Whoosh—!
The strong wind hit his body. Sung Il-Hwan, jumping off the cliff, fell endlessly through the white mist. But there was no tremor in his eyes as he plummeted at a terrifying speed. Far from being scared, he didn't even feel the need to use magic power for something like this. He had been through much worse in the past.
'…It started with being left behind.' A world forgotten by everyone now. Beyond that vanished history, he was a Hunter who awakened in the early days of the Cataclysm. It was a time when the term 'Hunter' hadn't even been properly established. A time when the Hunter rank system wasn't properly defined yet. Sometimes, when he recalled those days, he wondered…
What rank was he back then? At that time, no Awakened being in the world could measure their power. Because the magic power meter hadn't been developed yet. Perhaps that was why everyone was so reckless back then. Because they didn't know the extent of their power. They jumped into unknown Gates, trying to conquer dangerous dungeons that might hold unknown threats. And sometimes, if they encountered a high-difficulty area, they lost their lives absurdly quickly. But looking back, these were romantic times. Reckless courage that was possible because they couldn't gauge their own strength. They jumped into the unknown with the sole mission of protecting the world.
'…And then the Gate closed, and I was left alone in the dungeon.'
Left behind.
Isolated.
The Rulers appeared before him as he wandered aimlessly, trapped in the dimensional gap… The mission given to him after that, it didn't matter now that it was all in the past. The problem was what came after. He was luckily helped by the Rulers and returned to Earth, but…
He had already become a terrible head of family. Because of his disappearance, because of his reckless courage to save the world… His wife, Park Kyung-Hye, lost her husband overnight. And his children, Sung Jinwoo and Sung Jinah, lost their father. And soon after, his wife fell into Eternal Slumber and was hospitalized in the intensive care unit, unconscious. Suddenly, his children became orphans who lost both parents. They were struggling to survive in that dangerous world at such a young age. His son even gave up going to college to earn money.
'…I was a terrible father and a terrible husband.' Perhaps that was why he fought even harder to protect his son, burdened with guilt and a sense of debt. But now, the history of that time has become a thing of the past, a fragment of history lost to the world. But even so, how could he forget? He, the terrible husband and father, had to remember. The guilt, helplessness, and the weight of being an irresponsible head of the household were still deeply embedded in Sung Il-Hwan's heart. That's why…
"…This time, I will protect them. Definitely."
At least in this world, he wouldn't repeat the mistakes of the past. With that resolve, Sung Il-Hwan ran through the foggy forest with a fearsome expression.
* * *
Meanwhile, the Apostle of Paradise, who handed the fruit to the girl, couldn't help but be bewildered. A mouthwatering scent. The greater the deficiency in the soul, the more this fruit stimulated their hunger. The most terrifying aspect of predatory plants was that they emitted an irresistible magic power to those whose souls were starved. But even then,
"I don't want it."
[…What?]
Pause. For a moment, the Apostle of Paradise wondered if he misheard. But he wasn't mistaken. The girl's eyes didn't waver even with the fruit of Elvenwood before her.
"The director told me not to eat food from strangers."
[…]
Such an obvious statement. She was a smart child. But the Apostle of Paradise felt like his brain had short-circuited.
'How?'
How could such a young and weak human? And even a deficient soul that lost its parents, resist the temptation of a predatory plant?!
"Anyway, if you're a guest, please go to the director's office! I have to go eat curry pork cutlet now!"
Dada Dada Dada—
[No, but I…]
The Apostle of Paradise was momentarily flustered as the girl turned her back without hesitation and ran towards the dining hall. Actually, if he wanted to, he could just grab the girl by the scruff of her neck, force her mouth open, and feed her the fruit. But he had an ominous feeling. How could a creature trapped in an orphanage resist the temptation of a predatory plant?!
[W-wait. Director? Who is that?]
"…Yes?"
The girl, who was running to the dining hall, turned her head at the question from behind and looked at his face again. Her eyes, which were firm when she refused the fruit, were now sparkling.
"You're asking who the director is? Umm…"
But the question itself was too out of context. The girl suddenly fell into deep thought. But she tried to answer the guest's question with a serious expression. She was hungry, but he was a guest who came to the orphanage.
"So, our director… she's… umm."
Besides, children naturally liked to teach others about things they liked. Especially since the director who created this place was her favorite grandmother, she was confident she could answer anything anyone asked about her.
"So, our director… her only son suddenly went missing a long time ago. Well, it's not really a special story. Everyone runs away from home once or twice when they're in middle school, right?"
[No, that's not what I…]
"No, but listen."
[…]
"Our director had a really hard time trying to find her son back then. But in the end, her son came back home on his own! After two years! Isn't that amazing?"
[…]
Even for the Apostle of Paradise, it was impossible to stop the chatterbox girl once she started talking. It would be easier to just kill her, but the problem was the girl's soul. He was confused. His hand was still frozen, holding out the fruit before her. But the girl didn't even glance at the fruit.
'…Does she really have no deficiency?'
Strange. Wasn't she too bright? For a creature trapped in a mere orphanage. Seeing such a pure soul before his eyes, the Apostle of Paradise couldn't help but listen to the girl's chatter in a trance. And perhaps because she was also hungry, she was rattling on like a machine gun to get to the dining hall quickly. Besides, running away from home wasn't a big deal, but to think that the child who ran away came back on their own was truly amazing, so to stop this girl's excited chatter, it seemed like it would be easier to just rip her head off.
"…Anyway, then! Since the director was so eager to find her son, she went around looking for runaway teens, and even after her son came back, children like us kept catching her eye! So she eventually created this place…! The 'Yangpyeong Child Protection Center'! Ta-da!" The girl smiled brightly at the Apostle of Paradise with a satisfied expression as if she had finished her introduction perfectly.
"Ah, right! And our director's name is 'Park Kyung-Hye'!"
[That human's name…]
Suddenly. The Apostle of Paradise's expression hardened at those words. And then his lips slowly curled up.
[…Wait. Did you just say Park Kyung-Hye?]
"Yes! Park, Kyung, Hye! Anyway, we're done now, right? If you don't have any more questions, I'm really going to eat now."
[Then this fruit…]
"Ah, I said no!"
Dada Dada—
The girl turned her back without hesitation and ran towards the dining hall after finishing what she had to say. But unlike before, the Apostle of Paradise had a bright smile on his face.
[…What a coincidence.]
Truly a coincidence. Now he didn't care about that girl's soul anymore. Because he had found much better prey.
'Yangpyeong Child Protection Center'
'Park Kyung-Hye'
Weren't those names from the information Yuri Orlov gave him?
[I'll start here.]
He planted the fruit he was going to feed the girl in the garden of this orphanage. And he poured a tremendous amount of divine power into this land.
Whoosh—!
The land was quickly contaminated, and the sprout of a predatory plant emerged and bloomed. The clean soil gradually turned dark purple, And the roots of Elvenwood began to spread like blood vessels. At that moment, he staggered…
[Kuhk. Sung Suho, that bastard…!]
The Apostle of Paradise staggered from a sudden dizziness.
'Sung Suho!'
What was that bastard doing in North Korea right now…! He could feel the flowerpots remaining there rapidly falling silent. And the power flowing from those flowerpots inevitably weakened. The Apostle of Paradise gritted his teeth with a ferocious expression.
[I need to hurry.]
Now it was a race against time. Whether his base would be destroyed first, Or whether he would destroy his enemy's base before that! But it was still okay for now. His flowerpots were spread not only in North Korea but also in other countries. However, all of his enemy's family was gathered in this land, wasn't it?
Yangpyeong Child Protection Center.
Standing before it, the Apostle of Paradise unleashed tremendous divine power and roared,
[Grow, Elvenwood!]
Whoosh—!
He decided to sacrifice this entire orphanage to the new Elvenwood.
[Sung Suho! If you burn everything I have, I'll turn all your family into toys!]
Squelch— Squelch Squelch—
He had to hurry. He accelerated the erosion. Starting from the orphanage, with the Apostle of Paradise as the center, the surrounding area began to rapidly transform. Tree branches wriggled and grew grotesquely, and those hideous branches spread like spider webs, intertwining and forming a nest-like structure around the orphanage's garden. Meanwhile, the Apostle of Paradise entered the building to find Park Kyung-Hye. Noisy chatter could be heard from the dining hall.
"Wow! Did you make this curry yourself, Director?"
"This is amazing! Grandma Director's kimchi is the best!"
[…There.]
The Apostle of Paradise's eyes flashed. An elderly woman with the children. It was Director Park Kyung-Hye. An old granny, looking exactly like the picture of Sung Suho's grandmother that Yuri Orlov gave him, was gathered in the dining hall with the children. He flicked his finger towards that place.
Whoosh—!
The roots of Elvenwood pierced through the dining hall floor and sprouted.
"Eua!"
"Wh-what is this!"
The screams of the startled children filled the dining hall. In the center of it all, Park Kyung-Hye was floating in the air, bound by the hideous roots.
"Director!"
"Director, look out!"
The children clung to the roots, trying to save her. But Park Kyung-Hye, not caring about her own safety, worried about the children's well-being first.
"Kids, run away!"
"No!"
"We can't leave you, Director!"
The children cried and gathered even closer. They were also caught and entangled in the roots, but still struggled to save their protector. Director Park Kyung-Hye was that precious to them. The one who made them warm meals every morning, stayed by their side all night when they were sick, and hugged them when they were sad, For the children who were left alone without parents, Park Kyung-Hye was everything.
"Ah, report it! Someone call the Association if you have a phone!"
In the midst of the panic, one of the smart kids shouted. And one of the children caught in the roots struggled and took out his phone from his pocket.
Thud
Of course, that attempt was futile. With a single gesture from the Apostle of Paradise, the roots struck the child's hand and made him drop the phone.
[I don't need any interference.]
The Apostle of Paradise smiled leisurely and walked across the contaminated land.
[From now on, it's my time.]
And he approached Park Kyung-Hye, who was entangled in the roots, and held out a new red fruit before her face.
[Eat this.]
"Wh-who…"
He didn't care about Park Kyung-Hye's answer, bewildered as she looked at him. Because the course of events was already decided.
[If you don't eat this fruit now, I'll kill all the children here.]
"…!"
Park Kyung-Hye's face was instantly filled with terror. And the Apostle of Paradise became overjoyed. But, he knew how to make it even more delightful.
[No, wait. Instead of killing them, I'll cut off their limbs one by one. First the fingers, then the arms, and then…]
"I-I'll eat it! Please stop!" He finally got the answer he wanted from Park Kyung-Hye.
[Yes, eat it. You're just a human without magic power anyway, so one fruit should be enough.]
And just like the villains of North Korea, This woman would also become a beautiful sprout growing in his flowerpot. The Apostle of Paradise grinned wickedly, forced Park Kyung-Hye's mouth open, and brought the fruit closer. He was filled with anticipation. What kind of expression would Sung Suho, that detestable guy, make when he saw his grandmother turned into his toy? But it was then…
Shiver.
Just as he was about to feed Park Kyung-Hye the fruit, his body instinctively recoiled.
…Crash—!
At that moment, a man, descending like lightning and breaking through the ceiling of the dining hall, blocked their path.
"H-honey…?"
Sung Il-Hwan, he tore off the roots with his overwhelming strength and held Park Kyung-Hye in his arms.