Chapter 82

My stomach was churning. Shin Jae-heon’s lips twisted into a sneer.

No, I wasn’t the only one getting worked up.

Right on cue, a chat popped up.

Hunter Yian kept repeating his apologies and thanks, but he seemed perfectly calm.

His status window confirmed it. Plus, he was always the stoic type.

Shin Jae-heon could easily picture him sitting there, buried in paperwork.

He always looked at the entire team with that gentle gaze.

That used to be the case.

But lately, something had shifted in him—subtly. And Shin Jae-heon had noticed it first.

That kindness in his eyes always lingered a little longer on Shin Yuri.

One extra glance. Just a bit more time on her than anyone else.

“That…”

Was it my imagination? Or do you feel the same way I do?

I hope it’s not the latter.

‘Shadow, could you pass this drawing to Hunter Yian?’

Shin Jae-heon recalled the sketch he’d made in the high school RP dungeon.

He hoped Hunter Yian had received it with a smile.

Hoped he hadn’t read into it—hadn’t picked up on the unease, the warning.

“…”

He narrowed his eyes and approached the bathroom.

He’d stripped off his gloves and armor, down to a light shirt and pants.

Click.

The moment he opened the bathroom door.

“Oh.”

He let out a soft exclamation.

A strange killing intent prickled his senses.

Before him stretched the emperor’s private bath, thick with steam.

Someone was hiding in there, cloaked by the mist.

He activated the skill he’d been using a lot lately, once again.

The bathroom was filled with traces of bright red hostility.

And then.

The moment the system window appeared.

Crack!

Shin Jae-heon whipped the towel in his hand at the spot right beside him.

“!”

The assassin’s sword, aimed at him, got completely wrapped in the towel.

The sharp blade bent outward from the force and centrifugal power of the towel, catching the assassin off guard for a moment.

Shing!

But this was no amateur—he recovered quickly.

A faint sound of him drawing another blade scraped against Shin Jae-heon’s ears.

Of course.

An assassin’s weapon wouldn’t be just one.

Whoosh!

While the assassin gripped his new sword, Shin Jae-heon yanked the towel hard.

To use his sword properly, he’d have to abandon the trapped one.

Swoosh!

Sure enough, the discarded sword flew straight toward him.

Shin Jae-heon’s lips curled into a mocking smile.

The assassin had made a foolish choice.

Clang!

The sword he’d snatched from the assassin clashed with the assassin’s new dagger, sparks flying.

And then.

Thwip!

True to his speed, the assassin drew a throwing dagger with his other hand and hurled it at him.

Shin Jae-heon twisted his head aside, dodging it.

Krunch!

“Not bad strength.”

He muttered. The dagger punched straight through the bathroom wall.

A sharp sting spread across his cheek—slightly grazed.

Shin Jae-heon narrowed his eyes.

This kind of scratch should heal fast.

But a faint pain lingered. And a sweet, cloying scent touched his tongue.

“Hm…”

No wonder. The steam was too thick for just vapor.

Clang!

Shin Jae-heon swung his sword again.

The assassin’s stance faltered from the throwing motion, exposing a gap.

But instead of pressing the attack, Shin Jae-heon spun around, slashing wide and kicking the bathroom door open.

Bang!

The thick steam—no, poison mist—flooded out into the hall.

“…!”

From the start, the assassin had planned to hide in this white poison mist. Their eyes met head-on—the assassin wrapped head to toe in white cloth, and Shin Jae-heon.

The apocalypse prophecy mentioned assassins sent after the emperor. But since the method wasn’t ‘poisoning,’ this mist wasn’t as potent as whatever had targeted Hunter Yian.

That was a relief.

“Hup!”

The assassin, deciding to finish before the mist fully cleared, swung at Shin Jae-heon again.

“Are you an assassin or a weapons dealer? Hard to tell.”

Shin Jae-heon was dumbfounded by the arsenal dangling off the guy.

So that’s why he’d ditched the sword?

Not only did he have another dagger, but several throwing knives tucked in his sleeves too.

Clang!

Their swords met head-on.

Shin Jae-heon narrowed his eyes.

Stronger than expected.

If this poison mist disguised as steam wasn’t granting an L-rank boost, then the problem was the assassin himself.

How much RP dungeon correction had this guy gotten?

Assassins with those skills usually got pushed back in direct sword clashes with dealers—even among S-ranks.

But this one didn’t budge an inch.

Riiing!

At least S-rank or higher.

Shin Jae-heon thrust again.

He’d thought they’d wait a bit after Hunter Yian’s business before coming. Didn’t expect one lying in wait in the imperial palace already.

So the crown prince had targeted both Hunter Yian and him at once?

Was this the Eastern Empire’s power? Or RP dungeon buffs?

Didn’t matter either way.

Hiss…

As the steam and poison cleared from the bath, impatience crept into the assassin’s eyes.

Obviously.

Even if the emperor had changed, they hadn’t expected this level of skill.

[S]

S-rank assassin, boosted by RP dungeon power.

Doable.

Unlucky for the assassin: Shin Jae-heon was a dealer loaded with anti-humanoid monster skills.

Plus, the foe was trapped in a bathroom with no escape, most of it filled with water—nowhere to hide or dodge freely.

“…”

The assassin’s eyes hardened with tension. Briefly.

“Hah!”

Abandoning flight, he charged head-on.

Shin Jae-heon’s lips curved upward.

RP dungeons don’t buff intelligence, huh.

He was used to facing high-rankers while his own stats were ‘weak.’

Had been since C-rank days.

Activating his buffs in one go, Shin Jae-heon gripped his sword tight one last time.

A blue glow highlighted the assassin’s body—weak points exposed.

Shin Jae-heon didn’t miss it.

“Hah!”

With a shout, he swung wide. The assassin bared his teeth.

“Hmph!”

As if thinking Shin Jae-heon had fallen for a deliberate feint.

But the sword didn’t strike the assassin.

It slammed into the bath floor.

The marble was hollow inside for weight reasons, and unfortunately for the assassin, the bath was full of water.

Krunch-crunch-crash!

Cracks spiderwebbed from the impact point. The floor under the assassin collapsed in an instant.

“!”

No time to dodge—the crumbling floor let the scalding bathwater rush into the empty space below.

“Blub!”

While the assassin flailed in the water.

That split second was enough.

Shin Jae-heon’s swift sword pierced clean through him.

“!”

The tracking skill was handy.

When facing someone with hostility right in front of you, it instantly told you if they were alive or dead.

Having cleanly dispatched the foe, Shin Jae-heon turned away.

“Guess bathing’s off the table.”

He rubbed his cheek with the back of his hand, eyeing the half-destroyed bath.

Still bleeding, so the sword must have been coated in a healing-delay poison.

His tongue, numb to most poisons, was tingling—probably reacting with the white mist.

Click.

Shin Jae-heon left the bathroom.

Once out of the poison haze, his condition improved noticeably.

The second he confirmed it, he reported back in the hunter chat.

The reply came instantly. Shin Jae-heon waited leisurely for her reaction.

As expected, she checked the party status window—just the right pause—before chatting back.

Miserable when she was close by, but her name alone lit him up—what a ridiculous feeling.

Shin Jae-heon chuckled.

I didn’t expect it this soon either.

That’s when Shin Jae-heon glanced back at the bathroom.

“Your Majesty!”

“Are you alright?!”

A beat late, attendants and knights came rushing in.

The nearby guards’ faces were ashen. Naturally.

Even if the emperor repelled the assassin, they were all facing execution for failing their watch.

“No one’s getting punished for this.”

The knights’ eyes widened at his words.

Shin Jae-heon brushed past them with an impassive face.

He knew it couldn’t be helped.

How do you catch a guy boosted by L-rank RP dungeon correction?

“But—”

Still, to dodge penalties, some words were in order.

Ivan Elethia von Carman, who had ‘revealed his true self’ from a once-weak nature, was no merciful soul.

“You’ll have to work that much harder from now on.”

Show some noticeable growth.

The knights swallowed hard and bowed low before him.

As he passed, Shin Jae-heon thought.

Guess I’ll settle for a cold shower.

Or maybe what I needed from the start wasn’t a hot bath, but cold water.

Yuri. Shin Yuri.

Her name stood out amid the worried team chats.

“An assassination attempt this soon? What the hell?”

I was floored.

Is the Eastern Empire some assassin paradise?

Is that why they can’t clear dungeons?

No frontline dealers? All specialized in backstabs?

The guy’s saying he’s fine, but stacking buffs like that to take it down?

Status windows don’t show unless it’s a serious injury.

Meaning, even if hurt, it might not register.

Buffs had decreased now that he wasn’t fighting.

But I couldn’t shake the anxiety.

This was L-rank poison territory. Even a small wound could turn fatal in seconds.

Exactly. Sending assassins without any bushido code? Unbelievable.

Debating assassin ethics was ridiculous, but still.

Relief, anger, and absurdity swirled in my head when.

Her bubbly chat carried total confidence.

I raised an eyebrow at So Yeri Hunter’s message.

The chats came after what felt like So Yeri Hunter giggling.