Fire Frogs determine their prey based on temperature.

Currently, Seo Kangrim’s temperature exceeded 100 degrees, making him feel like nothing more than a part of the landscape to the Fire Frogs.

-Gaegul.

-Gaegulgaegul.

The Fire Frogs soon lost interest and plopped back into the scalding pools.

Seo Kangrim steadily applied Frog Oil to his body to keep the flames from extinguishing as he walked onward.

After walking for quite some time, he spotted a cave in the distance.

It was the only place radiating a blue light within this demon realm bathed in red.

He hurried toward the cave.

Upon entering, a refreshing chill washed over him, cooling the heat that enveloped his body.

‘Thank goodness the Ice Cave hasn’t changed its location.’

The interior was filled with stalactites and stone ice gleaming with the hue of ice.

Crystal Ice grew abundantly throughout the cave, its radiant light illuminating Seo Kangrim’s face.

He snapped off a piece and picked it up.

═══════════════

[Item] Crystal Ice

[Rank] Third Ghost Grade

[Description] A crystal made of ice. Holding it increases the water attribute.

═══════════════

Crystal Ice was an item that supplemented insufficient Five Elements energy.

It was a considerably high-quality item among Ghost Grade goods, and it would naturally regenerate if left in sub-zero temperatures.

He could just pack the Crystal Ice and return to the lobby to finish the mission, but Seo Kangrim had more important business to attend to.

“Open Shop Window.”

At his command, the shop system opened.

Normally, the Fate Protection Bureau would introduce the shop system when the third door opened.

However, acquiring Spirit Jade automatically unlocked the Shop Window.

Because of this, Seo Kangrim had been able to use the shop system since the very first day.

He spent all the Spirit Jade he had saved up to purchase an item.

Soon, a small vessel dropped onto his palm.

═══════════════

[Item] Offering Vessel

[Rank] First Ghost Grade

═══════════════

He had barely managed to afford it by converting all his accumulated Merit Points into Spirit Jade.

Fortunately, the Offering Vessel was relatively cheap compared to its grade.

This was because it was essentially a gambling item.

═══════════════

▼

[Description] Place an item into the vessel and offer a sacrifice to receive an item of your desired type. However, if the sacrifice is insufficient, nothing will appear.

═══════════════

‘What a ridiculously funny name.’

It says to offer a sacrifice, but what the Offering Vessel truly desired wasn’t sincerity in the literal sense.

The “sincerity” it spoke of referred to how precious and expensive the item offered was.

For instance, begging for a Divine Grade item while offering an Insect Grade item would yield nothing.

Only by offering a high-grade item did the chances of obtaining the desired object increase.

Seo Kangrim placed the Crystal Ice into the Offering Vessel and pressed his palms together.

‘I can’t buy the item I need with the Spirit Jade I have, but with the Offering Vessel, it’s a different story.’

[Third Ghost Grade Crystal Ice has been placed into the Offering Vessel.]

‘Crystal Ice is Third Ghost Grade, and what I want is First Ghost Grade. There’s a slight difference, but since they’re both Ghost Grade, the odds are good enough.’

A moment later, a clattering sound echoed from inside the vessel.

[Offering the sacrifice.]

[…….]

[Obtained Third Insect Grade ‘Insect Honey’!]

‘Insect Honey, huh.’

It was a recovery item, not something Seo Kangrim particularly needed.

However, he wasn’t particularly disappointed.

‘If I can’t win on quality, I’ll just win on quantity.’

There was still plenty of Crystal Ice scattered around him.

Enough to attempt this dozens, even hundreds of times.

Soon, another piece of Crystal Ice clattered as it dropped into the Offering Vessel.

Seo Kangrim pressed his palms together once more and offered his sacrifice.

* * *

“Seo Kangrim, that damn bastard…!”

Cheon Gunam spat on the ground, muttering a string of curses.

His spit was mixed with broken teeth and blood.

The corpses of brutally slain Fire Frogs lay scattered around him.

“Cough, cough…”

He had barely escaped the scalding pools, but there wasn’t a single part of him unburned, and blood oozed from countless wounds.

His clothes had completely burned away, leaving him in a state near nakedness.

Cheon Gunam’s eyes burned with hatred.

‘If I see him, I’ll kill him.’

He hurled every curse imaginable at Seo Kangrim.

He wanted nothing more than to shove a blade right into that face immediately.

‘Where is that bastard?’

So much time had passed that he wondered if the man was still here or if he had already escaped.

For now, he began walking toward the exit.

As Cheon Gunam stalked forward like a madman, something caught his eye.

‘Isn’t that Seo Kangrim’s bandage?’

Tattered bandages were rolling across the floor.

Searching the vicinity, he noticed specks of blood staining the ground.

Seeing this, Cheon Gunam smirked.

‘He didn’t get away unscathed either.’

According to the man himself, he was Third Insect Grade.

If he truly was Third Insect Grade, even dealing with the minor demon beasts here would have been overwhelming.

Cheon Gunam prayed that Seo Kangrim was still here.

‘I’ll drown him in the scalding pools.’

Gripping his sword tightly, Cheon Gunam followed the trail of blood.

Perhaps luck was on his side; he encountered almost no demon beasts during his long walk.

But as he followed the blood trail, it suddenly stopped.

‘Damn it, where did this bastard go?’

Cheon Gunam scrambled to find any trace of Seo Kangrim.

He couldn’t find any more tracks, but he discovered something else instead.

‘What is that?’

It was the corpse of a Fire Frog.

What set it apart from the other corpses was that something was glittering inside it.

‘An egg? No, that’s…!’

Cheon Gunam rushed over and pulled the glowing object from the Fire Frog’s corpse.

The sensation was distinctly different from the frog eggs he had touched moments ago.

As he extracted the ice and held it, a chilling sensation spread throughout his entire body.

[Acquired Item ‘Crystal Ice’!]

[Achieved the clear condition for ‘Room of Fire Bath’!]

‘So this is Crystal Ice! Some of the Fire Frogs drop Crystal Ice…!’

Overjoyed at finding the Crystal Ice he had been searching for so long, he completely forgot about Seo Kangrim for a moment.

He hurriedly stuffed the ice into his pocket.

‘If I take this back safely, wouldn’t I be the first to clear it?’

The thought of earning the title of First Clearer made his heart race with impatience.

This was no time to be looking for someone like Seo Kangrim.

Cheon Gunam frantically began heading back toward the entrance.

‘Thank god. No more demon beasts are showing up either.’

Normally, he might have sensed something was off.

Where had all those swarms of demon beasts gone?

But utterly exhausted, Cheon Gunam simply considered it a blessing and lucky break, quickening his pace.

‘I’m almost there!’

After walking for a long time, he finally made it back near the entrance.

A small door appeared in the distance.

Seeing the door, his heart began to pound with exhilaration.

‘Please, please… Let me be first…!’

Cheon Gunam prayed to the gods and pulled the door handle open.

At that moment, a notification window popped up.

[First Clear of the Second Door, ‘Room of Fire Bath’!]

[Clearer: Cheon Gunam (Solo)]

[Special rewards for the First Clear have arrived!]

Seeing the message announcing the First Clear, Cheon Gunam was left dumbfounded.

‘Am I really the First Clearer?’

An achievement he could hardly believe himself.

Amidst his bewilderment, he felt an indescribable surge of ecstasy.

The people nearby must have seen the message as well, as a commotion broke out.

“The Room of Fire Bath has been cleared?”

“Who was it? Seo Kangrim?”

“Uh, no. It’s Mr. Cheon Gunam…?”

The people in the lobby stared at him in astonishment.

Their eyes were filled with awe and admiration.

He was half-naked, but the ecstasy far outweighed any embarrassment.

People approached him and struck up conversations.

“Mr. Gunam, you already cleared it?”

“That’s incredible. Clearing it alone in a single day…!”

“I couldn’t find Crystal Ice no matter how hard I looked. Where did you find it?”

The face that had been filled with anger and hatred just moments ago now wore its usual look of composure.

He flashed a bright smile and spoke.

“It was easier than I thought. I’d love to tell you, but I’m a bit exhausted…”

“Then you absolutely have to go with us next time!”

“Yes. Yes, of course.”

Just as Cheon Gunam was about to triumphantly return to his room, the second door burst open and someone walked out.

“Mr. Cheon, Gunam…?”

The person who emerged was Seo Kangrim.

Seo Kangrim stared at Cheon Gunam in disbelief.

Seeing his wretched state, Cheon Gunam couldn’t help but laugh.

‘I cleared it faster than Seo Kangrim!’

He wanted to beat Seo Kangrim to a pulp right then and there, but the joy of achieving the First Clear was simply too great.

Cheon Gunam let out a quiet chuckle.

“For someone who ran away alone, you look quite terrible.”

Despite Cheon Gunam’s mockery, Seo Kangrim remained silent.

Seeing this, Cheon Gunam felt a rush of sheer delight.

Putting on a magnanimous expression, he extended his hand.

“Well, I’ll forgive you this once.”

Seo Kangrim hesitated for a moment before taking his hand.

His bandages had already come undone.

Seo Kangrim’s right hand was exposed defenselessly, and Cheon Gunam saw it clearly.

[Special Ability ‘Palm Reading’ is activating!]

[Reading the fate of target ‘Seo Kangrim’.]

═══════════════

[Name] Seo Kangrim

[Rank] Third Insect Grade

[Five Elements] Fire

[Special Abilities] Ten-Foot Blaze (Second Insect Grade), Sword Draw (First Human Grade)

═══════════════

Seeing the Fortune Window, Cheon Gunam was inwardly surprised.

‘What? He was Third Insect Grade?’

Seo Kangrim’s fate was so utterly ordinary that it actually shocked him.

The slightly higher grade of the Sword Draw ability among his Special Abilities caught his eye, but there was nothing else unusual.

‘Did he clear the Room of the Mountain of Death so easily because his ability grade was high?’

Something felt slightly off, but there was nothing particularly strange about the Fortune Window.

Seo Kangrim subtly withdrew his hand.

“Excuse me, then.”

Seo Kangrim hurriedly fled the scene.

Should he have slugged him at least once? Cheon Gunam felt a twinge of regret.

As he was lost in thought, he sensed a presence behind him.

“You’re quite remarkable.”

Turning around, he saw Dokgo Jun standing there.

When he had read his palm earlier, he was clearly the man with the strange Special Ability called ‘Dreamer’.

Dokgo Jun smiled faintly and spoke.

“I’ve been challenging that place for days, but I kept failing. Even Seo Kangrim ended up in such a mess, yet you cleared it in a single day.”

At the mention of Seo Kangrim, Cheon Gunam let a hint of displeasure show as he replied.

“…Is it so strange that I cleared it in a day?”

“No. I just find it interesting.”

Dokgo Jun said with a wide grin.

“Maybe you were the protagonist all along?”

“…Excuse me?”

The more they talked, the more Cheon Gunam felt that something was going wrong.

Regardless of Cheon Gunam’s reaction, Dokgo Jun kept rambling on as he pleased.

“I thought Seo Kangrim would be a companion or the protagonist, but he was weaker than I expected.”

“What in the world are you talking about?”

Dokgo Jun’s eyes gleamed with an incomprehensible madness.

“I just have a feeling that you might be my companion.”