NOVEL NEXT Chapter 165: Distorted Awakening (2)
Reading Kang-hoo’s curious gaze, Kim Shin-ryeong smiled.
“Interesting, isn’t it?”
“Did you make it yourself?”
“That’s right. I’m developing it for self-defense, but I’m having trouble controlling the firepower. Of course, there’s no problem with the gun itself; it’s just that the firepower is too strong.”
“That’s impressive.”
Among the various fields related to hunters, Kang-hoo found crafting and manufacturing the most difficult and impressive.
It wasn’t a field that could be mastered merely by having the relevant knowledge.
A certain amount of innate talent and intuition were also crucial.
Since there was no set formula, quick thinking and adaptability were also very important.
While Kang-hoo couldn’t take his eyes off the magic bullet gun,Kim Shin-ryeong, who had been watching him intently, spoke with a peculiar smile.
“You’re quite handsome. Do you have a girlfriend by any chance?”
“No, I don’t. And I don’t plan to have one in the future.”
“You plan to keep that handsome face to yourself?”
“I don’t want to make someone else share in the dangers of this world with me.”
“That’s a thoughtful answer.”
“Yes. It’s something I’ve pondered over quite a bit.”
Though it ended up being a serious answer, it was a thought he had had for a long time.
“If I were 25 years younger, I would’ve confessed first! What a shame, time is cruel…”
“If I had met you 25 years earlier, I might have confessed.”
“You’ve got good lines, don’t you?”
“I mean it.”
Kim Shin-ryeong burst into laughter at Kang-hoo’s playful response.
It wasn’t that she was attracted to him as a man.
She just honestly expressed her reaction to a handsome man, regardless of age.
It was part of her personality.
She never beat around the bush. She spoke her mind unfiltered.
If looked at objectively,
Kang-hoo found Kim Shin-ryeong still quite attractive.
She must have been a beauty in her younger days.
Even now, her body was so toned that she could pass for someone in her 30s.
It must have taken a lot of effort. Such a body couldn’t be achieved without self-discipline.
After exchanging compliments and feeling good about it,
they continued their conversation inside her mansion.
Through the large glass window, Kang-hoo saw a summoned creature in the training ground, which Kim Shin-ryeong had summoned earlier.
While sipping the coffee she offered, he closely observed the summoned creature’s movements.
Perhaps finding the prolonged silence awkward, Kim Shin-ryeong changed the subject.
“Am I disturbing your observations by talking?”
“It’s fine.”
“That’s good to hear. Did you know? In China, there’s a separate unit that only handles summoned creatures.”
“Are you referring to the Shinto Guild or the Divine Beast Guild?”
“Yes. They train the summoners to the extreme, making them handle an enormous number of summoned creatures.”
“I heard that summoner hunters don’t live long. They say they have short lifespans.”
“You could say they’re half-machines. It’s hell if you have to face them. There’s no escape.”
“How bad is it?”
“They can control more than ten of these creatures at once. If they push it, up to twenty?”
“……”
What Kang-hoo was looking at now was a summoned wolf.
It was very agile and aggressive.
In terms of level, it was around 300. Of course, its durability and stamina were quite low.
Handling dozens of such creatures at once would be quite challenging.
On the flip side, it meant the summoner had to exert superhuman mental strength.
That’s why they couldn’t live long. A year of their life consumed as much mental energy as ten or twenty years for others.
“Always keep an eye on the information from China. Even if it’s another country, it has a significant impact on ours…”
“And it’s expected to have even more. We can’t be free from its influence.”
“Yes. Anyway, talking about summoned creatures brought us here. What do you think of Black Wolf?”
Black Wolf. A black wolf.
It was the name Kim Shin-ryeong had given to her summoned creature, and it matched its appearance perfectly.
“The attack patterns it shows against the wooden target are too simple. I think I know why.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s obvious. The hunter it considered as a learning model didn’t put in full effort.”
“The teacher wasn’t good?”
“Precisely, it only showed textbook moves. So the learning was limited.”
“You’re sharp.”
“I just said what I saw. Nothing more, nothing less.”
Kang-hoo was right.
Even without giving any information, Kim Shin-ryeong was impressed by Kang-hoo’s insight into the process.
She had shown the Black Wolf to other hunters before, but they gave completely different answers.
The Black Wolf was agile and showed flamboyant moves with destructive power.
Its performance was dynamic and energetic enough to leave a strong impression.
But Kang-hoo saw the underlying emptiness. It wasn’t just a superficial cold reading.
“Can you help me a bit? I don’t want my summoned creatures to grow up half-baked.”
“I have one requirement.”
“What’s that?”
“I’d like it to fight me with its full power. I noticed it hesitates at the most critical moments.”
“Really?”
“This means it has been frequently controlled by its master. It didn’t have the final decision.”
At that moment, Kim Shin-ryeong’s eyes widened.
Kang-hoo had pinpointed an unspoken truth.
Indeed, she was not the type to leave the strategic movements up to the summoned creature.
She believed her value as a summoner lay in skillfully controlling the summoned creature, including in battles.
She controlled it closely, and the Black Wolf was good at matching her control.
Although she had never told anyone this, Kang-hoo seemed to have already figured it out.
“If this continues, it will remain half-baked. It’s like creating an automated machine and not trusting it enough to let it operate on its own.”
His analogy was spot on.
The more surprised she was, the more her trust in Kang-hoo’s insight and skill grew.
“Got it. I’ll try not to interfere in any way.”
“That will do. If you do that, I think I can learn something from it too.”
Kang-hoo loosened up.
If the Black Wolf fought with all its strength, he felt there would be much for him to learn as well.
It seemed like a mutually beneficial situation, and that’s exactly what it turned out to be.
He simply pointed out what he saw, but Kim Shin-ryeong seemed quite surprised.
It wasn’t surprising.
For someone who had spent much time on crafting and manufacturing, handling a summoned creature might have felt awkward.
Her necessary research and thoughts were probably more focused on crafting and manufacturing.
“I’ll take care of soundproofing and blocking visibility, so don’t worry about outside eyes and just fight.”
“Sure.”
When Kim Shin-ryeong pressed a few buttons, the color of the barrier surrounding the training ground changed instantly.
At first, it seemed to only block sound, but it also blocked visibility like tinted windows.
It was quite advanced technology.
Whether it was a villa or a mansion, any facility related to her always exceeded expectations.
‘I should brace myself.’
He bit his lip.
Since the summoned creature grew according to its master’s level, it wouldn’t be an easy opponent.
Kang-hoo reviewed the skills he strategically decided to exclude, including Black Moon Slash and White Day Slash.
Then he prepared for battle with the Black Wolf, determined to fight seriously.
After that.
Watching the battle between Kang-hoo and the Black Wolf, Kim Shin-ryeong felt a lot.
First of all, the Black Wolf struggled much more than she had expected.
It seemed as though Kang-hoo had anticipated its attack routes, turning every attempt into a counterattack.
‘He never repeats the same pattern.’
Kim Shin-ryeong was amazed at how seriously Kang-hoo was taking this situation.
He could have just pretended to fight hard, making it look flashy.
But he didn’t. He created various variables, helping the Black Wolf learn broadly.
As the Black Wolf acquired these skills, its attacks became sharper, and then Kang-hoo took the position of learning.
It was a positive cycle.
‘He’s highly refined. Efficient.’
Kim Shin-ryeong’s final assessment after closely observing Kang-hoo.
For an assassin, efficient movements are crucial.
If there’s any waste, they become an easy target for their opponent.
That’s why there are few high-level assassins. The risk of exposure is too high.
‘How did he acquire so many skills? Even with what I’ve seen, he has more than 20.’
Kim Shin-ryeong was curious.
It was a natural curiosity stemming from her admiration for Kang-hoo’s skills.
If Kang-hoo’s current skill level was like this, once he leveled up properly, he would be what they call a ‘monster’.
His attack repertoire was incredibly diverse. Not just sufficiently numerous, but unfathomably so.
Despite her keen observation over the ten-minute battle, she couldn’t find any repetition in Kang-hoo’s movements.
Because of this.
The visibly improved Black Wolf stood out.
It seemed excited, as if it had met a worthy opponent, and fought enthusiastically.
Though she occasionally felt the urge to control it, she resisted and let the Black Wolf do everything.
‘I understand why K is interested in him. Once you see him, you can’t let go.’
Kim Shin-ryeong laughed.
It had been a long time since she had praised a hunter so highly.
Even Moon Hyeong-seo’s spear skills, which K always boasted about, had received a lukewarm review from her.
But not Kang-hoo.
He was flawless.
It was as if… he was born to be an assassin.
After 15 minutes of intense and impactful training.
In the end, the Black Wolf, unable to withstand the fatigue, was struck by Kang-hoo’s final move and vanished.
The final moment was impressive.
The Black Wolf tried to ambush Kang-hoo using a spatial movement technique but failed.
Kim Shin-ryeong immediately realized that this was not a mistake by the Black Wolf but a result of Kang-hoo’s abilities.
Suppressing spatial movement! It was rare for her to be surprised, but she couldn’t help but gape.
She thought it was enough.
It had been a good experience for the Black Wolf, and the same for Kang-hoo.
However.
“Do you have any other types of summoned creatures? I feel like I’m not quite warmed up yet.”
“…What?”
Kang-hoo made an unexpected proposal.
The training she thought was over seemed to be just beginning for him.