It was amusing to see the members of the Hayabusa Guild frantically chasing behind him.
On one hand, he thought it was eerie how meticulously they had set up the trap.
As he moved further from the entrance, the number of bodies piled up here and there seemed to increase.
Some had managed to escape the dangerous area near the entrance.
However, the joy was short-lived, as he found a body not too far away with a hole through the back of the skull.
Kang-hoo checked the location he had set for ‘Teleportation’ again.
It was right in front of the entrance.
Meaning, if he used teleportation, he could appear at the entrance, which also served as the exit, and leave immediately.
As long as he wasn’t caught or killed here, there was no need to worry about escaping. He just shouldn’t get distracted.
Bang! Bang!
Amidst this, the sound of gunfire loudly assaulted Kang-hoo’s ears.
Despite hearing the gunshots, he didn’t dodge because his intuition had not been triggered.
His intuition not being triggered meant the aim wasn’t precise, so there was no need to worry.
“It’s absurd.”
Yes, it truly is.
It was astonishing that a being with such powers, a Constellation, had offered him a contract, bowing unilaterally to him.
Reflecting on it, it felt like a blessing to have encountered the Strategist of the Wilderness.
“A chase without a challenge isn’t fun.”
While evading his pursuers, Kang-hoo orchestrated the situation just as he had envisioned.
【Collapse】
The skill he actively used was ‘Collapse’, which he had acquired in a dungeon he entered with Yun Sang-mi.
Crack-crunch!
As soon as he used the Collapse skill, a pit formed instantly as if he had dug the ground with an invisible excavator.
The pit was large enough to bury at least a dozen adults, not something to be overlooked.
“An assassin that digs pits? That’s really crossing the line.”
He chuckled.
The sight of him running while creating pits behind him with a dagger in hand was a picture he couldn’t get used to.
Just then.
......!
His intuition triggered.
【Cutie!】
Kang-hoo created a slime and swiftly moved to the right using the quick evasion skill.
Boom!
Then, exposed to sniper fire, the slime’s eyes turned into X’s, and it burst in place like a popped balloon.
There were nine snipers chasing him.
All armed, they were numerically overwhelming, but it didn’t mean they were at an advantage.
The snipers, going through the aiming process, posed no challenge for Kang-hoo.
However, there was an exception.
One of them pulled the trigger immediately without a separate aiming process, using what’s commonly referred to in games as ‘no-zoom’; the original term was ‘eye aiming’.
It’s a method only skilled hunters capable of precise sniping can manage because it’s extremely hard to hit the target.
The moment his intuition was triggered, the trigger was already pulled, making it a challenging foe for Kang-hoo.
Thus, Kang-hoo decided to disrupt his opponent’s vision even more by using Shadow Step.
No matter how good he was at evading, it wasn’t possible to dodge bullets indefinitely.
And bullets were the best means of killing, as a single mistake could be fatal.
“Let’s see how resilient you guys are.”
Kang-hoo clenched his teeth and increased his speed.
He was in the dungeon to obtain a set item. There was no way he was thinking of giving up now.
At the same time.
“It’s funny how coincidences work.”
The look in her eyes sparkled as she chased Kang-hoo.
“......”
So, Kang-hoo stopped as well.
Simultaneously, she also stopped and gestured with her hands that she wanted to talk.
‘If we close the distance completely, it will also increase the opportunities for me.’
It seemed there was no significant risk in talking to her up close.
At close range, an assassin has a definitive advantage over a gunner.
Kang-hoo stood still as she gradually approached him.
Although they were both masked, as she got closer, it became apparent she was a woman.
The thick double eyelids and the long hair flowing out from behind her hat were telltale signs.
Once they were sufficiently close, she was the first to break the silence.
“You. The First Research Institute under Jungmun?”
“Hmm?”
At first, he wasn’t sure what she meant.
He thought he might have misheard. It wasn’t a situation where a conversation about the Jungmun Research Institute should come up.
As Kang-hoo looked puzzled, she explained further.
“I was the one who sniped to support you back then.”
“Was that so?”
Kang-hoo’s response was nonchalant.
He certainly remembered. During that time, he had received help from a sniper while fighting Jungmun Regulation.
But that alone didn’t mean she had been there on the field with him.
“We had made eye contact, didn’t we? You wanted to strategically draw in Jungmun Regulation for a counterattack.”
“Hmm.”
“At that time, I recognized your plan and adjusted my sniping tempo accordingly. I just didn’t want to expose my identity by greeting you since I was there as a mercenary.”
Kang-hoo nodded.
Whether or not she had been the sniper inside the institute at that time wasn’t very important to him.
He felt grateful for the help, but that was it.
However, he did think she was skilled, separate from that.
The abilities she demonstrated in the dungeon today were no ordinary feat.
The methods to counter her were straightforward, but if they hadn’t been, he might have been shot by now.
“Back then, when I saw you cut off Jungmun Regulation’s fingers, I thought you were exceptionally skilled. And today is no different.”
“I appreciate the compliment if that’s what it is.”
“The world is really small, isn’t it?”
“Indeed. I’m not sure if you were that person back then, but if you were, I would have liked to thank you.”
He spoke plainly.
It was also a chance to say something he hadn’t said back then. Whether she was the person or not didn’t matter much now.
“Could you contact me if you ever need a capable gunner? I really like skilled assassins.”
A flush appeared momentarily between her masked eyes.
What’s with this woman? It wasn’t as if he had said something particularly embarrassing, but she seemed shy.
The mood didn’t quite match, but personal preferences vary, so he would respect that.
Just as Kang-hoo preferred Park Dong-jae, a buffer, she had a preference for assassins.
The more an assassin attracts the enemy’s attention, the more opportunities a sniper has to take a shot.
But that’s only when they’re working together; it’s a completely different story if they’re adversaries.
She pulled out a piece of paper from her bosom and quickly scribbled something with a pen she had on hand.
Then, she crumpled it slightly and threw it to Kang-hoo.
It was the address for a secure Huntergram account, similar to one he had received from Takashi before.
It’s a private account shared only with specific people and is never exposed on any public account.
“My name is Ayane. Please contact me. I really want to... do something with a skilled assassin.”
“State your objective clearly. What do you want to do?”
Kang-hoo sharply retorted to ‘Ayane,’ who had oddly blushed to this point.