Chapter 35

Level Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 34

The Sacred Artifact was genuinely flustered.

An uninvited guest had come to the noble king's testing ground and was wreaking havoc.

The Wraith Tree.

A monstrous tree that had grown by absorbing the spirits of the dead from this land.

There were originally three Wraith Trees guarding the sacred area.

But now, only one remained.

And that last remaining tree was being brutally destroyed by the uninvited guest.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

—Stop it! Please, stop it! Ah, the power of the sacred area… the king's trial…

The Artifact's desperate pleas fell on deaf ears as Suho continued to slash at the third Wraith Tree with a frenzy.

[Crack!]

Meanwhile, the six Shadow Jackals, which had grown in number, stood guard by his side, their posture proud and vigilant like watchdogs.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

‘If I destroy this, I’ll level up again!’

Unfortunately, when he destroyed the second Wraith Tree, he didn’t level up. This was because the higher his level, the more experience points he needed.

But from experience, he was certain this time.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suho’s axe swings became even faster.

However, unlike Suho, who was in high spirits, a voice in his head kept pleading desperately.

—No, that’s the last Wraith Tree! I’ve worked so hard to grow that tree!

“I’m not listening. I’m not listening.”

—But you are! You are!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

—You, who have no right, stop interfering with the king’s trial!

Suddenly, Suho’s sword stopped.

“…Right.”

Suho lifted his head and smiled faintly.

Then, he sneered at the Sacred Artifact, who was watching from somewhere.

“If you weren’t going to choose a real king, why are you so worked up?”

—…

The only response was silence.

Suho had been confident for a long time.

This confidence came from the fact that he already possessed one of Rakan’s Fangs.

“Anyway, you were planning to take over the body of the human who survived to the end, right?”

Rakan’s Fang would steal the body of a lowly human who possessed it.

But this time, the standard was nothing less than the ‘rank of a king.’

No matter how much humans on Earth tried, they couldn’t possibly meet the criteria to become a Fang Lord.

Rumble!

Just then, Suho’s sword destroyed the last Wraith Tree.

[The Wraith Tree has been destroyed.]

[All wraiths have disappeared.]

[Level up!]

With that, all the wraiths in the cursed field vanished without a trace.

As the wraiths, which had been screaming nonstop, disappeared, a heavy silence descended upon the forest.

And at the end of that suffocating silence, the Sacred Artifact finally spoke.

—…You know me well. What are you?

The question was directed at Suho.

But the heavy pressure in the voice made all the hunters in the cursed field tense.

Rumble!

The forest was roaring.

The ground shook as if it were about to collapse.

“What’s happening!”

“What’s going on!”

As a significant earthquake began under their feet, the hunters in the forest turned pale rapidly.

In contrast, Suho smirked and asked the Rakan’s Fang in his hand.

“Is the Sacred Artifact here stronger than you?”

—No way. I found a good host.

The mocking voice of Rakan’s Fang echoed.

—But I found a better one. I found someone who truly has the qualifications of a king.

Gray, who was in the Shadow Dungeon, was the only descendant of the Fang clan.

Although he had become Suho’s pet, it wasn’t a big issue.

In fact, Suho was confident that Gray would grow into a stronger lord by being by his side.

—Do you know the reason for the Sacred Artifact’s existence?

“What is it?”

—To compete the chosen successors and prove the qualifications of a king.

Swoosh.

Rakan’s Fang moved the tip of the sword to point in the direction of the Sacred Artifact.

—Go. Go to it and prove that you are more qualified.

Instead of answering, Suho turned his gaze to the Shadow Jackals.

“Jackals!”

[Growl!]

“Carry me!”

At the command, a Shadow Jackal quickly approached and carried Suho on its back.

Then, it began to run through the dense forest at a blinding speed.

* * *

Rumble—

The closer they got to the source of the earthquake, the denser the forest became.

A variety of plant-type monsters filled the area.

No hunter had ever reached this place before.

Not only was it unprofitable, but it was also extremely dangerous.

[The plants here are full of malice. They have already tasted human blood.]

Ver’s words were true.

The Great Catastrophe of the Cursed Field.

The fundamental reason why this land had turned into such a deadly jungle.

It was because the location where the gate opened was not good.

In this cursed field, there was a large botanical garden, the largest and most extensive in Seoul.

And at the center of that botanical garden, the interdimensional gate opened.

The moment the blue mist flowed out from inside and seeped into the various plants in the garden, a bizarre evolution occurred.

…This place turned into a hell.

If this place had been a normal mountain like Gwanak Mountain, it might have been different.

The types of plants growing on a mountain wouldn’t have been as diverse as in a botanical garden.

If this place hadn’t been in the city, it might have been different.

The contaminated monstrous plants wouldn’t have eaten so many humans in the city and evolved even more bizarrely.

The result of all this misfortune was right here.

[Cursed Field Botanical Garden]

In the place where the botanical garden once stood, a bizarre giant tree, which seemed to be alive, had grown.

Suho narrowed his brows and carefully examined the tree, soon realizing its true nature.

“This… isn’t a tree, is it?”

It wasn’t a tree.

The thousands of species of plants that had grown in the botanical garden had intertwined and merged, forming a giant tree that enveloped the garden.

—It’s a nest for the king.

Rakan’s Fang’s voice was somewhat excited.

—Another one of me has grown this sacred area to this extent. I have to admit, this is impressive.

At that moment.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the gates of the botanical garden, which had been tightly sealed by numerous vines, opened wide in front of Suho.

“Inviting me in?”

[Young Lord, it might be a trap.]

At Ver’s concern, Suho’s lips curled up slightly.

“If it’s a trap, I’ll break through it.”

Swish.

He stepped into the entrance, wielding two swords in his hands.

[Entering the dungeon.]

The botanical garden, which had been infiltrated by the dungeon, swallowed Suho.

Then, the vines wrapped around the gate again, sealing it.

* * *

Inside the botanical garden, it was quiet and dark.

Complete darkness, without a single point of light.

Suho maximized his senses to adapt to the darkness.

To improve his vision further, he put on the ‘Item: Raven Mask’ from his inventory.

Then, he saw something.

Spider webs.

“Wow. Look at this.”

Suho smirked and looked around.

The entire area was entangled in white spider webs.

“Is this a trap?”

Sss, sss.

Large and small spider-type monsters were crawling on the webs, eyeing the intruder.

[Tomb Spider]

[Tomb Spider]

…

‘Tomb.’

A fitting name, indeed.

There had already been visitors to this place before Suho.

While Suho was dealing with the Wraith Trees, beastified hunters had smelled the ‘scent’ and entered this place.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

They were all wrapped tightly in spider webs and hanging from the ceiling.

As Suho entered, those whose mouths weren’t covered screamed desperately.

“Save us…!”

“Please, help us…!”

—They are sacrifices. Sacrifices for the king.

While listening to Rakan’s Fang, Suho glared into the deep darkness.

There, a giant spider was crouching.

The size of a house.

Dozens of eyes.

A hideous mouth.

A pair of giant pincers.

[Tomb Spider Arachne]

It was a spider that exuded a mountain-like presence.

—The aura of the Sacred Artifact can be felt inside that thing’s body.

At Rakan’s Fang’s words, Suho’s eyes narrowed.

“Then I’ll have to cut it open and take it out.”

Pak!

Without waiting any longer, Suho leaped at the creature with incredible momentum.

Squeak! Squish!

Just then, tomb spiders poured down from the walls and ceiling toward Suho.

“Take care of the small fry!”

[Kyarlek!]

At Suho’s command, the Shadow Jackals leaped up and struck the tomb spiders.

They tore the creatures apart with their strong claws.

They killed them with their powerful teeth.

[Tomb Spider defeated.]

[Tomb Spider defeated.]

[Tomb Spider defeated.]

…

Numerous messages appeared simultaneously.

Suho ignored them all and focused on running forward.

His goal was only one!

“Squeak!”

Arachne shot out white spider webs toward Suho.

‘I’ll tear them apart!’

The two swords swung.

[‘Skill: Storm Slash’ activated.]

Kwaang!

The spider webs were torn apart by the swirling sword strikes.

Beyond them, the giant spider revealed itself.

“Squeeeek!”

The giant pincers above his head came down.

Bang!

If he hadn’t instinctively turned his body, he would have been crushed by the pincers.

The pincers, which had shattered the stone floor, rose again.

Suho’s eyes sharpened.

‘It’s coming again!’

Squeak— Bang!

He turned his body to dodge.

Bang!

He dodged again.

“Squeeeek!”

Enraged, Arachne began to strike wildly with its pincers.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The attacks rained down, as if trying to destroy the entire floor.

It felt like fighting an excavator at a construction site.

But.

‘I can see it.’

No, I can feel it.

Thanks to the increased sensory stats from using the item, Suho’s danger detection ability shone.

Suho dodged Arachne’s attacks one by one while gradually closing the distance.

And then he attacked.

Boom!

He struck the creature’s pole-like leg with Rakan’s Fang.

“Gwaaar!”

With the shock, the creature staggered, and Suho circled around to the opposite side, slashing with Rakan’s horn again.

Bang!

From that moment, Suho’s dual swords began to rain down on the creature in a frenzy.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

[‘Skill: Dual Sword Technique’ level up!]

The creature roared under the relentless, heavy attacks.

“Squeeeek!”

—That’s not enough! No matter how much you struggle, you will eventually become my prey!

The voice coming from inside the creature.

Not enough?

I know.

‘The skin is quite hard.’

But it doesn’t matter.

If the defense is strong, I’ll just keep hitting until it breaks.

‘You think I’m your prey?’

What a joke.

Suho bared his teeth and smiled.

‘You’re my prey.’

He was already excited.

Thinking about killing this creature and using it as a Shadow Soldier.

[‘Skill: Storm Slash’ activated.]

“Squeeeek!”