F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 85

"It's an excuse. Shin Sooah never wanted you to live in the first place."

Ignoring the shadow's words, Seo Gangrim grabbed the sword like a staff and rose from his spot. His whole body ached like it was going to fall apart. He knew that if he returned to the darkness he had just been in, he would be comfortable and would feel no pain, but he had to get up. As he walked forward, he heard numerous voices from behind.

"Shin Sooah probably regrets bringing you here."

"She probably hoped she didn't meet you."

"She probably wished for you to die."

Seo Gangrim's entire body hurt, and his head throbbed. If Shin Sooah knew the truth behind all of this, she would surely despise him. But even if he was despised, he had only one thing to do: he had to Shin Sooah out of here alive.

-Thunk

Seo Gangrim accidentally stumbled over something while walking aimlessly. There was nothing ahead but darkness, yet a wall definitely existed ahead of him.

'I need to get out of here.'

-Kwack!

He raised his sword and struck it towards the wall. In an instant, pain shot through his arms. The wall seemed unbreakable, but he kept striking it.

"You're foolish. Foolish. Even if you manage to get out of here, there will be nothing but suffering."

Mocking voices filled the surroundings. Even the darkness seemed to be filled with voices, obscuring his thoughts. Hence, he bit his tongue to stay conscious and continued to swing the sword.

-Clang, Clack!

How much time had passed? After striking hundreds, maybe thousands of times, it seemed like there was a tiny crack, but it was just a small opening. His arms had already lost all sensation due to the pain. He now struggled to lift the sword, but then he heard a sound from the wall.

-Thunk, Thwack...

It sounded like something was striking the wall, but he wasn't striking at it at the moment.

'Then whose was that?'

"...rim-ssi!"

Amidst the sound of the sword striking, a faint voice reached him. The voice came from the opposite side of the wall. Someone was breaking the wall from the outside, causing it to gradually crack open. Light seeped through.

"...it's working!!"

It was just a small piece of light, but it was blindingly bright to Seo Gangrim's eyes. He desperately swung the sword towards the crack. Due to it being struck from both sides, the wall slowly yielded, and light poured in from all directions.

Seo Gangrim blinked his eyes open. In front of him was Shin Sooah.

"Gangrim-ssi!"

She threw down the knife in her hand and pulled him outside. The shadows that were clinging to Seo Gangrim's body were torn apart. He looked back and saw a huge black mass writhing in pain.

【Gangrim is here!】

【Hey, are you okay? Are you alive?】

【We thought you got eaten by the shadow thief!】

【You should thank Shin Sooah!】

【She kept trying to get you out of the shadow!】

The person breaking the wall from the opposite side was Shin Sooah.

She then examined Seo Gangrim's condition with concern as she spoke. "Gangrim-ssi, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. But what happened..."

"A considerable amount of time had passed, and you hadn't come out. So I came in to check... and found you being consumed by the shadow. Dokgo Jun was trying to stop it."

Seo Gangrim remembered the experience of the shadow thief showing traumatic memories and desires of the target. It was said to devour the people by stimulating past traumas or desires. But it was even more disgusting than he had heard.

While he was trying to get up, his gaze landed on Shin Sooah's left arm, which was missing.

"Shin Sooah, what on earth happened? Why is your hand...!"

"...Time passed, and the shackle activated."

Black blood dried on the bandaged end.

'How long had I been in there? More importantly, why hadn't Shin Sooah left?'

"Why didn't you leave? You could have just taken the plaque and gone..."

"You want me to leave after seeing you being consumed by the shadow?"

She was acting like a madwoman. Seo Gangrim couldn't understand why she sacrificed her arm for someone like him.

"Dokgo Jun?"

"Dokgo Jun left... before the time limit. He said he can't write a novel with both of his wrists cut off."

【He's such an asshole.】

【He just told her to save you when you were being consumed by the shadow.】

【Then he ran away, saying that Seo Gangrim wouldn't want him to get hurt and that he'd survive because he's the main character.】

【He's really something.】

They were mocking Dokgo Jun, but he was at least a sane human being. That guy did value his own life.

Why didn't Shin Sooah do the most sensible option? Why would anyone sacrifice their arm for someone they hadn't known for more than a few months? Seo Gangirm couldn't contain my anger.

"Shin Sooah-ssi, you should have left at that time! Why did you stupidly stay here?"

"You keep bringing up what's already done..."

Shin Sooah couldn't muster a proper response and slumped forward. Seo Gangrim was about to lift her up in a hurry, but then he saw her real status. Shin Sooah's condition was beyond terrible. She had been in a weakened state from the beginning. Her arm had now been severed by the saw, so there was no way she was in good shape. She must have expended a lot of energy repeatedly striking the shadow while still in a severe state of bleeding.

【Seo Gangrim, you jerk! Why are you scolding the people who stayed behind to save you!】

【Shin Sooah was still attacking shadows even though her arm was cut off.】

【Shin Sooah is not a normal person...... How can she hold on when her body is being chopped up alive?】

【She'd pass out from striking the shadow, and when she woke up, she'd strike the shadow again until she passed out again.】

At the gods' rebuke, Seo Gangrim couldn't say anything. Why had he been venting his anger on Shin Sooah? She should have quickly taken Shin Sooah and left at this time.

When he tried to lift her, his vision suddenly darkened.

"Come back..."

The voice came from behind. It sounded like it was coming from a distant place, yet it whispered in his ears as if it were right next to him. When he turned around, he realized that the shadow had spread in all directions, covering the entire room. The walls, ceiling, floor—everything was covered in darkness. Even the door was in darkness.

【No, that thing isn't dead?】

【And it blocked the door too.】

【You have to knock that thing down to get out, right?】

According to the gods, it seemed impossible to escape like this. A giant black rock-like thing wriggled as if it had come to life, and amidst it, a shadow the size of a human emerged.

"Child, come back..."

The shadow's voice sounded just like Seo Gangrim's.

"I don't want to harm you, but if you don't come back..." The deep, resonating voice continued.

The shadow reached out its hand, anf something flowed out of its black hand, like black tar. The black, tar-like substance twisted and writhed, shifting and reshaping itself.

[Ability 'demons Creation' has been activated!]

Demonic beasts born from the shadow began to lift their heads one by one.

'Damn, did it steal that ability too?'

Looking at the description, it was an ability that allowed the hunter to create new demons by consuming magic power. To combat this new threat, Seo Gangrim urgently summoned Yorn and Linnie from the spiritual realm.

"Woong? Woong?"

"Kyaang?"

Both of them looked bewildered by the sudden change in the situation.

Seo Gangrim clenched the Chiljido and moved forward. "Protect Shin Sooah."

With his current condition, he couldn't afford to fight the demons and protect Shin Sooah at the same time. Moreover, the Chiljido had been damaged by the flames just before. If I managed to open one of the doors and get Shin Sooah out...

【You're going to use both of them to protect Shin Sooah?】

【What about you, Gangrim?】

【Right! One of them should fight with you!】

"I have a plan." He said that and continued to walk forward.

The demons, which now filled the garden, roared as they rushed towards him. They were all trying to bite and claw at my arms and legs. It felt like my limbs were about to be torn off.

-Thwack!

Seo Gangrim's own shadow didn't directly attack him directly. Unfortunately the black thorns that emerged from all around hindered my movement. As he cut through, tore, and pierced the demons in his way, the ability notification continued to ring out.

[Ability 'demons Creation' has been activated!]

[Ability 'demons Creation' has been activated!]

[Ability 'demons Creation' has been activated!]

'Damn it, how much magic power is left?"

One would fall, and two more would rise. When he cut down two, four more would appear. My body was beginning to weaken further under the demon's attacks.

【The shadow is stupid! Attacking Si Kang Lim doesn't harm him!】

【Gangrim, hold on! While you're at it, ask the spirit beasts for help!】

【Right. Just a little longer... huh?】

Just then, the shadow slowly raised its arm. Just like Seo Gangrim, its arm that had been torn by demon's teeth and claws. Then, Seo Gangrim noticed a distortion at its fingertips.

[Ability 'Regeneration' has been activated!]

When 'Regeneration' activated, the shadow's wounds began to heal instantly. In no time, it was completely unharmed. He barely had time to curse before the demons charged.

-Swoosh!

The demons continued to attack relentlessly, and Seo Gangrim swung his sword instinctively. Despite the pile of dead demons he had created, it seemed there were still more to come. Just a little more... or was it?

"Kyaang!"

As he fought the demons without a moment's respite, Yorn, who he hadn't seen for a while, rushed towards him. Before Yorn could shoot a fireball at the demon, Seo Gangrim immediately cut one of them in half.

"Don't step forward!"

"Kyang?"

"Stay with Shin Sooah! Never step forward!"

Upon hearing my words, Yorn twitched and then retreated. Not a single demon could be missed. The faintly audible notification sound was his only hope.

[Achievement points obtained: 10 points.]

With this many demons, his achievement points would accumulate little by little with each kill. He would then use them to increase his stats. At this moment, it was his only hope.

Meanwhile, his own shadow continued to press him.

"Why are you struggling so much?"

"Why are you trying to accumulate achievements?"

"Why do you try to do something no one appreciates?"

The voice of the shadow echoed in his mind. It was noisy, too noisy.

'Was its magic power infinite?'

New demons kept being born from the shadow endlessly.

"Child, sleep within me."

The shadows of countless demons surrounded him. Seo Gangirm was already a mess from swinging his sword. Unluckily, there was no end in sight to this battle.

'Why was I going to such lengths? If I killed myself, wouldn't the shadow disappear too? Why was I resorting to such a foolish method?'

As if reading Seo Gangrim's mind, one of the demons opened its huge mouth and charged towards him. Darkness resided within its mouth, just peaceful darkness.

'If I died like this, maybe I could find some relief...'

"Seo Gangrim-ssi, you must not die!"

But there was a voice shouting at him not to die. Seo Gangrim screamed and swung his sword. As the demons was torn apart, a notification window appeared before his eyes.

['Strength' has grown to Level 30!]

[All stats have reached Level 30!]

[Meeting the conditions, the second attribute 'The Twelve Zodiacs' evolves!]

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