F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 65

"Jang Taehun! Snap out of it!"

Seo Gangrim had to call out for help, even from Jang Taehun. As he shouted his name, he saw his shoulders twitch. Just as Jang Taehun began to stagger to his feet, the trainees of Zone Three shouted.

"It's over now! We've killed it!"

But before they could finish their sentence, something dark and ominous burst forth, like a gush of water. Everyone surrounding the Imugi was pushed away in all directions. The black figure that had emerged from where the Imugi now writhed and flowed before gathering to reform its shape.

Krooooaar!

The transformed Imugi writhed in agony, letting out a scream-like noise. Tears of blood flowed from its eyes, and its body convulsed, changing shape. The Token of Friendship that Seo Gangrim had placed on it was torn off.

"W-what in the world..."

The trainees of Zone Three stared in astonishment at the transformed Imugi. It was no longer a snake or an Imugi. It had taken on the form of a quadrupedal beast but was not truly a snake. It had a snake's tail but was not a snake, and its entire body was covered in dragon scales, yet it was not a dragon. It was a fallen demon, no longer capable of being a dragon.

[Name] Steel

[Rank] Dragon Third-class

[Description] A fallen demon that couldn't become a dragon. Possesses attributes of both poison and steel, with an iron-like physique.

"Dammit, what is this?"

"It's a m-monster. A monster has appeared!"

"Damn it, let's take it down for now!"

Trainees of Zone Three charged toward Steel. But what they did was suicidal. Steel took a deep breath, a preparatory motion. Seo Gangrim shouted to Jang Taehun, "Taehun, get down!"

Roar!

At that moment, a torrent of crimson flames erupted from Steel's mouth. The nearby trees instantly turned to ash, and Seo Gangrim barely managed to flatten himself against the ground to avoid the attack. His back was scorched, and it stung terribly.

"Grrr..."

Seeing Steel in agony, it seemed like it wouldn't be able to launch another attack right away. It looked confused, as if it had just become this monstrous being not long ago.

【Now what do we do?】

【We have to stop Steel!】

【But right now, everyone's in bad shape.】

Seo Gangrim forcefully broke the trap on his leg and approached Jang Taehun. He then gave him another healing potion. With this, Jang Taehun should be able to move again, at least.

At that moment, the members of Zone Three who had been lying on the ground weakly called out to Jang Taehun, "Please, Jang Taehun, help us..."

Seo Gangrim looked at them for a moment before saying, "Looks like those are your comrades."

When Seo Gangrim said that, Jang Taehun's face turned pale as a sheet. He urgently responded, "I didn't call them! I never intended to fight you in such a cowardly way!"

It seemed like he had misunderstood Seo Gangrim's question. Jang Taehun had nothing to do with the sudden attack. It was probably the other members who had taken it upon themselves to interfere. After helping Jang Taehun to his feet, Seo Gangrim said, "I understand. You're not the kind of guy to do that."

Jang Taehun didn't know how to use people like that. Most likely, others had acted independently without his consent. He looked bewildered and asked, "Do you really believe in me?"

"Yeah. We need to get out of here first."

Steel was currently running rampant without any rationality. Even if they were at their peak condition, Steel was an opponent they couldn't defeat. It seemed like there were some people who were injured among the trainees in Zone Three, but there didn't appear to be any fatalities. Everyone seemed to be taking care of the injured, and were then escaping on their own. For now, they needed to retreat, recover, and then rejoin the others.

"Taehun, come with me."

Seo Gangrim had thought there was a possibility of Jang Taehun refusing, but Jang Taehun readily nodded and followed him. As they approached the containers, several people had gathered and were watching Steel's location.

"What is that monster?"

"Could something like that really exist in this place?"

Steel was so massive that he had pierced through the trees and reached into the sky. It was likely that all the participants in this stage were currently watching Steel. At that moment, Shin Sooah saw Seo Gangrim and rushed over. "Seo Gangrim-ssi, are your legs injured? What in the world...!"

"I've already administered first aid by taking recovery potion. Where is Father Yohan? I need healing."

"I'll bring him right away!"

Shin Sooah urgently brought Father Yohan over. Thanks to him treating them, both Jang Taehun and Seo Gangrim were able to return to normal. In the meantime, Seo Jeongmin appeared confused and didn't know what to do.

"Ah, damn it! Why does it have to be that...! Everyone, evacuate to the lobby. The events after this will be handled by the Destiny Protection Bureau... Huh?"

He abruptly stopped speaking. A message window appeared in front of his eyes. Seo Jeongmin sighed as he read the message, "Oh, really. What are the higher-ups thinking...?"

While saying that, Seo Jeongmin took out a small walkie-talkie from his pocket.

【This is the Destiny Protection Bureau!】

A booming voice echoed through the walkie-talkie, loud enough for everyone in the whole place to hear.

【Currently, a Dragon-ranked demonic beast named Steel has appeared in this stage. As such, the Destiny Protection Bureau proposes another mission!】

【A second condition for mission completion is added if you choose to deal with Steel. If you deal with Steel, it will be counted as completing the stage.】

【You can still choose the original mission, and if you complete the additional mission, you'll receive extra rewards!】

As soon as those words finished, a notification window appeared before Seo Gangrim. It seemed like everyone received the same message.

[The Chamber of Poisonous Snake begins.]

[Deal the demon beast 'Steel'.]

[Time Limit: None]

The sudden update to the mission shocked a lot of people. However, there was no one more troubled than Seo Gangrim. He asked Seo Jeongmin, "Do we really have to deal with Steel?"

"We have no choice. It's a failed creation. Snakes that don't become dragons must die."

At the mention of 'failed creation', Jang Taehun's shoulders trembled slightly. Amidst this, a few people seemed hesitant.

"It's the last day of the mission, though... Wouldn't it be better to just let it go?"

"They're offering extra rewards for dealing with it. Why not give it a try?"

"Wouldn't it be better to gather people and go?"

Seo Gangrim wiped the blood off his face and stood up. There were probably only Shin Sooah and Father Yohan here. He asked both of them, "What will you do? Will you try to eliminate Steel?"

"What about you, Gangrim-ssi?"

"For now, I have to go see Steel. That Steel is the Imugi I was protecting."

Upon hearing that, Father Yohan's eyes widened. He stammered, "Th-then, if people kill Steel, it will automatically count as a failure for your mission, right?"

"Yes. That's how it will be."

Seo Gangrim didn't have many options. Others could protect their snakes and evacuate, but he couldn't.

"If anyone is going to kill him, it has to be me, before these people do."

The gods seemed quite pleased with that fact.

【Woah, Gangrim, you sure picked an interesting snake.】

【Yeah, you just had to choose an Imugi.】

【Isn't it mandatory for Gangrim to be the one to kill Steel?】

【That's right. Or does Steel have to survive the day with Gangrim?】

【But if Jang Taehun and him both kill together, wouldn't that count as a mission accomplished?】

If Seo Gangrim followed their words and joined forces with Jang Taehun to kill Steel, then they could all move on to the next stage.

Father Yohan looked at Seo Gangrim and said, "So, are you going to deal with Steel?"

"Yes, I'll have to handle Steel."

Of course, it wouldn't be an easy task. No one among them was capable of taking on a Dragon-class demon beast like Steel alone. He turned to Shin Sooah and Father Yohan. "Can both of you lend me your strength?"

If these two didn't help, Sep Gangrim had no chance. Luckily, they both nodded without hesitation.

"Alright. We owe Gangrim-ssi a lot."

"I-I'll help too. I'm not sure if I can be of much use, but..."

Meanwhile, Steel's cries began to change. Was it slowly regaining its senses?

Shin Sooah picked up the sword she had left behind earlier and said, "Bom and Geoul must have seen Steel. Dokgo Jun must be on his way too."

Seo Gangirm wasn't sure how many of those three would help him, but at least a couple of them would.

'Would Jang Taehun help me?'

He looked at him, and his expression didn't look good. He asked without any vitality, "Are you planning to kill it? He's your snake."

"Well, you were planning to defeat me and kill my snake, weren't you?"

"Killing it yourself is different from me doing it."

Jang Taehun valued loyalty, so he probably didn't like Seo Gangrim's attitude. Before Seo Gangrim could explain further, Jang Taehun suddenly turned and said, "If you're planning to kill the Imugi, I won't help."

He left quickly without saying anything else. Seo Gangrim wanted to follow him and explain, but there was no time for that now. Steel's cries were getting sharper.

"Let's go for now," Seo Gangrim said to Shin Sooah and Father Yohan.

They nodded and followed Seo Gangrim, heading back to where Steel had appeared. As they approached Steel, their skin began to tingle. The air around them was filled with poison and flames. Despite it still being midday, the atmosphere was distorted with a reddish hue, as if sunset and doomsday had arrived.

"Kill it! Kill!"

"Attack from the rear!"

Others had arrived before them. The people from Zone Three were surrounding Steel, launching their attacks.

【Why did they come back?】

【They look like the others.】

【Don't they understand the situation... it seems like they've come back to die.】

If they didn't complete their mission by the end of the day, it would be considered a mission failure. That's why they chose to go after Steel.

If the people here killed Steel, Seo Gangrim's mission would also fail. He had only one option: he had to be the one to deal with Steel, and he needed to do it before anyone else did.

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