Chapter 31

I Level Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 30

“Rumble...”

Spike-toothed wolf Gray crouched low, watching his prey.

[Gray Lv.4]

Spike-toothed Wolf

Although his level had risen a bit, his size was still no bigger than a palm.

However, as a true descendant of the great spike-toothed clan, he had grown to the point where he could easily hunt a couple of goblins.

Thanks to this, Gray now walked with his tail held high, full of confidence.

Of course, he still couldn't handle three goblins at once, so when three goblins attacked simultaneously, he would quickly tuck his tail and hide in a small burrow he had dug in advance.

The goblins, unable to fit into the small burrow, would eventually give up the chase and leave.

By cleverly toying with these big and stupid goblins, Gray gradually adapted to the life in the Shadow Dungeon. However, one day, a major crisis befell him.

An unwelcome guest suddenly appeared in the Shadow Dungeon!

“Roar...”

Gray was stealthily pursuing the unwelcome guest with an extremely cautious gaze.

The creature looked quite strong, but it seemed to have been starving for a long time and had no strength left.

He can do it.

This weakness sparked Gray's competitive spirit.

He can do it.

Hunting prey stronger than himself was a highly honorable deed.

Swallow.

Gray held his breath, tense, waiting for the prey to show a weakness.

And finally!

Rustle.

The creature moved!

“Can you see it?”

“Grr?”

Eshil's hand reached out from the corner and grabbed Gray's nape, where he was crouched and staring.

“Grr! Grr!”

Oh! He's caught!

Gray was startled and flailed his short legs.

But realizing he couldn't escape from Eshil's grip no matter how much he struggled, he let out a fierce cry with a rebellious look in his eyes.

“Rumble!”

“Man, if you weren't the Guardian's pet, I would have eaten you right away.”

Eshil, disappointed, licked his lips as he looked at Gray.

‘I never thought a descendant of the spike-toothed lord would still be around here.’

Although the creature was no bigger than a mouthful, the flesh and blood of the spike-toothed clan were extremely precious as a medicinal herb.

“Rumble!”

Slurp, slurp!

“Huh? Trying to taste it, are you?”

Gray twisted his snout and eagerly licked Eshil's hand that was holding his nape, while still glaring at Eshil with a bold look in his eyes.

“Man, what a funny little wolf.”

Eshil couldn't help but chuckle.

“Of course, you probably know instinctively that eating me would give you power.”

‘We are actually in the same position.’

Eshil was the only surviving demon noble in the demon realm, and thus the only legitimate heir who might one day become a demon lord.

Just as the demons had sought Eshil's blood, the pure blood flowing in his body was a precious source of power.

‘...And the same goes for you.’

This arrogant little pup was the only remaining member of the spike-toothed clan, who might one day become a spike-toothed lord.

Eshil suddenly felt a strange sensation.

‘Two purebloods of a clan that was destroyed by war are gathered here. What purpose did the Guardian have in gathering us?’

Slurp, slurp, slurp!

“Hey, stop drooling already!”

At that moment.

[You have entered the Shadow Dungeon.]

Whoosh!

Guardian and Ber entered the Shadow Dungeon just in time.

In their hands were two fresh whole pigs.

“Ah!”

“Grr?”

Eshil and Gray's heads turned simultaneously.

Rumble!

A loud growl echoed from Eshil and Ber's stomachs.

Guardian chuckled and held out the whole pigs.

“Here, demons love meat, right?”

“Yeah! As long as it's not grass!”

Eshil quickly threw Gray behind him and eagerly took the whole pig from Guardian.

Gray, who had been thrown behind, quickly returned and bared his teeth greedily in front of Eshil.

And then, thud!

“Grr! Roar!”

Gray suddenly flipped onto his back and writhed around.

But Eshil was firm.

“No way. Go back. This is my food.”

“Huff, huff, huff!”

“Wagging your tail won't help now!”

“Rumble!”

The young wolf and the demon noble were squabbling over the whole pig.

Guardian, watching from behind, couldn't hide his exasperation.

‘Why do more and more carnivores seem to be gathering around me lately?’

Chomp, chomp, chomp!

[Hehe! It's delicious!]

“...”

They had brought two whole pigs.

Ber was already eagerly tearing into the remaining one.

But even the brave Gray didn't dare to challenge Ber's food.

“Then I'll eat well!”

Eshil plunged his hand into the pig's body.

Then.

Squish!

The large whole pig began to shrink around Eshil's hand.

‘Wow.’

Guardian, amazed, watched as Ber appeared beside him to explain.

[He's absorbing the magic power embedded in the pig's body. Demons have various eating habits, but demon nobles generally prefer a clean method.]

“Ah, you surprised me. You're an explainer, huh?”

[This servant is indeed a worm.]

Ber nodded as if it were obvious and returned to his pig, opening his mouth wide.

Chomp, chomp, chomp.

Ber seemed to prefer a less clean eating method compared to Eshil.

Guardian chuckled and subtly turned his gaze.

“Then, what have I been doing...”

Sniff, sniff.

Gurgle, gurgle.

The wild goblins, drawn by the smell of meat, began to gather around.

Guardian extended his hand.

“Huh?!”

One of the goblins suddenly floated in the air, thrashing its legs.

The power of the ruler.

A faint smile appeared on Guardian's lips.

“Maybe I'll do a daily quest?”

[Daily Quest: Clean the Shadow Dungeon]

100 Goblins: Incomplete (0/100)

10 Goblin Sergeants: Incomplete (0/10)

1 Goblin Captain: Incomplete (0/1)

* * *

[Completion rewards have arrived.]

[Would you like to check the rewards?] (Y/N)

The increase in his abilities felt real.

‘Now, a hundred goblins are nothing more than morning exercise.’

Tap, tap.

Guardian lightly shook his hands amidst the goblin corpses.

On either side of him were Lakan's fang and Volkan's horn, two swords embedded in the ground.

‘Looks like there's no hidden quest this time.’

He had tried to catch a few more, but it seemed the hidden rewards were a one-time thing.

However, the regular daily quest rewards were still quite good.

[The following rewards are available.]

Reward 1: Status Recovery

Reward 2: +3 Ability Points

Reward 3: 1 Random Box

He decided to leave the first reward, 'Status Recovery,' unclaimed.

‘I should save this for when I'm really in a tight spot.’

While potions could restore HP, they had a limited recovery amount and were slow.

In contrast, the 'Status Recovery' reward provided immediate recovery, making it useful in truly critical moments.

‘And I'll invest all the stat points in Strength.’

Ultimately, to become stronger, Strength was the best choice. The higher the Strength stat, the greater the power and speed.

‘And the Random Box.’

This time, it was a regular random box, not a hidden reward, that appeared in Guardian's hand.

When he opened the box, a small ring rolled out.

[You have obtained the item: Ashen Ring.]

“Ring?”

As Guardian held the dull-colored ring, the item description appeared.

[Item: Ashen Ring]

Acquisition Difficulty: D

Type: Accessory

Senses +5

“Raises the Senses stat by 5 points?”

Guardian's eyes widened.

Despite its appearance, it was a surprisingly good item.

The Senses stat enhances the five senses and improves the ability to detect danger.

In other words, it improves the ability to detect sudden ambushes.

Guardian quickly put the ring on his finger.

It was a bit loose, but it wasn't a problem.

[You have equipped the item: Ashen Ring.]

The Ashen Ring disappeared from his finger, and the stat was immediately applied.

[Senses: 29 (+5)]

‘Even a regular random box can be quite good. It feels like a prize draw.’

While Guardian was completing the daily quest.

[Choke.]

The meal was also finished.

Eshil, who had been watching Guardian hunt goblins from behind, had a puzzled look on his face.

“Strange.”

“What is?”

“How did the dimensional refugees end up here?”

“Dimensional refugees?”

“Those guys. After the war of the lords ended, the surviving remnants were swept into the gaps between dimensions and scattered everywhere. They are called dimensional refugees.”

It was a natural outcome.

With the lords, who were the center of gravity, gone, their subordinates were scattered.

“But this doesn't seem to be a coincidence.”

[What do you mean by not a coincidence?]

Ber also showed interest in Eshil's words.

“Well, breaking through the dimensional barrier is a very difficult and cumbersome task.”

[That's well known. If it were easy, I would have returned to my lord long ago.]

Ber nodded.

In the past, only a lord of the demon realm could break through to another dimension.

Even that was not an easy task.

“Even if it's difficult for you, can mere war remnants break through the dimensional barrier so easily?”

[Hmm?]

Ber's eyes sparkled.

Guardian also nodded, understanding what Eshil was getting at.

“Could it be because of the blue mist?”

“Right. The blue mist that started flowing from the outer universe has been distorting our dimensional barrier. How twisted must it be for such weak goblins to end up in the world ruled by the Shadow Lord?”

Eshil shrugged, calling it an unbelievable situation.

-I agree with that.

Lakan's fang, held in Guardian's hand, suddenly joined the conversation.

-It's unlikely that the remnants would voluntarily enter the world ruled by the victors of the war. The dimensional gaps must be seriously distorted.

‘Ah.’

During the conversation, Guardian suddenly realized an important fact.

“Ber, one more question.”

[Yes.]

“Didn't you say that the forces of your father's legion and the apostles of the outer universe are evenly matched?”

[That's right. They are so evenly matched that my lord couldn't even come to Earth himself, so he sent me.]

“Then, doesn't it mean that the outer universe can't come to Earth either?”

[What?]

Ber's eyes widened.

[...Oh!]

They widened even more.

“Right?”

[Yes, my lord! Of course, that must be the case!]

Ber nodded frantically.

Guardian also nodded, muttering to himself.

“So they're using the dimensional refugees. Since they can't come themselves, they must have gathered the refugees and connected them to Earth.”

In other words, they are using the refugees to achieve their goals without getting their hands dirty.

And this situation is not bad for the refugees either.

To them, Earth is a place where they can kill, plunder, and conquer freely.

‘And one more thing.’

Guardian finally understood the significance of the daily quest given to him.

[Daily Quest: Clean the Shadow Dungeon]

“I need to clean up the goblins as quickly as possible and find and seal the dimensional gap they came through.”

[That's right. If we leave the dimensional refugees unchecked, they will eventually reveal the existence of this place to the outer universe. Or, more accurately...]

“My existence.”

[...]

Guardian was fully aware of his situation.

“I am the only weakness of my father.”

This gave him another reason to become stronger.