Chapter 283

Beru had diligently accumulated magic power by consuming the Essence Stones Suho brought him. Of course, the efficiency was still low. It was a far cry from the energy he received directly from Sung Jinwoo. But what could he do? In Beru's current situation, he had to be grateful for even this much and live as sparingly as possible. He had to suppress the urge to use his power, even though his hands were itching. If he recklessly consumed the magic power he diligently accumulated, he would have to ask Suho for more to recharge, and that was…

For Beru, who had been carrying Suho on his back since he was a baby, it felt like taking a child's pocket money to support the household, which didn't feel good. Each Essence Stone was precious and expensive on Earth. What a nuisance it would be to ask for more. But the situation was completely different if the opponent was an apostle of the Outer Gods. A weapon made from a sparpiece. How, and where, did they gather enough of them to make a weapon?

It was a reasonable suspicion. Beru, who was secretly following the Reaper Hasul, was convinced that she was either an apostle of the Outer Gods or a closely related pawn. She was even an S-rank villain. If she really was a force of the Outer Gods, it would be a greater loss to wait for Suho and miss the opportunity. So, if necessary, he was even willing to consume the magic power he had diligently saved to kill her himself. He could kill her to prevent her from escaping, and then either turn her into a shadow soldier or directly devour her brain to extract the memories. But fortunately, that didn't happen.

[Kieek! My liege!]

It was fortunate for both Beru and Hasul.

[You couldn't wait and missed me?!]

At the appearance of Suho, who came to the alley where Beru entered, he instantly shrank. If Suho was here, he could leave it to him. The best-case scenario would be to kill Hasul with Harmakan's help and gain experience points.

"…You are?" Hasul, overwhelmed by Beru's sudden presence, recognized Suho, who appeared just in time, and her eyes widened.

"The bakery?"

He was the bakery owner she saw at the market this morning. But why did he suddenly appear here? And why was that black ant magical beast clinging to that man and acting cute? No, was it just acting cute? Looking again, it seemed like it wasn't pretending, but being genuinely affectionate. In any case, in that moment of confusion,

Bzzzzzz.

– …Did something happen there?

A voice came from the walkie-talkie in her hand. Hasul quickly stepped back and spoke into the walkie-talkie,

"That…" But she couldn't utter more. Perhaps due to the lingering pressure from the ant magical beast, she couldn't even organize her thoughts. It was then…

Swish—

"Ah?!"

The walkie-talkie in Hasul's hand suddenly floated in the air as if snatched by an invisible hand. It flew through the air and landed in the bakery owner's palm. She couldn't help but be surprised.

'Magic…' Strange. She couldn't feel even the slightest flow of magic power for a skill. But this was only natural. First and foremost, the 'Ruler's Authority' was a skill that didn't consume mana, it was practically Suho's third hand that he was born with.

Bzzzz—!

– Please respond. Shadow of Paradise, what's happening there… 

"Hello, Association President Woo Jinchul. This is Beru."

"…?!"

Suho suddenly greeted the other side through Hasul's walkie-talkie. He could sense a flustered reaction, but Woo Jinchul, who quickly grasped the situation, asked in a calm tone,

– Is that Hunter Sung Suho?

"Oh, you recognized me right away?"

– Of course, your voice… is exactly like your father's.

As a son grows, his voice naturally becomes more like his father's. The moment Woo Jinchul heard Suho's voice through the walkie-talkie, he felt like he was talking to Sung Jinwoo.

– Besides, as far as I know, I'm the only 'human' in this world who remembers the name 'Beru.' – A faint longing could be felt from Woo Jinchul's voice, which had a hint of laughter.

That's right. Woo Jinchul was the closest friend and colleague who spent decades with Sung Jinwoo. And at the same time, he was the human who remembered all the lost history that had become a forgotten past. Moreover, he didn't just have personal memories related to him. He knew everything. This was because Sung Jinwoo, in the world before the Cup of Reincarnation was used, directly transmitted all the memories of the Shadow Monarch he saw, that is, the truth about the war between the Rulers and Monarchs, into Woo Jinchul's mind.

– You used that pseudonym for this purpose, didn't you?

"Ah, yes. I thought if there was anyone who recognized the name Beru, it would definitely be you, Association President."

[I-Is that so?!] Beru was surprised at those words.

[I thought you used my name because you wanted to become a great ant like me one day…] Beru was instantly disappointed. Little Suho, who diligently drew only ants with black crayons on a white drawing paper since childhood, clearly wanted to become an ant.

– Hmm. As expected. But is Hasul safe? She's a spy we planted in that city.

"Yes, well…" Suho glanced at Hasul as he answered.

She was standing awkwardly, unable to do anything as Suho and Woo Jinchul suddenly started talking. At the same time, she was clearly wary of Beru, who was clinging to Suho's side. For her sake, Suho suddenly took out something from seemingly out of nowhere and handed it to her.

"Here, eat this for now."

"…!" Hasul's eyes sparkled.

It was strawberry cake! And this time, it wasn't even a slice, but a proper whole cake! Hasul, who gently received it with both hands, immediately calmed down. And she finally made the important decision. To eat the last piece of cake she saved right now.

– More importantly, I have many questions I want to ask Hunter Sung Suho. I don't know the exact situation in the city, but if possible, could you explain a few things?

"Of course. But please speak comfortably. You're my father's friend, aren't you?"

– Haha. It's okay. I'm comfortable with formal speech. I happened to see the weakest weapon of mankind, an E-rank Hunter, saving the world, so I've contracted a disease where I can't treat anyone casually anymore.

"Oh dear."

Along with appropriate jokes, Suho answered Woo Jinchul's questions one by one. The first was, of course, about Sung Jinwoo. But Woo Jinchul's expectations turned into disappointment at Suho's response. Nevertheless there was still hope.

– It's truly fortunate that Hunter Cha Hae-In, CEO Yoo Jinho, and even Thomas Andre have regained their memories. Humanity has gained great strength. Are there any others? And Hunter Sung Suho, can you restore anyone's lost memories if you want? – At Woo Jinchul's most essential question, it was Beru, not Suho, who answered.

[It's not possible for everyone. Basically, it's much easier to restore the memories of those who are directly connected to the Monarch, like you. Of course, in a broader sense, all humans on Earth have been saved by the King and are indirectly connected, but it's a bit difficult to do that.]

– W-wait! Is that really you, 'Beru'?! – Woo Jinchul, who recognized Beru's voice, showed an even more shocked reaction than when he spoke to Suho.

Shadow ant, with a very satisfied and smug expression, shrugged at Suho. [See? This is how great I am.]

– It really was you, Beru! – A relieved sigh came from Woo Jinchul.

It was unfortunate that Sung Jinwoo wasn't on Earth, but how amazing was it that Beru was here? Woo Jinchul remembered it clearly. The Jeju Island raid where numerous S-rank Hunters put all their effort! The natural disaster-level calamity that mercilessly slaughtered all those Hunters was the magical beast, Beru. But now he had reformed and become one of Sung Jinwoo's core forces, so it was truly a tremendous gain for humanity.

– This is a relief. Truly a relief.

"…Hmm." Suho looked at the mini-sized Beru with a slightly troubled expression at Woo Jinchul's relieved reaction, who was comforted just by hearing Beru's voice.

[Kieek? Why are you looking at me like that? You can admire me as much as you want.]

"…"

Woo Jinchul, who was passionately explaining Beru's truly amazing prime to Suho, probably wouldn't even be able to imagine. This shrunken form of his.

'…I need to get more Essence Stones.' Suho made a firm resolution.

And after hearing about various things he was curious about from Suho, Woo Jinchul asked his last question.

– Anyway, so what's the current situation in that city? You instigated the citizens and caused a riot at the bank in just one day? – Woo Jinchul had already heard about what Suho did from Hasul. It was truly amazing, even thinking about it again. But the important thing at this point was the strategy going forward.

– Do you have any plans? That city is a difficult place for us to touch, so we've only planted spies and are monitoring the situation inside. – The Association Hunters led by Woo Jinchul had been wiping out the villains' cities whenever they found them.

But there was a reason why they couldn't easily touch this one. The walls... The incredibly large and tall walls surrounding the city were extremely robust barriers that wouldn't burn even with Choi Jong-In's fire attacks. And perhaps thanks to those walls, all the villains who had scattered to avoid the Association were gathering to live in this city one by one. The combined power of those villains was overwhelmingly greater than that of the Association Hunters Woo Jinchul brought from South Korea. Of course, they could somehow deal with them if they pushed themselves, but the problem was what came after. It was relatively recent that Woo Jinchul realized that even though he had destroyed the villains' cities countless times, other ones were being built in new locations. 

– In the end, to fundamentally eliminate all the villains, we have to catch the Enforcers. This is also information I learned thanks to having Hasul in that city. Our people's faces are already known to the villains there, so not just anyone can pass through the gates.

Crash Bang—!

Even as they had this leisurely conversation, This city was turning into a fierce battlefield in real-time. Blood splattered, screams erupted. A gory battle where it didn't matter who was an ally or an enemy. Because the villains, who lived for their own desires, realized that they could absorb the power of the fruit by killing each other. Their blood and flesh were splattered and scattered throughout the city. But there was one thing no one noticed even now… All the withered corpses were silently melting into the ground behind everyone's back. As a result,

Rustle

"…Ah." On the outskirts of Paradise City, Sirka, who was blankly watching the villains' war from outside the secluded alley where Suho and Hasul entered, looked up at the falling leaves. 

Red leaves were fluttering from the sky. Even those of Alfheim, which were green until last night, were gradually turning red. Under that beautiful scenery…

"…It smells familiar." Sirka closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She could feel the familiar winter air on the tip of her nose. She looked up at the sky and muttered,

"Winter is coming."