At that time.


    “Damn it! Is this really my eye? Is this red-dyed eye really mine? Aaaagh!”


    Yuuji screamed in fury as he looked at his left eye, which had turned red.


    It was a phenomenon that urred as a result of being treated with ck magic by Gosuke, a kind of mark.


    A brand indicating that his body had been deeply exposed to cursed ck magic, and that he could never turn back.


    Of course, for Yuuji, it was an unavoidable choice.


    After being struck by Kang-hoo and receiving abo attack, including the Blood Flower, he was severely injured.


    With a nationwide warrant out for his arrest in Japan, receiving treatment at a hospital was out of the question.


    Thus, he had no choice but to rely on ‘unofficial’ treatment, which came from Gosuke.In hindsight, Kenji’s decision to take Yuuji to Gosuke’s ce was an excellent one.


    No matter how he was treated, the important thing was to stay alive. That’s how serious the injury was.


    However, Yuuji couldn’t ept the sight of his eye, changed by Gosuke’s treatment.


    “Well, at least the treatment is done. Kenji paid the price, and since we killed a young hunter for it, the side effects should be less.”


    Gosuke covered his uncontrobly moving right eye with his long bangs.


    That’s one of the reasons hunters found Gosuke so repulsive.


    He was rumored to be entric, but his grotesque appearance was the main issue. His eyes were the centerpiece.


    “Damn it! Can’t this eye be fixed?”


    “It can’t be fixed. You asked for the treatment, so you deal with the consequences. I just did my job.”


    “You bastard…”


    “Well, why don’t you two have a nice little chat? I’ve got some tidying up to do, so try not to break anything.”


    Gosuke left the room.


    Kenji crossed his arms and looked at Yuuji with pity in his eyes. A gaze that seemed to say, “How pathetic.”


    At that, Yuuji erupted.


    “Kenji, you bastard! Isn’t it because of your shitty spatial maniption that this happened to me? What are you staring at like that?”


    “Are you ming me for this now?”


    “Of course, I’m ming you for leaving the space open like an idiot! Who else would I me?”


    “Weren’t you the idiot who walked right into the passage and got wrecked by a much lower-level assassin?”


    “What did you say, you bastard?”


    Boom!


    An enormous amount of killing intent surged from Yuuji. It was the cold and dark energy of ck magic.


    The ck magic’s traces remained within his body due to Gosuke’s treatment. It was deeply unsettling.


    Kenji looked down at Yuuji with a look of disdain, ming him for everything.


    Of course, the real cause of the situation was Kang-hoo’s clever, split-second decision. Even Kenji hadn’t foreseen that move.


    In hindsight, it was true that things had gone wrong the moment Kang-hoo discovered his hiding ce.


    Looking back, he still couldn’t figure out how Kang-hoo had located him.


    After the incident, while gathering information, Kenji naturally learned Kang-hoo’s identity.


    A hunter from Korea.


    He wasn’t particrly well-known and didn’t seem to be of high level either.


    As he recalled the event:


    The assassin hadn’t even used Stealth, a basic level 200 skill.


    It wasn’t something to save. Basic skills are there to be used, not hidden like secret weapons.


    So, even if Kang-hoo’s level was exaggerated, it couldn’t be higher than 199.


    Yet, Yuuji, a level 500, had been taken down by Kang-hoo. It wasn’t even a sneak attack that could excuse it.


    It wasn’t a minor wound either—it was a serious injury. How humiliating could it get?


    Perhaps that’s why he kept ming himself. But this had crossed the line. Kenji had no intention of going along with it.


    Thinking about it, Kenji also grew angry at the verbal abuse. Whose fault was it, really?


    “Because you failed to draw proper aggro, a bastard like Shin Kang-hoo found me and ambushed me, you asshole.”


    “Are you seriously saying that?”


    “I’m the one who opened the space so you could fight and run wild as you pleased. Now, clean up your own mess.”


    “You’re really pushing it, aren’t you?”


    “If you’re embarrassed, just admit it. Then I’ll sympathize. Don’t be pathetic and me others. It’s disgraceful.”


    “Kenji! You son of a bitch!”


    As their shouting match escted,


    Gosuke’s snickering could be heard from outside the door, along with his muttering, clearly intended for them to hear.


    “A duet of two idiots who got wrecked by a low-level assassin. Give it a rest. You both look like fools.”


    “Arrrgh!”


    Bang! Bang bang! Bang!


    Yuuji angrily mmed the bed he was lying on.


    No bed exists that could withstand the sheer strength of a hunter. It shattered on the spot.


    Yuuji screamed again.


    “Kenji, get out! If you’re not out of my sight immediately, I’ll kill you and Shin Kang-hoo, too.”


    “You idiot… When you were begging for help, where was all this attitude? You’d better watch your back too.”


    “What?”


    “Are werades who share blood? Brothers? We’re just two misfits. Once we split up, you’re nothing but a stranger.”


    “You son of a…!”


    Just as Yuuji swung the dagger next to him to strike Kenji, Kenji vanished on the spot.


    It was absurd to think that Yuuji could kill Kenji, who was specialized in spatial maniption. At least not with Yuuji’s abilities.


    Yuuji’s eyes burned with fury, especially the red one, which hadpletely changed color, even the iris.


    Looking at himself in the full-length mirror, Yuuji didn’t seem much different from the grotesque figure Gosuke had mocked.


    The root of all this was Shin Kang-hoo. Yuuji’s anger was entirely directed at Kang-hoo.


    “Fine. I’ll go to Korea, kill everyone I see, and me it all on him. That’ll lead me to him eventually, right?”


    A revenge n, too simple and brutal, began to form in Yuuji’s mind.


    The rage consuming his thoughts made it difficult to think rationally. All he could focus on was killing.


    “Cough!”


    But it didn’tst long.


    Perhaps overwhelmed by his fury, the wound in his abdomen tore open, causing Yuuji intense pain.


    A painful cough followed.


    Yuujiy back down on the bed, forced to brood over his anger.<hr>


    Three hours of pre-practice and training, as well as demonstrations from each other, went smoothly without any shorings.


    Compliments were exchanged all around.


    Miyuki and Eto, in particr, were very impressed by the bleeding sustain performance Kang-hoo had shown.


    And for good reason, as the use of shadows allowed him to perform multi-directional attacks, targeting several enemies.


    Eto also had a bleeding induction skill, but it was strictly a one-on-one technique, allowing for only one target at a time.


    However, Kang-hoo could target six in a short time if he wanted to.


    The final schedule for the dungeon raid was set for tomorrow evening.


    Since evening had just begun, there were about 24 hours left.


    Kang-hoo bid farewell to the three and boarded a secure limousine, heading to the meeting ce with Ayane.<hr>


    The ce he met her was a modern bar in a bustling area of Osaka.


    In addition to tables where patrons could chat with bartenders, the bar also had several rooms for more private conversations between customers.


    Each room was designed so that the inside couldn’t be seen from the outside, ensuring good privacy.


    In other words, no one outside could see what went on inside.


    Kang-hoo, dressedfortably in his usual ck and white outfit, stood in contrast.


    Ayane had gone full makeup to the point that Kang-hoo barely remembered what she originally looked like.


    She wore stiletto heelsmonly referred to asbat shoes, and had even changed her hairstyle.


    Her bangs were cut straight across, her long ck hair reached her shoulders, and her lips had a cherry tint.


    She wore a halter neck, off-shoulder knit that highlighted her corbone.


    If Jung Yuri gave off a pure, innocent vibe, Ayane radiated a seductive charm with gray undertones.


    Plus, at 170 cm tall, her 12 cm heels put her nearly eye-level with Kang-hoo.


    As soon as Kang-hoo saw her in front of the bar, he told her exactly what he felt.


    “You look like a different person dressed like this. You looked good before, but you look really beautiful today.”


    “Kang-hoo, you look great even when you dress casually. I guess a good facepletes the fashion.”


    “Don’t your ankles hurt? It seems like you’re practically walking on your toes.”


    “It’s fine. I’ll be sitting soon anyway, and I won’t be standing for too long.”


    Click-ck.


    Listening to the sound of high heels, which he hadn’t heard in a while, Kang-hoo followed her inside.


    Once seated.


    They each ordered a cocktail of their choice.


    As always, Kang-hoo ordered a Srkium Burst but asked for it to be made stronger this time.


    Perhaps it was because the weather was a bit chilly. He needed something to warm him up.


    Soon, the cocktails arrived.


    Just as Kang-hoo was about to clink his ss lightly against hers, Ayane spoke.


    “I got the payment settled well through the Rikou Guild. I didn’t expect them to care since you’re an outsider.”


    “Well, in the end, we worked together and took down a hunter from the Toushi Guild. It’s their way of saying thanks, I guess.”


    The two were the same age.


    They had dropped formalities while exchanging DMs on Huntergram, so the atmosphere wasn’t awkward.


    “Anyway, thank you.”@@novelbin@@


    “There’s no need for thanks. We both got what we worked for, and it was a happy ending for both.”


    Kang-hoo let out a lightugh.


    This wasn’t some pure love story where they had sacrificed their lives to save each other.


    Kang-hoo had strategically asked for help, and Ayane had helped him purely for her own gain.


    At that moment.


    “By the way, Srkium Burst… isn’t that an adult’s drink? Are you okay with that?”


    Ayane pointed at Kang-hoo’s cocktail and chuckled. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard this.


    The bartender Benny at Club Hades had also said something simr when Kang-hoo ordered a Srkium Burst.


    “It’s more of a decorative item. Srkium has quite a… unique taste, doesn’t it? Hehe.”


    The bartender with the striking smoky makeup and red hair. Kang-hoo wondered if she was doing well now.


    “I drink it because I like it, so taste isn’t really an issue.”


    “Well, if you’re fine with it, I guess it doesn’t matter.”


    “Want a sip?”


    “No, thanks! I’ve tried other cocktails, but I just can’t stomach Srkium Burst. It’s too gross for me.”


    Kang-hoo burst intoughter, having beenbeled as someone with an unusual taste for a disgusting cocktail.


    Perhaps because Benny and now Ayane kept emphasizing the taste, Kang-hoo couldn’t help but think about it more.


    His long-enjoyed cocktail suddenly tasted different after an offhandment.


    As Ayane noticed Kang-hoo’s eyes lingering on the cocktail, she seemed to sense the odd atmosphere and quickly changed the subject.


    Apletely different topic.


    “I looked into you while I was resting. But I got curious. You know someone named Lee Ye-rin, right?”


    Then, an all-too-familiar name came out of Ayane’s mouth.


    Lee Ye-rin, the leader of the Cheongan Mercenary Corps. Why was her nameing from Ayane?