“This bastard already knew everything and used us…!”

The people who had been trying so hard to feign innocence finally showed their true colors.

One by one, they rose from their seats and drew their weapons.

I studied them calmly and spoke.

“Weren’t weapons prohibited?”

“Doesn’t matter. As long as we can disqualify you.”

Given that they were all different zodiac signs yet acting together, they seemed to have known each other beforehand.

And this hadn’t been a coincidental approach—they had targeted me from the start.

Had someone put them up to it, like with Sung Uigyeol?

“No matter how strong you are, two against one is—”

-Ppakak!

Before he could finish, I charged in and drove my knee into his face.

I grabbed him as he gagged and began to collapse, then landed another blow.

He tried to activate his special ability, but I seized him by the collar.

“No magic power left, right?”

When they had offered me passage on their boat.

I checked their Fortune Windows and found they were all quite capable.

I was stronger than them, but fighting four would obviously drain my stamina and magic power.

So I had made them exhaust every drop of their magic power first.

This should be easy now.

I shoved a half-conscious one back into the water and turned to the last man standing.

“Now you’re alone.”

“Is that so?”

Despite being the last one standing, he exuded an inexplicable confidence.

Like someone with something up his sleeve.

He flashed a grin and fired a flare high into the sky.

-Peong…!

Even in broad daylight, the flare’s light was vividly visible.

At the same moment, several nearby boats began converging on us.

They were all staring at me.

From the look of things, they were all part of the same group.

Numerical superiority, excellent abilities, and remarkably similar appearances to boot.

“Are you with ES Entertainment?”

“……!”

I had hit the mark—ripples of alarm flashed across every face.

I had guessed based on their attractive appearances, and it seemed I was right.

I glanced at the camera drone and spoke.

“Doing this while the broadcast is live suggests you aren’t exactly famous.”

Trainees or rookies at best.

Cannon fodder that Yang Uisung had scattered to catch me.

About twenty in number, with roughly half being fairly strong Manshin.

I swiftly summoned my spirit beast.

[Summoning Spirit Beast from the Spirit Realm!]

Along with the summoning message, Rini appeared.

There was no need to summon Yorongi as well.

I needed to conserve energy for when Yorongi might be needed later.

“What’s that? That’s a spirit beast?”

“It just looks like a small deer.”

They showed no surprise, suggesting they already knew about spirit beasts.

In truth, beating them would be easy.

It would just waste a lot of time.

Just as I was about to subdue them as quickly as possible and push forward—

-Kwagwang!

Screams and the sound of something shattering erupted from the boat at the rear.

Whatever had happened, the boat was already half-destroyed.

Amid the chaos of screams, a familiar voice reached me.

I had figured he would show up sooner or later.

“I was going to keep watching, but it seemed like the right time to step in.”

Someone stood atop the mast, looking down at us.

Dokgo Jun, smiling at me as if pleased to see me.

The name tag he wore bore the same rat emblem as mine.

“Hey, same zodiac sign! Fighting separately would’ve been fun, but being on the same side is better.”

I had known we were the same age, so I expected our paths would cross again.

Even if that weren’t the case, he would have followed me anyway.

Dokgo Jun turned his gaze toward the enemies and spoke.

“You attacked my ally, so I should step in too, right?”

His shadow stretched over the signboard, and from within it, Dokgo Jun smiled.

[Special Ability ‘Corrosion’ is activating!]

[Special Ability ‘Shadow Rat’ is activating!]

[Due to the Demon Realm’s effect, abilities related to the Twelve Zodiac are enhanced!]

His shadow writhed, and from within it, black rats began pouring out in droves.

Everywhere the rats brushed past, color bled away.

As various parts of the boat turned black, it simultaneously lost its shape and began collapsing.

“Aaaagh! The boat—it’s sinking!”

“Everyone, run!”

The rats spread throughout the boat like a plague.

While everyone panicked, Dokgo Jun simply laughed.

Like someone leisurely watching a show.

“Wow, they said abilities and items related to the Twelve Zodiac get enhanced in this Demon Realm. The effect is great!”

Dokgo Jun erupted into a maniacal laugh and began tearing the boat apart.

I knew he was useful.

I seized the opening and moved to subdue the remaining members.

“Rini, Water Catching! Accelerate the boat!”

“Ung!”

The flow of water began to shift due to ‘Water Catching.’

A violent current, almost like a tidal wave.

As the boat rocked wildly and surged forward, screams and impact sounds rippled through the air.

Before I knew it, multiple camera drones were broadcasting the scene.

[While fierce competition unfolds at the front, a massive battle has erupted in the middle ranks!]

[It appears Rat Zodiac contestants Seo Kangrim and Dokgo Jun have formed an alliance!]

[Despite being outnumbered, the Rat Zodiac Alliance is swiftly subduing their enemies!]

Before long, most of the boats had sunk, and we were the only two left unharmed.

Dokgo Jun dusted off his hands and spoke.

“Phew, cleanup done! What annoying pests… By the way, Seo Kangrim, you sure are popular. People flock to you wherever you go.”

“You can go ahead if it’s a bother.”

“How could I go on ahead and leave you behind? I’ve been waiting for you to show up.”

Truly devoted.

If he wanted to devote himself to me, that was fine by me.

I glanced at him and said.

“You said you wanted to play the supporting role last time, right?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Then go charge your magic power.”

The speed was already fast, but it could be pushed even higher.

Dokgo Jun stared at me for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

“Hey, Seo Kangrim. A protagonist who doesn’t cherish their allies tends to become unlikable.”

“Go charge up.”

“Fine, you’re prickly. Well, that side of you isn’t bad either.”

Dokgo Jun flashed a grin, approached the boat, and infused it with magic power.

[Magic power charging has begun!]

[Speed is increasing!]

With Dokgo Jun’s considerable magic power, the speed noticeably increased.

It seemed I could catch my breath for a moment.

As I sat down on one side of the boat, he struck up a casual conversation with a cheerful smile.

“Hey, Seo Kangrim. The clothes you’re wearing are a Great Demon Realm reward, right?”

He spoke as naturally as if talking to a friend.

Dokgo Jun was looking at my clothes with interest.

“But you know, why do fantasy novel protagonists all have similar fashion styles? Do they all shop at the same clothing store?”

I glanced at Dokgo Jun, who was chattering away to himself.

Come to think of it, he had gained an ability I hadn’t seen before.

When I opened the Fortune Window to check how much stronger he had become, I paused for a moment.

“You had an ability I hadn’t seen before. Did you receive a Divine Descent?”

“That’s right! You’re quick to notice.”

Checking the Fortune Window, a Deity Name section had appeared.

Just like in my past life, it was a bizarre god.

═══════════════

[Deity Name] The Indescribable

═══════════════

‘The Indescribable’ was a god from a horror novel—Nyarlathotep.

Gods of this domain had chaos and evil as their primary attributes, so anyone in their right mind wouldn’t accept a Divine Descent from them.

Even those who did receive one mostly went mad, but Dokgo Jun still seemed sane.

“Which god did you receive a Divine Descent from?”

“A god called The Indescribable. I hadn’t planned on receiving a Divine Descent, but it seemed interesting, so I took it.”

“Interesting?”

What exactly was interesting about a god like that?

Dokgo Jun continued with a slightly excited expression.

“Well, this god is from a novel. The fact that it’s a god created by humans was what interested me.”

A god created by humans.

Listening to his story, I thought of Yoo Harang and Yoo Sunmin.

I had a feeling that if Yoo Sunmin were here, he’d get along well with Dokgo Jun.

“A god with barely a hundred years of history, yet the influence…”

Mid-sentence, Dokgo Jun fell silent and rose from his seat.

He looked straight ahead and smiled faintly.

“Now it’s round two.”

The boats that had been pursuing us were gone, but something new now blocked our path.

Giant demon beasts that lived in the water had revealed themselves.

-Geureureung…!

It didn’t seem like they would let us pass easily.

When I took up my weapon and stood at the bow, Dokgo Jun stood beside me.

The river breeze swept past, ruffling my hair and Dokgo Jun’s.

Dokgo Jun flashed a grin and said.

“Shall we play some more, then?”

* * *

[The Rat Zodiac Alliance is strong! They’ve broken through the middle ranks in one stroke and are approaching the top group!]

The Great Demon Realm was being broadcast vividly on a large screen.

The feed, which had been showing the leaders until moments ago, now displayed the battle among the middle-ranked contestants.

The camera was centered on Seo Kangrim.

Moments ago, after fighting a naval battle against other competitors, just as they were catching their breath—

Water surged as demon beasts surfaced, and now they were locked in combat with the creatures.

No, “battle” wasn’t quite the right word.

It was closer to a one-sided rout—a massacre.

Every time Dokgo Jun’s ‘Corrosion’ brushed past the demon beasts’ bodies, their flesh simply crumbled away.

-Jjeojeok!

And behind him, Seo Kangrim came into view.

Seo Kangrim stood with blue flames wreathing both hands.

When he activated ‘Frost Flame,’ the demon beasts’ bodies froze in an instant.

Countless ice fragments and corpses floated on the river’s surface.

That many demon beasts had been annihilated in less than five minutes.

The commentator’s voice grew even louder.

[They’ve breezed through the demonic section, the Waters of Demon Beasts! The Rat Zodiac Alliance surges forward!]

The boat carrying Seo Kangrim and Dokgo Jun navigated the cleared waterway alone.

Yang Uisung, watching the scene from a sofa, spoke.

“The ones who just lost to Seo Kangrim. Expel them all.”

“Yes, Representative.”

Just as Seo Kangrim had predicted, they were people sent by Yang Uisung.

Manshin who had been developing under the agency Yang Uisung had created.

But they no longer held any meaning for Yang Uisung.

“Did I underestimate him?”

Yang Uisung sank deeper into the sofa.

He had tried various means to hinder Seo Kangrim, but none had yielded significant results.

He hadn’t reacted to the deliberately malicious articles, nor had he flinched under attacks from Hunteos and Manshin.

Every time he witnessed such composure, a possessive desire boiled within Yang Uisung.

“It really is a waste. If he were to debut as a model…”

He was undeniably a talent that would draw attention in multiple ways.

If he couldn’t be brought to heel, he would have to be destroyed entirely—and that was truly regrettable.

As Yang Uisung sat in silence, his secretary spoke cautiously.

“Please don’t worry too much, Representative. You still have hired Manshin remaining.”

“Right. I never thought he would fall easily to begin with.”

The group that had attacked Seo Kangrim was merely an appetizer.

The real weapons had to be kept hidden.

Yang Uisung smiled as he stared at the monitor.

“In the end, he’ll kneel before me too.”