“…….”

Ahn Nabi stared at Kang Dohyun with an expressionless face.

As if she had no idea what he was talking about.

“Death Messenger Kang Dohyun, I don’t believe that’s the most pressing matter right now. This Demon Realm is dangerous. The flow of time is distorted here.”

“Doesn’t matter. We’re clearing it anyway.”

It was an arrogant statement, but his voice was so even that it carried no hint of bravado.

He shot Seo Kangrim a fleeting glance before walking deeper into the city.

The party members rose hesitantly, murmuring among themselves.

“As expected, a Death Messenger is on a whole different level.”

“Sigh. Guess it really pays to be born with a good fate.”

Seo Kangrim felt relieved that Kang Dohyun hadn’t heard that conversation.

Their words were far too flippant and laughable.

‘Good fate? Kang Dohyun is only First Human Grade.’

Considering that typical Death Messenger were at least Dragon Grade or Ghost Grade, his rank was absurdly low.

For someone who was merely First Human Grade to operate as a Death Messenger, he needed to put in twice the effort of anyone else.

‘Though he was always the hardworking type to begin with.’

An ordinary person with neither spirit gift nor Yeongryeok.

Kang Dohyun used to bury himself in every book imaginable to become a shaman.

Even Seo Kangrim couldn’t begin to guess how many books were crammed into that head of his.

“Mr. Seo Kangrim, I believe it would be best for us to get moving as well.”

At Ahn Nabi’s words, Seo Kangrim nodded.

This was a place that had gone uncleared for decades in Demon Realm time.

One wrong move and Seo Kangrim could end up trapped here as well.

As they followed behind Kang Dohyun and entered the city, Demon Beasts began emerging from all directions.

Defeating them wasn’t particularly difficult, but the search made no progress.

“There should at least be corpses somewhere, but I can’t see anything.”

True to Ahn Nabi’s words, the streets held neither survivors nor corpses.

Kang Dohyun stomped on a still-twitching Demon Beast to finish it off before speaking.

“Considering the flow of time here, it’s not strange that there are no corpses. There’s been more than enough time for the Demon Beasts to devour them all.”

He said something gruesome without so much as a flicker across his expression.

Ahn Nabi seemed to agree with him, offering no rebuttal and maintaining her silence.

“It doesn’t look like there are any survivors. We should prioritize clearing the Demon Realm.”

“But I don’t see any statues. I don’t think we’ll find them easily.”

Ahn Nabi was right.

They had surveyed the city, but the target statues were nowhere to be seen.

She spoke with a hint of difficulty.

“It would be helpful if we could at least grasp the general layout of this place.”

The interior was indeed vast with numerous buildings, making it a difficult area to search.

Seo Kangrim heeded Ahn Nabi’s words and summoned his Spirit Beast from the Spirit Realm.

“Uung!”

Yorongi was currently assigned as Shin Sooa’s bodyguard, so only Rini was called forth from the Spirit Realm.

The party members who witnessed this sight gasped in amazement.

“Wait, what is that?”

“Is that a Demon Beast? Are you a Mansin who commands Demon Beasts?”

They apparently didn’t even know of the existence of Spirit Beasts.

Seo Kangrim gave a perfunctory nod before turning to Ahn Nabi.

“I’ll send the Spirit Beast up to survey from above. That should make it easier to get a read on things.”

At Seo Kangrim’s command, Rini floated up into the air.

Rini looked down at Seo Kangrim with a spirited expression.

“Take a look from above and let me know if anything catches your eye.”

“Ung!”

Rini trotted lightly upward into the sky.

Ahn Nabi watched before raising her hand.

“Then I’ll search the building interiors.”

[The Special Ability ‘Controller of Earthen Figures’ activates!]

The moment she finished speaking, magic power gathered in her hand, and small Earthen Figures began pouring out in droves.

Before long, Earthen Figures were swarming all around them.

“Search the building interiors and report back if you find survivors, statues, or anything else suspicious.”

“Oot!”

“Oot-ot!”

The Earthen Figures shot toward the buildings like arrows.

With the search entrusted to the Spirit Beast and Earthen Figures, the group decided to take a brief rest.

Seo Kangrim moistened his dry lips with water and happened to glance up at the sky.

‘Come to think of it, why are the gods so quiet?’

Normally, the moment they entered a Demon Realm, the gods would be making a racket.

When Seo Kangrim checked the Mubul Communication system, a notification message appeared.

[The Mubul Communication connection is currently severed.]

[The Shop System connection is currently severed.]

The distorted flow of time seemed to have cut off several systems as well.

Not being able to use the shop was unfortunate, but not hearing the gods’ voices was quite convenient.

Seo Kangrim took another sip of water and turned his gaze toward Kang Dohyun.

‘I need to have a word with Kang Dohyun…….’

He still seemed to be keeping his distance.

As Seo Kangrim racked his brain for an approach, Ahn Nabi sidled up next to him.

“Mr. Seo Kangrim. If you don’t mind, would you like to take a look around with me?”

“Ah, sure. Let’s do that.”

Seo Kangrim rose from his spot and stepped into a back alley with Ahn Nabi.

Once they were slightly separated from the others, Seo Kangrim spoke up.

“Did you have something to say?”

“Well…… are you still deliberating? About joining our team, that is.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no intention of joining the Fate Protection Bureau.”

“……I see.”

Ahn Nabi’s expression grew slightly disappointed.

She hesitated before speaking again.

“I was secretly hoping you would. That you’d come join our team, Mr. Seo Kangrim…….”

“…….”

“I had your desk ready, a welcome party planned, and even a list of good restaurants near the Bureau prepared…….”

Sincerity soaked every word Ahn Nabi spoke.

Seo Kangrim was caught slightly off guard by it.

“Aren’t there far more outstanding hunters than me?”

“Of all the trainees I’ve supervised, you were the most outstanding, Mr. Seo Kangrim. That’s why I wanted you on our team so badly, but…….”

Ahn Nabi trailed off there.

Her genuine disappointment was unmistakable.

“I heard you know Death Messenger Kang Dohyun. If that’s the reason you’re declining…… it’s a shame, but even if you go to Team 1, I’d still want you to join the Bureau.”

She smiled faintly as she said it.

“Maybe it’s because I’m an education supervisor, but I suppose I grew attached. You feel almost like a junior colleague…….”

Listening to Ahn Nabi, Seo Kangrim thought she was quite a unique type as well.

She must have known about his ‘Fortune Stealing’ ability too.

Or perhaps, like Team Leader Princess, she didn’t care whether someone was a killer or not as long as they had the skill.

“Ung, uung!”

Just then, Rini’s cry echoed from above.

It seemed the reconnaissance was complete.

Hearing the sound, Ahn Nabi returned to her usual expression.

“It seems the reconnaissance is done. Let’s head back as well.”

When they returned to where everyone had gathered, Rini was already there.

Rini bounced up and down in place and cried out.

“Uung!”

“Did you find something?”

“Ung!”

Rini nodded and began moving its feet quickly.

Seo Kangrim followed behind, and the rest of the group trailed after them.

They sprinted through empty streets until they arrived at a rather large mansion.

‘It’s certainly a conspicuous location.’

Its size alone was impressive, but something about it felt different.

Upon entering, that sense of dissonance became even more pronounced.

Unlike the other buildings, the interior of the mansion was immaculately maintained.

As if time alone had bypassed it.

“Ung, uung…….”

Meanwhile, Rini had buried its nose like a dog, sniffing at something.

Then, as if detecting something, it tugged at Seo Kangrim’s hem and turned its body toward the left corridor.

‘There’s some kind of smell.’

Seo Kangrim could also catch a scent overflowing from somewhere within the mansion.

He followed the direction of the aroma and opened a door, and the light from within pierced his eyes.

“Whoa, this place is……!”

The party members following behind widened their eyes at the interior.

It was a dining hall, and inside, a grand feast was laid out.

Steam rose from the dishes as if they had just been freshly prepared, and a rich fragrance filled the entire hall.

Seo Kangrim heard someone standing behind him swallow hard.

They had been in here for quite some time now, so it was no wonder they were hungry.

“You shouldn’t eat that.”

Kang Dohyun addressed the party members.

One of them flinched and smiled as if making an excuse.

“No, it just looks so delicious…….”

“It’s blatantly suspicious food. The fact that you’re even thinking about it is ridiculous. You’re practically begging to be poisoned.”

As he said, the feast spread out here was far too suspicious.

A banquet laid out in the middle of a Demon Realm.

The other party members seemed to agree, stepping back with looks of regret.

“Still, this mansion is clearly different from the rest. It seems worth investigating.”

Ahn Nabi said as much and began searching the dining hall.

The others followed her lead, rummaging through various spots.

There didn’t seem to be any need for him to stay in the dining hall, so Seo Kangrim stepped outside.

The moment he set foot on the staircase to search the second floor, Seo Kangrim looked back.

“Something to say?”

Kang Dohyun, who had been following behind, stopped dead in his tracks.

He fell silent for a moment before speaking.

“I saw the Saw Bone Belt on you.”

It was an unexpected topic.

Seo Kangrim couldn’t fathom why Kang Dohyun would bring that up.

Meanwhile, Rini looked back and forth between the two of them with a bewildered expression.

“You know the Saw Bone Belt grows tighter depending on your karma, right?”

“Yeah.”

“What exactly have you been doing since you left home?”

An incredible amount had happened since he left Seo Hwakyung’s house.

He had no idea where to begin or what to talk about.

Just as Seo Kangrim was choosing his words, both of them turned their heads toward the second floor simultaneously.

Something was coming down the dark staircase above.

-Gi, gigeuk…….

What stood at the top of the stairs was a statue.

The only difference from an ordinary statue was that it was moving.

Kang Dohyun immediately drew his sword.

“A statue…… is that the clear condition?”

The moment he finished speaking, the statue let out a tearing scream and charged at them.

When its stone fist struck the banister, it shattered instantly.

But that was hardly enough to pose a threat to a Death Messenger of the Fate Protection Bureau.

Kang Dohyun’s eyes flashed sharply, and his sword flew in as keenly as his gaze.

-Kkaang!

A sharp clang rang out as sword met sword.

Kang Dohyun frowned at the person standing before him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Seo Kangrim had blocked his sword.

In that opening, the statue struck Seo Kangrim, and he took the hit without even trying to dodge.

“Ugh……!”

A groan he couldn’t quite swallow slipped from his lips.

Flustered, Kang Dohyun hastily pulled Seo Kangrim down the stairs.

“Are you out of your mind? Why did you block it!”

“You can’t kill it. These aren’t Demon Beasts.”

Seo Kangrim endured the throbbing pain and looked up at the creature standing above.

“That’s a person.”