The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All

Chapter 97: Proving Worth (4)

The strategy began to gain momentum.

The maze dungeon was designed in such a way that the quicker you conquered each room, the greater the amplification of the experience points reward.

Due to the emphasis on speed, there were numerous cases of death from overexertion. Injuries were countless.

The desire for records, in essence, became a temptation towards death, rendering it exceedingly dangerous.

Thats why Ban Se-yeong didnt entertain any desires for records when she decided to venture into the dungeon with Kang-hoo.

Even with Park Dong-jae, the buffer, the speed battle seemed unlikely to change with Kang-hoos addition.

But now, she held an almost boundless trust in Kang-hoo and was eager to take on the challenge.

The next room they entered was dubbed the Room of Proliferation.

The boss monster, known as the Death Knight, materialized in the center of the dungeon as soon as the conquest commenced.

It was the Death Knight commonly depicted in fantasy novels and movies.

The reason for the rooms name became apparent when

Upon their entry, the number of twenty small monsters, Deglins, they encountered started to multiply.

These lizard-like creatures possessed the trait of inevitably splitting into two over time.

And to successfully conquer this room, the Death Knight had to be defeated without exception.

In other words, if the Death Knight wasnt slain, the Deglins would continue to split and multiply.

The official strategy was to allow for maximum division and then capture them all.

Though termed an official strategy, it was a desperate tactic devised because they couldnt defeat the Death Knight.

Furthermore, since Deglins spawned from division did not yield experience points, it was essentially hard labor.

Brother, leave the Deglins to me.

I wont look back.

Okay. Not a single Deglin will come near you.

Is the position selection okay?

There are more vantage points than I expected. Dont worry. It wont become dangerous.

Kang-hoo nodded at Ban Se-yeongs seemingly reliable words.

Ban Se-yeongs accuracy was much higher than Kang-hoo had initially judged.

In the chaos of a melee, it was rare to see a magic bullet she fired from a secure position miss its target.

Considering the world of hunters, where an accuracy rate of over 75% was considered marksman level, she was exceptional.

Sssssk.

Boom!

As soon as the barrier was lifted, Kang-hoo began to sprint at full speed towards the Death Knight.

Thanks to sufficient rest after conquering the Room of Expansion, his physical condition was optimal.

If it seemed like his body couldnt handle it anymore, he planned to chew on the remaining Mad Solarkium.

There was always a solution.

Screech! Squeak!

Noticing Kang-hoos approach, the Deglins started to drool thick saliva and tensed their hind legs.

They were determined to block the intruder threatening their master, the Death Knight, by any means necessary.

But from that moment, Kang-hoos trust in Ban Se-yeong truly began to shine.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ban Se-yeongs gun muzzle emitted a blue light, sniping the Deglins.

Despite the considerable distance, the magic bullets that flew in an instant decapitated three Deglins.

It was a precise shot by Ban Se-yeong, perfectly targeting the moment when three Deglins were aligned.

The action didnt stop with sniping.

Crack.

The magic bullet caused an explosion at its final destination, instantly freezing the surroundings near Kang-hoo.

Magic Bulleta magical skill.

This skill, known as Magic Bullet-Magic, materializes magic at the scene immediately after a successful snipe.

Since the magic activates only after the lethal impact of the magic bullet, it required a high degree of proficiency.

Ban Se-yeong was indeed skilled.

Though not as much as Kang-hoo, she was definitely a formidable individual with abilities beyond her level.

As expected, my judgment was correct.

Kang-hoo smiled.

His initial impression that she would be perfect for a support role was indeed correct.

She specialized in covering and supporting, demonstrating high usability.

Then.

Kang-hoo completely discarded the 1% doubt he had about her and sprinted at full force.

His sole focus was on the Death Knight.

However, there was one tricky part.

The Death Knight stood imposingly in front, like a totem pole, presenting few openings.

The Death Knights weakness was inside the helmet. In other words, the battle would become easier if the helmet was removed.

Its entire body was protected by thick armor, making it difficult to find an opening.

Certainly not an easy opponent.

But there was a compelling reason why it had to be captured. It was because of the passive skill the boss possessed.

The following skill can be plundered from a target with activated plundering:

Silence of the Necromancy

This was the skill.

Considering the various types of dungeons they would frequently encounter in the future, this skill was absolutely necessary.

Lets see

Clang!

Kugh!

Ssssss!

In a probing attack, Kang-hoo, who had charged at the Death Knight from the front, groaned as he was pushed back.

The power of the great sword wielded by the Death Knight was tremendous.

It was fortunate he could withstand it; a slightly weaker grip would have caused him to lose his sword.

Boom!

He charged again.

There was only one way to create an opening in the Death Knight, which moved like a fortress.

Induce as much movement as possible. Movement creates openings.

Otherwise, it becomes a fortress, standing tall like an iron castle.

Whoosh!

Clang!

Huh.

Kang-hoo, pushed back again, sighed with a slight sense of frustration.

The enemy managed maximum defense with minimal movement. It was a perfect example of tanking.

Bang! Bang!

Meanwhile, Deglins charging at Kang-hoo were killed by Ban Se-yeongs support fire.

Kang-hoo trusted Ban Se-yeong, so he didnt even glance back.

I think I understand why we decided to go for a direct assault during the pre-briefing.

Jeon Se-hyuks words echoed in his mind.

No matter what tricks we attempt, they never work on this guy, so lets opt for a long-term strategy.

Gathering all the Deglins that had split to their maximum and having Ban Se-yeong snipe the Death Knight from afar.

Though labeling it a direct strategy seems somewhat inaccurate, it was the only approach that came to mind.

However, merely sitting in place couldnt be deemed a strategy.

The more impregnable the enemy appears, the more we must devise a solution.

Even if we might abandon the dungeon, could we surrender when facing a formidable, challenging enemy later? Impossible.

Kang-hoo revised the strategy.

A frontal assault was futile, and a rear attack was ineffective due to the Death Knights heavy armor.

Then, creating variables, introducing variations to the conventional flow, was preferable. Breaking the norms.

Patience is necessary.

Kang-hoo bit his lip.

To maximize the impact of a tactic that breaks the norms, one must adhere to a very conventional approach until the moment of deviation.

Kang-hoo intended to charge repeatedly until the Death Knight became accustomed to his predictable attack patterns.

Allowing the creature time to learn his attack patterns was a very deliberate strategy.

They battled in this manner for 5 minutes.

Due to the Death Knights formidable strength, Kang-hoo was rapidly losing stamina from the continuous exchanges.

Every time he blocked the Death Knights greatsword attacks, his elbows and shoulders ached.

It was fortunate that he managed to block them; a mere touch from the greatsword would have cleanly sliced him.

In fact, several rocks Kang-hoo had used for defense were sliced cleanly.

They were cut so precisely that one could consider using them to build a castle.

As time progressed, the Death Knight moved with greater ease than before.

It even taunted Kang-hoo by lowering its greatsword or nodding its head at times.

Each time, Kang-hoo outwardly appeared furious. It wasnt perfect, but it was a somewhat convincing method acting.

Then,

Thinking Kang-hoos patterns were predictable, the Death Knight approached aggressively.

Before, Kang-hoo always retreated and then countered half a beat slower.

The Death Knight naturally learned this pattern and could predict Kang-hoos response.

But the next moment,

Kang-hoo, who seemed to flinch backward, surged forward instead.

?

Caught off guard, the Death Knight awkwardly stopped.

Kang-hoo quickly dived toward the Death Knights lower body and pushed off its ankle with all his strength.

It was a clean leg sweep that perfectly fit the description of a sliding tackle in soccer.

!

The gamble paid off.

The properly tripped Death Knight flailed its arms before falling.

It was inevitable.

Unless it had a skill to perform somersaults or backflips, there was no way to counter.

Naturally, such a method was absent for the Death Knight, whose heavy movements and weapon were its main strengths.

Koong!

The Death Knight lay on the cold ground, flailing its arms.

It was trying to grab its momentarily lost greatsword, but a bigger problem was right before its eyes.

No, it was already entering its field of vision.

Phooook!

!

A silent scream burst out.

A dagger had entered through the gap meant for vision in the helmet protecting the entire face.

Without a chance to defend, both of the Death Knights eye sockets were mercilessly shattered by Kang-hoos Hyeru.

Pfshshshsh!

An unidentified black liquid spurted inside the helmet, quickly drenching Kang-hoos entire face.

Kang-hoo, undeterred, struck down on the Death Knights wrist that was about to grasp the greatsword.

Even though it was protected by armor, not all pressure could be completely shielded.

Kakang!

Soon, the greatsword slipped further from the Death Knights grasp.

Kang-hoo then forcefully grabbed the top of the Death Knights helmet and rudely stripped it off.

The more the Death Knight was stripped, the more its weaknesses were exposed, a natural process.

Kiiiik.

The grotesque face of the Death Knight was fully revealed.

Amidst the decaying pale light of the skull, countless maggots and unidentified larvae filled the gaps.

That moment.

Instinctively sensing danger, Kang-hoo halted his attack and propelled his body into the air.

The next moment.

By a hairs breadth, Kang-hoos previous position was grazed by the Death Knights hands.

In the midst of that, the Death Knight had tried to grab Kang-hoo. It was a close call.

Of course, thanks to Kang-hoos splendid response, the Death Knight lost its turn to attack.

Now, it was Kang-hoos turn.

Flaak!

Kang-hoo landed on the Death Knights chest and raised his Hyeru high.

Taang!

Simultaneously, Ban Se-yeongs timely support fire followed.

She aimed at the right armpit of the lying Death Knight, and the bullet hit the target precisely.

Thanks to that, the Death Knights attempt to grasp the greatsword again was thwarted. It was the worst situation.

Of course.

My turn.

For Kang-hoo, it was the best situation.