“No, not yet…….”

Jang Taeheon staggered as he tried to stand.

As expected, he could take a hit.

Seo Kangrim watched him force himself up and spoke.

“I can keep this up until you give up, but is there any point to it?”

He stared at Jang Taeheon with emotionless eyes.

That gaze was directed at the twin siblings as well.

“I wouldn’t mind if this were a sparring match. But I don’t appreciate being ordered to fight like this by someone else.”

“…….”

“I clearly said that we’d be working together as comrades from now on, yet you ignored my words.”

The fighting spirit in all three of them faltered at Seo Kangrim’s words.

Yoon Gyeoul muttered under his breath.

“But the Guardian God…….”

“If the Guardian God told you to kill Yoon Bom, would you follow that order without a single moment of doubt?”

“……!”

Yoon Gyeoul fell silent at those words.

Seo Kangrim brushed the dust off his clothes and spoke.

“Think for yourselves and make your own decisions. Don’t just do what others tell you.”

Jang Taeheon clenched his fists.

His pride seemed wounded.

More than the fact of his defeat, he seemed ashamed that he had been dancing to the Guardian God’s tune, just as Seo Kangrim had pointed out.

Yoon Bom hesitated before rising to her feet.

“……We lost. We give up.”

“Me too.”

Jang Taeheon and Yoon Gyeoul also raised both hands in surrender.

As Seo Kangrim watched them in silence, Yoon Bom hesitated before approaching Jang Taeheon and bowing her head.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Jang Taeheon. For attacking you out of nowhere. Even if the Guardian God ordered it, I shouldn’t have just blindly gone along with it.”

“I’m sorry too, Taeheon. Plus, two against one was cowardly.”

“……Whatever. I was no different.”

The tense atmosphere finally settled down.

The three people who had been hostile toward one another just moments ago now seemed considerably more at ease.

It was fortunate that things had resolved amicably, and there was an additional benefit as well.

“Then since I won, it seems the Guardian Gods owe me what they promised.”

There had been an agreement that if Seo Kangrim won, each Guardian God’s faction would provide him with one item.

Jang Taeheon nodded.

“Yeah, they said they’ll send them. They’re asking if there’s a specific item you want.”

“I’ll relay it through the universal communication. You all go rest. Get yourselves treated too.”

“Got it, Master!”

The three quickly hurried out of the sparring arena.

They had been treating each other like enemies mere moments ago, but their retreating figures now looked far more relaxed.

They must have experienced firsthand what it meant to be in a cooperative relationship while fighting just now.

While Jang Taeheon fought at close range and protected the snipers, the twin siblings provided cover fire from a distance.

That was why they needed to maintain friendly relations with one another.

He hoped this would serve as an opportunity for their fates to intertwine.

‘Even if I disappear, they shouldn’t scatter in all directions.’

Now it was almost time for the final Demon Realm.

Once he cleared the Demon Realm and stepped outside, there was something he intended to do.

That was to leave them behind.

To avoid entangling himself with Baekyoung, he planned to part ways with them and vanish from sight.

There wasn’t much time left to spend together.

Swallowing those words, Seo Kangrim quietly left the training ground.

* * *

The sacred rope before the seventh door began to burn away.

The day the final door opened.

People had gathered in the lobby, watching the rope crumble like golden autumn leaves.

There was a stark difference compared to when they had first entered this place.

Only about a third of them remained.

And there was no one here anymore who was as terrified as they had been on the first day.

Ahn Nabi, standing in the center of the lobby, addressed the crowd.

“The seventh door has now opened. If you clear the final Demon Realm, you will be able to leave this place as promised.”

The last remaining door looked less like a Demon Realm and more like an exit to the outside.

Ahn Nabi continued in the same tone she had used on the first day.

“As this is the final Demon Realm, you will face considerable difficulties. Once you enter, you cannot return here, so I recommend that you prepare thoroughly.”

Her advice was an excess of caution.

The people had already finished preparing and steeling themselves for the possibility of never returning.

Ahn Nabi noticed this as well and offered no further explanation.

“I’ll save my words of appreciation for next time. I hope to see all of you again. I wish you the best of luck.”

After her brief announcement, she stepped aside for the people.

As several people opened the door and entered the Demon Realm, Yoon Bom glanced around.

Seeing this, Jang Taeheon asked.

“What are you looking for?”

“Well, I don’t see Master. And I don’t see Mr. Dokgo Jun either…….”

Everyone except those two had gathered in the lobby.

Yoon Gyeoul scratched the back of his head and spoke.

“Dokgo Jun seemed like he was still clearing his Demon Realm. And Master…… oh, here he comes!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Seo Kangrim descended from the second floor to the lobby.

Jang Taeheon approached Seo Kangrim with a pleased expression.

“Hyung, the door opened. Let’s head out right away.”

“Ah, I’ll go in later. I still have something I need to take care of.”

“Something to do? What kind?”

“That’s a secret.”

The others seemed quite disappointed that Seo Kangrim wouldn’t be joining them right away.

Yoon Bom asked, still looking reluctant.

“Then can’t we wait and go together?”

“It’s something I have to do alone. It won’t take long.”

“Then I guess it can’t be helped……. Please come quickly!”

Since Seo Kangrim said he would follow soon, the others no longer suspected anything.

While they prepared to depart, Seo Kangrim quietly turned his steps toward the training room.

Just then, an urgent voice called out from behind.

“Mr. Kangrim! Wait a moment.”

The person who had chased after him was Shin Sooa.

There was no one else around.

“What is it?”

“You said you’d enter the Demon Realm late? There’s something I wanted to discuss before leaving the Education Facility…….”

Saying that, Shin Sooa pulled something from her pocket.

It was a cell phone.

“Can I have your number? I exchanged contacts with everyone else, but I still don’t have yours, Mr. Kangrim.”

Seo Kangrim looked down at it as if it were some unfamiliar object.

A phone number.

He had no intention of staying in contact with Shin Sooa.

Seeing him not budge, Shin Sooa spoke.

“Are you not going to give it to me? Are you planning on never seeing me outside at all?”

That was exactly his plan.

Once he left this place, he intended to cut ties with Shin Sooa and everyone else he had met here.

That way, even if Baekyoung came looking, they would be safe.

“No. I’ll give it to you.”

Seo Kangrim took Shin Sooa’s phone and entered his number.

Of course, he had no intention of maintaining a relationship with her.

But he gave his real number because he needed to contact her once regarding the Demon Realm.

After that, he would disappear from her sight.

“You didn’t give me a fake number, did you? You keep trying to distance yourself from us…….”

Shin Sooa asked suspiciously as she took her phone back.

Seo Kangrim replied with a calm expression.

“It’s real.”

“Alright, I’ll trust you. Then I’ll contact you once we’re out. See you next time.”

At the words ‘next time,’ Seo Kangrim couldn’t offer any response.

Will there even be a next time for us?

He watched Shin Sooa walk away for a long time before finally turning on his heel and walking away.

* * *

“Good work, you two. Go get some rest.”

“Uung…….”

“Kyang!”

After finishing training in the Demon Realm and returning to the lobby, Yorongi and Rini flopped onto the floor on their bellies, looking utterly exhausted.

Normally I would have told them to get up, but I left them be.

Since I was the only one left in this Education Facility, it wouldn’t matter if I used it as I pleased.

Four days had passed since the seventh door opened.

Had everyone cleared the Demon Realm?

Not knowing the situation was somewhat frustrating.

“You haven’t left today either.”

Ahn Nabi had appeared in the lobby at some point.

She was the only one who kept me company.

I gave a light nod in greeting.

She asked in her flat voice.

“Why aren’t you heading to the final door?”

“I plan to train Yorongi a bit more before going.”

“Is that truly the reason?”

A faint suspicion lingered in Ahn Nabi’s voice.

The answer I had given her…….

was half sincere and half an excuse.

It was true that I wanted to train as much as possible, since I wasn’t certain I could clear the final Demon Realm with my current abilities.

Yorongi was still young, too.

But that was a secondary concern.

I shouldn’t enter the Demon Realm.

At least not until Shin Sooa and the others succeeded in clearing it.

“To be honest, there are debt collectors waiting outside, so I was planning to gather some items here. I figured I could sell them for a good price.”

“Is that so. Such circumstances…….”

Ahn Nabi seemed to take my excuse quite seriously.

She looked like she was pondering something, so I changed the subject.

“Does a First Clear notification appear even for the final Demon Realm?”

At my question, Ahn Nabi raised her head.

The mask that now felt like a part of her body was looking at me.

“No. The final Demon Realm offers no rewards for a First Clear, nor does a notification appear.”

“I see.”

I had asked just in case, and as expected.

In my past life, no notification appeared for the final Demon Realm either, so asking to confirm had been pointless.

“Has a First Clearer emerged by any chance?”

“I cannot disclose that information.”

Then I had no choice but to wait a bit longer.

In my past life, Shin Sooa had cleared it in three days, so I figured waiting about a week would be more than enough.

But someone else was on my mind.

I didn’t know how long it took Father Yohan or Jang Taeheon to clear it.

If I entered while others hadn’t yet cleared it, things would get complicated in many ways.

For now, all I could do was wait.

“Then I’ll go rest first.”

“Yes, please rest. Mr. Seo Kangrim.”

I returned to my room carrying the sleeping Rini and Yorongi at my sides.

After placing the Spirit Beasts on the bed, I took out my smartphone.

I had to enter after Shin Sooa and the others had cleared it, but since there was no internet or signal inside the Demon Realm, I couldn’t contact them right away.

However, once Shin Sooa safely cleared the Demon Realm and stepped outside, I would be able to reach her.

I sent a message to Shin Sooa.

[Please reply once you have safely cleared the Demon Realm and exited.]

Truthfully, it wouldn’t have been a problem even if I hadn’t exchanged contacts with Shin Sooa.

Once people started coming out of the Education Facility, it would be on the news.

But if I received a message from Shin Sooa, I could grasp the situation more definitively.

After everyone had left the Education Facility, I could enter and clear it easily.

Until then, I had no choice but to accumulate Merit Points and raise my abilities as much as possible.

I was fortunate to be able to receive items from the ‘Father of Gods and Humans’ and the ‘Hero of Born-without-Possession.’

[An item has arrived from the ‘Father of Gods and Humans’!]

[An item has arrived from the ‘Hero of Born-without-Possession’!]