F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 143

Shin Sooah removed the Clown Troupe mask she had been wearing. Since she had a cloak on, her left arm, which had been cut off, was not visible. To anyone unfamiliar, she looked like an ordinary member of the Clown Troupe.

"Didn't get caught, did you?"

"No. They had no idea who I was."

"I'm sorry for putting you in such a dangerous situation."

"Why apologize? I volunteered for this."

After learning about the existence of the Devastation Flower and the story of the Clown Troupe, Seo Gangrim decided to destroy the Seocheon Flower Garden. Their power was indeed too dangerous, just as the clown had described.

Shin Sooah also agreed with my decision, contributing to the destruction of the Seocheon Flower Garden. Seo Gangrim didn't realize she would willingly take on the role of the Clown Troupe.

"Still, I'm relieved that the map the clown left behind was accurate. There was indeed a Seed Bank in the exact location."

The deceased Clown Troupe member knew more than expected. Among his belongings, there was not only the Devastation Flower but also a map of the research facility.

"I brought some seeds from the lab. Is this really... that kind of power?"

Shin Sooah handed Seo Gangrim a glass jar containing various seeds. Items that anyone would covet. However, they were just like an illusion at the moment.

"Yes. But the Gwangcheon Pond has dried up, so we can't use them immediately."

In the process of hatching the Blood Fiend and growing the Devastation Flower, the entire Gwangcheon Pond had dried up. Flowers that could only be cultivated with Gwangcheon water were currently useless.

However, with Gwangcheon water or any suitable substitute, the seeds could be grown effectively.

"The Seed Bank is destroyed, and the Gwangcheon Pond has dried up, so Sara Doryeong will find it difficult to rebuild."

After shaking her head, Shin Sooah gazed at the burning research facility.

"Do you usually get involved in such matters, Gangrim-ssi?"

"No."

Seo Gangrim didn't expect things to escalate to this extent. Originally, he planned to obtain the flower and return. He only had thoughts of regenerating Shin Sooah's arm.

Looking at her empty sleeve, Seo Gangrim pulled out a flower from the twilight.

Pink, red, and white flowers.

He brought three flowers to her severed arm. As he did, a white light blossomed, revealing her arm once again.

"Gangrim-ssi, what is this...?"

Shin Sooah looked at her left arm in astonishment, touching it several times as if finding what happened hard to believe. Then, she looked at him with an expression that seemed on the verge of tears.

"Did you come to this dangerous place to save me?"

"No, I didn't. I came for something else, and I just happened to discover these flowers."

"...You always lie, don't you?"

She bit her lip and fell silent, appearing as if she was holding back tears.

Shin Sooah grabbed Seo Gangrim's hand with both of hers and said, "Thank you, Gangrim-ssi." Seo Gangrim found the sensation of her hands enveloping his unfamiliar. He patted her hand once, but she held onto his hand for a while before lifting her head.

"It feels strange now that I have an arm. I became used to fighting with just one hand."

Shin Sooah changed the atmosphere, smiling as if trying to lift the mood.

"Let's go back now. It's probably not safe to stay here for too long."

Seo Gangrim nodded, and then, he took out the crystal bead given by the servant of Lord Seifa.

After breaking it, a door quickly materialized.

Leaving behind the burning Seocheon Flower Garden, they entered through the door. As soon as they came out on the other side, a familiar voice greeted them.

"Ah, Master! Sooah-unni! You've finally come!"

"Ugh, what's with both of your appearances?"

The door opened inside the Flying Tiger sect's headquarters. Everyone seemed to have finished their business. Father Yohan hurriedly treated them.

"Are you both okay? What happened to you two? I was worried all day because I didn't hear any news."

"We had a little trouble. It's nothing major."

Though they said that, both Shin Sooah and Seo Gangrim were in a mess from the intense battle. Jang Taehun looked at them with a worried expression.

"What did you do to take this long? Did you end up fighting the Zodiac Gods?"

"Not exactly. I went to find something, so it took a while."

Seo Gangrim casually explained that he went to find an item to regenerate Shin Sooah's arm, and that they happened to meet in that place. The others seemed to accept his story.

Yoon Bom expressed a slight admiration, saying, "I see. So, Master, you asked the god for that?"

"Yes. And you?"

"I asked about how to become stronger! I made an oath not to reveal the details...."

Yoon Bom looked somewhat apologetic. Jang Taehun shrugged and added, "I'm in a similar situation. Can't reveal the details either."

Others also seemed to share similar sentiments. People who were granted answers to their questions in their past lives asked about the locations of special items, special realms, and such. To prevent information leakage, they couldn't speak about the answers.

Seo Gangrim looked around, and asked, "What about Dokgo Jun?"

Since Dokgo Jun came with him, he should have been summoned here. However, he was nowhere to be seen. Yoon Geoul casually answered, "He went back to finish his novel. Surprisingly diligent, isn't he? I'm curious about what he's writing."

Another novel deadline? Seo Gangrim felt a bit uneasy since Dokgo Jun did something else last time instead of writing a novel after claiming he was writing one.

Seo Gangrim wondered what Dokgo Jun had asked. Normally, people would inquire about the location of weapons or items, but with him, it was bound to be something strange.

Then, Shin Sooah stood up first.

"I'll go ahead. Gangrim-ssi, can we talk for a moment?"

Seo Gangrim nodded and followed her.

Once inside her room, Shin Sooah opened up, "I couldn't explain properly earlier because the situation was urgent. Did I mention that I got a divination from King Hoje?"

"Yes, you asked about the enemy targeting me."

She started caressing her left arm and continued, "I want to talk about it more thoroughly. I received a prophecy from King Hoje regarding the person targeting you.

"The exact prophecy King Hoje gave me mentioned two names in front of Seo Gangrim, and one of them was 'First Master.' He said the other one couldn't be confirmed."

Two names instead of one? The name 'First Master' seemed a divine name. And the fact that the other one couldn't be confirmed reminded Seo Gangrim of how Lord Seifa couldn't answer the first question. Could one of the two names be that god? Since Baek Young was unrelated to the unconfirmed one, there was a possibility that she might be connected to the 'First Master.'

Shin Sooah continued, "When I was at the educational facility, there was a god who kept urging me to receive divine blessing... The divine name of that god was the 'First Master.'"

"He tried to give you a divine blessing?"

"Yes. Other gods also proposed giving me divine blessing, so I didn't think much of it until then..."

Although Seo Gangrim couldn't be sure who the 'First Master' was, he was certain it was a dangerous god. Why would a god show interest in Shin Sooah? What did it plan to do?

"I couldn't accept divine blessing just by looking at the divine name... I'm glad I didn't."

If Shin Sooah had accepted the 'First Master,' what would have happened? Although Seo Gangrim couldn't be certain about the identity of the 'First Master,' it was undoubtedly a perilous existence.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, Shin Sooah-ssi, I've learned an important name."

The story about two enemies and the divine name 'First Master' was significant and valuable information.

Shin Sooah faintly smiled. "I'm glad I could help. Now, I'll take a break. I have to perform the task King Hoje assigned me starting tomorrow."

"Sure. Get some rest."

Leaving her behind, Seo Gangrim returned to his room. The time had passed 3 AM without him realizing it. Although his body was tired, sleep didn't come easily. The influx of various information lingered in his mind.

The identity of the 'First Master' worried him, but at the moment, there were no clues about that existence. Seo Gangrim decided to organize relatively clear information first.

The words of the deceased clown he encountered earlier kept echoing in his ears.

[We are trying to break the power of the gods for the sake of humanity.]

[When gods become powerful, humans should benefit, right? But it's not true. Do you think gods are such merciful beings?]

[The Seocheon Flower Garden is one of the weapons wielded by the gods, and we are trying to destroy it.]

They said they were destroying the Seocheon Flower Garden for 'humans.' But it might have been an excuse to hide their intention of monopolizing the items. However, the clown sacrificed his life in an attempt to hatch a Blood Fiend and destroy the Seocheon Flower Garden. Given this, it seemed factual that they were trying to prevent the gods from monopolizing the flowers.

What could be the identity of the Clown Troupe? In Seo Gangrim's past life, they were known as ruthless villains, and terrorists. However, considering today's events, they didn't seem as simple as that.

[You have to get stronger, Seo Gangrim. Much stronger than now. That's the only way to make him pleased.]

Also, the person referred to as 'him' by Verna raised concern. Why did the leader of the Clown Troupe want to keep him alive? In his previous life, they were a group with no connection to him. There were too many unknowns.

At least he secured the clown's corpse. After removing the mask, he confirmed the clown's face and peeked at his Destiny window. The name was Cheon Yeoul, a face Seo Gangrim had never seen before. Could this person also be related to the Destiny Protection Bureau?

Seo Gangrim sent a message to Kang Dohyeon and began the tasks he could handle.

***

Lord Seifa sat in a pavilion, sipping on alcohol. He used telepathic communication to explore the current community. Lord Seifa mainly focused on stories about Seo Gangrim. Since winning the Zodiac race, or actually, for quite some time, Lord Seifa had been paying attention to Seo Gang-rim.

"Seo Gangrim... In many ways, he was an interesting human."

He had become interested in this human who was active in the mortal world. Seo Gangrim was born in the Year of the Rat, and that fact made Lord Seifa like him even more. Additionally, another human born in the same year had caught his attention.

"That human, Dokgo Jun."

Another human born in the year of the Rat, Dokgo Jun. After Seo Gangrim finished asking and left, Lord Seifa called Dokgo Jun and brought up the same topic. He promised to answer any one question.

Dokgo Jun listened and had a very interested expression.

"Just one question... Did the Seo Gangrim who was here before receive the same reward?"

"Yeah, that's correct."

At that moment, Dokgo Jun seemed to ponder for a moment before throwing out a question. Lord Seifa chuckled at the unexpected nature of the question.

"I didn't expect such a question."

As intriguing as the three questions Seo Gangrim asked, Dokgo Jun's question was equally captivating.

Dokgo Jun's face, shining with intensity, held an unexpectedly significant question.

"I want to know what question Seo Gangrim asked."