Chapter 170 – Hunting Dog

Xu Zhiping was not only known for his cruel methods but also for deeply caring about his own people.

Those in the know were well aware of this fact.

That messing with a White Snake Guild member meant facing the entire White Snake Guild.

So when his right-hand man Gao Zhihong returned after being beaten, Xu Zhiping made a decision.

To kill everyone operating under the name of the Black Sea Guild in Korea.

However, even after three weeks, no clues about the Black Sea Guild members could be found.

‘They’re more thorough at hiding their tracks than I expected.’

They started by investigating who owned the cabin in the mountains where Gao Zhihong was attacked, but ultimately found no connection to the Black Sea Guild.

‘Did they prepare an escape route in advance?’

The more they investigated, the more complex it became, and Xu Zhiping had to admit:

‘The title of assassin guild wasn’t just for show. But once Li Shengyi arrives, catching them will only be a matter of time.’

Knock knock-

At that moment, a subordinate entered after knocking.

“Boss, Brother Tian has returned.”

“Oh, really? Tell him to come in right away.”

Xu Zhiping brightened upon seeing the man who entered the room moments later.

It was his left-hand man, Tian Lisheng.

“It’s been a while, Boss.”

“Indeed. Seeing you return safely, I assume you completed the assassination mission in Shandong Province successfully.”

“Of course.”

If he had failed the mission, he wouldn’t have returned at all.

The fact that Tian Lisheng had returned meant he had succeeded.

“I heard there’s someone to assassinate.”

“Yes. You’ll have to take charge of this one too, Lisheng.”

“Leave it to me.”

After receiving the mission details, Tian Lisheng left the room.

As he was about to unpack at his quarters, he ran into the right-hand man, Gao Zhihong.

“Tian Lisheng.”

“Gao Zhihong.”

The two glared at each other briefly.

Though they were like family to the boss, that didn’t mean family members always got along.

“The mission? Did you complete it successfully?”

“Of course. There’s no way I could fail, unlike you.”

Gao Zhihong’s brow furrowed.

“Y-you bastard! You think you would have done any better?”

“If it had been me, I would have slit that Black Sea Guild master’s throat before he could even draw his weapon. Oh, I heard you were beaten like a dog with bare fists? He must have judged someone like you wasn’t even worth drawing a weapon against. Kuk kuk kuk.”

“D-don’t laugh, you bastard!”

Though his face turned red, Gao Zhihong couldn’t refute.

After all, it wasn’t wrong.

“How could the great Gao Zhihong get beaten by bare hands from a bread-head? Are you sure you’re S-rank like me?”

“It was just a bad matchup against an assassin! If I could have drawn my dual swords, that guy would have…”

“How pathetic. A loser’s words are nothing but excuses.”

“Kugh…”

“Just wait. This big brother will bring back that bastard’s head.”

“If you knew how fast that guy is, even you would…”

Whoosh-

Suddenly, the tip of a dagger was at Gao Zhihong’s throat.

The speed was so fast he couldn’t even react.

“Do I still seem slow to you?”

“Y-you crazy bastard! Are you going to put that away?”

Tian Lisheng silently withdrew his dagger.

“If I had wanted to, you would have died right here.”

“Fuck! After a sneak attack! If you’re so confident, want to have a proper match?”

“Beating a loser wouldn’t be much to brag about, would it?”

“Kugh…”

“So? How does that guy compare to me?”

Gao Zhihong answered honestly.

“That guy is faster.”

“You’re not being honest.”

Tian Lisheng thought Gao Zhihong was lying out of jealousy.

“It’s true. You’re slower than that guy.”

“My agility is approaching 3,000, and you’re saying he’s faster than me?”

“Yes.”

“You couldn’t even react, yet you’re talking nonsense.”

“I’m telling the truth!”

“Enough. It was my mistake to ask you.”

Tian Lisheng turned away with a sneer.

He had wanted to gather some information about the target, but with such an uncooperative attitude, further conversation was pointless.

“Wait a moment!”

“What?”

“When are you going to Korea?”

“I plan to enter the country the day after tomorrow.”

“Are you going alone?”

“Of course. That’s how I’ve always done it.”

“It’s too risky alone.”

“Why don’t you just curse me outright?”

“I’m giving you sincere advice. Don’t track him alone; take more elite members with you.”

“Do you think I’m like you? I, Tian Lisheng, have never failed a mission. I’ve never lost a target either.”

“Of course, that’s to be expected. Since you have the Hunting Dog characteristic.”

“If you’re jealous, just say so. Don’t be so petty with your envy.”

“You bastard!”

Tian Lisheng left without looking back.

Though Gao Zhihong was shouting something behind him, he paid no attention.

‘There was no need to listen to a loser’s words from the beginning.’

Tian Lisheng steeled his resolve.

He would succeed in this mission and monopolize the boss’s trust.

‘Gao Zhihong failed, but I’m different.’

Gao Zhihong had been caught off guard and couldn’t even draw his weapons, but Tian Lisheng was confident in his speed.

Moreover, his level was 500 higher than Gao Zhihong’s.

‘As long as I don’t let my guard down, I won’t lose.’

He had succeeded in assassinations while traveling abroad.

He had tracked and killed both ordinary people and hunters without exception.

‘This time won’t be any different.’

That’s why the boss trusted him and sent him alone.

‘The boss said I could request as many reinforcements as I wanted if I felt uneasy, but…’

As an assassin with pride, how could he do that?

Dealing with a mere bread-head would be more than enough for him alone.

‘If I strike first, there’s no way I can lose.’

But Tian Lisheng didn’t know.

That through his conversation with Gao Zhihong just now, the element of surprise was already lost.

‘Entering the country the day after tomorrow…’

Min Do-jun, who had eavesdropped on the conversation through Gao Zhihong, thought about this Chinese man named Tian Lisheng.

‘The left arm of the White Snake Guild. The de facto second-in-command. An S-rank hunter specializing in assassination.’

These were the descriptors Min Do-jun knew about Tian Lisheng.

‘He was famous even before my regression.’

Though this was the first time seeing his face, he had heard plenty of rumors.

That the White Snake Guild had a top assassin who had never failed a mission.

‘I didn’t know his characteristic was Hunting Dog.’

All awakened individuals have one characteristic, but that doesn’t mean characteristics can’t be duplicated.

Because of this, even if people tried to hide them, some characteristics eventually became known.

The Hunting Dog characteristic was one of them.

‘It was a much-discussed characteristic. Despite being only A-grade, its ability was overwhelmingly powerful.’

A characteristic that allows one to distinguish and track a specific target’s scent with exceptional smell.

The passive 20% increase in agility and movement speed was just a bonus.

‘In other words, becoming like a dog’s nose, able to track anyone…’

It was a perfect characteristic for an assassin who finds and kills people.

This was why Tian Lisheng’s assassination missions had a 100% success rate.

‘The thought that someone else can track my location… it’s quite unsettling.’

Though Min Do-jun, who had a similar tracking skill, wasn’t one to talk.

‘So the day after tomorrow, he’s coming to assassinate me?’

If he entered Korea, it was obvious where he would go first.

‘He’ll first visit the place where he beat up Gao Zhihong to catch my scent.’

With this, Min Do-jun knew who was coming, when, and where.

‘Game over.’

Despite an assassin targeting his life, Min Do-jun wasn’t tense.

He simply smiled at the thought of acquiring a new characteristic.

‘When a guest is coming, I can’t help but go out to greet them.’

It was good that he had planted a Parasite on Gao Zhihong after all.

Buzz- Buzz-

Just then, his phone rang.

The caller was the Baekryeon Guild master.

“Yes, Guild Master.”

-Ah, Hunter Min Do-jun. I’m really sorry.

Though she apologized right away, Min Do-jun didn’t ask why.

He could guess the reason.

“If it’s about Healer Lee Min-ji, I’m fine with it.”

-I’m truly sorry. I clearly offered good conditions, and she said she understood, so I thought she had accepted, but I never imagined she would refuse to your face…

“If she doesn’t want to, what can we do? Perhaps hiring an S-rank healer was too ambitious on my part.”

-Should I find another S-rank healer for you?

“No, please don’t. Then you would have to pay another hefty price, wouldn’t you? It’s not easy to find an S-rank healer.”

-I don’t mind. If I can help Hunter Min Do-jun, who is a benefactor to our guild, I’d do anything…

“Then just buy me a meal sometime.”

-What? W-what do you mean?

“What do I mean? I’m asking you to buy me a meal. Is there any other meaning?”

-Ah…

He had simply asked for a meal since she kept saying she wanted to repay him, but somehow the person on the other end seemed to misinterpret it as having a different meaning.

-Ah, I understand. Let’s have a meal together sometime.

“Yes. Then I’ll see you next time. I’ll hang up now.”

After ending the call, Min Do-jun focused on what was ahead.

‘Right. Just getting a free meal is enough. I don’t want anything else.’

His gaze was fixed on none other than Lee Min-ji.

‘I’ve already achieved my goal.’

Just being able to meet Lee Min-ji was sufficient reward.

‘Thanks to that, I’ve memorized her scent and can follow her like this.’

Indeed, Min Do-jun was currently tailing Lee Min-ji.

He didn’t even need to follow from a distance.

‘With invisibility, I can openly get close.’

There was no concern about invisibility being detected when facing a healer with low combat power.

‘Though the duration isn’t infinite…’

Since there was no cooldown, he could simply reactivate it as soon as it expired.

In effect, it was as good as infinite.

‘I don’t even need to worry about footsteps. I have Ghost Step Boots and the Cat’s Step characteristic.’

As proof, Lee Min-ji hadn’t noticed Min Do-jun’s presence at all and was chatting with her friends at a café.

“Haah, no matter how many times I go to Russia, I can’t get used to it. It’s really freezing!”

“So even a world-class S-rank hunter feels the cold?”

“I’ve only raised my magic power, so my physical body is no different from an ordinary person’s, you know?”

“So? Is the dungeon you’re supporting next week also in Russia?”

“That’s what I’m saying! Looking at the support requests, almost all of them are from Russia. It’s so annoying.”

“Why?”

“Why? Russia has a large land area but a relatively small population. So there are many dungeons but not enough hunters to conquer them.”

“Then you must be extremely busy with support missions?”

“I was until yesterday. But from now on, I’m going to take it easy. I’ve been running non-stop until now, so it’s okay to rest a bit, right? A person can’t just run dungeons all their life.”

“That’s true.”

“Good thinking.”

Through this conversation, Min Do-jun realized:

‘So this woman didn’t refuse my request because she was busy, but because she felt bad about it.’

Unintentionally listening to the women’s chatter, Min Do-jun watched as they finally parted ways after more than five hours of conversation, well past midnight.

‘Is she going home now?’

Watching Lee Min-ji’s back as she headed to a secluded area, Min Do-jun suppressed the murderous intent that was trying to surface.

‘I can’t kill her yet. Not until I determine she deserves to die.’

If he killed her now, he wouldn’t be able to find any connections to other hunters or clues about the coup.

‘Let’s wait a bit longer.’

He would follow her until she left for Russia.

He could kill her after that without regret.

While tailing her to gather evidence:

‘Huh?’

Min Do-jun couldn’t help but be surprised.

Lee Min-ji, whom he thought was heading home, entered an unexpected location.

‘This is… Dongmak Station?’

The ghost platform at Dongmak Station.

Lee Min-ji was entering it.

While checking her surroundings cautiously.