Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 42

I see some guests have arrived before me. Suho checked for the hostages as soon as he appeared, swiftly scanning the people staring at him.

After Beru read Secretary Kim’s memories, Suho immediately made his way to the Stardust research lab, only to find that a fierce battle was underway.

Ten hostages and around thirty hunters.

The hunters twitched whenever Suho’s gaze landed on them. It felt as though the air around them froze, especially due to his shocking entrance.

“Ugh...” Jongchul’s groan broke the silence as he lay on the ground like a bug with severed limbs. “Ugh. What are you doing, you b*stards?! Don’t just stand there like idiots, fight! Fight, damn it!”

His outburst snapped the Fiend Guild’s hunters out of their lull.

“Th-that’s right! He’s only one person!”

“Everyone, charge!”

“Aaaaah!”

The attacks aimed at the association’s hunters were redirected toward Suho—a battle of thirty against one. Given that the minimum number of individuals in an assault team was ten, a total of three combat teams were converging on Suho to take him down. However, he had no intention of meekly surrendering. Suho raised his head briefly to look at the ceiling. Ruler’s Authority.

An unseen hand shattered the ceiling’s fluorescent lights one by one.

“Wh-what’s happening!”

As the sudden blackout descended, the hunters attacking Suho hastily halted their steps. Their vision suddenly plunged into complete darkness, and it took some time for their eyes to adjust to their obscured vision.

I don’t need the light though. Suho immediately soared through the darkness. He had donned the crow mask for this precise reason—night vision.

Swish! Slash!

Screams erupted from all corners of the pitch-dark laboratory.

“B-be careful! The b*stard’s attacking... Ack!”

In an instant, the five Fiend Guild hunters were drenched in blood, grimacing in pain.

“We need light!”

Swoosh!

At that moment, someone conjured a fireball that illuminated the surroundings. However, Suho had already vanished from that spot. The enemy hunters’ hearts sank as they looked around in disbelief.

“Find him immediately!”

This laboratory was Lee Minsung’s cherished hideout. More importantly, the failure to protect the lab against a single intruder would be a terrible stain on the formidable Fiend Guild’s reputation.

“Healers, attend to the wounded immediately! Everyone, stay close and fight together!”

Despite the chaotic circumstances, the Fiend Guild hunters moved cohesively as a team. In their eyes, the enemy was vastly outnumbered and they only had to focus on individual takedowns. It was certainly an advantageous battle for them.

Fireballs continued to appear, pushing back the darkness. However...

You are already my prey. Suho’s eyes gleamed through the darkness. “Rise.”

A giant shadow appeared behind Suho. Its eight legs extended in all directions as it revealed itself, rising from the ground.

[Arachne - Level 1]

[Elite Knight Grade]

The shadow creature was the size of a house with dozens of eyes, a gruesome mouth, and a pair of massive pincers. The Giant Tomb Spider captured in Magok Field had returned as a shadow spider called Arachne.

Shriek!

Black spider silk spread in all directions, clinging to the walls and ceiling. The shadow spider had begun transforming the entire container building into a giant spider’s nest.

“What’s going on? What is this sticky substance?!”

The hunters weren’t exempt from the reaches of Arachne’s web.

[Arachne activated the skill: “Puppetry”]

“Huh?! My body’s moving on its own...!”

“Ugh! Why me...?”

In an instant, a trapped hunter’s arm involuntarily moved and stabbed a nearby comrade.

“Huh?!” The hunter who had become a puppet flailed his arms in great confusion as he witnessed his comrade bleeding and falling. “No, no! It’s not me doing this! This sticky string is taking control of my body...!”

However, his body had already found another victim, and he swung his sword involuntarily once more.

“What are you doing, you b*stard?! Why are you suddenly attacking your own guild members?”

“It’s not me! I’m not the one moving!”

And that was just the beginning. free(w)eb

[Arachne activated the skill: “Puppetry”]

[Arachne activated the skill: “Puppetry”]

“Ahh! I’m caught too!”

“Aaaaahhh! Everyone, spread out!”

“No, don’t spread out! That’s what the b*stard want us to do!”

“F*ck, what are we supposed to do?!”

Dozens of hunters began swinging their swords at each other without hesitation. It was true pandemonium in every sense of the word.

“Cut those damn strings!”

“Don’t play into his trap!”

[“Low Grade Healing Potion” has been purchased.]

Meanwhile, Suho managed to buy a potion from a shop and fed it to the kid he was carrying, right into his mouth.

Suho cursed the cruelty and the unbridled violence of the hunter who had inflicted so much pain on the little boy. His stern gaze lasered in on Jongchul, who was sprawled on the ground. Suddenly, a small shadow descended upon him.

“How dare you enrage the Young Monarch...” Beru’s hand firmly grasped the man’s head.

“Huh?!” Park Jongchul widened his eyes in astonishment as his head was being forcibly lifted. The ant beast’s jaw twisted open over his shaking eyes.

“You won’t die easily,” Beru warned.

A silent scream petered out from Jongchul’s mouth.

Away from the action, the potion’s effects began working, and the little boy’s condition noticeably improved.

Suho’s gaze shifted back toward his enemies. “Arachne.” The giant spider responded to his call, turning to look at him as it fought the Fiend Guild hunters. “Go after the healers first.”

The healers were top priority targets. Many healers on their side had bothersome passive skills in addition to their healing abilities. The reason why Suho had intentionally inflicted severe injuries on the hunters instead of killing them was so that he could draw out their healers. As a result, the healers were now moving frantically, generously channeling their mana to the wounded.

Arachne immediately began to seek them out, looking to launch an attack on the healers.

“He’s targeting the healers! Protect them!”

Let’s rescue the other hostages during this opportunity, Suho thought as he turned toward the prison.

Coincidentally, the association’s hunters were already on the move toward the hostages. Their primary objective was to rescue the hostages, and while the opportunity to identify the Crow was tempting, they rushed into the prison. The issue was that the members of the Fiend Guild had caught onto their plan.

“The raw materials are trying to escape! Stop them!”

“Capture the hostages first!”

The enemy hunters surrounded the prison.

“Ugh!”

The association’s hunters found themselves trapped in the prison with the hostages. However, things took an unexpected turn.

Crash!

“What’s happening?!”

Just then, the door to the research lab creaked open—the reinforcement had arrived. But the reinforcements weren’t from the Hunters Association but the Fiend Guild. Their hunters from another container building had heard the commotion and rushed over.

Resigned to defeat, Jaehyuk sighed as he witnessed them rush in. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, and he muttered, “Can we make it out of here alive?”

“Of course.”

Startled by the unexpected answer, Han Jaehyuk turned to look at the source. A crow-masked figure had silently approached them and stood outside the prison bars. The Crow forcefully pried open the bars and handed over the child he had been carrying.

What freakish strength... Han Jaehyuk thought, bewildered by his incredible power, as he awkwardly accepted the child.

Suho restored the bent iron bars to their original state and said, “This is actually for the better. Please focus on protecting the hostages for now. You can cover any attacks from the outside with your shield skill, right?”

“Who are you?—” Jaehyuk was interrupted by a sudden movement outside the prison.

Suddenly, black spider silk shot out and tied the prison door from the outside, ensuring that it wouldn’t open from either side. The team leader looked at the masked figure in confusion. However, Suho had already turned his back and was calmly staring at the approaching enemies.

“Just take a break here for a moment.” His back was wide and sturdy. “Everything will be over soon.”

Suho slowly walked toward his onrushing enemies. It seemed that their numbers had doubled thanks to their reinforcements. Escaping without a conflict was always a possibility, but he wondered if these hunters deserved to be spared. After all, the corrupted Fiend Guild hunters were willing to kill fellow humans to secure their own safety.

They aren’t humans. They’re monsters. Suho made a vow as he looked at the villains. Today, I’m going to uproot the problem.

[Rakan said he is happy to see that the hunt will begin.]

“Divine Intervention,” Suho said.

Inside the Shadow Dungeon, Gray suddenly began to float, gradually becoming translucent.

“Grrr?”

“Huh? Are you turning into a spirit?” Esil immediately recognized what was happening and widened her eyes.

[The spirit body of “Pet: Gray” has been bound to the shaman.]

Gray’s spirit body ascended through Suho’s shadow and melded with his summoner’s body. Suho’s hair turned into a radiant silver, and beastly energy surged throughout his entire body.

“Wh-what is that?!”

The Fiend Guild hunters were terrified by Suho’s sudden transformation. The association hunters inside the prison reacted with the same surprise.

“Wait... Could that be?”

“The White Tiger Guild’s...”

[Rakan nodded with satisfaction at your transformation as a shaman.]

What is this power? Suho observed the wild energy coursing through his body. A magical, ethereal wind enveloped him. “Let’s see this shaman power you’ve been boasting about. Show me what you’ve got.” Suho growled toward Rakan, surrendering himself to the surging energy. He roared like a beast and charged explosively toward his enemies.

“Ahhh!”

Han Jaehyuk, seemingly entranced by the scene unfolding before him, unconsciously gulped. A memory was resurfacing in his mind. This is no ordinary transformation.

He had once witnessed Baek Yoonho, the guild master of the White Tiger Guild, in action from a distance. The aura coming from the crow-masked figure was nowhere near the level of the White Tiger’s guild master. After all, Baek Yoonho was a S-rank hunter. His indomitable presence was as massive as a mountain. The memory was terrifying enough to send shivers down his spine.

But why is the memory of that day stuck in my head right now? “Beast King Crow...” Jaehyuk uttered.

“Pardon?” a fellow hunter asked, intrigued by the name.

Why am I only thinking of it now? I read the article just the night before. The crow mask... Jaehyuk was certain. “The new beast king...” That’s the guy.

The fierce roar of a beast resonated within the Beast King Crow’s heart as he and his massive spider mercilessly preyed on their victims.