Bustle!
There were as many as 665 divine beasts gathered there.
At the center was Horini, a tiger deity wearing a colorful cone-shaped hat, and he was the main character of today’s banquet.
Tosun jumped up and handed Horin a carrot he had grown in the field.
“Horin-ah, happy birthday!”
Horin chewed a carrot vigorously, exposing his ferocious fangs.
“thanks! Carrots are delicious!”
“Listen, Horin. I will play for you.”
Miho, the red fox, began to play the violin gracefully, wagging her tail seductively.
Steamed, steamed, steamed, steamed~♬
“Ahhh! Such a beautiful performance night!”
Horin was moved and applauded enthusiastically with his feet.
“Guys, let’s dance!”
“me too! me too!”
Admired by Miho’s performance, the other priests rushed forward and began to dance excitedly.
“Yaho~!”
“I’m excited!”
“I’m leaving too!”
Horin’s birthday party turned into a ballroom in an instant!
Ilho looked at the scene with admiring eyes.
Mice and cats, sheep and wolves, rabbits and foxes, and so on.
In nature, the relationship between prey and predators, herbivores and beasts are harmonious, laughing and chatting and getting along well.
The sight that felt unrealistic really made this place feel like paradise, just like the name of this island called Eden.
But even in the midst of that, there were people who couldn’t join them.
“Why are you alone?”
The hedgehog deguri drooped its shoulders.
“They won’t dance because my thorns are sharp!”
Tears welled up in Deguri’s round eyes.
Ilho smiled at Deguri and held out his hand.
“Then will you dance with me?”
“Really?”
Deguri was happy for a moment, but then hesitantly looked at Ilho’s hand.
“But if you get stabbed by my thorns, it hurts so bad… are you okay?”
“Chuck! Don’t worry! My muscles don’t hurt with just that much thorn! Geun Yoo-wook!”
Ilho posed, showing off his fluttering steel muscles.
“How are you, Deguri? Will you dance with me?”
“huh! Yep!”
Deguri and Ilho also participated in the battle in the empty lot where the ball was in full swing.
Originally, Ilho, who was a little bigger than an ant, had a lot of difference in body language with Deguri, so he was not suitable for dancing together, but Abu’s giantization skill solved that problem.
As Ilho boasted, Deguri’s spines did no harm to his muscles…
“Oh! It stings!”
“Kwuq! A hole in my precious pork belly!”
“Kkokko~!”
“hot! Is it morning already?”
Instead, the Shinsoo friends around them screamed as they were stabbed by Deguri’s needle.
“Hoo, sometimes it’s worth dancing.”
Ilho smiled, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Deguri also exclaimed, gasping for breath with a flushed face.
“huh! As good as rolling!”
The ball was impressive and fun.
In particular, it was surprising that the owl’s legs were unexpectedly long.
It was because all the priests opened their mouths in admiration at the dazzling steps he stepped on with his long legs.
Then Ilho saw a small animal wearing a black robe handing something to Horini.
“Finally me too! I’m so happy!”
It was a sparkling golden apple, but Horin, who received it, was overjoyed.
“Oops!”
“Why is that, Ilho?”
“I forgot a birthday present for Horin!”
Ilho hurriedly rummaged through his inventory.
It’s my best friend’s birthday, but I’m so preoccupied with playing that I forgot to give him a gift!
Ilho took out the honey bottle he had hidden in the corner of his inventory.
It was a cherished treasure I received from the fairies, but if it was for a friend’s birthday!
“good! Horin waits! I will feed you the sweetest honey in the world!”
At that time, Deguri pricked Ilho’s body.
“Ilho, Ilho, Ilho.”
“Why?”
“I’ve been looking for Horin since before. Who the hell is Horin?”
Ilho thought Deguri was joking.
“Chuck! What a boring joke. Didn’t everyone get together to celebrate Horin’s birthday?”
“What are you talking about? It was Ilho’s welcome party today?”
“what?”
“Isn’t everyone here because of Ilho? I do not remember?”
Ilho hurriedly looked for Horin.
But among the countless beasts, his figure was nowhere to be seen.
“Have you not seen Ho Horin?”
“Who is that?”
“It’s a name I’ve never heard before.”
Just in case, I asked the other priests about Horini’s whereabouts, but no one knew him.
The friend who just laughed and chatted and danced.
Deguri, who had been following Ilho, clung to him salivating.
“Ilho, give me that honey! It looks so so delicious!”
However, Ilho was frozen in place like a stone statue.
Creepy!
At that moment, Ilho felt more fear than he had ever faced any formidable enemy.
* * *
Even after the banquet, Ilho searched the island all night looking for Horin, but couldn’t find a hair.
It disappeared as if it never existed in the first place.
Even the memories of Horini.
How could this be?
‘I was too complacent!’
Ilho regretted it bitterly.
This is the god-sent hero’s ordeal.
It couldn’t have been that easy!
Ilho looked up at the majestic golden apple tree standing in front of him with burning eyes.
I searched everywhere on the island.
All that remains is this tree!
Ilho spit on his hand and tried to climb the tree.
“oh! Ilho! You must not climb the sacred tree!”
At that time, Deguri, who had been rolling around hard, was startled and hurriedly clung to Ilho’s leg.
“Leave this! I must investigate this place!”
“no! If you touch the sacred tree carelessly, you will be punished!”
“Sacred Punishment… you mean?”
“huh! In the past, Monkey Monkey went up here and tried to secretly pick and eat a golden apple, but was struck by lightning and died!”
Ilho paused at Deguri’s words.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of being struck by lightning, but that if I touched it, there would be divine punishment.
Could it be that God is also involved in this ordeal?
“I should go up as well!”
“No dang! do not do that!”
While the two were aung daung, the dog and cat gods who passed by there respectfully prayed to the golden apple tree.
“Overwhelming thanks to ‘Kang Shik and the Beast of Deception’ who saved us!”
“I love ‘Kang-shik and the Beast of Deception’ who brought Mi-nyang to heaven, Nyan. We will work hard today, so please give us a golden apple someday!”
Ilho’s ears perked up.
‘A beast of strength and deceit?’
It was a familiar name.
Ilho patted his head, which was not working well, and was lost in thought.
I’m sure I’ve heard the name before, but where did I hear it?
“oh! He!”
It came to mind that Gaya was one of the three apostles that invaded America!
Such was the name of the evil god, the owner of the apostle, a huge flying beast that Ilho killed by going directly into his stomach.
But that evil spirit saved them and brought them here?
“Hey, Minyang and Aji. Can you tell me the story in detail?”
Il-ho heard their story from the dog and cat Shin-soo.
Originally, they were sacred beasts worshiped by the people in their hometown.
In his heyday, he had such great power that he was almost like a low-ranking god.
But one day, the terrible alter ego of destruction appeared in their world.
Although they said they had god-like abilities, they couldn’t deal with the monster that even high-ranking gods feared.
As they trembled and waited for death, a being who called himself an apostle of God appeared.
-I am the apostle Daguri of ‘The Beast of Kangsik and Deception’, the great god who takes care of all beasts. He will take you to Eden, the land of rest.
Mi-nyang recalled that day and waggled his tail.
“I was so scared at the time! When the sky splits apart and the next mouthful is about to swallow our world whole, really…!”
“But this island of Eden that the apostle brought me to is so good to live in! Mi-nyang is so happy!”
“Right! Besides, they said that if you work hard, God will give you golden apples!”
“Golden apples? You mean that?”
Ilho pointed to the shiny golden apples hanging from an apple tree as tall as a mountain.
Then Mi-nyang looked up at the golden apple with envy-filled eyes.
“huh! The apostle said that if we get that, we can revive our destroyed world! I will definitely get the golden apple and save our world again!”
“Me too!”
Ilho remembered the last time he saw Horin.
Horin disappeared after receiving the golden apple from someone who was covered in a robe.
Ilho pondered and asked cautiously.
“Is the apostle by any chance on this island?”
Minyangi and Aji shook their heads excitedly.
“As if he wasn’t there. Rumor has it that he only appears when giving golden apples. Alas, this is not the time! I have to go water the field!”
“See you later!”
Minyangi and Aji held hands tightly and went to work in the field.
Ilho looked at Deguri, who was dozing off beside him, asking if he was bored.
“Deguri, by any chance, did Deguri go through the same thing as them and come here?”
“…Ah yes! Deguri was also brought by the apostle.”
Ilho looked up at the golden apple with suspicious eyes.
I guess it was award-winning.
Just in case, Ilho looked at the apple hanging from the tree.
Creepy!
The number of golden apples was exactly 664.
Except for Horini, who has now disappeared… It was exactly the same as the number of divine beasts on this island.
Deguri hesitated and said to Ilho.
“Ilho, tomorrow is actually my birthday. Wouldn’t it be nice if I gave you that delicious-looking honey I saw yesterday as a gift? Hey Ilho, are you listening to me?”
Ilho thought.
Could this be a coincidence? Or…
* * *
That night.
While everyone was asleep, Ilho, who covered his face with a mask, secretly stood in front of a golden apple tree.
Even though it was late at night, those golden apples that were open to taste were shining mysteriously like stars.
There must be a secret of this island in that.
“Two!”
Ilho spat on his hand and quickly climbed up a tree.
To criticize it, it felt like climbing a cliff, but to Ilho, who had gained strong stamina through the trials of a warrior, this much was the same as walking on flat ground.
Stepping on a tree branch that stretched out like a road, Ilho reached out for the nearest golden apple.
‘This would be nice.’
The moment Ilho’s hand tries to pick an apple.
“Why is there a beast on this island that God did not choose?”
Ilho turned his back in surprise.
He obviously couldn’t sense any presence, but behind him was a small stranger with a black robe covering his entire body.
Ilho pursed his nose.
Although he covered his body, he could not hide the animal’s distinctive smell.
“Are you the apostle of evil spirits?”
Instead of answering, the beast aimed a wooden staff at Ilho.
“Those who aim for the sacred apple of God must be punished!”
Flash!
Quarre quack quack!
