F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 127

The eerie voice left the crowd somewhat bewildered. Amidst this, Seo Gangrim was the first to sense the danger of the situation. A chill ran down his spine as the murderous aura filled the air around him. The oppressive presence of death felt like needles piercing through his lungs with every breath.

At that moment, Seo Gangrim looked up to the sky abruptly. "Shin Sooah-ssi, be careful!"

-Kwaaah!

Along with his shout, something resembling a massive vortex descended, impaling Shin Sooah's vehicle. The car split in half and tumbled uncontrollably on the ground. Following this, another attack from the sky targeted the Aldebaran.

-Kkiieek!

Desperately slamming the brakes, and he managed to block the attack but the Aldebaran was still flung around. Underneath the overturned vehicle, Dokgo Joon groaned in pain.

"Haha, what kind of event is this?"

Ignoring his senseless remark, Seo Gangrim crawled out. As he surveyed the surroundings, he felt like he had entered a battlefield. There were screams and shouts echoing from the fire all around him.

Meanwhile, individuals wearing black masks appeared, wreaking havoc. Just as Seo Gangrim swiftly took a combat stance, he sensed something attaching itself to him.

[Ability 'Forced Teleportation' is activated!]

Feeling a sensation similar to when he was transported to the deserted island, the surroundings changed in the blink of an eye. Looking around, it seemed he hadn't moved far—just in the vicinity.

'Where are Shin Sooah and Yu Harang?'

There was no sign of them. In the midst of Seo Gangrim's confusion, a monitor drone caught his attention. On the screen, a person's face was displayed.

[To all awakened beings, hunters, manshins, and Destiny Protection Bureau agents watching this screen, be informed.]

The person on the monitor wore the same mask as the intruders from earlier.

The black-masked face stared directly ahead.

[We are the 'Clown Troupe.' We will be the ones to bring about a new order.]

The face drawn on the black mask looked somewhat ridiculous and strangely alien, resembling the features of a demon.

The clown beyond the screen continued speaking.

[And with that, the banquet will begin.]

As the words concluded, the screen seemed to turn black, only to illuminate various parts of the Great Demon realm shortly after.

Explosions, destruction, uproar, screams.

Masked individuals mercilessly attacked, and hunters and manshins resisted.

'Why is the Clown Troupe appearing now?'

It was an event that hadn't occurred in his past life. The second Great Demon realm had been relatively peacefully resolved, and the Clown Troupe had not made an appearance.

'Why has the future changed again? And what is this energy...?'

Due to the intense murderous intent felt everywhere, Seo Gangrim felt like his head was about to split.

'Darn it, was it because of this that my eyes activated?'

The 'Eyes of Vigilance' had its drawbacks, not just advantages. It was like a bird flying into the water and being unable to breathe.

As a living being, when Seo Gangrim went closer to the boundary, his entire body felt the excruciating pain of disintegration.

'First, I need to rejoin the others. Where exactly am I?'

Looking around the course, it seemed like he was at the midpoint between Course 2 and Course 3.

Although the location was different, he hadn't left the demon realm yet. He needed to rejoin the others as quickly as possible. But before that, there was something he needed to deal with.

"I know you're hiding there. Come out."

A cold voice escaped from Seo Gangrim's lips. After a moment of silence, a man stealthily walked out from behind a nearby structure. Although he wasn't wearing a mask, it didn't necessarily prove he wasn't part of the Clown Troupe.

Seo Gangrim glared at him and spoke.

"Did you teleport me?"

In the moment of the recent forced teleportation, he felt someone's magical power nearby, directed at him.

The man smiled subtly as he looked at Seo Gangrim.

"Yeah, I did. Wanted to have a little chat with you. The coordinates seemed to be set wrong, though."

"Who are you? You don't seem to be part of the Clown Troupe."

"That's right. I have nothing to do with the Clown Troupe. I was just waiting for the right time to kidnap you when things suddenly went awry."

Seo Gangrim quickly scanned the man's aura and then glared at his face. The man, with notably strong mana and a celebrity-like appearance, spoke as if Seo Gangrim's question disgusted him.

"Are you affiliated with ES too?"

"Hmm, how did you know? Even if I say no, you probably won't believe it."

The man seemed quite surprised when Seo Gangrim instantly identified his identity.

With crossed arms, the man looked at Seo Gangrim and said, "It's more comfortable to talk now. I'm affiliated with ES Entertainment, and I came to scout you."

"..."

"I was waiting for the right timing, but you didn't stop, causing some trouble. Thanks to the Clown Troupe, it turned out well for me."

He had a remarkably relaxed tone, even amidst the destruction happening throughout the place on the monitor.

"I don't know if you're part of the Clown Troupe, but fortunately, the camera can't reach this far."

"..."

"I also want to resolve things peacefully if possible. I'll step back..."

-Thunk!

At that moment, the man collapsed before finishing his sentence. Blood was flowing from his head where he had been attacked.

Seo Gangrim remained in his original position, calmly observing.

"Suddenly disappearing, what a troublesome guy. I had a hard time chasing you."

Standing behind the fallen man was the masked clown. Despite the situation, the clown's tone was strangely nonchalant.

Seo Gangrim bit his lip as he looked at the sudden appearance of the clown.

'I can't read the Destiny window because of the mask.'

Due to the face covering, he couldn't activate 'Destiny Analysis' to look at the clown's destiny.

The clown kicked the fallen man lightly and grumbled, "Trying to steal and get caught. What a mess. I also have business with Seo Gangrim. Disappearing like that, do you know how surprised I was?"

"Do you have something to discuss with me?"

Hearing Seo Gangrim's question, the clown turned around slowly.

While petting the back of his head, he spoke, "Yeah, I have something to discuss. Well, you see..."

He seemed hesitant, contemplating what to say. Eventually, as if it wasn't a big deal, he casually continued, "Seo Gangrim, have you considered joining the Clown Troupe?"

"What?"

Scouted by ES Entertainment and now being approached by the Clown Troupe—it seemed like various factions desired him, unlike his past life. However, both options were less than appealing.

When Seo Gangrim didn't respond, the clown continued, "I heard you had quite a reputation... Aren't you interested in this side of things?"

"..."

"As you can see from what just happened, we're pretty strong."

The clown held out his hand as if asking for a handshake.

"If you join us, we can make you even stronger. How about it?"

Seo Gangrim remained silent, gazing down at the offered hand without uttering a word.

'I knew the Clown Troupe would come to me someday, but I never expected them to make such a fuss.'

Rumors had circulated in the shadows about the Clown Troupe scouting talented hunters and handicapped individuals. Even in his previous life, some rumors Do Gok-jun had received a scouting offer.

Therefore, considering his reputation and skills, he had anticipated some contact sooner or later. He just didn't expect it to be this soon.

'If I join the Clown Troupe, it will be easier to obtain internal information.'

Seo Gangrim considered the possibility that the Clown Troupe might be connected to the Baek Young. If he pretended to join and acted accordingly, he could potentially extract information, while Kang Dohyeon investigated within the bureau.

Seo Gangrim looked down at the extended hand, then tightly grasped it.

"All right, all right, Seo Gangrim. You truly have a discerning eye..."

-Thunk!

The moment Seo Gangrim shook hands with the clown, he immediately pulled him closer and delivered a powerful punch. The blow felt bone-crushing, and the clown staggered backward.

The black mask, adorned with gold, clattered to the ground.

"Ah... That's too much..."

The clown's face peeked through the gap in the mask, revealing a mid-twenties appearance with prominent dark circles under his eyes.

He wore a slightly uneasy expression as he spoke, "You're refusing? Why?"

From the beginning, Seo Gangrim had no intention of joining the Clown Troupe. It was evident to anyone that he would just be exploited if he joined a group that casually engaged in large-scale terror and crime.

'I need information, but I can obtain it through other means.'

Seo Gangrim unsheathed his sword and breathed life into it. Holding the clown captive to extract information was a feasible alternative. The opponent seemed to sense this fact and sighed.

"You're refusing. Well, then there's no helping it."

The clown produced a Claw, a sharp weapon resembling a beast's claw. The sharp weapon conjured images of a wild animal's talon.

Taking a brief moment to loosen up, the clown then disappeared from sight in an instant.

-Chaeng!

In the blink of an eye, the clown was right in front of Seo Gangrim. Claws flew out, aiming at his arms. When the Chiljido blocked the Claw, the clown, undeterred, spoke with a calm voice.

"Seo Gangrim, do you know about the polar relationships between the Twelve Zodiac animals?"

Despite the peaceful tone, there was a razor-sharp edge to the clown's attack. The claws, blocked by the sword, emitted a threatening sound.

His gaze was as sharp as a wild animal's, and he continued, "For example, there's bad blood between dogs and monkeys. Well, in terms of the attributes, it might be good, but the dog and monkey I've seen didn't get along."

Listening to his words, Seo Gangrim quickly scanned the clown's Destiny with his Destiny Analysis.

The clown whispered quietly, "Rats... have many enemies. They deceived the cow and managed to secure first place. However, among them, who do you think hated rats the most?"

-Kagaang!

Seo Gangrim swung his sword to create distance from the opponent. He glared at the clown and said, "Of the Twelve Zodiac animals, the one that hated rats the most would be..."

Seo Gangrim's eyes flashed like a wild beast. "The cat, who had its turn stolen."

[Name] Lanaught Mauer

[Rank] Spirit Second-class

[Element] Gold

[Chinese Zodiac] Cat