The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All-Chapter 255: Return To Jeju Island (2)

“That’s correct. We’re currently gathering more data on the remaining six, but we lack sufficient information on Shin Kang-hoo.”

“Why is that?”

“At the time, Shin Kang-hoo worked alongside Jin Hyo-young. It’s a fact that only came to light later, but…”

“Jin Hyo-young was part of Eclipse, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. However, with Jin Hyo-young dead, we can no longer investigate further.”

“And we don’t know why they died?”

“Eclipse appears to be controlling the flow of information internally. We couldn’t find out.”

“What’s the probability that Shin Kang-hoo killed them? Their relationship with Eclipse is notoriously bad.”

“It’s not impossible, but Jin Hyo-young wasn’t killed during the raid itself. It happened later.”

“Does that mean there are no records or eyewitnesses to cross-verify Shin Kang-hoo’s movements?”

“That’s correct. For certain periods, they were completely alone.”

“Hmm. And the remaining five assassins from the Shinto Guild?”

“They were acting independently at the guild’s request, making them similarly difficult to track.”

“Did Yu Cheonghwa make that request back then? Asking for solo exploration to improve individual skills rather than working as a team?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The Shinto Guild always causes trouble. Understood. It must have been tough tracking down all the hunters who interacted with the assassins on the list. You’ve both worked hard.”

“It’s nothing, Master.”

“This is our duty.”

Gong Yoo-seok and Go Joo-hee bowed their heads.

Both of them greatly admired Jang Si-hwan, who always expressed gratitude for even the smallest efforts.

He recognized the value of hard work and never forgot to acknowledge it.

The reason they didn’t regret joining the Jeonghwa Guild was precisely because of leaders like Jang Si-hwan.

Of course, just thinking about Chae Gwanhyeong still made their blood boil, but in the end, he was merely Jang Si-hwan’s subordinate.

At that moment, Gong Yoo-seok cautiously asked a question.

“Master, may I ask something?”

“Of course. You can ask as many questions as you’d like.”

“What is the purpose of this investigation? Is it to eliminate those who acquired hidden skills, or is it to recruit them?”

Jang Si-hwan flinched.

It was a sharp question.

Gong Yoo-seok’s question seemed to take Vincent Meyer into account.

If Vincent Meyer had commissioned the investigation, someone was bound to die.

“Let me make this clear from the start: it’s recruitment. The reason I want to know who has the hidden skills is simple.”

“Hmm.”

“Acquiring a hidden skill means they’re a hunter with high potential, someone worthy of receiving one of the 77 special options. Doesn’t it?”

“That’s correct.”

“I want such individuals by my side. That’s all. Recently, I heard about a hunter who obtained the hidden skill ‘Wall of Integrity’. I was envious.”

Jang Si-hwan licked his lips—a habit that surfaced when his curiosity peaked.

“Then, once you find out who possesses the hidden skill, you’ll bring them into our guild?”

“Exactly. Don’t worry. I won’t let Vincent interfere. There’s no reason to humor that lunatic’s antics.”

“Understood, Master.”

“Please accelerate the investigation. I know it’s arduous, but I trust you.”

“Yes!”

The two left the room. Alone in the office, Jang Si-hwan stood to look out the window absentmindedly but suddenly grimaced.

“Urgh!”

A sudden wave of pain struck.

Caught in agony as if his head was about to split, Jang Si-hwan trembled violently, unable to move.

Then, he began shouting at himself.

“You bastard! Get lost! I said, get out! No one’s going to buy into your delusions! Enough with the meaningless resistance, just disappear already!”

It was the outburst of another “self” that had grown stronger lately.

What used to feel like faint whispers had turned into something that pounded at his mind.

“Damn it… Urgh.”

Desperate, Jang Si-hwan retrieved two mysterious pills from his inner pocket and swallowed them.

The only solution to his current predicament—a secret he shared with no one.

As agreed beforehand, Kang-hoo and Park Dong-jae covered their faces on the way to the dungeon entrance.

It was part of the security measures, so they didn’t mind. After all, it had been prearranged.

Kang-hoo held back on dealing damage.

The initial section of the dungeon didn’t require much damage output.

Instead, he focused on letting Oh Yu-jin, Oh Hye-jin, Ma Jin-ho, and Park Dong-jae synchronize their movements.

Kang-hoo walked about ten steps ahead of the group, concentrating on finding a safe route.

【Empathy – Plants】

The empathy skill, which he had obtained after killing Odaf in Dungeon 13 of the Oslo Cathedral, proved highly useful here.

‘This makes things easier.’

As soon as he used the skill, the trees and flowers ahead were clearly marked in red and blue.

It was a friend-or-foe identification system.

Plants and flowers with hostile tendencies—those capable of attacking—were marked in red.

Friendly, non-aggressive plants and flowers were marked in blue.

The color coding made it extremely easy to distinguish between threats and allies.

It also became clear why the Groo Guild had struggled here during their earlier attempts.

Even plants and flowers with identical appearances were split between hostile and friendly.

In other words, it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe by appearance alone.

The only option left was to approach each one and test it, which came with many risks due to their strong attacks.

Some plants, like the mutant sunflowers in Ground Zero, would release highly acidic liquids as a basic attack.

Others scattered sleep-inducing pollen or used roots to trap ankles and immobilize targets.

Once immobilized, the target became the focus of all nearby attacks—a surefire way to die.

However.

“Just stick to the left here. One of them is a problem, but I’ll handle it.”

Thanks to Kang-hoo’s flawless identification using the empathy skill, the rest of the group was able to traverse the dangerous zone with ease.

What had been a catastrophic struggle during the Groo Guild’s attempt was now a breeze.

“How is this even possible… Oh!”

Oh Yu-jin’s question was cut off as Kang-hoo suddenly threw his dagger, Lighting Rain.

Squeak!

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Everyone saw it.

Hidden among the beautiful flowers was a “traitor” disguised in a vivid exterior.

That flower alone had an unopened bud filled with pale green liquid—acidic in nature.

Ssssss.

The acidic liquid spilled onto the flower and its roots, corroding and shriveling them until they dried up completely.

Oh Hye-jin asked in surprise.

“Do you have a skill that identifies plants? Usually, such skills…”

“Are found in the Spirit Summoner class. Even broadly speaking, they belong to magic classes,” Park Dong-jae added helpfully.

As he mentioned, such empathy-based skills were generally exclusive to magic classes, particularly Spirit Summoners.

Yet Kang-hoo had used such a skill.

While Park Dong-jae seemed to accept this with a chuckle, the three members of the Groo Guild reacted differently.

“Alright, this way. Here, we can move straightforwardly, but from over there, we’ll need to zigzag.”

Kang-hoo didn’t respond to Oh Hye-jin’s remarks and continued walking ahead.

The explanation about his skill had already been resolved by Oh Hye-jin’s question and Park Dong-jae’s answer.

As they moved further.

Kang-hoo’s role as the guide required him to clear the path, killing hostile flowers and trees with Lightning Rain. The rest of the group moved safely without any combat.

“I never imagined the section that used to consume so much time could turn into a free pass like this.”

Compared to their previous experiences, the raid had become so much easier that the tension had all but disappeared.

In the past, they had no way to differentiate between friendly and hostile plants and had to risk their bodies to figure it out.

Meanwhile.

While leading the four hunters, Kang-hoo also used the opportunity to reassess his skills.

With his growing arsenal of skills, some had fallen into relative disuse or been neglected.

‘The Guardian Steps skill. It’s been overshadowed since I obtained Wall of Integrity, but it’s still unparalleled for defending all directions simultaneously.’

Precise timing was crucial for this defensive skill, which explained its reduced usage lately.

Though difficult to use, its ability to protect all sides at once made it valuable.

Protective barriers could also defend on all sides, but they had durability limitations.

However, in the case of Guardian Steps:

【Renders all external attacks ineffective for 0.5 seconds.】

【Negates one attack completely. Selective negation is not possible.】

By chaining Guardian Steps Level 3 and Level 2, Kang-hoo could effectively block two threatening attacks.

Level 3 granted 0.5 seconds of invincibility, while Level 2 negated one attack of any kind.

At that moment, Kang-hoo’s eyes landed on something.

It was a skill he hadn’t considered in a long time—a skill whose existence he had nearly forgotten.

【Steadfast Overlay】

【Skill Mastery: Lv. Max】

【Doubles the thickness of barrier-type or protective shield-type skills. Only one skill can be enhanced at a time.】

Previously, it had been assigned to his Protective Barrier, but now there was a skill that could make even better use of this enhancement.

The hidden skill, Wall of Integrity.

Since Wall of Integrity was also classified as a protective shield skill, its thickness could be doubled.

This meant that while the required mana remained unchanged, its defensive capabilities were enhanced twofold.

Doubling the thickness effectively increased the total durability of the barrier.

‘Is this what it feels like to rediscover something you’ve forgotten? It’s like receiving a huge gift.’

Kang-hoo smirked.

While checking his skills during a brief pause, he had stumbled upon an unexpected advantage.

Just like that, Wall of Integrity had been effortlessly strengthened to twice its original power.

The enhancement of a hidden skill!

Such changes were rarely possible with hidden skills, but Kang-hoo seemed to be an exception.