Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 15

As expected, the gate was being guarded by the camp.

“I guess they were in the middle of mining mana stones from the dungeon,” Suho speculated.

“Indeed.”

Beru looked towards the many mining carts lined up outside the gate. The carts were filled with mana stones. It seemed like the miners had been hard at work with their pickaxes before calling it a day. Normally, they wouldn’t dare leave such a large quantity of mana stones lying around in the open, but they were in a field-type dungeon. Most thieves weren’t foolish enough to steal mana stones from a mountain crawling with monsters in the thick of night—but Suho and his gang weren’t most thieves.

Crunch, crunch.

“Ooh. This place has great mana stones!” Beru had quickly flown over to the cart and began munching on the mana stones. His initial reaction to mana stones was lukewarm at best, but now he seemed to relish eating them. “There’s something satisfying about chewing on these.” The ant munched on mana stones as he scanned the surroundings. Convinced that there were no signs of danger, he called for Suho.“It looks like everyone’s got off work. Not a pipsqueak in sight.”

“You should learn how to count. You are also a pipsqueak.”

“Hm? Don’t you think that the sword handle is a bit too long? How about I take a bite off the hilt?”

“Hmph. If you eat me, going into the sanctuary to find the artifact will become difficult, don’t you think?”

“That’s true, so stop drooling, Beru.”

“Curses. Understood.” After replying to Suho, Beru finished swallowing the last fragment of the mana stones.

Consuming Rakan’s Fang would have replenished the ant’s strength significantly more than eating a whole truckload of mana stones. However, since Suho finally had a weapon he could use, Beru couldn’t ask for it, so he had to settle for devouring carts of mana stones instead.

Crunch, crunch.

Rakan’s Fang trembled. As the shadow beast determinedly chewed on the mana stones, the sword felt his gaze was fixed on it, devoid of any lingering hesitation. The artifact felt more secure being held in Suho’s hand more than ever.

“All right, now enter the gate. There should be a sanctuary beyond it.”

“Wait.” Suho suddenly changed direction and concealed himself behind the outpost. His eyes narrowed as he kept a close watch on the gate. There’s someone there.

Just then, he could see a figure walking out of the gate. In fact, there was more than one.

Didn’t the miners go home? It was unlikely they had stayed. A field-type dungeon was a dangerous place to be after dark. Also, mining wasn’t the kind of task that could be rushed and completed in a single day, and there was no reason to work until such a late hour. The people left could only be assault team hunters, which was even stranger.

All the magic beasts are outside the gate, so what could an assault team possibly be doing inside the gate?

At that moment, Beru hopped up onto Suho’s shoulder, and quietly whispered, “Young Monarch, something’s strange. I can smell the scent of beasts coming from them.”

Beasts?

The faces of the hunters who had just come out of the gate were suddenly revealed in the moonlight. However, their appearance... Werewolves?! Dirty fur covered their faces and sharp teeth protruded from their mouths. Surprisingly, the hunters were actually werewolves who were dressed in human clothing.

Is it some kind of transformation magic? Skills were the first thing that Suho thought of. There were various types of skills, and occasionally, there were hunters who could transform into beast-like beings. However, the probability of hunters with the same skill gathering in one place was extremely rare.

Unless it’s a White Tiger Guild gathering. But even if there were many beast-type hunters in the White Tiger Guild, they wouldn’t have been able to gather as many hunters with the same type of beast.

“I think they’ve had a taste of our blood.”

Blood? Suho looked at Rakan’s Fang.

“The blood of the Fang Clan carry great power. Mere humans who drink even a few drops of our blood gain strength surpassing their own kind.”

“Is it similar to how touching you can cause possession?”

“No, it’s the opposite. Their bodies haven’t been possessed. They have taken the power of the Fang Clan.”

“They’ve taken it?”

“Correct. I don’t know which fool from our clan fed them blood, but their power must have diminished according to the amount of blood taken.”

Suho made a puzzled expression. He had never heard that drinking blood could grant the power of transformation. Apart from runestones, he had never heard of acquiring skills in such a bizarre manner. However, since it had only been a mere two years since the Great Cataclysm, unusual situations could arise at any moment.

“But I just can’t understand it,” Rakan’s Fang murmured with a somewhat displeased tone. “Who on earth would deplete their own power to create such mongrels... What in the world is happening over there?”

Just as Rakan’s Fang was expressing its bewilderment, a strange scene began to unfold. The werewolves went into the warehouse that they had set up near the gate, and from there, dragged out people tightly bound with duct tape.

What’s going on?! Suho’s eyes widened.

“Mmmmph...!”

The people gagged with duct tape were trembling in fear. The corners of the werewolves’ mouths stretched wide.

“You must’ve been bored while waiting during the day, right?”

“Since it’ll be your last time, should we let you breathe more comfortably?”

“In return, you must keep quiet. We can’t stand noisy people.”

The werewolves ripped the tape off their mouths, and desperate cries erupted as if they had been waiting.

“S-save us!”

“Ugh...! Please, just let us go home!”

“Oh, you’re so noisy. Should we just eat you now?”

The threat forced the bound humans to close their mouths simultaneously. They clenched their teeth, fearing that they would die if they let out another sound, but they couldn’t stop their teeth from chattering.

“Yeah. See how nice and quiet it is now?”

“Our hearing has become more sensitive, so we don’t like noise.”

“So, if you keep making a ruckus like this, we might get startled and bite your necks. Grrr.”

The cautionary joke made the hostages’ faces as pale as a sheet. Seeming somewhat sympathetic, one of the werewolves spoke up.

“Everyone seems to have a lot to say after being held captive for a few days. I’ll hear your final words, but speak calmly. Got that?”

A middle-aged office worker in the group carefully blurted, “Um, excuse me...! If it’s money you need, I can somehow...”

“Tsk.”

“Oh, no! Please, listen for a moment! Let’s think about this. You need to tell us what you want, and then we can...”

One of the werewolves shot an annoyed look at his subordinate, looking incredibly irritated. “Hey, just kill that one over there.”

“Are you sure?”

“It will be bothersome, but we can carry one of them in ourselves.”

As the subordinate werewolf stepped forward, the frightened office worker cried out in alarm.

“No, w-wait! This is illegal...! Eugh?!”

“How annoying.” The werewolf grabbed the office worker’s throat with one hand with a look of pure exasperation. “We said we don’t like noise.” Then, with skillful precision, he drew a dagger from his waist and aimed it toward the office worker’s throat.

Slice!

But something was off. It was the werewolf’s throat that was severed. An ax had suddenly come out of nowhere and decapitated the beast.

“Oh, my goodness...” Having narrowly escaped death, the office worker looked down at the fallen head of the werewolf in front of him. He soiled himself at the horrifying sight

“Huh?!”

The werewolves, taken aback by the sudden turn of events, hastily pulled out their weapons.

“Who’s there?!”

“Who dares—”

At that moment, assassins hidden in the darkness approached and slashed their legs with sharp claws.

Slice!

“Argh!” cried one werewolf.

[Shadow Leopard - Level 1- Normal Grade]

“R-Razans?!”

The werewolves’ eyes widened after recognizing their enemies. The Black-Shadow Razan was one of the most dangerous magic beasts in this forest. However, due to its aversion to light, it usually avoided areas near the gate, which were lit with torches.

“Why are Razans here?!”

“They seem different from typical Razans...!”

There was no time to relax and speak casually. Shadow leopards rushed toward them like a hurricane, their roars carried on the winds of their approach.

“What the hell! Just, kill them!”

“Don’t panic! There are only five of them!”

The sudden attack had caught them by surprise, but they were veteran hunters who had spent a whole year in the dungeon. They were too skilled to lose their lives to just five magic beasts. However, there was a certainty they had failed to realize—the owner controlling the five magic beasts from the shadows was plotting their demise.

Suddenly, the ax that severed the werewolf’s head rose up and then swung in the air.

Swish! Slice!

“Ugh!” Another werewolf’s head was detached from its body. The others howled in shock.

“What the hell!”

“What’s with that ax?!”

The stone ax that had dismembered their comrade had flown in a circular path like a boomerang and was now targeting their necks.

“A skill! It’s obviously a skill!”

“Where are you?! Who’s hiding like a coward?!”

On the contrary, the owner of the ax had no intention of continuing to hide. “Let’s assess the situation...” The cold moonlight reflected in Suho’s eyes, his face hidden by a hood and a black mask. “After I save the civilians.”

“Spoken like a true hunter,” Beru agreed.

Whoosh!

Tremendous energy burst forth from Rakan’s Fang.

[Skill: “Scorn of the Weak” has activated.]

The werewolves’ bodies temporarily stiffened.

[Effect: “Fear” has been activated.]

[The target’s stats are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]

“Ugh...!”

However, some of the werewolves roared and managed to shake off their fear.

[Effect: “Fear” has been deactivated.]

But the momentary gap was enough. The shadow leopards roared, having severed their Achilles tendons.

Swoosh!

With the use of Ruler’s Authority, a stone ax pierced their hearts.

“Pathetic mongrels,” Suho sneered as his sword slashed their throats.

The remaining werewolves, still clinging to life, ground their teeth at Suho.

“There’s only one of them!”

“Die! Grrr!”

Their raw ferocity was directed at Suho.

Ding.

[An emergency quest has been sent.]

At that moment, the quest window unfolded before Suho.

[Emergency Quest: Defeat the Enemy!]

There are hostile entities nearby with murderous intent toward the player. Eliminate them to secure safety.

[Enemies to Eliminate: 10]

[Enemies Defeated: 5]

A quest that was already half complete had started.

“What a sweet deal.”

Crunch, crunch.

Despite the fierce skirmish, Beru was happily chewing on mana stones in a corner. He let out a contented laugh. “Oh, I can’t stop eating. Why are these mana stones so rich in magic power? Is it because we’re in a sanctuary?” Unfortunately, there was no one around to respond since everyone else was in the heat of battle. Sensing a disturbance, he suddenly stopped his delightful feast and cast a sharp gaze toward the gate. “This scent...”

A thing with a scent similar to the Monarch of Fangs was walking out from the gate.