Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 36

[Blessing: Rakan’s Aegis.

The King of Beasts, Fang Monarch Rakan’s protection.

Monarch of Fangs Rakan has chosen you as his ‘shaman.’

A shaman can imbue their body with the spirit of a beast.

- Effect “Divine Possession”: Transfer the spirit of your pet, “Gray” into your body.]

Shaman? Divine Possession? Suho looked perplexed at the information before him.

Rakan chuckled with satisfaction and said, “Hehe. Yes. You have now become the shaman of our tribe. Since I am already dead, you are the only one serving shaman to our sole surviving royal descendant, Gray.”

Are you asking me to serve Gray? Suho looked bewildered.

Gray was his pet, but now it seemed he had to serve him as king. It was a peculiar situation to be in. Am I like a cat’s butler? It oddly makes sense when I think about it... Suho nodded his head in reluctant agreement. At any rate, acquiring new abilities was welcome news.

Ultimately, Rakan’s goal was to dream more of Suho. To achieve this, Suho needed to spend more time with Gray. The issue was that the wolf pup was too weak to be of any use at the moment. But what if Suho used the shaman’s ability of “Divine Possession?”

“By using that ability, you’ll be able to temporarily tap into the power of the beast. As Gray grows, the strength you can borrow will also increase over time.”

So you’re asking me to take extra care of raising Gray from now on?

“Well, something like that.”

Suho and Rakan looked at each other and chuckled simultaneously.

The interaction made Rakan even more fascinating to him. For someone killed by Father, you sure are cool about it.

“There’s nothing I can do about that now. It’s entirely natural for a weaker creature to be eaten by a stronger one.” The memory brought out a wry smile. “Your father was unbelievably strong, and I struggled in fear, floundering until he finally devoured me. It was as simple as that.”

He lived by the rule of survival of the fittest. The King of Beasts, once the pinnacle of his ecosystem, had accepted his death readily.

“Damn. Is my allotted time already over?” Gazing up at the sky, Rakan suddenly expressed his regret.

The pure white world was gradually being swallowed by black shadows. A profound emptiness was creeping in. As the space available for movement shrank, Rakan’s body grew smaller to match. Eventually, he returned to his human form, a wild-looking man. He approached Suhoa and handed something over. “Take this and leave this place. This is my death and resting place. You should return and live your own life.”

Rakan’s Fang was now in Suho’s hand. But why only one?

“I merged them. The fangs were too weak to be royal artifacts as they were taken when I was young. I’ve combined them into one now, so they should be more usable.”

At that moment, the black shadow completely engulfed Rakan’s dream world. Through the remaining crevice untouched by the shadow, Rakan’s mouth curved into a sly smile as he bid his final farewell. “Well, until we meet again, Shaman.”

Time, which had stood still, began moving once more.

***

The landscape had changed back in an instant. Suho still stood there, his foot atop the spider’s lifeless body. The events of just a moment ago felt like a dream. But the evidence of his meeting with the Monarch of Fangs remained in Suho’s hands. The two Rakan’s Fangs that he had held had merged into one, taking on a stronger yet sharper form. Most importantly, the stats had changed dramatically, becoming far stronger than before.

[Item: Rakan’s Fang

Acquisition Difficulty: ??

Type: Sword

Attack Power +60

A sword made from the fang of the King of Beasts, Rakan.

Rakan’s spirit resides within it. If wielded by someone with low proficiency, it may possess their physical form.

- Effect “Scorn of the Weak”: Causes the designated target to be in a state of fear for one minute (all attributes -50%).

- Effect “Fatal Strike”: 20% chance to deal over double damage.]

They merged into one, and the stats got a significant boost. His attack power, which used to be thirty, had now increased to sixty. The critical hit effect had also improved, going from 15 percent to 20 percent, and the damage multiplier had gone from double to triple.

“Young Monarch?” As Beru scanned Suho’s appearance closely, his head tilted in puzzlement. “Your energy seems to have changed.”

“Did you, by any chance, meet the spirit of the King of Beasts? I sense the power of a shaman in you.” Rakan’s Fang said as it was held in Suho’s hand.

“That’s right.”

“Goodness! You met the Monarch of Fangs? H-how?!” Beru was stunned by Suho’s response.

Meeting the spirit of a Monarch who had found eternal rest was considered to be impossible. It was a feat beyond even the Monarch of Shadows, who had transcended death.

Suho looked at Rakan’s Fang and said, “You’re the one I originally had.”

“That’s right. I consumed the other artifact.”

Perhaps due to his new abilities as a shaman, Suho could recognize the sword’s identity just by its voice.

We should get going. Suho suddenly scanned his surroundings. The hunters who had been tied up and controlled by spider silk seemed to be mostly unharmed. However, they all sat on the ground, their faces blank, staring in this direction.

He’s the king. That hunter obtained the king’s power.

They had all witnessed the masked Suho defeat the giant arachnid and directly extract the artifact from its body. But none of them dared to approach him as they were overwhelmingly intimidated by the situation.

Suho, who had achieved his goal, paid no attention to them. Turning his head again, he saw that the shadow jackals had finished off the small spiders and were sitting neatly before him.

But by their feet, they had piled up the mana crystals they had extracted from the dead spiders. Suho wondered if Beru had put them to the task. The jackals acted like hunting dogs delivering their prey and gazed intensely with shining eyes.

“Uh, yeah. Good job.”

In response to Suho’s reluctant praise, the shadow jackals stuck out their tongues and grinned as wide as a fully bloomed sunflower. They were truly cunning creatures. They were the same creatures that had threatened to rip out Suho’s throat with their sharp teeth only hours before.

“Well, let’s go back then.”

“Yes,” Beru replied.

Suho and the ant left the botanical garden without hesitation.

Watching his retreating figure in a daze, the hunters heaved a collective sigh of relief when he disappeared completely from their sight.

“Wow...”

“W-we’re alive...!”

The hunters were tense and barely able to breathe the entire time. They had been forcibly bound and manipulated by spider silk, but the bottom line was that they had attacked Suho at his most perilous moment. The exhausted hunters knew that he would have easily taken his revenge on them. However, Suho simply disappeared after defeating the giant spider.

One of the hunters carefully asked, “The guy just now must have gained the beast king’s power, right?”

“I suppose so.”

“Ugh, I’m really envious. I wonder how incredible his new skills are.”

“Is that what’s really on your mind? Let’s just be grateful that he saved us.”

The hunters were reminded of their fortunate escape once more and let out another sigh of relief. As the moment passed, they were struck by curiosity.

“But who was that hunter?”

“Yeah. He was wearing a strange mask, so I couldn’t see his face.”

“It was quite dark, too. He seemed to be traveling with a few animals. Maybe he’s a summoner?”

“Nonsense. What summoner would fight so fiercely? Did you see him killing the spider with his bare fists? I think he just tamed a few hunting dogs.”

All the hunters gathered were beast transformation skill users, and some shared great affinity with animals. So, the shadow jackals didn’t seem of place for them. More importantly, the botanical garden had been enveloped in near-complete darkness, and the hunters were unable to see more than the silhouettes of the shadow jackals.

“So why on earth did he hide his identity?”

“Yeah. Is he a criminal or something?”

Of course, the person in question, Suho, had no intention of hiding his identity. He had only worn the mask to navigate through the darkness inside the botanical garden. Not they’d know but he had taken off the mask as soon as he left. Regardless, the hunters’ unanswered questions only deepened their curiosity about Suho’s identity.

“Huh?” Surveying the area, one of the hunters tilted their head. “Where did all the spiders go?!”

The corpses of the spiders lying lifeless in the darkness had now mysteriously disappeared. Even the bodies of the small spiders were gone.

“I didn’t know that these monsters melt away when they die...”

The hunters had been considering taking a couple of the remaining corpses with them and sighed deeply with disappointment. Ultimately, the day of relentless hardship had been a complete waste of effort.

Meanwhile, Beru was laughing somewhere in the distance.

“Hehe.”

***

“Wh-what’s going on!”

“The scent suddenly disappeared!”

Outside the botanical garden, the hunters who had been wandering the jungle to answer the call of the mysterious voice wrinkled their noses in simultaneous confusion. The scent guiding their instincts and paving the way to the king had vanished like magic.

“Oh...”

They all realized simultaneously, The king has been chosen!

They had been outperformed by someone else. As they came to terms with this fact, an overwhelming sense of disappointment and jealousy swelled up within them. The disheartened hunters sighed deeply.

Observing their situation from a high vantage point, members of the White Tiger Guild approached Miho and asked, “Vice Guild Master, what will you do now? Shall we return?”

“I’d like to confirm the new king before heading back.”

“But this is such a vast area... How can we tell who that person is?”

“We can use our noses to discern that much. The scent of a powerful beast is instinctive—”

Just then, Miho’s superhuman sense of smell caught a whiff of something. She turned to check and saw the man she had seen earlier on his way back from the same direction. However, unlike before, the scent of blood on his body was strong.

This isn’t the scent of human blood. The color is different too. Her sense of smell could distinguish between the scent of a monster and a human. The smell coming from the man’s body was the scent of a magic beast’s blood.

“Hm?” Suddenly, Miho noticed something strange and raised her head. But are there magic beasts in this forest? She found it odd that he had fought with a beast that bled in a jungle full of nothing but plants and ghosts. Are there magic beasts deeper in the jungle? Or perhaps he has become the king...

Suho sensed a stranger’s gaze on him and turned toward the direction of the source. Their eyes met despite the distance. For a moment, their silent gaze intertwined in the air.

No... It’s something else. With her superhuman vision, Miho stared piercingly into Suho’s eyes. She realized that her initial hunch was misguided. The jungle was a trial for the new King of Beasts, but the scent of a beast was absent in the man. She eventually averted her gaze.

“Let’s wait a little longer...”

“Yes, Vice Guild Master.”

The White Tiger Guild continued to stand guard at the location for quite a while. As they kept watch, Suho had arrived home, taken a shower, and ordered some fried chicken.

Why did that woman look at me? Suho thought as he nibbled on a chicken leg. He suddenly remembered the face of the woman who had locked eyes with him earlier. She looks like someone I’ve seen before. Maybe she’s a famous hunter?

He decided to search online, hoping to find some information. But as soon as he opened a webpage, his eyes widened. “What’s this?!”

The internet was ablaze with articles about the Magok Field. The problem for Suho was that he was at the center of all these articles.

- (Hot News) The Crow: The new beast king

- The mysterious hunter who obtained the power of a king, the Crow!

- Why did the new beast king wear a crow mask?

- (Advertisement) This year’s hot item: Crow masks

- (Related Searches) Hero with Hidden Strength

“The Crow? Hero with hidden strength? Why are they causing such a fuss like a bunch of middle schoolers?”

Various embarrassing nicknames were attached to him, and Suho scrunched his face in embarrassment.

Just as if it had been waiting for this reaction, a message popped up.

[Rakan said that the nicknames are perfect for a Shaman and laughed heartily.]