Return of the Shattered Constellation

‘Wandering Ghost’ Hong Gi-Nam, the leader of the Black Ghosts, flinched. ‘When did he get here?’

He had been sure that he was one of the best in Korea, from his mastery of the Concealment Skill to the sharpness of his physical senses. He had not only learned the assassination technique of the Killer Overlord, the Black Hand’s leader, but had also continued to train diligently while he traveled from Hong Kong to Korea. There had recently been a movement to purge demonic beings from Korea, starting around when the punitive expedition against the Highoff clan began, so he had been sharpening his senses to prepare. He was naturally surprised by the fact that he had not noticed Baek Gyeo-Ul hiding right under his nose.

Clang!

Gi-Nam quickly drew a dagger from his belt to deflect Gyeo-Ul’s spear attack.

Pah!

He leaped backward to widen the distance between him and Gyeo-Ul.

Tap, tap, tap―!

However, Gyeo-Ul slid across the snowfield to close in on Gi-Nam, determined to not let him go.

Swish, swish, swish―!

As Gi-Nam tried to escape and Gyeo-Ul chased after him, they quickly exchanged several attacks.

‘It seems I can’t take this request lightly!’ Gi-Nam thought, chuckling dumbfoundedly.

He had been planning to return to China after receiving a handsome payment from this request. When he had first received the request to assassinate Lee Chang-Sun, he had not worried; after all, no matter how famous Chang-Sun was worldwide, he was still a rookie. Thus, Gi-Nam had believed he could slit Chang-Sun’s throat with ease as if he were on a picnic, then be able to escape unhurriedly on a smuggling boat.

Assassins could build a good portfolio by killing celebrities; thus, Gi-Nam had thought that successfully completing this request would help him settle down in China. However, when he met Chang-Sun face to face, he was convinced he could not underestimate Chang-Sun, who was clearly no ordinary rookie.

“Besides, he has someone I didn’t expect by his side…! I’ll have to charge an extra 400 million won!” Gi-Nam remarked lightly.

Such a reaction was unsurprising, as he had not heard of Chang-Sun’s talented colleague, but despite his casual tone, his eyes shone coldly. As Gyeo-Ul approached by treading on shadow, moving with great speed and agility, he reminded Gi-Nam of a ‘ghost’.

Gyeo-Ul’s movements were so exquisite that he barely left footprints on the snowfield. If Gi-Nam were to compare himself to Gyeo-Ul in terms of Movement Skills alone, Gyeo-Ul was just as talented. If someone with a bulky physique and a heavy spear could move like Gyeo-Ul, that person could never be taken lightly in a battle.

‘It’ll be best to quickly take care of this unexpected variable!’ Gi-Nam decided. He spun the dagger in his palm, holding it in a reverse grip.

Pah!

Swish, swoosh, swish―!

Gi-Nam’s shadow became longer, and he quickly unleashed a barrage of attacks against Gyeo-Ul using the famous [Moonlight Walk], another of the Killer Overlord’s signature skills alongside [Single Red Dot].

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh―!

As their clashes kicked up a fierce flurry of snow…

[The Skill ‘Beast Senses’ has been activated, quickly identifying all hidden enemies!]

…Chang-Sun used [Beast Senses] to sharpen his senses and widen his detection radius. He thought, ‘There are over thirty assassins, and there are another fifty people on standby.’

Chang-Sun did not miss—no, could not miss—the fact that the Black Ghosts were not his only enemies. It would be odd for him to not notice his other foes when they emitted such vicious energy and smelled like blood. His other enemies were the Blood Wolf Group, whom Lim Joo-Han had brought.

‘While I’m busy fighting against the Black Ghosts, the mercenary Blood Wolf Group is going to surround the area,’ Chang-Sun thought.

After he saw their formation, he quickly realized what they were planning. The Black Ghosts could proficiently employ the Concealment and Stealth Skills, which meant they could conceal their bodies and presence right in front of Chang-Sun; he would thus be preoccupied with observing his surroundings and going after the assassins.

What would happen if the Blood Wolf Group were immediately deployed? In contrast to the Black Ghosts, the Blood Wolf Group often worked as mercenaries; they specialized in one-on-one combat, which would keep Chang-Sun busy. He could tell how thoroughly Kim Hyeong-Jun and Joo-Han had planned his assassination.

‘They went through all that trouble to kill me. Well, that’s kind of impressive,’ Chang-Sun thought.

Pzzz―!

[The enemies have activated the Skill ‘Silent Moonlight’!]

While Chang-Sun analyzed the situation, the assassins from the Black Ghosts began using the Concealment Skill just as he had predicted, making it much harder for Chang-Sun to detect them after they disappeared into the fierce blizzard.

『As the wind is cold, I’ll make your death painless.』

A voice emerged from an unknown location, echoing loudly.

Pah―!

With [Beast Senses], Chang-Sun could faintly sense five assassins quickly running toward him while concealing themselves! Judging from the way they proficiently surrounded Chang-Sun, it was not their first time doing such a thing.

‘Then, I’ll also have to react in a way they can’t possibly expect,’ Chang-Sun thought. His gaze turned sharp as he brandished the Nameless Spear, which had been assembled into a long spear.

[The State ‘Strict Tiger’ has been applied, rapidly enhancing your cognitive abilities!]

Among the nine [Tiger Forms], [Fierce Tiger] made one ferocious and [Cruel Tiger] helped one become tenacious. In contrast to those forms, [Strict Tiger] enhanced one’s judgment. To be more precise, [Strict Tiger] artificially isolated one’s cognition from outside influences to enhance one’s judgment.

[Your senses have significantly heightened.]

[Your cognitive ability has increased.]

After activating [Strict Tiger], Chang-Sun felt as if the world had become much slower and could feel the cold wind more distinctly, making his mind clearer. A great deal of information, which his brain had previously been automatically filtering out, flooded his mind. He could easily discern the shapes of each barely-visible snowflake that slowly fell to the ground. Despite that, he was able to quickly sort out the information he needed and decide how to move.

[The Celestial ‘A Good Season to Hunt’ is amazed by your new fighting technique.]

[The Celestial ‘Twilight-Piercing Owl’ is impressed to see you handling the skill very proficiently, as it is not easy to control the speed of your cognition.]

As the five assassins were about to leap toward Chang-Sun from different directions…

[The Skill ‘Windstalking Tiger’ has been activated, manifesting the Skill ‘Concealment’!]

Pzzzz―!

…Chang-Sun disappeared into the blizzard as if he had evaporated, just as the assassins had.

Boom! Boom―!

The five assassins ended up striking the spot where Chang-Sun had been, attacking the innocent snowfield instead.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

They were left baffled, as they had been sure they would eliminate their target until that point.

Pah!

Their emotions instantly led them to their death, because Chang-Sun appeared behind them.

[The State ‘Strict Tiger’ has been changed into the State ‘Cruel Tiger’, activating the Additional Skill ‘Cruel Tiger’s Venomous Fang’!]

Slash!

Spurt—!

“Urgh!”

The leftmost assassin’s head was the first to fly into the air. Blood fountained from his neck and dyed the white ground.

“Joseph!”

“What the…?!”

The assassins were visibly shaken up, not having expected the counterattack.

Slam!

“Urgh!”

“Shit…!”

“Get back! Quick!”

After the second assassin fell victim to Chang-Sun, he looked for the next potential victim. The assassins quickly leaped backward to distance themselves, trying to activate their Concealment Skills. But…

[The State ‘Cruel Tiger’ has been changed into the State ‘Strict Tiger’, manifesting the Skill ‘Concealment’!]

…Chang-Sun disappeared into the raging blizzard again.

“W-Where did he go?”

“How on earth…?!”

The assassins’ gazes, which had been fixed on Chang-Sun, lost focus. Once again, they could no longer detect Chang-Sun after he used the Concealment and Stealth Skills. If the assassins just compared their Concealment Skills to his, Chang-Sun was on a totally different level! They knew Chang-Sun was called a super rookie, but they had never thought he would be better at concealing himself than them, leaving them confused.

Swish―!

Seizing the opportunity created by their confusion, Chang-Sun moved quickly. Each time he pierced the air with the Nameless Spear, he left a hole in an assassin’s head or chest.

Boom, boom, boom!

Pah―!

When the assassins at the very front were all killed, Chang-Sun kicked off the ground and jumped into the midst of the Black Ghosts. His viciously shining eyes appeared for a moment, but they quickly disappeared, like those of a tiger stealthily hunting its prey on a snowy mountain in winter.

“Get away from the target!”

“Change formation!”

Believing they had to keep away from Chang-Sun as much as possible to minimize sacrifices, the assassins tried to create some distance, but he tenaciously hunted them and finished them off. Several assassins reappeared, collapsing onto the ground with their throats slit. Some writhed with blood foaming from their mouths, and others drowned in their own blood.

Slash!

Boom, boom, boom―!

At that moment, the Black Ghosts realized how arrogant they had been to think hunting Chang-Sun would be a piece of cake, as they were the ones who were being hunted. They had never devised a strategy to deal with a situation in which they encountered a ridiculous assassin who assassinated assassins.

Boom!

As Chang-Sun pierced the air with the Nameless Spear for the seventh time, he created a seventh victim.

“You!” Gi-Nam exclaimed, feeling the pressure. He hurriedly turned to Chang-Sun while deflecting Gyeo-Ul’s tenacious attacks, knowing that all the subordinates he had trained with great effort would only be massacred if he did nothing.

Gyeo-Ul was about to chase after Gi-Nam again, but came to a halt.

『Take care of the rest first.』

Chang-Sun sent Gyeo-Ul a telepathic message.

Understanding Chang-Sun’s intentions, Gyeo-Ul nodded and turned in the other direction. Chang-Sun had disrupted the Black Ghosts, so Gyeo-Ul’s task was to quickly eliminate them while they were still confused. Meanwhile, Chang-Sun would cut off the head of Gi-Nam, their leader, and end the fight!

[The State’ Strict Tiger’ has been changed to the State ‘Cruel Tiger’!]

[The Additional Skill ‘Cruel Tiger’s One Eye’ has been activated, selecting a target.]

After deactivating the Concealment Skill, Chang-Sun ignited the Jigwi’s Eon Fire once again. The intense fire spread to the Nameless Spear from his fingertips, melting the snow in the air and creating steam; it created a whirlwind, stirring up the nearby snowfield.

Boom!

Chang-Sun parried Gi-Nam’s sword attack upward, but Gi-Nam quickly slid his dagger down Chang-Sun’s spear, trying to slit his throat.

“Die!” Gi-Nam yelled.

While using a spear, a fighter could gain the upper hand by using its long range; however, if their opponent closed in, that advantage would be lost, weakening their defense. Thus, Gi-Nam believed he could take out Chang-Sun with his dagger.

The dagger was covered with a special corpse toxin called [Giant Zombie Fluid], which was capable of poisoning the target and necrotizing their flesh; thus, Gi-Nam was certain of his victory… not realizing Chang-Sun was merely allowing him to think that way.

Pah!

At that moment, Chang-Sun suddenly let go of the Nameless Spear and closed the distance between them; Gi-Nam flinched as Chang-Sun approached him rather than retreating. Meanwhile, Chang-Sun quickly drew [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] from his back pocket and aimed for Gi-Nam’s stomach.

[The Celestial ‘World-Encircling Serpent’ smirks at the idiotic opponent who has fallen into your trap.]

“Roar,” Chang-Sun commanded.

Ooong!

Thickly covered with Eon Fire, [Tiamat’s Snaggletooth] let out an ear-numbingly loud howl and exploded, twisting its body as if it had waited for that very moment. At the same time, it released the Eon Fire, which contained demonic energy, into Gi-Nam’s stomach.

Boom!

Slash―!