CHAPTER 336: ENHANCEMENT (3)

A 300 billion won expenditure.

Kang-hoo, who completed a transaction involving an amount unimaginable to ordinary people without hesitation, checked his remaining balance.

271.5 billion won.

It’s a lot if you think it is, little if you don’t. If he wanted to aim for another grade 1 item, he would need to start saving diligently again.

“Would you like to check it comfortably?”

“I’d appreciate it if you would.”

“Then I’ll step out for a moment. I’ll put a lock on all the other sections.”

“Thanks for your consideration.”

All the areas storing other items were locked, and Yu Cheonghwa stepped out, leaving Kang-hoo inside.

Since the VIP zone was a place only big spenders occasionally visited, it didn’t matter even if it was temporarily closed.

At most, one or two people visited per day. Of course, those one or two visitors generated as much revenue as several weeks of a regular market.

“An assassin who can wield both divine power and dark energy…”

Even seeing it with her own eyes, it was hard to believe.

There was no room for doubt after seeing Kang-hoo activate a holy relic by wearing it.

If he’d just held onto it, one might’ve assumed he was prepping it for resale.

But before leaving, Kang-hoo had equipped the relic and activated its power. That meant he met the activation requirements.

Yu Cheonghwa recalled the discussion during today’s video conference.

It had been an evaluation of Kang-hoo’s ability after killing Ishihara Yuji. Some of the participants were members of Justice.

—Ishihara Yuji wasn’t affiliated with any group and could’ve caused harm to us as well. I think Shin Kang-hoo handled it well.

He’s an assassin I like more the more I see. Don’t you think so? He’s versatile. Isn’t that exactly the kind of talent we’re looking for?

Jang Si-hwan had been consistently favorable.

Yu Cheonghwa knew his reaction wasn’t fake—it stemmed from genuine fondness for Kang-hoo.

The look in his eyes was different.

There’s a difference between the gaze directed at a hunter who draws interest but must be kept in check, and one they want to keep close.

Even if his words always sounded the same, he couldn’t lie with his eyes. Yu Cheonghwa recognized the difference.

—I think he’s a very professional assassin. Given his history, his skill is almost unbelievable.

Casey Rex was also favorable. Typically, his opinions aligned with Jang Si-hwan’s.

—What’s so great about an assassin playing tricks? Though, I admit that insubordination was unexpected.

Even Chae Gwanhyeong, who harbored nothing but ill will toward Kang-hoo, acknowledged what deserved to be acknowledged. That was high praise coming from him.

Takashi and Emilia had not attended the meeting. The remaining two who expressed their opinions were Elizabeth and Vincent.

—His skills are undeniable. But I can’t accept that hidden skill of his. I’ll say it again—don’t even dream of recruiting him. I plan to absorb that bastard’s skill completely.

Vincent was the biggest problem.

It’d be nice if Jang Si-hwan put a stop to it, but he didn’t go that far.

Yu Cheonghwa understood that this was Jang Si-hwan’s own kind of test.

In other words, he was planning to have Kang-hoo and Vincent face off. That’s why he remained hands-off.

—If everyone’s praising him and even Vincent wants him, wouldn’t it be better to make him one of our own?

The one who restrained Vincent’s rampage was Elizabeth.

Yu Cheonghwa remained undecided about her. Elizabeth had never shown her true self.

Despite her title as the Saintess of Salvation, her aura was dark, and lies outweighed the truth.

She hadn’t joined Justice because of Jang Si-hwan’s recruitment, but rather the opposite.

It was her own strong desire to work with Jang Si-hwan and his allies that was honored.

Yu Cheonghwa had one question.

How had Elizabeth come to know of Justice’s existence—a group so secretive its very name had never slipped publicly, even by accident?

In fact, that had been the very question asked by Jang Si-hwan and the others when they first met Elizabeth.

Her answer had been simple.

—Elites tend to have organizations befitting them. I believed there would be a group of extraordinary people like you.

It was a well-polished answer, though still suspicious.

But she had no disqualifying flaws, and above all, Jang Si-hwan had taken a liking to her. That’s why her membership had been accepted.

Of course, strong encouragement from Vincent, already a member of Justice, had also played a part.

In reality, Elizabeth’s skill level was far beyond expectations, so there was no issue with her ability.

In any case.

After hearing only praise for Kang-hoo like this, what followed was all the more shocking.

What if it became known that Kang-hoo was not only capable of using dark energy, but also divine power?

Interest in Kang-hoo would skyrocket even further. But would that help him, or become poison?

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【Ilishia’s Prayer】

【Grade: Grade 2 (Rare – Holy Relic)】

【A figurine said to have belonged to the girl Ilishia during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius.

She made a sculpture of herself in prayer, and it became a holy relic.】

‘Interesting.’

Unlike ordinary items, rare items detail the process of how they came to be rare.

In short, they reveal the story to the wearer. The background was intriguing.

【Anti-Magic +350】

The stat boost was excellent.

It’s extremely hard to gather that much anti-magic in one go.

The grade 2 necklace “Breath of the Cursed God,” which Kang-hoo rated highly for anti-magic specialization, offered only +200.

With +350, it could be considered fully specialized as a holy relic.

Now, against spell skills used by hunters under level 100, there would be no need to worry about critical damage.

【Ilishia’s Blessing – Divine power recovery is doubled.】

【Ilishia’s Tears – Detects dark energy within 10 meters.

However, fully concealed dark energy may be undetectable.】

The options granted as secondary abilities, though not stats, were also impressive.

An increase in divine power recovery is always welcome, and the ability to detect dark energy was essentially a scanning function.

If dark energy could be detected without consuming mana, dark energy, or divine power, then it was an absolute gain.

‘The last two options are the real highlights.’

As Kang-hoo’s gaze fell lower, the corners of his mouth lifted. The details near the end were far more appealing than those above.

【Sanctuary Designation – Within a 7-meter radius of the designated sanctuary point, no dark energy can exert influence. Reassignment takes 1 minute.】

【Saint’s Blessing – Allows the user to borrow the power of an uncontracted constellation of the Grand Temple for 1 minute. One-time use.】

Though limited to a single use, being able to borrow power from an uncontracted constellation through the Saint’s Blessing was broken-level.

After all, it meant being able to transcend human limits and wield such power once.

And the Sanctuary Designation served as a perfect counter against hunters who used dark energy as their core.

That is to say, dark energy skills couldn’t affect the space designated as a sanctuary.

Of course, the opponent could try luring Kang-hoo outside the sanctuary or simply refuse to fight within it.

If that were the case, Kang-hoo could just stay inside. No loss there.

‘No matter how I think about it, Yu Cheonghwa must’ve informed Elizabeth about the existence of this relic…’

But now that it had come to this, Kang-hoo couldn’t help but wonder why Ilishia’s Prayer hadn’t ended up in Elizabeth’s hands.

Given her capabilities, she surely had the divine power—and sustaining mana wouldn’t have been a problem either.

‘Was it carelessness? Or was she wary of Elizabeth?’

Depending on Yu Cheonghwa’s mindset, the interpretation could vary greatly.

One thing was certain—this precious rare item, which should have had a different owner by now, ended up with him.

‘Things are working out really well.’

Perhaps it was the thought that he’d spent his money wisely, but a smile naturally spread across his face.

Soon, Yu Cheonghwa returned, and Kang-hoo once again inquired about the item exchange policy.

Her market guaranteed a one-time exchange for all items purchased.

“Of course. You can exchange it right now if you’d like. Shall I show you the options?”

“No. I’m still putting it to good use. I just wanted to check if the policy had changed.”

“Our sales policy hasn’t changed. Altering it would betray our customers’ trust. No need to worry.”

“Thank you. I’ll see you again.”

Having accomplished his goal, Kang-hoo prepared to leave the market after the brief meeting.

Yu Cheonghwa called out to him just as he was about to walk away.

“Um, Mr. Kang-hoo.”

“Yes?”

“You’ll be seeing Emilia soon, right?”

“That seems to be the case. I can’t break the blood oath. I’ll meet her within the agreed time.”

“Hehe, got it. See you again.”

“Until then.”

Having concluded his meeting with Yu Cheonghwa, Kang-hoo immediately secured a safe limousine to head for Ganghwa Island.

It had been a while, but he was finally going to see someone he was always happy and excited to meet—Kim Shin-ryeong.

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At that moment.

“Damn it. That quack doctor…”

Celestial Assassin downed the bottle of soju he had brought with him in one go.

Even though it was in the middle of a major general hospital’s corridor, crowded with patients, he unhesitatingly took swigs.

It was hardly an appropriate sight, but Ju Haemi, who stood by his side, didn’t stop him. Her eyes were full of worry.

Tears were already streaming down her face.

Her softly muttered words carried the sorrow of the situation.

“It’s too soon. It’s too soon…”

Celestial Assassin, who had been gulping down the soju, stopped when he saw Ju Haemi’s uncontrollable tears.

And the fury that had been on his face just moments ago eased. It was because of her tears.

There was also a sense of shame—wondering how pathetic he must look to his daughter, lashing out so senselessly.

“…Sorry.”

“No, Father…”

“This is my karma. I’m paying the price for all I’ve done. I’ve got no right to complain.”

“…”

Even Ju Haemi, who would usually always reply to Celestial Assassin’s words, couldn’t find the words this time.

The doctor’s words—that he had only a short time left—kept ringing in her head.

At most, a month.

He had been battling liver cancer for a long time, a disease that had gradually eaten away at him.

Although it had worsened over time, the decline hadn’t been drastic, so she had thought it would progress in stages.

But in just one month, while a new chemotherapy drug failed to take effect, the cancer had spread aggressively.

The doctor had seriously and carefully suggested they look into nearby hospice care.

“Let’s hurry. I need to get my affairs in order and teach that boy Kang-hoo everything before I get worse.”

“Father…”

“That’s enough. All living things must die, and all meetings must end in parting. No need to dwell too deeply.”

Though his voice was as composed as possible, the trembling in the hand he used to grasp Ju Haemi’s betrayed him.

In that moment—

Tightly.

Ju Haemi shut her eyes tight. She couldn’t stop the flood of tears bursting forth.