The imugi’s transformation into Gangcheol was born of deep-seated resentment.

The hatred and bitter regret of watching a millennium of effort evaporate into nothingness had twisted the imugi into a demonic beast.

But what if that resentment could be purified?

“You are not a demonic beast, nor are you a failed creation. You are simply a dragon.”

Seo Kangrim spoke without a trace of doubt or deception.

Not once did he refer to the imugi as a snake.

At Seo Kangrim’s words, Gangcheol’s eyes wavered, and the intense heat radiating from its body began to gradually subside.

[The aura of the demon beast ‘Gangcheol’ is weakening!]

[The resentment of the demon beast ‘Gangcheol’ is beginning to be purified!]

As Gangcheol closed its eyes, its massive form began to shrink.

It was like watching a roaring bonfire die down beneath a gentle rain.

The creature that had been as large as a small mountain steadily diminished until it was no bigger than Rini, nestling comfortably in Seo Kangrim’s arms.

It was now nothing more than a small dragon.

“That takes care of Gangcheol.”

“This is absurd…”

“Gangcheol no longer exists. Wouldn’t you call this a form of subjugation?”

The mission objective had not been to slay Gangcheol, but to subjugate it.

Gangcheol no longer existed.

All that remained was a small dragon.

While the Princess stood there stuttering in disbelief, a notification window appeared before Seo Kangrim’s eyes.

[You have subjugated the demon beast ‘Gangcheol’!]

[As the top contributor, additional rewards have been generated!]

[You have acquired 20,000 Spirit Jade as an additional reward!]

With Gangcheol’s aura vanishing from the Demon Realm, the system recognized the mission as complete.

“Oh, it says my mission is complete too!”

“You too? Mine says I subjugated it as well.”

Those who had participated in the subjugation of Gangcheol checked their interface windows one by one.

Every single one of them bore the mark of mission completion.

Confirming this, Seo Kangrim opened his mouth to speak.

“Mission complete, just by subjugating Gangcheol…”

Seo Kangrim stumbled and dropped to one knee before he even realized it.

His complexion was deathly pale, his skin taking on a purplish hue.

The members of Zone 2 rushed to his side in alarm.

“Master, are you alright?”

“Mr. Kangrim!”

His condition was visibly critical.

Just as Rini and Father Yohan panicked and moved to heal him—

Seomun Yongnyeo approached and examined his condition.

“The internal damage from the toxic and fiery energy is severe. He’ll die if left untreated.”

She spoke flatly, then shifted her gaze to a Death Messenger standing beside her.

It was a Death Messenger with long, braided hair.

When the Death Messenger simply stared blankly at Seo Kangrim, Seomun Yongnyeo prompted her.

“Come here and heal him. You have the item, don’t you?”

“Yes. I do.”

The Death Messenger hastily collected herself and approached Seo Kangrim.

Seo Kangrim gazed up at her with weak, unfocused eyes.

As if she were someone he knew.

“All done.”

The Death Messenger finished the healing and stood up.

Seomun Yongnyeo stepped closer to Kangrim and spoke softly.

“You’ve been through a lot, Mr. Seo Kangrim.”

It was hard to believe she was the same person who had been raining down Lightning Strike lightning with lethal intent just moments ago.

She spoke with a look of deep concern.

“Would you like to rest? I can send you to the medical facility.”

“…I’ll pass.”

Declining her offer, Seo Kangrim unsteadily forced himself to his feet.

He still held the small dragon in his arms.

Turning his gaze to the Princess, he asked.

“May I take this dragon with me? There might be complications, so I would like to keep it under my protection.”

“…Suit yourself.”

At the Princess’s reluctant agreement, a faint smile graced Seo Kangrim’s lips.

【Seriously incredible. Two spirit beasts?】

【Protection is just an excuse. He just wants to raise it, doesn’t he?】

【He planned this. He totally planned it.】

They weren’t entirely wrong.

One of the reasons he had chosen the imugi in the first place was to tame it with a Token of Friendship and take it with him.

【But still, don’t you have to give him credit for pulling that off?】

【True. No matter how much you want a spirit beast, how many people would actually risk their lives for it?】

【Honestly, it would’ve been easier to just kill it.】

【Even so, he threw a fit just to get a spirit beast, didn’t he?】

Regardless of what the gods were saying, Seo Kangrim ignored them and surveyed his surroundings.

The area was a mess, and many people seemed busy.

The Death Messengers were tending to the critically injured or organizing the vicinity, while the remaining trainees looked utterly bewildered.

“We need to kill another snake to pass…”

“Ugh, but the situation is a bit awkward now.”

Scanning the crowd, Seo Kangrim shifted his steps toward the members of Zone 3.

Amidst the baffled Zone 3 trainees, he spotted one person standing in a daze.

Jang Taeheon was staring right at him.

“Is it your turn to attack me now?”

Seo Kangrim asked Jang Taeheon.

Jang Taeheon had also failed to complete his mission, but there was still time left.

If he killed the dragon in the meantime, he could pass this place.

However, Jang Taeheon simply shook his head.

“Forget it. That’s a dragon, not a snake.”

“Then what are you going to do? Find another snake to kill?”

“No. I wasn’t planning on looking for another snake if I couldn’t beat you, anyway.”

Despite being on the verge of failing, he looked completely unbothered.

Jang Taeheon stretched and spoke.

“Ahh— That’s it, then. I’m out, too.”

“Before you fail, you need to follow my command first.”

“Ah, right. That.”

Jang Taeheon scratched the back of his head as if annoyed.

“Alright. What’s the command?”

“Let’s move somewhere else for a moment.”

“What exactly are you trying to make me do…”

Jang Taeheon eyed Seo Kangrim with suspicion.

Seo Kangrim led Jang Taeheon to a spot far away from the others.

Once they were alone, Seo Kangrim lowered his voice.

“My command is…”

“The command is?”

“Transfer your affiliation to Zone 2.”

Jang Taeheon’s eyes went wide at the suggestion.

“Change zones? Wait, is that even possible in the first place?”

“Yes. It’s possible.”

“What’s the point of moving? I’m already failing.”

“If you change zones, everything resets, making it possible to start over from the beginning.”

When the people who failed due to their snake dying had protested, Ahn Nabi had told them as much.

[The mission of Zone 2 is to protect the snake, and you have failed the mission of Zone 2. It is impossible to find and protect a new snake.]

[Let me reiterate: the mission of Zone 2 has failed. Please note that you will be automatically discharged after the mission period ends.]

Ahn Nabi had emphasized the phrase ‘the mission of Zone 2,’ stating that the mission had failed and that retrying the mission of Zone 2 was impossible.

Furthermore, she had informed them that even if they failed, they wouldn’t be immediately expelled; there was a grace period.

That had been a hint.

Although the Fate Protection Bureau did not officially disclose it, there was a way to retry a mission even after failing.

That method was changing zones.

Each zone had a manager, and with their approval, changing zones was possible.

For example, managers would occasionally scout and bring over personnel from other zones.

They often used this method to poach talent that was on the verge of failing.

Moreover, even without a manager’s offer, one could voluntarily change zones.

If someone found and attempted to open the door to another zone, the manager of that zone would be contacted.

If the manager approved, the door would open, and the zone would be changed.

In theory, that was how it worked, but since most managers approved, entering another zone’s door almost guaranteed a successful zone change.

Their reasoning was that there was no reason to reject a talent bold enough to find another zone’s door and step into enemy territory.

Even setting that aside, having more personnel in their own zone was beneficial in many ways, so as long as the applicant wasn’t a complete disaster, they would usually be accepted.

Just in case, Seo Kangrim had even visited Ahn Nabi’s office to ask.

[You are correct in your assumption, Mr. Seo Kangrim. If the conditions are met, personnel from other zones can transfer to Zone 2. Do you have someone in mind?]

[Yes. Though I’m not sure how it will play out yet.]

Having already secured permission from the Death Messenger, there was nothing holding him back now.

Seo Kangrim said to Jang Taeheon.

“Having to start the mission over from scratch is a downside, but it’s better than failing out entirely.”

The main drawback was having to clear the Demon Realm from the very beginning.

Entering a group of strangers or hostile individuals to start anew carried significant risks.

“So, what do you say?”

Seo Kangrim asked again, but Jang Taeheon didn’t answer.

He merely stood there, eyes still wide with shock.

‘He’s not interested.’

Given that it was a hostile zone until recently, his reluctance was understandable.

Seo Kangrim spoke with an impassive expression.

“If you don’t like our zone, moving to a different one is also an option. In that case, I’d have to contact the manager of the other tea—”

“I’ll go to Zone 2.”

Jang Taeheon answered before Seo Kangrim could even finish his sentence.

With a grin, he thrust his large hand forward.

It was an offer for a handshake.

“I like Zone 2. I kind of want to fight you more in the future, too. I lost this time, but things will be different next time, right?”

He looked genuinely delighted.

If Jang Taeheon was willing to come to Zone 2, Seo Kangrim welcomed him with open arms.

As they shook hands lightly, Jang Taeheon gripped firmly and said.

“Then I look forward to working with you.”

As they shared a rather rough handshake, a notification popped up before Seo Kangrim’s eyes.

It was a signal indicating the direction of fate.

[The fates of ‘Jang Taeheon’ and ‘Seo Kangrim’ are beginning to intertwine!]

[The distorted fate finds its place according to Seo Kangrim’s will.]

[Seo Kangrim’s Fate Rank rises to ‘Second Human Grade’!]

* * *

While the Death Messengers were treating the trainees and organizing the Demon Realm, Seomun Yongnyeo was making her way back to her office.

Her shadow stretched long across the corridor of the bureau.

Her cold, sunken eyes harbored a myriad of emotions.

‘That was a more interesting spectacle than I expected. No wonder he achieved the First Clear of an upper-level difficulty.’

Ever since she lost the bet with the Princess in the Room of Tread.

She had taken an interest in the personnel of Zone 2, particularly Seo Kangrim.

Gangcheol’s appearance right when she wanted to see him in action was a stroke of luck for her.

‘I was planning to kill Gangcheol, make Seo Kangrim fail his mission, and then scout him…’

She never expected a mere trainee to block her lightning.

Let alone subdue Gangcheol through a method other than killing it.

‘And there were quite a few others worth keeping an eye on besides Seo Kangrim.’

The various individuals who had joined forces to subjugate Gangcheol this time.

Their individual skills were impressive, but what was far more intriguing was their cohesion.

‘Executing a strategy is always harder than formulating one against a demon beast.’

No matter how brilliant the tactics, if the pieces on the board refuse to move, they are useless.

Especially during dangerous missions, the pieces tended to play it safe.

‘Was Seo Kangrim the one commanding them? Why did everyone follow his orders?’

When people follow someone in a short period of time, that person inevitably possesses something conspicuous.

Usually, it was either character or strength.

‘He seemed skilled, but he wasn’t overwhelmingly stronger than the others. If so, then it must be his character…’

Upon arriving at her office, Seomun Yongnyeo peeled off her stifling jacket and gloves, tossing them carelessly onto the sofa.

Even after taking a seat at her desk, she remained lost in deep thought.

Just then, the Death Messenger who had followed her in spoke up.

“Did you find someone who caught your eye?”

At the question, Seomun Yongnyeo glanced up.

A serene smile spread across her face as she spoke.

“Yes. I want Seo Kangrim. No matter what it takes.”