Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 70

Ten minutes before Suho’s arrival, numerous drones were soaring through the air over the devastated city.

—Mutants have suddenly spawned in the city and are attacking civilians!

—The Korean Hunters Association and the police are working together to suppress the situation as soon as possible!

Headlines of the shocking news struck the entire nation. No matter how optimistic they tried to make the news, the footage on the screen told a different story. Civilians were screaming and fleeing in panic from every direction as mutants relentlessly chased down them at an incredible speed, biting into their necks. There was even a scene that showed civilians transforming into new mutants as their wounds decayed rapidly.

“Despite the best efforts of the authorities, the number of mutants is rapidly increasing! Currently, the Korean Hunters Association is in the process of mobilizing more forces to the scene, but they stated that more time was needed until their arrival!” the news anchor said.

Essentially, a zombie outbreak was breaking out in the heart of Seoul, where millions resided, and time was running out. If everyone in the affected area turned into mutants, South Korea was sure to be on the brink of ruin.

Reinforcements were being sent to control the situation from various guilds, but their numbers were woefully insufficient. Hunters were always busy, and unless nearby hunters were available, the time it took to gather the necessary numbers was considerable.

But at that moment, the cameras caught a significant change in the ongoing incident.

“Oh! It’s the Fiend Guild!” the news anchor said.

One of the drone cameras captured members of the Fiend Guild fighting back against the mutants with magical arrows.

“Lim Taegyu, the guild master of the Fiend Guild, has arrived on the scene with his hunters!”

All of the drones began to zoom in on Taegyu, who was actively assisting the association’s hunters engaged in the battle by commanding the Fiend Guild hunters.

“Meanwhile, the Korean Hunter Association has declared that Lee Minsung, the Fiend Guild’s former vice guild master, is the ringleader behind this incident!”

Simultaneously, news articles about the incident flooded the internet. Each of them explained how Minsung was the perpetrator and not the Fiend Guild. However, the users in the comments section remained skeptical.

—Does that make any sense?

—They probably all conspired together.

—After reaping the benefits of acting together, they’re throwing the vice guild master under the bus now?

—After getting cut off, it seems like Lee Minsung incited this incident for revenge.

—At this rate, our country will be on the brink of ruin.

—I’m lucky I live in the countryside.

The public wasn’t willing to absolve the Fiend Guild so quickly since their reputation before the incident was already overly negative. If anything, this incident only deepened their distrust.

But despite all the noise, not even the Fiend Guild’s fiercest critics could deny that Taegyu was an incredible hunter. The spectacular sight of the S-rank hunter displaying his skills was plain for all to see via their TV screens. He skillfully unleashed magical arrows, sniping mutants with deadly precision.

—Amazing.

—You can’t deny Taegyu’s power.

—Of course, his S-rank skills are intact.

—With Lim Taegyu’s skills, he could just go solo. Why did he bother to create a guild and get all this hate?

—FYI: The skills of a hunter and the responsibilities of a guild master are entirely different.

—FYI: Lim Taegyu’s weapon is the “Fiend’s Bow,” but the price range is...

However, all of a sudden, the viewers’ eyes were drawn to the man standing behind Taegyu. The mysterious man was exhibiting unusual movements.

—Huh?!

—Hey, wait!

—Behind! Behind!

—Look behind you!

While Taegyu remained immersed in the battle, the viewers observing Secretary Oh’s movements noticed something was off. Taegyu was unaware of their comments, and in the end, he was stabbed in the back by his secretary.

—This is insane! What is this?!

—Are we witnessing a betrayal...?

—Is he one of Minsung’s people?

—No way, how did he go down like that so easily?

—Were S-rank hunters always this weak?

—I doubt that.

—Was he struck with poison?

Viewers watching the news were plunged into shock. The surprise attack showed that S-rank hunters weren’t invincible.

Despite their immense attacking prowess and physical defense, they were ultimately human—feeling pain when injured and vulnerable to death from fatal strikes. The viewers only knew what they could see, and witnessing an S-rank hunter brought to his knees by a mere dagger was almost unbelievable.

“Ugh!” Taegyu, taken by surprise by someone he trusted, swiftly removed the dagger embedded in his back. The mental shock outweighed the physical pain. “Secretary Oh, why...?”

Meeting Taegyu’s gaze, Secretary Oh looked at him with a troubled look. “My apologies, Guild Master. I have a great mission bestowed upon me by my queen.”

“Q-queen? Ugh...” Feeling lightheaded, Taegyu’s legs wobbled. He had been poisoned with an extremely potent venom.

Secretary Oh bowed his head respectfully. “Don’t try to resist, it will be in vain. Just accept it. The poison I used is her royal jelly.”

Royal... jelly? The words brought back an old memory of Taegyu’s.

“It’s your birthday, right? Here’s a gift.” Secretary Oh had handed him a bottle.

“Wow! A gift? What is it?”

“I got this from a friend of mine. This is top-shelf liquor. Why don’t you try it?”

“Sounds good! It’s called... Royal jelly?”

“I heard it has some health benefits.”

He remembered how Secretary Oh had given a bottle of the liquor whenever the opportunity arose. He began to connect the dots between the strangely sweet-smelling liquor and the poison.

But an immense headache interrupted Taegyu’s train of thought, and a voice suddenly echoed inside his mind.

“Pledge allegiance to the Queen! Pledge allegiance to the Queen!”

Taegyu threw the Fiend’s Bow to the ground, and he clutched his head with both hands as he wriggled on the ground. He was in pain, but he wasn’t under Arsha’s control. Her venom had failed to fully control Minsung, an A-rank hunter, therefore, it was even less effective against a hunter like Taegyu.

“Get out! Get out of my head!”

Letting out a roaring scream, Taegyu unleashed an immense aura.

In the face of this overwhelming force, Secretary Oh quickly fled the scene.

Taegyu, disregarding him completely, battled fiercely against the poison attempting to consume his mind.

“Boss!” Sensing he was a moment too late, a Fiend Guild healer rushed to Taegyu’s side and urgently cast a healing spell.

But he wasn’t going up against an ordinary poison. The poison invading Taegyu’s body couldn’t be detoxified with conventional healing skills.

“Guild Master! My healing isn’t taking effect! You’ll have to expel the poison with your own mana!”

“Mana...”

Taegyu was already concentrating all of his mana. He was engaged in a fierce battle against the power of the royal jelly. He couldn’t afford any lapses in concentration.

“Argh! Don’t worry about me and go check on the other guild members! And bring back Secretary Oh, that coward! He’s Minsung’s informant!”

“Yes, understood!”

After issuing the order, Taegyu leaned back, gasping for breath.

The ongoing battle had to wait. Having to suppress the poison with mana, he found himself unable to deploy any skills. Using a skill seemed perilous. It felt as though his consciousness would be immediately subdued if he dared to use one.

The poison must be incinerated with mana.

He knew it wasn’t an easy task. Realizing he had been slowly fed the poison by his secretary over time, the ambush was a mere trigger for the poison amassed in his body.

Luckily, Suho and Miho arrived at the scene.

“Miho?” Despite struggling with the poison, Taegyu instantly recognized her. But who is that on her back?

Miho was a renowned hunter and the vice guild master of the White Tiger Guild—her face was easily recognizable. However, regardless of her reasons, the person she was carrying on her back was a total stranger. Since she had taken great lengths to bring him to the scene, Taegyu assumed he was no ordinary person. But this drove his confusion even deeper, knowing that he would have recognized the person if they were someone worth Miho’s time and effort.

At that moment, the young man in question quickly scanned the ensuing calamity. His eyes came to a stop when he spotted a peculiar beehive growing on the upper floors of a nearby apartment. Its size had grown considerably since the start of the incident.

“Let’s fly over there. Now,” the young man said.

Taegyu was unable to use his skills but his senses were still sharp and attuned to his surroundings. He was surprised and puzzled by the stranger’s words.

Did he say he was going to fly? But how?

Beneath the young man’s feet, a black shadow suddenly ascended and began to envelop him and Miho entirely.

“Ah...!” Even Miho was taken aback by the sudden event.

Taegyu’s eyes widened as wings, shrouded in black steam, emerged from their backs. Wh-What is that?!

***

Seeing the Contaminated Ghouls at the scene, Suho quickly grasped the situation. He figured that Minsung’s goal was to kill civilians to expand his own legion, which ultimately played into Arsha’s plan of increasing the number of sacrifices she needed. This entire disaster was a ritual sacrifice for the Queen of Insects and the Monarch of Plagues, Querehsha.

We don’t have time to waste. Suho knew that it was only a matter of time before Arsha’s plan would be fulfilled. Swift and decisive action was the ultimate solution. I’ll let the hunters take care of the situation down here. I’m going after the boss.

Suho had no intention of climbing the stairs of the tall apartment building or its walls. Guess we’ll have to fly up. After all, he had shadow soldiers with wings at his disposal.

“I only need two.”

As shadows flickered beneath his feet, an idea popped into his head. These creatures are shadows...

Shadows could exist anywhere—not only beneath his feet but also between the fingers or even a strand of hair. Beru would often hide within the small shadows created by Suho’s body, ready to emerge from any one of them at any time. He could even poke his head out but have the rest of the body in the shadows.

If Beru can keep his body within a shadow, my shadow soldiers can do the same.

Suho commanded his Shadow Lancers, “Ride on the shadow on our backs but only expose your wings.”

Suho’s command was promptly executed. A Shadow Lancer entered Suho’s shadow and released its wings on his back. The creature’s shadow wings draped over Suho’s shoulders and back, forming a strange shape.

Beru chuckled at Suho with a strange expression. “An amusing strategy, indeed. You’ve only half-summoned a shadow soldier. Kids these days... The ideas of this generation are quite something...”

“Okay, Boomer,” Suho said, rolling his eyes.

“What?!” Beru let out a shriek in response.

[Rakan asks if this is an imitation of Divine Possession.]

“What’s with all the fuss? Just see for yourselves.” Suho chuckled and flew upwards.

Miho, unexpectedly soaring alongside him, could only look on in astonishment. My goodness... Isn’t this guy supposed to be a C-rank summoner? What kind of skill can summon wings? How is this possible? But more importantly... “If you had such a skill, why did you make me bring you here on my back?”

Suho brazenly shrugged off her deeply resentful eyes. “Using them earlier would have depleted my mana. Now, we have an easy way to get to that beehive.”

“W-wait! Take me with you!” An urgent cry from behind echoed in the air.

Miho exclaimed in surprise. “Guild Master Lim Taegyu?!”

“That guy is Lim Taegyu?”

Taegyu was a household name as the leader of the Fiend Guild, one of the most famous guilds in the country. He didn’t look like he was in the best condition, but Suho knew having an S-rank hunter would undoubtedly improve their odds of success.

“I need another lancer. Hop on his shadow. ”

At his command, a shadow soared and adhered to Taegyu’s body.

“If you wish to join us, please do,” Suho said. With those parting words, he took flight, leading the way.

“What is this...?”

In an instant, a peculiar sensation enveloped his body, and Taegyu accepted the shadow willingly. I could reject it by pushing it away with mana. A sense of resistance momentarily arose, but he suppressed it since his mana was already at work suppressing the royal jelly.

Soon, shadow wings sprouted on Taegyu’s back, and they began to flap with incredible speed. He was able to follow close behind Suho and Miho. Their goal was to reach the beehive.

However, as they approached the beehive, an immense barrage of arrows suddenly rained down on them. The arrows coming from the beehive were imbued with mana.

Miho and Taegyu were taken aback. Had they been on the ground, they would have dodged the multitude of arrows, but seeing as they were being carried by Suho’s mysterious shadow wings, avoiding them seemed impossible. In the end, they had no answer to the incoming arrows.

Miho urgently shouted, “Guild Master Lim! Suho! Take cover behind me!” She thought the best option was for one person to become a shield to cover the others, and being a martial artist, she felt she was the best choice.

“Oh! I never knew you could be a kind fox.” Beru said, stroking her head. He then turned his gaze to Suho, who had already taken up the role of the group’s shield. “But don’t worry. The Young Monarch will take care of it.”

Suho’s eyes flickered for a moment. “Don’t retreat, keep flying!”

The Shadow Lancers attached to their backs flapped their wings more vigorously, and as they did, Suho activated one of his skills.

[Skill: “Storm Slash” has activated.]

The wind tore through the air like a typhoon. The swords in Suho’s hands not only intercepted the rain of arrows but brutally carved out an opening. At the heart of the sword storm, Suho, Miho, and Taegyu flew straight through the attack.

Knowing Suho as only a summoner, Baek Miho was rendered speechless by his skill. Unbelievable. What was that skill? I thought he was just a C-rank summoner. Not only can he summon wings, but he can also unleash whatever this thing was! Has he been hiding his strength? But why?

None of it made any sense to her. She couldn’t fathom why a hunter would willingly lower their own rank and undersell themselves.