The Assassin Hunter Sees Growth
Gyeongtaek saw Dojin.
‘Different.’
One month ago, Dojin.
He could see from a glance that the man had grown enormously.
Gu Jinmo let out a small laugh.
“Huhu, sit down. Thanks to you, we’ve had to take our time here.”
“Yes.”
At Gu Jinmo’s words, Dojin sat.
Soon, the secretary placed two cups of warm tea in front of them. Gu Jinmo asked Dojin,
“Did the performance meet expectations?”
“Yes.”
A firm voice.
Not the slightest hesitation.
Dojin, who always chose his words carefully, had spoken so decisively. It surprised Gu Jinmo.
“I’ll look forward to it. Speaking of which, about the man you brought with you—Kwak Hansu.”
“Yes.”
Dojin tilted his head slightly. Was the man someone Gu Jinmo would mention? He had only recommended him, after all, and the chairman hardly had time to worry over every single employee. Yet Gu Jinmo continued without pause.
“We have several projects underway at our company… and among them, one has been struggling.”
New materials development, specifically. For nearly a year, the team had been spinning their wheels. Now progress had finally been made. The research team had reportedly gone into a frenzy. “Where on earth did such a genius come from?”
“It’s good that the company was able to help,” Dojin said, forcing a calm expression. He had brought Kwak Hansu with the sincere hope that even the smallest contribution would be welcome. ‘His skill is simply impossible to hide.’
Hansu would only begin to shine two or three years from now, and Red Circle wouldn’t start properly forging weapons until then. ‘Now that I see the situation, I understand why he waited so long to begin.’ The conflicts from the very start had clearly cost valuable time. Still, the important thing was that Hansu had shown genuine talent from the beginning. And… ‘Combined with SW Technology’s technology, he could climb even higher.’ Natural expectations formed. What weapon would Hansu produce?
Uwoong!
At that moment, Dojin’s phone in his inner pocket vibrated faintly. “Chairman, just a moment.”
“It’s fine. Check it comfortably.”
Dojin pulled out the phone, glanced at the screen, and Gu Jinmo nodded. The message was from Hansu: “It’s complete, Dojin-nim.” “……I have somewhere I need to go right away.” How could he possibly hold it back? Gu Jinmo’s eyes sparkled with genuine interest at Dojin’s words, and he asked, “Would you mind if I came along?” “Of course.”
Dojin, together with Gu Jinmo, headed toward the research lab where Hansu was working. * * * “It’s done…!”
For the past month, he had slept properly only once. He had been forging weapons for nearly twenty years, but had never concentrated like this before. ‘Impressive skill.’ The technology held by SW Technology was overwhelming. It allowed him to realize a large portion of what he had only imagined. Yet he had encountered a few failures in such a short time. It wasn’t that Arkal’s fangs were difficult to handle; rather, mixing them with other minerals proved challenging. Arkal’s fangs possessed exceptional strength simply because of their purity. But they also carried clear drawbacks. That’s why he had directed his efforts toward neutralizing those weaknesses in the forging process. Combining with other minerals. Even working with the new materials at SW. But bonding materials with such strong personalities was no easy task. “Hoo…”
Hansu held a sword roughly fifty centimeters long. Slightly longer than a standard dagger, yet he could not deny that this was the perfect result. Blue light bathed the blade, with a faint purple hue woven through the cutting edge. He had used Arkal’s fangs as the core, fused them with mithril, and added adamantium to the edge for added sharpness. The handle was also extended, allowing grip position adjustments. Overall, the sword carried a somber, dark luster. It was no ordinary weapon but a masterpiece that seemed to pulse with its own mysterious energy. And at that moment. Clang. Someone entered the lab from the entrance—Dojin, Chairman Gu Jinmo, and Secretary Kim Gyeongtaek. Hansu lowered his head. “It is an honor to meet you, Chairman.” “Huhu, I heard about the weapon you made for Dojin and came along.” “Yes, it is complete.”
Hansu carefully held the displayed dagger and looked at Dojin. Dojin asked, “Is this mine?” “I made it while thinking only of you. Take a look.” Dojin silently accepted the dagger Hansu offered. The moment he gripped the handle, a tingling sensation traveled from his fingertips. Click. A sense of being enveloped. Indeed, the master craftsman Kwak Hansu. No alien sensation whatsoever, not even a speck, compared to the swords he had used before. Swish. When he drew the blade, the blue and purple light seeped gently into the edge. Behind him, Gu Jinmo unconsciously gasped. “Whoa… It’s an incredible item.” “……”
Gyeongtaek said nothing, but his expression was clearly startled. The aura emanating from the sword was completely different from any ordinary weapon. Hansu spoke. “I used Arkal’s fangs as the single integrated body and edge. I mixed mithril into the edge to improve mana conductivity, then coated the cutting side with a mixture of adamantium and Arkal’s fangs to raise cutting power.” Though he spoke casually, this level of technology was exactly what SW Technology had poured enormous capital into for years. It had been quite advanced, yet the final completion had not been achieved. “Huhu, so this is the first product made with the completed technology.” Hansu had added the finishing touch. Gu Jinmo approached Hansu. “You worked hard. Thanks to you, a year of blockage is finally over.” “It was possible because it was already nearly complete from the start. I believe I could have finished it even without me.” Hansu spoke humbly. Gu Jinmo laughed softly and turned to Dojin. “What do you think? Do you like it?” “……Yes. Very much.” Dojin immediately checked the item. [Arkal’s Wrath] ―Dagger forged from the fang of the light dragon Arkal. His violent power is compressed within. 『Dragon’s Rage』 ―Additional 150% damage when facing dragon-type monsters. ―Additional 300% critical rate when facing dragon-type monsters. Attack power: 8500 『Additional Effects』 ―15% attack power increase. ―Strength +25. ―Agility +35. ―Intelligence +15. ―Skill: Roar. 『Usage Restrictions』 ―Strength 150. ―Agility 400. ―Intelligence 200. The first thing that caught Dojin’s eye was the attack power. Eighty-five hundred. Among A-grade weapons, this was quite high. It surpassed even his previous Blade Bane, which had only reached three hundred and a level capable of almost wiping out monsters. Now it had over twenty times the attack power. ‘……The opponents I’ve fought so far can be cut down without even looking at their vital points.’ Of course, the true power would depend on how he used it. Dojin looked at the other options. The one he had most desired. 『Dragon’s Rage』 When facing dragon-type monsters, damage increases by 150%. That meant an attack power approaching thirteen thousand. Even among A-grade daggers, over ten thousand was rare. He would attack three to four times faster than others while delivering the highest damage. Naturally, he could not ignore the extreme usage restrictions. Hansu said, “I wanted to lower the usage restrictions further, but it would have caused minor issues with the option itself, so I left it as is. I apologize.” “It’s fine. It’s acceptable.” “……Are you certain?” Hansu’s pupils trembled. This was a weapon that required an incredible agility of four hundred just to activate the option. Without it, it would be no different from a wooden stick. Dojin nodded and checked his status window. The harvest from today’s hunt. Name: Ha Dojin Level: 88 Strength: 153.7 + 31 Agility: 394.1 + 64 Vitality: 145.2 Intelligence: 238.8 + 17 Bonus stats: 0 ‘Barely… barely short on agility.’ Just a level one more would suffice. With the Apocalypse Table, he could gain 0.9 more. Dojin turned to Gu Jinmo. “Has the schedule for the Red Gate raid been set?” “March 15th at 6 a.m. We decided to gather at the location. I was actually planning to explain it to you.” “March 15th……” Five days from now. It matched the expected time almost perfectly. “Please grant me one more day. I’ll return by tomorrow.” “Of course.” Dojin gave a small nod and looked at Hansu. “Thank you truly. I’ll use it well.” With that, everything was prepared. He had pulled far more ability than he had imagined, and the weapon was ready. And with that. “All other equipment was prepared by us. Check it when you return tomorrow.” “Understood.” With the best support complete. ‘Preparation is finished.’ Now… he would escape from that horrific event. The light in Dojin’s eyes, after setting his resolve, gleamed coldly. * * * “Tomorrow, then.” In a high-rise building overlooking Seoul’s night. Holding a glass of red wine, Seungho gazed at the glittering city of Seoul. How much effort had he poured in just to reach this point? Within the fingers of five in South Korea, yet still unable to handle even this tiny piece of land. “Once this is over……” The entire South Korea would be mine. Uncontrollable sacrifices would follow, but they were simply the pains one had to endure. Seungho watched Seoul’s night silently. Hoping the sun would rise soon… and the plan would begin. And then. Knock knock. “Enter.” Turning to the face of Cho Janghoon who had entered with the knock. Seungho asked, “The tomorrow plan is all set, right?” If it was still incomplete, it would be a problem. Every preparation had to be flawless. Janghoon nodded. “Of course. But there is one thing that concerns me… Hao Chen seems too impulsive.” “It doesn’t matter. We’ve secured the Cartel Crystal properly. Let him do as he pleases before we start the ‘hunt’.” After all, the most important part of this plan was the Cartel Crystal. Once triggered in a high-mana location inside the dungeon, it would cause the dungeon break. Seungho said, “Don’t worry about him. Focus on the other tasks. You need to concentrate more than ever.” “Understood.” Janghoon nodded with a grave expression. Soon, after Janghoon left, Seungho once again turned his gaze to the window. Now… “South Korea is in my hands.” A small murmur escaped him, and the corners of his lips curled long.