Chapter 12

Leveling Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 11

Suhwo's gaze swept around the area.

The miners, paralyzed with fear.

These people had been laughing and chatting with each other, working together with their picks just yesterday.

That uncle had been the one who offered him water, saying his young friend was working hard.

And that other uncle had been the one who showed him how to use a pickaxe.

"Am I supposed to run away and leave these people behind?"

[Young Lord, I don't care about the lives of these humans. I have a mission.]

Ber spoke resolutely.

To Ber, Suhwo, the son of the Shadow Lord, was more precious than the lives of all the people on Earth.

Even if everyone here died, Ber's mission was to get Suhwo back alive.

"It's not just about a sense of justice."

Suhwo glanced around.

"Anyway, all the escape routes are blocked."

Grrr.

Before they knew it, the passage leading out of the dungeon was filled with countless wolves.

The only way to escape was to defeat the enemies.

"And... it doesn't seem like there's no way out at all."

Suhwo smiled faintly as he watched Kim Yongjun, who was leading the pack of wolves.

Seeing this, Ber suddenly felt a strange sensation.

He saw the old image of Seong Jin-woo superimposed over Suhwo, whom he had thought was still weak.

* * *

The 'Wraith' of the Fang Lord felt a sense of excitement.

Waking up from a long sleep, he found no sign of his master, only a bunch of insignificant humans.

'How ridiculous. They're like weak, crawling vermin.'

Even a slight release of his energy made them tremble in fear.

'Ah, how weak these creatures are.'

Then, they should be devoured.

The world was built on the logic that the weak are eaten, and the strong take everything.

Slurp.

The body of Kim Yongjun, controlled by the Wraith, licked its lips at the sight of these weaklings.

"You weak vermin, you have no value in living. It would be far more valuable for you to become food for the wolves."

At that moment, Kim Yongjun's hand moved on its own.

And the sword, the Wraith's true form, swung at the humans.

"Die."

Swish!

But it didn't go as planned.

A Shadow Goblin suddenly jumped in and took the hit.

[Kerlek!]

The Goblin's face, split in half, looked incredibly aggrieved.

A look that suggested it didn't choose to sacrifice itself.

"Who are you, you...?"

The Wraith looked at the Goblins blocking his path with a puzzled expression.

[Kerlek, kerlek!]

These ridiculous creatures were attacking him without fear.

"You don't recognize strength. It's natural for monsters to have such a survival instinct."

Swish!

He swung his sword mercilessly, cutting down the Goblins.

But something strange happened.

The fallen Goblins' bodies quickly restored themselves and rose again.

[Kerlek!]

"Huh?"

The relentless attacks annoyed the Wraith.

Then, the wolves he controlled simultaneously pounced, tearing the Goblins apart mercilessly.

The Wraith, no longer interested in the Goblins, turned his attention back to the humans.

They were trying to escape.

"How amusing. These weak vermin are struggling to survive."

Unfortunately, the direction they were heading was not an escape route but a passage deeper into the dungeon.

"Chase them."

"Grrr!"

At his command, the wolves pursued them.

The Wraith turned his gaze in the opposite direction.

There, outside the dungeon, was the gate leading to Earth.

'What is that place?'

Outside, countless lives were pulsating.

Each one was weak, but that made them all the more appetizing.

'The weak should be devoured.'

The Wraith suddenly looked down at his body.

Kim Yongjun, the Hunter.

This human body was already dead, but from now on, it would become his own, to be used gloriously.

Ah, what a glorious fate for this lowly being!

'I will eat in your place, filling my belly. I will personally devour all the life forms beyond that world.'

The Wraith's eyes gleamed with greed.

He led the pack of wolves and slowly moved towards the exit.

But then.

Squeak!

"Ah."

A stone axe flew towards the back of the Wraith's head.

Sensing the attack, the Wraith swung his sword dismissively, deflecting it.

"Ahh, so close! I almost got him!"

"Almost?"

The Wraith looked at the human who threw the axe with a bewildered expression.

Then, another stone axe flew from Suhwo's hand.

"The struggle of the weak, huh."

Tsk.

The Wraith raised his sword again, deflecting the attack.

But another axe flew.

Squeak!

"Really?"

He deflected it again.

Then another one flew.

"Hey."

He deflected it again.

And then...

"How many axes do you have?!"

Finally, the Wraith couldn't hold back his anger.

Meanwhile, more axes kept flying.

"Kill that one first!"

Grrr!

At the Wraith's command, the wolves that were about to leave through the gate turned around and started chasing Suhwo.

[Young Lord! We need to run now!]

"Right, let's run!"

"Stop there, you!"

Grrr! Roar!

Suhwo dodged the wolves and hid back in the cave.

But the pursuing wolves were too numerous and too fast, quickly surrounding him.

"Tsk. In the end, the weak are meant to be devoured."

The Wraith mocked Suhwo and sentenced him to death.

"Kill him. Tear his limbs apart and chew his bones."

Crack!

The wolves pounced on Suhwo.

At that moment, Suhwo grinned and inserted a key into his shadow.

Click!

[Do you want to enter the Shadow Dungeon?] (Y/N)

"Enter the Shadow Dungeon!"

[Entering the Shadow Dungeon.]

Whoosh!

In an instant, Suhwo's shadow swallowed him.

Gulp!

"Huh?"

The Wraith looked around in confusion.

His prey had vanished without a trace right before his eyes.

"What? Where did he hide? Find him!"

The wolves started sniffing around, trying to track Suhwo's scent.

"Grrr?"

Of course, they couldn't find him.

"What? How can he hide without leaving a scent?"

The Wraith wandered around with the wolves, searching for Suhwo.

Then, peek.

Ber poked his head out from where Suhwo had disappeared, looking around.

Taking advantage of the wolves being a bit farther away, he whispered to the shadow.

[...You can come out now.]

Whoosh!

[Exiting the Shadow Dungeon.]

Suhwo reappeared from the shadow.

As soon as he came out, he threw another stone axe at the Wraith's back.

"What, what is this!"

The Wraith turned around in surprise.

Squeak! Clang!

He barely deflected the axe and stiffened at the sudden appearance of Suhwo.

"There you are, you! You should have kept hiding...!"

Squeak!

"Ah! Stop throwing them already!"

The Wraith lost his composure due to Suhwo's continuous attacks.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

Grrr!

The chase began again.

But whenever Suhwo was surrounded, he would hide in the Shadow Dungeon.

Whoosh!

"Where did he go, you fool!"

The Wraith, frustrated, burst out in anger.

And then, another stone axe flew at his back.

Squeak!

"It doesn't work, I told you!"

* * *

The miners, watching Suhwo's performance from a distance, were speechless.

"Exactly..."

"What kind of skill is that...?"

They knew Suhwo was an E-rank Hunter.

And they knew that E-rank Hunters were of no help in combat.

But what was this?

"Is he weak or strong? I can't tell..."

"Something's off..."

"He's fighting so well?"

"Is he even supposed to be fighting in the first place?"

At least one thing was clear.

Suhwo's skill was very effective at getting on people's nerves.

Moreover, it wasn't just the skill.

The way he provocatively faced this terrifying presence without flinching...

"Maybe it's not the skill, but his natural courage."

"Or maybe he just has a bad temper..."

In this desperate situation, Suhwo was their only hope.

"But wasn't he a summoner?"

"Yeah, he hasn't used any summoning skills at all."

"I saw it. His summons were killed in one hit."

"That's why summoning skills are no good..."

"If he had a different combat skill..."

The miners, who had seen Suhwo's potential, sighed in regret.

His combat sense was impressive.

His performance in the art gallery incident a few days ago was also notable.

Suhwo had a natural talent as a Hunter.

Many Hunters with high abilities froze and died in battle due to a lack of combat sense.

It was truly regrettable.

If Suhwo weren't a summoner...

'He could have become an amazing Hunter.'

Hearing their conversation from a distance, Ber was furious.

[Keek! The Shadow Authority being treated like this!]

But it wasn't the right time yet.

At Suhwo's current level, the Shadow Soldiers couldn't fully utilize their abilities.

Moreover, Suhwo's low mana was a problem.

The true strength of the Shadow Soldiers was their ability to endlessly resurrect as an immortal army.

But that was only possible with Suhwo's mana supporting them.

Suhwo's mana was almost depleted from the previous battle.

As a result, the Shadow Goblins who had worked hard with their picks were already long gone.

[But.]

Ber's eyes gleamed maliciously.

At the same time, Suhwo smiled and muttered.

"Creating Shadow Soldiers doesn't cost any mana at all."

Then.

Among the many wolves chasing Suhwo, a strange presence was felt.

[Shadow Wolf Lv.1]

Normal Rank

[Shadow Wolf Lv.1]

Normal Rank

[Shadow Wolf Lv.1]

Normal Rank

They were none other than Suhwo's new soldiers, wearing the wolf skins that the cleanup team had discarded.

[Crack!]

"Ah?!"

The Shadow Wolves bit the Wraith's legs while he was distracted by the continuous stone axes.

The Wraith, startled, cut them down with his sword.

As the wolf skins were cut, the black, shadowy forms of the Shadow Wolves were revealed.

[Growl!]

"How dare you, insignificant creatures!"

Enraged, the Wraith swung his sword, quickly slaughtering the Shadow Wolves.

With Suhwo's depleted mana, he couldn't revive them again.

But.

"Checkmate."

Suhwo, who had approached the Wraith, brought down both stone axes mercilessly.

Crack.