Chapter 149: To Chuncheon (2)

Chapter 149: To Chuncheon (2)

The next day.

Specifically, it was around the time when the cooldown period for the teleportation ability had ended.

Kang-hoo arrived at the northern part of Chuncheon. It was the location of the First Research Institute of Jeongmun Pharmaceuticals.

In terms of physical distance, Ground Zero was not as far away as expected.

Meanwhile, about 500 meters north of Kang-hoo’s location, an area was under control.

It was not governmental control but private control carried out by mercenaries.

There was even a makeshift sign that prohibited entry, stating it was a dangerous area.

The name of the controlling group was written on the sign, and it was ridiculous.

[Defenders of Justice]

Justice. A word that made him sick.

The more one talks about justice, the less likely it is that they are truly just.

A prime example is Eclipse.

They have two main slogans.

One is the well-known ‘Turn useless human trash into useful workers.’

The other is ‘Let the lost justice take root in this land.’

It is a form of inferiority complex. They engage in all sorts of injustices and try to erase that color.

In contrast, Abyss, which is often labeled a terrorist organization, was better in that regard.

Abyss’s slogan is ‘With true faith, we offer truth; with false beliefs, we bring death.’

Lee Hyun-seok, when opposing the Jeonghwa Guild, never spoke or emphasized justice.

Anyway, seeing the signs set up by the multinational mercenaries surrounding the research institute was laughable.

Around the area, there were many broken vehicles of the Hunter Public Safety Bureau. Naturally, there were no corpses to be seen.

Despite the mercenaries wreaking havoc to this extent, the Jeonghwa Guild or Hunter News said nothing.

This made him certain that the Jeonghwa Guild was backing them up. He was 99.9% sure.

‘I’ll do my best till the end.’

Kang-hoo exhaled a hot breath.

He had already told Lee Ye-rin that he might have to give up the commission midway, depending on the situation.

In such a case, he also promised to return the Red Key.

Although he didn’t come here with the intention of failing, he had secured insurance for the worst-case scenario.

‘The Qigong Masters are the problem...’

Kang-hoo was most wary of the ‘Qigong Masters’ among the mercenaries guarding the research institute.

Qigong Masters, a class systematically nurtured in China, excel at manipulating space or attacking opponents with intangible energy.

As experts in creating variables, they were a headache for Kang-hoo, who enjoyed calculated plays.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Kang-hoo checked the on-site map on his smartphone again.

It was the final check of the route.

Closing his eyes, he pictured the situation.

No matter how he pictured it, the scenario was always urgent. There was no leisurely picture.

Although it was dangerous, the reward for the commission, the ‘Gaksinhwan,’ was too tempting to give up.

Once commercialized, its price would be ten times higher than now, becoming a must-have for hunters.

Using it before commercialization would help create variables in his favor.

‘No matter how money-driven they are, they must value their lives. Yes, I’ll go with this route.’

Kang-hoo, having chosen the best route, immediately hid in the darkness with a horizontal movement.

An assassin lives and feeds on darkness.

Not only had it gotten dark, but the cloudy weather also started to drizzle slightly, making it the best time to approach.

Delaying further was not an option, as the multinational mercenaries could move at any time.

Meanwhile.

Most hunters who had tried to approach the research institute were almost dealt with at the ‘sniper interception line.’

The quiet sniping of experienced snipers was as deadly as the Grim Reaper.

There’s even a common saying among hunters, “The most f***ed up thing is a sniper who has taken position.”

“Wait. What is this?”

Jung Seon-rak’s expression became more distorted.

The intruder on the screen was quickly updating his position.

Everyone spent time being astonished, looking at each other’s faces. They couldn’t believe their eyes.

For some reason, not a single magic bullet hit the intruder.

They didn’t even miss.

Even the group of mercenaries placed to slow down the intruder’s speed at the midpoint were injured.

They were mercenaries placed to physically obstruct the intruder’s movement in case the sniping was breached.

But they were scattered in panic by the unbelievable wide-area attack executed by the intruder, who seemed to be an assassin.

Suddenly, a circular magic circle appeared, and a storm of electricity swept through the air.

Even Jung Seon-rak, who had been through all sorts of battles, thought it was an absurd combination of skills.

Deploying a curtain to enter a perfect concealment state. Pulling structures to use as a defensive wall!

On top of that, creating a defensive barrier to protect oneself and even using illusions!

All of these skill combinations were derived from a single assassin. He was not an ordinary person.

“Damn, this is messed up. Ye Jin-bin! Clear the way! Hurry!”

Jung Seon-rak, who had been overly confident in the boundary line he had set up, shouted, realizing he had been caught off guard.

Ye Jin-bin, Jung Seon-rak’s closest colleague and the leader of another mercenary group, had space manipulation abilities.

Ye Jin-bin immediately entered a ‘hyper-focused’ state and opened a path covering a considerable distance.

Since this skill was used externally, it was not affected by the fifth constellation perk of space movement skill suppression within a 15-meter radius of Kang-hoo.

And in the next moment.

Jung Seon-rak appeared less than 10 meters from Kang-hoo.

‘A big shot has appeared.’

Kang-hoo bit his lip tightly.

From the constellation information alone, he could tell that a skilled person over level 500 had appeared.

Even in this situation, Kang-hoo continued to mix leaps and accelerations to keep moving.

Jung Seon-rak also accelerated his movement by releasing a strong force backward. It was his own form of acceleration.

‘A Qigong Master.’

He immediately recognized Jung Seon-rak’s essence. A high-level Qigong Master was impossible to face one-on-one.

Moreover, his body was in bad shape due to pushing his skills to the limit during the approach.

Although he had taken Mad Solarkium to delay the aftermath, the strain on his body was not gone.

Because he had used mana excessively like a berserker, his entire body felt extremely heavy.

At that moment.

Swoosh.

Kang-hoo noticed Jung Seon-rak’s finger motion, bringing his middle fingernail to the thumb’s fingerprint side.

It was a gesture as if he were flicking something off his finger, making a circular motion with his fingers!

Without time to think further, Kang-hoo immediately deployed a protective barrier. It was an instinctive defensive response.

And then.

Bang!

Crack!

Jung Seon-rak’s single flick of a Qigong Bullet shattered Kang-hoo’s protective barrier into pieces.

“......”

A monster stood before him.