Chapter 7 of 100
Chapter 7
8 min read1,919 words
Alone Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 6
Sung-ho is one year old.
The day the adorable baby finally took his first steps.
Just like any other parents, Sung-ho's house was in an uproar.
But for a slightly different reason.
- H-Honey! Sung-ho! Our Sung-ho!
- What about Sung-ho?
Sung-ho's mother, Cha Hae-in, shouted in disbelief.
- He's flying around right now!
- ...What?
- Sung-ho is flying around the house right now!
Sung-ho, who took his first steps not on the ground but in mid-air.
In fact, this ability was one of the special powers, 'Ruler's Power,' that he inherited from his father, Sung Jin-woo.
[...Ahem. I miss those days.]
Sung-ho, who mastered the art of flying before he could walk, at the age of one.
The scene was so extraordinary, like the birth legend of a mythological hero, that Ber wiped his nose.
However, at that time, Earth was a very peaceful world.
The power Sung-ho inherited was created to destroy everything, and in a peaceful world, it was utterly useless.
No, it was not only useless but also had the potential to make normal life impossible.
Thus, Sung Jin-woo decided to seal Sung-ho's power until he could control it.
[The apostles of the outer world are invading Earth! Now is the time to unleash the sealed power of the young lord!]
[Skill: Ruler's Power Lv.1]
Active Skill.
No mana required.
You can exert physical influence on objects without touching them.
While ignoring Ber's fuss, Sung-ho sent the arrow he had grabbed with an invisible hand flying back.
"I'll return it."
Whoosh - Thud!
[Crack!]
[Goblin Archer has been defeated.]
The goblin archer fell over with the arrow he had shot embedded in his neck.
This startled the other goblin behind him, who turned and started to run away.
Whoosh!
[Screech!]
'You think I'll let you escape?'
Sung-ho immediately took off after him.
However, in a flash!
"Huh?"
[Screech?!]
Sung-ho, with a single leap, overtook the fleeing goblin.
The goblin, who was instantly overtaken by Sung-ho, was taken aback.
Their startled gazes met in mid-air.
[Hehe! With the increase in strength, your jumping ability has also improved! You'll adapt quickly!]
Ber's voice, laughing and explaining from above, was incredibly annoying.
Sung-ho immediately brought down his axe on the goblin's head.
Thud!
[Screech!]
[Goblin Scout has been defeated.]
Sung-ho, who had quickly dispatched two goblins, wiped the goblin blood from his face with the back of his hand and surveyed his surroundings with a calm gaze.
He had been too busy fighting to notice, but now he realized that this black and white world was far from friendly.
The malevolent gazes from the ruins of the city were stimulating his perception stat.
"There are many."
[Many indeed. Very many. This is the land of death, a world long abandoned without a master. During this time, wild beasts have made their nests here.]
Ber's smile, explaining with a grin, was truly evil.
If it weren't for his cute mini size, one might believe Ber was the true master of this place.
[But now!]
Swish!
Ber spread his short arms and declared in a grand tone.
[The true master of this land has finally returned! I implore you, reclaim it! Take back the land stolen by those foolish invaders with your own power!]
Ding!
At that moment, a new quest window appeared in front of Sung-ho.
[Quest: Survival]
The residents of the Shadow Dungeon will never recognize you as the master of this land if you remain this weak.
Survive for the required time to prove your worth.
Required Time: 4 hours
Remaining Time: 4 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds
'Survival?'
Sung-ho's eyebrows twitched as he read the quest.
Just then,
Blow!
Blow!
[Goblin Decurion uses the item: Horn Flute to summon subordinates.]
[Goblin Centurion uses the item: Horn Flute to summon subordinates.]
Hehe!
Screech!
Screech!
With raucous cries, the goblins who had been hiding throughout the city began to appear one by one.
But their numbers were far too many.
Sung-ho's face turned pale.
"Are you kidding? Hold out for 4 hours like this?"
[Of course, you don't need to kill them all. You're only level 3. Just try to survive. If you struggle hard enough, you'll naturally level up and become stronger.]
Ber, winking and giving a thumbs-up, had the proud smile of a father looking at his grown son.
'...But why is he so annoying?'
But now was not the time for such thoughts.
Screech!
The goblins were closing in.
Snap!
Sung-ho quickly picked up the second axe from the goblin he had just killed.
[Item: Goblin Stone Axe]
Acquisition Difficulty: E
Type: Axe
Attack Power +5
A stone axe used by a goblin
The item information floated above the axe.
'One in each hand now.'
Sung-ho's eyes gleamed like a demon as he held a stone axe in each hand.
But this was still not enough.
The goblins approaching in droves also held the same weapons.
Sung-ho quickly opened his status window and invested all 5 remaining stat points into Strength.
[Strength: 15 → 20]
Whoosh!
Sung-ho felt a surge of power in his hands holding the axes.
The Strength stat increases both strength and speed.
Considering his Strength stat was 10 at level 1, his strength had doubled.
'With this strength...'
He could jump much faster!
Whoosh!
Using this strength, Sung-ho turned and started to run.
He was looking for a terrain advantageous for fighting a large number of enemies.
[Hehe! Excellent! Indeed, the weak have their own way of fighting!]
"..."
[It's like watching a successful ant larva's first wriggle!]
Wow, so annoying.
While running, Sung-ho remembered Ber and the feeling of being glad to see him, and erased it all.
He also decided to completely forget his long history as an ant enthusiast.
'I'll burn all the ant drawings when I get back.'
Sung-ho firmly resolved to draw only anteaters from now on.
* * *
He could clearly feel the effect of the Strength stat.
Sung-ho, wielding dual axes, wreaked havoc.
Whoosh - Thud!
He deflected a goblin's axe with his right axe.
Crack!
And struck the neck with his left axe.
Whoosh, Thud!
He spun around and stomped on the ankle of a goblin attacking from behind.
Crack!
And beheaded him.
[Goblin Assault Trooper has been defeated.]
[Goblin Spearman has been defeated.]
"Kiit!"
He killed two in one go, but the cost was brutal.
Axes and spears flew at him from all directions.
He dodged half, but couldn't avoid the other half.
Thud! Thud!
"Grunt!"
[HP: 160/190]
It hurt.
His body was becoming more and more covered in wounds as his HP decreased.
But Sung-ho gritted his teeth and charged at the goblins again.
Whoosh - Crack!
Boom!
This time, he cut down three.
In the meantime, he allowed four more attacks.
[HP: 118/190]
Splat!
He beheaded another one.
This time, he allowed three more attacks.
[HP: 84/190]
His HP was now down to half.
His body was also turning into a bloody mess.
Just then,
Ding!
[You have learned the skill: Toughness Lv.1.]
'Learned a skill?'
Sung-ho's eyes widened.
Usually, hunters live their entire lives with only the skills given to them upon awakening.
To gain new skills, the expensive 'Rune Stone' had to be discovered by rare chance.
To get such a precious skill for free during battle!
[Skill: Toughness Lv.1]
Passive Skill.
No mana required.
You have indomitable toughness.
Physical defense increases by 20%.
Before he could even check the skill description, he could feel its effect.
The pain from his wounds was reduced.
[Hehe!]
Just then, the goblins, realizing Sung-ho was not an easy target, let out cries and scattered in all directions.
At the same time, the sound of horn flutes summoning more goblins echoed from all around.
Taking advantage of this, Sung-ho hid behind a pillar to catch his breath.
"Wow. It hurts."
Ber flew over and stomped his feet.
[Hehe! Is our young lord in a lot of pain? But pain is part of youth. You've become stronger from the pain. It's so admirable that you've gained the Toughness skill by taking so many hits!]
"..."
Sung-ho, pressing his bleeding wounds, glared at Ber.
[Hehe?]
There, a tiny ant was smiling innocently, oblivious to the situation.
"Stop watching and help me."
Ber was once a powerful warrior who could tear apart a giant wolf with his bare hands.
He was so reliable.
But now, he didn't seem to have any intention of helping.
However, Ber had his own reasons.
[Of course, I want to help. But I need to conserve as much power as possible to return to the outer universe where my lord is waiting.]
Ber was recovering his drained power on his own to prepare for his return.
Sung Jin-woo, who could recharge his mana, was too far away.
[Moreover, if I join the battle, the experience points that should go to the young lord will be drastically reduced. Why not try to kill more and level up during this time?]
Ber's words were all true.
The problem was that he was so annoying.
He had been chattering away above his head, which was really getting on his nerves.
It didn't seem like he was intentionally provoking him.
He was just a pure evil without a sense of humanity.
[Hehe! Young lord! They're coming again! Get up and fight! You're almost ready to level up!]
Sung-ho gritted his teeth and reached out.
'Ruler's Power.'
An invisible hand flew forward and lifted a stone axe from a goblin's corpse.
He realized during the battle that the weight he could lift with Ruler's Power was about 10 kg.
Enough to lift a baby taking its first steps. Naturally, a stone axe was also possible.
Perhaps he used this ability to fly around when he was a child.
Sung-ho made the floating stone axe orbit around his body.
This would provide at least some defense.
Ber's eyes sparkled at the sight.
[Hehe! Using Ruler's Power like this? Indeed, necessity is the mother of invention!]
...That ant was definitely a demon.
* * *
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
Time really drags on.
But after struggling and becoming a bloody mess, his level was gradually increasing.
And when he leveled up, the wounds from the goblins' axes, which had been bleeding profusely, healed completely.
His nearly exhausted HP was instantly restored.
Most importantly, Sung-ho became stronger with each level up.
Finally...
[Remaining Time: 0 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds]
[Quest completed.]
[Level up!]
[Level: 7]
Whoosh!
[Screech!]
[Screech!]
As the timer ended, the goblins who had been relentlessly chasing Sung-ho scattered and hid in the darkness.
"Is it over?"
Sung-ho, without relaxing his guard, looked around.
The bodies of goblins were scattered around him.
A heavy silence, like when he first arrived, settled over the area.
[Phew! Well done! I'm so proud of you!]
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Ber, breaking the silence, clapped enthusiastically.
[Finally, those wicked ones have recognized the young lord! Now they will realize that the young lord is not as easy to deal with as he looks!]
Looks?
"What do I look like?"
[Well, you still look like an ant larva that can be squished to death! You're only level 7!]
"That damn larva..."
Still?
He shouldn't have asked.
Just then,
Ding!
[You have received the quest completion reward.]
[Would you like to check the reward?] (Y/N)
"Check."
As soon as Sung-ho answered, a message appeared.
[The following rewards are available.]
Reward: 'Rune Stone: Shadow Extraction'