Chapter 70: Encounter With Kang Dong-hyun (3)
Chapter 70: Encounter With Kang Dong-hyun (3)
Do it properly.
What?
Is this the only way you can touch a woman youve locked eyes with?
.
If you act like youre acting, everyone will notice. You have to act with sincerity to not get caught.
Kang-hoo and Yun Sang-mi, intertwined as one, naturally headed towards the 7th basement level.
Contrary to expectations, the stairs leading to the 7th basement were tucked away in a corner.
In fact, there were already men and women who had arrived earlier enjoying themselves there.
However, there was just one problem: was there a separate surveillance system in place?
It reacts to mana.
Kang-hoo recognized it immediately.
The intangible barrier covering the entrance to the 7th basement level reacted to mana.
In other words, no matter if you tried to sneak or leap through here, you would be detected.
To avoid detection, one had to navigate through the irregularly intertwined barriers.
Fortunately for Kang-hoo, he could see the flow of mana.
After all, the barrier was a structure based on the mana of magic stones.
Judging by its construction, it seemed to have been built by a skilled hunter, obviously costing a considerable amount of money.
Could there be such an artisan within Eclipse?
Brother, your lips are thicker than I thought.
Is it uncomfortable?
No. People with thick lips are usually charming. I dont like men with thin lips.
Im causing you trouble.
What trouble? Im fulfilling my own desires. Heh. Its not often you get to kiss a handsome man.
Handsome
Youre handsome, brother. Dont be falsely modest. Handsome is handsome.
Yun Sang-mi lightened the potentially awkward atmosphere with jokes and playful remarks.
After all, it was true that he owed Yun Sang-mi for todays help.
Thanks to her, they avoided Kang Dong-hyuns gaze and made it smoothly to the front of the 7th basement.
Indeed, moving around as a couple in love, no one viewed them with suspicion.
Had they been looking around restlessly, searching for something, they would have followed long ago.
Yun Sang-mi whispered.
Do you have a plan to escape?
Theres a sure way.
How?
Theres a safe way out of the club. Just get in.
Really?
Would I joke about this here?
Relieved by Kang-hoos answer, Yun Sang-mi sighed.
While Kang-hoo assisting with entering the dungeon was fine, she worried about leaving.
But with Kang-hoos surefire plan, it seemed there was no need for concern.
Then Ill go now. Hades is fun today; the crowd looks lively.
Thanks. Thats enough for now. Ill make sure to repay this debt later.
No need to wait. Just give me your number. Thats my demand.
Is my number that valuable?
Its valuable because its hard to get. Give it to me now. No backing out at this point.
Okay.
Kang-hoo entered his number into Yun Sang-mis smartphone.
She called him, and seeing Kang-hoos phone ring, she turned off the screen with a smile.
Lets definitely go to a dungeon together sometime. I recently found a decent one.
An ownerless dungeon?
Yes, thats right. Ive already obtained approval from the Hunter Public Safety Bureau and secured ownership.
Thats enviable.
He truly meant it.
Having a personal dungeon meant having a training ground for leveling up anytime.
Most dungeons already had owners, so owning one wasnt easy, but Yun Sang-mi seemed lucky.
Ill contact you soon. Dont block my number.
Got it.
Then, Im off!
You owe me a lot.
Before Kang-hoo could finish waving, Yun Sang-mi coolly disappeared down the stairs.
Her face was flushed, but Kang-hoo didnt notice due to the dim lighting.
Well then. Shall we go in now?
He moved toward the barrier.
Though densely packed, there was just enough space for one person to slip through sideways.
It was an impossible gap for hunters who couldnt see through mana flows.
But Kang-hoo could see it.
Where and how to move his body to avoid contact with the barrier.
Silently
Kang-hoo naturally concealed himself in the darkness, disappearing cleanly as always.
The flow was good.
He had safely passed through the barrier.
He moved through a space cluttered with various items mixed with dust and a warehouse that smelled musty.
As it was a private area, there were no CCTV cameras, but Kang-hoo cautiously remained hidden as he moved.
It was his unchanging creed never to be complacent and always to be prepared for variables, even in seemingly safe conditions.
Somewhere in the seventh basement he had arrived at, there must be the entrance to the dungeon Benny had mentioned.
Invisible to the eye, its strong energy was palpable.
The dungeons energy, craving and indulging in mana, stretched far and wide.
But then.
Youve gone through a lot of trouble to get here. Wouldnt it be polite to say hello?
?
Uninvited guest. I already know where you are.
A familiar voice sounded.
The deep voice he vividly remembered from the call after killing Cha So-hee. It was Kang Dong-hyun.
Kang-hoo looked around and noticed an internal elevator connected here.
A secret elevator, judging by its absence from the outside view. A plausible structure.
I should have been upstairs enjoying vodka. When did you come here? I had no idea.
Kang-hoo released his stealth.
Whether he fought Kang Dong-hyun or did something else, he had to reveal himself. He couldnt hide his face.
Besides, he and Kang Dong-hyun were already acquainted, though they knew each other from different circumstances.
Heh, to think Id see Shin Kang-hoo here. Surprising, isnt it?
Kang Dong-hyuns mouth curled into a smirk.
Kang-hoo, firmly gripping his Blood Dew, was ready to enter battle at any moment.
He also had plans to use spatial movement strategically, according to the situation. His options were not limited to one.
I heard theres a very interesting sight in the 7th basement.
Who told you that?
From a reliable source.
While Benny wasnt exactly reliable, Kang-hoo deliberately made it sound plausible.
It was a small ploy to make Kang Dong-hyun suspect an insider.
Of course, it wasnt particularly damaging, but it was still something.
Shin Kang-hoo. I never thought Id see you unless I forced a meeting.
Same here.
Hades is a club operated by our Eclipse. The dungeon is also our property.
Nobody can enter anyway. So, can I take a look inside?
Dont be presumptuous.
If no one can enjoy it, its okay for someone who can to take it all in, isnt it?
Your nonsense sounds almost logical.
Well, if you want to control the dogs, you have to speak their language. Its not strange that you understand.
Your comeback is quite sharp.
Im not just all talk.
He slightly lowered his posture.
Kang Dong-hyun was a physical hunter.
Boxing was his specialty.
Therefore, his class was categorized as a fightera class as rare as a berserker.
Kang Dong-hyun was an opponent Kang-hoo could never beat head-on.
Even though he could overpower level 250 Cha So-hee by exploiting weaknesses and creating variables.
Level 500+ Kang Dong-hyun was too much for Kang-hoo at this stage.
But, I can try to hold on and find a chance to enter.
There was no need for a life-or-death battle with Kang Dong-hyun here, nor did he plan to have one.
Just buying time to quickly infuse the dungeon with mana would open the entrance soon.
Crunch!
He chewed on a Mad Solarkium.
To pour endless mana into the dungeon, he had to consume Mad Solarkium now.
Theres no free lunch, Shin Kang-hoo!
Boom!
With a resounding voice, Kang Dong-hyun closed the distance in an instant.
His bulging forearms were a prelude to the threat of his strike.
Swoosh!
Kang-hoo instantly laid a veil of tricks.
Within its radius, absolute stealth was maintained, ideal for buying time.
Simultaneously, Kang-hoo channeled most of his mana into the dungeon.
He wanted to get closer to infuse mana, but Kang Dong-hyun had already secured the key position.
Oh? A skill you didnt use when you killed So-hee? Is it a recent acquisition?
As Kang-hoo vanished, Kang Dong-hyun showed his interest.
He wore stealth-detection goggles yet failed to see Kang-hoo.
Absolute stealth skill. Perfect for an assassin. Cool. It suits you well!
Kang Dong-hyun gave a thumbs up, exuding ample confidence.
Kang-hoo remained silent, continuing his mana infusion.
His body absorbed the surrounding mana at an accelerated rate, quickly nearing overload.
But the Mad Solarkium allowed him to stave off the overloads effects for 30 minutes.
[Indomitable Fighting Spirit]
[As the battle prolongs, your strength increases proportionally, and your stamina recovers.]
Hes made a contract with that damned constellation.
Kang Dong-hyuns constellation information revealed one standout detail.
If Kang-hoo recalled correctly.
The Indomitable Fighting Spirit ranked easily among the top 100 constellations.
Comparable even to the Dimension Plunderer.
An absurd constellation perk.
Gaining strength and recovering during a fight? An insane advantage.
Hmm. Interesting. A considerable amount of mana has been funneled into the dungeon. Youre quite capable, arent you?
Kang Dong-hyun marveled at the steady stream of mana entering the dungeon.
He wasnt simply unable to locate Kang-hoo.
He wanted to gauge how well Kang-hoo could manage mana, enough to boldly pursue this dungeon.
To put it plainly, it was beyond his expectations.
Kang-hoo could deliver an explosive amount of mana in a brief span.
A luxury ill-suited for an assassina class notorious for chronic mana shortages and ranked in the top three for such deficits.
This wont do.
His eyes shimmered slightly.
Being too complacent might lead Kang-hoo to unlock the dungeon door right under his nose.
Without delay, he started funneling power into his clenched right fist.
No need to find where Kang-hoo was.
He could shake the entire space in front of the dungeon with a strong shockwave.
Damn it.
The moment Kang-hoo realized Kang Dong-hyuns crude method, his expression hardened.
From the start, Kang Dong-hyun never intended to decipher the stealth. He just blasted it away.
The strong always have a different approach.