Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Haeundae Beach, Busan, was a beautiful beach where people gathered in droves every summer season. It was relatively recently that something odd had surfaced about the place. The Knights Guild, the biggest guild in the Yeongnam region, received reports that people kept disappearing on the beach and set out to patrol the entire length of it. It was then they discovered it.

“Skeletons,” Lim Taegyu said as the leaders of the Knights Guild went silent. “More regions are now reporting Skeleton sightings.”

As a live video played, they watched countless skeletal soldiers crawling out of hiding. The hunters of the guild were killing them.

Seeing the battle taking place in real time, Park Jongsoo, the guild master, ground his teeth. “The problem is that we have no idea where they’re even coming from in the first place,” he said.

Judging from the situation, it was clear that the Busan coast had been subjected to a dungeon break. But they weren’t able to locate the most important site—the location of the gate.

“Judging from the way the Skeletons are multiplying without end, it seems certain that there is a necromancer-type monster that keeps on summoning them.”

“Assuming that this monster is the boss, we can surmise that it will be located at the very rear, most likely inside the gate or near it.”

The other guild leaders finally began to speak, letting their words tumble out one after the other.

“And so we’re doing our best to find this gate…”

“We’re even considering the possibility that the gate is inside the ocean.”

“That can’t be possible! Gates have never spawned in the sea!”

“It’s only been two years since the Great Cataclysm! We can hardly say we’ve seen all there is to see!”

Gates were dimensional breaches that connected Earth to outer worlds. This mysterious phenomenon occurred randomly, and at just about any location. For some reason, however, no gate had ever been detected in the ever-turbulent ocean. The reason was unknown, but this was a very good thing for the human race. Its future would be dire indeed should it lose control of its oceans.

But nobody could be complacent. Just as no one had foreseen the Great Cataclysm of two years ago, there was no telling what other shocking changes awaited the world. The final guild leader’s comment had pointed out this very fact.

“Enough,” Taegyu said, and the leaders instantly stopped shouting at each other.

The leadership group of the Knights Guild were all A-rank hunters. While there might have been differences among them in strength, they were all hunters of the same rank and had equal right to speak. But for the same reason, Taegyu—the only S-rank hunter present—had more say here than anyone else.

After silence fell, he spoke again. “I agree that we must consider all possibilities. But there is a limit to the manpower that we can deploy.” If the gate had really spawned in the ocean, it wasn’t a problem that was solvable by the people currently in this room. If thinking about it would provide no answer, Taegyu believed it would be a better idea to simply put the issue aside.

“We are first going to form investigative groups under the assumption that the gate is somewhere on the beach,” he said. His eyes moved over to Suho. Now you understand the situation somewhat.

Suho understood and nodded quietly.

“Ahem… In that sense, there are currently two matters that need solving.” Noticing Dogyoon beside Suho, Taegyu cleared his throat briefly, avoiding eye contact as he continued to explain, “First, we will stop the magic beasts that keep on appearing. I’m sure you are all doing well, but we need to send in as many soldiers as we can.”

Everyone nodded at this. To keep the magic beasts from getting off the beach and spreading into the city, the more the soldiers, the better. What was more, the monsters that showed themselves first were always weaker than the ones that came after, behaving like a scouting party. In other words—given how dungeon breaks worked—only Skeletons were appearing at the moment, but it was likely that more and more dangerous magic beasts might appear later. If only to prepare for this, they needed to station men in adequate numbers.

“And second,” Taegyu continued, “we will find the location of the gate in the meantime. This role requires moving among these creatures and searching about. We only need a small team of elites, with me in the lead.”

Jongsoo raised his hand at this. “Do you have a standard for choosing the members of this team?”

“Yes. Since the goal is to search and locate, I will choose those who are confident in their speed, rather than selecting them based upon their fighting ability.”

Speed? The moment Dogyoon heard this, his eyes flew open. When volunteers were asked to raise their hands to join the search team, he threw his arm in the air.

Taegyu flinched, but he soon calmly continued, “Oh, there is one thing I neglected to mention. The gate search team must consist of B-rank hunters or higher. It’s very dangerous since chances are high that we will suddenly encounter a boss monster.”

Dogyoon had no intention of lowering his hand, even after hearing this. If it’s speed, I’m confident, he thought. He was very skilled at running away, after all.

Noticing the determined look in Dogyoon’s eyes, Taegyu looked pleadingly at Suho. Suho only grinned and raised his hand as well. “We are not B-rank, but the Woojin Guild will also join this party,” he stated.

“Fine, then.” Taegyu was forced to nod, a troubled look on his face. He had brought Suho here in the first place to have him join the search team. However, he hadn’t imagined that his son, who was only an E-rank hunter, would volunteer as well.

Even so, Suho is the guild master, Taegyu thought. I’m sure he’ll protect his own guild member.They even went into the Glacier Dungeon together. He repressed his anxiety, told the hunters some more detailed strategies, and ended the meeting. “All right, then. Let our operation begin.”

***

A total of twenty people made up the search party. Taegyu divided them further into five teams of four hunters each. There was a problem here, however.

“I will lead the first team, and Mr. Sung of the Woojin Guild will lead the second,” Taegyu announced. “As for the third…”

“What?!”

“What did you say?”

The hunters who had volunteered under the assumption that the S-rank hunter Taegyu would be leading them all were understandably confused.

“Wait, this isn’t what you said would happen!”

“I heard Sung Suho is only a C-rank hunter!”

“Our lives are at stake here! How can you possibly…”

Taegyu seemed to have expected this backlash. He remained calm as he responded, “Let me tell you again. Our goal is to search, not to fight. That’s why I said from the get-go that only those who were quick on their feet should join.”

“B-but even so…”

“We’re searching for the boss monster’s location! We need a minimal guarantee of our own safety!”

“That’s right. And I’m a B-rank hunter. I can’t follow orders from a mere C-rank!”

“Hmm… ‘Mere,’ you say?” It was a reasonable complaint, but Taegyu could only laugh. “Suho— I mean, Mr. Sung… Have you still not looked into a reassessment?”

“I was busy making this guild.”

“Go and get one when this is over. That way, we won’t have to waste time over meaningless—”

“I’d rather lead the second team,” Suho said. “One of my men can take Team Three.”

“Hmm?” While Suho and Taegyu were talking, the hunter who had been assigned as the leader of the third team stepped forward confidently. This was Jung Yoontae, an A-rank hunter. He was the vice guild master of the Knights Guild and very close to the guild master, Jongsoo.

Yoontae looked over at the members of Team Two with a discontented gaze. Sung Suho was only a C-rank hunter, though he was supposedly a guild master, and next to him was Dogyoon, an E-rank hunter and a member of his guild.

And on his other side… Who is that woman?A hunter from the Woojin Guild? Next to Suho was Esil, whom Suho had called out of the Shadow Dungeon. She was also part of the second team, acting as a member of the Woojin Guild. The final member of Team Two was a B-rank hunter from the Knights Guild.

“Tsk… The second team is just too weak compared to the others,” Yoontae remarked. “It’s probably better for me to move to Team Two. Oh, and I’ll be leading it, of course—”

“Sure, if you want,” Suho said.

“Huh?” Yoontae was taken aback.

Suho let the member of the Knights Guild move over to the third team and stepped down from the role of leader without a word of complaint. Then he rushed Yoontae along. “I don’t care who leads. Let’s get on with it already,” he said.

“Huh? What?” Yoontae thought this was rather odd, but the members of Team Two had been decided.

Moments later, the teams arrived at Haeundae, and Taegyu gave the final instructions. “Each team will head to the designated area. Let’s stay in touch and share information with each other in real time, regardless of whether anything out of the ordinary happens.”

“Understood!” Yoontae replied, turning to the weaklings that made up his team. “We will push through the Skeletons and search the area beyond them first! Let’s go!” He jumped forward, sprinting at an incredible speed. Turning around to make sure the others were keeping pace, he shouted, “Don’t fall behind, whatever you— Huh?”

There was no one behind him. Puzzled, he looked forward again. Shockingly enough, all the hunters from Team Two were running ahead of him. So you people are fast, at least!That’s why Lim Taegyu included the Woojin Guild on the team!

Yoontae marveled at this and picked up his pace. Surprisingly enough, no matter how fast he ran, he couldn’t seem to catch up to them—not even to Dogyoon, the E-rank hunter. Th-this can’t be right! It made no sense.

Yoontae wasn’t the only one shocked by this. Even Taegyu, who had been watching the second team with worried eyes, could not hide his surprise.

Yoontae pulled himself together quickly and began to chase after the other hunters on his team. “W-wait! There are too many Skeletons in that direction. I’ll have to go with you if you don’t want to get hurt—”

“Perfect…” Forleveling, that is. Suho, who had been running in the front, raised his fist toward the massive group of Skeletons that came at him. “Blistering Blizzard.”

Whoosh!

A powerful cold wind began to blow, enveloping the Skeletons coming at Suho. After the snow-laden wind moved past the wizened Skeletons, the ocean waves washed over them. Then, the waves froze as well.

[Sillad opens his eyes.]

As it happened, the Monarch of Frost awakened from his deep sleep.

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