F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 98

Attaching talismans to each wall and activating the entrapment seal was difficult due to the flames. Therefore, Seo Gangrim proposed an alternative plan.

[Let's attach the talismans to the Tous, so they can escape the flames.]

With the Tous' reaction speed, they should be able to avoid the fiery attacks effectively. Even if they were hit, the Tous, being made of earth, had a strong resistance to fire. By curling their bodies to protect the talismans, most of them would remained unharm.

"Oh!"

As the Tous took their positions in the four directions in the air, the writings on the talismans began to emit light. The entrapment seal was completed in mid-air.

As the Tous surrounded the man, Kang Dohyeon recited the activation command.

[Ability 'Entrapment Art' activated!]

Simultaneously, ropes made of light appeared, and tightly restrained the man. The entrapment seal consisted of several layers, and therefore, several ropes.

The man was trapped without any chance to escape.

"Aaargh!"

[The target's magical power is blocked due to 'Entrapment Art'!]

[Ability ‘#■?’ is deactivated!]

When the ability was deactivated, the objects that had been floating in the air fell to the ground. At the same time, Kang Dohyeon looked toward Seo Gangrim.

"Seo Gangrim, are you okay?"

-Kwaang!

At that moment, a sound like something collapsing echoed through the room. The massive statue was on one knee, barely holding up the man's attack by using its sword like a staff.

Seo Gangrim's eyes burned with determination.

[Ability 'Fighting Instinct' is active!]

The statue was on the brink of breaking as gold-covered parts of its body shattered. Seo Gangrim raised the Chiljido and struck the statue.

-Thunk!

With the statue's gold coating crumbling all over, it completely fell apart. Kang Dohyeon's mouth fell open in shock.

From the side, Annaby muttered in amazement, "Seo Gangrim... you truly are incredible. Taking down a high-rank demon on your own."

The original plan was for Seo Gangrim to hold off the enemy while the two others subdued the man and then regroup with him. However, instead of just enduring the statue's attacks, he destroyed it completely.

Annaby praised him, "Your fighting abilities are outstanding, as expected of the top trainee."

While they were watching, Seo Gangrim turned his head and read a notification window.

[You have defeated the ‘Guardian Statue’!]

[You have defeated a higher-ranked opponent, triggering additional rewards!]

[The barrier surrounding the Demon Realm has been lifted!]

Seo Gangrim, despite seeing the message, didn't show any signs of happiness.

Seeing the man trapped and helpless, he muttered under his breath. "I think it's all done now. With the barrier lifted, we should be able to leave."

In response to his words, Annaby nodded in agreement. "We should probably start by bringing this man back to his senses."

The man was still unable to regain his senses, and he continued drooling. Seo Gangrim decided to take a closer look at him and called for Linnie.

"Just a moment, let me examine him. Linnie, come and use purification."

"Woong!"

Linnie cautiously approached the man and touched her horn to him. Soon, a white light began emanating from her.

[Ability 'Purification' activated!]

The previously dim room was bathed in a sacred light. As the light subsided, the man's appearance became visible.

"Ah, aah..."

However, his pupils remained empty, and he continued drooling. Linnie seemed slightly bewildered.

"Wong, Wooong?"

Once again, and with even more intensity, she channeled the light of purification. Unfortunately, despite the abundant flow of purification light, the man's condition remained unchanged.

At that moment, Seo Gangrim's notification window appeared before his eyes.

[The target has crossed the boundary.]

[The target is impossible to purify.]

The man hadn't just approached the boundary; he had crossed it entirely. He was alive yet not truly alive. His soul had crossed the boundary and gone 'somewhere else.' His physical form remained due to some lingering factors such as his determination, but he was no longer a human.

'I did think there was a high chance purification wouldn't work.'

The man had accumulated too much karma and approached the boundary. Seo Gangrim had tried experimenting with Linnie's 'purification' to slow down his speed, but it had failed. While Linnie couldn't clear his karma, they had hoped to treat the man's madness, but his soul was no longer present.

"This man can no longer be returned to his original state. He's in a state akin to a corpse. A mere shell driven by hunger, seeking prey."

Hearing this, Annaby and Kang Dohyeon were left speechless.

Kang Dohyeon looked down at the man and muttered, "Is this... Is this the price of karma?"

His expression conveyed a significant shock. While he was aware of the existence of the boundary, seeing someone who had actually crossed it was a first.

'Well, it's a few years before information about the boundary is properly understood.'

It hadn't been even a year since the Day of Awakening, so they hadn't experienced such a situation fully. After several years of experimenting and observing boundaries in the Bureau, they had reached one conclusion: nobody who crossed the boundary ever came back. Hence, in the case of a rampant Manshin who crossed the boundary, they could eliminate them without repercussions. In other words, they could kill them without being held accountable.

"...We should secure this man and take him back to the Bureau. Even if his soul is gone, his life is not."

Kang Dohyeon's voice, as he said this, carried an inexplicable weight.

While Annaby's expression wasn't pleasant either, it wasn't as heavy as Kang Dohyeon's. Seo Gangrim, speaking for the silent group, suggested, "Let's start by finding an exit. It should be nearby."

Annaby nodded quietly in agreement.

After searching the fifth floor, they came to a large hall at the end of the corridor, with a door in the center. Looking at the door, Annaby said, "First, we should take care of the survivors. Seo Gangrim-ssi, you should rest."

"I'm fine. I can come with..."

"Rest. This is the Bureau's matter."

Annaby spoke with a tone as stern as if she were scolding a trainee. It was partly because Seo Gangrim didn't seem to be in good shape.

Seo Gangrim didn't insist any further and settled near the door.

'I wonder how much karma I've accumulated.'

Although he couldn't see the exact karma count on his stats window, considering the number of shackles attached to his waist in the last stage, he could imagine it was quite a lot.

'Fortunately, there haven't been any significant problems so far.'

As one approached the boundary, one's hallucinations, auditory hallucinations, and madness increased. Going mad didn't scare Seo Gangrim. But if he were to go crazy, it would have to be after killing Baek Young.

"Wong, Woong..."

Linnie watched Seo Gangrim with a worried expression. She tried her best to comfort him by licking his hand.

While he was gently stroking Linnie, Kang Dohyeon's voice reached his ears. "Seo Gangrim."

Annaby had left, but Kang Dohyeon remained, seemingly having something to say. He looked at Seo Gangrim and said, "Don't enter the Bureau."

Even though Seo Gangrim had already said he wouldn't, Kang Dohyeon repeated the same thing. However, his gaze seemed slightly different from usual.

"I have no intention of entering the Bureau."

"Quit being a Hunter."

The second statement took Seo Gangrim by surprise. Kang Dohyeon asking him to quit being a Hunter was a first.

Seo Gangrim stared at him and asked, "Why all of a sudden?"

Kang Dohyeon remained silent. He clenched his fist, gazed at the ground, and then turned his eyes towards Seo Gangrim. "When you work as a Hunter, you inevitably accumulate karma."

His voice was firm, but behind it, a faint sense of fear could be detected. Kang Dohyeon approached him and said, "You've already accumulated a considerable amount of karma. If you accumulate any more, you'll end up like that man."

A person who had crossed the boundary had lost everything. Even their soul was no longer present. Their sanity had crossed to the other side of the boundary. Seo Gangrim knew well what Kang Dohyeon was concerned about. He was aware of neither the exact location of his boundary nor how close he had come to it. But one thing was certain: if he continued on this path, he would end up like that man.

"So stop being a Hunter right away."

"I thought you hated me."

"You're right. I do hate you."

Kang Dohyun spoke with a resolute voice without hesitation. The gaze directed at Seo Gangrim was filled with long-accumulated jealousy and inferiority.

"I hate you. I hate for having everything I don't. I hate you for taking away my mother. I hate you even now, at this very moment."

"…"

"But that doesn't mean I want you to end up like that."

Seo Gangrim smiled quietly in response.

"You can't do that."

"Why not!" Kang Dohyeon shouted.

Seo Gangrim suddenly felt a headache, just like when he had read the man's past earlier. When Kang Dohyeon lost his composure, fragments of memories rushed in, accompanied by overflowing emotions.

After Seo Gangrim left without a word, Kang Dohyeon initially felt satisfied with his absence, but that satisfaction didn't last long. The disappearance of Seo Gangrim didn't bring any improvement. There was no way things would get better just because he was gone. Moreover, a few years later, Seo Hwakyung died. Her funeral was held secretly according to her wishes. With no mourners, Kang Dohyeon was truly left alone.

"I'd rather you shamelessly live on, Seo Gangrim. I don't want to hold another funeral."

Despite the resentment, they were friends, brothers, family. Regardless of the type of relationship, being alive was better than being dead.

Seo Gangrim stared at that memory for a while, contemplating something. Then, he opened his mouth. "Do you know, Hyung, that the connection to you patron god is severed right now?"

"What? It is severed, but why are you suddenly talking about this?"

Since divine communication was also severed, there was no need to worry about the gods overhearing their conversation. Seo Gangrim raised his head.

"Hyung, I have something to tell you."

Kang Dohyeon looked at Seo Gangrim as if to say something.

After a moment of silence, Seo Gangrim continued, "Hyung, I know the future."

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