Chapter 6

Alone Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 5

Suhwo looked at Ber with a bewildered expression.

"You greeted me so wistfully, and now you can't go back?"

[In fact, the journey to Earth was very long and perilous. Many enemies blocked my path, but I overcame them all and came here, so I have no strength left to return... Ahem.]

Ber made an embarrassed excuse.

[If my lord had been by my side, my power would have been instantly recharged, but I didn't expect it to be impossible to recharge from such a distance.]

"..."

Suhwo looked at Ber in silence for a moment.

He said he had no strength left, but he had shrunk so drastically compared to his grand entrance at the art gallery.

'It's like looking at a stuffed toy.'

Suhwo picked up Ber with one hand.

[Chirp?]

The mini Ber dangled from Suhwo's hand, feeling like a prize from a claw machine.

Ber, hanging from Suhwo's hand, continued to chatter.

[Whether you remember or not, you are the only successor to the great and omnipotent Shadow Lord.]

"Shadow Lord? Who is that?"

[Seong Jin-woo. Your father.]

"Our father?"

[Yes!]

Suhwo momentarily doubted his ears.

"Our father? You mean the one who left home?"

[He didn't leave home; he went to space.]

"..."

Suddenly, the scale was space?

Not knowing how to react, Suhwo watched as Ber suddenly adopted a solemn expression and spread his arms.

[To put it simply.]

Swish!

[A great war is currently raging in space.]

From Ber's hand, made of black energy, shadows flickered and created an illusion.

The shadow illusion transformed into countless soldiers the size of fingernails, and even more monsters attacked them.

And at the center.

A man with an especially strong aura was there, though he was only the size of a fingernail.

[This war is being led by your great father, Seong Jin-woo.]

As he said this, Ber pointed to the enemies Seong Jin-woo was blocking.

[And these are the minions of the Itarim, who have come to devour our world.]

"Itarim?"

[The Itarim are gods from a distant universe.]

Ber continued to speak solemnly.

How vicious and persistent the Itarim were.

Most of it was just curses, but in any case, they were the enemies who had invaded Earth.

"So, the demons that poured out of the gate two years ago were because of the Itarim?"

As Suhwo listened to the explanation, he felt a strange feeling.

Both of Suhwo's parents were missing.

He had reported them missing a long time ago, but the police had found no leads at all.

It was as if they had vanished from the face of the earth, and he had almost given up.

But suddenly, they were in space?

It was a hard fact to believe, but the existence of a talking stuffed toy, or rather a talking ant, was an unrealistic situation to begin with.

After all, in a world where dungeons and demons existed, the addition of space wasn't that surprising.

Suhwo suddenly asked.

"Then what about my mother? Did she go to space too?"

[Chirp? No?]

Ber looked bewildered.

"What? No?"

[No, not at all. Where did Lady Hae-in go?]

Ber's reaction made Suhwo's expression stiffen.

"My mother also went missing on the day my father disappeared, so I thought she would be with him..."

[Chirp?! Did you say Lady Hae-in went missing? When? Where?]

Ber jumped up in shock.

"I don't know..."

Suhwo sighed softly.

* * *

Ber, who had flown from the distant universe where the war with the Itarim was taking place to Earth.

The process was not exaggerated; it was truly perilous.

The enemies were not to be underestimated, as they did not just let a general defect from the battlefield.

After breaking through the massive army and barely reaching Earth, it turned out that the whereabouts of Seong Jin-woo's wife, Cha Hae-in, were unknown.

Ber was greatly shocked.

[Chirp! We must find Lady Hae-in immediately!]

"Do you know where she is?"

[Those who would do such a thing are obvious! The Itarim! They must have set a wicked trap for Lady Hae-in on Earth!]

Suhwo's mother, Cha Hae-in, was protected by the Shadow Lord and was not easily in danger.

But if something had happened, it was clear that a force equal to the Shadow Lord's power was involved.

Ber was making a fuss, but for some reason, Suhwo wasn't too worried about his mother.

Of course, he was worried when she went missing, but the shock of learning about his father's identity was so great that he no longer saw his mother as an ordinary human.

"Come to think of it, I've never seen my mother panic."

After all, she had married someone who knew his father's true identity from the beginning; what could surprise her?

[No, that's because raising children is so difficult...]

Ber mumbled something from the side, but Suhwo didn't hear it.

In any case, the mother Suhwo remembered was always calm and composed.

That's why, perhaps. It was just a vague belief, but he couldn't imagine his mother being in danger.

But regardless, it was a stroke of luck to find a clue to his parents' mysterious disappearance.

"Ber, what do I need to do to find my mother?"

In response to Suhwo's question, Ber, hanging from Suhwo's hand, shouted strongly.

[Of course, you must become as strong as possible as quickly as possible!]

"Get stronger?"

[Yes! My lord cannot come to Earth for a while due to the war. In the end, only you can save Lady Hae-in, but you are weaker than an ant larva!]

"Weaker than an ant larva..."

Suhwo was a bit hurt.

Regardless, Ber erased all the shadow illusions he had created in the air, flew up from Suhwo's hand, and pointed at Suhwo's feet.

[So, let's level up.]

Ding!

[A quest has arrived.]

At that moment, a message window appeared in front of Suhwo.

[Quest: The Shadow Trial]

Seong Suhwo, you are the son of the great Shadow Lord.

But now, all your innate talents are sealed.

To wield that great power, you must prove your worth.

Enter the Shadow Dungeon and prove your worth.

"Shadow Dungeon?"

Looking at the quest window in front of him, Suhwo immediately recalled the 'Key to the Shadow Dungeon' that Ber had given him in the dream.

[The Shadow Dungeon is the 'Realm of Rest' granted to you. It is a land of the dead where the living cannot enter without the owner's permission. Open your 'Inventory'.]

As Suhwo focused his mind, a translucent window appeared in front of him.

[Inventory]

Key to the Shadow Dungeon (Unidentified)

'Even an inventory? This really feels like a game.'

It was amazing.

When he was told that his teenage dream was a tutorial, now it really felt like a game with all the added features.

Suhwo reached out and took the key.

An information window appeared above the key.

[Item: Key to the Shadow Dungeon]

Acquisition Difficulty: ??

Type: Key

A key that allows you to enter the Shadow Dungeon.

Can be used on Seong Suhwo's shadow.

'Can be used on my shadow?'

Following the description, Suhwo's gaze dropped to his feet.

He knelt on one knee and gently placed the tip of the key on his shadow.

Swoosh!

Strangely, the key entered the shadow.

Ber's eyes sparkled.

[Now, go in and take all the power that should have been yours.]

"Wait."

Suhwo pulled out the key and quickly changed his clothes.

He took off the loose hospital gown and slippers, found his original clothes, and tied his shoelaces tightly.

Then, a determined look appeared in Suhwo's eyes as he looked down at the shadow.

"Alright. Shall we go?"

[Chirp! Let's go! I will assist you, even though I have no strength left!]

Suhwo didn't really expect much.

He inserted the key into the shadow again.

Click.

[Do you want to enter the Shadow Dungeon?] (Y/N)

"…I will enter."

Whoosh!

As he answered, Suhwo's shadow spread in all directions.

It began to engulf everything in sight.

The walls, the ceiling, and eventually the entire hospital building.

[You have entered the Shadow Dungeon.]

Suhwo found himself in a black-and-white world overlaid with shadows.

'Where am I?'

A serene silence, devoid of any signs of life.

A dense forest, dyed in black and white, awaited Suhwo.

Or rather, it was a ruined city that had turned into a forest.

The exteriors of the towering buildings were covered with moss and vines.

Suhwo suddenly remembered a book he had read as a child.

'The title was probably... Earth Without Humans?'

The book was a documentary about the Earth's self-recovery process.

In summary, a city left unattended for a long time without human management would be overgrown with plants, crumbling buildings, and eventually turning into a forest.

Just like this place.

'This feels like a field contaminated by magic.'

In the quiet, Ber, who had followed Suhwo into the Shadow Dungeon, flew up and saluted.

[Welcome to the Shadow Dungeon!]

"Is this the Shadow Dungeon?"

Looking around, Suhwo felt a strange sensation.

It was like stepping into an old horror movie.

'...But why does it feel so familiar?'

Like everyone, it was impossible to vividly remember the memories of infancy.

But the emotions and atmosphere felt during that time often remained deep in the heart even as an adult.

This black-and-white world, which might seem ominous to others, felt as warm and comforting as his mother's embrace to Suhwo.

At that moment.

Thud!

'Killer intent?'

Suhwo's sensory stat sent a warning.

Whoosh!

A flying axe from behind.

[Chirp! The trial has begun! Dodge!]

Hearing Ber's urgent cry, Suhwo immediately turned his body.

And delivered a roundhouse kick!

Smack!

"Ugh!"

Suhwo's kick sent a monster tumbling awkwardly on the ground.

A name tag, like Ber's, floated above its head.

[Goblin Scout]

"Kee!"

Green skin.

A hideous monster about a meter tall.

'Scout?'

As soon as Suhwo confirmed the monster's name, he became alert.

'If it's a scout, there might be others around!'

Suhwo had already fought countless battles in the dream he had as a teenager.

The survival instinct ingrained in his body from those experiences kicked in.

'I need to kill it before it calls for backup!'

Swish!

Before the monster could get up, Suhwo lunged at it.

[Chirp! It's dangerous to fight with bare hands! Goblins are weak demons, but you are weaker right now!]

"I know!"

Crack!

As Suhwo struck the goblin scout's hand, making it drop the axe.

[Kea! Well done! Very well done!]

Ber, flying above, clapped enthusiastically.

'Oh, so noisy.'

Snap!

[Item: Imp's Stone Axe acquired.]

Suhwo immediately swung the axe as soon as he grabbed the handle.

Crunch!

[Kea!]

[Goblin Scout defeated.]

Suhwo beheaded the goblin in one swift move.

But there was no time to catch his breath.

Whoosh!

A chilling breeze from behind.

'Sure enough, there's a companion!'

An arrow flying through the air!

Suhwo instinctively reached out his hand.

'Power of the Overlord!'

Crack!

At that moment, a transparent hand extended from Suhwo's hand and caught the flying arrow.

[Chirp! That power!]

Seeing the arrow suspended in mid-air, Ber was overjoyed.

[As expected, our young lord! You have finally awakened the power from your infancy!]

Ber remembered.

The young Suhwo walking in the air during his infancy.