The place where the Intermediate Apostle was located was deeper than my current position.
It was a village where those who believed in the White Dragon God gathered. It served as a gathering point for Lowest and Lower Apostles, with an Intermediate Apostle serving as the village chief.
‘Is it there?’
A village with neatly arranged houses came into view. It felt worlds apart from the places where humans lived. It was brimming with vitality. Between the buildings, the energy of the White Dragon God flowed thickly, enveloping the village like a sentry guarding against intruders.
The White Dragon God’s energy acted as a defensive barrier. If I entered as I was, I would essentially be announcing my arrival to everyone.
‘It isn’t time to reveal myself yet.’
Using my authority, I sealed the mana and energy flowing within my body and wrapped the White Dragon God’s energy I had extracted from the Lower Apostle around myself.
I could freely convert Demonic Power, Divine Power, and Nature Magic. Such a feat was only possible because my enlightenment had reached such heights.
“Shall we go?”
Using Polymorph Magic, I transformed my appearance into the Lower Apostle I had killed and walked into the village.
The energy of the White Dragon God drifted toward me. It lightly circled my body, verifying if I was an authorized individual. Once the energy determined I was indeed an Apostle, it finished its check and drifted away.
I moved my feet and entered the village.
Perhaps because the Lower Apostles had all gone out under the Intermediate Apostle’s orders, there weren’t many Apostles inside the village. Only humans and demi-humans, who appeared to be serving the Apostles, were moving about busily.
“Greetings, Lord Apostle.”
“You have arrived, Lord Apostle.”
As I approached, the slaves all bowed their heads. I passed them indifferently and walked along the outskirts of the village. I used Search Magic to scan the surroundings, checking for any potential spells or hidden Apostles.
‘There’s nothing.’
There was nothing particularly hidden within the village. Aside from the Intermediate Apostle in the central building, there was nothing that could pose a threat.
Ssssh!
I drew out a portion of my sealed power and subtly manipulated the White Dragon God’s energy surrounding the village. I adjusted it just enough to serve as a deception, ensuring it wouldn’t react no matter what happened inside.
Then, I moved toward the largest building in the center.
It was the residence of the Intermediate Apostle.
At the entrance, I lightly used Search Magic once more. There seemed to be no one guarding the Intermediate Apostle, nor were there any unexpected visits from High Apostles.
‘Is there no guard because he is an Apostle?’
In this world, they were an absolute power that no one could touch. Or perhaps the current situation was so critical that even the personal guards had been sent out.
Whatever the reason, it made it easier for me to speak with the Intermediate Apostle.
Creak!
I opened the firmly closed door and stepped inside. The interior was filled with pure white decorations and brilliant light. As expected of those following the White Dragon God, everything was stark white.
A slave waiting inside approached me.
“What brings you here?”
“I am here to report. It is an important matter, so everyone must leave.”
“…Understood.”
The slave went inside briefly, gathered the other slaves in the mansion, and led them out.
Following the memories of the Lower Apostle, I traced the layout and headed toward the Intermediate Apostle’s office. Following the stairs to the second floor, I entered a spacious reception room.
Behind the large door at the back lay the Intermediate Apostle’s office.
Clack.
Clack.
Perhaps hearing my calm footsteps, a voice called out from the office.
“Who is it?”
“It is Berod.”
“Ah, come in.”
Since they had already spoken previously, the Intermediate Apostle allowed me entry without suspicion. When I opened the door and entered, I saw a middle-aged man with snow-white skin.
His overall appearance was close to human, but his prominent features were more like a dragon’s. His white skin was actually composed of white scales, his face featured horns and thick hide, and he had a tail near his hips.
He took off his glasses and looked at me.
“Did you recruit him?”
“No.”
“No?”
Looking at the frowning Intermediate Apostle, I unleashed Dragon Fear. I released my sealed power all at once. Simultaneously, I created a barrier to prevent the power from leaking outside and layered the White Dragon God’s energy over the barrier.
My eyes flashed as I stared at the Intermediate Apostle.
“…Ugh!”
“Kneel.”
He tried to resist my command, but my power was so overwhelming that it was impossible for someone of an Intermediate Apostle’s level to defy it.
Thud!
The Intermediate Apostle fell to his knees on the floor.
“…How is the Successor of the Lord here…”
“That is none of your concern.”
I lowered my posture and looked into the Intermediate Apostle’s eyes. I used the fear generated by the Dragon Fear to dominate his mind.
“Aaaaaagh!”
Perhaps because he was better than a Lower Apostle, he tried to put up some resistance. However, it was all futile. It only increased the pain inflicted on his mind.
“…Urrgh!”
“Give up.”
With my words, the Intermediate Apostle’s eyes grew hazy. Beyond his clouded gaze, the information stored in his head became visible. I interfered with his psyche to verify the information he possessed.
—A Great War will break out.
A High Apostle had gathered the Intermediate Apostles to speak to them.
—To win this war, we need those with exceptional potential. Go to the outskirts and gather those with talent.
—Who are we fighting?
—The Successor of the Lord.
—Is it the one who defeated the Supreme Apostle of the Black Dragon God?
—No. The enemy we will face is the newly appeared Successor of the Lord. A High Apostle of the Black Dragon God has already fallen to him. He possesses divinity, and the number of Guardians he commands is estimated to be at least dozens or more.
The High Apostle sent a sharp gaze toward the Intermediate Apostles.
—The vanguard has already departed. While they buy time, we must gather as many forces as possible to prepare for war. Cross into the connected dimensions immediately and bring back those with great potential.
Afterward, the Intermediate Apostle had instructed the Lower Apostles to bring back talented individuals, and there was a report regarding Idrian, who possessed the qualities of a Hero.
“Hmm.”
I stood up and looked at the papers on his desk. There was information on various individuals. The name that stood out the most was Idrian. The difficult handwriting was translated for me.
‘This is information evaluating their potential.’
Idrian was rated at the very top. He was listed as the first priority for recruitment. I scanned the papers and checked the others as well. It wasn’t just people from this world; there was also information on people from other worlds where the White Dragon God’s Apostles had been dispatched.
‘There isn’t much else besides Idrian.’
I had obtained everything worth getting here. I contemplated for a moment while looking at the Intermediate Apostle, who remained kneeling with a vacant stare.
If I killed him, the High Apostle would notice. They would immediately realize someone was making a move.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to me, and I awakened the Intermediate Apostle’s mind just enough so he could answer my questions without lying.
“Why has the White Dragon God left the Demon Realm untouched?”
“It is because of a partnership with the Black Dragon God. It was decided that we would take the surface, while the Black Dragon God would take the Demon Realm. Therefore, the Demon King follows the Black Dragon God.”
“Is leaving the Black Order alone also due to a contract?”
“Yes. It is to generate Demonic Power through them.”
If the two of them had joined hands to divide the world, I could use this situation to screw over the Supreme Apostle of the White Dragon God.
‘If the Demon Realm opens a gate to the surface and starts killing Apostles…’
Naturally, suspicion would shift toward the Black Dragon God’s faction. Regardless of the truth, the Supreme Apostle would have no choice but to be wary of the Demon Realm and the Black Dragon God.
Normally, such a petty trick wouldn’t work, but the Black Dragon God had recently lost his Supreme Apostle. It wouldn’t be strange if the Demon Realm had slipped from the Black Dragon God’s control.
‘…It’s a decent plan.’
If I eliminated the Demon King through Turkan and took control of the Demon Realm to start a fight with the White Dragon God’s Apostles, Idrian could use that gap to take down the Black Order and grow his power. There was even a void in their forces because they had sent out the vanguard.
If I could just handle the vanguard without taking any damage, the entire tide of the war could be turned. Instead of waiting for them to invade, it was possible to strike them first.
‘Yes. Let’s strike first.’
To realize that plan, I first had to deal with the Demon King and take control of the Demon Realm.
“Act like a puppet for the time being.”
I placed a brainwashing spell on the Intermediate Apostle and erased his memories of me, Idrian, and the Lower Apostle. Then, I deactivated the barrier and slipped out of the village.
I immediately used Teleport to move to the Sleeping Forest. After summoning Turkan, I asked him how to get to the Demon Realm.
【I know how to open the way.】
“Really? Then let’s go immediately.”
Golden Magic Tower Korea Branch.
Yoo Seolha was having a very busy day. She had to stabilize the magic connecting the two dimensions, adjust rewards, and fine-tune the difficulty. Since they were operating the Constellation System to recruit Apostles, there could be no room for error.
“We’ve found the fifteenth Apostle candidate.”
“List the name and track their progress.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Tower Master, a fight has broken out between the Constellations.”
“Again?”
Yoo Seolha frowned and let out a sigh. What kept the Golden Magic Tower busy wasn’t the management of the system or the tower, but the bickering of the Constellations. She used magic to log in to the Constellation System.
—I told you I claimed that one first!
—The one who gets them first is the owner. So why did you only claim them?
—What? You bastard! I had no choice because we can only choose one person per day!
—Control that temper of yours. How many warnings has it been already? Then you should have picked this one first.
Two Guardians were arguing. It was natural to be interested in those with great talent, and it was common for multiple Guardians to choose a single Hunter. In such cases, it was decided that the Constellation the Hunter chose would be the one to take them.
However, problems often arose because of the constraints of the Constellation System, like this one. To prevent the indiscriminate abuse of authority, there was a rule that a Constellation could only choose one person per day. If they had accepted someone that day, they couldn’t accept a new Hunter until the next.
In this interval, it was common for another Constellation to take a Hunter that someone else had been eyeing.
“…It’s those two again.”
Yoo Seolha shook her head after identifying the Guardians. One chose a Hunter every single day, and the other only snatched away the ones someone else had picked. Those two already had too many warnings piled up.
“This is the final warning. If a problem like this occurs again, I will confiscate the Constellation System from both of you.”
In the past, she used to judge who was in the wrong, but after realizing it was meaningless, she only sent out warning notices.
Ding!
[A new message has arrived]
[The White Dragon God’s side has sent a vanguard. They should have arrived by the time this message reaches you. Try opening an event to catch those guys. Give out generous rewards.]
It was a message from Cheon Yongje.
“…Everyone, gather. We need to start a new event.”