F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 60

"Wha-what?!"

Without hesitation, the other party turned their back on Choe Sangwon. The rest of the people glared at him and also started to leave. Left behind, Choe Sangwon yelled in confusion, "What the hell are you all doing? Hey! Come back!"

Despite his shouting, there was no response from those who had left. It was a petty fight. Normally, Seo Gangrim would have gone back to hunting as planned, but the last words of the other man caught his attention. The gods seemed to share similar thoughts.

【Seo Gangrim, why don't you go and talk to Choe Sangwon?】

【It seems like he wanted to hire you.】

【Choe Sangwon looks a bit uncomfortable, and I don't know if he'll be able to earn spirit pearls again.】

Although Choe Sangwon had always looked down on Seo Gangrim, it seemed that he had wanted to hire him all along. Of course, Seo Gangrim had no intention of accepting the offer. However, if he could provide temporary assistance and earn spirit pearls, it piqued his interest. At the moment, every penny counted. Seo Gangrim pushed through the underbrush and approached Choe Sangwon.

Choe Sangwon looked at him with eyes filled with surprise.

"S-Seo... Seo Gangrim? What the..."

"I happened to pass by. Is something bothering you?"

Choe Sangwon might have wanted to hire Seo Gangrim, but he still regarded him with a wary look. However, the situation seemed more urgent than Seo Gangrim had thought. He hesitated before speaking, "Um, hey. I'd appreciate it if you could help me..."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Well... My snake is under attack, and I don't know its location! I entrusted it to the guards, but the snake disappeared..."

Now Seo Gangrim understood why they had fought like that. With the snake gone, it was only natural for him to be desperate. Then, an alert window appeared in front of Choe Sangwon.

[The target equipped with the 'Token of Friendship' is under attack!]

[The target equipped with the 'Token of Friendship' has lost more than half of its health!]

【It seems like he entrusted the snake to someone else, and he failed.】

【Judging from his expression, something bad happened. The snake is probably dead...】

At this rate, the snake would likely die soon. Choe Sangwon's face grew paler and paler. In his desperation, he grabbed Seo Gangrim's arm. "P-please help me! I'll give you money! I have 1000 spirit pearls!"

A thousand spirit pearls? That was a bit less than what it took to buy snacks for Linnie. He pushed Choe Sangwon's hand away and said, "I don't work for pennies."

"What?"

To his response, Choe Sangwon seemed lost in thought at first, but now he was red with anger. He yelled at Seo Gangrim, "Are you trying to scam me again?! Fine! Forget it...!"

Choe Sangwon was about to say something but stopped himself when the warning message continued to appear. In the end, he only had one option.

"I'll do it for 3000 spirit pearls."

To this, Choe Sangwon remained silent. 'Did he not have the spirit pearls?' In that case, there was no reason for Seo Gangrim to stay. As he started to leave, Choe Sangwon spoke in a quivering voice, "...Could you lower it a bit? I'm short on spirit pearls. I have 2000, but..."

"Find someone else."

Choe Sangwon clenched his teeth and then fell to his knees. His face was so contorted with rage that it looked like it might burst. Considering Choe Sangwon's usual attitude of looking down on him, Seo Gangrim could imagine how humiliating this must be for Choe Sangwon.

Seo Gangrim looked down at him and said, "Alright. I'll help you for 2000 spirit pearls. Just make sure to repay the other 1000 spirit pearls. Until then, follow my orders."

"What? Damn... Alright! Just hurry up and save my snake!"

"Do you have to be so impolite?"

"Please... save it."

Choe Sangwon's reluctant plea was rather amusing. After receiving 2000 spirit pearls, Seo Gangrim turned to Linnie and said, "Linnie, find the place where you can smell blood, especially snake's blood."

Linnie didn't like it, but eventually nodded her head. Qilins despised the smell of blood, so they were sensitive to it.

"Woong!"

Sniffing the air around, Linnie suddenly turned towards a direction. She was indicating to the west. Once the location was confirmed, there was no time to hesitate.

【Come on, Gangrim, hurry up. We need to save the snake before it's too late!】

【Yeah, the 2000 spirit pearls would be wasted if the snake dies!】

Seo Gangrim sprinted in the direction Linnie had indicated. He could hear Choe Sangwon shouting something behind him, but he didn't pay any attention to it.

Amidst the various smells filling the air, the scent of blood was growing stronger and stronger. The snake seemed to be more injured than he had thought. Just as the smell of blood became increasingly potent, he saw something in the distance. Someone was swinging a sword at the snake.

Clang!

Seo Gangrim jumped in front of the snake and blocked the attacker's sword. It was someone he didn't recognize, likely from another zone. The opponent looked surprised when he saw Seo Gangrim but quickly composed himself.

"Who are you? From another zone? This snake is my prey, so find another one!"

"That's not happening."

Seo Gangrim pushed with all his might, forcing the opponent to step back. The man's a low-ranked opponent, and Seo Gangrim could easily defeat him.

In the meantime, Choe Sangwon, who had arrived late, hastily picked up the snake, now riddled with wounds. The man from the other zone glared at them, seemingly annoyed.

"Damn, isn't this a bit cowardly? You had to interfere when I was about to kill that snake?"

"What? Did you already mark this snake?"

"I have a 'Token of Friendship' on it! So, find another snake to protect!"

"Protect?"

The man seemed utterly baffled. What was going on? It seemed like he knew nothing about the mission or the 'Token of Friendship.' Could it be...

Seo Gangrim urgently checked the alert window. Finally, he understood the situation.

[The Chamber of the Poisonous Snake has begun.]

[Kill at least one snake.]

[Time limit: one week.]

"'Token of Friendship'? Protection? What are you talking about?"

"Can't you see the leash on this snake? My name is written on it!"

The two of them continued to argue, both seemingly unable to comprehend the situation. This was not going to end well. Seo Gangrim turned to the man from Zone Three.

"Our mission is to protect the snake for a week. What about yours?"

"I... I'm here to kill a snake."

The two missions were diametrically opposed. One was to protect a snake, while the other was to kill it. As the reality of the situation sank in, an awkward silence fell between Choe Sangwon and the member from the other zone.

*Sssss, sssss...*

At that moment, the faint sound of the snake's breath could be heard. Its body was torn apart from multiple attacks, and it was in critical condition.

Seo Gangrim spoke to Choe Sangwon, "Let's start by treating the snake."

"Y-yes!"

Choe Sangwon finally snapped out of it, realizing the dire state of his snake. Meanwhile, the member from the other zone was still unsure about what to do. He seemed torn between killing the snake and helping with the treatment. Seo Gangrim decided to push the matter.

"Are you going to fight? Time is running out, so if you're going to fight, do it now."

Seo Gangrim's words seemed to startle the other party. Perhaps the man realized that taking on both Seo Gangrim and Choe Sangwon was not in his favor, so he reluctantly stepped back and left the area.

"Damn, can this thing be saved?"

Choe Sangwon took out a healing potion from his pocket and offered it to the snake's mouth. Fortunately, the snake slowly extended its tongue and began licking the potion. Choe Sangwon seemed relieved, but Seo Gangrim was perplexed. It was because of the mission of the Zone Three. Why had the mission details changed?

In his past life, it had been clear that protecting the snakes was the mission of Zone Three. So why had the mission description changed. Seo Gangrim couldn't figure out the reason for it. Had something changed because he altered destiny?

【Hey, hey, are they finally going to fight for real?】

【Ugh, they've been fighting too casually until now!】

【We're looking forward to it, Destiny Protection Bureau! You guys are good at your jobs!】

Of course, the Zone Two trainees wouldn't need to be too concerned. Shin Sooah, Yoon Bom, Yoon Geoul, and Father Yohan would likely pass without much trouble. But there was something else that worried Seo Gangrim.

'Would it be okay?'

For some reason, Seo Gangrim felt a bit uneasy. Then, an alert window appeared before him.

[The subject equipped with the 'Token of Friendship' is under attack!]

【Huh? Seo Gangrim's Imugi is being attacked?】

【It's probably nothing.】

【They're just hunting for prey.】

True to their words, these messages were popping up once or twice a day. It's not uncommon for the Imugi to be attacked once in a while while hunting for food. But this time, the intervals were shorter.

'Could it be that it encountered a powerful beast?’

Seo Gangrim turned to Linnie and said, "Let's go, Linnie."

"Woong!"

Seo Gangrim picked up Linnie and moved to where the bridge was. He didn't know the exact location, but he knew the main radius of Imugi's habitat. As he searched for her, the warning kept popping up.

[The subject equipped with the 'Token of Friendship' is under attack!]

[The subject equipped with the 'Token of Friendship' is under attack!]

[The subject equipped with the 'Token of Friendship' is under attack!]

This didn't seem like an encounter with a formidable beast. It appeared to be an attack from a human, given the persistence. Did it venture onto land to hunt for prey?

*Splaaaash!*

Suddenly, a massive water pillar shot up from one side.

【Wow, that's a water pillar!】

【What's going on? Did a water park open up?】

【Looks like a fight is happening; let's go check it out!】

The gods seemed optimistic, but Seo Gangrim wasn't. If there was someone who could confront Imugi for such a long time, it was that person. As he rushed towards the location where the water pillar had erupted, he saw someone standing on the shattered bridge. The water splashed as if a bomb had been dropped in the water, and the Imugi screamed and flew away.

*Swoosh!*

Seo Gangrim leaped into the air and caught the Imugi. He was barely able to hold onto the massive body. From the looks of it, it seemed that the Imugi wasn't seriously injured. The burst of water subsided, revealing the face of the person.

"What the hell. I was about to catch that first."

The person spoke in a gruff voice. It was a voice Seo Gangrim hadn't heard in a long time, and it was strangely nostalgic. It was the man who had stood in front of Baek Young with the followers of the Flying Tiger Sect, Jang Taeheon.

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