Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 11-20

Chapter 11

 

Suho’s eyes wandered around.

The miners were frozen in fear.

They were the same smiley, chatty, and hardworking people earlier today.

That man was the man who handed him water, saying that he must have been having a lot of trouble.

And that man was also the one who demonstrated how to pickaxe.

“You want me to leave these people and run alone?”

[Young Master, I don’t care about the lives of those humans. I have a mission.]

Beru said firmly.

The life of Suho, the son of the Shadow Monarch, was more precious to Beru than the lives of anyone on Earth.

Even if all the humans in this place died, it was Beru’s mission to keep Suho alive and return.

“I’m not just saying this out of a sense of justice.”

Suho glanced around.

“All passageways are blocked anyway.”

Grrrrr.

Before they knew it, numerous wolves were camped in the passage leading out of the dungeon.

In order to escape from this place, there was no choice but to defeat the enemy.

“Also… it doesn’t seem like there’s any other way.”

Suho smiled faintly as he saw Kim Yongjun leading countless wolves.

Seeing this, Beru suddenly felt strange.

Looking at Suho, who he thought was weak, the appearance of Sung Jinwoo from a long time ago overlapped.

* * *

The ‘ghost’ of the Beast Monarch was feeling a sense of exaltation.

When he woke up from a long sleep, his master was nowhere to be seen and he was surrounded by insignificant humans.

‘That’s funny. They’re like weak worms.’

Even though I only shed a little bit of my energy, they were already shaking with fear.

‘Ah, just how weak are they?’

They must be killed then.

In this world, the weak get eaten and the strong take everything.

Drool.

Kim Yongjun’s body was dominated by hunger. He licked his lips looking at the small creatures.

“You weak bugs, you guys don’t deserve to live. It would be much more useful if you die and become wolf food.”

At that moment, Kim Yongjun’s hand moved by itself.

Then, he swung the sword at the humans.

“Die.”

Slash!

But it didn’t go as planned.

Suddenly, a shadow goblin jumped in between and got cut instead.

[Krrrrk!]

Its body was split in half and then flashed a wronged expression on its face.

It was as if it wasn’t sacrificing on its own will.

“…What’s with you little ones?”

The ghost looked at the goblins blocking his way with a puzzled expression.

[Krrrrrrk!]

The ghost thought that those little guys seemed to have lost their fears looking at how they attacked him.

“Your kind are the ones who don’t know the strong. Well, it’s only natural to see such a survival instinct seeing the Beast Monarch.”

Slash!

He swung his sword mercilessly and cut down the goblins again.

But what is this?

The bodies of the fallen goblins were instantly healed and they stood up again.

[Krrrk!]

“Huh?”

The useless attack made the ghost look annoyed.

The wolves under his command rushed at the same time and tore the goblins’ bodies again without mercy.

He stopped paying attention to them and looked back at the humans.

The miners were running.

“Funny. Are those buggy-like insignificant creatures struggling to survive?”

Unfortunately, however, the direction they were heading was not the way out, but a passage deeper into the dungeon.

“Go after them.”

“Grrrrrr!”

At his command, numerous wolves ran after them.

The ghost looked in the opposite direction.

It was outside the dungeon, where there was a gate to Earth.

‘What is that place?’

There could be countless lives out there.

Each one of them was weak, but because of that, his appetite grew even more.

‘The weak should be eaten.’

The ghost looked down at his own body.

A hunter named Kim Yongjun.

The human’s body was already dead, but from now on it would become his own body and be used for his own advantage.

Alas, what an honor for this lowly fellow!

‘I will eat your fill. I will personally eat all the creatures in that world beyond.’

The ghost’s eyes glowed greedily.

He walked slowly, dragging a number of wolves with him.

But that was then.

Swoosh-!

“Ah.”

A stone axe suddenly flew past the back of his head.

Sensing the presence, the ghost shook his sword with a disapproving expression and brushed off the attack.

“Such a pity! I almost hit him!”

“…Almost?”

The ghost looked at the human who threw the stone axe with a puzzled expression.

Right then, another stone axe flew from Suho’s hand.

“Is this a struggle of the weak?”

Grab.

The ghost raised his sword again and deflected the attack.

When he blocked it, another came flying again.

Swoosh!

“No.”

Bounced off again.

Then it flew again.

“Hey.”

Bounced off again.

Then again…

“How many axes do you have?!”

In the end, the ghost couldn’t stand it and burst into anger.

Meanwhile, axes came flying again.

“Kill him first!”

Growl!

The wolves, who were about to leave the gate at the command of the ghost, turned around at the same time and started chasing after Suho.

[Young Master! Now you have to run!]

“Okay, let’s hide!”

“Stay there, you bastard!”

Growl! Awoooh!

Suho escaped the wolves and hid in the cave again.

However, there were too many wolves chasing them, and the speed was so fast that they were surrounded in an instant.

“Tsk. In the end, small things end up being eaten like this.”

The ghost laughed at Suho and ordered his death.

“Kill him. Tear that bastard limb from limb and chew to the bone.”

Grrrrr!

The wolves attacked Suho all at once.

At that moment, Suho smiled and inserted the key into his shadow.

Clack!

[Do you want to enter the Shadow Dungeon?]

(Y/N)

“Yes!”

[Entering the Shadow Dungeon.]

Swoosh!

At that moment, Suho’s shadow engulfed him.

Whiff!

“Huh?”

The ghost looked around in bewilderment.

Right in front of his eyes, the prey had disappeared without a trace.

“What? Where the hell did he hide? Find him!”

At those words, the wolves sniffed and began tracking Suho’s scent.

“Krrrrrk?”

Of course, he couldn’t find him.

“W-What was that? How can he hide without leaving even a bit of his scent?”

The ghost dragged the wolves around to find Suho’s whereabouts.

Peek.

At the spot where Suho had disappeared, Beru peeked out and looked around.

He took advantage of that moment and whispered to the shadow.

[… You can come out now.]

Swoosh!

[Exited from the Shadow Dungeon.]

Suho appeared from the shadows again.

And as soon as he came out, he threw a stone axe at the back of the ghost’s head.

“W-What?!”

The ghost looked back in surprise.

Swoosh – Ting!

He managed to deflect the stone axe and his face stiffened when he saw Suho who suddenly appeared.

“There you are, man! You must be hiding somew… !”

Swoosh!

“Ah-oh! Stop throwing those!”

The ghost lost his composure at Suho’s throwing a stone axe whenever he had a chance.

“Kill him! Kill him!”

Growl!

The chase started again like that.

However, when Suho was surrounded by them, he immediately hid in the shadow dungeon.

Whiff!

“Where did you go again, bastard?!”

The ghost was enraged.

Right then, a stone axe flew into the back of his head.

Swoosh-!

“I’m telling you, that won’t work!”

* * *

Meanwhile, the miners who watched Suho from a distance were at a loss for words.

“How did he…”

“What kind of skill is that…?”

They knew that Suho was an E-Class hunter.

They were also well aware of the fact that the E-Class was of no use in combat.

But, what was happening didn’t make sense.

“I don’t know anymore if he’s weak or strong…”

“Something is strange, but…”

“How can he fight so well?”

“But, isn’t this for the better in the first place?”

At least one thing was clear.

Suho’s skill was very specialized in mocking enemies.

Besides, it wasn’t just skill.

That image of him provoking without being intimidated at all against the existence that exudes fierce energy…

“It may not be a skill, but it’s good to have innate guts.”

“Or maybe he just has a bad personality…”

In a desperate situation like now, Suho was the only hope.

“By the way, wasn’t that new recruit a summoning hunter?”

“Ah, yes. Even up until now, he hasn’t used any summoning skills.”

“You saw it earlier. The summoners disappeared at once.”

“This is why the summoning skill isn’t good…”

“If only it was a combat skill rather than a summoning skill…”

The miners who saw Suho’s skill firsthand burst into sighs of pity.

He has a fighting sense.

Just like what happened in the art museum just a few days ago.

Suho had a natural sense as a hunter.

Even if they had awakened high abilities, there were one or two hunters who died in battle because they did not have that sense of battle.

They pitied Suho.

If only he wasn’t a summoning hunter…

‘He would have been a really great hunter.’

Beru, who was listening to their conversation from afar, burst into anger.

[Keeek! They’re treating shadow powers like this!]

But it wasn’t the time yet.

At the current level of Suho, the shadow soldiers would not be able to demonstrate their abilities properly.

In addition, Suho’s remarkably low mana was also a problem.

The true capability of the shadow soldiers was to be an immortal army that resurrects endlessly.

However, that was only possible when Suho’s mana could sustain it.

Due to the previous battle, Suho’s mana was almost exhausted.

And because of that, the shadow goblins who worked hard today with a pickaxe had already disappeared.

[But.]

Beru’s eyes shone brightly.

At the same time, Suho smiled and muttered.

“Creating a shadow soldier itself does not cost any mana.”

It was then.

Among the many wolves that followed the ghost that was chasing after Suho, he felt a suspicious presence.

[Shadow Wolf Lv.1]

Basic Class

[Shadow Wolf Lv.1]

Basic Class

[Shadow Wolf Lv.1]

Basic Class

Their identities were none other than Suho’s new soldiers wearing wolf skins that the collectors took care of.

[Clack!]

“What?!”

The shadow wolves gnawed at the ghost’s leg while he was busy trying to hit the flying stone axe.

The startled ghost cut them down with his sword.

As the wolf’s skin was cut, it revealed the shadow wolves hazing with black energy.

[Grooowl!]

“How dare you, insignificant bastards?!”

The specter, who was extremely enraged, swung his sword and slashed the shadow wolves to pieces in an instant.

They could never be resurrected again with the exhausted mana of Suho.

But…

“Checkmate.”

Suddenly, Suho, who had come close to the ghost, mercilessly struck down the stone axe in both of his hands.

Slash.

Chapter 12

“Acckkkk!”

The ghost looked down at his body in disbelief.

Two axes were stuck in his chest.

“This is why a weak human body…”

Thud.

The body of Kim Yongjun fell backward.

[Number of enemies to be defeated: 0]

[Number of enemies killed: 1]

The quest is over.

[You have completed ‘Urgent Quest: Defeat the Enemy’.]

[Your level increased!]

Phew!

Suho’s exhausted strength quickly returned to its optimal condition.

However, Suho was not vigilant.

He killed Kim Yongjun, but it was the sword he was holding that controlled his body.

‘Ruler’s Power!’

Slash!

A stone axe fell from the air and cut off the arm of Kim Yongjun, who was holding the ‘sword’.

[Great! This sword is the main thing!]

Beru flew over and lifted up the sword that Kim Yongjun was holding

At that moment, a piercing voice echoed in Beru’s head.

-Who dares covet the sword of the Monarch!

[Young Master, can I eat this sword?]

–W-Wait a second. Won’t we settle it through a nice conversation?–

The voice of the sword suddenly became friendly.

Beru’s expression as he looked at it and licked his lips was so genuine.

Meanwhile, Suho was not in a situation where he could answer Beru’s words.

Growl!

The ghost was taken care of. However, with his previous order, the wolves were attacking Suho all at once.

Suho regained his strength and mana because of the level up and as all of his stats went up by 1, his movements were improved compared to before.

Slash! Slaaash!

[You have killed a Steel-Tooth Lycan.]

[You have killed a Steel-Tooth Lycan.]

Suho shouted at Beru as he killed the attacking wolves one by one.

“This weapon is too short! Can I use that sword?”

–Who dares cov…–

[Of course, it is possible! It is absolutely impossible for a ghost-like this to corrupt the mind of Young Master!]

“Okay!”

Suho took the sword from Beru.

[‘Item: Rakan’s Fang’ has been obtained.]

As if waiting for that moment, the ghost of the sword roared ferociously.

–Who dares covet the sword of the Monarch! I will devour your body!–

Swoosh!

Red energy radiated from the sword and attacked Suho.

Then, a shadow rose from under Suho’s feet and engulfed the sword.

–W-What is this energy?–

The disconcerted ghost’s voice grew smaller and smaller.

–This can’t be the Shadow Monarch…!–

The ghost couldn’t believe it.

He got the sword of the Beast Monarch.

It wasn’t just a normal sword, it was an alter ego created by the Monarch.

It was absurd that there was a human being who inherited that great power.

Even more so, doesn’t this human look weak at a glance?

[Heh. No matter how weak Young Master is, there’s no way he’ll be overpowered by something insignificant!]

–- What, what! Insignificant…?!–

“Oh, so noisy.”

Suho ignored the ghost’s screams and swung his sword at the wolves.

Slash!

The wolves were cut by the sword.

Its sturdiness is on a whole different level than pickaxes and stone axes that were shattered by their steel teeth!

“Still, the weapon is good.”

– Of course, it’s good! Do you know whose sword it is?–

In the midst of this, the ghost still showed pride.

Suho was still surrounded but he had a little more time to spare, and immediately checked the reward.

‘Come out with anything that helps! The stats are good too!’

[The completion reward has arrived.]

[Do you want to check the reward?]

(Y/N)

‘Yes!’

[The following reward is prepared.]

Reward. ‘Runestone: Blade Storm’

‘It’s a skill!’

It was the best reward.

Suho immediately checked the reward.

[Runestone: Blade Storm]

Breaking the runestone absorbs the skill.

Ting!

[You have acquired ‘Skill: Blade Storm’.]

When the runes were broken, the power of the storm came throughout Suho’s body.

Whoooo!

“This is…?”

Suho instinctively realized.

How to use this skill?

How should the skill be used?

The situation was urgent, so Suho used the skill right away.

“Ha!”

[‘Skill: Blade Storm’ is used.]

Whooosh!

At that moment, a fierce wind blew from the sword held by Suho.

The blade storm attacked the wolves in front of Suho at the same time.

“Slash! Slash!”

[You have killed a Steel-Tooth Lycan.]

[You have killed a Steel-Tooth Lycan.]

[You have killed a Steel-Tooth Lycan.]

…

Multiple messages appeared.

“Wow.”

Suho was amazed.

More than ten wolves died at the same time.

The wolves who barely survived the tremendous destructive force were frightened and started to run away.

Suho had no intention of chasing them anymore.

It was because the mana used for this skill had run out.

[Skill: Blade Storm Lv.1]

Active skill.

Requires 50 mana.

The power of the raging wind dwells in the sword.

Can attack multiple enemies simultaneously.

It required an enormous amount of mana.

But the effect was just as great.

Suho was looking at the Skills window.

That sight made Beru speechless.

[Are you amazed by that skill? Shadow power is thousands or tens of thousands of times greater than that!]

–What are you talking about?! That power came out because of a great sword and not a skill!–

The ghost of the sword was no less proud than Beru.

“Both of you, be quiet. It’s a historic moment that I finally got my attack skills.”

[No-!]

–No, I am more…!–

Suho ignored the two quarreling with each other and went back to the miners who were hiding far away.

“Are you okay?”

“N-Newbie, you…”

The miners were astonished at the skill they saw right in front of them.

It’s a skill that causes a storm.

“If you had such a skill, why haven’t you been using it…?

‘Ah.’

At the reaction of the men, Suho put on an embarrassed expression.

They most likely wouldn’t believe it if he told them that he acquired a new skill during the battle.

“If I use it even once, I will run out of mana. That’s why I saved it until the last minute.”

“Ohh.”

They admired him even more because of those words.

Suho just awakened as a hunter a few days ago.

It was also his first time inside a dungeon.

But, he planned to use his greatest card at the very end.

He seemed like an experienced hunter who went into dungeons hundreds of times.

‘No way. If that was the case, was his mana level even thoroughly measured.’

‘Even that running away and hiding plans…?’

“Just…how big was the picture you were drawing?”

“What?”

“Haha. Nothing, nothing. You don’t really have to tell me.”

“We asked you something we shouldn’t have.”

“Anyway, thank you for saving us. If it weren’t for you, we really wouldn’t have seen the sun tomorrow.”

The miners let out a sigh of relief, wondering if they could finally feel the fact that they were alive.

* * *

It was that evening that the accident at the Korea University dungeon became known.

“What? The raiders have been wiped out?”

“Only in a D-Class dungeon?”

“Wasn’t the leader of the hunters who entered there C-class?”

“What the hell happened?”

Reporters rushed to Korea University to find out the truth of the incident.

However, the miners who managed to survive there had long since left.

“Haha. We will let you know.”

Of course, Professor Lim was still working in the assistant office.

Thanks to his escaping skill, it was once again put to good use.

He looked in good condition without a single wound.

‘Great. This is my chance to pay off my debt to Suho.’

Assistant Professor Lim told reporters everything he knew about the incident in the dungeon.

In particular, more details about Suho’s performance.

It was up to the reporters to believe or not believe.

“What? An E-Class hunter?”

“And a summoning hunter? Does that make sense?”

“We heard that one C-Class hunter died in this situation, how can such a low-level hunter…”

“Wait! What’s wrong with being an E-Class hunter, or even a summoning hunter?! Are you looking down on us?!”

Assistant Professor Lim was furious at the reporters’ reactions.

“I’m going to write down all of your comments and post them to the E-class hunter community!”

“Eyyy. Why are you so angry?”

“Alright, alright. Calm down.”

In response to Assistant Professor Lim’s reaction, the reporters began to appease him while having cold sweats.

The E-Class hunter community was a tricky thing for reporters.

“There are really a lot of comments. There are no areas where E-Class hunters weren’t mentioned.

As a result, the community was a place where trivial information came and went, and they got hated just once, it would be quite too much to handle for reporters.

“Hmm. Anyway, that hunter named Sung Suho played the biggest role, right?”

“He used the summoned creatures to divert the attention and cut off the arm of the hunter who became a ghost.”

To sum it up, it was an extremely summoning hunter-like battle method.

It did seem that what happened was too good for a summoning hunter, but the reporters perceived it as a favoritism of Assistant Professor Lim, who defended his art student.

“Well, whatever. We have secured content for the article anyway.”

The content was that an E-Class hunter used his wits to solve the case, but people’s reactions were outrageous.

-Summoning skill? Plus, an E-Class hunter?

-Worst of the worst.

-Are they making a summoning hunter go viral?

-Do the reporters have nothing to write about these days?

-Anyway, that E-Class hunter is a summoning hunter, too. But, didn’t he save students there a few days ago?

– Looks like he used that skill back then, too.

-Ah, he’s now called the Viral Summoning Hunter~

And some of the guilds who saw the article showed interest in Suho.

“Are E-Class good enough?”

“Even if the journalists exaggerate a little bit, there is still a lot beyond expectation among the E-Class.”

“Isn’t it about time to select some of our porters?”

“Besides that, the collector team asked for more staff.”

“Good. These days, E-Class hunters are all taken from here and there, so there aren’t many freelancers to ask.”

“We also have to hire a few E-Class hunters as full-time workers.”

“A full-time job? Hmm. Am I too old-fashioned? Still, E-class hunters seem to be perfect for contract jobs or day jobs. Anyway, young guys these days.”

“Hmm. Anyway, I will send a scouting offer to this hunter named Sung Suho.”

“Alright then. How happy would he be if we called? He’s a lucky one.”

With that, the Hyunmoo Guild, a fairly large guild in Korea, offered a full-time job to Sung Suho.

‘What a great opportunity for a newbie who just awakened. Other E-Class hunters might be envious if they knew.’

* * *

After some time.

“What?”

Manager Lee Yeongho of the Hyunmu Guild’s 2nd Management Division doubted his ears.

“He said no? To our offer?”

“Yes…”

“Does that make sense? An E-Class newbie rejecting Hyunmoo’s offer? No way! Did Baekho got him first?”

“Maybe.”

“Hmm. Right, the Baekho guys can do that. But, isn’t it too much if they offered something higher than ours to an E-Class hunter? Do they have money rotting somewhere?”

Manager Lee Youngho can only curse at the clueless Baekho Guild.

Chapter 13

 

Meanwhile…

[You have killed a Steel-Tooth Lycan.]

[You have killed a Steel-Tooth Lycan.]

…

Right after Suho acquired the sword of the Monarch, he continued to hunt wolves and move forward in order to clear the way out of the dungeon.

Since the raiders were wiped out, there was only one hunter who could fight.

Suho kept swinging his sword while protecting those who were carefully following him.

[Your level increased!]

He leveled up again.

“Hey… Aren’t you tired?”

“Yeah. I think I’m still fine.”

“Wow.”

The miners were amazed beyond admiration at Suho’s ability to wield the sword without rest.

In the eyes of those who did not know that strength is restored when you level up, Suho was seen as a huge monster with infinite power.

‘I mean, how couldn’t he be? He’s just a human like us.’

‘Don’t tell me he also has great mental fortitude?’

‘Tsk. It’s clear that he’s not showing any signs of distress because he’s afraid we’ll worry.’

They remembered that Suho was a young hero who had rescued people until he fainted in this very art museum just a few days ago.

But this time, they are in a situation where they are being protected.

‘How can the same E-Class hunter be so different?’

‘Even how fast he levels up.’

There was really no other way to explain this other than that his mental strength and will are great, regardless of his class or ability.

Well, of course, he’s also leveling up.

[Young Master, I can see the gate.]

Beru pointed at the far end of the cave.

“W-Were saved!”

The miners, who were filled with tension and fear, were finally relieved.

Watching them run away, Suho also wiped away his sweat.

“Aren’t you going out?”

One of them turned around and called for Suho.

“Ah, no. I will stay here and bring out any remaining hunters if there are any.”

“Are you okay? You must already be at your limit…”

“I can still hold out.”

In fact, he was in a very good condition, but he had no choice but to pretend to be overdoing it due to the current situation.

[…]

He could feel Beru’s gaze from behind, but Suho pretended otherwise.

* * *

Suho, who remained in the dungeon, looked at the sword and asked.

“Take me to where you were.”

–…–

Suho pretended to pass the sword to Beru.

“Beru, would you like to just eat this?”

[Khmmm.]

–Just a moment.–

The voice answered urgently. It was because from earlier on, he kept seeing Beru picking up nearby mana stones and chewing them.

–Why do you want to go where I was?–

“If there are any survivors, I will try to save them.”

–I killed them all… No, there might be someone who is still lucky enough to survive.–

When Suho handed the sword back to Beru, the voice was quick to change its words.

–- Go left.–

Suho moved along with the guidance of the voice.

In the process, monsters continued to attack, but now there was no need to protect people, so there were no restrictions on his actions.

After a while.

Unidentified remains of people bleeding and dying appeared in front of Suho.

“Here you are.”

Suho checked people one by one.

[They are all dead.]

–What did I say… I couldn’t help it either. I have a mission to protect this sanctuary. Besides, since I’m such a good one…–

Feeling the gaze of Suho and Beru, the voice made an excuse.

At that time, information about this sword appeared in front of Suho’s eyes.

[Item : Rakan’s Fang]

Difficulty to obtain: ??

Type: Sword

Attack Power +30

A sword made from the fangs of Rakan, the king of wolves.

The ghost of Rakan dwells in it, so if someone of a lower level possesses it, the body may be taken away.

-‘Contempt for the Weak’ Effect: Puts the designated opponent into fear for 1 minute. (All stats -50%)

-‘Mortal Wound’ Effect: Inflicts more than twice as much fatal damage with a 15% chance.

Compared to the goblin’s stone axe, it was a sword with considerably higher attack power.

It could also be that the hunters here were killed abruptly due to panic as they did not expect that their colleague’s body was possessed.

[It’s a pretty good sword, but with such a petty skill. It exerts more power when dealing with those weaker than of their own level.]

–- You’re being mean! What’s wrong with the strong preying on the weak? What kind of hunter in the world would go after a prey stronger than himself?!–

Suho listened to the conversation between the two and collected the bodies of the hunters one by one.

He removed all the monster goods in the carts that the dead collectors were pulling and put the bodies in it.

Surprisingly, Suho saw black smoke rising from the corpses.

Those… were their shadows.

[Shadow Extraction is possible on this target.]

[Shadow Extraction is possible on this target.]

[Shadow Extraction is possible on this target.]

Aaaaaaa-!

Suho heard the grievous cries of the dead hunters.

[If you wish, these people can also be recruited as your soldiers, Young Master.]

“It’s okay.”

Suho listened to their screams and silently collected the corpses.

After things settled down, Beru looked around the area and then went to Suho.

[I’ve been looking around to see if there are other relics of the Fang Monarch besides this sword, but nothing special.]

“Fang Monarch?”

Suho asked.

Beru then pulled out black shadows from his hands and created small shadow puppets the size of fingernails.

The dolls stretched one by one and took on a certain shape.

[At some point in time, there used to be several other monarchs in this universe besides the shadow monarch Sung Jinwoo— your father. The beast monarch, fang monarch, insect monarch, plague monarch. All those monarchs flocked to Earth.]

Among them, one doll the size of a fingernail exudes a particularly strong energy, mercilessly cutting down the other dolls.

[The shadow monarch killed them all.]

–- Keugh. He dared to do that to my master…–

After that, ‘Rakan’s Sword’ trembled in Suho’s hand.

-– I’m angry. If only my strength had been in perfect form, I would have torn all of you to pieces and thrown away as food for the wolves. No, if I had known that you were the offspring of the Shadow Monarch. I should have been vigilant from the start.–

“What do you mean?”

Suho looked at the sword.

“You mean you’re not in your best shape now?”

–Of course. I am the strongest weapon created by Rakan, the king of beasts, with his own fangs.–

[Your attack power is only 30 to say it’s the strongest though?]

Beru laughed.

–That’s why I said it’s not perfect! My mission was to protect this sanctuary. In this sanctuary, I was able to exert almost equal strength as Rakan. But…–

“But?”

–In the end, I couldn’t protect it. A deity that loses its sanctuary loses its power.–

The ghost muttered in a somber tone.

[That is an expected result.]

Beru said.

The world that has lost its master, the ‘monarch’, is torn to pieces and wanders through dimensional rifts.

Remnants of war.

That was the dungeon.

[As the apostles of Outer Gods cracked the dimensional wall to invade Earth, it became connected to the dungeons.]

Beru’s eyes shimmered.

[Those defeated soldiers who held a grudge against this world were the ones who were killed by the Shadow Monarch. Of course, it was those guys who attacked first.]

“After all, this is the remains of a defeated world, and there is nothing we can do about it.”

[Don’t worry, Young Master. Please leave it to me.]

Beru looked at the sword greedily.

[Even a dried squid squeezes water out. I will try to tear it apart somehow.]

–Hmm. Even if you try to threaten me, you won’t get anything.–

Rakan’s sword responded firmly.

10 minutes later.

Rakan’s Sword spilled everything he knew.

* * *

A few days later.

[Young Master, what’s bothering you?]

Beru asked Suho.

[Is it because you rejected their offer?]

After coming out of the dungeon at Korea University, many things happened to Suho.

He met the Hunters Association after they received reports from miners.

When the hunters entered the dungeon, there were only monster corpses that died at the hands of Suho.

Because of this, Suho received recruitment calls from various guilds.

All of those were offers to sign contracts as collectors or porters.

“No. It’s not like that.”

Suho had no intention of accepting any offer.

Unlike other hunters, Suho improves through the level-up system.

If he was an ordinary E-Class hunter, he would have accepted an offer from a large guild even if it was a porter contract, but it was an offer that Suho could not feel the slightest attraction to.

“I was thinking of the things Rakan’s Sword told me.”

Rakan’s Sword said that the sanctuary he guarded was torn into several pieces and scattered through the dimensional rift.

As a result, his power has greatly weakened.

Even when he took Kim Yongjun’s body and he was able to command all the wolves around him, even that ability disappeared the moment he came out of the sanctuary.

It still wasn’t very successful.

In the dimensional rifts, there were more sanctuaries like this dungeon, and in them, relics like Rakan’s Sword were kept.

The ghost in the Rakan’s Sword, who gave in to Beru’s persuasion (?), eventually blew one of the sanctuary’s locations.

The problem was that they had to enter the dungeon as quickly as possible.

Rakan’s Sword said that it was impossible to guarantee that the artifacts would still be preserved intact.

Even at this very moment, it must be wandering aimlessly through the dimensional rift, gradually weakening.

“But, of all places…”

[It’s because it was a dungeon occupied by another guild.]

“That’s right. And that, of course, is the infamous Hyena Guild.”

The Hyena Guild was famous as a guild formed by former gangsters.

In the era of hunters, awakeners emerged among gangsters. And the guild they created was notorious for not hiding its nature and choosing only dirty activities.

[It could be dangerous if you get into trouble with other hunters because you’re weak, Young Master]

Beru agonized.

On that of that, the Beast Monarch’s power scattered over Earth wasn’t such a good thing.

It was clear that most humans would fall prey as soon as the practice of the law of the jungle, which is common in the world of the Beast Monarch, was applied to Earth.

However, that did not mean that Suho, who was still at a low level, should take a risk.

[Young Master, you need to level up and build up your strength first… Hmm? What are you doing?]

Suho was packing his luggage.

“Ah, preparing to enter the dungeon?”

[What about the Hyena Guild?]

Chapter 14

 

The field-type dungeon was a contaminated area that was created when the dungeon break was not completely blocked.

This mainly happened because of the uniqueness of the terrain rather than the strength of the monsters that appeared. China and Russia were the pioneers of this.

Because the land is so wide, it is difficult for the hunters to search for the monsters individually when the gate is open, so they end up being neglected.

In addition, it was difficult to find the location of the gate where the disintegration started, so it took several times longer to attack.

For a similar reason, Korea has a lot of rugged mountains instead of a narrow land, so field-type dungeons tend to appear quite often.

[Gwanaksan Field]

※ Only Hyena Guild Allowed

The entrance to Gwanaksan Mountain is thoroughly blocked from entering and leaving the area with barbed wire.

Gwanaksan Field was a field-type dungeon occupied by the Hyena Guild for a year already.

Suho was watching Gwanak Mountain from afar, covering his face with a hood and mask.

[This is the right place.]

Beru licked his lips as he was standing on top of Suho’s shoulder.

He could feel the energy of the sanctuary that Rakan’s Sword told them about.

However, even Rakan’s Sword didn’t know what was inside the sanctuary.

[We’re already here yet you still don’t know?]

-No matter how many times you ask, my answer is the same. I’m just a sword that was stuck on the floor. It is possible to detect the energy of the sanctuary, but what’s in it is not known exactly.

The Rakan’s Sword said feeling wronged.

In response, Beru chewed on the mana stone and gave it a threatening look.

[I hope that’s not a lie. Otherwise, I’ll chew you down from the tip to the handle. Very, very slowly…]

-Can you stop threatening me?

[Why so?]

-You’re scaring me.

[…]

Rakan’s Sword was straightforward.

There was no pretense, perhaps because it was a sword.

The sun was setting just in time.

Suho, who had been waiting for this moment, glanced up at the sky and his eyes lit up.

“Great. Now, let’s go inside.”

Suho pulled his hood and slowly walked towards the barbed wire.

Maybe it was because his senses stat went up, his vision was clear to some extent even in the dark. At this level, it seemed that there would be no major obstacle to fighting.

Rather, it was better because it was dark.

‘The priority is not to be caught by the Hyena Guild.’

It was illegal for an unauthorized hunter to enter a dungeon occupied by another guild.

However, he was not going to make money from someone else’s business. He was only going to quietly go in and get the relics of the Beast Monarch, so there was no problem as long as he didn’t get caught.

If the Beast Monarch’s artifact fell into the hands of an ordinary awakener, that hunter could have been taken away and turned into a Berserker, just like Rakan’s Sword.

‘Is that CCTV and barbed wire?’

Suho’s gaze looked around calmly.

It was impossible for people to guard each and every corner of the vast field-type dungeons.

The only thing guarding this place were barbed wire and CCTV cameras standing in the middle.

‘Ruler’s Power.’

Swoosh.

Suho slowly lifted the black plastic bag he had brought into the air.

Then, it moved naturally as if blown by the wind, covering the entire camera.

‘Now.’

Thud.

Suho jumped over the barbed wire in one leap.

It was the moment when the strength stats he had put up so far mattered most.

Thunk.

Landing lightly inside the field, Suho immediately searched the surroundings.

There was a thick blue mist hovering all over Gwanaksan Mountain.

In fact, it was this mist, not the barbed wire, that separated the fields.

[This blue mist is the magic of outer space. It is used to forcibly penetrate the dimensional wall and cause cracks in the world.]

-Right. Because of this mist, the sanctuary I was in also wandered through the dimensional rift and connected to Earth.

[After all, what the outer creatures want is to spread the mist all over Earth and cause a great rift. They’re trying to drill a hole big enough for their army to cross the dimension.]

“Shh.”

Suho held his breath for a moment and squinted his eyes.

‘There’s something.’

Less than a minute after he set foot on the field, there were already more and more red eyes staring at him.

[Razor-Clawed Briga]

[Razor-Clawed Briga]

[Razor-Clawed Briga]

Monster monkeys appeared one by one under the cold moonlight.

Now, Even Suho knows.

The level up system showed different colors of names above the head according to the strength of the beast.

White is relatively weak.

Orange is equal or stronger.

Red is much stronger.

And those monkeys were ‘orange’.

[We are surrounded by weak monkeys. Still, Young Master is weaker, so please be careful.]

“Your support is so annoying.”

Suho smiled faintly at Beru’s support(?) and grabbed Rakan’s Sword.

Considering the difficulty and number of them, it’s a bit risky.

‘This is enough.’

Rather, it’s good.

If he only caught easy ones, he would get less experience.

Suho blinked and moved.

Now it’s time to level up.

Monkeys started to fall from the trees.

Their blade-like long claws flew into Suho’s body trying to tear it apart.

In response, Rakan’s Sword in Suho’s hand cut through the cold night air.

Slaaash!

[You have killed a Razor-Clawed Briga.]

[You have killed a Razor-Clawed Briga.]

…

“Kiiik! Kiiiiik!”

Like that, Suho continued to move forward, trampling on the corpses of the monsters that attacked endlessly.

He had no intention of wandering aimlessly this late at night.

“Guide the way. Which way is the gate?”

-…Amazing. Are you familiar with this kind of mess?

Rakan’s Sword was genuinely surprised.

The situation was obviously the worst.

If you kill one, two will come running.

Kill two and five will fall from above your head.

Those mean monkeys climbed the trees and the darkness confused Suho.

Slash-!

There were even ones throwing rocks from the trees and giggling.

“Kyak! Kyak! Kyak!”

However, Suho showed no signs of panic at all as he ran back and forth in that hectic mess.

-Even considering that he is the Shadow Monarch’s offspring, isn’t he too skilled in combat compared to the power he possesses? What mess have you been through so far?

“Give me directions.”

Suho who smiled wryly at those words.

What was too special about it?, he thought. It was all because of a dream he had when he was a teenager.

In order to wake up from the dream, those terrible experiences where he somehow had to survive and reach the final boss were deeply engraved in his body.

If he died in the middle, he had to start all over again.

‘The tutorial was too hard.’

No matter how bad this situation was, it was heaven compared to that time.

[Khm. Kkkm. Hooot. Hoot.]

It was just that Beru, who kept shrugging his shoulders with a proud expression on his side, hated to look at him.

The tip of Rakan’s Sword in Suho’s hand moved by itself and pointed in one direction.

-For now, this way. But, the path to sanctuary will be hell. It looks like you’re quite familiar with this kind of mess. Even so, it would be hard for you to get there by yourself…

“Who said I am alone?”

-What?

Suho smiled and looked around.

Just in time, black smoke started creeping up from the corpses of the monkeys who had died miserably on the floor.

[Shadow release is possible on this target.]

[Shadow release is possible on this target.]

…

Suho stretched out his hand toward the shadows.

“Arise.”

Kiik kiik kiik-

The giggles echeod through the cool night air.

Along with them, pitch-black hands began to stretch out from the shadows of the dead monkeys on the floor.

Kwadeuk Kwadeuk!

The hands were on the ground, crawling out of the shadows and arising themselves.

[Shadow release succeeded.]

[Wookiikiik!]

[Wookikik!]

There were 5 in total.

Black monkeys oozing black steam appeared in front of Suho.

[Shadow Monkey Lv.1]

Basic Class

[Shadow Monkey Lv.1]

Basic Class

Seeing that, Beru gave a round of applause.

[Ohh. There’s 5! As much as the intellect stat has risen, the number of shadow soldiers has also increased! But compared to the tens of millions of legions of the Shadow Monarch…Ehh?]

“You’re too noisy.”

Suho caught Beru and threw it to the beasts.

[Kehehe. This much isn’t overwhelming.]

Beru spread his sharp claws as he flew.

He tore all the monsters in one move…!

Thud!

[Hmm?]

Jump.

“Kkikkikki!”

The monkeys who kicked Bere down attacked Suho again.

However, in the gap, the shadow monkeys approached from behind and thrust bladed claws into their necks.

“…Kkk.”

[You have killed a Razor-Clawed Briga.]

[You have killed a Razor-Clawed Briga.]

[Your level increased!]

Suho’s body was filled with vitality.

Shadow monkeys trampling on the other monkey corpses and giggling meanly.

‘Now that I think they’re on our side, I think they’re a bit cute.’

“Let’s keep going.”

It was like breaking up before getting to know each other.

The steeper the mountain slope, the stronger the monsters blocked the front.

[Black Shadow Razan]

[Black Shadow Razan]

Shashak!

A stealthy assassin hiding in the dark.

Red-eyed beasts resembling black panthers mercilessly bit the shadow monkeys’ necks.

[Squeak!]

The shadow monkeys died helplessly.

The difference in power was very prominent.

“Phew.”

However, Suho felt more exhilirated.

‘They are mine too.’

Swish!

At that moment, something emerged from Rakan’s Sword.

[‘Skill: Contempt for the Weak’ has been used.]

“…!”

Black Shadow Razan’s body instantly became heavy.

[‘Effect: Fear’ is activated.]

[All stats of the targets are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]

However, Rakan’s Sword ‘Contempt for the Weak’ was a skill that only worked well against weaker opponents than Suho.

“Kyaoooooo!”

[‘Effect: Fear’ is canceled.]

Black Shadow Razan’s name is in color orange.

Since they were equal to or slightly stronger than Suho, the fear effect was removed just by a strong roar.

But that brief break was enough.

In an instant, Suho’s appearance disappeared from their sight.

Then.

Slash!

“Kyaaaagh!”

A black panther was decapitated, spurting black blood.

[You have defeated Black Shadow Razan.]

Swoosh!

The others then quickly hid in the darkness, but this one was enough.

Suho stretched out his hand towards the corpse.

“Arise!”

[Shadow realease succeeded.]

One of the shadow monkeys disappeared, and the shadow of Razan, the black shadow, rose up instead.

[Kyaoooooh!]

[Shadow Leopard Lv.1]

Basic Class

Suho smiled contentedly.

“Great. It’s a new family member.”

[Khhmm.]

The guy who had been trying to bite Suho’s neck just a moment ago, rubbed his body against Suho’s leg with his tail drooping as if he had always done that.

Then he turned its head and bared its teeth at its own kind, who glared Suho’s way in the darkness of the forest.

“Are you lonely? Go and bring your friends too.”

Suho said.

[Kyaaaaaagh!]

At that, the shadow leopard immediately ran out to hunt its own kind.

Suho moved forward while upgrading the shadow soldiers one by one to stronger ones.

-…This is why we lost the war. Damn guys.

Rakan’s Shadow murmured dejectedly.

* * *

After a while.

“Everyone, stop.”

[Krrrrk.]

At Suho’s command, the shadow leopards held their breath and fell flat on the spot.

-That’s right. The one in front.

Rakan’s Sword didn’t even need to say it.

The Hyena Guild members’ outposts were built there.

Chapter 15

 

There was an outpost to guard the gate.

[They must’ve gone into the dungeon and collected mana stones.]

“I guess.”

Lots of mining carts were left outside the gate.

Seeing that the cart was full of mana stones, it seemed that the miners had just left work.

That large amount of mana stones would not have been left unattended, but it was also possible because it was a field-type dungeon.

‘There shouldn’t be a thief who would climb the mountain, where monsters roam at night, just to steal some mana stones.’

Just then, the thief was here.

Beru jumped to the cart and started picking up the mana stone.

At first, he expressed disapproval, but now he seems to enjoy eating those.

[This is said to be quite chewy.]

Beru chewed on the mana stone and looked around.

After confirming that there was no presence anywhere, he called Suho.

[It seems that everyone has left work. I can’t see a single ant.]

-Count the numbers correctly. You are the ant here.

[Young Master, isn’t the handle of the sword a bit long? How can I bite from the tip?]

-Come on. If you eat me, you’ll have a hard time entering the sanctuary and finding artifacts.

“That’s right, so stop drooling, Beru.”

[Chomp. Alright.]

Beru responded quickly and threw the pieces of mana stones into his mouth.

In fact, eating Rakan’s Sword would have been much more energizing than eating a truckload of mana stones like this.

However, after a long time, Suho finally has a weapon that he can use so Beru couldn’t ask for it. He has no choice but to eat those mana stones.

Chomp, chomp, chomp, chomp.

-…

The Rakan’s Sword trembled in fear.

Even as Beru chewed on the mana stone, he was watching the sword with eyes dripping with regret.

Suho’s hand holding the sword wasn’t strong enough.

-Now, go into the gate. There will be a sanctuary beyond.

“Wait a second.”

Suho suddenly turned and hid behind the outpost.

He squinted his eyes and focused on the gate.

‘There is someone.’

Just in time, he saw someone walking out of the gate.

But it wasn’t just one or two.

‘Haven’t the miners left yet?’

There’s no way.

If they stayed there until this dark, the way out of the field-type dungeon would be too dangerous.

Besides, mining wasn’t something that would take a day so there was no reason to work so late.

On top of that, they are raiders. It made things even more strange.

‘With all the monsters outside the gate, what could they have done inside the gate?’

At that time, Beru jumped up on Suho’s shoulder and whispered in a small voice.

[Young Master, something is strange. They smell like beasts.]

‘Beast?’

It was then.

“Grrrrr.”

The faces of the hunters who came out of the gate were revealed in the moonlight.

They look like…

‘Werewolves?!’

Messy hair covering the face.

Pointy teeth.

The identities of the hunters were werewolves in human clothes.

‘Is it a beast transformation skill?’

The first thing Suho thought of was skill.

There were various types of skills, and sometimes there were hunters who could transform into non-humans like that.

However, it was extremely rare for hunters with the same skills to gather in one place.

‘I wonder if it’s the White Tiger Guild.’

However, no matter how many beast hunters there are, even the White Tiger Guild couldn’t have gathered such a number of beasts of the same type.

-It seems like they drank the blood of our clan.

‘Blood?’

Suho looked at Rakan’s Sword.

-The blood of the canine clan contains great power. Even if lowly humans drink a few drops of the clan’s blood, they gain powerful power that surpasses the species.

“Like how if someone touches you, their body gets taken away?”

-No, rather the opposite. It’s not like those guys were taken away, it’s because the clan’s power was taken away.

“They stole it?”

-Yeah. I don’t know which idiot from the alternate clan fed them blood, but the lack of blood must have diminished their strength.

Suho made a strange expression.

You can get the beast transformation skill by drinking blood.

Other than runestones, I had never heard of a skill being obtained in such a strange way.

However, since it’s only been two years since the cataclysm, new situations are bound to arise at any time.

-But, I don’t understand.

Rakan’s Sword muttered in a voice that sounded somewhat displeased.

-Who the hell made such cross breeds of dogs by allowing their power to get consumed… What is going on?

That’s when Rakan’s Sword expressed his doubts.

A really strange thing happened.

The werewolves went into the warehouse they had built near the gate, and dragged out the people tied up with duct tape.

‘What?!’

Suho’s eyes widened.

“Mmmmp…!”

People who had their mouths sealed with duct tape were trembling in fear.

The corners of the werewolves’ mouths formed a smirk.

“Grrrrr. Were you bored waiting all day long?”

“It will be your final moments so, we’ll let you breathe?”

“In return, can you be quiet? We hate noise.”

Swish.

Duct tape was ripped out of the people’s mouths.

As if they had been waiting for it, desperate cries could be heard all over.

“S-Save us!”

“Please! Please send us back home!”

“Oh, so noisy. Do you want to be eaten now?”

Thup.

The tapes were again put back on their mouths.

“Huppp.”

They were so afraid that they wouldn’t even want to breathe just not to make any noise.

“Great. How nice is it to be quiet?”

“We hate noise because our senses are sensitive.”

“So, everyone? If you do that one more time, we might just go ahead and bite your necks. Grrrr.”

Those words didn’t sound like a joke. The people’s complexions turned white.

One of the werewolves spoke.

“Alright. It looks like you have a lot to say after being held captive for a few days, so I’ll listen to your last will. Can you speak softly instead?”

A middle-aged office worker in the middle hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Hey, over there! If you need money, I can somehow…!”

“Tsk.”

“N-No! Just listen to me for a second! You shouldn’t just do this, you have to tell us what you want so we can…!”

At that, the werewolf stared at the subordinate with an expression like he could die of annoyance.

“Hey. Just kill him.”

“Should I?”

“Let’s take at least one guy for ourselves.”

“Grrrr.”

Looking at the werewolf approaching him, the office worker shouted in panic.

“N-No, wait! It’s a crime to do this…!”

“Oh, really.”

Annoyance appeared on the face of the werewolf who grabbed the office worker by the nape of his neck with one hand.

“I hate noise.”

Then, he pulled the dagger from his waistband and was about to lunge it into the office worker’s neck.

Slash!

“…?”

However,

Something was strange.

Thud-

It was the werewolf who had his head cut off.

An axe suddenly flew from somewhere and separated the werewolf’s neck from his body.

“Hey…”

The office worker who narrowly escaped death saw the werewolf’s head falling in front of him and wet his pants.

The werewolves, startled by the sudden situation, raised their guards and pulled out their weapons.

“Who are you!”

“Who dares-!”

It was then.

Stealthy assassins approached from hiding in the dark, slashing the wolves’ legs with sharp claws.

“Ack!”

[Shadow Leopard Lv.1]

Basic Class

“Ra-Razan?!”

The eyes of the werewolves widened wide after confirming the identity of their enemies.

Black Shadow Razan was one of the most dangerous beasts in this forest.

However, due to their dislike of bright light, they did not even go near the gate full of torches.

“Why is Razan here?!”

“No, something’s a little different from the normal Razan…!”

[Grrrrr!]

The shadow leopards lunged at them like crazy.

“What the fuck! L-Let’s kill them first!”

“Don’t panic! There are only five!”

Slash!

Although they were taken aback by the sudden attack, they were veteran hunters who had been here for a year.

It wasn’t easy enough to give up their lives to only five monsters.

But there was something they didn’t know.

The fact that the owner of those five beasts from behind is now wishing for their death.

Thud.

He suddenly remembered the first werewolf’s head that was cut, and the axe falling on the floor.

Then…

Slaaaaash-

Cut!

“…Ackkk.”

Another werewolf head got separated from its body.

“This is crazy!”

“What’s with those axes!”

The stone axe that had beheaded two of their comrades flew like a boomerang and was aiming for their necks too!

“Skill! That’s definitely a skill!”

“Where is he?! Don’t be a coward and come out!”

The owner of the axe had no intention of continuing to hide as well

“For whatever circumstance…”

The eyes of Suho, with his face covered with a hood and black mask, reflected the cool moonlight.

“Save the victims first then think afterwards.”

[You are truly a hunter.]

Swoosh!

A tremendous force emerged from Rakan’s Sword.

[‘Skill : ‘Contempt for the Weak’ has been used.]

“…!”

At that moment, the werewolves’ bodies temporarily stiffened.

[‘Effect: Fear’ has been activated.]

[All stats of the targets are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]

“Grrrrr!”

Then, with a roar, some of the werewolves let go of their fears.

[‘Effect: Fear’ is canceled.]

But that was enough to buy some time.

[Kyaaaaoooo!]

Swing!

The shadow leopard cut the wolf’s achilles tendon.

Slash!

Through the Ruler’s Power, the axe was stuck on its chest.

And…

-Well, they’re such low breed dogs.

Suho’s sword slashed their throats.

“Grrrr…!”

The other surviving werewolves looked at Suho.

“There was only one guy!”

“Die! Grrrrr!”

They turned their focus on him.

Ring.

[An urgent quest has arrived.]

The quest window opened in front of Suho’s eyes.

[Urgent Quest: Defeat the Enemies!]

There are people around who have the intent to kill the ‘player’. Kill them all to be safe.

Number of enemies to kill: 10

Number of Enemies Killed: 5

The quest had already started with half the target already cleared out.

[It’s a good thing.]

Even in the midst of this, Beru, who was eagerly chewing on the mana stone in the corner, was letting out a pleasant laugh.

[Ah, I can’t stop my mouth. Why is the mana stone here so high in power? Is it because it’s from a sanctuary?]

Unfortunately, no one answered that question.

Everyone was busy.

But that was then.

[…!]

Beru then turned his gaze towards the gate.

[This smell…]

Someone with a smell similar to the Beast Monarch was walking out of the gate.

Chapter 16

 

It was about a year ago that the name of the Hyena Guild became widely known.

It is said that they were originally backstreet bullies who were active in the Gwacheon area. But after awakening, stories said that they were originally from a popular group of gangsters, exaggerating their past history.

Indeed, it was a shallow bluff, but after they became awakened, they committed a lot of real gangster-like activities.

Such as making debts against low-level hunters for usury.

As a condition for foregoing the interest, they throw them into a dungeon and have them pickaxe without pay.

It would have been unimaginable now, but at that time, there was no Hunter Association. There were no hunter-related laws to prevent their evil deeds.

While researching about them, Suho found out a strange fact.

All of them, who were only bullies in the neighborhood, awakened almost at the same time.

Even the place where it happened- at Gwanaksan.

‘Does that make sense?’

Suho felt puzzled.

A year ago, a dungeon break broke out in Gwanaksan.

The porters who came to bury the bodies in Gwanaksan ordered by the gangsters ‘accidentally’ all awakened.

And right away, they created a group called the Hyena Guild. They took control of the Gwanaksan field, and were making money by mining mana stones.

Until now, a year later.

‘It’s just too coincidental.’

Opinions were still divided as to the reason for those ordinary people to awaken their magical powers.

There were talks about heredity.

Some are saying that it was pure luck, like winning the lottery or the chance of being struck by lightning.

These guesses could have been all bullshit, or they could have been all right.

For some it’s heredity, for others it’s luck.

In the end, it was said that if the awakening came in any way, this ability would be obtained.

‘After all, nothing quite makes sense anymore.’

It seemed that the Hyena Guild members awakened because they drank the blood of the canine clan.

If so, it would be understandable that they awakened at the same time.

‘The problem is that there is a separate canine clan that is said to have given that blood…’

Suho doesn’t know if it’s good luck or bad luck, but he thought he would soon find out who the canine clan really was.

Because right now, a tremendous sense of intimidation was emerging out of the gate.

[Grrrrr.]

Chills!

The breath of a terrifying beast.

The vicious life inside it shook the air of Gwanaksan covered with blue mist.

“…!”

At that blatant and obvious presence, Suho turned to the gate as he was fighting the werewolves.

[Young Master, it is dangerous.]

Beru climbed onto Suho’s shoulder and hurriedly whispered.

Beru’s expression changed.

[We need to get away from here as soon as possible. With an opponent like this… Young Master can’t handle it yet!]

It wasn’t that easy.

[‘Skill: Extreme Command’ increases the abilities of werewolves by 50%.]

[As a side effect of ‘Skill: Extreme Command’, werewolves are cursed with madness.]

“Kyaoooo!”

Suddenly, the werewolves that Suho was dealing with grew in size and their movements became incredibly fast and powerful.

Their madness started to put more pressure on Suho.

“Roar! Do you think I’ll let you run away?!”

“Die!”

Grrrrrrr!

“Ah! Kill that bastard!”

Slash! Thud!

[Young Master!]

“Ack!”

Suho’s body began to accumulate wounds at a rapid rate due to the unprecedented situation.

[‘Skill: Endurance’ level increased!]

[Physical Defense +20% → +40%]

It’s good that the skill level has risen, but that doesn’t mean the battle has become easier.

-Tsk. I knew this would happen so I warned you from the beginning. The closer you get to the sanctuary, the more dangerous it is.

Rakan’s Sword was displeased.

-This energy… Apparently, not only artifacts lived here, but also filthy hybrids.

“Hybrid?”

Suho, who managed to take down a werewolf, asked back.

-Yes. The great canine clan had numerous tribes following it. There was one of them that gave off this dirty aura.

It was then.

Swoosh.

[Grrrrrr!]

The roar of a bloody beast shook Gwanaksan.

-…Right. That’s him. Broki, the head of the hyena clan.

Just then, a huge monster appeared outside the gate.

“…!”

Messy mane, mottled pattern, pointy teeth.

A hyena the size of a house appeared.

[Extreme Commander Broki]

A red name tag appeared above his head.

That color meant one thing.

That hyena is a monster with power that Suho could not dare to handle.

‘…The boss of the dungeon was alive.’

Suho shuddered at the pressure he felt from him.

Apparently, the Hyena Guild had been intentionally hiding information about this place for a year.

A field-type dungeon with boss mobs is a disaster in itself.

If the other hunters knew this fact, they wouldn’t have left this place alone until now.

‘Is this the reason why the guild’s name was Hyena?’

It was really odd.

The hunters who had to hunt the monsters would rather be the servants of the monsters.

Catching humans and offering them as food?

Clench.

Suho, who grasped the situation, gritted his teeth.

Seeing that, the giant hyena opened its mouth and yawned.

He then recognized Rakan’s Sword in Suho’s hand and giggled.

[I had been feeling this familiar energy? Was it Rakan’s Sword?]

-… Broki.

[What’s it like? How come that the great Beast Monarch’s remains is being held captive by a mere human?]

Rakan’s Sword felt humiliated.

Even at this moment, he is caught in Suho’s hand and is swinging around like crazy. Of all the ones, why did it have to be Broki?

-It wasn’t easy for you to become like that. Have you lost all your original strength?

[Isn’t it just the same for both you and me as defeated soldiers who lost their monarch?]

‘It looks like the two of them aren’t close.’

Even at this moment, Suho was still fighting fiercely against the werewolves.

The problem is that even after killing all the wolves, that hyena still remains.

No matter how much the defeated soldiers who lost their monarch lost their original strength and became weak, Suho was still much weaker than them.

‘But I don’t intend to die quietly.’

Even in this bleak situation, Suho kept his fierce eyes.

Slash-!

[You have killed a werewolf.]

[Number of enemies to be defeated: 10]

[Number of enemies killed: 9]

Only one werewolf left.

But Broki didn’t even bat an eye at the sight of his minions dying.

[Tsk. Weak guys. Can’t even stand a single human.]

Rather, he laughed at their deaths and spoke to the sword in Suho’s hand.

[Alright. Rakan’s Sword, join me to kill that human. Just in case you need a useful one, I’ll be your new master.]

-Bullshit. A mongrel like you dares to become my master? My master is only Rakan-nim.

[Isn’t Rakan already dead?]

-W-What? How dare you!

[Hahaha. Don’t be angry. If you’re weak, you die. The one who survives is the strongest. Just like me.]

Rakan’s Sword erupted in anger at Broki’s mocking laugh.

It shouted at Suho.

-Human! Kill him right now! Insert my blade into the throat of that bastard who insulted Rakan!

[Kyahahaha! You sound funny. Try whatever you want! Such a weak…]

Before he could finish his words, Rakan’s Sword lunged from Suho’s hand.

Slash!

-…!

The cold blade of the sword lodged in Broki’s throat, who was laughing.

[Kheeuuk…?]

In an instant, an airy voice escaped from Broki’s mouth.

Suho appeared in his widened field of vision.

The man stood in a calm posture looking at the beast.

With his other hand, he grabbed the remaining one by the neck.

“Are you okay?”

Broki’s eyes curved like crescent moons.

[…You’re interesting.]

Even with Rakan’s Sword stuck in his neck, he had a relaxed expression.

[But you can’t kill me with just this kind of attack…]

“I know. But I can still make it painful.”

Suho clenched his hand.

‘Ruler’s Power.’

Swoosh.

‘Twist.’

At that moment, Rakan’s Sword stuck in Broki’s neck started spinning like a drill on the spot.

Fiercely.

Krrkrrkrrk-!

[Kheheuk?!]

The pain Broki felt in his neck startled him as he struggled.

‘Faster.’

More fiercely.

Krrkrrkrrk-!

[Accckk!]

‘More!’

Deeper!

[‘Skill: Blade Storm’ has been used.]

Grumble-!

[Arrrgghhh! This is-!]

Rakan’s Sword whirled around like a storm and burrowed into Broki’s body!

The more he did, the more Broki struggled in pain.

-…I’m enjoying this, bastard.

Suho could hear the delight in Rakan’s Sword’s voice.

-Is it really okay to do this?

It was still absolutely impossible to kill Broki at the current level of Suho.

No matter how much Broki became weaker than before, his regenerative power far exceeded Suho’s attack power.

But…

It was refreshing.

‘Isn’t Rakan already dead?’

How dare he!

A servant who insults the death of his master, the great beast monarch!

It was a sin that would not be forgiven even if he was to be beheaded right away!

But the reality is that he had to be content with just giving him that much pain.

Eventually…

[Aaaaccckkk! You bastard! I’m going to kill-!]

Suho received all of Broki’s wrath.

Grumble!

Broki, who had become a wounded beast, stomped his feet, spewing ferocious flesh.

His strength is so great that Gwanaksan shook!

[Kyaaoooo!]

A huge pressure like a rock hit Suho.

It was then.

-…I’m sorry. But, thank you for protecting the last pride of a defeated soldier.

The determined voice of Rakan’s Sword echoed.

Rattle!

[Keukreuk?!]

Broki’s body, which was about to trample on Suho, temporarily stopped.

[Rakan’s Sword, You bastard-! Ack!]

Rakan’s Sword, which forcibly controlled his movements inside his body, urgently shouted to Suho.

-Run away! I’ll try to buy some time!

However…

Suho didn’t seem to have any intention of backing down.

Slash!

Just then, the last werewolf died in Suho’s hand.

[Number of enemies killed: 10]

Then the messages followed.

Ring.

[You have completed ‘Urgent Quest: Defeat the Enemies’.]

Ring.

[Your level increased!]

Ring.

[The following rewards are prepared.]

Reward 1. Ability Points +5

Reward 2. Title: ‘Wolf Slayer’

“Accept the reward.”

Ring.

[‘Title: Wolf Slayer’ has been acquired.]

Thuck.

Suho picks up a weapon used by werewolves from the floor.

With two swords in each hand, Suho’s eyes flashed like a hunter’s.

At that moment.

[Title: Wolf Slayer]

A title given to hunters who are good at catching wolves. All stats increase by 40% when facing beast type monsters.

“The hunt begins.”

Suho’s whole body was engulfed in intense contemplation.

Chapter 17

 

[The ‘Title: Wolf Slayer’ buff effect is activated.]

Thud!

Suho’s feet hit the ground.

Swoosh-

His new image emerged.

Broki’s face was then stained with astonishment.

[What…!]

Something unbelievable happened.

Suho’s strength and speed, along with momentum, bursted out of his whole body.

All of that changed in an instant.

His new stats were due to leveling up by +1.

Extra stat +5 from the quest reward.

Furthermore, a title that boosts all stats by a whopping +40% against beast-type monsters.

All of that synergy was concentrated on the sword of protection.

Twin Swords. Blade Storm.

[‘Skill: Blade Storm’ has been used.]

Grumble-!

Suho really became a storm.

The two swords crossed and a strong wind blew.

[‘Skill: Twin Swords Lv.1’ has been obtained.]

It was truly ruthless violence.

A one-sided slaughter.

Slash!

[Aaaaaaccckkkk! Bastard-!]

Broki tried to counterattack, but that too was nothing more than a desperate struggle.

Crash!

With that, the guard posts built by the Hyena Guild collapsed and were smashed.

[How dare y…!]

Even before Broki finished his words, a red light formed in a straight line from its wide open mouth.

Rakan’s Sword was picked up by the Ruler’s Power.

Suho’s hand grabbed the sword.

And just like that.

Slash!

He took the beast down.

[You have defeated the Extreme Commander Broki.]

Blag!

Finally, the huge beast collapsed.

[Your level increased!]

[Your level increased!]

“Phew.”

Suho was on the floor.

[You’ve done it! You killed it! Young Master-!]

Beru shouted as if he had been waiting for this moment.

-… Wow. Did it actually work? A human defeating Broki?

Beru laughed at that and replied.

[Didn’t you know? The world is, after all, a weakling. The strong are devoured by the stronger. Young Master will become stronger in the future as well. Oh, and Young Master? Can I have some of this?]

Beru licked his lips and pointed at Broki’s corpse.

Suho looked at it.

[Shadow release is possible on this target.]

Black smoke billowed above it.

Confusion appeared in Suho’s eyes.

‘Shadow release is also possible on this beast?’

‘Then, it’s too bad I can’t give it all to Beru now.’

“Just one bite. Eat the rest after shadow release.”

[Alright!]

Whoop!

As soon as permission was given, Beru jumped happily.

Broki’s corpse was a good source of mana.

[Hehe. It’s just one bite.]

Beru’s mouth opened wickedly.

[If it’s just one bite, which part would I have to eat to get the word that I ate it well?]

It was right there.

Brain.

[The weak meat. I really like it, too.]

Beru muttered and dug into Broki’s head.

* * *

Suho released all the people who were tied up.

“I reported it to the Hunter Association, so a rescue team will come soon. Beasts are still roaming the mountain, so don’t go anywhere else and stay here for a while.”

“Heuk! Thank you! Thank you!”

They were covered in tears and snot while wailing loudly because of how long they had been tied up.

[Young Master, these are all debtors to the Hyena Guild. They couldn’t pay their debt, so they signed a waiver and were arrested.]

“Beru, how do you know that?”

[My skill is Predation. I ate Broki’s brain and stole some of his memories.]

“You do all sorts of things.”

[Khm. I am a very useful species in many ways.]

Beru was so proud he stood up with both hands on his waist.

[Oh, by the way. When I looked at Broki’s abilities, there was no such thing as the power to create werewolves by feeding them blood.]

“What? So how did those guys…”

Suho’s gaze turned to the werewolves lying dead on the floor.

-It was the strangest thing for me from the beginning, too.

Rakan’s Sword said.

-The hyena clan is just one of many tribes that followed the canine clan. Feeding blood to create minions is something only the canine clan can do.

“Then…”

-Somehow, it seems that there is a real one besides Broki.

Suho and Beru’s eyes simultaneously looked at the gate where Broki came out.

“There’s a real boss mob.”

Suho fixed his sword with determined eyes.

Then Beru, from the side, shrugged and said.

[It wouldn’t be a boss mob.]

“Really?”

Suho gives him a puzzled expression.

[Yes. If Broki’s memory is correct, it seems that the battle will no longer take place.]

Beru’s expression was a bit bitter.

[You’ll find out when you get inside.]

* * *

Suho entered the gate.

He found a small and fragile creature.

“This…”

His expression stiffened.

There was a bloodstained wolf cub lying helplessly.

Scruffy gray hair.

Roughly wrapped bandages.

It was a very small wolf, only about a hand in size.

Syringes from which blood was drawn were rolling around randomly.

Seeing this, Rakan’s Sword trembled with fury.

-Broki, how dare you! Crazy bastard!

-Could it be that the descendant of the clan was tied up and blood was drawn forcibly?

Flinch.

Did you hear his anger?

The wolf cub tied to the dog collar lifted its head helplessly.

The unfocused eyes stared blankly at the empty space where Suho was standing.

Then it sniffed with its little nose.

A human stranger.

There was a smell of blood on his clothes.

“Hnnggg…”

A weak cry.

After that, the wolf cub lowered his head again.

There was not even a speck of will to live or hope left in the small body that had lost its strength.

-Broki, you crazy hybrid-!

Extremely angry, Rakan’s Sword cursed Broki, who was already dead and gone.

Beru muttered calmly as he read Broki’s memories.

[Shortly after losing the war against the Shadow Army, Broki left the battlefield before anyone else. In fact, he was more like a deserter than a defeated soldier.]

Broki’s next move was really low.

[He hid in the Sanctuary of the canine clan, which was considered the safest place, and found the clan’s young wolf there.]

A wolf cub living there alone after all the adults went to war.

That little one in the memory waggled his tail in delight when Broki entered the sanctuary.

But…

[Seeing that, Broki came up with an idea.]

‘Yes, this is it! With the blood of this canine clan, I can create any number of protectors!’

‘I’ll make them protect me!’

‘My own army! I’m creating a new tribe here that only serves me!’

‘You like it, too, right? Hahaha’

Broki smiled at the wolf cub wagging its tail at him.

[… After that, the sanctuary was torn into several pieces and wandered through the dimensional rift. One day, a hole connected to the earth appeared in front of Broki.]

He found a group of humans.

[Without hesitation, Broki drew the blood of this young wolf and fed it to those people.]

The next thing was something Suho knew very well.

The protectors that were created became Broki’s army under the name of the Hyena Guild.

They hunted humans and sacrificed them to Broki.

For one whole year.

However, there was one problem.

That was the reason Rakan’s Sword was furious.

-The power of the protectors is not eternal. Ten days at most. After that period, the power of blood engraved on the body of the protectors disappears and returns to its original state. That means…!

“Once every ten days, blood was drawn from this guy and fed to the guild members. For an entire year.”

-Aaaahhh! Broki! Broki!

Suho picked up the limping wolf cub with one hand.

He was a little surprised at how light it was.

[Ehhh? You’re going to take it?]

Beru’s eyes widened.

This young wolf was a direct descendant, if not the direct descendant, of the canine monarch.

[If you keep him alive, he may grow up to be the second Fang Monarch and threaten Earth again.]

“You said we won anyway back then?”

[That’s… right. Hmm.]

Beru looked intently at the wolf cub in Suho’s hand.

Seeing how much blood had been drawn, he couldn’t even breathe properly. Beru nodded.

[Haha. There is no need for us to antagonize each other in a situation where the monsters are attacking.]

Even though they were defeated in the war, the children who survived were innocent.

It was rather amazing how it survived so far with its small and light body.

However, Suho did not intend to take the wolf with such a dramatic reason.

‘I think it will help me in some way later on. Also…’

“If you die here and now, your last memory will be very unhappy, right? You were caught by the man you trusted, and you had your blood sucked for a whole year.”

Saying so, Suho took him into his arms.

“So, let’s just eat some food first and think about it after.”

* * *

Suho immediately returned home with the wolf cub.

As for the Hyena Guild and Gwanaksan Field, he reported it to the association and just put it behind.

Civilian survivors will give much more specific testimonies than Suho anyway.

More than that, the cub seemed like it would die right now.

“Beru, you said you’re a healer. Can you heal something like this?”

[Healer’s recovery magic can only heal wounds. I can’t do anything about lack of blood or hunger.]

“Even recovery skills are not flexible. Alright then.”

Suho turned on the electric stove and put it in front of the wolf cub.

“Hnngggg.”

“why? Is it good because it’s warm?”

The wolf cub looked quite perplexed.

Its tail was curled up and it was trembling, but its gaze was staring at the red light of the electric stove as if possessed.

“Well, you may be seeing fire for the first time in your life.”

Suho left it alone and immediately cooked seaweed soup.

He let it cool and served it on a small plate.

“I know you are really enjoying yourself today. This is a recipe my mom used to make for me on my birthday.”

Suho showed condescension and held out seaweed soup in front of its short snout.

“Eat it. They say that seaweed soup is good when you don’t have enough blood.”

Sniff sniff.

The wolf cub’s tail twitched when it smelled the seaweed soup.

“It’s alright. Try it.”

When Suho forcibly smeared seaweed soup on its snout, its tongue flicked instinctively.

Huh?

…!

“Oh, I didn’t know. Even wolves have astonished looks, like humans.”

The wolf cub puts its nose into the plate and licks the seaweed soup.

Its hairless tail waggled helplessly.

Rakan’s Sword watching silently muttered in low voice.

-…Thanks. For everything.

He had mixed feelings.

The reason they became like this in the first place was because they lost the war against the humans.

But even though the war was over, the children who survived were innocent.

They had to survive in the present and stand up to live in the future.

And maybe… This young wolf was the only survivor of the canine clan.

As Beru warned, he was a petty monarch who would one day grow up to inherit the lineage of the Fang Monarch.

To think that the heir of the Shadow Monarch would lend a helping hand to such a child.

What kind of irony is this?

“Do you like it?”

Suho smiles as he crouches down in front of the little wolf cub licking the warm soup.

Rakan’s Sword, who’s watching them, had no choice but to accept the fact that the war was over.

-…Okay. You won. I will entrust all of our recruits to you.

He sighed softly.

The will of the greatest beast, the Fang Monarch Rakan, dwelled in Suho.

Ring.

[‘Pet: Fang Wolf Lv.1’ has been obtained.]

Chapter 18

 

“A pet?”

Suho made a puzzled expression when he saw the message that suddenly appeared.

[Pet?]

Beru asked the same.

chump chump chump.

Before I knew it, a name tag appeared on the head of the wolf cub who was licking seaweed soup.

[?? Lv.1]

Fang Wolf

The system sent a message.

Ring.

[You can give your pet a name.]

[Please name your pet.]

“Name my pet?”

When Suho looked at Beru who had a troubled expression.

[Hmm? There was nothing like this in the past.]

“Which one? A pet?”

[Yes. When His Majesty was leveling up, there was no such function.]

Beru explained.

The level-up system currently applied to Suho was originally inherited from the Shadow Monarch, Sung Jinwoo, which he used in the past.

Of course, it was improved to some extent from then, but that was to remove the ‘malevolence’ that dwelled in the system.

“Malevolence?”

[Yes.]

The purpose of the system at the time was to forcibly develop a human named ‘Sung Jinwoo’ to use as a vessel for the Shadow Monarch.

As soon as the goal was accomplished, the soul of named Sung Jinwoo was bound to disappear.

[Anyway, Sung Jinwoo ended up defying the purpose of the system and became the Shadow Monarch himself. He became a great being who no longer needed to level up.]

The person who inherited the system was Suho.

“But why is there a pet system now that didn’t exist back then?”

[Hmm. Maybe it wasn’t just now. It might have been there from the beginning.]

Beru squinted and stroked his chin.

[Besides, the designers of the level-up system were not us, but the shaman of the fantasy realm who dreamed of immortality.]

“Shaman?”

[Yes. He’s the only one who knows exactly what functions are in the system.]

A long time ago, the shaman of the fantasy realm wished to escape from the fate of a finite creature and become an eternal existence.

As a result, the level-up system was created after making an agreement with the angels of God.

[However, the purpose of the system at the time was only to complete the Shadow Monarch’s vessel, so there was no need for a pet. Killing everyone and turning them into Shadow Soldiers was enough. But, the purpose of Young Masters’ system now is completely different from that time.]

Suho made a puzzled expression.

“The purpose of the system was not to make me a shadow monarch?”

[Yes. After all, Young Master can’t become one.]

Beru said emphatically.

[There is only one Shadow Monarch in this world.]

In short, it means that only when Sung Jinwoo dies and the position of the monarch is empty that Suho can get the chance to become the shadow monarch.

But Sung Jinwoo was the ruler of death.

He would never die.

[In fact, he is the one who is truly immortal.]

“I know very well that my father is great.”

Suho was curious about another thing.

“Then, what is the purpose of my system?”

Beru smiled faintly and looked into Suho’s eyes.

The existence of Sung Suho, born from the marriage of a shadow monarch and an ordinary human, was an unusual existence in all dimensions.

So, even the designer who created the system would not have dared to guess what kind of existence Suho would grow into in the future.

Would he simply live as the Young Master who inherited the skills of the Shadow Monarch as he does now?

Or… would he escape from his destiny and find his own way, just like Sung Jinwoo did a long time ago?

[The system merely acts as a guide for Young Master whichever path you take. If there is a function that did not exist before, it will surely be helpful.]

Beru was already looking at Suho’s face, the face of a man who had long been alone and fought against everything in the world.

He… He survived by constantly struggling in a place closer to death than anyone else in the world.

In the end, even that death was won by his own power.

The Earth now was at peace built through his noble sacrifice.

But, that peace has been threatened again by the Outer Gods.

“Status window.”

Suho, who was listening to Beru, suddenly opened the status window.

[Status Window]

Name: Sung Suho

Level: 16

Occupation: None

Title: Wolf Slayer

HP : 2,350/2,350

MP : 235/235

[Stats]

Muscle Strength: 35

Body Strength: 25

Agility: 25

Intellect: 25

Senses: 25

(Divisive Ability Points: 0)

[Skills]

Passive Skills: Strength Lv.2, Twin Swords Lv.1

Active Skills: Ruler’s Power Lv.1, Shadow Fragment Lv.1, Blade Storm Lv.1

After hearing Beru’s words, Suho also understood why his occupation was still labeled as ‘none’.

There will probably never be anything written on that spot that says ‘Shadow Monarch’.

Suho paid more attention to the other numbers below.

‘This is my current level.’

Compared to the 1st level, when he was being chased by the Mist Burns, the figures had gone up tremendously.

There were already so many useful skills.

But…

‘I am still weak.’

Suho was never overconfident with his own strength.

It’s not humility, but a mere fact.

He had already reached level 99 several times in his childhood dreams.

Looking back on the sensations he felt at that time, his current power was too insignificant.

If he didn’t obtain the title of wolf slayer at the right time, he might not have defeated Broki.

Suho also checked out new skills during the battle.

[Skill: Twin Swords Lv.1]

Passive skill.

No mana required.

You can use dual swords more proficiently.

33% additional damage is applied when using two swords.

(This also applies to weapons other than swords.)

‘It’s Twin Swords…’

Come to think of it, he had always been fighting with a weapon in both hands.

An axe at first, and sword this time.

Perhaps this skill was created based on his fighting method so far.

“In order to become stronger here, I will continue to use double swords.”

-…?

Suho’s gaze stayed on Rakan’s Sword.

Experience proved that the attack power of Rakan’s Sword was quite satisfactory.

Once caught, the necks of the beasts of Gwanaksan were cut immediately.

It seemed that he would need another sword, comparable to Rakan’s Sword, to balance his two hands.

‘I need to earn some money. Hunter weapons are very expensive.’

Suho’s gaze turned downward.

“And this little one…”

“Hnngggg.”

Before he knew it, the wolf cub had finished eating the seaweed soup and was sticking out of its stomach.

He was still lying on the floor weakly, as if he had no energy to crawl.

“I will have to raise it for a while to use it later on.”

[Please name your pet.]

A system message had been urging Suho from earlier.

Suho decided on a name without hesitation.

“Gray because it has gray hair.”

[Will you go with ‘Gray’?]

“Yes.”

As soon as Suho finished speaking, the question mark on the wolf cub’s head was erased and a new name was engraved.

[Gray Lv.1]

Fang Wolf

“Hnnnggg.”

Gray, who had officially become Suho’s pet, raised his head with unfocused eyes and sniffed.

He smelled Suho.

Suho tapped the cub’s nose with his fingertips and asked Rakan’s Sword.

“Hey, let me ask you one thing.”

-What?

“How do I raise him to be useful?”

-Is there anything special about raising that? Just let him eat well, sleep well, and play well.

“Don’t say something so obvious. He is a descendant of the Fang Monarch. Is there any special method?”

-Eating is very important. The reason why he became so weak in the first place must be because Broki kept starving him because he was afraid of this little one’s growth.

Rakan’s Sword raged again as he remembered what Broki had done.

If the child of the canine clan had grown normally, there would have been no way he would have been held captive by someone like Broki.

-So, feed him consistently. If you give him enough sleep and let him play freely, he will grow into a much stronger predator than Broki.

“Really? What can I feed him?”

-Right, he’s a magical beast. It’s even better if he is a monster that is self-hunting. Originally, children of the clan play hunting from the moment they are born.

“It’s called hunting. Hmm.”

It was absurd.

To make a guy who doesn’t even have the strength to walk on his feet go hunting.

[Ugh. They are worse than ants. Still, our ants can be left alone when they are larvae.]

Suho came up with a good idea upon hearing that.

Who was it that raised Suho, who was a baby in the first place?

“Beru, you take care of him from now on.”

[Out of nowhere?]

“Yeah. You are the best nanny I know.”

[Kehehehe. I don’t know what to do after hearing such compliments from Young Master.]

Beru twisted his body and was embarrassed.

“Let’s go, then.”

[Ehh? Where?]

Clueless Beru.

Suho picked up Gray’s and inserted the key to the Shadow Dungeon into his own shadow.

[Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon?]

“Where else? Here, of course.”

Clack.

[Entering the Shadow Dungeon.]

Swoosh!

* * *

After entering the Shadow Dungeon, Suho put Beru on Gray’s back.

“From now on, you guys are a team.”

[Ehh?]

No matter how small Gray was, he was twice as big as Beru.

Of course, even if you put the two together, they were still just a handful.

-This place can’t be…

Rakan’s Fang, who had come along unintentionally, felt a strange feeling while looking around the shadow dungeon.

-Is this the world of the Shadow Monarch?

[To be exact, this is the world Young Master inherited. Of course, it was neglected so much that the wild monsters hid in it.]

Beru realized why Suho had brought them here and his eyes lit up.

Disquieting gazes were glaring at him from all over the dungeon.

[These are wild goblins. They are perfect opponents to train a pet.]

Beru smirked and tapped Gray’s butt.

[Now, wake up! Descendant of the Fang Monarch! Show those ridiculous guys your ferocity!]

“Hnnggg…”

Whine.

[Hmm?]

Gray seemed completely unwilling to fight.

It was as if he didn’t even have the will to get up, he crouched flat on the floor.

Seeing that, Rakan’s Sword couldn’t hide his anger.

-Keugh! You have lost all of your innate fighting instincts due to your life in confinement! What should we do with this?!

“Well, then.”

[Ah, right.]

Suho and Beru’s reactions were resolute.

Beru’s skill is Predation.

He was able to absorb some of the power and memories of the monster he consumed.

[Arise, young warrior.]

Beru, the best nanny Suho knew, tapped Gray’s butt once more.

Harshly.

[‘Skill: Harsh Command’ has been used by Beru.]

[‘Skill: Harsh Command’ increases Gray’s stats by 50%.]

[As a side effect of ‘Skill: Harsh Command’, Gray is cursed with madness.]

“Grrrrr!”

Gray’s eyes, which had no motivation at all, suddenly changed.

Beru laughed evilly and continued tapping Gray’s butt.

[Good! Start with that momentum!]

“Growl!”

Chapter 19

 

The internet has been buzzing for a while.

-Breaking news! The hidden reality of the Hyena Guild!

-Werewolves of Gwanaksan!

-Survivors who almost became sacrificial lambs!

The survivors of Gwanaksan Field, rescued by Suho, revealed everything they had experienced to the media, and the public was shocked.

-Crazy;;; What was that;;;;

-They caught their own kind, human, and sacrificed them??

-How could they do that??

-Hunters were living as slaves of demons;

-Aren’t they a traitor to humanity at this level?

Translator: Anom

Citizens reacted extremely to the fact that the same humans were hunting humans and feeding them to those beasts.

Along with them, other guilds that had been involved with the Hyena Guild were also criticized.

-Wasn’t the Reaper Guild behind the Hyena Guild?

-Yepyep, that’s right. Even if they deny it now, everyone in the industry knows otherwise.

-Where did that huge capital come from when the Hyena Guild were milking from low-level hunters’ loan in the first place?

-I heard they were originally neighborhood gangsters.

-100% sure a certain guild gave them that money.

-That guild might be very anxious now.

Blag!

“Are we going to keep looking at all this nonsense?!”

Lim Taegyu, the guild leader of the Reaper Guild, hit his fist hard with an angry face.

The force had split the marble desk in two, but no one in the conference room cared about it.

“I-I’m sorry. We are also responding with urgency, but as you can see, the public opinion is too strong…”

“Planning Director.”

Chills.

A cold voice held the planning director’s breath.

“Do you think I hired you to make that excuse? To gather in this room and rely on the comments?”

“… I’m sorry.”

“Pheeew.”

Lim Taegyu leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

“Let me ask you one thing. How did our image end up like this? Until last year, everything was good, right?”

“…”

In response to Lim Taegyu’s question, the executives only looked at each other with embarrassed expressions.

In the previous year, Reaper Guild was on the rise as Korea’s No. 1 guild in name and reality.

The reason was Lim Taegyu, the guild leader.

It was thanks to him being one of the few S-Class hunters in Korea despite being middle-aged.

There was one more person.

Aside from Lim Taegyu, there was one more S-Class Hunter in the Reaper Guild. It was only up until last year.

“That’s right, Sir. When Vice President Baek Yunho went on his own last year…”

“Shh.”

The head of the Planning Office hurriedly shut the subordinate’s mouth.

‘Such a tactless person! Who wouldn’t know that and ask?’

S-Class Hunter Baek Yunho.

He was the person who established the ‘Baekho Guild’ last year after becoming independent from the guild he was previously in.

The moment he left, an S-Class hunter, the power of the Reaper Guild was virtually cut in half.

But, that wasn’t the real problem.

The thing is, everyone in the room knew the underlying reason.

They just couldn’t speak about it.

If they do, their throats would be cut in half.

After Baek Yunho left, Lim Taegyu brought an A-Class hunter from outside and put him in the Vice President position in a fit of anger.

Judging from the fact that he was a close acquaintance with Lim Taegyu even before the cataclysm, he was a so-called paratrooper.

Of course, the executives of the Reaper Guild strongly objected to that decision.

Because an A-Class hunter couldn’t take the place of an S-Class hunter.

The A-Class hunter ‘Lee Minseong’ he brought was a beginner who had never entered a dungeon.

However, Lim Taegyu did not bring Lee Minseong for no solid reason.

Lee Minseong… just had a lot of money.

He was already a businessman with a lot of money born with a golden spoon even before awakening.

When he was younger, he was a movie actor who was so popular that he made a name for himself as an Asian superstar.

Regardless of dungeons or hunter things, Lee Minseong’s life has been that of a rich man who has only walked the glamorous road from the time he was born.

Lim Taegyu’s real purpose?

Money.

‘If power is weak, why not buy an expensive weapon through an increase in financial power!’

In fact, Lee Minseong was more of a sponsor with strong financial power rather than a Vice President.

The plan worked to some degree.

After Lee Minseong became the vice president, the guild members started to get more and more expensive and flashy equipment.

But, ironically…

‘Since then, the guild’s image has deteriorated.’

The head of the Planning Office had no choice but to press down on what he wanted to say and endure it.

Just then, the door of the conference room opened and Vice President Lee Minseong in question entered.

“Hey! Sorry for being late, sorry! There was so much traffic~”

Lee Minseong laughed and joked even though he was an hour late for the meeting.

As a handsome and famous actor when he was young, his face was covered with a pitiful act.

Lim Taegyu’s cold eyes glared at Lee Minseong.

“Vice President Lee Minseong.”

“Ooh, what is this? Did you break the table? Your strength is great.”

“Vice President Lee Minseong.”

“Hey, Secretary Kim! Change this table to something better sometime today, okay?”

“Hey! Lee Minseong!”

Thud.

Lim Taegyu couldn’t hold his anger and shouted. The smile on Lee Minseong’s face disappeared.

“Hey?”

Lee Minseong’s head turned and he looked at Lim Taegyu with a raging gaze.

“Doesn’t that title sound a little rude?”

Lim Taegyu ignored the words and asked, glaring at Lee Minseong.

“Vice President Lee Minseong, why are you late for the meeting?”

“I told you, there was a traffic jam.”

“Aren’t you late because you’re taking care of the mess with Hyena Guild?”

“…”

At those words, Lee Minseong’s brow flinched.

However, he soon smirked.

“What are you talking about again? What hyena? The one you can see at the zoo?”

“Don’t change the topic, Minseong.”

Chills.

The mask was removed from Lee Minseong’s face.

“I’m not liking your tone.”

Even in the face of wrath with Lim Taegyu, an S-Class hunter, Minseong only has a mockery look on his face.

“When did our Taegyu grow up like this? The bastard who used to be my driver?”

“…”

At those words, anger welled up in Lim Taegyu’s eyes.

However, Lee Minseong did not care and rather approached him.

He pulled Taegyu’s collar then he glanced up and down at him with a scanty glance.

“Tsk. Do you really not know what people do? How did you get lucky enough to wake up as an S-class? So you could become arrogant in only two years? Was it like this with the old owner as well?”

“Lee Minseong…”

“Oops. Come to think of it, you weren’t the previous owner. Our Taegyu, don’t you still have two years left on your driver’s contract?”

“Lee Minseong… Do not test my patience.”

“Why? You’re going to kill me? Oh wow, that’s scary. The dog ??is trying to bite its owner. I gave money to a guild that was going down, but you don’t even know how to return the favor.”

If a person could be killed with a gaze, everyone in the conference room might have already died.

‘Please go outside and fight…’

The battle of nerves between the two people, who had a complicated relationship, made it impossible for the executives and staff to even breathe properly.

Fortunately, Lim Taegyu was not hot-tempered enough to cloud his mind with anger.

“… Whew. Let’s stop this.”

“You were going to do something, weren’t you?”

“Vice President Lee Minseong, I already know that you have had some kind of commission with the Hyena Guild. Sooner or later, the association will also know about it.”

“… Association?”

Lee Minseong’s expression hardened.

Lim Taegyu let out a deep sigh.

“Yes. So tell me what the hell you were doing behind our backs. We have to know so we can clean it up somehow.”

“Hmm. Clean up?”

Lee Minseong rubbed his chin and was lost in thoughts.

He didn’t want to be specific.

‘He couldn’t do it either.’

In the end, Lee Minseong smiled and shrugged.

“Well, nothing special. Just running light errands and playing with money?”

“Is that really all?”

“Yes. Even if the association decides, I can solve it on my own, so don’t worry.”

“I hope that is true.”

“Or else, what? The Hunter Law is so weak so there won’t be any problems if I mobilize my lawyers.”

“The law…”

The Hunter Law is definitely out of date.

Lim Taegyu pondered on those words.

It was natural.

It has only been two years since the cataclysm occurred.

Even now, the Association was working hard to pass Hunter-related legislation, but there were still holes in it.

That’s why guys like Hyena Guild were still able to play to their heart’s content.

“Satisfied now? If you don’t have anything more to say, I’m leaving.”

Lee Minseong turns around and leaves the conference room without even listening to the answer.

Behind him, Lim Taegyu issued the last warning.

“Vice President Lee Minseong, it would be better not to be overconfident. Even if the law is weak, the president of the association is never an easy person.”

Thud.

The conference room door was slammed shut.

Lim Taegyu shook his head and sat back in his chair.

It was only then that the employees were able to breathe out.

Lee Minseong came out with a relaxed gait…

His expression was contorted like that of a demon.

‘A bastard who doesn’t even know the subject dares question me!’

He didn’t show it, but in fact, his whole body was drenched in cold sweat from Lim Taegyu’s killing gazes.

More than the fear he has, he couldn’t tolerate getting his pride stepped on.

‘I only got in because he begged me to be the vice president, but he treats me like a servant? Lim Taegyu, how dare you?’

But he had no right to express this anger.

After all, Taegyu was an S-Class hunter, and he was only an A-Class.

He couldn’t help but control his anger.

Hyena Guild?

No.

‘The guy who destroyed the Hyena Guild!’

Lee Minseong called someone with a scary look on his face.

“Yes, it is me. Did you figure out his identity?”

-No, Vice President. I’ve been trying to find out about him from all the survivors…

A voice without confidence came from the other side of the phone.

-None of the survivors knows what he looks like.

“What? They don’t know what he looked like? How come?”

-The hunter was covering his face with a mask and hood the whole time. What is noteworthy is that he used twin swords, and it is said that he picked up the sword used by werewolves and used it.

Hmm.

“… Find out more about who that bastard is and bring him to me.”

-Yes, Sir. Well understood.

Thud!

Lee Minseong couldn’t hold back his anger and threw his phone on the floor.

* * *

Meanwhile at that time.

Suho was spending a peaceful time in the Shadow Dungeon.

Of course, only Suho is at peace.

Gray, the wolf cub of the canine clan, was about to die.

“Growl!”

[Oh, that’s great. Finally, our wolfie hunted a goblin alone. Although the opponent is of course a baby goblin.]

“Kyao-!”

At Beru’s praise, the palm-sized wolf cub howled sadly— no, howled ferociously.

The way he stepped on the young goblin’s corpse with his paws looked extremely pitiful— no, brave.

[Now, eat! A true hunter eats all his prey without leaving any!]

“Growl!”

[Ugh! Open your mouth wide and chew!]

“Thud!”

Chomp! Chomp!

Gray showed signs of exhaustion, but couldn’t disobey the harsh commands of Assistant Professor Beru.

As he was told to do so, he opened his mouth wide and bit the goblin he hunted…

Ring!

[The level of ‘Pet: Gray’ increased!]

A message arrived in front of Suho.

“Oh, he also levels up?”

-Didn’t I tell you? If you let him eat, sleep and play, he’d grow up.

“I know he’d grow up. But, I thought I was the only one leveling up.”

Another message arrived.

[‘Pet: Gray’ offers 50% of its experience as a sacrifice to its owner.]

“What?”

[Ehhh?]

Suho and Beru looked at each other.

They turned their gazes to look at Gray, who was lying flat on the floor.

“Hnnnggg.”

[Young Master. How could you steal this little one’s power?]

“No, I…”

Suddenly, a feeling of guilt came flooding in.

Chapter 20

 

[I get it now.]

Beru realized.

[The pet system seems to be a kind of prisoner of war.]

The shadow fragment skill was the ability to release shadow soldiers from the corpses of enemies.

On the other hand, the pet system allows enslaving enemies without killing them.

The difference between the two was the presence of ‘growth’.

[If you kill wolfie right now and release him as a shadow soldier, he will be a wolf cub forever.]

Gray’s situation was different from Beru, who was temporarily downsized due to lack of mana.

The moment he becomes a shadow soldier, he would be released from his current weak and young form.

[Of course, as the level of Young Master rises, wolfie will be affected to some extent as well. But, the limit will be clear. On the other hand, if you let them live like this…]

“He’ll keep on getting bigger and later might become a huge wolf like Broki.”

[Yes. By that time, he will be of help to Young Master.]

“Really?”

Hearing that it would help him, Suho smiled and looked at Gray.

[Gray Lv.2]

Fang Wolf

“Hnnggg.”

As soon as the madness from ‘Skill: Harsh Command’ disappeared, Gray returned to being a worthless one-day old cub.

At first, it seemed like he would die right away, but thanks to the level up, his condition looked much better.

However, the image of him crouching in the corner and turning his gaze in a different direction seemed to be unfamiliar with Suho.

Suho sighed.

“How long will it take until I can use him?”

[He’s insignificant right now, but wouldn’t he be helpful if he was bigger? He will earn experience on his own.]

“It’s like an automatic hunting game.”

The problem was that the game was at the level of a mini-game at the moment.

“Alright. Then, let’s keep raising Gray here.”

-I agree. Since he had to be fed three meals a day anyway, an environment like this would be perfect.

“Huh?”

[Hmm?]

-Why? What? Aren’t we on the same side now?

“…”

Rakan’s Sword casually added his opinion.

He had been floating around Suho by the Ruler’s Power.

Snatch.

Suho snatched the handle and said.

“Okay. Then, should I slowly level up, too?”

It wasn’t just Gray who entered the Shadow Dungeon.

Even after finishing the 4-hour survival quest the other day, the Shadow Dungeon was still infested with wild goblins.

Even if there was no quest, experience would be gained as Suho hunts.

‘Last time I was too weak to run away, but things are very different now.’

It was also rewarding to level up during that time.

Most of their name tags had turned white.

Suho was confident that he could deal with them no matter how many they were.

However, he had no intention of looking for each one of them hiding in the dark.

“Inventory.”

Suho took out an item from his inventory that the goblins had dropped during the last survival quest.

Beru, tilted his head.

[Young Master, what is that?]

“This?”

Suho smiled.

[Item: Horn]

Difficulty to get: E

Type: Instrument

The horn used by the Goblin Commander to summon his men.

“It’s an item I’ve already obtained, so shouldn’t I use it?”

Suho put the horn in his mouth and blew vigorously.

Woo-woo-!

[Use ‘Item: Horn’ to call nearby goblins.]

That moment.

Kiek-!

The black-and-white world became noisy.

The goblins hiding in the darkness began to jump out at the same time.

They were angry at the fact that the one who summoned them was a human.

Krrrk, Krrrk! Krrrk!

[Oh! You are truly brilliant! This is kind of reusing!]

Suho fiercely showed his teeth as he watched the goblins attacking him from all sides.

“Beru.”

[Yep!]

“Now, it’s your turn to eat.”

[Krrrk!]

Beru smirked with greedy eyes at those words.

The mana stone was good, but eating the magical beast directly was much more efficient to recharge his mana.

Right then.

Ring!

[‘Daily Quest: Cleaning the Shadow Dungeon’ has arrived.]

“Huh?”

A message suddenly appeared in front of Suho’s eyes.

[Daily Quest: Cleaning the Shadow Dungeon]

100 Goblins: Incomplete (0/100)

10 Goblin Commanders: Incomplete (0/10)

1 Goblin Main Commander: Incomplete (0/1)

“A daily quest?”

Suho’s eyes widened.

He was going to hunt anyway, but a timely quest just arrived.

“This is great.”

Since it’s a quest, there will of course be a reward.

For a daily quest, it meant that the reward would be given every day.

[Anyway, the system seems to want to make this place completely the territory of Young Master.]

“… It’s the system my father used.”

Suho murmured with a longing expression.

‘I remember when I was little I used to shine my dad’s shoes and get pocket money.’

“Okay! Let’s see how much pocket money he will give me this time!”

Suho swung his sword

[‘Skill: Blade Storm’ has been used.]

A violent storm raged.

* * *

After a while.

“Khiikk!”

[You have killed a Goblin Archer.]

[100 Goblins: Incomplete (89/100)]

“Krrrk!”

[You have killed a Goblin Commander.]

[10 Goblin Commanders: Incomplete (9/10)]

Suho was slaughtering goblins like a madman with two swords.

But, he wasn’t fighting alone like before.

Suho selected only the largest goblin commanders among the goblins and used them as shadow soldiers.

Seven of them.

[Number of shadows that can be released: 7/7]

It was thanks to his intellect stat rising after catching Broki.

However, compared to the past, Suho was still feeling regret despite the changes that could be called great development.

“At times like this, it’s a pity that the shadow soldiers disappear on their own over time. You mentioned that my father said he also had a shadow storage skill, right?”

[Yes, that’s right. His Majesty has commanded eternal soldiers.]

“Can I have it later too?”

[I don’t know that much.]

Suho licked his lips.

‘Anyway.’

Despite this, no notice of level-up has been up yet.

As the battle becomes easy, the experience comes in less.

‘This is practically like a morning exercise.’

It would still be a problem even if the daily quest was too difficult. He would be stressed fighting for his life every day.

But…

‘Isn’t it worth it?’

Suho took out the horn again.

Woooo! Woo-woo-!

[Use ‘Item: Horn’ to call nearby goblins.]

Then, immediately.

Krrrk! Krrrk! Krrrk! Krrrk!

From the darkness, a new army of goblins began to emerge.

Beru opened his eyes wide and looked at Suho.

[Young Master? Aren’t you almost done with the daily quest?]

“Who cares? We have a lot of time today anyway, so let’s go on until we level up.”

[Heuk. Young Master is born to be a soldier ant.]

“Is that a compliment?”

Suho smirked and was surrounded by the new goblins.

After which…

[Daily Quest: Cleaning the Shadow Dungeon]

100 Goblins: Complete (107/100)

10 Goblin Commanders: Complete (10/10)

1 Goblin Main Commander: Complete (1/1)

[You have completed ‘Daily Quest: Cleaning the Shadow Dungeon’.]

[The completion reward has arrived.]

[Do you want to check the reward?]

( Y / N )

“… Yeah.”

Suho checked the quest window and opened his eyes wide.

Ha didn’t check the message about the reward as he was frantically fighting with the goblins. But, he found something strange.

[100 Goblins: Complete (107/100)]

‘Why does the record keep accumulating even though I have reached the target?’

For a moment, Suho’s eyes glimmered.

Is this really a coincidence?

Slash!

Suho cut the head of the goblin who was just about to attack.

[You have killed a Goblin Commander.]

[10 Goblin Commanders: Done (11/10)]

‘Again!’

Likewise, the other counts continued to accumulate.

He was puzzled.

‘Up until how much would it count?’

Suho started hunting the goblins with more enthusiasm than before.

He eventually leveled up in the middle but he did not stop hunting.

As a result…

[100 Goblins: Complete (200/100)]

[10 Goblin Commanders: Complete (20/10)]

[1 Goblin Main Commander: Complete (1/1)]

When it reached exactly twice the target number, no more counts were accumulated beyond that.

‘There’s something about this.’

Suho’s curiosity had now turned to conviction.

[1 Goblin Main Commander: Done (1/1)]

Now all that remains is the main commander.

“Krrrk!”

Killing that guy doubles everything.

‘Then, what will happen?’

He wanted to see for himself.

“Catch him so he can’t escape!”

[Krrrk!]

At Suho’s command, the shadow goblins rushed at the same time and seized the limbs of the large goblin commander.

“Kyaaaagh!”

It struggled a lot.

Suho ran and cut off its head.

Right then.

Ring!

[You have completed ‘Hidden Quest: Cleaning the Shadow Dungeon’.]

[The completion reward has arrived.]

[Do you want to check the reward?]

( Y / N )

“Hidden Quest?”

The moment all counts doubled, the type of quest changed.

Suho was delighted that his intuition was correct.

After killing the main commander, there were no goblins attacking anymore so he decided to check the reward right away.

“Check the reward.”

Ring!

[The following rewards were prepared.]

Reward 1. State Recovery

Reward 2. Ability Points +3

Hidden Reward 3.

1) Blessed Random Box (Select)

2) Cursed Random Box (Select)

[Are you sure you will accept all?]

‘There are three rewards?’

He decided to check the first reward first.

He leveled up in the middle, but after fighting 200 goblins, his body was completely exhausted.

“Accept the first reward.”

At that moment, Suho’s whole body was enveloped in a faint blue aura.

Just like when leveling up, his conditions were back to normal and everything was replenished.

“Oh, this is good.”

The moment he felt it, he realized how to use this reward in the future.

He would save this reward and use it in a timely manner so he won’t have to wait vaguely to level up when he’s in the middle of a battle.

“Accept the second reward.”

The second reward, ‘ability point +3’, was also very good.

He tried it today, but the higher the level, the more difficult it was to level up.

But since this was a daily quest reward, he thought that from now on, he could become stronger every day this way.

And finally…

Only the reward for the hidden quest remains.

Hidden Reward 3.

1) Blessed Random Box (Select)

2) Cursed Random Box (Select)

Options were laid in front of Suho.