The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All-Chapter 263: Angel Of The Battlefield (3)

Kang-hoo immediately activated Distortion.

Without hesitation, he followed up with Decapitation and the Blood Flower skill, thrusting his weapon toward the queen’s throat.

The swarm queen, caught in the Fatal Combo, couldn’t even let out a proper scream before she lost her life.

Knowing that giving the swarm queen more time would be disadvantageous, Kang-hoo struck the moment he saw an opening.

‘A victory of strategy.’

Thanks to his meticulous baiting tactics, he eliminated the swarm queen without even needing to use Gakshinwan.

Just in case, he scanned the surroundings. The hybrid creatures had either burned to death or fled.

Since he had generously doused the area with oil beforehand, any hybrid creature caught in the flames was doomed.

Kang-hoo extracted only the gall from the dead swarm queen and placed it into a plastic bag.

Later, he planned to request Cheonsal Nosu to extract the bile. It was a useful liquid—one that he would make sure to use.

“Level 261. Not bad at all.”

Before he knew it, he had reached level 261.

It was fascinating how his level steadily increased with every dungeon and field excursion.

In the Hunter level system, the higher one’s level, the more experience points were required to level up.

At a certain point, it often took clearing two or three dungeons just to gain a single level.

However, thanks to numerous experience-related buffs and his preference for solo or small-party strategies, Kang-hoo always gained a lot in terms of experience wherever he went. That pattern wouldn’t change.

Crunch, crunch.

Kang-hoo bit into a calorie bar he had pulled from his inner pocket.

After an intense battle, hunger had set in. Since it was high-calorie, it provided an instant surge of energy—perfect for a moment like this.

With Mad Solarkium’s precious active time still in effect, he couldn’t afford to rest too long. A brief respite was all he could allow.

Kang-hoo was contemplating a trip to Western Australia soon, in addition to North Korea.

That region was brimming with hybrid creatures—even more so than here. It was, in every sense, a hybrid creature paradise.

Venturing deeper into the region also offered the chance to obtain Hematite and other rare materials.

For instance, the Claw of Hatred, which had significantly enhanced his cutting power during his latest crafting session, was plentiful there.

Moreover, there was the matter of Hidden Skills.

Specifically, a Hunter who had possessed a Hidden Skill but was immediately transformed into a hybrid creature upon death.

In the original story, Jang Si-hwan had successfully obtained a Hidden Skill from him.

It had happened when he embarked on a hybrid creature subjugation in Western Australia—just like what Kang-hoo was considering now.

In terms of timing, that event was still three to four months away. Not too far off.

‘No need to rush. I’ll go when I can afford a longer schedule. Right now, I’m too busy.’

His recent schedule had been grueling.

Even when he wasn’t exploring dungeons or fields, he was always engaged in something.

When Cheonsal Nosu reentered the country, Kang-hoo would need to dedicate time to his master’s teachings—adding even more training to his agenda.

If only he could create multiple real clones instead of just using clone techniques, he could level up and train simultaneously.

And if he could merge them back into one, consolidating all the experience and progress… How amazing would that be? A ridiculous fantasy.

Just then—

Guuuuuuk……

A hybrid creature, seemingly from the same group Kang-hoo had just wiped out, appeared belatedly.

“I need more chaining options.”

Kang-hoo locked eyes with the creature.

There was no reason to limit the Fatal Combo to just Decapitation or Blood Flower. The more options, the better.

【Abduction】

Kuwok!

He yanked the hybrid creature toward him with Abduction.

Against Hunters, this skill was ineffective unless the opponent was low-leveled.

As a result, he had been using it less frequently. However, it was still excellent for dealing with monsters.

Thud!

The hybrid creature was pulled in an instant, and Kang-hoo grabbed its neck tightly.

Then, utilizing the ‘Hatred’ option of his Grudge Gauntlets, he channeled mana into his grip, increasing his crushing force.

A cracking noise came from the creature’s neck as its bones began to shatter.

Of course, that alone wasn’t enough to kill it. So Kang-hoo added another move.

【Flames of Death】

Instead of a stationary trap, he created active flames.

Fed by the Dark Age, the Flames of Death consumed the hybrid creature’s body in dark fire.

And then—

【Annihilation】

This option could only be activated when Flames of Death reached max proficiency.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The dark flames engulfing the hybrid creature exploded in multiple places.

Much like the effects of Blood Flower, the creature’s body convulsed violently and was left in tatters.

“Good performance.”

This combination seemed useful.

It could serve as a follow-up for enemies who survived the Decapitation – Blood Flower combo.

Or, if the opponent had strong physical defenses, this magic-based combination would be a solid alternative.

Afterward—

Kang-hoo methodically cleared out the hybrid creatures in the northern protrusion of the cluster, continuing his assault until Mad Solarkium’s effect wore off.

If the battle was compared to peeling an apple, he had carefully stripped away the skin and removed the stem.

The outer layer had been thoroughly cleared, but the core was still intact.

Thus, he reached level 262 and retreated from the battlefield before Mad Solarkium’s effect ended.

As he rested, waiting for his stamina to recover, Kang-hoo pondered ways to hunt hybrid creatures more efficiently.

His current approach worked, but pulling enemies out one by one for isolated takedowns took too much time.

Spending a long time on this wasn’t necessarily a bad method.

However, with the swarm queen as a variable, fighting without consuming Mad Solarkium wasn’t an option.

Using a method that required an extended period of time would consume too much Mad Solarkium.

After all, this place had an overwhelming number of hybrid creatures.

To significantly increase the extermination count, he needed to find a way to execute large-scale attacks.

An assassin planning area-of-effect attacks—it was an oddly disjointed concept.

But Kang-hoo thought that was part of his charm.

Hadn’t his master, Cheonsal Nosu, already told him? That he was a fake assassin disguised as a real one.

“The secondary movement path is clear…”

Kang-hoo finished his break and stood up.

Now, instead of staying outside the colony, he had to enter, where his movement would be further restricted.

With various structures inside, a miscalculated path could easily lead to a dead end.

Crunch.

He bit into another Mad Solarkium. Only ten left. Soon, he’d be down to single digits.

【Acceleration】

Tatatatat!

Boosting his speed to the maximum, Kang-hoo charged into the middle of the hybrid creature horde.

The swarm, writhing in the colony’s center, detected his intrusion and reacted immediately.

【Cutie!】

For good measure, he conjured a slime and placed it in a highly visible location. freёweɓnovel.com

A perfect decoy, practically screaming, I’m right here!

Kiiiing! Kiiiing!

The adorable slime, wobbling against the desolate background, provocatively taunted the hybrid creatures.

Meanwhile, Kang-hoo also summoned Corrupt Fiends and let them rampage through the colony.

Kiyaaaak!

The signature nails-on-a-chalkboard screech of the Corrupt Fiend was an added bonus. Even Kang-hoo winced at the sound.

At the same time—

When the hybrid creatures started zeroing in on his precise location—

【Silence of the Dead】

Kang-hoo used Silence of the Dead, tricking them into mistaking him for one of their own and breaking their aggro.

While they lost track of him, he repositioned and reappeared elsewhere.

Of course, not all hybrid creatures were slow.

Among them were former soldiers, some of whom moved with impressive agility.

【Hallucination】

For those types, he cast Hallucination, subtly guiding them in the wrong direction.

And if their sheer numbers made things too chaotic, he simply repositioned with Shadow Step.

At the same time, he used Shadow Step to lure out isolated hybrid creatures, picking them off one by one.

To summon the Angel of the Battlefield, he needed to be fully committed to exterminating hybrid creatures.

Every single one had to be drawn out and eliminated without exception. It was the right decision.

At that moment—

‘As expected.’

His movement paths had finally been blocked off.

Not because his plan had failed—

But because, in the process of gathering the creatures as efficiently as possible, he had naturally become surrounded.

With the hybrid creatures closing in from every corridor, he had nowhere to go.

【Wings of Corruption】

That was why he had planned from the start to use Wings of Corruption.

This was a skill available only after his Corrupt Fiend had evolved into a High Corrupt Fiend—a 30-second aerial mobility skill.

Swoosh.

With almost no sound, Kang-hoo gently lifted off the ground and soared above the hybrid creatures.

While they might have been specialized in land combat, they severely lacked aerial attack options.

Their fighting styles were based on brute-force close combat.

They had no means to launch arrows or cast magic into the sky.

As a result, they simply stood there like idiots, staring blankly at Kang-hoo.

‘Looks like a demon.’

Seeing the Wings of Corruption behind his shoulders, Kang-hoo felt like a villain straight out of a movie or novel.

It was a perfect image.

With black wings flapping and dressed in muted colors, he looked even more ominous.

Once he escaped the encirclement, Kang-hoo landed on the outskirts of the horde.

As soon as he did, the hybrid creatures resumed their pursuit. Now was the time to set the trap he had prepared.

Rumble! Rumble!

The sight of the hybrid creatures charging through the thick dust cloud was both spectacular and terrifying.

If he got surrounded by them, they wouldn’t just tear his flesh apart—they’d devour his bones whole.

“Hoo…”

Kang-hoo took a deep breath and timed his move.

The key to area-of-effect attacks was delaying the strike until the last possible moment.

That way, he could draw in more enemies and maximize the skill’s efficiency.

Guuuuu!

The unsettling wails of the hybrid creatures overlapped as bloodshot-eyed beasts rushed forward in a frenzy.

Kang-hoo had thoroughly provoked them, triggering their primal hunting instincts.

‘Just a little longer.’

As he prepared to activate his skill, Kang-hoo swallowed dryly and waited for one more beat.

The moment the leading hybrid creatures were less than ten steps away—

【Collapse】

He triggered Collapse, causing the ground to cave in.

Since it was an unpaved dirt road instead of asphalt, Collapse was particularly effective.

Kugugugu!

A massive sinkhole formed, easily exceeding a 10-meter radius.

Fueled by his maxed-out mana output, the hole’s size was beyond imagination.

If he hadn’t consumed Mad Solarkium, this spell would have drained so much mana that he wouldn’t have even considered using it.

But for now, there was no reason to hold back.

His trap had worked perfectly.

The entire road leading to him had turned into a giant pit.

Not just the vanguard, but even the following hybrid creatures fell into the hole en masse.

It was like witnessing a towering grave of hybrid corpses—assuming they stayed still.

And at that very moment—

【Thunderstorm Strike】

Kang-hoo unleashed his prepared disaster.

Crackle!

It was the prelude to a massacre.