Episode 147: Abyss (2)
* * *
At Ganghu’s request, the conversation location was changed.
The two people left the penthouse, which was a spacious but ultimately closed space, and walked along a well-landscaped walkway.
Kang-hu carefully continued his answer, which he had postponed inside, only after going outside and feeling the cool breeze.
“You can’t be kind to an organization whose hypocrisy has swallowed up the truth.”
“That’s a good answer.”
“I believe there is no absolute good or absolute evil in the world. “I think honest evil is better.”
“for example?”
“Something like the Malum Guild in Italy. “They say they are villains.”
“That’s how I named it. Was malum the Latin word for evil?”
“I guess so. That’s better. “It’s not about being hypocritical like the Casmar guild or the Jeonghwa guild.”
There was no special emotion mixed in Kang-hu’s simple answer. Because it is a long-standing idea.
It was especially not something I told Lee Hyun-seok to please. There is no need to please him.
but.
I thought that the future direction matched Lee Hyun-seok’s direction.
Lee Hyun-seok’s Abyss is the ‘only’ single organization in Korea that can be compared to the Jeonghwa Guild.
It is not for nothing that the Purification Guild uses various social media and media outlets to criticize the abyss.
Because it is that burdensome.
Organizations like Bastard and Pyeongjeong that were active in Osan could have been framed and destroyed.
That wasn’t the case with the abyss.
Moreover, it was too large to keep the abyss in check in solidarity with other guilds or organizations.
Even groups that cooperated with the Purification Guild often backed down when they proposed to fight against the Abyss Guild.
And just as the Purification Guild had several satellite guilds, the Abyss also had quite a few satellite organizations.
‘Taehwagang’, an organization located in Ulsan, is a representative example.
After Prince Gong was injured, they rallied the surrounding forces to attack Governor Gong’s ‘red blood’.
The current ruling force in Ulsan is no longer red blood. It was Taehwa River. It has become the sphere of influence of the abyss.
Ganghu wanted to use Abyss’ organizational power and solidarity as a weapon.
If they continue to hold back the Purification Guild, it will become easier to keep the thirteen stars in check.
To achieve this, it is better to be as deep as immersing one foot in the abyss rather than being completely neutral.
Kang-hoo was planning to get closer to Lee Hyun-seok, just in line with that stance. Of course, you can’t leave everything to us.
“I heard a lot from Sehyuk. The same goes for the rescue of Park Dong-jae. “It’s the same thing about conquering dungeons.”
“Are you talking about me?”
“His main interest these days is Kang-hoo. “He’s naturally very interested in skilled hunters.”
“That’s a good story.”
“Actually, Se-hyuk personally suggested that we recruit Kang-hoo to Abyss.”
“that.”
“I know. I think Kang-hoo is too good to be a mercenary. But I can’t be recklessly greedy.”
“hmm.”
“Because that greed alone can lead to more focus. Because it could be dangerous.”
Lee Hyun-seok was cautious.
Kang-hoo liked Lee Hyun-seok’s consideration. You can feel the desire to protect good talent.
Hyunseok Lee added.
“I feel that Kanghu is an unusual person. “I don’t know if you believe it, but I have a good eye for people.”
“I always think that Lee Hyun-seok is a special person.”
It was Ganghu’s sincerity.
If there is one thing that Lee Hyun-seok regrets, it is that he is too lonely.
If there had been just one more powerful force to give him strength, things would have been a lot different.
Rather, the Purification Guild may have been driven out of the metropolitan area and Abyss may have become the owner of Seoul.
“And I don’t want talented people like Kanghu to enter the Jeonghwa guild. “It’s too dangerous.”
“I have no intention of belonging anywhere. “It won’t change in the future.”
Lee Hyun-seok also smiled and nodded, as if he had expected Kang-hoo’s firm answer.
“I couldn’t even secure physical evidence. “I think Jang Si-hwan has their own secret and dirty network.”
“What if you say network?”
“It is a kind of dark organization made up of names such as Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwan-hyung.”
“….”
However, the words added later caused quite a stir in Kang-hoo.
Lee Hyun-seok was speaking as if he were aware of the existence of thirteen stars.
Unless this is Kang-hu, who actually knows the members of the Thirteen Stars and the entire contents of the original work.
It was something no one could know at this point. But Lee Hyun-seok is smelling it.
‘Lee Hyun-seok will be great to use as a game changer in the future.’
Kanghu was sure.
Lee Hyun-seok knows more than he thinks and is trying to find out.
In fact, his deep-rooted resentment toward the Purification Guild was much colder and sharper than his own.
In the original work, because he died at this point, the entire abyss collapsed and the domestic situation was settled.
With Kang-hu’s help, he gets rid of the traitor Moon Yoo-seok, and his changed future will certainly be dramatic.
I thought there was a high possibility that a proper inflection point would be reached. Of course, in a very favorable direction for Kang-hoo.
“Anyway, my skills are mediocre, but if you need an assassin, please contact me. Bleeding shuttle is possible.”
“haha. All right. However, I would like to save the contact for Kang-hoo’s sake.”
“As convenient as you like.”
“As for the dungeon, Suhyeon will give you her number, so you can contact her there. “We will definitely treat it as first priority, so there will be no disruption in your ability to conquer the dungeon.”
“Can I also receive dungeon-related materials from Min Soo-hyun?”
“yes. I told him to prepare thoroughly, so he will do it right. I am truly grateful to Kanghu.”
“All right.”
like this.
I stepped forward with one foot into the sphere of influence of the huge entity called Lee Hyun-seok and the Abyss.
In the future, there will be a lot of clever tightrope walking to be done.
If you openly operate under the shadow of the abyss, you will be a perfect target for the purification guild.
However, keeping your distance from the Abyss may reduce your ability to use them later.
How to coordinate and lead the situation is entirely up to your own judgment.
Ganghu had no choice but to swallow dry saliva without realizing it. Cool-headed and accurate management is required.
* * *
Around that time.
Jang Si-hwan and Chae Gwan-hyeong come out of the dungeon to take a short break after completing the first attack on Hell of Judgment.
The two were meeting other members of Justice who had gathered earlier.
After greeting each other with joy and gladness to see each other after such a long time, and a normal conversation asking how each other was doing.
Naturally, Vincent brought up the topic and a story about hidden skills emerged.
Vincent’s body heated up and he continued to talk to Jang Si-hwan as if he were encouraging him.
“Jang Si-hwan. “Clearly, among the assassins who attacked the Hell of Judgment, there is one who gained a hidden skill.”
“Does your stomach hurt that much?”
“I told you. Hidden skills are used by those who are qualified to use them. “It’s not like dealing with dogs or cows.”
“If you need a punching bag, let me know. “There are quite a few hunter criminals who have been sentenced to death by the Public Prosecution Service.”
“A guy like that has no taste.”
What it tastes like is that it doesn’t have a ‘killing’ taste. Everyone understood what Vincent meant by taste.
Jang Si-hwan answered, recalling his memories of the team composition.
“I was managing Team 1, so it’s out of the question. And there is no assassin class until team 7.”
“It is very likely that this guy acted alone. So no one knows.”
“It’s alone… Then, I guess there is an assassin.”
Jang Si-hwan’s eyes glowed red.
Chae Gwan-hyung was glaring at Vincent with an expression that made him wonder if he had to be so tired.
Jang Si-hwan and Vincent, who got along better than expected, were seriously discussing this issue.
After thinking for a moment.
“God…”
Jang Si-hwan, whose name clearly came to mind, began to recite the last name of the assassin suspected of obtaining the hidden skill.
It seemed safe to suspect that a person of that level of skill had sufficiently and secretly acquired a hidden skill.
* * *
After breaking up with Lee Hyun-seok.
Kanghu had come down to Gyeongju Station, where his own dungeon, which had been reset, was located.
Although it is a fairly difficult dungeon to conquer alone.
Since it was clearly a dungeon that was owned by one, it had the advantage of being able to stay at any time without worrying about what others were thinking.
In addition, thanks to Jeon Se-hyuk’s consideration, there was a manager who always inspected the dungeon, which made me feel even more reassured.
Of course, the administrator does not manage only Ganghu’s dungeon.
However, multiple CCTVs are installed in each managed dungeon and the surrounding area is checked regularly.
There was an advantage in being able to prepare for emergencies.
If an uninvited guest enters the dungeon, you can at least blow off a warning flare.
“It’s definitely hard to do alone.”
Because the level of the dungeon is quite high, the overall movement of the monsters is agile and clever.
When I was wearing Park Dong-jae’s buff, it felt like I was lightly running on flat ground.
Now that I was alone, I felt like I was running down a steep slope. I felt a relative sense of pressure.
“Buffers aren’t called drugs for nothing. Hunters who have tasted buffs can’t quit easily.”
I laugh out loud.
Just as Park Dong-jae admires Kang-hoo’s skills and longs for team play with Kang-hoo.
Kang-hoo was also missing Park Dong-jae’s buff team play.
I feel like I want to get a buff skill book, learn it through tricks, and use it all the time.
However, the buff skill book had the lowest drop rate among the hunter skill books and was difficult to obtain.
Even if it was a very insignificant buff, it never came out on the market.
If two or three books are traded a year on the official market, it can be said that a lot of books have been traded.
If you look closely, it was just a transaction between acquaintances to keep records.
The reason Ganghu came to this dungeon was not to conquer it. Training was the main purpose.
To set up a training center full of money like Jeon Se-hyuk, there were still many items I wanted to buy with money.
So I decided to use the dungeon as a personal training ground. It was actually nice to be able to use it for practical purposes as well.
Kanghu was concentrating all day on refining his main skills.
What I put the most effort into in the beginning was, of course, the art of self-immolation.
Perhaps because it is an alter ego equipped with the ability to learn, the more it is trained, the more diverse its movements become.
Even when there was a gap where he could not directly handle the alter ego, the alter ego showed good movement appropriately.
It felt like watching AI steadily grow through learning. It was a lot of fun raising it.
I also trained a lot in kidnapping skills.
In the past, the kidnapping skill was mainly used to drag a target and attack it.
However, as the level and power of the enemies to deal with has increased, the risk of using the kidnapping skill has increased significantly.
This is because, if carried out incorrectly, it could be a fatal decision that provides an opportunity for attack.
So, a plan was made to use kidnapping to block and obstruct the view by dragging surrounding structures.
This is because the existence of a skill does not necessarily mean bringing in a monster or a hunter. Application is free.
However, there was a skill that kept catching my eye in conjunction with the two spare red stones from earlier.
An option that could change the skill options that feel a bit disappointing these days came to mind.
Although it has been useful for a while, it is a skill that clearly leaves something to be desired in terms of firepower.