Chapter 20

Siyoon leveled his gun at the window where he sensed a presence.

‘Did the fact that I accepted the commission leak? How?’

A pressing question.

It was a thought that crossed his mind right before combat, yet it was crucial.

If true, it was proof that Min Seolah’s handling of the matter was sloppy.

‘Did Min Seolah botch the job? No, if she couldn’t do her job properly, she never would have climbed to that position.’

A bad feeling crept over him.

Min Seolah was the only one who knew that Siyoon was the one who took the commission.

Information could have leaked through surveillance or a mole.

But he couldn’t imagine Min Seolah being careless enough to let that happen.

Which meant…

Chaenggeurang—!

A sharp noise cut off his ensuing thoughts.

Glass fragments, reflecting the fluorescent light, poured inward.

Through the opening, a dagger swung by the intruder plunged toward him.

‘The timing of the attack itself is exquisite. Is this a professional assassin?’

Even with the attack trajectory visible, it was hard to perceive.

If he hadn’t enhanced his body, he wouldn’t have even noticed the ambush.

Siyoon pulled the trigger, sniping the bastard.

Kka-ang!

“What the…!”

Startled by the shot, the man swung his dagger in a panic.

He blocked it by a hair’s breadth, but the bullet’s momentum sent his arm flying upward.

Siyoon pulled the trigger again at his now-exposed torso.

“Where do you think you’re—!”

Kkagak—

The man who entered right after sharpened his blade and sliced the bullet away.

To read the trajectory perfectly from just a brief glimpse was astounding.

He possessed exceptional dynamic vision and skill.

“Careful. This bastard sensed our presence and prepared an attack in advance.”

“Interesting. The commission didn’t say anything about that.”

Siyoon listened to their conversation and thought.

‘They’re more dangerous than I thought.’

He had suspected as much, but these were assassins who came targeting him.

Currently, two had entered through the window.

And three more were waiting to breach from the front door.

Siyoon’s sniping was powerful.

Both the ‘RTB-201’ and its corresponding RTB-201 Ammunition were enhanced to +5.

The fact that they blocked it so easily meant they were skilled enough to match.

But what bothered him more was their conversation.

‘A commission. They were definitely hired by someone.’

The information had definitely leaked.

Whether due to an external variable or Min Seolah.

Siyoon analyzed the situation coldly.

He was currently at a clear disadvantage.

Fighting in a cramped studio apartment against opponents of this caliber.

It was the worst possible situation, but at the same time, it was an opportunity.

For close combat, a tight space was perfect.

Seuk.

Siyoon placed his finger on the trigger.

Reacting to this, the two men crouched and leaped.

“You trying to shoot again?”

“At this range? Idiot.”

The two assassins underestimated Siyoon.

A sniper’s power was clearly diminished in close quarters.

And Siyoon, registered at the Association, was a ‘Gunner’.

While better than an Archer, a Gunner was also at a disadvantage in melee combat.

Swe-aek.

He swung his dagger.

He intended to sever Siyoon’s wrist first.

His speed was top-rank even within his party.

In this situation, even a sniper with keen eyes would struggle to react.

Seuk.

“…?”

But at that moment, Siyoon’s eyes moved.

Right toward the approaching dagger.

Sensing something off, the man accelerated.

Kka-a-a-ang!

The long barrel struck the flat of the dagger from below.

The unexpected impact threw off the attack, causing him to stumble.

To cover for this, the other man aimed for a blind spot.

At that moment, Siyoon twisted his body and struck the man’s wrist.

Udeuk.

“Ugh…?!”

It wasn’t a mere swing; it was a fully powered strike.

Along with the pain of his bones twisting, the attack went wide.

In that opening, Siyoon’s fist plunged forward, slamming into his abdomen.

Ppeo-uk!

“Keugh!!”

With the sound of flesh bursting, the man vomited blood.

A direct hit had caused internal injuries.

Siyoon flowed like water, dodging the attack from the side.

“You son of a bitch!”

A fierce attack.

Seeing it was sharper than before, he must have used a skill.

But the same applied to Siyoon.

‘Now.’

Siyoon raised his guard and stepped in.

And the moment he thrust, he deflected the wrist holding the dagger with his forearm.

“Huh?”

The dagger grazed past, missing by a hand’s breadth.

The man realized his weight had already shifted forward.

Siyoon had grabbed and pulled him.

Ppa-ak!

Using both his opponent’s weight and his own, he drove his fist into the man’s face.

Along with drops of blood, a knocked-out tooth flew into the air.

“What the…”

The surrounding assassins were dumbfounded.

The intel clearly stated he was a sniper. A Gunner, at that.

But right now, he was fighting like a bare-knuckle brawler.

What they felt was actually close to the truth.

The current results were all thanks to his new skill, ‘Close Combat Technique’.

‘At this level… I can handle them.’

Close Combat Technique was more impressive than he thought.

How to move his body, striking points.

The exact moments to dodge or dive in.

Even without learning them, acquiring the skill automatically painted the knowledge in his mind.

Shwi-ik!

Siyoon crouched and dove in.

Caught off guard by the sudden irregular movement, the man swung his dagger.

But faster than that, Siyoon slammed his fist forward.

“Keok!”

He put his weight behind a strike to the solar plexus.

He followed up by stepping back to dodge the counterattack.

Simultaneously, he parried the strike from the side.

Kka-kang!

“Damn it, forget ‘fishing’! Breach now!”

Siyoon deflected the dagger with all his might using his barrel.

At that moment, the front door was ripped off its hinges as another assassin charged in.

One had a pistol, the other two had daggers.

Ideal weapons for assassinating a target in a confined space.

Tuk.

Siyoon shoved the man toward the others.

At the same time, a brief opening appeared.

He instinctively fired his sniper rifle into that gap.

Peo-geok—

“Keugh…!”

The bullet pierced cleanly through a knee.

It wasn’t life-threatening, but it was a debilitating blow.

“You… you’re far stronger than expected.”

The man’s eyes sharpened at Siyoon’s response.

At his signal, the assassins surrounded Siyoon.

‘I don’t have many chances.’

Siyoon took a deep breath.

Could he do it?

No, he had to.

If he wanted to survive here and now.

‘Investigating the information leak comes later. Survival is the priority.’

It was a disadvantageous situation.

But for some reason.

He didn’t feel like he would lose.

Ta-tat!

Siyoon took light steps and dove into close range.

Simultaneously, daggers rained down from all directions.

Siyoon accepted the risk and forced his attack through.

Kwa-ang!

His fist slammed into the man’s jaw.

An uppercut swinging upward from below.

“Kkeuk…”

The impact sent the man’s eyes rolling back.

Perhaps biting his tongue, blood trickled from his mouth.

“An F-Rank, daring to—!”

The rolled-back eyes snapped back for a moment.

The man swung his blade in a rage.

Siyoon timed it perfectly and struck the flat of the blade with the back of his hand.

Tteo-eong!!

“…?!”

Bewilderment filled the opponent’s eyes.

To think he would block the attack by striking the flat of the blade.

Siyoon rolled his foot forward and stomped on the man’s instep.

“Keugh-aaagh!”

The man screamed in pain.

As his concentration scattered, Siyoon snapped his neck without hesitation.

‘Four left.’

Prolonging this would do no good.

He needed to end it quickly.

Teu-ut—

Siyoon pulled the trigger.

The bullet pierced the opponent’s thigh.

Exploiting the opening created by his broken stance, Siyoon swung his sniper rifle at the man.

“Keugh!”

Struck by the buttstock, the man bled profusely.

Siyoon similarly snapped his neck, ending his life.

“You son of a bitch!!”

“Shut up.”

“I’ll crush you to death!”

Kung.

The man charged at Siyoon.

His momentum was like a raging bull.

Siyoon fired his sniper rifle at the incoming fist.

With a meaty thwack, a few fingers went flying.

“Aaaargh!”

But instead of stopping, the man committed to a reckless attack.

Siyoon calmly pulled the trigger again.

The attack trajectory was obvious.

All he had to do was aim for the head and shoot.

Peok.

With a sound like a watermelon bursting, the head exploded.

Two left.

The other man panicked at the consecutive deaths of his comrades.

“You crazy bastard…!”

He couldn’t believe the current situation.

‘That’s an F-Rank hunter? Is he insane?’

As far as he checked, Lee Siyoon was indeed an F-Rank hunter.

He was registered at the Association as a ‘Gunner’, and the registration date was recent.

But the prowess displayed before his eyes was entirely different.

The audacity to engage in close combat against assassins.

Combat prowess that didn’t falter even when his primary weapon, a firearm, was neutralized.

Add to that his instantaneous decision-making and the concentration to pinpoint openings.

These were abilities that couldn’t possibly belong to an F-Rank hunter.

Teol-sseok.

At that moment, the Gunner’s body collapsed forward.

He had been shot by Siyoon and died instantly.

Only one remained.

“Damn it…!”

He couldn’t die here.

The man kicked off the ground with all his might.

Kwa-ang!

In an instant, he closed the distance to Siyoon and swung his dagger.

It was a sharp attack, but it didn’t connect.

Because Siyoon had already pulled back.

His movements were bizarrely fast.

Kka-ang!

“Huh?”

At that moment, an ominous sound rang out from the swung dagger.

Looking at it, the blade of the dagger was broken.

“The durability isn’t that great.”

“What…”

A thin wisp of smoke drifted from the muzzle Siyoon aimed at him.

In that brief moment, he had targeted the dagger and fired.

“Ha, haha…”

Realizing this, the man laughed in despair.

Siyoon watched him for a moment before pulling the trigger, aiming at his head.

Peo-geok!

Ultimately, the last man also met his end by Siyoon’s bullet.