Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 41-45

Chapter 41

 

An hour ago.

[Paju Field]

※No entry except for Reaper Guild.

Thud.

“Is it here?”

Team Leader Han Jaehyuk of the Association Hunter arrived in front of Paju Field with his subordinates.

When he glanced up at the sky, the weather was dull.

The place was vastly secluded.

It used to be Paju Industrial Complex, but when the dungeon break happened, it became a rough area that people stopped visiting.

The reason they came here was because of Baek Miho.

Baek Miho, Vice President of the Baekho Guild, suddenly visited the association with her subordinates last night.

She handed over one member of the Hyena Guild to the association and left, claiming that she had caught it in the Magok Field.

Han Jaehyuk, who had been investigating the factories, interrogated the same guild member, and as a result, he found out a lot of information.

‘Lee Minseong, Vice President of the Reaper Guild, is secretly building a Stardust Lab!’

However, the problem was that even the guild members did not know the exact location of the laboratory.

In this case, he had no choice but to look for it on his own.

In order to produce stardust, blue mist was needed, so the location must have been one of the dungeons occupied by the Reaper Guild.

That’s how the association hunters were scattered this morning, searching the dungeons of the guild centered on the metropolitan area.

“Team Leader.”

Han Jaehyuk’s subordinate had been on the phone for a while then hung up and approached him.

“This is something suspicious. Not too long ago, Vice President Lee Minseong of the Reaper Guild said he would voluntarily manage Paju Field.”

“…”

The team leader looked straight ahead with a serious expression.

Beyond the barbed wire that blocks civilians from entering, old container warehouses in the distance were covered in blue mist, creating a dreary atmosphere.

“… Their location selection is amazing.”

Team Leader Han Jaehyuk clicked his tongue as if he didn’t like what he found out.

Paju Field was located close to Seoul, so it was easy to kidnap people and a good place to get the blue mist.

Above all, there were already enough container buildings in the field to be used as research institutes, so it was an ideal place to build a factory.

No matter how one looks at it, it was definitely right there.

Han Jaehyuk immediately picked up his shield.

“Let’s get inside.”

“What? Just us? What about troop support?”

“We must have physical evidence to request support. We might have misunderstood it for no reason, so let’s call after we get at least a few pictures.”

“Alright, I understand.”

That way, 5 hunters, led by Team Leader Han Jaehyuk, jumped over the fence of Paju Field.

They finally found it.

Container buildings in the Paju Industrial Complex.

There was also the appearance of countless hunters roaming around.

‘Found them!’

Association hunters exchanged glances with each other.

There was no reason for so many hunters to gather in a field-type dungeon that was almost abandoned.

“According to the investigation, Vice President Lee Minseong is secretly building his own power behind the Guild Leader Lim Taegyu. Perhaps there is some kind of conflict between them.”

“This is… It’s like a hideout.”

He looked at the largest building in the middle of the containers and said to his subordinate.

“Immediately request troop support.”

“Alright.”

“And we’ll go in.”

“Huh?”

“I just heard a scream from inside.”

Saying that, he gritted his teeth with a fearful expression.

“It looks like there are civilians in there.”

It was a stardust laboratory…

Lee Minseong seemed to have already gathered the ingredients for stardust.

* * *

Stardust Lab.

Container A.

Min Byeonggu’s wife, Oh Seonjoo, was shivering in a cold prison cell.

‘Why am I here…’

She was confused and afraid of the whole situation.

She was just going to work as usual when she suddenly lost consciousness. When she opened her eyes, she found herself trapped in an unfamiliar prison.

She couldn’t quite understand what was going on.

There were only a couple of strange things to conclude that it was kidnapping for ransom.

First of all, there were too many people wandering around outside the prison.

Also, all of them were walking around showing their faces openly.

‘The fact that their faces were uncovered meant they had no intention of letting the civilians go.’

That fact made Oh Seonjoo even more terrified.

There were nine more people who had been caught like her in the prison.

“Huhuhu. Mom…”

‘Even a child…’

Oh Seonjoo’s gaze turned to the young boy who was trembling.

The little boy, who looked like a kindergartener at most, shrank his little body and sobbed sadly.

Perhaps the sound of the crying was annoying, a man passing nearby shouted at the boy.

“Oh, so noisy! I told you to stop crying!”

Thud!

“Bad!”

“…!”

Oh Seonju was startled and covered her mouth.

The man just screamed, but the boy’s body flew backwards as if he was kicked very hard.

‘Skill?!’

Oh Seonju was shocked to realize that those who kidnapped them were all hunters.

‘Why did the hunters capture civilians like us? Why?’

Leaving her confused mind behind, she hurriedly approached the boy who was stuck in a corner and checked his condition.

“Hey…”

The boy was writhing on the floor, clutching his aching stomach.

Even so, fearing that he would get hit again, he desperately kept his mouth shut and only shed tears.

Oh Seonjoo hugged the pathetically trembling boy in her arms.

There was nothing she could do other than that.

Right then.

“…!”

Oh Seonjoo’s eyes widened.

From the corner far away, a light flashed in the space covered by the shade.

The light was almost unnoticeable unless you looked closely, but once you recognized it, you would find it weird.

Was someone conscious of Oh Seonjoo’s gaze?

Squeak.

Suddenly, as if a curtain were drawn, the face of a man was revealed in the empty air.

“…!”

Oh Seonjoo’s eyes widened at that, and the man quietly put his index finger in front of her mouth.

‘Shh.’

She controlled her breathing immediately.

Instinctively, she realized what his purpose was.

‘Hunter Association. They came to save us. Let’s pretend not to know.’

She felt like she could hear the voice of a man in her ears.

Surprised, Oh Seonjoo blinked hard and sent a signal that she understood.

Squeak.

Then the man’s face disappeared again.

Very slowly, he approached the prison where the hostages were being held.

‘Whew. It’s really suicidal for just five of us to do this.’

A soft sigh flowed from the mouth of Han Jaehyuk, who was moving with the stealth skill with his subordinates.

However, the situation was too urgent to just quietly wait for reinforcements.

If civilians continue to inhale the blue mist there, they might suddenly turn into Mist Burns.

Civilians had to be evacuated from the field as quickly as possible.

‘It will be okay. As long as everything goes according to plan.’

Team Leader Han Jaehyuk’s plan was simple.

Silently open the prison door and include all civilians in the stealth skill.

One of his subordinates could make a fuss from afar, and they could all escape together.

‘Once we get out of the building, it’s a success. There are many places to hide outside.’

After a while.

Han Jaehyuk’s hand finally reached and grabbed the lock.

His thick hands twisted the lock.

‘Great! Success…’

“You’re quite good, huh?”

…!

Chills!

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

‘We’re caught!’

Bang-!

Suddenly, a huge explosion hit them.

At the same time, their stealth skills got disabled, and the team leader who managed to block the attack shouted at his subordinates.

“Damn it! Plan B!”

“There is no such thing, Team Leader!”

“Just do whatever you can to hold out!”

The all-out battle has begun.

“There are only five of them! Kill them all!”

Dozens of hunters in the lab attacked Han Jaehyuk’s team all at once.

Thud!

“Everyone come behind me!”

Han Jaehyuk held up a steel shield that was huge enough to cover half of his body with both hands.

“Iron Wall!”

Swoosh!

He created a huge barrier and desperately blocked the attacks pouring in from all directions.

“Hold on a little! Reinforcements will arrive soon!”

The last words were meant to be heard by those over there.

It would be nice if he scared them away with that, but that kind of didn’t happen.

Rather.

“Hey.”

Startled.

The ghastly voice from earlier was heard again.

“Release your skills.”

When he looked there, a man with a snake-like appearance was holding the neck of a child who looked like a kindergartener.

“Oh, no!”

Shocked expressions appeared on the faces of the association hunters.

Team Leader Han Jaehyuk recognized his face.

“Park Jongcheol!”

C-Class Hunter Park Jongcheol.

Even in the Reaper Guild, he was known for his cruel temper.

“Did you not hear me? Shove that shitty shield right away, bastard.”

Park Jongcheol smiled the cruelest smile and lifted the child with one hand.

In that hand, the child squeaks and struggles as if he would die at any moment.

“N-No!”

“The child…!”

Association hunters shouted helplessly.

However, if he lets go of the shield skill as Park Jongcheol said, they would all be dead.

It was a moment where he couldn’t make any choice.

Park Jongcheol decided to personally alleviate their worries.

“What? You don’t want to? Even if I do this?”

Slap!

“…!”

Park Jong-cheol slapped the child’s cheek with his large palm without hesitation.

Blood gushed from the kid’s mouth, and his head turned to the side.

‘That crazy bastard!’

In an instant, the eyes of the Association Hunters turned over with anger.

However, Park Jongcheol did not stop.

“Oh? Still won’t listen? Even with this? And this?”

Slap Slap Slap!

“Stop it! I’ve already let go of my skills…!”

In the end, Han Jaehyuk’s Iron Wall disappeared.

Slash.

…!

A knife that suddenly flew from somewhere cut off the arm of Park Jongcheol, who was holding the child.

“Oh God!”

A scream came out of everyone else’s mouth.

Blood gushed like a fountain from his shoulder blades.

The pain came at a tempo late.

“…Aaaargh!”

Park Jongcheol, who had been smiling like a snake the whole time, let out a desperate scream.

“Ouch! Who are you! Who dares…!”

Park Jongcheol howled like a wounded beast and looked around.

And this time.

Slash.

His leg was cut off

“Aaaagh! M-My legs ah-!”

Park Jongcheol rolls on the floor.

A man wearing a crow mask was standing in front of him holding the child.

‘W-Who is he?’

Everyone in the lab focused on him.

“You must die.”

Death sentence was handed down to Park Jongcheol.

Everyone shuddered at that brutally indifferent voice.

Chapter 42

 

‘There must have been others who came earlier.’

Suho glanced at the eyes that were focused on him as soon as he appeared.

Beru read Secretary Kim’s memories and immediately went to the Stardust Lab, where a fierce battle was already taking place.

‘About 30 hunters for 10 hostages.’

Anyone who met Suho’s eyes flinched.

Perhaps because of his somewhat shocking appearance, it felt as if time had stopped.

“Keep going…”

The only thing that came through the heavy silence was the screams of Park Jongcheol, who had lost his arms and legs and was crawling on the floor like an insect.

“Argh. What are you doing, bastards?! Don’t stay still like an idiot! Fight him…!”

Ting!

The hunters of the Reaper Guild finally came to their senses after Park Jongcheol’s scream.

“G-Got it! !”

“Everyone, gather!”

“Aaaaaaahh!”

The attacks directed at the association hunters turned around and went towards Suho.

30 to 1 battle.

Since a minimum raid unit was 10 members, it was like three raid units rushing in to kill Suho.

But he had no intention of being smashed without fighting back.

Suho lifted his head and looked up at the ceiling.

‘Ruler’s Power.’

Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!

An invisible hand set off the fluorescent lights on the ceiling in sequence.

“W-What!”

When the surrounding suddenly became dark, the hunters who attacked Suho stopped walking in a hurry.

Regardless if they were hunters, it would take time for their eyes to adjust to the darkness.

‘I’m different.’

Suho moved swiftly through the darkness.

He had come in wearing a crow mask that brightens his vision, aiming for this.

Swoosh! Slash!

“Ack!”

“Ack!”

“Kheuk!”

Screams erupted from all over the darkness.

“W-Watch out! He’s attacking from…!”

In an instant, the five fell to the ground, dripping with blood.

“Fire!”

A fireball that someone threw out lit up the surroundings.

However, Suho’s figure had already disappeared there.

The hunters’ eyes widened.

“Find him now!”

The research center was the favorite hideout of Vice President Lee Minseong.

It was a shame that the name of the Reaper Guild was tarnished by just one intruder.

“Healers immediately take care of the wounded! Everyone, don’t scatter, unite and fight!”

They moved coordinately even in such a situation.

The enemy was a minority anyway, and as long as they were careful, the majority would have an unconditional advantage in the fight.

Fire! Fire!

Additional fireballs continued to be thrown and began to push back the darkness.

But.

‘You guys are already my prey.’

At the end of the darkness, Suho’s eyes flashed.

“Arise.”

Swoosh-

Behind Suho, the shadow grew longer and eight legs stretched out in all directions.

The monster that raised itself from the floor…

[Arachne Lv.1]

Knight Rank

A body the size of a house.

Dozens of eyes.

Ugly mouth.

Pair of giant claws.

The ‘grave spider Arachne’ caught in Magok Field returned from the dead as a shadow spider.

[Oops!]

Black spider webs stretched out in all directions.

Chwack! Chwack! Chwack!

The spider webs clung to the walls and ceiling, and began rebuilding the entire massive container building into a spider’s nest.

“W-What is this sticky thing?!”

Eventually, the spider’s web spread its magic even to the hunters.

[Arachne uses ‘Skill: Puppet Show’.]

“Oh! My body’s moving on its own…!”

Thuck!

“Ouch! Why me…?”

The hunter’s arm caught in the web moved by itself and stabbed a colleague next to him.

“Huh?”

The hunter became a puppet and struggled with his arms.

“No! It’s not me! This sticky thread wraps around my body…!”

However, his body was already swinging his sword in search of another victim.

“What are you doing, bastard?! Why are you suddenly attacking us?!”

“No! I’m not doing it myself!”

That was just the beginning.

Chwack! Chwack! Chwack!

[Arachne uses ‘Skill: Puppet Show’.]

[Arachne uses ‘Skill: Puppet Show’.]

“Ahh! I got caught too!”

“Aagh! Scatter!”

“No, don’t scatter! This is his goal!”

“Then what should we do, damn it!”

Dozens of hunters start swinging their swords at each other.

They were fighting each other.

“Cut off the web!”

“Don’t be fooled by his skills!”

Snap.

[You have purchased ‘Lesser Healing Potion’.]

Meanwhile, Suho bought a potion from a store and poured it into the mouth of a kindergartener in his arms.

A hunter’s one-sided violence poured into this small body.

For a moment, Suho’s bloody eyes glared at Park Jongcheol, who was crawling on the floor.

Suddenly, a small shadow descended on it.

[You made Young Master mad…]

Beru’s hand gripped the guy’s head tightly.

“Accckkk?!”

Park Jongcheol, whose head was forcibly lifted, widened his eyes.

Above his dilated pupils, the black beast’s mouth parted.

[You won’t die easily.]

Slash!

“…!”

A silent scream leaked from Park Jongcheol’s mouth.

In the meantime, the effect of the potion began to circulate, and the child’s condition improved noticeably,

Suho’s gaze turned back to the enemies.

“Arachne.”

[Krrrk?]

Arachne, who was deflecting the hunters with her large pincers, looked back at Suho.

“Catch the healers first.”

Healers were the first thing to be dealt with.

This was because many of them had annoying buff skills besides simple healing skills.

In the first attack, Suho purposely did not kill the hunters and only inflicted fatal injuries on them, in order to weed out the healers.

As a result, now the healers were diligently wandering around and pouring their magical energy generously on the wounded ones.

[Whoop!]

Arachne began to attack by searching for those healers.

“He’s aiming for healers! Protect the Healers!”

‘I need to save the hostages first.’

With that thought in mind, Suho turned his attention to the prison.

However, the Association Hunters were already on the move there.

Since their purpose was to rescue hostages from the beginning, they jumped into the prison first without even confirming who Suho was.

The problem was that the other guild members also noticed that.

“The ingredients are trying to escape! Stop them!”

“Take the hostages first!”

Rush!

They surrounded the prison.

“Ack!”

The association hunters suddenly ended up in prison with hostages… in a bad way.

Bang!

“What happened?!”

The door to the research center burst open and reinforcements arrived.

The problem was that the support wasn’t from the Association, but from the Reaper Guild.

Dozens of hunters from other container buildings heard the commotion and rushed there!

“Haaa.”

Team Leader Han Jaehyuk sighed deep.

He murmured with beads of sweat on his forehead.

“Can we get out alive?”

“Of course.”

“…!”

He looked to the side in surprise at the sudden answer.

A crow mask approached from the iron bars before he knew it.

Suho opened the iron bars with force and held out the little boy he was holding.

‘What kind of power…’

Han Jaehyuk was intimidated by Suho’s tremendous power and took over the kid.

Suho spoke to him, putting the bent iron bars back to their original state.

“This is better. Keep some hostages there for the time being. Even if someone attacks from outside, you can cover it with your shield skill, right?”

“What are you…”

Han Jaehyuk was just starting to respond.

Suddenly, a black web came flying and tied the prison door outside.

It will never open, neither inside nor outside.

Han Jaehyuk looked at Suho again, embarrassed.

However, Suho had already turned his back to look at the approaching enemies.

“Rest there for a while.”

A wide and dependable back.

“It will all be over.”

Suho said so and slowly walked to the enemies running this way, doubling in number.

It was possible at any time if it was simply to escape.

But should he really let those guys live?

They were hunters who wanted to take care of themselves by killing fellow humans.

They could no longer be considered as human beings.

Mage Beast.

Looking at the villains, Suho made a promise.

‘Today, I will pull out the roots here.’

The thought reached someone far away.

[The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch, is delighted that the hunting time has arrived.]

“Hunt.”

The moment Suho’s words fall.

Swoosh.

Gray’s body in the shadow dungeon suddenly floated up and began to become more and more transparent.

“Hnnggg?”

“Huh? Blessing?”

Esil, who was next to Gray, immediately recognized the phenomenon and opened her eyes wide.

[The spiritual body of ‘Pet: Gray’ possessed the body of the pontifex.]

Gray’s spiritual body climbed up through Suho’s shadow and settled in his body.

Swoosh!

At that moment, Suho’s hair turned silver, and the energy of the beast surged from his body.

“…!”

“W-What is that?!”

The members of the Reaper Guild are frightened by the sudden change in Suho.

The reaction was the same for the Association Hunters in prison.

“Oh God. Could it be…!”

“Baekho Guild…!”

[The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch, nods in satisfaction at the pontifex’ transformation.]

‘Is this how it feels?’

Suho looked down at the wild energy flowing through his body.

A divine wind imbued with magical power wrapped around his body.

“Great. The priestly power you boasted so much about. Let’s see the performance.”

Suho smirked at Rakan and surrendered himself to this overflowing energy.

That moment.

“Roar!”

Suho roared like a beast and fired at the enemies at explosive speed.

Swoosh!

“Aaahhh!”

… Gulp.

Han Jaehyukwas watching the scene from behind and swallowed hard without even realizing it.

A thought was floating in his mind.

‘It’s not an ordinary beast.’

Once.

He once saw the battle scene of Baek Yunho, the guild leader of the Baekho Guild.

Although, he wasn’t saying that the man in the crow’s mask had the same energy as Baek Yunho.

Baek Yunho is an S rank.

It was because he was afraid to even dare to recall the overwhelming feeling that was as huge as that mountain.

But why…

Does the memory of that day keep coming back?

“Beast King Crow…”

“What?”

The name that suddenly uttered by the team leader’s made his subordinates stare at him.

Why did it just come to his mind now?

It was an article he saw last night.

Magok Field.

Crow Mask.

“… The one who inherited the power of the Beast King.”

‘Was that Suho?’

Grumble!

The roar of the brutal beast resonated in their chests.

Right in front of the Association Hunters’ eyes, the Beast King Crow was trampling down his prey along with a huge spider.

Chapter 43

 

Ring!

[You have learned ‘Skill: Grassland Wind’.]

Swoosh!

Suho crossed the hunters as if he had wings.

The wind blew violently along the trail, spurring his movement.

[Movement speed temporarily increases by 30%.]

[Attack speed temporarily increases by 30%.]

Slash!

“Aaaah!”

Blood splattered in the blowing wind.

Screams erupted everywhere.

[The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch giggles revealing his teeth.]

A 50 to 1 battle?

Outnumbered?

That didn’t matter.

There was still darkness.

“Beru!”

[Young Master!]

Beru immediately jumped when Suho called him.

With his short but strong nails, he mercilessly cut the fireballs floating like balloons in the air.

Pop! Boom!

The fireballs exploded and their visions went dark again.

“Shit! Fire some lights on again!”

The hunters gritted their teeth and recreated the fireballs, but each time, Beru’s nails continued to put out the fire.

Pop! Pop!

Constantly flickering field of vision.

Every time that happened, screams erupted from everywhere.

“Ack! My leg…!”

“That way!”

“Watch out…!”

Each time the light flickered, Suho’s position changed.

There were always new casualties.

And when a healer jumped in to save them…

[Krrrkk!]

Swoosh-!

“…?!”

Black spider web fell over the healer’s head and wrapped his body as he got snatched away.

“Hey, watch out for spider w…!”

Arachne’s huge claws were mercilessly thrust down at the hunter who was there.

“Ack…!”

Blood poured in from the hunter’s mouth.

It was a terrible death, like a scene from a horror movie.

[Twelve.]

Beru’s antennae were counting the number of enemies he had slain.

Outnumbered?

That didn’t matter.

After all, everyone dies.

“Kyah!”

[Thirteen.]

No matter how strong they were, if their heart was stabbed, they would die.

“Ack!”

[Fourteen.]

One died when his throat was cut off.

Also, if one’s defense skill was strong, he could kill the others first.

If they counterattack using a skill, he can stab them in the back.

“Aaah! Run away!”

“We have to get out of here…!”

[Fifteen.]

This place was already Suho’s hunting ground.

The terrifying fear of losing their lives was eating away the spirits of the guild members.

[The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch, is proud of Pontifex Suho’s majesty.]

[The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch, advises you to pay attention to mana management, as mana is continuously consumed in the ‘blessed’ state.]

“…”

The only thing the association hunter who was watching that terrible scene in prison could do was…

“Close your eyes.”

He could just block the eyes and ears of the kindergartener he was holding.

‘How…’

To the association hunters, Suho’s unstoppable slaughtering of enemies felt very foreign.

No matter how much they deserved to be killed, it seemed like Suho couldn’t feel any mercy in his hands.

In fact, all hunters were familiar with the smell of blood on others. It could tell how used they were to killing people.

A hunter’s job is no different from a butcher.

But, still…

Aren’t they human after all?

“Not having any hesitation in killing people.”

“Just why…”

“No. It must be because of the Beast Transformation skill.”

Han Jaehyuk, who was listening to the murmurings of his subordinates, said with conviction.

“Eh? Is it because of that?”

“Yeah. The Beast Transformation skill is a great skill that greatly increases physical abilities, but at the same time, it is a very difficult skill to handle as it maximizes ferocity and makes it impossible to maintain rationality. That’s why incidents caused by beast hunters often happen. Am I wrong?”

“Ahhh.”

Only then did the association hunters nod in agreement.

[No, idiots.]

Beru, who had been overhearing their conversation from afar, chuckled.

[Young Master is familiar with death from the very beginning. Ever since he was a baby.]

Death is the primal fear of all living beings.

However, to Suho, who had been able to freely come and go in the world of death since he was a baby, death was just a natural phenomenon that was always by his side.

After all, even the nannies who raised Suho when he was a newborn baby are soldiers of death.

Suho had the experience of repeating his own death countless times.

A test that his father, Sung Jinwoo, had Suho repeat so that he could properly control the power of the Shadow Monarch and use it according to the situation.

As Suho repeated death over and over again in his dreams, he was no longer afraid of death.

Beyond overcoming fear, he reached the point of dealing with death as an experience and a means.

[Like His Majesty does.]

Beru muttered with a satisfied smile on his lips.

* * *

‘What the hell is this?!’

Kwak Dooyoung, a B-Class hunter who arrived at the laboratory late, could not keep his mouth shut at the horrors taking place inside the building.

‘Does this make sense?’

There was only one intruder.

The mana he felt was only a C-Class or B-Class at most.

However, if the intruder’s skill was that great, he was most likely neither of the two.

‘Could it be an acceleration skill that speeds up movement?’

‘If so, shouldn’t the dealers focus on shooting while the tankers in front do their best?’

‘A giant spider was summoned?’

Although it was somewhat unusual, it was at best a C-Class monster.

Reaper Guild’s 2nd raid unit was at a level where stable raids were possible.

But, why? How?

“How could this amount of people be working on that one guy?!”

Kwak Dooyoung eventually joined the battle.

“Giant’s Armor!”

Swoosh!

Magical armor wrapped around his body as he jumped high.

He doubled in size and weight in an instant.

The entire container building shook with the impact of his massive body armed with Giant Armor.

“Hunter Kwak Dooyoung?!”

The hunters who were fighting Suho looked back at him with admiration.

Kwak Dooyoung was one of the first-class tankers of the Reaper Guild.

It was thanks to that gigantic skill that he, who was only a B-Class hunter, was able to secure a first-team position in a large guild representing Korea.

A huge armor over 3 meters in size and combat power that comes from its overwhelming heaviness.

His other skills are combined there.

No one had any doubts about the fact that Kwak Dooyoung was a first-class tanker of the Reaper Guild.

“Get out of the way!”

Rush Skill.

The assault captain’s skill, which covered his whole body with a shield and pierced the front road like a cannonball, was cast.

Baaam!

“What?!”

“Hunter Kwak Dooyoung! Wait…!”

Bang!

“Aaaah!”

Rush!

Kwak Dooyoung’s huge body rushed forward like a rhinoceros.

The subordinates who stumbled on the road in front of him bounced out in all directions, but he ignored them all.

Some sacrifice must be made.

‘My goal is!’

Suho lightly dodged his charge.

However, Suho was not what he was aiming for in the first place but the prison that was located right behind Suho!

Thud!

“Hehe. Got it!”

“…!”

A gigantic hand finally gripped the bars of the prison.

At that moment, Kwak Dooyoung smiled meaningfully and yelled out loud as if he wanted Suho to hear it.

“You bastard! Stop right there! Before I crush these hostages in prison!”

Crack!

His tremendous strength made the prison’s iron bars begin to crack like candy.

“Everyone, gather around me!”

Han Jaehyuk, who was with the hostages in the prison, was frightened and used his Iron Wall skill.

Seeing that, Kwak Dooyoung laughed saying it was ridiculous.

“Ha, you want to withstand my strength? You’re just a C-Class tanker!”

“Keuuugh!”

A clash of strength and power.

Han Jaehyuk’s were bloodshot while enduring the opponent’s power.

The gap between C-Class tankers and B-Class tankers was very evident.

Han Jaehyuk was somehow enduring it but his knees were shaking as if they were going to give in at any moment.

“What are the two of you doing?”

It was an odd expression coming from Suho.

But that’s just how tankers were.

The higher their defense, the more overconfident they get.

In addition, Kwak Dooyoung’s height and size doubled, so his arrogance was indescribable.

Swish!

At that moment, the wind of the grassland suddenly blows at Kwak Dooyoung.

“… Oh!”

He was startled.

Someone suddenly grabbed his hair and tilted his head back.

Then, there was Suho, who was riding on his shoulder, grinning.

“You think you’re the only strong one here? I can even do this.”

Swoosh!

Black energy wrapped around Suho’s fist as he held Kwak Dooyoung’s hair in his left hand and raised his right hand.

[Use ‘Skill: Strike’.]

“Look.”

Suho sighed and slapped Kwak Dooyoung down on the head with his huge fist.

Blag-!

“Acckk…!”

With a tremendous roar, the giant vomited blood from his mouth and fell forward.

Suho didn’t dare to put his guards down.

He had no intention of misjudging that this one shot would pierce the defense of a B-Class tanker.

Slash!

Immediately, two twin swords appeared in Suho’s hands.

He mercilessly swung his sword at the defenseless back of Kwak Dooyoung, who was lying flat on the floor.

[Use ‘Skill: Blade Storm’.]

Slash!

“…!”

That was the decisive blow.

The light disappeared from Kwak Dooyoung’s eyes, and his swollen body began to shrink.

Clank!

Weapons finally fell from the hands of all the remaining villains in the building.

Guild members raised their hands with pale faces as if they had no will to resist.

“Ha, I surrender…”

[Kehehe. Now?]

Beru knew better than anyone the dangers that ensued when he showed mercy to these guys.

Slash!

Beru’s claws cut through their Achilles tendons.

“Ack!”

“Ahhh!”

“I already surrendered, but why…!”

[The only true form of surrender is death.]

He laughed and mocked them as they rolled on the floor grabbing their ankles.

[Or, completely destroy their offensive power so they’d be of no use.]

Beru approached them again with an evil smile and gave them a ‘heal’.

It is a feeble heal that doesn’t consume much mana.

Swoosh!

He was very kind (?) to put their broken Achilles tendons together.

Very meticulously.

[Now, even if you go to another healer, your legs will never be cured. Well, I guess I could cut off the whole ankle and regenerate it.]

“…”

Seeing the fist-sized little demon laughing and mocking them, the guild members trembled.

Right then.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

Numerous messages arrived in front of Suho.

[You have completed ‘Quest: Rescue’.]

[Number rescued: 10]

[Your level increased!]

[The level of ‘Skill: Double Swords’ increased!]

[The level of ‘Skill: Blade Storm’ increased!]

[The quest completion reward has arrived.]

[Do you want to check the reward?]

( Y / N )

But then.

Suddenly, something caught Suho’s gaze as he was looking down.

A light the size of a coin was shining on the dead body of Kwak Dooyoung.

Suho’s eyes widened.

‘No way…?’

The kind of light coming from the monsters holding the mana stones was now emerging from Kwak Dooyoung’s corpse.

Chapter 44

 

Suho stretched out his hand toward Kwak Dooyeong, where light was coming from.

Ring!

[You found ‘Runestone: Giant’s Armor’. Would you like to acquire it?]

‘A runestone?’

It seemed that the skill Kwak Dooyeong used was a runestone.

Again, this was the first time.

There are several villains killed today, but this only happened to Kwak Dooyoung.

‘Check.’

[Runestone: Giant’s Armor]

Breaking the runestone absorbs the skill.

‘It’s a giant’s armor.’

It was a skill that made Kwak Dooyoung’s body bigger a little while ago.

Considering the value of the runestone, selling this runestone would earn at least billions.

But, Suho thought it was a waste to sell.

‘It’s just money, I can earn it later.’

Becoming stronger was more important than money.

Besides, since he was just previously an E-Class hunter, his earnings were not good, but today he was reissued a C-Class hunter license.

Considering that the difference in power between E-Class and C-class was several times higher, selling runes for money was a foolish choice.

“Excuse me… Mr. Crow?”

Suddenly, there was a voice calling for Suho from behind.

Association hunters who had escaped from the prison were approaching him hesitantly.

“A-Are you okay?”

There was fear in their faces as they looked at Suho.

It was expected though. Suho single-handedly destroyed over 50 members of the Reaper Guild, and in the end even killed Kwak Dooyeong, a B-Class tanker, with his pure power.

Witnessing that ferocious battle right in front of them, they couldn’t help but worry.

Even though Suho helped them, it was not a guarantee that they were on the same side.

Smirk.

“I don’t intend to be hostile, so don’t worry. Are you going to arrest them?”

“Ahh.”

“Mmm.”

The association hunters looked away with embarrassed expressions at Suho’s words.

Suho stuffed the runestone into his pocket and released himself from the blessed state.

While in that state, his mana was reduced by 1 per second.

That was also why he took out a potion when he was fighting earlier.

[‘Blessing’ is canceled.]

Swook!

The spiritual wind that had been swirling around Suho’s body calmed down, and his hair, which had been bleached silver and was fluttering, returned to black again.

“Grrr!”

[‘Pet: Gray’s spiritual body leaves the body of the pontifex.]

A puppy the size of the palm- no, a wolf cub fell out of Suho’s body.

Seeing this, the association hunters were shocked.

A wolf suddenly came out of Suho’s body!

“A-As expected…”

“Beast King…”

“The king of beasts…”

Tilt.

Gray, who landed on the floor, had a puzzled expression.

There were people looking at him(?).

Eh?

What were they thinking?

Gray suddenly lifted his nose and started howling.

“Awoooh!”

With his infinitely proud and courageous eyes.

[The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch, looks proudly at the dignified appearance of his descendant.]

“…?”

-Heh. He’s pretty much in shape now.

“…?”

Suho smiled as even Rakan’s Sword in his hand looked at Gray satisfactorily.

* * *

The reinforcements called by the association hunters finally arrived after everything was over.

“Come out quickly, you guys!”

The members of the Reaper Guild who abandoned their weapons and surrendered were all limping and were dragged out by their hands.

“Why are you limping like that?”

Meanwhile, Han Jaehyuk rescued the hostages from prison and hurriedly transported them to the hospital. It was because they might suddenly turn into a Mist Burns if he let them stay on the field.

Immediately, with his subordinates, they conducted a search and seizure operation on all the evidence in the Stardust Lab.

“Don’t miss anything, take it all!”

Han Jaehyuk gritted his teeth vigorously, recalling Vice President Lee Minseong.

Meanwhile, Suho was quite busy.

The weapons of the Reaper Guild members fell right on the floor.

It seemed like it would be pretty lucrative to collect all of those and sell them to the shop.

‘I have to earn money for the potion.’

Surprisingly, Gray played a big part there.

“Grrr!”

Gray, who noticed Suho’s intentions, ran toward the weapon, shaking his short legs.

Then he opened his little mouth and bit a weapon.

Ring!

A message appeared in front of Suho.

[You found ‘Item: Flame Longsword’. Would you like to acquire it?]

“What?”

Suho’s eyes widened.

Was it because of the pet system?

It seemed that Gray could acquire the items he touched from a distance.

“Acquire.”

[Obtained ‘Item: Flame Longsword’.]

The item that was added into the inventory.

Suho smiled.

‘If I do this, it will be a bit more convenient in the future.’

He finally found the purpose of that little cub.

Item shuttle.

Suho stroked Gray’s head and said.

“Gray, good job. Go ahead and bite.”

“Hnnnggg~?!”

Hearing sincere praise from Suho for the first time in his life, Gray was taken aback and didn’t know what to do.

For some reason, the corner of his mouth kept twitching.

Then eventually.

Thup!

“What?”

“Grrr…!”

Gray was so excited that he bit Suho’s hand.

Meanwhile, his tail was wagging like crazy again.

“Let go now…”

Dangle.

Suho was at a loss for words when he saw Gray hanging from his hand.

[The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch, nods to the bravery of his descendant.]

-Whoops. Little guy, no matter how young you are, you’re still a beast.

“Stop it, you guys.”

“… Anyway, go and take a bite.”

Suho forcibly removed Gray and pushed him forward.

Gray proudly raised his tail and wandered around, biting the items.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

[You found ‘Item: Sharp Eye Bowgun’. Would you like to acquire it?]

[You found ‘Item: Black Battle Ax’. Would you like to acquire it?]

[You found ‘Item: Carbon Gauntlet’. Would you like to acquire it?]

…

“Acquire. Acquire. Acquire…”

Suho stood still and sold the items to the shop window.

Clink.

Clink.

[You have acquired 750 gold.]

[You have acquired 1300 gold.]

[You have acquired 900 gold.]

…

Suho found it pretty exciting.

‘Great. At this rate, the cost of the potion won’t be a problem for a while.’

The days of struggling with gold and licking potions were gone.

Suho was browsing through the shop window, thinking of buying a new item to commemorate his gold accumulation, but he remembered something.

‘I almost forgot this.’

[The following rewards are prepared.]

Reward: +5 stat points

Without hesitation, Suho allocated all of his ability points into strength.

The power was great.

Subduing the enemy with overwhelming power and speed will always affect the intensity of leveling up.

Wouldn’t it be possible to raise other stats by using items?

Suho was so busy (?) when team leader Han Jaehyuk approached.

“Excuse me Mr. Crow, but could I talk to you for a minute?”

“…”

A very polite attitude and a cheesy way to address.

Suho looked at him with an awkward expression and replied.

“Yes, sure.”

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Shadow Dungeon where Gray disappeared.

“… Huh?”

Left alone there, Esil’s expression suddenly changed.

‘No way?’

Esil narrowed her eyes and glared somewhere.

Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation.

Esil immediately kicked off the ground and moved to search for it.

That black and white world was extremely quiet and static.

Even the goblins hiding everywhere were cleaned up, and the bizarre silence intensified.

However, a change was taking place in that desolate world.

Swoosh.

Eventually, Esil stopped walking and looked ahead.

A dimensional rift through which ominous energy overflows.

“Gate…!”

Realizing the cause of the incident, Esil hurriedly raised her head and shouted at Suho in the outside world.

“Sung Suho! Come back! Now is not the time to be out there!”

Mysteriously, the voice reached Suho’s ears through his shadow.

-Sung Suho! There’s a portal in your world!

“…!”

At that voice, Suho, who was just having a conversation with team leader Han Jaehyuk, shivered.

“Mr. Crow?”

Han Jaehyuk looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Suho glanced at him.

“There’s an emergency. Let’s talk later.”

“Huh? Suddenly? What kind of emergency is it…”

Suho didn’t have time to explain anything.

He immediately turned around and ran out of the lab.

“W-Wait a minute! You have to give me your contact information…!”

Han Jaehyuk panicked and called for Suho from behind, but there was no reason to hold him by force.

He was neither a criminal nor a villain, but rather a hero who helped them.

“I can give you a reward…”

His voice muttered softly towards Suho, who had already disappeared from sight.

With those words…

[Compensation money? Hand it over.]

“Oh?!”

Beru grabbed Han Jaehyuk by the collar.

[What are you doing? Give me the reward right away.]

* * *

[You have entered the Shadow Dungeon.]

Swoosh!

Suho’s figure appeared in front of Esil.

Immediately, Esil showed Suho what she had discovered.

“What is this…”

Suho’s expression hardened as he saw the gate in front of him.

Krrrrrrr!

Red sand was pouring endlessly from the gap in the dimensional rift in the air.

It was radiating a power to devour the whole world!

Ring!

[An urgent quest has arrived.]

Quest arrived just in time.

[Urgent Quest: Dimensional Rift]

A dimensional rift has been detected.

Go through the connected gate and remove the cause of the dimensional rift.

“What the… You want me to go inside?”

Watching the waterfall of sand gushing down through the gap in the gate, Suho was perplexed.

“What? Do I have to go inside now?”

Esil was startled and looked at him.

“Are you thinking of swimming in that sand? The moment you enter, that place could become your grave!”

Suho, who was lost in thought for a moment, immediately shook his head.

‘Maybe because there is a way to solve the quest?’

He needed to proceed with the quest. It was not a problem he could avoid.

“Arise.”

Swoosh.

A huge shadow, the grave spider Arachne, landed beside him.

“Can you dig the ground?”

[Krrrk!]

Arachne raised its huge claw.

Seeing that trustworthy appearance, Suho smiled.

‘Maybe it’s worth a try?’

Making a decision, Suho turned his head toward Esil.

Esil instinctively took a step back and shook her head at the sight of Suho smiling brightly at her.

“No, I will wait here…”

“You don’t like to eat meat?”

“Uhh.”

“You don’t?”

“…Hmm.”

Esil was the only demon noble in the demon realm and the eldest daughter of the great Radiru Clan.

Today, she learned what suffocation was.

“Argh! Okay, let’s go!”

In the end, Esil gave up and closed her eyes tightly.

Suho smiled and turned his head again.

Krrrr!

Toward the gate where a waterfall of sand cascades down.

“Then, let’s go in.”

Chapter 45

 

“W-Wait!”

Esil urgently called for Suho.

“You’re not going to go in right now, are you?”

“I’m going to go in right away.”

“You’re going to be in big trouble!”

Esil made a serious expression as she pointed to the red sand that poured down like a landslide from the Red Gate.

“Can’t you feel the heat right now? If you go in uncovered, you won’t just end up with burns, you could choke to death from the heat!”

In fact, just getting close to that red sand made them feel the heat.

It was dangerous to enter blindly without any countermeasures.

But then.

“Shop.”

Suho opened the shop window and chose an item.

Tap.

[Purchased ‘Item: Fire Ghost’s Necklace’.]

[Item: Fire Ghost’s Necklace]

Difficulty to obtain: D Class

Type: Accessory

A necklace imbued with divine protection.

When worn around the neck, it blocks the heat.

Suho quickly put the suspicious-looking necklace on his neck.

[‘Item: Fire Ghost’s Necklace’ is worn.]

Swoosh.

Immediately, the necklace gradually became transparent and disappeared from Suho’s neck, and at the same time, his body suddenly felt refreshed.

External heat is blocked.

“Oh.”

Seeing that, Esil, who had been nagging Suho diligently, was dazed.

‘It’s nice.’

Suho made a satisfied expression, bought another necklace and handed it to Esil.

“Here.”

“Oh. Okay.”

Esil awkwardly accepted the necklace.

She made a puzzled expression at the mysterious energy she felt from the necklace.

“F-Fire Ghost’s protection? Where did you get this treasure?”

“Treasure?”

“Yes, treasure! Items with such protection are rarely passed on to the outside world. It must have belonged to a tribe that was destroyed during the War of Outer Gods… Hmm.”

Esil looked around to see if the necklace was strange, and quickly put it on her neck.

Feeling refreshed, her eyes widely opened.

“Wow. It would be nice to wear it on normal days. Well, at least we won’t get burned… It’s great.”

Esil embarrassingly emphasized the danger.

“But, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still dangerous! Anyway, since you gave me such a good present, I will teach you something good.”

“Something good?”

Esil raised her hand.

“It’s like a magic trick used at times like these.”

Swoosh.

A transparent aura began to flow from Esil’s hand.

“Like this.”

Esil took the energy to her face and used it like a mask.

“It’s like putting a thin protective film on your face. This will keep grains of sand out of your eyes and mouth. By the way, it can also be used underwater.”

“Oh?”

Suho’s eyes sparkled at the unexpected tip.

He was looking for something like a helmet in the shop window, but he didn’t find one.

“Of course, it will be difficult at first. The main point is to keep the shield as thin as possible, so the ability to control mana is required. I’ll show you a few more times…”

“Huh? It worked.”

“Eh.”

Swoosh.

Esil was surprised that Suho was able to do it after just one try.

“R-Right. That’s how you do it. The thinness is great…”

It was a perfect mana control.

‘It took me years to make it that thin.’

Esil felt kinda unfair.

Suddenly, there was a sound that came from the side.

[Ehem.]

Beru slid his face out and showed off an arrogant look.

[It’s ridiculous to be surprised by that much. Our Young Master was a child prodigy from the beginning. When he was a baby, instead of walking on the floor, he walked through the air.]

“I didn’t ask.”

[Do you think that’s all? He learned Hangeul at the age of 5, arithmetics at the age of 6…]

“I said, I did not ask. You dumb dumb.”

They were up on a good start.

* * *

When everything was ready, Suho climbed Arachne’s back with Esil.

Fortunately, Arachne’s carapace was as hard as armor, so the ride would be quite comfortable.

“Come on, let’s go!”

[Krrrk!]

At Suho’s command, Arachne began to trace back to the sand waterfall pouring with its huge claws.

The method was a little fascinating.

Firstly, Arachne pushed the sand from side to side with its giant claws.

Simultaneously, a black spider web is ejected from its body, and the sand grains pushed out like that were stuck together.

Then, as the grains hardened in their dug-out form, a tunnel was created for Arachne to move through.

The tunnel quickly collapsed due to the continuous pouring sand from above, but Arachne had at least enough time to move.

Suho admired the entire process.

“Oh. You’re really like a bug.”

[Obviously, it’s a bug.]

Beru answered for Arachne who couldn’t speak.

[Krrrk!]

Arachne, with Suho and Esil on board, leisurely moved through the sand waterfall.

Beru stood dashingly with his arms crossed over Arachne’s snout and pointed towards their supposed direction.

[Go, spider ship!]

Lately, Beru has been obsessed with Yi Sun Shin historical dramas.

* * *

They didn’t know how long it took.

It was as if a horse was swimming vaguely in the sand, virtually devoid of any light.

But, Suho came up with an idea.

“Just move upwards no matter what!”

[Krrrk!]

Arachne followed Suho’s command and immediately dug up the sand vertically.

Righ then.

Chills!

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, Suho’s senses stat sent a huge warning.

Feeling a strong sense of crisis that gave him goosebumps, Suho shouted without even thinking about it.

“Dodge to the side!”

[Damn it!]

At Suho’s command, Arachne immediately turned.

Bang!

The wall of the tunnel suddenly exploded, and something huge came out of it.

It’s like a train running on a subway track.

Swoooooosh!

Something big, thick, and long passed by them with great force.

“…!”

“W-What is that?!”

Esil was horrified.

It was so dark around that she had no way of knowing what it was.

But it was visible in Suho’s eyes.

A red name tag was attached to it.

[Poisoned-Tooth Sand Centipede]

“It’s a centipede!”

“A centipede?!”

Upon hearing that, Esil’s complexion rapidly turns pale.

It wasn’t because she was afraid of bugs but because it was never a good thing to encounter a giant monster in the ground like that.

Moreover, if the size is too large to handle.

Swoosh!

There was no time for further consideration.

“Avoid it!”

[Krrrk!]

Before Suho could finish his words, Arachne frantically dug into the sand to get away from him.

Swoosh!

Chills.

They could hear the sound of digging that was approaching every minute from right behind them.

“Don’t move to the side!”

[Krrrk!]

Suho desperately instructed Arachne in the direction by relying on his senses stat.

Then a huge train(?) passed by them from a very close distance.

Fortunately, the sand centipede was so long that it didn’t seem to be able to turn right away once it set its direction.

[I will try to stop it!]

Beru hurriedly ran towards the sand centipede and kicked it!

Thunk!

Rather, it was Beru who bounced away.

[Still, he took a very slight turn!]

“Everything is fine, so go upward! To the ground!”

[Krrrk!]

Suho’s judgment was right.

[Krrrk!]

Eventually, Arachne managed to crawl through the red sand and climb to the ground.

“Ha…”

In an instant, the dazzling sunlight hit Suho and Esil’s eyes.

After a moment of adjustment, they could now see.

A red desert spread endlessly before their eyes.

“It was a real desert.”

“We would have died from the heat without the Fire Ghost’s Necklace.”

… They couldn’t let their guards down.

A huge pillar of sand rose right behind them.

[Krrrk?!]

Arachne fell backwards under the intense pressure.

Suho and Esil, who were riding on top of it, also fell to the floor.

After rolling several times on the floor, barely balancing on the sand, they opened their eyes at the scene in front of them.

“Khhiiiik!”

A sand centipede broke through the sand.

[Poisoned-Tooth Sand Centipede]

A bizarre and repulsive figure appeared before them.

Suho observed for a moment.

Two child-sized teeth attached under the sand centipede’s head.

Just by looking at its name, Suho could guess what would happen if they got stabbed.

Watching those huge teeth and jaws open and close nonstop, it must…

“I-It looks like smacking its lips.”

Esil’s words were unmistakable.

The sand centipede immediately attacked them, opening its mouth and breaking through the sand.

Swoosh-!

“Kyaaah!”

“Run!”

Esil and Suho shouted at the same time, turned their backs, and started running across the desert.

The giant centipede chased after them, creating sand waves.

Esil bit her lip and put on a look of resentment.

‘If only my strength was intact…!’

Her pride was hurt.

To think that a well-known demon noble is in a situation where her life is threatened by such a large, stupid beast.

But, past is past.

Now was not the time to show petty pride.

‘He’s a guy we can never deal with with our current strength! For now, we have to go back to the world of shadows!’

Esil hurriedly looked back at Suho and shouted.

“Suho! Let’s retreat for now… Huh?”

When she turned around, Suho had suddenly grown huge and was throwing an uppercut to the sand centipede’s jaw.

[Use ‘Skill: Giant’s Armor’.]

Suho broke the runestone and learned a new skill.

With that skill, he doubled his size and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the giant centipede.

Boom! Smack!

He smashed his two big fists alternately into the centipede’s face, and wrapped his arms around its thick neck to choke it.

Khiiik!

As if in pain, the centipede struggled with its long train-like body and wrapped itself around Suho’s body.

A real clash of strength and power.

‘Oh my god.’

Esil was greatly shocked at the battle she was witnessing.

‘When did he become so strong?’

She was so sure that until just yesterday, Suho didn’t have that kind of strength.

[Ehem. That is Young Master’s…]

Beru was just about to show off.

Swoosh!

Suddenly, another pillar of sand rose right in front of his eyes.

“Ah, dear.”

Esil’s expression hardened.

It wasn’t just one or two this time.

Swoosh!

Swoosh!

Seven sand centipedes rose up from the sand and surrounded them.

However, despite being surrounded by them, Suho was still strong.

His expressionless gaze scanned each one of them.

‘Suho…’

Esil gulped with her dried throat.

‘Just how much have you grown…’

Nod.

Suho nodded and turned around.

“As expected, should I run away?”

“…”