F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 42

Choe Sangwon's face turned pale as he belatedly grasped the situation. He hastily pulled out his weapon.

"It's nothing. Once we deal with this one..."

-Skwik!

Something plummeted from above and leaped down. Not just one, but three monkeys. All of them held blood-soaked iron pincers, standing in front of Choe Sangwon's group, blocking them. Blood-soaked and corroded, those large iron pincers. The scout drew his dagger and charged at one of the monkeys.

-Cakagang!

The monkey swiftly lifted its pincers, blocking the dagger. Before the scout could react, the monkey immediately launched its counterattack. The iron pincers swung like a bludgeon, rapid and menacing as bullets.

-Pagak!

"Ugh!"

The iron pincers struck the scout's arm with incredible speed and force. With a scream, the scout hastily retreated, losing hold of his dagger. The team watched in astonishment.

"Why did he get pushed back in terms of speed?"

"He's the fastest among us!"

He had been the fastest and the one responsible for reconnaissance, yet now he seemed slow beyond belief. The monkeys, emboldened, clapped their hands and shouted triumphantly.

-Woohaaak!

The monkeys skillfully moved between the ground and the trees, closing in on Choe Sangwon's group. It was obvious that the situation favored the beasts. With their tongues extended like offerings, they approached Choe Sangwon. The succulent fruits that had seemed tempting now looked disturbing.

"Am I to be the offering to these trees?"

Choe Sangwon's hands trembled uncontrollably. Numerous monkeys reached out toward Choe Sangwon's group. They forcibly opened their mouths and pulled their tongues out.

-Wkwik!

From nearby, a sharp scream pierced the air. It was the demon's cry, sounding urgent as if it had been attacked.

-Uh, Uhwik?

The monkeys that were about to attack turned their heads at the sound. In a hurry, they dashed toward the source of the cry. Choe Sangwon looked in the direction of the sound and was astonished.

"What, what's that...!"

Amid the monkeys' discordant noises, one person was swinging a sword wildly. Seo Gangrim was fighting off the monkeys. Despite the considerable number of monkeys, he was ruthlessly slaughtering them without being overwhelmed. Seeing this, the scout urgently shouted.

"Now's the chance! We need to escape quickly!"

At the scout's shout, they hastily started to flee. Behind them, the clamor continued. Only after escaping the orchard did they finally catch their breath.

"Ah, that person earlier was Seo Gangrim, right?"

"Exactly. We saw him from a distance, but... How did he defeat them so easily?"

The monkeys' speed had been too fast, making it difficult to avoid them. And yet, he had annihilated over a dozen of them. As the team admired Seo Gangrim's skill, Choe Sangwon remained silent. He twisted his lips.

'Tsk, it's all thanks to Seo Gangrim that I survived.'

He hadn't forgotten how Seo Gangrim had given him face at the fortune-telling café. Then, the group pointed toward the entrance and spoke.

"Look, Seo Gangrim is coming!"

Seo Gangrim was now calmly walking out of the orchard, having apparently dealt with all the monkeys. The team rushed toward him urgently.

"Thank you so much! If it weren't for Seo Gangrim-ssi..."

"Thanks to Gangrim-ssi, we're alive!"

To their words, Seo Gangrim didn't offer any response. After all, he hadn't saved them out of goodness of his heart. He had hunted the monkeys for their peaches. Glancing at them, he simply said, "It's better not to go in there if possible."

"Well... I know it's dangerous, but we're running low on food..."

They started to exchange glances with each other. Then, one of them spoke up hesitantly, "Seo Gangrim-ssi, did you manage to pick any peaches...?"

"No. The monkeys were swarming, so I just got out of there."

"Then, do you have any surplus food other than that? Could you share some with us?"

Their eyes were filled with desperation. Their faces were worn and haggard due to prolonged starvation, making them look even more pitiful. Seo Gangrim stared at them and said, "I do have some, but I need it for myself."

"But still..."

"I'll sell you some if you pay in spirit pearls."

Saying that, Seo Gangrim retrieved something from his bag. It was a portion of rations that was normally distributed for free in the cafeteria. Normally, they would have disregarded these rations, but now they were more tempting than anything. Swallowing their dry saliva, they asked, "So, how much is it?"

"I'll take 200 spirit pearls each bag."

"What?! 200 each?"

On average, trainees were getting around 100 spirit pearls per day. So, one bag of these rations was equivalent to two days' worth of wages. Then, a sneering voice came from somewhere.

"That's some beggarly grit. Selling those rations for 200 spirit pearls?"

Seo Gangrim looked towards the source of the voice. His eyes met Choe Sangwon's. As their gazes locked, Choe Sangwon continued in a mocking tone, "That's why poor folks are scary. Seriously, even in a situation like this, you want money when people are dying?"

The rest of the group seemed to agree with him, their eyes showing a mix of desperation and resentment. Normally, people would have flinched at such words, but Seo Gangrim remained unmoved. Choe Sangwon added another remark, "Even if you're broke, you should have a conscience. Where did your conscience go?"

"Where did my conscience go? You know better than anyone what food means in this situation."

Choe Sangwon flinched at that. Seo Gangrim continued in a low voice, "So, I saved your lives a moment ago, but now you say I have no conscience. Quite the amusing situation."

"But... 200 spirit pearls is too expensive..."

"If you don't like it, don't buy it."

As Seo Gangrim put the rations back into his bag, they all wore disappointed expressions.

"I... I'm sorry, Seo Gangrim-ssi. I want to buy those rations..." One person hesitantly spoke up.

"Hey, seriously? You're going to buy them? It's a rip-off!"

"Still, it's cheaper than the price of our lives."

Here, the most precious thing was food. Even if someone offered a fortune, they wouldn't sell food. While 200 spirit pearls was indeed a substantial amount, selling food was out of the question.

"How many bags will you buy? I have enough to spare."

"I'll take three bags... No, six bags, please."

Others also bought rations with tears in their eyes. Seo Gangrim glanced at Choe Sangwon.

"Choe Sangwon-ssi, aren't you buying any?"

"...I don't have any spirit pearls."

Having neglected hunting, Choe Sangwon was desperately short on spirit pearls. Even the small amount he had was depleted by purchasing weapons. Choe Sangwon looked at Seo Gangrim and asked, "How many bags of rations do you have left?"

"About ten bags."

"How about a barter instead of cash? This watch is worth 10 million won."

He showed his wristwatch to Seo Gangrim. The people around them were visibly surprised. Ten bags of rations for a 10-million-won watch – it was as if he was buying each bag for a million won.

"Choe Sangwon-ssi, isn't that too expensive...?"

"Doesn't matter. I have plenty at home."

Choe Sangwon looked at Seo Gangrim with a smirk. At this level, Choe Sangwon thought Seo Gangrim wouldn't reject it either. However, Seo Gangrim was looking down at the watch with an indifferent expression.

"I'll only take spirit pearls."

"What? This is a 10 million won watch!"

"Do you have a warranty? How can I be sure if it's genuine or fake, if it's really worth 10 million won?"

"Look here! The brand mark is clearly engraved!"

Seo Gangrim appeared unimpressed. He let out a short sigh and said, "For argument's sake, let's say it's real."

"It's not for argument's sake, it's real!"

"Up to 10 bags is a bit much, but I'll sell you five."

"This, this...!"

Exchanging a 10 million won watch for five bags of free rations – was that even a reasonable trade? However, the current situation was a bit different. Choe Sangwon looked around at the other people with a hopeful expression. They were hurriedly eating their rations, but when their eyes met Choe Sangwon's, they quickly averted their gaze. They seemed to have no intention of giving away their rations.

"Are you buying or not?"

At Seo Gangrim's urging, Choe Sangwon was trembling. Finally, he extended the watch. Seo Gangrim took it and roughly put it in his pocket before handing over five bags of rations.

"Oh, and..."

He took out something and placed it on top of the rations. It was a star candy.

"This is a bonus."

Choe Sangwon glared at Seo Gangrim as if he wanted to kill him, but Seo Gangrim paid no attention and left calmly. In the meantime, the gods were chattering.

【Wow, he is probably eager to possess those bags just by looking at him.】

【Seo Gangrim isn't ordinary either.】

【He's really good with a weapon.】

【But if he gives away so many rations like that, how will he survive?】

Choe Sangwon's expression became strange as he heard the voices. Seo Gangrim had indeed sold a significant amount of rations. It looked like there he had sold over 20 bags, roughly estimated.

'What does Seo Gangrim plan to do from now on? Does he have even more provisions?'

If he had around 20 bags of rations, was he carrying absurdly abundant provisions? With that thought, a sense of greed began to sprout in Choe Sangwon's mind. He stood up abruptly and said, "Everyone, stand up."

"Yes? Why?"

"Let's ambush Seo Gangrim."

At the word 'ambush', everyone's eyes widened.

Choe Sangwon said, as if pitying them, "You're just going to let him get away with that? Selling rations at such an exorbitant price and just letting him go?"

"But, but..."

"And he seems so nonchalant after selling us those rations at such a price. He must have more. We need to take it from him."

The word 'rations' made their eyes waver. Right now, they each had about 5 or 6 bags of rations. Even if they ate two bags a day, it would only last for three days.

"But Seo Gangrim seems quite strong..."

"He's only one man, can anyone here not face him? Why is everyone so afraid?" Choe Sangwon said. Some were worried about their pride, and others were troubled by their conscience. However, hunger was stronger than pride or conscience. In the end, they all stood up and began to move.

"He can't have gone far. Let's find him quickly."

Choe Sangwon led them, chasing the direction in which Seo Gangrim had disappeared. Normally, he would have observed from behind, but now he was actively scanning the surroundings. A while later, a scout rushed to Choe Sangwon.

"Choe Sangwon-ssi, I found him! Seo Gangrim is over there!"

"Hurry, lead the way!"

They hurriedly headed in the direction where Seo Gangrim was seen. Seo Gangrim, hunting a wild boar, came into view. They kept their distance and hid behind the bushes, waiting for Seo Gangrim to show an opening.

Amidst this, the scout mumbled curiously, "Why... why is he taking that?"

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