Chapter 33:

Chapter 33:

Chapter 33

Was it a bear cub? No, considering that, it was way too big. Seo Gangrim saw the demons moving toward the campfire, so he quickly jumped under a tree.

-Crunch...!

There were two or three bears wandering around near the river. Bush bears. Demons with the appearance of bears.

"Seo Gangrim-ssi?"

Shin Sooah discovered him and her face turned surprised. Yoon Bom and Yoon Geoul also stood up from where they were lying, aiming their weapons at the demons. The Mansoo incense couldn't chase away such powerful demons, and it was being eaten by the bush bears. This made Seo Gangrim wonder what would happen once they developed resistance to it. Then suddenly, a strange smell permeated between the bush bears.

In the brief moment his attention was drawn there, and one of the bears bared its teeth at him.

-Grrraaah!

It seemed that demons found Seo Gangrim to be less threatening than the three of them. As the bears slowly approached him, Shin Sooah shouted in panic.

"Come towards the fire! It's dangerous there!"

"No, it's fine. Shin Sooah-ssi, don't come out of there."

These bears were human-like beings. Since it's a region that matches Seo Gangrim's attribute, his abilities should have increased even more. This was a good opportunity to test the ability Seo Gangrim obtained just recently.

[Ability 'Fighting Instinct' is activated!]

As soon as the ability 'Fighting Instinct' was activated, Seo Gangrim felt his blood boiling. The world around him evaporated into whiteness, and it seemed that only the enemy in front of him and Seo Gangrim were left. Seo Gangrim was the weak prey, and the enemy was the predator. Realizing that fact, fear flooded his body, but that fear transformed into fighting spirit.

[The target has been confirmed to be stronger than you!]

[Your fighting spirit starts to boil!]

'Fighting Instinct' was an ability that increased ones power when the opponent was stronger. The stronger the opponent, the stronger the effect of the ability. Seo Gangrim felt something he had never felt before—killing intent and fighting spirit so strong that made his head spin. His whole body screamed that it wanted to fight against these strong demons.

-Grrraaah!

The moment one of the bears charged, Seo Gangrim was already drawing his sword. His body was moving instinctively. He stabbed his sword into the bear's soft spot and then pushed it down with all his weight.

-Suk!

The bear's fur, sharp as a blade, grazed his body, and his blood flowed instantly. But still, Seo Gangrim was thrilled. Something inside him was whispering, saying that it wanted to defeat a stronger enemy.

-Quachik!

He stabbed the sword into a bear's jaw and pinned it to the ground, then rushed at the second demon. He didn't have a sword anymore, but there were still things he could use. Seo Gangrim activated 'Flame Radiance,' enveloping his whole body in flames, and charged at the bear. The bear was startled by the sudden light, allowing him to climb onto its back.

-Wooah!

Seo Gangrim was hanging on, holding onto its neck. The bear twisted its body in agony, and Seo Gangrim was being scraped by the knife-like fur of the bear, but the desire to defeat this creature was stronger than the pain. By the way, where was the third one? When he turned around to find the next opponent, it was already dead. Its chest was pierced by a sharp branch.

"Seo Gangrim-ssi!"

Shin Sooah was running towards him with a worried expression. Trees sprouted from the ground in an instant, trapping the bear. While the bear momentarily halted, Shin Sooah swung her sword, delivering the final blow.

-Kwoong!

The bear fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Shin Sooah sighed and looked at Seo Gangrim.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

He felt his heart pounding fiercely when he saw Shin Sooah. It felt like his heart was about to burst. A stronger opponent than the bears.

He wanted to fight.

He wanted to win.

He wanted to kill.

After drawing his sword from the ground, Seo Gangrim swung it towards Shin Sooah.

-Chaeng!

Shin Sooah quickly drew her sword and blocked his attack. A look of surprise flashed in her eyes, but then she quickly regained her composure.

"Snap out of it, Seo Gangrim!"

"By the way, I smell something strange."

"Yeah, it smells like... rotting fruit..."

When he looked around, Seo Gangrim easily found the source of the smell.

Yoon Geoul looked around curiously and asked, "Master, what are you doing? Huh? What's that?"

Yoon Geoul pointed at a fallen fruit on the ground. A peculiar sweet scent emanated from the crushed fruit. He said with a puzzled expression, "Master, why are you giving me that look? Do you want to eat it?"

"No. I found it suspicious, so I was observing it."

"Huh? What's suspicious about it?"

"There are no fruit trees around here."

There were no trees near the river. It was hard to believe that the fruit fell on its own. Moreover, the fruit was in a straight line, as if leading from the forest to the campfire. It was as if it was luring the demons towards the campfire. Yoon Geoul seemed to have finally noticed something strange.

"It's really strange, as the master said. Who could have done this?"

"I checked earlier, and the demons gathered around the tree with this fruit."

【Oh, Gangrim knows well.】

【Demon peach tastes good!】

【Demon peach tastes good?】

【That fruit is something that only demons go crazy for. Are you a demon?】

【It's a matter of taste. Respect it.】

The demon peach that grew in this forest emitted a strong sweet scent to tempt demons. But what if the fruits were artificially placed? Suddenly, Yoon Bom and Shin Sooah, who had approached, were listening to my story.

Shin Sooah spoke up, "They tried to lure the demons to attack us. But while I was on guard, we didn't see anyone approaching."

"They might have approached using an ability."

Just now, there was no one with a suspicious ability in Zone Four. However, while they were away, someone from their group might have received a Diving Blessing and gained a new ability.

"So... are you saying that someone deliberately tried to kill us?" Yoon Bom said in a trembling voice.

Seo Gangrim nodded his head.

"That's a possibility. From now on, we should be careful when contacting other Zones."

"Yes..."

"But for now, keep a close watch. We'll leave as soon as the sun rises. Shin Sooah-ssi, you should get some rest. I'll keep watch."

Shin Sooah hesitated slightly. Knowing her personality, Seo Gangrim sighed briefly and said, "We'll switch in an hour, so get some sleep first. I don't like waking up in the middle."

"...Okay. I'll leave it to you then."

The three of them settled down by the campfire, and he sat a little further away, keeping watch. In the meantime, the egg in his pocket was wriggling, hungry. Seo Gangrim decided to feed it when everyone fell asleep. Then, he heard a faint sound.

"Where did Master get that fur?"

"I think it's from the tiger we caught back then. Master looked so cool back then..."

"Are you asleep?"

"I'm not sleeping, and I'm not your master. Go to sleep."

After Seo Gangrim replied, the two of them fell silent.

While silently guarding the campfire, he suddenly stood up from his seat after sensing eyes in the darkness.

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