“Should we send our people to handle him?”

“You? Hmm~ If you’re planning to commit suicide, I’ll let you go. Actually, if you’re going to kill yourselves, go do it somewhere else.”

She considered overwhelming them with sheer numbers, but Seo Kangrim’s ability gave her pause.

He supposedly possessed a special ability to steal the powers of the dead. What if he killed the sect members she sent and grew even stronger?

That would be problematic.

‘If I went and handled it myself…’

In truth, when she had summoned the two to the karaoke room, she had prepared three plans.

The final plan was for her to step forward and subdue both Seo Kangrim and Shin Sooa, but…

‘They were stronger than I anticipated.’

She herself was a Manshin who had awakened her Fortune Window and received Divine Descent.

Among all the awakened ones she had encountered, none had posed a genuine threat to her.

But the moment she saw Seo Kangrim today, her primal instincts spoke.

That she could not win.

She might have stood a chance if she threw herself into the fight prepared to die, but Shin Sooa was there beside him.

With the odds stacked two against one, victory seemed impossible, so she ultimately backed down.

She set down her teacup and spoke.

“I’d heard that trainees from the Education Facility were strong, but they seemed even more formidable than expected. I’ll need to proceed more carefully.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Bring me the roster.”

At her command, an organization member hurried over with a stack of papers.

They contained records of various hunters and Manshin.

It was a list the Asura Sect had compiled for recruitment purposes.

“I was planning to recruit a few people anyway. Might as well take care of this while I’m at it.”

Shin Ara studied the roster carefully before pulling out a single page.

She flashed a bright smile and said.

“If Education Facility trainees are that strong, then shouldn’t we send an Education Facility trainee?”

“Th-This person is…?”

The organization member took the page, his eyes widening in considerable shock.

Shin Ara began folding the remaining pages into origami as she spoke.

“A Revelation just came down ordering me to head to the Great Demon Realm. Seo Kangrim will surely be there too, so…”

Shin Ara smiled like a blooming flower.

“We can teach Seo Kangrim a lesson there.”

* * *

The path leading to the Great Demon Realm’s entrance felt artificial and barren, devoid of any decoration.

As the elevator descended, the murmurs of nearby awakened ones reached my ears.

“I figured the entrance to the Great Demon Realm would be somewhere deep in the mountains… I never expected it to be beneath the Fate Protection Bureau building.”

“Tell me about it. Since when did the Bureau prepare all this?”

True to their words, the elevator was heading to the basement of the Fate Protection Bureau.

The Great Demon Realm was similar to ordinary Demon Realms but with key differences.

While ordinary Demon Realms vanished once cleared, the gates to Great Demon Realms persisted even after being conquered.

New Great Demon Realms appeared at regular intervals, and each time, the gates reactivated.

I’d heard the Fate Protection Bureau had identified the locations where gates would form in advance and constructed buildings directly above them.

Whether that was audacious or wise, I couldn’t say.

In a way, it amounted to monopolizing the gates to the Great Demon Realms.

“Anyway, the Revelation said this was the first Great Demon Realm, right?”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

“So how many are there in total?”

“How should I know?”

No one could have answered that question.

In my past life, progress had halted at the fifth stage.

How many Great Demon Realms lay beyond that remained unknown.

[The doors are opening.]

The elevator, which had been descending silently without so much as a tremor, came to a stop and its doors slid open.

Stepping out, I found myself in an empty hall.

A considerable number of awakened ones had gathered there.

It looked like well over a hundred.

I scanned my surroundings for potential threats, but no faces stood out.

That was when a familiar voice called out from nearby.

“Ah, Kangrim Hyung! Over here!”

Jang Taeheon was waving his hand high, calling out to me.

His already booming voice echoed loudly across the hall.

I could feel people glancing at me after hearing my name.

“Kangrim? Is that Seo Kangrim?”

“I think so? He looks exactly like that photo posted online.”

“W-What? That’s the guy who was in the same elevator as us earlier.”

“They said he’s a killer, right? To think he’s going into the Great Demon Realm with us…!”

They regarded me warily, as if watching a dangerous animal.

Well, I couldn’t say I particularly cared.

Hearing the whispers, Yoon Bom started toward them.

I quickly stopped her.

“Bom, where are you going?”

“Oh, it sounded like someone was saying bad things about you, Master.”

“Forget it. Don’t pay them any mind. We just need to focus on preparing for the Great Demon Realm. Did you bring what I gave you?”

“Yes!”

I turned to look at the others.

They too were carrying the items I had provided.

“Everyone, keep in mind what I told you beforehand. We don’t know how the situation might change.”

“Got it, Master! Still, it’s amazing. To think you had items like that all along…”

I had gathered everyone yesterday and briefly explained the details and precautions for the first Great Demon Realm.

Telling them that the Guide of Destiny had provided information about the Great Demon Realm.

Shin Sooa nodded and added.

“Understood. Still, it’s a shame Father Yohan won’t be joining us this time.”

Father Yohan would be absent from this Great Demon Realm expedition.

Not having a healer was somewhat disappointing, but it couldn’t be helped.

We couldn’t always operate under favorable conditions, so we’d just have to make do.

“I’ve packed plenty of recovery items, so we should be fine. And if things get dangerous, retreat.”

With that, I summoned my Spirit Beasts.

Rini and Yorongi floated up into the air.

It was fortunate in many ways that Yorongi had learned to fly.

“Yorongi and Rini, follow the instructions I gave you yesterday.”

“Uung!”

“Kyang!”

“Seo Kangrim-!”

Just then, an unwelcome voice called out from behind.

I glanced back to see Dokgo Jun rushing toward me with a delighted expression.

As if he’d found a long-lost friend.

“Kangrim, how have you been? It’s been a while!”

“What do you want?”

“Hey, don’t be so cold. Are you mad because I left the Education Facility first? Sorry. If it weren’t for my hand, I would have stayed until the end.”

Dokgo Jun continued with a nonchalant laugh.

“Instead, I have something to give you. As an apology.”

“What is it?”

“Come join our sect. I even bought a building in Gangnam. I’ll give it to you!”

Thank goodness I’d watched the interview video beforehand, or I would have wondered what nonsense he was spouting.

Shin Sooa, who had been quietly listening from the side, stepped forward.

“Mr. Dokgo Jun, that’s quite a sudden proposal.”

“Hello to you too, Shin Sooa. My condolences about the arm. Would you like to join our sect as well?”

“No. I have no intention of joining.”

Shin Sooa spoke in a threatening tone and pulled me closer.

“Kangrim is joining our sect. As for the building… we’ll be buying one soon.”

“Are you starting your own sect too, Shin Sooa? Then maybe I should join yours instead?”

“Who said they’d have you?”

Before I knew it, Shin Sooa and Dokgo Jun had started bickering.

Should I intervene?

While I was watching for a moment, a clear voice echoed through the hall.

[Attention to those currently at the Great Demon Realm entrance. The gate to the Great Demon Realm will open shortly. Please prepare yourselves.]

At the announcement, both of them stopped talking.

Dokgo Jun lightly patted Shin Sooa’s shoulder and said.

“Then I’ll see you two in a bit! Looking forward to working with you!”

“……”

Shin Sooa’s eyes did all the cursing her mouth refused to.

As Dokgo Jun sauntered off with light steps, the people around the hall were making preparations to move.

People glanced around and murmured.

“Is it starting? But where’s the gate?”

“It’s going to take forever to get everyone in at this rate…”

Just as they were looking around for the gate.

The announcement sounded once more.

[The Great Demon Realm gate has been activated. The gate is opening.]

-Deolkeong!

The moment those words finished, the floor beneath our feet dropped away.

Below, a vicious darkness yawned open.

As my body plummeted and made contact with the darkness, a message appeared.

[Entering the Great Demon Realm!]

In an instant, the darkness seemed to lift, only to be replaced by an intense light so blinding it bleached everything white.

I immediately braced into a breakfall stance.

The moment my body hit the ground, my vision began to return.

-Kuwung!

“Ugh, ugh… What the hell? The gate was underneath us?”

“They could have warned us first! That hurt like hell!”

Caught off guard by the sudden teleportation, people groaned in pain all around.

I quietly surveyed my surroundings.

Withered black trees and desolate rocky mountains stretched out before my eyes.

Murky ghastly energy oozed from every direction, a density that made every Demon Realm I’d experienced before pale in comparison.

“Th-The air here…”

“Why is it so hard to breathe?”

Several awakened ones had already collapsed to the ground, unable to stand.

Amidst the chaos, voices of confusion rose from those who had been teleported.

“Huh? Why am I the only one here?”

“Where did everyone else go? Did they not make it in?”

A few people scrambled about frantically, searching for their companions.

I looked around as well—no one was here.

I had expected the group to be scattered, but I never imagined I’d end up completely alone.

The first Great Demon Realm was divided into three zones centered around a boss area in the middle.

Upon entering, individuals were teleported to separate zones, and crossing into another’s zone was impossible.

Even if you prepared thoroughly and organized a party with tactics ready, the very entry posed a problem.

Evidence of this lay in the bewildered people nearby.

“What do we do? We don’t have a healer…!”

“We have to go in like this? Only two out of ten made it—how is that supposed to work?”

“M-Maybe we should exit the Demon Realm first and assess the situation.”

“I don’t see a way back! Damn it, I guess we have to push forward for now…”

I recalled that Shin Sooa had been quite flustered the first time she entered a Great Demon Realm, having been separated from everyone.

But this time was different.

I pulled an Ear Cuff from the Storage Pouch, fitted it on, and spoke.

“Has everyone completed teleportation? Let me know who you’re with.”