But Seo Kangrim quickly masked his emotions.

“Because there’s no god offering Divine Descent.”

The voice that returned was so nonchalant that Yoon Bom wondered for a moment if she had imagined the whole thing.

Just as Yoon Bom stood at a loss for words.

A door burst open from one side of the lobby.

“Looks like someone’s coming out.”

Seo Kangrim glanced toward the door.

The first door opened, and someone stumbled out as if collapsing.

He was a man whose appearance stood out in more ways than one.

A foreigner wearing clerical robes like those worn by Catholic priests—it was enough to draw anyone’s eye.

Since foreigners also possessed Fortune and Eight Characters, they too were subject to awakening.

“Ugh, cough…!”

The foreign priest collapsed to the floor with a painful groan.

He was covered in severe wounds from head to toe.

Seeing his condition, Yoon Bom’s face showed surprise on multiple levels.

“Huh? That’s the first room, isn’t it…?”

Yoon Bom was shocked that he had emerged from the very first room in such a battered state.

After all, most people were already progressing through at least their third Demon Realm by now.

Yet the man who had just come out of the first room was wounded as though he had fought a Ghost-grade Demon Beast.

Seo Kangrim strode over to him.

“Father, are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine. Thank you.”

He said he was fine, but his body was battered all over and looked anything but.

Yoon Bom stepped up beside him and spoke with concern.

“Father Yohan, you still haven’t cleared it…?”

“Haha, I’ve been trying, but it’s not going well.”

Father Yohan said, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish air.

Yoon Bom still looked worried.

“You still can’t bring yourself to kill the Demon Beasts?”

“Yes, it’s still not going well… I’m still terrified whenever I encounter a Demon Beast.”

In his previous life, Seo Kangrim and Father Yohan had been the underachievers of this Education Facility.

While others were breaking through the fourth and fifth rooms, the two of them had remained stuck in the first or second.

‘Clearing a Demon Realm without killing Demon Beasts was nearly impossible.’

Seo Kangrim had become a dropout due to his lack of skill.

Father Yohan, on the other hand, couldn’t advance because he couldn’t bring himself to kill Demon Beasts.

Eventually, he caught the eye of Dokgo Jun, and only after Dokgo Jun helped him clear the rooms was he able to make it out of here.

‘I can’t let that happen again.’

Unlike his usual demeanor, Seo Kangrim spoke to Father Yohan with a faint smile playing at his lips.

“Father, shall I help you clear the Demon Realm?”

“Pardon? You, Brother Seo Kangrim?”

He looked at Seo Kangrim with a start.

Meanwhile, Yoon Bom quickly chimed in.

“Then Master, I’ll help too!”

“Not you. Go do your own hunting.”

“But…”

“I’m your master, aren’t I?”

“Huh? So you’ll be my master?”

“I’ll think about it depending on how you do. You’d be better off going to train.”

When Seo Kangrim half-threatened her, Yoon Bom finally left.

Even so, her expression was fairly bright.

Meanwhile, Father Yohan was still looking at Seo Kangrim with a flustered expression.

“I’ve been thinking about it, but I wouldn’t be of any help in combat…”

“It’s fine. I was planning to visit another Demon Realm for training anyway.”

“Are you sure? I feel like I’d be too much of a burden…”

“This is when we should help each other.”

“Brother…”

Father Yohan looked at Seo Kangrim with a deeply moved expression.

Of course, Seo Kangrim wasn’t helping him out of simple goodwill.

‘There’s no way that Dokgo Jun would bring just anyone to his side.’

═══════════════

[Name] Johann Richter

[Rank] Third Dragon Grade

[Five Elements] Earth

[Deity Name] Guardian of Doctors and Travelers

▼

[Special Ability] Healing Hand

[Rank] First Ghost Grade

[Description] Heals the target’s wounds. Can cure bleeding, paralysis, poison, and more. As the grade increases, magic power consumption decreases and recovery time speeds up.

═══════════════

An awakened individual protected by Raphael, a powerful healing-type Guardian Angel.

His offensive capabilities were weak, but finding a healer as exceptional as Yohan in this Education Facility would be difficult.

‘In the next Demon Realm, I won’t be able to open the Shop Window or return to the lobby. So I absolutely need a means of recovery.’

Seo Kangrim was fully intent on using Father Yohan as his recovery shuttle.

He got straight to the point.

“Then shall we head out right now? I’d like to clear it within three days.”

“Ah, as expected of you, Brother Seo Kangrim… Three days is more than enough for the Room of the Mountain of Death, I see.”

Father Yohan spoke with admiration.

Seo Kangrim responded in a calm tone.

“No. That’s not what I mean.”

“Pardon? Then…”

Seo Kangrim rose from his seat and placed his hand on the doorknob of the first door.

“I’ll clear all four rooms within three days.”

* * *

After the Day of Awakening, the world had fallen into chaos, but it was quickly striving to return to normal.

The Fate Protection Bureau and other powerful awakened individuals had emerged to eliminate Demon Beasts and repair the damage.

Thanks to their efforts, society was gradually regaining its footing, but danger still lurked everywhere.

An insect-type Demon Beast that had taken over the road let out a long, hideous shriek.

A mere Third Human Grade Demon Beast.

But to ordinary people without Special Abilities, it was terrifying enough.

“A Demon Beast! A Demon Beast has appeared!”

“Aah! Someone save us!”

As people panicked and scrambled in every direction.

A shadow fell over them from above.

Figures in black suits appeared atop the buildings.

At the sight, the faces of the people who had been paralyzed with fear moments ago instantly brightened.

“I-It’s the Fate Protection Bureau!”

“The Fate Protection Bureau is here!”

“Ah, we’re saved…!”

While the people breathed sighs of relief, the Death Messengers of the Fate Protection Bureau urgently joined the battle.

In an instant, the Demon Beasts on the road were felled, and the remaining personnel checked on the people’s conditions.

“Is everyone alright?”

“Y-yes. We’re fine.”

“Thanks to you, we survived. Thank you so much…!”

The people looked at the Death Messengers as if they were saviors.

The Death Messengers disposed of the Demon Beasts, swiftly completed the cleanup, and returned to the Fate Protection Bureau.

“Ah, I’m exhausted.”

“These masks—I know they’re mandatory, but they’re suffocating.”

The returning personnel were all Death Messengers from Team 2.

Among them were Ahn Nabi and Joo Sungtae.

They removed their masks and gathered around the sofas in the break room.

After finishing their work, they all drank cups of coffee with weary faces and chatted among themselves.

“Ah, I thought things were starting to quiet down, but there’s no end in sight.”

“Still, it’s much better than the early days, so we should be grateful.”

Joo Sungtae let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“I just wish the trainees would join up soon.”

“Right. Though the trainees in our zone don’t seem bad.”

They couldn’t see inside the Demon Realms directly, but they were receiving indirect reports on mission results.

The thought of new recruits arriving soon to put to work lifted the Death Messengers’ spirits a little.

They spoke with excitement.

“Who do you want to join?”

“Shin Sooa for me. She’s well-balanced in both offense and defense, and her judgment seems solid.”

“Dokgo Jun for me. He’s a bit odd, but better strong than weak.”

“What about those twin siblings? They’re not bad either, right? I heard they were on the national team…”

As the Death Messengers chatted among themselves, one of them turned to Ahn Nabi.

“Nabi, who do you want to join?”

“Oh, I…”

Ahn Nabi glanced around cautiously before speaking.

“I’d like Seo Kangrim to join.”

At the mention of Seo Kangrim, Joo Sungtae’s brow twitched.

Because Seo Kangrim had cleared the first room through unconventional methods, Joo Sungtae still didn’t view him favorably.

“I’m not fond of that guy. He’s all tricks. Even if he joins our team, he probably won’t do proper work.”

“Still, he trains hard and takes good care of people. He rescued survivors in the Cold Ice Demon Realm, and also…”

As Ahn Nabi earnestly praised Seo Kangrim, the others gave her peculiar looks.

Some of them wore rather mischievous expressions.

“Nabi, don’t tell me…”

“You’ve already got a thing for Seo Kangrim?”

Despite her seniors’ teasing, Ahn Nabi could only blink.

She nodded with a serious expression, apparently not fully grasping what they meant.

“Yes. I like Seo Kangrim. I believe he would become an important asset to our team.”

“No, that’s not what we meant…”

Just as someone was about to explain, the break room door burst open and someone walked in.

The Death Messengers all leapt to their feet.

“Ah, Team Leader Gongju. Welcome.”

The warm, friendly atmosphere from moments ago vanished, replaced by rigid postures as everyone looked at Gongju.

This was because Gongju’s personality was notoriously prickly and strict.

‘Is he going to lecture us for slacking off in the break room again?’

‘This man can’t stand seeing us rest…’

The Death Messengers were tense with such thoughts, but surprisingly, Gongju’s expression was calm.

He approached them, patted one of them on the shoulder, and spoke.

“Rest easy. I heard you just got back from a subjugation. Good work, everyone.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide at Gongju’s praise.

His mood had seemed to improve lately, but no one expected it to last this many days.

Team Leader Gongju grabbed a coffee from the machine and settled in beside the Death Messengers.

Ahn Nabi watched him for a moment before asking.

“Team Leader, you seem to be in a good mood today.”

The other Death Messengers were bewildered by Ahn Nabi’s question.

Gongju was the type who might have snapped back with something like “So you’re saying my mood was bad before?” but he simply nodded.

“Yes. I was worried that the First Clear might come from Zone 4, but it came from our zone instead.”

“It was a much faster record than Zone 1’s clear time.”

“Right. Thank goodness for that.”

Gongju took a sip of coffee with a noticeably relaxed face.

The Death Messengers were relieved, but still anxious about having their superior sitting right next to them.

Only Ahn Nabi continued chatting with Gongju with a peaceful expression.

Someone else entered the break room.

The moment Gongju saw the person, his relaxed brow furrowed once more.

“Oh my, Team Leader Gongju, you’re here.”

The person who entered was a striking woman with a pleasant appearance.

She offered a cheerful greeting, but Gongju’s expression soured.

“…To what do I owe the pleasure, Team Leader Seomun.”

The visitor was Seomun Yongnyeo, Team 1’s leader and Gongju’s rival.

Among the four team leaders, Seomun Yongnyeo was closer to an executive than a mere team leader.

Despite Gongju’s overt hostility, Seomun Yongnyeo merely wore a genial smile.

“I heard the news and came to congratulate you. They say a First Clearer emerged from Zone 2. Congratulations, Team Leader Gong.”

“Thank you.”

“So next time, Zones 1 and 2 will be meeting, right?”

At the mention of Zones 1 and 2 meeting, Gongju’s lips twitched.

He forced a smile and spoke.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“How exciting. I wonder whose trainees will win—yours or mine.”

“Our trainees are quite exceptional, you see.”

“Oh my, Zone 1’s members are no pushovers either.”

As the two engaged in a tense battle of wills, the Death Messengers beside them watched nervously.

Seomun Yongnyeo smiled sweetly and spoke.

“Then shall we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

“Yes. Which team will produce the First Clearer—yours or mine. On upper-level difficulty.”

“Fine. What are the stakes?”

“The loser grants the winner one wish—anything at all. How about that?”

When Gongju hesitated at the proposal, Seomun Yongnyeo smiled provocatively.

“Getting cold feet?”