Chapter 61:

Chapter 61:

Chapter 61

Seo Gangrim had expected this face, but seeing him in person brought a new feeling. Jang Taehun belonged to Zone Three, and Seo Gangrim never had the chance to talk to him in this stage in the past. The Jang Taehun of now was someone Seo Gangrim didn't know in his past. It was only after founding the Flying Tiger Sect and when Jang Taehun joined the sect that they met.

"Hey, can't you hear me?"

The Jang Taehun Seo Gangrim knew was an affable and cheerful person. But in the current Jang Taehun, he couldn't find that demeanor. Jang Taehun's impression was menacing and distorted, and he exuded hostility from every part of his body. Even considering that Seo Gangrim was an enemy, Jang Taehun seemed particularly fierce and rough that what the situation called for. Seo Gangrim recalled a conversation from the past when he had shared a drink with Jang Taehun, and he had casually brought up a story.

"Oh, I'm glad I didn't meet you during our training... If we had met back then, I might have beaten you up."

"What were you like back then?"

"Well, it was... a bit aggressive."

"Aggressive? Tell me more."

"It's a secret. Dark history, you know."

Seo Gangrim was curious, but he didn't press him. After all, Seo Gangrim wasn't someone who wanted to talk about his own past either. It was only several years later that he learned about Jang Taehun's circumstances.

Jang Taehun was born into a well-off family. His family members, including his parents, were all legal professionals, such as prosecutors, lawyers, and judges. Therefore, it was only natural to think that Jang Taehun would become a legal professional from a young age. In reality, not only was Jang Taehun born into such a family, but his horoscope also aligned well with a legal career. A person born on a Bing-il (병일) day, when encountering the Gyeong (경) celestial stem, is suitable for a profession related to law. He certainly had the potential. The problem was that his parents were not satisfied with him.

"You were born with a good destiny. You'll surely do well."

"Don't tarnish our family name."

"You have a horoscope that should make you a great person. Why are you only capable of this?"

Jang Taehun tried his best to meet their expectations. However, things didn't go as planned. He only managed to get into a university that was good but not top-tier.

"You're my son, and I'm embarrassed."

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have given up from the beginning."

"You're a failure."

For his parents, an imperfect thing was tantamount to a failure. Believing that he would be a failure no matter what he did, Jang Taehun gave up on everything and lived his days in fights and debauchery.

"Back then, everyone seemed like my enemy. It felt like everyone saw me as a failure."

Now, Jang Taehun stared at Seo Gangrim with a face Seo Gangrim had never seen before, filled with enmity and hatred for others, as though Jang Taehun was a stranger.

"Don't interfere; leave. I have to kill that thing."

Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on memories or sorrow. Seo Gangrim whispered to the Imugi, "Run to the deepest part of the water right now. Don't ever come out."

The Imugi, with a bewildered look on its face, nodded and disappeared beneath the water. Jang Taehun became furious when he saw that.

"Hey! It's running away!"

Seo Gangrim drew his sword and stepped forward to make sure Jang Taehun couldn't chase after it. Seo Gangrim felt like he's walking on thin ice. Seo Gangrim spoke to him, "Why don't you go find another snake? That one is mine."

"What? You wrote your name on it?"

"Yeah. My name is written on the string tied around that snake's neck."

At Seo Gangrim's words, Jang Taehun raised an eyebrow.

"You're telling a childish lie."

"Even if you don't believe it, it doesn't matter. Anyway, my mission is to protect the snake, so I'll do my mission..."

Before Seo Gangrim could finish speaking, a massive body flew toward him like a bullet.

*Thud!*

Jang Taehun's fist was aimed at Seo Gangrim's abdomen, but Seo Gangrim was faster. He raised his sword and blocked the attack. However, a follow-up strike came immediately.

*Crash!*

-Ppaggak!

Seo Gangrim struck Jang Taehun's chest with the force to break bones, although it didn't cut through due to the sword's blunt edge. Nevertheless, it caused significant damage. In the end, Jang Taehun staggered and fell to the ground. Seo Gangrim pointed his sword at Jang Taehun's throat and said, "I think I've won."

Gasping for breath, Jang Taehun looked up at Seo Gangrim with a gaze filled with hostility, not kindness.

"You... we'll see."

After saying that, he quickly stepped back and moved out of Seo Gangrim's way.

Seo Gangrim stared at the disappearing figure of Zhang Taehun. In his past life, both zones had the same mission. Because of that, Shin Sooah and Jang Taehun formed an alliance, allowing everyone to move to the next stage. That was how it went, and connections formed along the way. But now, their missions had changed, and they had become enemies. Without forming an alliance and instead becoming enemies, Jang Taehun and Shin Sooah would end up against each other. Seo Gangrim didn't know why the missions had changed from his past life, but he couldn't leave things as they were. He had to somehow connect them. First, he needed to understand the situation accurately. To do that, he walked towards the container. Inside, he saw Choe Sangwon and Seo Jungmin arguing.

"You should have told me in advance! The people from the other zone's goal is to eliminate the snake!"

Choe Sangwon's face was red as he shouted. In contrast, Seo Jungmin seemed calm.

"You said we should only protect it from demons!"

"Uh, I didn't say that, I said you have to protect it from many things."

"What, you're saying that now...!" Choe Sangwon raised his voice in disbelief.

Seo Jungmin continued speaking calmly, "Even if the people in Zone Three has become enemies, there's only one thing you all should do. Protect the snake for a week."

"You call that...?"

"Do you have the time to argue like this now? Choe Sangwon, you should take care of your snake."

Choe Sangwon, who was clearly angry, eventually couldn't contain himself and stormed out of the container. Seo Jungmin watched his departure lazily, and then made eye contact with Seo Gangrim.

"Hello, Seo Gangrim-ssi. It seems like you have some questions too."

In response, Seo Gangrim nodded. He needed to understand what had changed from his past life.

"Is this mission a competition between Zones Two and Three?"

"Yes, that's how it seems."

"That's quite strange."

Seo Jungmin looked at him as if asking what he meant. Seo Gangrim carefully observed the other man's attitude when he said, "Weren't the main goal of your organization to cultivate as many awakened individuals as possible? I don't understand why you're creating such a confrontational structure."

While there had been conflicts with other zones in Seo Gangrim's past life, the bureau hadn't openly set up a hostile relationship like this. For one thing, they were ostensibly constructed to allow powerful beings to pass through. Moreover, in his previous life, he was definitely not tasked with confronting this stage specifically.

At Seo Gangrim's words, Seo Jungmin responded somewhat surprisingly. "Hmm, you catch on faster than I thought."

There was a hint of admiration mixed with his words. He continued in a somewhat softened tone, "Well, in the bureau, we do try to cultivate as many awakened individuals as possible, but if they lack the strength, it's useless. Currently, we don't see someone special among the candidates, and many are freeloaders."

"Freeloaders?"

"Yes. For example, in Zone Two, there was a sudden influx of candidates from the Fifth stage, right? It seemed like they received fruits from others and then came out."

He was referring to the people Seo Gangrim had given the Thousand Fragrance fruit to in order to pass. At first glance, it might seem like he was blaming Seo Gangrim, but in reality, it was more like an excuse. In any case, cooperating with members from the same zone wasn't a strange thing to do.

Seo Gangrim had a feeling of impending doom. As he tried to change his fate in a positive direction, it felt like something was hindering it, like his Destiny with Jang Taehun was being prevented from intertwining.

"We don't have enough snakes. You must only be releasing one snake each time people from Zone Two enter."

"..."

"So, cooperating between Zones Two and Three is almost impossible."

Seo Gangrim sensed a faint hint of laughter in Seo Jungmin's voice. "Well, Zone Three will have to fight against Zone Two, but I believe you can handle it, Seo Gangrim-ssi."

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