F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 54

The Qilin sniffed the ginseng extract and started to eat it eagerly. It seemed to be enjoying the meal as it swayed its tail while concentrating on eating. In the blink of an eye, 1000 spirit pearls disappeared before Seo Gangrim's eyes.

'I've hatched it, but I also need to help it grow,' Seo Gangrim thought as he once again checked the Qilin's status.

[Name] Qilin (Infant)

[Grade] Spirit Third-class

[Description] A spirit born with harmony of the Five Elements. Possesses the ability to purify impurities instead of killing living creatures.

[Abilities] Purification (Dragon Third-class), Harmony of the Five Elements (Dragon Third-class), Air Walking (Spirit Third-class)

The Qilin was a Spirit Third-class being, and it had many useful abilities. However, its combat abilities were lacking.

'Since it won't harm living things, I shouldn't expect it to participate in battles,' Seo Gangrim thought. Instead, he needed to raise it to a level where it could provide support. Among the various abilities, Seo Gangrim was particularly interested in "Harmony of the Five Elements."

[Ability] Harmony of the Five Elements

[Grade] Dragon Third-class

[Description] Possesses all attributes of the Five Elements and receives attribute bonuses and no penalties in all abilities. Can also be used on targets other than oneself.

"Harmony of the Five Elements" enhanced the effects of abilities and made one immune to penalties. Furthermore, it could be used on allies recognized by the user. Also, there was another characteristic.

'Qilins can have any attribute.'

Most spirit beasts have only one of the five elemental attributes. For example, a phoenix can only have fire attribute, so it can't have any other elemental powers. Even if they somehow manage to have abilities from the opposing attribute, its power is significantly reduced. However, Qilins didn't have such limitations.

'To use it well, I need to feed it well first.'

Unaware of Seo Gangrim's thoughts, the Qilin was happily devouring the ginseng extract.

[The 'Qilin' has consumed 'Ginseng Extract'!]

[Experience points have increased!]

[The 'Qilin' has consumed 'Ginseng Extract'!]

[Experience points have increased...]

As the experience points kept increasing, a new notification finally appeared before Seo Gangrim's eyes.

[The 'Qilin' has grown to 'Spirit Second-class'!]

[Acquired the ability 'Water Manipulation'!]

'It finally grew up,' Seo Gangrim thought. It had taken eating more than three bags of ginseng extract for the Qilin to level up. Unlike humans, spirit beasts could increase their destiny rank. The Qilin, with its swollen belly, was resting after turning over.

'It seems that because it's a Spirit Second-class, it requires a lot of experience points.'

One of the drawbacks of a high grade being was the requirement for a significant amount of experience points to level up, but it was better than a low grade being.

'And the newly acquired ability seems pretty useful,' Seo Gangrim mused.

[Ability] Water Manipulation

[Grade] Spirit Second-class

[Description] Gains freedom of movement in water and can manipulate water freely.

The description of being able to manipulate water was a bit underwhelming. Seo Gangrim spoke towards the lying Qilin.

"Hey, try using Water Manipulation now."

"Oung……."

[Ability 'Water Manipulation' activated!]

The Qilin hesitated but eventually activated the ability. Then, the moisture from the surroundings gathered and formed a huge spherical shape of water in the air, similar to a water bomb. Seo Gangrim pointed to a chair placed in one corner of the room.

"Try firing it there."

"Oung……."

"Think of it as cleaning with water."

Since the Qilin disliked destruction, it hesitated for a moment. However, using cleaning as an excuse, the Qilin slowly got up and looked at the chair. And then...

*Crash and flash!*

With a deafening noise that felt like it could shatter one's ears, water droplets fell in all directions. Not only the chair but also the wall flew away, revealing the neighboring room.

'It seems like the neighboring room was Choe Sangwon's.'

Fortunately, Choe Sangwon was not around. The Qilin jumped up in surprise, looking at the wide-open view. Then, as if in protest, the Qilin thumped its head against Seo Gangrim.

"Oung, Oung!"

"Alright, alright. I won't make you attack."

Upon hearing those words, the Qilin stopped headbutting but still seemed angry. Seo Gangrim, meanwhile, silently looked at the ruined room.

'Even only at this grade, the ability's effect is good. With this level of power, it should be excellent for defense.'

Even though the ability was acquired just recently, it had this level of effectiveness. How much stronger will it become when further developed?

*Tap-tap*

Someone knocked on the door. Seo Gangrim remained silent for a moment, then spoke quietly to the Qilin, "For now, go back to the spirit realm."

"Oounng……!"

The Qilin hurriedly returned to the spirit realm as if fleeing. After confirming that the Qilin had disappeared, Seo Gangrim finally opened the door. Probably the owner of the neighboring room had come to complain. However, the person standing in front of the door was an unexpected figure.

"Annaby-ssi, what brings you here?"

The person standing in front of the door was Annaby. After nodding once, she spoke with a businesslike tone.

"Hello, Seo Gangrim-ssi. I heard an explosion from your room, so I came to check..."

Annaby glanced into the room. The wall had collapsed, instantly doubling the room in size. Seo Gangrim spoke apologetically, "I'm sorry. I made a mistake while training."

"If that's the case, would you like to use the training facility? ...Considering the damage here, we'll have to assign you to another room."

Annaby took out her terminal and began recording something. As Seo Gangrim silently watched her, Annaby asked in a somewhat casual tone, "By any chance, were you experimenting with Qilin's abilities?"

Seo Gangrim remained silent for a moment upon hearing this. He had considered evading the question, but Annaby seemed pretty confident. If she already knew, there was no point in lying.

"Yes, it's now resting in the spirit realm."

"I'd like to take a look. Can you summon it?"

"Of course."

Seo Gangrim issued the summoning command, and beams of light started gathering in the room. A moment later, the Qilin appeared in the same spot where it had disappeared earlier, wrecked and trembling. Annaby, who had now seen the Qilin for real, was inwardly amazed.

'It's a real Qilin? How on earth...?'

The improbable Qilin. Even when she had heard the story of Seo Gangrim acquiring the Qilin, she hadn't believed it. She had thought it must have been a misunderstanding, probably a deer spirit. But it was a real Qilin.

'Who is this Seo Gangrim? Who is he really?'

She had thought of him as a strong and wise trainee, but he kept accomplishing extraordinary things. Annaby tried to suppress her surprise and asked, "This spirit is a Qilin, right? Qilins are said to be extremely rare. How did you manage to hatch it?"

"A god I don't know told me how."

Of course, there was no such god. It was something he had learned from his previous life. To be precise, it was something Shin Sooah had shared.

[Shin Sooah-ssi, isn't the method for hatching Qilins monopolized by the Flying Tiger Sect? Moreover, it's restricted to high-ranking members.]

[Yes, that's right.]

[But why are you sharing it with me? I'm not even a high-ranking member.]

[Seo Gangrim, you're just refusing a high-ranking position, aren't you? You're still an important figure in the sect.]

With that said, Shin Sooah had shared other important information with Seo Gangrim, but he had tried to decline as much as possible.

At that moment, Annaby asked, "You mentioned that a god told you how... Have you received Divine Blessing?"

"No, I haven't received a Divine Blessing yet; I've only received messages so far."

"Then, how did you come to possess the egg?"

"Again, it was from a god..."

Annaby fell silent, lost in thought. She pondered, 'If that god knows the method to hatch a Qilin, it must be quite powerful... But could it be that he hasn't received a Divine Blessing yet because he's still being observed?'

It was challenging for Annaby to fathom the reason why Seo Gangrim, a novice, was receiving such favors. There seemed to be something about him that she couldn't quite grasp.

Breaking her reverie, Seo Gangrim asked her, "Is there something more you need?"

Annaby nodded in response to Seo Gangrim's question. "Yes, I have something more to tell you. Do you have any plans after this?"

"I don't have any specific plans for today."

"Good. Please follow me. Team Leader Gong Joo wishes to speak with you."

Seo Gangrim's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Gong Joo. Although he had received messages from him before, he hadn't expected to meet him in person. After quickly returning the Qilin to the spirit realm, he said, "The Qilin is still a bit tired, so it might be difficult for it to accompany us."

"I see," Annaby replied with a hint of disappointment, but she didn't press the matter further. After asking him to wait for a moment, she took something out of her pouch and activated it. Then, she gently held onto Seo Gangrim's arm.

"Let's go, then."

[Confirming Annaby and Seo Gangrim's movement!]

*Wheeze...!*

Before he could finish speaking, Seo Gangrim felt his surroundings waver. In the instant he tried to regain his balance, the scenery before him had completely changed. Looking around, he asked, "Where is this? Did I leave the training facility?"

"More precisely, no. The Destiny Protection Bureau building is connected to the training facility..."

The Destiny Protection Bureau building. Seo Gangrim's eyes briefly widened in surprise. At first glance, he had thought it was an ordinary company building, but it turned out to be the headquarters of the Destiny Protection Bureau.

'I'm inside the Destiny Protection Bureau headquarters.'

Strangely, Seo Gangrim felt tension rising within him. For some reason, he felt like he had entered enemy territory.

'If Baek Young is hiding somewhere, the Destiny Protection Bureau is a likely place,' he thought. The agents of the Destiny Protection Bureau concealed their identities, so it was possible that Baek Young was among them. Hence, he's somewhat nervous inside the headquarters. But at the same time, Seo Gangrim's eyes gleamed sharply.

'While I'm here, I should gather as much information as possible.'

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