The High Apostle used his authority to open a channel.
Through that channel, people all over the world could watch the battle between Dokkaebi and the High Apostle.
“Crazy, can that thing even be stopped?”
“Is it strong? I can’t tell.”
“It looks incredibly strong. The aura it radiates is on a different level.”
Even when the High Apostle summoned monsters, people expected Dokkaebi’s defeat. These were no ordinary monsters. The atmosphere grew even grimmer when one of the Twelve Constellations posted on social media that those monsters were at least SSS Rank.
“Is that guy just talking big again?”
“No. You can feel it just by looking.”
“I heard that the higher your rank, the more you can sense. Anyone S-rank or higher probably knows instinctively that the post isn’t a lie.”
“Correct.”
“Even if Dokkaebi is strong, those don’t look easy to catch.”
“Didn’t he beat the Special Monster, though?”
“They’re saying those are legendary-level monsters that could just crush that other monster.”
It was a battle where defeat seemed certain. People wondered why such a thing was even happening.
“But why is this happening in the first place?”
“The Apostles.”
“Apostles? What’s that?”
“The Association Presidents of China and Japan teamed up with some entity to kill Dokkaebi. That entity is an Apostle.”
“Is that thing an Apostle?”
“Yeah. An Apostle who follows the god of another entity.”
“How do you know all this?”
“Because I work in this field.”
“Isn’t this top secret?”
“The world is about to end, so who cares about secrets?”
“Sounds like a lie. If it’s true, why are they trying to kill Dokkaebi?”
“I don’t know that part.”
The reason the Apostle wanted to kill Dokkaebi was information that no one possessed, save for one person.
Lee Changgeon, the President of the Korean Hunter Association.
He had heard a brief explanation from Dokkaebi regarding the existence of the Apostles and the war of the Dragon Gods.
“They really went all out.”
The army of the High Apostle visible on the screen was too powerful and far too numerous. No matter how strong Dokkaebi was, it looked like he would have a difficult time dealing with them.
“President, Korea is completely paralyzed.”
“It has already left our hands. If Dokkaebi doesn’t win, there is no future. That Apostle is the kind of person who would use prisoners to turn Korea into a wasteland.”
“Can he win?”
“This time… it might be truly difficult.”
However, contrary to expectations, the enemy commander was struck by Dokkaebi’s attack and forced off the battlefield. The remaining subordinates fought on equal footing with the forces Dokkaebi led. But victory had not yet been achieved.
‘…’
Lee Changgeon watched the situation, desperately hoping for Dokkaebi to win. Finally, it seemed as though Dokkaebi had found and defeated the hidden enemy commander, but then the leader summoned something else.
A massive army, incomparable to anything seen so far, descended upon the world. To make matters worse, the monsters—already strong to begin with—became even more powerful.
“World destruction is actually possible.”
“How can this be happening?”
It was a parade of events that defied common sense.
Because of this, everyone fell into despair.
Specifically, those in Korea were despondent because it was obvious what would happen to the country if Dokkaebi died.
“President, you must evacuate now.”
“What difference would it make if I fled?”
“Still, to prepare for the future…”
“I trust Dokkaebi. I’m sure he will do it.”
He watched Dokkaebi with unwavering faith, and Dokkaebi answered that trust. He led a force no less powerful than the enemy’s and completely suppressed the battlefield.
The enemy army was pushed back unilaterally.
The desperate situation was reversed in an instant, and the High Apostle’s forces vanished.
Dokkaebi approached the enemy commander with a pure white sword and finished him cleanly.
As the High Apostle’s head fell to the ground, the broadcast was cut off.
“He won.”
“Phew, my heart is racing. My hands won’t stop sweating.”
“Mine as well.”
Dokkaebi had protected Korea by defeating the High Apostle.
However, the important part started now. People all over the world now knew of Dokkaebi’s identity and the existence of those he fought.
Furthermore, they had learned about the aftermath such a battle could bring.
‘Anxiety and fear.’
The High Apostle had lost the war, but he had planted those two seeds in the people of the world before he left.
The possibility had been etched into their minds: that if a stronger being appeared to fight Dokkaebi one day, and if Dokkaebi were to lose, the world might truly end.
“President, the Association is being flooded with inquiries. They’re asking about the identity of the Apostle and the details of Dokkaebi’s battle…”
“It has already started.”
The fear of events that had not yet occurred began to spread rapidly. This fear would never truly vanish unless Dokkaebi became a god and changed this world.
“Prepare for a press conference immediately.”
“Understood.”
Just as Dokkaebi had saved the world, Lee Changgeon intended to do his best in his own position. That was what was needed right now.
The battlefield had become a ruin. First, I sent the Guardians and the troops back to their original world.
“I’ll start the recovery work first.”
“All right.”
Yoo Seolha took the Magic Tower Mages and began the restoration process on her own.
Returning the broken debris to its original state was a difficult and time-consuming task, but for the Magic Tower Mages, it should be possible within one week.
‘I should give them some recovery potions.’
Shortly after the restoration work began, the Association President held a press conference. The main topic was the recent incident.
“The Apostles have already tried to rule this world once before through the Chinese Association President and the Japanese Association President.”
“Their goal is to kill Dokkaebi, who is trying to protect this world.”
“We will do our best to help Dokkaebi protect this world from them.”
“Furthermore, if there is a place that needs help…”
At first, I didn’t understand why he held such a press conference. But as I listened to the flow of the content, it was clear he was telling the listeners not to worry.
‘The hidden scheme of the Apostle.’
I realized the fear that had been planted in this world. An unknown fear. Fear of things one does not understand.
Unlike other fears, this kind of dread allowed individual imagination to add to it, causing it to swell without end. If fear became too strong, unexpected events could break out.
‘It could become a variable in the war against the Supreme Apostle.’
Still, I planned to prepare well so that what they wanted wouldn’t happen if I could help it.
“First… I should go see Rose.”
I needed information about the Supreme Apostle, and I also had to use the Dimensional Tavern Pass to go to where the Ancient Dragons were. However, there was one thing I had to check before I went.
[Entering the Management Room of the Labyrinth of Bahart.]
This was a new ability that appeared after I killed the High Apostle and gained his authority. When I thought of the entrance button, a message appeared.
[Would you like to enter the Management Room?]
“Yes.”
I entered the Management Room to check it out for myself. Light flashed, and the surrounding scenery changed.
[Entering the Labyrinth Management Room.]
[The administrator’s rank is low. Restrictions apply to some authorities.]
[Raise your rank for perfect management.]
The overall view of the Labyrinth of Bahart came into sight. I could see the stages of Bahart as a cross-section. Information for each floor was visible there.
The theme.
The rewards.
The raid success rate.
Various pieces of information were aggregated and listed in an easy-to-read format. Looking closely, I could even modify the difficulty. I could make it easier or harder.
If I changed the difficulty, the rewards changed as well. It was also possible to change the desired monsters or the composition of each floor.
‘Is it like some kind of labyrinth-growing game?’
More accurately, it seemed like a growth game where you manage a Labyrinth to create outstanding Hunters.
What could I do with this? Why was this authority necessary?
Rose would likely be the one to solve these questions, so I simply memorized the various pieces of information while looking around the management system.
‘I guess it only shows up to the areas I’ve cleared.’
Information for floors below floor 50, which I hadn’t cleared yet, did not appear.
After looking around, I realized there wasn’t much I could do right now—at most, I could change the difficulty of a floor. I couldn’t even think of how to utilize that yet.
“Let’s go meet Rose first.”
I left the Labyrinth Management Room and moved to the Dragon Lair. When I opened the door leading to the Dimensional Tavern, a small bell rang.
As I stepped inside, I saw Rose immediately. Perhaps she had already heard the news, as she greeted me as if she had been waiting.
“You’ve arrived. Please, come this way.”
I followed Rose and sat in a chair in front of the bar. Rose, who had moved to the other side, took a deep breath and spoke.
“You must have many questions, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll start by telling you about the Supreme Apostle.”
Since the survival of humanity was at stake, it was what I was most curious about. Rose began explaining that first.
“The war with the Supreme Apostle takes place on a planetary scale. Earth, where Lord Jorge lives, and the planet ruled by the Supreme Apostle will clash.”
“The scale suddenly got huge.”
“Normally, the last Apostle you’d face would be a High Apostle. But in your case, Lord Jorge, things aren’t exactly normal.”
“When will the war with the Supreme Apostle break out?”
“We expect it to be in one year.”
“An estimate?”
“Yes. There was exactly one case like this before. Back then, it took one year for the Supreme Apostle to invade.”
I couldn’t tell if one year was a long time or a short time.
“It might be easier to understand if I hear about what kind of enemies we’ll be facing.”
“Think of it as having thousands, even tens of thousands of Apostles like the ones you’ve faced so far. Naturally, they’ll have their own subordinates as well.”
“…That won’t be easy.”
Of course, not all of them would be High Apostles.
But even if there were only two or more like the guy I fought today, blocking them would not be easy.
Was this even a winnable fight? That was the first thought that came to mind.
“Can we block it?”
“Yes. There is a way. If you succeed, you can catch the Supreme Apostle and deliver a proper blow to the Dragon Gods. If things go well, you might even be able to kill a Dragon God.”
“What is the way?”
“Securing Divinity and becoming the god who rules the planet.”
I didn’t ask if such a thing was possible.
I had already indirectly experienced using Divinity before.
I had turned Artina into the Saint of the Sword. The more people believed in and followed Artina, the stronger she became, and I became stronger in turn.
Because of those events, I had a rough idea. I just didn’t know if I could actually obtain Divinity myself.
“What do I need to secure Divinity?”
“You’ve already met most of the qualifications. You’ve learned Nature Magic, you’ve used Divinity indirectly, and you’ve even gained a few followers.”
“Then what’s left?”
“A real god will explain the details to you. Go meet the god sleeping in the forest of the Dragon Lair.”
The god sleeping in the forest of the Dragon Lair? Did ‘Sleeping Forest’ have that kind of meaning? That meant the thing the First Forest was protecting was a god.
Since it was a being that protected a god, it must possess overwhelming strength.
Its position as a Gatekeeper was likely to verify whether someone had secured the proper qualifications.
“Once you obtain Divinity, you will gain the Authority to raise Apostles.”
Everything Rose explained connected into one.
“I’m supposed to manage the Labyrinth to appoint talented people as Apostles and prepare for the war against the Supreme Apostle?”
“Yes. That’s right.”