Jin-Woo remained uneasy about the situation. He felt a strange bloodlust as the agent and the prisoners approached, which might have been due to his heightened senses.
However, he wasn't sure whether that bloodlust came from the prisoners or the employee.
He leaned in and whispered softly to Ju-Hee.
- Something's not right here. Ju-Hee please go home.
- And what about you? - The surprised girl asked.
- I'm going with them.
He wanted to keep an eye on these guys.
All four of them.
Besides, he liked and respected Mr. Song. He didn't want anything to happen to him.
As for the other two Hunters, well...
Jin-Woo kept his eyes on their retreating backs as they ran towards the door.
He didn't wish them dead, but he wasn't staying here because of them.
- In that case, I'm going too.
Jin-Woo had experienced her stubbornness many times before, and she still considered him a useless E-rank hunter.
In her opinion, she had the right to worry about him.
Knowing he wouldn't be able to convince her, he gave in.
After all, if he was there, he always had the option to intervene if he wanted to.
Ju-Hee's presence or not won't change much. He just wanted to prevent her from getting into another dangerous situation.
The agent finished with the documents and then approached the hunters.
- I'm Kang Tae-Shik from the Hunter Supervision Department. I'm sure you've heard about the whole situation by now. I'll be keeping a close eye on them, so don't worry about those bastards.
He pointed at the prisoners, and they approached him, extending their shackled hands. One by one, Kang Tae-Shik unshackled them.
- What a relief.
- You can't treat us like this. We're not slaves, you know?
The released prisoners rubbed their wrists and complained. Ignoring them, Kang Tae-Shik turned to the Hunters.
- Who will lead today's raid?
Mr. Song reluctantly raised his hand after a moment.
Kang Tae-Shik nodded.
- I understand.
With Mr. Song in the lead, the hunters began to enter the gate.
Remembering his last expedition into the dungeons, Ju-Hee gripped Jin-Woo's sleeves lightly as they went in.
***
Jin-Woo really started to appreciate his heightened senses.
It's a pity that he couldn't predict everything with their help.
During the goblin fights, Jin-Woo felt increasingly uneasy in the presence of the Association agent.
It wasn't the psychopathic sadists who appeared most dangerous to him, but the man assigned to watch over them.
His concerns were confirmed when they split into three groups: Jin-Woo, Ju-Hee, and Mr. Song; Kang Tae-Shik and the prisoners; and Mr. Kim and the other Hunter, whose name Jin-Woo didn't bother to remember.
When they heard the screams and sounds of battle, Jin-Woo's group hurried to the scene, retreating as they arrived.
By the time they reached the source of the fighting sounds, it was already over.
The prisoners were dead, as was the unnamed Hunter, and Mr. Kim was clearly dying.
Sensing an attack directed at Ju-Hee, Jin-Woo grabbed the Association employee's hand, where he held his dagger. The weapon stopped just two or three centimeters from Ju-Hee's face.
- What the hell are you doing here? - Jin-Woo asked coldly.
- Nice reflexes.
The agent wrenched his hand away and jumped back.
- According to the instructions, I wasn't supposed to kill others, but I figured a B-ranked healer could ruin my plans, so I decided to get rid of her. But it looks like I'll have to change my plans and just kill all of you.
- Wait! You're a member of the Association! - Mr. Song shouted, looking at him with wide eyes full of shock and rage.
Ju-Hee ran with Jin-Woo to the still barely conscious Kim Sang-Shik.
- No... I won't make it. It's too late for me. Can you... please stop? I've lost... too much blood.
- You have to survive. - Jin-Woo growled. - What about your family? You have to... How else am I supposed to hate you?
- I'm sorry. Truly, I am. I didn't want these apologies to look like this. I wanted to bow properly. But if I were to... bow my head now... I'd die.
With a wheezing breath and more blood flowing from his mouth, Mr. Kim took his final breath.
- Forgive me, Sung. I'm really sorry... If I could... take back what... I... did.
Kim Sang-Shik's head fell limply.
He was dead.
Feeling something inside him break, Jin-Woo immediately turned around and lunged at Kang Tae-Shik.
Kang Tae-Shik's fist was heading for Jin-Woo's face, but he effortlessly turned his head and dodged the attack.
Jin-Woo was surprised by the speed and strength of the attack he had just dodged.
- Why did you kill them? - Sung asked coldly.
- What do you mean? They could have been monsters. The Hunters mindlessly entered the dungeons, and there were an overwhelming number of monsters waiting for them. It happens. Just another day. I think I stumbled upon a good story. At first, I thought about using goblins, but I had to change my plans. The criminals freed themselves and tried to escape. They killed the other Hunters while I was busy fighting the boss. They couldn't kill me, and they died.
Not wanting to listen to this bastard's words anymore, Jin-Woo began to launch attack after attack. However, the agent blocked each of them.
From a distance, Song and Ju-Hee watched the scene with wide eyes.
The Association agent was a B-rank and an Assassin.
The attacks they were delivering had incredible speed. The speed was so great that the two hunters standing to the side could barely perceive these attacks. The speed of a B-rank Hunter's movements wasn't surprising, but Sung Jin-Woo wasn't the man he remembered. The young man kept up with a B-rank Hunter.
His earlier hunches were not mistaken. Sung Jin-Woo wasn't the same guy he once knew.
- Who are you?! What rank are you? - There was genuine curiosity in the Assassin's voice.
- Sung Jin-Woo, E-rank hunter.
Kang Tae-Shik felt like he had been punched in the face. Even some B-rank hunters couldn't match him in speed, and now the man who could keep up with him introduced himself as an E-rank hunter.
Kang gritted his teeth.
This taunt was definitely annoying.
After a while, however, something clicked in his mind.
If he's a high-ranking Hunter, why is he hanging around with the Association and such lowly dungeons?
Hunters working for the Association were essentially fighting over scraps. After all, the Gates that the Association had to clear were the ones overlooked by Guilds or private groups because they were too weak. Compared to other Hunters, Association-affiliated Hunters didn't earn much and were often looked down upon.
So this son of a bitch was probably actually an E rank.
However, this did not mean that his skills corresponded to his rank. None of these things.
This young pup must have been hiding them carefully.
False Ranker?
NO. The False Ranker would never let those who saw his true strength survive. And the kid obviously cared about this girl and the old man.
But even then, why would he work for the Society, feasting on a carcass that virtually no one wanted?
- Second Awakening, right?
Ju-Hee and Mr. Song let out gasps of disbelief at his words.
- Sung?!
- Second Awakening?!
- Judging by your reactions, it must have happened recently. Well, it seems like you've got quite a bit of experience in fighting.
When he thought about it more now, he remembered that his boss, who was the president's pet, personally went to check on some guy who was suspected of a second awakening...
Kang Tae-Shik cursed himself when he realized he should've remembered the name of that Hunter. The kid must have either convinced his boss that it was a mistake and gotten out of the scan, which was impossible considering how stubborn his boss could be, or manipulated the results. What was surprising and commendable was that he did this right after his second awakening.
To think he would be facing him now...
He carefully looked over the list of Hunters participating in today's raid but did not pay attention to the possibility of a Reawakened Hunter showing up here.
If he had known about it, he would have demanded more money for the job.
- Three billion is definitely not enough for this job. - The agent cackled as he avoided subsequent attacks aimed at himself. - I don't know how many ranks you've advanced, but you won't follow me that easily. (3,000,000,000 WON – ~2225760 USD)
Two daggers collided with each other in a constant accompaniment of screeching and metal hitting metal as the hunters jumped around the room, dodging and counterattacking in turns.
The kid was strong.
Their stats and specialties might have been similar, but their experience levels were significantly different. That's the key to winning against this cheeky brat.
Eventually, Kang gave up on openly attacking the hunter in front of him.
Jumping to the side and barely landing on one leg before the other one touched the ground, he started running towards the medic.
Seeing this, Jin-Woo quickly jumped in front of Ju-Hee, taking the blow aimed at her.
He felt his clothes being torn across his chest and a shallow cut appearing on his skin.
The 20% reduction in damage had come in handy. This attack had taken only about 220 health points from him.
- You're a tough bastard. - Kang Tae-Shkik admitted with frustration, jumping back and avoiding Jin-Woo's attack.
[ NOTICE! ]
[ URGENT QUEST HAS BEEN ARRIVED ]
[ ENEMIES WANTING TO KILL THE "PLAYER" HAVE APPEARED NEARBY. ]
[ ELIMINATE THEM AND SECURE YOUR SAFETY. IF YOU FAIL TO COMPLETE THE QUEST, YOUR HEART WILL STOP BEATING. ]
[ NUMBER OF ENEMIES TO KILL: 1 ]
[ KILLED: 0 ]
Alright.
He couldn't honestly complain about the turn of events. If he had to kill, at least he'd get something out of it.
When Jin-Woo was about to attack again, his opponent simply vanished before his eyes.
He just disappeared.
However, Jin-Woo didn't have time to think about it long when he felt a blow coming from his right side at the level of his face.
He managed to block the blow even though he couldn't see his enemy.
Kang Tae-Shik's vanishing act had initially taken him by surprise. After all, the "Camouflaging" skill was a rare skill. But once Jin-Woo focused his senses, he could still sense the man's presence, even with his eyes closed. This was the strength of his heightened senses. Initially, he had invested in these stats to figure out whether he needed to fight or flee from an enemy. But now, he found another use for them.
"Camouflage" erased the sight, smell, aura, and even all sounds of the user. Only a few Assassins had this rare skill.
However, Jin-Woo couldn't block the next attack. It might have been aimed too low, not at his head, but at his leg.
Feeling the blade cut through his skin and muscle in his leg, Jin-Woo screamed in pain, shocked, and fell to the ground, bending his healthy leg and hitting the ground with his knee.
He heard Ju-Hee's terrified voice behind him.
- Stay where you are. - The agent ordered as he reappeared. - Your tendons are torn. It can be cured, but not from this distance. This girl won't help you. How long will it take for you to recover from these wounds? Your legs...
- Shut up already. - Jin-Woo ordered him, choosing his status recovery. He left this particular reward every day for contingencies like this. It had already saved his life twice: once during his fight with the spider and once with Cerberus.
Now, it would be the same.
He felt the bright light envelop him, healing the wound on his chest and the one on his leg and erasing all his fatigue.
Seeing this, Ju-Hee and Mr. Song screamed in disbelief.
Kang Tae-Shik was just as shocked as they were.
He healed himself?!
So, he wasn't an assassin after all. But his incredible speed, matching his own. An offensive profession with healing abilities? Did such hunters even exist?!
Some kind of trick?
Or maybe he's putting a show?
No, the wounds he had inflicted on Jin-Woo were definitely real.
How many times could he use this strange ability?
It was hard to tell.
The kid was dangerous.
The agent used "camouflage" skill again. This time, Jin-Woo was more prepared for it.
Standing in place, Jin-Woo waited.
Feeling sure, he struck.
However, the surprised agent managed to dodge, although he staggered while dodging and had to take a moment to completely regain his balance.
- You didn't hesitate, aiming for my neck. Now I understand. I finally saw the difference between us and them.
The agent gestured with a syringe toward Mr. Song and Ju-Hee, then grinned at Jin-Woo, widely and madly, with a hint of madness in his eyes.
- You've killed someone before, haven't you? We're made of the same clay.
Yes. - Jin-Woo admitted calmly. - I've killed eight hunters. You will be the ninth. I killed them and you in self-defense. Don't dare to compare me to yourself. I'm not that trash.
[ SKILL: BLOODLUST HAS BEEN ACTIVATED ]