Chapter 411 – Part 2 – Shadow Movement

He had enhanced the legendary armor with the Magic Core.

This resulted in the birth of an incredible item.

[Assassin’s Shadow Armor]

-Classification: Armor

-Grade: EX

-Defense: 30,000

-Effects: Agility +20%, Armor Transformation, Shadow Movement

-Durability: Infinite

-Usage Restriction: S-rank or above (Soul-bound)

-Description: Armor born from enhancing legendary armor. The armor’s appearance can be changed to any desired design and ‘Shadow Movement’ can be used.

Using Shadow Movement allows instant teleportation to any desired target’s shadow without cooldown.

However, teleportation is impossible if the target is in an inaccessible space, and it cannot be used on the dead or in environments without light.

‘Agility increases by 20%?’

His already high agility was increased by percentage.

‘Just wearing this would easily exceed 50 million combat power.’

For Choi Seong-min, agility was his main stat.

When agility increased, strength and stamina increased, and evasion rate and damage improved overall.

‘What’s this armor transformation next to it?’

The description said it changes appearance.

Choi Seong-min tried wearing the armor as a test.

Tsuuuut-

The basic design felt like dark, plain lightweight armor that assassins would wear.

But when he thought of a different design in his mind.

Swoosh-

In the blink of an eye, it changed to casual clothes.

‘Oh, it really changes as I think?’

Choi Seong-min tried changing it to various clothes.

From casual outfits to suits, sleeveless shirts, and even medieval armor that knights would wear.

It created whatever he thought of.

‘To be able to change clothes without removing equipment… This is better than I thought?’

The armor’s appearance changed back to casual clothes.

It looked like casual clothes, but he was actually wearing hunter equipment.

Not only could he prepare for surprise attacks, but he could also disguise himself as having a different profession.

‘It’s truly a function for assassins.’

But there was an even more amazing function.

‘Shadow Movement?’

According to the description, it allowed instant teleportation.

And without cooldown, directly to any desired target.

‘Should I test if it’s real?’

Choi Seong-min used stealth first just in case.

The target he was about to teleport to might be surprised if he suddenly appeared.

After thinking of his desired target, he recited the command.

‘Shadow Movement.’

When he used the skill and blinked once.

Sizzle-

He heard a delicious smell and the sound of something being cooked in a frying pan.

‘Mother?’

He could see his mother’s back as she was cooking in the kitchen of the safe house.

‘I really teleported instantly to my desired target.’

The distance from Choi Seong-min’s house to the safe house was at least 300 kilometers.

It was like traveling from Seoul to Busan in one second.

‘It’s similar to the teleport that the twin hunters used in my previous life.’

No, it was a superior version.

Teleport could only move between each other, making it difficult to return to the original location after one teleportation.

But Shadow Movement was different.

‘As long as there’s a target’s shadow, I can instantly teleport anywhere, here or there.’

Of course there would be pros and cons, but it was definitely the ability Choi Seong-min needed most.

‘With this, I can easily find Woo Seong-jae too.’

There was no need to use Soul Tracking or place Assassin’s Mark.

He could move instantly just by thinking about it.

‘Still, just in case, I should designate home with Homing Instinct.’

Choi Seong-min canceled his stealth.

He made slight sounds behind his mother so she wouldn’t be startled.

“Oh? Seong-min, when did you come?”

“Just now. Are you cooking?”

“Yes. I’m preparing dinner. Are you busy today too?”

“No. I’m quite free today.”

“That’s great. Let’s have dinner together as a family after a long time. Is that okay?”

‘Family…’

Hearing the word family, he suddenly thought of his real family in the underworld.

‘Nothing is more important than family.’

The reason Choi Seong-min was killing Great Heroes was to protect his family’s souls from the gods.

It wasn’t some grand cause like reforming the world like Ryu Jong-ik.

‘Just ensuring the safety of my family, my people is enough.’

But the family he needed to protect wasn’t only in the underworld.

Choi Seong-min’s gaze turned to Jeong Hui-seon.

‘She wouldn’t know that she was almost in danger because of me.’

When Choi Seong-min learned that Frank was targeting his family, he was enraged.

He had channeled that rage into tearing Frank’s limbs and killing him as painfully as possible.

‘If I really considered them as strangers, I wouldn’t have been this angry.’

Family wasn’t only in the underworld.

He had family here too.

“Yes. Let’s eat together. Dinner.”

A smile appeared on Choi Seong-min’s lips.

The mobility issue, which had been a weakness, was solved in one go.

He had more than enough power to protect his family.

* * *

Peter Fields, lying on his bed, looked at the ceiling lost in thought.

‘What urgent matter made him leave in such a hurry?’

He was recalling yesterday’s events.

When Choi Seong-min suddenly left the White House.

‘Was it urgent enough to set aside meeting with me?’

The same was true for Woo Seong-jae.

Not long after Choi Seong-min left, Woo Seong-jae also said they’d meet next time and left.

This left him alone.

‘What did the two of them talk about that made them suddenly leave like that?’

He was curious, but they wouldn’t tell him even if he asked.

‘I don’t know. Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now.’

What was important was that Woo Seong-jae had discovered his meeting with Hunter Choi Seong-min.

‘Of all times, Lord Woo Seong-jae had to be there…’

He hadn’t said anything yet, but Woo Seong-jae might question him about this incident.

What intention he had in inviting Hunter Choi Seong-min.

‘No, not might. He definitely will.’

Considering Woo Seong-jae’s personality as a strict judge, he would 100% interrogate him about this incident.

‘What should I say? Should I lie that Hunter Choi Seong-min contacted me first?’

He could easily get away with just saying that, but the problem was Hunter Choi Seong-min.

‘Should I call Hunter Choi Seong-min and ask? If Lord Woo Seong-jae asks, could he please go along with the story?’

Of course he’d have to offer bribes in return, but compared to his intentions being discovered by Woo Seong-jae, it would be cheap.

‘If he finds out I’m trying to recruit Hunter Choi Seong-min to become independent, Lord Woo Seong-jae won’t stay still.’

But Peter didn’t know.

That Woo Seong-jae already knew.

That he had known but stayed still.

Peter didn’t know that you couldn’t fool Woo Seong-jae who had Insight.

‘What should I do? Is contacting Hunter Choi Seong-min the best option? What if he refuses and says no? Isn’t there another way?’

Peter hated agonizing alone so much.

‘Damn, if only I had someone I could trust and talk to at times like this…’

There were three Great Heroes under him in Westland, but they were all busy and untrustworthy.

‘Frank is a psycho bastard so he’s no help, Christopher is busy infiltrating rebels, and Melissa has to lead Eastland now so she’ll ignore me…’

With no one he could trust and discuss with, Peter felt frustrated.

“Great Hero, do you have some worry?”

Hearing a sound from beside him, he turned to see a female slave who had been sleeping naked, blinking and looking at him.

“If you have worries, please tell me. I’ll listen…”

Slap-!

Peter immediately struck the slave’s cheek.

“How dare this lowly bitch not know her place! What? Worries? Do you think I’d tell my worries to a lowly bitch like you? Just because I played with you a little, you think you’re on my level? Huh?”

“I’m, I’m sorry! Great Hero treated me so comfortably that I unconsciously misspoke…”

“Comfortable? I was comfortable?”

Peter twisted his face as much as possible and slapped her cheek once more.

Slap-!

Blood spurted from the slave’s nose.

“This pathetic insect bitch is really annoying me. You’re just a tool for releasing desires…!”

Peter distorted his face like a demon.

His head was already complicated, and irritation surged.

“This won’t do. You’re dying here today.”

“Sob, please spare me. Great Hero! I really did wrong! Please have mercy…”

“I’m originally a person who has no mercy for lowly things. Understand?”

“Kyaak!”

Just as Peter raised his hand to beat her.

Buzz buzz- Buzz buzz-

The phone on the nightstand vibrated loudly.

“Who is it? Damn.”

Peter, angry at being interrupted, irritably picked up his phone and was startled.

Because the caller was none other than Woo Seong-jae.

‘What, what I expected has come.’

Peter, who gulped, urgently gestured toward the slave.

A signal to get out quickly.

The slave bowed and left the room taking only her underwear.

Then Peter answered the phone with a more tense face than ever.

“Ah, hello, Lord Woo Seong-jae. How did your urgent business go?”

“Urgent business? Ah… you mean yesterday? Well, I can’t say it was handled well.”

“I, is that so?”

Peter was inwardly flustered by the blunt voice in the call.

‘Lord Woo Seong-jae is in a bad mood. It’s definitely because of yesterday.’

Peter panicked.

He had expected it but had no time to prepare.

“You came such a long way, but you left so early yesterday. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was. Haha!”

Peter burst into exaggerated laughter, trying to lighten the mood.

He thought he was calling to interrogate him.

But Woo Seong-jae had a different reason for calling.

“Peter. How many ex-convicts are there among the hunters in Westland?”

“What? Ex-convicts among hunters?”

“Yes. Including hunters already confined in juvenile detention centers or regular prisons.”

“Uh… that’s…”

Peter stammered at the unexpected question.

“I’d have to look at statistical data, but why are you asking that…”

“Gather all hunters in Westland who have criminal records or are already imprisoned. I’ll handle Eastland.”

‘Gather them all?’

He didn’t know why such an order was given, but Peter answered without hesitation.

“Understood. I will do so.”

Since he already had something to feel guilty about, he couldn’t go against Woo Seong-jae’s mood.

“But does rank matter?”

“No. Gather them regardless of rank.”

“Then are our subordinates included in that…”

Peter had over 100 S-rank subordinates under him.

He didn’t know what this was about, but he hoped his subordinates at least wouldn’t be involved.

“Do they all have criminal histories?”

“Well… there are no official records, but… there have been times when I’ve covered up for them when they killed slaves or caused trouble.”

“That kind of thing is fine. What I’m talking about are criminals with records.”

“Whew, that’s a relief then.”

A sigh of relief flowed from Peter’s mouth.

Fortunately, his subordinates didn’t need to be called up.

“But Lord Woo Seong-jae, why are you personally gathering from Eastland? You could have Kwak Min-cheol or Melissa do it…”

“I can’t contact those two.”

“What?”

Peter made a puzzled sound.

“That’s strange.”

“What is?”

“I was able to talk with Kwak Min-cheol until just a while ago.”

“With Kwak Min-cheol?”

For some reason, Woo Seong-jae in the call sounded quite surprised.

“Are you sure?”

“What? What…”

“Was it definitely Kwak Min-cheol’s voice?”

“Of course. The voice and number were definitely Kwak Min-cheol’s.”

“……”

After being silent for a while, Woo Seong-jae spoke quietly.

“What did you talk about with Kwak Min-cheol?”

“He warned me.”

“Warned?”

“Yes. It was some nonsense…”

“What did he say?”

Peter spoke in a nonchalant voice.

“He told me to be careful of the black mask.”