Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 81-85

Chapter 81

 

“Suho, you bastard! How long has it been?!”

“We saw each other last month too, Uncle.”

“Ah hehe. Did we?”

Yoo Jinho bursts into laughter as he embraces Suho with a very happy expression.

The hunters who were looking at them could not help but be astonished.

‘Uncle?!’

They were surprised that Suho called him uncle, but in fact, what surprised them even more was Yoo Jinho, who had changed 180 degrees from usual.

‘Did CEO Yoo Jinho usually smile like that?’

CEO Yoo Jinho.

He was a figure who left a conglomerate family and founded Ajinsoft, which represents Korea with his own hands. He was a thorough and cold-hearted businessman who received the trust and loyalty of his employees.

However, his usual cold expression went somewhere, and he suddenly turned into a warm-hearted man having a friendly conversation with Suho.

“Hey, boy. If you entered an art school, you should be painting or drawing safely, why are you doing something dangerous? Let’s see. Are you really okay? Shall I call a healer that I know?”

Yoo Jinho was examining Suho’s body thoroughly, and at one point, he poked at Suho’s muscles.

“How could your body look so sore? What muscles look like tires? Did you awaken as a tank?”

“It might be because I’ve been working too hard at the gym these days.” Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.𝘤𝑜𝓂 for the best novel reading experience

Suho’s expression as he answered seemed a bit sad.

There was always a really nasty gym leader named Ammut lurking beneath his shadow.

“Uncle, what kind of game did you make that the hunters are here?”

“You know FIFA, right?”

“Football? I know.”

In today’s game, it was possible to play by moving the body directly in virtual reality.

“Similarly, we have been making a virtual reality game featuring hunters since two years ago. System building is almost over, now it’s time to create characters.”

“Ahh.”

Suho finally understood why the hunter guilds were so eager to visit the game company.

“When this game is released, users will be able to experience being a real hunter in virtual reality, attacking dungeons and hunting monsters.”

The actual hunters who would become the models for those characters were bound to gain worldwide recognition.

“It must be really fun. Any non-awakened person would want to try it.”

“Once it comes out, it would be really great. Of course, there is still a long way to go, and it is a long way from completion.”

Suho was sincerely impressed.

It has only been two years since the cataclysm began.

It was no coincidence that Ajinsoft became the best game company.

“So what is the name of that game?”

Sensing Suho’s pure curiosity, Yoo Jinho replied with a smirk.

“Solo Leveling.”

“… Solo Leveling?”

When he heard the name of the game, Suho’s expression became a little awkward.

“Oh. It’s a solo game, and leveling up is essential to let players experience as many different classes and types of hunters as possible.”

Yoo Jinho had a look on his face believing it was a good title.

“Of course you may feel that way. What’s so great about leveling up in a game? Aren’t similar games widely available? In the end, what matters is this. How much a character in a game can excite us!”

The driver who brought Suho let out a small sigh at the sight of Yoo Jinho chatting excitedly, even clenching his fists.

‘He’s at it again.’

In fact, that was Yoo Jinho’s true self.

Externally, he is armed with the face of a thorough businessman, but when talks of game begins, he turns into a face like that of an adolescent boy chatting with sparkling eyes.

“But ‘solo leveling’ is different. We plan to feature hunters who are actually active in the field as characters.”

An ordinary level-up game that anyone could make.

However, there is one thing. The feel of ‘reality’ that could elicit exhilarating excitement from players.

For that very reason, Ajinsoft was trying to collaborate even while offering money to high-paid hunters.

It could be considered as a super-large project that no game company dared to attempt, because a tremendous amount of money must be used to do so.

Suddenly, Suho’s gaze turned to the hunters of the Hyeonmu Guild standing awkwardly behind Lee Youngho.

He wondered why they were fully armed like that, but it must have been to appeal to Yoo Jinho.

‘… It feels a bit strange.’

They were really prim and proper.

If it was a coincidence, it does quite match the situation he was in these days.

[Hmm. Hmm…]

There was a gaze intently watching Yoo Jinho in the shadows since a while ago.

[… Maybe it’s not a coincidence.]

Beru whispered in a voice that only Suho could hear.

‘Maybe it’s not a coincidence?’

[Yes. In a time that is now forgotten, this human named ‘Yoo Jinho’ was a henchman who followed His Majesty closely than anyone else. If the memory of that time remains in his subconscious…]

A monarch’s memory transcends time.

Sung Jinwoo, the shadow monarch, was a being who exerted a powerful influence on the world simply by existing.

As Beru said, Yoo Jinho was the one who watched Sung Jinwoo’s battles more than anyone else out of all the humans.

At that time, all those moments captured in Yoo Jinho’s memories must have been the most intense and stimulating in the entire universe.

Also…

[At that time, he had the same expression as now.]

Yoo Jinho, who had been watching Sung Jinwoo’s wonderful battles, was now explaining the game he was trying to make.

As if all the scenes in the game were already clearly engraved in his head.

[This is really interesting. I don’t think his memory came back… Trying to express those memories in the way of a game.]

“Ah! I was too talkative. Haha. Anyway, it’s that kind of a game, Suho.”

Yoo Jinho suddenly came to his senses and smiled.

“Come on, let’s not do this here, let’s go inside and talk.”

“Wait, CEO! We’re not done talking yet…!”

When Yoo Jinho pushed Suho’s back and tried to enter his office, the section chief urgently called him from behind.

“Ah.”

Realizing that he had forgotten about the hunter, Yoo Jinho stopped walking and looked back.

However, the expression that was smiling brightly at Suho disappeared when he turned his head to the hunters. He looked at them with a cold gaze.

“I have an important schedule, so why don’t you go back? We will thoroughly review your proposal and contact you later.”

“Ah…”

The hunters had no choice but to keep their mouths shut on the spot at that indisputable order.

Except for one.

Section Chief Lee Youngho of the Hyeonmu Guild was different.

A little while ago, he recognized the face of Suho, who called Yoo Jinho his uncle.

‘It’s Sung Suho! I never thought I’d find this guy in a place like this!’

Section Chief Lee Youngho found out Sung Suho’s address and sent a subordinate there early this morning.

No matter how desperate he was, he didn’t have to go out on his own to recruit a C-Class hunter.

Rather, in terms of promoting the guild, it was a much bigger case to collaborate with Ajinsoft than a C-Class hunter.

The meeting with CEO Yoo Jinho, which had been successfully arranged, was suddenly postponed. A while ago as well, his subordinate contacted him saying that he had missed Sung Suho.

‘Nothing worked well today, so it must be God’s plan to have an opportunity like this!’

Lee Youngho realized at a glance that Sung Suho was CEO Yoo Jinho’s ‘urgent matter’, and decided to target Sung Suho rather than Yoo Jinho.

“Ha ha ha. Hunter Sung Suho! How did I get to meet you here like this? I guess it’s fate.”

“Huh?”

When Chief Lee Youngho suddenly spoke to Suho in a friendly way, Yoo Jinho stopped walking again and looked back at him.

“Suho, do you know him?”

When Suho tried to answer, Chief Lee Youngho hurriedly interrupted and handed Suho his business card.

“Haha. Alright, Mr. We’ll probably meet often. Hunter Sung Suho, I am Section Chief Lee Youngho of the Hyeonmu Guild. We will treat you well being the best in the industry, so how about signing a contract with our guild?”

“… Best in the industry? Suho?”

Rather than Suho, it was Yoo Jinho who responded to those words.

Lee Youngho momentarily caught Yoo Jinho’s lips twitching and let out a joy inside.

‘It worked! This was an effective strategy! Hehe. ‘It’s all on me.’

‘This is going to be a jackpot.’

He could never have thought that the CEO, Yoo Jinho, was related to Sung Suho!

In addition, the best timing to have a three-way face-to-face meeting at the exact timing when he came to Ajinsoft was so perfect.

‘Hehe. Such a lucky day. If I say ‘best in the industry’, the C-Class hunter cost talk is there. However, it is much more beneficial if I think of it as the opportunity cost of building a friendship with CEO Yoo Jinho .’

Lee Youngho smiled brightly and strode closer to Suho, emphasizing it in a coy tone.

“Hunter Sung Suho? I heard that you haven’t been awakened yet. In fact, Hyeonmu Guild doesn’t hire new hunters without experience. But Hunter Sung Suho is so talented…”

Even in the midst of diligently introducing the guild to Suho, all of Lee Youngho’s nerves were focused only on the change in Yoo Jinho’s expression.

He was putting his life on that collaboration.

‘PR is war.’

In order for the Hunter Guild to grow, after all, many hunters with good skills had to belong to the guild, or would want to belong.

The most important thing to do, ironically, was to promote the guild’s image well to the general public, not to hunters.

The public was in awe of the hunters, but on the other hand, they were afraid.

For the general public, the existence of a hunter was not much different from a beast that could harm them at any time if they wanted to.

In particular, that fear grew due to the villain named Lee Minseong?

No hunter wanted people to treat them as ‘monsters’. They wanted recognition and respect.

Hunters were a profession that made a lot of money, and when humans had a lot of money, the next thing they looked for was honor.

‘… So, collaboration is really important.’

If the hunters of the Hyeonmu Guild appeared in the game, how great would they look to the public?

Even as soon as its popularity spread to the world, it was clear that there would be a rush of requests to conquer the dungeon from abroad.

‘Then, my promotion and annual salary… Hehe.’

However, there was something that Chief Lee Youngho, who was filled with thrilling dreams just by imagining, did not realize.

The fact that Suho’s expression after accepting the Hyeonmu Guild’s business card was rather plain.

“Hyeonmu Guild…”

“Haha. Yes, that’s our guild name. It is the best in the industry, do you need to worry more? Just wait a little bit and our staff will bring the contract right away. Oh, and I usually don’t pay a down payment to C-Class hunters, but this time in particular…”

Chief Lee Youngho constantly worked his mouth to keep from giving Suho room for other thoughts.

But then…

“Ah.”

A single word came out of Suho’s mouth.

“I wondered where I heard it, but it was the guild that spied on my house with drones this morning.”

“Oh my. Haha. Did our staff go that far? I think the enthusiasm was a bit too much. I’m going to discipline him separately…”

“Did you say drones?”

At that moment, the cold voice he heard made him freeze on the spot.

“Chief Lee Youngho of the Hyunmu Guild. I guess this needs some explanation.”

Chapter 82

 

“C-CEO…”

Yoo Jinho was glaring at him with cold eyes.

Even the name of the guild he belonged to was mentioned in his mouth.

Lee Youngho’s complexion gradually turned pale.

“No matter how this situation is, the law is supposed to be obeyed, right? As with the Reaper Guild incident, these days, hunters seem to live above the law.”

“Oh, that can’t be! Absolutely not, CEO!”

“If not, then what is it? Is it only the Hyeonmu Guild? Where did those drones come from?”

“T-That…”

Lee Youngho couldn’t find where to look.

It was because he was the one who put the drone in the hands of his subordinate this morning.

Drones were really good.

The ability to fly and control, not to mention the recording function with the ultra-high-resolution wide-angle camera, has evolved tremendously.

One could even find a single strand of hair that had fallen in every corner of the house, even through the window.

Since the features were so good, of course, the laws for privacy protection were also tightly made.

But things have changed a lot since the cataclysm.

Recently, just for the Lee Minseong issue, there were countless broadcasting drones flying all over the sky for live broadcasting.

When a situation like a dungeon break struck, the hunters did not choose any specific means as long as they could hunt the beasts, be it drones or whatever.

However, spying on the homes of ordinary citizens without permission was not acceptable.

“Chief Lee Yeongho, it seems that the Hyeonmu Guild is not suitable for our company. You don’t have to wait for us to contact you.”

“Oh, no! CEO! Please…!”

“When you see one, you know ten. If the image of Hyeonmu Guild gets tainted even a little when our game is released later on, it will have a big impact on our sales.”

“…!”

Faced with the danger that all of his hard work would vanish instantly, Lee Youngho hurriedly lowered his head as if he had been sentenced to death.

“Wait, CEO! I will apologize on their behalf. It’s my big mistake that I mismanaged the guild. It seems that the desire to recruit good talent like Hunter Sung Suho was too much. Instead, I will take responsibility and set the conditions for Sung Suho!”

When he even mentioned Suho’s name, Yoo Jinho’s eyes turned to Suho next to him.

“Suho, they say it’s the best condition in the industry. Are there any conditions you received from other guilds?”

But that wasn’t a question in the first place.

Before Suho could answer anything, Yoo Jinho’s words continued.

“Don’t contact anyone. Best in the industry or whatever, I can’t possibly see our Suho being sold for a pittance like that. Rather, this uncle will set up a guild.”

“Huh? A hunter guild?”

Suho made a puzzled expression at the unexpected words.

“That’s right. In a situation where companies are developing professional baseball teams and soccer teams, why can’t we just make a hunter guild?”

Yoo Jinho was sincere.

It was an impromptu comment, but it was also one of the things that had already been brought up during their planning department meeting.

The moment he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to the hunters of the Hyeonmu Guild standing behind him.

“Are you guys still here?”

His expression turned cold again.

“C-CEO, please reconsider once more…”

Lee Youngho desperately clings to the last rope.

However, Yoo Jinho’s decision wasn’t just for personal reasons of them bothering Suho.

“You must have listened to my explanation so far. It means that single level games are such an important business.”

Important business.

“This means that even the hunters who appear in the game should not have even the slightest taint. In that sense, the conduct of the Hyeonmu Guild is a bit precarious. Please go back.”

“…”

The feeling of a cold dagger flying and getting stuck in his chest.

Chief Lee Youngho realized that no words were going to work anymore.

All he could do was walk out with the hunters he brought with him.

He had no choice but to decide how to kill the subordinate he had sent to Suho’s house today.

* * *

Yoo Jinho brought Suho to the representative office.

“Alright, Suho. Now that the intruders are gone, should we discuss the current situation comfortably?”

The secretary brought coffee in front of the two sitting facing each other.

“How’s your hunter job? Is it very difficult?”

“It’s well worth it.”

“What’s worth it, you rascal. Watching the news, it seems like you’re living too dangerously. Even though your grade is C, how come you’re working with class S and A? Aren’t you overdoing it?”

Despite Suho’s resolute answer, Yoo Jinho clicked his tongue and looked at Suho with pity in his eyes.

To Yoo Jinho… Suho was a fragile kid.

Sung Suho, whom Yoo Jinho has seen since childhood, was a wonderful boy who grew up with a good character under a strict father and caring mother.

He didn’t have that common rebellion or puberty trouble when he was a teenager.

Well, his father was the strictest man in the world.

He was a police officer, and he was a legend as a homicide detective who took down all the terrifying gangsters with force.

‘But how come…’

Looking at Suho’s face, which resembles his father a lot, Yoo Jinho felt especially bitter.

A few years ago.

Suddenly, misfortune came to Suho’s life, who grew up rich in everything.

Disappearance of parents.

At first, no one could accept that fact.

They were a couple who had such a special relationship that they would go on spontaneous trips.

But one day passed, two days passed.

Weeks went by and they didn’t come back.

From then on, Yoo Jinho began to search for them by using all his connections and money.

However, no matter how much he searched, no trace of the two was found.

Afterwards, Yoo Jinho decided to take responsibility for Suho on his parents’ behalf. Yoo Jinho was the one who actually recognized Suho’s drawing talent and made him enter the art college.

‘I didn’t know that he would be accepted to Korea University though.’

Was it because he was so immersed in painting?

Or was it because the world was soon hit by a ‘cataclysm’, a disaster even more outrageous than the disappearance of his parents?

Fortunately, Suho didn’t harbor any other bad thoughts and grew up properly.

“How’s Auntie?”

“Hmm. Your aunt…”

Yoo Jinho, lost in thought, couldn’t help but be taken aback by Suho’s sudden question.

“… Well, she’s still busy looking for your parents.”

“Ahh.”

At those words, Suho’s expression hardened.

It was natural.

To Suho’s aunt ‘Sung Jinah’, she also had her real brother and sister-in-law missing.

An immediate family member went missing overnight. Sung Jinah didn’t just want to sit and wait.

There were times when she trusted only the police and waited, but these days she was scouring the world by hiring secret agents and hunters.

“Mmm.”

Yoo Jinho noticed that Suho’s reaction was a little different from usual when he talked about his parents.

“What is that expression? Did you find out anything?”

“Oh, no. It’s not like that. Hmm… I thought it might be a good idea to focus more on finding my mother than my father.”

“… Sister-in-law rather than brother-in-law?”

“Yes. No matter where my father is, he’s also someone we shouldn’t worry too much about.”

“That makes sense. In the first place, I was looking for the possibility that the two of them went missing separately, so don’t worry too much. These days, I’m assuming the possibility of getting caught up in a dungeon break and tracking it down.”

“A dungeon break?”

“Yes. Of course, he disappeared before the cataclysm, but according to experts, unexpectedly, even before the cataclysm, the gates may have been intermittently opened on Earth. There were investigations on that too, so don’t worry too much.”

At that point, Suho couldn’t help but nod his head.

‘Aside from my father, the probability that my mother went missing after getting caught up in a dungeon is quite high.’

Suho recalled something he had heard from Beru the other day.

‘Beru said my mother knew my father’s identity from the very beginning. Besides, people who once awakened in the forgotten time zone are said to have become hunters as well.’

Awakening was, after all, the realm of talent.

If a person has a high ability to adapt to mana power, they will eventually awaken.

‘My mother was an S-Class hunter in the past, so she must have regained that power in the end.’

S-Class hunters were able to survive even if they were alone anywhere on Earth.

However, outside Earth, things would be different.

‘In the end, dimensional rifts must be investigated.’

Thoroughly.

“Anyway, Suho.”

Perhaps trying to evoke the increasingly dark atmosphere, Yoo Jinho put the coffee cup down on the table and said directly to Suho.

“What I said earlier is true. I’ll set up a guild for you, so don’t be bothered to join a strict guild.”

“What? Uncle, wasn’t that just something you said out of anger?”

“It was a bit of an impulse, but I was planning on starting a hunter guild at our company.”

Yoo Jinho took out a folder and held it out in front of Suho.

[Hunter Guild New Project]

“You see this? It’s a project that hasn’t even taken the first step yet, but I’ll tell them to start right away since I already mentioned it.”

“Oh, so it was real.”

The business plan was so full, as if it had been prepared in detail.

“Of course, your level is low, so I can’t entrust you with the guild leader, but instead, I will assign senior hunters who can be of help to you.”

From Yoo Jinho’s expression as he triumphantly shows the file, Suho thought, ‘It’s really good to have a dependable uncle?’

But then.

[He doesn’t need those guys.]

“…!”

Suddenly, Beru jumped out of Suho’s shadow and glared at Yoo Jinho.

[Because Young Master has me.]

“T-This…!”

Yoo Jinho’s eyes widened and he jumped up from his seat.

Beru’s eyes narrowed at that intense reaction.

[You bastard, you probably remember…]

“Puhaha! Suho, you really…!”

[Hmm?]

Yoo Jinho saw Beru and burst into laughter.

“After drawing ants every day like that, did you finally have the skill to summon ants? Hahaha!”

[… Did you only draw ants?!]

At those words, Beru opened his eyes wide and looked back at Suho.

He clung to Suho’s head and began to shed tears of emotion.

[Young Master-! Did you miss this little man so much!]

“No, wait. Let’s just say it was an instinct engraved in my subconscious…”

Similar to making a game unconsciously or he has been instinctively drawing ants.

Embarrassed, Suho forcibly shoved Beru back into his shadows.

Chapter 83

 

“Anyway, Uncle.”

Suho looked at Yoo Jinho with a rather serious expression.

“Thank you so much, but I don’t think I can join your guild.”

“What? Why?”

Since Suho’s words were completely unexpected, Yoo Jinho looked like he couldn’t grasp it.

“You hate it because it seems like nepotism? Didn’t you hear the Hyeonmu Guild earlier? You are the only talent that can be recruited among the heroes of yesterday’s incident. It’s not like they’ll put you in as a guild leader anyway, and no one will think of it as nepotism.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?”

“I’m thinking of setting it up myself.”

“What?”

Yoo Jinho put on a blank expression for a moment.

“… By yourself? You mean a guild?”

“Yes.”

“…”

The bewilderment was only momentary.

Yoo Jinho soon shut his mouth and snapped his fingers while in deep thought.

The Suho he knew was never the type to talk nonsense about things like that.

There must be a reason why he insisted on rejecting his offer.

After organizing his thoughts, Yoo Jinho looked into Suho’s eyes in a calm tone and said.

“Of course, establishing a guild is possible even for C-Class hunters as long as they meet the qualifications. However, if that happens, there will be a lot of inconvenient and unfavorable things.”

“I know.”

“You may be beaten by large guilds.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“… I’m curious as to why you’re doing this. It would be much more comfortable and stable if you entered a good guild like everyone else, so why would you want to take the hard road?”

“It gets in the way.”

“…?”

The more questions and answers they went on, the more Yoo Jinho felt like he was sinking into a labyrinth.

But he was used to that kind of conversation.

It felt rather nostalgic.

‘Well, he’s Sung Jinwoo’s son for a reason.’

Suho’s appearance reminded him of his missing brother-in-law’s face.

Yoo Jinho smiled and asked Suho again.

“What kind of hindrance do you mean by entering a guild?”

“Level up.”

His expression hardened at the answer that came out of Suho’s mouth.

“It interferes with leveling up.”

“… What? What are you…”

That moment.

Swook-

The black shadow that rose up again from Suho’s feet asked Suho.

[Young Master, have you finally decided?]

“Yes. My uncle is the most trustworthy person in the world.”

With Suho’s affirmation, Beru smiled.

[That… I know of very well.]

Yoo Jinho had a puzzled look on his face.

Even though years have passed, that expression is still the same as before, so Beru’s smile deepens even more.

The reason Beru came to Earth was because of Sung Jinwoo’s order to remove the seal on Suho.

To put the order more specifically, it was to restore the ‘power and memory’ that had been sealed from Suho so that he could protect Earth himself.

Aside from that, Sung Jinwoo added a few more requests to Beru, who was leaving for Earth.

-I’ll leave the rest to your discretion…

Since he didn’t know exactly what was going on Earth then, an order was entrusted to Beru with all decisions and choices to be made after arriving there.

There was one more thing.

-And… ‘That guy’ will definitely be a great source of strength to Suho in many ways.

Sigh.

Beru recognized at once who the ‘that guy’ Sung Jinwoo was talking about.

Compared to now, he was the number 1 henchman who had been following Sung Jinwoo since he was extremely weak.

A colleague who never betrayed him even when his life was threatened by enemies because of Sung Jinwoo.

[Young Master, please use the key.]

Suddenly, Suho had a key in his hand.

“Suho…? What is that key?”

Instead of answering Yoo Jinho’s question, Suho simply held the key in the palm of his hand.

Clack.

Swoosh!

“…?!”

The light emitted from the key colored Yoo Jinho’s vision white.

[Use ‘Item: Shadow Dungeon Key’.]

That moment.

A voice struck Yoo Jinho’s brain like a thunderbolt.

-Were you usually so quiet?

‘… Huh?’

Instinctively realizing that it might be his own voice, Yoo Jinho looked around quickly in amazement.

But it wasn’t.

There was nothing.

Not even the appearance of Suho, who had been talking with him until now, nor the soft sofa he was sitting on.

Suddenly everything was gone.

All he could see was a blinding white void.

In the middle of it, Yoo Jinho stood alone.

At that moment, another strong hallucination echoed in his brain.

-You said you were E-Class, right? I will protect you. Stay right next to me.

-… Alright, thank you for saying that.

‘Ah!’

He felt like his head was about to explode.

Yoo Jinho clenches his teeth and grabs his head with both hands from the tremendous headache.

From the depths of his head, memories like a kaleidoscope began to unfold like a panorama.

However, the sight was very unfamiliar.

His youthful self was having a friendly conversation with someone.

-Just 20 times! No, just go with 19!

-There is one condition.

-Tell me anything!

-You and I, just the two of us.

-What?

But the other person’s face…

‘I-It’s my brother-in-law! Sung Jinwoo!’

That made him even more appalled.

‘Have I ever had a conversation like this with him? E-Class? He disappeared before the cataclysm… ‘

No matter how much he looked back, he could never remember having a conversation like that.

It didn’t even fit the timing in the first place.

But… Why?

-Jinho, what do you think of me?

-To me, you are more like an older brother than my biological older brother.

Again.

Hot tears were flowing from his eyes.

-If you think of me as your brother, then I will think of you as my younger brother.

-Can I give you a hug?

-H-Hey! You drunkard!

-No! I’m more sober now than ever!

-Ha, such a weird guy.

‘W-What the hell is this! What the hell is this memory?!’

Yoo Jinho trembled with an unknown longing and cried out.

Those were memories that never existed in the first place.

‘It doesn’t make sense!’

‘What is this memory all about?’

His self in that memory was entering the dungeon following Sung Jinwoo.

He was watching Sung Jinwoo from behind as he hunted the monsters.

Countless times.

Again and again.

-Jinwoo! Let’s go together!

That wondrous sight…

He was watching him from the closest place than anyone else.

It was his greatest pride that such a great person considered him as a younger brother.

So he made an eternal promise.

No matter what, he will always follow his older brother, Jinwoo.

Just in time, Sung Jinwoo in his memory was opening his mouth with a faint smile.

As always, with a voice about to start a battle.

-Arise.

It was then.

“Arise.”

Yoo Jinho, who was struggling in the world of emptiness, heard Suho’s voice in his ears.

“… Oh God!”

Yoo Jinho, who suddenly returned to reality, opened his eyes.

Suho was still sitting in front of him.

Numerous shadow soldiers with black steam blazing stood around Suho.

It was similar to the appearance of Sung Jinwoo in his memory— an all-too-familiar sight.

“Haa…”

A sigh escaped Yoo Jinho’s mouth.

Everything was just forgotten.

Everything.

* * *

“… What was that… Ha.”

Even after his memory returned, Yoo Jinho shed tears for a long time.

It had to be.

Two lives.

Two memories.

At the center of it all was the presence of Sung Jinwoo, who had always been by his side.

‘Brother… Even though I forgot everything, you came to visit me first. It wasn’t even a coincidence that we first met when we were freshmen…’

[Tsk. Stop crying. Did you get too old?]

“Huhuhu…”

[Stop!]

Beru clicked his tongue at the sight of middle-aged Yoo Jinho weeping nonstop.

Beru told him what had happened.

Yoo Jinho shed more tears, and finally calmed down.

“… Sniff.”

He suddenly felt embarrassed.

Come to think of it, Suho had been drinking coffee in front of him all along.

“I think I know the situation well now.”

“…”

“You mean you’re going to get into trouble if the outer monsters find out that the son of the Shadow Monarch lives on Earth?”

“… Yes.”

“I see. I definitely understand.”

It sounded like an adult worn out while doing business.

Yoo Jinho’s eyes were extremely serious as he nodded his head and thought back at what he had understood.

Suho answered by putting the coffee cup down on the table.

“That’s why I want to remain as invisible as possible until I grow strong enough to not become my father’s weakness.”

“Then I guess you’ll have to hide your identity until you reach S-Class, at least. In the past, your father also started being really active when he became S-Class.”

Yoo Jinho nodded as he recalled that time.

“… No, in fact, even S-Class is not enough.”

Yoo Jinho burst into a sigh as he recalled the last image of the forgotten world.

Even the S-Class hunters were no match to beings called monarchs.

However, fear rose from the fact that ‘Outer Gods’ appearing were beings of a much higher rank than those mighty monarchs.

“Whoa. It was almost close to the apocalypse back then, but this time it’s really no joke.”

[Still, Outer Gods could not come to Earth directly. It’s thanks to the Shadow Monarch guarding the front line tightly.]

“That’s fortunate, but there’s a possibility that the apostles of Outer Gods first hid on Earth. That’s why Suho has to level up while hiding his identity as much as possible.”

“To be precise, I just need to hide that I am the son of the Shadow Monarch.”

“I understand that, too. You mean it doesn’t matter if they knew you as a normal person named Sung Suho. Hmm. It’s an information disruption…”

Yoo Jinho nodded his head several times at Suho’s words and pondered on those.

“Alright! Then, create a guild separate from our company! Instead, I will help you with all the legal problems and other trivial matters.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“But.”

Yoo Jinho’s expression suddenly became serious.

“Even if I help with everything else, there is one problem I can never help you with. You will have to overcome this on your own.”

With that expression, Suho’s eyes also became serious.

“What is that?”

“Ha.”

Yoo Jinho’s eyes suddenly became dim as he spoke.

He said the same thing once, a long, long time ago.

As the memory of that day came to mind, Yoo Jinho calmly continued, swallowing the tears welling up again.

“When you first create a guild, you will need at least three hunters. President, Vice President, Employee.”

“Ah.”

There’s a problem.

Chapter 84

 

Suho nodded.

“I guess two more are needed.”

“That’s right. It will probably be a bit tricky to find them. That’s how it went for your father, too. You will have to find a hunter who will fill those spots without actual hunter activities.”

Yoo Jinho seemed to miss such a conversation very much.

‘I’m sure this kid is going to run the dungeon alone, just like his father, with only shadow soldiers.’

“I also want to go with you, but I’m sure the reporters will be tracking my every move.”

Yoo Jinho himself was a hunter who had awakened as D-Class.

After awakening, he said that he wanted to go into the dungeon once, but he got frustrated after hearing the nagging from his staff several times.

Maybe that was why he was trying to make hunters appear in a new game to relieve that pent-up desire.

Suddenly, a suitable person came to Suho’s mind.

“Right now, there is one.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s a demon named Esil.”

“A devilish fellow?”

“No. A real demon.”

“… A trustworthy devil?”

Yoo Jinho hesitates for a moment at Suho’s answer.

The one who answered that was Beru.

[I can guarantee that. Esil was the Shadow Monarch’s second henchman. Just like you.]

“Don’t tell me…”

Yoo Jinho retorted with an extremely serious look.

“He had another brother aside from me?”

[… Don’t compete like that.]

Unlike Gray, the descendant of the Fang Monarch, Esil was a free being who was not tied to the system.

However, she was also one who feared the Shadow Monarch more than anyone else.

It was because she witnessed from the beginning to the end how Sung Jinwoo thoroughly exterminated all the demons except Esil’s family.

The reason why Esil herself was able to survive so far in the first place was because she betrayed the demon world early on and sided with Sung Jinwoo.

“Anyway, if you’re not human, you’ll have to make an ID first before registering as a hunter. I will do what is necessary.”

Yoo Jinho wrote a note that read “foreign worker” on a notepad and circled it.

He looked at Suho again and asked.

“What about the other one?”

Just then, Suho’s cell phone rang.

Bzzt.

Suho was wondering why a lot of people were contacting him nonstop just by seeing him once on the news.

He checked the caller’s name and made a strange smile.

“Looks like I’ve found the other one too.”

[Professor Lim]

Lim Dokyoon, a painting assistant professor at Korea University.

He was a freelance E-Class hunter who worked as a school assistant as his main job, and worked as a miner on the sidelines during weekends.

-Hello? Suho! Are you okay? You’re alive right?!

As soon as Suho pressed the answer button, questions poured out over his phone.

-I saw the news right now. What is going on? Why did you follow them to such a dangerous place? What did I say? Hunters must live long and think…!

Assistant Professor Lim continued to nag, worrying about Suho.

‘When things are really dangerous, the first person to run away is the one who worries the most after.’

No matter what, Professor Lim was just a terrible coward.

Both in his own death and in the death of others.

Because of this personality, he could still do his job as a hunter even though he is an E-Class.

He was so serious about running away that he had a high-level running skill even though he was an E-Class hunter.

‘That’s why it’s better.’

Right now, Suho didn’t need an ally, he needed a porter with quick feet.

When there’s a battle, he has the ability to fall back as quickly as possible so as not to get in the way.

-Anyway, what I’m saying is…

Professor Lim, who had been nagging a lot, got to the point.

-Your market value must have gone up a lot because of this incident. You received a lot of contract offers from guilds, right?

“Yes. It’s been a mess since this morning.”

-What? Already? You can never blindly sign a contract, okay?

Suho thought the nagging was over, but it wasn’t.

-You know how many hunters are having trouble after getting into the wrong guild, right? You must pick out the names of the guilds you contact and the terms and conditions of the contract, get it inspected by me first, before signing the contract! Okay?

“…”

While listening to the nagging, the corner of Suho’s mouth went up.

He was full of worries amidst the nagging.

-And if you see or feel anything strange, reject them immediately! I’ll find a better guild for you. I also received a lot of business cards to join the guild these days.

“Huh? Would you like to join a guild, too?”

-Yeah. Freelancing was absolutely dangerous and I couldn’t do it. Besides, the trend these days is that guilds are trying to recruit E-Class hunters like me as regular workers.

“…”

Listening to Lim’s words, Suho suddenly felt strange.

Coincidence?

That trend must have been a result of recent incidents.

Since hunters keep dying these days, there was a sudden manpower gap in the guilds’ position.

-Anyway, that’s why I’m looking for a guild these days, and if I find a guild with the best conditions, I’ll let you know…

“Teacher, that’s enough.”

Suho cut him off halfway through and spoke straight.

“There is a better guild here, so would you like to come here now?”

-… What? Where are you?

* * *

“Oh my…!”

Arriving at Ajinsoft after a while, Assistant Professor Lim was out of breath.

“C-CEO Yoo Jinho?!”

“Haha. Nice to meet you.”

‘What kind of situation is this all of a sudden?!’

At the sight of Yoo Jinho shaking hands with a benevolent smile, Professor Lim hardened like a broken toy.

The representative of Ajinsoft, who could only be seen on game news, is now shaking hands with him.

“H-How are you? Me, I…!”

“I’ve already heard a little bit about you from Suho. Are you close with our Suho?”

“Oh my.”

‘He said, our Suho.’

“Don’t think of me as the representative of Ajinsoft. Right now, I’m just sitting here as Suho’s uncle, so don’t be too nervous.”

“…!”

Even though he told him not to be nervous, Assistant Professor Lim froze even more.

On the way there, he had already received a rough word from Suho, but the shock was doubled when CEO Jinho Yoo confirmed the fact with his own mouth.

Suho handed over the contract to Assistant Professor Lim.

“I made a contract while you were on the way here.”

To be exact, it was a contract made by Yoo Jinho’s secretary.

When Suho opened the contract, Yoo Jinho directly explained the contents.

“As you may have heard on the way, the guild you will sign a contract with is completely unrelated to Ajinsoft, and will be a guild supported entirely by my own personal money. Our offer is the best in the industry among E-Class hunters, so don’t worry.”

“Thank you!”

Professor Lim bent his back 90 degrees right away at those words.

Yoo Jinho waved his hand.

“Give thanks to Suho, not me. It looks like Suho really thinks highly of you.”

“Suho…!”

Professor Lim looks at Suho with a very moved expression.

Yoo Jinho continued to explain.

“But don’t expect too much. I’m not in a position to splurge too much on tax issues. I’m just thinking of renting out a small building for free to use as a guild office without overdoing it.”

“A building for free?!”

Professor Lim couldn’t believe it.

“Haha. In the old days, I would have just given away the building. But since Suho is my relative, it would be difficult for him in many ways. That’s why I’m trying to help only on a thoroughly legal level, and this is the limit.”

Yoo Jinho was saying that he was sorry that he couldn’t help more.

But suddenly.

‘Huh? Wait. He can’t give Suho a building because he’s a relative? What does that…’

Professor Lim suddenly sensed something strange in Yoo Jinho’s words, and turned his head to the side with an uneasy gaze.

He looked at Suho, who was drinking coffee with a calm face, then turned his gaze back to look at CEO Yoo Jinho in front of him and asked.

“Is the leader of the guild you are going to create this time…”

“Oh, haven’t you heard that yet? Of ??course, it’s going to be…”

[Young Master.]

Assistant Professor Lim hardened like a stone at the sudden sight of Beru

‘Oh, no wonder the conditions were so good.’

After receiving a call, he came in a hurry, so he only heard the most important part now.

If Suho, who has only awakened for less than a month, is the guild leader, then who are the guild members?

Even if it was a guild sponsored by CEO Yoo Jinho, it seemed like this was something that had to be pointed out.

“Suho, can I ask you something before signing the contract?”

“What is it?”

“How many other guild members…”

“Guild members? A lot.”

“Oh! A lot?”

Hearing those words, Professor Lim’s face instantly turned red.

However, it took only a moment for the color of his face to turn gray.

“Arise.”

“…?!”

Swoosh!

Black shadows rose from the floor out of nowhere and surrounded Professor Lim.

[Kiyaah!]

“…”

Black mummies overflowing with black steam.

Those vicious shadow demons surrounded Professor Lim and began screaming.

However, those guys were only part-timers for a day. In the middle of them, the only full-time worker, ‘Quay’, put a vicious face toward Professor Lim and bluffed.

[Always keep in mind. The Master’s first subordinate is me. You are second.]

“…”

There was no need to compete… … .

Before he knew it, Professor Lim was sitting and looking dead.

He barely pulled himself together and asked Suho.

“Aside from those ones, are there any humans?”

“Ah, there are only two of us, even in the future.”

“… O-Okay. I see.”

Professor Lim pondered on those words.

However, although the situation was somewhat overwhelming, he was someone who had already seen Suho fight firsthand.

If he thought about it rationally, it could have been better.

They didn’t even need to pay for an office, so it meant that they could save on labor costs as well.

“Yeah, well. I heard that the association also recognizes the number of summons as the number of raid members. By the way, Suho, you know that in order to create a guild, you need at least 3 humans, right?”

“Yes. I know.”

Suho responded with a meaningful smile.

“So, I hired one who looked like a human.”

“Looked like a human…?”

It felt ominous.

 Chapter 85

 

E-Class hunters work in any guild and the money they earn is pretty similar.

This was because their main job was as a miner or collector.

The contract method itself was a structure in which they received incentives as much as they worked, so in the end, in any guild, they could earn only as much money as they worked for.

However, the reason why they want to enter a large guild as much as possible was because of ‘safety’.

Mining team looks for mana stones inside the dungeon.

Collection team dismantles the dead demons.

But in front, no one knows how much the raid team could protect them.

That was an important thing for the lowest level hunters.

In that sense, Assistant Professor Lim was very flustered at first, but eventually signed the contract that Suho held out.

It was natural.

He had already seen Suho fight with shadow soldiers, and he had noticed right away that Suho was somehow different from other hunters.

Besides, Suho was not a person who would use others as expendable items unlike some large guilds.

‘The offer is the highest among E-Class, so I have to take it no matter what.’

After signing the contract, Assistant Professor Lim shook hands with Suho, who would become his guild leader in the future.

“Looking forward to working with you from now on, Suho.”

[Use proper words. If that was me, I would’ve disciplined you myself…!]

“I mean, t-thank you, guild leader!”

Assistant Professor Lim hurriedly corrected his words.

Suho smiled.

“Looking forward to working with you as well, Assistant Professor Lim. Rather, brother Dokyoon.”

* * *

“Then, take care of it.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Yoo Jinho ordered his secretary to prepare to rent one of his buildings to Suho’s guild.

“Originally, it was a building that was vacated to be demolished and remodeled. But if I make a new one, it’ll take too long, right? Even if it’s a bit shabby, just use it for the time being.”

“Yes. Thank you for that alone, Uncle.”

“Alright. Besides…”

‘You’ll probably use it for a while’, Yoo Jinho thought without saying it out loud.

If Suho inherited his father’s talent, it would be only a matter of time before he made money anyway.

‘The important thing is not the building. It wasn’t like they’d be getting more guild members anyway.’

Also, the idea was just right.

For Suho, a vast shadow dungeon already existed beneath his feet.

“But Suho…”

Yoo Jinho looked at Suho’s face seriously.

“All three guild members are gathered now and paperworks were well-taken care of, so preparations are over. The most important thing is missing.”

“What is it?”

Yoo Jinho’s serious eyes brought a serious expression to Suho’s face as well.

“Your qualifications.”

“Qualifications?”

At that time, Suho’s expression became more serious.

Yoo Jinho was the only person who knew about Sung Jinwoo’s strength.

His eyes seemed to say so.

-Are you really qualified to lead the corps?

Gulp.

Suho looked more serious than ever and waited for Yoo Jinho’s next words.

Yoo Jinho opened his mouth.

“That’s right. Your qualifications. Hunters can only become guild leaders if they have cleared dungeons 20 times or more.”

“… Oh, is that so?”

Suho looked downcast and nodded his head.

He was just a novice hunter who had only experienced a few field dungeons.

‘It’s going to be quite busy in the future.’

Before receiving the guild office from Yoo Jinho, it seemed that he had to resolve that first.

* * *

“You said you established a guild?”

Esil received an unexpected offer from Suho, who stopped by the Shadow Dungeon.

“Yeah. You are also a member of my guild. From now on, you will enter the dungeon with me.”

“Me? I’m not even human. Is that possible?”

“I came here because of that. Let’s take a picture of you. I have to make an ID for you as a foreign worker.”

“Foreign worker?”

Esil tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“Come on, smile.”

“Uh, huh?”

Click.

Suho took a picture of Esil’s face with his cell phone.

“Is it over?”

“Yep. It’s over. All I have to do is polish it with an app.”

Suho opened a photo editing app and corrected Esil’s face to look as ‘human’ as possible.

‘It’s fortunate that Esil looks quite human for a demon. No horns.’

Of course, there were some minor peculiarities, such as slightly sharper ears than humans, but those were matters that could be passed on as being due to a hunter’s own skills.

‘There are also hunters who turn into beasts, so this much is considered normal.’

However, among the hunters with extremely sensitive senses, there would be people who would notice that Esil was a non-human being.

‘It’s alright as long as they don’t run into each other.’

But that was no problem either.

After all, his guild will continue to be maintained with only 3 members.

“Ohhhh! What is this? I’m getting prettier! I hope this is my true self…!”

“Hmm, nope.”

Esil was beyond admiration and was even moved by the highly developed human correction app.

Even though Suho didn’t do anything special, she benefited from the app’s basic feature effect.

“Hmm. Great. Moderately exotic. A mixed-race foreign worker concept, so this should be enough.”

“Ah!”

When Suho turned off his cell phone, Esil, who was looking at her photos with excitement next to him, licked her lips in regret.

She looked at Suho with soft eyes.

“Suho, can I have something like this…”

“You want a cell phone? In the future, you can earn money and buy it.”

“Ah! Are you giving me money, too?”

“Of course. Since you’re a guild member now, you’ll earn as much money as you hunted. Also, you should buy the meat you will eat with your money.”

“I got it!”

Esil suddenly became motivated.

“By the way, I heard there is one more guild member? Who is that one? Someone strong?”

“Mmm.”

Suho pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.

“No, he is very weak.”

“Huh? How weak?”

“If you hit him, he could die. So, you can’t bother him.”

“… He’s that bad?”

Esil was confused.

* * *

The guild leader’s qualification of clearing dungeons 20 times wasn’t really great.

Dungeons were springing up, and the hunters were wandering around like crazy attacking those dungeons.

It was to make money at some point, but at the same time, neglecting a dungeon would lead to a massive catastrophe.

So, the role of the guild leader leading the hunters was important.

If someone without dungeon experience led them, the talented people would die in vain, and that would lead to a major disaster.

In order to fill the required number, Suho jumped into a dungeon raid with Lim Dokyoon and Esil.

The only unfortunate thing was that his level did not increase well in the process.

‘The difficulty of the dungeons is too low.’

It was unavoidable.

The three-man raiding party of Suho, Esil, and Lim Dokyoon was too low to qualify for the dangerous dungeons.

Because of that, all the dungeons they could enter were final dungeons or field dungeons that were almost finished.

The level of the magic beasts in it was not enough for Suho to gain experience.

But that was just for Suho. It was different for Lim Dokyoon.

“Hee! E-Esil! help me!”

“… You are really weak.”

Esil looked at Lim Dokyoon, who was hiding behind her, with sincere pity.

Then, when she turned her gaze to the other side, there was a doggie that attacked the enemies with extremely brave eyes.

“Growl! Woof!”

[The King of Beasts, the Fang Monarch, nods happily, saying that Gray is growing up dignifiedly today.]

[Gray Lv.17]

Fang Wolf

Apart from Suho leveling up, Gray was growing steadily.

Well, Suho receives half of Gray’s experience points…

Ring.

[‘Pet: Gray’ offers 50% of its experience as a sacrifice to its owner.]

Even without the experience points from ‘Blessing’, other points were shared with Suho.

In the long run, this was definitely an advantage.

The stronger Gray gets, the more EXP will be shared when hunting.

[Kehehe! Our baby cub is great! Be diligent in the future and offer more sacrifices to Young Master!]

[Beru uses ‘Skill: Harsh Command’.]

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

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

“Growl…!”

Under Beru’s ‘Harsh Command’, Gray howled.

All the monsters snorted.

… And were bitten.

Swoosh!

“…!”

No matter how small he is, Gray is a worthy successor of Rakan.

He was a predator that instinctively picked out only the ‘weakness’ of his enemies and prey on them.

[The King of Beasts, the Fang Monarch, closes his eyes at Gray’s cruelty.]

There were also male beasts.

“Hnnnngg!”

Swoosh!

* * *

Section Chief Lee Youngho of the Hyeonmu Guild has been very uneasy these days.

It must have been from ‘that day’ to be exact.

The day he came back after being savagely rejected by CEO Yoo Jinho of Ajinsoft.

‘Let’s see. I will definitely repay you someday.’

Lee Youngho inevitably held grudges.

The Hyeonmu Guild was not as good as the Baekho Guild or the Reaper Guild, but it was a large guild that was well known in Korea.

However, Ajinsoft was also a conglomerate with enormous influence in the political and business world.

First of all, each industry was different.

No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t come up with a suitable way to retaliate against CEO Yoo Jinho.

‘If I had been a hunter like him, I’d have had plenty of ways to vent my anger.’

The simplest thing was to solve it with ‘power’.

It was because hunters were allowed to kill in the dungeon.

Obviously, it was illegal to kill openly, but there was no physical evidence for murder in the dungeon, so no one could be charged with the crime.

“… Oh, I wonder what he is doing now.”

Given the circumstances, it was only natural for Lee Youngho’s anger to pass on to Sung Suho.

“That bastard Sung Suho, find out what he’s doing these days. From what I heard at the time, it seemed that CEO Yoo Jinho would set up a guild.”

“Y-Yes! That’s right!”

“Hurry up, man!”

“Y-Yes! I am entering now!”

A subordinate who was hit in the back of the head by Lee Youngho hurriedly accessed Hunter Net.

That employee was the one who flew the drone camera to Sung Suho’s house that day.

‘He ordered me to do it in the first place, but why is he only taking out his anger on me… Seriously…’

The employee who had been tracking the records of Sung Suho, gritting his teeth, suddenly stopped and looked back at Lee Youngho.

“Oh? Chief, Sung Suho… that guy…”

“Why? Did you find anything?”

“I guess they haven’t created a guild yet because the conditions aren’t met. It seems like he’s going through dungeons these days to complete the requirements.”

“Is that so?”

The moment he heard that, Chief Lee Youngho’s eyes lit up.

“Find out which dungeon they would enter next.”