Chapter 32

I Will Level Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 31

The enemies of the Shadow Lord were still unaware of the existence of the guardian.

However, if they eventually found out that the Shadow Lord had a son, the guardian would become the only weakness that could change the tide of war.

Just by capturing and holding him as a hostage, they could make Seungjinwoo's army hesitate.

...So he had to get stronger quickly.

"In the end, it's all about leveling up."

Suhwo nodded and looked around the Shadow Dungeon.

The daily quest was over, but he thought it would be better to hunt more goblins.

Looking back, the hidden quest required him to hunt "more" than the set amount.

'Maybe the system wanted this approach.'

"Gray."

"...Grr?"

At Suhwo's call, Gray timidly raised his head.

"Essil."

"Hmm?"

Suhwo smiled at Gray and Essil, who were looking at him.

"If you've finished eating, it's time to earn your keep, isn't it?"

"Grr."

Gray, who had never even tasted the pig, looked aggrieved.

But Gray knew that hunting and eating by himself would be more beneficial for his growth.

* * *

[A Goblin Shaman has been defeated.]

[A Goblin Archer has been defeated.]

...

[Level up!]

Suhwo spent some time with Essil and Gray, hunting goblins in the Shadow Dungeon.

Sniff, sniff?

Gray, though weak, had an excellent sense of smell as a hunter and found the scent of the goblins hiding everywhere.

Swoosh!

On the other hand, Essil was a master of spear techniques.

Even a weakened demon noble would not consider goblins as mere snacks.

She even plunged her hand into a goblin's body and sucked out its mana like a snack.

"Ugh. It doesn't taste good."

...Eating with her hands, she could feel the taste.

Does she clean her teeth by scraping her nails?

'Anyway, demons are really interesting.'

"...?"

Essil frowned and tilted her head.

For some reason, Suhwo was looking at her as if she were a curious animal.

And a little later.

"There are no more goblins around here. I think we've killed them all?"

"I don't see any here either."

Suhwo finally stopped and put his sword down.

Plop.

Lakan's fang floated in the air by the power of the Overlord.

On top of its handle, Berg flew like a sparrow and landed with a thud.

[Young Master, I've also made a round, and it seems they're all dead.]

"Good job."

[What do you plan to do now?]

"We'll wait here until they 'respawn.'"

Suhwo set up a base in an open area.

This was the so-called base camp.

"We don't know when or where they'll appear again, so we'll keep scouting the area around here. Of course, not me, but you two."

"Us?"

At his words, Gray and Essil perked up their ears.

"They'll help too."

[Kekeke!]

[Kerke!]

At Suhwo's words, the Shadow Goblins began to scout the area, wandering around.

They looked like bandits raiding a village, but they were on our side.

Suhwo's goal was to witness the appearance of new goblins in the Shadow Dungeon with his own eyes.

Considering the existence of the daily quest, it was certain that the goblins would reappear before the day was over.

"I get it. Since I've helped, I need to earn my keep."

Smack.

Essil licked her lips unconsciously as she replied.

Thanks to Suhwo, she had a rare feast, but the hunger from being starved for a long time couldn't be satisfied in a day.

'Goblins may not taste good, but there are a lot of them.'

Swallowing, he hoped they would appear soon and noticed Gray making the same expression.

"Huh?"

"..."

Feeling as if she had become a puppy, Essil's mood became complicated.

* * *

[Do you want to leave the Shadow Dungeon?]

Suhwo left the Shadow Dungeon, leaving it to Essil and Gray.

'Even after killing so many goblins, I only leveled up once.'

To get stronger, he needed to enter a stronger dungeon.

Suhwo had many options.

One was to threaten Lakan's fang to reveal the location of a new sanctuary.

But Lakan's fang didn't know everything.

It promised to inform him if it sensed the presence of a new sanctuary, so he could wait for that.

The second was to find another Stardust Factory and hunt demons.

But he had no leads on where to find it.

'And the third is...'

The Demon Valley.

'Going there first would be best.'

Gangseo-gu, Magok-dong.

Originally, the area was called Magok (麻谷) because it was abundant with hemp.

But one year ago.

After the worst dungeon break in history occurred here, people started calling the area Magok (魔谷) or Majing (魔境).

Since then, Magok has been designated as one of the most dangerous field-type dungeons in Korea, and civilians have stopped visiting.

'The Gwanak Mountain field and the Seoul Station field were both created a year ago. And the Magok field was also created exactly a year ago.'

Isn't that quite coincidental?

Reflecting on everything that has happened so far, he was certain that Magok was somehow related.

"Shall I go there?"

* * *

Creak.

The bus door opened, and Suhwo stepped out.

He had arrived near Magok using public transportation.

Although the world had changed, subways and buses were still operating well.

This made the world even more bizarre.

In a civilized city, just a few steps away, a hellish landscape teeming with demons suddenly appeared.

At this moment, hunters were diligently clearing and purifying such areas, but at the same time, new gates were opening somewhere else.

[But this place...]

As they approached Magok, Berg's eyes became serious.

The Magok field beyond was a jungle with dense forests and blue fog.

[It's a place that exudes a dangerous aura. Of course, it's not dangerous to me. Kehem.]

Berg, who was seriously boasting, suddenly tilted his head and asked Suhwo.

[Young Master, why are there no barbed wire fences here?]

Like the Gwanak Mountain field and the Seoul Station field, most field-type dungeons were surrounded by long barbed wire fences to prevent demons from escaping.

However, upon arriving at Magok, there were no such fences to be seen.

"This place is too wide to be surrounded by barbed wire, and it's meaningless anyway."

[Why is that?]

"The demons here are mostly plant-type monsters, so they can't get out anyway."

Strangely, plant-type monsters couldn't take root in soil without blue fog.

This was fortunate for humans.

Otherwise, the plants from the dungeon would have already covered the Earth.

[Oh? This is quite an interesting place.]

Berg looked at the scenery of Magok with interest.

Suhwo mentioned plant-type demons, but Berg's senses also detected the presence of other beings.

[Young Master, isn't this field occupied by another guild?]

"As far as I know, no. I couldn't find any information online either."

It turned out that the Magok field was an open hunting ground for all hunters.

Managing a place teeming with plant-type demons was too cumbersome for a guild.

Moreover, plant-type demons didn't fetch much money when sold.

Of course, they were still being studied, so it might change in the future, but for now, it was a place that didn't attract much attention from hunters.

"Besides, ghosts appear here."

[You mean ghosts?]

Berg looked even more interested.

These were not the ghosts from horror movies.

Ghost-type monsters.

In this forest, besides plant-type demons, there were also ghost-type monsters that couldn't be killed to obtain a corpse.

This made the place even more disliked by hunters.

Because it didn't make money.

'But I'm different. Experience points are more important to me than demon corpses.'

Thud.

Just as Suhwo was about to step into the Magok field.

-Sanctuary!

"!"

Until now, Lakan's fang had been quietly in his inventory, but it suddenly called out to Suhwo.

Suhwo immediately took out Lakan's fang and asked.

"What? A sanctuary? Suddenly?"

-Yes. This area is full of the aura of a sanctuary! It seems that the dense forest and blue fog have been preventing the aura from leaking out.

Berg looked at Suhwo.

[That means there's a relic similar to Lakan's fang somewhere nearby.]

"Or maybe a boss monster like Broki."

[Either way, it's a gain, isn't it?]

"Right. If it's a relic, it's an item, and if it's a boss monster, it's experience and Shadow Soldiers."

Suhwo's eyes sparkled as he looked at the dense jungle.

A combination of jungle and ghosts, this place was a nuisance and a hassle for hunters.

But Suhwo had a sanctuary navigation system.

Suhwo held Lakan's fang in front of him.

"Do you know where it is?"

-This way.

Lakan's fang pointed the direction of the sanctuary with its blade.

Suhwo boldly leaped into the jungle, leading the way with Lakan's fang.

* * *

Meanwhile, Suhwo was not the only one exploring the Magok field.

"Vice President, it's already the second day."

"How long do you plan to stay here?"

"Not that it's difficult, but we need a clear schedule and purpose..."

The hunters of the Baekho Guild had been wandering the jungle aimlessly for two days.

The reason was their vice president, Baek Mihyo, who was leading them.

However, no one dared to openly complain to Baek Mihyo.

Especially since the guild's president, Baek Yunho, was away, and Baek Mihyo, his daughter and vice president, was essentially the president.

"It's because someone keeps calling me."

Baek Mihyo had been hearing strange auditory hallucinations for some time.

-Prove your worth.

The voice started suddenly.

-Prove your worth.

At first, she dismissed it as a hallucination.

But the voice grew louder over time, eventually leading her to Magok.

'What's here? What worth do I need to prove?'

Baek Mihyo was also frustrated.

But she was certain that something was here.

Because the moment she stepped into the jungle, the hallucinations stopped.

Then, at that moment.

Thud!

The hunters' bodies trembled when they saw Baek Mihyo's face.

'Vice President's eyes...'

Her eyes, which had suddenly turned yellow like an animal's, were slit vertically.

'Beast eyes.'

The Beastification skill that made Baek Mihyo who she was.

Even with just a fraction of its power, the pressure was immense.

-Prove your worth.

"...It's starting again."

The voice echoed in Baek Mihyo's mind again.

But the content was slightly different this time.

-Prove your worth to be a king.

Baek Mihyo removed the headband from her wrist and tied her hair, which flowed like a lion's mane.

With her beast eyes, she fiercely glared in the direction of the voice.

"Everyone, prepare for battle."