-Kkuwek!

The enraged Snow Pig shrieked and began to charge.

Cheon Gunam scrambled backward, frantically activating his Special Ability.

Countless ice blades materialized in the air above.

“Get away from me!”

-Kwagwak!

A barrage of Water Bullets followed, dwarfing the previous volley in intensity.

The Snow Pig looked like a porcupine, its entire body riddled with embedded ice blades.

Seeing this, Cheon Gunam allowed himself a smile.

-Kkuwek!

The Snow Pig violently shook its body, casting off every single blade.

It didn’t even seem to have a scratch on it, let alone draw any blood.

Panic set in, and Cheon Gunam stumbled backward.

‘Why, why isn’t it working? Why are my attacks…!’

This terrain favored not only Cheon Gunam but the Demon Beasts as well.

As a creature that inhabited the snowfields, the Snow Pig also possessed a water attribute, rendering Cheon Gunam’s attacks largely ineffective.

Gritting his teeth, he prepared to fire another Water Bullet.

‘The Water Bullets aren’t piercing its hide, but if I infect it with Mama…!’

On the few spots where his attacks had actually connected, Mama began to take effect, forming blisters across the beast’s skin.

Cheon Gunam frantically unleashed a relentless stream of Water Bullets and Mama.

-Kkuwek!

Yet, the Snow Pig did not flee.

Even as its body became covered in blisters, it continued its relentless charge toward him.

Cheon Gunam tumbled and stumbled, scrambling away in a blind panic.

“You damn pig…!”

The gap between him and the Snow Pig steadily closed, and his magic power began to rapidly deplete.

Before long, he could feel the beast’s hot breath on his back.

Cheon Gunam squeezed his eyes shut and fired one last Water Bullet with every ounce of his remaining strength.

-Kuung!

With a final death rattle, the Snow Pig collapsed.

Cheon Gunam gasped for air as he stared at the beast that had fallen mere inches from his face.

His entire body was drenched in cold sweat.

He had narrowly escaped death, but his heart felt ready to burst from his chest.

Amidst the chaos, voices other than that of the Cheorwon Doryeong began to echo in his mind.

【Oh, you caught one?】

【I came to watch because I heard there was a human who received Divine Descent, but he isn’t very strong.】

【It’s still somewhat entertaining, though. He seems like a good fit for Cheorwon’s level.】

It seemed other gods were watching him.

Fury boiled within Cheon Gunam as they reveled in his suffering.

He screamed toward the sky in a fit of rage.

“Damn it! Is my suffering amusing to you?!”

“It is amusing.”

A voice called out from behind, but it belonged to a human, not a god.

Cheon Gunam tried to turn around, but it was already too late.

Seo Kangrim drove his blade into Cheon Gunam’s shoulder without giving him a fraction of a second to react.

-Puk!

“Aaargh!”

Cheon Gunam shrieked in agony.

Blood welled up and oozed from the wound.

Panting heavily, his eyes widened as he took in Seo Kangrim’s appearance.

“T-That hide… When did you…”

Seo Kangrim was draped in the hide of a Snowfield Saber-toothed Tiger.

He had been on guard in case Cheon Gunam fired off another Water Bullet, but a quick check of the Fortune Window confirmed his magic power was already near zero.

‘Just as I expected, his magic power ran out quickly.’

This snowfield was advantageous for Cheon Gunam in many ways.

The water required to form his Water Bullets was virtually infinite, and the magic power consumption was minimal.

However, there was one crucial factor Cheon Gunam had overlooked.

While water was nearly limitless, his magic power was not.

His magic power had increased thanks to the Cheorwon Doryeong’s assistance, but the limits of his vessel prevented it from growing indefinitely.

Furthermore, Cheon Gunam had activated ‘Mama’ simultaneously with his ‘Water Bullets.’

It was only natural that his magic power would deplete so rapidly.

‘Cheon Gunam’s Senses was also relatively low.’

Seo Kangrim had been hiding in the snow, perfectly camouflaged beneath the Snowfield Saber-toothed Tiger’s hide.

If Cheon Gunam’s Senses had been sharper, he would have noticed the subtle discrepancy.

But because Cheon Gunam had focused entirely on raising his magic power, his Senses was barely at level 2.

While Cheon Gunam recklessly fired ‘Water Bullets’ laced with ‘Mama’ at the Snow Pigs…

he had simply waited for the man’s magic power and stamina to drain.

Right now, Cheon Gunam was essentially disarmed.

As Seo Kangrim twisted the blade deeper, Cheon Gunam let out another scream.

“Aaargh! Lord Cheorwon, save me!”

Seo Kangrim remained unfazed by his cries.

The Cheorwon Doryeong was merely one of the lower-tier gods.

While he could provide indirect support to his Manshin, his divine power was too weak to directly interfere.

“Mr. Cheon Gunam.”

Cheon Gunam flinched as if his own name were something terrifying.

Seo Kangrim looked down at him and asked in a quiet, measured tone.

“You keep getting in my way. I assume you’re prepared for the consequences?”

“W-What…?”

A chill ran down Cheon Gunam’s spine at those words.

Was he really going to kill him?

Seeing no change in Seo Kangrim’s expression, he grew pale with terror.

“Oppa1! Kangrim Oppa!”

Just then, a familiar voice called out.

In the distance, Yoon Bom appeared as a small figure.

Seo Kangrim glanced in her direction and withdrew his sword.

“You’re in luck, Mr. Cheon Gunam.”

“Hah, hah…”

“Mr. Cheon Gunam, shouldn’t you be running away?”

The moment Seo Kangrim finished speaking, Cheon Gunam clutched his wound and bolted.

However, an inexplicable sense of unease gnawed at him.

‘Why, why is he just letting me go…?’

He had survived, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.

Seo Kangrim watched him go with an unblinking stare, as if daring him to run.

‘Damn it, is he looking down on me…!’

Despite his seething anger, his top priority was getting as far away from here as possible.

Seo Kangrim silently observed the fleeing Cheon Gunam.

‘He’s going to die soon anyway. There’s no need for me to accumulate unnecessary Karma.’

As Seo Kangrim watched him disappear, Yoon Bom approached him.

“Huh? Who was that? Are you hurt, Oppa? You’re bleeding…”

“No. It’s Snow Pig blood.”

Acting as if nothing had happened, Seo Kangrim finished off the still-breathing Snow Pig.

As he harvested the Spirit Jade, a notification window popped up before his eyes.

[Demon Beasts Hunted: 10/10]

[You have conquered the Room of Cold Ice.]

Seeing the notification of his success brought no particular joy.

At that moment, Yoon Bom spoke up in a panicked voice.

“U-Um. I can’t find Yoon Gyeoul. Could you come help me look for him?”

“What? Yoon Gyeoul?”

A sense of foreboding washed over Seo Kangrim.

Yoon Bom continued, her voice trembling with anxiety.

“I’m sorry, you told us to stick together, but… Yoon Gyeoul just vanished in the blink of an eye.”

“Where did you last see him?”

“Around the cliffs over there.”

Yoon Bom pointed toward the northern cliffs.

Hearing this, the composure Seo Kangrim had maintained until now cracked.

‘The date of Yoon Gyeoul’s death isn’t today, but my instincts are telling me something is wrong.’

If he had suddenly disappeared, there was a chance he had been dragged off by a Demon Beast.

Moreover, the sky was growing dark, and the wind was steadily picking up.

A heavy snowstorm was imminent.

“Kangrim Oppa…?”

Sensing the shift in mood, Yoon Bom looked at him with anxious eyes.

He spoke in a calm, steady voice.

“Yoon Bom, you head back first.”

“What about you?”

“I’m going to look for Yoon Gyeoul.”

“I’m coming with you…!”

Seo Kangrim nodded.

Since he didn’t know exactly where the body would be found, having more people to search was better.

The sun was already beginning to set, casting long shadows of the two across the snow.

‘I have to find him before sunset.’

There was no telling how much time they had before nightfall, but it certainly wasn’t much.

They had reached the northern cliffs, and now the real challenge began.

He had no idea where Yoon Gyeoul could be in this vast expanse.

“Yoon Gyeoul!”

Seo Kangrim shouted, but no answer returned.

Yoon Bom called out her brother’s name as she frantically scoured the area.

After searching for quite some time, a voice called out to them.

“What’s the matter?”

Crunching through the snow, Shin Sooa emerged into view.

It seemed she had been hunting nearby, given the Snow Pig lying dead beside her.

Seo Kangrim felt a twinge of disappointment that it wasn’t Yoon Gyeoul, but he had no time to dwell on it.

He quickly addressed Shin Sooa.

“Did you happen to see anyone around here? A boy who looks a lot like this girl…”

“You mean Yoon Gyeoul. I haven’t seen him. At least, not within the Snow Pig territory I was hunting in.”

At her words, a dark cloud fell over Yoon Bom’s face.

Seo Kangrim glanced toward the sun.

At this rate, it would set within thirty minutes.

After a moment’s hesitation, he asked.

“Ms. Shin Sooa, could I ask you to help us search?”

Given the harsh words he had thrown at her yesterday, she was undoubtedly still offended.

However, Shin Sooa readily nodded.

“Alright. Where should we search?”

“I’ll head left, so please check the opposite side.”

“Sounds good. Whether we find him or not, we should regroup here once the sun sets.”

They quickly finalized their plan and split up.

Seo Kangrim led Yoon Bom as they began walking deeper into the cliffs.

A heavy silence settled over them, matching the darkening clouds above.

As they ventured into the deep gorge of the Demon Realm, the icy cliffs surrounding them seemed to pierce the sky.

‘It’s dangerous from here on out.’

Seo Kangrim came to a halt.

Coming this far, he began to deduce how, and by what, Yoon Gyeoul had been killed.

They hadn’t encountered a single Demon Beast on their way into this deep gorge.

It was only natural.

Lower-tier Demon Beasts would never dare to enter a predator’s territory.

This was the domain of the snowfield’s apex predator.

Although he had never fought it himself, Seo Kangrim had listened to more survivors’ accounts than anyone else and had formulated a strategy to conquer it.

He had a rough plan in mind for the conquest, but…

‘I don’t know what condition Yoon Gyeoul is in. There are too many variables.’

Even so, he couldn’t turn back now.

The two pressed onward in silence, deeper into the gorge.

The surroundings grew darker, and the biting cold intensified.

“Huh? It’s a dead end…”

Just as Yoon Bom said, the path was blocked.

Beyond the blockade lay a fairly spacious cavern, littered with branches, straw, and what appeared to be animal bones and hides.

It looked exactly like a beast’s lair.

‘It seems the owner is out.’

The master of this den was nowhere to be seen.

A quick glance confirmed there were no human remains among the carcasses.

Just as he was debating whether to be relieved or terrified that Yoon Gyeoul wasn’t there…

-Kung, kung…

A heavy, rhythmic thud echoed from above.

The master of the den had returned.