had to take every blow the enemy threw directly onto her body and, when necessary, break through groups of enemies.
In that sense, So-hee was exceptionally gifted.
At sixteen years old, she had grown at an almost impossible pace.
And then.
Ding.
The elevator doors slid open, and the secretary chief, Kyung-taek, entered the training room followed by a strange man.
Moon-hyuk turned his head.
“Good afternoon.”
“So-hee, are you holding up okay?”
Kyung-taek asked, looking down at the girl who was still slumped in the virtual zone, head lowered.
So-hee lifted her face.
And at the sight of the man beside Kyung-taek.
“Uncle!”
She shot up so fast she nearly fell over, then hurriedly wiped her sweaty face and ruffled her hair.
Do-jin walked straight toward her.
“Can you handle it?”
“It’s tough… but I think I can manage.”
Hearing those words, Moon-hyuk immediately recognized the man.
‘That guy…
The one rumored to have the most contact with the chairman lately.
He looked ordinary at first glance, but Moon-hyuk quickly dismissed the thought.
It was none of his business.
“She’s grown dramatically in recent months. At first even goblin warriors were too much for her, but now she handles four or five orcs without any trouble.”
“That’s excellent news.”
So-hee gave a tiny smile at Do-jin’s words.
Do-jin turned to Moon-hyuk.
“Can she hold out in a high-level dungeon?”
“High-level? That’s… difficult.”
Even though she had become proficient in combat, her level was still only fifty.
Even if she was an S-rank awakener.
Do-jin looked at So-hee.
“Try it.”
“……Yes?”
“Let’s go.”
“Where?”
A strange unease prickled at the back of So-hee’s neck.
Her instincts were correct.
“The dungeon. We need to raise your level now.”
She no longer had to worry about discovering unclaimed dungeons.
By now the Firebird Guild should have finished its business with the guild.
‘We receive the dungeon according to the proper procedure.’
And it never stopped coming.
From any hunter’s perspective who wanted to level up, this was the ideal condition.
‘Providing appropriate dungeons continuously is almost impossible unless you’re the guild’s top prospect.’
Do-jin looked at So-hee.
“From now on, you’ll have to be ready.”
So-hee swallowed hard without realizing it.
* * *
The weather was pleasantly clear.
Something good was going to happen.
Yoo Seong-hyun, manager of the Firebird Guild, received a new assignment.
— A new person needs to be managed. Yoo Seong-hyun, please follow them and provide proper support.
Because problems had arisen inside the guild recently, Seong-hyun had been devoted solely to scouting team duties.
But suddenly he was being told to act as a manager.
“Ugh… I wonder if this is how the guild is going to collapse.”
Seong-hyun sat in the promised café, sipping coffee with a gloomy expression.
If the guild truly went bankrupt, he would be unemployed for sure.
Lately, even finding a job at another guild was extremely competitive.
Maybe he would have to go back to being a hunter.
He had once reached level fifty, only to quit because dungeons were too terrifying.
Seong-hyun sighed quietly and gazed out the window.
A moment later, a car pulled up.
His eyes widened at the person stepping out.
“……Eh?”
Two people emerged from the car.
Ting!
The little bell on the door chimed brightly.
Seong-hyun looked up in surprise as the door opened.
“Eh? Eh? Eh?”
He shot to his feet, unable to hide his shock.
And when he saw the approaching man.
“S-Sir Cheolsu!”
Seong-hyun shouted.
The other customers in the café turned to stare, but he had no time to notice their eyes.
“……Eh?”
So-hee, who had entered the café with Do-jin, tilted her head curiously.
“Cheolsu?”
“It’s a codename.”
“Oh… I see.”
Seong-hyun simply nodded.
Do-jin, seeing him up close, spoke.
“It’s been a while, Seong-hyun.”
Even though only a month had passed, it felt like much longer.
So much had happened.
Seong-hyun sat down and said to Do-jin.
“I hope you’ve been well. I never imagined we’d meet again like this.”
“I told you we’d see each other again, didn’t I?”
A faint smile played at the corner of Do-jin’s lips.
So-hee was startled once more.
She had never seen Do-jin smile before.
Of course, it was the kind of smile that was almost impossible to notice unless you looked closely.
Seong-hyun laughed loudly.
“You’ve become much more impressive, sir.”
“Seong-hyun, your dark circles look even deeper.”
“……Haha.”
Seong-hyun gave an awkward laugh.
“There have been quite a few things lately.”
Seong-hyun spilled out the situation at the Firebird Guild as if complaining to an old friend he hadn’t seen in years.
There was no need to mention internal information.
It was already public knowledge.
“I never thought the Red Circle would resort to such a method. Of course, they paid the full penalty for contract termination, so there’s no issue… but it seems rather excessive.”
It was about the hunters who had left the Firebird Guild and joined the Red Circle recently.
Of course, it wasn’t only about the hunters.
The more serious problem was that even core staff members who helped with operations and guild management had quit.
Seong-hyun sighed.
“But you’re still staying at the Firebird Guild. Didn’t the scouting team offer come?”
“No way. Even if I look like this now, I’m known as the hard-working staff at the Firebird Guild. Of course they offered.”
And the salary had risen by a full 150 percent.
The moment Seong-hyun saw that amount, he finally understood why so many employees had left like water draining away.
For a regular employee, a 150 percent salary increase was nothing short of a dream.
But Seong-hyun had stayed.
He simply didn’t like riding the crest of someone else’s misfortune.
“Besides, moving like that makes it easy for me to jump ship later.”
Even though he tried to phrase it politely, Seong-hyun was a good person.
Do-jin stood up.
“Shall we head to the prepared dungeon?”
“Ah, let me see you off.”
“I brought the car today, so we’ll take separate vehicles. From next time, please leave a location.”
“Of course. I’ll head there first and leave the address.”
Seong-hyun immediately left his destination address and got into his car.
He was focused on the purpose rather than the current situation.
Seeing that, Seong-hyun couldn’t help but smile faintly.
* * *
A mid-level dungeon classified as the orc village.
There were many orc species, but this particular dungeon was more difficult than ordinary green orcs.
Flame orcs.
They had reddish skin and a faint mana flame that burned around their bodies like fire.
One of the stronger orc types.
Their strength was impressive, but the heat radiating from their bodies was itself a threat.
“Just the two of us going in?”
“Yes.”
Se-hee looked surprised as Do-jin answered.
She swallowed nervously.
She had only recently finished defense training against green orcs.
Now they were going against flame orcs.
But Do-jin simply glanced at Seong-hyun.
“This time it might take a little longer. Wait in the café nearby.”
“It’s fine. Please take care.”
“Let’s go, So-hee.”
Do-jin stepped into the dungeon.
So-hee and Seong-hyun were left alone, and she made a face while staring at him.
“Fight!”
Seong-hyun simply clenched his fists in encouragement.
So-hee entered the dungeon with a teary expression.
Uuung.
With a faint vibration, the world changed.
“The flame orc village…”
It felt like a volcanic zone.
The ground was cracked lava stone, uneven and full of holes.
Stairs rose in a natural formation alongside the surrounding high rocks.
Thring.
[Flame Orc Village]
Clear Conditions.
— Flame Orc Soldier (0/80)
— Flame Orc Warrior (0/20)
Since there was no limit on entrants, it felt like an old dungeon.
Then So-hee entered the dungeon.
“Do you know how experience points are distributed in dungeons?”
“Eh? No… I only remember being pulled into the dungeon without understanding anything…”
For So-hee, awakening memories were nothing more than nightmares.
She didn’t regret entering the awakening room, but after that she had only bad memories.
Do-jin reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
“Many things are going to change from now on. For you, and for your future.”
“……Yes.”
So-hee answered firmly.
And…
“Krrrooooorrr!”
“Krrr!”
With the entrance of unfamiliar outsiders, the flame orcs revealed themselves.
Their height was almost that of an adult.
Their muscles looked like those of bodybuilders.
And the flames clinging to their bodies.
Just their appearance was overwhelming.
But Do-jin calmly turned his gaze to the flame orcs.
And spoke to So-hee.
“The way experience points are distributed depends on how much contribution you make by defeating monsters in this dungeon.”
The dungeon determined that contribution.
No one knew exactly how it would judge, but…
“Even if you defend well for a long time, the dungeon will measure your contribution highly.”
Do-jin looked at So-hee.
“Take out your equipment.”
“Yes!”
Drrrrr.
When So-hee pressed the shoulder armor button, thick armor instantly covered her body.
It was the same system Red Knight Hong Woo-min had used.
It also showed how much support SW Technology provided.
And So-hee stood ready, shield in hand like a bag.
“You don’t have any armor, Uncle?”
“This jacket is enough.”
He showed the jacket Seong-hyun had given him.
And Do-jin drew his short sword and looked at the approaching flame orcs.
There were seven in total.
If Do-jin moved, he could kill them instantly.
“Hold them off for five minutes. Then when you defeat them, your contribution will be measured higher.”
“……Yes?”
“Night Walker.”
Do-jin vanished from sight in an instant.
So-hee’s eyes widened in confusion.
While she was still blinking.
“Kyyyyyyyy!”
“Kyaaaa!”
“Kyaaaaaaaaaa!”
Seven flame orcs charged, and So-hee screamed.