F-Class Destiny Hunter

Chapter 147:

Chapter 147

***

A man blocked his way.

The man had a rather carefree face, exuding a relaxed attitude.

"It's our first meeting, right? I'm a personal fan of you, Hunter Seo Gangrim, and I really wanted to meet you.

Though it was their first encounter, Seo Gangrim knew this man very well.

Handing over his business card, the man spoke, "I'm Hunter News reporter, Choi Pilyoung. Nice to meet you."

An adept journalist specializing in Hunter-related affairs. Many newspapers and magazines were covering such topics, but Choi Pilyoung was exceptional.

More fitting to be called a paparazzi or a stalker than a reporter since once he targeted a Hunter as prey, he never let go.

'It seems he's made me his prey this time.'

Naturally, Seo Gangrim wasn't pleased with this opponent.

Ignoring the extended business card, Seo Gangrim walked towards the entrance.

From behind, Choi Pilyoung called out with a grumbling voice, "Geez. Are all Hunters inherently rude? In novels, they usually pretend to be nice."

It seemed Choi Pilyoung had also seen the latest work of Dokgo Jun.

When Seo Gangrim momentarily stopped, Choi Pilyoung revealed a smirk and laughed.

Giving him a brief glance, Seo Gangrim spoke, "Are you interested in Dokgo Jun since you write novels too?"

"Novels? As I said before, I'm a journalist..."

"Writing articles based on delusions rather than journalistic coverage makes it difficult to consider your work as news."

At Seo Gangrim's provocation, Choi Pilyoung's eyes briefly sparkled with irritation. He forced a smile and said, "Don't you know who I am?"

"I know you very well. You're someone who steals other people's lives and sells them."

"No, you seem to not know me well. If you did, you wouldn't dare to say such things out of fear."

"Who would be afraid of trash like you?"

For Choi Pilyoung, who was used to manipulating others, being so sharply criticized left him momentarily speechless.

Ignoring the stunned Choi Pilyoung, Seo Gangrim headed towards the entrance of the Great Demon Realm.

He felt a piercing gaze behind him.

Ignoring it, he stepped inside and saw hunters who had arrived earlier than him.

"Is everyone ready? How about your items?"

"We've got them, but I can't believe the Great Demon Realm suddenly opened up like this......."

Perhaps due to the hurried nature of the summons, they all looked a bit flustered. The number of people who arrived was no more than ten at most.

As they glanced at Seo Gangrim, they were surprised.

"It's Seo Gangrim! You came early."

"Darn it, I thought I could outplay him this time..."

Seo Gangrim scanned the surroundings, but he saw no familiar faces. Checking his phone and messages again, there was still no contact.

'They're all still seem busy.'

It couldn't be helped; he had to go alone.

After sending a message about the precautions for the third Great Demon realm, he entered the demon realm.

[Entering the Great Demon Realm!]

With a tingling sensation, the third Great Demon Realm unfolded before him.

It was night, and a dense forest surrounded the area. Seo Gangrim quickly checked the conditions for conquest.

[The third Great Demon Realm is beginning.]

[Descend to the deepest part of the tomb.]

[Time Limit: One week]

[This dungeon resets every week and repeats until you reach the deepest part.]

'The conquest conditions are the same as in my past life.'

Since the timing was slightly off, he was worried that the contents of the Great Demon realm had changed, but it was the same as in his past life.

Of course, the interior circumstances might differ.

'In my past life, Dokgo Jun was the first to conquer this place. He used to boast about it in interviews...'

Thanks to that, he knew well how this demon realm would unfold.

Whilst recalling memories from his past life, Seo Gangrim rushed into the Great Demon realm.

After running for a while, Seo Gangrim finally stopped. In the middle of the Great Demon realm on a moonless night, he stood alone. He stared silently into the darkness for a while, and then he opened his mouth.

"I declined earlier. Quite persistent."

-Snap!

Seo Gangrim's sword traced its trajectory without warning. As if a gust of wind carried a blade, the surrounding trees were instantly split in half.

Thump, thump, the trees fell with a loud noise. Then, the person hiding behind them revealed themselves.

"Wow, I didn't know I'd get caught. You're quite something, aren't you?"

It was the person Seo Gangrim had encountered at the entrance of the Great Demon realm just now, Choi Pilyoung. Seo Gangrim didn't show anger or surprise even when he saw Choi Pilyoung.

'I provoked him like that; it was obvious he'd follow me into the dungeon. Even if I didn't, he would still have entered the Great Demon realm.'

Most journalists were ordinary people with no extraordinary ability. Those who awakened their abilities often changed their professions to become hunters. However, Choi Pilyoung was different. Even after awakening his abilities and receiving a divine blessing, he continued to work as a journalist.

Furthermore, he utilized the characteristics of being a hunter to write unique articles. Unlike other journalists, he personally jumped into the Great Demon realm for coverage. This allowed him to convey vivid facts, gaining much popularity.

-Nowadays, other journalists just copy-paste from community posts, but Choi Pilyoung is different!

-There's no journalist as authentic as Choi Pilyoung.

-Is there another journalist risking their life in the Demon realms besides Choi Pilyoung?"

Many people appreciated Choi Pilyoung's reporting style and articles. While he might be considered an action-oriented journalist due to his coverage inside Demon realms, most of Choi Pilyoung's articles were about people rather than demons. Moreover, his articles often resembled novels that were based purely on imagination.

Choi Pilyoung poured out articles more made up of manipulation, fabrication, and distortion than truth. Like a stalker, he chased after hunters, leaking their personal lives unrelated to their activities inside Demon realms. Even if hunters threatened him, Choi Pilyoung didn't seem to be bothered.

[Name] Choi Pilyoung

[Rank] Dragon Second-class (龍二品)

[Attribute] Earth

[God] Enchanting Voice

He was a Dragon Second-class hunter, and his overall stats exceeded the average, surpassing level 40. He could fight against any Hunter and win.

Choi Pilyoung chuckled leisurely and said, "I've been interested in you for a while, Seo Gangrim-ssi . After all, you're quite famous, isn't he?"

"..."

"So, I really wanted to interview you at least once, but if you come out so uncooperative, it will not be good for both of us."

Given that he followed Seo Gangrim all the way into this place, it seemed he wouldn't give up easily. Even if Seo Gangrim ignored him and tried to leave, it was evident that Choi Pilyoung would follow.

Choi Pilyoung smiled cunningly. "Just a short interview with you and I'll leave. Seo Gangrim-ssi, you're busy right now, aren't you? Or perhaps, are you planning to bring me along for the conquest?"

"...."

"If you refuse, I'll keep following you, so it would be better to do it quickly, don't you think?"

Seo Gangrim was well aware of Choi Pilyoung's persistent nature. Even if he managed to shake him off now, once Choi Pilyoung set Seo Gangrim as a target, he wouldn't give up. It was reminiscent of how Choi Pilyoung had tormented the members of the Flying Tiger sect in his previous life.

In his past life, Choi Pilyoung had featured the Flying Tiger sect's members in special articles. The members had suffered at that time. Although Seo Gangrim, who had relatively low visibility, received a milder impact, it wasn't the same for others.

[Vice President Kang Dohyun, is he really clean? It is expected that he is involved in corruption with the Flying Tiger sect.]

Initially, articles emerged questioning whether Kang Dohyun had granted favors to the Flying Tiger sect. After a brief period of silence, it turned out to be a misconception.

[High-ranking Flying Tiger sect official Jang Taehun, was he actually the illegitimate child of a high-ranking prosecutor?]

The next target was Jang Taehun. As his household was influential, provocative articles related to him flooded in.

The truth was not that important.

As one of the five major sects, the Flying Tiger sect became a subject of explosive interest every time Choi Pilyoung wrote an article about them. Each time, he received an overwhelming response, prompting him to produce more articles.

[Leader of Vihomun, Shin Sooah, claims to establish a sect that protects everyone, but behind the scenes, was involved in assault and murder.]

[A girl who tried to become a god, Yu Harang. Unveiling her past.]

Choi Pilyoung exaggeratedly crafted articles, treating Yu Harang's misfortunes and hardships as if they were entertaining stories.

The image of Yu Harang's frightened face in the article came to Seo Gangrim's mind. Due to that incident, numerous people became acquainted with Yu Harang's face. Everyone's past, and life, were edited and cut into grotesque narratives, sold and distributed.

Choi Pilyoung looked at Seo Gangrim with a sly smile. "If Seo Gangrim-ssi doesn't want an interview, someone else will do. From what I see, there are quite a few interesting people among Seo Gangrim-ssi's friends too..."

"Just one question."

"Huh?"

Seemingly unprepared to receive a question, Choi Pilyoung blinked his eyes.

"You seem like a quite powerful hunter. Why do you keep working as a journalist?"

In response to that question, Choi Pilyoung burst into laughter, as if he had heard an extremely amusing story. Tapping his lips, he said, "I didn't expect to be asked in return. Okay, I'll tell you."

Then, twisting his lips, he chuckled. "Well, watching Awakened individuals tremble and beg before me is quite enjoyable, you know. Even those who can fly shatter when I publish just one article."

"...."

"Especially the awakened individuals stronger than me, seeing them shiver and plead is so thrilling."

He revealed his inner thoughts so explicitly to intimidate Seo Gangrim. If Seo Gangrim didn't cooperate with him, he would make sure Seo Gangrim faced the same fate.

Some hunters personally wanted to retaliate against him, but they all failed. There was also a reporter who tried to follow up on a story about Choi Pilyoung publishing a fabricated story. Shortly thereafter, the journalist was found dead. There was some speculation that Choi had killed him, but he had an alibi at the time of the reporter's death, so the case went cold.

Choi Pilyoung chuckled and said, "Seo Gangrim, no matter how strong of a hunter you are, nobody knows what will happen if I publish just one article about you."

He spoke as if he held immense power in his hands. As a matter of fact, there were several hunters whose lives were ruined by his hands.

Choi Pilyoung, eyeing Seo Gangrim as if he were looking at a high-quality delicacy, spoke, "Well, if you don't want to see a worse situation, wouldn't it be better to have an interview with me?"

Instead of answering, Seo Gangrim walked towards Choi Pilyoung. Even though Seo Gangrim's hand was visibly tightly gripping his sword, Choi Pilyoung showed no sign of fear, not even as the sword came flying toward him.

-Swoosh!

As Seo Gangrim swung the sword, Choi Pilyoung's arm was severed.

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