The Assassin Hunter Stops Time: A Second Meeting with Kang Seungho
Kang Seungho looked completely different from the man Dojin remembered.
In the past, he had been strong, but nothing compared to the overwhelming power radiating from him now.
“250 levels… that’s what it is?”
250 levels carried immense weight across the entire hunter world.
What could be described as the absolute pinnacle of what a hunter could achieve?
From level 200 onward, the experience points from monsters dropped sharply, and the difficulty skyrocketed.
Countless hunters had challenged the 250-level mark, yet only the top 0.1 percent had even crossed the threshold at 240.
And the handful who reached 250 and received the title… that was top 0.01 percent, or perhaps even fewer.
“……”
Yet for some reason, admiration stirred in Dojin’s chest, though fear did not.
No, more precisely…
“I don’t think he can beat me.”
Dojin sat at 150 levels. The gap between him and Kang Seungho was one hundred.
While levels weren’t the sole measure of absolute strength, a hundred-level difference changed everything.
Even if a skilled kindergarten child faced a grown adult, victory would be impossible.
But Dojin intended to shatter that impossible gap.
And at that moment.
Uuuuung.
A vibration echoed as Dojin’s phone in his pocket rang.
“Ha Dojin speaking.”
“This is Kim Gyeongtaek. Chairman Gu Jinmo has finished all preparations.”
“Thank you.”
Dojin rose from his seat.
What remained for that man now was only the Red Circle… one thing left.
And that too was already collapsing.
“Huff.”
Dojin shifted his gaze from the window and sank onto the sofa with a heavy thud.
At first, he had thought simply avenging himself would end everything if he killed Kang Seungho.
But…
‘The tangled threads… run deeper than I imagined.’
He had believed the network was not yet fully formed, yet…
‘As expected of that bastard.’
A difficult opponent.
After all, only someone of this caliber could make the blade he had forged for revenge feel worthwhile.
But that too was now finished.
The Red Circle had lost not only its political ties but every remaining business.
It was a sinking ship that could be left to founder on its own.
“The end must be delivered by my hand.”
That was why he had rushed here.
And after that…
Dojin quietly closed his eyes and began organizing his plans in his mind.
* * *
“The contact… is still alive.”
“I see.”
At Secretary Yoon Younghwan’s words, Seungho turned his head slowly.
That bastard Moon Byeonggi had finally turned on them.
Yet he had been a major player in the political circles, and Seungho had relied on him for many operations.
Thanks to that, the Red Circle had grown rapidly with enormous capital behind it.
Of course, the bribes he had extracted from the guild had been beyond imagination…
Seungho’s expression twisted slightly.
“He’s draining the life out of us and planning to throw us away the moment it becomes inconvenient.”
“It seems Chairman Gu Jinmo of SW Technology has entered the picture on this matter.”
“Gu Jinmo… Gu Jinmo.”
What a pitiful name.
In the past, he should have devoted everything to Seungho’s sake.
Seungho’s gaze turned icy.
Younghwan swallowed hard and spoke.
“Should we continue monitoring Ha Dojin?”
“No, don’t. It’s meaningless anyway.”
If the man wanted to hide, slipping their surveillance would be trivial.
But right now…
“We must deal with those two old men as well.”
And first…
“For the time being, we’ll operate separately. Keep the main squad on standby.”
“Understood. Are there any other matters I need to address?”
“Do not engage in any personal activities until I give the order. That’s all.”
“……Understood.”
Younghwan’s expression darkened slightly.
The guild’s morale had reached its breaking point due to recent events.
Hunters affiliated with the Red Circle were already being insulted just for their membership.
On top of that, the guild’s operations had practically halted, leaving them unable to secure any dungeon bids.
Naturally, their members could not level up, and income had dried up, so discontent was inevitable.
They were barely holding on thanks to their wages…
Younghwan clenched his fist tightly.
Precisely when things were worst, he needed to trust the master even more.
“Leave it to me.”
For now, he would steady the atmosphere.
The master would find a solution no matter what, that much was certain.
Determination settled into Younghwan’s eyes as he left Seungho’s office.
* * *
“What the hell is going on?”
“A few days ago, in the conscription, Soo and Jangho died.”
“The master… what exactly is he trying to do now?”
The guild’s atmosphere had always felt off.
A heavy, unsettling mood had lingered, but recently it had grown far too intense.
They could no longer tolerate it.
“The main squad was wiped out inside the Red Gate… and those guys, what’s their name again?”
“Red Byte.”
A female hunter beside him corrected the name.
“Ah, right, Red Byte. Still, even if they’re idiots, they had real skill.”
They weren’t on par with the main squad, but they matched the sub squad in power.
Their tasks were different, but…
The important thing was this.
“There aren’t many A-grade dungeon hunters left in the guild anymore, are there?”
“Excluding us… the Kangryong Hunter Team is the only one left.”
“Normally, a large guild needs to clear six or seven A-grade dungeons at once to be considered large. Now we only have two teams.”
They were no longer a large guild at all.
But at that moment.
“Hey, everyone. When you saw the master this time, didn’t you notice something strange?”
“Strange?”
“What exactly do you mean?”
“It’s hard to describe… like the atmosphere has shifted a lot.”
A woman wearing a tight-fitting outfit that clung to her body like a second skin, a mask covering her mouth, and daggers and knives tucked at her waist spoke up.
Since she walked the path of the assassin hunter, her senses were a little sharper than the others.
And at her words.
“The momentum has changed.”
“Momentum?”
A man with a long scar engraved on his face rose from his seat, bow slung over his shoulder, gazing out the window.
“Recently, there’s talk that the master is using dungeon regeneration to level up.”
“Ah, I heard it too. A couple of months ago. They said he completely overleveled in the dungeon back then.”
“……Was there talk of that?”
“Why would the master level up? He’s already at the absolute peak inside Korea.”
Levels alone?
No one cold and calculating could overtake Seungho in skill.
So why would he take such a dangerous gamble?
“It’s just nonsense. Why would the master?”
But the man gripping the bow replied.
“The ‘why’ isn’t the point. If it’s true… and if the master has reached 250 levels?”
“250 levels?”
“250 levels…”
The atmosphere grew heavy instantly.
If his words were true.
If the master truly reached 250 levels…
“Could SW Technology’s global powerhouse hunter be referring to our master?”
“He really hit 250?”
250 levels were rare even worldwide.
Hunters had a game-like system, but this wasn’t a game.
When you died, all achievements vanished.
He continued.
“If the master really reached 250 levels… no one else’s opinion matters anymore.”
“That’s true.”
Just Seungho alone made the Red Circle the strongest guild in Korea.
That was why, in the current crisis, hesitation could be poison.
“Let’s just watch for now. What the master does. And if he really has 250 levels and SW Technology is backing him…”
A gulp echoed loudly.
The man with the bow nodded, ending the sentence.
“We’ll have the foothold to step into the world.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
* * *
“250 levels… so that’s what it means. Quite a symbolic milestone.”
“Yes. Among the countless hunters, very few have achieved it.”
In response to Chairman Gu Jinmo’s question, Gyeongtaek answered.
Gu Jinmo pondered for a moment.
“Maybe he didn’t have to. Reaching 250 levels doesn’t mean becoming the strongest.”
“In ordinary cases, that might be true, but 250 levels has a special aspect, Chairman.”
“Oh?”
From level 200, the experience points required to level up increased sharply, and monsters below your level gave zero experience.
The hunt became vastly more difficult.
The risk was enormous compared to before.
“The 250-level rewards that have been publicly released so far… were mostly beyond anything we’ve received before.”
The benefits were that clear.
The only issue was how hard they were to obtain.
That was why 250 levels had special meaning for hunters.
And that meant…
“Reaching 250 levels means becoming incredibly powerful.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
At Gyeongtaek’s answer, Chairman Gu Jinmo looked at Dojin sitting before him.
“If that’s the case… are you truly confident?”
“Yes, there are no problems.”
Dojin answered calmly to Chairman Gu Jinmo’s question.
The dice had already been thrown. He had no intention of backing down.
Gu Jinmo exhaled softly.
“Hmmm… no matter what, I hope you finish your task successfully.”
“Thank you very much.”
Dojin rose from his seat.
A reason had been established.
By acquiring the Firebird Guild from SW Technology, direct intervention was now possible.
The guild master, Lee Hyejin, had nearly died, and the main squad hunters were all dead.
The revenge of the Firebird Guild would make Dojin’s goal achievable.
“Chairman.”
“Don’t worry. No one will interfere. We’ll simply keep a reserve force on standby in case of emergency.”
“……Understood.”
More than fifty Firebird Guild hunters were already waiting outside.
If Dojin was in danger, they would rush to the Red Circle without hesitation.
Gu Jinmo continued.
“Tonight, no police forces will move near that area.”
The conversation was over.
Dojin bowed slightly in gratitude.
“I’m sorry to keep troubling you with such difficult requests every time.”
“Hahaha, this will be the last one, so remember that.”
“Yes.”
Looking at Gu Jinmo at this moment, Dojin realized how extraordinary his abilities truly were.
In the center of Seoul.
A person who could control not only ordinary police but hunter police.
‘How many such people are there in Korea?’
Without an overwhelmingly strong power on the level of a few fingers, it was impossible.
No one knew exactly what Gu Jinmo had traded for this, but he had surely paid a heavy price.
Tonight.
“I will finish everything.”
Dojin stood up.
At first, he had planned to snatch Kang Seungho’s formidable backer.
But now, his relationship with Chairman Gu Jinmo went far beyond a mere backer.
That was why he had to return.
And he would return.
“I’ll be back.”
“Take care of yourself.”
With those words, Dojin headed toward the Red Circle.
He had always operated from the shadows, killing only assassins before.
“Now I’m coming in head-on.”
Anyone blocking his path would die.
Under the dark night sky, Dojin began his assassination with his body fully exposed for the first time.