The Assassin Hunter Stops Time (Episode 37)
“……?”
Sohyeon, who had been guarding the Cartel Crystal, shot upright from his seat in shock.
A sudden sound rang out.
“Flame Golem!”
“Damn it!”
He had been sure the area around the Cartel Crystal was completely clear of monsters before they even installed it, yet here they were now, appearing out of nowhere.
But he had no time to question it.
Red Circle’s first assault squad members, Sejin and Sohyeon, saw two Flame Golems charging straight toward them.
The good news was there were only two of them.
“Take out the left one first, then handle the right.”
“Roger.”
Sejin’s words earned a nod from Sohyeon.
They would move to intercept the Flame Golems before they could reach the Cartel Crystal. No chance of the battle’s chaos reaching the crystal at all.
Boom!
Kung!
Two hunters charged forward with powerful footfalls.
Flame Golems were tough monsters, but two of them posed no real problem for the pair.
Sejin and Sohyeon immediately lunged at the left Flame Golem.
Its eyes gleamed red, and flames crackled across its stone body.
“Kooeeeer!”
The Flame Golem roared and swung a massive fist at Sohyeon.
It was a strike stronger than any mace, heading straight for his head.
But……
Thud!
Sohyeon raised his small shield in his left hand, blocking the attack perfectly.
Offense and defense—Sohyeon was a warrior with perfect balance.
At that exact moment when he parried the Flame Golem’s strike,……
Boom!
Sejin spun around and targeted the creature’s back, but right then,……
Whoosh!
“……?!”
A sound from the side made Sejin twist desperately and swing his sword.
Crack!
“……!”
The moment he deflected the flying dagger, frost began to creep across his hand gripping the sword, freezing it slightly.
Ice magic in a place packed with scorching heat?
But that wasn’t the part that stunned him.
‘Who the hell……?’
No monster could use that kind of attack.
Sejin looked toward the direction the strike had come from, confused.
But then,……
“What the hell are you doing?! Get out of the way!”
“……Wait!”
The two Flame Golems lunged at Sejin simultaneously, eyes blazing red.
Kwaaang!
Sejin barely twisted back to dodge the double assault.
If he’d been even a second slower, one of those blows would have torn him apart.
But……
Squish! Slash!
“Aaaagh!”
“Sejin!”
Pain like fire seared the back of his thigh. Sejin screamed.
Sohyeon shouted in shock at the sight.
Swoooosh!
Kwaaang!
“Kuk!”
Sohyeon’s forehead furrowed as the explosion rocked the area.
‘Flame dagger……?’
No monster had access to that kind of item.
“Who’s there?!”
Sohyeon roared, glancing around.
It had only been moments ago that the attacker was right in front of them—but now they were gone.
Cold sweat trickled down Sohyeon’s back.
A minimum level 150 assassin. No, perhaps even higher.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
Fighting two Flame Golems while an invisible foe lurked behind made the situation even more hopeless.
“Damn it!”
Sohyeon frantically pulled out a signal flare from his bag.
They couldn’t handle this alone, so……
‘We need to call for backup.’
Just let them know someone is interfering. The rest would be up to the leader.
Chiik!
Sohyeon immediately lit the flare and shot it into the sky.
But right then,……
“Time Distortion, Accelerate.”
Time itself seemed to slow as a bizarre, ghostly rush of speed zipped across the battlefield.
Clang!
The figure caught the rising signal flare mid-air.
Sohyeon swallowed hard without realizing it.
What kind of movement was that?
But he had no time to ponder.
Boom!
Dojin, landing on the ground, immediately charged toward Sohyeon with no pause.
‘Two seconds to go.’
To reset Time Distortion, he needed a critical hit.
Dojin drew the dagger hanging at his side and hurled it straight at Sohyeon with a mid-grip strike.
Pew!
The moment the dagger struck Sejin’s shield, thick green smoke exploded outward.
Poison dagger.
Sohyeon’s brow furrowed as he jerked his head aside.
And in that brief instant,……
“Accelerate.”
Even as Time Distortion was still active, the skill on Black Wyvern’s gauntlet kicked in, making Dojin vanish from Sohyeon’s view.
Whoosh!
Dojin instantly appeared behind Sohyeon and expertly targeted the gap in the armor at the knee and waist.
Poke! Poke!
“Kya!”
The creature howled as the blade pierced its armor.
But what shocked Dojin most was the damage.
‘……Attack power.’
It was clearly a strike aimed at the armor’s weak point, yet resistance should have kicked in.
‘Just how much of a monster did Kwak Hansu create?’
The thin armor offered zero resistance—it was pure cutting force.
Whick!
Sohyeon staggered, and Dojin aimed for the chest plate above the heart.
A heavy feel, but……
Crack!
Arkal’s Wrath pierced straight through the armor and buried itself in Sohyeon’s chest.
Sohyeon’s eyes flew wide open.
“You…… you……”
“Don’t worry. You’ll all die anyway.”
After finishing Sohyeon, Dojin glanced at the long trail of blood on the ground.
The Flame Golem had clearly been trying to run away, but……
“You only found a hiding spot here?”
“Heeek!”
Sejin saw Dojin appear behind the rock and nearly jumped out of his skin.
Like he’d seen a ghost.
If the creature was here, that meant Sohyeon was dead.
“You, you, you, you…… who…… who the hell are you?”
Sejin stammered, voice cracking.
What the hell had he done to them to end up like this?
“You don’t need to know.”
“……What?”
Thud!
Without hesitation, Dojin drove Arkal’s Wrath straight into the creature’s neck and turned toward the Cartel Crystal.
Two annoying pests had tangled him up, but……
“Time Distortion.”
And accelerate.
Kwa-dok! Kwa-dok! Bang!
[983,000 EXP gained!]
[983,000 EXP gained!]
Dojin, who had instantly taken down the two Flame Golems, clicked his tongue at the massive experience reward.
If he had his way, he would have taken his time wiping out every single Flame Golem here and leveled up leisurely.
But……
“For now, one.”
Dojin reclaimed the hovering Cartel Crystal and headed toward the direction the first assault squad had taken.
Now……
“Let’s start the hunt.”
* * *
By the time the second installation was complete, Janghoon’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
It had been only one day since entering the Red Gate.
“Not bad for a pace.”
Janghoon looked at Wonseok beside him, staring at the second Cartel Crystal.
“What about the movements of the other squads?”
“The Hwangryong Guild squad and the alliance squad have teamed up, while the Black Chain Guild is operating independently.”
“Black Chain Guild, huh.”
Janghoon knew their ruthless nature well.
Even in a Red Gate, they probably thought they could simply break through on their own power.
The dragon race hadn’t shown themselves yet, but……
‘They won’t take long to appear.’
Janghoon turned around.
“You two stay here, Hina and Munho. Stay put for now. After twelve hours, we’ll regroup immediately.”
“Understood.”
“Yes, understood.”
The second Cartel Crystal was set.
Once they triggered it from another location, they would link up with Hao Chen and begin hunting the other guilds’ squads.
Though the alliance joining Hwangryong still nagged at him……
‘If they can take out the main dealers with a surprise attack, it won’t be too hard.’
They would never see it coming.
That they themselves were the ones attacking.
Janghoon mentally mapped out the next moves in his head.
That was exactly why he had personally scouted Hao Chen and brought him here.
No variables.
But……
“Why haven’t the two bastards from the first Cartel Crystal installation site shown up yet?”
Approximately twelve hours had passed since the order to confirm the crystal was fully active and immediately regroup.
“……I hope nothing happened.”
“Unlikely. Maybe the monsters created a variable?”
“I’ll check once and then join up.”
Handmu, who was fast on his feet, spoke up.
Even though the place was a bit far, it would be good to verify.
Janghoon nodded.
“Then go to the first crystal installation site, check it, and meet up with the two here.”
“I’ll be back soon.”
Inside the dungeon.
It was definitely not ideal to have so many people tearing the Red Gate apart, but……
He couldn’t delay the Cartel Crystal installation.
‘Once the other squads join, it’ll be even more urgent.’
They had to move fast before the hunters from the other guilds noticed.
A strangely ominous feeling lingered in the air, but……
“……Moving to the third point.”
“Understood.”
“Yes!”
Janghoon led the remaining squad members and hurried forward.
* * *
Dojin stared at the Cartel Crystal clutched in his hand.
‘This……’
A freakish object that amplified the internal mana of the dungeon.
Dojin had only heard the name before, but this was the first time he’d actually seen one.
Since his missions had nothing to do with dungeons, he’d never witnessed it firsthand.
“Damn bastards.”
Why hadn’t he noticed earlier?
How everything had gone completely wrong.
He had once believed Red Circle, and Kang Seungho, would build a better Korea with ironclad conviction.
Of course, the result had been disastrous, but……
His mouth tasted bitter as he tried to calm himself and tucked the Cartel Crystal into his pocket.
At this point……
‘The others must be feeling something’s wrong.’
Some action was bound to happen.
Considering Janghoon’s cautious nature, the entire main force might have already regrouped at the first installation site.
Or……
‘Is Hao Chen moving on his own?’
One of the main dealers from the Hwangryong Guild.
The reason he had come here was simple.
To use the hunters from other guilds inside the Red Gate as his sword.
‘Even if things went south, using Hao Chen as a shield could avoid major trouble.’
The bitterness of a weak nation always created a sad situation.
Dojin kicked off the ground and raced toward the path the enemies had taken.
They should have finished installing the second Cartel Crystal by now.
He planned to finish it before they noticed.
Dojin dodged the Flame Golems and other monsters as fast as he could and headed toward the direction Red Circle’s first squad had moved in.
But right then,……
“……Huh?”
A lone hunter sprinting at high speed in the distance.
From Red Circle.
Judging by his direction, he was heading toward the first Cartel Crystal installation site……
‘He must have noticed something odd.’
But sending only one scout like that……
‘The main force is still following the plan……’
Just eliminating this scout would buy them time again.
Besides, their numbers were already being whittled down.
“Now that’s the third one.”
Dojin’s figure dashed after the hunter.