Chapter 34

Level Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 33

"There are more people with Beast Transformation skills than I thought."

Suhwo was crossing the jungle without hesitation, far away from the other hunters.

Of course, countless wraiths appeared in front of him and attacked Suhwo.

From all directions, tree branches contaminated with mana persistently threatened his life.

Haaaaa-

[Valkyrie uses Skill: Lament]

[You will lose your sense of direction for 10 minutes.]

Moreover, above his head, a ghostly Valkyrie wailed, confusing Suhwo's mind.

‘Dominion’s Power!’

Snap!

Suhwo's invisible hand stretched out, grabbed the Valkyrie's neck, and snapped it.

…!

[Valkyrie has been defeated.]

[Skill: Lament has been canceled.]

“You shouldn’t cry. Santa won’t give you any presents.”

Suhwo grinned and killed the Valkyries as soon as they appeared.

Then, he swept through the wraiths swarming all around him in one go!

Suhwo's dual swords spun like a windmill.

[Skill: Storm Slash is used.]

Kwaang!

[Wraith has been defeated.]

[Wraith has been defeated.]

[Wraith has been defeated.]

…

Storm Slash was very useful in battles against multiple enemies.

However, despite killing so many wraiths, his level showed no signs of increasing.

‘Then, I just need to kill more!’

After all, he had to kill all of them to move forward.

[Skill: Storm Slash is used.]

[Skill: Storm Slash is used.]

Kwaang-!

…

The days when one Storm Slash drained all his mana were long gone.

Now, he could use it up to 8 times with his mana pool.

But something was off.

‘Why isn’t my level increasing even after killing so many?’

It felt like he wasn’t gaining any experience at all.

‘Could it be…’

Is there a main body?

Suddenly, Suhwo's eyes glinted coldly as he scanned the surroundings.

Thanks to his increased sensory stats, Suhwo had senses as sharp as those of the Beast Transformation hunters.

‘Found it.’

Suhwo immediately pinpointed the most dangerous aura in this complex jungle.

He changed direction and started running towards it.

Lakan’s fang, the navigation, asked.

-Where are you going?

“Let’s make a quick stop.”

It was a bit off the direction of the holy relic, but not completely opposite, so it was worth a quick detour.

A little while later.

“What is this?”

Suhwo discovered a strangely shaped tree.

[Wraith Tree]

“Wraith Tree?”

-It is a sacred tree that guards the holy land.

Lakan’s fang identified it.

“A sacred tree? This?”

Suhwo looked up at the Wraith Tree.

It looked more like a possessed shrine than a sacred tree.

And it was indeed.

Haaaaa-!

Keeheehee…!

At that moment, new wraiths were growing from the Wraith Tree’s twisted branches like fruit.

Berga explained with shining eyes.

-It seems to be a ghost tree that grew by feeding on the corpses of humans who died in this land.

“So, there was a main body after all.”

No wonder his level wasn’t increasing despite killing so many wraiths.

It seemed he had found the right target.

Suhwo grinned and levitated Lakan’s fang using Dominion’s Power.

He lifted Volcan’s horns with both hands and mercilessly hacked at the Wraith Tree’s side like an axe.

Kwaang-!

A tremendous roar echoed.

But the Wraith Tree still stood firm.

‘High defense, huh?’

Let’s see who wins.

Suhwo clenched his teeth and started hacking at the Wraith Tree in earnest.

Bang bang bang bang…!

Then.

“Kwaoaoao!”

Creepy!

Evil red shadows lunged at Suhwo, who was attacking the Wraith Tree.

Suhwo quickly retreated and parried their claws with his sword.

[Dungeon Jackal]

[Dungeon Jackal]

“Grrr…”

The Dungeon Jackals that landed on the ground surrounded Suhwo with a menacing aura, preventing him from escaping.

They clearly saw him as prey.

As guardians of the sacred tree, they indeed felt different from ordinary Dungeon Jackals.

But that made Suhwo even more excited.

“Alright. You guys might be useful.”

Suhwo suddenly grinned, and explosive energy burst from his entire body.

Hwaak-!

[Title: Wolf Slayer’s buff effect is activated.]

[All stats increase by 40% when fighting beast-type monsters.]

“Grrk?!”

The Dungeon Jackals instinctively lowered their posture and bared their teeth.

A predator’s aura suddenly emanated from the prey that had seemed weaker just moments ago!

“…Grrr!”

Suhwo swung his sword at the attacking Dungeon Jackals.

* * *

[Shadow Jackal Lv.1]

Normal Tier

[Shadow Jackal Lv.1]

Normal Tier

[Krrr!]

The shadow jackals with black energy swirling around them.

Berga, perched on their heads, nodded with a proud expression.

[Krr. From now on, serve as loyal dogs protecting the young master.]

-That’s why we lost in the war…

Lakan’s fang’s voice, mixed with a sigh, was heard.

Suhwo ignored the voice and continued hacking at the Wraith Tree’s side.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang!

Keeeeeek-!

Many wraiths lunged to interfere, but now the shadow jackals firmly guarded Suhwo’s back.

A sudden voice roared.

-What, you’re not protecting the Wraith Tree and are attacking the intruder…!

[Kreeek! Whose side are you on!]

-That’s not what I said.

[Hmm?]

It seemed another fang was watching Suhwo from a distance.

And finally.

Crack!

“Ah, done.”

Kurrrr!

With a grand noise, the massive Wraith Tree fell backward.

[Wraith Tree has been destroyed.]

[Surrounding wraiths disappear.]

Shaa.

At that moment, the wraiths circling Suhwo scattered and disappeared.

[Level up!]

“Level up?”

Suhwo’s eyes widened.

To level up just by cutting down a tree!

Suhwo’s gaze quickly scanned the surroundings.

He climbed a nearby tree and looked around from a high vantage point.

Far away, wraiths were still roaming and attacking hunters.

‘There’s more than one Wraith Tree!’

Suhwo’s eyes sparkled.

And the locations would be best known by the insiders.

“Lead the way!”

[Kwao!]

Following Suhwo’s command, the shadow jackals led the way to the second Wraith Tree.

* * *

Kurrrr!

The sound of something collapsing came from somewhere.

“…What is it?”

Baek Mihwa, who had already dealt with all the Hyena Guild members and was observing the surroundings, turned her head towards the direction of the noise.

‘That’s where that man went earlier, right?’

For some reason, it felt like the number of wraiths around her had slightly decreased.

‘No, it’s not just a feeling.’

They had indeed decreased.

By about a third.

Thanks to this, she had a bit more breathing room.

Baek Mihwa looked at the Hyena Guild member she had subdued to gather information.

Most of them were dead, but one was still alive, though covered in blood and restrained.

Baek Mihwa, with her vertically split beast eyes, looked into the terrified eyes of the man and asked.

“Do you want to live?”

“Y-Yes, I want to live!”

The werewolf answered desperately.

“Then prove it. Why should I let you live?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Tell me everything you know.”

“Hic.”

Grrr.

When Baek Mihwa bared her teeth, the werewolf felt like prey in front of a predator.

And a little while later.

“…Lord?”

Baek Mihwa had a strange expression.

She hadn’t really expected much, but the information the werewolf provided was surprisingly valuable.

“Is there a king who governs the demons?”

“Yes, yes! But that king died a long time ago, and the position is currently vacant!”

“So, this chaos is because they want to choose a new king?”

“Yes. We rushed here because we suddenly heard a voice.”

The werewolf, like the other guild members, had thought the voice was only heard by them.

They believed they were awakened by the fangs of the Lakan clan and thus qualified to be the king.

But when they arrived, it wasn’t the case.

Anyone with the power of a beast had the potential to be the king, and all of them were gathered here, fighting each other.

“Hmm.”

A king…

Baek Mihwa fell into thought.

Of course, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t tempted.

The voice urging her to prove her worth was stimulating her desires.

-Prove your worth to be the king!

‘…But it’s still suspicious.’

She couldn’t imagine the demons approaching humans with good intentions.

Especially not choosing a human as their king.

‘What a joke.’

Baek Mihwa snorted and crossed her arms.

It was better not to get involved.

But she was curious about the outcome of this test.

No, she was actually afraid.

What sinister plans might the demons be concocting under the guise of a king’s test?

‘Unfortunately, my father is not here at this crucial moment.’

Baek Mihwa sighed, thinking of her father, Baek Yunho.

If a human were to be chosen as the king of beasts, there would be no one more qualified than the S-rank hunter Baek Yunho.

But Baek Mihwa was certain.

‘If my father were here, he would have made the same decision as me.’

-Prove your worth to be the king!

“Tsk. It’s really noisy.”

The voice stimulating her desires made her head throb.

-Kill and kill again!

But then.

Kurrrr!

Another sound of something collapsing came from somewhere.

Something had changed.

-Only the one who survives until the end… Gah! Please, just stop!

“Hmm?”

What was happening now?

The voice that had been repeatedly heard suddenly became irritable.

All the hunters in the forest, including Baek Mihwa, looked up in confusion.

Even the werewolf, who was begging for his life, perked up his ears in surprise.

The voice that had been repeatedly heard suddenly stopped.

And the number of wraiths had decreased by half.

‘What is it? Could the king’s test be over…’

Of course, it wasn’t.

A little while later, the voice started again as if nothing had happened.

-Prove your worth to be the king… Ah! No! Not that! Only one tree is left!

“…Hmm?”

What was going on?