Chapter 96:

Chapter 96:

Chapter 96

The man was eating a human corpse. It must have been his only source of sustenance for several years. His only source of food.

"Ah, ah..."

The old man, or rather the man, approached them with eerie sounds, and there were dark stains of blood around his mouth. As he got closer, they could also see that his white eyes were tainted black.

Kang Dohyeon, cautious of the man's movements, said, "He is still a human being, right? If we just subdue him..."

"Aaah!"

The man let out a beastly scream and suddenly appeared right in front of Kang Dohyeon, as if he had teleported. His movement was so fast that it created the illusion of teleportation.

"Ugh...!"

Kang Dohyeon tried to attach the talisman he was holding to the man, but the man was faster. He dodged the talisman and opened his mouth wide. In an instant, the man's teeth sunk into Kang Dohyeon's arm.

-Grr!

"Agent Kang Dohyeon!"

Annaby swung her staff, sending the man flying. Despite taking the blow, the man didn't fall. He leaped backward with an animal-like agility.

Kang Dohyeon, clutching his bleeding arm, said, "You didn't have to help me."

"It doesn't seem like the time for that kind of talk," Annaby replied.

The man, with a wary and greedy look in his eyes, watched Seo Gangrim's group. His beard was stained with drool, and it was evident that he was looking at them as if they were prey.

"Has he gone mad from being here for so long?"

"Even the person who was a statue couldn't speak properly," Seo Gangrim said.

"Should we subdue him, or is it better to just kill him?" Kang Dohyeon asked.

With their current numbers, they could probably kill the man, but subduing him would be more challenging.

At that moment, the man suddenly leaped up again.

- Kwang!

It was astonishing how much strength he concealed in his emaciated body. When he smelled the blood, the man seemed even more excited.

The man leaped around, without distinguishing between the floor, walls, and ceiling, while howling.

"Aaaah!"

An inexplicable aura emanated from the man's body. Just approaching him pushed them back. Once again, it seemed like the man was about to disappear before their eyes when Seo Gangrim instinctively swung his sword backward.

- Ssak!

He swung the Chiljido at nothing but empty air instead of the man. However, the man, as if he had been struck, screamed and fled.

"Aaaaah......!"

Painful screams were escaping from the man's mouth. He was glaring at the Chiljido as if he were looking at something disgusting, like an animal exposed to the sun it had never seen before.

[A strong Yang Qi radiates from 'Chiljido'!]

[It has a greater effect on a targets with strong Yin Qi!]

Seven was known as the number with the greatest positive energy in ancient Yin-Yang theory. Therefore, the seven-branched Chiljido contained strong Yang Qi. While it couldn't fully unleash its effects in its unrefined state, it had started to exhibit its true potential after being repaired.

"Woong, woong!"

At that moment, Linnie suddenly jumped up and down, and tugged at Seo Gangrim's clothing, trying to pull him toward the stairs.

Annaby also quickly pulled Seo Gangrim away. "Seo Gangrim-ssi, are you alright? Let's retreat downstairs for now."

She spoke with a worried tone, as Seo Gangrim's clothes were soaked with blood.

[I have an antidote and related abilities, so you should be fine.]

One person cautiously tasted the food, and after confirming that it wasn't poisoned, he reassured the others. People's face lit up, and they started eating the food eagerly.

If they hadn't eaten it, this Demon Realm would have ended at the Human-class difficulty.

As they finished eating, one by one, they began to transform into statues. Those who hadn't eaten tried to resist the statues, but their numbers were too few. Most of them died in battle.

The only survivor was that man. He had escaped his comrades, but he couldn't conquer this place on his own. He had waited for rescue, but no one came. Days turned into weeks. People didn't show up, and the man left behind was consumed by fear and hunger.

Then, something caught the man's eye—a corpse of one of his comrades. There was nothing to eat, and consuming the food inside would turn him into a statue. The man didn't want to starve to death, nor did he want to become a statue. So, he made a choice.

He waited for reinforcements while accumulating karma. He endured it for a year, and a second party arrived. However, they were too weak and perished before launching an attack.

It was fortunate for the man that they died as humans instead of turning into statues. The man wanted to return to being human. He made another choice, and ten to fifteen years passed.

"Hey, Seo Gangrim!"

Seo Gangrim suddenly raised his head, shaken by the strong grip on his shoulder. Kang Dohyeon was looking at him with a stern expression.

"Snap out of it. If you space out in this situation, what are we going to do?"

"...I'm fine now. I'm awake."

In reality, he was still not in good shape. The fear, despair, and madness he felt from the man's memories made him feel nauseated.

Kang Dohyeon ooked at him suspiciously, then turned to Annaby.

"Cases of individuals nearing the boundary are not uncommon, but this level is unprecedented. Agent Annaby, have you ever seen anything like this?"

"No. While it's a boundary, it seems like he was isolated for an exceptionally long time, which has caused his mental state to collapse."

The criteria for nearing the boundary varied from person to person. Some could kill a hundred people without their sanity breaking, while others neared the boundary after killing just one. Typically, the more unstable the mind, the faster they got closer to the boundary.

Annaby added with a serious expression, "at least he didn't turn into a demon, there's a possibility he can return to his original state."

"But capturing him alive might be challenging. Considering how close he is to the boundary, he might be stronger than we anticipate."

Those nearing the boundary became more distant from being human. They lost their sense of self and reason but gained powerful abilities in return. Some people deliberately accumulated karma for this reason, even though the outcome was always miserable.

"We don't have a choice. Let's try to capture him alive for now. The problem is, how do we subdue him without killing him?"

The opponent was like a wild beast unleashed, making it more difficult to capture him alive than to kill him. While Kang Dohyeon and Annaby pondered their options, Seo Gangrim spoke up.

"What if we try this?"

***

The scent of blood wafted through the darkness. Seo Gangrim and his team were back on the fifth floor, preparing to capture the man alive. Following Seo Gangrim's plan, Kang Dohyeon took out a talisman from his pocket and started setting up a trap.

'I didn't have anything better than Seo Gangrim's plan, so I accepted it.......'

Seo Kangrim suggested a method for capturing the man by utilizing Kang Dohyeon's abilities and the location. On the fifth floor, there was a long, wide main corridor with small rooms on both sides. Seo Gangrim's plan was to lure the man into the small rooms where he had set up trapping talismans.

'Following Seo Kangrim's orders. It doesn't sit well with me.'

It was a situation that wounded his pride for some reason. From the past until now, it seemed like he had been at Seo Gangrim's beck and call, despite being an agent of Destiny Protection Bureau.

Feeling choked up by that fact, he muttered to Seo Gangrim, "Do you think this will be enough? What if my talismans don't have enough power to catch the man?"

"It won't fail. They're talismans you wrote."

Kang Dohyeon's hand twitched for a moment upon hearing those words. Seo Gangrim's voice was filled with strong trust.

"I believe in your abilities, brother."

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