I surveyed the members of Zone 1.

There were about ten of them.

Unfortunately, the rest were nowhere to be seen.

As I scanned the surroundings, Hong Daehoon smirked and spoke.

“What? Are you waiting for your comrades to show up?”

When I stared at him blankly, Hong Daehoon offered a vicious smile.

“Worry about your own life. Hand over the fruit you picked earlier, and I’ll let you go safely.”

I let out a short sigh.

“I thought you were stupid, but you’re even more foolish than I imagined.”

“What?”

Ignoring the bristling Hong Daehoon, I leaped down from the tree.

I pointed at the tree and said.

“Take it if you want. Be my guest.”

Having just been cursed at, Hong Daehoon looked bewildered by my willing surrender.

But soon, his face twisted into a sneer.

“You should’ve just backed off quietly, you punk… I’ll let you off this once.”

Hong Daehoon said that and then turned to address the Zone 1 members.

“Those with high agility, climb up and pick the fruit. The rest of you, keep an eye on Seo Kangrim so he doesn’t run!”

At his command, several people surrounded me.

I didn’t bother resisting and waited quietly.

I only needed to wait a little while, after all.

The people picking the Myriad Fragrance fruits were beaming like farmers welcoming a bountiful harvest.

“Wow, we finally found it.”

“We’ve been running ourselves ragged all this time, but now we can finally go back.”

“Hong Daehoon! You’re gonna split the money properly once we get paid, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Everyone was enthusiastically picking the Myriad Fragrance fruits.

Amidst the excitement, one of the fruit pickers suddenly dropped the Myriad Fragrance fruit he was holding.

Seeing this, Hong Daehoon roared.

“Hey! Handle that carefully!”

“Uh, uh… B-but my body…”

As he spoke with a shiver, a heavy thud echoed from somewhere.

It was the person sitting on the opposite branch.

He was foaming at the mouth, his hands trembling violently.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

“Snap out of it!”

“What the hell is go… ing…”

The people examining the collapsed man began to stagger one by one.

So it has begun.

Notifications slowly started popping up in front of me too.

[The poisonous fragrance of ‘Myriad Fragrance’ begins to spread.]

A scent too potent ceases to be a fragrance and becomes a weapon.

Like mixing dozens of perfumes in one place—rather than creating a better scent, it only induces dizziness.

As the fragrance of the Myriad Fragrance fruit filled the air, a nearby flower bed caught my eye.

Hidden beneath the flowers, making it difficult to notice at first glance, white bones jutted out here and there.

They were the corpses of those who had died intoxicated by the Myriad Fragrance fruit’s scent.

If I hadn’t raised my ‘Poison Resistance’, I would have ended up just like them.

[The effect of ‘Myriad Fragrance’ has been nullified due to ‘Poison Resistance’!]

Behind this beautiful paradise lurked a hell.

The poison seemed to have started spreading through Hong Daehoon as well; he was clutching his head and stumbling.

“Damn it… What the hell is this… Why, poison…”

While the others were collapsing one by one, Hong Daehoon was still holding on.

As expected of a Ghost Grade, I suppose.

Or perhaps eating the White Fragrance Fruit and Cheonhyang had built up his poison resistance.

The easiest way to clear this place.

It was to consume large quantities of White Fragrance Fruit and Cheonhyang to build up poison resistance before entering.

It took a long time, but it was the most certain method.

Hong Daehoon glared at me with bloodshot eyes and spoke.

“Seo Kangrim… Why are you perfectly fine…!”

“Trade secret.”

-Kagang!

Before I could even finish speaking, Hong Daehoon grabbed his weapon and charged at me.

He was holding a spear with a rather unique shape.

A weapon I hadn’t seen before.

Light gathered at the tip of the blade, shining intensely as if ready to pierce the eye.

═══════════════

[Item] Bangcheonhwageok (Replica)

[Rank] Third Dragon Grade

[Description] A long-range weapon capable of thrusting, slashing, and striking. Possesses powerful attack power.

═══════════════

A Bangcheonhwageok?

Even if it was a replica, it was not an easy weapon to obtain at our current level.

I wondered if he had received it from the Guardian God, but even so, it was far too excessive.

“Where did you get that weapon?”

“You don’t need to know. What’s important is…”

Hong Daehoon gripped the Bangcheonhwageok and glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.

“Hand over the Myriad Fragrance fruit right now.”

-Kaang!

The moment he finished speaking, Hong Daehoon rushed in and swung the Bangcheonhwageok at me.

I managed to block the attack, but the arm holding my sword tingled with numbness.

It wasn’t simply because the weapon was good.

Hong Daehoon’s abilities themselves were vastly superior to mine.

“You little punk, acting all high and mighty but you’re nothing…!”

Hong Daehoon must have realized this too, as he bared his teeth in a grin.

To think he was this strong even while suffering the penalty of the Myriad Fragrance fruit’s spreading poison.

It made sense how Zone 1 had monopolized the First Clear in my past life, given this level of skill.

“Die!”

-Kagang, Kkang!

He screamed as if vomiting blood and unleashed a flurry of attacks.

Blocking one attack immediately invited another from the opposite direction.

Even when I blocked, the impact felt like taking a direct hit.

There was no room for a counterattack, nor could I close the distance into his range.

“Haha, hahaha! I was scared for nothing!”

His momentum surged, and he poured on a fierce offensive.

At this rate, it was obvious I would lose.

However, I hadn’t faced them without any preparation.

[Equipping the item ‘Lightning-Struck Seven-Branch Sword (Unrefined)’!]

I swiftly drew the Seven-Blade Sword from the Storage Pouch.

I could see Hong Daehoon’s bewilderment at the sudden appearance of my weapon.

Now, there was only more confusion to come.

[Special Ability ‘Hidden One’ activates!]

“You little…!”

As I vanished right before his eyes, Hong Daehoon screamed in fury.

I quickly slipped into his range and swung my sword.

The six blades lunged like a beast’s fangs, ready to tear into Hong Daehoon.

-Kaang!

But my sword was blocked by Hong Daehoon’s wildly swung spear.

Luck seemed to be on Hong Daehoon’s side.

Realizing I had closed the distance, Hong Daehoon began to shriek wildly.

“Come closer and I’ll kill you!”

He started swinging the Bangcheonhwageok in all directions.

As if a whirlwind had erupted, the surrounding grass and trees were instantly mowed down.

【Wow, that Bangcheonhwageok class is insane.】

【Hey, Kangrim, just use Hidden One and run!】

【Yeah, just run!】

As the gods chattered away, I activated the Hidden One ability.

Hong Daehoon was still slashing mercilessly left and right with his eyes wide open.

【Looks like Kangrim ran away.】

【Yeah, that’s the wise choice.】

Running away was the easy way out.

I could just use the Hidden One and slip out of here, just as the gods suggested.

But there was no reason to run when I could win.

I held my breath and simply waited.

As Hong Daehoon continued swinging his spear, his breathing grew ragged, and his face gradually turned a purplish hue.

With his rough breathing came faster breaths, forcing him to inhale more of the Myriad Fragrance fruit’s fragrance.

[‘Hong Daehoon’ is being consumed by the Myriad Fragrance fruit’s poison!]

What he should have done was not fight me, but get as far away from the Myriad Fragrance tree as quickly as possible.

Eventually, it wasn’t long before blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth.

After confirming this, I revealed myself.

“Looks like the poison has finally spread completely.”

“You cowardly… Cough!”

He coughed up blood and barely managed to stumble backward.

Seeing tears of blood slowly streaming down his face, it seemed the Myriad Fragrance fruit’s poison had nearly reached its limit.

Leaning against the Myriad Fragrance tree, Hong Daehoon gasped for breath and spoke.

“Do you… do you think you can get out of here safely?”

“…”

“Last time, I learned something from you.”

Hong Daehoon flashed a mad smile on his blood-stained face.

He pulled something from his chest.

It was a lighter.

“You’re going to burn to death here too!”

“…!”

Before I could stop him, he set the Myriad Fragrance tree on fire.

As if they had been waiting, the flames leaped onto the tree and began to spread in all directions.

I knew he was stupid, but not to this extent.

If that tree burned down, it would be troublesome in many ways.

I hadn’t yet collected a sufficient amount of Myriad Fragrance fruits.

I rushed to put out the fire, but Hong Daehoon used the last of his strength to block me.

He was laughing even as he bled.

“Hahaha! Look at you panicking…!”

“You’re going to die too at this rate.”

“If I’m going to die anyway, it’s better to die together!”

I tried to use the ‘Hidden One’ to subdue him, but he didn’t dodge my attacks, taking them head-on.

Before I knew it, the fire had spread rapidly, with flames blooming like flowers on every branch.

As the Myriad Fragrance fruits caught fire, their fragrance grew even stronger.

[The poisonous fragrance of ‘Myriad Fragrance’ is strengthened!]

[Exceeding the threshold of ‘Poison Resistance’, you are beginning to be consumed by the poisonous fragrance!]

For a moment, my legs wobbled.

The scent that had once felt sweet had now surpassed that level, causing bile to rise in my throat.

The more the fire raged, the more potent the fragrance became.

【Wow, Hong Daehoon is a lunatic.】

【Is he trying to set everything on fire and die together here?】

【Hey, hey, hey, Seo Kangrim, snap out of it!】

【Aaaagh, the Myriad Fragrance fruits are all burning!】

Even if I tried to run, my body wouldn’t listen due to the fragrance and smoke.

The Myriad Fragrance tree had become a massive pillar of flame, burning fiercely.

Even with Poison Resistance, I couldn’t withstand the overwhelming fragrance of the burning Myriad Fragrance fruit.

If time passed like this, I wouldn’t even be able to move a finger.

I raised my trembling hand and took an item out of the Storage Pouch.

Hong Daehoon asked with a puzzled look.

“What’s that… That egg?”

The Unknown Egg and the Cheonhyang fell to the ground with a clatter.

With the last of my strength, I picked up the egg and brought it to the Cheonhyang.

-Wajak!

The egg caught the scent of the Cheonhyang and began devouring it frantically.

It felt as though I could hear the egg’s heartbeat.

Soon, a notification popped up before my eyes.

[The Earth attribute of ‘??? Egg’ increases by 1.1%.]

[Growth Status: 100%]

As the growth status reached 100%, the egg began to quiver as if vibrating.

It was now time for the egg to hatch.

【Gasp, it’s finally hatching!】

【What’s going to come out?】

【Hey, but isn’t it useless for it to hatch right now?】

【No! If a Black Tortoise comes out, we might survive by putting out the fire!】

【You idiot, but it ate too much Earth attribute!】

The outcome of the Unknown Egg varied depending on the attribute of its feed.

For example, if the feed’s attribute was entirely Fire, a Vermilion Bird would be born.

Wood attribute would yield a Blue Dragon.

Metal attribute, a White Tiger.

Water attribute, a Black Tortoise.

Earth attribute, a Yellow Dragon.

[??? Egg begins to hatch!]

Cracks slowly began to form on the egg, and a brilliant light poured out.

Along with the light, the silhouette of an animal was cast before me.

It was neither a bird, a dragon, a tiger, nor a turtle.