'Yuri Orlov'
The Prime Minister of Russia, and at the same time, the S-rank Hunter who stood at the pinnacle of the country's power. Currently, there was no one daring enough to intrude on his room. Even disregarding power, the tight security detail, composed of bodyguards, armed soldiers, and Hunters was superior even to that of the president. But surprisingly, the uninvited guest standing before him had entered his room without the bodyguards noticing. Moreover, he was 'daringly' sneering at Yuri Orlov without a hint of fear.
[Are you deaf? Your damn barrier has been breached.]
"What?"
Shatter!
Yuri Orlov's brow furrowed, and the wine glass in his hand shattered. Sharp shards of glass scattered, and the red liquid within floated in the air, forming a sphere before Orlov's eyes. It looked like blood trapped in an invisible fishbowl.
'Barrier'
Yuri Orlov's main skill, the ability that raised him from the bottom to this position. The news that it had been breached was a direct blow to his pride.
"Impossible. The barrier of the terrarium is perfect. No one can penetrate it."
[Your confidence is excessive. It has been breached. Some scoundrels broke through your barrier and trampled and burned one of my precious flowerpots. You were so full of yourself, just how poorly did you make the barrier?] Yuri Orlov gritted his teeth with a fearsome expression and glared at the uninvited guest.
Rumble!
At the same time, an immense killing intent poured out from him towards the uninvited guest. No ordinary citizen in Russia would be able to withstand this rage in their right mind. Yuri Orlov was at the pinnacle of absolute power, even the president was beneath him. With a single word, even those who lived a blameless life could be sentenced to death. But the uninvited guest before him didn't seem to care about Orlov's killing intent; instead, he glared back and gritted his teeth.
[Take the fight out of your eyes right now. I feel like gouging them out. I don't care about your petty pride. What's important is my flowerpot.] He leaned against the window that Orlov was looking out of with his arms crossed in a defiant posture.
[So tell me. Are you sure there are no flaws in your barrier?]
"There are none." Yuri Orlov answered firmly. At the same time, his large hand grasped the red wine that had gathered in a spherical shape before his eyes.
Crush—!
The tremendous grip strength of an S-rank Hunter pressed down on the red sphere. But unlike the wine glass that shattered earlier, his transparent barrier easily withstood his grip.
"Look. This is the barrier I placed on the terrarium. I poured a massive amount of magic stones into it and made it so strong that even an S-rank Hunter couldn't break it with all their might."
[Don't be overconfident. I never expected the power of a mere human to be perfect. I'm just asking for a solution since there's a problem with your barrier.]
"…Hmm." Orlov's blazing momentum gradually subsided at the uninvited guest's calm response, who ignored his killing intent and spoke with an unwavering attitude. Composed, he crossed his arms, leaned back on the sofa, and asked the uninvited guest again,
"Which flowerpot was damaged?"
[North Korea.]
"Hmm. North Korea… I put a lot of effort into that place because of that picky Korean Association President."
[I know. So think about what the problem is. It's not like I only have one or two flowerpots in paradise. If one is breached, the same could happen to others. That wouldn't be good for you either, would it?]
"I've told you countless times, no one can break through my barrier. Especially North Korea, where not only Woo Jinchul but also Choi Jong-in is…" Yuri Orlov, who was organizing his thoughts while stroking his chin, suddenly closed his mouth. Come to think of it, his perfect barrier wasn't completely without flaws. He realized a possibility.
"…What if it wasn't broken through by force?"
[You still overestimate yourself. Are you saying that Elvenwood opened the door to the invaders from the inside?]
"Yes. Wouldn't that make more sense?"
[Elvenwood has no reason to do that.] Orlov scoffed at his firm tone and sneered,
"I'll return those words to you. Don't be overconfident. If you don't know the reason, isn't it something you should find out yourself? There's a problem in the paradise you cherish, and you're just going to whine about it? For someone called the 'Apostle of Paradise'?"
'Apostle of Paradise'
Yuri Orlov glared at the uninvited guest called by that name, his eyes cold as a snake, and bared his teeth.
"Besides, didn't you personally cast a perception-impairing spell near the terrarium? And even distorted space so that no one could find the terrarium even if they were right in front of it? Who was so confident about that? It was you, wasn't it?"
[…] The Apostle of Paradise couldn't help but be silent at Yuri Orlov's words. He wasn't wrong.
'Terrarium'
The area around the flowerpot where Elvenwood was growing was thick with blue mist, making it impossible to identify even with satellite cameras. Moreover, even if you approached it, you wouldn't be able to recognize the giant Elvenwood even if it was right before your eyes due to the perception-impairing magic mixed with the blue mist. On top of that, he even distorted space so that even if you were walking straight towards the terrarium, you would naturally pass by it. But even that wasn't perfect. The Apostle of Paradise nodded and muttered quietly,
"…Indeed. The perception-impairing magic and space distortion only apply to the ground. If you can fly on an airplane or something and reach right in front of the terrarium, it's not entirely impossible."
But… That couldn't happen. The surroundings of the terrarium were always swarming with rampaging spirits. Flying in the sky with an airplane or helicopter was suicidal. No matter how strong a Hunter was, unless they had wings, it was much safer to fight on the ground. Therefore, to pass by the terrarium, one could only move on the ground.
"Which flowerpot that was damaged?"
[North Korea.] At the apostle's answer, Yuri Orlov picked up the tablet on the corner of the table and leisurely scrolled through it.
"Let's see. North Korea, North Korea…" His finger, scrolling down the screen, suddenly stopped at the recent news from Korea.
– (Breaking News) Hunter Sung Suho decides to enter North Korea!
– (Hot Pick) Cha Hae-in appears riding a black dragon!
"…Black dragon?"
He clicked on the article, and a picture popped up on the screen. A black dragon flying towards North Korea with its giant wings spread. And the image of Sung Suho, riding on it and leaving for North Korea. Yuri Orlov's expression hardened.
– The Hero of India, Sung Suho
His abilities weren't accurately known to the public yet. For some reason, the Korean Association had tightly blocked information about him. But seeing him riding that black dragon himself, he became certain.
"…He was a summoner after all. Then don't tell me all those black magical beasts weren't a dungeon break, but his summons?"
It was an absurd ability. Yuri Orlov's expression turned serious at the image of Sung Suho captured in India. Was the overwhelming number of black summons standing beside him all his own power? That meant the eerie feeling he had when he first saw the article about Sung Suho was right. But now he could even summon a dragon?
"Even for an S-rank Hunter, to show that level of performance, it must be a method like mine, drawing magic power from an external source. He couldn't possibly obtain that much quantity of magic stones himself, could he? Is he a Hunter secretly trained by the Korean Association?"
He knew because he used magic stones himself. Considering the number of summons he used in India, Yuri Orlov could roughly estimate how many magic stones Sung Suho would have consumed.
"Korea is a democratic country. It's legally impossible to pour that much resources into an individual. Even Woo Jinchul can't do something that radical. Or could it be that… this Sung Suho is also like me?" The more you know, the more you see. Yuri Orlov's eyes flashed as he stared at Sung Suho's face in the picture. As if he had realized the truth hidden behind the scenes in Korea.
"This Sung Suho. Perhaps he's a Hunter who controls the country's power from behind the scenes, just like me." Suspicion turned into conviction. If someone with power had that kind of ability, they could easily rule a country, as Yuri Orlov himself had proven.
"Or maybe Woo Jinchul was the one who ruled Korea from the beginning. Sung Suho could be a secret weapon that the association president hid, or he could be holding his weakness…"
Various hypotheses came to mind, but the most important thing at this point was that Sung Suho left for North Korea on a giant dragon. And that the terrariums he personally concealed with barriers were located along that route. Having grasped the situation, a cruel smile appeared on Yuri Orlov's lips.
"Heh. As expected, he was fishy from the first time I saw him." As always, ominous premonitions were never wrong. Yuri Orlov handed the tablet screen to the Apostle of Paradise and smirked,
"See? Now it seems like the problem wasn't with me, but with you." And after gulping down the entire bottle of wine on the table, he openly mocked him with a triumphant expression.
"Apostles are always like this. They act all high and mighty, but when a problem occurs, they come crying."
[…]
Yuri Orlov chuckled, having landed a blow on the obnoxious apostle of the Outer Gods. But despite his blatant mockery, the Apostle of Paradise didn't react and just stared intently at the picture of Sung Suho he handed him. Especially at the image of the shadow wyvern Kaisel that Sung Suho was riding.
[…This is truly absurd.] The Apostle of Paradise's eyes shook violently as he saw Suho's numerous soldiers lined up below.
[How can the Shadow Army exist on Earth?]
"Shadow Army?" Yuri Orlov tilted his head at the unfamiliar term. But the Apostle of Paradise, with a serious expression, was thinking about the worst-case scenario, ignoring his reaction.
[…Don't tell me? No, that can't be.] The worst-case scenario. The possibility that the Shadow Monarch, who should be in outer space, had come to Earth.
[Absolutely impossible.] Yes. No matter how much he thought about it, it didn't make sense. Then was there a chance that only the Shadow Army was sent to Earth without him? That didn't make sense either.
[It's too far. His magic power wouldn't reach. If that were possible, we apostles wouldn't have to do such troublesome things.]
Just as the Outer Gods' power didn't reach Earth, the Shadow Monarch's power wouldn't reach here either. The distance between that place and Earth was too far.
[…Then who is this human?]
"Who else? He's the hottest Hunter in Korea, Sung Suho. Ah, that's right. You aloof apostles aren't interested in the names of mere humans, are you?"
[No, now I am. Anything is fine. I need information about this human.]
"Huh, that's a very troublesome and difficult request. Information about Sung Suho is top secret even in Korea. If I fulfill that difficult request, what can you do for me?"
[What do you need?] Yuri Orlov's lips curled up into a meaningful smile as he looked at the Apostle of Paradise.
"I like your straightforward answer. This is why I can't hate you guys."
[Wait.]
Flinch. In the middle of the conversation, the Apostle of Paradise's expression suddenly distorted.
[Just now, another flowerpot was broken.]
"What?" Yuri Orlov's expression also distorted.
"Where is it?"
[The closest place to the previously broken flowerpot.]
"That damned bastard." It seemed certain that the culprit was Sung Suho. This was too much. To damage two of the terrariums he worked so hard to create in one day! Considering the value of the 'fruits' produced in the terrarium, this was an astronomical loss for Yuri Orlov.
"This is a big problem. If we stay put, other flowerpots will be in danger too."
But it was risky to send troops there because the opponent was an S-rank Hunter. Moreover, the location was North Korea, so it could turn into a political issue. That was the reason why he used perception-impairing magic to hide the terrarium in the first place. He didn't need that magic for the terrarium in Russia, which he ruled.
[I'll go check it out. In the meantime, you find out everything about that human named Sung Suho.]
Whoosh!
The Apostle of Paradise left those words and disappeared from the spot. Like a doodle erased with an eraser.
"Ghostly bastard." Yuri Orlov threw the wine bottle at the spot where he disappeared.
"How dare you order me around?"
He immediately summoned his assistants and began investigating Sung Suho. But there was one thing… Something he couldn't understand.
"…How did he really break through my barrier?" Even if Sung Suho had a summoner army, Even if he could fly around on a dragon, The barrier he painstakingly created wasn't something that could be breached with just a brute force attack.
"I said it myself, but there's no way Elvenwood really opened the door itself…" Yuri Orlov muttered with a suspicious expression. But as always, ominous premonitions were never wrong…
* * *
"You're a lost little elf."
"Let us show you our beautiful city, Elvenwood."
The door opened.
With the small and young ice elf Sirka at the forefront, Elvenwood opened its tightly closed barrier and welcomed Suho and his party. And towards the hypocritical smiles of the high elves who came to greet them, Suho simply said one word,
"Three."
"…What?"
"This is the third one…"
[Using Skill: 'Breath of Destruction'.]
KRAAAAAAAA—!
"Wh-what?!" There was no mercy in Suho's flames that erupted towards the horrified high elves.
"There is no need for conversation between us."