Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: The All Master Who Regressed to Bronze
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Jin Zhaoping, the unit leader of the Flesh Demon Veil and a top player in China's assassination circles, sneered even as Choi Shin-hyeok charged straight at him.
'He's gotten cocky from all the praise around him, thinking he's hot stuff. His raw abilities seem impressive, but in the world of killers, he's no better than a rookie assassin fresh off the boat. I'll toy with him a bit, then slice a few tendons.'
Shin-hyeok's explosive dash from his stance was undeniably impressive.
The force cratering the Colosseum's solid floor, combined with mana lightening his body for boosted speed—it was more than enough to make one raise a thumb in approval. But in the assassin's world, being strong and fast wasn't everything.
Ssslruk—
Even right in front of him, Jin Zhaoping melted away like snow under the sun.
It was the result of advanced Stealth enhanced by his unique-class job: Dark Assassin.
'I don't know how he spotted my Stealth before, but this time it'll be different. Even Diamond players didn't detect it until it was too late to save them.'
This Stealth was on another level from the one he'd used earlier to observe Shin-hyeok, so Jin Zhaoping was confident.
He figured Shin-hyeok would only notice after his tendons were severed.
With that thought, he swiftly stepped through his footwork, slipping behind Shin-hyeok—who was still charging toward where he'd just been.
"There you are."
"……!!!"
Shin-hyeok whipped around suddenly, locking eyes with him exactly. Jin Zhaoping recoiled in horror and leaped back.
Sguk!
He felt the twin daggers swing in an X, grazing his chest shallowly the instant Shin-hyeok pinpointed his position. Flustered but regaining composure fast, Jin Zhaoping moved again.
His Stealth hadn't broken despite the hit.
'……Coincidence. It has to be. Even the Flesh Demon Veil leader praised my Stealth. No way a 20-year-old punk who just hit Platinum could see through it.'
But his shaken mind wouldn't settle easily.
Above all, he'd clearly seen it.
Beyond just looking right at him—Shin-hyeok had met his eyes directly.
Still, Jin Zhaoping reassured himself it couldn't be and sought another opening.
He poured more mana into his Stealth and activated traits to boost concealment.
The moment his ultra-advanced Stealth—demanding even the Flesh Demon Veil leader's full focus—completed, a sinister smile crept across Jin Zhaoping's face.
"Kuh!"
"Your Stealth sucks. Manager Hong is on another level, as expected."
Jin Zhaoping desperately raised his twin daggers to deflect the dagger Shin-hyeok hurled.
The numbing jolt transmitted through his own blades made him grimace.
His tier was higher, so he shouldn't lose in strength—yet the thrown dagger's impact tingled his hands.
It meant Shin-hyeok had physical prowess beyond his tier. Jin Zhaoping caught his breath and heightened his wariness.
"……I don't know who this Manager Hong is, but it's laughable to compare me to some nobody I've never heard of."
"Isn't the funny one the guy whose Stealth got seen through twice in a row?"
"……Hah, fine. If you wanna die that bad, I'll kill you."
Pang!
Swallowing a hollow laugh at Shin-hyeok mocking him even in the face of death, Jin Zhaoping kicked off.
Realizing Stealth was useless, he ditched it entirely, channeling that energy into pure speed instead.
Extreme Swiftness.
The instant his speed exploded to a single point, it enveloped him.
In a flash, he was in front of Shin-hyeok.
'Die.'
As he thrust his twin daggers like a viper's fangs, Jin Zhaoping was certain.
This move would embed them in Shin-hyeok's nape.
But Shin-hyeok's head turned slowly—
Kang!
"What?"
"Stealth is trash, your ambushes are slow as hell, and the power in those twin daggers is pathetic. Oh, got it. Flesh Demon Veil level. So boring I could die."
"Y-You damn brat!"
Perfectly parrying the twin daggers with his remaining single dagger, Shin-hyeok looked genuinely bored. Jin Zhaoping's face flushed crimson as his hands began leaving afterimages.
Pabababababak!
Lethal Cuts.
The signature skill of assassination players unfolded from Jin Zhaoping's hands.
True to its purpose of slaying humans, every strike targeted vital and fatal points precisely.
His Lethal Cuts skill was rank A.
Plus years of relentless training had maxed its proficiency.
Even same skill and rank varied wildly by proficiency, so Jin Zhaoping's attacks were devastating beyond words.
A barrage more than sufficient to fell anyone—yet Shin-hyeok calmly took it all in.
Chok! Chwaak! Chok! Chwajajajak!
He flowed like water, deflecting and evading the dozens of strikes whizzing past his face, absorbing every single one of Jin Zhaoping's attacks.
Two reasons made it possible.
'Hyper Sense and Mana Detection. These are seriously good.'
Hyper Sense and Mana Detection.
These skills, born from devouring Diamond-tier villains, were low-rank but incredibly effective.
They'd been negligible at F-rank, but Late Bloomer boosted them to C and D, unleashing their true potential.
Hyper Sense hyper-activated his senses, letting him instinctively feel incoming attacks.
Mana Detection synced with his already sharp mana sensitivity, radar-scanning the entire radius.
Even separately, they were top-tier. Together in a player like Shin-hyeok?
Every advantage combined for insane reflexes and situational dominance.
'Mana drains fast, and mental strain's high, but can't be helped. Gotta accept the drawbacks.'
Not all upsides, but tolerable.
Using Hyper Sense and Mana Detection to track Jin Zhaoping's position and instinctively predict attack paths, Shin-hyeok blocked everything without a single scratch.
"……Fine. Behold the Flesh Demon Veil's secret art. Slaughter Blossom!"
"Oh."
Chwajajajajajak!
Unhinged by Shin-hyeok unscathed after his all-out assault, Jin Zhaoping unleashed the secret technique passed only to unit leaders—the Flesh Demon Veil leader's personal tutelage.
A flower blooming from chained deaths.
That was what flowered from his hands.
Killing intent poured ceaselessly from the twin daggers blanketing all directions, materializing to bind Shin-hyeok.
Like a flycatcher slowly constricting an intruding bug to death, the killing intent was razor-sharp even without touching—like it could slice on sight.
But—
"Hmm, something like this?"
Kagagagagang!
"……What?"
The instant Shin-hyeok's dagger elegantly danced through the air, countering his onslaught.
Slaughter Blossom's chain broke pathetically.
It was powerful, but as the name implied, any break in the killing chain slashed its power drastically.
No one had ever exploited that flaw before, amplifying Jin Zhaoping's shock.
"How in the world……?"
"Think I've got the hang of Lethal Cuts now."
"Impossible! Lethal Cuts are assassins' domain! You think you can learn our craft just from watching a few times?!"
His excitement peaked at Shin-hyeok claiming to understand it.
All players took pride in their class.
The higher the tier, the stronger the pride.
Inevitable for a powerhouse like Jin Zhaoping, Flesh Demon Veil unit leader—but
"Lethal Cuts. That's not how it works."
"……You bastard!!!"
To Shin-hyeok, aided by Versatile trait, pre-regression memories, and senses—impossible was nothing.
Instantly acquired D-rank Lethal Cuts.
Absorbed into Comprehensive Weapon Arts [A], skyrocketing its proficiency further.
Now, his Lethal Cuts rivaled B-rank.
B to A was wooden sword vs. real blade, but fine.
Kwaduk!
"Hold out as long as you can. Sucks if a great training dummy drops too quick."
"I'll kill you. I swear I'll kill you!"
"You were gonna try anyway—what's with the 'now'?"
Wooden or real, tools were just tools.
What mattered was the wielder.
And the gap between Shin-hyeok and Jin Zhaoping was vast.
Having acquired Lethal Cuts, Shin-hyeok dissected Jin Zhaoping's version minutely—like a frog on a lab table.
Wrist flicking lightly to grip his dagger, Shin-hyeok charged.
Puk!
"K-Kuueee……."
Dagger plunged precisely into his spine.
Jin Zhaoping's lungs wheezed shrill gasps, legs crippled instantly.
Compared to that, Shin-hyeok was pristine.
Kkaak!
"Yeah yeah, good job, Kakam. Didn't even need you, huh?"
-Kak! Kak!
He hadn't even used Kakam’s Equipment Form skill.
Kakam was eating well, resting, steadily growing—so the all-stat boost from Equipment Form was substantial. That alone showed the chasm between Jin Zhaoping and Shin-hyeok.
"Auto-defense gear's pretty handy."
"D-Damn it, without that gear……!"
"Best case, you'd have scratched me once or twice. Don't be sore loser blaming gear."
The legendary auto-defense device's effect was huge too.
Jin Zhaoping's assassin instincts sniped unnoted gaps—even Shin-hyeok missed some momentarily.
All blocked by auto-defense.
Ironic, since trusting it created those gaps.
Defeated, Jin Zhaoping writhed on the floor with a dagger in his spine—but he sneered instead.
"Heh, hahahaha! You might've stopped us, but can your blacksmith hold?"
"……So you targeted Se-jin hyung too. Figured as much."
"Look forward to it. When you leave, you'll see your 'brother' blacksmith dead or missing!"
"……."
Words confirming Se-jin was hit too.
Shin-hyeok's face hardened upon realizing they'd targeted Se-jin alongside him. Jin Zhaoping's smile deepened.
Swept aside effortlessly, reduced to Lethal Cuts guinea pig, all underlings dead or captured—that was his sole comfort.
Of course—
"Doesn't seem like it worked out for you."
"……What?"
"You'll see for yourself soon."
Shin-hyeok didn't care a bit.
Stunned by his nonchalance,
Kwadudududuk!
Shin-hyeok devoured all the assassins slain by Tarkhan, the death army, and spirits.
Over ten assassins.
Including a Diamond-equivalent great unit leader—sweet messages flooded in.
"Nice."
Assassin-style: low physical stats, high mana—hence biggest mana gain.
Their assassination skills fused into Assassin's Compendium [C].
Master this one, and you'd have everything for stealth, prowling, assassinations.
Great haul. Shin-hyeok grabbed the neck of the downed Jin Zhaoping and exited the Colosseum.
"Manager Hong. How's your side?"
-Flesh Demon Veil guys swarmed us. Just like you said, Young Master. You okay?
"I'm talking to you right now, aren't I? Fine. Heading to Myth Forge."
-Understood. Waiting.
Right after leaving, he called Manager Hong to confirm safety, then grinned at the dazed Jin Zhaoping staring at him.
"Excited to see your friend? You'll meet soon."
"N-No way—you put someone on the blacksmith too? Who the hell is this Manager Hong?!"
Realizing a unit leader equal to himself was sent after Se-jin, Jin Zhaoping couldn't believe it.
Satisfied, Shin-hyeok whispered in his ear.
"Shadow."
"……Ah."
The legendary assassin, early player Flesh Demon Veil leader's right-hand.
Shadow.
Learning Manager Hong was him drained all color from Jin Zhaoping's face.
Kung!
"To Myth Forge, please."
"Yes, Young Master."
Shoving the guy roughly into the waiting limousine, Shin-hyeok headed for Myth Forge.