Recruiting two snipers from the Flying Tiger Sect would make them significantly stronger this time around.

Seo Kangrim kept that thought to himself as he spoke.

“It’s best to stick with weapons you’re familiar with. For now, let’s focus on hunting.”

“Yes!”

The two answered and immediately began chasing down nearby rabbits.

Before joining the hunt himself, Seo Kangrim spent Merit Points to boost his abilities.

[‘Strength’ increases to Rank 12!]

[‘Stamina’ increases to Rank 10!]

[‘Agility’ increases to Rank 12!]

[‘Senses’ increases to Rank 15!]

[‘Magic Power’ increases to Rank 9!]

Blood surged through every limb, and his eyes snapped open as if struck by lightning.

The snowfield that had looked like nothing but a blank white expanse moments ago now revealed every movement of the demon beasts with crystal clarity.

-seujeok!

He flew across the snow like he was gliding over it and slashed through the neck of a hiding snow deer.

In an instant, the white expanse was stained crimson.

He wielded an ordinary sword, yet the moment his hand closed around the hilt, the blade seemed to sharpen itself as if it were a legendary weapon.

“Kangrim, you’re seriously strong…….”

Yoon Gyeoul, who had been chasing rabbits nearby, stopped in his tracks as if spellbound and stared at Seo Kangrim.

To his own eyes, there was nothing but white snowfield as far as he could see—yet every time Seo Kangrim swung his blade, a demon beast fell.

Yoon Bom was watching the same scene beside him.

“You’re so strong……. They said you cleared the first room all by yourself, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I wish I could be that strong someday…….”

Seo Kangrim, who had been thoroughly absorbed in the hunt, finally came to a stop only after clearing every demon beast in the vicinity.

Spirit Jade was rolling out all over the place.

He had collected all of it, but that wasn’t the end.

‘There are things I need besides Spirit Jade.’

The demon beast carcasses scattered around were a veritable treasure trove.

Beginners scrambled to grab only the Spirit Jade, but there was far too much valuable material to simply leave behind.

‘The hides, bones, and meat from demon beasts are all useful materials.’

He picked up the carcass of a Snow-horned Rabbit nearby and began butchering it.

Even the small horn was a usable item.

‘I can put it in the Offering Vessel later, or use it as crafting material.’

Midway through the butchering, Seo Kangrim suddenly felt eyes on him and glanced over his shoulder.

Yoon Bom was standing there.

When their gazes met, she startled and stumbled backward, then flashed an awkward smile.

“What?”

“Oh, n-nothing. I was just curious! Can I watch from here?”

“Suit yourself.”

Yoon Bom grinned and squatted down beside him to observe the butchering process.

Most people would have recoiled at the gore and turned away, but she seemed to have a stronger stomach than expected.

‘Then again, that’s probably why she became the finest sharpshooter.’

His desire to recruit Yoon Bom into the Flying Tiger Sect only grew stronger.

Seo Kangrim surveyed the area while continuing his work.

“Where’s Yoon Gyeoul?”

“Oh, he said he had to step away for a moment……. Bathroom break.”

Only weak demon beasts appeared in this area, so Yoon Gyeoul wouldn’t be in any danger.

Besides, Yoon Gyeoul’s death was still days away.

‘Still, better go find him just in case.’

He began wrapping up the butchering.

As he cleaned up, Yoon Bom chattered beside him.

“If you’re this strong, Kangrim, you’ll clear this in no time. You only need to catch ten, right?”

“Not exactly. It’s not ten beasts—it’s ten species. And chances are, some of those ten are a lot tougher than these rabbits.”

This demon realm was vast, making it difficult to track down demon beasts.

On top of that, some only appeared at night, others refused to show themselves when too many people were around, and certain species only emerged under specific weather conditions.

With bad luck, someone could go days without finding that one last species.

“It’ll definitely take me a while. The demon beasts all have camouflage, so they’re really hard to spot.”

“You’ll get used to it soon enough.”

“Really?”

Yoon Bom beamed and giggled with delight.

As they chatted, Yoon Gyeoul’s voice rang out from nearby.

“Bom! Kangrim! Could you come over here for a second?”

His voice carried a note of urgency.

He didn’t sound hurt himself, but not wanting to take any chances, Seo Kangrim quickened his pace.

As he drew closer, he could see Yoon Gyeoul waving at them.

“What’s wrong?”

Seo Kangrim looked Yoon Gyeoul over—he didn’t appear injured.

Well, someone was hurt.

Yoon Gyeoul gestured toward a collapsed figure and spoke.

“He was being chased by a demon beast, so I helped him out, but he’s injured. I’m out of potions, too…….”

Seo Kangrim glanced at the injured person.

The man caught Seo Kangrim’s gaze and hastily averted his eyes.

Yoon Bom’s eyes went wide, and she addressed the man in surprise.

“Cheon Gunam? What are you doing here?”

The man lying frozen on the ground was none other than Cheon Gunam.

Frostbite had turned the tip of his nose an angry red.

When he didn’t answer, Yoon Bom tilted her head and asked again.

“Come to think of it, weren’t you traveling with Dokgo Jun?”

“I-I’m operating solo now.”

That was what he said, but Seo Kangrim could read between the lines.

He hadn’t gone solo—he’d been abandoned.

And that was exactly what had happened.

‘D-damn it. That bastard Dokgo Jun. He called me his ally and then……!’

At first, hunting alongside Dokgo Jun had felt like a decent partnership.

With someone far stronger than himself leading the charge, the hunting had been easy.

Simply providing support from the rear during combat was enough to secure victory.

The problem was when Dokgo Jun’s attitude began to shift.

[Cheon Gunam, why don’t you step up and fight? Are you the type of protagonist who hides his true power?]

[What? What are you talking about?]

He had posed that baffling question, then laughed as if he’d figured it all out on his own.

[So you can’t use your full power because of me, huh? Sorry about that, I was clueless. Let’s split up for now. Let me know when you’re ready to unleash your strength.]

With that, Dokgo Jun had started operating alone.

Left to fend for himself, Cheon Gunam’s ordeal had only just begun.

Several hours had passed since he entered the Room of Cold Ice.

Fighting on his own, he was acutely reminded of his own weakness.

A considerable amount of time had elapsed, yet he still hadn’t managed to bring down a single demon beast.

‘I tried to find a new party, but for some reason, nobody would give me the time of day…….’

He had attempted to join a new party, but people avoided him, believing he had deliberately spread false information.

Begging to be let into a party was beneath his dignity.

‘Even if I try to hunt alone, Water Bullet barely works against water-attribute demon beasts.’

On top of that, since he hadn’t properly cleared the second room, his overall stats were low.

With his Senses rank so low, even finding demon beasts was a struggle.

To make matters worse, he’d been pricked by a Snow-horned Rabbit and ended up paralyzed.

‘Damn it all. Of all people, I had to run into Seo Kangrim.’

The last person he wanted to see—Seo Kangrim—was staring down at him.

He looked at Cheon Gunam for a moment, then casually spoke.

“Need help?”

Those words sent a surge of fury through Cheon Gunam.

A sharp retort flew out before he could stop himself.

“No! I don’t need your help. I’m perfectly fine on my own!”

“He says he’s fine.”

Cheon Gunam instantly regretted it, but the words were already out and couldn’t be taken back.

Yoon Bom regarded him with a hint of concern.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“O-of course.”

Even now, Cheon Gunam was still putting up a front.

Seo Kangrim gave him a pitying look, then turned to Yoon Bom and Yoon Gyeoul.

“He says he’s fine. Let’s go.”

“R-right……!”

Yoon Bom and Yoon Gyeoul cast a fleeting glance at Cheon Gunam before following Seo Kangrim away.

Left alone, Cheon Gunam ground his teeth, seething with barely contained rage.

‘Seo Kangrim, you’re nothing special—you just have numbers on your side……!’

He wanted to chase after them and settle things once and for all, but knowing his own limitations, he had no choice but to sit there.

How could he make Seo Kangrim pay?

As Cheon Gunam glared holes into Seo Kangrim’s retreating back—

“……Huh?”

As if he’d heard something, Cheon Gunam turned to look behind him.

* * *

“Ugh, that’s enough! I’m done!”

Yoon Gyeoul groaned and flopped onto his back in the snow, exhausted from the hunt.

His fingers were numb and tingling from drawing his bow for so long.

Yoon Bom stood quietly, but the look on her face said she was just as worn out.

‘Not bad for their first day.’

Seo Kangrim examined the demon beasts the two had brought down.

Few in variety, but the number of kills was impressive.

At this rate, the demon beasts in the area had been practically wiped out.

“Let’s start heading back. It’s going to get dark.”

Seo Kangrim said this and looked up at the sky.

Just as he said, the sky was gradually darkening.

At the suggestion to head back down, both nodded without objection.

“Alright, let’s hurry back, Kangrim.”

They began trudging back toward the entrance through the deep, crunching snow.

Night fell fast on Snow Mountain, the sun sinking as quickly as their pace of descent.

As they walked, Seo Kangrim suddenly came to a halt.

“……Hold on.”

“What is it?”

Yoon Gyeoul, trailing behind, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Seo Kangrim was staring intently into the distance.

“I heard something.”

“Huh? I didn’t hear anything…….”

Yoon Gyeoul’s Senses rank was too low to catch it.

Yoon Bom appeared equally bewildered—she hadn’t heard it either.

But Seo Kangrim had definitely caught that faint sound.

And it was a voice he recognized.

“Someone’s out there.”

Pricking his ears, he began moving toward the source of the sound.

Beyond the birch forest, someone’s voice rang out clearly.

“S-somebody help me!”

By now, Yoon Gyeoul and Yoon Bom had apparently heard it too.

Seo Kangrim drew his sword and spoke.

“You two head back.”

“What? But what about you…….”

“I’ll be fine. Go back right now. Before the sun sets.”

If he brought Yoon Gyeoul into a dangerous situation and the boy ended up dead, it would be a disaster.

Seo Kangrim made it absolutely clear they were not to follow, then sprinted toward the screams.

“N-no! I don’t want to die here……!”

“Everyone, stay calm!”

“Aaaagh!”

Amid the cacophony of panicked voices, one stood out to him.

Seo Kangrim crashed through the undergrowth and raced forward.

And beyond the trees, he spotted familiar faces.

Shin Sooa and several others were surrounded by White Night Wolves.