Solo Leveling: Ragnarok - Chapter 291

Chapter 291

Shwaaaaak-!

A strong headwind hits my body.

Seong Il-hwan’s body, which had jumped off the cliff, fell endlessly through the white mist.

But there was not a single waver in his eyes as he fell at a frightening speed.

Far from being scary, I didn’t even feel the need to use my magic power to this extent.

Haven’t we seen much worse things in the past?

‘… … Was the beginning a failure?’

A world now forgotten by everyone.

Beyond that lost history, he was a hunter who awakened in the early days of the cataclysm.

No, actually, it was before the name ‘Hunter’ was even properly established.

It was a time when the hunters’ ranking system had not been properly established.

Sometimes when I think back to that time, I wonder.

What level of hunter was he at that time?

At that time, no Awakened person in the world could measure the extent of his own power.

Because this was before the development of the horsepower meter.

Maybe that’s why everyone was so reckless back then.

Because I don’t know what my own level of strength is.

He jumped into the unidentified gate, saying he would conquer the extremely dangerous dungeon where some unknown danger might lurk.

But sometimes, when I was in a dungeon with a high difficulty level, I would lose my life so quickly that it felt frustrating.

But looking back, there was a romanticism to them at the time.

Reckless courage that was possible because he couldn’t measure his own strength.

They jumped into the unknown world with only one mission: to protect the world.

‘… … Then the gate closed, and I was left alone in the dungeon.’

Fall behind.

Isolation.

The rulers who appeared before him as he wandered aimlessly, trapped in a dimensional rift… … .

As for the mission that was given to you, it’s all in the past now, so it doesn’t matter.

The problem came next.

With such luck, with the help of the rulers, I returned to Earth… … .

He had already become a terrible father.

Because of his own disappearance, because of his reckless courage to save the world… … .

His wife, Park Kyung-hye, lost her husband overnight.

His children, Sung Jin-woo and Sung Jin-ah, lost their father.

Even soon after, his wife was admitted to the intensive care unit in an unconscious state with sleep apnea.

Suddenly, their children became orphans, having lost both their parents.

At that young age, he was struggling to survive in a dangerous world.

My son even gave up going to college to earn money.

‘… … I was a terrible father and a terrible husband.’

So, perhaps because of the enormous guilt and sense of debt, he fought even harder, risking his life, to protect his son.

But now, the history of that time has become nothing more than a fragment of history forgotten by the world.

But even so, how could I forget?

He had to remember that he was a terrible husband and father.

The guilt and helplessness he felt at that time, as well as the weight of being an irresponsible father, still lingered deep in Seong Il-hwan’s heart.

That’s why… … .

“… … I will protect you this time. Definitely.”

At least in this world.

I will never repeat the same mistake again.

Seong Il-hwan made that pledge and ran through the foggy forest with a fearful expression on his face.

* * *

At that moment, the apostle of paradise who gave the fruit to the girl couldn’t help but be embarrassed.

A mouth-watering fragrance.

This fruit stimulates hunger all the more the greater the soul’s deprivation.

The most frightening thing about predatory plants was that they exuded an alluring magic that was especially appealing to those who were hungry for souls.

And yet.

“You don’t like it?”

[…what?]

Towering.

For a moment, the apostle of paradise thought he had heard something wrong.

But it wasn’t a mistake.

The girl’s eyes did not waver even slightly when faced with the fruit of Elvenwood.

“The director told me not to eat food given to me by strangers.”

[… … ?]

It’s such an obvious statement.

He was a straight-laced child.

But the apostle of paradise felt like his mind was going crazy for a moment.

No, how?

A human so young and weak?

How could a soul that has lost its parents and is lacking dare to resist the temptation of a predatory plant?

“Anyway, if you are a guest, go to the director’s office over there! I have to go eat curry donkatsu now!”

Dododododo-

[No, I… … .]

As soon as he finished speaking, the apostle of Paradise couldn’t help but be taken aback for a moment at the sight of the girl moving her short legs without hesitation and heading towards the restaurant.

In fact, even now, if I wanted to, I could have grabbed the girl by the back of her neck, forced her mouth open, and fed her the fruit.

But I felt a bit uneasy about doing that.

How could a creature trapped in an orphanage dare resist the temptation of a predatory plant!

[Now, wait a minute. The director? Who is that?]

“…yes?”

The girl who was running towards the restaurant at the question heard from behind her turned her head quickly and looked at his face again.

The girl’s eyes, which had been firm even when she refused the fruit, were sparkling brightly.

“Who is the director? Uhm… … .”

But the question itself was too out of context.

The girl suddenly fell into deep thought.

However, he tried to answer the customer’s questions sincerely with a somewhat serious expression.

I’m hungry, but I’m still a visitor to the orphanage.

“So, our grandmother is… … who is she… … . Hmm.”

Besides, children naturally like to teach others what they like.

In particular, the grandmother who created this place was a grandmother he loved so much that he was confident that she would be able to answer anyone’s questions.

“So, our grandmother… … a long time ago, her only son suddenly disappeared. Well, it’s not really anything special. Every middle school student runs away from home once or twice, right?”

[No, that’s not what I’m curious about… ]

“No, but listen?”

[… … .]

“You’re saying that our grandmother had a really hard time finding her son? But in the end, he came back home on his own two years later! Isn’t that amazing?”

[… … .]

Even the apostles of Paradise could not stop the talkative girl once she started talking.

It would have been easier to just kill her, but the problem was this girl’s soul.

Now the apostle of paradise was feeling confused.

His hand still remained still, holding the fruit out in front of the girl.

Still, the girl didn’t even glance at the fruit.

‘… … Is there really no deficiency?’

It’s strange.

Isn’t it too bright?

On the subject of creatures trapped in an orphanage.

Seeing such a pure soul right before his eyes, the apostle of paradise could not help but listen to the girl’s chatter as if he were possessed.

Besides, he was so hungry that he spoke like a machine gun in an attempt to get to a restaurant quickly.

Besides, running away from home is nothing special, but for a runaway child to come home on their own two feet is a really big deal, and to stop this girl’s chatter, it seemed like it would be a lot easier to just rip the whole head off her neck.

“… … Anyway, back then! The old lady was trying so hard to find her son, and even after her son came back, she still kept seeing kids like us! So she ended up opening this place… …! It’s called the ‘Yangpyeong Child Protection Center’! It’s so cool!”

Hua-

The girl’s smile as she beamed at the Apostle of Paradise with an expression that said she had finished her introduction so well looked incredibly refreshing.

“Oh, that’s right! And our director’s name is ‘Park Kyung-hye’!”

[That kind of human name… … .] 2

Suddenly.

At that moment, the expression on the apostle of paradise’s face hardened at those words.

And at the same time, the corners of the lips slightly rise.

[… … Wait. Did you just say Park Kyung-hye?]

“Yes! Write Park Ja, Kyung Ja, and Hye Ja! Anyway, is that okay? If you don’t have any more questions, I’l

l really go eat?”

[Then this fruit… … .]

“Oh, I told you, that’s enough!”

Dododo dodo-

After finishing what she wanted to say, the girl turned around without hesitation and ran back to the restaurant.

Hehe.

But the apostle of paradise, unlike before, had the corners of his lips raised brightly.

[… … How could this be such a coincidence?]

What a coincidence.

Now, that girl’s soul was fine.

Because I found a much better prey.

‘Yangpyeong Child Protection Center’

‘Park Kyung-hye’

Aren’t these two names also listed in the materials that Yuri Orlov had just handed over?

[I guess we can start here.]

He planted the fruit he intended to feed the girl in the orphanage’s garden.

And he poured enormous divine power into this land.

Swaaaak!

Then, the land was polluted at a rapid pace, and predatory plants sprouted and sprouted leaves on it.

The once clean soil gradually turned a dark purple color.

Above it, the roots of Elvenwood began to spread out like blood vessels.

That moment.

Sway.

[Ugh. That bastard Seongsuho… … .!]

The new form of the Apostle of Paradise staggered with sudden dizziness.

Seongsuho!

What on earth is that guy doing in North Korea right now… …!

I felt like the flower pots that remained on North Korean soil were rapidly decreasing with each passing moment.

The more this happened, the weaker the power flowing from those flower pots would become.

The apostle of paradise ground his teeth with a murderous expression.

[I guess I have to hurry.]

If this is the case, it’s a race against time.

Does your own base get robbed first?

Before that, I should first destroy the bastard’s base here!

But it’s okay for now.

Because his flowerpots were spread not only in North Korea, but also in other countries.

But aren’t all of that guy’s relatives gathered in this land?

Yangpyeong Child Protection Center.

In front of him, the Apostle of Paradise stood before him, emitting tremendous divine power.

[Grow up, Elvenwood!]

Swaaaaaaah!

He decided to sacrifice the entire orphanage as a sacrifice for the new Elvenwood.

[Seongsuho! If you burn everything I have, I will also turn all of your family members into toys!]

Push- push-

Let’s hurry.

Accelerates the rate of erosion.

Centered around the orphanage, the area around where the Apostle of Paradise stands began to change rapidly.

The tree trunks began to grow in grotesque, writhing forms, their hideous branches spreading out like spiderwebs and intertwining with one another, forming a nest-like enclosure around the orphanage garden.

Meanwhile, the Apostle of Paradise entered the building to find Park Kyung-hye.

Just then, a commotion was heard coming from the restaurant.

“Wow! Did you make this curry yourself, sir?”

“This is really great! The kimchi that the director makes is the best!”

[… … Over there.]

The eyes of the apostle of paradise flashed.

An old woman with children.

It was Director Park Kyung-hye.

An old man who looked exactly like the grandmother in the photo that Yuri Orlov had given Seong Su-ho

was gathered in the restaurant with the children.

The apostle of paradise waved his finger toward it.

Shhhhhh!

Then, Elvenwood’s roots burst through the restaurant floor and burst forth.

“Ugh!”

“What, what is this!”

The screams of children, terrified by the sudden turn of events, filled the restaurant.

In the middle of it all, Park Kyung-hye was floating in the air, wrapped around ugly tree roots.

“Director!”

“Director, it’s dangerous!”

The children were struggling to save Park Kyung-hye, hanging on to the tree roots.

But Park Kyung-hye was not concerned about her own danger and was concerned about the safety of her children.

“Kids, run away!”

“No!”

“I can’t leave you, Director!”

The children gathered together, sobbing.

They too were eventually caught and entangled in the tree roots, but despite this, they tried hard to save the grandmother.

The grandmother, Park Kyung-hye, was that precious to the children.

The one who made me a warm meal every morning, stayed by my side all night when I was sick, and hugged me when I was sad.

To the children who were left alone without parents, Park Kyung-hye was everything.

“Ah, report! If anyone has a cell phone, report it to the association!”

At that moment of panic, one of the brightest kids among them screamed.

Then, one of the children who had been caught by the tree roots started to struggle and took his cell phone out of his pocket.

Bam.

Of course, the attempt failed.

With one wave of the Apostle of Paradise, the tree roots hit the child’s hand and the phone fell off.

[The intruder is a specification.]

The Apostle of Paradise walked through the polluted land, smiling leisurely.

[From now on, it’s all my time.]

Then he approached Park Kyung-hye, who was wrapped tightly around the tree roots, and held out a new red fruit in front of her face.

[Eat.]

“Who, who… … .”

Park Kyung-hye’s answer, which seemed flustered as she looked at herself, was still good.

Anyway, the answer is already set.

[If you don’t eat this fruit right now, I will kill all the children here.]

“… … !”

At those words, Park Kyung-hye’s expression instantly turned terrified.

The apostles in paradise were delighted beyond measure.

And I knew how to make it more fun.

[No. Instead of killing you, I will cut off your limbs one by one. First your fingers, then your arms, then…

… .]

“Oh, I’ll eat it! Please stop!”

He eventually got the answer he wanted from Park Kyung-hye.

Hehe.

[Yes, eat it. Since you are a human with no magic power anyway, one fruit should be enough.]

And just like the North Korean villains did.

This woman too will become a beautiful sprout living in her own flower pot.

So the apostle of paradise smiled sinisterly, forcibly opened Park Kyung-hye’s mouth, and took the fruit.

And I was filled with anticipation.

Seong Su-ho, what kind of expression would he make if I showed that abominable bastard his grandmother who had been reduced to his plaything right in front of his eyes?

But then it happened.

Creepy.

The moment he was about to feed the fruit to Park Kyung-hye, his body instinctively moved backwards.

… … Boom-!

At that moment, a man came down through the restaurant’s ceiling like lightning and blocked the distance between them.

“Hey, honey… … ?”

Seong Il-hwan, in an instant, he pulled out the tree roots with his strength and held Park Kyung-hye in his arms.