In his past life, Seo Kangrim had devised various methods to utilize his abilities.

He was not strong enough to kill a living human and steal their Special Ability.

Nor did he possess the skill to defeat humanoid Demon Beasts.

What about corpses already dead and buried in graves, then?

‘I failed in my past life.’

He had tried digging up graves, finding corpses, and attempting to steal their Fortune.

However, upon activating his Special Ability, only a cancellation message appeared.

[The physical body is damaged, weakening the energy of the Baek (spirit).]

[There is no magic power to fill the insufficient Baek, making it impossible to steal the Fortune.]

What people commonly refer to as the Soul and Spirit—hon and baek—are similar yet distinct concepts.

When a human dies, the hon (soul) leaves the body, but the baek (spirit) remains within the corpse even after death.

‘Fortune Stealing’ extracts the information left behind in the baek.

Therefore, if a corpse is damaged or too much time has passed, the baek fades away.

Because very little baek remained in long-dead corpses, an immense amount of magic power was required.

‘I failed in my past life due to a lack of magic power. But this time is different.’

It was also a good thing that Han Cheol had not been dead for long.

He had died around the Day of Awakening.

Several articles had lamented his death, mentioning that he would have become a capable Manshin had he lived.

Seo Kangrim had watched them with different thoughts in mind.

‘If it had been years, I wouldn’t know, but since it’s only been a few months, there should be enough baek left.’

Without hesitation, he dug into the craftsman’s grave.

‘And this shovel is quite high-quality, too.’

The shovel made by Han Roya was certainly of excellent quality.

Each time he drove the shovel into the solidly packed earth, it crumbled smoothly.

She merely hadn’t opened her Fortune Window yet; she seemed to possess genuine skill.

As Seo Kangrim silently dug deeper into the ground, a voice reached his ears.

【Y-You crazy bastard! What are you doing! Oh my-! This bastard is robbing my grave-!】

It was the crotchety voice of an old man.

Despite the fury in his voice, Seo Kangrim continued digging.

‘Is that Han Cheol? As expected, he must have become an Ancestor God.’

He had anticipated that a craftsman of Han Cheol’s caliber would become a god after death.

Seo Kangrim ignored the voice and continued his work.

‘Considering his voice is so clear even in the living world……. Is it because of my Karma? Or perhaps because this is Han Cheol’s grave.’

Because Demon Realms possess dense ghastly energy, the voices of gods are easily transmitted, but in the living world, spiritual communication weakens.

It was a concept similar to radio signals weakening.

However, communicating with a specific deity became easier at places like their grave or shrine.

‘It seems I can hear the dead better as I get closer to The Boundary.’

With a somewhat bitter smile, he scooped the dirt outward.

Meanwhile, Han Cheol was shouting as if he would burst his eardrums.

【You thief! Did you have nothing else to steal so you dug up someone else’s grave? You bastard! There’s nothing in my grave! May you be struck by divine punishment!】

Even at the mention of divine punishment, Seo Kangrim did not flinch.

Though he was a god, he wasn’t a particularly powerful one, nor was there a Manshin present.

In other words, he couldn’t directly harm Seo Kangrim.

At that moment, the shovel hit something with a thud, blocked by an obstacle.

‘Finally, the coffin.’

A paulownia wood coffin, seemingly recently made, came into view.

Upon the coffin’s appearance, Han Cheol’s resistance grew even more frantic.

Seo Kangrim cleanly ignored him and pried open the coffin lid.

“……Phew.”

The moment the coffin opened, a putrid stench wafted out.

Though it hadn’t been buried long, it was a corpse several months old.

Anyone would have turned their eyes away from the grotesque sight, but Seo Kangrim immediately proceeded to the next step.

[The Special Ability ‘Fortune Stealing’ is activating!]

[Magic Power is consumed in proportion to the damaged Baek (spirit).]

[You have acquired the Special Ability ‘Blacksmith’s Fire’!]

Upon acquiring the ability, a look of satisfaction crossed Seo Kangrim’s face.

It was not an expression one should wear in front of a corpse.

Han Cheol was appalled at the sight.

【W-What exactly are you? Why on earth are you digging up someone else’s grave!】

“I had business to attend to. I’ll clean up neatly before I leave.”

After closing the coffin lid again, Seo Kangrim began filling the hole with dirt.

Perhaps because his grave had been dug up, Han Cheol had grown considerably quieter.

When the hole was about half-filled, Han Cheol’s voice echoed again.

【You wretched bastard! Since you dug up my grave, at least do me the human decency of granting me one request.】

His voice sounded somewhat resigned.

Seo Kangrim brushed the dirt from his hands and asked.

“Go ahead and speak.”

【Since you seem to be able to hear my voice, go to my granddaughter and deliver a message for me.】

Han Roya’s Fortune Window was currently unopened, meaning her spiritual communication was also closed.

She wouldn’t be able to hear the voice of her Ancestor God, Han Cheol, either.

Seo Kangrim spoke as he shaped the burial mound.

“What should I tell her?”

【Contact the Fate Protection Bureau and ask them to open her Fortune Window. I want to perform a Divine Descent, but the girl can’t hear me…….】

Han Cheol’s voice was brimming with sorrow.

Seeing that Seo Kangrim was listening, Han Cheol continued as if venting his frustrations.

【It breaks my heart that she can’t earn a proper living at her prime age, suffering in front of the fire every day. She needs to see the light of day at least now.】

“Understood. I’ll take care of it once I finish what needs to be done here.”

Han Cheol had asked him to bring Han Roya to the Bureau and awaken her Fortune Window, but there was no need for that.

Seo Kangrim could awaken it himself.

He had planned to recruit Han Roya while stealing Han Cheol’s ability anyway.

By stealing ‘Blacksmith’s Fire,’ Seo Kangrim had also gained refining skills.

For the time being, he would be able to maintain the other members’ weapons himself.

However, this was only a stopgap measure.

He intended to invest the Merit Points he would earn in the future into other abilities rather than blacksmithing.

‘Besides, the Flying Tiger Sect needs a proper blacksmith, and if I leave Han Roya alone like this, the Bureau will come looking for her.’

He couldn’t let them snatch away such an important craftsman.

Once his business was done, he planned to recruit Han Roya immediately.

He restored the grave to its original state and turned his steps.

However, the direction Seo Kangrim headed was not down the mountain.

【Huh? Why are you going up? Why aren’t you going down the mountain, what are you trying to do?】

Without answering Han Cheol’s question, he silently climbed the mountain.

As he ascended to higher ground, the surroundings came into view at a glance.

It was a landscape some might call desolate.

That was because numerous graves and tombstones were scattered across the mountainside.

The sound of Han Cheol’s dismay reached his ears.

【Y-You aren’t seriously thinking of digging up the other graves……?】

Just moments ago, he had successfully stolen the Fortune from Han Cheol’s corpse.

If he could steal that much power from other corpses as well, he could grow stronger in a short period.

He had wanted to test this right after leaving the Education Facility, and conveniently, this mountain was full of graves.

‘Fresh corpses are best, but I can’t go around killing living people.’

Seo Kangrim began digging without hesitation.

Han Cheol’s lamenting voice was annoying, but he soon seemed to give up.

He dug up a nearby grave and dragged out the coffin.

The corpse appeared to have been dead for a long time, leaving behind mostly bones.

[The Special Ability ‘Fortune Stealing’ is activating!]

[Magic Power is consumed in proportion to the damaged Baek (spirit).]

[Activation is canceled due to insufficient magic power.]

‘As expected, corpses that are too old are impossible.’

A few months, like with Han Cheol, might have been manageable, but going back years consumed far too much magic power.

Even so, Seo Kangrim didn’t seem particularly disappointed.

‘It’s not entirely impossible. As long as I have enough magic power, I can steal from old corpses too.’

Seo Kangrim checked another tombstone and found a recently buried corpse.

As he began digging up the grave again, Han Cheol asked in a half-resigned voice.

【What kind of person are you that you go around digging up people’s graves? It doesn’t even seem like you’re stealing anything……. Is it a hobby?】

“Let’s just call it a hobby……”

While digging up the grave, Seo Kangrim suddenly fell silent.

An uneasy silence filled the surroundings.

No, it wasn’t silence.

Footsteps echoed from within the darkness.

‘A Demon Beast?’

After the Day of Awakening, Demon Beasts occasionally manifested in the living world, not just in Demon Realms.

They were especially easy to find in places with dense ghastly energy, like graveyards.

When Seo Kangrim glanced back, a pair of glowing eyes flickered in the darkness.

-Keureureureu…….

-Keuring……!

However, that single pair soon multiplied into two, then a dozen, until hundreds of eyes began to stare at Seo Kangrim.

【Y-You bastard! Run away quickly! It’s a Demon Beast!】

Upon closer inspection, the Demon Beasts were around Human Grade.

Individually, they would be easy to catch, but there were simply too many of them.

It felt as if the entire darkness was teeming with Demon Beasts.

Seo Kangrim drew his weapon, keeping a wary eye on the beasts.

‘There are too many of them.’

He had already expended a considerable amount of magic power stealing Han Cheol’s Fortune.

With Royal Heirloom Saber, he could escape this place, but he couldn’t let his guard down.

The moment Seo Kangrim held his sword and stood guard against the Demon Beasts.

-Chwaak!

The night was dyed blood-red.

Dozens of Demon Beasts fell in a single strike.

It happened so fast that the beasts wore expressions as if they didn’t even realize they were dead.

“ghastly energy is strong around graves, so Demon Beasts tend to appear often.”

Behind the falling Demon Beasts stood a figure.

A man in a black suit wearing a mask.

He appeared to be a Death Messenger from the Fate Protection Bureau.

The sword in his hand gleamed with blood.

-Keureuring……!

The Demon Beasts now targeted the Death Messenger instead of Seo Kangrim.

Enraged by their comrades’ deaths, they charged at him, but each time, the ground was simply painted with more blood.

-Seogeok!

A clean, brutal sword strike.

In an instant, a mountain of Demon Beast corpses piled up.

Blood dripped from the tip of the blade.

Drenched in blood, the Death Messenger approached Seo Kangrim.

He cast a fleeting glance at the dug-up grave.

“I expected as much, but you’re doing something quite repulsive.”

The man’s voice was familiar.

In truth, even before he spoke, Seo Kangrim knew who he was.

The long hair tied back in a single braid was recognizable.

When Seo Kangrim said nothing, the Death Messenger spoke in a calm voice.

“It seems you don’t recognize me.”

He seemed to have misunderstood Seo Kangrim’s silence.

It wasn’t that he failed to recognize him; it was because he recognized him that he couldn’t say a word.

As the man slowly removed his mask, a familiar face was revealed.

The second Executive of the Flying Tiger Sect, Kang Dohyun.

He glared at Seo Kangrim with a sharp gaze.

“It’s been a while, Seo Kangrim.”