“Regardless of what you all say, I have no intention of traveling together.”

Dokgo Jun looked reluctant to part ways, and Shin Sooa’s face filled with concern.

She turned to Seo Kangrim and asked.

“Then are you planning to go alone?”

“Yes.”

“It will be difficult to handle the Zone 1 people all by yourself.”

“I will think about that when the time comes.”

Shin Sooa gazed at Seo Kangrim with a somewhat worried look.

Was he planning to shoulder everything alone again?

She wanted to keep persuading him, but seeing that Seo Kangrim was not inclined to agree, she eventually acquiesced.

“Understood. But if anything happens, please make sure to tell us.”

As Shin Sooa stepped back, Seo Kangrim glanced at Dokgo Jun.

Shin Sooa had stopped urging him, but Dokgo Jun seemed like the type who would insist on tagging along.

Fortunately, however, Dokgo Jun showed signs of readily giving up.

“Then it can’t be helped. I suppose I’ll have to stay with your group, Ms. Shin Sooa.”

At those words, Shin Sooa furrowed her brows slightly.

“What about my opinion?”

“If I stay by myself, I might get attacked and killed by demon beasts or Zone 1. Take me with you, Ms. Shin Sooa.”

At his nonchalant remark, Shin Sooa let out a short sigh.

Knowing full well that wouldn’t happen given Dokgo Jun’s skills, she still nodded.

“Alright. I’ll take Mr. Dokgo Jun with me.”

“Ah, and.”

Seo Kangrim glanced at Father Yohan and spoke.

“Father Yohan, it would be best for you to stay at Ms. Shin Sooa’s camp as well.”

“Huh? Just me?”

“Yes. It will be safer that way.”

“But I can’t just leave you alone, Brother Seo Kangrim…”

Seeing Father Yohan hesitating, Seo Kangrim nodded as if to say it was fine.

“It is fine. The demon beasts here are not as strong as I thought, so I doubt I will need a healing special ability.”

“Ah, still…”

“In fact, if you are here, Father, I won’t be able to focus on fighting.”

Only after hearing those words did Father Yohan rise from his seat as if he had no choice.

Shin Sooa took care of Father Yohan before giving Seo Kangrim a brief glance of farewell.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Seo Kangrim.”

“See you tomorrow, Kangrim.”

The three left the camp, promising to meet again tomorrow.

The surroundings, which had been bustling just moments ago, instantly grew quiet.

At least the gods remained by Seo Kangrim’s side.

【Oh, are you just letting Father Yohan go?】

【So Kangrim isn’t going to do the meat mukbang anymore?】

【It was fun, you should do it more.】

【Or are you not going to eat anymore?】

“I drew too much attention, so pushing it further would be dangerous.”

If the Zone 2 people had noticed this place, there was a high probability the news had reached the Zone 1 members as well.

Fighting alone was fine, but if he left Father Yohan behind and something terrible happened while he was away, it would be a disaster.

‘Poison Resistance’ had currently risen to First Insect Grade.

At this level, he felt it was about time to move on to the next step.

After tidying up his surroundings, Seo Kangrim headed deeper into the forest.

It was the direction of the Orchard.

The fragrant and sweet scent of fruit began to grow closer.

As he reached the entrance of the Orchard, the scent grew even stronger.

Today too, the fruits grown by feeding on blood and flesh hung enticingly.

【Are you trying to loot the Orchard this time?】

【Are you planning to clear it at a lower-grade difficulty?】

【Ah, what do you take our Kangrim for?】

Seo Kangrim also had no intention of clearing it at a lower-grade difficulty.

There was also the proposal from the Princess.

The proposal she made was, ‘If you succeed in the First Clear at an upper-grade difficulty, I will give you additional rewards.’

Along with that message, a gift had arrived.

‘It was quite a useful item. The additional reward was good too.’

Since he had originally planned to clear it at a higher difficulty anyway, Seo Kangrim had readily accepted.

As Seo Kangrim drew his sword and entered the Orchard, the vicinity became rowdy before long.

【Oooo, the monkeys are coming.】

【They seem a lot more pissed off today.】

The monkeys discovered the intruder and charged forward in a fit of rage.

The demon beasts wielding iron pincers shrieked as they lunged at Seo Kangrim.

-Ukkiik!

Seo Kangrim swung his sword without hesitation.

As his blade swiftly sliced through the air, the monkeys’ heads dropped to the ground like falling fruit.

‘To dispatch them so easily. It feels amazing all over again.’

In his past life, how much had he agonized over these sentinels?

While he was harvesting Spirit Jade from the demon beast’s mouth, an egg was wriggling inside his coat.

-Ttak-ttak!

It seemed its appetite had been stirred by the scent of food nearby.

Seo Kangrim picked a few White Fragrance Fruits and brought them to the egg’s mouth.

The egg devoured the food as if ravenous.

【Aigoo, aigoo, it’s eating so well.】

【So the bet is on? What are you guys betting on?】

【I vote for the Yellow Dragon.】

【I vote for the Vermilion Bird.】

【Oooo, soar high, Vermilion Bird~】

After feeding the egg to some extent, Seo Kangrim began to venture deeper into the Orchard.

The Orchard was far more expansive than it appeared from the outside.

It felt as though most of the island was composed of the Orchard.

As he went deeper, the fragrance of the fruit grew richer, and simultaneously, a threatening sound reached his ears.

-Grrrrr….

Seo Kangrim hid his body behind a tree and surveyed his surroundings.

Something the size of a human was prowling around, wielding iron pincers.

【Ooo, Seongseong appeared~!】

【That one looks way stronger than the ones earlier.】

【Kangrim, guard your tongue well!】

The demon beast’s name was Seongseong.

It had a similar form to the monkeys at the entrance, but its size was much larger.

Perhaps the difference between a monkey and a gorilla.

Its rank was Second Human Grade.

Checking its Fortune Window, its stamina and agility were quite high.

However, it would not be a major problem for Seo Kangrim.

[‘Strength’ has grown to Stage 25!]

[‘Stamina’ has grown to Stage 18!]

[‘Agility’ has grown to Stage 25!]

[‘Senses’ has grown to Stage 26!]

[‘Magic Power’ has grown to Stage 18!]

He had invested the Merit Points he had accumulated so far to increase his abilities.

As Seongseong prowled the Orchard, dragging its iron pincers, it entered Seo Kangrim’s domain.

At that moment, Seo Kangrim stalked Seongseong’s rear, looking every bit like a beast of prey.

-Ukkyaaak!

In an instant, a sword was buried in the back of its neck, and blood began to gush out.

Normally, it would have been an instant kill, but Seongseong twisted its body in a flash, barely avoiding a vital point.

Clutching its own neck as if trying to stop the bleeding, it turned its head toward Seo Kangrim.

However, Seo Kangrim was no longer there.

-Puk!

Seo Kangrim, who had approached from the side at some point, plunged his sword into Seongseong’s heart.

With its vital point pierced, Seongseong ultimately fell to its knees on the ground.

【Whoa, Seongseong died in one hit?】

【Hey, did Seo Kangrim get a lot stronger?】

【At this rate, he’ll clear the Orchard in no time, right?】

The gods were chattering away, but Seo Kangrim did not let his guard down.

He harvested the Spirit Jade from the corpse while scanning his surroundings.

‘Why is there only one?’

Usually, the sentinels patrolled the Orchard in groups of at least three.

It was extremely rare for a sentinel to be wandering alone.

‘Are they around? I need to hurry.’

Seo Kangrim kept his guard up and quickly headed deeper into the Orchard.

As he proceeded inward, a different type of fruit tree came into view.

While the White Fragrance Fruit was green, this fruit was blue.

The moment he picked the fruit, a message rang out.

[You have acquired the item ‘Heavenly Fragrance Fruit’.]

[You have achieved the clear condition for ‘Room of Tread (Intermediate Difficulty)’.]

【Oooo, Seo Kangrim achieved intermediate grade!】

【Dokgo Jun and Shin Sooa haven’t even found an intermediate grade one yet, right?】

【I really want to bestow a Divine Descent on Seo Kangrim…】

【But is that the Heavenly Fragrance Fruit? Does it smell better?】

True to its name, the Heavenly Fragrance Fruit exuded a much richer fragrance compared to the White Fragrance Fruit.

A message informed him that he had completed it at an intermediate difficulty, but Seo Kangrim showed no signs of joy.

He hadn’t picked it for that purpose in the first place, after all.

He took a bite out of the Heavenly Fragrance Fruit.

[You have consumed the ‘Heavenly Fragrance Fruit’.]

[Magic Power experience has slightly increased.]

[Poison Resistance has slightly increased.]

【Seo Kangrim just eats everything he sees.】

【No, why is he eating the clear item himself?】

【Still, eating that raises his magic power and Poison Resistance, right?】

【Right. That’s probably why the Fate Protection Bureau chose this place too.】

Just as the gods said, repeating battles while consuming the fruits here would allow one to clear this place, albeit slowly.

While Seo Kangrim was picking and eating a few Heavenly Fragrance Fruits, he sensed a presence nearby.

‘Did they finally arrive?’

Seo Kangrim turned around without any agitation.

What stood there were not sentinels, but humans.

People with unfamiliar faces were surrounding Seo Kangrim.

“Hmm, so. You’re Zone 2’s Seo Kangrim, right?”

Instead of answering, Seo Kangrim gave them a fleeting glance.

The person who had raided his tent last time was also among them.

Back then, they had fled in a panic, but now they were looking at Seo Kangrim with an air of triumph.

“How did you know my name?”

“That’s not important.”

Even while conversing, Seo Kangrim was observing them.

One of them was carrying Seongseong’s corpse over his shoulder.

He had been bothered by the fact that the sentinel was alone earlier; it seemed these people had taken care of the rest of the sentinels.

“I have something to discuss, so won’t you come with us? I don’t want to use force, so I’d appreciate it if you’d come along quietly.”

【Hey! Kangrim has his pride! Do you think he’d just follow along so obediently!】

“Understood.”

【What?】

Seo Kangrim readily accepted their proposal.

They looked just as surprised as the gods.

The man smirked and said.

“Good. Then follow me.”

They exited the Orchard, keeping Seo Kangrim surrounded.

The camp where the other zones’ people were staying was located deep within the forest.

It seemed they had been staying here for quite a while, as the camp showed signs of daily life.

‘The number of people… is about twice that of our zone.’

As Seo Kangrim entered the camp, a few people cast curious glances his way.

There were no wary gazes.

It was a relaxed attitude born from knowing full well that they were strong.

Seeing how easily they had caught Seongseong, it seemed their skills were genuinely quite good.

“Go inside here.”

The person who had brought Seo Kangrim tapped the partition and spoke.

It was a fairly spacious-looking tent.

As he lifted the flap and entered, the smell of cigarette smoke hit him.

The person inside, who was smoking a cigarette, turned to look at Seo Kangrim.

“Ah, you’re here.”

The man tossed his half-smoked cigarette onto the floor.

He ground it out with his foot and rose from his seat.

He was a man with a blunt and intimidating appearance.

“You’re Seo Kangrim, right?”

“And you are?”

“Hong Daehoon from Zone 1. Nice to meet you.”

Even though he offered a greeting, Seo Kangrim’s expression remained impassive.

He looked at Hong Daehoon and asked.

“What is your business?”

Hong Daehoon seemed slightly offended by Seo Kangrim’s reaction.

He ground his teeth and spoke.

“You’re pretty short on words? Looks like you don’t understand the current situation?”