F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 50

As if in agreement, Yoon Bom and Yoon Geoul vigorously nodded their heads. The voices of the gods expressing their admiration resounded.

【Krrr, is this camaraderie?】

【Touching, Shin Sooah!】

【The spirit of camaraderie between them lives on!】

【Could Shin Sooah have feelings for Seo Gangrim!】

【Somehow, I've had that feeling for a while.】

Amidst the gods' playful banter, Sin Sooah added a comment. "And I don't plan on leaving first because I want to clear this stage at the highest difficulty."

Her voice was firm, as if she were denying the gods' voices themselves. Dokgo Jun agreed as well.

"That's right. Clearing just the intermediate level is trivial."

Well, Seo Gangrim hadn't thought that they would be satisfied with just the intermediate or lower levels in the first place. These people were strong, so at the very least, they would be able protect their lives. But the problem was...

"Do you intend to stay as well, Father?"

The situation was different for Yohan. He was the type to get scared just from seeing demons, and there was no way he could fight with others. Trembling slightly, Father Yohan nodded. "I, I... Since there's a possibility that people could get hurt, I want to stay."

It seemed better for him to be concerned about his own safety rather than others. While Seo Gangrim was contemplating whether to persuade him to leave, Yoon Bom raised her hand.

"Don't worry, Father Yohan. I'll protect you! So don't worry, Master!"

"That's right. We'll protect you, Father."

With the twins offering to protect him, Father Yohan seemed deeply moved, his eyes glistening with tears. "Yoon Bom, Yoon Geoul..."

As touching as the moment was, it wasn't enough. These two were strong enough, that was for sure. However, Seo Gangrim couldn't be sure if they had the ability to protect Father Yohan while fighting. Seeing that Seo Gangrim didn't respond, Shin Sooah quietly approached him. "Seo Gangrim-ssi, do you plan to act alone?"

As expected, Shin Sooah was quite perceptive. In the face of Seo Gangrim's silence, she continued speaking hesitantly, "I overheard something earlier. Zone One is targeting you. If we all team up to overpower them, we might have a chance."

Seo Gangrim had considered subduing Zone One, but that was his responsibility. He didn't want to involve others needlessly. Hence, when he spoke next, he mixed in a little white lie, "I don't intend to fight people from Zone One. Instead, I'm looking for the conditions to clear the highest difficulty. It seems a better goal than to waste energy on unnecessary fights."

"That might be better than fighting Zone One. However, we don't know what the conditions for the highest difficulty mission are yet..."

Shin Sooah seemed a bit troubled. To this, Seo Gangrim subtly conveyed his intention. "So, how about each of us splits up to gather information? It might be better than sticking together."

"And you're going alone?"

Due to the clouded sky, a shadow seemed to deepen over Shin Sooah's face. She knew Seo Gangrim's concerns, but this was something he needed to handle myself.

"If alone, I might not be able to fight, but I can escape. I gained a new ability that makes my body transparent."

"..."

"Actually, it would be more uncomfortable for me if we acted together."

After subtly conveying his refusal, Shin Sooah seemed to give up. Nodding, she said, "Alright then. Let's decide which areas each of us will investigate."

Seo Gangrim decided to cover the central area, and Shin Sooah would divide the remaining areas among the others to investigate. After informing the others of this plan, Dokgo Jun threw a question at Seo Gangrim.

"Who will you go with, Seo Gangrim?"

"I'm going alone."

"Even if you're you, won't it be tough alone? How about having a partner? How about me?"

With a friendly face, Dokgo Jun spoke. Seo Gangrim had only one answer.

"No, please stay here."

"Hmm, Seo Gangrim. You don't really hate me, do you?"

"It's not that I hate you, it's that I don't trust you with me."

Dokgo Jun's personality was trash, but his skill was top-notch. If Zone One were to attack, they would need people to protect the others.

"You should be able to handle Zone One even if they come at you in force, so I trust you. Please protect Father Yohan."

At least this statement was sincere. Upon hearing this, Dokgo Jun's surprised expression turned into a smirk.

"That's a nice thing to say, Seo Gangrim."

Considering that Seo Gangrim had been ignoring and treating Dokgo Jun poorly until now, it seemed appropriate to give him a compliment now and then. But if Seo Gangrim praised him too much, his ego would inflate, so this was just the right amount.

After disregarding Dokgo Jun, who was now smiling, Seo Gangrim turned to Shin Sooah and said, "Shin Sooah-ssi, I'll go scout and come back. Let's regroup here after the scouting is done."

"Got it. Be careful, Seo Gangrim-ssi."

After a brief farewell, everyone scattered in their respective directions. The gods started to chat carelessly.

【Gangrim still can't be straightforward today.】

【Right, he's actually quite lonely!】

【Now even Dokgo Jun seems to be showing some grudge.】

Laughter-filled voices could be heard, but Seo Gangrim ignored them and headed towards the orchard. Once there, he stopped in his tracks, looking at the orchard's landscape.

【Is this the orchard?】

【Wow, what happened here?】

【Why have all the trees been cut down?】

It was now more like a logging site than an orchard. The trees had all been cut down, and the fruits were either squashed beyond consumption or had been harvested. Nearby lay the bodies of monkeys.

【The work of Zone One? To prevent the retrieval of the Hundred Fragrance fruit?】

【That's right. The fruits have all disappeared.】

【These ignorant fools...】

In this state, Seo Gangrim couldn't guess what might have happened to the fruits. It didn't matter that he had harvested enough to spare, Zone One's aggressive actions furrowed his brows.

【Gangrim, quickly go inside.】

【That's right, the Thousand Fragrance fruits also disappeared?】

Further inside, Seo Gangrim found a situation similar to the entrance area. The dismembered body of a Sung Sung was hanging on a tree.

【Ah, they killed all the guards.】

【Did the folks from Zone One do this?】

【There were some strong ones among them, but...】

【But it's not to the extent of total annihilation, right?】

The gods were right. Regardless of their number or status, the Sung Sungs were rather powerful demons. To wipe them all out like this. There weren't even scraps of clothing or bodies of humans anywhere. When Seo Gangrim last saw them, they didn't appear this strong, which made him wonder if they had increased their grade in the meantime.

【Hey, be careful, Gangrim. There might be more Zone One members around here.】

【Let's first look for Thousand Fragrance fruits.】

【Maybe they're nearby?】

Seo Gangrim already knew the location of the fruit required to accomplish the highest difficulty, but it was most important to enter naturally. Pretending to ponder, he muttered to himself in the direction of the gods.

"Where do these guards come from, anyway?"

【Huh?】

【Why are you suddenly saying this?】

"I intended to find the nest of the demon guards, but I couldn't find it no matter how hard I looked."

Every demon has a dwelling place. In his past life, some had aimed to locate the guards' hideouts and then attempt to annihilate them.

【Hmm, they probably sleep on trees or something?】

【But can someone with that build sleep on a tree?】

【Is that so? I wonder where their hideout could be.】

Seo Gangrim sensed the presence of something alive from a distance. Silencing his footsteps, he headed towards the source of the presence.

*Kiiik... Uuukik...*

He spotted one of the guards, injured and staggering. It seemed it had luckily survived. And it appeared luck was on Seo Gangrim's side as well. When injured, whether human or animal, it's natural to head towards a safe place. The guard, while looking around, started to walk briskly towards a certain direction. Then, in front of a large tree, the guard stopped. It pried open a gap between the trees and entered.

【Huh? He's going in there?】

【Does it seem too narrow to enter?】

【But they actually went in!】

Seo Gangrim deliberately created this situation, but the gods didn't seem to suspect anything. Now, all he had to do was follow the path the guards had taken inside. He squeezed his body through the gap in the trees and entered. From the outside, it looked like just a simple tree, but as he entered, it felt quite spacious.

【Wow, it's completely different from the outside.】

【What is this? A cave?】

【They've set up an interesting mechanism?】

As they said, the inside of the tree was empty and quite spacious. Before him was a long, dark corridor. He slowly ran my hand along the wall and walked inside. Soon, a breeze brought with it the scent of fruit. In front of Seo Gangrim was a scenery resembling heaven. Light poured down from a clear sky, and flower petals fluttered in the wind. Along with it came a myriad of scents that one could hardly believe belonged to this world. Multicolored flowers were blooming, and at the center stood a huge fruit-bearing tree. Its leaves were of a dreamy purple.

【Wow, it's truly breathtaking. A masterpiece. A gift from the gods.】

【Hey, you and us are gods.】

【Right, I've never received such a gift.】

【But seriously, this place is beautiful. I want to come here later.】

【To think such a place was hidden... Could the Hundred Fragrance and Thousand Fragrance have been bait?】

【Anyway, quickly pick the fruit and go back.】

【Since we're here, how about some sightseeing?】

Seo Gangrim knew this place wasn't the Demon World, and if he were to be mesmerized by the scenery and go sightseeing, he might never get out of here.

【By the way, isn't this the guard's hideout?】

【Right, be cautious. We don't know where the guards might burst out from.】

While Seo Gangrim did follow the guard inside, this place wasn't their hideout. Their lair was a small burrow under this tree. However, he couldn't afford to let his guard down just because there were no guards. In this tree, the most dangerous place was here.

Seo Gangrim walked uphill along the flower path. The closer he got to the large tree on the hill, the stronger the fragrance in the air became. Finally, before the massive tree, he saw clusters of gem-like fruits hanging. There was no reason to hesitate any longer. Swiftly, Seo Gangrim climbed up the tree, and after picking one of the sparkling fruits, a notification popped up.

[You have acquired the item 'Ten Thousand Fragrance Fruit'!]

[You have achieved the conditions for clearing the Tongue Removal stage (Difficulty: High)'!]

Finally, Seo Gangrim found the Ten Thousand Fragrance Fruit. In his previous life, he had barely managed to get the Hundred Fragrance Fruit. As the gods learned of the Ten Thousand Fragrance Fruit's identity, they became excited and started chattering.

【Wow, this is the highest difficulty!!】

【You found it well.】

【Ten Thousand Fragrance Fruit, I want to taste it.】

【Sniff, I can't smell the fragrance, so sad.】

【Sticking with Seo Gangrim is the best. Interesting things always happen around him.】

*Kwaang!*

Just as the discussion about interesting things was ending, a frightening sound of destruction came from behind. It seemed they had finally arrived. Turning around, Seo Gangrim saw that the entrance was partly collapsed, and many people had entered inside. Most of them were unfamiliar faces, members of Zone One. They too were momentarily captivated by the scenery around them.

Then, a youthful voice rang out, "Gangrim's over there!"

The owner of the familiar voice was Hong Daehoon. He sprinted towards Seo Gangrim, his eyes locked onto him. Hong Daehoon was staring at him like a predator eyeing its prey.

"Thanks. I found it because of you."

"Did you have a hard time?"

"Yeah. It was fortunate we didn't kill you, just chased you."

Seeing Hong Daehoon's smirk, Seo Gangrim felt a smile creep onto his face. Seo Gangrim had worried that they might be lost, but luckily they chased him well. Seo Gangrim would deal with them here.

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