F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 84

That thing desired Seo Gangrim, wanting to consume and make him its own from head to toe. Seo Gangrim wanted to escape from it, but instead of retreating, he moved forward.

'If I run away here, I won't be able to find Shin Sooah's plaque.'

Moreover, if the original body took damage, the shadow would receive the same injury as well so it wouldn't be able to kill him. He had a reasonable chance of winning this fight.

[Ability 'Destiny Theft' activated!]

[Stealing all Destiny within the range!]

[Consuming experience points to increase stats!]

[Strength increased to 29th level!]

[Stamina increased to 30th level!]

[Agility increased to 30th level!]

[Senses increased to 30th level!]

[Magic Power increased to 30th level!]

He quickly stole Destinies from the corpses around him and invested all his experience points. Seo Gangrim felt his strength surging through his body and activated 'Fighting Instinct.'

[Ability 'Fighting Instinct' activated!]

With 'Fighting Instinct' activated, he felt his senses expanding. His sight, hearing, and touch were all heightened, allowing him to perceive things he couldn't before. And then Seo Gangrim realized his mistake.

[The enemy is too powerful!]

[Warning from 'Fighting Instinct'!]

His instincts, his whole body, screamed that he couldn't win against that thing. It was stronger than any human or monster he had ever seen in the training facility. As the shadow made a move, numerous ability activation sounds echoed.

[Ability 'Dignity of the Dragon' activated!]

[Ability 'Gravity' activated!]

[Ability 'Vacuum Control' activated!]

[Ability 'Strength Weakness, Weakness Strength' activated!]

[Ability 'Suppression'...]

-Kwahng!

Seo Gangrim fell to the ground, unable to resist. The pressure was so immense that the surrounding floor collapsed, and he couldn't even breathe.

'This... this is my own shadow?'

He had expected his shadow to be enhanced due to his karma, but he hadn't anticipated such a significant difference. Moreover, his shadow had stolen many Destinies during this time.

As Seo Gangrim struggled, the shadow grew larger and buried him. He tried to scream, but it felt like his mouth was sealed shut and no sound came out. He also couldn't see anything, no matter how hard he tried to open or close his eyes. He couldn't hear anything either. Soon, complete darkness swallowed Seo Gangrim.

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A child who appeared to be about ten years old was cradled in a woman's arms. The child's face was flushed red due to a fever. It was evident that the fever had affected the child's consciousness as the child's gaze was unfocused. The child's breathing also seemed labored.

A shaman sitting in front of a woman and a man spoke, "It's Mubyung. To recover, the child must receive divine possession."

Mubyung (shamanic illness). It was an illness that could not be cured by conventional medicine and required divine possession to heal. The child's parents had sought the help of a shaman as a last resort after numerous doctors had been unable to diagnose or treat the illness.

As one might expect, the woman's expression was one of despair, even though she must have expected this to some extent. She clung to the child, pleading.

"You can't do that. You this child to be possessed by a god?"

"We cannot defy the will of the gods. If we continue to refuse the possession, not only the child but also those around will be harmed."

"I heard he can receive blessings through the shamanistic ritual!"

"I can't do it. The god trying to posses this child is too powerful. Maybe if it were my master, but..."

The woman and man couldn't say anything. The child blinked his eyes, then looked up at the woman.

"Mom, what's divine possession?"

"It means becoming the one who conveys the words of the gods."

"In that case, I want to receive divine possession..."

The woman didn't answer immediately. She looked at the child with tear-filled eyes.

"But once you receive divine possession, you can't do anything else. You have to give up Gangrim's dream, live under their permission, and can't do anything against the will of the gods. You have to live according to their will until the day you die."

Resentment tinged the woman's voice. The child's gaze remained blank, the woman was not sure if he understood or not. The woman wiped the child's sweaty forehead and said, "But you still want to receive divine possession?"

The child shook his head at the question. The woman smiled, as if that was enough. It almost seemed like she was about to cry.

"Alright, I understand. Mom and Dad will do everything we can."

However, they couldn't keep that promise. At the funeral home, pictures of the woman and man were displayed side by side. The child, dressed in mourning attire, seemed to be staring quietly at the scent of incense wafting through the air.

The shadows of mourners whispered while looking at the child. "Why did these young people..."

"They had an accident while taking their child to the shaman. The condition of the bodies was unimaginable."

"The child was with them, right? He doesn't seem to be injured..."

"I heard their son refused divine possession and angered the gods."

The gods were merciful but also cruel beings. When humans resisted divine possession, rather than soothing and tempting them, they often crushed them with despair. If humans refused receive possession, they will suffer from illness, those around them would suffer. All of which was to pressure humans. Moreover, if one refused divine possession, the responsibility would pass to the next generation.

"They're the first humans who died because of you."

While Seo Gangrim was looking down at his younger self, a voice came from the darkness. It was a gentle and affectionate voice but it only made him shiver.

"And you've accumulated countless karma."

The voice was coming from where the pictures of Seo Gangrim's parents were placed. But now, there was an additional frame beside them. A quiet smile on a woman's face. It was Shin Sooah's picture. And every time he blinked, more frames appeared beside them. Yu Harang's picture, Jang Taeheon's picture, Kang Dohyun's picture, Flying Tiger Sect's picture, more and more pictures, numbering in the thousands, covered the entire wall. The scent had changed from incense to the smell of blood. Countless faces, countless gazes were fixed on Seo Gangrim. Unconsciously, he took a step back.

"Your karma have nurtured the shadow. Look at the results."

His foot bumped into something, and he quickly turned around, and found out he was standing in the middle of Geohae's room. A figure also stood surrounded by numerous corpses. A shadow. It was a shadow. Its neck and limbs were marked with red bands. The shadow was walking slowly among the corpses, stealing abilities. Like a bug. Disgusting and repulsive.

But it was something Seo Gangrim had been doing. His actions were no different from that thing, crawling among the corpses, stealing abilities.

"They are all yours."

Suddenly, the shadow was right in front of his eyes. It had his face. Then, the face smiled mockingly.

"Foolish child. Despite making countless mistakes, you have once again chosen the wrong path."

The shadow was mocking Seo Gangrim. Not just the shadow, but the entire darkness was laughing at him.

"Because of you, your parents died, and the people of Flying Tiger Sect died, and those who entered this realm died."

The shadow was blaming him, but its voice was strangely soft and affectionate. Like this darkness. The darkness swallowed his fingers one by one, pulling me downward. His body sank slowly downward, like sinking into a warm swamp.

"These are the consequences of you refusing the gods. You know it well, don't you?"

When Seo Gangrim's parents passed away, he couldn't forget the voice of the god whispering in his ear. If he didn't accept the god, they would take away the people around him. As if to prove his point, the god brought disaster and death to anyone who was even remotely close to him. If Seo Gangrim accepted the god, the people around him would be safe. But he couldn't accept divine possession. How could he serve the enemy that killed his parents? So, he decided to be alone to ensure that no one was close to him, so the god couldn't take anyone. But it still lost everyone.

"At this rate, you will lose your companions again."

His shadow was no different from him. What if his shadow harmed his comrades? Seo Gangrim couldn't bear to see that.

"Even if you don't receive divine possession, there is a way to save your comrades."

What could that be?

"You must die here."

The shadow spoke affectionately as if instructing a child.

...Yes, that was the simplest way. If he died here, his shadow would disappear. Not just his shadow, but any future threats would also vanish. With him gone, there would be no reason for the god to harm the people around me.

"Child, you can make the right choice now. Go to sleep here. If you do, you may be able to prevent future karma."

Seo Gangrim's body was gradually drawn into the darkness, but he didn't resist. If his life ended here, he might be able to prevent future karma. He could save people.

"Yes, you are wise. This place will be peaceful unlike the outside world."

Darkness covered his face, closing his mouth and nose. However, breathing felt comfortable. If he died here, I wouldn't enter Shin Sooah's sect, and Baek Young wouldn't target him. If he died here, he could save many lives in the future. If he died here, he could prevent future karma.

"But what would happen to the karma he had already accumulated?"

"Forget the past karma."

He opened his eyes at that voice.

'Forget my karma?'

He could still vividly remember the faces of the people who died before him. He hadn't atoned yet. And Shin Sooah was still out there. He hadn't ensured her safety.

-Squelch!

He bit my tongue and clawed his way up through the darkness. It felt like his entire body was being torn apart. As soon as he managed to escape the darkness, he collapsed. He was in excruciating pain. As he gasped for breath, the shadow, taking on his appearance, looked at him contemptuously.

"Are you trying to choose the wrong path again? Die here, that is the only good deed you can do."

"What you say makes sense. But..."

Seo Gangrim stared at the darkness and said, "If I were to die, I plan to send Shin Sooah out of this realm first."