The Genius Assassin Who Takes it All-Chapter 238: The Silent Sea (3)

Kim Shin-ryeong’s villa.

As Kang-hoo observed the still-intact traps at the entrance, he recalled the first time he met her.

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Back then, he wondered why she had such an odd hobby of setting traps for her visitors.

But as they grew closer, it didn’t seem like she did it without reason.

It felt like she wanted her visitors to prove they were worthy of meeting her.

This implied she was confident in her abilities, and indeed, her skills were exceptional.

So it made sense that she preferred meeting hunters of a certain caliber rather than being swarmed by just anyone.

Inside the villa, Kim Shin-ryeong took off her coat as she guided Kang-hoo in and asked directly,

“Where do you want the engraving done?”

“This item here.”

“May I take a look? I’ll need to assess it first.”

“Go ahead.”

Kang-hoo handed the Corrupted Conviction to Kim Shin-ryeong.

Taking the item and examining its components, she naturally checked its options and nodded.

It was a remarkable dagger.

Until he could obtain a first-grade dagger, this one seemed valuable enough for active use.

After thoroughly inspecting the blade’s edges and surfaces, Kim Shin-ryeong held up three fingers and said,

“You’ll definitely need three Claws of Hatred. Maybe even a fourth, depending on the situation.”

“That’s fine. How do you think it’ll feel after engraving?”

“Good question. Follow me.”

Kim Shin-ryeong led Kang-hoo to the adjacent room.

There stood a life-sized silicone mannequin with its arms and legs spread in an X-shape.

“If this is how much damage it cuts through now…”

Swish.

Her casual swipe with the dagger left a wound about as deep as a thumbnail.

Since the silicone model had no defense like a hunter’s body, the cut appeared sharper than it would in reality.

Her point wasn’t about the actual damage but the potential increase in power.

“After engraving, this will be the baseline.”

Swoosh!

The cut depth increased by nearly half a finger segment.

That meant about 2.2 times the current cutting power—impressive enough.

“That’s great.”

“However, I can’t guarantee the duration. The more frequently and deeply you cut, the quicker it will dull. If your technique is poor, it’ll wear out even faster.”

“I understand.”

Kang-hoo nodded.

Engraved weaponry inevitably dulled with use.

To counteract that, re-engraving was necessary, requiring additional materials.

There’s even a saying: “There’s no hunter who’s only engraved their weapon once.”

Once you’ve tasted the enhanced cutting power, it’s hard to go back.

“10 billion won. Upfront.”

“I’ll transfer it right away.”

“You can watch if you’re curious. There’s no big secret to it, and you wouldn’t be able to copy it even if you tried.”

Despite industry norms of guarding such techniques, Kim Shin-ryeong nonchalantly began engraving.

With his arms crossed, Kang-hoo watched her work with interest.

For 10 straight minutes, her hands moved tirelessly.

As she said, there was no way to replicate her technique—it was just awe-inspiring.

The engraving was completed in 10 minutes. Not an hourly rate, but a per-minute rate of 1 billion won. Engraving was indeed a lucrative profession.

“Go ahead and test it. There are plenty of silicone models.”

“No need. I’ll test it on a suitable target later.”

“You trust me?”

“More precisely, I trust your pride.”

“Haha, nicely put.”

“Either way, it’s flawless. No unfinished details, and the finishing touches are excellent.”

“Hey, I’m Kim Shin-ryeong. Don’t you know?”

“I do. That’s why I’m satisfied.”

Click!

Kang-hoo sheathed the Corrupted Conviction.

The secondary task was swiftly handled. Now, it was time to focus on their main objectives.

“Are you ready to test the item immediately?”

“Yes, that’s what I came here for. How many tests are you planning?”

“As many as possible.”

“Then, could I get a cup of coffee? Feeling a bit sluggish.”

“You’re bolder now. You didn’t strike me as the type to ask for food or drinks first.”

With a slight laugh, Kim Shin-ryeong headed to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Kang-hoo stepped outside.

Swinging a dagger inside the villa wasn’t an option. Outside, there was a training ground designed for various experiments.

As he waited for her, Kang-hoo reflected on his memories of Kim Shin-ryeong from the original story.

“Her ability to modify items without compromising stability is advanced. Even on a global scale, she’s among the top ten.”

There was no doubt about her skills.

However, her value was often underestimated due to her reclusive nature.

Her preference for limited interactions and transactions made her difficult to approach.

Additionally, rumors of her testing hunters to death added to her infamous reputation.

It was clear that Kim Shin-ryeong made no effort to correct or change public perception of her.

Perhaps she didn’t want to—after all, it certainly reduced the number of bothersome visitors.

Some time later.

Kang-hoo took a sip of the coffee Kim Shin-ryeong handed him and began testing the modified item.

She explained further.

“The dagger’s options are fairly standard. But I added a special engraving to create something akin to a Double Slash.”

“Oh?”

Double Slash.

It referred to a skill similar to the one used by Go Kyung-ho before Kang-hoo had killed him.

It involved slashing with the blade first, followed by a “magic blade” that cut along the same trajectory.

Swish. Swish swish.

As Kang-hoo slowly swung the dagger in different directions, his eyes gleamed.

He tested it in various scenarios, slashing left, right, up, down, forward, and back.

Kim Shin-ryeong carefully observed Kang-hoo’s expression.

She knew his meticulous nature would immediately reveal any dissatisfaction on his face.

Yet, his expression seemed rather positive, even curious.

Kim Shin-ryeong watched him with nervous anticipation, as if awaiting the reaction of someone tasting her carefully prepared dish.

“It’s quite good.”

“Really? No issues so far?”

“For now, it meets my standards. But…”

“But?”

Before she could react, Kang-hoo suddenly accelerated to full speed.

Wham! Wham! Wham!

Unlike earlier, he incorporated explosive movements while slashing the dagger in every direction.

His speed and intensity were so high that even Kim Shin-ryeong, with her sharp eye, lost track of the dagger’s position momentarily.

Kang-hoo’s pace quickened steadily.

To the point where one might wonder if his body could handle such extreme acceleration.

At that moment—

Thwack!

Kang-hoo’s final strike hit nothing but air. He stopped and tossed a handkerchief from his pocket into the air.

Then—

Slice!

The handkerchief was cut cleanly in two.

It wasn’t a test of the dagger’s cutting power, as the handkerchief wasn’t particularly resistant. Kim Shin-ryeong was about to inquire about Kang-hoo’s intention when—

“This modification is a failure.”

Kang-hoo declared.

Most would have cautiously phrased it as “it seems like a failure” or “it might be a failure.”

But his decisive tone left no room for doubt. Instead of asking “Why?” Kim Shin-ryeong waited for his explanation.

There was no reason to doubt Kang-hoo’s skill or judgment, so there had to be a valid reason.

She held her breath.

“….”

“The speed at which the magic slash follows the blade is slightly delayed. If this builds up during continuous attacks…”

“Ah!”

Kim Shin-ryeong finally understood the significance of the handkerchief test and exclaimed.

“It could result in self-inflicted injuries due to excessive speed. Essentially, it creates a situation of ‘self-destructive combat.’”

“That’s a critical flaw. It turns the weapon into one that could kill its user.”

“It might be effective if sold to less-skilled hunters, but I doubt that’s your intent.”

“Exactly. Wow… I completely missed this during my internal testing. You caught it right away.”

“You might consider targeting a lower skill level for sales.”

“No, I’ll rework this piece. This was excellent feedback.”

She smiled with satisfaction.

She had hoped Kang-hoo would pinpoint any flaws she had overlooked, and he delivered perfectly.

The time invested in the modification wasn’t wasted. Failures were stepping stones to avoiding repeated mistakes.

Kang-hoo continued testing the other modified weapons Kim Shin-ryeong handed him.

None of his tests were “ordinary.”

He pushed himself to extreme conditions, observing how the weapon functioned in such scenarios.

Kim Shin-ryeong could see it clearly.

Kang-hoo approached testing with the mindset of accounting for the most extreme environments.

It made sense upon reflection.

After all, hunters used items either for dungeon raids or self-defense.

Neither situation allowed for half-hearted efforts or predictable outcomes—it was all about managing variables.

Through rigorous self-testing, Kang-hoo simulated extreme variables and challenges.

Kim Shin-ryeong felt grateful for Kang-hoo’s meticulous testing, even though she knew it wasn’t pure goodwill. He likely had his own strategic motivations.

Still, she appreciated it. It also brought back old memories.

Memories of Vincent Meyer, which surfaced whenever she thought she’d forgotten them.

Before severing ties with Vincent, she once asked him—

“If you rampage like that as a murderer, don’t your elite group colleagues have anything to say?”

At the time, Vincent had given a cryptic reply.

She never knew who belonged to his group, nor does she know now.

“The decision-maker and strongest in our group is the ‘Captain.’ When the Captain gets delusional and acts all kind-hearted, that’s the only time anyone says anything. Otherwise, no one cares. So you shouldn’t either. This is the last nagging I’ll tolerate.”

Even in hindsight, those words tightened her chest.

Kim Shin-ryeong, who once cherished Vincent, shut her heart that day, leaving it as a deep wound.

Yet—

After meeting Kang-hoo, her supposedly sealed heart seemed to be foolishly opening again.

Her natural curiosity kept creating more questions about him.

It wasn’t rational curiosity.

When she saw talented hunters, she felt an urge to equip them with every possible advantage.

A kind of “Savior Complex.”

Yes, she had heard that exact phrase during therapy once.

The desire to fill someone’s gaps and weaknesses, to transform them into a perfect being.

To Kim Shin-ryeong, Kang-hoo was someone worth investing time and effort into.

Someone with the potential to take what he received and multiply it twofold, no—threefold.