At those words, Jang Taeheon snapped his head around and glared at the speaker.

The sheer murderous intent in his gaze silenced the other man instantly.

“Don’t touch Seo Kangrim. I’ll win one-on-one.”

“Haven’t you been losing for days now? What if you fail to catch the snake at this rate?”

“I can win.”

“But…”

“Not interested.”

When Taeheon nailed the words down with finality, the other man took the hint and left.

The imugi watched the scene quietly, thinking that both Seo Kangrim and Jang Taeheon were strange humans.

The imugi sank back into the depths of the water.

* * *

【Finally, finally!】

【Finaaally!】

【It’s finally the last day!】

The gods, who had been making a racket for days, were particularly rowdy today.

The moment I entered the Demon Realm, they bombarded me with messages and attempted Divine Descent, so it took me quite a while to reject them all.

【Will he come today too? Taeheon, I mean.】

【Ah, he has to! That’s the most anticipated part right now.】

【It’d be fun if Kangrim loses on the last day.】

【Then the imugi dies. What crime did the imugi commit?】

【The crime of meeting the wrong master.】

Listening to the gods’ chatter, I pulled a marble from my pocket.

Inside it was the imugi, shrunk down to a very small size.

Just in case, I had left the imugi with Seo Jungmin last night, and he had sealed it inside this marble.

I had been anxious because the imugi kept surfacing lately, but having it sealed like this gave me much more peace of mind.

However, the seal would soon break.

The marble was designed to shatter forcibly once the designated six hours had passed.

-Pungdeong

When I tossed the marble into the water, the imugi slipped out, still half-asleep.

I spoke to the imugi.

“It’s dangerous, so don’t come out no matter what. You just need to hold out for today.”

The imugi gave me an indifferent look before disappearing back into the water.

Did it understand me?

It wouldn’t want to die either, and since it’s a smart creature, it wouldn’t jump into a dangerous situation.

As I watched the imugi fade from view, a voice called out from behind.

“It’s the last day today.”

A sharp wind swept through the forest.

I turned around and saw Jang Taeheon standing there.

The air froze over as if frost were descending.

His expression was different from usual, suggesting he had steeled his resolve.

I asked Taeheon.

“Jang Taeheon. What are you planning to do if you lose to me? Will you go find another snake to kill?”

“I won’t do something so pathetic. I’d rather just be eliminated.”

Right. Given his personality, that seemed likely.

But that would be troublesome for me.

“Then let’s do this. If I win, you have to follow one command from me.”

“Give me a break. You actually think you’re going to win.”

Taeheon gritted his teeth and stomped toward me.

I could feel energy surging behind his back.

“Save that talk for after the fight!”

As he charged at me, I activated my Special Ability.

[Special Ability ‘Fighting Instinct’ is activating!]

As ‘Fighting Instinct’ kicked in, I could hear my heart pounding fiercely.

While my muscles expanded and raged throughout my body, my mind remained perfectly calm.

I cloaked my entire body in ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’ and lunged at Jang Taeheon.

-Kaang!

Taeheon didn’t dodge my attack; he simply blocked the sword head-on.

As he blocked my flaming sword with his gauntlet, the fire slowly began to spread to him.

Even so, Taeheon was smiling.

“It’s not even that hot!”

The moment he finished speaking, Taeheon swung his opposite fist.

With a heavy thud, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder.

I hastily backed away before he could follow up, but Taeheon flashed a grin.

His left fist was engulfed in flames.

[Special Ability ‘Flame Resistance’ is active!]

I had grown stronger while fighting Jang Taeheon, and handling my Special Abilities had become much easier.

However, the same applied to Taeheon.

After sending his fists into the fire dozens of times, he had developed a resistance to it.

“That ability is useless now.”

He kept hitting me even as both fists blistered from the burns.

Just as he said, this ability was no longer of much help.

It was better to use my magic power elsewhere, so I quickly dispelled ‘Ten-Foot Blaze’.

Taeheon swung his fist to extinguish the fire and spoke.

“What now? You charged in relying on that one trick. What are you going to do now…”

-Seogeok!

Instead of words, I showed him the answer with action.

As the sword I swung sliced near Taeheon’s arm, blood splattered along with the torn fabric.

Taeheon asked with startled eyes.

“Damn it, what is that?”

Until now, I had been using a Human Grade sword bought from the shop.

Because that had been enough to fight Taeheon.

But since I had to win today no matter what, I drew the Seven-Blade Sword.

The sword aura surrounding the Seven-Blade Sword sharpened its edges in seven directions.

When my enhanced physique met the Seven-Blade Sword, it felt as if my body rejoiced, ready to dance.

I could truly feel how flimsy the sword I had been using until now was.

-Chaeng, Chaeaeng!

Taeheon’s expression, movements, and breathing as he struggled to block the attacks.

His body was sending me countless signals.

-Chwak!

“Ugh!”

When Taeheon failed to dodge in time, one of the Seven-Blade Sword’s edges deeply slashed his thigh.

His mobility had dropped, so the upper hand was now mine.

At that moment, a sharp glint flashed in Taeheon’s eyes.

“You pulled out a weird weapon first, so this isn’t a foul, right?”

Saying so, Taeheon stepped back to create distance.

【Huh? Why is he creating distance?】

【He’s a martial artist, what’s he gonna do from afar?】

【Did he bring a new weapon?】

Jang Taeheon’s combat style shines in close quarters.

If he was creating distance, it meant he intended to use that Special Ability.

A red aura began to swirl around Taeheon’s right arm.

[Special Ability ‘Formless Spear’ is activating!]

Those who receive Divine Descent are inevitably influenced by their patron deity in many ways.

The weapon primarily used by his patron deity, Zhang Fei, was that legendary spear, the Zhang Ba Snake Spear.

Taeheon grasped the empty air as if throwing a javelin, then roared at me.

“Try dodging this too!”

The sharply honed aura took the form of a spear and rained down upon me.

As I hurriedly dodged the ranged attack, Taeheon charged at me.

Even with a ruined leg, he still had this much speed?

-Kwagwakwang!

“Urgh…!”

I thought his fist was flying at me, but he immediately grasped a spear made of magic power and lashed out.

The formless spear rampaged wildly, driving me into a corner.

【No way, is Formless Spear crazy?】

【Can Kangrim block that?】

【It’s a surprise attack, how can he endure… huh?】

【He’s enduring it?】

If I had only anticipated close-quarters combat, I would have fallen long ago.

But I already knew him well.

Furthermore, I knew he wasn’t used to the Formless Spear.

-Pbak!

Exploiting the opening created by his wide swings with the spear, I dashed into his center.

I drove my elbow into his solar plexus, making Taeheon cough out his breath.

But it wasn’t a fatal blow.

Until now, I hadn’t slashed him directly, but with the Formless Spear out, I had to get serious too.

[Special Ability ‘Fighting Instinct’ responds to your fighting spirit and evolves to First Ghost Grade!]

As if both my eyes had opened, the trajectories and vital points became clear to me.

My fighting spirit was showing me the way.

At this very moment, I forgot everything else; my heart burned only for the rival before me, only for victory.

I slashed with all my might along the path my fighting spirit revealed.

-Seogeok!

Wielding the Seven-Blade Sword, I slashed deeply across his chest diagonally.

Warm blood splattered in all directions.

Taeheon tried to stand his ground, but his eyes rolled back as he collapsed on the spot.

-Kkung…!

After he fell, a long silence ensued.

Jang Taeheon was no longer moving.

Through the silence, the voices of the gods echoed.

【Whoa, did Seo Kangrim win?】

【What? What? How did he win?】

【He lost even after pulling out the Formless Spear?】

He might have won if he hadn’t brought out the Formless Spear.

No matter how powerful Formless Spear was as a Special Ability, he currently had almost no experience handling a spear.

Choosing an unfamiliar weapon was his critical misjudgment.

[Special Ability ‘Fighting Instinct’ is dispelled.]

I won, but I took a significant toll in many ways.

Both my stamina and magic power were nearly depleted.

Of course, it was nothing compared to Jang Taeheon’s condition.

【Isn’t Taeheon going to die at this rate?】

【Look at all that blood.】

【Still, he avoided the vitals.】

I said I held back, but I went too far.

I poured the remaining Recovery Potion over Taeheon’s wounds.

The bleeding was stopping, but this amount of Recovery Potion couldn’t heal him completely.

I would have to wake him and take him to Father Yohan, or send him back to his Education Facility.

Just as I sat down next to Taeheon and tried to wake him…

-Kwagak!

A bullet flew in from behind.

I hadn’t let go of my sword yet, so I barely managed to raise it and block.

As the ricocheted bullets fell to the ground, a barrage of attacks poured in.

-Kaang!

Three men charged at me simultaneously, thrusting their swords.

I blocked their swords while quickly scanning their faces.

They were all unfamiliar faces.

They were clearly Zone 3 members.

Their faces were flushed with excitement.

“Got him. This guy is exhausted too!”

It seemed they had been waiting for me to tire out.

From the looks of it, they were all Human Grade awakeners.

Normally, I would have taken them down quickly, but the fight with Jang Taeheon had left me completely drained.

“Hurry up and take him down so we can move on!”

-Kakang, Kang, Kaang!

Their attacks began to swirl around me from all directions.

Three of them attacked in close quarters, while another one or two hid in the bushes, shooting guns or using spells.

Damn it, this was a hassle.

【What the hell are these guys?】

【Hey, hey, Kangrim, are you okay?】

【Is Seo Kangrim going to lose like this, so absurdly?】

【Did Taeheon leave them on standby?】

The voices of gods and humans made my head spin.

For now, retreating seemed like the best option.

Just as I stepped back to create some distance…

-Deolkeok!

Something clattered against my foot, and a sharp pain shot through me.

A bear trap, the kind used for catching bears, had clamped down on my shin.

【It’s a trap!】

【Hey, isn’t that a beast trap?】

【These bastards are insane.】

The searing pain, as if my leg was being severed, momentarily froze my body.

With my movement sealed, the bastards charged at me as if they had been waiting for this.

“Now it’s over… Aaaagh!”

However, the screams erupted not from my mouth, but from theirs.

An unexpected entity had appeared before my eyes.

-Swik!

The imugi was sinking its fangs into the nape of one of their necks.

As the venom spread, the man’s face instantly turned a shade of purple.

A Token of Friendship with my name inscribed on it was wrapped around the imugi’s neck.

【Whoa, did the imugi come to help?】

【The imugi is repaying a favor.】

【It takes after its master, so it was a tsundere all along!】

When the imugi appeared, I could see the Zone 3 members falter in surprise.

With the imugi’s appearance, it seemed we had gained the upper hand, but that wasn’t the case.

I had to send the imugi back immediately.

However, words were already slipping from people’s mouths.

“W-what. How is a snake this big?”

“Is this really a snake?”

“Of course it’s a snake! If it’s not a snake, what else could it be!”

At the word ‘snake’, the imugi’s body flinched and stiffened.

Damn it, I need to stop this right now.

I needed to grab the imugi and run, but the steel trap wouldn’t break easily.

I tried to forcefully twist my leg out, but it only brought a surge of blood and pain.

【Seo Kangrim, you crazy bastard!】

【Hey, I can see the bone!】

【Your leg is going to get cut off, you bastard!】

My leg wasn’t the most pressing issue right now.

The imugi’s body began to bulge and its form started to change.

Sensing something was wrong, the Zone 3 members redirected their weapons away from me and toward the imugi.

“T-this snake is weird.”

“What’s weird about it! Just kill it first!”

Several people rushed in and swung their weapons at the imugi.

The imugi’s flesh was torn away, and blood dripped steadily.

Under the assault, the imugi’s body began to distort even more.

[‘Imugi’s’ state has begun to change!]