Chapter 2: Escape (2)

Chapter 2: Escape (2)

Kang-hoo did not take the guards clothes; they were merely third-grade guard uniforms.

To execute his escape plan, he required at least a second-grade guard uniform. The one before him wouldnt suffice.

Firstly, Kang-hoo picked up the long sword that the deceased guard had carried.

It was a weapon item rated at the eighth grade in the classification system for hunter items, which comprised nine grades.

[Goblin Warrior's Long Sword]

[Grade: 8th]

[Strength +10]

Simple enough, he thought.

There were no special effects.

Nevertheless, an increase in strength by 10 was significant.

Especially for Kang-hoo, whose physique was only slightly above average.

At present, Kang-hoos strength was a mere 5.

With an additional 10 points, he would at least match the strength level of someone after several months of weight training.

[Would you like to register the Goblin Warrior's Long Sword in the 'weapon' tab?]

He didnt hesitate to complete the registration.

Within the structure of the hunter system, stat effects from an item were not applied unless registered in this manner.

Since a hunter could register only one weapon, owning multiple weapons did not mean benefiting from all their effects.

I have to get to the main gate, he thought.

Kang-hoos gaze shifted towards the heavily fortified main gate.

Taking this route was the most direct path to a swift escape.

It was also the escape route that Shin Kang-hoo had chosen in the original story.

The tried-and-true solution.

Given that Cheongmyeong Detention Center didnt have many permanent guards, this was a logical choice.

Hunters with combat skills typically were out participating in dungeon raids, rather than overseeing detention centers.

That way lies a trap, he mused.

His eyes then moved to the northwest, towards Cheongmyeong Mountain.

At first glance, it looked dark, complex, and deficient in guard facilities, seemingly a safe escape route.

However, it was fraught with danger, laden with snares and traps, including caves prone to deep collapse.

It was a trap strategically set by Eclipse. Choosing that path would mean certain death.

I need to draw some attention.

Kang-hoo, holding the long sword, strode past cell block 18 of the detention center and began walking in a different direction.

It led to a nearby dormitory for senior officers.

The straight-line distance from cell block 18 was about 50 meters, quite close.

Considering the time, except for one guard on watch, everyone else should have been asleep.

In any emergency, a siren would sound, rendering it inefficient to have many guards on duty.

As he neared the dozing guard, he tried to be as quiet as possible.

Hmm?

The guard, sensing a faint presence, opened his eyes wide.

Since all guards were hunters, their keen senses were not to be underestimated.

Kang-hoo had anticipated this.

Having acquired the ability of the Dimension Plunderer permanently, he felt confident in handling the situation.

Whoosh!

Though it was a distance of over 10 meters, Kang-hoo instantly closed the gap using his leap skill.

It resembled less a flight through the air and more a sudden movement through space.

Kang-hoos position shifted in an instant, as if he had disappeared and reappeared from sight.

Swish!

With the long sword he had taken from the previously dispatched guard, he cleanly severed the head of the watchful guard.

Regardless of the high-quality reinforced equipment the guard wore, it was difficult to protect the most vulnerable partthe neck.

Whoosh!

The head fell, powerless to the ground.

Though the eyes stared at Kang-hoo with a look of bewilderment, he did not return the gaze and kicked the head aside.

He then quickly stripped the guard of his clothes.

Now, he was ready to start the actual escape. To buy even a little time, a disguise was crucial.

He couldnt possibly escape through the main gate in prisoner-specific attire like a prison uniform, could he?

He changed into the guards clothes in the blink of an eye.

Despite bloodstains on various parts of the uniform, it was not a significant issue.

He claimed it was blood that had splattered while dealing with a dazed prisoner.

Kang-hoo, with his arms crossed, maintained as relaxed a posture as possible, waiting for time to pass.

Soon, the two in front would notice something suspicious. It was clear he didnt look like the guard he was impersonating.

Moreover, if they examined the bloodstains closely, they might notice something odd.

Any attempt to hide or cover up might arouse more suspicion.

Of course, the later they realized, the farther he would be from the main gate.

Kang-hoo decided to buy more time.

Those prisoners. The ones who dont listen should be killed outright, not just put in solitary.

The driver chimed in.

Honestly, theyre only hunters in name, losers who cant even fend for themselves. Were rehabilitating them.

That was Eclipses slogan.

[Turning useless human trash into useful laborers.]

Kang-hoo had been kidnapped to Cheongmyeong Detention Center under such absurd pretexts.

The government and public authorities were confined to operating in Seoul.

Outside of that, it was a state of complete anarchy.

Pass!

Meanwhile, the final checkpoint outside the main gate was cleared, and the jeep entered the road leading out of the detention center.

After a period of silence, when they were more than 300 meters away from the checkpoint, the guard in the passenger seat, who had been looking uneasy and continuously checking behind, asked with narrowed eyes.

Second-grade guard, sir.

Yes?

When did you arrive at block 18?

Two days ago.

You must have been on the ninth shift.

Thats right.

Up to that point, Kang-hoo could answer easily because he knew the information.

He also knew whom he had killed.

But the problem lay in the question that came next.

What was todays password?

A password known only to the guards.

It was never mentioned in the original story, so remembering it was impossible, even if he returned from the dead.

Kang-hoo didnt try to think of a different answer.

He had foreseen this outcome from the beginning.

There was only one answer.

Swoosh! Thud!

Like lightning, he swiftly picked up the long sword beside him and struck the heads of the two guards in succession.

He made sure to imbue the sword with as much mana as possible.

While it didnt manifest as a buff or skill, infusing the sword with mana increased its lethality.

Urgh

Gurk

Their reactions were so swift that if Kang-hoo had hesitated even for 0.5 seconds, let alone a whole second, he might have been overpowered.

The dying driver, eyes flipped inside out, already had a magic skill cast in his left hand.

And the guard in the passenger seat extended his right arm, aiming a dagger at Kang-hoos shoulder.

Boom!

Ugh.

The jeep, now driverless, crashed into the dirt wall along the mountain road and stopped.

If Kang-hoo hadnt been holding onto the handle, he might have been ejected from the vehicle due to the impact.

Ping!

At that moment, Kang-hoos vision spun as if the world rotated 360 degrees.

Damn mana hypersensitivity.

He bit his lip hard.

Using all his mana for that strike seemed to have immediately overloaded his body.

Vroom!

From the direction of the checkpoint, the sound of an accelerator being pressed echoed.

Seeing the approaching headlights, there was no doubt that they were heading his way.

This is the final hurdle.

Kang-hoo shook his head repeatedly to regain his senses.

The escape was not yet over.

He needed to put an end to it.