Chapter 34:
Chapter 34:
Chapter 34
It was clear that someone was watching them. Could it be the person who threw the peaches? Seo Gangrim stood up with a sword in his hand, but the gaze suddenly disappeared.
【Hey, isn't that the culprit?】
【Hurry, go after them, Gangrim!】
The presence had already vanished. It seemed like the reason he saw an outline of the person was because the person deliberately revealed themselves. Was he luring Seo Gangrim? Seo Gangrim looked back at the three sleeping people, wondering what might happen to them if he left his spot. Seeing that the mystery person scattered demon peaches, it was clear that Shin Sooah and the others were the target. Seo Gangrim sat back on the ground, holding his sword, thinking of returning to the lobby as soon as the sun rises. Today, the night proved unusually long. Seo Gangrim guarded the campfire silently while it burned quietly.
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[Acquired spirit pearls: 722/1000]
A demon fell miserably to the ground after being slashed. Dokgo Jun wiped the blood off his face and looked down at the lifeless bodies with an indifferent gaze. Dozens of corpses were littered all around. Both of his hands and sword were soaked in blood, and even the ground had reached a point where its original color couldn't be discerned.
"Boring."
He walked out of the forest with an expression of boredom. With over 700 acquired spirit pearls, he only needed to collect about 300 to succeed. But in reality, it brought no joy to Dokgo Jun.
"The development is so trash."
Although he continued hunting in the Blade Forest, he felt a deep sense of boredom.
"No rivals, no comrades, no enemies. No heroines either. Just slaying mediocre demons."
Although he felt a little excited when he heard the voice of the gods from the sky, even that had cooled down. There wasn't any god that particularly appealed to him, and they all seemed ordinary.
"What is my role? And what about Seo Gangrim?"
Lately, one of the thoughts that tormented Dokgo Jun was that. At first, he thought Seo Gangrim would become another protagonist or at least a companion. But Seo Gangrim was defeated by Cheon Gunam in just the Second Stage.
"I had high expectations for Cheon Gunam...."
But Cheon Gunam was weak. Dokgo Jun had guessed that he was either a type that concealed his strength or a strategic type, but he seemed to be neither. Cheon Gunam, who clung to him in the first stage, was nothing more than an ordinary human, neither more nor less. Although Dokgo Jun had hoped that Cheon Gunam would return safely, Cheon Gunam never did.
"In a way, Seo Gangrim seems more like a protagonist. He doesn't seem like someone from the future, judging from his clumsy mistakes, but...."
Thinking like that and walking slowly, Dokgo Jun stopped. There was a small campfire burning by the riverbank. All the people gathered there were familiar faces.
"Shin Sooah is there too."
Seeing the twin siblings among them, it seemed like an alliance had formed among them without Dokgo Jun realizing it. Dokgo Jun looked around.
"Is Seo Gangrim not here?"
Seo Gangrim was nowhere to be seen. That was quite disappointing, but Shin Sooah was also a key figure. Dokgo Jun hid nearby for a moment and observed them.
"If I'm nearby, will something interesting happen?"
As if responding to Dokgo Jun's anticipation, as the night grew deeper, someone subtly revealed themselves. The person was holding a handful of demon peaches. Dokgo Jun looked at the person with interest.
"So there's an ability like that. And those peaches...."
As soon as the person spread out the peaches and disappeared, the bear demons appeared and surrounded the campfire. And not long after, Seo Gangrim came leaping in and began slaughtering the demons. While watching that scene, the corners of Dokgo Jun's mouth gradually rose.
"Just like a protagonist."
When the heroine is in danger, he appears and defeats the demons. Even when he aimed a sword at the heroine, she did not budge. And even after protecting everyone, he stood alone, guarding the campfire. Dokgo Jun heard that Seo Gangrim had also rescued someone in the Ice Valley.
"A good-natured protagonist may not be great, but at least he's not a mediocre human or an extra."
It was quite disappointing when Seo Gangrim emerged from the Fire Hell in a mess. And it was also disappointing that he cleared only about halfway in the Ice Valley.
"But what if all of this was planned?"
While Dokgo Jun was pondering, he saw Seo Gangrim standing up from his spot. Seeing that he was looking in this direction, it seemed like he had noticed Dokgo Jun's presence.
"Did he notice? He's even like a protagonist in that aspect."
He would have been disappointed if Seo Gangrim had just sat there stupidly. When Dokgo Jun distanced himself, Seo Gangrim also sat down in his spot. After moving away from his spot, Dokgo Jun left for good.
"Good. I should watch a little longer."
Between his bloodied face, his eyes were gleaming. With a face full of joy, Dokgo Jun disappeared into the dark forest.
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Seo Gangrim was holding his recently purchased map in the middle of the forest. Compared to the past few days, many locations were now marked on the map. About one-third were marked already. Seo Gangrim stared at the map intently while sitting on a rock, and he heard the voices of the gods conversing.
【What are you doing, Gangrim?】
【Aren't you hunting? You've only collected 200 spirit pearls so far.】
【Why do you keep looking at the map?】
【Hey, maps are my specialty. Receive my Divine Blessing.】
Seo Gangrim glanced at the sky.
"You didn't tell me who threw the demons peaches."
【Ah, well, um, well.】
【I didn't see him either.】
【If I saw it, I would've told you!】
As the god complained about not being able to see such things, Seo Gangrim turned his gaze back to the map.
"There must be a weapon in this forest."
The most important goal for Seo Gangrim was the weapon. He knew that there was a weapon somewhere in this forest, but the problem was that he didn't know exactly where it was.
【But what are you looking for?】
【Should we help you?】
【Could it be... you're looking for 'it'?!】
【What is 'it'?】
【It's a secret.】
If he asked the Land God, the Guardian of the Blade Forest, for help, he could easily find it. But Seo Gangrim decided not to seek help. If he incurred a debt for no reason, he didn't know what might happen later. These gods were more greedy and selfish than generous and gentle.
【'Master of All Flames' has used the item 'Traces of the Divinity'.】
【The god's message will be emphasized for 10 minutes.】
【'Master of All Flames' proclaims their arrival.】
【'Master of All Flames' declares that today is finally the day to give you a Divine Blessing.】
Agni was enthusiastically sending messages again today, but Seo Gangrim remained silent.
'I wonder why they're so obsessed and chasing after me.'
Agni was good god, so it would be easy for him to find another vessel. Seo Gangrim couldn't understand why he was chasing after him like this. He looked up at the sky and asked, "Why are you chasing after me like this?"
【'Master of All Flames' says that he likes Seo Gangrim's flame.】
【'Master of All Flames' promises to further nurture Seo Gangrim.】
It seemed that Seo Gangrim's ability, Radiant Flames, pleased Agni. While listening to the words of the gods with one ear, he heard voices from a distance.
'Who is it with Shin Sooah...?'
Voices, including Shin Sooah's, could be heard. Although it was faint and the exact content couldn't be grasped, it had a tense atmosphere, almost like a fight was brewing.
【Whoa, why are they like that?】
【Why? Are they picking a fight?】
【Oh, it's intense~】
【Watching fights is the best entertainment.】
【Hey, bring some popcorn!】
Seo Gangrim hurriedly followed the sound and found Shin Sooah and the people from Zone Four there. The person at the forefront of Zone Four was Ju Hyereong. When they last met, she had a friendly smile, but now her expression wasn't pleasant. She was clearly hostile toward Shin Sooah. Then, Ju Hyereong noticed Seo Gangrim and spoke in a cold voice, "We meet again like this."
"What's going on?"
There were some unfamiliar faces, but judging by the atmosphere, they seemed to be also from Zone Four. Everyone looked tense, and were staring at Seo Gangrim as if he were a demon.
Ju Hyereong spoke firmly, "Where is your entrance?"
"Pardon?"
"I'm asking where the entrance to Zone Two is, the one that people from your Zone use."
Ju Hyereong who had previously treated him well now resorted to threats. As if the person had changed suddenly. But Seo Gangrim and Shin Sooah weren't intimidated.
"Do you think we'll tell you that?"
Ju Hyereong gripped her sword and spoke, "If you don't tell us, we'll have to knock you down by force."
The gods were also in an uproar over this situation.
【Whoa, they're finally fighting.】
【Hey, but why are they fighting? They should talk and then fight.】
【Why does the reason matter! Let them beat each other to death!】
As Seo Gangrim stared fiercely at Ju Hyereong, Nam Yoojun, who was standing beside her, spoke up. He seemed quite bewildered.
"Hyereong-ssi, maybe it's better to stop this. We have no evidence that the people from Zone Two are the culprits...."
"Then does that mean there's a murderer in our zone?"
"That's not it. There might be a demons among who can use weapons like humans."
Upon hearing that, Shin Sooah and the rest of the group wore shocked expressions. A murderer. Seo Gangrim calmly listened to the conversation.
'It seems that the murderer has begun to act.'
He glanced briefly at Shin Sooah. Her eyes were sharp and shining.
After silently listening to the conversation between the two, Shin Sooah asked, "Is there a murderer? Could you please explain what's going on?"
Ju Hyereong stared at Shin Sooah with a threatening look and then put away her weapon. When she gave a signal, the others stepped back.
Nam Yoojun apologized, feeling sorry.
"You were surprised, right? I'm sorry. In our Zone... a dead body was found."
"It might not be a demons doing it."
"There were knife marks on the corpse. But, well, there might be a demons among the demons who uses knives!"
Ju Hyereong scoffed and let out a breath.
She looked at Nam Yoojun and said, "Yoojun, aren't you too kind? It's obvious that a person killed them."
"But, well..."
"The spirit pearls that the deceased had were also gone. Since there's no one in our zone who seems capable of committing murder, it must be the other zone's doing."
Even in the previous life, a murder also occurred, causing severe friction between the zones. Ju Hyereong suspected other zones with a fiery gaze, but even if she did, she wouldn't be able to find anything.
'The murderer was ultimately someone from Zone Four.'