Chapter 137:

Chapter 137:

Chapter 137

'It feels like I'm almost near Gwangcheon Pond.'

Although he couldn't see it, he could sense an overwhelming magical power in the dry air.

'I expected it wouldn't be ordinary water to cultivate such flowers.'

But he didn't expect to feel the magic from this distance.

He looked towards the direction of the magic. Inside a forest with many trees. Despite being so close to the destination, he couldn't move forward easily.

'There are more demons around here.'

The forest he was looking at was moving. Not because of the wind rustling the leaves but because the trees themselves were walking. What he initially thought were just trees turned out to be demons in the form of wooden figures.

'If what they said is true, the Clown Troupe is likely to be in the direction of Gwangcheon Pond.'

While the Howling Teeth was useful in many ways, its significant drawback was the loud noise it produced. If the Clown Troupe heard the noise and came over, it would cause various problems. Even if he used Invisibility, there was no guarantee he wouldn't be discovered eventually.

'Well, I have no choice. I didn't really want to eat this.'

Seo Gangrim took something out of his pocket—an amputated finger from a demon. Without hesitation, he bit into it.

***

A muffled sound came from around him. It was the sound of the wind brushing against the dry arms of the demons and the cries of the demons. Seo Gangrim continued to move forward at the same pace.

-Ki Yi...

After transforming into a demon, they didn't pay any attention to Seo Gangrim. Instead, they had a different goal in mind.

-Crunch!

A horse-shaped demon with fangs bared was struggling. It was vomiting up blood and gore. A demon seized its neck and soon snapped it, ending its struggles.

-Heuk!

The demon picked up the dead creature and started walking again. Other demons in the form of animals were being hunted by other demons whenever they appeared. Seo Gangrim, too, caught a demon to avoid looking suspicious and casually hung it over his shoulder.

'Do demons eat each other?' he wondered. However, none of the demons approached the corpses. Seo Gangrim quietly observed the surroundings and followed the demons.

'The atmosphere here is definitely different. Is it also because of Gwangcheon Pond?'

From the moment he entered the forest, the scenery around him distinctly changed. Strange, nameless plants with bizarre vitality and trees with colors as if burnt were all over the place. Amidst them, only the wooden humans were walking as if possessed, like devotees offering sacrifices to a god.

-Kuwung, kuwung...

As the magical power of water gradually intensified, a sparkling light could be seen in the distance. In a small pond, an extraordinary magical power and a murky energy overflowed.

"Ah, finally."

Amidst the surreal scenery, someone was standing there—a Clown. His face was covered with a mask, making it impossible to identify him. He was sitting comfortably near the Gwangcheon Pond, unperturbed even as demons crowded towards him.

'The demons aren't attacking... Could it be due to an ability?'

Seo Gangrim couldn't see the clown's Destiny window, but he probably possessed an ability or item controlling the demons. Otherwise, it was inconceivable for so many demons to casually disregard a human. However, there was something strange.

'How can he control so many like this?'

The demons surrounding him numbered in the dozens. To control this many demons, an immense amount of magical power would be required.

"Oh, people of Seocheon Garden."

The demons tossed the two they were carrying aside like baggage. The Seocheon members earlier, with their faces slammed into the ground, quickly lifted their heads. Then, upon seeing the clown, they shouted.

"You...! You contaminated Gwangcheon Pond!"

"And you were the ones who intruded and took the Devastation Flower a while ago, right?"

Upon hearing that, the clown was silently staring at them.

The two were startled by the clown's eerie gaze while screaming loudly.

Sinister glints were seeping through the eye holes of the mask.

"Yeah, I took it. It was a bit of a hassle to bring it."

The clown took something out of the bag. It was a flower stored inside a transparent glass container. The flower had jet-black petals.

"When I infiltrated the lab, I had to destroy it, but that's a bit regrettable."

"How dare you, humans...!"

"By the way, I'm glad you came."

The clown approached, grabbing the child's hair with one hand and holding a sharp dagger in the other.

"Humans are more efficient at contaminating Gwangcheon Pond than demons. Oh, you're not exactly human, are you? Anyway, you should be helpful."

The dagger still had the fresh blood of demons that hadn't dried yet. Seeing it, the child turned pale, and one of them shouted.

The clown then spoke in a relaxed tone.

"Well, first, your blood...!"

The sharp dagger touched the neck of the man. Thin flesh was pierced, and blood began to trickle down. The blood vessels under the pale skin seemed to throb. Just as the clown was about to draw the dagger without hesitation.

-Bang!

Just before the attack, the clown hastily jumped back and secured a safe distance. After retreating, the clown frowned upon confirming the one who attacked him.

"Huh? Why are you doing this?"

The attacker was one of the demons. The spot where the clown had just been was deeply concave as if a bomb had exploded. And there was no sign of the two.

"W-why would this demon attack him...?!"

They were hanging both in the demon's hands. They were perplexed by the sudden appearance of the demon. After tossing the two, the demon stepped forward.

'What's going on? Did the abilities get nullified? This is troublesome. Even with just those two, I could have contaminated Gwangcheon Pond faster..."

The clown expressed regret. Then, while twirling the dagger in his hand, he looked at the demon.

"Hmm. But seeing that you saved them, it doesn't seem like the abilities were canceled or anything. Are you someone sent by the Flower Supervisor?"

After catching the spinning dagger in the air, the corners of the clown's mouth went up.

"If you're not a real demon, that's even better. With the blood of three people, Gwangcheon Pond will become even more contaminated, won't it?"

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