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Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 181-185


Chapter 181

 

Sung Il-Hwan’s house was quite modest compared to other cottages in Yangpyeong. He only had a small paddy field and a greenhouse built around it.

“It seems a bit small, doesn’t it? I told him to make it bigger, but your grandfather said that if it’s big, it will be harder to clean it…” Suho listened to Sung Jin-Ah’s words from one of his ears as he focused on his senses. Suddenly, the expression on his face became serious.

‘….It’s deserted.’

Suho’s senses scanned all the greenhouses and rice paddies that spread around his grandfather’s house, but there was still no sign of his grandfather.

“Beru.”

Shuaaaa

At Suho’s glance, Beru’s shadow stretched out quickly to scan his surroundings.

“Oh my, are they out again?” No matter how much she rang the doorbell, Jin-Ah didn’t get an answer, so she tilted her head. She wasn’t too worried about them since they usually went out a lot to farm. They were also very minimalist for their age. “Well that is to be expected since they never like to stay in the house for too long. I also set up a hospital for them and yet they’ve never gotten sick either. Of course, it’s a good thing but…”

Sung Jin-Ah smiled and pressed the password for the front door, which she had known in case a situation like this had appeared. The door opened.

Titititi.

T-ring!

“Suho, I’ll go in first and you wait…” But as the front door opened, and their eyes caught the inside of the house, a mess appeared in front of them.

Sung Jin-Ah and Suho’s expressions hardened at the same time.

“What is this…”

For a moment their hearts sank. Out in the open there were scattered objects everywhere. This was quite the contrast to the always neatly clean and tidy house that Jin-Ah was familiar with.

“Mom?” With a chill penetrating the corners of Sung Jin-Ah’s chest, many thoughts started to pass through her head. “Mom! Are you at home?!” Sung Jin-Ah’s complexion quickly turned pale and she began to search all over the house in search of her parents.

Suho’s gaze, on the other hand, was centered on something else. From the beginning, he knew no one was here right now. So instead he looked for something else.

‘Their cellphone.’

Suho pulled out his phone again and tried to call his grandfather. Suddenly he heard the sound of a cell phone coming from the corner of the living room.

His grandfather’s cell phone, which was plugged into the charger, was ringing alone.

When Jin-ah found out about this, she contemplated the situation. “No, why would dad leave his cellphone here? Where’s my mom’s cell phone then?” This time, Sung Jin-Ah called Suho’s grandmother, Park Kyung-Hye.

Whether this was lucky or not, Park’s cellphone was never found inside the house. “Perhaps she took her cell phone with her? No, how could it be that they left their house like this?”

Someone else was just as anxious.

[My young liege! I looked in the garage and there was a parked car!]

Just in time, Beru, who had been looking around, whispered to Suho, who then went straight outside and checked the garage.

“Su- Suho! Where are you going!” Sung Jin-Ah followed Suho out and opened her eyes to find a truck parked quietly in the garage. “Why is the car here? They didn’t even drag the car out?” Sung Jin-Ah’s expression became even more serious. There was a long stretch of paddy fields around Sung’s house, and it was difficult to go anywhere without a car.

“Arsha.”

Suho said, looking down at his feet with a scared face.

[Yes.]

Immediately, Arsha’s answer came from the Shadow Dungeon.

“Do you have your worker bees in Yangpyeong?”

[This is my first time in Yangpyeong, so there aren’t many, but there are many farmhouses nearby, so I can increase them as much as you want.]

“Get started on that.”

[Yes, I will.]

Buzzzzzz

At that moment, the sound of bees’ wings suddenly came from all directions. The first thing Arsha did was to look at the picture frames hanging in the house. Then, after carefully examining the faces of Suho’s grandfather and grandmother, he scattered the worker bees in all directions. The worker bees in Yangpyeong began to change into Arsha’s worker bees by the minute. However, Suho was not so relieved.

Just the thought of his elderly grandfather and grandmother having only lost contact with them was serious enough. But what if we add to this the possibility that their disappearance could also be connected to the Foreign Religion?

“Gray.”

Shuaaaaaaa

Above Suho’s shadow, Gray the little wolf appeared.

“Ah!” Sung Jin-Ah was momentarily surprised by the appearance, but she immediately calmed down because she had learned beforehand from her husband that Suho had already awakened. Instead of being too shocked, a sudden idea had popped inside her head. “Right! There was the Hunters Association!”

Fortunately, not far from here was a branch of the Hunter Association. It has been building a cooperative relationship with Ahjin Hospital, the best hospital in Yangpyeong, for some time now. “Suho! This auntie of yours has an acquaintance at the association! I’ll ask them for help!” Sung Jin-Ah said while she urgently called the Association.

“Gray, find anything that’s useful. Raikan, are you listening now?” Suho decided to use everything he had at his disposal.

[The Beast Monarch, King of Beasts watches you.]

Raikan’s gaze centered on him. Looking in the direction where the presence was felt, Suho opened his mouth. “You know what’s going on, right? Can you tell by the smell of magic what happened here?” It would be much more efficient to pamper a dead monarch himself than to let Gray do all the work. Realizing Suho’s intentions, a dark smile appeared on Raikan’s lips.

[The Beast Monarch, King of Beasts offers a deal in exchange for help.]

“What else do you suggest?” As expected, the dead monarch did not readily help.

[The Beast Monarch explains that he needs sacrifices in order to exert his influence.]

It was true. Originally, a deceased monarch could not have any influence on this life. However, there were cases where this was possible, and that was the method of “sacrifice” in which offerings were made and prayers were offered.

Suho, who understood the situation, nodded obediently. After all, the condition that Raikan demanded the other day was that he finally handed over the items– that had become useless to him– to Gray.

“Alright. What do you want? I don’t have much time, so tell me quickly.”

[The Beast Monarch raises the corners of his mouth to say that this is not a bad proposition for you, either.]

At that moment, Raikan’s presence began to grow more and more. It was then…

“Suho! She is in the Association!” The words burst out of Sung Jin-Ah’s mouth, who was on the phone with a serious face. Immediately, Suho’s head turned to her.

“Who? Grandma?”

“?Yes! One of the staff members drove her there!”

And at the same time…

[The Beast Monarch sighs.]

Raikan’s growing presence faded away. Whether he helped or not, Suho’s attention had already drifted away from him.

“No, why did grandma go to the Hunter’s Association? Is grandpa there too?”

“No… That’s why she went there.”

“What?”

To Suho’s question, Sung Jin Ah replied with a chuckle. “Well, my dad… Your grandfather…”

Upon hearing Sung Jin-Ah’s story, Suho shouted, his expression hardened.

“Gray!”

“Woof!!”

Gray, who had been sniffing his surroundings at the abstract command, swelled his size significantly.

“Get on!” Suho put Sung Jin-Ah on Gray’s back before running straight to the Yangpyeong branch of the Hunter Association, where his grandmother was.

***

Min Dae-Seok, the head of the Yangpyeong branch of the Hunter Association, was a man full of complaints.

‘Personal change? What is this? A demotion?’

As in any country, the Hunter Association had branches throughout Korea. And depending on the peculiarities of the jurisdiction, the work of the Association’s staff varied greatly. Of course, the most basic tasks were quite similar. Stabilizing security while the guilds attacked the dungeons. And since they didn’t know when or where the gates would occur, they searched the area all year round to detect anomalies.

But there was a problem here. No matter how much you search, what if dungeons rarely appear in your jurisdiction? Will citizens like it now that they can live in peace? There are so many different personalities in the world, and sometimes some people get fed up with that comfort.

“No, why should someone like me rot all his youth in the countryside like this! Why am I stuck in a place like this!”

‘….Here he goes again.’

‘Look away.’

‘If you make eye contact for no reason, you’ll get shouted at like last time.’

There is no work to be done around. In this peaceful daily life that seems to last forever, the branch manager Min Dae-Seok keeps having a bad temper. The only way for his subordinates to deal with his tantrums was to do their best to pretend they didn’t see.

But the biggest problem they had to sigh about was that he wasn’t really complaining because he didn’t have a job.

‘Despite having no work …’

‘Complaints keep coming in.’

‘But all the cases are taken over to the police station because we don’t have the jurisdiction.’

The employees, who were familiar with the usual working style of the branch manager, just sighed quietly. However, there was also some ambiguity whenever they should or not agree with Min Dae-Seok.

It’s only been two years since the Hunter Association was founded. There was still no complete separation between the duties of the police and the work of the Hunter Association in the event of a gate related incident.

Either way, if you put it on your nose, it’s a nose ring, and if you put it on your ear, it’s an earring. (1) But no matter how much you face a boss like this, someone has to be brave in the end.

“Well, sir… Park Kyung-Hye is still outside.”

“What? Why did that old lady come here again?! Make her go to the police station!” Min Dae-Seok, who was yawning profusely at the right time, immediately opened his eyes when he heard that.

‘I knew this was going to happen,’ the employee continued. “Oh, no. This time, we drove her here. After investigating, it seems certain that Mr. Sung Il-Hwan is missing…”

“So? Have her go to the police station!”

“…”

“Hah. Got it, got it. So when and where did you say that old man had disappeared?”

At Min Dae-Seok’s words, the staff member couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. ‘If she knew where he was then it wouldn’t be a disappearance at all.’

“If she knew where he was then it wouldn’t be a disappearance at all.”

“Huh?”

At the sudden sound of a cold voice, the employee realized that his thoughts had jumped out of his mouth. But fortunately, such a voice had not been directed at him.

Kugooo!

“…!”

“…?!”

Suddenly, a tremendous presence weighed on the air behind the employee’s back.

There he stood…

Suho, who exuded so much energy that the entire floor of the Association was shaking from it.

[Use Skill: Bloodlust.]

[Use Skill: Bloodlust.]

[Use Skill: Bloodlust.]

Exposed to the terrible bloodlust head-on, the branch chief Min Dae-Seok shouted, his complexion becoming white.

“You, who– who?!” Suddenly, his body stiffened and began to float into the air. In front of him, Suho walked over and checked the name tag around his neck with a puzzled expression, as well as the other ‘necklace’ wrapped around his.

“The head of the branch…”

Chills crept upon his body. Why is it that even those simple words sounded out gave him goosebumps? Indeed, the sudden and terrifying sight caused the Association’s employees to raise their mana at the same time.

‘?Villain!’

“A villain has appeared!”

————————–

1: “If you put it on your nose it’s a nose ring, if you put it on your ear it’s an earring.” A Korean idiom that means that all kinds of things can be used according to the point of view of each person. In this case, people had different opinions about Min Dae-Seok’s complaints but one of them still had to step up and say something.

Chapter 182

 

Rumble!

Was that an earthquake? All the surrounding windows and fluorescent lamps exploded at the same time like bombs.

RRRumble!!

The place was completely chaotic. The pressure was so overwhelming that the building would be torn down at any moment, and the staff of the Hunter Association could hardly breathe properly.

“Attack!”

A few of the hunters, who managed to react, drew their weapons and pounced on Suho.

But–

?BOOM!

“?Grrrr!”

!!!

A huge wolf appeared out of nowhere, standing in their way and roaring fiercely.

“RAWWWRR!”

[Gray uses ‘Skill: Abhor the Weak’.]

[‘Effect: Fear’ is triggered.]

[All abilities of the targets are reduced by 1% for 50 minutes.]

The appearance of a giant wolf filling the room made the hunters realize. If an attack like this has been made… Then he must have been determined to break in!

Surely this was a terror attack aimed at the Association and was thoroughly prepared!

The shocking fact only confused them even more.

No, what kind of crazy villain in this world would invade the Hunter Association! Even the famous Hwang Dong-Soo wouldn’t do such crazy things!

‘What the hell are you doing this for?’

‘Why?’

‘Why the hell?!’

‘I do not understand. I really don’t know!’

No one had time to think clearly among the commotion. They barely suppressed their rising fears and charged blindly at the villain in front of them.

Bang!

“RAWR!”

However, at the same time as the charged, they were struck by the front paws of the giant wolf and thrown back. At the sight of some of their colleagues helplessly being slammed against the wall, the Association’s staff lost all its will to fight.

‘We are going to die.’

They had a hunch that what stood in front of them was certain death.

“Urgh!” At that moment, the head of the branch Min Dae-Seok, who was elevating in front of Suho, pulled up all the magic power and desperately resisted the bloodlust that was crushing his whole body.

He gritted his trembling teeth and glared at Suho. “You think you will be saved like this… Huh?!”

In a second, Suho reached forward, and Min Dae-Seok’s body flew towards Suho’s as if he was being sucked in. And as Suho’s hand approached as if it were going to break the nape of his neck, Min Dae-Seok finally closed his eyes.

Crack!

It wasn’t the nape of his neck that Suho’s hand ripped off, but the chain of the necklace that hung around it instead.

“I’m going to ask.” His voice was cold. When that demonic voice penetrated his ears, Min Dae-Seok shuddered in terror, chills spread across. Suho’s fierce eyes were clearly etched over his frightened pupils. “And you will answer me.” Suho asked, holding the necklace he was wearing in front of his face. “Where did you get this Stardust necklace?”

The Stardust necklace.

Why is he, one of the heads in the Association, wearing something that is related to the Foreign Religion? In Suho’s mind right now, he was imagining all kinds of things. What is the relationship between the Foreign Religion and the Association? And does Woo Jin-Chul, the president of the association, who was once a colleague of his father, know this? But then–

At Suho’s question, Min Dae-Seok squeezed his eyes shut and shouted. “…Bought– I bought it!”

“You bought it?” Suho tilted his head back. At the horror of seeing such an expression on his face, Min Dae-Seok was stunned and hurriedly changed his words.

“I’m sorry, sorry! In fact, I got it for free!”

“Free?”

“I’m so sorry! Even though I told him I would pay him back, but the boss just handed it to me…” Going one step further, Min Dae-seok’s condescending gaze turned to his subordinates scattered around him. “And I wasn’t the only one who got it! All the other employees have them as well!”

“…!”

That snitching bastard! (1) The guy who is the boss at work dragged down even his subordinates! At Min Dae-Seok’s sudden revelation, the expressions of his subordinates changed rapidly. They hastily covered or ripped off the Stardust necklaces they were wearing.

However, when he saw them, Suho’s face, the expressionless one that had been stark until now, was a little broken.

He asked again. “Who is the boss you talked about?”

“…Huh?” Feeling a strange atmosphere for a moment, Min Dae-Seok asked, looking at Suho’s eyes with a confused expression.

“I don’t… Aren’t you from the merchants’ association?”

“….”

“We got a Stardust necklace from there…”

“…Huh?”

He stood surprised. It was Min Dae-Seok who shook his body at the slightest sigh of Suho. Soon enough, Suho’s hand lowered him. Then Min Dae-Seok’s body flew through the air again and forced him to sit down on a nearby chair.

“…?”

The wheels of the chair rolled on their own, and Min Dae-Seok returned to his original seat with a stiff manner.

“…?”

“…?”

Seeing this, the faces of the association employees all at once had puzzled expressions. The air was thin, the atmosphere so tense that they couldn’t even breathe properly, and all their eyes instinctively followed Suho’s every move. In the midst of it all, Suho walked slowly to the desk of the branch chief and slumped down on the chair across from him. Then, looking at the trembling Min Dae-Seok, he proudly stated his business for coming here.

“Are you the branch manager? I’m here to file a complaint.”

“…Ah?”

At that moment. Everyone’s breath was open like a lie. All the bloodlust that had weighed down the area was gone. However, Min Dae-Seok couldn’t help but look puzzled. “Me, a complaint? All of a sudden, what do you mean by that?”

“Apparently my grandfather is missing. Do you know anything?”

“???”

Only then did Min Dae-Seok’s head, which had malfunctioned for a moment, creaked and began to spin a little. He soon started to recall the situation before this crazy villain had arrived and thus came to an even crazier conclusion.

“Hey, perhaps… Are you Mr. Sung Il-Hwan’s grandchild?”

“Yes, my name is Sung Suho, the Guildmaster of the Woojin Guild.”

“So you’re not a villain…?”

“No, in fact, I’m an Association-certified villain hunter.”

“…Eh?”

Suho proudly handed out his business card and his villain hunter certificate.

“Woof!”

The giant wolf grew smaller and smaller until he was a small puppy(2), and then sat down, his nose up and his hips glued to Suho’s feet. Seeing the series of appearances, Min Dae-Seok’s mind suddenly became confused.

Everyone, including the staff who stood around, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

‘No, wait.’

‘To sum it up….’

‘You made all this ruckus just to file a complaint?!’

Of course, no one was brave enough to say this outloud. Noticing the stares focused on him, Suho apologized with a serious expression.

“I’m sorry. I was overwhelmed after hearing about my grandfather’s disappearance.”

“Oh, no. No. If your family member is missing, it’s understandable anyone would act like that…”

The wheel of the chair rolled by itself, and Min Dae-Seok returned to his original position as he sat calmly. Min Dae-Seok’s voice became less and less as he hurriedly waved his hands in response to Suho’s apology.

The Association’s office became a mess overnight. All the glass is broken, the fluorescent lamps rattle from the ceiling, and the flames crackle like ghosts. He was too sympathetic to agree that anyone could do such a thing, but the sight behind Suho’s back was too horrible.

‘…So you didn’t do this because you are a villain?’

When he realized that the other person was not a villain, a heat rose from Min Dae-Seok’s chest a second after. When the situation was settled, he was suddenly upset that he had made an unsightly appearance in front of his subordinates.

‘Aiya…. I know you’re a Hunter with great powers. But isn’t Korea a country that follows the law? How dare such a young kid like you make such a ruckus with just a bit of magic? What do you know about the Association!’

Min Dae-Seok clenched his fists and glared at Suho.

‘You may be the Guildmaster of the Woojin Guild! But I’ll be sure to brand you as a villain!’

‘Only when you are the president of the association, can you give yourself that much authority!’

Then, when Suho’s eyes met his, Min Dae-Seok’s stubborn expression suddenly relaxed. “Hmmm. Please compensate for the property damage.”

“Of course I will.”

“Thank you.”

***

By the time Suho’s grandmother, Park Kyung-Hye, and Sung Jin-Ah entered the Association’s office, the mess had already been cleared up. Some of the fluorescent lights were still broken, but beneath them, Suho heard about what had happened with her grandmother and aunt.

“That ‘s . . . First, let me apologize. The reason why we have rejected Ms. Park’s complaint for the past few days is because we have determined that Sir Sung Il-Hwan is not missing.” Min Dae-Seok explained to Suho as if he were making excuses based on what his subordinates had investigated so far. “You see… Mr Sung Suho’s grandfather, Sung-Il-hwan, we know that his hobby is fishing. He also enjoys fishing alone, and he says he can go for two or three days at most.”

“That’s right.” Park nodded obediently. In Yangpyeong, where the South and North Korea rivers diverge, there were quite a few secluded fishing spots. As a result, after Sung Il-Hwan came to Yangpyeong, he used to go fishing from time to time. “…But this time, there was something weird.”

“What was weird?”

“His expression.”

“…Mrs Park Kyung-Hye, such abstract ideas are not helpful to the investigation at all.”

After all, dealing with the elderly is so frustrating. It was Min Dae-Seok who sighed. However, when he saw Suho sitting right next to him, he couldn’t help but manage his facial expressions.

“So, what expression was he wearing?”

“My husband . . . I’ve only had that look on my face three times so far.”

“When is that?”

“The first time was when our son ran away from home.”

Flinch.

At that, Suho’s expression couldn’t help but harden.

“When he was in junior high school, he ran away from home with a note saying he had something to do. He was gone for two years.” Park Kyung-Hye said with a bitter expression, groping for memories of the past.

“I was so shocked when my husband stopped me from running to the police station.” Her husband’s attitude, which showed no signs of alertness when her son was missing, was incomprehensible to Park Kyung-Hye even when she looked back on it now. At first she was angry, then she was frustrated. My son suddenly ran away from home, but which parent can keep their sanity?

Unlike Park Kyung-Hye, Sung Il-Hwan was calm. But she also couldn’t blame her husband for being too cold. The expression on Sung’s face at the time seemed to be holding back the emotions that were about to spill out at any moment. Eventually, Park Kyung-Hye went to the police station and reported her son missing. But despite this, Sung Il-Hwan did not even pretend to look for his son.

“He even stopped me from going outside and putting up missing flyers. Often telling me those words…”

– Let’s trust our son.

Remembering the look on her husband’s face as he uttered those words, Park continued. “In the end, our son came home safely two years later. Then, as an adult, he disappeared again five years ago. This time, with his wife.”

“…”

“Even then, my husband calmed me down with the same expression. Let’s trust him this time.” Park continued. “Well, that look had appeared on his face again.”

The moment he heard those words, Suho couldn’t help but be convinced.

‘Beru, maybe grandpa…’

[Yes, I guess his memory came back again.]

—————————-

1: The realm term was ? ??? ?? ? That water Ghost! which is often referred to people who do or say wrongful things and then drag others down with them, mostly the drag others down part.

2:The original is “As if it were a lie” which is just a saying for becoming small so i just used the word puppy.

Chapter 183

 

When exactly did Sung Il-Hwan regain his memories of his previous life? Beru did not know, but one thing was certain.

[The monarch’s memory transcends time.]

Suho also knew what Beru was trying to say. ‘The Cup of Reincarnation.’

[God’s instrument that turns back time, the Cup of Reincarnation, does not have any effect on the consciousness of higher beings such as rulers and monarchs.]

Beru recalled an old memory, just a few decades ago, in a time when all wars were over and peace came to Earth. It was that moment where Woo Jin-Chul, who lost his memory of his previous life and lived as an ordinary police officer, suddenly regained all his memories in an instant. Looking back, the reason was very simple. The reunion with Sung Jin-Woo. That ‘s all…

But in fact, it was by no means normal.

Who is Sung Jin-Woo? The King of Death, the great Shadow Monarch who slew all other Monarchs and brought entire planes to his feet. How much significance can an event that is directly related to such a great and noble higher being have in a person’s life? Can we dare to dismiss the meeting as ordinary?

[…Mister Sung Il-Hwan was my liege’s father who had lived with him for most of his life, and he has had at one point the ability of directly accepting the ruler’s power into his body.]

For example, a son with the power of a monarch and a father with the power of a ruler. It’s been decades since the two of them lived together in the same house.

Yoo Jin-Ho was able to regain all his memories just by touching the key to the Shadow Dungeon. ‘…Given the opportunity, it’s not strange to see his memories come back.’

At Beru’s words, Suho nodded in agreement. Anyway, the bottom line is that his grandfather suddenly left somewhere with the memories of his previous life. nove(l)bi(n.)com

‘But where did you go? For what?’ Several questions floated around in Suho’s head. He decided to focus on the most important part for now.

‘The Itarim.’ To what extent is Itarim involved in his grandfather’s disappearance? Is his Grandpa all right now? ‘Let’s just focus on that.’ Perhaps there is a chance that his grandfather is in a similar situation as his mother, so it was urgent to find anything as soon as possible.

Suho asked the branch manager Min Dae-Seok, who was talking with Park Kyung-Hye and Sung Jin-Ah. “So who was the last person to see my grandfather?”

Today, Suho’s grandmother, Park Kyung-Hye, came here hurriedly after receiving a call from an Association employee. Until then, the Association had rejected Sung Il-Hwan’s disappearance, but today they are finally convinced that he is missing.

“That… I’m not sure yet.” The one who answered Suho’s question was a new female employee who brought Park Kyung-Hye here. The female employee’s eyes glanced at the branch manager, Min Dae-Seok, and then opened her mouth.

“There were people who saw Sung Il-Hwan at a place other than a fishing spot.”

“A different place? Where is it?”

“Near the merchant Association…”

“What?!” At those words, branch manager Min Dae-Seok turned to the female employee with a visibly embarrassed expression. Then, in a low voice, he quietly threatened her. “Why would he be at the merchant Association? Can you be sure he went there and it isn’t some baseless lie? Can you take responsibility for that?”

“?Oh no! I only heard that they saw him walking in that direction, too! Even the branch manager knows. People don’t fish here these days.”

“Of course. Yes…hmm.” Sensing the eyes of Suho’s family, Min Dae-Seok suddenly cleared his throat and shut his mouth. However, since it had already been heard by Suho, there was no turning back.

“The merchant Association…”

?Woosh!

Min Dae-Seok held his breath. Slowly turning his head, he could see Suho’s aura was gradually becoming more and more brutal like when he first invaded this place. Suho asked while fiddling with the Stardust necklace he had ripped off Min Dae-Seok’s neck earlier. “I think you said the merchants Association had given you this necklace, Right?” The words began to shorten again.

‘No, does this man have anger issues or something!?’ Min Dae-Seok really wanted to cry at Suho’s pressure, which seemed to explode at any moment.

“Answer.”

“Yes, yes! The Merchants Association is just a gathering of people who do business in Yangpyeong. It’s like that in every town!”

“More.”

“Yes! In fact, there is a separate Yangpyeong merchant Association! The Merchants Association we talked about is actually more of a private Association created by hunters active in Yangpyeong! Stardust necklaces are also made and distributed there!”

In response to Suho’s question, Min Dae-Seok reflexively began to tell the truth.

At those words, Suho felt something odd. “Why do hunters create merchant Associations instead of guilds? and what for?”

There is probably no one here who doesn’t know that going into a dungeon once can bring more money than spending time on such useless things. Of course, there were cases where businesses were conducted at the guild level, but that was only an incidental area.

“That, that…” Seeing Suho’s cool eyes, Min Dae-Seok didn’t know what to do and rolled his eyes here and there. Then, the images of the other employees trying to avoid his gaze, and the Stardust necklaces hanging around their necks…

Suho intuitively realized. ‘Something is going on here.’

Crack!

At that moment, the corner of branch manager Min Dae-Seok’s desk was crushed in Suho’s hand. Beru whispered like a demon into Suho’s ear.

[Should I just kill him? I will eat his brain and read his memory.]

Did he hear that whisper? Or did Beru’s ‘sincerity’ work? The moment his desk was smashed, branch manager Min Dae-Seok was startled and finally opened his mouth.

“Bla– it’s a black market!… Hick!” It was Min Dae-Seok who spoke recklessly and suddenly covered his mouth.

“…Black market?” Suho’s eyes grew even more frightening, on the contrary, Min Dae-Seok’s complexion turned pale and he hurriedly began to make excuses.

“Yeah, that’s it. To be clear, I have nothing to do with it. I only heard that they were still preparing, so I, to be exact—”

“What is a black market?” When Sung Jin-Ah, who was listening to the story, asked, Min Dae-Seok sighed deeply and explained.

“That… Non-awakened people have no idea about it, of course. The black market is a direct transaction market only used by hunters.”

“So a normal market?”

“Yes. To be precise, it is a place where direct transactions or auctions for tax evasion take place.” Tax evasion. It was Sung Jin-Ah who understood what he said. Even for hunters with superhuman abilities, taxes were a scary law. In particular, the tax rate applied to hunters who are classified as extremely high-income earners is a whopping 50%.

Basically they take exactly half of the money earned by fighting the demons at the risk of their lives and extort it from the country. Of course, the money is used to rebuild the citizens who have been damaged by the dungeon or the destroyed city. And the organization that manages and supervises the exact use of the tax was the Hunter Association.

“But why is the Association turning a blind eye to the black market for tax evasion?”

“?Oh no! This was going on before I came here, so I was against it at first–!”

Crack!

At that moment, Min Dae-Seok’s desk began to be crushed like tofu in front of his eyes, gradually, slowly.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

“Ah…” Min Dae-Seok, who witnessed the scene, caught his breath in the feeling that sooner or later he would end up like that too. But he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Standing up from her seat, Suho looked at all the Association employees in the office with a cold gaze. At that gaze, just like Min Dae-Seok, the staff who were wearing Stardust necklaces shivered with pale faces. The legal issues against them will be resolved later by Woo Jin-Chul, the president of the Association.

Suho asked.

“So where is the Merchants Association?”

* * *

Yangpyeong is wide. Its size is almost as wide as Jeju Island. However, if there is a little difference from Jeju Island, is that there are many development restrictions in Yangpyeong, such as water source protection areas and nature conservation areas. As the situation was, Yangpyeong was made up of mountains, forests, and valleys on all sides, and there were countless fishing spots. However, since the mountain is so rough, it was also an area where missing people like Sung Il-Hwan frequently appeared.

“…It is very foggy.”

[Yangpyeong is a humid area. It is because there are many dams.]

During Suho’s self-talk, Quay appeared and began to talk about what he knew. Listening to that explanation, Suho was walking on a land covered in water and fog.

[Little lord, now I understand.]

Beru noticed the identity of the sense of incongruity he felt when he first set foot in Yangpyeong.

[It seems that the Blue Mist has melted into this water mist.]

“Could there be a dungeon hidden inside?”

[Yes. Since the Blue Mist didn’t flow more than the water mist itself, I think the Association didn’t notice it until now.]

Quay, a former villain and Vice-Guildmaster of the Reaper Guild, recognized the value of this place at a glance.

[If I knew about this place, I too would have also wanted to create a black market.]

A place where even the existence of the gate can be hidden. It meant, in other words, a place where anything could be hidden.

“Quay, hit your head.”

[Yes.]

?Boink!

Unlike someone who wasn’t a former villain, it was Quay who deeply sympathized with the psychology of criminals.

“I’m starting to feel it.” Suho stopped walking. The magical power of the gate, which had been faintly felt as it melted into the water mist, began to grow thicker and thicker.

“Is this whole area a field type dungeon?” Esil, who was walking by Suho’s side, looked around with her eyes shining. Then she finally found something. “It’s a demonic totem.”

“Do you know what it is for?”

“For protection barriers. It informs you when non-demons approach.”

“Anything other than demons?” At those words, Suho smiled softly. “Then I’ll just have to become a demon.” Suho took out the ‘Item: Crow Mask’ from his inventory and hid his face. A badge worn by demons working at the Stardust Factory. But, of course, it was impossible to deceive the barriers of the demons with this alone.

“Esil.”

“Yes.”

[Equip ‘Item: Horn of Vulcan’.]

If you pretend now, you pretend till the end. Esil immediately transformed to her spiritual body and attached herself to Vulcan’s horns in Suho’s head. From the crow mask to the demon’s horns. Suho’s appearance has turned into that of a demon.

[This should be enough to fool the barrier.]

Hearing Esil’s whisper, Suho proudly passed through. At that moment, the view changed, and the image of the black market that the branch manager had talked about unfolded in front of Suho.

Chapter 184

 

The scenery was one that looked as though it came from an oriental painting. That was the first impression Suho felt on the way to the black market. A deep valley road covered in misty mountains. As he walked up the winding road, a huge building in front of Suho slowly revealed its outline and eventually revealed its true nature.

‘A temple’F

It was as such. There was no other way to express it. Soaring ceilings, a rough but elaborately decorated stone pillar, a huge door made of bronze in the middle of it. This sacred atmosphere, which is overwhelming as soon as you see it, made him instinctively aware that this place is a ‘temple’ even if I don’t know who it is for.

Wince*.*

Suddenly, Beru’s eyes shone sharply as he looked ahead.

[Small liege, I can feel a lot of people in the depths of that building.]

“Human? Or a demon?”

Flick*.*

To Suho’s question, Beru flicked his antennae and answered confidently.

[People with magical powers. Probably most of them are hunters.]

“What about the demons?”

[I can feel the demons too, but not many, and there is no one right across the door.]

“It is as the branch manager said.” Suho nodded and walked carefully in front of the temple. Then he raised his head and looked up at the huge door that was firmly closed in front of him. A heavy door that ordinary people will never be able to open. Of course, if it was Suho’s absurd strength stat, he could have smashed it in one hit rather than simply opening it.

‘But if that’s the case, it would be pointless to hide.’ It wasn’t a good way to cause a fuss at all in a situation where his grandfather might or might not be in this building. Besides, Suho already knew how to open this door.

Snap.

Suho took out the ‘Stardust necklace’ he had stolen from branch manager Min Dae-Seok from his pocket and held it up. Then, after putting the necklace around his neck, he reached out his hand and gently pushed the closed door.

Creeaakk.

Then, to his surprise, the heavy door began to slide so lightly.

Swing!

Eventually, the door opened wide, revealing a spacious interior. A shady interior with moss on the floor, walls, and ceiling. Suho followed the torches hanging on the wall and stepped into the hallway, bursting into laughter.

“So it worked. I never thought that the real purpose of the Stardust necklace was actually a pass for the black market.”

Nowadays, the reason why Stardust necklaces were made is widely known as a memorial meaning. The so-called ‘Let’s honor the souls of the victims who died as ingredients for Stardust’ was a really meaningful and good intention. In addition, since most of the proceeds from Stardust necklaces are actually used for the bereaved family, no one doubted the purpose.

‘But in fact, it was all a smoke screen.’ According to branch manager Min Dae-Seok, there are still only a handful of hunters who know this truth. In the first place, since it wasn’t long since the black market was created, few people knew about its existence. But it was only a matter of time after all.

[Even if information about the black market is distributed to only a few people, they will spread word of mouth on their own in the future.]

When the information about the black market gradually became known, then the hunters would move to get their hands on the Stardust necklace. Quay showed interest. Really, the more you know about the black market, the more interesting it can be.

[It’s like a multi-level pyramid scheme.]

Ponzi schemes, commonly referred to as pyramid schemes, used to increase victims this way. A method of starting with a small number at first, and increasing the number by enticing others as if introducing good things. Among them, there were many places with a strong religious intention to the point of being suspicious at times. However, as long as there was no direct damage to himself, it really didn’t matter to Suho. But what if that religion is the Foreign Religion that serves the Itarim?

‘Anyways, one thing is clear.’ If this was a real temple of Foreign Religion, it seemed that the Apostles of Itarim had already perfectly adapted to Earth. After walking along the hallway for a while, a wide dome-shaped space opened up in front of Suho. It seemed as big as an Olympic stadium, or even bigger than several of them put together. However, Suho, who witnessed the scene unfolding inside, couldn’t help but be a little surprised. I thought it was a black market, so I thought it would be very dark and secretive, but when I came in, it was much brighter and more upbeat than I thought.

“Only 200 stones! ?Negotiations are available!”

“All types of dungeon ores are available here except for the rare ones!”

“Drop a demon corpse today! Only the last person on a first-come, first-served basis will be given a discount!”

“Super Sale! Super sale!”

“If you don’t have money, you can pay with magic stones!”

“Ah-oh! Are you new here? What idiot in the world would hold out a credit card on the black market?!”

Suho felt like he was at a fairground. Numerous mats and booths filled the wide space. Numerous merchants set up their seats there, eagerly soliciting customers, buying and selling goods. Watching the scene, Suho couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “It looks like I came to some kind of bazaar.” It was said that it was a black market created for tax evasion, but when he saw it, he felt like he was in a second-hand market. However, there were also unexpected appearances.

[My small liege, there seems to be a smithy that smelts ore and sells weapons.]

“I know. Blacksmiths seem to be mainly demons.” Surprisingly, humans and demons lived in harmony in this place. Hunters were the main traders who briefly visited and traded goods, but those who set up here and made and sold goods in earnest were demons wearing crow masks. In other words, they were the organizers.

‘A market where humans and demons coexist. It’s really bizarre.’

[Master, you can see the auction house and gambling hall over there.]

‘hmm?’

Looking at the direction Quay was pointing, he finally started to see something that resembled a black market.

“Ha, one more time! lend me some more money please! I can pay it back!” Hunters who seemed to have wasted all their fortunes in front of the gambling house were begging with bitter expressions. When they finally raised their mana from their whole bodies, the crow masked demons guarding the gambling hall grabbed their shoulders.

“Dear customers, calm down. You shouldn’t be like this here.”

“We also don’t want to walk out of here either!”

“Yeah, just once! Please lend me just this once!”

“…Whoo. There’s nothing we can do. Then why don’t you play a few rounds yourself?” “Wait what?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility and match you to your weight class.”

The gamblers’ eyes were shaken by the demon’s suggestion. In the meantime, the hunter in debt couldn’t keep his eyes off the gambling house because he held some lingering feelings before ending up making a decision that he shouldn’t have made.

“…You’re really going to match the weight class, aren’t you?”

“Oh, of course. You know it well, don’t you? Underground fighting is a pure bare-bodied fight, taking off all the items from the participants. What should a strong hunter like you be worried about?”

“…Then, can I get a deposit in advance?” The moment those words came out, Suho looked at them. The corners of the mouths of demons tearing beyond the crow mask. The demons smiled brightly and held the hands of the gamblers, no, hunters.

“What an obvious thing to say. Then, let’s talk about the actual contract over there.” Suho quietly watched the backs of the gamblers following the demons one after another.

‘An underground arena. They literally made a deal with the devil.’

[My young liege, you know that gambling is a shortcut to bankruptcy, right? Why are you going there?]

“It’s an underground arena. The view is fine.”

As Suho walked to the gambling den, the gatekeeper demons who were guarding the gates bowed respectfully to Suho and started talking to him.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you, by any chance, visiting from another factory?”

At the same time, he raised his gaze and looked at the pair of horns hanging above Suho’s head, feeling a little wary.

[Just answer in half words. Since you have Vulcan’s horns, they think you’re a much higher demon, so be careful.]

At Esil’s timely advice, Suho nodded briefly and opened his mouth. “I heard some rumors and stopped by for a while. Any problems?” At the same time, when he gently lifted the Stardust necklace hanging around his neck and showed it, the gatekeeper demons hurriedly backed away and responded quite favorably.

“Oh, it’s no problem. Our new factory is always welcome. If you need any guidance, could we be of help?”

‘It’s strange.’

Suho got the feeling of a salesperson who wanted to break through a new account from the demons. And the demons seemed to have no intention of hiding their innermost thoughts.

“Although… If you don’t mind, may I know how much Stardust you have?” At the same time as that question, their snake-like eyes scanned the appearance of Suho, who came here empty-handed. “As you know, there are so many factories that have become broke these days.”

“…” While Suho chose his words for a moment, Esil whispered in displeasure.

[What the– How dare such insignificant demons talk like this to a horned demon?!] Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m

‘Why are you angry? I’m not even a real demon.’

It seemed that this was a place where people could come regardless of the ranks of the demons. However, when Suho was silent for a while, an outright sneer appeared on the gatekeepers’ lips.

“Ah I knew this would happen.”

“So did I.”

He recognized it from the moment he came empty-handed. These days, there are so many demons who come to us because they want to join us.

“Hmm?” It was then. A bunch of Stardust suddenly appeared in Suho’s hand, who had been thougt to be empty.

“…!”

At that moment, the gatekeepers’ eyes widened. No, it wasn’t just a bag, then came two, three, four.

In the meantime, while robbing Demon Factories, Suho kept the Stardust he had acquired there in his inventory. A fishy smile appeared on Suho’s lips as he took out a package full of them and showed it to the demons.

“Do you need more?”

“Ah no, that’s enough.”

“Please come this way. We will escort you to the VIP room!”

“Let me guide you.”

“Yep!” The gatekeeper demons immediatelyhumbled themselves and guided Suho to the gambling hall. Suho followed them, his eyes shining sharply.

‘A VIP room… Demons really live like real people here.’ It was certainly a good thing he pretended to be a demon from the start. In order to find out if his grandpa is here, it would be quicker to investigate from the depths.

Chapter 185

 

Suho was guided by the demons and entered the black market gambling area.

As he heard from the outside, the gambling that was being done here wasn’t the same kind as hanafuda or poker.

“Ah!”

“Die! die!”

Instead, it was a vast underground arena where blood and sweat vibrated. There, two hunters who took off all their equipment were fighting a desperate battle. Looking at the venom in the eyes and the expression of evil, it was clear to everyone what kind of situation this was.

“Hehe. Doesn’t it look really fun? They are all human beings who jumped in to pay off their gambling debts.” While the gatekeeper who was guiding Suho kept laughing, Esil’s cynical voice was heard.

[How pitiful for all these lower demons to…]

Now that all demon nobles with absolute status have disappeared, the lesser demons living scattered here and there seemed to be eager to imitate the former. ‘By the way, the guys in the demon realm last time made the demons fight each other, but here, humans fight each other and also watch themselves.’ In an instant, a cool light passed through Suho’s eyes.

Suho was also well aware of the Colosseum duel, the culture of demon nobles. hasn’t he fought as a gladiator before? But somehow it turned out to be the opposite this time.

After a while, Suho arrived at a place that looked like a terrace with the best view of the underground fighting arena.

“This is the VIP room. This is a space where humans are not allowed to enter, so you should be able to watch the game comfortably. If you would like to join the game, please call us anytime.”

“I will.”

Suho sat down on the soft sofa and looked around in a relaxed manner. In the VIP room, some demons who were watching the underground arena were sitting. They were almost identical in color, but they covered their faces with a crow mask and wore Stardust necklaces around their necks.

However, from the moment Suho entered the VIP room, their attention was focused on Suho rather than fighting underground.

“Hoo. You’re someone I haven’t seen.”

“Are you a new guest?”

“The horns are really… Oh my.”

Vulcan’s horns. Their attention was focused solely on the horns of Vulcan growing on Suho’s head. Eyes full of curiosity. A servile look mixed with fear. Beyond fear, there were gazes full of awe. Beyond the crow masks covering their faces, complex emotions toward Suho were blatantly felt. However, no one dared to speak to Suho first.

[It’s a natural reaction.]

Esil explained.

[Because the horns of Vulcan now are completely different from when you were a gladiator.]

Originally, Vulcan was a clumsy aristocrat who couldn’t make Bloodstone, which is a fine meal for demon nobles. That’s why he was the demon who preyed on his own people more than any noble. He had been so anxious to devour the souls of other demons even when he had been dead and only had his horns left. So, although it is invisible to the human Suho, it is visible to the eyes of the demons. This vicious and greedy demon’s energy blazed from the horns of Vulcan, who had eaten his fill of the demon souls.

‘… How terrible.’

‘How many people do I have to eat to get this kind of energy?’

‘Could it be that he ate all the demons in his factory?’

Even if they didn’t say it directly, the thoughts that the demons in the VIP room had while looking at Suho were almost the same. It was then.

“Tsk.”

Suho suddenly clicked his tongue and woke them up.

“The spectacle is over there.”

The demons, who suddenly came to their senses at those words, turned their eyes away from Suho with embarrassing expressions. But not everyone was like that. “I’m sorry if this was rude in the first meeting. It’s because everyone is quite thrilled to see you. I don’t know if you know this, but this is also a place to make new friends.”

Suddenly, a demon approached Suho and spoke to him in a friendly way. It looked similar to the others, but there was one difference when he looked closer.

‘The necklace… He doesn’t have one.’

[Could he be the host of this place?]

Suho and Esil exchanged a quick conversation. In the meantime, the demon, who had come closer, opened his mouth again with an awkward smile when Suho just looked at him without replying.

“Haha, you are quite taciturn. So let me introduce myself first. My name is ‘Lotto’ and I am in charge of running this casino.”

[It’s not a demonic name. I think it’s a demon with no name in the first place, or a rough pseudonym.]

Listening to Esil’s explanation, Suho pondered for a while. ‘Hmm. What should I do?’ This demon named Lotto was now directly demanding his identity. The other person was also using a pseudonym anyway, so it didn’t matter if they said anything about names. But then you won’t find out anything this way. Wouldn’t it just make time go by sluggishly if you avoid it?

“My name is,” Suho finally opened his mouth. “Vulcan.”

!!!

At that moment. All the demons in the VIP room widened their eyes and looked at Suho with shocked eyes.

[Su– Suho?]

Even Esil called for Suho with a clear tone of embarrassment.

“…As a pseudonym, it seems to be quite a dangerous one to use.”

“A pseudonym…” Suho looked straight into Lotto’s eyes with a smile as if he had heard something really interesting. Lotto’s expression, which had been wearing a friendly smile the whole time, hardened. Suho laughed and asked him instead.

“Why should I use a pseudonym?”

“It is known that there are no demon nobles left in the world.”

“That must be for the other demon nobles.”

“So you say your name is Vulcan?” While having a short conversation with Suho, Lotto’s eyes were getting colder. Similarly, the other demons were also focusing their enormous bloodlust on Suho. However, there were too many strong people that Suho had faced so far to be weighed down by such an unpleasant life. Rather, Suho took a more relaxed attitude, crossed his legs, and leaned back on the sofa.

Then, he raised one hand and reached out to the gatekeeper demon standing next to him, calling out to Esil.

‘Esil, can you make a Bloodstone?’

[I don’t know what you’re thinking, but Vulcan is… Just for now.]

Esil did not know what Suho was up to, but she obediently accepted the request. After all, if it was necessary, they were strong enough to hit and fight all around the place.

Shuaaa!!

“Oh my?!”

Suddenly, following Suho’s hand, black blood began to be forcibly extracted from the gatekeeper demon’s body. All the demons who witnessed the scene had no choice but to jump up from their seats with faces full of astonishment. The demon’s blood that had just been drawn from Suho’s hand formed into a ball and began to turn into black Bloodstone.

“A Bloodstone?!”

“It’s a Bloodstone!”

“Oh my god! A real demon aristocrat?!”

At that moment, Suho spewed his bloodlust from his entire body at just the right time.

[Use ‘Skill: Bloodlust’.]

“… !”

“… !”

Fwooom!

When Suho’s life-threatening spirit surpassed the VIP room and filled the entire casino, the demons instinctively had no choice but to lower their bodies or step back. The Bloodstone that appeared in front of them and the tremendous bloodlust that surpassed their own energy. When these two were combined, even Lotto, who confidently appeared in front of Suho, had no choice but to grow pale.

“Oh, this could be….”

“No way, is he the real Vulcan…”

“He looks different…”

“Being possessed by humans….”

‘Hmm. This reaction is good.’

Suho and Esil had a conversation to themselves, listening to the demons’ mutterings and holding breaths from all sides.

[What do you mean?]

‘What do you mean what do I mean? I’m acting like a real noble in front of those who act like nobles.’

[You know. Vulcan was a nobleman who couldn’t make Bloodstone. They probably know it too.]

‘Yeah. That’s why this is even more meaningful.’

Suho smiled faintly and withdrew the killing spree. Then he looked at Lotto again and asked.

“How is it? Was that a little convincing?” At that question, Lotto erased the embarrassed expression on his face and tried to calmly reply to Suho’s words.

“I was really surprised to see a real Bloodstone.” His eyes were still on the Bloodstone in Suho’s hand. He couldn’t believe it even when he saw it. But, no matter how you look at it, it’s not ‘real’ real. So it was even more confusing.

“But…Originally, I knew that Lord Vulcan was someone who couldn’t make Bloodstone.”

“That’s true. But once I figured it out, it wasn’t that difficult.”

“You figured it out?” Lotto’s eyes widened at those words.

In a moment, all the eyes of all the demons here were filled with great greed. Suho’s words were enough to arouse the demons’ desire. What was the reason the demons developed Stardust in the first place? Wasn’t it because they wanted to imitate the noble’s unique power and create a Bloodstone?

Bloodstone is the proof of true nobility, proof of existence. Only by being able to create Bloodstone, demons could grow their power more efficiently and become nobles. And furthermore, only by becoming a real nobleman could he be qualified to succeed Baran, the White Flames Monarch, the Demon King who is now dead.

By the way, how can you make Bloodstone? ‘Vulcan’ had once been ignored by the same nobles because he couldn’t make Bloodstone for an incredibly long time. So when did this change happen?

It no longer mattered whether Suho was the real Vulcan or not to the demons here.

“Have you taught yourself how to make Bloodstone?”

“Why? Do you want to learn?”

“!!!”

Lotto’s eyes widened to the point of popping out. Now, whenever something came out of Suho’s mouth, the demons’ expressions were changing every moment. Seeing those reactions, Esil muttered as if she was fed up.

[You’re really…]

But everyone, no, even demons, when someone tells you what you want to hear, you want to believe it, no? Lotto stuttered and asked Suho.

“You- you can learn it?”

[No, no of course you can’t learn to make them! Bloodstones are–]

“There is nothing I can not learn.”

[You liar!]

Esil’s words flowed into the back of his ears, and Suho held the act as much as possible as he talked to Lotto in a sincere voice. Then all of a sudden…

“But.”

Flinch!

‘But?’

‘But what?’

First came caution, then shock and horror. The demons are now listening to every word Suho says. Suho continued speaking while leaning back on the sofa, enjoying the eyes of the demons that were excessively focused on him.

“Wasn’t this a gambling place? If you’re here to gamble, let’s gamble and have fun.”

“Now, wait a minute. Lord Vulcan…!”

Gambling wasn’t important right now!

Crack!

At that moment, Suho crushed the Bloodstone he was holding with his finger.

‘Ahh!!’

The demons looked anxiously at the sight of the Bloodstone that turned into dust and scattered from Suho’s hand.

 

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Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

나 혼자만 레벨업 : 라그나로크
Score 7.2
Status: Completed Type: Author: Released: 2023 Native Language: Korean, English
Sung Sooho, who lived as an ordinary college student, awakens his special lineage that was dormant at the moment of crisis. “Arise.” Pay attention to the new Hunter, who defies and dominates death, leveling!

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