The Assassin Hunter Stops Time
PARABAT!
In the blink of an eye, Ha Dojin used acceleration to shift sideways and caught sight of the three men.
The leader of the raid, and the tank, Choi Janghoon, stood around 190 centimeters tall, or perhaps even over 200. The position of Red Circle’s first raid team was exactly that, and the rest of the team members hovered around the 180 to 190 level range. Normally, with only three left, they could never have shown themselves and fought like this. But…
‘The situation has changed.’
Pure stats obtained from killing Hao Chen moments ago totaled almost 60, equating to a level jump of twelve. Moreover, his strength and agility stats—those Dojin needed most—had increased further still. ‘And lightning…’
Dojin moved swiftly, confirming the skill he had stolen from Hao Chen: Lightning.
Lightning Lv.1
— Summons a powerful bolt to bring down enemies.
— Cooldown: 8 minutes.
— Activation condition: Skill used to instantly kill an enemy.
It seemed Hao Chen could embed the lightning directly into the weapon. Of course, some mastery would be required. ‘Acquiring such a powerful offensive skill is more than welcome, especially for an assassin hunter.’
PARABAT!
“Are we being underestimated?”
Red Circle’s first raid team. Among them, the sole surviving dealer, Lee Jeong-won, drew his sword and charged at Dojin with terrifying speed. The blue aura swirling around the blade alone revealed the man’s level. ‘He means to end me in one strike.’
Impulsive. Yet there was reason behind the action.
SWICK. Dojin’s gaze shifted left and right. Janghoon and Won-sik had already moved to either side, squeezing Dojin into a tighter corner. Despite the three remaining, each one was extremely dangerous. They simply hadn’t faced worthy opponents before. ‘Night Walker.’
Even the same skill produced vastly different results depending on who used it. The same held true for a national skill like Night Walker. SWISH SWISH SWISH!
The three split apart instantly, their eyes wide with shock. “What… what the—” “Wh-what’s going on?!” “B-Boss! Over here!”
Dojin’s body vanished as though it had never existed, then reappeared beside Won-sik in the space of a heartbeat. Jeong-won shouted in panic. “Tch!” Won-sik raised his shield and spun, but he could not pursue the movement in time. SCRATCH! “Kyaaak!”
As Won-sik turned, Dojin drove Arkal’s Wrath precisely into the gap of the armor. It was as though the dagger had pierced the plate itself. The blade sliced through the knee, spraying blood. “You bastard!” Jeong-won spat a curse and circled behind Dojin. Worried for his brother’s injury, he had become bait. Dojin had seized the opportunity to strike from the rear. ‘Caught.’
Jeong-won’s eyes flashed with cold fury. The sword gripped in both hands raced toward Dojin’s back. No matter how fast the man was, this strike could not be dodged. ‘It’s over!’
Until the moment he felt the world slow to a crawl. “……” Jeong-won had been certain. The blade that had vanished from before him reappeared beside Won-sik. He had adapted to the speed, yet… ‘He was hiding his true ability…?’ No, that wasn’t it. This…! “Y-you… you have a skill that slows time?!” Jeong-won swung his sword wildly in desperation. By the time the blade moved, Dojin had already slipped behind him and driven his dagger deep into the gap beneath the left armpit. “Pain will not be felt.”
It would end instantly. “Lightning.” KWOOOOOM! “……” The lightning that had pierced the gap in Jeong-won’s armor raced through his entire body. Pain, as Dojin had promised, was absent. It simply ceased. THUD.
Red smoke rose slowly from Jeong-won’s body. The blood inside had evaporated and spilled out. “M-monster…” “W-what…? Uh… uh-uh…” Won-sik, whose left knee was shattered, collapsed to the ground and could only stare at Dojin in front of him with hopeless eyes. Where had such a monster come from? Janghoon, too, had felt his body freeze at the scene moments earlier. But… “Huaaap!” As Janghoon leaped and landed, KWOOOOOM! He slammed the shield into the floor. The ground shook violently and a massive boulder erupted from the rock. One of Janghoon’s unique skills—Rock Prison. A skill that trapped enemies in stone prisons and crushed them. Even with his swift movements, the confined space posed limits. The area spanned less than twenty meters. Janghoon glared, eyes bulging, and seized the mace in one hand. “I’ll crush your skull.” KWANG! The tank’s movements were remarkably fast. ‘But a tank… what am I saying.’
Dojin watched Janghoon charge toward him like a bull and scanned the surroundings. As expected, Won-sik—limping from his injured knee—was trying to rise and protect his brother. ‘First…’ PARABAT! Dojin rushed at Won-sik. At that instant Janghoon twisted sharply and charged at Dojin. “You’re aiming at the wounded one!” Of course. The man had planned to strike the crippled Won-sik first. The corners of Janghoon’s mouth lifted into a wide smile. While it was difficult to track the movements with the eyes alone, if one moved along the anticipated path, the story changed. Janghoon lifted the mace in his right hand. Dojin seized the opportunity to close in beside him. Eyes wide, he swung the mace. “Die!” WHOOM! But Janghoon’s attack sliced only empty air. He had not needed to use the skill. The timing of his strike had been fierce, yet… ‘He has grown this much…?’ Only three months had passed since awakening. Dojin now knew for certain. Even a tank approaching level 200 could not take him. Slight differences might exist depending on the awakening grade, but… ‘Considering the stats of level-200 hunters…’ roughly 1,200 in total. Tankers allocated about seventy percent of their stats to strength and stamina. The remaining thirty percent went to agility and intelligence. ‘Even with item bonuses, the level barely exceeds 200.’ Compared to that, Dojin’s agility—factoring in item multipliers—had reached nearly 500. Even if Rock Prison trapped him, ‘I will not be caught.’ Dealers and healers had all perished. Only the main tank, Choi Janghoon, and the sub-tank, Jang Won-sik, remained. Won-sik could barely move with his left knee shattered. Dojin looked at Janghoon’s vicious expression and spoke. “Die in despair.” Remembering how deeply they regretted their actions. Dojin recalled the dungeon break from his previous life. The explosion had taken his family and led him down the wrong path. ‘Not again…’ Such a tragedy would never happen. “I will stop it.” Night Walker. SWISH! With acceleration and Night Walker linked, Dojin’s form vanished. Janghoon scanned the area frantically in search of him, but… CRACK! “Kyaaak!” Something black had slashed across his right leg in an instant. The armor should have blocked it. How had the blade slipped through those few seconds? ‘This guy…’
He was more familiar with fighting hunters than monsters in dungeons. The way he moved proved it. Hunters who fought monsters never moved in such short, sharp bursts; a single misstep could leave them badly hurt. Yet the man had moved in perfect arcs, staying outside anyone’s field of vision. As if he had mastered the human range of sight with his own body. “You son of a bitch!” WHOOM! He had swung the mace in anticipation, but it was useless. Instead… STAB! “Kyaaak!” Janghoon screamed as the blade dug into the gap of his left side. No matter how sturdy the armor, it was useless against the man. A hunter ordinary enough could not have pierced such a needle-thin gap. “How did such a monster get made?” The floor beneath Janghoon was already soaked in blood. The wounds multiplied with each passing second, and nothing remained for him to do. STAB! The moment Dojin’s final strike pierced Janghoon’s body, the tank unconsciously closed his eyes. As though fighting a ghost. ‘This man… he must not be allowed to go any further….’ He would become an absolute threat to the guild. They had to stop him… THUD. “L-leader!” Won-sik shouted as he watched Janghoon collapse. But Janghoon could not hear the cry. THUD. When Won-sik fell lifelessly to the floor, “……Your mistake. There will be no regrets.” “You… you… I’ll kill you!” Won-sik charged at Dojin like a wild beast. But… SWEEEEEEET! “Ugh!” Dojin hurled a dagger toward his wounded knee. Won-sik screamed and collapsed. He tried to rise again, yet… STAB! The blade sank into the back of his neck. An unyielding death. As if the God of Death had descended upon Red Circle’s first raid team. KURURURUNG! The Rock Prison Janghoon had created collapsed with his death. Along with it, the other guild’s raid team standing outside stared at Dojin in astonishment. “H-heh…” “Are those Red Circle hunters?” People on the ground could not hide their panic at the sight of the three fallen hunters. Yet some maintained grim expressions as they looked at Dojin. They did not know what had happened, but they knew he had killed them. And then… “Hunter Ha Dojin.” In the center of the union raid team, Hye-jin approached him and asked, “What is this? I think an explanation is necessary.” “Red Circle tried to awaken the drake in the middle of the mountain and kill us.” “……What?” The eyes of those present wavered at Dojin’s words. What was happening now? But his explanation did not end. “They planned to wake the drake so we could not clear the dungeon.” “What are you saying? Then you intended to trigger a dungeon break?” “Yes.” Dojin’s words left the people in the area looking greatly troubled. Believing it was too absurd, yet denying it… ‘The situation is too delicate.’ Indeed, without a guild of Red Circle’s caliber, awakening a boss in this dungeon would have been impossible. Soon Hye-jin let out a small sigh. “That can be checked later. But more importantly, we must worry about how to clear this dungeon.” “With our power, can we defeat that drake…?” “Madness. One tail strike would wipe out all the tankers.” Everyone had expected despair. But then… “There is one way.” “One way?” “What is it?” All eyes turned to Dojin. He looked toward the swarm of Flame Golems gathered at the base of the mountain. Inside this dungeon there would be several times as many. Dojin faced the people and said, “Give me a little time.” He would catch them all and raise his level.
