The one flustered wasn’t just the gang boss sitting in the back seat; Yun Sang-mi felt equally bewildered.
It was a skill she had never encountered before.
Moreover, its novelty aside, the ability to explode a person’s head was profoundly shocking.
She felt an involuntary chill run down her spine.
She couldn’t begin to guess the nature of the skill.
“Does it make the blood explode? Like how a black magic hunter’s mana burning skill works? Maybe it incinerates the blood.”
Yun Sang-mi, armed with plenty of hearsay and experience, pondered the makeup of Kang-hoo’s skill.
“I’ve never heard of a skill that burns blood. And its destructive power is on a completely different scale from that of mana burning.”
In terms of raw destructive force, mana burning paled in comparison.
At most, mana burning could cause minor burns.
“How does this guy get stronger every time I see him? And all within a matter of days?”
Yun Sang-mi couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.
The remaining gang members’ faces grew grim, likely a response to the humiliation and loss of their comrades.
It was as if the fear of meeting the same end began to spread among them like a contagion.
“Anyone who wants to get out, get out now.”
Kang-hoo gestured towards the still-open middle door of the bus with his dagger.
Yet the gang members shut their eyes tight, conscious of their boss’s gaze from the rear.
Above all, they were mortified.
The thought of fleeing, when they still outnumbered their opponents eight to two, was disgraceful.
Perhaps that was the catalyst.
“Die, you bastard!”
Two gang members, refusing to dwell on the thought, rushed towards Kang-hoo.
Simultaneously,
“Don’t get in the way, just stay there.”
Kang-hoo reached out towards Yun Sang-mi, who stood behind him.
It was a cautionary gesture, warning her not to step in unnecessarily.
If she engaged with her broadsword, he wouldn’t be able to move as freely as he needed.
Yun Sang-mi nodded, signaling her understanding.
Although she itched to fight, she had no desire to obstruct Kang-hoo’s path.
Instead, she thought it might be more interesting to cross her arms and watch the situation unfold from behind.
It looked like fun.
Pfft!
With a leap, Kang-hoo vanished.
Yun Sang-mi, trusting in Kang-hoo’s ability to handle the fight, shifted her focus to the driver.
The driver, who had been staring ahead in terror, jerked as Yun Sang-mi approached.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, yes, yes! I’m, I’m fine!”
“I can’t ask you to trust me, but don’t worry. We’re not here to harm you.”
“Ah, understood!”
“Just follow your usual route. And later, when I signal, hit the brake once. Okay?”
“Understood!”
Yun Sang-mi, harboring a mischievous plan, made preparations to assist Kang-hoo.
Meanwhile.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
Kang-hoo had dived into the heart of the gang, plunging his dagger into their shoulders, armpits, and elbows.
It wasn’t fatal, but he targeted areas that would disable their ability to fight instantly.
In the confined space, Kang-hoo deployed his illusion technique, sowing chaos with his unpredictable movements.
As a result, some hunters, aiming at Kang-hoo’s illusions, struck each other—a critical error.
Moreover, Kang-hoo’s horizontal movement skill, which was vital to his survival, included a stealth effect that increased their disarray.
“Where the hell is he?”
In frustration, a hunter shouted.
To them, it was absurd that they couldn’t even keep track of Kang-hoo in the relatively small bus.
But that moment of disbelief was brief.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
A hunter’s life ended abruptly, his mouth agape as Kang-hoo’s dagger pierced precisely through the back of his neck.
“……”
Kang-hoo surveyed the scene; aside from the boss, all the surviving hunters were clutching their wounds.
Had the fight occurred in an open field, attacking so many in such a short span would have been impossible.
The narrow space was the ideal battlefield for Kang-hoo, whose evasion skills were exceptional.
He had only used the leap skill once at the beginning, and fortunately, it hadn’t triggered his mana hypersensitivity.
“Sigh.”
Kang-hoo let out a short breath and activated Blood Flower.
The wounds he had diligently inflicted with the bleeding stabbing technique were quite deep.
Puff, puff, puff, bang!
In that moment, Kang-hoo, the boss, and Yun Sang-mi all witnessed it together.
The hunters’ deep wounds created a blood storm, scattering body parts wildly.
The hunter wounded at the elbow lost everything below it when Blood Flower activated.
The one stabbed in the armpit had their shoulder sliced off, hanging like a half-cut piece of meat.
“Aaaagh!”
“My arm! My arm…!”
“Aaaagh! Save me!”
Screams erupted from all directions.
Despite Kang-hoo being right in front of them, none seemed to have the will to fight as they gripped their weapons.
Unable to believe the scene of shock and terror, the boss, who had been watching from behind, tried to get up.
Then.
“Sir, now!”
Yun Sang-mi signaled to the driver.
Screech!
The driver then slammed on the brakes with all his might, enough to cramp his legs.
“…Cough!”
Caught by inertia, the boss, unable to steady himself, was flung forward.
On the other hand, Kang-hoo, who had kept an eye on the rear during the fight, had anticipated this.
He managed to hold on to a pole.
Then, like a gift box, the flying boss landed right into Kang-hoo’s arms.
“F*ck.”
A curse escaped the boss’s lips.
Being caught by Kang-hoo was secondary.
Already, Kang-hoo’s dagger had pierced half a finger’s length into his neck.
Just a bit more pressure, and the blood vessels near his neck were at risk of being exposed to the world.
[Father of Music]
[Listening to classical music increases stamina recovery speed by five times.]
‘Was there such a constellation in the original work? What a variety of constellations.’
Kang-hoo checked the information of the constellation contracted to the boss and tilted his head.
Of course, as the original author, all his numerous unconscious creations should have manifested in this world, so it wasn’t strange.
Thanks to Yun Sang-mi’s apt assistance, Kang-hoo had secured a definitive advantage.
Considering whether to take the boss’s life right then, Kang-hoo slightly changed his mind.
Killing the boss here and just plundering the constellation and items seemed somewhat unsatisfactory.
Kang-hoo called out to the boss.
“Hey.”
“……”
“Why are you glaring like that? It’s not like I caught an innocent person. You guys were the ones trying to set us up.”
At Kang-hoo’s sharp words, the boss sighed deeply and tried to bow his head.
But since the dagger was partially piercing his neck, he jerked back in surprise, returning to his original position.
A slight mistake could have deepened his wound and led to death.
The boss responded.
“So what do you want me to do?”
“Unlike the others, your eyes are full of regret. I might be willing to negotiate.”
There was a brief flicker in the boss’s eyes.
Everyone fears death. Even Kang-hoo was no exception.
Especially a hunter leading such rookies must value his life more.
He must have been thinking he had stepped in it now.
“What do you want?”
“This.”
Kang-hoo curled his thumb and index finger.
Cash. He was talking about money.
When they boarded this bus, those guys must have thought the same.
“I don’t have it. I don’t have any money.”
“Is that so.”
Sssshh!
“Aaaagh!”
As soon as the words were out, Kang-hoo slightly twisted the dagger diagonally.
The boss screamed in pain, unable to bear the agony as flesh was gouged out.
“So it doesn’t really matter if you die now, does it?”
“Damn it…”
“It must hurt. I’ll overlook the swearing. But if I have to repeat myself, that’s the end.”
“Wait, wait!”
Feeling the force Kang-hoo exerted on the gripped dagger, the boss urgently extended his arms, shouting.
His voice carried not just a warning, but a genuine fear that his life might be at its end.
At last.
“I have 700 million! My account holds 700 million!”
He declared the price of his life.
Kang-hoo’s expression, which had remained stern, softened naturally.
“That’s the spirit. Negotiations are straightforward when both parties shed their greed.”
Five minutes later.
Having confirmed the deposit of 700 million won, Kang-hoo appeared content.
The boss now possessed a mere 30,000 won, barely enough for his passage to the afterlife.
Finding no further use for the boss, Kang-hoo stood and yanked the dagger upward.
Sssshh!
“Guk…?”
The boss, glaring at him with eyes full of resentment, received a nonchalant shrug from Kang-hoo.
“I said negotiations were possible. I never implied they concerned your life.”
Pshhhh!
Boom!
The boss’s life concluded with a spurt of blood, erupting like a fountain.
‘I must remember to listen to classical music during my downtime.’
The constellation ‘Father of Music’ was newly listed among Kang-hoo’s constellations following a successful plunder.
Despite its grandiose title, the Dimension Plunderer remained silent, perhaps due to its underwhelming abilities.
Kang-hoo then methodically dispatched the remaining hunters, who lay groaning from their wounds.
With their arms and shoulders, vital for combat, severely damaged, they posed no real threat.
Two tried to escape by leaping out of the bus door, but their fate was no kinder.
Tragically, they met their demise beneath the bus’s rear wheel, crushed to death in what amounted to suicide.
Thus, the bus was purged.
The ten hunters who had harbored grand plans to profit from Kang-hoo and Yun Sang-mi all took the express route to the afterlife.
“Bus driver, shut the door. It’s finished now.”
Kang-hoo then addressed the driver, glancing at the still-open middle door.
The situation was resolved.
The only living people on the bus were himself, Yun Sang-mi, and the driver.
Yun Sang-mi, now breaking into a sweat, clicked her tongue as she looked at Kang-hoo.
It was proof that he had expended less energy than expected, even during such intense combat.
“Oppa is really something…”
“Everyone keeps their own spoils.”
“Alright.”
Kang-hoo unzipped his backpack.
It was time to carefully pack the spoils of battle.
Monsters leave experience points when they die, and hunters leave items, don’t they?
Now it was time to harvest the rewards of victory.
And then.
[Soul Mate - Gloves]
[Grade: 5th Grade]
[A one-handed glove item that increases health points according to level.]
[Can increase health by up to a maximum of 200 points.]
“Oh?”
A particularly remarkable item caught his attention. It was a glove taken from the boss’s hand.