Their tone was exceedingly polite and deferential.

When Seo Kangrim didn’t answer immediately, the person beside him added urgently.

“It doesn’t have to be the Wi-Fi password! If you could just let us contact our families even once……”

“Once I get out of here, I’ll reward you handsomely! Please!”

Their eyes were filled with desperate longing.

Seo Kangrim observed them briefly before pulling a card from his pocket.

“Here, take a look.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t you need the Wi-Fi password?”

He had no particular reason to refuse, and it felt petty to make a show of something so trivial.

Besides, this seemed less troublesome than having them contact their families directly.

When Seo Kangrim handed over the Wi-Fi password, their eyes lit up.

As if they had discovered an oasis in the desert.

They frantically entered the Wi-Fi password.

“Thank you so much!”

“Thank you, thank you……”

After a few people received the Wi-Fi password, others awkwardly rose and approached Seo Kangrim as well.

‘A notification about my First Clear appeared earlier, so others will soon learn about it too.’

The thought of people coming to ask for the Wi-Fi password was endlessly annoying.

Seo Kangrim casually tucked the card with the password into the first door and headed toward the stairwell.

Ahn Nabi was standing there.

“Would you have a moment? I’d like to speak with you.”

Having a good idea of what she wanted to ask, Seo Kangrim nodded.

Ahn Nabi led Seo Kangrim to an office in the corner of the first floor.

Ahn Nabi’s office had a rather sterile atmosphere, not unlike an interrogation room.

Even with only the two of them present, Ahn Nabi kept her mask on.

‘A pity. I’d like to check Ahn Nabi’s Fortune Window as well.’

Normally, to read someone’s fortune, one needed to know their gender and date and time of birth.

In Seo Kangrim’s case, he could use Fate Detection if he knew the person’s Fortune Document or could see their face.

Ahn Nabi spoke, her fate concealed behind her mask.

“It’s been confirmed that you cleared the Secret Area, Mr. Seo Kangrim. I was curious about how you managed it, so I thought I’d ask.”

Seo Kangrim didn’t show any displeasure at Ahn Nabi’s suspicion.

Even he had to admit there were many suspicious aspects.

Finding the Secret Area on the very first day, and clearing it on top of that.

Seo Kangrim answered calmly.

“I got lucky. There was a blade mechanism nearby, so I lured them there.”

Ahn Nabi fell silent for a moment.

Without the mask, her startled expression would have been plain to see.

A faint note of admiration crept into her voice.

“I see. Your ingenuity seems quite remarkable. What abilities and rank do you currently possess?”

“An ability called Ten-Foot Blaze. Both the ability and my fortune rank are Third Insect Grade.”

“Third Insect Grade……”

At the mention of Third Insect Grade, Ahn Nabi’s voice took on a peculiar tone.

But she soon returned to her usual demeanor.

“You must be tired. Thank you for your cooperation. You may go now.”

“Understood. I’ll take my leave, then.”

Seo Kangrim gave a brief bow and returned to his room.

As expected, clearing the realm in a single day had drawn the Fate Protection Bureau’s attention.

‘Those people are quick on the uptake, so I’ll need to keep in mind that they might approach me.’

He didn’t want to draw too much attention from the Fate Protection Bureau, but it was unavoidable if he wanted to grow stronger.

He had no choice but to accept their interest and stay on guard.

First, he decided to check his First Clear rewards.

[First Clear rewards for ‘Room of the Mountain of Death’ have arrived!]

[You have acquired the item ‘Storage Pouch’!]

A bag dropped from thin air with a *ttak*.

It was a waist-mounted type, about the size of a palm.

‘This inventory item is essential, so I had to get the First Clear.’

The Storage Pouch was a bag that could store items regardless of weight or volume.

It had a capacity limit, but as long as you weren’t trying to stuff a truck inside, there was no issue.

It was a highly valuable and practical item, making it difficult to obtain and expensive to boot.

He pocketed the Storage Pouch and pulled out his smartphone.

‘Now then, let’s see how things are going on the outside.’

When he accessed a portal site, numerous articles filled the main screen.

「Magnitude 5.8 Earthquake Strikes Nationwide Last Night」

「Largest Earthquake Recorded Since 2032」

「Damage Scale Severe. Multiple Casualties Reported. Concerns Over Aftershock Damage.」

Magnitude 5.8.

That alone would have been front-page news, but there were even more serious problems.

「Multiple Strange Creatures Appear Alongside Earthquake」

「Mutant Larvae Emerge — Effects of Radiation?」

「Disaster Alert. Authorities Urge Citizens to Avoid Going Out or Seek Shelter.」

There were articles about demon beasts, but almost nothing about awakeners or special abilities.

He recalled how the government had struggled to suppress information about the Fate Protection Bureau in the early stages.

‘Soon the government will officially acknowledge the Fate Protection Bureau’s existence and start watching its reactions.’

And even if they controlled the press, they couldn’t completely silence the public.

After browsing a bit more, he easily found discussions about the Fate Protection Bureau on internet forums.

-Didn’t anyone hear that weird sound before the quake? Something about stats being assigned. You guys didn’t hear it?

-I heard it too.

-Looks like the video says they’ll tell you if you go to the Protection Bureau.

-Who are the people getting trained right now? So jealous, seriously.

-So you can see a status window based on your Four Pillars of Destiny? That’s messed up, seriously. I need a drink.

Internet communities and video-sharing sites were buzzing with talk about demon beasts and awakeners.

Among them, the most-viewed content was a video uploaded by the Fate Protection Bureau.

[‘The Fate Protection Bureau provides guidance.’]

When he clicked on the video, a woman in a black suit — similar to Ahn Nabi’s — stood at the center of a desk.

She was an elegant beauty.

[…The Bureau is currently doing its utmost to protect all non-awakened citizens.]

She had removed her mask and placed it on the table.

Deliberately positioned to be caught on camera.

Seo Kangrim tried to read her Fortune Window but failed.

[This fate is currently under protection.]

It seemed she was using an item to protect her fate.

The Fate Protection Bureau wouldn’t leave itself exposed, so Seo Kangrim wasn’t disappointed.

He continued watching the video.

[Anomalies will continue to occur going forward, but please do not worry. The Fate Protection Bureau will protect your future.]

The bottom line was essentially “Trust the Fate Protection Bureau.”

Trust the Fate Protection Bureau……

Seo Kangrim watched the video with a cold gaze, then turned off his smartphone.

* * *

“The Room of the Mountain of Death has been first cleared in Seoul Zone 2. The clear speed is significantly faster than what was written in the proposal.”

At Ahn Nabi’s report, a flicker of surprise crossed the faces of everyone seated in the conference room.

The room they were in resembled an ordinary corporate conference room.

Everyone was dressed in suits, having removed the masks they wore during field operations.

Among them, the youngest-looking person was Ahn Nabi.

Perhaps around her early twenties.

Her short, reddish-brown hair and round features complemented each other well.

Despite her youthful face, her demeanor in the meeting was no different from that of an ordinary office worker.

The man seated at the head of the table, in the center, had his hair slicked back with wax and wore glasses.

His solid build radiated an imposing presence, and he gave the impression of being rather strict.

He pressed his fingers to his temple as if nursing a headache.

“Didn’t you say it would take roughly a week to clear the first door?”

At those words, everyone fell silent.

Five or six people were seated in the conference room.

In the silence, the man seated on the far left glanced around nervously and offered an awkward smile.

“W-well, Team Leader Princess. According to the calculations, it should indeed take a week, but……”

“Then why was it cleared in a single day? Joo Sungtae. Answer me.”

Joo Sungtae sat there, unable to say a word.

The miscalculation was undeniably his own fault as the planner.

Ahn Nabi glanced around cautiously before speaking.

“It seems Mr. Seo Kangrim is adapting to combat quite quickly.”

“What’s his ability?”

“A fire-attribute attack ability called Ten-Foot Blaze. The rank is low, but his resourcefulness appears to be excellent.”

The Fate Protection Bureau’s awakeners could only check their own Fortune Windows.

No one present could read another person’s Fortune Window, so they had no choice but to take Seo Kangrim’s word for it.

Ahn Nabi continued.

“It’s not that the Room of the Mountain of Death has a low difficulty level, but rather that Mr. Seo Kangrim’s adaptability is fast. He cleared it by turning the internal traps against the beasts.”

At that, Princess glared at Joo Sungtae.

As if asking why he hadn’t accounted for such a possibility.

“Furthermore, Mr. Seo Kangrim appears to have genuine aptitude. It’s a good thing for us if a capable awakener emerges from our sector, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

“He’s still Insect Grade, though.”

It was a somewhat gruff response, but Princess’s temper seemed to have softened slightly.

As Ahn Nabi said, having a strong awakener emerge from the sector under his charge was a good thing.

If Seo Kangrim wanted to join the Fate Protection Bureau, he would be assigned to his team first.

“Can’t be helped, then.”

When Princess said that, Joo Sungtae’s expression visibly brightened.

But then Princess glared at him and spoke.

“You need to take responsibility. I’ll give you a choice between two options.”

“W-what are they……?”

“Will you write a letter of explanation, or will you go capture a Blade Mountain General?”

At that, Joo Sungtae recoiled in alarm.

“B-but, Team Leader! I’m exclusively assigned to internal duties!”

“Then write the letter and capture the Blade Mountain General. That concludes today’s meeting.”

“Team Leader!”

“All personnel except Ahn Nabi will immediately head out for field duty to exterminate demon beasts.”

Princess rose from his seat and picked up his mask.

The other death messengers quietly followed.

In an instant, Joo Sungtae was left sitting alone.

He clutched his head and gritted his teeth.

‘He used a trap to capture the Blade Mountain General?’

If so, others could use the same trap, so it needed to be removed quickly.

Moreover, since the first clearer had appeared faster than expected, he needed to adjust the overall balance with that in mind.

‘And when am I supposed to capture a Blade Mountain General?’

The Room of the Mountain of Death had necromancy cast on it, making it possible to resurrect dead demon beasts.

Though not in cases like the Blade Mountain General, which had been shredded into dust.

‘Bringing back a corpse in one piece is no easy task either.’

Today was clearly overtime by any standard.

And not just today — it looked like he’d be working overtime all week.

It was essentially a bug caused by overlapping coincidences, so it could have been overlooked, but the strict Team Leader Princess was never going to give him a pass.

‘Was that guy’s name Seo Kangrim?’

He projected a holographic window into the air and pulled up Seo Kangrim’s file. Even his face was irritating to look at.

‘What if he breaks through the second door in a single day too?’

That Seo Kangrim fellow hadn’t cleared it through skill — he’d done it through trickery.

What if word reached the higher-ups that he’d cleared it quickly but was actually an incompetent awakener?

The blame would ultimately fall on him.

‘Attribute is fire, rank is Third Insect Grade……’

On one side, the internal diagram of the second room was displayed.

Joo Sungtae glared at it for a moment before he began making modifications.

‘I need to adjust the difficulty. I can never let my calculations be wrong again.’