The face that had always been merely cute was now utterly chilling.

Choi Sangwon must have let his guard down, assuming Yoon Bom was always gentle and docile.

Had he known how many people she had killed in her previous life, he never would have dared to stand in her way.

“Yoon Bom, stop.”

I approached Yoon Bom and lightly patted her shoulder.

This wasn’t a Demon Realm.

If Choi Sangwon ended up dying here, Yoon Bom would be in serious trouble.

“Master…….”

Yoon Bom looked up at me, and suddenly her expression returned.

The emotions that surfaced on her previously vacant face were relief and fear.

Yoon Bom threw her arms around me tightly.

“I really, really thought both of you were dead……!”

It was such a fragile voice that it was hard to believe she had been beating Choi Sangwon half to death just moments ago.

Her shoulders were trembling, as if she were truly crying.

It was a strange feeling.

In my previous life, I had nearly died by Yoon Bom’s hands on several occasions, yet now she was crying for my sake.

“See? This is why you don’t mess with my sister.”

Yoon Gyeoul said, nudging the collapsed Choi Sangwon.

Jang Taeheon was also clicking his tongue.

He shrugged and said.

“Please understand, Hyung. Bom went through a lot emotionally. So did I.”

Father Yohan nodded as if in agreement.

It struck me as remarkable, in a way.

Even knowing what my Special Ability was, none of them had changed their attitude toward me.

Just then, Choi Sangwon, struggling to his feet with the help of those around him, spoke up.

“Ugh……! Hanging around with Seo Kangrim has turned Yoon Bom into a murderer too……!”

“Excuse me.”

Jang Taeheon crouched down in front of Choi Sangwon and met his eyes.

The moment their eyes met, Choi Sangwon flinched involuntarily and pulled back.

“You keep throwing around the word ‘murderer.’ If Kangrim were really a murderer, you’d have been dead a long time ago.”

“Wh-what do you mean…….”

“You know how strong Kangrim is, right? Strong enough to kill someone like you in an instant.”

At those words, Choi Sangwon’s face went pale.

The onlookers watched them with bated breath.

Then Yoon Gyeoul turned his gaze and glared at the crowd.

His face, identical to Yoon Bom’s, was cold and devoid of any humor.

“If Master had truly wanted to kill everyone, he would have done it in the Balseol Demon Realm. All he had to do was poison the food.”

“……!”

The people belatedly recalled the memory, and their faces filled with dismay.

When I had made and sold demon beast stew, they had eagerly devoured several bowls each.

Poison was readily available everywhere, so if I had laced the food with even a little, I could have wiped them all out at once.

“And yet you keep calling Master a murderer…….”

Yoon Gyeoul’s eyes gleamed dangerously.

True to his identity as Yoon Bom’s twin, he looked just as dangerous.

With this group, they could genuinely incapacitate everyone present.

“Everyone, stop. I need to go get my discharge instructions.”

“Ah.”

At those words, Yoon Gyeoul’s expression settled.

He approached me, grumbling as he usually did.

“Then it can’t be helped. Master, you don’t know where the education room is, right? I’ll guide you.”

“Right.”

Yoon Bom was still clinging tightly to me.

When I patted her shoulder, she let go, but she still kept a firm grip on the hem of my clothes.

All four of them followed me to the information desk, surrounding me.

I was even starting to feel a bit stifled.

“I can get the instructions on my own.”

Even when I said that, the four of them didn’t even pretend to listen.

Even Father Yohan was caught up in the atmosphere.

Yoon Bom in particular sat right beside me, watching me like a hawk.

“Master, are you going to leave us behind once the training is over?”

“That’s…….”

I had originally intended to do exactly that, but my thinking had shifted somewhat.

However, when I couldn’t answer immediately, Yoon Bom seemed to conclude that I was going to abandon them.

“No! We’re your disciples, Master, so we’re going to follow you forever!”

“She’s right. It’s better for you to work with us anyway, isn’t it, Hyung?”

Everyone except me had received Divine Descent, so they must have also received Revelations.

I glanced at their Fortune Windows.

There were indeed items marked as received Revelations.

[Raise all ranks to level 30.]

[Complete 3 or more Demon Realms.]

[Raise the fame of your Deity Name above a certain threshold.]

A Revelation was essentially similar to a quest.

In exchange for borrowing mighty power through Divine Descent, humans could not ignore the commands of their gods.

These Revelations carried compulsion; refusing them resulted in severe penalties.

Those who had taken in a strange deity sometimes received grotesque Revelations.

Like being ordered to kill a person as a sacrifice.

Or to build a massive temple.

However, such deities were extremely rare, and the vast majority guided their Manshin toward growth.

The gods’ purpose was to make their Manshin excel and spread their Deity Names far and wide.

Only when many people knew and worshipped a god’s name could the gods themselves grow stronger.

Because of this, they rarely issued Revelations that would harm their Manshin.

They would provide assistance or rewards to help fulfill the Revelations, creating a structure that also benefited the Manshin.

Since I hadn’t received Divine Descent, this didn’t apply to me.

“Ah, Hyung. Don’t tell me you still haven’t received Divine Descent?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not saying you have to come to our side, but they said Divine Descent is essential if you want to prepare for the Day of Great Opening.”

“What’s the Day of Great Opening?”

I knew perfectly well, but I feigned ignorance and looked at Jang Taeheon.

“They said a second change is coming soon, following the Day of Awakening. On the Day of Great Opening, the Great Demon Realm will open, apparently.”

Great Demon Realm.

It was similar to a standard Demon Realm but far more difficult and complex.

Because of the high difficulty, a Manshin who cleared a Great Demon Realm would quickly gain fame.

And in proportion, their deity would also become famous.

For that reason, it was highly likely that all Manshin had received similar Revelations at this point.

“They said to train in regular Demon Realms or take on demon beast extermination missions before the Great Demon Realm opens!”

“You’re going to train anyway, Master, right? So let’s do it together.”

“I have things to do.”

There wasn’t much time left until the Day of Great Opening.

To achieve the First Clear of the Great Demon Realm, I needed to act quickly.

There was also plenty else to prepare.

Just then, Yoon Bom’s face took on a tearful expression as she said:

“You’re just trying to cut contact with us…….”

“No, I really do have things to take care of.”

“Sister, Brother Seo Kangrim must have many people to meet and matters to attend to. He was there for months, after all…….”

When Father Yohan gently interjected, Yoon Bom finally nodded.

“Ah, that’s true……. Your family must be waiting for you, too.”

I had no family waiting for me.

But I kept my mouth shut because it was too bothersome to explain.

Yoon Bom looked dejected for a moment, then pulled out her phone and held it out to me.

“Then at least give me your number! You’ll contact us as soon as you finish, right?”

“Alright, I will.”

“Ah, Hyung! Give me your number too!”

“Brother, me too!”

I exchanged numbers with all four of them and promised repeatedly that I would definitely be in touch.

Only then did Yoon Bom finally let me go.

“Then we’ll be waiting! When do you think you’ll be done?”

“I don’t know.”

There was much to prepare before heading to the Great Demon Realm.

I needed to find Kang Dohyun and Yoo Harang as well, but…….

Before fighting, I needed to properly equip my weapons first.

* * *

-Kkaang, kkaang……!

The sound of a hammer striking iron echoed loudly.

A forge where molten iron bubbled.

In front of it, a woman was hammering heated iron, refining it.

The woman, dripping with sweat as she swung her hammer, suddenly sensed a presence and looked toward the doorway.

But there was no one there.

To be precise, Seo Kangrim was there, but she couldn’t see him because of the ‘Hidden One.’

‘Fortunately, she hasn’t been taken by the Bureau at this point.’

The woman’s name was Han Roya.

The granddaughter of the late Han Cheol, a master craftsman recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage for his blacksmithing.

She was an unskilled blacksmith now, but in the future, things would be different.

She would possess outstanding refining and crafting Special Abilities, and countless awakened ones would seek her out for weapons.

‘The Seven-Blade Sword needs both repair and refining right now.’

During the previous battle in the Saw Bone Room, the Seven-Blade Sword had been damaged.

It was also in an unrefined state, so I needed to prepare my weapon before entering a Demon Realm.

“Hello. Is anyone here?”

Seo Kangrim deactivated the ‘Hidden One’ and called out loudly.

Han Roya, who had been working, startled and turned toward the door.

“Ah, just a moment. I’ll be right out.”

Han Roya hurried outside, and her eyes widened slightly when she saw Seo Kangrim.

She said with curiosity:

“It’s been a while since anyone came all the way out to this countryside. Especially someone young.”

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to recognize who Seo Kangrim was.

He replied calmly:

“I’d like to buy a shovel. Do you have one?”

“……A shovel?”

At the mention of a shovel, Han Roya looked puzzled.

Nevertheless, she rummaged through the shop and found one.

Meanwhile, Seo Kangrim looked around the shop.

An old, shabby shop.

It was so dilapidated that it was hard to believe it was the forge of an Intangible Cultural Heritage artisan.

‘But once Han Roya awakens her Fortune Window, this place will become a sanctuary for awakened ones.’

While Seo Kangrim was looking around, Han Roya approached him.

She held out a shovel and said:

“Will this do? Or do you need a different type of shovel?”

“This is enough. I’ll put it to good use.”

As Seo Kangrim silently paid and left the shop, Han Roya wore a peculiar expression.

“Did he come all this way just to buy a shovel?”

But Han Roya soon forgot about the strange customer and returned to her workshop.

The sound of hammering echoed once more, and even after sunset, the forge fire did not go out.

After darkness fell.

Seo Kangrim was climbing the mountain behind the forge.

‘Han Roya will undoubtedly become an excellent blacksmith, but…….’

That was a story for the future, not the present.

Currently, Han Roya hadn’t even opened her Fortune Window and didn’t know what her Special Ability was.

Even if she had opened her Fortune Window, the rank of her blacksmithing ability would be far too low.

She might manage with ordinary weapons, but she was still far from skilled enough to refine the Seven-Blade Sword.

‘Han Cheol could have repaired the Seven-Blade Sword without any issues.’

The problem was that he was already deceased.

But for Seo Kangrim, it was a minor problem.

Seo Kangrim, climbing the mountain, stopped at the midway point.

There was a small grave there.

The tombstone was engraved with Han Cheol’s name.

‘If I can’t ask the living Han Cheol…….’

-Puk!

Without hesitation, Seo Kangrim drove the shovel into the grave.

‘I’ll steal the Special Ability from the dead Han Cheol.’