《Solo Leveling: Ragnarok》 Prologue Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Episode 0 Lost worlds without gods are just delicious prey! Outer Gods Absolute beings that have created countless universes since ancient times. Yiths! The scattered Yiths in different dimensions realized that their masters had disappeared in a faraway dimension and their eyes gleamed. They did not care about the deaths of their own kind. What mattered to them was the enormous mana that remained in that world! The one who picks up the power of a lost master becomes the new master! ¡­Thus, the prologue of the ¡°Outer God War¡± began. Kraaaa! A rift between dimensions that connects different universes. The Yiths tore down the sturdy dimensional walls with their power and poured out in droves. A man stood in front of them. Seong Jin-woo, the greatest shard of radiance and shadow lord, opened his mouth with black energy swirling around his entire body. ¡°Rise up.¡± With those words, tens of millions of armies made up of angels of light and shadow legions simultaneously brandished their weapons. And so, the war began. No matter how many invaders of the memorization come, they endlessly stormed in, never-ending. A tense battle that could not let go of the heart even for a moment had been going on for a long time. [¡­I can¡¯t see the end at all.] [In fact, it¡¯s a miracle that we¡¯ve lasted this long. From the beginning, this war was a disadvantageous fight for us.] [I agree. If it weren¡¯t for the Shadow Lord, our defense line would have been breached immediately.] The rulers and the six-winged angels showed respect to Seong Jin-woo. They were shining fragments born as apostles of God. They were beings who realized the cruelty of God at some point and became God-killers by their own will. Perhaps this war was predetermined from that moment. [The apostles of Itarim are still being born at this moment.] [Meanwhile, our troops are stagnant.] The soldiers of the sky led by the rulers have been born from the fruit of the world tree since ancient times. However, since God died, the world tree has gradually stopped bearing fruit. It was said that reinforcements were impossible. If it weren¡¯t for the Shadow Legion that kept resurrecting even if Seong Jin-woo died, this war would have been over in an instant. As an absolute end of the destruction of this world. ¡°My lord, we¡¯re in big trouble.¡± Egrit, the commander of the legion, appeared urgently in front of Seong Jin-woo. ¡°The rear defense line has been breached!¡± ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°That¡­they aimed for the area with the weakest magic power¡­ Is it Earth?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Due to the concentration of troops in the front, the rear guard was insufficient.¡± Seong Jin-woo sighed low. Earth, which had barely regained peace, was once again exposed to danger. ¡°¡­The gate will open again on Earth.¡± The rulers murmured as they watched Seong Jin-woo. Once, Earth was invaded by the residents of the underworld. The rulers, who were the culprits of that incident, hurriedly made excuses. ¡°But the situation is different from our time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Our purpose was to grow Earth and protect it from the rulers.¡± ¡°But Itarim¡¯s purpose is pure invasion!¡± ¡°They are trying to undermine us by collapsing the weakest point in the rear!¡± ¡°My lord! We need to send troops to Earth quickly!¡± The rulers strongly opposed Egrit¡¯s claim. ¡°We forbid it! If we split our troops, we¡¯ve barely held on so far.¡± ¡°The balance of the power that was being held will be broken!¡± ¡°That was the plan of Itarim from the beginning!¡± ¡°If we focus on defending our rear, and the front line breaks through, we will ultimately lose!¡± Having listened to their heated argument, Seong Jin-woo finally made a decision. ¡°Vera.¡± ¡°Kkieeeeek! Your Majesty!¡± The ant king, who was busy tearing apart the enemy¡¯s limbs, responded to his call. ¡°General Vera! You are summoned here!¡± ¡°Go to Earth.¡± ¡°Kkihak! Are you serious?!¡± Seong Jin-woo nodded heavily. ¡°Yes. It seems like it¡¯s time to release the seal of protection.¡± ¡°¡­.!¡± Vera¡¯s eyes widened with anticipation. ¡°Go as fast as possible.¡± ¡°Your order is received!¡± At that command, Vera turned into a beam of light and flew to Earth. Seong Jin-woo¡¯s gaze, which had been silently watching Vera¡¯s back, returned to the enemies that were coming at him. His lips were tightly sealed, and his eyes burned fiercely. ¡°Come, foreign apostles.¡± CH 1 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 01 ¡°Do you really like ants that much?¡± At the art museum of a Korean university, the assistant of the painting department, Lim Do-kyun, made a bored expression as he looked at Suho¡¯s paintings. The walls of the exhibition were covered with paintings of ants, including oil paintings, watercolors, and various sketches. The ants depicted were diverse in appearance. Lim attached the name tag he had brought underneath the painting. [Korean University Painting Department Exhibition] [3rd year, Suho] ¡°Since you were a freshman, you could fill a whole truck with just the ants you¡¯ve painted. If you¡¯re going to do this, why not go to an entomology department instead of an art school?¡± ¡°I thought about it, but there¡¯s no separate ant department.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t just like insects, you only like ants?¡± ¡°Yes. Strangely enough, I¡¯ve liked ants since I was young. If I saw a line of ants, I would walk carefully to avoid accidentally stepping on them¡­¡± ¡°You liked them since you were young? Your taste really hasn¡¯t changed.¡± Lim smiled and continued to look at Suho¡¯s paintings. Then he noticed a painting that looked different. ¡°This ant looks a bit different?¡± In front of him was a humanoid ant with a dark aura swirling around it. ¡°Well, the dynamics of this one are good. Did you draw this even though it¡¯s a monster?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a monster. It¡¯s just an ant that appeared in my dream when I was young.¡± ¡°Hmm, you¡¯re quite amazing. How much do you like ants to dream about them? When were you young?¡± ¡°Before the Cataclysm.¡± The Cataclysm referred to the end-of-the-world crisis that suddenly struck the Earth two years ago. Gates of unknown origin appeared all over the planet, and terrifying monsters poured out of them to invade the Earth. Fortunately, a very small percentage of humans awakened special abilities just in time, and humanity was able to overcome the crisis. It happened just two years ago. Suho was a freshman in college at the time, only twenty years old. But the time when Suho was dreaming about ants was back in high school, well before the crisis. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re really a unique person.¡± The TA laughed falsely and looked closely at Suho¡¯s drawing. ¡°Wow, you really drew it well. It looks like it could jump out of the picture any moment. Oh, is this too much? Your drawing is just that vivid.¡± Suho laughed inwardly at the comment. ¡°I can¡¯t help it.¡± The ants in the picture were his nightmares themselves. They were monsters that used to jump out of his dreams in his adolescence, running towards him to kill him. ¡°¡­Looking back, it was a really terrible dream.¡± Suho remembered that dream. [Your level has increased!] [Your level has increased!] In that dream, Suho had to fight for his life against monsters without even knowing English. Endless armor knights and ant armies blocked his way, and later, even giant dragons. If he killed those monsters, he would level up like a game. But if he died, he would reset back to level one and have to start all over again. The only way to escape that dream was to somehow survive and reach the final boss¡¯s room. He fought without rest, and finally arrived at the final boss¡¯s doorstep, only to find out that the final boss had a face like¡­his father. He smirked at the thought of his adolescent dream. But he hadn¡¯t dreamed it since around his first year of high school. Since his parents disappeared. ¡­Suho¡¯s peaceful daily life had crumbled. Around that time, something strange was happening in the corner of the art museum building. ¡°Did you put it here?¡± ¡°Yes, senior. The TA said he put it in here.¡± Creak. The painting students opened the warehouse door to retrieve the exhibit. And they discovered ¡®it¡¯ inside, their eyes widening. ¡°Huh?¡± Squeak! Squeak! A black hole looming on the wall. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s a gate?!¡± ¡°Report it quickly!¡± Students retreat in terror. They tremble as they take out their phones to make a report, but a fourth-year senior hurriedly stops them. ¡°Calm down! The gate is obviously closed!¡± ¡°Oh, yeah. The blue fog hasn¡¯t come out yet.¡± ¡°Right. We¡¯re still far from the dungeon break.¡± ¡°Hah. I was really scared.¡± The students who belatedly understood the situation let out a sigh of relief. The dungeon break referred to the phenomenon of monsters pouring out of the gate. However, the dungeon break did not occur just because the gate was created. Before that, the ¡°blue fog¡± had to come out from the gate and contaminate the surroundings, only then could the gate be opened and monsters could come out. ¡°So, it¡¯s still safe. Hehe.¡± ¡°Se-senior, why are you laughing so nervously? It¡¯s still dangerous, so let¡¯s report it quickly.¡± ¡°You idiots. Haven¡¯t you heard that rumor? That if you drink the blue fog, you can become an awakened one?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The senior¡¯s words caught the juniors¡¯ attention. The true identity of the blue fog was still unclear. But there had been a rumor spreading on the internet like an urban legend for some time. That fog was actually magical energy, and if you drank it, even an ordinary person could awaken their magical abilities. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just a baseless rumor?¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been proven to be a baseless rumor either.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°Hehe. So, let¡¯s check it out this time. Maybe someone among us will be an S-rank hunter?¡± ¡°¡­.!¡± The juniors¡¯ eyes changed suddenly at the senior¡¯s secretive voice. The amount of money earned by S-rank hunters had become astronomical since the corpses of monsters and dungeon ores had become new materials in demand, making the hunter profession a symbol of wealth. But it had only been two years since the great upheaval. It was still unclear how to awaken magical abilities. ¡°Besides, you guys know that Instructor Lim is also an E-rank awakened one, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard. She¡¯s an E-rank hunter who always complains about not making enough money. That¡¯s why she¡¯s doing teaching assistant work during the semester.¡± ¡°Ts-ts. You¡¯re making unfamiliar noises. That¡¯s a deception, kid. Do you know how much you can earn just by entering a dungeon as part of a mining team, without even joining an attack force under the teaching assistant?¡± ¡°How much can you earn?¡± The senior whispered as if revealing a great secret, and the eyes of the juniors widened in amazement. ¡°What? You can earn that much even as an E-class?¡± ¡°Yeah, kid. Even if you¡¯re lucky enough to be the lowest-ranked hunter, you can earn that much? Are you going to waste such a good opportunity? Huh?¡± ¡°Wow, hunters are really the best. But why is the teaching assistant still sticking around in school if they earn so much from the dungeon?¡± ¡°They earn money in the dungeon and spend it lavishly on art. Plus, working in the assistant¡¯s office gives them many exhibition opportunities.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± Earning money as an E-class hunter was more convincing than winning the lottery or even an S-class awakening, which was much rarer. Eventually, the juniors put down their phones as the senior continued to persuade them. ¡°Well, uh, since they say it¡¯s somewhat safe even if the blue fog flows out¡­ Should we wait a bit longer? Just for a moment?¡± ¡°These kids. They only listen now. It¡¯s a one-time opportunity in life. If the fog comes out, just take a sip and report it. There won¡¯t be any danger.¡± And after a while¡­ The seeping blue fog finally began to spread out of the gate. Thump! Suddenly, the building shook. ¡°Huh?¡± The guardian in the exhibition hall looked up. ¡°What¡¯s this? An earthquake?¡± Something was off. The feeling of the space itself was trembling. But only one person, the guardian, noticed the anomaly. No one else in the exhibition hall seemed to have noticed. And then, it happened. Thump. ¡°Uh¡­¡± A student was walking into the exhibition hall. Assistant Professor Lim, who was near the entrance, approached him and spoke. ¡°Young-chul, I told you to go to the warehouse. Why did you come so late¡­?¡± ¡°I-I, I was definitely stopped.¡± ¡°¡­ Young-chul?¡± ¡°Seo, the senior keeps¡­¡± ¡°Park Young-chul?¡± ¡°Acting weird.¡± Chills ran down their spine. ¡°Something is wrong.¡± The expression on Im¡¯s teaching assistant¡¯s face, who checked Young-chul¡¯s condition up close, stiffened. Pupils shaking uncontrollably. A mouth that kept murmuring incomprehensible words. ¡°Park Young-chul? What¡¯s in your mouth?¡± Young-chul finally realized his condition when Im asked. Shaaa¡­ Suddenly, blue smoke seeped out of his mouth and nose. ¡°Thi-this is not good. Stoooop!¡± Young-chul panicked and covered his mouth with his hand. But the more he tried to do that, the more smoke escaped from between his fingers. And then. Whooosh! Hot air and blue smoke engulfed Young-chul¡¯s body. ¡°Teacher!¡± Su-ho, who ran from behind, grabbed Im¡¯s teaching assistant¡¯s body firmly. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s hot¡­ hot¡­!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± Im¡¯s teaching assistant stepped back and opened her eyes. Young-chul¡¯s body had started to burn in blue smoke. ¡°Aaaah!¡± ¡°What¡¯s that!¡± The students nearby witnessed the horrific scene and screamed in terror. But then. Weeeeee! At that moment, a chilling siren sound echoed from the school¡¯s speakers. [Emergency situation!] The students started to murmur at the unexpected sound. [A gate has appeared in the school!] ¡°¡­?!¡± ¡°A-a gate?¡± ! The current location of the gate is the art museum building¡­! ¡°Sh*t! It¡¯s here!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The confusion intensified. Students began to run frantically, lost in thought. Having just witnessed a person burning to death right in front of them, the terror was indescribable. However, there was one problem if they wanted to leave. Unfortunately, Yeong-cheol¡¯s body was burning in the middle of the exhibition entrance. To get out, they had to pass his corpse. Whoosh! One student who was running ahead stumbled in the heat. ¡°Is there another exit¡­?¡± He looked around frantically, but there was none. There was only one exit. While the students were panicking. [Growwwl¡­.] Something unbelievable happened. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°That person, is that him?¡± Yeong-cheol¡¯s charcoal body was rising again, engulfed in blue smoke. ¡°Wait, is that really¡­?¡± Im Jo-gyo¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Mausuda! Get out of there right now!¡± Im Jo-gyo shouted desperately. [Krrraaaa!] But it was already too late. The mist, which had turned Yeong-cheol¡¯s body into a charcoal, whipped its arms like a whip. Crack! ¡°Ahh!¡± Students writhed on the ground, spewing blood. And when the blue smoke clung to their clothes, their bodies began to burn fiercely. ¡°Ah! Fire! Fire!¡± ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Students scattered in all directions in panic. Desperate screams filled the air. ¡°My God. It was really a mistborn¡­.¡± Im Jo-gyo quickly pulled out his phone. Mistborn was not something he could handle alone, even as an E-rank. Suho urgently asked Lim, who was sending a request for support, ¡°Mist Buhn? What kind of creature is that?¡± ¡°If we fall victim to it¡­.¡± Lim chewed on his lips. ¡°We¡¯ll become the same kind of creature.¡± [Crack!] Just then, the bodies of the students attacked by Mist Buhn rose up again, shrouded in blue smoke. CH 2 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 02 ¡°Kyaaaack!¡± The situation was dire. Screaming sounds echoing everywhere. An emergency evacuation order blaring relentlessly. Multiple mist bundles suddenly appeared and continued to create new victims. ¡°If this continues, we¡¯ll end up like them!¡± Assistant Lim shouted. The mist bundle was not a monster that could be caught at his level. Furthermore, of all things, the mist bundle was a presence that triggered his most painful trauma. Thunk! ¡°Huh? Where are you going, Assistant Lim!¡± Suhoh was startled. Assistant Lim, the only hunter in this place, was running away! Assistant Lim, who barely avoided the mist bundle¡¯s attack, was alone and escaped outside the exhibition hall. Should he follow him? Suhoh hesitated for a moment, then moved his body. However, his direction was the opposite of Assistant Lim¡¯s. Thump! Suhoh ran to the corner of the exhibition hall and picked up a fire extinguisher. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this will work, but¡­.¡± He couldn¡¯t run away leaving others behind. Suhoh ran towards where the mist bundles were gathering, holding the fire extinguisher. Scream! White powder sprayed and covered the mist bundles. [Growl!] Of course, it was an attack that didn¡¯t contain magic power, so there would be no significant damage. However, it was not difficult to temporarily suppress their firepower. ¡°For now, it¡¯s done.¡± Fortunately, Suhoh confirmed that the fire extinguisher was effective, so he continued to move the end of the fire extinguisher and sprayed other mist bundles. Scream! [Growl!] [Roar!] Meanwhile, he looked around. Suhoh found a fallen friend and supported him. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Sniff.¡± My friend¡¯s face was covered in tears and snot. ¡°Hey, snap out of it!¡± Suho shook his body, but his eyes remained vacant. Slap! Even if it meant hitting him, I forced him to come to his senses. ¡°Su, Suho?¡± My friend¡¯s eyes finally regained focus. Suho¡¯s gaze briefly flickered downward. ¡°Did you sprain your ankle?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here for now.¡± Suho quickly surrounded my friend. Thanks to the fire extinguisher, the movement of the mist bundles had temporarily weakened. There was no opportunity to escape except now. ¡°Sob. What about Professor Jo?¡± My friend, who was being carried by Suho, asked tearfully. If you were an art student, you knew that Professor Jo was a Hunter. But he was nowhere to be seen in this urgent situation. ¡°Weren¡¯t you requesting support from the Hunter Association earlier?¡± There was no need to say more after that. Suho¡¯s words made my friend breathe a sigh of relief. We left the exhibition hall. But leaving the hall was not the end. The outside was even more chaotic. Zoom! [Growl!] ¡°I can¡¯t believe it didn¡¯t just stay in the exhibition hall.¡± Suho chewed on his lips. It seemed like the entire museum was filled with mist bundles. ¡°It¡¯s a breeding-type beast. It¡¯s really nasty.¡± I thought all we had to do was get out of the exhibition hall. ¡°Aah!¡± ¡°Help me¡­!¡± ¡°When is the Hunter coming?¡± People were trembling everywhere. The Korean University Art Museum building had obvious passageways. Stairs and elevators. But mist bundles were wandering down every path. ¡°If we go like this, people will be in danger.¡± Suho quickly assessed the situation. All escape routes were blocked, and the number of monsters was increasing. If things continued like this, he didn¡¯t know what scared people would do. Jumping out of the window was not an option, and blindly rushing out would only make the situation worse if someone turned into a monster. ¡°If I can provide them with some means of self-defense, maybe it will help.¡± Suho lifted up the fire extinguisher he had brought and shouted, ¡°Attention, everyone!¡± A few people who were trembling with fear looked at Suho. ¡°We have a way to fight against the monsters!¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± More people turned their heads in their direction at those words, and saw the fire extinguisher in Suho¡¯s hand. ¡°Ah, I see!¡± ¡°Right! With a fire extinguisher¡­.!¡± ¡°We can kill the monsters!¡± The eyes of the previously frightened people sparkled with hope. Suho felt uneasy. ¡®Well, I can¡¯t really kill them. But does it really matter?¡¯ For now, it was important that he had given them hope. The people scattered to find fire extinguishers. ¡°I found one!¡± ¡°I found one too!¡± Those who found fire extinguishers cheered. Those who couldn¡¯t find any started to think. There couldn¡¯t have been that many fire extinguishers on one floor in the first place. But it was enough for now. Suho shouted to them, ¡°You don¡¯t all need to carry fire extinguishers! Those with fire extinguishers, follow me!¡± The faces of those with fire extinguishers fell. Now he realized that he had inadvertently placed the burden of fighting on those with fire extinguishers. Suho stepped forward and aimed the fire extinguisher at the mist. Chwaaaaaa! Action was now more important than words. The firepower of the mist had visibly weakened. The faces of those who saw this became brighter. ¡°We can beat them!¡± ¡°Great! Me too!¡± Chwaaaaaa! They gained confidence and began spraying fire extinguishers. ¡°Great! Let¡¯s keep pushing forward like this!¡± Suho continued to lead the charge, pushing the mist back, with people following cautiously behind him down the stairs. At that moment, [Kraaaaah!] The problem was that the mist bundles were also attacking from behind. ¡°Ahhh!¡± ¡°There¡¯s more behind us!¡± People who were barely stabilizing themselves were thrown back into panic. Urgh! People were running down the stairs in a frenzy of fear. Suh-oh bit down on his teeth. ¡°We¡¯re almost there.¡± If they kept going like this, they would all collapse on the stairs together. Suh-oh let his friend go down, saying, ¡°Okay, from now on, you can go by yourself, right?¡± ¡°Huh? What about you?¡± His friend looked at Suh-oh in bewilderment. Suh-oh shouted to the people holding fire extinguishers. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of the back, so please make way for the people in the front!¡± ¡°Okay, got it!¡± Finally, Suh-oh turned around and went back up the stairs. ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing.¡± A blind person was pretending to be a hunter. But there was nothing he could do. His body moved first. Shwaaaaah! Suh-oh¡¯s fire extinguisher attacked the mist bundle that was coming from behind. Then, suddenly, it stopped. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± [What happened?] The powder that was being sprayed with great force suddenly stopped. At the same time, the mist bundle that was relentlessly pushing them back and Suh-oh¡¯s eyes awkwardly met in mid-air. ¡°Ha.¡± Suh-oh laughed bitterly. ¡°We¡¯re screwed.¡± [Kraaaaaah!] The mist bundle attacked Suh-oh. Vroom! A blue smoke engulfed him. And that too multiplied into a new mist bundle¡­ At that moment. Shu-waaaah! [¡­?!] The mist bundles finally faced each other. The deep, dark abyss that lay within Suh-oh. The Mist Borne, born from the remnants of magical power, was a feeble creature that moved only by instinct. At the same time, if there was enough fuel, it could become incredibly powerful and endlessly multiply, making it a troublesome beast. So, what was the best fuel for it? Living creatures, and humans with abundant vitality were the best fuel, burning like dry firewood. In that sense, the Guardian was an unparalleled prey for the Mist Borne. However, at that moment, ¡°Shwaack!¡± As the Guardian was devoured by the Mist Borne, it was swallowed up by the abyss-like darkness within the Guardian¡¯s body. [¡­Kra?] The bewildered Mist Borne looked around. There was an endless abyss all around it. But then, from the deepest part of the abyss, someone was looking at it. The Mist Borne snarled fiercely, emitting blue smoke. [Kraah! Kraa! Kraa¡­?] But no matter how much it barked, there was only an empty echo. Suddenly, the Mist Borne realized that it was not just someone in the abyss looking at it, but rather the entire massive abyss itself was looking down at it with saliva dripping from its mouth, like a delicious meal. [Kyaaak?!] Startled, the Mist Borne tried to flee, but the abyss opened its mouth wide. Puh-shik. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± The Guardian looked puzzled. The Mist Borne, which had just attacked it, suddenly dispersed into the air. And the human body that it had possessed was reduced to ashes and crumbled to the ground. But then¡­ [The Mist Spawn has been defeated.] [You have fulfilled the completion conditions of the ¡®Secret Quest: Courage of the Weak¡¯.] ¡°¡­What?¡± Suddenly, a message appeared in front of Suho¡¯s eyes, causing them to widen in surprise. [Your level has increased!] Flash! A bright light enveloped Suho¡¯s entire body. Suho¡¯s friend, Kim Daehyun, managed to barely escape outside of the art museum. Thump. As soon as he stepped outside, his legs gave out, and he collapsed weakly. Daehyun¡¯s gaze instinctively searched for Suho, but he was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Where¡¯s Suho? Have you seen him?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s that? Oh, the guy who was fighting with a fire extinguisher earlier?¡± People remembered the student who had bravely fought with a fire extinguisher, but there was no sign of Suho. Someone hesitantly spoke up. ¡°He went back up to help some others escape.¡± ¡°Wha¡­ he¡¯s still in there?¡± The crowd murmured in shock. Someone muttered with a glimmer of hope in their voice. ¡°But he¡¯s a Hunter, he¡¯ll be okay, right?¡± ¡°Suho¡¯s not a Hunter!¡± Daehyun shouted desperately, his voice filled with urgency. His words were even more shocking. ¡°What? He¡¯s not a Hunter?¡± ¡°He¡¯s not even a Hunter, how could he¡­!¡± All eyes turned towards the art museum. Suho was¡­ still trapped inside, unable to escape. Just then, the Hunters arrived after receiving a report. ¡°Over here!¡± It was Im, the assistant professor, who had fled first and led the Hunters back to the scene. Im breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that everyone had managed to escape the art museum unharmed. ¡°Thank goodness. Everyone made it out safely.¡± ¡°I convinced myself that choosing the best way as a Class E Hunter, but when I saw people, I felt guilty that I was cowardly. ¡°But how did everyone else make it out?¡± The hunters who came with Instructor Lim looked at the people with curious expressions. In such an isolated space, where Mistborn appeared, how could so many people have survived? It was fortunate, but they were curious about the circumstances. ¡°More importantly, there are still people trapped inside!¡± Daehyun shouted urgently. ¡°Suho is still in there¡­!¡± ¡°Suho? Suho is still inside?¡± Instructor Lim turned her head to the art museum in surprise. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Suho, we would all be dead!¡± Daehyun¡¯s words made everyone¡¯s expression grim. The hunters asked curiously, ¡°Is this Suho a hunter? What is his rank?¡± ¡°He¡¯s¡­an ordinary person.¡± ¡°What? How could an ordinary person¡­?¡± As the hunters were about to ask for more details, a ominous sound echoed from the art museum. ¡°¡­.!¡± Everyone turned their heads in that direction. Dark magical power surged over the museum building. ¡°Oh no. Has corrosion begun?¡± CH 3 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 03 Erosion is a phenomenon in which the blue fog that flows out of the gate contaminates the surrounding area. Areas contaminated by the magic of another world transform into an environment suitable for magical creatures to live in. If the other side of the gate is called a ¡°dungeon,¡± then the contaminated area around the gate is called a ¡°field-type dungeon.¡± Once contaminated, these places were like dungeons, and considering that, the Korean University Art Museum was like a land of death. ¡°Anyway, that student¡­¡± The hunter¡¯s words trailed off. But anyone could guess what he was going to say next. Meanwhile, Suho¡­ [Your level has increased!] ¡°This¡­ is that right?¡± Something unbelievable had happened. Letters floating in the air. The leveling system that he could only see in his dreams had appeared in reality. ¡°Oh my god. Is this another dream?¡± No. This time it was definitely not a dream! The vivid sense of reality that brushed against his skin proved that fact. Moreover, at the moment the level up message appeared, all the accumulated fatigue disappeared, even the minor burns caused by the mist were healed. But what¡¯s this? [You have fulfilled the completion condition of the ¡®Secret Quest: Courage of the Powerless.¡¯] [You have an unread message.] In the dream, only the level was displayed, and there was no separate message like this. It felt like something more substantial. When Suho looked at the message, the message box automatically opened. ¡°There are two unread messages. ¡°Welcome to becoming a ¡®player¡¯ in reality.¡± (Unconfirmed) ¡°A quest has been issued.¡± (Unconfirmed) ¡°¡®Player¡¯ in reality? What does that mean?¡± Suho checked the first message. [Secret Quest: Courage of the Weak] You have gained experience in a disabled state and proved your own qualifications. You have awakened from level 0 to level 1, and your status window is now available. [Information] This system supports the growth of ¡®players.¡¯ This is not a ¡®tutorial mode¡¯ this time. Please be careful in reality as you only have one life. ¡°¡®Tutorial mode? Is it talking about that dream?''¡± Suho realized it instinctively. All the dreams he had in adolescence were practice games, and now this was the real game. And, as expected of a real game, there were features that were not supported in the tutorial, such as the ¡®status window.¡¯ [Status Window] Name: Sung Suho Level: 1 Job: None Title: None HP: 100/100 MP: 10/10 [Stats] Strength: 10 Endurance: 10 Agility: 10 Intelligence: 10 Senses: 10 (Distributable ability points: 0) [Skills] Passive Skills: None Active Skills: Dominator¡¯s Authority Lv.1 The status window briefly displayed information about Suho, just like a game. Suho immediately checked the next message. [Quest: Rescue the survivors.] There are people waiting for your rescue nearby. Please rescue as many of them as possible. The reward will vary depending on the number of people rescued. -Current number of survivors: 52 -Current number of people rescued: 0 The second message was a quest window. This quest was also a system that he had never experienced in his dreams. ¡°Rewards vary depending on the number of people rescued?¡± It really felt like a game. But this was a real situation. Even at this moment, people were dying in real-time. [Current number of survivors: 52 ¡ú 51] [Current number of survivors: 51 ¡ú 50] When Suho saw this status board, he suddenly came to his senses. Then it happened. [Growl!] ¡°Ah!¡± He must have been too focused on his status window. A mist bear that had approached nearby attacked him. ¡°Oh no!¡± Suho swung his arm randomly. Whack! But something surprising happened. [Crack!] The mist bear that was hit by Suho¡¯s fist stumbled back in pain. ¡°¡­.Huh?¡± Suho was more surprised to look at his own hand. The blue smoke wriggled, but it wasn¡¯t hot even though he hit it barehanded. Then another mist bear attacked him from behind. Suho immediately punched it without hesitation. Bang! [Crack!] The mist bear was thrown back by Suho¡¯s normal punch. ¡°Huh?¡± By this point, even the mist bear seemed surprised. The human seemed to be nothing special, but it hurt so much when they were hit. But the Mist Buns are beings that move solely by instinct. [Growl!] All the Mist Buns around were rushing towards the guardians at the sound of the Mist Buns¡¯ roar. But the guardians were not shaken by the threatening sight. They realized that these creatures posed no real threat to them. It was time to fight back. Taat! The guardians immediately rushed towards the creatures. Whack! Whack! Whack! Whack! [Growl!] [Roar!] The battle took on a completely different aspect from a typical raid. Normally, the strategy would involve calmly assessing the monsters¡¯ strength, with the tank at the front and the dealers attacking. But the guardians ignored all that and simply swung their fists, fighting the monsters and hunters. Still, the results were evident. [Mist Buns have been defeated!] [Mist Buns have been defeated!] [Mist Buns have been defeated!] ¡­ The guardians continued to defeat the creatures one by one as they moved forward. [Current survivor count: 37 ¡ú 36] Even in the midst of all this, the number of survivors continued to decline. This meant that the number of Mist Buns was increasing, and the rate at which people were dying was increasing exponentially. They had to hurry. The guardians searched the museum thoroughly, finding the survivors. ¡°Hurry and get out of here!¡± They escorted them out of the museum one by one. [Number of people rescued: 12] ¡°What? How the hell are they all escaping?¡± The hunters outside the museum were astonished. They had just finished checking their equipment and were about to go inside, but people kept coming out one by one on their own. ¡°Someone rescued us from inside.¡± ¡°A student rescued us!¡± The hunters were even more surprised to hear their words. ¡°Who is fighting with the monsters inside?¡± ¡°Is there already another hunter inside?¡± Assistant Lim tilted his head at their words. ¡°That¡¯s not true. There are no hunters among the students, and the other hunters haven¡¯t arrived yet.¡± Daehyun, who was listening from the side, said hopefully. ¡°Could it be Suho?¡± ¡°Suho?¡± Assistant Lim and the hunters exchanged glances at those words. The chances of a civilian surviving in a field-type dungeon were very rare. But they couldn¡¯t say that your friends had died to Daehyun. But one of the survivors who had escaped a little while ago knew Suho. ¡°Yes! Senior Suho rescued us!¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Suho? How on earth?¡± ¡°He fought the Mist Boon with his bare hands?¡± ¡°¡­with his bare hands?¡± The hunters looked dejected at those words. It was undoubtedly a mistake that the survivors had seen something out of fear. Fighting with Mist Boons with bare hands was too dangerous. ¡°The hand would be completely burnt.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a suicidal act.¡± Unless the hunter could put magic on their fists, they would have to fight with gauntlets to protect their hands from getting burned. Anyway, it seemed certain that a student named Suho was alive and rescuing people. The hunters muttered seriously. ¡°Maybe that student¡­awakened.¡± ¡°Suho awakened?¡± Assistant Lim¡¯s gaze returned to the art museum. Even at this moment, survivors were continuing to escape outside. Rescued by Suho. Coincidentally, the hunters were also ready to enter the art museum. ¡°Team leader, the magic measurement is complete. It seems to be a D-class dungeon.¡± ¡°Got it. Then we have to hurry.¡± At the mention of a D-class dungeon, the hunters¡¯ eyes lit up with determination. If it was a D-class dungeon, there would be monsters much stronger than Mist Boons. Even if a student named Suho just awakened, no one could guarantee how long a rookie with no dungeon experience could survive inside. Pushik¡­ [Mist Buns have been eliminated.] The guardian who destroyed all the visible Mist Buns took a deep breath. ¡°It¡¯s almost over.¡± Although he was tired enough to want to lie down immediately, his mind was clear. But then, it happened. Ding! [Level up!] The guardian¡¯s entire body was enveloped in transparent light, and vitality surged through his body. ¡°I can keep going with this level of strength!¡± Just as the guardian was about to find the remaining people and move on, suddenly¡­ Kwak! ¡°¡­.!¡± The ceiling exploded above his head. A huge pile of rocks and dust scattered in all directions. The guardian was startled and rolled on the ground, but he couldn¡¯t avoid it completely. As he reached level 2 and all his wounds were miraculously healed, blood began to trickle down his forehead. But that wasn¡¯t the problem. A giant wolf descended from the hole in the ceiling. [Grrr!] Crunch! At the sight of its tremendous presence, the guardian¡¯s mind flashed. ¡°I can¡¯t win this.¡± He realized it as soon as he saw it. The survival instinct that every living creature possesses. An instinctual fear that was different from Mist Buns. [Grrr.] The giant wolf looked down arrogantly at the wounded fighter. Its gaze showed no escape for the injured prey. At the same time, an overwhelming sense of oppression pressed down on the guardian. ¡°Grrr.¡± The guardian clenched his teeth. He had no intention of being crushed by fear at this point. He would just do his best. ¡°If I can¡¯t run, then I¡¯ll attack first!¡± Thwack! The guardian picked up a rock and hurled it at the wolf. However, the giant wolf lifted its front paw as if mocking them and launched its attack. ¡°Now¡¯s our chance!¡± Suho rushed towards the wolf like lightning. He swung his fists that had previously taken down dozens of Mist Boars. But it was futile. CRUNCH! SQUISH! The wolf¡¯s jaws bit into Suho¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Ugh!¡± Suho gritted his teeth and slammed his fist against the wolf¡¯s head, but it was no use. BANG! In the end, Suho lay on the ground, defeated. The wolf¡¯s massive paw pressed down on his body triumphantly. It was a fight that could never have been won in the first place. The wolf savored its victory, its vicious teeth about to tear into Suho¡¯s neck. And that was when a miracle happened. KYEEEAAAAAK! SQUEEEEEEAAAK! A bolt of black lightning suddenly struck from the dark sky above, splitting the space between the giant wolf and Suho in two. DZZZT! The ceiling collapsed as the dust settled, revealing the ant king covered in black smoke. Vern Lv.Max Enemy rank Vern pressed his hand against the wolf¡¯s jaws and looked down at Suho, who was lying on the ground. CH 4 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 04 ¡°¡­.!¡± Suho was greatly shocked. The suddenly appeared black demon was a demon covered in a black exoskeleton like armor and emitting black steam from its whole body. Its form was that of a giant ant with wings. The constantly flickering black smoke from its entire body was like shadows trembling in the light. As soon as Suho saw this, some memories flashed through his mind. ¡°Could it be the same one I saw in my dream¡­?¡± He was certain that he knew this demon. The countless ant demons that appeared in his dreams long ago. The leader of those terrifying ants had exactly the same appearance¡­! But why was this happening now? The ant demon suddenly approached Suho and kneeled down in front of him, saying: ¡°My lord! I am Beruga! You can now feel at ease!¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± Suho¡¯s eyes widened. What kind of situation is this again? Even though it kneeled down, it was still so big that Suho had to look up to see it. But then¡­ Suddenly, the black demon¡¯s momentum changed. It discovered Suho¡¯s body, the giant wolf that had been attacked and beaten up. In that moment, the black demon unleashed a storm-like energy from its entire body and lifted its head up. ¡°How dare this dog-like beast dare to bite your precious body?! I will tear your mouth apart!¡± And then, a terrible roar shook the entire building. ¡°Kyaak-!¡± In that moment, the world turned into hell. Kwakwakwakwa! ¡°Krkk¡­!¡± ! ! Horrible flesh wrapped around the whole body. At that moment, a giant wolf that had been trampled by a black horse raised its head and shook its head. Then it bit off the black horse¡¯s leg with a crunch. Thud. Then the black horse looked down with a sneer. ¡°How dare you! Where is this vermin crawling!¡± At that moment, black steam boiled up. The black horse walked over the giant wolf at an amazing speed and slammed into it. Thump! ¡°Ack!¡± The giant wolf was thrown backwards without any strength, screaming. But the black horse caught up with him even faster than that speed and slammed him down to the ground again. Crunch! And he grabbed the wolf¡¯s legs with both hands. Rip! The body torn in two in both directions. ¡°Crack¡­¡­!¡± Horrible screams and black blood scattered in all directions. This was no longer a battle. It was a unilateral massacre. The tyranny of a predator. ¡°Kieeeek!¡± That overwhelming predator trampled the wolf¡¯s corpse and let out another mad roar. That cruel flesh stiffened the hunters who had just entered the first floor of the museum. ¡°What, what is this flesh!¡± ¡°You said this was a D-rank dungeon, what is this¡­!¡± Shock and terror! The building was shaking as if it would collapse at any moment. ¡­ But why. For some reason, Suho wasn¡¯t afraid of that brutal horse. Rather, it was so nostalgic¡­ It stimulated the smell of memories stored in his long-term memory. ¡°What is it? I feel like I¡¯m going to remember something¡­¡± -Gyami¡­ Gyami¡­! What is this memory? In a faint memory, the voice of a newborn baby who loved drawing ants on a sketchbook was heard. ¡°Who¡­?¡± ¡°Kuk!¡± Suddenly, a severe headache struck. Although confused, there was at least one thing certain. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m alive¡­.¡± [Stamina: 1/160] With a thud, all the tension finally released, and Suho collapsed onto the ground. ¡°Kyaek! Lady So, Lady Soju! Come to your senses¡­!¡± In that moment, Suho thought about how warm and comforting it felt to be embraced by a desperate rushing mount, setting aside everything else. Even while unconscious, a smile crept onto Suho¡¯s lips. Ding. [Quest: Rescue the Survivors has been completed.] [Number of Survivors Rescued: 33] [Level Up!] Suho dreamed. It was a dream of a newborn baby receiving his first bath while riding on the back of an ant. The baby in the dream giggled happily. Whenever the baby laughed, the ant laughed too. Ants were always present wherever the baby went. Ants that tied on a bib and fed the baby a bottle. Ants that studied numbers together with the baby. Ants that covered the baby with a small blanket and took a nap with him¡­ If the ants were ever out of sight, the baby cried out in distress. In an instant, the ants appeared and shook toys to soothe the baby. Then, as if nothing had happened, the baby stopped crying and resumed laughing. At that moment, the ant with the bib approached the baby with teary eyes, as if they could burst into tears any moment. ¡°My lady, you¡¯ve grown up so beautifully. I, Bert, am infinitely moved.¡± ¡­! Suddenly, the baby grew up into Suho, 22 years old, standing in front of the ant. Bert. That was the name Suho whispered to himself. Ant Bert gazed up at him with admiration and teary eyes. ¡°I stole it. ¡°My original intention was to release the seal of the lord, but it seems that he already broke it by his own will. He truly is our lord.¡± Bert¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, as if they were water faucets. ¡°Sob. However, the seal is not completely undone. The most important things are kept here.¡± Bert pulled out something from his arms. Ding. ¡°You have obtained the item: Shadow Dungeon Key.¡± ¡°Shadow Dungeon? What is that?¡± The sudden message made Suho feel strange. But this place was a dream. Suho¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t reach Bert at all. Ant gave the key to him and said, ¡°Please use this key whenever you are mentally prepared. It contains everything that should have belonged to the lord.¡± While saying that, Bert knelt down and grabbed Suho¡¯s shoulders with both hands. ¡°Just remember one thing.¡± With a solemn tone and a tender touch, Bert¡¯s eyes, which showed contrasting emotions, faced Suho. ¡°Big power requires a big container. If someone who is not ready receives an unbearable power, the container may break because of the weight of that power.¡± Big power. Big container. Suho pondered over those words. ¡°In other words, you should raise the level of your container.¡± Bert¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he made a wicked smile. ¡°Okay. That¡¯s all for my mission, my lord. I would like to stay by your side longer, but my colleagues are waiting for me desperately, even at this moment.¡± Then he winked. ¡°Since I am a great healer.¡± ¡°Healer? Did he say healer?¡± It was the most ridiculous thing Suho had heard recently. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go now, my lord. Until we meet again someday¡­¡± Stay healthy¡­ Bert¡¯s nostalgic voice echoed little by little. ¡°Wait! I still have something to ask¡­!¡± Suho urgently called out to him, but no words came out of his mouth. At that moment, Suho woke up from his sleep. ¡°Wow! Ants?!¡± Suho, who had jumped up, quickly looked around. A white wall and the smell of disinfectant. Calm air surrounded him. ¡°Oh my. You¡¯re awake?¡± The nurse who was sharpening her tools looked at Suho. ¡°Where is this¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hospital. Don¡¯t you remember? The dungeon appeared in the school.¡± ¡°Could it all have been a dream?¡± He had woken up from sleep, but Suho had a dazed expression for a while. ¡°Where does the dream start and end? Ants? Dungeon? Or was it all the way up to leveling up?¡± Everything was confusing. Coincidentally, the news was playing on the TV in the hospital room. -Two days ago, the gate that occurred at Korea University is now almost completely under control¡­. -Despite the dungeon break in the middle of the city, experts are amazed that there were miraculously few casualties¡­. ¡°Two days have passed?¡± The incidents that occurred at the art museum did not seem to have been a dream. ¡°Then were my childhood dreams real?¡± Suho finally realized it. Memories of playing with giant ants in his childhood. He felt a sense of regret when he thought of ¡°Baeur,¡± the ant he saw in his dream. ¡°I couldn¡¯t even talk to him properly and he left like that.¡± Suho looked up. The text that had been floating in front of him since earlier was waiting for him. [You have completed the quest ¡°Rescue the Survivors.¡±] [The quest completion reward has arrived.] [Do you want to check the reward?] (Y/N) ¡°Check.¡± Suho chose to confirm without hesitation. He had almost died several times, but it was right to check the rewards, even if it was unfair. [The following rewards are prepared.] Reward 1: Ability points +5 Reward 2: Strength stat points +3 ¡°8 points of stats?!¡± Suho¡¯s eyes widened at the unexpectedly generous rewards. It seemed that each stat would increase by 1 point each time he leveled up, so an additional 8 points was much more than one level up. ¡°It was worth risking my life to do a good deed.¡± Suho immediately checked his status window. [Status Window] Name: Sung Suho Level: 3 Job: None Title: None HP: 140/140 MP: 14/14 [Stats] Strength: 15, Endurance: 12 Agility: 12, Intelligence: 12 Perception: 12 (Distributable Ability Points: 5) [Skills] Passive Skills: None Active Skills: Authority of the Master Lv.1 There were many more features in the status window compared to the dream he had in high school. Back then, only the level was displayed, and there were no specific status windows like this. ¡°Hmm. Which stat should I raise?¡± Three points in the strength stat were automatically applied, and Suho pondered where to invest the remaining points. Rather than investing recklessly, Suho carefully examined the other stats. Then, an information window appeared in front of him. [Information] Strength: A stat that increases power and speed. It also increases attack power. Agility: A stat that increases body reaction speed and visual perception. It also increases reflexes and evasion. Stamina: A stat that increases the maximum HP and recovery speed. Intelligence: A stat that increases the maximum MP and recovery speed. Senses: A stat that increases the five senses. It also increases the ability to sense danger. After reading this, all stats seem important. ¡°I need to think more about this and decide later.¡± The Suho, who turned off the status window, suddenly realized that he was thirsty. Come to think of it, he hadn¡¯t had a sip of water and had been unconscious for two days. Suho opened the door of the small refrigerator next to the bed to find water. Then, unexpectedly¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Suho¡¯s eyes widened. To his surprise, inside the fridge was a small Beruga apple, the size of a fist, being carved. ¡°You, you¡­!¡± [Cough.] [Beru] Lv.1 Pet grade For some reason, the once majestic Beruga had become very small and cute, and was offering an apologetic expression while holding out an apple that looked like a rabbit. ¡°I couldn¡¯t go because my mana was depleted.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± CH 5 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 05 Suho looked at Ber with a bewildered expression. ¡°You greeted me so nostalgically, and yet you couldn¡¯t come back?¡± ¡°To be honest, the journey to Earth was very long and treacherous. Many enemies blocked my way, but I managed to overcome them all and come here. However, I did not anticipate that I would run out of power to go back¡­¡± Ber made an embarrassing excuse. ¡°¡­¡± Suho stared at Ber in silence for a moment. Ber seemed much smaller and weaker than when he had appeared grandly at the art museum, claiming that he was a great and powerful being. ¡°It¡¯s like looking at a stuffed doll.¡± Suho picked up Ber with one hand. ¡°Huh?¡± Mini Ber dangled limply from Suho¡¯s hand. It felt like the prize from a toy vending machine. Ber continued to chatter while hanging from Suho¡¯s hand. ¡°I don¡¯t know if your memory has returned, but the Shadow Lord is the one and only successor of the great and omnipotent ruler, as your father mentioned.¡± ¡°The Shadow Lord? Who is that?¡± ¡°Seong Jin-woo. Your father mentioned him.¡± ¡°Our father?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Suho suddenly doubted his ears. ¡°Talking about our father who left home?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t leave home. He went to space.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Suddenly, the scale of the situation seemed astronomical to Suho. Not knowing how to react, Ber suddenly spread his arms with a solemn expression. ¡°Let me explain simply.¡± Swoosh! ¡°In space, a great war is currently raging.¡± Shadow energy emanated from Ber¡¯s hand, creating an illusion. The illusion of a countless number of soldiers, each the size of a fingernail, and an army of monsters attacking them in even greater numbers. And at the center of it all, there was one man emitting an especially strong energy. Of course, with only fingernail-sized figures. [Your great father, Seong Jin-woo, is commanding this war right now.] As he spoke, Ver pointed to the enemies blocked by ¡°Seong Jin-woo¡¯s¡± hands. ¡°And these guys are the dogs of ¡®Itarim,¡¯ who came to swallow our world whole.¡± ¡°Itarim?¡± ¡°Itarim are gods from outer space far away from Earth.¡± Ver continued to speak with a solemn expression, describing how wicked and persistent the Itarim were. Though most of his words were curses, the fact remained that they had come to invade Earth. ¡°So, the monsters that poured out of the Gate two years ago were because of Itarim, right?¡± As Su-ho listened to the explanation, a strange feeling came over him. Both of Su-ho¡¯s parents were missing. They had disappeared a long time ago, and the police had found no clues. It was as if they had vanished from the face of the earth, and Su-ho had half given up hope of ever finding them. But now he was suddenly in space? It was a hard fact to believe, but then again, the existence of talking stuffed animals, or even ants, was unrealistic from the beginning in a world where monsters existed in dungeons. There was nothing more surprising than adding space to the mix. Su-ho suddenly asked, ¡°What about my mother? Did she go to space too?¡± ¡°Huh? No?¡± Ver looked perplexed. ¡°What? No?¡± ¡°Then where did my mother go? She disappeared on the same day as my father, so I thought she¡¯d be with him¡­?¡± ¡°What? Your mother is missing too?¡± Ver jumped up belatedly, stunned. ¡°When? Where?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Su-ho said, letting out a sigh. Beru, who had flown from outer space where a war with Itarim was taking place to Earth, had a really rough journey. The enemies were not easy to deal with as they had watched their commander alone, leaving the battlefield. After breaking through their enormous troops and barely arriving at Earth, Beru was shocked to hear that Cha Hae-in, the wife of Sung Jin-woo, was missing. ¡°Kkieak! I have to find Hae-in right away!¡± ¡°Do you know where she might be?¡± ¡°These guys are bound to be behind this! Itarim! The apostles of Itarim on Earth must have set a wicked trap for Hae-in!¡± As the Mother of Protection, Cha Hae-in was always safe under the protection of the Shadow Monarch. But if something had happened to her, there must have been a force equal to the power of the Shadow Monarch at play. Although Beru was panicked, the Mother of Protection was not overly concerned about her daughter¡¯s safety. Of course, she had been worried when Hae-in had gone missing, but now that she had learned about her father¡¯s true identity, the shock was so great that her mother no longer seemed like an ordinary human. ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never seen my mother flustered before.¡± It was surprising that she had married Sung Jin-woo despite knowing her father¡¯s true identity from the beginning. ¡°No, that¡¯s because taking care of children is so difficult¡­¡± From the side, Berga muttered something, but Suho couldn¡¯t hear it. Anyway, Suho¡¯s mother, Cha Hae-In, whom he remembers, was a strong and stable person who was always calm. Perhaps because of that, Suho couldn¡¯t imagine his mother being in danger by someone, though it might be just a vague belief. But aside from that, it was fortunate that he found a clue about his missing parents who were trapped in the maze. ¡°Berg, what should I do to find my mother?¡± In response to Suho¡¯s question, Berg shouted loudly while hanging on Suho¡¯s hand. [Of course, you need to become as strong as possible!] ¡°Become stronger?¡± [Yes! The Lord cannot come to Earth for a while due to the war. In the end, there is no one but the Sovereign who can save Hae-In-nim, but the Sovereign now is so weak that he cannot even beat a caterpillar!] ¡°A caterpillar¡­¡± Suho was a little hurt. Anyway, Berg got rid of all the shadow illusions he had created in the air and flew up to the sky, escaping from Suho¡¯s hand. Then, pointing to Suho¡¯s feet, he said, [So let¡¯s level up.] Ding! ¡°A quest has arrived. At that moment, a message window appeared before the guardian. [Quest: Trial of the Shadow] Guardian, you are the son of the great Shadow Lord. However, at this moment, all of your innate talents have been sealed. To bear that great power, you must prove your own qualification. Enter the Shadow Dungeon and prove yourself. ¡°Shadow Dungeon?¡± The quest window unfolded before him. Upon seeing it, the key to the ¡®Shadow Dungeon¡¯ that Beruga had given him in his dream came to mind. [The Shadow Dungeon is the ¡®Domain of Rest¡¯ given to Lord Baron. It is a land of the dead where no one can set foot without the owner¡¯s permission. Please open your ¡®inventory.¡¯] When the guardian concentrated his mind on the words, a translucent window appeared before him. [Inventory] Key to the Shadow Dungeon (unconfirmed) ¡°Do I even have an inventory? This is really like a game.¡± He was amazed. As if the dream from his adolescence was a tutorial, now all the features of a real game had been added. The guardian reached out and took out the key. Then an information window appeared above the key. [Item: Key to the Shadow Dungeon] Acquisition difficulty: ?? Type: Key This is a key that can be used to move to the Shadow Dungeon. It can be used on the Guardian¡¯s shadow. ¡°I can use it on my shadow?¡± Following the explanation, the guardian¡¯s gaze went down to his feet. He knelt down and lightly held the key over his shadow. Shoop! Surprisingly, the key went into his shadow. Beruga¡¯s eyes widened. [Now, go in and take all the power that should have belonged to Lord Baron.] ¡°Wait a minute.¡± Suho pulled out the key and quickly changed into his own clothes, tying his shoelaces tightly after taking off the loose patient gown and slippers. As Suho looked down at his shadow again, a determined light shone in his eyes. ¡°Alright. Shall we go?¡± [¡°Kkiaek! Let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll assist you by your side! Of course, I¡¯m out of energy, but still!¡±] He didn¡¯t expect much. Suho pushed the key back into the shadow. Click. [¡°Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon?¡±] (Y/N) ¡°¡­I will enter.¡± Shuwaahh-! At the same time as his answer, Suho¡¯s shadow spread out in all directions and began to swallow up everything in sight ¨C the walls, the ceiling, and even the entire hospital building. [¡°You have entered the Shadow Dungeon.¡±] Before he knew it, Suho had arrived in a black-and-white world covered in shadow. ¡°Where is this?¡± A silent, stillness where all signs of life were missing. A dense forest, colored in black and white, was waiting for Suho. No, it was a ruined city that had turned into a forest. The high-rise buildings were covered with moss and vines. Suho suddenly remembered a book he had read when he was young. ¡°It was probably called¡­ Earth Without Humans?¡± The book was a documentary about the effects of the Earth¡¯s midnight phenomenon. In summary, it explained that cities left unattended for a long time would eventually collapse and become a forest, with grass and trees growing everywhere. Just like this place. ¡°It feels like a field contaminated with magic.¡± In the quiet surroundings, Berva, who had followed Suho, flew up and saluted. ¡°Welcome to the Shadow Dungeon!¡± ¡°Is this the Shadow Dungeon?¡± As Suho looked around, he felt a strange familiarity. It felt like he had entered an old horror movie. ¡°¡­But why does it feel so familiar?¡± As everyone does, Suho vividly remembered the memories of his infancy it is possible However, the emotions and atmosphere that I felt at that time remained deep in my heart even after becoming an adult. To some, this black and white world may feel very ominous, but to Suho, it felt as warm as his mother¡¯s embrace. Then, suddenly, Snap! ¡°Live?!¡± Suho¡¯s sensory stat sent a warning. Whoosh! At that moment, an axe flew from behind him. [Hick! The trial has begun! Dodge!] Hearing Berg¡¯s urgent shout, Suho immediately turned his body. And then he kicked! Puff! ¡°Kkup!¡± The monster was hit by Suho¡¯s kick and rolled on the ground. There was a name tag floating above its head, just like Berg¡¯s. [Goblin Scout] ¡°Hehehe!¡± It was an ugly monster with green skin that was about one meter tall. ¡°Scout?¡± As soon as Suho confirmed its name, he became alert. ¡°If it¡¯s a scout, there might be other monsters nearby!¡± Suho had already fought many battles in his dream when he was in his teens. The survival instinct engraved in his body at that time moved Suho¡¯s body. ¡°I have to kill it before calling for other allies!¡± Wham! Before the monster could get up, Suho threw himself at it. [Kkiyaak! It¡¯s dangerous to fight with bare hands! Goblins are weak and cowardly, but now the Lord is weaker!] ¡°I know!¡± Crack! Receiving Berg¡¯s warning, Suho struck the back of the goblin scout¡¯s hand, causing the axe it held to fall from its grip. [Kyaah! Well done! Very well done!] Berg applauded vigorously, flying above him. ¡°Man, he¡¯s noisy.¡± Thud! [You have acquired the item: Imp¡¯s Stone Axe.] As soon as Suho gripped the axe handle, he swung it. Thunk! [Crack!] [You have defeated the goblin scout.] Suho swiftly cut off the goblin¡¯s neck. But he had no time to catch his breath. Sssk! He heard a chilling sound of wind behind his back. ¡°I knew there was a comrade after all!¡± An arrow flew through the air, splitting the wind! Instinctively, Suho reached out his hand. ¡°The power of the master!¡± Snap! At that moment, a transparent hand reached out from Suho¡¯s hand and caught the flying arrow. ¡°What power is this!¡± Beru was amazed, looking at the arrow stuck in mid-air. ¡°Indeed, our Lord has finally awakened the power of a newborn baby!¡± Beru thought of Suho¡¯s childhood when he walked through the air as a newborn baby. CH 6 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 06 Seong Soo-ho is one year old. On the day when the adorable baby finally took his first steps, as with all parents, there was chaos in Soo-ho¡¯s house. But it was a slightly different kind of chaos. ¡°Hey, honey! Soo-ho did it! Our Soo-ho!¡± ¡°What did Soo-ho do?¡± Soo-ho¡¯s mother, Cha Hae-in, shouted as if she couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°He¡¯s flying around the house right now!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Soo-ho is flying around inside the house right now!¡± Soo-ho¡¯s first steps were not on the ground, but in mid-air. In fact, it was one of the special powers that Soo-ho inherited from his father, Sung Jin-woo, called the ¡°Ruler¡¯s Authority¡±. [¡­Sigh. I miss him.] Soo-ho, who learned to fly before he even learned to walk, at one year old. The sight was like a mythological hero¡¯s extraordinary birth story, and it made Beru sniffle. However, at that time, the world was too peaceful. The power that Soo-ho inherited was created to destroy everything, and it was useless in a peaceful world. Not only useless, but it had the potential to make normal life impossible. Sung Jin-woo decided to seal that power until Soo-ho could control it. [Now that the foreign apostles are invading the Earth! It¡¯s time to use the power of the Lord, who has been sealed up until now!] [Skill: Ruler¡¯s Authority Lv.1] Active skill. No mana required. You can exert physical influence on objects without touching them directly. Whispering into Beru¡¯s ear, Soo-ho grabbed an arrow with his invisible hand and sent it back in the opposite direction. ¡°Return it.¡± Splat ¨C Thud! ¡°You have killed a Goblin Archer.¡± The goblin archer stuck the arrow he shot into his neck and choked. Then, another goblin who was behind him turned around in surprise and started running away. Whoosh! [Crack!] ¡°Do you think you can escape?¡± Suho chased after him and hit him with his sword. But suddenly, he saw a flash! ¡°Huh?¡± [Crack?!] Suho surpassed the goblin who was trying to escape with just one jump. The goblin was overtaken by Suho in an instant. Their surprised eyes met in midair. ¡°Hehehe! As your strength stat has increased, it¡¯s natural that your jumping ability has also increased! You¡¯ll adapt to it soon!¡± Ber¡¯s voice explaining above their heads was so annoying. Suho immediately swung his axe at the goblin¡¯s chin. Thump! [Gulp!] [You have killed a goblin scout.] In no time, Suho hunted down two goblins. He wiped the goblin¡¯s blood off his hand and looked around with a relieved expression. He didn¡¯t have time to relax from the sudden battle, but now he realized that this black and white world was not friendly to him. Eyes full of evil were felt everywhere in the ruined city. Their murderous intent stimulated Suho¡¯s sensory stats. ¡°There are many of them.¡± [Yes, there are many. A lot. This is the land of death. A world that has been abandoned without an owner for a long time. The wild beasts have made their nests here.] Ber¡¯s smile as he explained was truly evil, if it weren¡¯t for his cute mini-size, he could be mistaken for the true owner of this place. [But now!] Swoosh! Ber spread his short arms and declared in a solemn tone. [Finally, the true owner of this land has returned! Please take it back with your own strength! Regain the land that has been taken by those foolish intruders!] Ding! At that moment, a new quest window unfolded in front of Suho. [Quest: Survival] The residents of the Shadow Dungeon will never recognize you as the owner of this land, weakened and vulnerable as you are. Survive during the specified time to prove your worth. Time limit: 4 hours Remaining time: 4 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds ¡°Survival?¡± The eyebrows of the guardian who read the quest twitched. And then¡­ Poooh! Poooh-poooh! [Goblin chieftain uses ¡®Item: Horn Pipe¡¯ to call his subordinates.] [Goblin centurion uses ¡®Item: Horn Pipe¡¯ to call his subordinates.] Kihiihit! Kekkeuk! Bagle-bagle! With screams and yells, goblins hiding all over the city began to reveal themselves one by one. But even if their numbers were large, they were still too many. The guardian made a frustrated expression. ¡°Is this a joke? Survive for 4 hours like this?¡± [Of course, there¡¯s no need to kill them all. Right now, my lord is only level 3. Just try to survive somehow. If you struggle hard enough, you¡¯ll naturally level up and become stronger.] Ber smirked and gave a thumbs up, squinting his eyes. His face was full of pride as he watched his son, who had grown into a remarkable man. ¡®¡­But why is he so irritating?¡¯ But now was not the time to think about that. Kekkeuk! The goblins were swarming in. Snap! The guardian quickly grabbed the second axe from the goblin he had just killed. [Item: Goblin¡¯s Stone Axe] Difficulty level: E Type: Axe Attack power +5 A hand axe used by goblins. As he raised the axe, the item information appeared above it. ! ¡°From now on, one in each hand.¡± The vigilant eye divided two stone axes in both hands and flashed like a wild beast. But this alone was not enough to calm the unease. The goblins rushing towards him also held the same weapons in their hands. The vigilant one opened the status window calmly and invested all the remaining 5 stat points in strength. [Strength: 15 ¡ú 20] Whoosh! The power in the hand holding the axe was felt intensely. The strength stat boosts strength and speed. Compared to the strength stat of 10 at level 1, it had doubled in power. ¡®With this power¡­¡¯ He could jump even faster! Whoosh! Using that power, the vigilant one turned and started running away. To find a terrain favorable for fighting against multiple enemies. [Ha-ha-ha! Excellent! Indeed, there is a fighting method only for the weak against the weak!] ¡°¡­¡± [It¡¯s like watching the first successful squirm of an ant larva!] Ugh, how disgusting. While running, the vigilant one recalled Beru after a long time and erased all the happy memories. He also cleared his past life as an ant enthusiast. ¡°I¡¯ll burn all the ant drawings when I go back.¡± From now on, he was determined to lick ants or draw them. * * * He felt the effects of the strength stat clearly. The vigilant one with two axes raged wildly. Whoosh- Puhk! He struck the goblin¡¯s axe with the right axe. Crack! He hit the neck with the left axe. Boom, Smack! He kicked the back of the goblin rushing behind him. Crack! He broke the neck. [You have defeated a goblin warrior.] ! ¡°I defeated the goblin spearman. ¡®Key-it!¡¯ I killed two of them in a breath, but the cost was terrible. Axes and spears flew at me from all directions. I avoided half of them, but the other half hit me. Puk! Puk! ¡®Guh!¡¯ [HP: 160/190] It hurts. As my HP decreased, my body¡¯s wounds increased. However, I gritted my teeth and charged at them again. Bwoong- Kwajik! Clang! This time, I killed three of them. In the meantime, I endured four more attacks. [HP: 118/190] Spot! I killed another one of them. This time, I endured three more attacks. [HP: 84/190] My HP had been cut in half. As a result, my body was covered in blood. However, at that moment, Ting! [you learned the skill ¡®Grit Lv.1.¡¯] ¡®Skill?!¡¯ My eyes widened. Normally, hunters only live with the skills given to them during their awakening. To obtain new skills, they needed the expensive and rare ¡®rune stones.¡¯ To obtain such a valuable skill for free during battle was incredible. [Skill: Grit Lv.1] Passive skill. No mana needed. You have an unbreakable grit.¡± Physical defense is increased by 20%. Before even checking the skill description, the effect was experienced firsthand. The pain from the wounds on the body was relieved. ¡°Kikhiyak!¡± The goblins who realized that the defense was not to be underestimated screamed and scattered in all directions. At the same time, the horn sound to gather their allies spread in all directions. In the meantime, the defender hid behind a pillar and caught his breath. ¡°Ouch, it hurts.¡± Berger came flying and rolled his feet. ¡°Kkiaek! Is our lord in a lot of pain? But because he¡¯s in pain, he¡¯s youthful. You¡¯re amazing for enduring the pain and gaining the Matjib skill! ¡± ¡°¡­.¡± The defender, who was pressing his wounds to stop the bleeding, glared at Berger. ¡°Kehek?¡± There was a young ant there, smiling innocently and waving its fist without knowing the speed. ¡°Can¡¯t you help instead of just watching?¡± Berger was a strongman who could tear apart even a giant wolf. He didn¡¯t know how powerful he was then. But after his body became smaller, it seemed like he had no intention of helping the defender. However, Berger had his own circumstances. ¡°Of course, I would love to. But I have to store as much power as possible to return to the outer space where our lord is waiting.¡± Berger was in the process of recovering his strength by himself to prepare for his return. It was because Sung Jin-woo, who could recharge his magical power, was too far away. ¡°Moreover, if I participate in the battle, our lord¡¯s experience points to level up will decrease drastically. How about killing one more and aiming for a level up instead of wasting time like this?¡± There was no wrong word in Berger¡¯s words. The problem was that he was too annoying. He had been babbling above his head since earlier, but he seemed too weak now. It didn¡¯t seem like he had any intention of deliberately provoking this side. What should I say, he was just a pure evil with a lack of humanity. Maybe he was not even human to begin with. ¡°Kkiaek! Lord! They¡¯re coming again! Get up and fight! There¡¯s not much time left until the level up!¡± The defender reached out with a growl. ¡°The power of the master.¡± An invisible hand flew forward and grabbed the Goblin¡¯s axe from the corpses I imagined one floating. It was something I realized during battle, but it seemed like I could lift a weight of about 10kg with the power of domination. It was a strength that could easily lift a baby who had just taken their first steps. Of course, it was more than enough to handle a stone axe. Perhaps when I was younger, I flew through the sky with this ability. Suho spun the stone axe that he had imagined in midair around his body. At least the minimum defense would be taken care of. Berga¡¯s eyes sparkled at the sight. [Wow! Using the power of domination like this? It seems like it can come in handy after all!] ¡­ That damn ant devil was certainly not wrong. [Level up!] [Level up!] Time really doesn¡¯t pass quickly. But after struggling for a long time covered in blood, my level was steadily increasing. And when I leveled up, the wounds that had been sliced by the goblins¡¯ axes quickly healed. The stamina that seemed like it would make me faint at any moment suddenly became strong. And above all, as my level increased, Suho became stronger and stronger. And finally¡­ [Remaining time: 0 hours, 0 minutes, 0 seconds] [Quest completed.] [Level up!] [Level: 7] Wham! [Clang!] [Clang!] As soon as the timer ended, the goblins who had been relentlessly pursuing Suho scattered and disappeared into the darkness. ¡°¡­ Is it over?¡± Suho looked around without lowering his guard. Before he knew it, the corpses of the goblins were piled up next to him. The heavy silence that had descended on him when he first arrived here also fell over him once again. [Great job! You were amazing!] Clap clap clap clap! Berga broke the silence with lively applause. Finally, those wretched guys have recognized our lord! Now they must have realized in their bones that our lord is not someone to be taken lightly! ¡°What do you mean by ¡®taken lightly¡¯?¡± ¡°Well, you are still at the level of an ant or a caterpillar, easily killed with a single strike! You¡¯re only level 7!¡± ¡°That darn caterpillar¡­¡± ¡°Are you still at it?¡± At that moment¡­ Ding! ¡°The quest reward has arrived.¡± ¡°Would you like to check the reward?¡± (Y/N) ¡°¡­Yes, I will check it.¡± As Suho finished his response, the message unfolded ominously. ¡°The following reward is available: Reward: ¡®Rune Stone: Shadow Extraction''¡± CH 7 Vera was excited. She was waiting for Sung-ho¡¯s reaction to the true ability of the Shadow Monarch, ¡°Shadow Extraction.¡± ¡°Oh my, amazing!¡± ¡°They¡¯re giving this incredible ability as a reward?¡± ¡°Last time, they gave stat points as a reward, but this time they¡¯re giving a rune stone that allows you to learn a skill?!¡± ¡°Wow! Can they just give it away like this?¡± Vera thought to herself. ¡°Cough. As I mentioned earlier, this shadow dungeon contains everything for the Shadow Monarch!¡± Vera said, smiling and puffing up her cheeks. ¡°Ahem! This leveling system is a supporting device for the stable growth of the Shadow Monarch. It¡¯s a modified version of the system the lord used to use, designed to fully absorb the power of the great monarch into the weak body of a human¡­¡­¡± Sung-ho interrupted her. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s this? A summoning skill?¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Sung-ho¡¯s expression was clearly disappointed. Vera was surprised. What kind of unreasonable response was that! ¡°What are you talking about? Even after receiving such an incredible power, you¡¯re reacting like this!¡± ¡°Well, summoning skills are¡­¡­¡± Sung-ho explained how summoning skills are being treated among hunters these days. The dungeons beyond the gate were truly brutal places. If they let their guard down for even a moment, the claws of the monsters would tear apart the hunters¡¯ necks. The floor and ceiling were full of dangerous traps. In such a place, no one could take responsibility for their own life. Combat hunters were tough, so it didn¡¯t matter, but magic hunters had physical abilities that were not much different from those of ordinary people. Especially among them, magic hunters with summoning skills were even more vulnerable. They entrusted all the battles to their summoned creatures, making themselves nothing more than helpless baggage following behind. ¡°Not only that, but using magic consumes a lot of magical power, it¡¯s hard to find useful summoned creatures, and even if you manage to find one, they¡¯re not as strong as you might think.¡± ¡°No way!¡± Bae was furious and stomped her foot with a resentful expression. Her previous behavior of mocking the weakened combat power of the guardians was gone, and now she felt even weaker herself. Seeing her like that, Suho felt a little sorry. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s just the reality. Well, but it¡¯s definitely a good thing that you¡¯ve gained a new skill.¡± ¡°No way! Don¡¯t pretend to be considerate and comfort me like that! This is really a good thing?¡± ¡°Huh? Your tone of voice has changed a bit?¡± Bae¡¯s concept of a historical tone had collapsed in an instant. ¡°Okay, okay. Anyway, I accept the reward.¡± A rune stone appeared in Suho¡¯s hand. [Rune Stone: Shadow Extraction] When the rune stone is broken, the skill will be absorbed. Without hesitation, Suho shattered the rune stone. [¡°Learned Skill: Shadow Extraction.¡±] Shuwaak! At that moment, a shadow shot up from under Suho¡¯s feet, wrapped around his whole body, and disappeared. Paat! A skill window unfolded before his eyes. [Skill: Shadow Extraction Lv.1] Shadow Ability. No mana required. Extract mana from a dying body to create a shadow soldier. The higher the target¡¯s ability and the longer they have been dead, the higher the probability of extraction failure. Possible number of extracted shadows: 0 / 3 ¡°¡­Creating shadow soldiers?¡± Suho¡¯s gaze naturally turned to Ber, who was a shadow monster with black steam boiling all over his body. [That¡¯s right.] Ber¡¯s mouth was split wide. [This skill creates soldiers like me. Shadow Extraction is the essence of the power that made the current Shadow Lord, Seong Jin-woo.] At that moment, Suho realized. The numerous goblin corpses surrounding him. For the past four hours, black smoke had been slowly rising from the corpses that he had killed with his own hands. [Possible target for Shadow Extraction.] [Possible target for Shadow Extraction.] [Possible target for Shadow Extraction.] Every time he looked at the black smoke, messages with the same content repeated in his mind. ¡°Shadow soldiers¡­ Is it some kind of necromancer?¡± The concept of creating soldiers out of corpses was similar to that of necromancers commonly seen in games. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem very good either.¡± I remember seeing it on the internet before. There are also various types of summoning skills. Such as summoning and taming elementals in nature. Or taming and riding live animals. Among them, the worst profession was the necromancer. ¡°Because there are many limitations.¡± The biggest problem was that you needed a corpse. ¡°I have to hunt for that corpse myself, just like now. It means I can only control someone weaker than me.¡± To know for sure, I felt like I had to try it out myself. ¡°Shadow extraction.¡± The following message came to mind at Suho¡¯s command. [Please specify the command for the shadow extraction skill.] ¡°Do I have to specify a separate command for the skill? Hmm¡­.¡± Suho hesitated for a moment. But then Berga suddenly started rolling around and coughing beside him. [Hack. Cough, cough.] ¡°Why? Do you have something to say?¡± When Suho looked at him, Berga seemed to be acting strange. [Uh, cough, no. Kuk! Go cool off! Kuk kuk kuk!] ¡°¡­.?¡± Why is he suddenly coughing like that? Suho opened his eyes wide in confusion. Although he didn¡¯t understand what he was saying, he blurted out a word without hesitation if it was a command. ¡°If you¡¯re going to give a command, it¡¯s better to be intuitive.¡± ¡°Rise up.¡± [Kieheeet!] Then Berga clenched his fist as if saying ¡°I knew it!¡± and made a strange sound. And then. An incident occurred. ¡°Kehehehe-!¡± Suddenly, the laughter of goblins echoed through the air. At the same time, shadows began to wriggle from the corpses of goblins lying on the ground. As if they were alive! ¡°Oh my goodness.¡± Suho¡¯s eyes widened as he looked around. ¡°Kik! Kerek-!¡± Laughs like evil hooligans continued from all sides, and black hands reached out from the shadows, crawling out as if demons had returned from hell. ¡°[Shadow Extraction Successful.]¡± Suddenly, three black goblins made of boiling black smoke appeared in front of Suho, waiting for his command. ¡°[Shadow Goblin Lv.1] Normal Grade¡± Their appearance didn¡¯t seem very powerful. [¡­ ] At this point, Beru could finally start to notice. Despite using the same Shadow Ability, the difference in level between when Shadow Monarch Sung Jin-woo used it and now was too extreme. ¡°It¡¯s natural. When Seong Jin-woo first obtained the Shadow Ability, he was level 50, and now Sooho is only at level 7. No matter how similar the skill is, its performance will inevitably weaken if the player¡¯s level is low. [Well, the soldiers who have just extracted their shadows are slightly weaker than they were when they were alive.] ¡°Their size also decreases?¡± [Yes, that¡¯s right¡­] ¡°Of course, their strength also weakens?¡± [A little bit, yes.] ¡°And their speed¡­?¡± [¡­] Beru muttered in a gear-like voice. [The Shadow Ability is affected by intelligence stats and level. It¡¯s a truly amazing skill, but¡­ I can¡¯t really explain it¡­] ¡°Okay, I understand.¡± Soho looked around at the shadow goblins waiting for his command. And then he prepared to leave. [Wait! Weren¡¯t we in the mood to give orders just now?!] Beru was surprised. At that moment, a loud noise came from Sooho¡¯s stomach. Grrrrr-! ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been fasting for two days.¡± Sooho said seriously. Beru was overwhelmed by his solemn tone. Whether it¡¯s a hunter or a Shadow Monarch, they all need to eat and survive. [Anyway, you can come back here anytime using the key to the Shadow Dungeon. Take a break for now.] At Beru¡¯s words, Sooho inserted the key to the Shadow Dungeon into his own shadow, just as he did when he came in. [Would you like to exit the Shadow Dungeon?] (Y/N) ¡°I will exit.¡± Click. As soon as he turned the key, the shadow swallowed him up. Shwaaak! [You have exited the Shadow Dungeon.] *** As soon as Suho returned to reality at the hospital, he collapsed onto the bed. Soft. ¡°Haah. I really went through it.¡± Suho took a deep breath while lying in bed for the first time in a while. It had only been four hours, but it felt like four days had passed. While his health had fully returned with his level-up, he had completely lost his spirit. The door to the hospital room opened as people in suits walked in. ¡°Excuse us. Is this the hospital room where Mr. Suho Sung is hospitalized?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Suho immediately recognized who they were. There was only one group of people who would come to see him in this situation. ¡°We are from the Hunter Association.¡± As expected. People in suits approached Suho and bowed their heads. ¡°First of all, we would like to express our gratitude.¡± ¡°Huh? What did I do to deserve thanks?¡± Suho looked puzzled. ¡°Thanks to you, many people were saved. We want to thank you on behalf of those people.¡± ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t that big of a deal.¡± ¡°It was a big deal.¡± Suddenly, Suho was taken aback. The man who seemed to have the highest rank pushed an uncomfortable face towards Suho. Then, he put on a big, warm smile. ¡°Mr. Suho, you are truly impressive. A young man who risks his life to save people in such a harsh world like today! Keuheuk!¡± ¡°Oh, no¡­ I mean, excuse me?¡± The large man pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away tears, as if deeply moved. ¡°Ahem.¡± A nearby employee patted his back, as if accustomed to it, and said, ¡°Team leader, you need to stop crying and get back to work now.¡± ¡°Oh, right. Haha. I cry too much these days because I¡¯m getting older. Mr. Suho, I am Han Jae-hyuk, the team leader of the Hunter Association. Our purpose in coming here is¡­¡± Click. Team leader Han Jae-hyuk smiled and brought out a thick magic power measuring device. ¡°To measure Mr. Suho¡¯s magic power.¡± There was no doubt that Suho had awakened. He was found unconscious in the Korean Art Museum that had turned into a field-type dungeon. There were even fragments of corpses that were confirmed to be demons around him. ¡°Reporters keep asking for information and want to write articles about it.¡± Han Jae-hyuk squinted his eyes and spoke. ¡°Oh, okay.¡± Suho obediently raised his hand to the mana measuring device. Then, the magic stone embedded in the center emitted a faint light. After waiting for a moment, the measurement results came out. ¡°Hmm. Hoo, this¡­¡± Team leader Han Jae-hyuk was surprised by the results. But Suho¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change at all, as if he had no interest in the results. Of course. The status window in front of him had already told him about his magical power. ¡°Magical power value 46. You have become a rank E awakened being.¡± The employees standing next to him did not show any expression, but they were disappointed inside. They had expected that a hunter who had just awakened and performed as he did would have a much higher rank. However, Team Leader Han Jae-hyuk was different. ¡°The value of a hunter is not their rank. If someone with an E rank risked their life to save others, that¡¯s even more remarkable.¡± With a warm smile, Team Leader Han Jae-hyuk patted Suho¡¯s shoulder with a thick hand. ¡°Mr. Seong Suho, I look forward to your good performance in the future.¡± ¡°Oh, yes.¡± Swish. After finishing their business, the association employees gave a light greeting and left the hospital room. Then, as if he had been waiting, Vergus popped his head out from Suho¡¯s shadow. ¡°Now, then! I will explain what¡¯s going to happen from now on¡­¡± Swish! ¡°Suho!¡± At that moment, the hospital room door opened again. Vergus went back into the shadow, looking glum. CH 8 ¡°Are you okay? You were unconscious for two days!¡± The person who entered the hospital room was none other than Lim Cho-gyo. He examined the complexion of Su-ho, who was sitting on the bed, and their eyes met. ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m really sorry for running away alone!¡± He apologized out of nowhere. The truth was, there was nothing an E-rank hunter could do alone in that situation. E-rank hunters didn¡¯t have physical abilities that were significantly different from ordinary people, so they didn¡¯t fight with all their might even in dungeons. One of the precautions Lim Cho-gyo learned when he awakened as an E-rank for the first time was ¡°run away with all your might if you see a demon.¡± But Su-ho, who was just an ordinary person at the time, was extremely heroic. ¡°To rescue people until he collapsed in such a dangerous place!¡± Thanks to Su-ho¡¯s heroic actions, Lim Cho-gyo felt so ashamed and embarrassed for the first time in his life. But Su-ho, who received his apology, was indifferent. ¡°Well, it¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to apologize to me, Cho-gyo.¡± ¡°No, I really don¡¯t have anything to say.¡± As Lim Cho-gyo kept apologizing, he took out a warm porridge from the shopping bag he brought and prepared it in front of Su-ho. ¡°Come on, are you hungry? Eat the porridge since you¡¯re on an empty stomach. Here, take the spoon.¡± ¡°Oh, what a thoughtful gesture!¡± As soon as he saw it, Su-ho¡¯s stomach growled. The porridge had a delicious aroma of sesame oil, and it was made of good quality beef with a great texture and taste. Without hesitation, Su-ho grabbed the spoon and started to eat the porridge greedily. The porridge tasted like honey after two days. ¡°Shall I cut you an apple now that you¡¯ve finished eating?¡± asked the assistant professor. No wonder there were apples in the fridge. It turned out that the assistant professor had been visiting Suho, who had fainted, yesterday and today. ¡°I¡¯ve received all the sickness and misfortune of the department¡¯s professors since I¡¯ve been alive. I¡¯ve leveled up so much that I don¡¯t feel any pain.¡± He was thinking of being discharged today when the assistant professor handed him an apple and asked, ¡°What about the association staff who left the ward a little while ago? Did they say anything?¡± ¡°They were measuring magical power when they left.¡± ¡°Oh? Did they measure it? Did you really awaken?¡± The assistant professor¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°How much magical power do you have? They said the dungeon was D-grade, so if you survived there, you must be at least¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s E-grade.¡± ¡°What? Really?¡± The assistant professor¡¯s eyes widened. Suho showed him the results of the magical power test left by the association staff a little while ago. ¡°Oh, what is this? It really is E-grade? If your magical power is 46, it¡¯s lower than the average E-grade.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you disappointed, professor? What did you expect? Oh, goosebumps. Did you think you could pressure me if I said I awakened as a great hunter? That¡¯s why you treated me so nicely.¡± ¡°No way, kid! If you were a great hunter from the beginning, would you have fainted in such a dangerous place? I thought you were at least D-grade.¡± ¡°I knew it. You had such expectations.¡± The assistant professor jumped up and down, feeling wronged. Then he comforted Suho, putting his test results down on the table. ¡°Well, it¡¯s better this way. E-grade is good, kid. It¡¯s much more stable than an average D-grade, you know?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Ha-ha. Of course you wouldn¡¯t know. You just awakened.¡± The assistant professor put his arm around Suho¡¯s shoulder, shaking him. ¡°It was delicious honey that we ate in two days. ¡°After you finish it all, should I cut an apple for you?¡± she asked, noticing that there were apples in the fridge. As it turned out, Assistant Lim had been visiting Suho¡¯s hospital room, where he had been unconscious, both yesterday and today. ¡°I¡¯ve received all sorts of visits from department colleagues who have fallen ill. I guess I¡¯ve leveled up to the point where I don¡¯t even get sick,¡± Suho thought to himself. He was thinking about leaving the hospital today when Assistant Lim handed him an apple and asked, ¡°By the way, do you remember those association staff who were leaving your hospital room earlier? What did they say when they were here?¡± ¡°They were measuring my magic power,¡± Suho replied. ¡°Oh, really? Did they measure it? Did you really awaken?¡± Assistant Lim¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°What¡¯s your magic power level? They said the dungeon was D-class, so if you survived, you¡¯re at least¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s E-class,¡± Suho interrupted. ¡°What? Really?¡± Assistant Lim¡¯s eyes widened even more. Suho showed Assistant Lim the magic power results that the association staff had left behind. ¡°Oh, what the hell. It really is E-class? A magic power score of 46 is low even for E-class,¡± Assistant Lim said. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Assistant? Did you expect something else? Were you going to give me a prize if I told you I became an amazing hunter or something? That¡¯s why you were being so nice to me earlier,¡± Suho teased. ¡°No, you idiot! If you were really an amazing hunter, would you have passed out in such a dangerous place? I thought you would be at least D-class,¡± Assistant Lim said, feeling unjustly disappointed. ¡°See? I knew you had high expectations.¡± Assistant Lim pouted in frustration, then patted Suho¡¯s shoulder as he put the magic power results down. ¡°Well, it¡¯s still good news. E-class is a good thing, Suho. It¡¯s much more stable than the mediocre D-class, you know?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Suho said. ¡°Hehe. Of course you wouldn¡¯t. You just awakened, after all.¡± Assistant Lim put her hand on Suho¡¯s shoulder and rubbed it. ¡°From now on, trust only me and follow my lead. As an experienced E-rank hunter, I¡¯ll guide you into the world of E-rank hunters.¡± *** Dungeon raids are carried out through strict division of labor. First, there¡¯s the attack team that raids the dungeon. Following them is the collection team that gathers the remains of the monsters. At the very back, there¡¯s the mining team that mines the resources in the dungeon. Among these teams, the E-rank hunters are responsible for everything except the attack team. ¡°That means there are more job opportunities for E-rank hunters.¡± It was true that Instructor Lim had said that E-rank hunters were much more stable than mediocre D-rank hunters. D-rank hunters were the weakest among those who could enter the attack team. In a way, they were the most exposed to danger. On the other hand, E-rank hunters were completely excluded from the combat force, so it was great to be able to earn a day¡¯s wage just by working in a safe place. ¡°Of course, there are some E-rank hunters who risk their lives and join the attack team because they need money, but it¡¯s not common. Hospital bills are more expensive. Unless you have a close healer, that is.¡± The next day, after being discharged from the hospital, Suho arrived at the Korea National Museum of Art while listening to Instructor Lim¡¯s explanation. ¡°Am I really coming back here again?¡± Suho reminisced as he looked up at the museum, which had been destroyed by Vera. The purpose of coming here today was nothing other than to become a miner. Except for the Shadow Dungeon, it was Suho¡¯s first time in a real dungeon, so he had agreed to receive Instructor Lim¡¯s help. ¡°Oh, by the way, all classes in school have been converted to online until the dungeon is completely cleared. Since you¡¯ve become a hunter, you¡¯ll be taking a leave of absence, of course.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Anyway, the exhibition is over, and this semester is almost over too.¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll go to the TA office and apply for Hunter leave separately. Should we start now?¡± TA Lim looked at Sooho with a full of enthusiasm. From his eyes, Sooho felt the force of an experienced senior. ¡°Hehe. Today, I will teach you about the wise life of E-class hunters! First, let¡¯s talk about miners!¡± [He¡¯s complaining about such a trivial thing.] ¡°Huh?!¡± Suddenly, Ver popped out of Sooho¡¯s shadow. TA Lim was startled and stumbled. ¡°A, monster?!¡± Ver looked down at TA Lim with a trivial gaze and murmured. ¡°Tsk, you¡¯re so easily scared. Your Highness, I know much better what a hunter is. You should learn from me instead.¡± Then, Ver flew out from behind Sooho and spread his short arms wide, shouting grandly. ¡°A hunter is a born hunter! They slaughter and dominate their enemies, and eat them up! That is the essence of being a hunter. So, kill and kill again to gain all that strength¡­ Huh?¡± Sooho¡¯s hand grabbed Ver, who was glowing, like a baseball. ¡°Why did you come out suddenly?¡± ¡°I felt the dungeon¡¯s energy nearby. Right now, Your Highness is weak and vulnerable like a helpless caterpillar. I must stick by your side and protect you.¡± Ver¡¯s body stretched and squirmed, and then he slipped out of Sooho¡¯s hand and landed on his shoulder. The mini-Ver on Sooho¡¯s shoulder began to glare fiercely, watching the surroundings. ¡°But Suho is not fooled anymore. ¡®He¡¯s probably just going to stand by and watch when we actually fight.¡¯ At that moment, Assistant Lim regained his senses and cautiously pointed at Beru. ¡°Suho, is that thing a summoned creature?¡± [No.] Beru replied firmly instead of Suho. Strictly speaking, Beru was not Suho¡¯s summoned creature, but his father¡¯s. ¡°If it¡¯s not a summoned creature, then what is it¡­?¡± Even Assistant Lim, who had already been pushed back in the first round of the fight, inadvertently used honorifics. Beru¡¯s eyes flickered intensely. [I am a nanny.] ¡°¡­a nanny?¡± Assistant Lim raised his head in confusion. [Yes. By human standards¡­ I¡¯m like a kind of uncle.] ¡°¡­?¡± [Hehe. There were times like that.] What is this thing saying? Beru looked at Suho¡¯s face wistfully, murmuring incomprehensible sounds. Ignoring Beru, Assistant Lim asked Suho directly. ¡°Did you awaken as a summoning hunter?¡± ¡°Yes, I guess so.¡± ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s impressive. You¡¯re the first E-rank summoner I¡¯ve seen.¡± Assistant Lim stopped talking. There¡¯s no need to mention how low-ranking Summoning Hunters are. And to think that an E-rank Hunter would have a summoning skill. ¡°It¡¯s a minor of a minor.¡± Assistant Lim glanced at Beru, who was standing on Suho¡¯s shoulder. He was just surprised when he suddenly appeared a little while ago, but now that he¡¯s seeing Beru¡¯s cute appearance up close¡­ ¡®It¡¯s useless, isn¡¯t it?¡¯ [That look is very disrespectful. Should I pluck them out for you?]¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Assistant Lim glanced at him slightly. Still, the summoner seemed to be quick-witted enough to be careful, judging by his swift perception. Moreover, since he could converse, he might be unexpectedly useful? ¡°Ahem. There are many E-class hunters without skills, but you¡¯re lucky. By the way, I have a running skill.¡± ¡°I see. That¡¯s why you were good at running away.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Suho¡¯s innocent remark hurt Lim¡¯s feelings. It hurt even more because it was true. *** So Suho became a miner with Lim¡¯s recommendation. ¡°All right! Let¡¯s work hard today too!¡± The mining team, consisting of E-class hunters, was practically a construction site labor atmosphere. ¡°Hey, newbie! Come get a pickaxe.¡± Chuk. The dungeon pickaxe, now in Suho¡¯s hand. The uncle who was handing out the pickaxes gave Suho a friendly smile and said, ¡°If you break it while working, come back and get another one from me. But be careful because the cost of the pickaxe will be deducted from your daily wage. Still, you¡¯re amazing for a young friend. You¡¯re a student at this school?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s that guy.¡± Surprisingly, most of the miners recognized Suho and approached him first with friendly greetings. ¡°It¡¯s because of that news.¡± Suho smiled wryly as he recalled the news that had been posted on the internet yesterday and today. The title was ¡°Korean University¡¯s Hero Becomes an E-Class Hunter.¡± It was a vague news that was neither praise nor insult. It was because if he had become a hero of the art museum as a civilian, he would have received a brave citizen¡¯s award, but since he had awakened in the middle of it and became a mere hunter, that¡¯s what he had become. However, as a hunter, he received the lowest rank, so it was a somewhat ambiguous situation in the eyes of others. But even that situation seemed to work in favor of these old men. ¡°Hehe. What a shame. If I had awakened and got a higher rank or two, my status would have been much different.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too upset about your low rank~ We¡¯re doing well enough ourselves, right?¡± ¡°Right, right. Although our bodies are a bit worn out, if we¡¯re good at digging with a pickaxe, we don¡¯t need any special skills, so how great is that?¡± They were all eager to give advice to Suho, who had just joined as a fresh and promising recruit. And Beruga really didn¡¯t like this heartwarming atmosphere. ¡°My lord, rather than wasting time chatting with these ignoramuses, why don¡¯t you go level up or something? Time is precious, after all.¡± ¡°Oh! Is this a summoned creature?¡± ¡°Kya. I¡¯ve never seen a creature like this before.¡± ¡°If you bring it around with you, it¡¯ll be cute.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too small to be of any use in mining, though.¡± The miners gathered in amazement at the sight of Beruga suddenly appearing. Beruga, on the other hand, growled fiercely and breathed out a warning to them. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t come any closer, you rude guys! Our lord is weak, and if I hit you, you could die! My lord, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll protect you!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± Suho looked at Beruga with suspicion. Was this overprotectiveness, or was he just playing along? ¡°Hahaha. Your summoned creature is reliable.¡± ¡°Well, then let¡¯s go do some work too.¡± The miners dispersed, laughing and joking with their picks, surrounding Beruga with their cuteness(?). At the sight of this, Suho suddenly had a good idea. ¡°Beruga.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord. If you give me orders, I will chop off the necks of those impure scum.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Then what command do you have for me?¡± ¡°Bring out some goblin corpses from the Shadow Dungeon.¡± CH 9 [Yep!] Berga, who was responding to the command of the Guardian, asked again in confusion. [But don¡¯t we have to attack them from behind to kill those filthy monks?] ¡°What are you talking about? We¡¯re here to mine.¡± [¡­!] Berga was shocked and frothed at the mouth. ¡°No, what are you talking about!¡± Berga couldn¡¯t believe it. What is going on here? The power of the great and omnipotent Shadow Lord is such an amazing ability, but he¡¯s only going to mine with that power! [Why mine when there are billions of troops fighting wars in the universe, including the enemy country?] ¡°I understand that, but my abilities are only three weakened goblins. We have to face reality. Even my dad would have done the same when he was weak.¡± [But¡­] ¡°And you said so last night.¡± The Guardian remembered the conversation he had with Berga last night. *** On the way home after being discharged from the hospital. Berga said with a serious expression. [My Lord, our mission can be summarized into three parts.] The content of the words spoken by the small-sized guy was too grand. [First. We must protect the Earth from the demons of outer space.] ¡°That means we have to go into the dungeon and hunt demons, right?¡± [Yes, my Lord. As you hunt demons, your level will gradually increase, and as you become stronger, the Earth will become safer. And secondly, we must find a way to find the missing Sun God.] ¡°So. You don¡¯t know how to find my mother¡¯s location?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t. But if we keep catching those memorizers, we might find some clues, right?¡± In the end, it was another suggestion to go into the dungeon. ¡°And thirdly, this is the most important thing.¡± Vair pointed to himself, his eyes flashing. ¡°As soon as possible, I need to recover my strength and return to the battlefield where the lord is. The balance of the war must have been jeopardized as much as the key force like me is missing.¡± At this point, Suho was curious. Vair¡¯s shrunken appearance was just a means of conserving energy, and his original form and power were like a living nightmare itself. With such an enormous force missing from the battle, Suho couldn¡¯t even imagine which way the war was headed. ¡°How do you regain your strength?¡± Suho asked, and Vair¡¯s lips twisted into a sinister and gloomy smile. ¡°Of course, I have to eat.¡± It was a wicked and sinister smile. Long ago, in a fragment of a world that was now completely forgotten, the Ant Queen remembered. ¡°Let¡¯s create the strongest soldier.¡± The queen needed the strongest soldier to rebuild the kingdom that was crumbling under human influence and lead its people. After six months, the queen finally gathered all her magic and nutrients to conceive a life. The queen¡¯s determination to create a strong soldier and the primal command to kill all humans combined, creating a horrific monster that defied all common sense. The skill that the monster was born with was ¡°predation.¡± The monster could make the magic and knowledge of its prey its own simply by consuming it. As I recall that old memory, Ber spoke. ¡°My innate talent is ¡®predation.¡¯ Whether it¡¯s human or beast, if I keep eating, my power will gradually increase. It may be an inefficient method used in the past, but there is no other choice now.¡± Whether it¡¯s human or beast¡­ Suho felt anew. Ber was definitely lacking in humanity. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not human to begin with.¡± Ber¡¯s appearance, drooling as he talked about eating humans, was a perfect representation of a beast. Suho spoke firmly. ¡°But you can¡¯t just eat any human.¡± ¡°Ho?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to eat, eat only bad people.¡± Ber¡¯s eyes narrowed at his words. ¡°Like the Lord said. He once ordered to only eat the villains if we¡¯re going to eat.¡± ¡°Even Father? What¡¯s the standard for a villain?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s those who do harm to our lord.¡± *** Back to the present. ¡°You said that.¡± Ber retorted at Suho¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re going to enter the dungeon now to level up, right?¡± ¡°No, how can an E-rank hunter enter the dungeon alone? E-rank hunters can¡¯t join raid parties.¡± Suho was very practical. Although Professor Lim explained, the only role an E-rank hunter can perform in the dungeon is production. If my level goes up later and my magic becomes D-grade, I was thinking of getting a ¡®re-measurement.¡¯ ¡®Even the division of Hunter grades is a recently established system, so there are still many errors in the measuring devices.¡¯ ¡°So let¡¯s start with what we can do now.¡± Suho said with a laugh. Bae felt a sudden uneasiness in Suho¡¯s laughter. [Why do you laugh like that when you look at me?] ¡°Our third mission.¡± Suho recalled what Bae had said with a meaningful expression. ¡°You should charge your magic as soon as possible. By eating. Right?¡± [That¡¯s right, whether it¡¯s a human or a horse¡­] ¡°Then what about a magic stone?¡± Bae flinched. His expression stiffened at Suho¡¯s words. ¡°If your ability is predation, wouldn¡¯t your magic be charged by eating a magic stone?¡± [Well¡­ that¡¯s true, but magic stones have very little magic, and their efficiency is not that great¡­] ¡°Is that a problem? Just eat more of them.¡± Suho said brightly. ¡°It¡¯s free if you pick them up here.¡± [Kiiii¡­] *** Suho passed through the gate with the miners. The appearance of the dungeon they entered was completely different from that of the Shadow Dungeon. The Shadow Dungeon was a vast ruined city of which the size could not even be estimated, but this place was a winding cave. Moreover, with people holding pickaxes in their hands, it really felt like they had come to a mine. Suho and the miners slowly moved their feet into the dungeon. The miners laughed and joked as they swung their pickaxes, impressed by the effectiveness of their newly acquired summoning skill. ¡°Those who say summoning skills are weak are talking nonsense! This skill is so good!¡± ¡°If we keep daydreaming like this, the newbies will end up taking everything!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let that happen! Let¡¯s show the rookies what our seniors are capable of!¡± The goblin helpers, who were working alongside the miners, added to the cheerful atmosphere. [Those brutes¡­] Meanwhile, Berga was watching from behind, nibbling on a magic stone like a cookie. *** At that moment, a group of hunters with ranks D and above were exploring deeper into the dungeon, far from the mining site. ¡°This dungeon is completely barren.¡± ¡°Yeah. All we¡¯ve seen are wolves and beast-type monsters.¡± ¡°Wolf pelts aren¡¯t even worth that much.¡± The salvage team, who were busy dismantling the monster corpses, couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. However, that doesn¡¯t mean wolf pelts are completely worthless. They still need to gather as much as possible, especially when there are occasionally rare pelts with magical properties. ¡°Sigh. We still need to make every penny count.¡± They piled the wolf pelts onto their cart as they spoke. But then, something caught their attention. ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that over there?¡± One of the hunters leading the group pointed to a massive ruin in the distance. The hunters became tense, wary of their surroundings. ¡°Could there be a boss-level monster here?¡± Boss-level monsters were rare in D-rank dungeons. ¡°But the fact that such a structure exists meant that something special could happen. And that specialness would not be a pleasant situation for the hunters. ¡°What is this place?¡± ¡°What kind of ruins are these that have something in them?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t we need to go outside and request more support for this?¡± The hunters murmured quietly. But the leader of their attack group mediated them and carefully surveyed the surroundings with a cautious expression. ¡°Shh. Try to be quiet. I don¡¯t sense any presence of monsters under my tracking skill.¡± ¡°Really? Why does this structure exist when there are no monsters?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll find out from now on.¡± A faint smile crossed the leader¡¯s lips. ¡°Do you think we might find treasure instead of a boss monster?¡± ¡°Treasure¡­!¡± The hunters¡¯ eyes lit up at those words. What could be obtained from dungeons was not just the corpses of monsters and magic stones. Items that were discovered at a low probability. Those items were the only way for hunters, whose power never increased once their grade was determined, to increase their strength. ¡°Leader! There¡¯s something here!¡± As they surveyed their surroundings, they discovered a black sword in the center of the ruins. It was a sword with a sinister aura. ¡°Crazy.¡± The hunters¡¯ eyes were all filled with greed at once. ¡°This is amazing!¡± ¡°What, a weapon!¡± They would have to take it outside and appraise it to know for sure, but they had found a weapon that looked extremely impressive. ¡°Leader! I¡¯ll draw it!¡± The strongest male among the hunters spat out saliva from both hands and took the lead. ¡°Huh? Wait, Kim Cheol-ho! Proceed with caution¡­!¡± The commanding officer was trying to object, but Kim Cheol-ho¡¯s hand had already firmly gripped the hilt of his sword. And then it happened. A booming voice echoed inside Kim Cheol-ho¡¯s head. ¡°Who dares to covet the Lord of Fang¡¯s sword?¡± ¡°Who dares to covet the fang sovereign¡¯s sword?¡± ¡°Chulho, what are you saying all of a sudden?¡± Strange words flowed out of Kim Chulho¡¯s mouth as he grabbed the sword handle. The commander who was trying to stop him suddenly felt an uneasy feeling. Swish. At that moment, Kim Chulho pulled out the sword. CH 10 ¡°Who dares to covet the fang sovereign¡¯s sword?¡± ¡°Chulho, what are you saying all of a sudden?¡± Strange words flowed out of Kim Chulho¡¯s mouth as he grabbed the sword handle. The commander who was trying to stop him suddenly felt an uneasy feeling. Swish. At that moment, Kim Chulho pulled out the sword. ¡°Who dares to covet the fang sovereign¡¯s sword?¡± Kim Chulho repeated the same words with his eyes turning red. ¡°Ch-Chulho, are you okay?¡± Slash! The commander¡¯s neck was cut in an instant. Blood spurted out. For a moment, time seemed to stand still at this unbelievable scene. And then¡­ ¡°What, what is going on?!¡± ¡°Ahh! Commander!¡± The hunters behind them rushed over in shock. ¡°Chulho, why did you¡­!¡± Slash! Another neck was severed. ¡°Chulho!¡± It was then that they realized. Kim Chulho was rampaging with tears of blood streaming down his face. And his sword was aimed at them. ¡°Who dares to covet the fang sovereign¡¯s sword?¡± In a surreal purple haze, Kim Chulho laughed wickedly. Creak! A mournful wolf¡¯s howl spread from the ruins. *** Creepy. Suddenly, Ver¡¯s expression changed. And he turned his head, peering through the darkness of the dungeon. [¡­What is this?] ¡°Why?¡± In response to Suho¡¯s question, Ver opened his mouth while keeping his gaze fixed. ¡°I suddenly felt the presence of a lord.¡± ¡°Lord? Could it be my father?¡± ¡°No. Originally, there were not only Shadow Lords but also several lords in this universe. But they invaded the world where Shadow Lord Sung Jin-woo lived, and ultimately faced extinction at his hands.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s not my father after all?¡± ¡°If that were the case, my power would have been instantly replenished. But my mana is still the same, and this energy¡­I also recognize it well.¡± That¡¯s when it happened. Awooooo! Somewhere, the howling of a wolf echoed through the area. Starting with that, the fierce cries of animals could be heard from all directions at the same time. Crack! Kyaaoooh! ¡°What, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Why is all this commotion happening all of a sudden?¡± The miners¡¯ faces turned pale, and they looked around anxiously. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Suddenly, a scream was heard from the miners who were working deeper inside the mine. ¡°Ugh! There are¡­ there are people!¡± The screams became more frequent and closer. And then, a wolf-like creature suddenly leaped at Suho from behind. ¡°My Lady!¡± ¡°I saw it too!¡± Suho pushed the wolf back with the pickaxe he was carrying. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± The pickaxe broke like tofu against the creature¡¯s teeth. But Suho had bought some time. In the wolf¡¯s moment of hesitation, Suho ordered the shadow goblins to attack. ¡°Attack them all!¡± The three shadow goblins leaped at the wolf creature simultaneously. But they were no match for it. The shadow goblins were wielding the same pickaxes that Suho had been using, but the wolf creature easily bit them in half. And then, the wolf creature tore apart the shadow goblins¡¯ bodies. But suddenly, the magic power that had been released from Suho¡¯s body restored the shadow goblins¡¯ bodies back to their original state. [Keek! Shadow soldiers are an immortal legion. We can restore them with the power of our lord!] As the battle began, Berth looked excited for some reason. [Keurk!] The shadow goblins that had been resurrected in an instant stuck to the wolf¡¯s body. And they mercilessly jammed the broken pickaxe pieces into the wolf¡¯s body. Crunch, crunch, snap! ¡°Kkaegang, kkaeng!¡± The wolf, who was fighting with enthusiasm, screamed horribly and writhed on the ground. [Defeated the Steel Fang Lycan.] ¡°No wonder they were chewing on pickaxes.¡± But the situation was far from relieved by killing just one. There were dozens of wolves that appeared, and they were relentlessly tearing apart the miners with their steel fangs. ¡°Aaah!¡± ¡°These fangs¡­!¡± Their pickaxes were of no help in battle. ¡®Inventory!¡¯ Suhoh quickly pulled out the goblin¡¯s stone axe that he had packed in his inventory and gave one to each of the shadow goblins. [My lord! These axes will break if they are bitten by the wolves¡¯ fangs!] ¡°If it¡¯s an axe, I¡¯ve got plenty of them!¡± Suhoh shouted, throwing the stone axe at a wolf that was attacking an old miner. Ssweaaak- thump! The stone axe flew straight and hit the wolf¡¯s flank. ¡°Kkaegang!¡± [It¡¯s not dead yet!] ¡®Power of the Dominator!¡¯ A transparent hand reached out from the hand of protection in a moment. The transparent hand picked up the stone axe that had fallen to the ground and struck down the head of the wolf. Crack! The beast was killed with a final blow. [You have defeated the Steel Fang Lycan.] That was just the beginning. ¡°Everyone, gather here!¡± The hand of protection shouted loudly so that the miners scrambling around could hear him. Then he ran fearlessly through the wolves with a stone axe in each hand to save them. [Clang! Clang!] Three shadow goblins following behind him swung their axes with enthusiasm. But the command that the hand of protection gave them was different. ¡°Don¡¯t attack, just keep pushing them back!¡± [What?!] The shadow goblins were surprised. ¡°And keep leading the wolves to the other passage by running away!¡± [Clang! Clang!] There was no time to catch each wolf to save the people. The shadow goblins yelled and started luring the wolves. In the process, they were constantly thrown and torn apart, but they kept getting up and weakening the wolves. ¡°Grrrr!¡± ¡°Roarrr!¡± Eventually, most of the wolves became frenzied chasing after the three shadow goblins. And when they all went into the passage that was in the corner. ¡°Quick, block the hole!¡± At the shout of Suho, the miners who were sitting on the ground, covered in wounds, quickly stood up. They brought all the wagons of gathered magic stones and piled them up in front of the passage where the wolves had entered. ¡°Huff, huff.¡± Once they had blocked the passage to some extent, the miners collapsed on the ground, exhausted. ¡°What the hell? How did the monsters get here?¡± ¡°What happened to the attack team in front of us?¡± Anxiety showed on their faces. Monsters had never approached the mining site that was far behind the attack team before. There was only one case where it had happened. ¡°Could it be that the attack team was wiped out?¡± ¡°No, when we went in, there were only wolves, so we were confident.¡± ¡°After all, this is only a D-rank dungeon.¡± Just then, the sound of wolves growling was heard from behind the blocked passage. ¡°Now what do we do?¡± There was no guarantee that the way out would be safe. ¡°Ver?¡± Suho called Ver, who had been staring deep into the dungeon. Ver had a serious expression. ¡°My lord, something big seems to have happened. This must be the energy of the Fang Lord.¡± ¡°The Fang Lord?¡± ¡°He is the king of beasts that were killed by your hand. There seems to be someone controlling the wolves from behind.¡± ¡°Did the dead come back to life?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know for sure. The ability to revive from death is a power that only the Shadow Lord can possess in this universe. However, even with the power of the Shadow Lord, it was impossible to resurrect a lord-level existence. They didn¡¯t just die, their very existence disappeared.¡± ¡°So it was absurd to think that the vanished lord would come back to life.¡± ¡°So, at best, it¡¯s highly likely that this energy is the remnant of the fang lord flowing through a dimensional crevice.¡± Having finished his explanation, Ber looked firmly at Suho. ¡°My lord, let¡¯s run away from here.¡± ¡°Run away?¡± Suho looked confused. Ber, who had always shouted to fight and kill at the drop of a hat, was now showing the opposite attitude. ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, your power is weaker than that of an ant larva now. You¡¯re too weak and if a lord-class enemy appears, you¡¯ll die instantly. We need to get out of here as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°¡­Are you still upset because I gave you some mana crystals to eat earlier?¡± Suho remembered it clearly. Until this morning, he was just an ant larva, but now he was even weaker than that. But that¡¯s when it happened. Kurrrrung! The hole they had been struggling to block suddenly exploded. ¡°Ah! The passage is open!¡± The miners, who had been relieved that they had barely managed to isolate the wolves, grabbed their pickaxes again. But instead of wolves pouring out as expected, a familiar face emerged from the hole. ¡°Mr. Kim Cheol-ho!¡± One of the miners recognized him and called out with a bright expression. He turned out to be an acquaintance who was part of the attack force. ¡°What happened in there? We almost died!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± He approached with a smile, but Kim Cheol-ho just stared back at him with a blank expression. And then the sword in his hand moved. Swoosh! ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡± Thud! At that moment, the power of the Guardian¡¯s dominion grabbed the miner¡¯s back. Then, by a hair¡¯s breadth, Kim Cheol-ho¡¯s sword grazed past his neck. Sssh. A shallow red line appeared on his neck, and his complexion turned pale as he stumbled backwards. ¡°Uhh?¡± Red eyes looked down on him arrogantly. Kim Cheol-ho opened his mouth. ¡°Who dares to invade the domain of the Fang Lord? This is a fortress where the great beasts once lived.¡± Kwang! ¡°¡­.!¡± At that moment, a terrible aura exploded from his entire body. ¡°Silence.¡± An ominous energy so overwhelming that he couldn¡¯t even breathe filled the room. [The effect ¡®Fear¡¯ has been triggered.] [The player¡¯s stats will decrease by 50% for 1 minute.] At that moment, the Guardian felt his body become heavy. ¡°You need to run now.¡± Verga whispered urgently. ¡°Ugh. If only I had my full power, this wouldn¡¯t have been a problem¡­.¡± It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration; Verga¡¯s power was completely drained from unlocking the Guardian¡¯s seal. Muttering with frustration, Verga looked at the Guardian¡¯s face and suddenly stopped. The look in Suho¡¯s eyes as he gazed at Kim Cheol-ho was burning hot. That was when it happened. [A quest has arrived.] A quest window opened in front of Suho. [Emergency Quest: Defeat the Enemy!] There is a creature with flesh near the ¡®Player¡¯. Eliminate him to secure safety. Number of enemies to be eliminated: 1 Number of enemies eliminated: 0 Beru urgently spoke. [My lord! Please ignore this quest. There is a way for the weak to fight among themselves. Let¡¯s use the goblin shadows as shields and escape like before.] ¡°I got it.¡± Suho whispered quietly. Beru¡¯s eyes brightened. [I will guide you to the escape route!] ¡°¡­¡­ We¡¯ll fight.¡± [What? Why!] CH 11 Chapter 11 The Protector looked around him. Miners frozen in fear, unable to move, people who had laughed and chatted together while digging with their pickaxes earlier that day. The old man who had given him water earlier after seeing how hard his younger friend was working, and the same man who had shown him how to use a pickaxe. ¡°You want me to leave these people and run away alone?¡± ¡°My lord, I do not concern myself with the lives of these humans. I have a mission.¡± Beru spoke firmly. For Beru, the life of the Shadow Monarch¡¯s son, Suh-Ho, was more precious than the lives of all the people on Earth. Beru¡¯s mission was to keep Suh-Ho alive no matter what, even if everyone else here died. ¡°It¡¯s not just a matter of justice.¡± Suh-Ho scanned his surroundings. ¡°We have no way out anyway.¡± Kkrrreeeekkkk¡­ Suddenly, the path leading out of the dungeon was blocked by numerous wolves. The only way to escape from here was to defeat the enemies in their path. ¡°And¡­ there doesn¡¯t seem to be any other way.¡± Suh-Ho looked at Kim Cheol-ho, who was surrounded by countless wolves, and faintly smiled. Seeing Suh-Ho like this, Beru suddenly felt a strange feeling. It was as if the image of Sung Jin-woo, who he had thought was still weak, had overlapped with Suh-Ho. ¡°The ghost of the Fangs Lord felt a sense of disgust. Upon awakening from a long slumber, he saw no sign of his master and only a group of pathetic humans around him. ¡°How ridiculous. They are like weak, pitiful vermin,¡± he thought. Although he had only slightly weakened his power, they trembled in fear. ¡°Ah, how weak these wretches are,¡± he mused. Then, they must be devoured. The world was originally made up of the logic that the weak were preyed upon and the strong took everything. Snap. The body of Kim Cheol-ho, whom the ghost ruled, tasted the vermin as he watched them. ¡°You worthless vermin. You have no value in living. You would be much more valuable as wolf food if you die.¡± At that moment, Kim Cheol-ho¡¯s hand moved on its own and swung the ghost¡¯s sword at the humans. ¡°Die.¡± But the intention was not fulfilled. Suddenly, a shadow goblin jumped in and took the blow instead. [Kerruk!] The goblin¡¯s face, split in half, looked pitifully unjust, as if it were not sacrificing itself of its own accord. ¡°What are you guys?¡± The ghost looked at the goblins that had blocked his way with a puzzled expression. [Kerrukkerruk!] These pathetic creatures had become frightened and were attacking him. ¡°They don¡¯t recognize the strong. If you¡¯re a monster, it¡¯s natural to have that survival instinct.¡± Snap! Without mercy, he swung his sword and cut down the goblins once again. But something strange happened. The goblins who had fallen miserably suddenly recovered in an instant and got back on their feet. [Kerrrk!] ¡°Huh?¡± The ghost made an annoyed expression at their persistent attack. Then the wolves he commanded rushed in and ruthlessly tore the goblins¡¯ bodies apart. The ghost now lost interest in the goblins and turned his gaze back to the humans. They were running away. ¡°Ha! These miserable creatures even struggle to survive.¡± But unfortunately, the direction they were heading was not an exit, but a passage deeper into the dungeon. ¡°Chase after them.¡± ¡°Krrreung!¡± Numerous wolves chased after them at his command. The ghost turned his gaze in the opposite direction. There was a gate leading outside the dungeon, towards the world beyond. ¡°Where is that?¡± Countless creatures were bustling outside. Each one was weak and feeble, but that only made them more appetizing. ¡°The weak must be devoured.¡± The ghost suddenly looked down at his own body. He was now the body of Hunter Kim Cheol-ho. This human¡¯s body was already dead, but from now on, it would be used greatly as his own. Oh, how glorious it would be to eat this miserable creature! ¡°I will eat your fill for you, who died in my place. I will personally devour all the creatures in that world beyond.¡± The ghost¡¯s eyes gleamed greedily. He led his numerous wolves and slowly walked towards the outside. But then it happened. Thunk! ¡°Ah.¡± A sudden stone axe flying towards the ghost¡¯s back of the head. Sensing the danger, the ghost swung its sword and deflected the attack with a nonchalant expression. ¡°Ah, too bad! I almost had it!¡± ¡°¡­Almost?¡± The ghost looked at the human who threw the axe with a bewildered expression. But then, another axe flew from the hands of the guardian. ¡°Is this the struggle of the weak?¡± Thunk. The ghost raised its sword again and deflected the attack. But when it blocked the attack, another axe flew towards it. ¡°No way.¡± It deflected it again. And then another one came. ¡°How many axes are there?!¡± Eventually, the ghost could not stand it anymore and burst into anger. Meanwhile, axes continued to fly towards it. ¡°Kill that guy first!¡± Grrrr! Upon the ghost¡¯s command, the wolves that were about to leave the gate turned around and began to chase the guardian. ¡°My lord! We need to flee now!¡± ¡°Right, let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Stay there, you!¡± Grrrr! Kyaah! The guardian retreated back into the cave to escape the wolves. However, there were too many wolves chasing after it, and their speed was too fast, so they surrounded it in no time. ¡°Tsk. In the end, that¡¯s all that a vermin like him is good for, to be eaten and die.¡± The ghost laughed at Suho and sentenced him to death. ¡°Kill him. Tear off his limbs and chew on his bones.¡± Crack! The wolves all charged towards Suho at once. At that moment, Suho chuckled and inserted a key towards his own shadow. Clang! [Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon?] (Y/N) ¡°I enter the Shadow Dungeon!¡± [Entering the Shadow Dungeon.] Shwaaak! At that moment, Suho¡¯s shadow swallowed him up. Gulp! ¡°Huh?¡± The ghost looked around in confusion, as Suho disappeared without a trace. ¡°What? Where did he hide? Find him!¡± The wolves sniffed and began tracking Suho¡¯s scent. ¡°Creak?¡± Of course, they couldn¡¯t find him. ¡°What, what is this? How can he hide without leaving a trace of his scent?¡± The ghost wandered with the wolves, searching for Suho¡¯s whereabouts. And then, swoosh. Berka appeared at the spot where Suho had disappeared and looked around. The wolves took advantage of the opportunity and howled towards the shadow. [¡­You can come out now.] Shwaaak! [Leaving the Shadow Dungeon] Then the guardian appeared again from the shadows. As soon as they stepped outside, the guardian picked up their battle axe and threw it towards the back of the ghost. ¡°What, what is it!¡± The ghost turned around in surprise. Swish-clang! They barely managed to deflect the battle axe, then turned their attention to the guardian who had suddenly appeared, their expression hardening. ¡°You were there, you should have stayed hidden¡­.!¡± Swish-clang! ¡°Ow! Stop throwing that thing!¡± The guardian¡¯s actions of constantly throwing the battle axe whenever they had a chance caused the ghost to lose their composure. ¡°Kill him! Kill that guy!¡± Growl! And so the pursuit began again. But whenever they were surrounded, the guardian would disappear into the Shadow Dungeon without a trace. Shhhhhh! ¡°Where did he go this time, damn it!¡± The ghost, with their anger boiling over, was on the verge of losing it. And in that moment, a battle axe flew towards the back of their head once again. Swish-clang! ¡°It¡¯s not going to work!¡± *** Meanwhile, the miners who were watching the guardian¡¯s exploits from afar were at a loss for words. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°What kind of skill is that¡­?¡± They knew that the guardian was a rank E hunter. And they were well aware that rank E was of no use in battle. But what exactly was that appearance of his? ¡°I can¡¯t tell if he¡¯s weak or strong¡­.¡± ¡°Something¡¯s off though¡­.¡± ¡°He fights too well?¡± ¡°Well, is it even right for him to be fighting in the first place?¡± However, one thing was certain. Suho¡¯s skill was highly specialized in enhancing human weakness. And it wasn¡¯t just his skill. The fact that he was able to provoke without any hesitation against a being that exuded such a fierce aura¡­ ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not just his skill, but also his natural boldness.¡± ¡°Or maybe he just has a bad personality¡­.¡± In this desperate situation, Suho was the only hope. ¡°But wasn¡¯t he a summoner?¡± ¡°Oh, right. Even in the midst of all this, he hasn¡¯t used his summoning skill once.¡± ¡°I saw earlier. His summons were easily defeated.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why summoning skills are not good¡­.¡± ¡°If it was a different combat skill instead of summoning¡­.¡± The miners who witnessed Suho¡¯s power were filled with regret. His combat sense was exceptional. Just like the incident at the art museum a few days ago. Suho had a natural hunter¡¯s sense. Even if someone had awakened high abilities, if they didn¡¯t have that combat sense, they could freeze up and die in battle. It was truly regrettable. If Suho wasn¡¯t just a summoner hunter¡­. ¡°He would have become a truly amazing hunter.¡± Berga, who was listening to their conversation from afar, exploded in anger. [Kiayak! How can Shadow Ability be treated like this!] But it wasn¡¯t yet time. At Suho¡¯s current level, the shadow soldiers couldn¡¯t fully utilize their abilities. Moreover, the significantly low amount of magic power was also a problem for Suho. The true strength of the Shadow Soldiers was the endless army of immortal undead. However, even that was only possible with the support of Suho¡¯s magic power from behind. But Suho¡¯s magic power was already almost depleted from the earlier battle. As a result, the Shadow Goblins who had worked hard with their pickaxes had already vanished long before. [However.] Vern¡¯s eyes lit up ominously. At the same time, Suho also smiled faintly and muttered. ¡°Creating Shadow Soldiers doesn¡¯t require any mana at all.¡± That¡¯s when it happened. Among the many wolves that were chasing Suho and the ghosts, a suspicious presence was felt. [Shadow Wolf Lv.1] Normal rank [Shadow Wolf Lv.1] Normal rank [Shadow Wolf Lv.1] Normal rank They were none other than Suho¡¯s new soldiers, the Shadow Wolves, who had flipped the wolf skins left behind by the salvage team. [Crack!] ¡°Huh?!¡± The legs of the ghost, who had been distracted by deflecting the flying axes, were bitten by the Shadow Wolves. The surprised ghost slashed at them with his sword. Then, the wolf skins on the outside were cut off, revealing the appearance of the Shadow Wolves with their black aura swirling. [Growl!] ¡°How dare these lowly creatures!¡± The ghost, who had become increasingly angry, swung his sword and quickly slaughtered the shadow wolves. With the depleted magical power of the guardian, they could never be resurrected again. But. ¡°Checkmate.¡± Suddenly, the guardian, who had approached the ghost, swung his two-handed battle axe mercilessly. Crack. CH 12 Chapter 12 ¡°Argh¡­!¡± The ghost looked down at his own body with an incredulous expression. Two axes were stuck in his chest. ¡°So, this is what it means to have a weak human body¡­¡± Kwung. Kim Cheol-ho¡¯s body collapsed backwards, his eyes rolling up. [Number of enemies to be defeated: 0] [Number of enemies defeated: 1] The quest was completed. [You have completed the ¡°Urgent Quest: Defeat the Enemy.¡±] [Your level has increased!] Whoosh! The exhausted tank¡¯s health was instantly restored to optimal condition. However, the tank didn¡¯t let his guard down. Although he killed Kim Cheol-ho, it was the sword he was holding that controlled his body. ¡°Authority of the Ruler!¡± Crack! One of the stone axes fell from the air and chopped off Kim Cheol-ho¡¯s arm holding the sword. [Well done! This sword is the real body!] Verger flew over and lifted the sword Kim Cheol-ho was holding, wagging his tail. At that moment, a sharp voice rang out in Verger¡¯s head. ¡°Who dares to covet the Lord of Fangs¡¯ sword?¡± [My Lord, may I eat this sword?] ¡°Just a moment. Can¡¯t we solve this through conversation?¡± The sword¡¯s voice suddenly became friendly. There was so much sincerity in the way it looked at Verger. Meanwhile, the tank couldn¡¯t answer Verger¡¯s question. Growl! Although the ghosts were eliminated, the wolf monsters that had lost their focal point were all attacking him. But thanks to the recent level up, the tank¡¯s health and mana were fully restored, and all of his stats had increased by 1, making his movements much sharper than before. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! [You have defeated the Steel Fang Lycan.] [You have defeated the Steel Fang Lycan.] One by one, the attacking monsters were defeated, and the tank shouted to Verger. ¡°The weapon is too short! Can I use that sword?¡± ¡°Who dares to covet the Lord of Fangs¡¯ sword?¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay!¡± The tank took the sword from Verger as if waiting for it. [You have acquired the ¡°Fang of Lycan¡± item.] At that moment, the sword¡¯s ghost growled fiercely. ¡°Who dares to covet the Lord of Fangs¡¯ sword? I¡¯ll take your flesh¡­¡± ¡°What, what is this energy!¡± The voice of the startled ghost grew fainter and fainter. ¡°Is this, by any chance, the Shadow Lord¡¯s¡­!¡± The ghost couldn¡¯t believe it. He was the great fang lord¡¯s sword. Not just any sword, but a puppet made from the Shadow Lord¡¯s own fang. It was unbelievable that there existed humans whom he, who inherited the great power, could not control. And moreover, doesn¡¯t this human look strong at first glance! ¡°Heh. Even if the Lord of the Fangs were to weaken, there is no way he would let himself be controlled by a mere insect like you. Ah, whose bloodline are you from!¡± ¡°What, what did you say! You dare call me an insect! Cancel that right now¡­!¡± ¡°Ah, so noisy.¡± Ignoring the ghost¡¯s scream, Suho swung his sword at the wolves the ghost was commanding. Slash, slash, slash! With that sword stroke, the wolves were mercilessly cut down. It was a different level of sturdiness compared to pickaxes and stone axes that were smashed to pieces by their steel teeth! ¡°Still, weapons are good.¡± ¡°Of course they are! Whose sword do you think I am wielding!¡± The ghost showed his pride even in this situation. Although the situation was still thoroughly surrounded, Suho had a little bit of leeway and immediately checked his rewards. ¡°Anything that can help me, with good stats!¡± [Completion reward has arrived.] [Do you want to check the reward?] (Y/N) ¡°Check it!¡± [The following rewards are prepared.] Reward. Rune Stone: Storm Blade ¡°A skill!¡± It was the best reward. Suho immediately checked the reward. [Rune Stone: Storm Blade] When the rune stone is broken, the skill will be absorbed. Crack! [¡°Skill: Storm Blade¡± has been learned.] When Suho broke the rune stone, a storm¡¯s power was imbued in his entire body. Whooooosh! ¡°What is this¡­?¡± Suho instinctively realized. How to use this skill. How to use it properly. Because the situation was urgent, Suho immediately used the skill. ¡°Haat!¡± [¡°Skill: Storm Blade¡± is being used.] Kuwaahh! At that moment, a fierce wind swept through Suho¡¯s sword. That blade storm struck all the wolves in front of Suho at the same time. ¡°Crack! Bang!¡± [You have defeated the Steel Fang Lycan.] [You have defeated the Steel Fang Lycan.] [You have defeated the Steel Fang Lycan.] ¡­. Numerous messages popped up. ¡°Wow.¡± Suho was amazed. With one skill, more than ten wolves died simultaneously. Even the surviving wolves who barely escaped the tremendous destructive power were frightened and ran away in all directions. Suho didn¡¯t have any intention of chasing them. His mana was completely depleted after using this skill once, which had been brimming with power. [Skill: Storm Slash Lv.1] Active skill. Required mana: 50. The power of whirling wind is imbued in the sword. Multiple enemies can be attacked simultaneously. The required mana was a whopping 50. But the effect was equally amazing. Suho stared at the skill window as if entranced. Vern¡¯s reaction was incomprehensible. [What nonsense! The power of the Shadow Ability is thousands, if not tens of thousands, times greater than that!] ¡°What are you talking about! It¡¯s not the skill, it¡¯s because my sword is so great that it has this much power!¡± Even the phantom of his sword was not inferior to Vern in pride. ¡°Both of you quiet down. This is a historic moment when I finally acquired an attack skill.¡± [No way!] ¡°Well, I¡¯m even better¡­!¡± Ignoring the bickering pair, Suho returned to the miners who had been hiding in the distance. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Hey, rookie¡­!¡± The miners were amazed by Suho¡¯s swordsmanship that they witnessed right before their eyes. A swordsmanship that causes storms. ¡°If you had that skill, why didn¡¯t you use it until now¡­?¡± ¡®Ah.¡¯ Suho made a rueful expression at the uncles¡¯ reaction. It would be unbelievable to say that a new skill appeared during a battle and expect them to believe it. ¡°If you use it once, your mana will be completely depleted. That¡¯s why I saved it until the last moment.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± The miners were even more impressed by his explanation. Suho was undoubtedly a hunter who awakened just a few days ago. Moreover, today was his first time entering a dungeon. And yet he had been waiting until the decisive moment, hiding his fangs until the end? This was like the image of a seasoned hunter who had attacked countless gates. ¡°It¡¯s impossible. Does that mean that everything he¡¯s shown us so far has been carefully calculated?¡± ¡°Even the actions of hiding and running away¡­?¡± ¡°Where are you drawing the line?¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s not necessary to say it.¡± ¡°Thank you for rescuing us. We wouldn¡¯t have been able to see the light of day tomorrow if it weren¡¯t for you.¡± The miners expressed their gratitude to Suho. ¡°But the miners who barely survived there had already left a long time ago.¡± ¡°Haha. Let me tell you.¡± Of course, Assistant Lim was still working in the assistant¡¯s office. With his running skills, Assistant Lim had managed to escape the intense situation without a scratch, and he looked to be in good condition. ¡°Good. This is an opportunity to repay Suho.¡± Assistant Lim told the reporters everything he knew about the incident in the dungeon, especially Suho¡¯s contributions, in more detail. However, whether to believe it or not was up to the reporters. ¡°What? An E-rank hunter?¡± ¡°A summoner? Does that even make sense?¡± ¡°I heard that even a C-rank hunter died in this incident. How can someone with the lowest rank¡­?¡± ¡°No! What about an E-rank hunter? What about a summoner? Are you ignoring them just because they¡¯re minor?¡± Assistant Lim became angry at the reporters¡¯ nervous reactions. ¡°I will write down all of your statements and post them on the E-rank hunter community!¡± ¡°Hehe. Why are you getting angry like that?¡± ¡°Come on, calm down.¡± The reporters started to soothe Assistant Lim, sweating profusely. The E-rank hunter community was a very picky place for reporters. Since the number of E-rank hunters was so high and there was no guild without E-rank hunters, the community was a place where all kinds of insignificant information circulated. If reporters ever offended them, it could be a huge hassle for the reporters. ¡°Ahem. Anyway, this hunter named Suho made the biggest contribution, right?¡± ¡°He distracted the attention with his summons and cut off the arm of the berserk hunter?¡± To summarize, it seems like a very summoner-like battle strategy. Although some journalists dismissed the idea of a summoner being skilled in close combat as biased favoritism from their art department instructor. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ve got the gist of the story.¡± That evening, an article was posted on the internet stating that an E-class Hunter had resolved the incident by utilizing summoning skills. However, the public¡¯s reaction was lukewarm. ¡°Summoning? And an E-class at that?¡± ¡°Minor of the minors.¡± ¡°Is this summoning Hunter viral or something?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t journalists have any better news to report these days?¡± ¡°Anyway, that E-class Hunter turned out to be a summoner. Didn¡¯t they save some students here a few days ago too?¡± ¡°Seems like they used summoning skills to save them back then too. They¡¯re a viral summoner after all.¡± ¡°And some of the guilds who saw the article also showed interest in Suho.¡± ¡°He¡¯s only E-rank, though?¡± ¡°Even if the reporters exaggerated a bit, they¡¯re saying he¡¯s one of the best in the E-rank.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about time we hired a few of our own hunters, right?¡± ¡°They actually asked for more people for the cleanup team.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. There aren¡¯t many freelancers left that are worth hiring, even among E-rank hunters who are getting picked up everywhere.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we need to hire a few E-rank hunters as regular employees.¡± ¡°As regular employees? Hmm, am I being too old-fashioned? Still, I think contract or part-time work would be perfect for E-rank hunters. Anyway, they¡¯re all young these days.¡± ¡°Ahem. Anyway, we¡¯re going to send a scout offer to this Hunter named Suho.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. How happy would he be if we called him? That lucky bastard.¡± Thus, a regular job scout offer was sent to Suho from Hyunmu Guild, a fairly large guild in Korea. ¡°A rookie who has just awakened to such an incredible opportunity. Other E-rank hunters would be envious if they found out.¡± *** And after a while. ¡°¡­What?¡± The head of the second management department of Hyunmu Guild, Lee Young-ho, doubted his own ears. ¡°He, he rejected us? Hyunmu?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Does that make sense? That a mere E-rank rookie would reject Hyunmu¡¯s offer? Is this a joke? Didn¡¯t he accept first from Baekho?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°Ha, that makes sense. Baekho guys could definitely do that. Even so, isn¡¯t it overkill to offer better conditions than us to an E-rank hunter? Is our money rotting away?¡± Lee Young-ho could only curse at the inexperienced Baekho Guild. CH 13 Chapter 13 On the other hand, [Defeated the Steel Fang Lycan.] [Defeated the Steel Fang Lycan.] ¡­ After acquiring the Fang Lord¡¯s sword, Suho continued to hunt the wolves to clear a path out of the dungeon. With the entire raid wiped out, Suho was the only hunter capable of fighting. He swung his sword while protecting the miners who followed him cautiously from behind. [You have leveled up!] Another level up. ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­ tired?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m still okay.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± The miners were not only impressed but also astonished by Suho¡¯s strength as he swung his sword tirelessly. To those who did not know that leveling up also restored health, Suho seemed like a monster with infinite stamina. ¡°No, that¡¯s impossible. He¡¯s just like us.¡± ¡°Is he enduring with his mental strength?¡± ¡°He¡¯s clearly trying to hide his exhaustion from us.¡± They thought about it. Suho was a young hero who had rescued people until he collapsed in this very museum a few days ago. And now, they were the ones being rescued by him. ¡°How can he be like this when he¡¯s also an E-rank hunter?¡± ¡°Even though he¡¯s a summoner.¡± It was undeniable that his mental strength and willpower were exceptional, regardless of his rank or abilities. Of course, it was just a level up. ¡°My lord, I see the gate.¡± Beruga pointed to the gate visible in the distance at the end of the cave. ¡°We, we survived!¡± The miners, who had been tense and fearful, finally relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. Watching them rush out, Suho wiped his sweat even though he was on guard. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going out too?¡± One of them turned around and called Suho. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll stay here and bring out any surviving hunters if there are any.¡± ¡°Are you sure? You must be at your limit too¡­¡± ¡°I can hold on for now.¡± In reality, Suho was in very good condition, but he had to pretend to be pushing himself due to the atmosphere. [¡­.] Although Suho felt Beru¡¯s gaze from behind, he pretended not to notice. The remaining Suho in the dungeon looked at the Lord¡¯s Fang sword and asked, ¡°Guide me to where you were.¡± -¡­. The sword didn¡¯t reply, so Suho casually handed it to Beru. ¡°Beru, do you want to eat this?¡± [Chew chew.] -Wait. The sword replied hastily. It was because Beru had been picking up and chewing on the magic stones around him since earlier. -Why are you trying to go where I was? ¡°I¡¯m trying to save any surviving people there.¡± -I killed everyone¡­ No, there might be someone lucky enough to still be alive. When Suho handed the sword back to Beru, it changed its answer urgently. ¡°Go left.¡± So Suho followed the sword¡¯s guidance and took his steps. Although the monsters continued to attack him during the process, he no longer had to protect people, so he had much more freedom of movement. After a while, an unknown ruin where people were lying dead appeared in front of Suho. ¡°Here it is.¡± Suho checked on each person¡¯s condition. ¡°They¡¯re all dead.¡± -That¡¯s what I said¡­ No, I couldn¡¯t help it either. I had a duty to protect this stronghold, and besides, I have a really good sword¡­. The sword felt Suho¡¯s and Beru¡¯s gaze and hastily made excuses. At that moment, information about the sword came to Suho¡¯s mind. [Item: Rakan¡¯s Fang] Acquisition Difficulty: ?? Type: Sword Attack Power +30 A sword made from the fang of Rakan, the king of beasts. Rakan¡¯s ghost is infused into it, and if someone with low skill possesses it, their body may be taken over. -Effect ¡®Disdain for the Weak¡¯: The designated opponent will be in a state of fear for one minute. (All stats -50%) -Effect ¡®Fatal Wound¡¯: There is a 15% chance to deal more than double damage. Compared to a goblin¡¯s stone axe, this sword had a significantly high attack power. Moreover, unfortunately, because it was imbued with the body of a colleague, the hunters here didn¡¯t know what to do and were killed. [It¡¯s a fairly good sword, but it has a despicable ability. It¡¯s a sword that exhibits even stronger power when facing weaker opponents.] -Despicable? What¡¯s wrong with the strong eating the weak? What hunter in the world doesn¡¯t aim for prey stronger than themselves? Suhwa listened to their conversation with his ears and dealt with the hunters¡¯ bodies one by one. He took out all the materials from the carts that the dead gatherers had been carrying and put their bodies inside. However, surprisingly, Suhwa saw black smoke rising slowly from their bodies. It was¡­ their shadows. [This target can have their shadow extracted.] [This target can have their shadow extracted.] [This target can have their shadow extracted.] A cylindrical scream of the dead hunters echoed in Suhwa¡¯s ears. [If you wish, these people can also be collected as soldiers for our lord.] ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Suhwa silently dealt with their bodies as he listened to their screams. After he finished, Beruga, who had been looking around, came back to Suhwa. ¡°I looked around for other artifacts of the Fang Lord besides this sword, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be anything special.¡± ¡°What exactly is this Fang Lord?¡± Suhwa asked what he had been curious about since earlier when he had some spare time. Then Beruga took out the black shadows from his hands and made small shadow dolls with only his fingernails. As the dolls grew one by one, they took on a certain shape. [Once upon a time, in this universe, there were several lords in addition to the Shadow Lord, Seong Jin-woo, who is your father, my lord. The Lord of the Fangs, Rakan, the king of beasts, was one of them.] ¡°All the lords of the plagues, including the king of the insects, gathered on this earth. And in the midst of them, a doll with only sharp nails emitting a uniquely strong energy mercilessly cut down the other dolls. And our lord killed all of them. Ugh, how dare you do that to my master¡­ ¡°Lacan¡¯s Fang,¡± who was listening, trembled in the hands of the guardian. It¡¯s frustrating. If only I had my full strength, I would have torn you all apart and thrown you to the wolves as food. No, if I had known you were the successor to the Shadow Lord, I wouldn¡¯t have let my guard down from the beginning. ¡°If you had your full strength?¡± Suho looked at Lacan¡¯s Fang. ¡°You¡¯re not fully powered now?¡± ¡°Of course not. I am the strongest weapon made from the fang of Lacan, the king of beasts.¡± ¡°But your attack power is only 30, hardly the strongest.¡± Verga mocked. ¡°That¡¯s why I say you¡¯re not fully powered! My mission was originally to protect this fortress. Within this fortress, I could have had almost equal power to Lacan. But¡­ ¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I ultimately couldn¡¯t protect this fortress. When you lose the fortress, you lose your power.¡± Lacan¡¯s Fang muttered in a frustrated tone. ¡°It¡¯s a natural result,¡± Verga explained. ¡°A world that loses its focal point of ¡®lords¡¯ is torn apart into dimensions and drifts into the rifts. Those are the dungeons. And when the apostles of the Outer God caused cracks in the dimensional walls to invade Earth, those dungeons were connected to Earth.¡± Verga¡¯s eyes gleamed sharply. ¡°And those defeated soldiers in this world bear grudges. They were the ones destroyed by our lord, of course. Of course, they were the ones who attacked us first.¡± ¡°In the end, this is just a relic of a defeated world, and there¡¯s nothing to gain here.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my lord. Leave it to me.¡± Verga looked greedily at the sword in Suho¡¯s hands. ¡°Even a dried squid yields water when squeezed. I¡¯ll tear it apart somehow.¡± ¡°Hmph. You won¡¯t get anything by threatening me.¡± Lacan¡¯s Fang retorted fiercely. And 10 minutes later, Lacan¡¯s Fang revealed everything it knew. ¡± A few days later, ¡°Your Highness, what are you worried about?¡± asked Berga, the guardian. ¡°Is it because you rejected their proposal?¡± After coming out of the Korean dungeon, there were many things on Suho¡¯s mind. He had received reports from the miners and had met with the Association¡¯s hunter troops who had come to support. But when they entered the dungeon, all they found were dead animal corpses in Suho¡¯s hands. As a result, Suho received love calls from several guilds. Of course, Suho had no intention of accepting any proposal. Unlike other hunters, Suho was able to grow through the leveling system. If he were an ordinary E-rank hunter, he would have accepted a contract as a packhorse even from a large guild, but it was an offer that Suho could not find even a little attractive. ¡°I was thinking about what Rakkan¡¯s Fang told me.¡± Rakkan¡¯s Fang said that the fortress he was guarding had been torn into pieces and scattered through a dimensional rift. As a result, his power had weakened significantly. Even when he took Kim Yong-jun¡¯s body, he could control all the wolves around him, but when he stepped out of the fortress, even that ability disappeared. Nevertheless, there was some progress. There were more fortresses like this dungeon in the dimensional rifts, and relics like Rakkan¡¯s Fang were stored inside them. And eventually, Rakkan¡¯s Fang, who succumbed to Berga¡¯s persuasion(?), blew away one of the fortress¡¯s locations. The problem was that they had to enter that dungeon as soon as possible. According to Rakkan¡¯s Fang, it was uncertain whether the relics were still preserved in their original form. At this moment, they were wandering through the dimensional rifts, becoming weaker and weaker with each passing moment. ¡°But of all places, it had to be¡­?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a dungeon occupied by another guild,¡± Suho replied. ¡°Right. And it¡¯s none other than the infamous Hyena Guild.¡± The Hyena Guild was famous for being formed by gangsters. When the era of hunters began, awakened individuals also emerged among gangsters, and the guild they formed could not hide their nature and only did despicable things, gaining all sorts of infamy. ¡°Your Highness, you are definitely weak now, so it¡¯s not a good idea to have unnecessary friction with other hunters.¡± ¡°If this happens, it could be dangerous for you.¡± Vern contemplated. In any case, the fact that the power of the Fang Lord had flowed into the earth was not a good omen. Just looking at this time, it had fallen into the hands of a worm and a massacre had unfolded. When the logic of the law of the jungle, which applied in the world of the Fang Lord, was applied to earth, it was clear that most humans would become prey. However, it was not appropriate to ask the guardians, who were still at a low level, to take risks. ¡°My lord, it would be best to level up gradually and strengthen your power first¡­ Hmm? What are you doing?¡± The guardian was packing up. ¡°Oh, getting ready to go into the dungeon?¡± ¡°What about the Hyena Guild?¡± ¡°Well, we can just sneak in.¡± CH 14 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 14 Field dungeons were polluted areas that were created because dungeon breaks couldn¡¯t be completely blocked. This was mainly due to the unique terrain rather than the strength of the monsters that often appeared, and China and Russia were typical examples. Because the ground was so vast, when the gate was opened, it was difficult for hunters to find each monster one by one, so they were eventually abandoned and left to die. In addition, it was often much more difficult to locate the gate that had started to erode, so it took several times longer to attack the dungeon. For a similar reason, Korea, which had many rough mountains instead of vast lands, often had field dungeons. [Field of Gwanaksan] ¡ù No entry except for the Hyena Guild Gwanaksan is the first entrance to the dungeon, strictly blocked from outside by a fence. The Gwanaksan field was a field dungeon that the Hyena Guild had occupied for a year. The guardian was watching Gwanaksan from afar, wearing a hood and mask to cover their face. [This is it.] Berger, perched on the guardian¡¯s shoulder, greedily licked his lips. This was the place where the energy of the stronghold that Rakkan¡¯s Fang had revealed could be felt. However, Rakkan¡¯s Fang didn¡¯t know what was inside the stronghold. [You don¡¯t know even though we¡¯ve come this far?] ¡°No matter how many times you ask, my answer is the same. I¡¯m just a sword that was stuck in the ground at best. I can sense the energy of the stronghold, but I can¡¯t accurately know its true form.¡± Rakkan¡¯s Fang protested as if feeling unjustly accused. Berger chewed on a piece of candy and threatened him with a bad expression. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not lying. If you are, I¡¯ll start eating you from the handle, very slowly and painfully¡­¡± ¡°Can you stop threatening me like that?¡± ¡°What if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°It¡¯s scary.¡± [¡­] Rakkan¡¯s Fang was honest. Perhaps because it was a sword, there was no pretense. The sun was setting. The guardian, who had been waiting for this moment, looked up at the sky with bright eyes. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s go in now,¡± said Suho, walking slowly towards the iron fence with his hood pulled deeper. His sensory stats had improved, allowing him to see reasonably well in the darkness. This should not pose a significant obstacle to combat. ¡°No, it¡¯s better this way. We don¡¯t want to get caught by the Hyena Guild,¡± he thought to himself. It was illegal for a hunter without permission to enter a dungeon occupied by another guild. However, he wasn¡¯t there to make money at someone else¡¯s workplace. He planned to quietly take only the fangs of the Lord of Fangs¡¯ relics, as long as he didn¡¯t get caught, there would be no problem. If the Lord of Fangs¡¯ relics fell into the hands of an ordinary awakened person, the hunter might be stripped of his body and become a berserker, like what had happened to Rakan¡¯s fangs. ¡°Is that a CCTV and an iron fence?¡± Suho¡¯s eyes calmly surveyed the surroundings. It was impossible for people to individually guard a large field-type dungeon like this. The only things guarding it were the iron fence and CCTV cameras installed at intervals. ¡°The power of domination,¡± he murmured. Suho lifted the black vinyl bag he had brought with his telekinetic powers and moved it to cover the camera entirely, as if it was being carried by the wind. ¡°Now is the time,¡± he thought. In one leap, Suho jumped over the iron fence. It was the moment when his strength stat shone. With a light landing, Suho immediately scanned the area. A blue mist hung heavily over the entire mountain range of Gwanak. In fact, the iron fence did not distinguish the dungeon¡¯s boundaries; it was this blue mist that separated the field¡¯s area. ¡°This blue mist is the power of extradimensional magic. It¡¯s meant to forcibly break through the dimensional walls and create fissures in the world,¡± said a voice. ¡°That¡¯s right. The Outsiders want to spread this mist throughout the world to create a large fissure that their army can use to cross dimensions,¡± Suho thought. ¡°Shh!¡± Suho held his breath and narrowed his eyes. He had only been in the field for less than a minute, but the number of red pupils watching him was increasing. [Blade Claw Briga] [Blade Claw Briga] [Blade Claw Briga] Under the cold moonlight, the monster monkeys reveal themselves one by one. Now, they even know how to protect themselves. The level-up system shows different colored names above their heads according to their strength. White is relatively weak. Orange is equal or strong. Red is much stronger. And those monkeys were ¡°orange¡±. ¡°The weakened monkeys have surrounded us. But since our lord is weaker, please be careful.¡± ¡°Your cheering is so useless.¡± Suho smiled faintly at Ber¡¯s cheering(?) and clenched Lakan¡¯s fangs. It might be somewhat dangerous considering the difficulty and number of those guys. ¡°But this should be enough.¡± No, it¡¯s actually good. If they only catch easy guys, they will gain less experience. Suho moved his eyes quickly. Now it was time to level up. ¡°Woo-ki-ki!¡± At that moment, monkeys fell from the trees all at once. Their blade-like long claws flew towards Suho¡¯s body. And Lakan¡¯s fangs in Suho¡¯s hand cut through the cold night air. Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash! [You have defeated Blade Claw Briga.] [You have defeated Blade Claw Briga.] ¡­. ¡°Eek! Eek-eek-khek!¡± Thus, Suho continued to move forward, trampling on the corpses of never-ending monsters. Of course, they had no intention of wandering aimlessly on this wild night. ¡°Guide us. Which direction is the gate?¡± -¡­Amazing. Are you naturally accustomed to this kind of skirmish? Lakan¡¯s fangs were truly bewildered. The situation was clearly the worst. When one was killed, two more rushed in. When two were killed, five more fell from above their heads. Those despicable monkeys rode darkness and trees, causing confusion in their guardianship. Some even threw rocks while laughing on top of trees. However, the guardians showed no signs of being flustered, despite jumping around in the chaotic melee. ¡°You seem too skilled in combat compared to your power as the Shadow Lord¡¯s successor. What kind of battles have you faced until now?¡± someone asked the guardians. ¡°Can you guide us?¡± the guardians replied with a wry smile. They had experienced a tough time surviving until they reached the final boss in their dreams as teenagers. If they died in the middle, they had to start over from the beginning. The memories of those difficult experiences were deeply ingrained in their body. Even though the current situation was terrible, it was heaven compared to those times. However, they didn¡¯t like the proud expression that Beruga kept showing while shrugging his shoulders beside them. The tip of the fang sword, Lakhan¡¯s fang, held by the guardians¡¯ hand, moved automatically in one direction. ¡°This way for now. But the path to the sanctuary will be hellish. You seem to be quite familiar with these chaotic battles, but even so, it will be hard for you to reach there alone¡­¡± ¡°Who said I¡¯ll go alone?¡± ¡°What?¡± the guardians replied, chuckling and looking around. Just then, black smoke rose slowly from the corpses of the monkeys lying miserably on the ground. ¡°Target is extractable.¡± ¡°Target is extractable.¡± The guardians reached out their hand towards the shadows. ¡°Rise.¡± Creepy laughter echoed through the chilly night air, as black hands began to emerge from the shadows of the dead monkeys lying on the ground. Those hands touched the ground, crawled out of the shadows, and stood up on their own. [Successfully extracted shadows.] [Woohoo!] [Woohoo!] A total of five black monkeys with black smoke emanating from their bodies appeared in front of the guardians. [Shadow Monkey Lv.1] Normal grade [Shadow Monkey Lv.1] Normal grade Berga clapped at the sight. [Oh. Five of them! As the intelligence stat has increased, the number of shadow soldiers has also increased! But compared to the millions of Lord¡¯s great army, it¡¯s too pathetic¡­ huh?] ¡°It¡¯s too noisy.¡± Suho grabbed Berga and threw him to the monsters. [Cough. I¡¯m not surprised by this much.] Berga flew and spread his sharp claws. And with one strike, he tore all the monsters apart¡­! Boing! [Huh?] He bounced off. ¡°Woohoo!¡± The monkeys, who kicked Berga, attacked Suho again. But in the meantime, the shadow monkeys that had approached from behind thrust their sharp claws into their necks. ¡°¡­Gek.¡± [Defeated Blade Claw Briga.] [Defeated Blade Claw Briga.] [Your level has increased!] Suho¡¯s body was filled with energy. [Woohoo!] The shadow monkeys trampled on the bodies of their enemies and giggled maliciously. But now that we thought they were on our side, they seemed somewhat cute. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going.¡± But it was a farewell before we got attached. As the mountainous terrain became steeper, stronger monsters blocked the way. [Black Shadow Raja] [Black Shadow Raja] Shashak! A secret assassin approaches, hiding in the darkness. Red-eyed beasts resembling black panthers ruthlessly tore apart the necks of shadow monkeys. [Zik-Ggeok-Ggeok!] The shadow monkeys surrendered their necks without hesitation. The difference in their strength was clear. ¡°Wow.¡± But Suho¡¯s eyes shone brighter. ¡°These guys are mine too.¡± Hwaak! At that moment, the fangs of Rakan burst forth. [¡°Skill: Contempt for the Weak¡± is used.] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The body of Black Shadow Raja suddenly became heavy. [¡°Effect: Fear¡± is activated.] [All target abilities are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.] However, ¡°Contempt for the Weak¡± was a skill that worked better against weaker opponents than Suho. ¡°Kyaaooooo!¡± [¡°Effect: Fear¡± is released.] The name of Black Shadow Raja is orange. Since they were equal to or slightly stronger than Suho, just roaring powerfully was enough to dispel the fear effect. But that brief moment was enough. In an instant, Suho disappeared from their sight. And then. Chwaak! ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± One black panther had its neck cut, spraying black blood. [Black Shadow Raja has been defeated.] Shashak! At that moment, the other creatures quickly hid in the darkness, but one was enough. ! Suho reached out his hand towards the corpse and said, ¡°Get up!¡± [Shadow Extraction Successful.] At that moment, a shadow monkey disappeared, and in its place, the shadow of a black jaguar rose up. [Roar!] [Shadow Leopard Level 1] Common Grade Suho smiled contentedly and said, ¡°Good. A new family member.¡± [Growl.] The creature that had just tried to bite Suho¡¯s neck a moment ago now wagged its tail and crawled onto Suho¡¯s leg. Then it turned its head and revealed itself to its fellow creatures lurking in the darkness of the forest. Suho also smiled and said, ¡°Feeling lonely? Go and invite your friends.¡± [Scream!] At those words, the shadow leopard ran out to hunt its fellow creatures. Suho continued to upgrade the shadow soldiers one by one and moved forward. -¡­That¡¯s why we lost the war. Because of these dangerous creatures. Lakan¡¯s fangs muttered in frustration. * * * A while later. ¡°Everyone, stop.¡± [Growl.] At Suho¡¯s command, the shadow leopards held their breath and flattened themselves in place. -Yes. That¡¯s it ahead. Lakan¡¯s fangs didn¡¯t need to say anything. There was a hyena guild outpost there. CH 15 Chapter 15 What the guard was protecting was naturally the gate. [It seems they were mining magic stones in the dungeon.] ¡°Exactly.¡± As Berth said, there were several mining carts outside the gate filled with magic stones. Seeing the carts full of magic stones, it seemed like the miners had just finished their work and gone home. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t leave that many magic stones lying around, but it was possible because it was a field-type dungeon. ¡°There won¡¯t be any thieves stealing some magic stones in the mountains where monsters roam around.¡± But as luck would have it, the thief was here. Chomp, chomp. ¡°Oh, this is a great place for magic stones.¡± Berth flew over to the cart and started picking up and eating the magic stones. At first, he seemed hesitant, but now he seemed to be enjoying eating the magic stones. ¡°These have a surprisingly chewy texture.¡± Berth looked around while munching on the magic stones. Then, he confirmed that there was no one around and called out to the guard. ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s gone home. Do you see any ants?¡± ¡°Count your blessings. You¡¯re the ant.¡± ¡°Huh? My lord, do you happen to have a slightly longer sword handle? How else did I get a mouthful of ants?¡± ¡°Hmph. If you eat me, it will be difficult for you to enter the fortress and find the relics.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. I¡¯ll stop complaining, Berth.¡± ¡°Churp. I understand.¡± Berth finished eating the remaining magic stone crumbs with a nonchalant attitude. In fact, eating one of Rakan¡¯s fangs would have charged him up much more than eating a truckload of these magic stones. But since he finally had a weapon that could be used against the guard, he couldn¡¯t ask for something else and had to settle for eating a truckload of magic stones. Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp. -¡­. Rakan¡¯s fang trembled in its sheath. Berth continued chewing on the magic stones while looking at himself with a foolish look in his eyes. At this moment, the guard¡¯s hand holding him was the most reliable thing he had. ¡°Now, go through the gate. There should be a fortress on the other side.¡± ¡°Wait a minute.¡± At that moment, Suho suddenly turned in a different direction and hid behind the guard post. Then, he narrowed his eyes and stared at the gate. ¡°Someone¡¯s there.¡± Just then, someone walked out from inside the gate. But it wasn¡¯t just one or two people. ¡°Have the miners not gone home yet?¡± That couldn¡¯t be right. If they stayed until it got this dark, it would be too dangerous to leave the field-type dungeon. Furthermore, mining wasn¡¯t the kind of work that had to be finished in a rush in one day, and there was no reason to work this late. So, in the end, they must be attacking hunters, which was even stranger. ¡°All the monsters are outside the gate. Why would an attack team have anything to do inside the gate?¡± At that moment, Berga jumped up onto Suho¡¯s shoulder and whispered in a small voice. ¡°My Lord, something¡¯s strange. They smell like beasts.¡± ¡°Beasts?¡± Just then¡­ ¡°¡­ Growl.¡± The faces of the hunters who had just come out of the gate were revealed in the moonlight. But that appearance¡­ ¡°Werewolves?!¡± Dirty fur covering their faces. Sharp fangs in their mouths. Surprisingly, the hunters were werewolves wearing human clothes. ¡°Is it a beastification skill?¡± The first thing Suho thought of was the skill. There were various types of skills, and occasionally there were hunters who could transform into non-human forms like that. But the probability of hunters with the same skill gathering in one place like this was extremely low. ¡°If it were the White Tiger Guild, it might be different.¡± But even if it were the White Tiger Guild, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to gather only the same type of beasts like this. -They must have drunk the blood of our tribe. ¡°Blood?¡± Suho looked at Lakan¡¯s fangs at those words. -The blood of the Fang tribe contains great power. Even a mere human can gain a powerful force that exceeds their own kind just by drinking a few drops of that blood. ¡°If you touch them, your flesh will be taken away as if it were stolen?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s the opposite. They didn¡¯t have their flesh stolen, they took the power of the tribe.¡± ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t know which idiot from the clan made them drink blood, but they must have lost some strength as a result. Suho¡¯s expression was strange. You can acquire the werewolf skill by drinking blood. I¡¯ve never heard of such a strange way of obtaining skills besides the rune stone. But since the Great War was only two years ago, strange situations were likely to arise at any time. ¡°But I really don¡¯t understand.¡± Lacan¡¯s fangs murmured in an unpleasant voice. ¡°Who the hell wasted their own power to make those mutts¡­ What the hell is happening inside them?¡± Just as Lacan¡¯s fangs expressed their puzzlement. Something really strange happened. The werewolves went into the warehouse they had made near the gate and came out dragging people wrapped tightly in blue tape. ¡°What?!¡± Suho¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± The people sealed up to their mouths with blue tape trembled in fear. The werewolves¡¯ mouths were ripped wide open. ¡°Krukruk. We were bored waiting during the day, you know?¡± ¡°Should we make it easier for them to breathe since it¡¯s the last time?¡± ¡°But be quiet? We hate noisy things.¡± Caw. The blue tape was torn off the people¡¯s mouths. At that moment, as if waiting, a desperate cry erupted from their mouths. ¡°P-Please save us!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­! Please send us home!¡± ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s noisy. Should we just eat them now?¡± Thud. At the werewolves¡¯ words, everyone¡¯s mouths shut simultaneously. ¡°Hic.¡± I clenched my teeth because I was afraid to even make a sound, but I couldn¡¯t stop my teeth from grinding together. ¡°Okay. Isn¡¯t it great that it¡¯s quiet?¡± ¡°We hate noise because our senses become sensitive.¡± ¡°So, everyone? If you act noisy like now, we might be surprised and bite your necks. Krukruk.¡± Click. The last word wasn¡¯t even like a joke, so people¡¯s faces turned white as a sheet. One of the werewolves said with a sense of satisfaction. ¡°Okay. You seem to have a lot to say after being captured for a few days, so I¡¯ll listen to your last words. But you have to speak clearly, okay?¡± A middle-aged office worker who was in the middle of the conversation urgently opened his mouth. ¡°Uh, excuse me! If you need money, I¡¯ll do whatever I can¡­¡± ¡°Tsk.¡± ¡°Oh no! Just listen to me for a moment! We need to talk about what you want before we can do anything¡­¡± The werewolf looked at his subordinate with an expression of annoyance. ¡°Hey. Just kill him.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Even though it¡¯s a hassle, let¡¯s take one of them with us.¡± ¡°Hehehe.¡± Looking at the approaching werewolf, the office worker shouted in surprise. ¡°No, wait! This is a crime¡­ Huh?!¡± ¡°Ow, really.¡± The werewolf¡¯s face was full of irritation as he grabbed the office worker¡¯s neck with one hand. ¡°I hate noisy people.¡± Then he skillfully drew a dagger from his waist and stabbed the office worker¡¯s neck. Squish! ¡°¡­?¡± However. Something was strange. Thunk- It was the werewolf whose neck was severed. Suddenly, an axe that had flown from somewhere had separated the werewolf¡¯s neck from his body. ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± The office worker, who had narrowly escaped death, looked at the werewolf¡¯s head that had fallen in front of him and urinated his pants. ¡°Hehehe?!¡± The werewolves, who were startled by the sudden situation, pulled out their weapons with their hair standing on end. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Who dares to¡­!¡± That¡¯s when it happened. Assassins who had hidden themselves in the darkness approached and cut their legs with sharp claws. Screams! ¡°Ack!¡± [Shadow Leopard Lv.1] Normal rank ¡°La, Razan?!¡± The eyes of the werewolves who confirmed the identity of their enemies widened. Black shadow Razan was one of the most dangerous beasts in this forest. However, because of his dislike for brightness, there were some who didn¡¯t dare to go near the gate where torches were lit. ¡°Why is Razan here?¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s different from an ordinary Razan¡­!¡± There was no time to open their mouths casually. [Kyaoo!] The shadow leopards rushed towards them like thunder. ¡°Damn it! Let¡¯s kill them first!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t panic! It¡¯s only five beasts!¡± Chung Chung Chung! Although they were taken aback by the sudden attack, they were veteran hunters who had spent a year here. It wasn¡¯t easy to sacrifice their lives for only five beasts. However, there was something they didn¡¯t know. The owner who controlled those five beasts from behind was wishing for their death right now. Flutter. The ax that had cut off the first werewolf¡¯s neck and fallen to the ground suddenly came to mind. And. Swish! Crunch! ¡°¡­Kuk.¡± Another werewolf¡¯s head was separated from his body. The eyes of the werewolves opened wide. ¡°This is crazy!¡± ¡°What kind of ax is that!¡± The stone ax that had killed two of their comrades was flying like a boomerang, aiming for their necks! ¡°Skill! It must be a skill!¡± ¡°Where is he hiding? Who¡¯s sneaking up behind us¡­!¡± But the owner of that ax had no intention of continuing to hide. ¡°What¡¯s the situation¡­?¡± The cold moonlight reflected in the eyes of the guardian, whose face was covered with a hood and a black mask. ¡°Let¡¯s save the civilians first and then think about it.¡± [Truly hunter-like words.] Hoo-wa-ak! An incredible force burst out of Razan¡¯s fangs. ! [Using skill: Disdain for the Weak.] ¡°¡­¡­!¡± At that moment, the werewolves¡¯ bodies temporarily stiffened. [Effect: Fear is activated.] [All targets¡¯ stats decrease by 50% for 1 minute.] ¡°Krehhng!¡± Some of the werewolves roared and shook off their fear. [Effect: Fear is lifted.] But that momentary opening was enough. [Kyaoo!] Chop! The shadow leopards sliced through their Achilles tendons. Squeak-clang! The dominator¡¯s power slammed an axe into their hearts. And then. ¡°You pathetic mongrels.¡± The sword of protection beheaded the werewolves. ¡°Kruk¡­¡­!¡± Werewolves who still had life in them revealed themselves, glaring at the protector. ¡°There¡¯s only one of him!¡± ¡°Die! Krrrrrr!¡± Their beastly, low lives were aimed at the protector. At that moment. Ting. [An emergency quest has been activated.] A quest window appeared in front of the protector. [Emergency Quest: Defeat the enemies!] There are those with flesh around you, ¡®players.¡¯ Eliminate them all to secure safety. Number of enemies to defeat: 10 Number of enemies defeated: 5 A quest that had already eaten up half of the starting time had begun. ¡°This is a great gain.¡± Wajak, wajak, wajak. Even amidst all this, Verga was happily laughing while chewing on a magic stone in a corner. Ah, I cannot keep my mouth shut. Why is the magical energy concentration of the maestones here so high? Could it be because this is a holy land? Unfortunately, there was no one to answer his question because everyone was busy. But then¡­ ¡­! Berth¡¯s gaze, who was laughing alone, suddenly shone and he turned towards the gate. This smell¡­ Someone with a scent similar to that of the Fang Lord was walking out of the gate. CH 16 ¡°Solo Leveling: Chapter 16 of Ragnarok¡± The Hyena Guild rose to prominence about a year ago. They were originally a group of street thugs in the Gwacheon area, but after awakening, they began exaggerating their previous criminal histories as gangsters. Despite their arrogance, they began committing real gang-like crimes after awakening. They would force lower-ranked hunters to borrow money at high-interest rates and work in dungeons for free. As the Hunter Association had not yet been formed, there were no hunting laws in place to prevent wrongdoing. However, the protector who was investigating them discovered a strange fact: all members of the guild had awakened almost simultaneously, in this very location, Gwanak Mountain. Suho was suspicious of this. When the dungeon break happened in Gwanak Mountain a year ago, the messenger who came to bury a body for the gangsters was coincidentally awakened. They then formed the Hyena Guild and occupied the Gwanak Mountain field, mining magic stones and making money. Even one year later, people still debate the cause of the general public awakening. Some believe it is due to talent or genetics, while others believe it is pure luck, such as winning the lottery or being struck by lightning. These guesses could be completely wrong or completely correct. Someone attributes it to genetics, while another attributes it to luck. In the end, it meant that you could gain abilities if a trigger for awakening appeared in any way. ¡°It¡¯s still six of one and a half dozen of the other.¡± In that sense, it appeared that the Hyenas guild members had awakened as a result of drinking the blood of the Fang tribe. It made sense then that Han Jihan had awoken in a single day. ¡°But the problem is that the Fang tribe that gave them that blood is still alive¡­¡± Whether by chance or design, it appeared that finding out who the Fang tribe was would be simple now that a tremendous amount of pressure was walking out the gate. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The sound of a creepy beast breathing. The sinister vitality contained within shook the air of Gwanak Mountain, which was shrouded in blue mist. [My lord, it¡¯s dangerous.] Beru, perched on the guardian¡¯s shoulder, urgently whispered. Beru¡¯s relaxed expression had vanished throughout the walk. ¡°We need to get out of here as soon as possible; this kind of opponent¡­ my lord can¡¯t handle it yet!¡± However, it was not as simple as it sounded. [¡°Skill: Cruel Command¡± boosts werewolves¡¯ abilities by 50%.] [¡°Skill: Cruel Command¡± causes werewolves to be cursed with madness as a side effect.] ¡°Kyaaooo!¡± The werewolves fighting the guardians grew in size and power, and their movements became incredibly fast and powerful. Their insanity became even more oppressive to the guardians. ¡°Grrr! Do you think you¡¯ll be able to escape?¡± ¡°Die, die, die, die, die, die, die!¡± Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish! ¡°Kraaah! I¡¯m going to kill that bastard!¡± Chop! Crash! [My Lady!] ¡°Ugh!¡± The guardians¡¯ bodies began to accumulate wounds at a rapid rate due to the unexpected turn of events. [The level of the skill ¡®Grit¡¯ has increased!] [Physical defense +20% ¡ú +40%] Even though the skill level had increased, the battle had not become any easier. ¡°Tsk, I warned you from the start that it would get more dangerous as we got closer to the stronghold.¡± For some reason, Rakkan¡¯s fangs showed a hint of displeasure. ¡°This energy¡­ it appears that not only relics but also dirty hybrids, lived on this side.¡± ¡°Hybrids?¡± Soho, who had barely taken down one werewolf, asked. ¡°Yes. There were many tribes that followed the great Fang Clan, and among them was one that emitted this dirty energy.¡± It was at that moment. Kwoong. [Kyaahhhh!] The roar of a ferocious beast shook the mountain range. ¨C¡­That¡¯s right. That guy. Brocky, the hyena tribe¡¯s leader. A huge beast appeared outside the gate at that precise moment. ¡°¡­¡± Dirty fur with spotted markings. Sharp teeth that grew at random. A small-house-sized hyena appeared. [BROCKY, THE RUTHLESS COMMENDER] His red name tag was on his head. It could only mean one thing. The hyena was a monster with far more power than the guardians could handle. ¡°¡­The dungeon boss is still alive.¡± Suho shuddered as he felt the pressure from him. The Hyena Guild appeared to have purposefully kept this information hidden for a year. A field-type dungeon with a boss monster is a disaster in itself. If other hunters had known this, they would not have left this area alone until now. ¡°Was the guild named Hyena because of this?¡± It was truly absurd. Hunters who were supposed to be hunting monsters pretended to be the monsters¡¯ henchmen. Bringing in other people as sacrifices? Crunch. Suho realized what was going on and clenched his teeth. In response, the hyena ripped its mouth open and yawned. Then it laughed because it recognized Rakkan¡¯s fang in Suho¡¯s hand. [Crk? What¡¯s this? I sense a familiar energy. Is that Rakkan¡¯s fang? ] -¡­Brocky. [What¡¯s with that appearance? How did that great lord¡¯s artifact end up in the hands of humans like you? ] Rakkan¡¯s fang was ashamed. He was being held by Suho¡¯s hand, and his opponent was one of Brocky¡¯s henchmen. -Your appearance isn¡¯t any better. Have you lost all of your original power? [Hehehe. Isn¡¯t this what happens to defeated soldiers after their lord is killed? ] ¡®They¡¯re not close friends, are they?¡¯ Suho was still fighting the werewolves fiercely at this point. The problem was that even if he killed them all, Brocky would still be alive. Suho was much weaker than the defeated soldiers who had lost their lord, no matter how weak and powerless they were. ¡®But I¡¯m not going to die easily.¡¯ Suho calmly assessed the situation with a cold gaze, even in this desperate situation. Chwaaak! [A werewolf has been slain.] [Enemies to be defeated: 10] [Enemies defeated: 9] Now¡­ [But isn¡¯t Rakkan already dead? ] -What, what did you say? How dare you! [Kehehe. Don¡¯t get mad. The weak are doomed to die. The strong are the ones who survive. Like me.] Rakkan¡¯s fangs flared in rage as he heard Brocky¡¯s despicable laughter. And he yelled at Suho. -Human! Kill that bastard right now! Stick my blade through the throat of that scumbag who insulted Rakkan! [Kyahahak! That¡¯s an interesting sound. Try anything you want! You weakling¡­] Rakkan¡¯s fangs flew straight from Suho¡¯s hand before he could finish his sentence. Pook! -¡­! The cold blade pierced through Brocky¡¯s neck as he laughed. [Ke¡­hek?] Brocky¡¯s mouth made a windless sound for a brief moment. Suho appeared in his hazy vision. Suho was standing still, looking this way, in the posture of throwing his sword. He gripped the neck of the remaining werewolf with his other hand. ¡°Are you done?¡± Brocky¡¯s eyes curved like a crescent moon. [¡­ You¡¯re an interesting guy.] Despite having Rakkan¡¯s fangs embedded in his neck, he remained calm. [However, you can¡¯t kill me with such a feeble attack¡­] ¡°I know, but I can still make it hurt.¡± Suho flicked his wrist. ¡®The power of the ruler.¡¯ Fluttering. ¡°Turn.¡± Rakkan¡¯s fangs, which were embedded in Brocky¡¯s neck, began to rotate like a drill at that moment. Fiercely. Quack-quack-quack-quack! ¡°What the-?¡± Brocky jerked back in surprise as he felt a sharp pain in his throat. ¡°Turn around.¡± Even more fiercely. Ku-quack-quack-quack-quack-quack-quack! ¡°Krah!¡± ¡°Turn around!¡± Even deeper! [¡°Storm Slash is being used.¡±] Quarrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! ¡°Kuaaaak! You, you damn-!¡± Rakkan¡¯s fangs dug like a storm into Brocky¡¯s body, causing him to writhe in pain even more. -¡­You bastard, I like you. At that moment, a strand of Rakkan¡¯s laughter flowed to Suho. -But is this really okay? Suho couldn¡¯t kill Brocky at his current level, no matter how weak he was in comparison to before. Brocky¡¯s regenerative ability was far superior to Suho¡¯s attack power. However. It was exhilarating. ¡°But, isn¡¯t Rakkan already dead?¡± How dare he¡­! To insult the death of his former lord was a sin that could not be forgiven, even if he were executed immediately! But in reality, he had to be content with this level of pain. And the cost would eventually be¡­ ¡°Kraaaaaak! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± Brocky¡¯s rage was directed solely at Suho. Ku-quaang! Brocky, now a wounded beast, spun his foot furiously, emitting a ferocious aura that shook Mount Gwanak. ¡°Kyaoooo!¡± A tremendous pressure like a rock crushed Suho. And then¡­ -¡­I¡¯m sorry. But thank you. You preserved the Rakkan soldiers¡¯ last shred of dignity. Rakkan¡¯s determined voice could be heard. Thunk! ¡°Kruck?!¡± Brocky, who was about to trample Suho, came to a halt. ¡°Rakkan¡¯s fang, Inoohm! Kralarack!¡± Lakan¡¯s fang, which controlled his movements inside Brocky¡¯s body, yelled urgently at Suho. ¡°Run! I¡¯ll try to stall for time in some way!¡± However. Suho, who was supposed to flee, did not appear to have any plans to do so. Thud! Suho¡¯s hand cut off the last werewolf¡¯s breath at that moment. [Number of enemies defeated: 10] And then the following messages Ding. [¡°Urgent quest completed: Defeat the enemies.¡±] Ding. [Your level has increased!] Ding. [The following rewards are prepared for you.] Reward 1: Ability points +5 Reward 2: Title: ¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯ ¡°I accept the rewards.¡± Ding. [You have earned the title: Wolf Slayer.] Thunk. Suho retrieved a weapon from the ground that the werewolves had used. His eyes glinted like a hunter¡¯s with a sword in each hand. At that moment, [Title: Wolf Slayer] A title bestowed upon a skilled wolf hunter. When faced with beast-type monsters, all ability points increase by 40%. ¡°Let the hunt begin.¡± Suho was engulfed in a fierce fighting spirit. CH 17 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 17 [¡®Wolf Slayer¡¯has been activated.] Thud! The Protector¡¯s foot slams into the ground. Splat! The Protector¡¯s new form extends in a straight line. Brocky¡¯s surprised expression appears in front of him. [What the¡­!] Unbelievable things are taking place. The Protector¡¯s strength and speed. His entire body was bursting with energy. Everything changed in an instant. All stats gain +1 as you level up. Additional stats +5 obtained as quest rewards. Furthermore, the title increases all stats against beast-type monsters by a whopping +40%. All of this synergy is centered on the Protector¡¯s sword. Dual swords. Storm Slash. [Storm Slash is used.] Kwaaaang! The Protector transforms into a storm. The two swords collide, and a fierce gale sweeps over everything. [Acquired skill: Dual Swordsmanship Lv.1] It was truly heinous violence. A cruel butcher¡¯s one-sided slaughter. Chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, chop, hack! [Aaaargh! This isn¡¯t fair-!] Brocky attempted a counterattack, but it was nothing more than a desperate struggle. Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwak! The watchtowers built by the hyena guild to restrain Brocky collapsed and were shattered by his struggles. [How dare you¡­!] And this happened before Brocky could finish his sentence. A bright red light shot up from his fiercely open mouth. The Protector¡¯s hand caught Rakkan¡¯s fangs, which had been drawn by the power of domination. And exactly like that. Flash! They were defeated. [You have defeated Brocky, the ruthless commander.] Kugugung! Finally, the massive monster gave way. [Your level up!] [Your level up!] ¡°Hoo.¡± The Protector landed on the ground. [Kkieeek! I did it! I killed him! Our Lord will be-! ] Beru then flew in, as if anticipating this moment. -¡­Oh, my goodness. How is this possible? Was Brocky defeated by a human? In response to Rakkan¡¯s fangs, Beru laughed. [Did you not know? The ultimate rule of the world is survival of the fittest. The strong prey on the stronger. And our lord will grow even more powerful in the future. Oh, and Lord? Can I eat this?] Beru licked his lips and pointed to Brocky¡¯s corpse. At his words, Suho looked at Brocky¡¯s body. [This is an object that can be extracted as a shadow.] Black smoke was swirling over it. Suho thought of something. ¡®Can this guy be extracted too?¡¯ But it would be a waste to give it to Berga now. ¡°Just one bite; the rest will be consumed after we extract the shadow.¡± [Yes, sir!] Chomp! Berga flew away happily after receiving permission. Dead Brocky provided an excellent source of magical power. [Hehe. Just one bite.] Berga¡¯s mouth widened wickedly. Which part would be the best to eat and spread rumors about if he only took one bite? The brain was the answer, as always. ¡°Carnivorous instinct is a phrase I like as well.¡± Berga dug into Brocky¡¯s head while muttering. *** Suho freed everyone who had been imprisoned. ¡°I reported it to the Hunter Association, so the rescue team will be here soon; however, because there are still monsters roaming around the mountain, don¡¯t go anywhere else and stay here for a while.¡± ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Those who had been imprisoned for a long time were now covered in snot and tears as they wept in gratitude. [My lord, they are all Hyena Guild debtors who were imprisoned after failing to repay their debts and signing debt repayment contracts with their bodies.] ¡°How do you know that, Ver?¡± ¡°Predation is my skill; I ate Brocky¡¯s brain and stole some of his memories.¡± ¡°You¡¯re capable of doing anything.¡± ¡°Heh. I¡¯m a useful creature in many ways.¡± Ver swaggered with his hands on his hips and raised his hands. ¡°By the way, based on my research, Brocky did not have the ability to turn people into werewolves by feeding them blood.¡± ¡°What? Then how did these guys become¡­¡± Suho¡¯s gaze was drawn to the dead werewolves on the ground. ¡°I, too, thought it was strange at first.¡± As he spoke, Rakkan¡¯s fangs widened. ¡°The hyena tribe is just one of many tribes that followed the Fang tribe, and only the Fang tribe is capable of creating minions by feeding them blood.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­¡± ¡°I believe there¡¯s another Fang tribe member inside besides Brocky.¡± Suho and Beru¡¯s gazes were drawn to the gate through which Brocky had emerged. ¡°So there¡¯s a different boss mob.¡± Suho fixed his gaze on his sword with determination. Then Beru shook his head and said. ¡°It¡¯s not a boss mob.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Suho looked at him with a puzzled expression. ¡°If Brocky¡¯s memory is correct, there will most likely be no more combat situations.¡± Beru¡¯s expression was a little sour. ¡°You¡¯ll find out if you go in.¡± Suho passed through the gate. He discovered a small and delicate life form inside. ¡°This is¡­¡± Suho¡¯s face hardened. There was a bloodied young wolf lying weakly there. It had pitiful ash-colored fur. Bandages were wrapped around it haphazardly. It was a tiny wolf, about the size of a hand. And right in front of it, The syringes used to draw blood were strewn about erratically. ¡°Brocky, this crazy bastard!¡± Rakan¡¯s fangs trembled with intense anger at the sight. ¡°Did he dare to bind our clan¡¯s offspring and forcefully draw their blood?¡± The bound wolf pup looked up weakly at the sound of his rage. Its unfocused pupils stared blankly at the empty space where Suho stood. It then sniffed its nose and smelled something. A strange human. The stench of blood on his clothes. ¡°Awoong¡­.¡± A frail whimper. With that, the young wolf lowered its head once more. There was no will to live or hope left in its tiny, frail body. ¡°Brocky, that crazy crossbred-!¡± Rakan¡¯s fangs were filled with rage as he cursed Brocky, who was already dead and gone. Beru murmured calmly while reading Brocky¡¯s memories. ¡°After losing the war against the Shadow Army, Brocky was the first to flee the battlefield, more like a deserter than a defeated soldier, and he then committed despicable acts.¡± ¡°He took refuge in the Fang Clan¡¯s stronghold, which was regarded as the safest location, and discovered a young wolf pup of the clan there.¡± ¡°All the adults had gone to war, leaving the pup alone there.¡± In his memories, the creature happily wagged its tail as Brocky approached the fortress. But. [When he saw the sight, Brocky had only one thought.] ¡®This is it, this is it!¡¯ I can create as many Guardians as I want with the blood of the Fang tribe! ¡® ¡®Let those Guardians protect me!¡¯ ¡® ¡®My army! Here, I¡¯ll form a tribe that only serves me! ¡® ¡®Don¡¯t you like it as well? Kekeke.¡¯ Brocky smiled wickedly as he looked at the young wolf wagging its tail at him. [¡­ Following that, the fortress was ripped apart, and the inhabitants began to wander through dimensional rifts. One day, a hole connecting to Earth appeared in front of Brocky.] And he came across a group of humans. [Without hesitation, Brocky extracted this young wolf¡¯s blood and fed it to them.] Then came the part that the Guardian was also familiar with. Brocky¡¯s army, known as the Hyena Guild, was thus formed, and the same humans were brought to Brocky as prey. For an entire year. However, there was one issue. It was precisely because of this that the Fang¡¯s Fang became enraged. -The Guardians¡¯ power is not infinite. It lasts no more than ten days. When that time period ends, the power of the blood engraved in the Guardians¡¯ bodies fades, and they revert to their original form. That means¡­ ¡°That means you had to draw blood from this creature every ten days for a year and feed it to your guild members.¡± -Kraaaak! Brocky! Brocky! Suhoo cradled the whimpering young wolf. Anxious. He was taken aback because it was lighter than he had expected. [What? Are you going to take him away? ] Beru¡¯s eyes widened. Although he was not a direct descendant of the Fang tribe¡¯s lord, this young wolf was still a member of the tribe that had inherited his blood. [If you keep him alive, he may grow up to be the second Fang tribe lord, posing a new threat to Earth.] ¡°Well, we¡¯ve already won.¡± [Is that so? Hmm.] Beru took a close look at Suhoo¡¯s young wolf, who was barely breathing after losing so much blood. He nodded as he noticed how much blood had been extracted and how dazed the young wolf was. [Right. We don¡¯t need to fight amongst ourselves when we have external enemies to contend with.] Even if the war had been lost, the children who survived would not have been held accountable. Instead, with this lightweight and compact frame¡­ Suho, on the other hand, wasn¡¯t just bringing this wolf along for the sake of romance. ¡°Because it appears to be useful later on, plus¡­¡± ¡°If you die here now, your last memory will be too tragic: you were kidnapped by that man you trusted, and your blood was sucked for a year.¡± Suho said as he hugged the youngster. ¡°So, at the very least, let¡¯s feed him and think about it.¡± *** Suho immediately returned home with the wolf cub. Because he had reported the Hyena Guild and Gwanak Mountain Field to the Association, he decided to disregard them. Furthermore, civilian survivors would be able to provide far more detailed testimony than Suho. Recovering this guy seemed more pressing because he appeared to be dying at any moment. ¡°Beru, as a healer, can¡¯t you do something about this?¡± [The healers¡¯ healing magic can only treat wounds. I have no control over blood loss or hunger.] ¡°So even recovery abilities aren¡¯t all-powerful; for the time being¡­¡± Suho turned on the electric heater and placed it directly in front of the wolf cub. ¡°Kiki.¡± ¡°Why is it good? Is it good because it¡¯s warm?¡± The wolf cub appeared taken aback. It shook all over, including its tail, and stared, entranced, at the red light of the electric heater. ¡°Well, you might be seeing fire for the first time in your life.¡± Suho left him there and immediately made seaweed soup. He served it in a small dish after it had been cooled so that it wasn¡¯t too hot. ¡°You¡¯re in for a treat today because this is the recipe my mother used to make for me on my birthday.¡± Suho pouted as he placed the seaweed soup in front of the wolf cub¡¯s short snout. ¡°Try it; they say seaweed soup is good when you¡¯re low on blood.¡± ¡­Sniff sniff. The wolf cub¡¯s tail trembled as soon as it smelled the seaweed soup. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I said eat it.¡± Suho forced the seaweed soup into the wolf cub¡¯s snout, and the wolf cub instinctively licked the underside of its tongue. Snack? ¡­! ¡°I had no idea wolves, like humans, had surprised expressions.¡± Chop chop chop. The wolf cub began to eat the seaweed soup with its nose in the dish. It swayed weakly, as did its ragged, furless tail. Rakkan, who was standing there silently holding Beru, felt a twinge of sadness as he took in the scene. -¡­..Thank you. In many ways. In many ways, he was feeling complicated. They were like this from the beginning because they lost the war against them. Despite the fact that they lost the war, the surviving children were not guilty. They had to walk away from the present, which they had escaped, and live for the future. And perhaps¡­ This young wolf may not have realized he was the sole survivor of the Fang Clan, and that he would eventually become a lord and carry on the Fang Lord¡¯s lineage, as Ber had warned. What irony it was for the Shadow Lord¡¯s heir to lend a helping hand to such a child. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Suho, was whimpering and licking the warm broth in front of the small wolf. Fang Lord Rakan couldn¡¯t help but accept the end of the war as he watched his figure. ¡°¡­ Yes, you won, and you will be in charge of all of our new recruits.¡± He sighed deeply at the time. Rakan¡¯s will, the Lord of Fangs, and the King of Great Beasts settled in Suho. Ding. [You have obtained ¡®Pet: Fang Wolf Lv.1.¡¯] CH 18 ¡°Pet?¡± Suho looked puzzled as he read the sudden message. [Pet?] Beru was also confused. Chachachachachachachachachachacha. A name tag appeared on the head of the wolf cub who had appeared unexpectedly and was licking seaweed soup. [?? Lv.1] Fang Wolf The system then sent a message at precisely the right time. Ding. [You can give your pet a name.] [Please name your pet.] ¡°Do they want me to give my pet a name?¡± Beru¡¯s expression was solemn when Suho looked at him. [Hmmm? This feature didn¡¯t exist back in the day.] ¡°What didn¡¯t exist? Pets?¡± [Yes. There was no such feature available when the king was leveling up.] Beru explained that the leveling system Suho had inherited had previously been used by the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo. Of course, it had been improved somewhat since then, but only to remove the ¡°evil¡± that had become embedded in the system. ¡°Evil?¡± [Yes.] At the time, the system¡¯s goal was to force a human named Sung Jinwoo to grow and use him as the previous Shadow Monarch¡¯s vessel. Sung Jinwoo¡¯s soul was supposed to be completely destroyed once that purpose was completed. [However, Sung Jinwoo eventually defied the system¡¯s purpose and became the Shadow Monarch himself. He became a great being who no longer needed to level up.] And the one who inherited that system was Suho. ¡°But why is there a pet system now when there wasn¡¯t one before?¡± [Hmm, maybe it was there all along, not just now.] Beru stroked his chin and squinted his eyes. [The leveling-up system was created by a shaman from the Eternal Rest Realm who desired eternal immortality.] ¡°A shaman from the Realm of Eternal Rest?¡± [Yes. Only he knows what features are available in the system.] Long ago, the shaman of Eternal Rest wished to escape the fate of finite creatures and become an eternal being. As a result, he made a deal with Rulers and devised the Level Up system. [However, the system¡¯s purpose at the time was only to complete the Shadow Monarch¡¯s container, so things like pets were unnecessary. They could all be slaughtered and turned into Shadow soldiers. However, the current lord¡¯s system serves a completely different purpose than it did at the time.] Suho looked puzzled. ¡°Is the system¡¯s goal not to make me the Shadow Monarch?¡± [Yes. Because Lord So cannot become the Shadow Monarch.] Ber stated unequivocally. [In this world, there is only one Shadow Monarch.] In other words, Suho would only be able to become a lord if the position of lord became vacant following the death of Seong Jin-woo. However, Seong Jin-woo is the Monarch who rules over death. It was impossible for him to die indefinitely. [He is, after all, the only true immortal.] ¡°I understand that my father is amazing.¡± Suho was intrigued. ¡°Then what is the purpose of my system?¡± Ber gave a faint smile and looked into Suho¡¯s eyes in response to that question. The existence of Sung Su-ho, who was born from the marriage of the Shadow Monarch and a normal human, was unprecedented in all dimensions. So even the system¡¯s designer couldn¡¯t predict what kind of existence Suho would have in the future. Whether he would live as a lord with only the Shadow Monarch¡¯s abilities as he does now. Or¡­ Would he, like Sung Jin-woo a long time ago, forge his own path beyond his natural fate? [The system exists solely to guide the Lord down whatever path he chooses. If a new function has been added, it must be beneficial to Lord So.] Beru could already see Suho¡¯s face, a man who had walked alone on a lonely and difficult path, fighting everything in the world. He was the only one who survived the constant struggle in a place closer to death than anyone else. In the end, he even won death through his own strength. His noble sacrifice laid the foundation for the current Earth. However, the gods of the foreign world were threatening that peace once more. Level: 16 Job: None Title: Wolf Slayer HP: 2,350/2,350 MP: 235/235 [Stats] Strength: 35 Health: 25 Agility: 25 Intelligence: 25 Perception: 25 (Unallocated ability points: 0) [Skills] Passive Skills: Steadfast Lv.2, Dual Wield Lv.1 Active Skills: Authority of Dominance Lv.1, Shadow Extraction Lv.1, Storm Slash Lv.1 Suho understood why his job was still listed as ¡°None¡± after hearing what Ver had to say; he knew there would never be any mention of ¡°Shadow Monarch¡± in that space. Instead, Suho paid more attention to his other statistics. ¡°This is where I¡¯m at right now.¡± In comparison to when he was being pursued by the Mist Bundle at Level 1, his statistics had skyrocketed. He also possessed more useful abilities than ever before. However¡­ ¡°I¡¯m still weak.¡± Suho was never overconfident in his own abilities. It wasn¡¯t humility, but rather a fact. Several times during his adolescence, he had reached Level 99 in his dreams. When he reflected on those times, he realized that his current strength was extremely low. He might not have been able to proclaim himself so confidently against Broky if it hadn¡¯t been for the timely appearance of the title ¡°Wolf Slayer¡± in this battle. During the battle, Suho tested out the new skills he had learned: [Skill: Dual Wield Lv.1] [Passive skill.] [No mana required.] Allows for more proficient dual-wielding use. When using two weapons, the damage is increased by 33%. [This also applies to weapons other than swords] ¡°Dual weapon¡­¡± Suho had always fought with a weapon in each hand, come to think of it. It began as an axe and has since evolved into a sword. This skill was most likely developed based on his previous fighting style. ¡°So, if I want to get stronger, I¡¯ll have to keep using dual swords from now on.¡± Suho¡¯s attention was drawn to Rakan¡¯s fangs. Having experienced it this time, Rakan¡¯s fangs¡¯ attack power was quite satisfactory. Once caught, the necks of the beasts in Gwanaksan flew around. He needed another sword, similar to Rakan¡¯s fangs, to balance his hands. ¡°I need to make some money because hunter weapons are exorbitantly priced.¡± Suho¡¯s gaze dropped. ¡°And then there¡¯s this little guy¡­¡± ¡°Kkiwung¡­¡± The puppy wolf had already consumed all of the seaweed soup and was bloated. However, it remained helpless on the floor, unable to crawl. ¡°I need to raise him a lot more in order to use him to his full potential.¡± [Please give your pet a name.] Suho had been urged by the system message for quite some time. Suho made his decision without hesitation. ¡°Grey, because his fur is grey.¡± [Would you like to give him the name ¡°Grey¡±? ] ¡°Yeah.¡± The question mark above the puppy wolf¡¯s head vanished as soon as Suho finished speaking, and a new name was engraved. [Grey Lv.1] Fang Wolf ¡°Kkiwuung¡­¡± Grey, Suho¡¯s official pet, lifted its head with unfocused eyes and sniffed its nose. It appeared to be smelling Suho¡¯s scent. Suho poked its nose with his finger and inquired about Rakan¡¯s fangs. ¡°I just have one question.¡± -What? ¡°How do I raise this kid so that he can be useful?¡± -Is there anything special about raising a pet? It all comes down to eating well, sleeping well, and playing well. ¡°Aside from those obvious things, he¡¯s the Fang Lord¡¯s heir, so is there any special method or something?¡± -Eating is extremely important. Broki was probably afraid of this child¡¯s growth and kept starving him, which is why he became so weak. Rakan¡¯s rage flared up again as his fangs remembered what Broki had done. If the Fang Clan child had grown normally, he would not have been captured by someone like Broki. ¡°So feed it and feed it again; if you allow it to rest well and play freely, it will grow into a much stronger predator than Broky.¡± ¡°Really? What should I feed it?¡± ¡°Of course, raw meat, especially if it¡¯s self-hunted; our clan¡¯s children hunt from the moment they are born.¡± ¡°Hunting games, huh?¡± It was a daunting task. Asking a baby who couldn¡¯t even walk on its own to go hunting was ridiculous. [Oh dear. They are even worse than ants. However, our ants leave the caterpillar alone during its growth period.] Beru¡¯s words gave Suho a good idea. Who raised Suho, who was a newborn at the time? ¡°From now on, Beru, take care of this little one for me.¡± [Suddenly?] ¡°Yes, you are the best nanny I know.¡± [Hehehe. I¡¯m honored to receive such a compliment from you, my lord.] Beru squirmed awkwardly. ¡°Shall we then go?¡± [What? Where are you suddenly going?] Beru was baffled. Suho grabbed Gray, the wolf cub¡¯s tail, and inserted the Shadow Dungeon key into his own shadow. [Would you like to go into the Shadow Dungeon? ] ¡°Where is it? It¡¯s right here.¡± Clank. [Entering the Shadow Dungeon.] Shuaaack! Suho, who had entered the Shadow Dungeon, placed Beru on Grey¡¯s back. ¡°You two are a team from now on.¡± [What?] Grey, no matter how small he was, was twice the size of Beru. Of course, even if they were combined, they could only be held in one hand. -Is this place¡­? Rakan¡¯s fangs, who had been following along for some reason, had an odd feeling when he saw the Shadow Dungeon. -The world of the Shadow Monarch? [This is the world that the Young Lord has inherited. Of course, because it was neglected for so long, wild beasts have taken refuge here.] Beru¡¯s eyes widened as she realized why Suho had brought them here. Unfriendly stares from all over the dungeon were directed at them. [They¡¯re wild goblins. They appear to be the ideal opponent for training your pet.] Beru chuckled and smacked Grey on the flank. ¡°Come on, get up! You¡¯re the Fang Lord¡¯s heir! Show these pathetic creatures your wickedness!¡± ¡°Whimper¡­¡± Grey didn¡¯t seem to have much of a fighting spirit. He crouched even lower as if he had no intention of getting up. Rakan couldn¡¯t hide his annoyance at the sight. ¡°Ugh! He¡¯s lost all of his natural fighting instincts as a result of his imprisonment! What are we going to do now?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way it is.¡± Suho and Beru, on the other hand, appeared unfazed. Beru¡¯s special ability was predation. It could absorb some of the prey¡¯s power and memories. Suho said, ¡°Get up, young warrior,¡± knowing Beru was the best nanny. Beru smacked Grey¡¯s flank again, this time hard. ¡°Beru used ¡®Skill: Cruel Command.¡± ¡± ¡®Skill: Cruel Command¡¯ increased Grey¡¯s stats by 50%.¡± ¡°Due to the side effects of ¡®Skill: Cruel Command,¡¯ Grey is cursed with madness.¡± ¡°¡­Growl!¡± Grey¡¯s lack of motivation was instantly transformed into a look of insanity. Beru laughed evilly as he continued to hit Grey¡¯s flank. ¡°All right, Grey! Let¡¯s keep that momentum going!¡± ¡°Grrrrrr!¡± CH 19 The news was all over the internet for a while. The survivors of the Gwanak Mountain Field, rescued by Suho, told the media everything they had been through up to that point, and the public was shocked. Citizens were outraged more than ever that humans were hunting humans and feeding them to demons. In addition, other guilds with even the slightest connection to the Hyena Guild were heavily chastised. Crash! ¡°Should we just keep watching this nonsense?¡± Im Taegyu, the Messenger Guild¡¯s guild leader, slammed his fist down in frustration. As a result, the marble desk was split in half, but no one in the conference room noticed. ¡°Sorry, we¡¯re doing our best to respond as well, but as you can see, the firepower is too strong.¡± ¡°Planning Director.¡± Thud. The planning manager¡¯s breath was cut short by a cold voice. ¡°Did I hire you to make such excuses? Did I gather you in the planning department to solicit feedback?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Im Taegyu leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh. ¡°Let me ask you a question: how did our image get so bad? We weren¡¯t in such bad shape until last year, weren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± In response to Im Taegyu¡¯s question, the executives exchanged awkward glances and awkward expressions. It¡¯s not that they weren¡¯t, but the Divine Assassin Guild was clearly the number-one guild in South Korea until last year. The reason for this was the guild leader, Im Tae-gyu. Despite being in his forties, he was one of Korea¡¯s few S-rank hunters. The Divine Assassin Guild had one more S-rank hunter among its ranks. Until last year, that is. ¡°Well, Vice President Baek Yoon-ho became independent last year¡­¡± ¡°Shh.¡± The planning director demanded that the subordinate be silenced immediately. ¡®What a dumb kid! Who wouldn¡¯t know that and inquire about it? ¡® S-rank hunter, Baek Yoon-ho. After leaving the Divine Assassin Guild last year, he founded the ¡°Baekho Guild.¡± The Divine Assassin Guild¡¯s power was nearly cut in half when he left as an S-rank hunter. But that wasn¡¯t the real issue. In fact, everyone in the conference room was aware of the main reason. They couldn¡¯t bring themselves to say anything. ¡°If I speak up, I¡¯ll lose my mind.¡± After Baek Yoon-ho left, Im Tae-gyu quickly brought in an A-rank hunter from outside and appointed him vice president. It was a so-called parachute appointment, given that the person was an acquaintance of Lim Tae-gyu¡¯s prior to the major upheaval. Naturally, the executives of the Divine Assassin Guild were outraged by his decision. An A-rank hunter could not take the place of an S-rank hunter. Furthermore, the A-rank hunter he brought in, Lee Min-sung, was a novice who had never even entered a proper dungeon. However, Im Tae-gyu did not initially recruit Lee Min-sung as his main force. Lee Min-sung¡­ He simply had a lot of money. He was already a wealthy businessman from a wealthy family before he awoke. Furthermore, he was a former movie star who was so well-known that he was a celebrity in Asia when he was younger. Regardless of dungeons or hunters, his life had been that of a wealthy man who had followed only a brilliant path of money from birth until now. What is Lim Tae-gyu¡¯s true goal? It was all about the money. ¡°If our power is weak, we can buy expensive weapons to boost it!¡± Lee Min-sung was, in reality, more of a powerful sponsor than a vice president. And that plan was somewhat successful. After Lee Min-sung was appointed vice president, guild members began to acquire increasingly expensive and flashy equipment. But ironically¡­ ¡°Since then, our guild¡¯s reputation has deteriorated.¡± The head of the planning department was forced to keep his words to himself. Vice President Lee Min-sung, the issue at hand, entered the conference room at that point. ¡°Hey! Sorry for being late, the traffic was terrible!¡± Lee Min-sung laughed and joked around despite arriving an hour late for the meeting. His face was filled with a bright smile from his childhood as a handsome actor. Im Tae-gyu fixed his cold gaze on Lee Min-sung. ¡°Vice President Lee Min-sung.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this? Did the CEO break the table? In any case, how strong are you?¡± ¡°Vice President Lee Min-sung.¡± ¡°Hey, Secretary Kim! Change this table to a better one by the end of the day, got it?¡± ¡°Hey, Lee Min-sung!¡± Thump. Finally, when Im Tae-gyu couldn¡¯t hold back his rage and yelled, Lee Min-sung¡¯s smile vanished. ¡°Hey?¡± Lee Min-sung sharply turned his head and cast a cold gaze at Im Tae-gyu. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that title seem a little impolite?¡± Ignoring the remark, Im Tae-gyu asked Lee Min-sung, ¡°Vice President Lee Min-sung, why were you late to the meeting?¡± ¡°I told you, the traffic was bad.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t it because you were hiding from the hyenas?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Lee Min-sung¡¯s expression shifted slightly in response to the remark. But he quickly chuckled and laughed. ¡°What are you talking about again? Hyenas? Can you see them at the zoo?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb, Lee Min-sung.¡± Thump. Lee Min-sung¡¯s mask was ripped away with those words. ¡°You¡¯ve been speaking in a rude manner since earlier.¡± Despite facing the wrath of S-rank hunter Im Tae-gyu, Lee Min-sung¡¯s face was filled with contempt. ¡°When did our Tae-gyu become this way? Wasn¡¯t he just a driver for me or something?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Im Tae-gyu¡¯s eyes flashed with rage at that. Lee Min-sung, on the other hand, approached him without hesitation. Then he patted his collar and looked up and down at him with an arrogant look. ¡°You know what? People don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing, right? You know what? Just because you were fortunate enough to awaken as an S-rank, you became so arrogant after only two years? Especially in front of your former boss?¡± ¡°Lee Min-sung¡­¡± ¡°Oh, right. Come to think of it, you¡¯re not my former boss, are you? Mr. Tae-kyu still has two years left on his contract as my driver, right?¡± ¡°Lee Min-sung¡­ Don¡¯t test my patience.¡± ¡°Why? Are you going to kill me? Geez, scary. The dog you raised is trying to bite the owner, and you didn¡¯t even show gratitude after I gave money to an already failing guild.¡± If looks could kill, the people in the conference room would have died long ago. ¡°Please, just go out there and fight¡­¡± The employees were unable to breathe properly due to the tense conflict between the two complicated individuals. Fortunately, Im Tae-kyu wasn¡¯t so hot-headed as to be paralyzed by rage. ¡°Hoo¡­ Let¡¯s stop.¡± ¡°What were you trying to accomplish?¡± ¡°I know you had a commission with the Hyena Guild, and the Association will find out about it soon.¡± ¡°The Association?¡± Lee Min-sung¡¯s expression hardened; he had been complaining all along. Im Tae-gyu let out a long sigh. ¡°That¡¯s right, so tell me what you were up to behind the scenes, and we might be able to make amends on the guild level.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Make up for it, huh?¡± Im Tae-gyu rubbed his chin, deep in thought. But he didn¡¯t want to say anything specific. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing particularly noteworthy about it; just some minor errands and money games.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°Well, yeah. Just turn a blind eye to it because we can handle it within my jurisdiction.¡± ¡°I hope that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Otherwise, what can you do? The Hunter Law is so flawed that using my lawyers wouldn¡¯t even be a problem?¡± ¡°The law, huh¡­¡± It was undeniably flawed. Im Tae-gyu chewed on those words. It was entirely natural. It had only been two years since the Great Cataclysm. They were still working hard in the Association to pass Hunter-related bills, but there were still flaws in them. So guys like the Hyenas could still spread their wings to their hearts¡¯ content. ¡°Is that it? If you don¡¯t have anything else to say, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Zip. Lee Min-sung turned and exited the conference room without waiting for a response. Im Tae-gyu then issued one final warning. ¡°Lee Min-sung, it¡¯s best not to be too arrogant; even if the law is flawed, the Association Chairman is no pushover.¡± Bang. The conference room door was slammed shut. Im Tae-gyu trembled and leaned back in his chair. Only then were the employees able to expel the breath they had been holding. Lee Min-sung, on the other hand, walked out with a leisurely gait and a demon-like expression. ¡°How dare a kid who doesn¡¯t even understand the subject!¡± He didn¡¯t show it, but his entire body was drenched in cold sweat from Im Tae-gyu¡¯s aura. His pride, however, was more wounded than his petty fear. ¡°I came here begging to be promoted to assistant manager, and now he treats me like a servant? Who is Im Tae-gyu?¡± But he didn¡¯t have the right to be angry right now. He was an S-class hunter, after all, while he was only an A-class hunter. As a result, this explosive rage could only be directed at the perpetrator of this situation. Hyena Guild? No. ¡°That bastard who disgraced the Hyena Guild!¡± Lee Min-seong called someone with a scary expression. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s me. Did you find out who he is?¡± ¨C Yes, sir. I¡¯ve asked all of the survivors, but none of them recognize him. ¡°What do you mean they don¡¯t know?¡± ¨C That hunter had been wearing a mask and a hood the entire time. His only distinguishing feature was that he wielded twin swords, but he also picked up a sword that the werewolves used in the end. Thud. ¡°¡­.Find out more, find out who that kid is, and bring him to me no matter what.¡± ¡°Sir, yes¡­¡± Thud! Im Min-seong couldn¡¯t take it anymore and threw his phone to the ground. *** Meanwhile, Su-ho was enjoying some peace and quiet in the Shadow Dungeon. Of course, Su-ho was the only one who was content. The Grey, a Fang Clan wolf pup, was about to die. ¡°Grrr!¡± [Oh, that¡¯s great. Finally, our little wolf hunted a goblin by himself. Although the opponent is, of course, a baby goblin.] ¡°Kkuaaong-!¡± Beru¡¯s praise elicited a pitiful, or rather fierce, howl from the little wolf pup. It looked pitiful and heroic as it stomped on the goblin cub¡¯s corpse with its forepaw. [Now, eat up! A true hunter consumes their entire prey without leaving anything behind! ] ¡°Grrr!¡± [Hey, open your mouth wide and chew it!] ¡°Kkuaaaang!¡± ¡°Growl!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± [What¡¯s going on?] Suho and Beru looked at each other, then turned their gaze to Gray, who was lying flat on the ground. ¡°Whimper¡­..¡± [My lord. Why are you eating flea liver? ] ¡°Well, I¡­.¡± Suho was suddenly overcome with guilt. CH 20 [Now I understand.] Vere realized. [The pet system seems to be a kind of war captive.] The shadow extraction skill was the ability to extract shadow soldiers from enemy corpses. On the other hand, the pet system could enslave enemies without killing them. The difference between the two was the presence or absence of ¡®growth¡¯. [If we killed Kkuringi right now and extracted it as a shadow soldier, Kkuringi would forever remain a wolf cub.] Grey was different from Vere, who was temporarily weakened due to a lack of magic power. The shadow soldier would be extracted in their current weak and young form. [Of course, it will have some effect as the Lord¡¯s level increases, but there will be clear limits. On the other hand, if we keep it alive and raise it like this¡­¡­] ¡°It could grow into a giant wolf-like Broki.¡± [Yes. It would be helpful to the Lord when that time comes.] ¡°When will that be?¡± Suho chuckled at the idea that it would be helpful to him. [Grey Lv.2] Fang Wolf ¡°Kkuuuung¡­¡­¡± Grey returned to being a fluffy puppy again as the madness of the ¡®skill: cruel command¡¯ disappeared. Although it seemed like it could die at any moment at first, its condition looked much better thanks to leveling up. However, the sight of it huddled in a corner and rolling its eyes towards them still seemed unfamiliar to Suho. Suho let out a sigh. ¡°When am I going to be able to make use of that?¡± [It may seem useless now, but wouldn¡¯t it be helpful if it gets bigger? We¡¯ll earn experience points automatically, so to speak.] ¡°It¡¯s like automatic hunting in a game.¡± However, the problem was that the game was currently at the mini-game level. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s keep raising Grey here from now on.¡± -I agree. Since we have to feed him three meals a day anyway, this environment is perfect. ¡°Huh?¡± Hmm? ¡°Why. What. Haven¡¯t we become allies now?¡± ¡°¡­¡±. It was Rakan¡¯s fang that added his opinion naturally from the side. By the way, Rakan¡¯s fang had been floating around the guardian¡¯s side by the power of the dominator since earlier. Snap. The guardian caught the guy¡¯s handle and said. ¡°Okay. Then should I try leveling up too?¡± Entering the Shadow Dungeon wasn¡¯t just because of Gray. Even after completing a four-hour survival quest last time, wild goblins still roamed around the Shadow Dungeon. Without a quest, they would accumulate experience points by hunting them. ¡°Last time, I was too weak and only focused on running away, but now the situation is very different.¡± Indeed, leveling up during that time was worth it. Most of their name tags had turned white. At this level, he had the confidence to face them no matter how many there were. However, he had no intention of searching for every goblin hiding in the darkness. ¡°Inventory.¡± The Guardian took out an item that dropped when the goblins died during the last survival quest from his inventory. Berth looked at him quizzically. ¡°My lord, what is that?¡± ¡°This?¡± The guardian chuckled. [Item: Horn Flute] Acquisition difficulty: E Type: Musical instrument A horn flute is used by the goblin chief to call its subordinates. ¡°Since we got this item, shouldn¡¯t we use it?¡± The guardian put the horn flute in his mouth and blew it with vigor. Puwooo-! [Use the ¡®Horn Flute¡¯ item to call nearby goblins.] At that moment. Kieeek-! The monochrome world, which had been quiet, became noisy. The goblins that were hiding in the darkness started to jump out all at once. The goblins that had been hiding in the darkness started rushing out simultaneously. They expressed their anger at the fact that the ones who had summoned them were humans. ¡°Keurk, keurk! Kerrrrrrk!¡± ¡°Oh! You are truly ingenious! Such recycling!¡± Suho fiercely revealed his fangs as he watched the goblins attacking him from all directions. ¡°Vere.¡± ¡°Yup!¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s your turn to eat.¡± ¡°Kieeek!¡± Vere¡¯s greedy eyes lit up as he curled his tail, eagerly awaiting his next meal. Although magic stones were good, it was much more efficient to charge magic by directly consuming magical creatures. But then, a message appeared in front of Suho. [¡°Daily Quest: Shadow Dungeon Cleanup¡± has arrived.] ¡°Huh?¡± Suddenly, a message appeared in front of him. [¡°Daily Quest: Shadow Dungeon Cleanup¡±] 100 Goblins: Incomplete (0/100) 10 Goblin Lieutenants: Incomplete (0/10) 1 Goblin General: Incomplete (0/1) ¡°Daily quest?¡± Suho¡¯s eyes widened. Since he was going to hunt anyway, it was fortunate that a timely quest had appeared. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this great?¡± Since it was a quest, there would naturally be rewards. And since it was a daily quest, it meant that the rewards would be given out daily. ¡°It seems that the system wants to make this place completely your territory, my lord.¡± ¡°¡­My father¡¯s system, huh.¡± Suho murmured with a nostalgic expression. ¡°I remember when I was a kid, my dad used to shine my shoes and give me an allowance.¡± ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s see how much allowance we¡¯ll get this time!¡± Suho swung his sword with enthusiasm. [¡°Skill: Storm Slash¡± is being used.] A fierce storm raged. *********************** And sometime later. ¡°Kek!¡± [You have eliminated a Goblin Archer.] [Goblin 100: Incomplete (89/100)] ¡°Keruk!¡± [You have eliminated a Goblin Ten-Boss.] [Goblin Ten-Boss 10: Incomplete (9/10)] Suho was slaughtering goblins with his dual swords like a madman. But he wasn¡¯t fighting alone like before. Suho had chosen only the largest Goblin Ten-Boss among the goblins and had made him into his Shadow Soldier. There were seven of them. [Extractable Shadow Soldiers: 7/7] It was thanks to capturing Broky and increasing his Intelligence stat. But even compared to before, Suho still felt a sense of regret for the significant improvement that he had undergone. ¡°Whenever something like this happens, it¡¯s a shame that the Shadow Soldiers disappear automatically over time. Didn¡¯t Father have a Shadow Storage Skill?¡± [Yes, that is correct. Your Lordship has commanded eternal soldiers.] ¡°Does that mean I can do it too later?¡± [I do not know about that.] Suho clicked his tongue with disappointment. ¡®Anyway.¡¯ Despite his progress, he still had not received any news of leveling up. Experience points came in less as the battles became easier. ¡®It¡¯s almost like morning exercise at this point.¡¯ Even if the daily quests were too difficult, it was still a problem. Fighting for your life every day was also stressful. But. ¡®It¡¯s not worth it like this.¡¯ Suho took out his horn again on a whim. Puhuuu! Puhuuuuuu-! [Use the ¡®Item: Horn¡¯ to call nearby goblins.] Then, immediately. Kerk! Kerk! Kerk! Kerk! A new goblin unit started jumping out of the darkness. Beruga opened her eyes wide and looked at Suho. ¡°My Lord? Haven¡¯t you almost finished the daily quest?¡± ¡°So what? We have plenty of time today, let¡¯s run until we level up.¡± ¡°Hehe. My Lord is truly a born soldier ant.¡± ¡°Is that a compliment?¡± Suho laughed and was surrounded by the newly incoming goblins. And then, after a moment. [Daily Quest: Shadow Dungeon Cleanup] 100 goblins: complete (107/100) 10 Goblin captains: complete (10/10) 1 Goblin chief: complete (1/1) [¡°Daily Quest: Shadow Dungeon Cleanup¡± has been completed.] [Reward has arrived.] [Do you want to check the reward?] (Y/N) ¡°¡­¡­ Huh?¡± Suho, who suddenly checked the quest window, opened his eyes wide. He had not even checked the message that the reward had arrived, as he was busy fighting the goblins, but he had discovered something strange. [100 goblins: complete (107/100)] ¡°Why is the count still accumulating even though we have completed the goal?¡± Suho¡¯s eyes lit up sharply. Is this really a coincidence? Swish! Suho beheaded the incoming goblin captain. [You have killed the Goblin Captain.] [10 Goblin captains: complete (11/10)] ¡°Exactly!¡± Similarly, other counts were also accumulating continuously. Curiosity suddenly struck Suho. ¡°How many can we count?¡± Suho started hunting the goblins even more enthusiastically than before. As a result¡­ [100 goblins: complete (200/100)] [10 Goblin Lieutenants: complete (20/10)] [1 Goblin Chief: complete (1/1)] When the target number was exactly twice the goal, no more counts were accumulated. ¡®There¡¯s something about this.¡¯ Suho¡¯s curiosity had now turned into certainty. [1 Goblin Chief: complete (1/1)] Now there¡¯s only one Chief left. ¡°Krek!¡± If I kill that one, all the counts will be doubled. ¡®What will happen then?¡¯ I¡¯ll find out when I check. ¡°Don¡¯t let him escape!¡± [Kerung!] At Suho¡¯s command, the shadow goblins rushed in and grabbed the limbs of the large goblin chief. ¡°Kyaah!¡± The chief struggled and screamed. Suho ran up and cut the chief¡¯s throat. Then. Ding! [¡®Hidden Quest: Shadow Dungeon Clean-up¡¯ has been completed.] [Completion rewards have arrived.] [Would you like to check the rewards?] (Y/N) ¡°A hidden quest?¡± When all the counts were doubled, the type of quest changed. Suho felt elated at the fact that his intuition was correct. Since there were no more goblins to fight after killing the chief, he decided to check the rewards right away. ¡°Check rewards.¡± Ding! [The following rewards are prepared.] Reward 1. Status recovery Reward 2. Ability points +3 Hidden reward 3. [Accept all?] ¡°Three rewards?,¡± he asked. First, he decided to check the first reward. Although he leveled up in the middle of the fight against 200 goblins, his body was completely exhausted. ¡°Accepting the first reward.¡± At that moment, the whole body of the guardian was surrounded by faint blue energy. It was as if all conditions were perfectly restored, just like when he leveled up. ¡°Oh, this is great.¡± As soon as he experienced it, he realized how to use this reward effectively in the future. When injured during battle, leaving this reward and using it at an appropriate time would eliminate the need to vaguely wait for a level-up. ¡°Accepting the second reward.¡± The second reward, ¡®Ability points +3,¡¯ was also great. Today¡¯s experience showed that as his level increased, leveling up would become increasingly difficult. But since this was a daily quest reward, it meant that he could become stronger every day in this way. And now, only the reward for the hidden quest remained. Hidden Reward 3. Before the guardian lay a choice. CH 21 A fancy chandelier. Expensive liquor is set up on the table. Vice President Lee Min-sung was drunk as usual in the VIP room. Normally, there would be loud laughter and intimate physical contact, but today the atmosphere was different. Crash! ¡°Ah!¡± The lady who was entertaining him screamed in surprise at the sound of the glass he threw shattering. ¡°I wonder why our oppa is in such a bad mood today?¡± Shortly after, the madam who came into the room sat next to him with an elegant smile. At the same time, she gestured with her eyes for all the other employees to leave. The young ladies quickly left the room. The room fell silent in an instant. Tink. As the madam poured him another drink, she discreetly observed Lee Min-sung¡¯s mood. He had been staring at his phone with a fierce look in his eyes for a while now. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± The madam glanced at the screen he was looking at. ¡°Comments?¡± The corners of the madam¡¯s eyes twitched slightly. -So who is the hunter who humiliated the hyenas? -Yeah, I heard he went into Gwanak Mountain alone and saved everyone. -Amazing. Who is he? -Info: He wore a mask so nobody saw his face. -Why hide his face after doing something well? -Isn¡¯t it obvious? There¡¯s a rumour that the hyenas are backed by the Death Guild, so he has to hide his identity. -Yeah, even if we don¡¯t know who he is, we shouldn¡¯t reveal his identity. He¡¯ll be retaliated against by the Death Guild. On the internet, people were still talking about the Gwanak Mountain incident. They were speculating fervently about the identity of the hunter who had allegedly solved the problem on his own, but the evidence was too scarce to come to a conclusion. They were speculating fervently about the identity of the hunter who had allegedly solved the problem on his own, but the evidence was too scarce to conclude. -But who is he really? -But who is he? -Well, he took down a boss monster alone, so he¡¯s at least an A-rank hunter, right? -No, no. If he just has good skills, he could theoretically be a B-rank hunter. -No, no. If he just has good skills, he could even be a C-rank or D-rank hunter. Thousands, even tens of thousands of comments were all curious about the identity of that hunter. While many comments were nonsense or jokes, the overall consensus was summed up in one sentence. As the Hyena Guild¡¯s malicious actions were gradually exposed, their image was becoming more devilish. In contrast, the sympathy for the hunter who had single-handedly destroyed them was skyrocketing across the country. ¡°What? You still haven¡¯t found out their identity?¡± In an instant, Im Min-seong¡¯s expression crumpled at Madam¡¯s words. Thunk. He glared at her. ¡°Who are you making fun of?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not making fun. Of course, I¡¯m worried. Our vice president¡¯s informants will try to get hints even from comments if they can¡¯t do their job properly.¡± Thunk. ¡°That¡¯s just pathetic. What about the informants who were supposed to go find survivors? What about them?¡± ¡°They used double swords.¡± ¡°Double swords?¡± ¡°And they summoned demons.¡± ¡°Summoned? Oh my.¡± Madam covered her mouth in surprise at Im Min-seong¡¯s response. ¡°This is strange. Are there hunters who can do such a thing among summoners?¡± ¡°There are none.¡± ¡°None?¡± ¡°Someone used some trickery to confuse the information with a summoning skill. It could be an illusion skill or it could be more than one person involved. Perhaps there was a summoner hiding in the background. No, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± No matter how much he thought about it, this was not something that an individual could do alone. In any case, there was one fact that was the most meaningful. That Broki was killed with double swords. ¡°If that¡¯s the logic, then all you have to do is hold the double swords in your hands.¡± ¡°Right. That¡¯s why there¡¯s no information.¡± ¡°What is this? Boring.¡± Madam lifted the shot glass on the table with a facial expression that indicated disappointment and drank it all at once. ¡°I thought it was something amazing when he caused a commotion, but it was just because he took some medicine. It¡¯s childish.¡± But she understood. Im Min-sung had always lived a winning life since he was born until now. As a child, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. In his youth, he became a Korean Wave star. And when the great upheaval broke out, he awakened as an A-class hunter right away. It was as if he was on a solid path. At this point, it was not an exaggeration to say that the entire universe revolved around Im Min-sung. ¡°But suddenly his own driver became an S-class hunter.¡± ¡°But suddenly his driver became an S-class hunter.¡± And it happened just when Im Min-sung awakened, and the whole world was congratulating him. It was on that evening when his long-time friend and driver, Lim Tae-gyu, suddenly became an S-class hunter. At that moment, Im Min-sung¡­ became blinded by jealousy. Because the hierarchy that seemed like it would never change was turned upside down in an instant. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s a good thing, though.¡± Easy-to-handle people like those who have complexes are not easy to come by. Madam smiled wryly and poured Im Min-sung some more alcohol. ¡°Don¡¯t be too upset. You¡¯ll catch up someday. Should we talk about business now?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Im Min-sung¡¯s face calmed down at her words. ¡°Star Dust.¡± Madam asked with an even more seductive smile. ¡°Are there any defective products among the test samples this time?¡± ¡°¡­There are no defects in the product. The people who ate it were defective.¡± ¡°People were defective? How defective do they have to be to eat an amplification potion and die? I¡¯m scared to use it.¡± Contrary to her words, Madam didn¡¯t seem scared at all. And Im Min-sung, too¡­ ¡°How many people died?¡± ¡°Well, I only heard about 30 people. But strangely, only low-level hunters died. Are people really defective?¡± ¡°If only low-level hunters died¡­ as expected, Star Dust is also affected by the magic constitution after all. Hm.¡± Im Min-sung, who was focused only on the effect of the test sample and had no emotions about the fact that people had died, asked, ¡°So when will the next shipment come out?¡± But Madam had one more thing to say. ¡°Anyway, the people who didn¡¯t die are waiting for the next shipment.¡± ¡°Soon.¡± Min-seong coldly glanced at Madame, who was flattering herself with a smile. ¡°Try to hurry up the devils.¡± At that moment, Su-ho was facing an important decision. [You must choose one of two random boxes.] [Blessed Random Box] Provides the player with desired items. [Cursed Random Box] Provides the player with necessary items. [Which one will you choose?] ¡°Desired and necessary? What kind of wordplay is this?¡± [These two choices of hidden rewards may seem like wordplay at first, but there are distinct differences.] Berger, who had been watching from the side, explained. [What you ¡°desire¡± may not actually be necessary once you receive it. On the other hand, what you ¡°need¡± may result in something you don¡¯t want.] ¡°So it must be the cursed random box.¡± [That¡¯s right. For example, in a situation where a powerful weapon is needed, a terrible bomb that destroys everything, including oneself, may appear¡­!] ¡°Is that possible? It¡¯s a system inherited from our father, so there shouldn¡¯t be any danger as a quest reward, right?¡± [Keheh. That is also correct.] Su-ho didn¡¯t need to think any further. ¡°The cursed random box.¡± [Oh! That one? You¡¯re bold!] ¡°I still don¡¯t know exactly what I want since my level is still low. But I need so much.¡± He had no idea what items were beyond the system, and the category he could imagine was too vague. Su-ho chose the reward with a smug smile. ¡°Besides, our father always knew better than I did about what I needed since a long time ago.¡± [This reward is given by the system, not by the lord¡­] ¡°That¡¯s the same thing.¡± Su-ho replied, spreading his hands. Then a small box appeared on top of it. It was a box wrapped in a solid-coloured wrapping paper with a ribbon tied around it. I carefully opened the box. Ding! [You have acquired the item: Vulcan¡¯s Horn.] At that moment, the box disappeared and a sword appeared in the hands of the guardian. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± [Item: Vulcan¡¯s Horn] The difficulty of acquisition: ?? Type: Sword Attack Power +40 A sword made from the horn of the greedy demon, Vulcan. It inflicts more damage with the power of Vulcan. -Effect: ¡°Destructive Urge¡± ¨C increases physical damage by [30%]. -Effect: ¡°Demon Devourer¡± ¨C the power of Vulcan becomes stronger as it devours the soul of demons. [Devoured demon souls: 0] As the guardian read the item description, their eyes grew wider and wider. ¡°It¡¯s a growth item!¡± [Wow!] The description of ¡°increases physical damage by [30%]¡± clearly meant that the increase would become greater as they hunted more demons! Furthermore, the basic attack power itself was 10 higher than Lakan¡¯s Fang! -Ahem. However, it had the ¡°contempt for the weak¡± and ¡°lethal wound¡± effects, so when considered carefully, I am a bit stronger¡­ Lakan¡¯s Fang muttered something next to them, but no one was listening. ¡°This is great, a really necessary item came out.¡± The guardian happily raised Vulcan¡¯s Horn with one hand. Bwooong! As they swung it around once with great momentum, the sound of the wind being cut like a windmill was very intimidating. However, the weight of the sword was a bit heavy. The guardian immediately invested all the ability points received as a daily quest reward into strength, and handling it became much easier. ¡°I really like this. Now all I need is a demon.¡± But they had never heard of a dungeon with demon-type monsters appearing recently. ¡°It seems like they were all exterminated a long time ago.¡± Maybe I should search the internet once I get out. The guardian immediately took out the key to the Shadow Dungeon. Shoo-wa-ack! [I have left the Shadow Dungeon.] But when I went outside, I found that I had missed 5 calls on my phone. The caller was Assistant Lim. ¡°Why is the assistant calling me?¡± Suho wondered and immediately called him back. And then he received an unexpected proposal from Assistant Lim. ¡°Suho, do you want to do a part-time job?¡± ¡°Suddenly?¡± ¡°Yeah. A few of the scheduled collectors suddenly disappeared.¡± ¡°Thank you so much for coming, Suho! Thanks to you, I¡¯m alive!¡± Assistant Lim was prostrating himself as if to pray when Suho arrived on time for the appointment. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not often that something like this happens, where several people disappear at once.¡± ¡°Did you write up a contract?¡± ¡°Yeah! What about it?¡± Assistant Lim clenched his fist, thinking of the hunters who had suddenly become unresponsive. ¡°Those guys are definitely out drinking and partying somewhere.¡± Assistant Lim¡¯s anger was justified. Collectors and miners usually work in teams, so in cases like this, the whole team would be fined for contract violations. But now there was nothing to worry about. Suho was here to help! Assistant Lim placed his hands on Suho¡¯s shoulders and spoke seriously. ¡°Suho. You have to earn your keep today. I¡¯m counting on you.¡± What he was counting on was none other than Suho¡¯s summoning skills. Didn¡¯t his summoned creatures perform admirably during the mining operation last time? ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to double your pay since I called you in so suddenly.¡± [Pay?] Berger suddenly appeared and looked at Assistant Lim with wide eyes. Assistant Lim was taken aback and quickly corrected himself. ¡°I-I¡¯ll give it to you. No, I¡¯ll dedicate it to you.¡± [Right. Since you were kind enough to summon us to this humble place, we¡¯ll keep up that attitude.] Berger glared at Assistant Lim with an expression that said he would eat his entire head if he didn¡¯t comply¡­ In the meantime, Suho turned his head slightly to look at the dungeon he was going to enter today. [Seoul Station Field] ¡ù Danger zone The subway station entrance is where the blue mist rises slowly. The Seoul Station Field was a field that had been abandoned for a year because the basement was too deep and the structure was too complicated. Looking at it, Suho suddenly had this thought. The cursed random box that promised to give necessary items. And the horn of Volkan that came out of it. Was the reason why the sword that preys on that devil came into his hand really because he needed the ¡°twin sword¡±? Or¡­ was it because he would soon have to face the ¡°devil¡±? ¡°Teaching assistant, so what are we going to catch here today?¡± Suho giggled and asked the assistant teacher. CH 22 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 22 ¡°Suho, you still don¡¯t have any personal protective gear, do you? Wear this.¡± Assistant Lim handed Suho a thick set of clothes in front of Seoul Station. Suho discovered it was a one-piece overall with a top and bottom connected when he received it. ¡°Now, put on these gloves and work boots, which come as a set.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. It¡¯s natural that you weren¡¯t prepared since I called you suddenly. Learn from this experience. Protective gear is essential for .¡± Continuing from the previous explanation about miners, Season 2 began. Assistant Lim¡¯s lecture on collecting continued. ¡°Being a collector is much more dangerous than being a miner.¡± Miners, unless in special cases like the Korean Field, usually didn¡¯t have much risk in their job. They just needed to dig with their pickaxes safely at the back of the dungeon after all the hunting was done. ¡°But collectors are different.¡± were positioned right in the middle between the assault team and the mining team. To the corpses of monsters hunted by the assault team, they had to closely follow behind the assault team. As a result, accidents where the assault team was attacked by monsters they missed often occurred. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s usually just one or two monsters, so as long as you¡¯re careful when they suddenly appear, the assault team will come to rescue you right away.¡± ¡°So, the protective gear is for that moment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But actually, the protective gear is more useful when collecting monster corpses. If the monsters have sharp thorns or scales, ordinary clothes will be torn and ruined during the work.¡± ¡°Assistant¡­¡± ¡°Well, don¡¯t be too impressed, compared to what you¡¯ve done.¡± ¡°No, this smells like used clothes.¡± ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯ve been living alone, so¡­¡± *** A moment later. The assault hunters arrived at the scene. Suho calmly observed their appearance. There were a total of 10 members in the group. ¡°4 D-rank magic hunters, 5 D-rank combat hunters, and one C-rank healer, I guess.¡± That C-rank male healer seemed to be the leader of the assault team. But then, the assault team leader walked confidently in Suho¡¯s direction and glared at Assistant Lim without warning. ¡°What¡¯s this? Why is the number of so low?¡± At his words, Assistant Lim lowered her head with a troubled expression. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. For some reason, all the collector guys decided to go on a group dive. Instead, this guy came today¡­¡± ¡°What? Are you going to answer if I talk? What irresponsible nonsense is this after signing a contract? Do you know how much damage it will cause if the schedule is delayed?¡± ¡°No, no. The schedule won¡¯t be delayed. This guy is actually a summoner and won¡¯t interfere with the work¡­¡± ¡°What? Are you kidding me now? A summoner?¡± The expression of the leader of the assault team became even more menacing as , the assistant professor, spoke at length. Then he looked up and down at Suho, who was standing idly. quickly stepped forward and poked Suho in the chest. ¡°Oh, Captain! You really don¡¯t need to worry. This guy will supplement the lack of personnel with summoned creatures. We specifically invited a skilled worker for the job.¡± At his words, the leader of the assault team sighed deeply. ¡°Are you going to answer if I talk? So you ultimately didn¡¯t trust this person and didn¡¯t supplement the personnel, right? You¡¯re taking your share of the pay and leaving!¡± As his voice grew louder, other hunters from the assault team gathered around. ¡°Leader, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this? Why is the number of retrieval team members like this?¡± ¡°Are we going to do the job properly like this?¡± The hunters of the retrieval team, surrounded by the cold glares of their comrades, could not help but shrink. In fact, the anger of the assault team was justified. If the number of retrieval team members is low, the work speed slows down. Then, the assault team that hunts in front of them also has to slow down their speed accordingly. The purpose of the hunt itself is to earn money by selling the corpses of monsters, so even if they hunt among themselves, it¡¯s meaningless. Moreover, the Seoul Station field doesn¡¯t have any magic stones, so they had to earn money only through the corpses of monsters. ¡°Leader, it¡¯s enough. Have you ever seen one or two day laborers being responsible? We have to go in now, whether we like it or not.¡± ¡°Yeah, leader. Instead of complaining now, let¡¯s just go in.¡± Despite the objections of the members, the leader of the assault team glared at , the assistant professor, for the last time. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯ll fall behind today. I¡¯ll officially report this to the Association. I¡¯ll make sure you can¡¯t do retrieval work again.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. We¡¯ll do our best. Please trust us.¡± As the 10 members of the assault team turned and spoke one by one, , the assistant professor, lowered his head with a look of mental exhaustion. He had committed a crime, so there was nothing he could say that wouldn¡¯t sound like an excuse. But he was also unjustly accused. ¡®I¡¯m not even the team leader of the retrieval team, so why¡­¡¯ In fact, the real team leader of the retrieval team was one of the members who went AWOL¡­ Thanks to the skill of soothing professors, the anger of the commander seemed to have subsided a little. ¡°Tsk. That¡¯s why they¡¯re called inferior hunters.¡± The moment the commander clicked his tongue and turned his body. ¡°Get up.¡± Kee-hee-hee- ¡°What, what is it?¡± Suddenly, the evil laughter echoed in the air, and the hunters were startled, looking around. [Keruk, keruk!] Suddenly, black monsters rose from the ground! Evil goblins with black steam swirling around their bodies were glaring at them menacingly. But their size¡­they were much bigger than ordinary goblins. ¡°G-Goblin captain? No, even a chief!¡± ¡°Why are the monsters outside of the field¡­!¡± The attack squad members quickly drew their weapons. ¡°Oh my god! They approached so stealthily!¡± ¡°They don¡¯t seem like ordinary ones!¡± ¡°Everyone, get ready for combat!¡± ¡°Commander, fall back!¡± The basic principle of an is to protect the healer! They quickly took their combat stances and confronted the goblins¡­! [Keruk?] Fighting¡­ [Keruk, keruk?] ¡°¡­.Huh?¡± But the goblins didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of fighting. [Keruk, keruk?] ¡°¡­.Hmm?¡± The black goblins were tilting their heads, wondering why they were so angry, while the members stood awkwardly, holding their weapons. ¡°Ahem.¡± Assistant Lim intervened with a dry cough. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Commander? As I mentioned earlier, these creatures are the ones I summoned.¡± ¡°¡­.Ah.¡± Only then did the situation become clear to the members. Looking around, among the scavengers, they were already staring at them with blank expressions, as if they had already discussed it. In the end, the members were the only ones who were surprised and made a fuss. ¡°Well, um, yes, that¡¯s right, sir.¡± ¡°The numbers¡­are quite a lot.¡± ¡°One or two, seven in total.¡± ¡°Yes, twice as many as the missing scavengers.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± At Assistant Lim¡¯s words, the attack squad members ended up with embarrassed expressions, avoiding eye contact. In response to their reaction, Assistant Lim raised his thumb towards Suho, smirking. Suho also chuckled as he watched the scene. As these seven shadow goblins had already been extracted in advance during the daily quest, there was no need to bother picking up their bodies again. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go in.¡± As Suho moved forward, the shadow goblins followed closely behind him. Suho passed by the that was still standing in place and muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t fall behind for no reason.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± *** And so, they entered the Seoul Station field in earnest. The inside of Seoul Station, where the corruption had already subsided, was filled with darkness due to the power being cut off, and the walls and floors were covered with unknown moss and ivy. ¡°Be careful of slipping underfoot.¡± The leader of the , who was walking ahead, gestured to his comrades. ¡°Secure the line of sight.¡± Swiftly. Fireballs rose up simultaneously from the hands of the magic hunter squad, circling around to illuminate the surroundings. Thanks to them, the hazy blue fog that had been hanging lightly in the field of vision became visible. At the same time, the identity of the monsters that had been hiding in the darkness was revealed. ¡°Shaaak!¡± Thorny lizards crawling all around along the walls and ceilings! ¡°Everyone, battle stance!¡± At the command of the attack squad leader, the hunters rushed out and began to use their skills. And the leader, who had been protected by the hunters as the healer at the rear, turned to look at the retrieval team. There was still some embarrassment lingering on his expression from earlier. ¡°Then, retrieval team¡­ Please follow along carefully and start the operation. Collecting the bodies of thorny lizards can fetch some money.¡± ¡°Not bad for a demon.¡± Suho clicked his tongue in disappointment. It seemed that the cursed random box had no other meaning to him other than providing him with a sword that he could use as a dual wielder. Still, it was worth coming here with Lim. ¡°It¡¯s my first time watching other hunters in battle.¡± Suho transferred the bodies of the lizards to the cart and watched the battle intermittently with his eyes. The way several hunters worked together, combining their different abilities and skills, was definitely interesting to watch. ¡°So this is how the fights. It¡¯s helpful.¡± In order to efficiently handle seven shadow soldiers or more, it was necessary to learn group combat like this when the opportunity arose. So far, due to the circumstances, only the same type of monsters had been extracted and used, but in the future, Suho wanted to strategically fight while simultaneously dealing with various types of monsters. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we to have various types of monster corpses prepared in advance and stored in the Shadow Dungeon,¡± Suho explained. ¡°That¡¯s what the retrieval team is for, right?¡± That was the reason Suho readily accepted Professor Lim¡¯s proposal in the first place. Being a corpse retriever was an excellent job for obtaining monster corpses. Moreover, from Suho¡¯s perspective, being a corpse retriever was not at all difficult. ¡°Pick them up.¡± [Chomp!] ¡°Load them onto the cart.¡± [Grind!] The shadow goblins moved diligently at Suho¡¯s command, collecting the dead lizards. Meanwhile, Suho leisurely followed along as if taking a stroll. In the meantime, Ver sneakily pocketed one or two dead lizards into the Shadow Dungeon. It didn¡¯t matter even if a few lizards disappeared as there were too many of them. Wagjak, wagjak. Of course, some lizards disappeared as snacks for Ver along the way. However, a problem arose. Suho was too good at his job. The basic task of a corpse retriever was simply to pick up monster corpses and load them onto the cart. However, if it was a large monster, it was necessary to chop it up with a saw or a knife and then load it in pieces, which was actually the most difficult and time-consuming task. It was not an easy task to cut through the tough skin and bones of a monster with the strength of E-rank hunters. But for the goblin squad leaders and commanders made up of shadow soldiers, it was nothing. [Chomp, chomp!] Thanks to their efforts, the retrieval team¡¯s work speed eventually surpassed the hunting speed of the As a result, the corpse retrievers had nothing to do and could only watch the hunting come to an end. ¡°Hooahm.¡± ¡°Groan.¡± The attack squad, who was hunting, grimaced as they watched Professor Lim yawning and slumping from behind. If only he had not told them not to fall behind, this embarrassing situation would not have happened. That¡¯s when it happened. ¡°Wait. Cease fire.¡± Suddenly, the leader of the stopped hunting and strode towards the retrieval team with a stern expression. At the end of his gaze stood Suho. ¡°What, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°What kind of trouble is he trying to start again?¡± The expressions of the corpse retrievers became serious at the sharp momentum of the leader. Thump. The leader finally arrived in front of Suho. ¡°Hey, you.¡± He stared hard at Suho¡¯s face and opened his tightly closed mouth. ¡°Do you have any intention of joining our assault ?¡± [Hehe.] Upon hearing those words, Berga nodded proudly from behind. [Indeed, our exceptional talent shines wherever and whenever. This guy has a good eye¡­.] ¡°Become our exclusive retriever!¡± [What, that vulture?] ¡°With your innate talent as a retriever¡­ Your salary will be the highest in the retrieval industry¡­.¡± Beru¡¯s eyes flashed with greed, and Instructor Lim barely managed to restrain him from killing that vulture. CH 23 solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 23 ¡°Captain!¡± There was an urgent voice calling the assault squad captain from the front. ¡°We found a human corpse!¡± ¡°A corpse?¡± The assault squad captain, who was talking with Suho, quickly turned back to the hunters. And he discovered the corpse and widened his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s a real corpse?¡± ¡°But this¡­ It doesn¡¯t seem like an ordinary corpse.¡± The hunters¡¯ expressions became serious. The condition of the corpse was definitely strange. A corpse burnt black like charcoal all over. In none other than the Seoul Station field, there could only be an unnatural corpse. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of monsters using fire in Seoul Station¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying.¡± Just then, Suho also approached with the retrievers to see the condition of the corpse. ¡°Hmm?¡± A thought crossed Suho¡¯s mind as he looked at the corpse. The condition of the corpse was very familiar to him. Suddenly, Suho turned his head to look at Instructor Lim, and Instructor Lim also had a serious expression on his face, as if he had the same thought. ¡°Suho, could this corpse be¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. It seems to be a Mist Burn.¡± Suho nodded confidently. If his words were heard, all the hunters in the assault squad turned their gaze towards Suho at the same time. ¡°Mist Burn?¡± ¡°The monster that burns blue fog?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Unless it was a large guild, not all hunters knew about the types of monsters. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± Suho had searched for information about Mist Burns on the internet after experiencing the incident in Korea. And he had found one surprising fact. Mist Burns¡­ were not ordinary monsters. No, they weren¡¯t even monsters to begin with. Suho calmly recited the information he had read at that time. ¡°Mist Burn. A phenomenon in which the body spontaneously ignites when a non-awakened person inhales a certain amount of blue fog.¡± ¡°What, what?!¡± ¡°Are you saying Mist Burns were originally human?¡± Among the hunters with short careers, there were some who didn¡¯t know this fact. It was understandable, as the truth about Mist Burns had only recently been revealed by the Hunter Association. It was well known that Mist Beasts attacked humans to increase their numbers through fission. However, there was no known way to confirm how the first Mist Beast was created. Then suddenly, one hunter realized something and muttered to himself. ¡°Wait. If Mist Beasts are really created like that, then how did the rumor of awakening by drinking the blue mist come about?¡± ¡°Of course, it must be a false rumor. Or maybe it¡¯s outdated information about Mist Beasts.¡± -The rumor of awakening by drinking the blue mist. This rumor had been circulating on the internet like an urban legend for over a year. But so far, no one had come forward to prove the truth of the rumor. ¡°¡­Because everyone who tried to drink it probably burned to death.¡± Anyway, that wasn¡¯t important right now. ¡°Then how did these corpses¡­ end up here?¡± That¡¯s what the hunters were curious about. They were currently in the underground fourth floor of Seoul Station. It was impossible for a non-awakened person to come down here alone, piercing through the lizards. But it was also strange to think that someone became a Mist Beast on the first floor and walked down here on their own. It was absurd to think that they would come down here, where only monsters boiled, just to burn the living people outside. ¡°Captain! We found more over here!¡± Then, a new corpse was discovered not far away. The condition of the corpse was the same as the first one. It was the remains of a charred Mist Beast. ¡°There are more over here too!¡± After that, the hunters found several more corpses. The expression on the captain¡¯s face became increasingly serious as more corpses were found. ¡°¡­Something¡¯s not right.¡± As someone responsible for the safety of the hunters, it was difficult to ignore such strange phenomena. But it was also too risky to just stop hunting with just a few corpses found. Moreover, with this many people gathered, they could easily deal with dozens of Mist Beasts if they appeared. ¡°For now¡­ let¡¯s keep hunting.¡± So the hunting resumed. ¡°Suho.¡± Im Cho-gyo approached Suho with an uneasy expression. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you in advance this time.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°If it gets dangerous, should I be the first one to run?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± [Huh, what¡¯s with this upfront coward?] It was well known that the mistborns attacked humans to increase their numbers through their offspring. However, there was no way to confirm how the original mistborns were created. Then suddenly, one hunter realized something and muttered. ¡°Wait. If mistborns really come into existence like that, then how did the rumor that drinking blue mist can awaken powers spread?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obviously a false rumor. Or maybe it¡¯s outdated information about mistborns.¡± -The rumor that drinking blue mist can awaken powers. This rumor had been circulating on the internet like an urban legend for over a year now. But so far, no one had been able to confirm the truth behind the rumor. ¡°¡­Maybe because anyone who tried drinking it as an experiment ended up burning to death.¡± Anyway, that wasn¡¯t important right now. ¡°Then how did these corpses¡­ How did they end up coming down here?¡± That¡¯s what the hunters were curious about. They were currently on the 4th basement floor of Seoul Station. It was impossible for a Mistborn to have come down here alone, piercing through the lizard-like creatures. But it was also strange to think that they became mistborn on the 1st floor and walked down here on their own. If they wanted to go outside to burn only the living people, they could have gone outside, but it was highly unlikely for them to come down to this boiling place where only monsters were. ¡°Captain! We found another one here!¡± Then, not far away, another corpse was discovered. The condition of the corpse was the same as before. The remains of a charred mistborn. ¡°There¡¯s one over here too!¡± After that, the hunters found several more corpses. The expression on the captain¡¯s face became increasingly serious. ¡°¡­Something is strange.¡± As someone responsible for the hunters¡¯ safety, it was difficult to just ignore this strange phenomenon. But it was also too risky to simply stop the hunt because of just a few corpses. Even if there were dozens of mistborns appearing, they could still handle it with the number of people they had gathered. ¡°Let¡¯s continue the hunt for now.¡± So the hunt resumed. ¡°Suhoya.¡± Im Jo-gyo approached Suhoya with an anxious expression. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you beforehand this time.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If it seems dangerous, I¡¯ll run away first, okay?¡± ¡°¡­?¡± [Heh, what kind of cowardly person is this again?] Behind them, the remaining survivors were still sobbing and begging for their lives. Pure fear. Desperate madness. It was incomprehensible. Why did they have to end up like this here¡­ ¡°Hey, how can we increase our firepower?¡± ¡°We¡¯re running low on fuel.¡± ¡°Ugh, fuel is always the issue. How can¡¯t we find more?¡± ¡°Because the hyenas caught all of them this time¡­¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t this just great.¡± The crow-masked figures grumbled nonchalantly. Meanwhile, the screams that seemed like they would never end suddenly cut off. And in their place, tied up in the spot¡­ [Kraaaa!] Mistborn. The monstrous blue smoke creature, made from the charred remains of a black bird, roared ferociously. ¡°Ah, there you are. Nice to see you too,¡± said the crow-masked figures, casually shaking hands and donning thick gloves on both hands. ¡°Well, let¡¯s get to work then, before the firewood goes out.¡± ¡°What should we do with the used ones?¡± At that moment, one of the crow-masked figures in the corner raised their hand and spoke. Beside them, the remains of Mistborn lay piled up, the fire extinguished. ¡°Oh, right. Since we¡¯ll be working among ourselves, just throw them far away and come back.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t throw them nearby, you know that, right?¡± ¡°Of course. Got it.¡± The crow-masked figure loaded the remains of Mistborn one by one into a cart. Then, dragging the cart, they went outside and grumbled. ¡°Ugh, such a hassle. Where should I throw them this time? I¡¯d rather just pile them up near the factory.¡± ¡°Oh, so you want to get caught here? Throw them as far away as possible and come back!¡± ¡°Fine, I got it.¡± With a shrug of their shoulders, the crow-masked figure disappeared into the darkness, dragging the cart with a creaking sound. ¡°The ones who have come for fuel have found it on their own,¡± said the Crow Mask, raising its hand from the corner. Beside it, the remains of Mist Burn, now extinguished, were piled up. ¡°Oh, right. Since we¡¯re working together, let¡¯s dispose of it far away and come back,¡± said the Crow Mask. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°You know it can¡¯t be disposed of nearby, right?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll take care of it.¡± The Crow Mask loaded the remains of Mist Burn one by one into a sack. Then, dragging the sack, it muttered as it left, ¡°Ugh, so troublesome. Where should I dispose of it this time? I¡¯d rather just pile it up near the factory.¡± ¡°Hey, what if someone finds the location here? Dispose of it as far away as possible and come back!¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± With a shrug, the Crow Mask disappeared into the darkness, dragging the sack. In that moment, Beruga¡¯s sensory tentacles twitched. Then, it turned its head to look in the direction where the darkness of the subway tunnel stretched out. [My liege.] ¡°I felt it too.¡± Beruga also had heightened sensory stats, it seemed. [Information] Sensory: A stat that enhances the senses. Increases crisis detection ability. In the dark tunnel that stretched out along the subway tracks. A faint, ominous energy could be felt. ¡®It¡¯s giving me chills.¡¯ Even without looking, Beruga knew. At the end, there was undoubtedly a powerful presence lurking. The first thought that came to mind was the existence of a boss. However, Seoul Station Field had already been around for a year, an old dungeon that had been around for quite some time. That meant that lucrative monsters like boss mobs had already been wiped out by other hunters and were no longer present. As a result, the only creatures left here were the numerous and highly reproductive lizards. ¡®If it¡¯s not a boss, then what could this energy be?¡¯ Beru observed the assault team hunters who were hunting down the lizards. ¡®Did no one else notice this blatant hostility? Like this, out in the open?¡¯ And that hostility was directed towards the assault team hunters who were making a commotion. As if¡­ an eagle watching its prey from high up in the distant sky. And the hunter¡¯s target was none other than the assault team hunters. ¡°And the fuel has come to me on its own.¡± Suddenly, a murmuring voice in the darkness. ¡°Hwaak!¡± ¡°¡­!¡± At that moment, Suho and Verge opened their eyes wide and shouted simultaneously. ¡°Watch out!¡± [Enemy!] Kwaang-! ¡°¡­¡± At that moment, an explosion occurred. And something wearing a black robe appeared there. A man with a crow mask. But no one thought of him as a human. Because the monstrous arm swollen abnormally outside the black robe was protruding. ¡°It¡¯s a humanoid demon!¡± At the shout of the commander, the hunters quickly adjusted their formation. ¡°Oh, trying to avoid this?¡± The man with the crow mask slowly stood up and lifted the fist that was stuck in the tunnel floor. ¡°Not bad.¡± Whack. From his eerie-looking hand, a piece of cement shattered. And¡­ Whoosh. In an instant, his figure disappeared from everyone¡¯s sight. ¡°¡­¡± The surprised gaze of the hunters searched for him busily. But it was already too late. ¡°Starting with the troublesome healer.¡± Splaack-! The enormous fist that suddenly appeared from behind aimed at the exposed back of the commander. The commander¡¯s eyes widened in realization one step too late. And¡­ Flash-! ¡°¡­¡± At that moment, the eyes of the man with the crow mask widened in surprise. Someone had jumped in front of him and blocked the attack. Splat! Black blood spurted out like a fountain. ¡°Huh.¡± Suho, who had blocked his fist with the ¡®Horn of Volcan¡¯, looked at him with a vigilant gaze from under the spattering blood. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± The corners of the crow-masked man¡¯s mouth twisted into a sinister smile.