Chapter 19

Alone Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 18

"Pet?"

Shuhu looked puzzled at the sudden message.

[Pet?]

Berd was equally perplexed.

Slurp, slurp, slurp.

A name tag now floated above the puppy wolf's head, which was already licking the seaweed soup.

[?? Lv.1]

Fang Wolf

The system conveniently sent a message.

Ding.

[You can name your pet.]

[Please choose a name for your pet.]

"Want me to name the pet?"

When Shuhu looked at Berd, Berd had a thoughtful expression.

[Hmm? There was nothing like this in the past.]

"What wasn't there? The pet?"

[Yes. During the time when the Great King was leveling up, there was no such feature.]

Berd explained.

The current leveling system applied to Shuhu was originally something that the Shadow Sovereign Seong Jin-woo used in the past.

Of course, it had been somewhat improved since then, but that was only to remove the 'evil' embedded in the system.

"Evil?"

[Yes.]

The purpose of the system at the time was to forcibly grow the human 'Seong Jin-woo' to use him as the vessel for the Shadow Sovereign.

The moment that purpose was achieved, Seong Jin-woo's soul was supposed to be extinguished.

[But somehow, Seong Jin-woo ultimately defied the system's purpose and became the Shadow Sovereign himself, becoming a great being who no longer needed to level up.]

And the one who inherited that system was the current Shuhu.

"But why is there a pet system now when there wasn't one back then?"

[Hmm. Perhaps it was always there, but we just didn't notice.]

Berd narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin.

[The original designer of the leveling system was not us but the sorcerer of the Illusory Realm who dreamed of eternal immortality.]

"The sorcerer of the Illusory Realm?"

[Yes. Only he would know exactly what features the system has.]

Long ago, the sorcerer of the Illusory Realm wished to become an eternal being, free from the fate of finite creatures.

The result was the creation of the leveling system through a contract with the angels of the gods.

[However, the purpose of the system at the time was solely to complete the vessel for the Shadow Sovereign, so there was no need for a pet. After all, they could just kill everyone and turn them into shadow soldiers. But now, the purpose of your system is entirely different.]

Shuhu looked puzzled.

"Does the system not aim to make me the Shadow Sovereign?"

[Yes. After all, you can't become the Shadow Sovereign.]

Berd stated definitively.

[There is only one Shadow Sovereign in this world.]

In other words, Shuhu would only have a chance to become the Sovereign if Seong Jin-woo died and the throne became vacant.

But Seong Jin-woo was the Sovereign who ruled over death.

His death was something that would never happen.

[In fact, he is the truly eternal and immortal one.]

"I understand that my father is great."

Shuhu was curious.

"Then what is the purpose of my system?"

To this question, Berd smiled faintly and looked into Shuhu's eyes.

Seong Shuhu, born from the marriage of the Shadow Sovereign and an ordinary human, was an exceptional being in the entire dimension.

Therefore, what kind of being Shuhu would grow into in the future was something even the designer of the system could not predict.

Would he simply live as a young sovereign, inheriting the skills of the Shadow Sovereign?

Or would he, like Seong Jin-woo long ago, break free from his innate destiny and find his own path?

[The system merely guides you, no matter which path you choose. If a new feature has appeared, it must be something that will help you.]

Berd could already see in Shuhu's face the visage of a man who, long ago, walked a lonely and difficult path, fighting against the world.

He... had struggled to survive from a place closer to death than anyone else.

And in the end, he even conquered death itself.

The noble peace of the current Earth was built through his sublime sacrifice.

But that peace was now being threatened again.

By the gods of the outer realms.

"Status window."

Shuhu suddenly opened his status window while listening to Berd.

[Status Window]

Name: Seong Shuhu

Level: 16

Job: None

Title: Wolf Slayer

HP: 2,350/2,350

MP: 235/235

[Stats]

Strength: 35, Vitality: 25

Agility: 25, Intelligence: 25

Senses: 25

(Available Stat Points: 0)

[Skills]

Passive Skills: Toughness Lv.2, Dual Wielding Lv.1

Active Skills: Sovereign's Power Lv.1, Shadow Extraction Lv.1, Storm Slash Lv.1

After hearing Berd, Shuhu understood why his job was still 'None'.

It was likely that 'Shadow Sovereign' would never be written in that spot.

Shuhu paid more attention to the other values below his job.

'This is my current level.'

Compared to when he was level 1 and being chased by the Mist Beasts, his stats had risen significantly.

He already had a decent number of useful skills.

But.

'I am still weak.'

Shuhu never overestimated his own strength.

It was a fact, not humility.

He had already reached level 99 several times in his dreams during his teenage years.

Recalling those feelings, his current strength seemed insignificant.

For example, if he hadn't gained the title of Wolf Slayer at the right time, he wouldn't have performed so well against Broki.

Shuhu also checked the new skill he had gained during the battle.

[Skill: Dual Wielding Lv.1]

Passive Skill.

No mana required.

You can use dual wielding more skillfully.

When using two swords, 33% additional damage is applied.

(Also applies to other weapons besides swords.)

'Dual Wielding...'

He realized he had been using weapons in both hands all along.

First, it was axes.

Then, swords.

This skill must have appeared based on his combat style.

"Then, to get stronger, I need to keep using dual weapons."

-...?

Shuhu's gaze lingered on Lakan's fangs.

From his experience, the attack power of Lakan's fangs was quite satisfactory.

Once it hit, the necks of the demons on Mount Gwanak would fly off.

To balance his hands, he needed another sword of similar level to Lakan's fangs.

'I need to earn some money. Hunter weapons are incredibly expensive.'

Shuhu's gaze then moved downward.

"And this little guy..."

"Keeoong..."

The puppy wolf had already finished the seaweed soup, and its belly was bulging.

But it still lacked the energy to crawl and lay helplessly on the ground.

"To use him as a combat asset, I need to raise him for a while longer."

[Please choose a name for your pet.]

The system message had been urging Shuhu for a while.

Without hesitation, Shuhu named the pet.

"Since he has gray fur, let's call him Gray."

[Do you want to name him 'Gray'?]

"Yeah."

As soon as Shuhu finished speaking, the question mark above the puppy wolf's head disappeared, and a new name appeared.

[Gray Lv.1]

Fang Wolf

"Keeoong..."

Now officially Shuhu's pet, Gray lifted his head with unfocused eyes and sniffed.

He seemed to be smelling Shuhu.

Shuhu poked the puppy's nose with his fingertip and asked Lakan's fangs.

"Hey, one question."

-What is it?

"How do I raise him to be useful?"

-Is there anything special about raising a child? They just need to eat well, sleep well, and play well.

"Stop with the obvious. Since he's the descendant of the Fang Sovereign, isn't there a special method?"

-Eating is really important. The reason this child is so weak is probably because Broki feared his growth and kept him starved.

Lakan's fangs felt a surge of anger as he recalled the deeds of the now-dead Broki.

If the Fang clan's child had grown up normally, he wouldn't have been captured by Broki.

-So, feed him and feed him again. Give him plenty of sleep and let him play freely, and he will grow into a much stronger predator than Broki.

"Really? What should I feed him?"

-Of course, demons. It's even better if he hunts them himself. The children of the Fang clan play by hunting from the moment they are born.

"Hunting, huh. Hmm."

It was absurd.

To ask a creature that couldn't even walk to hunt.

[Phew. They are even more ruthless than ants. At least we ants leave our larvae alone.]

Berd's comment gave Shuhu an idea.

Who had raised Shuhu, the baby, on his back?

"Ber, you take care of him from now on."

[All of a sudden?]

"Yeah. You're the best babysitter I know."

[Kukuk. I don't know what to do with such praise from the young sovereign.]

Berd blushed and squirmed.

"Let's go?"

[Keeo? Where are you going all of a sudden?]

Confused Berd.

Shuhu picked up Gray by the scruff of his neck and inserted the key to the Shadow Dungeon into his shadow.

[Do you want to enter the Shadow Dungeon?]

"Where else? Here."

Click.

[Entering the Shadow Dungeon.]

Whoosh!

* * *

Once inside the Shadow Dungeon, Shuhu immediately placed Berd on Gray's back.

"From now on, you two are a team."

[Keeo?]

Even though Gray was small, he was twice the size of Berd.

Of course, even combined, they were still small enough to fit in one hand.

-Is this place...

Lakan's fangs, who had followed along, felt a strange sensation as he looked around the Shadow Dungeon.

-Is this the world of the Shadow Sovereign?

[More accurately, it's the world the young sovereign inherited. Of course, it has been neglected, and wild demons have taken refuge here.]

Berd's eyes lit up as he realized why Shuhu had brought them here.

There were hostile gazes from all over the dungeon.

[Wild goblins. They will be perfect for training the pet.]

Berd grinned and patted Gray's bottom.

[Get up! Descendant of the Fang Sovereign! Show these pitiful creatures your ferocity!]

"Keeoong..."

Thump.

[Hmm?]

But Gray showed no will to fight.

In fact, he seemed to lack the will to even stand up, curling up on the ground even more.

Lakan's fangs couldn't hide his frustration.

-Grr! He has lost all his innate combat instincts due to his captivity! What can we do about this!

"What can we do?"

[That's what I'm saying.]

But Shuhu and Berd remained calm.

Berd's skill was Predation, which allowed him to absorb some of the strength and memories of the demons he consumed.

[Get up, young warrior.]

The best babysitter Shuhu knew, Berd, patted Gray's bottom again.

Harshly.

[Berd uses 'Skill: Harsh Command'.]

['Skill: Harsh Command' increases Gray's stats by 50%.]

['Skill: Harsh Command' causes Gray to be cursed with madness.]

"Kurrr!"

At that moment, the completely unmotivated Gray's eyes changed.

Berd laughed wickedly and continued to pat the bottom.

[Good! Let's start with this momentum, Kurrr!]

"Kurrr!"