Chapter 178: Chapter 177

Outer Gods

There were countless gods with various names on Earth, but as far as Suho knew, there existed no deity called by such a name. Except for one.

"Itarim."

[It seems the Apostles of Itarim have begun their activities on Earth in earnest.] Beru narrowed his eyes, glaring at the screen the name was displayed on.

"According to our investigation, Christopher Reed's mansion appears to have been used as a temple for the Foreign Religion Cult."

"A temple? Does that mean there was another Apostle of Itarim there?"

"We don't believe so. It seems that the Apostle of Itarim possessed only Christopher Reed's body; the rest were merely his followers."

Suho suddenly noticed something strange in Laura's words. "You said 'it seems'? You're not certain?"

"Yes. The others were all killed in the battle against our boss, so we couldn't confirm for sure. But the strange thing is, Christopher Reed seemed to grow stronger every time he killed one of his presumed followers."

"A situation similar to the Mad Tyrant." Esil, who had been listening quietly with her arms crossed, changed her expression.

"It seems our demons are being diligently bred somewhere. For a lot of different reasons." Esil Radiru, the sole demon noble, gritted her teeth with an indignant expression.

The ones who made Stardust were demons and its most important ingredient was also demon blood. In short, the Foreign Religion was thoroughly exploiting demons for their own purpose. And that was undoubtedly...

'To find vessels that can accept the power of Itarim and turn them into their pawns. And the most suitable candidates would be those who were National Level hunters in their previous lives.'

Suho looked at Esil and Lim Dogyoon and said, "Esil, did your subordinate demons hear anything about the Mad Tyrant?"

"Nothing useful. They didn't even know he was an Apostle of Itarim. But just in case, I'll go back and ask around again."

"Okay. I'll leave it to you. And Dogyoon."

"Yeah?"

"Please look into dungeons with demon-type monsters for our guild's future raids. If we thoroughly search Korea, we should find something."

"Got it."

Suho decided to eradicate ALL demon factories in Korea this time. If they did that, something would surely turn up, whether it was an Apostle of Itarim or the Foreign Religion.

"Laura, do you have any other information about the Foreign Religion?"

"Yes. We're still investigating, but they seem to be a secretive organization whose true nature is elusive. If they were just an ordinary cult, they'd have a large number of visible followers."

"Then let's reverse the order."

"Reverse?"

Suho recalled the conversation Christopher Reed had with the therapist. If his words were true, 'they' had approached him first. Then it was highly likely that they would approach others first as well. They might already be lurking nearby, waiting for an opportunity.

"If we linger near hunters likely to be targeted and keep an eye on them, wouldn't something turn up?"

"That's certainly true, but the problem is that our Scavenger Guild is in no position to interfere in other countries' affairs."

As Thomas Andre had told Suho directly, the Scavenger Guild had to lay low for the time being. But Suho had no intention of just waiting idly.

"I have another way."

"Are you planning to go yourself?"

"No. I have someone else to send." He answered with a grin.

* * *

"Suho! Thanks for the invitation! This is a housewarming gift!"

"How did you get here so fast?"

"I ran at full speed! Because Suho is my friend!"

Rio Singh, a B-rank hunter from the Asura Guild, rushed to Woojin Guild's office as soon as he received Suho's call. With both hands full of gifts. He greeted Laura warmly and then talked about his recent situation.

"I'm currently in charge of purchasing weapons from Korean blacksmiths and sending them back to the guild!" Rio Singh, who had been demoted to Korea and failed to recruit Suho, had not given up and had seized a new opportunity for himself.

"Korean weapons are of exceptional quality! I heard the Korean Hunter Association is supporting them, which is truly amazing!" His Korean had improved even further.

"But what did you call me for?" Rio Singh didn't think Suho would have called him for no reason. Moreover, with Laura from the Scavenger Guild also present, his instinctive business sense allowed him to guess Suho's purpose.

"Is it about the potion from the Echo Forest?"

"Almost."

"Rio Singh, we want to start selling the Detox Potion to the Asura Guild." Laura stepped forward and handed him a contract, formally proposing the business deal. After skimming through he nodded with a bright expression.

"I'm definitely interested in such a good offer. But what's this requirement? The guild master has to try it personally?"

"Yes. It's part of our promotional strategy. Our Detox Potion hasn't been widely publicized yet, so the fact that someone like the guild master of Asura Guild drank it personally would have a significant promotional effect."

"That certainly makes sense."

Rio Singh's eyes sparkled as he nodded at Laura's explanation. He had already been to the Glacier dungeon with them, so he knew very well about the effectiveness of the spring water from the Echo Forest.

"This is a huge business opportunity! I'll definitely get promoted this time!"

"You're not even hiding your true intentions anymore."

"Hahaha." Rio Singh laughed heartily and then contacted the Asura Guild master, successfully getting confirmation for the requirements.

And he immediately signed all the contracts Suho and Laura presented.

"This business is extremely important, so I'll have to go to the guild myself."

"Rio, while you're at it, could you do me a favor?"

"What is it? You've entrusted me with such a big deal, so I'll do anything for you, Suho."

"Be careful of your guild master."

"Our guild master? Why?" Rio Singh looked puzzled at the strange words. But Suho's gaze was too serious to dismiss it as mere nonsense.

Suho recalled the information he had heard from Beru. There were a total of five National Level hunters in the previous timeline. Excluding one healer, the names of the four who used the Ruler's Authority were as follows:

Thomas Andre of the United States

Christopher Reed of the United States

Liu Zhigang of China

Siddharth Bachchan of India

The first two had already been dealt with, leaving only two to check. And the one Suho focused on first was none other than the fourth. Siddharth Bachchan of India. He was the guild master of the 'Asura Guild.'

"A mysterious organization called the Foreign Religion might have approached your guild master, Siddharth Bachchan."

"Foreign Religion? What's that?"

"Remember what happened to Thomas Andre in the Glacier dungeon?"

"...!" Having experienced that situation together, no further explanation was needed. Recalling the image of Thomas Andre transforming into a giant Ice Dragon and rampaging, Rio Singh wore a troubled expression.

"Are you saying our guild master might end up like that too?"

"Nothing is certain yet. So when you go back to the guild, could you check on him?"

"Sure. But you should know that I respect our guild master a lot." Rio Singh boasted confidently and took a large supply of the Detox Potion to give to Siddharth Bachchan.

Meanwhile, Suho's gaze briefly glanced at his own shadow.

'Kira, follow him.'

Swoosh. His shadow lengthened, and the Shadow Assassin, Kira, slipped into Rio Singh's shadow.

Seeing this, Suho's eyes gleamed. It was an opportunity to utilize the new skill he had acquired after clearing the quest his father had given him.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

* * *

[What? You found a dragon's egg?!] When Suho entered the Shadow Dungeon with 'Kamish's Egg,' the most surprised one was the Queen Bee, Arsha.

"Yeah. My mother found it in the Tomb of the Berserk Dragons and sent it to me."

[Oh my god. It's real...?]

Arsha felt a shiver as she looked at the egg in Suho's hand. Although it was too small to be a dragon's egg, the faint dragon energy emanating from it was real. That energy continuously stimulated Arsha's survival instincts. She looked at Kamish's egg with an uneasy expression and asked.

[Why... did you bring such a dangerous thing here?]

Suho shrugged and replied. "Of course I brought it because it's dangerous. It's safe here, isn't it? As my mother said, it will be more secure here than in the Tomb of the Berserk Dragons or on Earth. Besides, even if something happens here, at worst..."

[Growl?] Suho's gaze shifted slightly to the side as he spoke. The giant crocodile monster, Ammut, was there, baring his teeth with a ferocious grin.

[At worst, I can just eat it, right?]

"Hmm. This is definitely the perfect place..." It was very reassuring. Suho nodded in satisfaction.

"But don't actually eat it. This egg might be the last remaining descendant of the dragon race."

Beru also agreed with Suho's words and nodded.

[That's highly likely. The Dragon Emperor took all his dragons to war back then.]

He frowned, recalling the terrible war. 'Dragon Emperor' Antares, the Monarch of Destruction, the King of the Dragons, was the only monarch who had ever overwhelmed the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo. He was the undisputed strongest of the dragon race, and the Dragons he led were also an invincible army, each possessing immense power and magic. The Dragon Emperor was a true embodiment of destruction, willing to embrace even his own demise for the sake of war, a maelstrom of blood, screams, madness, and devastation. That's why Sung Jinwoo attacked his army even more relentlessly. Looking back, the Monarch of Destruction's power was even more astonishing. At the time, the Shadow Army led by Sung Jinwoo had already absorbed the forces of all the other monarchs. Yet, the Dragon Emperor fought a fierce battle against that massive immortal army until the very last moment. Of course, Sung Jinwoo ultimately emerged victorious, but it was undeniable that the Dragons were truly the strongest race.

[Although the rebirth of the Dragon Emperor's descendant is a bit unsettling...]

"Well, if we raise it as a 'pet' from a young age, there shouldn't be any problems." Saying that, Suho looked at the wolf that had been clinging to his side.

The Fang Wolf, Gray, tamed through the pet system.

Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff.

Unlike Arsha, this guy was busy burying his nose in Kamish's egg and sniffing it with sparkling eyes.

Lick, lick, lick!

He even tasted it with his tongue. Meanwhile, his tail was wagging excitedly, making him quite an interesting thing to watch. It didn't seem like he actually wanted to eat it, but rather, he looked like he had found a fun new toy ?

[F-for now, just in case, I'll build a nest here.] Arsha started building a nest for Kamish's egg in a corner of Ammut's pyramid, using her worker bees.

Bzzzz-

Although it was called a nest, it was essentially a prison to confine the monster that could be hatched from it.