Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 41

—Paju Field

—Access Restricted to Fiend Guild Members Only

“Is this the place?”

Han Jaehyuk arrived at the Paju Field with his team members in tow. Glancing at the sky, the weather was surprisingly pleasant. An expansive, tranquil plain stretched out before them.

Once known as the Paju Industrial Zone, this place had become a desolate and forsaken area due to dungeon breaks disrupting people’s lives. The reason they were here was due to Baek Miho.

The vice guild master of the White Tiger Guild had abruptly visited the association with her team the night before. She claimed to have captured a Hyena Guild member at the Magok Field and brought him in. It was a gift from nowhere for Jaehyuk and his team, having been investigating the factories for several weeks. The team interrogated the former member and extracted significant information.

So, the vice guild leader of the Fiend Guild, Lee Minsung has secretly established a facility called the Stardust research lab!

However, the problem was that the location of the laboratory was unknown to the former Hyena Guild member. Situations like this required legwork, and a lot of it. Knowing that blue mist was crucial for Stardust production, their focus narrowed down to two factors: The location had to be discreet and be a dungeon owned by the Fiend Guild.

The Hunter Association’s hunters had been scattered across the Greater Seoul Area since this morning, systematically searching through the dungeons controlled by the Fiend Guild.

“Sir.” One of Jaehyuk’s team members approached him after getting off the phone with the situation room back at headquarters. “I’d say this field-type dungeon is our best lead. Our sources say that Lee Minsung voluntarily offered to manage the Paju Field.”

Jaehyuk stared into the expanse beyond the barbed wire fence that restricted civilian access. In the distance, aging warehouses filled with shipping containers were shrouded in blue mist.

“Well, he couldn’t have found a better location.” Team Leader Han Jaehyuk clicked his tongue, evidently displeased.

The Paju Field’s proximity to the bustling capital made it convenient for abducting people. It was also an excellent place for harvesting blue mist away from the eyes of the public. The existing container buildings within the field could easily be converted into labs, which made the field an ideal location for constructing a new factory. After much consideration, the team was confident that this had to be the nefarious site they were looking for.

Jaehyuk immediately reached for his shield. “We’re going in.”

“What? Just us? What about reinforcements?”

“We need evidence before making a backup request. We don’t want to act on false information. We should at least take a few photos before calling for support.”

“Yes, understood.”

Jaehyuk led a group of five hunters inside the Paju Field’s enclosure. They eventually found the cluster of container buildings that stood closely packed inside the former Paju Industrial Zone. Many hunters were roaming around its vicinity.

The association’s hunters exchanged glances. There was no reason for so many hunters to gather in a field-type dungeon after the initial raid.

“According to our investigation, Lee Minsung has been secretly building an army of his own behind the guild master’s back. There seems to be an internal power struggle between him and Lim Taegyu.”

“So, this is their hideout.” Jaehyuk pointed at the largest building among the towers of containers and said, “Request immediate reinforcement.”

“Understood.”

“And we’re going in.”

“Pardon?”

“I just heard someone scream from within.” Han Jaehyuk clenched his teeth. “It seems like there are civilians trapped inside.”

He and his team had feared for the worst. It appeared that the fiendish vice guild master had already gathered the ingredients for Stardust.

***

—Stardust Research Lab.

—Container Building A.

Oh Seonjoo, Min Byunggu’s wife, was shivering in a cold, desolate prison. Why am I here... She found the situation confusing and frightening.

She was on her way to work as usual before she suddenly lost consciousness. She found herself trapped in an unfamiliar prison when she woke up. She couldn’t understand how or why this had happened. But she deduced that there were too many oddities for it to be a simple kidnapping for ransom. There were too many people moving around outside the prison, and they all had their faces fully exposed.

The fact that they’re showing their faces means that they don’t have any intention of letting us go in the first place. That realization made her even more terrified. Inside the prison were nine others who had been captured just like her.

“Mom...” a boy cried.

They even kidnapped a child... Seonjoo’s gaze shifted toward the trembling young boy across from her. The child looked no older than a kindergartener. He was curled up and sobbing quietly.

The crying seemed to be bothering their captors as one of them passing by suddenly shouted at the boy. “Hey, quiet down! I told you to stop crying!”

Seonjoo was shocked by what had happened and instinctively covered her mouth. The man had simply shouted, but the boy’s body was sent flying backward with a loud crash as if he had been kicked with full force.

Is that a hunter skill?! She was astonished to find that their captors were hunters. Why would hunters abduct civilians like us? What on earth is going on?

Seonjoo collected herself before urgently approaching the boy, huddled in the corner, to check on his condition.

“It h-hurts...” The boy clutched his stomach in pain and twisted on the ground. He was afraid of getting hit again, but he couldn’t help but desperately bite his lips and let tears flow freely.

Seonjoo held the trembling boy in her arms, knowing there was nothing more she could do. But then something startling occurred, and her eyes widened in surprise.

In the distant corner, she noticed that the light refracted the shaded space peculiarly. The refraction was subtle, not readily noticeable without close examination, but once it was recognized, it was remarkably strange.

Suddenly, the transparent emptiness before her peeled back as if a curtain had been pulled, and a burly man’s face emerged from thin air.

Seonjoo’s eyes widened in astonishment.

The man quietly placed a finger in front of his mouth as if to say “Be quiet.”

She immediately held her breath, instinctively understanding why the man was there.

“Hunters Association. Rescue. Act normal.”

She read the words from his lips and felt as if he were whispering in her ear.

Startled, Oh Seonjoo blinked her eyes rapidly to signal her understanding. I’ll be quiet.

The man’s face disappeared, and the oddly refracted space slowly began to approach the prison trapping the hostages.

Ha... With only five people, this is basically a suicide mission. Han Jaehyuk let out a short sigh as he moved forward with his team using a concealment skill. He knew that they couldn’t sit and wait for reinforcements to arrive given the urgency of the situation. Civilians were exposed to the blue mist, which they could inhale and turn into mist burns. It wasn’t a question of if but when. They had to evacuate the civilians from the field as quickly as possible.

Everything will be fine as long as the plan goes smoothly. Getting out of the building would be a success. There are plenty of hiding places outside.

Jaehyuk’s plan was simple: Quietly unlock the prison door, envelop the hostages with his concealment skill, and then take advantage of the distraction one of his team members created in the distance and escape.

Eventually, his hefty hand reached the prison door’s lock and managed to unlock the door by crushing it with his bare hands. Great! We did it...

“You think you’re clever, don’t you?” A sinister voice echoed from behind.

Damn it! We’ve been caught—

Boom!

An enormous explosion engulfed them in an instant, and the concealment skill was dispelled simultaneously.

Jaehyuk, having barely managed to block the attack, shouted urgently to his team, “Rats! It’s time for plan B!”

“But we don’t have a plan B!”

“I don’t know! Just hold on somehow!”

Suddenly, a battle began.

“There are only five of them! Kill them all!” the sinister man shouted.

Dozens of hunters from the research facility launched an attack.

Bam!

“Everyone, get behind me!” Jaehyuk raised a massive steel shield, large enough to cover half of his body, with both hands. “Iron Wall Defense!” He created a colossal barrier, desperately holding on against the incoming barrage that came from all directions. “Hold on a little longer! Reinforcements will arrive soon!”

The team leader had intentionally emphasized the point of reinforcements so that their opponents could hear, hoping that they would be scared and retreat. But the miracle he hoped for didn’t occur.

“Hey,” the sinister voice from before called out again, “stop using that skill.”

Startled, his team turned to the source of the voice. A man with a serpent-like demeanor was clutching the throat of a child who couldn’t have been older than a kindergartener.

“U-unbelievable!”

The association’s hunters were shocked by the cruelty.

Jaehyuk immediately recognized him. “Park Jongchul!”

Park Jongchul was a C-rank hunter known for his cruelty even within the Fiend Guild.

“Didn’t you hear me? Deactivate that damn shield skill right now, you b*stards.” the sinister hunter grinned even more viciously as he lifted the child with his hand.

The boy squirmed in his grip as if he were about to die at any moment.

“No, please!”

“He’s just a little boy, damn it!” one of the association’s hunters cried out in desperation.

However, releasing the shield as he demanded was essentially a death sentence for the team.

Jongchuld decided to take matters into his own hands by capitalizing on their moment of indecision and despair. “What’s this? The shield is still up! Will it stay up even if I do this?”His massive hand slapped the child’s face without hesitation.

Blood sprayed from the boy’s mouth as his head was swayed from side to side.

Th-that crazy b*stard!

The eyes of the association’s hunters fumed with anger.

However, Park Jongchul didn’t stop. “Huh? It’s still up! I guess I have no choice but to continue.”

“S-stop! I’ve deactivated the shield...” Eventually, Jaehyuk had no choice but to put down his Iron Wall Defense.

Just then, out of nowhere, a flying knife severed Jongchul’s arm holding the child.

“What the hell?!”

The others around Jongchul screamed first before blood gushed like a fountain from his severed arm as the pain arrived a beat later.

A desperate scream replaced Park Jongchul’s snake-like smile. “Argh! Who is it?! Who dares to—”

He was interrupted by another strike. This time, it was his leg that was severed. He writhed around like a wounded animal, crying out in agony. “Aaaaahhh! M-my leg...!” Screaming and thrashing on the ground, the cruel Fiend Guild hunter was a pitiful sight.

A man wearing a crow mask came down from the shadows and stood over him before taking the child.

Wh-who is that?

All eyes at the research facility were focused on him.

“Those deserving death shall receive it without question.”

The cold indifference of the crow-masked figure’s voice as he delivered a death sentence on Jongchul made everyone shudder.