A Small Ogre?

No, it was too large for that.

Seeing demon beasts moving toward the campfire, I hastily leaped down from the tree.

– Keureureung…!

Two or three bears were prowling near the river.

Bush Bears. They were Second Human Grade demon beasts.

“Mr. Seo Kangrim?”

Shin Sooa spotted me, her face filled with surprise.

Yoon Bom and Yoon Gyeoul also rose from their seats, aiming their bowstring and rifle muzzle toward the demon beasts.

The Ten Thousand Beast Incense couldn’t repel demon beasts that were too powerful.

It was still affecting the Bush Bears, but there was no telling what would happen once they developed a resistance over time.

Then suddenly, a peculiar scent drifted through amid the Ten Thousand Beast Incense.

While my attention was momentarily diverted, one of the Bush Bears bared its teeth at me.

– Keuaang!

It seemed the Bush Bears found me an easier target than the three people sitting by the incense.

As the Bush Bears began creeping toward me, Shin Sooa shouted in alarm.

“Come toward the fire! It’s dangerous out there!”

“No. I’m fine. You’re the one who shouldn’t come out from there, Ms. Shin Sooa.”

The Bush Bears were Second Human Grade.

Since this was a region matching their attribute, their abilities would be further enhanced.

They were perfect opponents to test the special ability I had recently acquired.

I immediately activated the ability.

[Special Ability ‘Fighting Instinct’ is activating!]

The moment ‘Fighting Instinct’ activated, I felt the blood in my entire body begin to boil.

The world around me seemed to evaporate into white, leaving only the enemy before me and myself.

I was the weakling of Insect Grade, and my opponent was a predator of Second Human Grade.

As that realization struck, fear washed over my entire body — and in the same breath, it transformed into a fierce competitive drive.

[Confirmed that the target is stronger than you!]

[Your fighting spirit begins to boil!]

The special ability ‘Fighting Instinct’ boosted my capabilities when facing an opponent stronger than myself.

The stronger the opponent, the greater the ability’s effect.

Driven by a killing intent and fighting spirit I had never experienced before, I felt my head spinning.

Every fiber of my being screamed to fight that creature.

– Keuaang!

The instant a Bush Bear lunged at me, I had already drawn my blade before I even realized it.

My body moved on pure instinct.

I drove the blade into the Bush Bear’s shoulder, then threw my full weight into a downward slash.

– Seogeok!

The Bush Bear’s fur was sharp as blades; as it grazed my body, blood began streaming out in an instant.

Yet I was still exhilarated.

Something deep inside me was screaming to fight an even stronger opponent.

– Kwajik!

I pinned the bear’s snout to the ground with my blade, then charged at the second demon beast.

My sword was gone, but I still had other tools at my disposal.

I activated ‘Ten-Foot Blaze,’ wreathing my entire body in fire before lunging at the Bush Bear.

As the bear recoiled from the sudden burst of light, I vaulted onto its back.

– Uoeong!

I grabbed the creature by the neck and hung on tight.

The bear twisted its body in agony.

Even as its blade-like pelt scraped away at my body, the urge to defeat this creature overwhelmed any pain.

But where was the third one?

I turned to find my next opponent, only to see it was already dead.

Its chest had been pierced by a sharp branch.

“Mr. Seo Kangrim!”

Shin Sooa was racing toward me, jaw clenched tight.

Trees erupted from the ground in an instant, binding the Bush Bear.

As the Bush Bear’s movements faltered, Shin Sooa raised her blade and delivered the final blow.

– Kuuong!

The bear crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

Shin Sooa let out a breath and turned to me.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

The moment I saw Shin Sooa, I felt my heart pounding violently.

It felt like it might burst.

A stronger opponent than the Bush Bear.

I want to fight.

I want to win.

I want to kill.

I wrenched my blade from the ground and swung it at Shin Sooa.

The deafening clash of two swords rang out.

– Chaeng!

Shin Sooa swiftly drew her own blade and blocked my attack.

A flash of surprise crossed her eyes before they turned cold and calculating.

“Snap out of it, Mr. Seo Kangrim!”

In a flash, she closed the distance between us.

Then an indescribable pain exploded in my solar plexus.

– Peong!

Shin Sooa’s fist drove squarely into my vital point.

As the pain — far sharper than the frenzy — hit me, I felt my mind gradually cooling.

“Master!”

“Master!”

The twin siblings sprinted toward us, shouting.

Shin Sooa examined my condition and asked.

“Are you okay?”

My mind went cold for a moment, then the memory of what had just happened flooded back.

Me, lunging at Shin Sooa with intent to kill.

“…I’m fine.”

“Let me look at your wounds first. You’re bleeding heavily.”

Only after ‘Fighting Instinct’ wore off did the pain begin creeping in.

My body was covered in wounds from fighting the Bush Bears.

Still, most of them were just scrapes and cuts.

If anything, Shin Sooa’s punch to my solar plexus hurt far more.

“I have medicine. That’ll be enough.”

I tossed a Medicine Pill into my mouth.

My heart was still racing.

Shin Sooa asked, her voice laced with concern.

“You seemed off earlier… Was it the effect of a special ability?”

“You don’t seriously think I’d attack you in my right mind, do you?”

At that question, Shin Sooa laughed as if she’d heard a joke.

“Because I don’t think you’re foolish enough to try killing someone head-on like that, Mr. Seo Kangrim.”

She had a point.

Even so, I had just put a blade to her — how could she remain so composed?

I let out a sigh and spoke.

“Yes. It’s an ability I can use against targets stronger than myself.”

‘Fighting Instinct’ had several drawbacks — first, it blurred the line between friend and foe.

The activation condition wasn’t ‘a stronger opponent’ but ‘a stronger target.’

Furthermore, all emotions other than the fighting spirit were suppressed, making it easy to lose one’s reason.

I had thought it would be fine as long as Shin Sooa didn’t get too close — that was dangerously naive.

Even if I activated ‘Fighting Instinct,’ Shin Sooa would have won — but it was still dangerous.

What if it had been Yoon Bom or Yoon Gyeoul instead of Shin Sooa?

I would have tried to kill them too.

…From now on, I should only use this ability when I’m alone.

“I’m sorry for attacking you.”

“It’s fine. By the way, so you have an ability like that. Did you receive a Divine Descent too, Mr. Seo Kangrim?”

“Master, we got Divine Descents!”

Yoon Gyeoul said with an excited expression.

I checked Yoon Gyeoul and Yoon Bom’s Fortune Windows, and sure enough, a Deity Name entry had been added.

“I received ‘The Moon Hunting and the Maiden’ as my Divine Descent!”

“Mine is ‘Bowstring Embracing the Sun.'”

‘The Moon Hunting and the Maiden’ was the deity name of Artemis, goddess of archery and hunting.

‘Bowstring Embracing the Sun’ was the deity name of Apollo, the god of archery who was sibling to Artemis and bore countless symbols.

Both of them seemed to have received gods that matched their affinities well.

Shin Sooa didn’t appear to have received a Divine Descent yet.

It had been the same in my past life, so it wasn’t particularly strange.

At that moment, Yoon Bom said with a bright smile.

“Who’s your god, Master?”

I fell silent for a moment.

My god.

I would never receive a Divine Descent.

“I haven’t received a Divine Descent. My stats rose, and a new ability simply emerged.”

“You haven’t received one yet? That’s strange. I thought you would have gotten one by now, Kangrim…”

【That’s right, you need to receive a Divine Descent too!】

【Why do you keep resisting? Are you holding out for a better god?】

【Hey, we’re good gods too!】

There was no such thing as a good god in this world.

They all merely manipulated humans for their own purposes.

Instead of answering Shin Sooa’s question, I changed the subject.

“Now that I think about it, there’s a strange smell.”

“You’re right. It smells like… rotting fruit nearby…”

Looking around, I quickly found the source of the scent.

Yoon Gyeoul wandered over and asked.

“Master, what are you doing? Huh? What’s that?”

Yoon Gyeoul pointed at a fruit lying on the ground.

A peculiar sweet fragrance wafted from the crushed fruit.

He asked with a puzzled expression.

“Master, why are you glaring at it like that? Going to eat it?”

“No. I was examining it because it seemed suspicious.”

“Huh? What’s suspicious about it?”

“There are no fruit trees around here.”

There were no trees near the riverbank.

It was hard to believe the fruit had fallen on its own.

Moreover, the fruits formed a straight line from the forest.

As if luring demon beasts toward the campfire.

Yoon Gyeoul seemed to finally catch on.

“You’re right, Master, it is strange. Who would do something like this?”

“I checked earlier — demon beasts were swarming the tree where these fruits were.”

【Oh, Kangrim knows his stuff.】

【Magical Beast Peaches are delicious!】

【Magical Beast Peaches are delicious?】

【Those are fruits that only demon beasts go crazy for. Are you a demon beast?】

【It’s my preference. Please respect it.】

The Magical Beast Peach, which grew in the Beast Sword Demonic Realm, emitted an intense sweet fragrance to lure demon beasts.

If such fruits had been deliberately scattered about?

Yoon Bom and Shin Sooa, who had drifted over at some point, were listening to my explanation.

Shin Sooa spoke up.

“Someone was trying to lure demon beasts to attack us. But during our watch, we didn’t see anyone approaching.”

“They might have used a special ability to approach.”

Earlier, there had been no one in Zone 4 with a suspicious special ability.

But it was entirely possible that someone had received a Divine Descent and gained a new ability while we were away.

“Then… are you saying someone deliberately tried to kill us?”

Yoon Bom said in a trembling voice.

I nodded.

“That’s a possibility. We should be careful when interacting with other zones from now on.”

“Yes…”

“Get some more sleep for now. We’ll head back as soon as the sun rises. You should sleep too, Ms. Shin Sooa. I’ll take the watch.”

Shin Sooa hesitated slightly.

Knowing her personality, I let out a short sigh and spoke.

“I’ll swap with you in an hour, so get some sleep first. I hate being woken up mid-rest.”

“…Understood. I’ll leave it to you then.”

The three of them huddled together by the campfire, while I sat at a distance, keeping watch.

Meanwhile, the egg was squirming in my pocket, apparently hungry.

I’d need to feed the egg once everyone fell asleep.

Amid this, soft whispering reached my ears.

“Where did Master get that fur pelt?”

“Probably from that Saber-toothed Tiger he caught. Master looked so cool back then…”

“Is Master asleep?”

“I’m not sleeping. I’m not just your master, you know. Go to sleep.”

When I spoke, the two fell silent.

As I silently kept watch over the campfire, I suddenly sprang to my feet.

I could feel a gaze watching me from the darkness.