F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 149

While everyone else chose to return, Seo Gangrim continued to move forward. Every time the beasts rushed at him, his sharp sword gleamed brightly in the darkness. Amidst the stench of blood permeating from all directions, he continued to descend.

70th Floor in the underground.

It was an unimaginable depth. But Seo Gangrim still ventured further into the deep darkness.

'If you don't know how many floors there are, this Demon Realm can drive you insane.'

As he descended, the beasts became stronger, and their numbers increased. However, what was more terrifying than the beasts was the fear of not knowing where the end of this tomb was or how far was safe. If one were to think about the way back, it would only increase the fear.

The greatest enemy in the third Demon Realm was fear.

'That's why Dokgo Jun could conquer it.'

Dokgo Jun, the first conqueror of this place.

He descended below without fear as if he didn't know what fear was. He didn't think about the way back.

'He went all the way down without knowing how many floors there were.'

When the Demon Realm reset, the people inside also disappeared. Until the last day, just before the Demon Realm's door closed, Dokgo Jun didn't appear. At the moment when everyone thought Dokgo Jun must have died, he miraculously opened the door to the Demon Realm.

'The interview content was more absurd back then.'

Despite the complete mess he had become, Dokgo Jun was brightly smiling. The reporters who had been waiting crowded around him, bombarding him with questions.

[Dokgo Jun, you could have died. Weren't you scared?]

[Ah, I did think there was a possibility of dying... But I was curious about what might be below.]

Dokgo Jun's face was bright as he spoke. Curiosity, that's what made him go to the deepest part of this tomb. Remembering that moment, Seo Gangrim stared straight ahead.

'Living alone in the darkness for a week without knowing where it ends...'

As he descended further, the darkness seemed to thicken and become more toxic. There were quite a few people who went insane after entering the third Demon Realm alone and returned.

If one spent a week in fear and darkness, they might become insane.

[■……. ■■■, ■■…….]

He heard voices in the darkness.

He closed his eyes once and, upon opening them, saw corpses of people piled up like mountains, not the bodies of the beasts.

Closing them again, there was only darkness. Sometimes, illusions seemed to pass by in front of him, but Seo Gangrim remained unfazed.

'Anyway, I've always been in such situations due to my karma.'

As he got closer to the boundary, Seo Gangrim often saw visions and hallucinations. Whenever he fell asleep, the darkness and the boundary would visit him through nightmares. The man still called out to him from the darkness.

'Compared to that, the darkness here seems bright.'

After facing the boundary in his nap, when he opened his eyes and looked at the Demon Realm, it felt like it was broad daylight.

He felt more at peace when he was awake and facing the demons than when he was asleep.

Since he knew where the last floor was, and was able to defeat the monsters sufficiently, he had no fear. The only issue was the time limit, but at this pace, it seemed sufficient.

Seo Gangrim glanced over at the spirits at his feet and said, "We'll pick up the pace from now on. Follow closely."

"Woong!"

"Kyaaah!"

Linnie and Yorn shouted, their eyes shining.

While passing through the monsters with the assistance of the spirits, an alert popped up in front of him.

[Hunter 'Seo Gangrim's name is spreading widely! Humans are starting to pay attention to you.]

[Hunter 'Seo Gangrim's name is spreading widely! Gods are starting to pay attention to you.]

He had gotten them in the past, but the frequency noticeably increased since he entered the Demon Realm. Something was happening outside.

'Choi Pilyoung seems to have done something.'

Given Choi Pilyoung's personality, there was no way he would stay quiet. While Seo Gangrim was guessing, another alert appeared.

[A Temporal Arrow has arrived for you.]

Temporal Arrow? Seo Gangrim wiped the blood off his sword and checked the incoming message.

The sender was Dokgo Jun.

[Seo Gangrim, something interesting is happening outside. Check it out.]

Given that Dokgo Jun went so far as to use Temporal Arrow and send a message, it didn't seem ordinary.

Upon checking the message, several photos and a video were attached below. It seemed like a capture of some article.

[Lead Trainee Seo Gangrim. Revealing his true identity.]

Just from the title, there didn't seem to be anything particularly special about the article. Such articles had existed for a long time.

'But if Dokgo Jun went so far as to contact me, it must not be an ordinary article.'

Seo Gangrim had a premonition as he played the video. The screen in the video was dark. A dark forest where one could barely confirm the surroundings. It seemed like there was a person, but it was too dark to see their face. Only scenes of that person approaching someone with a sword were visible.

[Se-Seo Gangrim! Why are you doing this to me...!]

A strange voice was heard in the video. The person retreating was undoubtedly saying the name 'Seo Gangrim.'

The 'Seo Gangrim' in the video raised the sword.

[Seo Gangrim, why are you doing this to me...! Did I do something wrong!]

[You haven't done anything wrong. I just need your ability.]

[Pl-please, spare me! Please...!]

-Squish!

With those words, 'Seo Gangrim' stabbed the opponent with his sword.

After the video ended, the screen switched, and Choi Pilyoung sitting down appeared.

With a stern face, he spoke.

[This video was sent by an anonymous informant. It is a scene where the famous hunter, Seo Gangrim, commits a crime.]

[The anonymous informant sent me this video, asking me to reveal Seo Gangrim's true identity.]

[By exposing this video, I might also be in danger, but I couldn't remain silent. Everyone needs to know this truth.]

He was speaking seriously, but it was a manipulated video.

Seo Gangrim had never killed such a person.

Seo Gangrim silently watched the video.

'Did he manipulate and upload the video after our fight back then? Quite diligent, isn't he?'

The footage of the crime scene was shaky and dark, making it impossible to recognize the face. However, one thing was clear – the voice was unmistakably Seo Gangrim's. It was a voice that anyone familiar with Seo Gangrim would recognize. Therefore, the reactions of those who watched the video were diverse.

- Hey, isn't this a fake? We can't see the face, so how can we believe it's Seo Gangrim?

- But the voice is identical. The height and physique are similar too?

- The voice really is the same... If you listen to the following videos, it sounds even more identical.

In the subsequent videos, there was a part where 'Seo Gangrim' lured the victim into the forest and engaged in a conversation. Even to Seo Gangrim's ears, the voice sounded exactly like his own. Of course, it was fake.

'Is this the work of Enchanting Voice?'

The entity that granted abilities to Choi Pilyoung was a god named Enchanting Voice. At first glance, it looked like a large white tiger, but it had a terrifying face and disposition. One of Enchanting Voice's characteristics was the ability to perfectly mimic the voice of the opponent.

'Certainly, when I saw the Destiny window, there was such an ability.'

[Ability] Voice Replication

[Rank] Human First-class

[Description] Can perfectly replicate the voice of the target, whether it be a monster, human, or any other entity.

It was an ability that was not very effective in combat, merely diverting the enemy's attention and setting traps. However, it was useful when manipulating and deceiving, especially for forgery.

'Many people have seen it in just a few days.'

The upload time was approximately four days ago, around the opening of the third Great Demon realm. In those few days, the views easily exceeded a million, and the number of comments was similarly high.

- If that's really Seo Gangrim, didn't he do such things regularly?

- Is he a serial killer?

- Yeah, he supposedly killed one or two people.

- Hey, still, without showing the face, isn't it a forgery? We don't even know who died.

-If Choi Pil-young is willing to reveal his name, it must be true.

Seo Gangrim couldn't do anything about it at the moment. He wouldn't have known such facts if not for Dokgo Jun sending the Temporal Arrow.

'He manipulated and uploaded it at this time to prevent me from responding immediately.'

While Seo Gangrim remained silent, Choi Pilyoung 's accusatory video would spread. The interest in Seo Gangrim was increasing, but it was more malicious curiosity than genuine concern. Seo Gangrim's expression showed no change, however.

'Choi Pilyoung seems to be doing better than I thought.'

He casually glanced at the article, seemingly unconcerned, and resumed moving forward. Choi Pilyoung's articles didn't bother him in the slightest, and he even seemed to derive some amusement from the situation.

***

'I wonder if the views are doing well.'

Underground, on the 32nd floor, after defeating nearby monsters, Choi Pilyoung sat against a rock. He leisurely whistled despite the smell of blood and shadows all around him.

['Enchanting Utterances' says that the views and plays are rapidly increasing.]

['Enchanting Voice' says that it has now surpassed 4 million views.]

"Wow, that's amazing."

The news from his patron god made him smile uncontrollably. The article's views were surprisingly high. Despite consistently producing sensational articles, this was the first time he received such attention in a short period.

"Touching Seo Gangrim really stirred up a reaction, huh?"

People speculated wildly based on Choi Pilyoung's moderately edited article. If Seo Gangrim had seen it, he would have responded immediately. However, he was currently trapped inside the Great Demon realm. By the time he came out, things would likely escalate further.

"He might not be able to come out..."

Choi Pilyoung's eyes gleamed ominously. Currently, inside the Great Demon realm, his attention was more focused on locating and dealing with Seo Gangrim.

'Seo Gangrim was crazier than I thought. He swung a sword as soon as he saw me... If it wasn't a clone, I might have really died.'

The thought that it might have been his own arm that was severed sent chills down his spine, accompanied by a rising sense of disgust.

Despite almost dying at the hands of Seo Gangrim, he had returned to the Great Demon realm and was now trailing behind him. It was to protect his own secret.

'That bastard even figured out my ability. If he escapes outside and exposes it...'

Choi Pilyoung had committed several crimes using his alter ego, one of which was dealing with the reporter who was chasing him. He would be in trouble if his ability [Clone] became widely known. His past deeds might come back to haunt him, and his future activities would be restricted.

'I need to handle this inside before Seo Gangrim escapes the Great Demon realm and causes a ruckus. About three days left, right?'

There were three days left until the Great Demon realm closed. During this time, if Seo Gangrim failed to escape from the underground, it would be favorable for Choi Pilyoung, but one could never be sure.

'He's stronger than I thought. How should I handle this?'

Choi Pilyoung pondered for a moment, then raised his head. When he thought of the Flying Tiger Sect, a brief flash of anger crossed his eyes. Seo Gangrim's insane, but he seemed to put special care to his friends.

"Alright, I can use that method."

Choi Pilyoung stood up with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

'This Great Demon realm will be your tomb, Seo Gangrim.'

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