Chapter 27

Alone Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 26

At those words, the demons' eyes were filled with greed.

"Radir?"

"The Radir family?!"

The corners of the demons' mouths stretched wide, and their maniacal laughter erupted.

"Could it be that there are still surviving demons from Radir!"

"Kukuk! This time, it's a big catch!"

The blood of a demon noble is precious.

Especially in the demon world, where all noble families have been exterminated and only mongrels remain!

"Don't give him a chance!"

The demons suddenly pounced on the demon Eshil of the Radir family.

Their bodies exploded in size, and their elongated nails extended, emitting wicked demonic energy that aimed for Eshil's life.

"How dare you, mere low-level demons!"

Eshil nimbly jumped to avoid all the attacks and swung his spear without hesitation.

However, the low-level demons sneered and continued to press Eshil.

"Kuk! The world has changed a lot; it's no longer about ranks!"

"The day we hunt a demon noble has finally come!"

"Kuh!"

Eshil, cornered, clenched his teeth in frustration.

His stamina had long been depleted from being chased by countless demons in the demon world for a long time.

Worse still, he had been forcibly summoned to Earth in his true form, which imposed a restriction on his power.

The method to remove that restriction was 'possession.'

Those low-level demons had possessed humans and even developed stardust to amplify their power.

A battle between a weakened demon noble and power-amplified low-level demons.

The outcome was obvious.

"Kukuk! The blood of a noble! Pure blood!"

"We can make stardust with pure blood!"

[Young Master.]

Suddenly, Berga appeared by Shugoo's ear and whispered quietly.

Shugoo had slipped to the back during the chaos of the battle.

"Yeah, now's the time."

Shugoo nodded and exchanged glances with the hunters on the cart.

The hunters also nodded and secretly got up.

'Although something unexpected happened, it might be for the better.'

Initially, their plan was this:

1) Infiltration: Shugoo, wearing a crow mask and a black robe, would infiltrate the factory, pretending to be a young demon.

2) Disturbance: After that, Shugoo would cause a 'disturbance' inside to draw the demons' attention to him.

3) Escape: In the meantime, the hunters, disguised as bloodied people, would rescue the captives and escape.

However, this situation arose before Shugoo could even start the disturbance.

'We will proceed according to the plan.'

The hunters on the cart, including Assistant Im, all possessed speed-related skills.

Swish.

Shugoo and they disappeared from their spots simultaneously.

In an instant, they arrived beside the tied-up people and covered their mouths.

"Shh."

"......!"

Quickly exchanging glances, the people, understanding the meaning, nodded with frightened expressions.

Snap.

Shugoo tore the chains binding them with his strength.

'It's done!'

Assistant Im's heart pounded, eager to escape.

'Now, just carry and run!'

The moment he hoisted a civilian on his back.

"Huh?"

One of the low-level demons fighting Eshil noticed the scene.

"Why isn't the youngest one fighting and what are you doing over there?"

Suspicion flashed in the demon's eyes behind the crow mask.

Shugoo shouted instead of answering.

"Run!"

Whoosh!

At that moment, the hunters, carrying all the civilians on their shoulders, sprinted at their maximum speed.

The target was the entrance!

"Where are you going!"

At that moment, a few demons fighting Eshil quickly blocked their path.

Swoosh!

Wicked demonic energy surged toward the hunters.

Then Shugoo shouted from behind.

"Don't stop, keep running!"

With that, the hunters, with determined looks, accelerated even more.

The faster they ran, the closer the demons' attacks came.

'I believe in you!'

They kept running, trusting Shugoo.

And Shugoo did not betray their trust.

"Rise!"

Suddenly.

[Clack!]

"......!"

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Snap! Snap! Snap!

The arms of the shadow goblins Shugoo had planted near the entrance sprouted from the ground, biting and pulling the demons' legs.

"What the...?!"

The demons were startled.

But it was too late.

[Keeh!]

[Kehheh!]

The shadow goblins are vicious.

They mercilessly slashed the demons' ankles with the butchering knives they held.

"Kyaah!"

The human bodies the demons possessed were weak. Even a slight injury to the Achilles tendon would render them powerless.

The moment the demons screamed and collapsed.

'Take this chance!'

The hunters quickly passed by and successfully escaped the factory.

Assistant Im, the last to leave through the iron gate, turned his head to look at Shugoo, who was left behind.

'Will he be okay?'

Shugoo, understanding his concern from his eyes, grinned and nodded.

Then.

Bang!

The iron gate closed.

Time taken to escape: 3 seconds.

Time for the demons to tear the shadow goblins to pieces and get up: 2 seconds.

Total: 5 seconds.

Everything is going according to plan.

'Now, all that's left is...'

My turn.

Shugoo quickly counted the number of demons.

Excluding the purple-haired demon summoned earlier.

'Total 9.'

The problem was that each of them was about the same level as the 'youngest' he had barely defeated earlier.

But.

'I can do this.'

Shugoo's gaze fell on his shadow.

Then.

"Rise."

He summoned the shadow soldiers he had extracted before infiltrating the place.

"Brocki."

...!

At that moment, a massive shadow rose in front of Shugoo.

Whoosh!

[Brocki Lv.1]

Knight Rank

A giant hyena monster with a body enveloped in black steam.

This was the 'disturbance' Shugoo had planned initially.

Although the order has changed, it was now an even better situation to hunt the demons.

[Kyaoo-!]

Brocki's fierce roar shook the factory.

"What, what is this!"

The demons, who were fiercely attacking Eshil, were greatly alarmed.

"Why is Brocki here?!"

"No, something seems different..."

The demons already knew Brocki, who had been leading the Hyena Guild from behind.

After all, the Hyena Guild had been a major supplier of people, the main ingredient for stardust, to the demons.

This made the situation much better.

However, a problem still remained.

Based on Shugoo's experience of fighting both Brocki and the demons, Brocki was definitely stronger than the demons in a one-on-one fight.

But there were nine demons.

At this rate, there was no chance of winning.

But.

What if I do this?

"Berga!"

[Keeek!]

At Shugoo's call, a wicked aura spread from Berga's small body.

[Berga uses 'Skill: Harsh Command'.]

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

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

[Kyaah!]

Brocki suddenly pounced on the demons.

Boom!

"Kuh?!"

The demons were helplessly flung away by Brocki's massive front paws, swung like a baseball bat.

Shugoo's dual swords whirled toward the demons who were smashed into the concrete wall.

'Slash Storm!'

['Skill: Slash Storm' activated.]

Kwaang-!

Shugoo's body spun like a typhoon, driving the demons back.

[Low-level demon defeated.]

[Low-level demon defeated...]

"Haah... haah..."

Thanks to this, Eshil, who had been fighting a fierce battle alone, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, instead of feeling relieved, his eyes widened at the sight of Brocki's overwhelming power.

"Could that monster be...?"

[Kyaoo!]

Kwakwakwak...!

The black monster, with a tank-like heavy body, relentlessly pursued the demons.

As far as Eshil knew, there was only one being in the world who could summon a creature like this.

The one who had single-handedly brought about the downfall of the demon world long ago.

The one who had annihilated all the demons standing in his way and ultimately defeated the demon lord Baran.

That terrifying and great name.

"Is... Seong Jin-woo here?!"

Eshil's face, which had been radiating a frosty aura, suddenly brightened.

He urgently looked around to find Seong Jin-woo.

"Where? Where are you, Jin-woo...?"

And he finally found him.

"Im?"

Although it wasn't Seong Jin-woo, he found a face that strongly resembled the young Seong Jin-woo.

"Eh?"

Eshil tilted his head.

At that moment.

[It's been a while.]

Berga appeared in front of Eshil.

"Who... Could it be Berga?!"

Eshil was surprised by Berga's changed appearance after a long time.

"Why are you so small?"

The Berga he remembered was a terrifying demon, more fearsome than any demon, who had led the slaughter of enemies alongside Seong Jin-woo.

But for some reason, the current Berga had transformed into a cute, fist-sized form.

Berga was also curious.

[You've become quite weak. What happened?]

"Hehe. I've had a tough time."

Eshil chuckled and chattered, even as blood streamed down his body.

Berga sneered at his appearance.

[You're still as calm as ever, even on the brink of death.]

"As long as I'm not dead yet, that's all that matters. Hehe."

[What exactly happened in the demon world...]

Thud.

Before Berga could finish speaking, Eshil collapsed on the spot.

All his tension had been released upon seeing Berga.

Eshil, sprawled on the ground, groaned and called out to Berga.

"Berga, I really feel like I'm going to die. Can you heal me a bit?"

[No.]

"Why?"

[It's a waste of mana.]

Berga's outright refusal made Eshil realize something.

"Ah. You've also become weaker, haven't you?"

[Keeek! Not me!]

Berga flared up in anger.

Meanwhile, Shugoo's battle continued.

[Low-level demon defeated.]

[Low-level demon defeated.]

[Vulcan's horn devours the demon's soul.]

[Vulcan's horn devours the demon's soul.]

...

The tide of battle had already tilted completely in Shugoo's favor.

The harsh command, which increased Brocki's stats by 50%, had a much higher amplification rate than stardust.

Moreover, the more demons Shugoo killed, the stronger he became.

[Devoured demon souls: 3]

[Devoured demon souls: 4]

...

[Effect 'Destruction Desire': Increases physical damage by [33%].]

[Effect 'Destruction Desire': Increases physical damage by [34%].]

...

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

"Kuh!"

Thud.

The moment Shugoo's sword beheaded the last demon.

His level had just reached 20.

Then.

Ding!

[Your level has exceeded 20, allowing you to use the 'Shop: Purchase' feature.]

"Huh?"

Shugoo, checking the message, tilted his head.

"There was a shop system too?"