The Assassin Hunter Stops Time

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;

; “Master!” ;

; Park Seong-gwang burst into Jin’s office without knocking. ;

; Jin frowned as he looked at the man. ;

; “It seems you’ve developed the habit of not knocking lately. Is it my imagination?” ;

; “N-no, that’s not the problem! Something huge has happened!” ;

; “...?” ;

; Jin stared at him, puzzled. He had never been loud, but today he sounded unusually agitated. ;

; Jin looked at Seong-gwang, who was stammering as he shouted, ;

; “R-red Circle Master Kang Seungho Hunter has come...!” ;

; “...Kang Seungho?” ;

; Jin’s expression hardened. This was completely unexpected. ;

; “A few days ago Red Circle sent an official notice. I told them it was absurd and refused. Looks like that backfired...” ;

; “Where is he?” ;

; “He’s waiting on the first floor. The atmosphere is so tense it feels like they’ll destroy everything if I don’t let him in.” ;

; “...” ;

; Of course he wouldn’t destroy anything. Kang Seungho had always been very careful with his public image. ;

; At a time when the media’s eyes were focused on them like arrows, he wouldn’t resort to blatant violence. ;

; But... ;

; “Take me to the reception room. I’ll meet him myself.” ;

; “Are you sure that’s wise?” ;

; “I don’t care if it’s wise or not. I can’t leave this to someone else.” ;

; There were ways to send another manager, but it would be impossible to clean up afterward. ;

; At the very least, Jin, as Master, had to face him directly so he ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could at least “stall” the situation. ;

; Soon, after quick preparations, Jin headed to the reception room. ;

; Before entering, ;

; “Clear the area. No one comes near until I call. Get everyone out.” ;

; It was wise to keep the staff far away in case something went wrong. ;

; Anything could turn into an emergency. ;

; Screeeech. ;

; Jin pushed the door open and stepped into the reception room. ;

; Kang Seungho sat there, staring at the coffee cup on the table as if deep in thought. He lifted his head and looked at Jin. ;

; “Unexpectedly difficult to meet, isn’t it?” ;

; “You came suddenly, yet you gave me time. It’s been a while, Hunter Kang Seungho.” ;

; Jin gave a faint smile and sat down in front of him. ;

; Seungho stared at him with a rigid expression and said, ;

; “I want to meet Ha Dojin.” ;

; “Why do you want him? Our guild has ties, but you already know he’s not a guild member.” ;

; Sorry, but you’ll have to hand him over to SW Technology. Firebird Guild wasn’t as big as Red Circle anyway. ;

; Dealing with them would be much easier for SW Technology. ;

; But Kang Seungho showed no signs of backing down. ;

; “Right now Firebird Guild is running nine dungeons, right? If they all disappear, the guild will have serious problems.” ;

; “...What exactly do you want?” ;

; A blatant threat. ;

; Jin’s expression and tone instantly changed. His cold eyes locked onto Seungho. ;

; But Seungho remained calm and continued without a care. ;

; “With this small guild, quite a few people depend on them for their livelihood... I don’t plan to make all of them unemployed, do I?” ;

; “You said Ha Dojin and I have no ties. Suddenly coming here and acting like this doesn’t seem like the act of Red Circle’s top Guild Master, does it?” ;

; “I know you met Ha Dojin recently.” ;

; Seungho stood up. ;

; “Tomorrow at lunch. Make time for him. This is the first and last time I’m asking politely, so it would be best if you accept.” ;

; A threat. ;

; But Jin couldn’t resist. In the hunter world, the law of strength was the strongest—stronger than any guild or association. ;

; They could cooperate with the association, but real resistance was nearly impossible. ;

; At the end of the day, fists were closer than laws. ;

; Especially if Red Circle decided to meddle with their business. ;

; ‘Stopping them... would be impossible.’ ;

; Back in the office, Jin let out a long sigh. ;

; If it were just him, he could ignore it. But as Seungho said, he had people depending on him. ;

; With a stern expression, Jin was deep ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in thought when Seong-gwang approached. ;

; “...Is everything alright, Master?” ;

; “Haa. It’s getting difficult.” ;

; He didn’t know much about the man, but he knew one thing for certain. ;

; He was a man of action. ;

; No matter what, the Red Circle’s image couldn’t get any worse. ;

; Even if Jin couldn’t predict what Kang Seungho would do. ;

; In the end, Jin told Seong-gwang, ;

; “...Please contact Hunter Ha Dojin. I’ll meet him directly.” ;

; He had a feeling their relationship might end here. ;

; * * * ;

; “...Huh?” ;

; After meeting Dojin, Jin told him about Kang Seungho’s visit and what the man had demanded. ;

; Of course he expected a troubled answer. ;

; But Dojin said without hesitation, ;

; “I’ll meet him.” ;

; Jin was surprised. ;

; “Are you sure? It’s obvious he’s after you...” ;

; “If I run, it won’t change anything. Besides...” ;

; He had to meet the man sooner or later. ;

; If he did, he might be able to figure out what the guy’s real goal was. ;

; It could be an opportunity for Dojin. ;

; ‘Kang Seungho has already lost Shadow. Now he has no choice but to move directly...’ ;

; The problem was how large a scale he would choose. ;

; If the Red Circle hunters were mobilized, Dojin would have to prepare separately. ;

; But... ;

; ‘It’s unlikely.’ ;

; As long as Kang Seungho wasn’t truly suicidal. ;

; Dojin looked at Jin. ;

; “I’m sorry. For causing you this trouble.” ;

; “Excuse me?” ;

; “You’ve been through a difficult time.” ;

; “...Well, it’s not that bad yet. Thanks to Hunter Ha Dojin’s help.” ;

; It was unexpected. ;

; He thought Dojin was the kind of person who never let anything slip, yet those words came out. ;

; A faint smile appeared on Jin’s lips. ;

; “But be careful. I have no idea what he’s after.” ;

; “Don’t worry.” ;

; “Should I place guild members around the meeting place just in case? What do you think?” ;

; It was risky. ;

; But Dojin shook his head. ;

; “It’s fine. If I did that, he’d only get more stimulated.” ;

; “...I see.” ;

; He felt guilty for passing the responsibility on. ;

; But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dojin saw it as another opportunity. ;

; ‘Never thought I’d meet him this quickly.’ ;

; There were things only face-to-face could reveal. ;

; Namely, the gap between him and the man. ;

; ‘Right now Kang Seungho is probably in his early 200s...’ ;

; But given the man’s skills and fighting style, he was likely far stronger. ;

; Like him now. ;

; ‘A ghost in combat.’ ;

; In just a few years, he had raised Red Circle from the ground. That terrifying combat power was the biggest factor. ;

; That was why he had been itching to check it once. ;

; And the timing had finally come. ;

; “Please tell me only the location and time. I’ll go there.” ;

; “Understood. I’ll prepare a place without any problems.” ;

; The conversation ended. ;

; Soon after Dojin left, Jin stared at his retreating back. ;

; * * * ;

; A place used occasionally for secret, important meetings. ;

; Located in Gangnam, Seoul, it was a small restaurant tucked deep into an alley. ;

; No commercial buildings stood beside it. ;

; Inside, there was only a small room that could seat about ten people. ;

; A completely ordinary restaurant. ;

; But that was exactly why Jin had chosen it for the meeting. ;

; It was connected to the association in some way. ;

; That was why it was frequently used by people with questionable connections who needed to meet secretly. ;

; If anything illegal happened here, the association would act immediately. ;

; ‘He probably had to pull strings.’ ;

; He had definitely gone through some effort to protect his own safety. ;

; Dojin arrived at the meeting place and once again felt grateful for Jin’s consideration. ;

; As he stepped inside, ;

; Kugung! An intense pressure hit him. ;

; It came from the entrance. ;

; It was directed only at him. ;

; Swoosh. ;

; Dojin saw the man already seated and sipping what looked like sake. ;

; As he watched Dojin enter, ;

; “Sit down.” ;

; Kang Seungho said. ;

; Dojin sat across from him. ;

; The pressure felt suffocating. ;

; This was his first time meeting Seungho in this life, so he needed the most objective judgment possible. ;

; But... ;

; “...” ;

; A bead of sweat trickled down his back. ;

; For an assassin, comparing his own strength to the opponent’s was the most important thing. ;

; Whether he could kill this person or not. ;

; If he couldn’t decide that, he wouldn’t survive. ;

; In that regard, Dojin was truly top-tier. ;

; In his previous life, ;

; He could proudly say there was no assassin hunter in Korea stronger than him. ;

; That was why he knew. ;

; ‘This guy...’ ;

; Why did he feel this aura? ;

; It was hidden, but he could sense it. ;

; Just looking at the gathered pressure, it was clear. ;

; ‘Officially, Kang Seungho is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in his early 200s.’ ;

; People guessed maybe 220 at most. ;

; But... ;

; ‘...He’s lying to everyone.’ ;

; He swore he wasn’t 220. ;

; At least one level higher. ;

; ‘Early to mid-200s... or maybe even more.’ ;

; He noticed the man’s eyes sparkling strangely. ;

; Dojin forced a calm expression and looked at Seungho. ;

; Seungho said, ;

; “You really thought one lone hunter would be this hard to meet?” ;

; After chugging his cup, Seungho slowly set it down and continued. ;

; “So I won’t ask again. Direct question.” ;

; His eyes sharpened. ;

; “Why are you interfering with my business?” ;

; “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” ;

; “Running away? It’s already been proven that you’re involved in everything Red Capital and Burning Red are doing.” ;

; “Well, I just struck first. Things just happened that way.” ;

; Dojin answered calmly. ;

; It had been a while since he had talked to the man like this. ;

; He wanted to smash the cup beside him and cut the man’s throat with broken glass. ;

; But he couldn’t. ;

; ‘He could...’ ;

; The moment he attacked, the man would counter as if he had been waiting. ;

; His body leaned slightly to one side, weight shifted to one foot—ready to move at any moment. ;

; Seungho looked at him silently. ;

; Of course he hadn’t come to argue over petty words. ;

; He seemed to be thinking, but soon decided. ;

; “Fine. Forget the past. Let’s talk about the real reason.” ;

; Seungho looked at Dojin and said, ;

; “Come under me, Ha Dojin.”