F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 137

'It feels like I'm almost near Gwangcheon Pond.'

Although he couldn't see it, he could sense an overwhelming magical power in the dry air.

'I expected it wouldn't be ordinary water to cultivate such flowers.'

But he didn't expect to feel the magic from this distance.

He looked towards the direction of the magic. Inside a forest with many trees. Despite being so close to the destination, he couldn't move forward easily.

'There are more demons around here.'

The forest he was looking at was moving. Not because of the wind rustling the leaves but because the trees themselves were walking. What he initially thought were just trees turned out to be demons in the form of wooden figures.

'If what they said is true, the Clown Troupe is likely to be in the direction of Gwangcheon Pond.'

While the Howling Teeth was useful in many ways, its significant drawback was the loud noise it produced. If the Clown Troupe heard the noise and came over, it would cause various problems. Even if he used Invisibility, there was no guarantee he wouldn't be discovered eventually.

'Well, I have no choice. I didn't really want to eat this.'

Seo Gangrim took something out of his pocket—an amputated finger from a demon. Without hesitation, he bit into it.

***

A muffled sound came from around him. It was the sound of the wind brushing against the dry arms of the demons and the cries of the demons. Seo Gangrim continued to move forward at the same pace.

-Ki Yi...

After transforming into a demon, they didn't pay any attention to Seo Gangrim. Instead, they had a different goal in mind.

-Crunch!

A horse-shaped demon with fangs bared was struggling. It was vomiting up blood and gore. A demon seized its neck and soon snapped it, ending its struggles.

-Heuk!

The demon picked up the dead creature and started walking again. Other demons in the form of animals were being hunted by other demons whenever they appeared. Seo Gangrim, too, caught a demon to avoid looking suspicious and casually hung it over his shoulder.

'Do demons eat each other?' he wondered. However, none of the demons approached the corpses. Seo Gangrim quietly observed the surroundings and followed the demons.

'The atmosphere here is definitely different. Is it also because of Gwangcheon Pond?'

From the moment he entered the forest, the scenery around him distinctly changed. Strange, nameless plants with bizarre vitality and trees with colors as if burnt were all over the place. Amidst them, only the wooden humans were walking as if possessed, like devotees offering sacrifices to a god.

-Kuwung, kuwung...

As the magical power of water gradually intensified, a sparkling light could be seen in the distance. In a small pond, an extraordinary magical power and a murky energy overflowed.

"Ah, finally."

Amidst the surreal scenery, someone was standing there—a Clown. His face was covered with a mask, making it impossible to identify him. He was sitting comfortably near the Gwangcheon Pond, unperturbed even as demons crowded towards him.

'The demons aren't attacking... Could it be due to an ability?'

Seo Gangrim couldn't see the clown's Destiny window, but he probably possessed an ability or item controlling the demons. Otherwise, it was inconceivable for so many demons to casually disregard a human. However, there was something strange.

'How can he control so many like this?'

The demons surrounding him numbered in the dozens. To control this many demons, an immense amount of magical power would be required.

'Is the clown in front of me such a skilled individual?'

Then, he noticed something strange about the clown's arm. Like a patient, the clown had a syringe stuck in their arm. The syringe was connected to a complex device, and the device was linked to Gwangcheon Pond.

'Could he be injecting Gwangcheon water into his own body?'

That water would undoubtedly compensate for any lacking magical power. However, if it were Seo Gangrim, he would never have consumed that water. He had avoided it because the aura from Gwangcheon Pond felt unsettling.

[Gwangcheon Pond is being contaminated!]

[Contamination Level: 72%]

"Sigh, I wonder when I can return. I'm tired of this Seocheon Flower Garden."

The clown spoke while rising from his seat. Simultaneously, the demons began to place the bodies they had been carrying near Gwangcheon Pond.

"I should handle this quickly. Hopefully, this will be enough."

-Swish!

As the dagger pierced the demon's neck, blood gushed out instantly. The blood flowed into Gwangcheon Pond. Originally transparent, the water was now stained red, indicating how much it had mixed with blood. This was the reason why all the flowers died when watered.

'If I just handle this clown, the contamination of Gwangcheon Pond will stop. However...'

But Seo Gangrim had no time to worry about Gwangcheon Pond now. There was something behind the clown. It looked like a giant egg surrounded by amniotic fluid, with the outer surface melted away. It was sending its roots and water pipes down into Gwangcheon Pond.

Seeing that, Seo Gangrim felt an unbearable disgust. It was because of the eerie energy and overwhelming pressure emanating from that place.

[Name] Egg of ???

[Rank] ???

[Description] Hatches after a certain period. Its form changes depending on the given food. What will come out is still unknown.

It was a mystery egg—similar to the one from which Linnie was born. However, the shape was completely different from what Seo Gangrim had.

'Why did it deform like that, especially when it hasn't even hatched yet?'

First of all, the size was different. The original mystery egg was about the size of an ordinary egg, but the egg over there was as large as a big truck. Furthermore, the aura of death emanating from it was terrifying.

'How can something that hasn't even been born yet exude such a sinister energy?'

Seo Gangrim had a rough idea of what to feed the mystery egg to determine what would hatch. But a mystery egg absorbing contaminated Gwangcheon water? One thing was certain.

'Something more sinister than I expected will be born.'

Something stronger than Linnie was expected to hatch just from the magical power of Gwangcheon water. But what if that magic was contaminated?

'I can't let it get more contaminated. And I have to stop the mystery egg from absorbing Gwangcheon water.'

The mystery egg was absorbing Gwangcheon water. In the midst of this, the clown spoke with a satisfied voice.

"It won't be long before it hatches. I can return soon. I might need a bit more blood, though..."

The clown gazed intently at the Gwangcheon Pond. It was still red, but it hadn't lost its characteristic shimmer. He spoke gruffly.

"Go get more demons. I need more blood."

Upon receiving his command, the demons started moving again. Seo Gangrim, mixed in with their movement and noticed that the belated group of demons was carrying corpses. No, not all of them were corpses.

"L-let go of me! Right now!"

The desperate voice was from one of the Seocheon members he had encountered earlier. The two were being carried by the demons. Seeing this, the clown spoke as if pleased.

"Oh, people of Seocheon Garden."

The demons tossed the two they were carrying aside like baggage. The Seocheon members earlier, with their faces slammed into the ground, quickly lifted their heads. Then, upon seeing the clown, they shouted.

"You...! You contaminated Gwangcheon Pond!"

"And you were the ones who intruded and took the Devastation Flower a while ago, right?"

Upon hearing that, the clown was silently staring at them.

The two were startled by the clown's eerie gaze while screaming loudly.

Sinister glints were seeping through the eye holes of the mask.

"Yeah, I took it. It was a bit of a hassle to bring it."

The clown took something out of the bag. It was a flower stored inside a transparent glass container. The flower had jet-black petals.

"When I infiltrated the lab, I had to destroy it, but that's a bit regrettable."

"How dare you, humans...!"

"By the way, I'm glad you came."

The clown approached, grabbing the child's hair with one hand and holding a sharp dagger in the other.

"Humans are more efficient at contaminating Gwangcheon Pond than demons. Oh, you're not exactly human, are you? Anyway, you should be helpful."

The dagger still had the fresh blood of demons that hadn't dried yet. Seeing it, the child turned pale, and one of them shouted.

The clown then spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Well, first, your blood...!"

The sharp dagger touched the neck of the man. Thin flesh was pierced, and blood began to trickle down. The blood vessels under the pale skin seemed to throb. Just as the clown was about to draw the dagger without hesitation.

-Bang!

Just before the attack, the clown hastily jumped back and secured a safe distance. After retreating, the clown frowned upon confirming the one who attacked him.

"Huh? Why are you doing this?"

The attacker was one of the demons. The spot where the clown had just been was deeply concave as if a bomb had exploded. And there was no sign of the two.

"W-why would this demon attack him...?!"

They were hanging both in the demon's hands. They were perplexed by the sudden appearance of the demon. After tossing the two, the demon stepped forward.

'What's going on? Did the abilities get nullified? This is troublesome. Even with just those two, I could have contaminated Gwangcheon Pond faster..."

The clown expressed regret. Then, while twirling the dagger in his hand, he looked at the demon.

"Hmm. But seeing that you saved them, it doesn't seem like the abilities were canceled or anything. Are you someone sent by the Flower Supervisor?"

After catching the spinning dagger in the air, the corners of the clown's mouth went up.

"If you're not a real demon, that's even better. With the blood of three people, Gwangcheon Pond will become even more contaminated, won't it?"

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