Chapter 272

The problem occurred at the tenth one. The tenth Elvenwood, found using Sirka's Ice Golem as a compass, had a significantly different structure from the previous ones.

"...What is this?"

[...Kieek?] It was enough to surprise not only Suho but also Beru.

"A fortress?"

It was a strange sight. If the previous Elvenwoods were forest villages that seemed like they could exist only in fairy tales, the city that appeared before Suho and his party now was surrounded by high walls like a fortress.

[There is no barrier or perception-impairing magic around.] 

As Beru said, unlike before, there was no dome-shaped transparent barrier around this Elvenwood. There was a blue mist obscuring the surroundings, but there was no trace of perception-impairing magic. Instead, solid walls made of stone, cement, and steel, showing signs of human intervention, protected the city.

[…Master, shall we attack?] Que, who always led the charge, hesitated and looked at Suho.

"…"

[Another, ahem. Elvenwood is visible over there.] 

The tip of Que's sharp spear pointed towards the giant tree standing tall in the center of the fortress surrounded by bulwarks. Although the tree trunk was half-hidden by the high walls, it was definitely Elvenwood. The proof was the spirit birds wandering around it. They were leisurely flying over the fortress like ordinary birds in the city, or perched on the branches of Elvenwood, grooming their feathers. Sirka looked at Suho.

"Suho, what should we do?"

"Hmm. Let's think about it for a moment. Where is this place roughly? We already passed Pyongyang…"

First, Suho tried to figure out the approximate location of this fortress. Actually, he hadn't been curious about the names of the cities he passed through. What was the point of knowing the names in the first place? The terrain of North Korea had been randomly changed due to rampaging spirits and weather anomalies. The places that used to be cities now had lava flowing through them. The places that used to be mountains were split in half and turned into lakes. So the direction of movement was more important than the exact location, however in this case, he wanted to know at least the name. But he couldn't see any signs on the walls. First of all, he had never heard of a fortress city surrounded by high walls like this existing in the middle of North Korea.

[My liege, it's getting dark.] Beru, looking at the setting sun, urged Suho to make a decision.

But he couldn't make up his mind. This was the first time the high elves didn't come out to greet them, even though Sirka was leading the way.

'Could it be that there are no elves inside?' Just then, something caught Suho's eye as he calmly observed the fortress.

"…People?" Suho's eyes sparkled.

It was 'humans'. Looking closely, it wasn't elves but ordinary humans walking on the walls lit by the sunset. And they were armed guards, like soldiers.

"A human-inhabited Elvenwood? Alright, I've decided. Let's go in directly."

[Yes! Then we'll break down the walls!]

[Umuu!]

[Snort!]

Que, Mino, and Tau stepped forward confidently as if they had been waiting for those words.

"Why? There's no barrier anyway, let's just walk in."

[Yes! Then we'll destroy the gates…!]

"Go back in."

[…] Sulking, the soldiers disappeared into the shadows with disappointed expressions at Suho's words.

"Sirka, let's go in by ourselves and assess the situation. We need to get a feel for what kind of place this is."

"Hmm. Then I'll leave the Ice Golem behind too." Just like that, only Suho and Sirka approached the entrance of the fortress. On foot.

Among the shadow soldiers, only Beru followed quietly, peeking his head out from above Suho's shadow.

* * *

"Who's there!" As they approached the large gate, the gatekeepers blocked their path. Suho tilted his head.

'Korean?' This was strange. There wasn't a hint of a North Korean accent in the gatekeepers' speech.

'Korean gatekeepers? In the middle of North Korea?' Suho casually spoke to the guards,

"Hello. What is this place?"

"What, you're South Korean?" The gatekeepers also recognized their compatriot as soon as they heard his accent and had slightly relieved expressions. They even seemed a little happy. Was it because they met fellow countrymen in this foreign land…? But despite that, they were still faithful to their duty.

"How did South Koreans get here?" They pointed their sharp spears at Suho and Sirka and asked questions. Suho answered honestly,

"How? We just walked."

"Walked? It's quite a distance from South Korea."

"We ran a little too." The conversation was a bit disjointed.

But in the meantime, the gatekeepers' eyes were scanning Suho and Sirka's attire. Although there were no visible wounds, their clothes were full of vivid signs of battle. They smelled of burning, as if they had passed through a path of lava. The captain of the guards asked,

"Is it just the two of you? Are there no other companions?"

"No."

"Someone go check."

"Yes!" At the captain's order, some of them personally ran in the direction Suho and Sirka came from to check if there were any others hiding and came back.

"What? Is it really just the two of you? But how did you get here? Are there really no other companions?"

"There were, but not anymore." Suho answered honestly. The gatekeepers' expressions became a bit solemn.

"…Did they all die?"

"Well, yes. That's right."

"…I see. That's…" They became even more solemn.

Of course, there was nothing incorrect about Suho's answer. It was true that the shadow soldiers were all dead. But the atmosphere became more and more serious with each answer.

"Hmm. Yes, you young man must have been through a lot."

"The way here must have been rough."

"But where did you get this elf? How did you catch it?"

'Catch an elf?' Suho's eyes sparkled quickly. The undertone was strange. The gatekeepers were looking at Sirka, who was standing blankly beside Suho, with curious eyes and whispering among themselves.

"She's a docile one."

"Her hair color is unique."

"She's so obedient even without a collar."

"Collar?" Suho was curious and interrupted their conversation to ask. But the gatekeepers found that even stranger.

"Huh? You don't know about collars? This, this..."

"Ah." When they took something out of their pockets, Suho couldn't help but nod. Because he knew the item well.

'Magic Restraint'

What they took out was none other than the 'electronic anklet' that the villains in Jisan Prison wore. It contained a very powerful micro-bomb designed to explode immediately if the anklet was subjected to impact or if the wearer used magic power. It was a very vicious restraint tool.

'Was it a device invented under the leadership of Association President Woo Jinchul in the early days of the Cataclysm?' He suddenly recalled what Baek Miho had told him. Actually, the Association President insisted that the bomb should be attached to the neck, not the ankle. That's right. At that time, Association President Woo Jinchul argued that it should be strong enough to blow off their heads if they used magic power to properly control villains. So its name during development was 'bomb collar.' But that proposal was eventually rejected due to human rights violations, and they settled on attaching it to the ankle.

'But why is that suddenly appearing here? And they're calling it a collar? Don't tell me they're using it on the neck here?' The more they talked, the more questions he had.

'Anyway, people who have this are either one of two things…' Villains or the Association. Or maybe another unknown group? Thinking that it was a good thing he didn't attack recklessly, Suho's gaze swept over the gatekeepers' necks and ankles. Naturally, there were no Magic Restraints attached to their bodies.

'Anyway, I have to give them some kind of answer so they won't be suspicious.' The gatekeepers seemed wary of Sirka, who wasn't wearing a 'collar.' The only reason their wariness was low was because of her cute appearance. A small, young elf who looked to be around ten years old. With her small body covered in thick silver hair down to her waist, she looked like a large hamster from behind. And most importantly, Sirka fundamentally didn't understand Korean. Cha Hae-In could communicate with her thanks to the necklace Sung Jinwoo gave her, and Suho could thanks to the system's effect, but she had been blankly watching from the side, not understanding anything the gatekeepers were saying. With a harmless expression.

Pat. Suho's hand ruffled Sirka's hair as he answered the gatekeepers' question.

"This one doesn't need a collar. I have a skill that works similarly to them."

"What? Skill?"

"Skill? What skill?" Seeing the gatekeepers' puzzled expressions, it seemed like it would be easier to just show them.

'Should I show them Gray? No, he has grown quite big recently, so they might be wary.' He decided. He would show them something that wasn't a shadow soldier and didn't look threatening at first glance.

"Ragnar."

Swoosh!

"…?!" The gatekeepers' eyes widened.

A small lizard suddenly appeared from Suho's hand!

"Beep?" 

Dumb eyes. The small lizard with wings on its back opened its mouth wide on Suho's palm and looked around.

"Have you gained some weight?"

"Beep?"

Tilt?

As Suho said, Ragnar had recently gained some weight and looked healthy. It seemed like Antares was working hard behind the scenes to increase his magic capacity.

"What, a summoning skill?"

"Is he a summoner?"

The gatekeepers were slightly impressed by Suho's skill. There were many different skills in the world, but those were rare. Especially for summoners, a mediocre class among the support roles that didn't have the ability to protect themselves, it wasn't easy to survive in the apocalyptic wasteland that was North Korea.

"Then is this elf also your summon, not something you caught?"

"Well, it's similar. Should I unsummon it to enter the city?"

"No, there's no need for that. I'll lend you this collar, so put it on her neck. Make sure to return it when you leave."

"…Thank you." Suho accepted the 'collar' from the gatekeeper and thought,

It was fortunate that Sirka didn't understand Korean. Suho casually put the collar on her neck. But he didn't activate the lock and bomb, so she could take it off herself anytime. The gatekeepers finally lowered their spears that were pointed at Suho.

"So what is this place?"

"Why ask? You'll see when you go in." The gatekeepers lowered their guard and opened the gate.

Whoosh—

The moment the door opened he saw a dazzling neon sign.

[LAST PARADISE]

"…Huh?" Suho was genuinely bewildered.

The North Korean land where the darkness of night had fallen. In the middle of the hell that was the apocalypse, Under the shadow cast by the giant tree, Elvenwood, the divine tree of the elves… A city adorned with colorful neon signs unfolded.

"Welcome… Welcome to 'Paradise', the last oasis left in North Korea."