The Assassin Hunter's Second Strike
A full month had passed since Ha Dojin left.>
“Has there been any contact from Thailand?”>
“Nothing yet.”>
“The Red Gate is still the same?”>
“Yes.”>
Kim Gyeongtaek answered Gu Jinmo’s question without hesitation.>
Unlike ordinary gates, the Red Gate Dungeon had an unusually long cooldown period before its own break. Of course, that also meant the explosion’s aftermath would be severe. Yet Gu Jinmo, trying to appear calm, found his tension growing with every passing day.>
He had trusted Dojin completely. Still, he couldn’t help but worry.>
“I can’t stop thinking about whether he’ll come back safely from inside the Red Gate Dungeon…”>
“There’s nothing else we can do but pray.”>
That common reassurance felt strangely difficult to voice. The danger had been clear from the beginning, and they had never wanted to add to the burden. But Dojin had chosen his path. All they could do was pray that luck would be on his side.>
And then it happened.>
Ting!>
A message flew onto Kim Gyeongtaek’s phone. He turned slightly and checked the emergency line. His expression changed the moment he read it.>
“Chairman. Contact has come from the Thailand side.”>
“How is it?”>
“It’s…”>
* * * *>
[Unique Skill Acquired: Eye of the Demon God.]>
“The Eye of the Demon God…?”>
A special skill granted at 130th level. It felt far simpler than the one given at 80th level. Dojin maintained a calm face and opened the skill window anyway.>
[Unique Skill: Eye of the Demon God]>
―Icardior’s unique authority. Grants the ability to foresee the future.>
―You can see one second into the future. >
“……”>
Dojin’s eyes widened in surprise. He was rarely shocked, but this…>
“A time-series skill? It lets me see the future?”>
Something he had never seen or heard of before. The 1-second future vision carried enormous weight. After all…>
‘No cooldown and no growth required.’>
That meant the skill was already complete. The absence of a cooldown was even more significant. A risk must exist somewhere. Dojin hesitated for a moment, then decided to test it himself. He needed to know what that risk was. First, he scanned the surroundings for any lurking monsters. Using an unknown skill without caution was reckless.>
Once he confirmed no threats were approaching, he exhaled softly and focused his mind. He hurled his dagger toward a fist-sized stone on the ground. When the dagger struck, he would activate the skill and watch where the fragments flew.>
As the dagger struck the stone…>
‘Eye of the Demon God!’>
Uuuuung!> >
The world before his eyes warped as if layers of semi-transparent images were overlapping. The scene ahead, presumed to be the future, flashed by with surprising clarity.>
Whoosh!>
Dojin moved sharply to the right and reached out. The moment the stone fragments that followed the clear vision slammed into his hand…>
“It’s real.”>
The surroundings snapped back to normal. But then…>
Dizzy. >
“Ugh!”>
A thick headache erupted alongside violent vertigo. Dojin frowned and clutched his head. Though he usually showed no reaction to pain, this was different—far worse than expected. And the pain didn’t stop there.>
[Eye of the Demon God penalty is active.]>
[Agility decreased by 5.]>
[Strength decreased by 2.]>
[Health decreased by 3.]>
“……”>
His stats had dropped. Dojin’s face twisted in alarm as he frantically opened the status window. Name: Ha Dojin Level: 130 Strength: 248.7 + 31 Agility: 745.4 + 64 Health: 237.2 Spirit: 309.8 + 17 Bonus Stats: 5 >
“It really decreased.”>
He frowned deeper. After reaching 129th level, he had tuned his stats to exact 10-unit increments, so he knew the numbers precisely. “A risk like this…”>
Pain he could endure. But a permanent stat drop was a serious risk. ‘The numbers are smaller than I feared, yet repeating this would still be burdensome.’ Ten stats lost—equivalent to dropping two full levels. Still…>
‘I have to test it anyway.’>
The joy of gaining over a hundred stats after killing an ice goblin lasted only a moment. No, it was simply a reward for the growth he had already achieved. Dojin clenched his fist. ‘At minimum… I need to test it three or four times to confirm the risks.’ A fraudulent skill, but one use wouldn’t be enough to guarantee safety. ‘The stat loss is painful, but I can recover them later.’>
He invested all five new bonus stats back into Agility. Still, he had to confirm. Once more he hurled the dagger at the stone ahead and activated the skill. But the pain that followed…>
“Guaaaah!”>
Unimaginable agony assaulted him. It felt as if someone was carving his brain with a knife. Far beyond words. He collapsed unconscious on the ground. [All stats decreased by 10.]>
* * * *>
It was clear.>
“Someone has entered the dungeon.”>
“Someone approved by the association?”>
“Of course. The Red Gate entrance is swarming with association personnel. No outsider can simply walk in.”>
Ekachai replied to Charikit’s question. Moreover…>
“The monsters are being hunted like ghosts.”>
A full month had passed. The Thai assault team had finally reached much deeper into the forest. Yet oddly, more ice goblins lay dead than those they had personally killed. “Is it really one person?”>
“That’s impossible.”>
“……I don’t know. With a heavy tank and healer presence, one person could be doing all the DPS. Or perhaps they all use the same weapon and fighting style.”>
The explanation was forced, yet the sheer number of ice goblins killed left no other plausible theory. Ekachai gazed into the forest depths. “We should head inside. From now on, we move faster.”>
After a full month of searching the entire forest, they had already predicted where the boss might be. Yet every time they advanced…>
‘Ice goblins appear like markers.’>
Whether they were markers or something else, the goal remained the same. The boss. They would surely meet it if they kept going. * * * *>
……>
Not a sound. It was almost as if nothing were alive. But…>
Pat!>
Dojin woke to find no time to react. He rolled sideways, reaching for the sword at his waist—only to realize it was gone. “Crazy…”>
Fortunately, Arkal’s Wrath lay nearby. And right beside the spot where he had collapsed, a clear footprint of his body was visible. ‘How long had I been unconscious…?’>
Night had fallen. He had no exact estimate, but he must have been out for at least three or four hours. Cool sweat trickled down his spine. If even one ice goblin had appeared during that time, he would be dead. “……Skill window.”>
Many skills had accumulated. Among them, he searched for the Eye of the Demon God. [Unique Skill: Eye of the Demon God] ―Icardior’s unique authority. Grants the ability to foresee the future. ―You can see one second into the future. No cooldown information. “No limit on uses, so no reset conditions either…”>
But the pain… it was severe enough that he never wanted to feel it twice. His head still throbbed even now. Still, he opened the status window at once. “Status… status window!”>
Did his stats drop further? Name: Ha Dojin Level: 130 Strength: 238.7 + 31 Agility: 740.4 + 64 Health: 227.2 Spirit: 299.8 + 17 Bonus Stats: 0 When he opened the window, his expression froze.>
‘All ten levels dropped.’>
Forty stats in total—equivalent to eight full levels gone. It seemed the more he used it, the stronger the headache and risk became. “I wonder how long I should wait before using it again.”>
A difficult skill. The description was vague, and hesitation had replaced his earlier excitement. Would he feel better after a day? Or two? Using an unpredictable skill right now felt impossible. Still…>
‘I’ll have to investigate thoroughly when I return later.’>
No one would avoid a skill this absolute. The stat loss hurt, but it could be restored another way…>
“I suppose that’s something to be thankful for.”>
Dojin scanned his surroundings. No ice goblins had approached. ‘130th level…’ After a month, he had received the reward he had earned. Or more than that. Yet…>
‘Just a little more…’>
Why did the thirst intensify with each thought? The desire to grow stronger surged stronger than before. A powerful satisfaction he had never felt before—more like a primal craving—stirred deep inside his chest. “Is this also a side effect of the Eye of the Demon God?”>
He felt an emotional shift he had never experienced. Dojin muttered softly and steadied his mind. Right now, that craving came second. “I need to become stronger.”>
And kill the thing. After everything was corrected, he would keep moving forward. Slowly…>
Dojin looked into the forest interior. The ice goblins outside had almost all been killed. What remained lay inside—only where the boss was expected. ‘If it’s a boss where ice goblins spawn…’>
It had to be the Ice Hobgoblin. Unlike ordinary ones, this monster wielded powerful ice magic. Its level was nearly 170. Moreover, hundreds of ice goblins surrounded it. The difficulty changed the moment the Ice Hobgoblin joined the fray. It used magic to support its allies and quickly assessed the situation to direct its goblins. That was why the assault team had once needed to clear it together. ‘Now…’>
Dojin picked up the fallen Arkal’s Wrath. “I’ll have to use everything else too.”>
He no longer worried about splitting experience with the Thai team. Step by step…>
The snow-covered tundra stretched ahead. Dojin walked alone toward the end of the Red Gate.