I rose from my spot and woke Father Yohan.

“Father Yohan.”

“Ah, y-yes… Brother…”

“We’re under attack. Get up.”

At my words, Father Yohan scrambled to his feet and put on his glasses.

The number of people surrounding the tent… four, perhaps?

【Wow, and I thought the first day would pass without incident!】

【Who is it? Who?】

【Hurry up and get out there, Kangrim! I want to see what happens!】

【Send Father Yohan out first!】

Send Father Yohan out first? That was absurd.

I whispered to him in a low voice.

“I’ll go out and deal with them, so stay inside, Father. Running away will only make things worse, so scream for me if you’re in danger.”

“Y-Yes, right…”

Father Yohan was already terrified out of his wits.

I figured they might tear through the tent, but it seemed they were after the tent itself, waiting just outside.

As I held my breath, the tent’s entrance slowly began to open.

The moment the outside air slipped in, I thrust my blade through the gap.

“Aagh!”

A scream erupted alongside the sensation of steel piercing flesh.

I immediately burst out of the tent and swung my sword at the attackers.

Startled faces registered in my vision.

“I thought he was asleep!”

“Just take it!”

“Gather up all the food, clothes, and the tent!”

The attackers were all unfamiliar faces.

They glared at me with feral, vicious eyes.

I checked their Fortune Windows; they were at least Human Grade.

【Whoa, there are more of them than expected.】

【Will Kangrim be okay on his own?】

【Right? He should have traveled with the others.】

【Hey, aren’t you guys underestimating Kangrim too much? He has the Seven-Blade Sword, you know.】

【Right? He never carries it around, so I forgot.】

Just as they said, if I drew the Seven-Blade Sword and activated ‘Fighting Instinct’, I could win.

The problem was that I couldn’t guarantee I’d leave them alive.

There was a high probability I would end up killing them.

I wanted to keep them alive to extract information if possible…

Leaving just one alive would be enough.

While I was pondering who to spare, one of them spoke up.

“Hey. Hand over the food and we’ll let you go peacefully.”

“Yeah. We’re thieves, not murderers.”

A scoff escaped my lips before I could stop it.

Even if they weren’t murderers, stealing someone’s food in this Demon Realm was tantamount to killing them.

I glared at them and spoke.

“And if I don’t?”

“Then we’ll just have to take it by force.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the man raised an axe and charged at me.

Having slain quite a few Demon Beasts in the previous Demon Realm, my ‘Agility’ had surpassed level 20.

I moved before he could even act.

-Ppagak!

“Keugh!”

I drove my knee upward into his jaw, then immediately clubbed him over the head with the hilt of my sword.

As the man staggered and collapsed, another lunged at me.

His grade was higher than mine, but he wasn’t particularly strong.

-Ppuuk!

“Aagh!”

I buried my blade in his thigh, and he immediately lost his balance and crumpled.

Just as I moved to deal the finishing blow…

-Ppeong!

An explosion rang out, and the surrounding area filled with smoke.

It seemed the surviving attacker had used a smoke bomb.

Soon, the sound of footsteps scattering in multiple directions reached my ears.

【What? I can’t see anything because of the smoke!】

【Ah, come on, that’s boring. Are they running away?】

【Those bastards have no pride.】

【Kangrim, hurry up and go catch them!】

I considered chasing one down, but decided to hold my position for now.

It looked highly likely to be a decoy tactic.

I couldn’t rule out the possibility that another might return to the tent while I was away.

As time passed, the smoke cleared, and silence fell over the area.

After confirming no stragglers remained nearby, I went back inside the tent.

Father Yohan was trembling, tears welling up in his eyes.

“B-Brother. Are you alright? What happened out there…”

“Thieves. It seems they were after our food.”

“Ah, how could they… Are you hurt anywhere?”

I nodded and sat down.

Father Yohan examined me from head to toe, but I had no injuries.

He let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank heavens you’re safe. But to think they tried to steal our food…”

I had heard rumors about thieves long before this.

Thieves who entered this place early, ran out of provisions, and then targeted the food of latecomers.

It seemed Choi Sangwon’s group had their supplies stolen in exactly that manner.

“Having a tent makes us stand out more. They might come back, so let’s relocate tomorrow.”

“Y-Yes, of course…”

“Get some sleep for now. A restless night will only hinder our schedule tomorrow.”

Only then did Father Yohan lie back down, his eyes still brimming with anxiety.

An awkward silence hung between us for a moment.

He tossed and turned before asking cautiously.

“Um… wouldn’t it have been better if you hadn’t brought me along? I’m just holding you back…”

“Not at all. Don’t worry about it. You’re going to be very busy starting tomorrow, Father.”

There was a lot for Father Yohan to do here.

I hadn’t fed him expensive food for nothing today.

Starting tomorrow, he was going to earn his keep.

* * *

The day after the thieves retreated.

Seo Kangrim’s party was on the move to change their campsite location.

Father Yohan hid behind a thicket, watching Seo Kangrim in the midst of combat.

Colossal Demon Beasts were falling helplessly before Seo Kangrim.

Watching the scene, Father Yohan marveled, yet couldn’t help but harbor a question.

‘Why did Brother Seo Kangrim bring me along?’

Seo Kangrim was strong.

So strong that one had to wonder if he even needed anyone’s help.

Even now, he was fighting the Demon Beasts as if taking flight.

-Kkuiik!

After Seo Kangrim’s sword flashed a few times, an Earth Boar let out a brutal scream and collapsed.

It was a massive creature, heavy enough to make the ground tremble.

Even as Father Yohan watched in awe, Seo Kangrim silently collected the Spirit Jade.

Once all the Demon Beasts had fallen, Father Yohan finally emerged from the bushes, hesitant and awkward.

“Um, Brother. Are you alright? Perhaps I should heal you first…”

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt.”

There had been quite a few battles from morning to late afternoon, yet Seo Kangrim didn’t have a single scratch.

Not just here, but also when he helped Father Yohan clear Demon Realms.

Throughout their runs of the first through fourth Demon Realms, Seo Kangrim rarely ever got injured.

‘It looks like he doesn’t need me… But the fact that he still went out of his way to bring me along shows that Brother Seo Kangrim is truly a good person.’

He must have taken pity on him for being unable to clear the Demon Realms on his own and decided to help.

Hadn’t he shared such a precious meal with him just yesterday?

Meanwhile, Seo Kangrim began dragging a Demon Beast off somewhere, just as he had yesterday.

Father Yohan asked, his curiosity piqued.

“Um, Brother. I’m curious, what do you use that Demon Beast for?”

“I’m planning to use it for dinner tonight.”

“Ah, for dinner tonight… What?!”

Father Yohan’s face filled with shock as he echoed the words back.

Seo Kangrim silently dragged the Demon Beast toward the riverbank.

As he began to butcher the creature, Father Yohan asked with a terrified expression.

“B-But didn’t you say that Demon Beast meat contains poison…?”

While exploring the island today, Seo Kangrim had explained a few basic rules.

Don’t touch the Orchard nearby, and be careful because the Demon Beasts in this realm are poisonous.

Despite this, Seo Kangrim maintained a calm expression.

“Yes. But it seems there’s a way to remove the poison.”

“How?”

Seo Kangrim pulled something from his pocket.

It was a leaf as large as a hand fan.

“Apparently, this leaf acts as an antidote. These leaves draw the venom out of the meat.”

“Wow, I see. How did you know that, Brother?”

Instead of answering, Seo Kangrim pointed to the sky with his hand.

Seeing that gesture, Father Yohan nodded in understanding.

‘God must have told him. Thank goodness.’

Having convinced himself, Father Yohan didn’t ask any further questions.

Setting up camp near the river, Seo Kangrim butchered the meat while preparing dinner simultaneously.

The meat that had been detoxified yesterday served as today’s dinner ingredient.

He skewered the meat and placed it over the campfire.

Soon, an appetizing aroma began to waft through the air.

“Father, you can eat now.”

Using the Detox Herb leaves from earlier as a plate, he placed the freshly roasted meat on top.

Father Yohan was moved by the presentable arrangement, but asked with a puzzled expression.

“Aren’t you going to eat, Brother?”

The food was placed only in front of Father Yohan.

Seo Kangrim nodded.

“I’ll eat separately in a bit. Go ahead and eat first.”

“But…”

“It’s fine.”

At Seo Kangrim’s insistence, Father Yohan hesitated before finally starting to eat the meat piece by piece.

He had been worried about the poison, but the taste was unexpectedly excellent.

Father Yohan finished his meal with satisfaction and offered his thanks.

“That was delicious, Brother.”

“Now that you’ve eaten, it’s time for you to help me, Father.”

“Ah, of course! Just name it!”

Thinking he was finally going to be of some help, Father Yohan beamed.

Seo Kangrim brought something over and set it in front of the smiling priest.

It was the raw meat of the Demon Beast they had just caught.

Blood dripped steadily from the greenish flesh.

Father Yohan stared at it in bewilderment.

“Brother, what in the world are you going to ask me to…”

Instead of answering, Seo Kangrim sliced off a piece of the raw meat and popped it into his own mouth.

It was meat that hadn’t undergone the detoxification process yet.

Father Yohan jumped in shock and cried out.

“B-Brother! You said that meat was poisonous!”

“Yes. It is poisonous.”

Seo Kangrim casually cut another piece and put it in his mouth.

A repulsive taste spread from his tongue throughout his entire body.

As the poison began to seep in, his veins started to bulge slightly.

Seo Kangrim coughed roughly and spoke.

“From now on, you just need to heal me, Father.”

“What?”

“I mean, you need to detoxify me.”

Whether Father Yohan was appalled or not, Seo Kangrim slowly cut another piece of meat and brought it to his mouth.

“Now. Begin, Father.”

The more poisonous meat he ate, the more the capillaries in his eyes began to stand out.

Even the gods were in an uproar.

【Whoa, Seo Kangrim, what are you doing?】

【Mom, he’s eating poison.】

【No, seriously, why the hell is he eating that?】

【Does it taste good? Must be something like pufferfish.】

As the poison spread, his entire body began to stiffen.

It wasn’t a lethal poison, but a paralytic one.

But Father Yohan, unaware of this fact, frantically activated his Special Ability.

[Special Ability ‘Healing Hand’ is activating!]

As a white light emanated from Father Yohan’s hands, Seo Kangrim felt his body rapidly relax.

Seo Kangrim exhaled a ragged breath.

His skin color returned to normal, and the paralysis was fading.

“B-Brother, are you alright?”

“…Yes, I can move my hand properly now.”

He clenched and unclenched his right hand, then started eating the Demon Beast meat again.

Father Yohan’s face went pale.

“I’m going to keep eating, so keep healing me.”