F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 59

【Wow, did he tame that Imugi?】

【No, look at its eyes, it's still hostile.】

【Still, it doesn't seem to consider him an enemy, does it?】

【It's a high rank, so it's not going to be tamed right away.】

Despite all this, there was no sign that the Imugi would attack Seo Gangrim like it did a while ago. Seo Gangrim signaled to them to come up. As he started swimming toward the surface, the Imugi reluctantly followed.

"Phew!"

Seo Gangrim took a deep breath as he emerged from the water. The air outside filled his lungs. Even though breathing underwater was comfortable, the outside air felt cooler.

Yoon Bom and Yoon Geoul, who had been waiting on the bridge, were startled.

"Master! Are you okay?"

"Master...! We were worried because you didn't come up!"

"I'm fine. Thanks to Linnie, I managed to hold on."

Seo Gangrim replied as he climbed up onto the bridge. He had been underwater for almost ten minutes, so it wouldn't have been strange to think he had drowned. While Linnie was shaking herself off like a dog, Yoon Bom's eyes widened.

"Mas... Master! Look, the monster over there...!"

The Imugi had extended its head above the surface, glaring at the people. Yoon Geoul also noticed the Imugi and quickly stood up.

"Huh? That's not a monster; it's a snak-!"

At that moment, Seo Gangrim urgently covered Yoon Geoul's mouth. In a low and threatening voice, Seo Gangrim said, "Did you read the manual?"

"Mmph."

Yoon Geoul shook his head in the negative. Seo Gangrim still kept Yoon Geoul's mouth shut and spoke in a low voice. "In the future, don't call it a snake, even if you see one."

"Eub eub."

Nodding, Yoon Geoul gestured for Seo Gangrim to release him. There were visible imprints from Seo Gangrim's firm grip on his face. Yoon Geoul, his face scrunched up in annoyance, asked, "But why can't we call it that way?"

"Read the manual," Seo Gangrim replied curtly, and Yoon Geoul pulled out the manual.

Among the various rules listed, there was a section titled 'Chamber of Poisonous Snakes.' As he scrolled through the items, Yoon Geoul's gaze was fixed on one specific point.

[9. When encountering an Imugi, do not call it a snake. If the Imugi hears itself being called a snake, it will never become a dragon.]

"If we call it that, it won't become a dragon...?"

"Yeah. You almost ruined several hundred years of that Imugi's efforts."

Seo Gangrim said as he put on his clothes. He had gone through so much trouble to bring back the Imugi, and one wrong word could make it all go to waste. Yoon Geoul was still looking at the Imugi in amazement.

"That's an Imugi... But are you okay with the Imugi when we have to protect the snakes?"

"It's okay. The notification window has been updated properly."

The twins looked on in disbelief, and then Yoon Bom jumped up from her seat.

"Great! Then I'll go look for an Imugi too!"

She said and started taking off her shoes. It seemed like she was planning to enter the water but Seo Gangrim stopped her, saying, "Let's try to find another way. There should be snakes in the forest."

"But I want to find an Imugi too..."

"You don't have any abilities related to water. Besides, there are demon beasts in the water."

It was easier for Seo Gangrim who had Linnie accompanying him, but for a normal person, it would be suicide. Seo Gangrim continued, "Moreover, your weapons are guns. Do you think they will be effective underwater?"

While Yoon Bom was untying her shoes, he reminded her that most weapons lost their effectiveness underwater, with bows and guns suffering more severe penalties. Yoon Bom finally nodded reluctantly and put her shoes back on.

"In that case, I'll search around the forest. Yoon Geoul, come with me!"

"Uh, wait. Let me put on my clothes..."

Yoon Geoul was in the middle of putting on his clothes when Yoon Bom grabbed his hand and pulled him along. As he watched the twins disappear noisily, Seo Gangrim glanced at the water. The Imugi was still watching him, as if observing him closely. He bent one knee and sat down, and addressed the Imugi, "My name is Seo Gangrim. My mission is to protect you for a week, but..."

Seo Gangrim muttered with an annoyed tone, "Well. You'd probably be fine even without my protection, right? Just don't come out of the water and live as you normally do."

"?"

The Imugi looked as if it were asking what he was talking about. Even the gods had a similar reaction.

【Five minutes after capturing it and then you leave it it alone? Really?】

【Is it okay to leave it like this? What if it gets eaten by a monster?】

'Do I really need to explain?'

While Seo Gangrim was considering ignoring them out of annoyance, another god spoke up.

【You fools, it's not a snake, it's an Imugi.】

【What are you talking about?】

【If it's an Imugi, it's rank is high, so it won't die easily.】

That was one of the reasons for choosing an Imugi rather than a snake. The monsters living here were quite powerful, and young snakes were easy prey.

'If it's Imugi, it's a different story.'

At the level of the Imugi, it could already be considered a formidable monster. Among aquatic monsters, it was probably the most powerful. As long as the monsters didn't gather and attack, there was no monster that could harm the Imugi.

If it were a snake, Seo Gangrim would have had to protect it all day, but since it's an Imugi, he didn't have to worry about that.

【Right now, among the creatures underwater, Imugi is probably the most dangerous one.】

【Seo Gangrim didn't have to protect it, it would have survived on his own.】

【Oh, I see, that's Gangrim's intention.】

Of course, it wasn't all good. He looked at Imugi and spoke in a serious voice.

"From now on, stay in deep water as much as possible. You must never be visible to people."

Seo Gangrim's concern was not for the creature but for humans since the likelihood of it dying at the hands of humans was low. Humans didn't have a reason to kill snakes in the first place, and with Imugi's abilities, it could easily escape.

【Is Seo Gangrim scared? Most humans wouldn't even be able to touch a single scale of this creature.】

【Right, you should just take a week off.】

"I'm not worried about Imugi dying; I'm worried about Imugi not becoming a dragon."

If, in the course of a week, the Imugi were to hear the word snake, there would be no greater disaster for Seo Gangrim as great as that. However, the solution was simple. All he needed to do was make sure the Imugi didn't encounter any humans. If it stayed out of sight of humans and remained underwater for a week, the mission could easily be accomplish.

"Then, I'll untie that cloth in a week. Understand?"

The Imugi seemed to understand Seo Gangrim's words. It nodded once, and disappeared beneath the surface, although it continued to glare at Seo Gangrim until the end.

Seo Gangrim looked up at the sky and said, "Now I guess I have a special one-week holiday."

【What a sly guy.】

【Now he can just relax on his own.】

【So, what are you going to do now?】

"I plan to raise my stats."

For the next stage, Seo Gangrim needed to raise each of his stats. There were quite a few strong monsters here; hence this was a great place to collect spirit pearls and experience points, and train.

'I'll be meeting him here, so I'd better be prepared.'

Seo Gangrim got up from his seat before his wet clothes had even dried. There was no time to rest. Without complaining, he gripped his sword and headed toward the forest.

***

A loud vibration shook the forest, as if a giant tree had fallen. However, it was the sound emitted by a huge monster resembling an anteater. The carcass was sprawled on the bloodied ground.

"Whew..."

Seo Gangrim swung his sword, clearing the blood from the blade. As the blood splattered, Linnie, who had been hiding nearby, screamed in fright and ran away.

"It's okay. It's all over."

"Woong woong!"

Linnie hid behind a tree and whimpered, as if she were protesting against something. It seemed as though she was asking what was okay about killing so many creatures. When Seo Gangrim looked around, the corpses of the monsters he had slain were scattered everywhere. It was an unavoidable situation, even if it made Linnie dislike him.

【I love Qilins, but they hate the smell of blood.】

【At least he did a good job buffing Seo Gangrim earlier.】

Thanks to Linnie's 'Harmony of the Five Elements,' Seo Gangrim was able to easily defeat many monsters. However, it must have been tough for a Qilin that hated slaughter. But he had to do what he could, even if it meant doing things she didn't like. For now, leveling up was the top priority.

[Strength] Level 26

[Endurance] Level 23

[Agility] Level 26

[Senses] Level 26

[Magic Power] Level 23

Without using experience points, it wasn't easy to level up solely through hunting. Seo Gangrim wanted to save his points for later, and so it was fortunate he had a week of free time.

"Linnie, let's take a short break and then go hunting again."

"..."

Linnie didn't answer and was looking somewhere. Was she pouting? But her expression didn't seem like that was the case. She seemed to be listening to something, as her ears perked up.

Seo Gangrim also activated 'Senses' as much as possible and listened intently.

"Jang! Where the hell are you!"

Someone's voice could be heard, albeit faintly. It sounded like they were arguing. The voices didn't sound familiar, but Seo Gangrim couldn't ignore it entirely. It could possibly be that person.

"Linnie, let's go check it out."

"Woong!"

The sounds were coming from deeper within the forest. As he pushed through the bushes and ran toward the source of the voices, he gradually began to see people arguing.

"You guys took the money and now you're doing this? I hired you guys! If you're hired, you have to do the job properly! You only made noise in the last stage!"

The owner of the voice was a member of Zone Two. The face was also familiar, but Seo Gangrim couldn't remember who he was, so he racked his brain for a while.

【Weren't he the ones who lost his fortune in the last stage?】

【That's right, the guys who paid 200 spirit pearls.】

Finally, it came to Seo Gangrim. The man's name was Choe Sangwon. For some reason, he's been glaring at Seo Gangrim like he's going to kill him every time he sees him lately.

Choe Sangwon was screaming while the man in front of him hung his head. His voice grew louder.

"What do you guys even know how to do? If you're going to be like this, return the money!"

While Choe Sangwon was becoming increasingly furious, the man in front of him was shaking his head. Seeing this, Choe Sangwon's voice gradually grew louder.

"You're nothing but useless parasites! Trash is more useful than you all!"

"Oh, so if you have money, it makes you special?"

Someone who had been listening silently couldn't hold back and interjected. Choe Sangwon was taken aback by this response.

"What? What did you just say? Even if you apologize now, it won't be enough...!"

"Money can buy anything, right? I can't eat it because it's dirty!"

"That's right! Plus, you keep comparing us to others!"

After saying this, the person spat towards Choe Sangwon. Sticky saliva splattered on his shoes.

"I'll give you your money back as soon as I get back to the training facility, and you'll do well on your own from now on."

"Yeah. You should hire Seo Gangrim, the one you keep talking about!"

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