F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 77

The shadow's finger once again pulled the trigger.

"Linnie! Magnet Horn!"

"Okay!"

If it was the 'Magnet Horn' that could change the trajectory of metal attacks, blocking bullets was an easy task. As Linnie's horn trembled, the second bullet was fired.

[The ability 'Magnet Horn' has been activated!]

The bullet's trajectory began to twist due to Linnie's Magnet Horn. With it's path now distorted, the bullet was going to hit the ceiling. But soon, blood sprayed from Seo Gangrim's shoulder.

-Bam!

The bullet that was curving towards the ceiling suddenly twisted as if possessed and veered down to pierce Seo Gangrim's shoulder. Seo Gangrim grasped his injured shoulder and glared at the shadow.

"This feeling... it's familiar."

As the shadow attempted to aim the gun at him again, Seo Gangrim immediately activated 'Invisibility' and disappeared, dodging the shadow's attack. When he vanished, the shadow's gun wavered. Seo Gangrim swiftly moved behind the shadow and slashed his neck.

"Ggh..."

The shadow resisted for a moment before finally kneeling and collapsing. However, it wasn't over. Sensing movement, Seo Gangrim turned around to find another shadow aiming an arrow at him. He quickly grabbed a low table nearby.

-Kwak!

He barely deflected the arrow. Before the shadow could fire a second shot, Seo Gangrim threw the sword like a javelin.

-Puck!

The sword struck the shadow right in the chest, and the shadow quickly lost her form and withered away. Seo Gangrim rushed to retrieve his sword and looked back. There were still several shadows remaining.

"Gaga!"

Seo Gangrim utilized his entire body to fend off the shadows that were attacking him and headed towards the front. There were too many of them, and some of them seemed strong. Escaping was the better option. However, the shadows were blocking his path, and breaking through was not easy. Just as he was about to forcefully break through the shadows...

"Hyung-nim!"

A voice came from the ceiling, and when he looked up, he saw the faces of Jang Taeheon and Yoon Bom through an open door. When Yoon Bom jumped down and began firing, the shadows were hit and began to collapse.

"Hyung-nim, come up here quickly!"

"Linnie, go up first!"

Even with their arms and legs severed, the shadows clung to Seo Gangrim, dragging him down. He kicked away the shadow clinging to him and rushed toward the passage leading to the ceiling. Jang Taeheon reached out his hand, and with incredible strength, he pulled Seo Gangrim up.

"That's enough! Yoon Bom, come up!"

"I'll close the door!"

As soon as Yoon Bom climbed up, the door slammed shut. Seo Gangrim gasped for breath and focused his senses on what was below. He could still sense the shadows lingering down there.

"Master! Are you okay?"

Yoon Bom frantically examined Seo Gangrim's condition. He sustained no major injuries, but blood was flowing from his shoulder and side.

"Just wait a moment! Father Yohan isn't here right now..."

"I'm fine. It's nothing serious."

It was just a minor wound, narrowly avoiding vital organs. Seo Gangrim drunk his health potion, and while at it, he looked around and realized they were in a prison. There was not a single window allowing light in, only lanterns hanging around, casting an eerie atmosphere with the stone walls and floor. And the atmosphere was reflected on their faces. Everyone's faces seemed to have taken a beating over the past few days.

Jang Taeheon let out a sigh of relief and said, "Father Yohan isn't here right now..."

"I'm glad I opened it. Yoon Bom said that she heard your voice down there, so I opened it just in case..."

"It seems Father has finally arrived. I'm glad... no, I shouldn't say 'glad,' should I?"

Yoon Bom smiled bitterly. Seo Gangrim, too, couldn't decide whether he should be pleased to have met them or worried. He secretly hoped that everyone, except Shin Sooah, had managed to escape this place. Hiding his inner thoughts, he asked, "What about the others?"

"Yoon Geoul, Father Yohan, and Dokgo Jun went to another room for a moment. As for Sooah-unni..."

When Shin Sooah's name came up, a subtle tension filled the air between them. They seemed to be struggling to decide how to explain.

"Did Shin Sooah-ssi go to another room too?"

"No, she's in this room, but... um, I'll show you..."

Seo Gangrim nodded and got up, despite feeling unsteady. Yoon Bom led him towards the inner part of the prison. As they moved deeper inside, the air grew even colder, and the damp odor mixed with the stench of iron. In the innermost part of the prison, there was a single lantern hanging, and behind the bars, someone was there.

"Uh, that..."

Ignoring Yoon Bom's explanation, Seo Gangrim approached the person. There, he found Shin Sooah covered in blood just as in the picture.

【What... What happened? Is Shin Sooah dead?】

【No, it doesn't seem like she's dead.】

【Then why isn't she receiving medical treatment and why is she in the prison?】

【Could it be that the others betrayed her?】

The gods were bewildered by Shin Sooah's condition. It was so severe that she looked as if she were dead. Her entire body was covered in knife wounds, making it difficult to find a spot without injuries. Seo Gangrim, without showing any surprise, simply gazed at Shin Sooah with cold eyes.

Yoon Bom hesitated before saying, "Uh, where should I start... Master, what do you think the ability manifested here is?"

"Ability duplication."

Seo Gangrim replied, turning to look at Yoon Bom, who now had wide eyes filled with surprise.

"It seems the demons here copy the abilities of the people."

"How did you know?"

"I saw shadows resembling you and Yoon Geoul."

Thanks to his previous experiences in his past life, he knew, but there were other hints as well. Just a while ago, during the fight with the shadows downstairs, Linnie had altered the trajectory of a flying bullet, but the bullet still pierced through Seo Gangrim as if possessed. It was undoubtedly Yoon Bom's 'Perfect Markmanship.' There were more clues in the shadows' characteristics. Each shadow had faint red lines. The shadow resembling Yoon Bom had a faint red line drawn on its right ear, where Yoon Bom currently had a Geohae's Shackle.

"Just as Master said, it seems these shadows copy our abilities. And even if we defeat them, they regenerate when we hear the next sound of the drums..."

When Ju Hyereong referred to the demons as 'Shadows,' Seo Gangrim thought that they had chosen a fitting name.

[Name] Shadow Thief

[Rank] Human First-class

[Description] Possesses the ability to replicate human abilities. The replication is canceled when leaving the Shadow Thief's domain. It exhibits the characteristic of wanting to replace the original after copying the ability.

This domain belonged to the Shadow Thief. Until they left this place, even if the Shadow Thief vanished, another demons would replicate their abilities. They were not very strong, but in an enclosed space, they could be quite troublesome.

'Stealing abilities. Like vermins.'

As he thought this, Seo Gangrim inwardly chided himself. He then silently gazed down at Shin Sooah and asked, "So why did Shin Sooah-ssi harm herself?"

"Well... She found out that if her real self is attacked, the damage also affects her shadow."

It was because of this trait that in his past life, Gohae's room had turned into hell. Initially, even those who had cooperated with each other became wary when the shadows continued to attack. Once they learned about the shadows' abilities, their thoughts changed. If the original was strong, the shadow was strong as well. If the original died, the shadow died too, but the shadow could come back to life. Therefore, the solution was to kill the original. This was why strong ability users became the targets. Hence, Ju Hyereong had tried to assassinate Seo Gangrim earlier. She wanted to eliminate him before his shadow appeared, as his shadow would pose a threat.

'This is why I tried to come in as late as possible.'

Seo Gangrim was well aware of the danger his shadow posed. That's why he had planned to enter this stage alone after everyone had left. Likewise, Shin Sooah had likely attacked herself for similar reasons.

"Sooah-unni's shadow strangely became stronger over time, even more so than Sooah-unni herself."

"So, did Shin Sooah-ssi weaken her shadow by harming herself?"

"Yes. After everyone had left, she decided to resolve it herself. She's too kind."

Kind? Seo Gangrim wanted to refute that term. At first, he had simply thought of Shin Sooah as a kind person, but he realized that such a description didn't suit her. Shin Sooah was insane. There was a limit to kindness. When any action exceeded that limit, it lost its sincerity and became close to madness. What else could you call someone who mutilated themselves for the sake of others?

Dok Gojun was not the only one who was sincerely insane. Shin Sooah was also a bonafide madman. Just in a different direction. He understood why she was being hard on herself, but that didn't mean it was pretty to watch.

Keeping these complaints to himself, he redirected the conversation, "Did you find plaques?"

"Oh, yes. We found a few of them. But we couldn't find Yoon Geoul's and Father Yohan's plaque."

It was regrettable that they hadn't found all of them, but finding some was still fortunate. Their top priority was to get out of here as soon as possible for the sake of Shin Sooah and Seo Gangrim.

"Understood. Could you give us some space? I need to talk to Shin Sooah."

"But unni is currently unconscious..."

"I have a healing potion."

Yoon Bom nodded and left the cell. Seo Gangrim took out a healing potion from his pocket and gently poured it into Shin Sooah's mouth, as well as applying it to her wounds.

She looked more like a lifeless doll than a person. Her face was extremely pale. When he was almost done with the vial, her hand weakly grasped his wrist

"Don't..."

Shin Sooah's hand holding him had surprisingly little strength. It was hard to believe that this was the same person who had flown through the sky. Her eyes slowly opened, and she gazed at Seo Gangrim.

"...Let's talk."

"Don't waste the potion... When I recover, they'll be in danger..."

Shin Sooah said this, then reached for the dagger placed nearby. She tried to pierce her already-healed thigh once more, but Seo Gangrim's reaction was faster. He firmly grabbed the hand holding the dagger.

"Let's talk."

His voice was filled with anger.

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