The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Chapter 150: To Chuncheon (3)

‘What’s this guy?’

When he deflected the Ki Blast, any normal hunter would have been unable to respond and would have died.

At the very least, they should have been severely injured. It was because he launched the Ki Blast with full force.

However, Kang-hoo deployed a protective barrier, blocking the incoming Ki Blast attack.

Though the barrier was completely shattered, the Ki Blast also lost its power and disappeared.

In the end, it was an equivalent exchange. Mutual destruction occurred, and it was as if nothing had happened.

Jung Seon-rak was curious about Kang-hoo’s identity, unable to fathom his skill linkage.

With half of his face covered by a mask, there was no information available other than that he was an assassin.

Meanwhile.

It wasn’t just a one-on-one situation.

Looking at the situation unfolding behind him, he saw that the sniper riflemen were repositioning themselves.

Although the sniping had ceased due to the distance, it was unknown when the snipers would pull the trigger again.

Moreover, even though there was some distance, quite a few mercenaries were seen running for support.

Buzz-. Buzz-.

As Kang-hoo scanned his surroundings, the entire space was subtly wavering.

A high-level Ki master could create such changes in the surrounding space without doing anything.

The wavering of the space meant that illusion techniques were fundamentally blocked.

Even if illusion techniques were deployed, as soon as they were caught in that wavering, the illusions would dance like taffy.

It would then be easy to distinguish between the real body and the illusions. Using skills would be pointless.

‘The target direction is the same. I’m trying to get inside the research lab, and that guy is trying to prevent me from entering.’

The final destination was the same for both him and Jung Seon-rak. Only the desired outcome was different.

Therefore, Kang-hoo decided to take a strong twist on the obvious flow that both knew.

From the opponent’s perspective, there would be significant confidence in their own skills.

Thus, showing a tendency to avoid the fight would seem more natural rather than awkward.

Kang-hoo planned to twist that natural expectation. Like a cornered mouse suddenly biting a cat.

He glanced at the research lab.

There was still no reaction from inside the lab to open the door or send someone to meet him.

It was a wise decision.

Opening the door wrongly could lead to Jung Seon-rak breaking through the entrance directly.

The reason the lab could withstand the multinational mercenary group was the thick iron door.

The iron door was covered with all sorts of defensive barriers, and snipers were placed to cover it.

If the iron door was breached, there would be no way to stop the mercenaries who would then storm in.

There weren’t many combat forces inside the first research lab, so if it was breached, there would be no solution.

This was also an accident created by a lack of safety awareness.

One of the Red Key Holders, who must always be stationed, arbitrarily going out was a critical safety mistake.

The decision to focus solely on technological development and not anticipate being targeted was also a mistake.

At least having the minimum preparedness allowed them to buy some time.

But that wouldn’t last much longer.

The next large-scale attack could not be withstood without activating the large barrier triggered by the Red Key.

At that moment.

‘One person.’

Kang-hoo sensed the aim of a sniper focusing on him.

It was thanks to ‘Intuition,’ one of the constellation abilities he gained from the Strategist of the Wasteland.

Before he could precisely position himself in the sniper’s aim, he could perceive it through intuition.

Despite numerous previous sniping attempts, Kang-hoo cleverly avoided the danger zones in advance.

This time was no different.

His intuition clearly told him that the sniper’s target was not him but Jung Seon-rak.

‘If it’s a pincer attack, it’s manageable.’

Kang-hoo sensed that the sniper, despite being in a position to aim at Jung Seon-rak, was waiting for the right moment. No exchange of glances was needed; he felt it from experience.

If a sniper misses once, their position is exposed, and the opponent becomes more vigilant.

Thus, there is a saying that the best sniping is a single shot. It perfectly fits practical combat.

Paaat!

He immediately used Shadow Step.

Since illusion techniques were suppressed, Shadow Step was the most useful in this situation.

From the moment he faced Jung Seon-rak, Kang-hoo barely used stealth. It was useless.

A Ki master was adept at handling the surrounding Qi senses or deliberately disrupting the flow of Qi.

Absolute stealth would also be instantly revealed.

In fact, a Ki master would welcome an assassin’s stealth.

Because an assassin gains psychological stability and confidence in stealth mode.

Their agility unconsciously decreases.

‘Chase me. When the chase reaches its peak, I’ll become a feisty mouse biting the cat.’

Bang!

Paang!

A brief exchange occurred. It was a clash between Jung Seon-rak’s Ki Blast and Kang-hoo’s self-defense.

Bang!

Another Ki Blast flew in.

Clang!

This time, Kang-hoo deftly blocked the Ki Blast with an abandoned iron plate he had picked up.

From the outside, it looked like an unfair fight.

Kang-hoo was using his defense skills to the fullest.

Jung Seon-rak was simply snapping his fingers to attack.

But that’s a misconception.

Jung Seon-rak was also gathering as much Qi as possible to burst towards Kang-hoo.

Every time it was blocked by a skill and scattered, he felt deep anger.

He thought the one-on-one situation should have been resolved already.

Right then.

“Ha.”

For the first time, Kang-hoo, who had never even taken a small breath, opened his mouth towards Jung Seon-rak.

Jung Seon-rak sensed it. This skilled assassin had reached his limit.

He had no choice.

He had moved continuously from a long distance to this point.

Even if he had inhaled a lot of drugs, he could be said to have endured really well at this level.

Yes, it was time to collapse. He had reached his limit and was about to burst.

At that moment.

“……!”

Jung Seon-rak felt the sniper’s gaze targeting him.

It was an expected result.

From the beginning, he knew there was a sniper aiming at the intruders approaching the first research lab.

It wasn’t surprising or unexpected, as it was within his initial predictions.

‘Yeah, that’s what assassins do. They buy time with sniping and plan to get inside.’

The strategy was obvious.

It was a good tactic to fall for if the target was a weakling with no skills.

Since chasing Kang-hoo, Jung Seon-rak had already anticipated this scenario.

In other words, he was prepared to break the plan.

Bang!

A magic bullet flew towards Jung Seon-rak from inside the lab, accompanied by magical flames.

【Qi Wall】

But it was easily blocked.

The Qi Wall, much thicker than Kang-hoo’s protective barrier, easily stopped the magic bullet.

It barely cracked, making additional sniping pointless.

【Thousand Wave Strike】

Jung Seon-rak unleashed his ultimate move.

Anyone could see that Kang-hoo was clearly trying to enter the nearest lab door.

So, without complicated thinking, he decided to tear apart everything in that direction.

Whether he tried to block it or clumsily dodge it, he would be blown to pieces without a chance.

Swish!

At that moment, Kang-hoo, who had been retreating repeatedly, suddenly charged at Jung Seon-rak.

“Humph.”

Jung Seon-rak snorted.

Even a passing dog could see that he was using a clone technique to buy time.

It was a typical assassin’s trick: using clones or illusions to delay time.

Jung Seon-rak, having experienced this countless times, paid no attention to the clone.

As expected, the clone merely passed by without doing anything.

He wouldn’t have the mental capacity to control a clone while being so busy running away.

Clone techniques were not easy to handle.

Sure enough.

Kang-hoo, running towards the lab, was frantically moving left and right, putting on a show.

It looked like a desperate attempt to dodge the Ki Blasts.

It was meaningless.

He was going to blow away the entire space. Only solid steel would survive inside.

Boom!

The shockwave from the Thousand Wave Strike swept over everything, including Kang-hoo and the structures.

The shockwave was so powerful that the concrete outer wall shattered into dust.

Kang-hoo, caught in the shockwave, was torn to pieces, meeting a grim end.

It was a pitiful death, torn like a sheet of paper.

However.

“……?”

Something was off.

There was no blood or flesh scattered around, which should have been everywhere if a person was torn apart.

Especially the blood!

Not a drop of the red liquid, which would have dripped even from a small cut, was seen.

In a fleeting moment that felt like an eternity, countless thoughts crossed Jung Seon-rak’s mind.

Just for a moment.

A shiver ran down his spine, starting from the back of his head.

He realized he had been outsmarted.

It was a masterful move by Kang-hoo, exploiting his blind spot with significant risk.

Bang!

Jung Seon-rak reflexively propelled himself forward while releasing a Qi Blast backwards.

The reason was simple.

What had passed him was not a clone but the real Kang-hoo. The danger was behind him.

Was his response quick enough?

Jung Seon-rak was satisfied to have escaped without pain.

Kang-hoo had managed to get behind him but hadn’t continued the attack. A small fortune in misfortune.

But right then.

Drip.

A hot sensation ran down the back of his thigh. It could only be blood.

Adding to that, a burning pain followed his hamstring muscle.

The pain wasn’t absent.

It was just that there wasn’t enough time for the pain to register due to the quick cut on his thigh.

“Damn……”

Jung Seon-rak’s face twisted.

Having taken a heavy hit, he had to somehow block the next attack. He had to defend.

【Qi Wall】

Without looking, he deployed the Qi Wall behind him to buy some time.

The response was swift.

But Kang-hoo had no intention of attacking the wall.

Simply.

Tap!

He flicked his finger once more.

【Blood Flower】

Boom!

With an explosion of red blood, Jung Seon-rak’s body was hurled into the air.

He was definitely screwed.

At that moment, the thought of death overwhelmed Jung Seon-rak’s mind.

Fear of death. An unbearable terror surged through him like a tsunami.