Chapter 42:

Chapter 42:

Chapter 42

Choe Sangwon's face turned pale as he belatedly grasped the situation. He hastily pulled out his weapon.

"It's nothing. Once we deal with this one..."

-Skwik!

Something plummeted from above and leaped down. Not just one, but three monkeys. All of them held blood-soaked iron pincers, standing in front of Choe Sangwon's group, blocking them. Blood-soaked and corroded, those large iron pincers. The scout drew his dagger and charged at one of the monkeys.

-Cakagang!

The monkey swiftly lifted its pincers, blocking the dagger. Before the scout could react, the monkey immediately launched its counterattack. The iron pincers swung like a bludgeon, rapid and menacing as bullets.

-Pagak!

"Ugh!"

The iron pincers struck the scout's arm with incredible speed and force. With a scream, the scout hastily retreated, losing hold of his dagger. The team watched in astonishment.

"Why did he get pushed back in terms of speed?"

"He's the fastest among us!"

He had been the fastest and the one responsible for reconnaissance, yet now he seemed slow beyond belief. The monkeys, emboldened, clapped their hands and shouted triumphantly.

-Woohaaak!

The monkeys skillfully moved between the ground and the trees, closing in on Choe Sangwon's group. It was obvious that the situation favored the beasts. With their tongues extended like offerings, they approached Choe Sangwon. The succulent fruits that had seemed tempting now looked disturbing.

"Am I to be the offering to these trees?"

Choe Sangwon's hands trembled uncontrollably. Numerous monkeys reached out toward Choe Sangwon's group. They forcibly opened their mouths and pulled their tongues out.

-Wkwik!

From nearby, a sharp scream pierced the air. It was the demon's cry, sounding urgent as if it had been attacked.

-Uh, Uhwik?

The monkeys that were about to attack turned their heads at the sound. In a hurry, they dashed toward the source of the cry. Choe Sangwon looked in the direction of the sound and was astonished.

"What, what's that...!"

Amid the monkeys' discordant noises, one person was swinging a sword wildly. Seo Gangrim was fighting off the monkeys. Despite the considerable number of monkeys, he was ruthlessly slaughtering them without being overwhelmed. Seeing this, the scout urgently shouted.

"Now's the chance! We need to escape quickly!"

At the scout's shout, they hastily started to flee. Behind them, the clamor continued. Only after escaping the orchard did they finally catch their breath.

"Ah, that person earlier was Seo Gangrim, right?"

"Exactly. We saw him from a distance, but... How did he defeat them so easily?"

The monkeys' speed had been too fast, making it difficult to avoid them. And yet, he had annihilated over a dozen of them. As the team admired Seo Gangrim's skill, Choe Sangwon remained silent. He twisted his lips.

'Tsk, it's all thanks to Seo Gangrim that I survived.'

He hadn't forgotten how Seo Gangrim had given him face at the fortune-telling café. Then, the group pointed toward the entrance and spoke.

"Look, Seo Gangrim is coming!"

Seo Gangrim was now calmly walking out of the orchard, having apparently dealt with all the monkeys. The team rushed toward him urgently.

"Thank you so much! If it weren't for Seo Gangrim-ssi..."

"Thanks to Gangrim-ssi, we're alive!"

To their words, Seo Gangrim didn't offer any response. After all, he hadn't saved them out of goodness of his heart. He had hunted the monkeys for their peaches. Glancing at them, he simply said, "It's better not to go in there if possible."

"Well... I know it's dangerous, but we're running low on food..."

"Look here! The brand mark is clearly engraved!"

Seo Gangrim appeared unimpressed. He let out a short sigh and said, "For argument's sake, let's say it's real."

"It's not for argument's sake, it's real!"

"Up to 10 bags is a bit much, but I'll sell you five."

"This, this...!"

Exchanging a 10 million won watch for five bags of free rations – was that even a reasonable trade? However, the current situation was a bit different. Choe Sangwon looked around at the other people with a hopeful expression. They were hurriedly eating their rations, but when their eyes met Choe Sangwon's, they quickly averted their gaze. They seemed to have no intention of giving away their rations.

"Are you buying or not?"

At Seo Gangrim's urging, Choe Sangwon was trembling. Finally, he extended the watch. Seo Gangrim took it and roughly put it in his pocket before handing over five bags of rations.

"Oh, and..."

He took out something and placed it on top of the rations. It was a star candy.

"This is a bonus."

Choe Sangwon glared at Seo Gangrim as if he wanted to kill him, but Seo Gangrim paid no attention and left calmly. In the meantime, the gods were chattering.

【Wow, he is probably eager to possess those bags just by looking at him.】

【Seo Gangrim isn't ordinary either.】

【He's really good with a weapon.】

【But if he gives away so many rations like that, how will he survive?】

Choe Sangwon's expression became strange as he heard the voices. Seo Gangrim had indeed sold a significant amount of rations. It looked like there he had sold over 20 bags, roughly estimated.

'What does Seo Gangrim plan to do from now on? Does he have even more provisions?'

If he had around 20 bags of rations, was he carrying absurdly abundant provisions? With that thought, a sense of greed began to sprout in Choe Sangwon's mind. He stood up abruptly and said, "Everyone, stand up."

"Yes? Why?"

"Let's ambush Seo Gangrim."

At the word 'ambush', everyone's eyes widened.

Choe Sangwon said, as if pitying them, "You're just going to let him get away with that? Selling rations at such an exorbitant price and just letting him go?"

"But, but..."

"And he seems so nonchalant after selling us those rations at such a price. He must have more. We need to take it from him."

The word 'rations' made their eyes waver. Right now, they each had about 5 or 6 bags of rations. Even if they ate two bags a day, it would only last for three days.

"But Seo Gangrim seems quite strong..."

"He's only one man, can anyone here not face him? Why is everyone so afraid?" Choe Sangwon said. Some were worried about their pride, and others were troubled by their conscience. However, hunger was stronger than pride or conscience. In the end, they all stood up and began to move.

"He can't have gone far. Let's find him quickly."

Choe Sangwon led them, chasing the direction in which Seo Gangrim had disappeared. Normally, he would have observed from behind, but now he was actively scanning the surroundings. A while later, a scout rushed to Choe Sangwon.

"Choe Sangwon-ssi, I found him! Seo Gangrim is over there!"

"Hurry, lead the way!"

They hurriedly headed in the direction where Seo Gangrim was seen. Seo Gangrim, hunting a wild boar, came into view. They kept their distance and hid behind the bushes, waiting for Seo Gangrim to show an opening.

Amidst this, the scout mumbled curiously, "Why... why is he taking that?"

***Read at ***

***Please check out /destiny1!***

***In there you can support me and you can also get to read advance chapters!***