Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 12

“Ugh…!”

 

The specter looked down at his body in disbelief. Two axes were lodged in his chest.

 

“So, this is the weakness of a feeble human body…”

 

Thud. Kim Yongjoon’s body flipped over; his eyes rolled back.

 

 

[Number of enemies to defeat: 0]

 

[Number of enemies defeated: 1]

 

 

The quest was complete.

 

 

[You have completed ‘Emergency Quest: Defeat the Enemy!’]

 

[Level up!]

 

 

Swoosh!

 

At that moment, Sooho’s exhausted health returned to optimal condition instantly, but he did not let his guard down. Although he had killed Kim Yongjoon, the one controlling his body was the sword he was wielding.

 

‘Ruler’s Authority!’

 

Slice! One of the axes cleanly severed the arm of Kim Yongjoon, who was holding the ‘sword’, and the axe fell to the ground with a thud.

 

[Well done! This sword is the main body!]

 

Beru flew over, eagerly picking up the sword that Kim Yongjoon had been holding. At that moment, a piercing voice resounded in Beru’s mind.

 

– Who dares covet the sword of the Beast Monarch!?

 

[My little king, can I eat this sword?]

 

– Now, wait a minute. Can’t we resolve this through conversation?

 

The voice of the sword suddenly softened.

 

Beru’s expression showed sincerity that Sooho had never seen before. However, he was not in a position to respond.

 

Grrr!

 

Although he had dealt with the specter, the wolves, having lost their master, rushed at him at one.

 

But thanks to the recent level-up, Sooho’s health and mana were fully replenished, and all his stats had increased by one. As a result, his movements had improved compared to before.

 

Swish! Swish! Swish!

 

 

[You have defeated Steel-Fang Lycan.]

 

[You have defeated Steel-Fang Lycan.]

 

 

Sooho yelled toward Beru as he dispatched the approaching enemies one by one, “My weapon is too short! Can I use that sword?”

 

– Who dares to covet the…?

 

[Of course, it’s possible! It is impossible for such a ghost to taint our little king’s mind!]

 

“Okay!”

 

Sooho immediately received the sword from Beru.

 

 

[You have obtained ‘Item: Rakan’s Fang’.]

 

 

As if waiting for that moment, the specter of the sword roared ferociously.

 

– Who dares covet the sword of the Beast Monarch!? I will devour your body!

 

Swish!

 

Red energy radiated from the sword and attacked Sooho. Then, a shadow rose from under Sooho’s feet and swallowed the sword.

 

– Wh-what is this energy!?

 

The bewildered spirit’s voice grew smaller and smaller.

 

– Could this be the Shadow Monarch’s…!

 

The specter couldn’t believe it. It was the sword of the great Beast Monarch. It wasn’t just an ordinary sword, it was an alter ego created by the Beast Monarch, who pulled out his own fangs. It inherited that great power, and it was absurd that there existed a human it could not control.

 

Moreover, doesn’t this human look weak at a glance!?

 

[Heh. No matter how weak the little king may be, he can’t be overpowered by insignificant vermin like you. Ah, you must be from a certain bloodline!]

 

– Wh-what did you say!? Vermin? I will cancel this right away…!

 

“Ah, how noisy.” Sooho ignored the specter’s screams and swung the sword at the wolves it had been controlling.

 

Swish! Swish! Swish! The wolves were cut down mercilessly by the sword.

 

The sword’s durability was on a different level compared to the pickaxes and stone axes that were easily destroyed by the wolves’ steel fangs!

 

“Well, the weapon is good though.”

 

– Of course it’s good! Whose sword do you think I am!?

 

The specter boasted in the midst of the situation.

 

Though still thoroughly surrounded, Sooho, who had gained a bit of breathing room, immediately checked his rewards.

 

‘Come on, give me something useful! Good stats too!’

 

 

[The quest completion reward has arrived.]

 

[Do you want to check the reward?] (Y/N)

 

 

‘Check!’

 

[The following rewards are prepared.]

 

Reward: ‘Rune Stone: Storm Slash’

 

 

‘It’s a skill!’

 

It was the best reward.

 

Sooho immediately confirmed the reward.

 

 

[Rune Stone: Storm Slash]

 

When you break the rune stone, the skill will be absorbed.

 

 

Crack!

 

[You have learned ‘Skill: Storm Slash’.]

 

 

As Sooho broke the rune stone, the storm’s power imbued his entire body.

 

Swoosh!

 

“This…?” Sooho instinctively realized how to use this skill and how to utilize it effectively.

 

The situation was urgent, so he used the skill right away.

 

“Ha!”

 

 

[Use ‘Skill: Storm Slash’.]

 

 

Kuwaahh!

 

At that moment, a fierce wind blew from Sooho’s sword. The blade storm simultaneously engulfed the wolves before him.

 

“Kaing, kaing!”

 

 

[You have defeated Steel-Fang Lycan.]

 

[You have defeated Steel-Fang Lycan.]

 

[You have defeated Steel-Fang Lycan.]

 

… …

 

Numerous messages popped up.

 

“Wow,” Sooho exclaimed in admiration. With just one skill, over ten wolves were killed simultaneously. Even the surviving wolves were frightened by the tremendous destructive power and started to run away.

 

Sooho had no intention of chasing them further because the mana that had been filled to the brim had been completely depleted with just one use of the skill.

 

 

[Skill: Storm Slash Lv.1]

 

Active skill.

 

Mana cost: 50

 

The power of the raging wind imbues the sword.

 

Can attack multiple enemies simultaneously.

 

 

The mana cost was a whopping 50, but the effect was equally remarkable.

 

Sooho stared at the skill window in awe. His expression was beyond astonished.

 

[What? Are you impressed by just such a skill? The shadow abilities are a thousand, tens of thousands of times more powerful!]

 

– What nonsense! It’s not the skill but myself as an exceptional sword that produced such power!

 

The specter of the sword was also not inferior to Beru in terms of pride.

 

“Both of you, quiet down. This is a historic moment for me to finally obtain an attacking skill.”

 

[No-!]

 

– No, I should’ve been the one…!

 

Ignoring the bickering between the two, Sooho turned to the miners who had been hiding in the distance. “Are you okay?”

 

“N-newbie, you…”

 

The miners were astonished by Sooho’s swordsmanship that they witnessed up close. Swordsmanship that could create a storm.

 

“Why didn’t you use such a skill until now, if you had it…?”

 

‘Ah.’

 

Seeing the reaction of the old men, Sooho made an awkward expression. It wouldn’t be believable to say that he gained a new skill during battle, logically speaking.

 

“I saved it until the very end because once I use it, my mana is completely depleted. That’s why I kept it for the decisive moment.”

 

“Ooh.”

 

The miners were even more amazed by his words.

 

Sooho was undoubtedly a Hunter who had awakened just a few days ago. Moreover, today was his first time entering a dungeon. Yet he had waited until the last moment, hiding his fangs like a seasoned Hunter who had conquered countless gates.

 

‘Unbeliveable. So you’re saying that everything you’ve shown us so far has been meticulously calculated?’

 

‘Even your actions of hiding and running away…?’

 

“You… Just how far have you been drawing this picture?”

 

“What?”

 

“Hehe. Never mind, never mind. There’s no need to tell us.”

 

“We asked you unnecessary questions.”

 

“Anyway, thank you for saving us. If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have seen the sun tomorrow.”

 

The miners heaved a sigh of relief, finally realizing they were alive.

 

***

 

The incident in Korea University’s dungeon was only known in the evening of that day.

 

“What? The attack team was completely wiped out?”

 

“In just a D-rank dungeon?”

 

“Wasn’t the leader of the Hunters who entered there C-rank?”

 

“What on earth happened?”

 

Reporters flocked to Korea University to uncover the truth behind the incident. However, the miners barely surviving there had already left long ago.

 

“Haha, let me tell you.”

 

Of course, Assistant Professor Im was still working in the assistant’s office. Having the running skill, he had been able to run around skillfully even in the intense situation and looked to be in good condition without a scratch.

 

‘Great. This is my chance to pay off my debt to Sooho.’

 

And so Assistant Professor Im told the reporters everything he knew about the incident in the dungeon. In particular, more details about Sooho’s performance.

 

However, whether to believe it or not was up to the reporters.

 

“What? An E-rank Hunter?”

 

“A Summoner? Does that even make sense?”

 

“I heard that one C-rank Hunter died in this situation, so how can such a low-level Hunter…”

 

“No! What about E-rank Hunters or Summoners!? Are you all disrespecting miners now?” Assistant Professor Im was furious at the reporters’ sloppy reaction. “I will write down all your statements and post them on the E-rank Hunter community!”

 

“Hehe, why are you getting angry?”

 

“Come on, calm down a bit.”

 

Responding to Assistant Professor Im’s reaction, the reporters began to appease him gently while wiping their sweat.

 

The E-rank Hunter community was a tough place for them.

 

With such a large number of E-rank Hunters in every guild, it was a place where all sorts of trivial information circulated. If they offended them even once, it became a hassle for reporters from their perspective.

 

“Ahem. Anyway, is it true that this Hunter named Sung Sooho made the greatest contribution?”

 

“He dispersed the attention with his summons and cut off the arm of the berserk Hunter?”

 

In summary, isn’t it a typical battle tactic for a Summoner?

 

Of course, although he seemed too good in close combat for a Summoner, the reporters perceived it as Assistant Professor Im’s biased view toward his own student in the Painting Department.

 

“Well, anyway. We’ve secured the content of the article.”

 

 

That evening, an article appeared on the Internet.

 

The content stated that an E-rank Hunter had resolved the incident with his skills, but the public’s reaction was lukewarm.

 

 

– A Summoner? An E-rank too?

 

– Minor among the minors.

 

– Is this viral news about a Summoner Hunter?

 

– Don’t reporters have any other news these days?

 

– Anyway, that E-rank Hunter is a Summoner, right? Didn’t he save some students from there a few days ago?

 

– Yeah, he used summoning skills to save them. He really went all out with his summoning skills.

 

– Ah, a viral Summoner, huh~

 

 

And some of the guilds that read the article also showed interest in the Hunter.

 

“He’s only E-rank, though?”

 

“Even if the reporters exaggerated a bit, it still means he’s outstanding among E-rank Hunters.”

 

“Isn’t it about time we recruit a few porters?”

 

“Our retrieval team also asked for more staff.”

 

“That’s good. E-rank Hunters are all taken these days, so there aren’t many freelancers to use.”

 

“So we need to hire a few E-rank Hunters as regular employees.”

 

“As regular employees? Hm. Am I being too old-fashioned? But still, E-rank Hunters are usually suited for contract or temporary work. Anyway, young people these days.”

 

“Cough. Anyway, let’s send a formal scout proposal to this Hunter named Sung Sooho.”

 

“Let’s do it. How happy do you think he’ll be if we call him? He’s really lucky.”

 

That way, a formal job offer was sent to Sung Sooho from the Black Tortoise Guild, a fairly large guild in Korea.

 

‘Such a great opportunity for a newbie who has just awakened. If other E-rank Hunters knew about it, they would be so jealous.’

 

***

 

And sometime later.

 

“… What?” Lee Youngho, the head of the 2nd Management Division of the Black Tortoise Guild, doubted his own ears. “He, he rejected? Our Black Tortoise?”

 

“Yes…”

 

“Does that make sense? That a mere E-rank rookie would reject an offer from Black Tortoise? Could it be that he was scouted by White Tiger first?”

 

“It’s possible.”

 

“Hmph. Yeah, if it’s those White Tiger guys, it’s totally possible. But still, isn’t it overkill to offer higher conditions than ours to an E-rank? Are they swimming in money?” Lee Youngho could only curse the naive White Tiger Guild.