F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 44:

Chapter 44

Seo Gangrim got up from his spot and woke up Father Yohan.

"Father Yohan."

"Uh, uh, yes... Brother..."

"We're being attacked. Get up."

At Seo Gangrim's words, Father Yohan hastily got up and put on his glasses.

The group surrounding the tent... there were about four of them?

【"Wow, the first day passed without incident!"】

【"Who are they?"】

【"Let's go out and see what's happening, Gangrim! I want to know what's going on!"】

【"Send out Father Yohan first!"】

Asking Father Yohan to go out was an unreasonable idea. Instead, Seo Gangrim whispered to him, "I'll go out and deal with them. Father, you stay inside. If you run away, it'll only get worse. If things get dangerous, shout for help."

"Yes, yes..." Father Yohan was already frightened.

Seo Gangrim thought they might tear through the tent and come in, but they only seemed to be eyeing the tent greedily from nearby. Holding his breath for a moment, he saw the entrance of the tent gradually opening. The moment outside air started to seep in, Seo Gangrim thrust his sword through the gap.

"Aah!"

A scream erupted at the same time Seo Gangrim felt his sword pierce flesh. He immediately dashed out of the tent and swung his sword at the attackers. Confused faces met his gaze.

"Weren't they asleep?"

"Let's just take it!"

"Collect all the rations, clothes, and the tent!"

The attackers were all unfamiliar faces. They stared at Seo Gangrim with a sinister look in their eyes, much like wild animals. Checking their combat power using 'Destiny Analysis', Seo Gangrim found they were low-ranked.

【Wow, there seem to be more than we thought.】

【Is Gangrim fine alone?】

【Yeah, right. He should stick with the others.】

【Hey, isn't Gangrim being too calm? He might have some hidden cards.】

【Is that so? He always forgets to carry his weapon because he's always been walking around unarmed.】

Seo Gangrim thought of using 'Fighting Instinct', which would increase his probability of winning, but he couldn't a guarantee to keep them all alive. As much as possible, he wanted to leave one of them alive and gather information... Saving just one would probably be enough. As he was contemplating who to spare, one of the opponents approached, and spoke, "Hey. If you hand over your food, we'll let you go without harm."

"Sure. We're thieves, not murderers."

At their words, he unconsciously let out a laugh. Even if they weren't murderers, taking away food in this situation was akin to committing murder.

Seo Gangrim glared at them and replied, "What if I don't?"

"Then we'll have to take them by force."

Before he even finished speaking, the other person rushed at Seo Gangrim with an axe in hand. Thankfully, Seo Gangrim Agility was now over Level 20 after killing a lot of monsters in the previous stage. Hence, he was able to move before the opponent arrived with his axe.

*Swoosh!*

"Gah!"

Seo Gangrim kicked him in the jaw with his knee, and followed it up by a swift blow to the head with the hilt of his sword. As the man stumbled and fell, another guy charged at Seo Gangrim. He was of a higher rank than Seo Gangrim, but not that much stronger.

*Thud!*

"Aaagh!"

As Seo Gangrim thrust his sword into the opponent's thigh, the man lost his balance and fell, and just as Seo Gangrim was about to finish him off...

*Boom!*

With an explosion, smoke filled the area. Probably the remaining guy had used a smoke bomb. Soon, Seo Gangrim heard sounds of them scattering in various directions.

【What's this? Can't see anything because of the smoke!】

【What, are they running away because it's too trivial?】

【These brats, don't they have any self-respect?】

【Gangrim, go catch them quickly!】

Seo Gangrim debated whether to chase after one of them and catch him, but he decided to wait for now. It seemed likely that they were just checking how powerful the people that live here. Now, Seo Gangrim couldn't rule out the possibility of another guy returning to the tent if he was away.

As time passed, the smoke gradually cleared, and the surroundings fell silent. Once he confirmed that there were no remnants of people nearby, he went back into the tent. Inside, Father Yohan was trembling, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Brother... are you okay? What happened outside...?"

"We were attacked. They were trying to steal our food."

"Ah, how could such a thing... Are you hurt anywhere?"

Seo Gangirm nodded and sat down. Father Yohan carefully examined his body for injuries, but after finding there were none, he let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you're unharmed. I can't believe they were trying to steal our food..."

Seo Gangrim had heard stories about thieves since before. Those who entered here first, when their food were running low, targeted the later arrivals. The group they just encountered seemed to be doing the same.

"We have a tent, so we'll stand out more. We might as well move to a different spot tomorrow, as we can't rule out the possibility that they might return."

"Yes, yes..."

"For now, get some rest quickly. If you lose sleep, it will disrupt our plans for tomorrow."

Only then did Father Yohan lie back down with an anxious look. A somewhat awkward silence lingered. Father Yohan, who had been tossing and turning, cautiously asked, "Um... wouldn't it have been better if you didn't bring me along? I feel like I'm holding you back..."

"No, don't worry about it. You'll be quite busy from tomorrow onward."

There were many tasks Father Yohan had to perform here. The expensive meal Seo Gangrim treated him to earlier wasn't for nothing. Starting from tomorrow, Father Yohan would be earning his keep.

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The day after the thieves retreated, Seo Gangrim and Father Yohan were on the move, changing their camp's location.

Father Yohan, now hidden behind some bushes, observed Seo Gangrim fighting in the battle. Enormous monsters were falling one after another in front of Seo Gangrim. While admiring this scene, Father Yohan had a question in his mind, 'Why did Seo Gangrim bring me here?'

Seo Gangrim was strong. To the point where Father Yohan wondered if he needed anyone else's help. He was fighting the monsters as if they were nothing.

*Swish!*

As Seo Gangrim's sword attacked several times, the large monster known as Wild Boar let out a fierce scream and fell. The monster was so massive that the ground trembled. While Father Yohan marveled at this, Seo Gangrim continued to collect spirit pearls quietly. After all the monsters fell, Seo Gangrim finally emerged from the bushes.

"Brother, are you okay? It's better to treat your wounds first..."

"I'm fine, I didn't get hurt."

There had been quite a few battles from morning until late afternoon, but Seo Gangrim hadn't received a single scratch. Not just in this stage, but even when helping Father Yohan's in the previous stages, during the first through fourth stages, Seo Gangrim had barely been injured.

'He brought me along even though I seem unnecessary... looking at how he brought me here, Seo Gangrim seems like a really kind person.'

When he couldn't complete the first few stages, it seemed that Seo Gangrim pitied him and offered help. Didn't Seo Gangrim share such a precious meal yesterday as well? While lost in thought, Seo Gangrim, as if following yesterday, began taking the monsters somewhere.

Father Yohan, curious, asked, "Um, Brother Gangrim. I have a question. What are you going to use those monsters for?"

"We're going to use them for tonight's dinner."

"Ah, for tonight's dinner... Wait, what?!"

Father Yohan's face turned pale with shock. Seo Gangrim silently led the monsters towards the riverbank. As he began dismembering the beasts, Father Yohan asked with a fearful expression, "But... didn't you say that the meat of these beasts is poisonous?"

While touring the island today, Seo Gangrim had briefly explained a few things. There's an orchard nearby, and they shouldn't go near it. The beasts here were poisonous, so they had to be wary of them. Nevertheless, Seo Gangrim seemed undeterred.

"Yes. But it seems there's a way to remove the poison."

"How?"

Seo Gangrim took something out of his pocket. It was a leaf as large as a fan.

"This leaf is said to have a detoxifying effect. It apparently removes poison."

"Wow, I see. How did you know about that, Brother Gangrim?"

Instead of answering, Seo Gangrim pointed at the sky with his hand. Seeing his hand, Father Yohan nodded.

"God must have shown you. Thank goodness."

With this conviction, Father Yohan didn't press for more answers. Seo Gangrim settled near the riverbank and started preparing the meat. The meat he had detoxified yesterday was today's dinner. He skewered the meat and placed it over the campfire. Soon, an enticing aroma began to waft through the air.

"Father, you can eat now."

The detoxified meat, placed on a plate made of the detoxifying leaves, was ready. Father Yohan seemed moved by its appearance, but he also seemed perplexed.

"Aren't you eating, Brother Gangrim?"

The food was only placed in front of Father Yohan. Seo Gangrim nodded.

"I'll have some separately in a while. Please go ahead."

"But..."

"It's alright."

Upon Seo Gangrim's words and after hesitating for a moment, Father Yohan eventually started eating the meat little by little. Despite his concerns about the poison, the taste was surprisingly excellent. After finishing the meal satisfactorily, Father Yohan expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for the meal, Brother."

"Now that you're done, it's time for you to help, Father."

"Of course, anything you need!"

Finally, thinking he could do something helpful, Father Yohan smiled brightly. In front of this cheerful Father Yohan, Seo Gangrim took out something. It was the freshly captured monster meat. Blood was still dripping from the greenish flesh. Father Yohan looked at it curiously, "Brother, what are you going to ask for...?"

Instead of answering, Seo Gangrim put a piece of the raw meat in his mouth. It hadn't been detoxified yet. Father Yohan, surprised, jumped up and exclaimed, "Brother! You mentioned that the meat is poisonous!"

"Yes, it is."

Seo Gangrim nonchalantly cut another piece and put it in his mouth. The nauseating taste spread through his body as it moved through his tongue. As the poison started to take effect, his veins gradually became visible. Seo Gangrim said with a slight chuckle, "Now it's time for you to administer the cure, Father."

"What?"

"It means you will detoxify me."

Seo Gangrim continued to slice the meat slowly and put it in his mouth.

"Go ahead, Father."

As Seo Gangirm started eating the poisoned meat, his veins began to show. Even the gods seemed to be in an uproar.

【What is Seo Gangrim doing?】

【Oh my, he's eating poison.】

【Why on earth is he doing that?】

【Does it taste good? It looks like he's eating something like pufferfish.】

As the poison started to spread, his body began to stiffen. It wasn't a fatal poison but a paralyzing one. Unaware of this fact, Father Yohan activated his ability in haste.

[Ability 'Healing Hand' activated!]

White light emanated from Father Yohan's hand, and Seo Gangrim felt his body quickly relaxing. Seo Gangrim let out a rough breath. His skin color returned to normal, and the numbness faded away.

"Brother, are you okay?"

"...Yes, my hand is working properly now."

He clenched and unclenched his right hand and then started eating monster meat again. Seeing this, Father Yohan's face turned pale.

"I'm going to keep eating, so please keep treating me."

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