Chapter 54

Alone Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 53

Yoin.

Yokai.

The names used to refer to them were truly diverse.

Despicable dwarf goblins.

Ruthless hunter orcs.

Fierce giant ogres.

A world of slaughter where all sorts of monstrous creatures vied for dominance.

That was the world of the yoin, which had existed since ancient times.

And.

The lowest of all in that world.

Goblin.

At the very bottom of the ecological pyramid, in that cesspool, goblins had to engage in fierce struggles to survive, being the weakest of the weak.

The birth of the king of the yoin from these weak goblins began with a small whim.

The cruel crocodile yoin, Crocor.

Crocor 'Ammut,' who reigned at the top of the yoin's ecosystem, one day took an interest in a goblin child he encountered by chance.

"Huh, look at this one? I like the look in its eyes."

"Kerlek!"

The child was a goblin born weak from the start.

But because of that, it was a ruthless survivor who had torn out the eyes and ears of its own kind to survive.

Even as it struggled to survive, covered in blood, it did not lose its spirit in front of the strongest yoin, Crocor.

No, while its body trembled with fear, its eyes glared at Ammut as if ready to devour him.

That look sparked a small whim in Ammut's heart.

The weakest and smallest goblin, who had survived in the fierce battlefield.

What would happen if he trained this wretched creature himself?

How strong could it become?

"...It would be interesting."

Ammut decided not to kill the goblin child but to take it in.

"From now on, I will call you Tarnak."

"Kerlek?"

"Kuk. I will train your wretched body to be as strong as a Crocor. See if you can endure it."

Ammut, who had given the goblin a name, picked up the trembling small yoin with one hand and took it to his nest.

And from that day on.

"Kerlek...!"

The goblin child, Tarnak, began to receive training to become stronger under Ammut's guidance.

The training was extremely harsh, and he nearly died countless times.

But Ammut had no intention of letting go of his new toy, Tarnak.

"If you die, so be it."

This was an experiment that started from a small whim.

Ammut did not start it with the expectation that it would succeed, so he pushed Tarnak mercilessly.

How much time had passed?

Tarnak, who was forced to undergo training disguised as an experiment without understanding why, gradually became stronger.

And finally.

"Kerlek!"

Born as a goblin, Tarnak succeeded in toppling an orc, a higher-level being, for the first time.

That day, Tarnak asked Ammut what the power he was learning was.

"What is this? Hmm."

Ammut also pondered the name for the first time that day.

A technique to strengthen a goblin's wretched body to the level of a Crocor...

"Body Strengthening Technique."

Ammut, with his characteristic cruel smile, named it on the spot.

"What you are learning is the Body Strengthening Technique."

Body Strengthening Technique...!

Tarnak memorized the name in his heart.

After that, the torture named 'Body Strengthening Technique' continued for Tarnak.

Tarnak gradually became stronger, eventually becoming strong enough to topple orcs, trolls, and ogres single-handedly.

And after even more time had passed.

When Tarnak finally became stronger than his teacher, Ammut.

The monarch, who was the king of the yoin at the time, met his end.

Tarnak was chosen as the vessel for the new king of the yoin, becoming the 'Lord of Body Strengthening,' with the primordial darkness residing in his body.

For the war against the rulers, which had continued for eons since the dawn of light.

* * *

"But in the end, a goblin was just a goblin. To die after meeting a stronger one, no matter how much he struggled, Tarnak was just one of the common yoin. Kuk."

Ammut, recalling his deceased disciple, clicked his tongue in self-mockery.

At the same time, he looked at Suho, who had been listening to his boring story.

Suho had already shrunk to the size of a goblin.

Just like when he first discovered Tarnak.

Hehe.

Suddenly, Ammut's lips stretched into a long grin, revealing sharp teeth.

"And then, 'he' appeared before me."

"He?"

"The Grand Shaman Kandiaru."

Ammut recalled their first meeting.

When the news of Tarnak's death in the war of the monarchs reached the secluded Ammut.

A shaman of the Hwan race appeared before him.

And made an interesting proposal.

- Tarnak's teacher, Ammut, would you like to study the Body Strengthening Technique further with me?

- Oh? How so?

- I will create the optimal place for training the Body Strengthening Technique with my shamanism. And I will continuously provide suitable test subjects. What do you think?

Kandiaru's proposal was quite appealing to Ammut.

With the confidence of having created the Lord of Body Strengthening, Ammut tried to train several other goblins.

However, the results were all failures.

Other goblins, unlike Tarnak, could not endure the intense training and died quickly.

This was a great disappointment to Ammut.

If this was the case, it would mean that Tarnak was the only special one, and the Body Strengthening Technique he developed was not particularly remarkable.

This was a very ego-damaging conclusion.

Kandiaru seized on this point.

- Don't you want to prove whether your Body Strengthening Technique is special or if Tarnak was special?

- You don't need to provoke me on purpose. I also like your proposal. But even if I want to, the time given to me is running out.

At that time, Ammut was dying.

Aging.

No matter how strong a yoin Crocor was, there was no escaping the given lifespan.

But Kandiaru laughed sinisterly, as if it was no problem at all.

- I can solve that too.

The sinister smile of the Grand Shaman Kandiaru, who said that lifespan was a trivial matter.

- I happen to be researching eternal life.

In the end, Ammut took Kandiaru's hand.

He soon regretted that decision.

Crack!

Instantly, Ammut's eyes turned red with anger.

"After that, Kandiaru sealed me in this damn tomb. Eternal life? Kuk. What a fraud!"

Ammut's terrifying aura shook the pyramid.

Of course, Kandiaru did not lie.

According to their contract, Ammut did not die. He could live eternally, but only within this pyramid.

[It seems this crocodile is in the same situation as the mummies here.]

Berg whispered into Suho's ear.

Hearing this, Ammut stopped his anger and suddenly started to chuckle.

"Kuk! You're right. The bandages wrapping the decayed corpses are like this pyramid to me!"

[Is this crocodile mad?]

"You got it! I'm already insane! I've gone senile from living past my time to die!"

[Is that something to boast about?]

"But I remember my given mission clearly! I am trapped here by my contract with Kandiaru, eternally studying the Body Strengthening Technique! I will train the challengers who come to learn the Body Strengthening Technique from me! Kuk!"

[Young Lord.]

Berg earnestly advised Suho.

[Do you really want to receive real training from this senile crocodile?]

"What can I do? It's a quest."

Suho finally understood the meaning of the words Kandiaru had inscribed in the pyramid.

"May the light shine upon the challenger's future."

- Grand Shaman Kandiaru

"Challenger, huh? It means that if you want to learn the Body Strengthening Technique, you have to challenge it."

Interesting.

Suho smiled slightly and looked at the message that appeared before him.

['Daily Quest: Body Strengthening Technique Training' has arrived.] (Unconfirmed)

Given that a quest was explicitly created, it was unlikely to be harmful to him.

'Besides, it's a daily quest, so it means I'll get a reward every time I train.'

No matter how you look at it, it was a situation that would only benefit him.

"Alright, I'll learn. This Body Strengthening Technique."

Hearing Suho's words, Ammut grinned widely, tearing his massive lips.

"You made a good decision. I was going to kill you if you refused, but you saved me the trouble!"

"..."

Hic.

The one who reacted to this was Eshil, who was standing next to Suho.

The demon noble Eshil was even more sensitive to Ammut's aura than Suho.

Although he was senile, the powerful aura emanating from the strongest yoin, Ammut, was genuine.

If he were to act on a whim and reveal a murderous intent, they would end up like the scattered members of the Scavenger Guild around them.

Ammut stood up and barked at Suho.

"Kuk! Good! Let's start the training right away! From now on, your name is Tartar!"

"No, my name is Suho..."

"Come, Tartar! Let's start the training!"

"No, it's Suho..."

"Welcome, my second disciple, Tartar! I will now strengthen your wretched body to be like a Crocor!"

Ammut, ignoring Suho's response, roared loudly.

He seemed very pleased to have found a promising talent after a long time.

"Kuk. You should be prepared. My training is extremely harsh and dangerous. Many yoin have died from not being able to endure it."

Gulp.

Suho swallowed hard at these words.

[The King of Beasts, the Fang Lord, is listening to Ammut.]

Even the Fang Lord Rakan showed interest.

The Body Strengthening Technique was a remarkable training that had turned a weak goblin into the king of the yoin, the Lord of Body Strengthening.

"Tartar, you will do... every day!"

"Confirmed."

Just as Suho confirmed the message, Ammut also began to explain the intense training.

"100 push-ups! 100 sit-ups! 100 squats! 10km run! You will do this every day!"

"..."

Ding!

At that moment, the content of the daily quest unfolded before Suho's eyes.

[Daily Quest: Body Strengthening Technique Training]

100 push-ups: Uncompleted (0/100)

100 sit-ups: Uncompleted (0/100)

100 squats: Uncompleted (0/100)

10km run: Uncompleted (0/10)

※However, you must carry Ammut.

"But! You must carry me. Kuk!"

"..."

Suho's eyes widened at this absurd content.

"Let's start right away! See if you can endure it!"

Whoosh!

At that moment, Ammut's massive body became transparent and floated into the air.

"Etherization?!"

Eshil, recognizing it, opened her mouth.

At that moment, the ethereal Ammut descended onto Suho's head.

Thud...

"Grk?!"

Instantly, an immense gravitational field pressed down on Suho's entire body.

Suho had to summon all his strength to resist the terrifying weight.

[Kuk! Not bad! I can increase the weight a bit more!]

Thud!

"Grk...!"

Ammut's weight increased.

Eventually, Suho's muscles began to tear, and his veins burst.

"Suho!"

[Young Lord...!]

Eshil and Berg, who had quickly retreated to avoid the gravitational field, looked at Suho with worried expressions.

[Kuk! What are you doing! If you can't even stand, how can you do push-ups!]

Hearing Ammut's taunts, Suho gritted his teeth and barely managed to get into a push-up position.

Thud...

The moment he got into position, the immense gravitational field seemed to crush his body.

"Grk! Lord's power!"

Crack!

Using even the invisible hand, Suho barely managed to support his body.

'This is why everyone died!'

Thus, the hellish push-ups began.

[One! Two! Two! Two!]

"Why are you counting two all the time!"

[Your form is wrong!]

Is this a gym or what?!