SWNOVELS Chapter 23: Heo Jeong-Tae (1)
“He had a bad hobby. I respect most tastes, but cross-dressing skills are a little off.”
“Where did you come from? How do you know my name and where I live?”
“What if I answer?”
“What do you mean, ‘what if I answer’? Kid, can’t you hear what I’m asking?”
“Forget it. Come at me. One of us has to collapse for this to end since you came here to feed me prison food.”
As Kang-hoo flicked his finger, upping the ante, Heo Jeong-tae removed the long-haired wig he was wearing.
Then, a buzz cut, fitting the description of ‘very short,’ was revealed.
On one side of his head was a ‘patch,’ making him look unmistakably bald.
[Dark Priest]
[The seat of malign influence. Your combat ability increases by 25% against hunters who serve constellations of neutral or good inclinations.]
“I’ve unexpectedly given him a buff.”
Kang-hoo smirked.
Dimension Plunderer might give off an evil vibe, but in reality, it has a neutral inclination.
In some ways, considering the fate shared with ‘Shin Kang-hoo’ and the Savior, it’s closer to a good inclination.
Whether good or neutral, it is different from the evil-aligned Dark Priest, so Heo Jeong-tae gets the buff.
The original work didn’t detail Heo Jeong-tae so intricately, providing only basic descriptions of his appearance and where he lived.
Considering the constellation he’s associated with, it seems he was appropriately shaped as a villain.
Moreover, due to the power of this constellation, his abilities might have felt stronger than anticipated in the original work.
“You can still leave and save your life. I don’t mind not killing hunters.”
“You think I’m any different?”
Kang-hoo looked down at his right hand.
He had already ended the lives of many hunters with the dagger he clenched there.
Of course, they all deserved to die, and he felt no sympathy or compassion.
In a harsh world where one must kill to survive, this was the bleak reality created by the original work.
“Alright. Then now you’ll experience what it’s like to die!”
Swish!
The moment his words ended, Heo Jeong-tae pulled a finger-sized object from his sleeve and clenched it.
Once he infused it with mana, it quickly extended into the form of a long spear.
‘The Powerful Spear.’
Its nature was easy to deduce.
It resembled something like the Ruyi Jingu Bang. Of course, it couldn’t extend indefinitely without limitations, but it was convenient to carry when compressed.
Tap, tap!contemporary romance
Heo Jeong-tae then thrust the spear deeply, adopting a stance to restrict Kang-hoo’s movements.
He attacked diagonally from right to left, blocking a direct charge.
Clang!
Kang-hoo parried the thrust with his dagger, Changgong’s Delight.
Although much shorter than the spear, it needed only a narrow area to deflect the attack.
He still held back his kidnapping skill.
Against an opponent this vigilant, a single failure with the skill could make it difficult to find another opening.
He reserved it as a sort of trump card.
After all, the fight was destined to end with one decisive strike.
Swoosh, bang!
Heo Jeong-tae slammed the spear into the ground. The attack was deliberate, regardless of Kang-hoo’s position.
Whoosh!
The resulting shockwave skimmed the ground and swiftly enveloped Kang-hoo.
“……!”
He was struck.
The shockwave wasn’t merely a blunt force; it had an elastic property that tossed the victim upwards.
Suspended by the upward force, Kang-hoo found himself floating, and Heo Jeong-tae prepared his next move.
Kwang!
He unleashed a wind attack, swinging the long spear in a crescent motion through the air.
To be more precise, it was wind laced with sharpness.
Was it akin to a bladed gust?
In any case, Kang-hoo was defenseless, hanging in midair.
Unable to leap under these conditions, he employed an alternative defense.
Whirring!
A protective barrier materialized around him.
Boom!
The sharp wind struck the barrier, but it held firm against the assault with its dependable strength.
Kwang! Kwang!
Heo Jeong-tae launched the blade-wind two more times, but Kang-hoo easily dodged them and moved behind the protective barrier.
“Which group do you belong to?”
“None.”
“You’re kidding. Such skills usually come with guild backing, don’t they?”
“I appreciate the compliment.”
Heo Jeong-tae’s unexpected acknowledgment caused one corner of Kang-hoo’s mouth to curl up.
It seemed he was suggesting that Kang-hoo had undergone a professional training process, perhaps even at a guild level.
This was also due to the ‘prejudice’ that assassin classes are far from being adept at defense-related skills.
Kang-hoo hadn’t forcibly learned this skill; he had plundered it, making it his own without any penalty.
Since it was highly refined, it could feel like a skill trained for a long time from the opponent’s perspective.
Kang-hoo gripped his dagger tighter.
Now that the protective barrier had been revealed, it would definitely factor into his opponent’s calculations.
He had overcome one crisis with quick thinking, but he didn’t have many cards left.
“Let’s see.”
Kang-hoo, who was about to launch a series of attacks, changed his strategy on the spot.
He decided to engage in a strategic war of attrition.
It wasn’t a meaningless effort.
One of Kang-hoo’s unique talents, ‘Exceptionally Good Dynamic Vision’, excelled at catching the opponent’s habits.
If there was a certain preparatory action, like a habit, before a specific attack or aim?
It wouldn’t escape his sharp and accurate insight.
Then Kang-hoo lowered his stance, holding the dagger in a reverse grip to prioritize defense.
It marked the start of a defensive battle, more difficult than offense, but it allowed him to scrutinize the enemy’s tactics closely.
For nearly five minutes, Kang-hoo focused solely on defense.
Considering that one or two attacks could come in just a second, five minutes was indeed a long time.
‘His anti-magic ability is excellent.’
During this period, Kang-hoo noticed that Heo Jeong-tae could completely resist the influence of shallow chaos.
Additionally, Heo Jeong-tae cleverly prevented vision theft by using his long spear to block line of sight, as he appeared to have faced similar abilities numerous times before.
Jumping wasn’t a viable option because of the spear’s distance control.
Lateral movement presented difficulties; whenever Kang-hoo vanished from view, Heo Jeong-tae would first thrust his spear behind him.
Kang-hoo had anticipated that Heo Jeong-tae’s momentum would be quite strong.
However, Heo Jeong-tae’s inner thoughts contrasted sharply with this expectation.
Despite employing every attack method, Kang-hoo seemed invulnerable for some reason.
The protective barrier was exceedingly troublesome.
Furthermore, Kang-hoo’s backward leaps and side movements, using the terrain for concealment, caused all targeted attacks to miss.
Heo Jeong-tae had not managed to inflict even a minor scratch on Kang-hoo.
For Heo Jeong-tae, who had never left an opponent unharmed before, this was a perplexing predicament.
Was that the reason?
Heo Jeong-tae estimated Kang-hoo’s level to be much higher than his own 110, perhaps around 160 or 170.
Although this was a complete misjudgment, he couldn’t shake the feeling of such a refined skill level.
Moreover, Kang-hoo’s ability to use skills from outside the assassin repertoire made Heo Jeong-tae perceive the scent of a ‘professionally trained killer’.
In the meantime.
‘One thing’s for certain. When he executes a powerful strike, he always slightly twists his waist to the left.’
Kang-hoo discovered an important hint while he was concentrated on defending.
This action was a precursor to Heo Jeong-tae’s attack.
The waist twist.
It was too subtle to be labeled a habit and would barely be perceptible unless observed closely.
Of course, sometimes a habit is used to bait an opponent, but Kang-hoo doubted it was that sophisticated.
This was particularly true since he had displayed a counterattacking motion to probe the tactic.
If it were a habit shown just to bait, he would have reacted differently when he made that motion.
‘Then.’
After completing his calculations, Kang-hoo began to rush at full speed.
He blatantly used the vision theft skill on Heo Jeong-tae.
Knowing it would be blocked, he had no expectation for the skill to hit.
“……”
Heo Jeong-tae, with lips firmly sealed, raised his long spear horizontally to block the vision theft skill.
Meanwhile, Kang-hoo got closer to Heo Jeong-tae.
Right then.
‘Now.’
He noticed Heo Jeong-tae slightly twisting his waist to the left—a preparatory action before launching a powerful attack.
It was a sign that he would switch from defense to offense.
A glimpse of an imminent switch between offense and defense!
Kang-hoo charged straight ahead.
With his dagger pointed forward, he made an obvious attempt to target Heo Jeong-tae’s abdomen.
Had he charged recklessly, he would have been hit by a counterattack and fallen, but he had a plan after spotting the preparatory action.
It was…
Wham!
A leap into the air.
“Ah?”
Heo Jeong-tae’s plan to counterattack after a stylish dodge failed.
As the long spear stretched forward, Kang-hoo was already soaring over Heo Jeong-tae’s head.
He was caught completely off guard.
Heo Jeong-tae’s shoulders were stabbed in several places.
A series of thuds echoed as a burning pain spread from his shoulders throughout his body.
The dagger had stabbed the shoulders three times, quite deeply.
‘Still not enough.’
It was a bit early to use Blood Flower, and the wounds were insufficient. Kang-hoo decided to look for one more opening.
If his intention had been to kill Heo Jeong-tae, he would have stabbed the top of his head just now, ending the situation.
But since the objective from the start was ‘capture alive,’ it was crucial to neutralize his combat ability.
Kang-hoo charged again.
To Heo Jeong-tae, now the defender, the attack method seemed absurdly familiar.
First, a sight plunder was thrown, followed by a feint aimed at Heo Jeong-tae’s abdomen as he attempted to block it.
He faced a dilemma of choices.
Kang-hoo realized it then.
Heo Jeong-tae was merely a novice.
For the defender, being forced into a dilemma of choices was always a disadvantage.
“Damn it…”
The powder Heo Jeong-tae had liberally applied between his furrowed brows mixed with sweat and trickled down.
He guarded his stomach.
His calculation was based on the belief that no one would repeat the same, obvious trick.
Yet, that very trick was executed once again. Kang-hoo’s body soared through the air once more.
Puk-puk-puk!
done.co