Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 68

“You’re someone I can’t afford to underestimate. I never thought you’d see things with such clarity.” Despite her forced laughter, her gaze held no signs of amusement.

The swarm of bees making up Arsha’s face kept dispersing and regrouping repeatedly, revealing just how flustered she was.

Suho smirked. “It looks like I’m right.”

“I’m afraid we’ll have to cut this conversation short.”

Watching Arsha suddenly spring to her feet, Suho asked mockingly, “Why? Do you have something urgent to take care of?”

“Of course. I need to start collecting the sacrifices that Minsung killed and find a new hive to relocate to.”

“Where will you go? Have you looked at some options?”

“No matter where I go, Mister Suho, you will not be able to find us.”

“How disappointing. I was considering going to the housewarming party.”

“That would be impossible.”

A tense volley of words ensued with neither side yielding.

Gazing at Suho, Arsha said with a radiant smile, “Well, unfortunately, the floor has been filling up with my venom during our conversation.”

“Venom?”

“Yes. It’s a colorless and odorless venom I meticulously crafted. One that not even you, the new Monarch of Fangs, would have noticed.”

Suho realized why Arsha was more talkative than he expected—she was buying to ensure that her venom seeped thoroughly into his body.

Confident of her victory, Arsha’s smile looked more sinister than ever. “When you enter the queen bee’s domain, there are only two outcomes: You either turn into one of her worker bees or become her prey. There are no ifs or buts. Well then, I bid you farewell, Mister—”

“Hahaha!”

“Huh?”

For some reason, Beru was on the table clutching his belly, laughing louder than before.

In contrast, Suho wasn’t laughing at all. He simply rose from his chair to stand next to Arsha and said calmly, “Well, I’m also thinking of paying Minsung a visit. Shall we go together?”

“H-how is this possible?!” Arsha was confident in her venom, but it was clear that her target hadn’t been poisoned. She swiftly distanced herself from Suho as if she had been scorched by fire.

Unbeknownst to her, Suho was actively intoxicated by the venom. But the speed of the detoxication was simply faster than the effects.

[Harmful substances have been detected.]

[Blessing: Effect of “Immortality” has initiated Detoxification.]

[Detoxification has been completed.]

[Detoxification has been completed.]

[Detoxification has been completed.]

A downpour of detoxification messages appeared before Suho’s eyes.

“This doesn’t make any sense! How are you withstanding my venom? What kind of strength do you possess?” Seeing Suho still standing, Arsha was in utter shock. “Have you acquired one of Querehsha’s relics?”

Arsha had observed the battle between Suho and her lancers through her bees. Just like her minions, she had a hunch that Suho might have obtained another relic. However, it was merely a possibility. The chance of a mere human obtaining a relic of the Monarch of Plagues was exceedingly slim, and without inheriting one, enduring her venom was an impossibility.

“As his successor, are the powers of the King of Beasts not enough for you? Do you also covet the position of the Queen of Insects?”

Despite Arsha’s strong conviction, Beru and Suho looked at her with pity. They felt sorry for her, so much so that it was difficult to tell her the truth.

[Rakan chuckles while holding his stomach.]

“Let’s go, Beru.” Suho turned his back, ignoring Arsha.

Having heard everything he wanted to, there was no reason for him to stay.

“Answer me before you leave!” the queen bee shouted.

Suho stopped and turned around, his eyes flashing. “I’ll give you the answer when I meet you in person.” When that day comes, you won’t be leaving unharmed.

He didn’t need to say more as the message was clear. Suho headed straight for the stairs leading to the ground floor.

Watching his retreating figure, Arsha bit her lip with anger. How dare he turn his back on me? His actions spoke volumes about his confidence. He’s taken all my worker bees, and the poison didn’t work on him. If this continues... She felt like he was a better queen bee than she was. This won’t do. I need to expedite the preparations for the ritual. The anxiety that either Minsung or Suho might become Querehsha’s successor overwhelmed Arsha.

She immediately left, her body of bees shattering into pieces.

Outside, people walking past the Times Square Field looked up at the sky and marveled at the sight of bees flying away like smoke from a roaring fire.

***

“You’re just going to leave that half-witted queen bee alone?”

“She wasn’t even physically there, so why should I bother wasting my time? Besides, Lee Minsung is the more pressing concern.”

The beautiful body he saw was merely a mimicry—a massive cluster of bees swirling together to form a projection of her true form. Trying to catch a few bees wasn’t worth the experience points, and more importantly, doing so didn’t seem like it would trouble her much.

“Well, you did defeat all the lancers she had painstakingly created, so I think she’ll quietly hide for a while. After all, a queen bee’s destiny is to spend her life hiding in her hive,” Beru said.

“Release Divine Possession.” Suho deactivated the skill to conserve mana.

[“Divine Possession” has been deactivated.]

The ethereal wind swirling around Suho’s body vanished, and his silver hair returned to its original black color. He had maintained Divine Possession throughout the confrontation with the queen bee, but it was now necessary to conserve mana until he found Minsung.

[Pet: Gray” has detached its spiritual body from the Shaman.]

“Go back inside.”

“Woof?” the wolf growled.

Suho sent Gray back to the Shadow Dungeon.

“Sung Suho! You’re all right!”

Just as Suho ascended to the first floor, he unexpectedly ran into the White Tiger Guild hunters heading down to the underground floor.

Miho was leading the group, and she quickly checked Suho’s condition. They said his hair was silver, but now it’s black? Did he deactivate his skill? Given her eagerness to verify Suho’s Beast Transformation, she felt a sense of disappointment.

She knew asking him directly about the skill would be a good idea, but she decided to save the questions for later since there were more important issues at hand—like the fact that he was the only one not wearing a gas mask in an area filled with poisonous fog.

I can’t believe he gave out gas masks to the other hunters and disappeared! Did he sacrifice his own gas mask to give to them? Miho was in awe of Suho’s selflessness. “Quickly, give him a gas mask.”

“Yes, Vice Guild Master!”

One of her hunters took out a gas mask from their bag and tried to put it on Suho’s face, but he politely declined and continued forward.

“No, it’s fine. I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I need to leave right away.”

“We’re in the same situation. We were evacuating the other hunters outside... But more importantly, what exactly happened here?” Miho followed Suho closely, bombarding him with questions as they headed for the exit. “The other hunters told you saved them, somehow. How did—”

“Now is not the time for chit-chat.” Suho interrupted her in a serious tone. “We need to find Lee Minsung and stop him immediately.”

“Huh? Stop him from what?”

“Vice Guild Master! We’ve received news from headquarters!” a White Tiger Guild hunter holding a cell phone urgently called out to her from behind. “Lee Minsung is wreaking havoc on the streets as we speak. He’s out there engaged in a massacre...”

Without speaking another word, Suho and Miho simultaneously started running toward the exit of the labyrinth.

“Wait for us, Vice Guild Master!” a White Tiger hunter said as they chased after them.

Following behind the rushing pair, the hunters felt there was something odd about Suho.

“Wait, didn’t the others say he’s C-rank?”

“How is he so fast?!”

Much to their surprise, Suho was running at nearly the same speed as Miho, an A-rank hunter.

The shock felt by Miho running beside him was even greater. What? His profile clearly said he was a summoner.

Of course, she hadn’t activated Beast Transformation yet, and the labyrinth’s winding paths prevented her from sprinting at full speed. Regardless, Suho’s current speed was definitely not that of a C-rank summoner.

Interestingly, Suho was having a similar thought as he looked at Miho. She’s fast. So, this is the power of an A-rank hunter? Wait... He suddenly remembered how his target, Lee Minsung, was also an A-rank hunter.

Arsha had lamented losing Minsung, knowing he was a different force of nature compared to the lancers she created from lower-ranked hunters.

If he decides to run away, it might become a bit troublesome. He also has wings now... But I have an idea. “Miss Baek?”

“Yes?!” Miho answered, startled by Suho’s sudden call.

“How long do you think it would take for us to run to where Lee Minsung is?”

“Were you thinking of running?”

“Then... were you thinking of driving? Don’t you know traffic is horrendous at this time of the day?”

“Oh...”

Ever since the Great Cataclysm, traffic congestion had become even worse in Seoul. Due to gates opening at several major subway stations, subway lines had been abruptly cut off.

Being hunters responding to an emergency, running was much faster than other means of transportation.

Miho, understanding Suho’s intention, quickly calculated the distance and confidently replied, “If we run at full speed, twenty minutes should be more than enough! What about you?”

The fierceness in her eyes stirred a sense of competitiveness within Suho.

They were running side-by-side, but they were both confident in their ability to overtake the other with the added boost of Beast Transformation, significantly raising their maximum speed.

“That’s the confidence of an A-rank hunter,” Suho said, raising both his thumbs innocently. Then, with an even more innocent expression, he suggested, “I feel like I’ll be much slower than you, so do you think you could carry me?”

“What?” Miho doubted her ears.

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