F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 124

"This guy knew all along and used us...!"

The group who had been pretending just moments ago finally revealed their true colors. One by one, they got up from their positions, drawing their weapons.

Seo Gangrim calmly observed them and said, "Aren't weapons prohibited?"

"It doesn't matter. As long as we can eliminate you."

Despite being from different Zodiacs, their cooperation suggested that they were acquainted. It seemed like they had targeted Seo Gangrim from the beginning, rather than approaching him by chance.

'Did they receive orders from someone, like Seong Eui-gyeol?'

"No matter how strong you are, 2 against 1..."

-Crack!

Before the other man could finish his sentence, Seo Gangrim rushed in and struck his face with the knee. Seo Gangrim grabbed him as he groaned, delivering another blow.

Even though the opponent tried to use their ability, Seo Gangrim held onto their collar. "Out of magical energy?"

When they proposed joining forces with Seo Gangrim, he checked their Destiny Windows and found that they were all quite powerful individuals. Although Seo Gangrim was stronger than them individually, facing four opponents would inevitably consume his stamina and magical energy. Therefore, he depleted all of their magical energy.

After dropping the half-stunned one into the water, Seo Gangrim turned to the last remaining one.

"Now, you're alone."

"Am I?"

Even though he was the last one standing, he seemed oddly confident, as if he believed in something. He chuckled and fired a signal flare into the sky.

-Boom!

Even in broad daylight, the illumination from the signal flare was vivid. Simultaneously, several nearby boats started approaching Them.

Everyone was staring at Seo Gangrim. Judging from the atmosphere, it seemed like they were all on the same side. They had both numerical superiority and excellent abilities, not to mention attractive appearances.

"Are you all under ES Entertainment?"

"…!"

A shiver seemed to pass through everyone's faces as if they'd been struck at their core. Despite their attempts to appear nonchalant, it was evident that Seo Gangrim's guess was correct.

Glancing at the camera drone, I remarked, "Even while the broadcast is ongoing, it seems like you're not that famous."

At best, they were probably trainees or newcomers. Yang Euseong dispatched them to capture Seo Gangrim. About 20 in number, roughly half of them seemed to be decent Manshins.

Seo Gangrim swiftly summoned the spirit beasts. [Summoning beings from the spiritual realm!]

With the summoning message, Linnie revealed herself. Seo Gangrim surmised that there was no need to summon Yorn for now. It was necessary to conserve strength for when Yorn would be needed later.

"What's that? Is that a spirit beast?"

"It looks like a small deer or something."

They showed no signs of surprise; it seemed they already knew about spirit beasts.

It's actually easy to beat them.; it just took a considerable amount of time.

Just as he was about to subdue them as quickly as possible and move on—

-Boom!

From the farthest boat, the sound of screams and breaking something reached them. Before they knew it, the boat was already half-destroyed.

Amidst the chaotic screams, a familiar voice echoed.

"I was planning to keep watching, but it seems like the right time to intervene."

Someone stood atop the mast, looking down at them. It was Dokgo Jun, smiling at Seo Gangrim as if happy to see him. He holding a badge with a rat emblem like Seo Gangrim's.

"Well, same zodiac. It would have been fun if we were competitors, but it's better to be on the same side after all."

Seo Gangrim had expected him, considering they were of the same age group. Even if that wasn't the case, Dokgo Jun would have followed him anyway.

Dokgo Jun turned his gaze towards the enemies, seemingly delighted.

"Since you attacked my colleague, I suppose I should do the same, right?"

His shadow loomed over the people, and within the shadow, Dokgo Jun smiled.

[Ability 'Corrosion' activated!]

[Ability 'Shadow Rats' activated!]

[Due to the effect of the Demon Realm, abilities related to the Zodiac animals are enhanced!]

His shadow wriggled, and from within, black rats began pouring out like a stream. Wherever the rats passed, the colors lost their brightness. Simultaneously, the ship started to turn black, losing its form and collapsing.

"Ahh! The ship is sinking!"

"Everyone, run!"

The rats spread across the ship like a plague. In the midst of the chaos, Dokgo Jun was leisurely watching, as if he were just a spectator.

"Wow, they said abilities and items related to the Zodiac are enhanced. The effect is great!"

Dokgo Jun, with a crazed laugh, began to demolish the ship. Truly, a useful guy.

Seizing the opportunity, Seo Gangrim moved to subdue the remaining members.

"Linie, Water Manipulation! Accelerate the ship!"

"Woong!"

With 'Water Manipulation,' the flow of water began to change. It was almost like a violent tidal wave.

Amidst the ship shaking wildly as it raced forward, screams and sounds of impacts mixed with the waves. Unbeknownst to Seo Gangrim, several camera drones were now broadcasting the situation.

"While intense competition ensues at the forefront, a fierce battle erupted in the mid-tier! It appears that Seo Gangrim and Dokgo Jun, both of the Rat Zodiac, have formed an alliance!"

"Despite being outnumbered, the Rat Zodiac Alliance swiftly suppresses the enemies!"

Most of the ships had sunk, leaving only the two of us unscathed. Dokgo Jun flicked his fingers and spoke.

"Phew, cleanup done! These annoying folks... By the way, Seo Gangrim, you're quite popular. People gather around you wherever you go."

"If it's bothersome, you can leave first."

"Leave you and go ahead? How could I? I've been waiting for you to come."

He was truly sincere.

If he's willing to dedicate himself to Seo Gangrim, that's a good thing for Seo Gangrim.

Seo Gangrim glanced at him and said, "You mentioned last time that you'd take on a supporting role, right?"

"Yeah, I did."

"Then charge some magical energy."

Although the current speed was already fast, there was room for it to go faster. Dokgo Jun looked at Seo Gangrim silently and then let out a small sigh.

"Hey, Seo Gangrim. Protagonists who don't value their teammates might become unpopular."

"Go and recharge."

"Got it, you're so prickly. Well, that aspect isn't bad either."

Dokgo Jun grinned and approached the ship, infusing magical energy into it.

[Magical energy recharge in progress!]

[Speed is increasing!]

Since Dokgo Jun had a considerable amount of mana, the speed noticeably accelerated. It seemed like Seo Gangrim could catch his breath even if it's just for a moment. As he sat down on one side of the ship, Seo Gangrim approached with a sly smile and casually started a conversation.

"Oh, Seo Gangrim. The clothes you're wearing now are the reward from First Great Demon Realm, right?"

Dokgo Jun spoke casually, as if addressing a friend. He looked at Seo Gnagrim's outfit with curiousity.

"But you know, why do fantasy novel protagonists have such similar styles? Are they all shopping at the same clothing store or something?"

Seo Gnagrim glanced at Dokgo Jun, who was rambling on his own.

By the way, Seo Gnagrim noticed that there was a new ability he hadn't seen before. Dokgo Jun seemed to have gained a new ability.

"Hey, you had a new ability you didn't show before. Did you receive a god or something?"

"Yeah, right! You catch on fast."

When Seo Gangrim checked the Destiny Window, a new category called 'God' had emerged. It was the same strange god as in his previous life.

[God] The indescribable

'The indescribable' was similar to a god from a horror novel, like Nyarlathotep. Gods in this category had chaos and evil as their main attributes, so a sane person wouldn't receive this kind of god.

Many who received this god ended up going insane, but Dokgo Jun still seemed to be in his right mind.

"Who's your god?"

"It's a god called 'The Indescribable.' I didn't plan on receiving a god, but he seemed interesting."

"Interesting?"

Seo Gangrim couldn't fathom what would be interesting about such a god.

Dokgo Jun continued with a slightly excited expression.

"Well, this god is the type that appears in novels. It was fascinating because it's a god created by humans."

A god created by humans.

As Seo Gnagrim listened to his story, thoughts of Yu Harang and Yu Seonmin came to mind. Somehow, he felt like Dokgo Jun and Yu Seonmin would get along well.

"Even though it's a god with a history of only about a hundred years, its influence..."

While Dokgo Jun was rambling on, he suddenly stopped talking, got up from his seat, and looked at Seo Gangrim with a smirk.

"Now, it's round two."

Although the ships that were chasing them were no longer there, new obstacles appeared in their path—gigantic aquatic monsters.

"Grrr...!"

It didn't seem like they would let the two pass easily.

As Seo Gangrim raised his weapon and stood at the bow, Dokgo Jun also stood beside him. The strong wind brushed against the both of them, tousling Dokgo Jun's hair. With a sly smile, he spoke.

"Shall we play again?"

***

[The Rat Alliance is formidable! They have swiftly surpassed the mid-tier and are approaching the top group!]

The large screen vividly broadcasted the scene of the Great Demon realm, showing the battle of the mid-tier participants.

The camera focused on Seo Gangrim.

Just moments ago, he was engaged in a water battle with other competitors, and after moving forward a bit, aquatic monsters appeared, and now he was in battle with them.

Or rather, it wasn't a battle; it was nearly one-sided annihilation, closer to massacre.

Every time Dokgo Jun's 'Corrosion' brushed past the monsters, their bodies crumbled into pieces.

-Splash

And then, behind Dokgo Jun, Seo Gangrim's figure emerged. Standing with blue flames in both hands, Seo Gangrim activated 'Frost Flames,' causing the bodies of the aquatic monsters to freeze instantly. On the river, numerous ice fragments and corpses floated gently.

In less than five minutes, so many monsters were annihilated. As a result, the voice of the announcer became even louder.

[Successfully traversing the demonic section of the river, the territory of aquatic monsters! The Rat Alliance is advancing rapidly!]

The boat carrying Seo Gangrim and Dokgo Jun navigated effortlessly through the breached waterway.

Yang Euseong, who was watching the scene from the sofa, spoke.

"The ones who lost to Seo Gangrim just now. Expel them all."

"Yes, sir."

As predicted by Seo Gangrim, they were the people sent by Yang Euseong. Once considered promising individuals from the agency Yang Euseong had created, they were now meaningless to him.

"Did I underestimate them too much?"

Yang Euseong sunk deeper into the sofa.

Despite various attempts to hinder Seo Gangrim, including intentional negative articles and attacks from hunters and the powerless, Seo Gangrim showed no reaction. Each time he witnessed this, Yang Euseong felt a surge of possessiveness.

"It's a shame. If he debuts as a model..."

Undoubtedly, Seo Gangrim was an eye-catching talent in many aspects. It was regrettable that if Yang Euseong couldn't have him, then he had to be ruined completely.

As Yang Euseong remained silent, his secretary cautiously spoke.

"Do not worry too much, CEO. There are still remaining minions we've hired."

"True. I never thought it would be easy to capture him in the first place."

The group that attacked Seo Gangrim was merely an appetizer. The real weapons were hidden separately. Yang Euseong smiled as he looked at the monitor.

"In the end, he will kneel before me."