Chapter 81

Alone Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 80

- Oh, Suho! What on earth is going on here!

Clang!

As soon as he answered the call, a thunderous voice nearly made his eardrums bleed.

Suho answered the call with an awkward expression.

“Haha… Uncle, hello.”

- Hello? I nearly fell over in shock when I saw your face on the news all of a sudden! How are you? Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?

“I’m fine. I’m not hurt at all.”

- Really?

“Yes, really. I’m perfectly fine.”

- Switch to video call!

The call abruptly switched to a video call.

Then, a middle-aged man’s face appeared on the other side of the phone, scanning Suho.

- Let me see. Your face is still handsome. Your body… has gotten even better? You really are fine.

“Yes, really.”

- What a relief.

Only then did Suho’s uncle, Yoo Jin-ho, let out a deep sigh of relief from the other side of the phone.

- You, I thought you were just quietly drawing at school, but when did you become a Hunter? If you had awakened, you should have reported to me right away.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy that I forgot.”

This was not an excuse at all.

Since his awakening, incidents and accidents had been happening one after another.

Even Suho himself was amazed that just a month ago, he was a fine arts student who only drew ant pictures in front of a canvas.

Yoo Jin-ho clicked his tongue at Suho’s obvious excuse.

- You forgot? Do you think you’re not your father’s son? Is indifference also hereditary? You didn’t even tell your grandparents, did you?

“Yes. What’s the point? I don’t want to worry them, living their peaceful lives in the countryside.”

- That’s true. If they saw the news about you, it would be bad for their hearts. I was so shocked when I saw the news that I delayed all my meetings today.

“My heart seems to be worse, Uncle. I’ve never seen Grandpa and Grandma sick in my life.”

- Shut up, you! Anyway, since my schedule is now empty because of you, do you have time now?

“Now? I do, but…”

- Do you know how many people died in this incident? I need to see you with my own eyes to calm down, so let’s meet. Do you know where my company is?

“Are you telling me to come to your company now?”

- Hmm. No, it would be troublesome if you wandered around and people recognized you. I’ll send my driver, so just put on some clothes and come in my car.

With that, the call ended abruptly.

Suho shrugged.

“Well, maybe it’s for the best.”

To see his uncle after a long time.

And to get rid of the annoying mosquitoes outside.

Suho put on some clothes for the outing.

* * *

Squeak.

A short while later, a black limousine arrived in front of Suho’s house.

“Are you Seong Suho? The CEO sent me.”

‘Awakened?’

Feeling the familiar magical aura from the driver, Suho’s eyes lit up.

‘Did he send a driver and bodyguard?’

Dr. Min Byung-gu was the same; not everyone who awakens wants to risk their life in dungeons.

In fact, many Awakened prefer to work safely outside the dungeons if the salary is good enough.

Click.

“Please get in the back. I’ll open the door for you.”

“No, I can do it myself.”

Just as Suho was about to politely stop the driver from opening the back door for him,

“Wait! Stop right there!”

“Seong Suho! Can we talk for a moment?”

Scouts who had been waiting for Suho to come out of his house rushed over and blocked his path.

“I’m a headhunter from the Black Tortoise Guild! I heard you’re still a freelancer. Can we talk for a moment?”

“Let me tell you about our conditions! No C-rank Hunter can get such good terms anywhere else…”

“Hey! Why are you pushing people around! Seong Suho, let’s go to a nearby café first.”

The scouts, vying for Suho’s attention, thrust their business cards at him and tried to grab his wrist and drag him away.

Their rude behavior made Suho’s brow furrow slightly.

[Large guild scouts are generally like this. They think they’re the boss, especially when dealing with Hunters of lower ranks, and act arrogantly.]

Quai, who was familiar with such situations, whispered to Suho.

Click.

“Would you like to get in first?”

At that moment, the driver who had come to pick up Suho stepped forward, removing his dark sunglasses.

“I’ll handle this.”

When he removed his sunglasses, a cold, piercing gaze was revealed.

However, the scouts were completely unfazed by his intimidating appearance.

Instead, they began to pressure the driver with their own arrogance.

“Hey, can’t you tell where you’re needed and where you’re not?”

“Do you know who we are? How dare a mere driver interfere?”

“Do you know how important an opportunity this is for Hunter Seong Suho?”

The problem was that the scouts were also Awakened.

Due to their profession, they had to deal with Hunters, and they wanted to win the psychological battle from the start to push their conditions.

As the tension between the driver and the scouts escalated,

Click.

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it.”

Suho raised his hand to stop the driver and stepped forward.

The scouts’ faces lit up, and they began to act smugly, as if they had expected this.

“Haha! That’s the spirit!”

“Of course, young man, we can talk easily!”

“I guarantee, once you hear our terms, you’ll be blown away…”

At that moment,

Click.

“…!”

The scouts’ faces, which had been excited, rapidly turned pale.

They had seen it.

The distant, indifferent gaze of Suho, who was looking at them.

The bottomless, pitch-black abyss in his eyes.

[‘Effect: Fear’ has been activated.]

[All abilities of the targets will decrease by 50% for 1 minute.]

At that moment, Suho spoke.

“I don’t know what your terms are, but I’ll receive them by email. If you know my address, you must know my email too. And if you come here uninvited again…”

Ding.

[‘Skill: Aura of Death Lv.1’ has been learned.]

There was no need to finish the sentence.

The system message guaranteed that Suho’s aura was the ‘real deal,’ honed through countless battles.

“Sir, let’s go.”

Turning away from them, Suho got into the limousine.

The driver, who had been watching Suho with a strange expression, put his sunglasses back on and bowed.

“Yes, let’s go.”

Vroom.

The limousine slowly drove away.

Only when Suho was out of sight did the scouts finally exhale the breath they had been holding.

“…Phew.”

“What… what was that just now?”

“How can someone’s eyes…?”

“Wait, C-rank? Is that information accurate?”

“Wasn’t he a summoner?”

Their minds were spinning, recalculating Suho’s value.

Suho’s worth had just gone up.

[Young Lord, what did you just do?]

On the way in the car, Ber’s excited voice reached Suho.

[Did you mimic the ‘Contempt for the Weak’ skill from Lakan’s Fang?]

‘Yeah, it just worked.’

[Wow! Impressive! You were a prodigy even as a child!]

Ignoring Ber’s excitement, Suho checked the new skill he had just acquired.

[Skill: Aura of Death Lv.1]

Active Skill.

Mana Cost: 100.

Plunges the designated target into a state of fear for 1 minute. Multiple targets can be designated.

Effect ‘Fear’: All abilities -50%

‘The details are the same as ‘Contempt for the Weak.’ Maybe it’s just more versatile now.’

The name didn’t matter; the performance was similar.

After all, using his aura on someone stronger than him wouldn’t have much effect.

* * *

“We’ve arrived.”

A short while later, a luxurious high-rise building appeared in front of Suho as he got out of the limousine.

[Ajin Soft]

The undisputed top game company in Korea, which successfully launched the first virtual reality game.

Suho’s uncle, Yoo Jin-ho, was the founder of this company.

[Ajin Soft CEO Yoo Jin-ho, the miraculous success story of a young entrepreneur who rejected the inheritance of a chaebol!]

This was the news headline when Yoo Jin-ho started to become famous when Suho was very young.

But no one could have predicted back then that the game company founded by the young, reckless heir would continue to thrive for 20 years, becoming the top game company in Korea.

Especially his first successful game, ‘Beautiful World,’ a virtual reality game, has been a long-running hit for 20 years, even earning the nickname ‘Buser-ssi’ among middle-aged gamers who have been playing it for 20 years.

“Would you like to follow me? I’ll take you to the CEO.”

“Ah, yes.”

Suho followed the driver, leisurely observing the grand interior of the company.

‘It’s always a treat to come here.’

Fitting for a company that succeeded in virtual reality games, the spacious first-floor lobby displayed the latest virtual reality equipment.

Suho, who used to enjoy games before his awakening, was interested in the new equipment and games that had come out.

‘…What is this?’

Today, he noticed something different from usual.

‘Why are there Hunters walking around a game company?’

Fully armed Hunters were wandering around the building, looking fierce.

‘Why, when the dungeon isn’t even open?’

[Perhaps the mosquitoes followed you here, Young Lord?]

[But they’re not reacting even when they make eye contact with you. Maybe they’re here for other business?]

“Business? What business could Hunters have at a game company?”

As Quai said, the Hunters didn’t react to Suho.

A few with good senses noticed Suho was a Hunter and looked at him with a competitive gaze.

“What’s with that guy?”

“What kind of confidence does he have to come here so casually dressed?”

‘…Huh?’

Suho was even more confused by the Hunters’ mocking gazes as they scanned his casual clothes.

“You seem curious about those Hunters.”

The driver, noticing Suho’s expression, explained.

“Recently, the company is developing a new game that requires some advice from Hunters. That’s why so many Hunters are coming to the company, wearing out their shoes.”

“Hunters for a game?”

Suho’s confusion deepened.

“Yes. If the game is successful, the Hunter guilds that helped will benefit from the publicity. The rest is confidential, so you’ll have to ask the CEO directly. He’s right there.”

At that moment, Yoo Jin-ho, who was talking to some Hunters, came into view.

“Haha. CEO, there’s no guild with a better image than our Black Tortoise Guild. Collaborating with us would be beneficial in many ways…”

“Hmm. But what if you keep coming here? We will select fairly, I assure you.”

“Of course, we understand. That’s why we’re here to show you our armed appearance…”

Manager Lee Young-ho of the Black Tortoise Guild was rubbing his hands together, trying to please Yoo Jin-ho.

Just as Suho was about to approach, armed Hunters blocked his way, glaring at him.

“Who are you?”

“You’re interrupting an important conversation between adults…”

At that moment,

“Oh, Suho! Thank you for coming!”

Yoo Jin-ho, spotting Suho, left Manager Lee Young-ho and started running towards Suho with a wide smile.

“…!”

The Hunters’ eyes widened in surprise at his lively appearance.