The moment ‘Fighting Instinct’ activated, his blood boiled instantly and his vision seemed to bleach white.

Along with his sight, his emotions vaporized as well.

The joy of reunion, the concern about subduing Jang Taeheon without injuring him.

But what did any of that matter?

Right here, right now, stood an opponent stronger than himself.

-Kkaang!

Seo Kangrim, who until moments ago had been scrambling just to dodge, now charged at Jang Taeheon with his sword drawn.

Jang Taeheon blocked the blade with his gauntlet, but his face was filled with bewilderment.

‘He got faster all of a sudden?’

It wasn’t just that his attack style had grown more aggressive—his speed and sharpness had transformed as if he were a different person entirely.

The hesitation that had been present just moments ago had long since vanished.

Seo Kangrim unleashed a relentless barrage of strikes aimed solely at the enemy before him.

-Kkagang, kkagang!

Jang Taeheon, who had been launching one-sided attacks, was now the one scrambling to defend.

This was only natural, as Seo Kangrim was targeting nothing but Jang Taeheon’s vital points.

The gap in skill was significant, but the gap in their mindsets was even greater.

Jang Taeheon simply wanted to beat Seo Kangrim soundly enough to demonstrate his own superiority.

Seo Kangrim’s objective, on the other hand, was singular.

He wanted to kill Jang Taeheon, who was stronger than himself. That was all.

‘This bastard’s even crazier than I thought.’

Even Jang Taeheon couldn’t help but feel intimidated by that killing intent.

This murderous aura that made his skin tingle was something he had only ever sensed from demon beasts.

Just then, a gap opened in the wildly rampaging Seo Kangrim’s flank.

-Ppagak!

Jang Taeheon didn’t miss the opening and drove his fist into the exposed ribs.

The sharp gauntlet’s sensation of crushing bone transmitted vividly.

Seo Kangrim’s stance crumbled momentarily from the pain, but fortunately, ‘Fighting Instinct’ did not deactivate.

Through the shattered remnants of his rationality, a faint survival instinct reared its head.

Seo Kangrim detected the animalistic danger.

When ‘Fighting Instinct’ activated, only instinct remained—but the overwhelming gap in their levels brought back a hazy sense of reason.

I want to kill him.

I want to win.

My opponent is stronger than me.

At this rate, I might not be able to win.

While his heart burned hot, his head grew cold, and he began searching for a path to victory.

I want to win by any means necessary.

But his physical abilities are superior.

Simply overwhelming him won’t be enough.

In that case…!

[The special ability ‘Fighting Instinct’ evolves to Second Ghost Grade!]

As the ability evolved, the heat consuming his body began to change in nature.

His heart still burned hot, but his head started cooling rapidly.

An icy rationality and a fiery competitive spirit began to seize control of Seo Kangrim’s entire body.

Meanwhile, Jang Taeheon was elated that his strike had landed.

He tapped his fists together lightly and spoke.

“Tough, aren’t you? I thought you’d pass out. One more hit and you’ll go down!”

Jang Taeheon closed the distance at lightning speed.

True to his words, that last blow had been devastating.

As Seo Kangrim staggered from his injuries, Jang Taeheon’s vision suddenly brightened.

-Hwareureuk!

“Ugh! What the…!”

Seo Kangrim’s body was blazing furiously.

He had wrapped ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’ around his own body.

Jang Taeheon froze in surprise at the sight.

“What—you had an ability like that too? That’s cheating!”

Seo Kangrim paid no mind to the complaint.

If it meant victory, cheating or otherwise didn’t matter.

Even if he had to burn this very body to ashes, as long as he could win.

-Kkwagwang, kkwagwang!

Once Seo Kangrim, now a living fireball, began unleashing attacks, Jang Taeheon couldn’t block and had no choice but to dodge.

Counterattacking was out of the question.

If it were a weapon like a sword or spear, maybe—but throwing a punch at a fireball would only damage himself.

“Tch, damn it…!”

Seo Kangrim’s sword carved countless lines through the air, driving Jang Taeheon back.

Jang Taeheon finally collapsed to the ground, and Seo Kangrim’s blade slammed into the dirt right beside his neck.

[Due to insufficient magic power, the special ability ‘Fighting Instinct’ is dispelled.]

[Due to insufficient magic power, the special ability ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’ is dispelled.]

Because he had activated both ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’ and ‘Fighting Instinct’ simultaneously, ‘Fighting Instinct’ ended sooner than expected.

As he came to his senses, Seo Kangrim finally felt the pain.

Fighting the urge to collapse from his broken ribs, he managed to speak.

“I don’t think there’s any need to continue.”

Blood was streaming from Jang Taeheon’s nose and mouth.

But rather than pain, his expression was one of sheer disbelief.

“Aren’t your bones broken? Can’t you feel pain?”

“If you want to keep going, I’ll have no choice but to kill you.”

Of course, he had no intention of killing Jang Taeheon, nor the means to do so.

At Seo Kangrim’s threat, Jang Taeheon bit his lip hard before speaking with a sullen expression.

“…Fine. I lost.”

“Wise choice.”

When Seo Kangrim withdrew his sword, Jang Taeheon hesitantly rose from the ground.

Knowing Jang Taeheon’s character well enough to trust he wouldn’t strike from behind, Seo Kangrim turned his back indifferently.

At the sight, Jang Taeheon flared up and shouted.

“I’ll come back tomorrow!”

“No, don’t.”

“If I lose tomorrow, I’ll come the day after!”

“I said don’t come…”

Despite Seo Kangrim’s response, Jang Taeheon didn’t listen at all and limped away.

Once Jang Taeheon was no longer in sight, Seo Kangrim slumped to the ground and took out a recovery potion to drink.

As the potion took effect, the pain gradually began to subside.

‘When Fighting Instinct evolved to Second Ghost Grade, my rationality returned briefly.’

When he first used ‘Fighting Instinct,’ he couldn’t think at all.

The thought of using other abilities never even crossed his mind.

He had simply charged in blindly, driven solely by the impulse to win.

‘Why did Fighting Instinct suddenly evolve? Was it because I fought Jang Taeheon?’

Perhaps ‘Fighting Instinct’ itself had realized that physical ability alone wouldn’t be enough to win.

Seeking a method beyond recklessly charging in, ‘Fighting Instinct’ had chosen to evolve.

‘I don’t relish fighting Jang Taeheon, but if I keep fighting him, maybe I’ll be able to control Fighting Instinct on my own.’

If he could make ‘Fighting Instinct’ entirely his own through these battles with Jang Taeheon?

Then he would have to accept these fights willingly.

But there was a problem.

【You’re fighting again tomorrow? I’m so excited.】

【A real sword match. If Seo Kangrim loses, the imugi dies too.】

【What about Jang Taeheon? He could target someone else and catch snakes.】

【Come on, would he really do something like that?】

Seo Kangrim could tell.

Given Jang Taeheon’s personality, he would never target anyone other than himself.

It was certain he would attack only Seo Kangrim all week long.

Only one of them could pass this mission.

Seo Kangrim had no intention of failing.

But he couldn’t let Jang Taeheon fail either.

Then he needed to find a new approach.

He fell into thought for a moment before suddenly rising to his feet.

Seo Kangrim returned to the Education Facility and knocked on someone’s door.

A moment later, the door opened quietly and a figure appeared.

“Death Messenger Ahn Nabi. I have something to discuss with you.”

* * *

The imugi peeked its head above the water’s surface, watching Seo Kangrim.

It didn’t forget to scan its surroundings, either.

Ever since nearly dying at Jang Taeheon’s hands last time, it had been more cautious.

Seo Kangrim had told it to stay underwater, but the imugi surfaced once again.

It was curious about this human named Seo Kangrim.

Thanks to wearing the ‘Token of Friendship,’ it no longer felt the intense aversion it once had, but that didn’t mean it had come to like him entirely.

It was simply curious about what kind of human he was.

At first, it thought he was an insensitive man.

But when Jang Taeheon tried to kill it, he had thrown his entire body to protect it.

Unable to fathom the man’s true intentions, the imugi began observing Seo Kangrim.

Four days had passed since it began watching him.

Seo Kangrim spent almost every day the same way.

Hunting demon beasts or felling the humans who came charging at him.

As time passed, the number of people attacking Seo Kangrim decreased significantly, but one person continued to visit him every single day.

“Damn it, I lost!”

Jang Taeheon slammed down onto the ground and shouted.

His entire body was covered in soot and burns from the fire.

He glared at Seo Kangrim.

“That’s cheap. Who turns their whole body into a fireball?”

“It’s my ability, so there’s no reason not to use it. Besides, it doesn’t seem to bother you much anymore.”

Jang Taeheon was a mess, but Seo Kangrim wasn’t in much better shape.

From taking hits all over, his left arm was broken and blood trickled from his mouth.

Seo Kangrim downed a recovery potion and spoke.

“You’re not exactly sane either, punching a fireball.”

The imugi thought they were both insane.

Seo Kangrim, who charged even with broken limbs.

Jang Taeheon, who never stopped attacking even when the fire spread to him.

But the victor was always Seo Kangrim.

Jang Taeheon scrambled to his feet in his battered state.

“Then I’ll come back tomorrow. Wait for me!”

Leaving that declaration of war behind, Jang Taeheon departed.

Tranquility finally returned to the surroundings.

Only after Jang Taeheon had disappeared did Seo Kangrim turn toward the water’s edge and speak.

“I told you to hide underwater.”

Startled by the words, the imugi ducked beneath the surface.

A moment later, it peeked only its eyes above the water, only to find Seo Kangrim already standing at the water’s edge.

“Are you hurt? Come here.”

It had fought a demon beast that morning and won, but the beast’s thorn had lodged in the back of its neck.

Of all places, it was in a position it couldn’t remove by itself.

When Seo Kangrim extended his hand as if telling it to come up, the imugi reluctantly crawled onto the bank.

Seo Kangrim carefully examined the imugi’s condition.

Fortunately, it was a minor injury.

After removing the thorn and applying medicine, he spoke.

“That should treat it for now… Eat this so you can recover quickly.”

Seo Kangrim pulled something from his pocket and offered it to the imugi.

It was Wild Ginseng Jeonggwa.

The imugi regarded him warily, then gingerly snatched the treat in its mouth and darted away.

Though the ‘Token of Friendship’ had reduced its hostility, Seo Kangrim was still an object of caution.

Only after reaching a spot far, far away did the imugi swallow the Wild Ginseng Jeonggwa.

Then, a now-familiar voice reached its ears.

“Sorry, but I’ll have to decline that offer.”

Glancing upward, it spotted Jang Taeheon sitting near the bridge.

Members of Zone 3 had gathered around him.

They spoke hesitantly.

“If you help us, we can take down Zone 2 in no time. No matter how strong they are, they can’t withstand superior numbers, right?”

“So you want to gang up on individuals to kill the snakes.”

Currently, Zone 2 held the advantage over Zone 3.

This was because Zone 2 not only had more powerful individuals but was also better united.

Zone 3, which had assumed it could complete its mission easily, grew increasingly anxious as time passed.

After exhausting various strategies with little hope of winning through force, they had come to recruit Jang Taeheon, who operated solo.

But Jang Taeheon looked thoroughly uninterested.

“Nah. I’ve got someone I need to take down right now.”

“Then let’s take that guy down first. If we all ambush him together, we can win.”

The other party grinned broadly.

“We’ll help you catch Seo Kangrim.”