“I’m not receiving a Divine Descent. Go clear your Demon Realm properly.”

“Ah, come on, Brother!”

I stepped out of the dining hall, but Jang Taeheon kept pace beside me, still pressing the issue of Divine Descent.

If I ignored him, he’d give up on his own soon enough.

Still, it was reassuring that Jang Taeheon was warming up to Shin Sooa.

As long as they weren’t openly hostile, they’d all grow accustomed to one another eventually.

Father Yohan had always been easygoing by nature, and though he shared no past-life connection with Yoon Bom or Yoon Gyeoul, they were close enough in age that things would work out.

…Though there were a few things that nagged at me.

* * *

-Kwaang!

A thunderous crash echoed through the training ground.

It was always a rowdy place, what with sparring matches and training sessions, but the sound that had just rung out was on an entirely different level.

Like a section of a mountain collapsing, or massive boulders crashing together.

A cloud of dust hung thick in the air from the recent attack.

Through the haze, Jang Taeheon came into view.

Blood streamed from wounds scattered across his body.

“Mr. Jang Taeheon.”

Someone emerged from the opposite side.

Yoon Bom, rifle in hand, regarded Jang Taeheon with a stony expression.

“Sorry about this. Nothing personal, but our Guardian God… has taken a dislike to you.”

Jang Taeheon spat out blood.

The training rifle wasn’t loaded with live ammunition, but the damage was steadily accumulating.

He glared at Yoon Bom and spoke.

“And why’s that?”

“He says you have no sense of fair play. We had our eyes on Seo Kangrim first, and then you show up out of nowhere trying to cut in line.”

At present, the person the Guardian Gods were watching most closely at the Education Facility was none other than Seo Kangrim.

An awakened one who was performing exceptionally well, yet still had no patron deity.

The gods were practically tripping over themselves to fill that vacancy.

Some promised lavish rewards to Seo Kangrim, while others sought to leverage his personal relationships.

If the gods couldn’t persuade him directly, they’d use humans to do it for them.

After all, the human heart was bound to waver when someone close came recommending.

That was why Yoon Bom, Yoon Gyeoul, Yohan, and the others had been urging Seo Kangrim to receive a Divine Descent, just as their Guardian Gods commanded.

They were failing, of course.

Already anxious that Seo Kangrim might be claimed by another god at any moment, they now had Jang Taeheon suddenly appearing and starting his own recruitment pitch.

The most enraged by this development was the divine faction of Yoon Bom and Yoon Gyeoul’s Guardian Gods.

The ‘Father of Gods and Humans’ who had his sights set on Seo Kangrim was the supreme god of Greek mythology—Zeus.

Apollo and Athena, both serving under Zeus, had issued orders to Yoon Bom and Yoon Gyeoul.

Pressure Jang Taeheon into backing down.

Yoon Bom glanced at Jang Taeheon and spoke.

“Since Master already said he has no interest in a Divine Descent, maybe you should drop it too, Mr. Jang?”

“Why pick a fight with me over something you couldn’t pull off yourselves? And…”

Jang Taeheon continued to fix Yoon Bom with a sharp, piercing glare.

“You sure there’s nothing personal? Doesn’t seem that way to me.”

“…It wouldn’t be good for anyone.”

Seo Kangrim had told them to get along with Jang Taeheon, but to them, he was nothing more than a stranger.

If anything, he was suspicious.

Coming in from another zone, pressuring Seo Kangrim to receive a Divine Descent.

Yoon Gyeoul, holding a bow behind them, glanced his way and chimed in.

“Are you really not a spy? Trying to lure Master away to another zone…”

“Even if I said no, you wouldn’t believe me anyway, right?”

“Either way, stop pestering Master about receiving a Divine Descent. Do that, and we’ll leave you alone.”

At that, Jang Taeheon twisted his lips into a smirk.

His eyes brimmed with defiant hostility.

“Don’t feel like it. Whoever’s Divine Descent he accepts is up to Brother, not you.”

“I don’t want to fight you. But if our Guardian God can’t persuade you with words, then by force if necessary…”

“You wanna go? You look weak anyway. Stop hiding in the back and come at me yourself.”

Jang Taeheon’s mocking tone sharpened Yoon Gyeoul’s eyes.

He fired back with a sneer of his own.

“I’m going easy on you because you’d die fast in a one-on-one. Know your place. You failed your clear and washed up here—doesn’t seem like you’re much to write home about.”

“…What?”

The atmosphere grew increasingly murderous, the air itself turning heavy.

One wrong move, a single twitch of a finger, and a full-blown fight would erupt.

Just then, footsteps echoed from between them.

“What are you doing?”

All three flinched at the voice and whipped around.

Seo Kangrim had already entered the training ground without them noticing.

Yoon Bom and Yoon Gyeoul’s faces stiffened like children caught misbehaving.

“I believe I told you to get along with Jang Taeheon.”

“Th-that’s…”

Yoon Bom couldn’t even muster a defense and hung her head.

Yoon Gyeoul, gauging the mood, muttered under his breath.

“Well, Jang Taeheon kept pestering Master about receiving a Divine Descent… Our Guardian Gods told us to make him back off.”

Seo Kangrim swallowed a sigh at those words.

He recalled how Yoon Bom and Yoon Gyeoul had been subtly nudging him toward accepting Zeus’s Divine Descent for some time now.

They were only following orders from their Guardian Gods, so he couldn’t entirely blame them—but it still rubbed him the wrong way.

If they’d fought because they genuinely disliked each other, that would have been preferable.

But watching them dance to the gods’ tune, acting solely on divine orders—that was what displeased him.

Seo Kangrim glanced at Jang Taeheon and spoke.

“Jang Taeheon. Your god still pushing the same agenda?”

“…Yeah. Told me I have to convince you, no matter what.”

Left unchecked, the situation would only deteriorate.

The gods wouldn’t yield, so the friction between them would only persist.

Seo Kangrim looked at all three of them and spoke.

“Fine. Then here’s what we’ll do. Whichever faction wins in a fight, I’ll accept their Divine Descent.”

“What?”

“Excuse me?”

Everyone’s eyes went wide with surprise.

It was exactly the kind of news their gods would welcome.

But Seo Kangrim continued without a flicker of expression.

“But you also fight me. If I win, you all drop this cleanly. And I’ll be collecting something from each of your Guardian Gods. Minimum Ghost Grade items. Pass that along.”

The three exchanged uneasy glances, then fell silent as though conversing with something unseen.

They appeared to be conferring with their gods.

After a moment, Jang Taeheon spoke with hesitation.

“They’re saying it’s unfair since you’re too strong.”

“Then no Special Abilities for anyone. And I’m disqualified if I take even a single hit.”

Seo Kangrim’s proposed handicap seemed to satisfy the Guardian Gods to some degree.

Yoon Gyeoul spoke, his expression easing slightly.

“Got it, Master. But if the condition is just one hit, it’ll be over too—”

-Kagakang!

Before he could finish, Seo Kangrim swung his sword at him.

He reflexively raised his bow to block, but that was all he could manage.

Seo Kangrim’s eyes gleamed menacingly inches from his face.

“You won’t have time to worry about that.”

“…!”

Yoon Gyeoul trembled as he strained against the assault.

He was frozen in place.

Even if he managed to pull his bow free, another attack from Seo Kangrim would come before he could draw the string.

Just then, Yoon Bom’s voice rang out from the side.

“Gyeoul!”

Yoon Bom had already leveled her rifle at Seo Kangrim.

But she couldn’t bring herself to pull the trigger.

Seo Kangrim had twisted Yoon Gyeoul’s arm into a lock and positioned him directly in front—like a human shield.

“Going to shoot?”

If she fired now, Yoon Gyeoul would take the hit.

While Yoon Bom hesitated, Seo Kangrim dragged Yoon Gyeoul forward and hurled him.

Straight into Yoon Bom.

-Kwaang!

“Kyaaah!”

“Aaaagh!”

The two collided and tumbled across the floor.

They scrambled to their feet and tried to ready their weapons, but Seo Kangrim was faster.

He stomped down on their hands and spoke.

-Kwajik!

“I’m not playing around.”

“Ugh…!”

The twins were strong, but right now they were in dire straits.

It was only natural—both of them specialized in ranged combat.

The motion of aiming and drawing a bowstring was slower than the speed at which Seo Kangrim swung his sword.

They needed to keep their distance, but he gave them no opening to do so.

As Seo Kangrim pressed the two of them—

Movement from behind.

-Swaek!

Seo Kangrim swiftly stepped back, dodging Jang Taeheon’s swinging fist.

Jang Taeheon was grinning broadly.

“You have to fight me too, right, Brother?”

He seemed to be enjoying the situation quite a bit.

Jang Taeheon chuckled once, then charged straight at Seo Kangrim.

-Chang, chaeng, chang!

Seo Kangrim blocked or deflected each of Jang Taeheon’s punches with his sword.

The clash of gauntlet against blade rang sharp and clear.

At a glance, they appeared evenly matched, but in reality, Seo Kangrim had far more breathing room.

Most of his actions were dodges, blocks, and deflections.

He occasionally struck back, but none were critical hits.

Seeing this, Jang Taeheon growled.

“You’re going easy on me, Brother? That won’t do!”

Jang Taeheon unleashed an even fiercer barrage.

It was as though he had a dozen fists.

As Seo Kangrim dodged the onslaught, one punch slipped through his guard, about to connect with his face—

-Taang!

-Kwagak!

A gunshot rang out, and Jang Taeheon hastily retreated.

A bullet and an arrow were embedded where he’d been standing.

Jang Taeheon shouted at the twins in disbelief.

“Hey! You’re shooting at me?”

The twins had repositioned and were now targeting Jang Taeheon.

They couldn’t just stand by and watch Jang Taeheon win.

-Ppagak!

Seizing that opening, Seo Kangrim struck Jang Taeheon hard in the back.

The blow to his vital point made him stagger and buckle.

The moment Jang Taeheon went down, Seo Kangrim charged straight at the twins.

-Peogak!

Distracted by Jang Taeheon, the twins failed to block Seo Kangrim’s attack.

Before long, all three lay on the sparring room floor, groaning in pain.

Seo Kangrim looked down at them with impassive eyes and spoke.

“Are we done?”

The realization that Seo Kangrim was far stronger than they’d imagined left all three breathless.

At this rate, it was over.

Yoon Bom deliberated for a moment, then addressed Yoon Gyeoul and Jang Taeheon.

Whatever they discussed, the three remained still, motionless where they lay.

After a brief pause, the three finally rose to their feet.

The second hand of the clock in the training ground ticked forward, one mark at a time.

And the moment it ticked once more—

-Kwaang!

Jang Taeheon launched himself at Seo Kangrim like a bolt from a crossbow.

But in agility, Seo Kangrim was a step ahead.

As he twisted left to evade—

-Taang!

A bullet whizzed past Seo Kangrim’s side.

Yoon Bom had kept her distance, her gaze locked solely on Seo Kangrim.

As Seo Kangrim surged forward to eliminate the snipers first—

“Brother, I can’t let you do that!”

Jang Taeheon threw himself into his path, blocking the way.

With a man of Jang Taeheon’s bulk blocking the front, the path was instantly sealed.

As Seo Kangrim tried to slip past him, an arrow came flying from the opposite direction.

-Swaek!

Every trajectory he attempted to dodge through was met with bullets and arrows.

And the instant he faltered under the ranged assault, Jang Taeheon closed in with melee attacks.

Facing an opponent stronger than themselves, they had chosen cooperation.

They’d calculated that taking down Seo Kangrim first and then fighting among themselves gave them the best odds.

And that judgment was bearing fruit.

The sparring room that had felt spacious just moments ago now seemed to shrink in an instant.

As the three coordinated their attacks, the tide began to turn.

The moment Seo Kangrim noticed this as well, he looked at the three and spoke.

“Not bad.”

-Peogak!

And before the words had fully left his mouth, Jang Taeheon felt a searing jolt of pain.

Seo Kangrim had struck him.

Of all places, it was the exact spot where he’d suffered a critical wound in the Demon Realm last time.

He’d received treatment, but the wound hadn’t fully healed yet. An indescribable agony flooded through him.

The instant Jang Taeheon’s body stiffened, Seo Kangrim lunged at the twins.

-Pogak!

His knife hand struck the backs of both twins’ necks.

Their heads swam, and both crumpled to the floor.

Once again, the only person standing on two feet was Seo Kangrim.

“I’d say that about does it.”