Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

The internet was in an uproar again, as per usual.

—Breaking: Case Closed!“The Great Jisan Prison Escape.”

—Breaking: All Five Hundred Villains Defeated!South Korea Is Safe!

—In-depth Report: We Ask the White Tiger Guild:“Who Defeated the Villains?”

—Interview: Vice Guild Master Baek Miho Creates Ripples with Statement: “He Is a Hero.”

People were just as excited as they’d ever been as they saw the news flooding the internet.

—Holy cow! This can’t be real. It wasn’t the White Tiger Guild that defeated the villains?

—What does this mean?Who else could have gotten so many of them?

—Can you even read?Someone else dealt with the villains, and the White Tiger Guild only handled the aftermath.

—It was one person, whoever it was.

—LOL this is nuts.So just one hunter wiped them all out?

—Okay. I’m starting to feel that this one hunter should also be classified as a villain.

—So he’s like a mass murderer or something?

The reactions of the public could be divided into two categories. It was a good thing, of course, that the villains of Jisan Prison had been killed off. Whoever had done it deserved praise, no doubt about it. The problem was that there were just too many that had been killed.

—He killed five hundred fellow human beings in a day. Whoever it is, he can’t be normal.

—He’s like a psychopath or something, at least.

—But they were villains. That’s okay, isn’t it?

—So villains don’t even deserve to be called humans, is that it?

—Villains have rights!(/s)

—Fact #1: All the human rights groups that claimed this are now dead.

—Fact #2: They were all killed by the villains that they secretly gave refuge to!

—Related link: “I killed them because they were ridiculous”

—Related link: “Who do they think they are, trying to protect us?They’re not even awakened.”

At one point, there had been many groups that fought for the supposed rights of villains. But because of everything the villains had done since then, most people tended to accept the Hunters Association’s definition of villains—“humanoid magic beasts.” Still, there was a certain line beyond which things just felt excessive.

—Let me get this off my chest. I mean, five hundred people? That’s a bit much.If he’s that strong, surely he could have found a way to spare their lives and send them back to prison.

—LOL we got ourselves an armchair saint right here.What if they escape again?Are you going to bring in?

—Well,who the hell is this hunter, anyway?Why won’t they tell us?He’s a hero!

—Are you serious? Would you honestly tell people who he was right now?The public should be praising him to the skies, but they’re calling him a mass murderer instead haha.

—And Hwang Dongsuk died, too.He’s probably eager to hide his identity just in case Hwang Dongsoo wants revenge.

—LOL Hwang Dongsoo is scary. That I can understand.

It was late at night, and Hwang Dongsoo, the S-rank villain, stopped short in his hideout as he read the internet news. He was looking at a list of the villains who had been killed in the recent incident.

—C-rank villain Hwang Dongsuk (deceased)

“Huh…” His lips, which had been firmly clamped shut, broke into a grin, exposing his white teeth. The news had left him flabbergasted and incredulous. “He’s really dead?”

Hwang Dongsuk was his brother, with whom he’d parted ways with years ago. This was the same brother who had awakened out of the blue, cussed at Dongsoo for being useless, and left him behind without a second thought. That was why Dongsoo had never considered a reconciliation, even after becoming an S-rank hunter himself. That didn’t mean that he’d wanted to hear news of his death through the news, however.

“I thought he was living quietly in prison. He suddenly escaped, only to die within three days? Because of a single person that killed everyone else, too?”

Dongsoo hadn’t felt the urge to help his brother when he’d heard Dongsuk had escaped. He’d simply ignored the news. Dongsuk was a crafty man, and surely he could manage to hide away just fine. But now he was dead. The least Dongsoo could do for his brother was get revenge.

But I have no idea who was responsible. Dongsoo looked up all related articles, but the White Tiger Guild was keeping a tight lid on the identity of this hunter. As someone had said in the comments earlier, it was clear the guild were on their guard against potential revenge.

“But no secrets are forever, not in this world.” Dongsoo grinned and moved his huge body off his bed. A thick gold necklace around his neck clattered.

Dongsoo walked out his bedroom door and emerged in the lobby of a fancy mansion. This was once the secret residence of a corrupt politician. Dongsoo had killed him and taken control of it, making it his third hideout.

Dongsoo passed through the empty lobby and walked out of the building, making a call. The phone was picked up quickly on the other end. “Yes, Hwang Dongsoo.How can I help you?” came a businesslike voice over the line.

Dongsoo was direct. “I want information.”

“Is it about Hwang Dongsuk’s death?” the person said immediately.

Dongsoo grinned. “You’re good at your work. Yes, I want to know who killed my brother. I’ll pay you as much as you want.”

“We don’t need money.But we would like your help with an upcoming project.”

“A project?”

“Yes.A slightly bothersome request has come in recently.”

Dongsoo frowned. “You do realize that I’m on the run from the association?”

“Yes,of course we do.That is why we’ve chosen a location in the countryside, far away from any city where you could be detected.”

“Tsk…” Dongsoo tutted unhappily. The voice over the line seemed to have had this request ready in advance. They’re devious as all hell… It was thanks to them, however, that he’d managed to evade the association thus far and live in comfort.

“It’s a task that you can handle in no time at all.We’ll give you the information you seek as soon as the job is done.”

“Fine. Tell me where it is.”

“Yangpyeong.Not too far from where you are now, as it happens.”

***

[You have entered the Shadow Dungeon.]

Suho came home the next day, had breakfast, and entered the Shadow Dungeon immediately.

The internet was abuzz because of the Jisan Prison incident, but Suho’s life hadn’t changed at all, thanks to the White Tiger Guild doing its best to keep him out of the public eye. He would not remain anonymous forever, though, since many hunters from the White Tiger Guild had seen him. Regardless of public opinion, his identity would eventually be made public. But it was fully possible to delay this until a point that Suho wanted.

“Young Monarch, Greed is strong. If you want to turn him into a shadow soldier, then you must become stronger.”

“I get it. That’s why I’m training, right?”

Hwang Dongsoo had once been his father’s shadow soldier, going by the name of Greed. In order for Suho to turn him into a shadow soldier again, whether it was when they met and fought one day or after the White Tiger Guild killed him, Suho’s own stats needed to be ready.

[Skill: Shadow Extraction Level 2]

[Authority over shadows. No mana required. Extracts mana from a dying body to create shadow soldiers. The failure rate of extraction increases proportionally with the target’s remaining ability points and the time elapsed since their death.

- Level 2 Effect “Shape Transformation”: The shape of shadow soldiers can be transformed at will.]

[Number of Extractable Shadows: 50/50]

Shadow Extraction has a chance of failing. Suho recalled the chilling experience in Egypt when he’d tried to extract the Venomtooth Sand Centipede and failed no less than two times. He had nearly had to give up on it completely because the centipede had been too strong for him to kill by himself. I have only three chances at extraction.In order to extract an S-rank hunter within that number of attempts, I need to become much stronger than I currently am.

That was why Suho had entered Ammut’s pyramid again to do his daily quests and train for the Iron Body technique. Whenever he arrived at the pyramid, however, he would always find a mummy that had been forgotten by all but was nonetheless continuing a lonely training regimen all by himself.

“Agh…”

“Hahaha! That’s it! Keep on running! Your legs might have turned to dust and your spine crushed to bits, but you can still run!”

The mummy ran through the maze inside the pyramid, the terrifying laughter of Ammut echoing in the background. This mummy was Lim Dogyoon. His entire body was wrapped in the Mummy’s Bandages as he underwent training from Ammut. While it was called “training,” it was actually closer to torture.

Suho was also repeating a daily set routine as his daily quest, but even if the frequency was regular, the intensity was always different. Ammut was manipulating the gravitational field to increase the difficulty of Suho’s training every time his stats increased. That was why Suho endured harsh pain every single time. However, he was the son of Sung Jinwoo, the Monarch of Shadows, and he had the leveling system to help him. That meant that his potential was limitless.

Dogyoon, on the other hand, was just an ordinary E-rank hunter. His physical abilities and regeneration were only slightly better than an average human being, as he was one of the weakest of the hunters. There was only one special ability he had access to, and that was running.

“You don’t need push-ups! Just run and run until you are on the verge of death! In fact, if you stop moving, I will literally kill you!” Ammut shouted.

“Eeek!” Feeling Ammut’s genuine hostility from right behind him, Dogyoon went deathly pale. He had already greatly surpassed human limits. Even with ragged limbs and a body that was closer to a corpse than a living human’s, he kept on running without rest. He managed to survive, even so. The bandages around his body were an evil—or rather, useful—item that would keep his body from falling apart even if his bones were reduced to a fine powder and his muscles and ligaments were destroyed.

“I don’t think that’s how that item is supposed to be used, is it?” Suho murmured.

“What are you saying? Kandiaru made this masterpiece expressly for this purpose!” Ammut said, cackling. “Do you know something? I enjoy watching trivial beings struggling to become something greater, just like that one. Most beings will die in the attempt. However…” With a very satisfied look on his face, the crocodile gazed at Dogyoon, who was running through the pyramid despite his critical condition. “Surviving that pain, in whatever way possible… That is strength.”

Suho was compelled to nod. The words held a measure of truth that he could not help but accept. No matter what anybody might say, Dogyoon was continuing this harsh training of his own free will. As a result, his leg muscles were bulging, looking ready to explode. He had achieved this without any leveling system or status window—he simply continued to run, powered by nothing but the determination to grow stronger.

“Let’s start that daily quest,” Ammut said.

Suho nodded, and soon his training began.

“Hmm…” Behind them was the newly recruited shadow soldier, Harmakan. He was studying the interior of the pyramid with shining eyes. “Don’t tell me… Is this place one of Kandiaru’s…?”

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