Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 48

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Randolph wasn’t the type to let Suho pass by unnoticed. With a voice full of bloodlust, he ordered his subordinates to chase after Suho, and the Scavenger Guild hunters charged at him like a pack of rhinos.

“How dare they?” Beru’s eyes burned with anger.

Suho observed the incoming charge with ease. An entire team of tankers, huh? The guards at the entrance were tankers, so he assumed there would be more inside.

Typically, an assault team consisted of a balanced number of damage dealers, tanks, and healers. However, the balance wasn’t an absolute requirement. For instance, if tankers could fulfill the role of damage dealers, like the current situation, it wouldn’t pose a problem. However, weaknesses were bound to reveal themselves when the balance was disrupted.

“Arise!”

A colossal shadow spider rose from Suho’s shadow and moved according to his will. The creature shot black spider webs across the narrow labyrinth.

The feet and clothes of the Scavenger Guild hunters, who were running toward them at great speed, got stuck in the spider webs, slowing them down. That was the cue for Suho and Esil to move.

“A summoner? He’s just a petty trickster!” Randolph chuckled and drew mana from his body.

It was natural for a member of the Scavenger Guild, who only revered strength, to scoff at a summoner.

Summoners are so pathetic, hiding behind their summoned creatures, and trailing along like obedient puppies! The best tactic is to ignore the creatures and go straight for the hunter behind them, Randolph thought.

His overwhelming strength tore through the spider silk. However, Arachne’s spider silk was imbued with mana. Not only could she produce more, but her silk possessed a sinister skill.

[Arachne activated the skill: “Puppetry”]

As the enemy tankers tore through the spider silk, one of the advancing hunters swung his powerful arm and knocked down a nearby colleague.

“What the hell! Have you gone mad?!” the hunter who took that punch shouted, his nose bleeding. To make matters worse, his legs suddenly bent at a strange angle, and they tripped up another colleague passing by.

“What are you doing?!” the stumbling hunter yelled.

With great force, the members of the Scavenger Guild fell and rolled across the floor like dominoes.

The chaos made Randolph’s face turn red with frustration, and he stomped the ground with trembling rage, forming a crack as if an earthquake was happening. Being beaten by overwhelming force is one thing, but I won’t be ridiculed by these small-time tricks! “Pull yourself together. Capture him immediately!”

“Yes, sir!”

At Randolph’s resounding roar, the Scavenger Guild members snapped back to attention. This time, they cautiously advanced to surround the enemy.

“Have you forgotten about me?” Esil had quietly returned to the action, and her spear charged toward them.

Dodging the straight-flying projectile in this confined space was no easy task, and the difficulty compounded as Esil’s spear triggered an explosion of mana.

Despite narrowly avoiding that attack, the wall behind the Scavenger Guild hunters crumbled and collapsed onto them as it exploded.

The spear returned to Esil’s hand, and once again, she pressed forward and threw the spear to exert more pressure on her enemies.

Meanwhile, Suho was planning to go for the jugular. I’ll target the leader!

Randolph’s eyebrows twitched as he watched Suho charging directly at him. It seemed that they were due for a head-on collision. “You dare target me first? Do I look that easy to you?” Randolph gave Suho a mocking smile before increasing his momentum to confront him.

Empowered by extreme mana, Randolph’s attack aimed for Suho as it soared through the air.

Ruler’s Authority! Suho leaped and stepped over the attack in mid-air. He then deftly executed an aerial somersault, landing behind Randolph.

“Huh?”

“Well then, we’ll be on our way.” Suho chuckled and casually raised his hand toward Randolph.

His arrogant smile further antagonized Randolph as sparks flew off his eyes. “Who do you think you’re messing with?”

He’s easy to provoke. An idea suddenly came to Suho. His Sense stat identified that Randolph was an A-rank hunter. He was a formidable opponent beyond his current strength level. But if his personality resembled his simple, brutish face, there was a myriad of ways to use it against him.

First, let’s test the waters. Using Ruler’s Authority, Suho lifted a nearby brick into the air, and it landed with a solid thud on the back of the tanker’s head.

“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into!” Randolph shouted.

Suho knew that a mere brick to the back of his head would have felt like a light tap. But, its intended effect was satisfying.

“I’m going to kill you with my bare hands!” Randolph pushed aside his fellow hunters and charged toward Suho.

Despite the imminent charge of danger, Suho simply chuckled. Now is the right time!

[Arachne activated the skill: “Puppetry”]

The ceiling exploded above them, and through the gaping hole, a colossal centipede revealed itself.

Screech!

Everyone within the area was horrified.

[Venomtooth Sand Centipede]

The grotesque, gigantic monster that belonged in the red desert had suddenly entered the battlefield!

“What is that thing doing here?!”

“I thought they kept away from this place!”

Everyone’s gaze shifted to Suho, the summoner, who conjured magic insects like giant spiders.

“No... It can’t be...”

But there was no time to connect the dots.

“Ahhh! Run!”

Startled by the ferocious roar of the sand centipede determined to wriggle its way into the labyrinth, the hunters scattered in panic.

Esil approached Suho and asked, “Is this your doing?”

“I think we should better start running.”

***

Meanwhile, chaos erupted in the village. Sand centipedes had suddenly swarmed the village and began attacking.

“H-have these things gone mad all of a sudden!”

What everyone feared had finally arrived. The sand centipedes lurking in the sands nearby were invading the village. Many presumed that the beasts would brazenly attack the hunters in the village, but the sand centipedes were solely fixated on the pyramid.

“The centipedes are swarming toward the pyramid!”

“Stay off the path!”

“We’re not their target!”

Quick-witted hunters swiftly retreated and stayed clear of the centipedes. They weren’t monsters they could handle in the first place. The sand centipedes, each clinging onto the sides of the pyramid, began gnawing at the stone walls to make their way inside.

“What in the world...”

The hunters couldn’t help but gape at the bizarre spectacle unfolding before them.

“Something incredible must be inside...”

“More importantly...The hunters inside are destined to die.”

Having been denied entry by the Scavenger Guild, the hunters outside the pyramid felt a certain sense of justice. Soon enough, they came to share the same conclusion. They planned to enter the pyramid once the situation was resolved and every Scavenger Guild hunter inside was dead.

The hunters of Kamura all looked up at the ancient structure in unison.

***

The sudden invasion of sand centipedes threw the situation into disarray. Suho, along with Esil, retreated in the opposite direction of the Scavenger Guild. As a result, they encountered more hunters along the way—before them was none other than the Asura Guild.

Suho and Rio Singh coincidentally met at a crossroads.

Rio introduced himself, “I am Rio Singh of the Asura Guild. Which guild do you belong to?” freeweb . com

“What?” Suho’s gaze turned to Esil, the interpreter.

After a quiet sigh, Esil answered on behalf of Suho, “We are independent hunters from South Korea.”

“South Korea? I see. Given the situation, how about a temporary alliance?”

Rio tried to read Suho’s demeanor with a keen gaze. Although he hasn’t disclosed his affiliation, he’s undoubtedly a rising star from a renowned guild. He had observed Suho’s performance against Randolph in its entirety. His quick judgment and combat prowess at least equaled his own.

Suho had no reason to reject the Asura Guild hunter’s proposition. With the appearance of sand centipedes, now was not the time for humans to be fighting one another.

“Well, let’s go along with that then.”

Seeing Suho nod, Rio let out a relieved sigh. This worked out well. I have many questions for them.

Suho conversed with him through Esil, who acted as the interpreter. “What happened here?”

Rio Singh, avoiding the sand centipedes, moved whilst answering Suho’s curiosity, “This pyramid wants us to prove our worth.”

“Prove our worth?” The familiar expression simultaneously narrowed Suho and Beru’s eyes.

Interesting... Rio Singh inwardly marveled after observing Suho’s interest. The typical response to a test in a dungeon like this was to worry about your life. It was natural to fear death.

The Great Cataclysm had occurred suddenly two years ago. Since then, numerous scientists raised questions about this phenomenon, but they all failed to uncover the identity of this anomaly. Most people feared the unknown, but Suho’s reaction showed that he was different.

Is he smiling? This young man seems genuinely delighted by this predicament. He has the hallmarks of a true Asura. He’s reveling in the challenge, Rio thought, a misconception he wasn’t aware of.

“Is this what I think it is?” Suho asked.

“It seems to be,” Beru answered.

The trial that had taken place in Magok Field immediately sprang to mind. The test to prove one's worth as king was happening here as well.

If this is another trial... Suho knew that there was only one way to prove it—he needed to delve deeper. His problem was the annoying human roadblocks blocking his path.

Ultimately, we need to deal with those Scavenger Guild members first before we can proceed. Suho gazed intently at the path the Scavenger Guild members had escaped to avoid the sand centipedes.

He guesses that the path they took led to the heart of the labyrinth. Presumably, they were also heading further down to explore that area for the trial.

“Suho, what’s your plan?” Esil, noticing Suho’s contemplation, asked. “There are too many of them to handle on our own.”

Suho agreed with that statement. Arachne alone won’t be enough. I need more soldiers to have a better chance... The new troops also needed to be on par with Arachne’s strength.

“I think there is a way, after all,” Suho said, his eyes sparkling, as the distant cries of the sand centipedes pierced the air.

Sand centipedes were nearly impossible to best in an open desert, but defeating one in a narrow space seemed achievable.