F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 76

[Ability 'Poison Resistance' has been activated!]

Seo Gangrim expected she had pulled off some trick. Fortunately, he had 'Poison Resistance,' and Linnie had 'Purification,' so most poisons wouldn't work on him.

*Gasp!*

Before Seo Gangrim could finish speaking, Ju Hyereong aggressively kicked the table in front of him and tried to overpower him. But she was too slow. He immediately turned around, grabbed her by the hair, and forced her to kneel on the floor.

"Ugh...!"

"Hye, Hyereong-ssi!"

"Everyone, don't move."

With one hand, Seo Gangrim twisted Ju Hyereong's arms behind her back, and with the other hand, he held her head. She struggled, but it was futile.

"Poisoning an innocent, isn't that too much?"

"But... you're too strong! I had no choice!"

She screamed as if she were going to vomit. Seo Gangrim silently looked at her and then glanced at the others. He could deal with them, but he couldn't afford to waste time. However, he couldn't just let her go either.

"You said you're right-handed, didn't you?"

*Crack!*

"Ahh!"

【Kya, look at Gangrim's temperament!】

【Breaking the right arm of a right-handed person!】

He snapped Ju Hyereong's right arm, making her scream. The people rushed toward them with weapons and Seo Gangrim stared them down, making them hesitate.

"Do you want to turn one broken arm into two?"

"..."

"I think one arm is a cheap price for attempted poisoning."

He wanted to cut off one of her legs as well, but that might cause excessive bleeding, so he refrained. Seo Gangrim then lifted Ju Hyereong to her feet.

"I'll take Ju Hyereong-ssi for a while. I won't kill her. Come find us in 30 minutes."

"What, you're insane!"

Seo Gangrim didn't wait for their response and opened the door to the next room which looked like a meeting room. He examined the room, but there were no traces in there either. There were occasional bloodstains, which he considered as clues, and decided to follow them.

As Seo Gangrim dragged Ju Hyereong into the next room, she glared at him and asked, "Did you kill Nam Yoojun? Is that what happened?"

It was a valid question, and he couldn't give her an unclear answer. After entering one more room, he sat Ju Hyereong in a chair and tied her up with some cloth. There was plenty of torn cloth nearby.

"If you wait here, people will come soon."

"What? You're just leaving me like this? What if the monsters come?"

"I don't know about that."

Although the drum sounds were irregular, it wouldn't ring for at least another hour or two. The risk of people from other areas coming in to harm Ju Hyereong was higher than that of the demons. But that wasn't Seo Gangrim concern.

Ignoring Ju Hyereong's screams, he followed the bloodstains.

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Seo Gangrim recalled his past life when he had entered this stage with Shin Sooah. He was the last to go in, as expected of an inferior trainee. And next to the Seo Gangrim was Shin Sooah. Even though Shin Sooah had more than enough qualifications to enter the last stage, she had waited for Seo Gangrim. And because of it, it took a long time for her to enter the last stage. When they entered, everyone had escaped, and only traces traces of battle were left. There were no signs of life either.

"Why didn't you go ahead without me, Shin Sooah-ssi?"

It was difficult to understand. Why would someone like Shin Sooah, who was so strong, insist on taking him along? After his ability, 'Destiny Theft,' was exposed, people had avoided him. Even if it wasn't for that ability, there was no reason to take the weak Seo Gangrim as a party member.

Shin Sooah turned to Seo Gangrim and said, "I like Seo Gangrim-ssi."

"Why?"

He couldn't understand. He couldn't even find what's good about him. Humans and gods alike turned away from him, so why did Shin Sooah wait for him? Shin Sooah continued to search quietly within the maze.

"Seo Gangrim-ssi, you've never used 'Destiny Theft,' have you?"

"No."

"I like that. Despite it being easy to turn to the dark path, you didn't."

Even hearing her response, Seo Gangrim's confusion didn't ease. This person was deluded. He hadn't refrained from using Destiny Theft because he was kind-hearted, it was simply because he lacked the ability to kill someone. If he was at Human-class, he would have killed several people and stolen their abilities.

"I need someone I can trust. I want to stay in contact with you even after leaving here."

Seo Gangrim thought that Shin Sooah might be misunderstanding something, so he just nodded his head. His intention to accompany Shin Sooah was driven by ulterior motives: to seize the opportunity to kill her and steal her Destiny. From the beginning, Seo Gangrim had not trusted Shin Sooah's kindness. He believed everyone had ulterior motives. After all, she knew that his ability was rare, and so he thought Shin Sooah wanted to use it, so she put on a facade of kindness.

Seo Gangrim reflected as he navigated through the maze. He had initially entered the Flying Tiger Sect with the intention of taking advantage of Shin Sooah and eventually killing her to steal her fate. He had never truly believed in her kindness. He assumed that everyone had hidden agendas.

Even so, Seo Gangrim didn't particularly feel betrayed. After all, he had already experienced plenty of people using and betraying him. He also had plans to use and betray Shin Sooah. He didn't believe that Shin Sooah truly believed in him, trusted him, and wanted him out of pure goodwill. There couldn't possibly be such a person.

'Though that's what I initially thought.'

Seo Gangrim muttered to himself as he searched. He had planned to take advantage of Shin Sooah, and he entered her sect with the intention of eventually killing her. It was ironic that now he was struggling to save the people of Flying Tiger Sect.

"There's nothing here."

He had passed through several rooms, but found no traces. Seo Gangrim opened the western door and found himself in a training room. When he entered, he heard a noise coming from around his neck.

[Progressing to Level 1 of the Geohae's Shackle!]

'Has it already been a day since I entered here?'

The Abyssal cuff moved slightly with each passing day in the maze. Since only one day had passed, he didn't feel the sensation of blades cutting into his neck yet. He felt a bit anxious, but he wasn't worried about his neck being severed.

'Where is everyone hiding?'

He had been tracing the locations with traces of blood but had yet to encounter trainees from Zone Two. Instead, he had wasted time encountering people from other zones, who he didn't need to meet, and engaging in battles. As soon as they saw him, they charged at him like he was a demon.

'I found plaques, but they're useless to me.'

Only a day had passed, but he felt like he was racing against time, like someone had given him a death sentence. At that moment, Yorn bit Seo Gangrim's hand lightly.

"Kyaang!"

It didn't hurt, just Yorn's way when he wanted him to look at something. His gaze followed Yorn's indication.

"Alright, go rest in the Spirit Realm."

Once Yorn received permission, he transformed into light and disappeared. Linnie looked a bit envious.

"When Yorn wakes up, I'll send you next."

"Woong!"

Seo Gangrim couldn't send both of them to the Spirit Realm at the same time, not knowing what might happen. So, while they moved for a day, the two spirits took turns resting.

【By the way, why aren't you resting when the spirits are?】

【Do you not realize how precious your life is?】

"I've taken something, so I'm okay."

Seo Gangrim had been tirelessly active for over a day. Thanks to the Elixir of Life he had taken, his body was filled with vitality, and he could go without sleep for several days. Nevertheless, even if he didn't have the Elixir of Life, he couldn't afford to rest.

'There are no traces here, so tracking would be difficult,' he thought. Among the five doors, he pondered which one to choose and decided to open the northern door. Once inside, he instantly felt an inexplicable breeze.

"Is this... a stable?"

The newly constructed building appeared empty, devoid of any animal smells. However, there was something familiar on the floor.

【What's that?】

【Isn't it a necklace?】

【Idiot, don't touch it. Don't call out to any gods here.】

【Then what is it?】

【It's a rosary, haven't you been to a cathedral?】

【Damn it! How can you just enter another god's house?】

Seo Gangrim picked up the rosary from the floor. It had a shape that might be mistaken for a necklace by someone unfamiliar with it. Black beads were strung together like a necklace, with a cross hanging at the end.

'Could this be the rosary Father Yohan used?'

Seo Gangrim recalled seeing Father Yohan with something similar in the past. The design of the rosary wasn't unique, so it could belong to someone else, but the probability of it being Father Yohan's was high.

'I'm sure he passed through here...'

Rather than joy, a sense of urgency was his first reaction to this clue. If Father Yohan had dropped the rosary, it meant the situation was dire. In addition, Father Yohan hadn't returned to retrieve it. As Seo Gangrim examined the room, he found it filled with traces of bullets, arrows, and knife marks.

'In which direction did he flee?'

It was difficult to distinguish the remaining footprints on the floor. He went in the direction where the clearest footprints led and opened the next door.

Upon entering, he noticed a large bookshelf. Something was moving behind it.

"Could they be from Zone Two?"

Hurriedly stepping inside, Seo Gangrim's hope was shattered as soon as he saw what had appeared behind the bookshelf. It was a black shadow. Moreover, it wasn't just one.

"G-gak..."

Shadows emerged from between the bookshelves endlessly. It wasn't just one or two, but there seemed to be over twenty at a glance.

【There are too many of them.】

【There are more than twice as many as the ones we encountered in Sura Hall, right?】

【Poor Gangrim, his luck has run out.】

As they said, this time, there were even more of the demons. Seo Gangrim didn't care, it's bad luck, and it happens all the time to him. Instead of lamenting, he had to take down one.

"Gagak!"

One shadow lunged at him head-on. With his right arm hanging loosely, the shadow brandished a spear with his left hand. Seo Gangrim drew his sword, simultaneously sending flames at the shadow behind him that was attempting to ambush him.

"Pyong!"

The head was severed, and black ashes burst forth. As Seo Gangrim defeated the shadow, he shouted, "Linnie, guard the rear!"

"Woong"

[Ability 'Water Manipulation' has been activated!]

Moisture from the surroundings gathered, forming a massive water droplet. The water droplet gently but firmly engulfed the shadows, trapping them inside. The shadows struggled within the water, but they didn't die. Nevertheless, with their numbers reduced, Seo Gangrim found it much easier to move.

"Good. At this rate, even though it might take some time, I can defeat them..."

"Tyaang!"

Seo Gangrim heard the gunshot, prompting him to turn around. Blood was oozing from his side. When he looked back, a small shadow was aiming a rifle at him.