Before discussing the handling of the Queen of the Pack’s corpse with K, Kang-hoo first said his goodbyes to Jung Yuri.
Jung Yuri, who had rested for just one day, was now embarking on another rigorous dungeon raid starting today.
Both Kang-hoo and K welcomed her proactive and energetic demeanor.
As she left in a secure limousine, she waved until they were out of sight.
After a long farewell, K, with a peculiar smile, remarked to Kang-hoo.
“Yuri seems to say goodbye to you more than she does to me. That’s probably just my imagination, right?”
“Yes, it’s probably your imagination.”
“Well… I suppose she’d prefer a young, handsome fellow over a gloomy old man.”
“Are you jealous?”
“Oh, yes. It feels like my granddaughter won’t always stay as my little girl.”“I’m joking.”
“Heh, I am too.”
Kang-hoo, who rarely joked around.
But with K, he felt oddly at ease when speaking. Perhaps it was the unique vibe K gave off.
“Let’s walk. We don’t have to talk only in the office, after all.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Kang-hoo matched his stride to K’s pace.
K’s walking speed was easily three times slower than Kang-hoo’s.
Kang-hoo, being an assassin, naturally moved swiftly even in everyday life, while K’s style was leisurely and relaxed.
So, for each step he took, Kang-hoo counted to two or three internally. That way, their steps aligned.
“The Queen of the Pack’s corpse can be disposed of in two ways. First, sell it to me immediately and receive 7.5 billion won.”
“That’s quite a high amount.”
“Well, I might resell it at a profit, so it’s hard to say if it’s high or low, haha.”
“Aren’t you being a bit too honest?”
“Am I? Maybe a little. Anyway, that’s the first option. The second is to extract the Queen of the Pack’s bile.”
“Are you handling it yourself?”
“No, I have a specialist for that. I can’t tell you who, but they guarantee at least one vial of bile.”
“So, one vial of bile is equivalent to 7.5 billion won.”
“Exactly. It’s a choice between quick cash or a future investment.”
The bile of the Queen of the Pack amplifies the effects of awakening buffs and awakening drugs by three times.
It lasts for 30 seconds, with no known side effects.
However, one has to kill a Queen of the Pack to obtain a single vial, making it an exceptionally rare substance.
In terms of rarity, it surpasses even Mad Solarkium or Gaksin-hwan.
“How long does it take to extract the bile?”
“Since it needs to be refined to avoid toxicity, it’ll take at least two days.”
“I see.”
“Once it’s ready, I’ll deliver it myself, whether by courier or in person. Don’t worry about delivery.”
“Even if it’s overseas?”
“Of course. I’ll make sure it reaches your hands—that’s my definition of ‘delivery.’”
“I’ll go with the second option then. The bile seems far more valuable.”
“I thought you might.”
K smiled.
His expression hinted that he already knew Kang-hoo wouldn’t choose the first option.
The bile of the Queen of the Pack is undeniably powerful, tempting as it may be.
However, Kang-hoo had no desire to face another Queen of the Pack anytime soon; today’s battle was tiring enough.
Even if he had to fight one again, he hoped to have other hunters by his side.
That evening.
Kang-hoo, feeling physically worn out, took K’s offer and rested at a villa, enjoying a solitary night.
The place had a lively atmosphere when Jung Yuri was around, but now it was quiet to an extreme.
Reflecting on the day’s battle with the Queen of the Pack, he recalled the sensations he felt through the Gaksin-hwan.
It was as if a world filled with despair and tragedy was suddenly replaced by joy and ecstasy.
For a brief moment, he felt like he could die happy. Even his peripheral senses were thrilled.
It crossed his mind that it might have been a type of euphoria. Short-lived, yet the sensation was pure pleasure.
Had he not been fighting the Queen of the Pack so intensely, he might have been lost in the pleasure alone.
“Hmm.”
Kang-hoo thought of a few faces.
Kang Bok-hwa, Jung Yuri’s grandmother.
He still had a meeting with her regarding the first-grade talisman ‘Infernus.’
Since there was no contact yet, it seemed that arrangements for the surviving relatives with the talisman had not been made.
Although he was 99% confident in his plan for the talisman, there was still a hint of uncertainty.
“If Takashi calls, I can head to Japan. But the real hot topic is Jeon Se-hyuk, isn’t it?”
Checking his smartphone, half of the recent Hunter-related news was about Jeon Se-hyuk.
Apparently, he hadn’t just hit one or two branches of Eclipse. And he certainly wasn’t working alone.
This led Kang Dong-hyun to issue a “Special Assassination Order.” It’s a level above the first-grade assassination order on Kang-hoo.
What this means is that, from the moment a special assassination order is issued, a dedicated team is formed.
A special team within Eclipse is set up to counter Jeon Se-hyuk—signifying they are determined to kill him.
While Kang-hoo wanted to rush over to Go Gyeong-ho and kill him to complete his constellation trial,
he knew Go Gyeong-ho wasn’t foolish enough to roam alone. Working with Jeon Se-hyuk’s “team” was essential.
However, with the special assassination order in place, Kang Dong-hyun’s close aide, Go Gyeong-ho, would soon take action.
The opportunity to encounter Go Gyeong-ho on the battlefield might come sooner than expected, making an approach easier.
“Let’s break the seal.”
Kang-hoo placed a random skill book on the table in front of him, then prepared the heart of the Queen of the Pack.
Despite being stored outside for quite a while, the heart remained in its original state, showing no signs of shriveling or decay.
The unsealing method was simple.
By bringing the offering required for unsealing into contact with the subject and infusing it with magical energy, it activates.
Afterward, the subject will automatically go through the process of unsealing itself, following the set procedure.
Kang-hoo immediately brought the heart close to the skill book and began to infuse it with magical energy.
As a blue aura appeared, the skill book glowed and began absorbing the heart’s essence.
‘Is this black magic?’
The skill book greedily devoured the heart as if sucking it through a straw, draining everything inside.
Just moments ago, the heart had a vivid, lifelike hue, but it quickly turned into a dry, shriveled fragment.
Meanwhile, the previously blue-glowing skill book took on a purplish hue.
While colors don’t typically represent specific professions, this color evoked the image of a black mage.
‘It’s changed.’
The name updated immediately.
【Skill Book – Flame of Death】
【Special Attribute: Black Mage Exclusive】
As expected, it was an exclusive skill book for black mages. He could use a workaround to learn it, just like when he studied the skills of the Age of Barbarism. R𝘈N𝙤ʙЁṦ
It was a bit troublesome, though.
However, the perk of acquiring a black mage’s skill without any penalty was reason enough not to hesitate.
As they say, strike while the iron is hot.
Kang-hoo revised his plan to leave in the morning after spending the night here.
He decided to head to Suwon.
There, the Baltman Dungeon managed by the Onnuri Guild was located—nearby and suitable for using a workaround.
Late at night.
A man was about to snap at his secretary’s report about an unannounced guest, but he froze when he checked the visitor’s identity. It was a familiar face.
“What? Shin Kang-hoo?”
“Yes, sir. Do you remember me?”
“Of course! Back then, I never imagined you’d grow into such a hunter…”
The man’s name was Han Seung-hyeok.
He was the team leader who had previously leased the Onnuri Guild’s Baltman Dungeon license to Kang-hoo for a whopping 1 billion won.
At the time, and even now, he was in the same position with his level barely increasing.
He had no particular ambition to push himself beyond his current state.
Content with his life, he earned commissions by leasing dungeon licenses.
When he first met Kang-hoo, the latter wasn’t as well-known as he is now.
Back then, he thought only a fool would pay a billion won to rent a dungeon.
But now, things had changed.
A big shot had returned.
He figured that if he hurried out to greet Kang-hoo warmly, he might leave a good impression.
It never hurts to establish connections with influential people, as they might come in handy someday.
The secretary asked.
“What should we do?”
“Take him to the guild’s VIP reception room. I’ll personally attend to him. Be quick.”
“Yes, sir.”
Even before meeting Kang-hoo, Han Seung-hyeok’s back was already half-bent in anticipation.
It was second nature for him to be submissive to the strong and overbearing toward the weak.
And he had firmly placed Kang-hoo in the “strong” category.
The next dawn.
Having cleared the Baltman Dungeon, Kang-hoo checked the new skill added to his skill list.
He could barely recall what was said during his meeting with Han Seung-hyeok, except for his classic opportunistic submissiveness.
Considering he might need the Baltman Dungeon frequently for learning skills from other classes,
he compensated Han Seung-hyeok generously, well above the standard license fee. Opportunistic types like him are susceptible to money.
This gave him access to the dungeons managed by the Onnuri Guild.
Even if it wasn’t the Baltman Dungeon, the guild had several dungeons they leased to outsiders.
Though Onnuri Guild isn’t large, it possesses a decent number of lucrative dungeons.
He figured his connection with Han Seung-hyeok would come in handy.
He planned to continue buying him off whenever necessary.
Despite his lackluster character, Han Seung-hyeok had considerable authority within the Onnuri Guild due to his business acumen.
“Exciting.”
Kang-hoo stood in a nearby clearing to test the skill’s firepower and learn its usage.
This was a space where hunters often tried out their skills, so it wasn’t an unusual spot for this purpose.
【Flame of Death】
【Skill Proficiency: Lv. Max】
【Infuses dark energy to create an inextinguishable flame of darkness.
The installed form consumes less dark energy but has limited range, while the active form generates a flame in one’s hand.】
【The proficiency max effect activates ‘Annihilation.’
Additionally, the flame can be exploded using dark energy.】
In the installed form, it manifested as a wall of flames, similar to a common in-game effect.
In the active form, he could control a flame orb in his hand.
If he triggered Annihilation to cause an explosion, he could target multiple enemies in a wide area.
Alternatively, he could inflict multiple streams of damage on a single target. There were various possible applications.
“To handle everything on my own, I must dabble in different areas. Why should it be different for a black mage?”
With a confident smile, Kang-hoo raised his left hand, ready to cast the Flame of Death.
In this moment,
for a brief time, Kang-hoo was a black mage wielding dark energy.
While he would always remain an assassin at heart,
if one were to ask about his identity, perhaps “hybrid” would be the best word.
For Kang-hoo certainly possessed that versatility.