Chapter 84

Alone Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 83

"Uncle."

Suhwo stood and looked at Yoo Jin-ho with a serious expression.

"Thank you for your concern, but I don't think I can join that guild."

"What? Why?"

Suhwo's words were completely unexpected, and Yoo Jin-ho reacted as if he couldn't understand at all.

"Are you saying you don't like the idea of being parachuted in? Didn't you see the Black Tortoise Guild? You are the only one among yesterday's heroes who can be recruited. I'm not even proposing to make you the guild leader, and no one will think of you as a parachuted member."

"That's not it."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm thinking of setting up my own."

"What?"

Yoo Jin-ho's expression turned blank for a moment.

"Setting up your own? A guild?"

"Yes."

"..."

But his confusion was short-lived.

Yoo Jin-ho soon closed his mouth, tapped his fingers on the armrest, and fell into thought.

The Suhwo he knew was not the type to make frivolous statements about such matters.

There must be a reason for him to insist on refusing his offer.

After organizing his thoughts, Yoo Jin-ho looked at Suhwo with a calm tone.

"Of course, any C-rank Hunter can establish a guild if they meet the qualifications. However, doing so will bring many inconveniences and disadvantages."

"I know."

"You might be bullied by large guilds."

"I don't mind."

"Still, I'm curious why you're doing this. It would be much easier and more stable to join a good guild like everyone else. Why choose the harder path?"

"It would be an obstacle."

"..."

The more Yoo Jin-ho conversed with Suhwo, the more his mind felt like it was sinking into a labyrinth.

But he was used to this kind of conversation.

In fact, it even felt somewhat nostalgic.

'No wonder people say he's his brother's son.'

Why did Suhwo's appearance today remind him so much of his missing brother?

Yoo Jin-ho chuckled and asked Suhwo again.

"What exactly is the obstacle to joining another guild?"

But the next moment,

"Leveling up."

Suhwo's answer made Yoo Jin-ho's expression freeze.

"Leveling up is an obstacle."

"Wait, what...?"

At that moment,

Whoosh—

A black shadow rose from Suhwo's feet and asked him a question.

[Young Master, have you finally made your decision?]

"Yes. Uncle is the person I trust the most in this world."

As Suhwo's firm statement fell, Ber smiled and said,

[Of course... I already knew that.]

Yoo Jin-ho, on the other hand, looked bewildered.

Despite the passage of time, his confused expression remained the same, making Ber's smile even deeper.

Ber had come to Earth to fulfill Seong Jin-woo's order to release Suhwo's seal.

More specifically, to return the 'power and memories' sealed within Suhwo and have him protect Earth on his own.

However, Seong Jin-woo had also added a few more instructions when Ber was about to leave for Earth.

-I'll leave the rest to your discretion.

Since he didn't know the exact situation on Earth, Seong Jin-woo gave Ber full authority to make decisions and choices once he arrived.

And one more thing.

-And... 'that guy' will surely be a great help to Suhwo in many ways.

Ber immediately understood who Seong Jin-woo meant by 'that guy.'

The first follower who had followed Seong Jin-woo loyally even when he was much weaker.

The comrade who never betrayed him, even when his life was threatened by enemies because of Seong Jin-woo.

[Young Master, use the key.]

Click.

Suddenly, a key appeared in Suhwo's hand.

"Suhwo...? What's with the key all of a sudden?"

Instead of answering Yoo Jin-ho's puzzled question, Suhwo simply placed the key in his palm.

Then...

Flash!

"Wha—?!"

Suddenly, a light burst from the key, turning Yoo Jin-ho's vision white.

[Using item: Key to the Shadow Dungeon.]

At that moment,

A voice struck Yoo Jin-ho's mind like a bolt of lightning.

-Is your brother usually so quiet?

'...Huh?'

Realizing instinctively that it was his own voice, Yoo Jin-ho was startled and quickly looked around.

But there was nothing.

Nothing at all.

Not even the Suhwo he had been talking to, or the soft sofa he had been sitting on.

Everything had vanished.

All he could see was an overwhelmingly white void.

In the middle of it, Yoo Jin-ho stood alone.

Then, another intense voice echoed in his mind.

-You said your brother is E-rank? I'll protect you. Stay close to me.

-...Thanks for the words.

'Ah!'

Suddenly, his head felt like it was about to explode.

Yoo Jin-ho clenched his teeth and grabbed his head with both hands, suffering from an intense headache.

Memories began to flow through his mind like a panoramic view.

But the scenes were so unfamiliar.

A younger version of himself was having a friendly conversation with someone.

-Older brother, just 20 times! No, 19 times, please come with me!

-I have one condition.

-Anything, older brother!

-It's just you and me.

-What?

But the face of the other person...

'It's... my brother! My younger brother when he was young!'

This realization made him even more uneasy.

'Did I ever have such a conversation with my brother? No, E-rank? My brother disappeared before the Great Catastrophe...'

No matter how he tried to recall, he had no memory of such a conversation.

It didn't even fit the timeline.

But... why?

-Do you think of me as an older brother?

-You are more like an older brother to me than my real brother.

Drip.

Why were hot tears streaming down his face?

-If you think of me as an older brother, I'll think of you as a younger brother.

-Older brother! Can I hug you?

-Hey, hey! Are you drunk, man!

-No, older brother! I'm more sober than ever!

-Ha. You're quite a character.

'What... What is this! What are these memories?'

Yoo Jin-ho trembled with an inexplicable sense of longing and cried out.

These were memories that never existed.

'It doesn't make sense!'

What were these memories?

In the memories, he was following Seong Jin-woo into a dungeon.

He was watching Seong Jin-woo hunt monsters from behind.

Countless times.

Again and again.

-Older brother! Come with me!

He was witnessing those incredible scenes...

Closer than anyone else.

The fact that such a great person considered him a younger brother was his greatest pride.

So he made a firm resolution.

No matter what,

He would always follow his older brother.

And then,

At that moment, Seong Jin-woo in the memory smiled faintly and spoke.

As always, the voice that signaled the start of a serious battle.

-Rise.

Right then,

"Rise."

Suhwo's voice reached Yoo Jin-ho's ears as he struggled in the void.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, Yoo Jin-ho's consciousness returned to reality, and he opened his eyes wide.

Suhwo was still sitting in front of him.

But what was this?

Numerous shadow soldiers, emitting black steam, stood around Suhwo.

Just like in the memories, similar to Seong Jin-woo.

The familiar scene made Yoo Jin-ho gasp.

"My God..."

All the memories had come flooding back.

Everything.

* * *

"This... What... Ha."

Even after the memories returned, Yoo Jin-ho cried for a long time.

It couldn't be helped.

Two lives.

Two sets of memories.

And at the center, Seong Jin-woo, who had always been by his side.

'My older brother... Even though I had forgotten everything, he came to find me first. Even our first meeting as a freshman wasn't a coincidence...'

[Tsk. Stop crying. Are you getting old?]

"Sniff... Sniff..."

[Stop!]

"Sniff, sniff."

Despite Ber's scolding, Yoo Jin-ho, a middle-aged man, continued to cry.

Ber, shaking his head, recounted the events that had transpired.

Yoo Jin-ho cried even more, and it took a long time for him to finally calm down.

"Ahem."

And then, the overwhelming embarrassment that came later.

He realized that Suhwo had been calmly drinking coffee in front of him the whole time.

"Ahem. Anyway, Suhwo. I understand the situation."

"..."

"Those foreign agents, if they find out that the son of the Shadow Overlord is living on Earth, it could cause trouble for your brother, right?"

"...Yes."

"Ahem. That's it. I understand completely."

This was the shameless confidence of a seasoned adult.

Yoo Jin-ho's eyes were serious as he nodded, summarizing what he understood.

Tap.

Suhwo put down his coffee cup and answered.

"So, you want to keep a low profile until you're strong enough not to be a weakness for your father."

"At least until I reach S-rank, I need to keep my identity hidden. Your brother started his serious activities from S-rank."

Yoo Jin-ho nodded, recalling the past.

"...Actually, even S-rank might not be enough."

Yoo Jin-ho sighed, remembering the last days of the Forgotten World.

The existence of the Overlords, who were far beyond even the S-rank Hunters.

The foreign agents, who were even more powerful than those Overlords, filled him with fear.

"Phew. Back then, we were almost at the brink of the end, but this time it's truly overwhelming."

[But the foreign agents won't come to Earth directly. Thanks to the Lord, the front door is firmly locked.]

"That's a relief, but there's a possibility that the foreign agents' messengers have already infiltrated Earth as scouts. That's why Suhwo needs to level up while keeping his identity hidden."

"Exactly, I just need to hide the fact that I'm the son of the Shadow Overlord."

"I understand. As long as you're known as Seong Suhwo, it's fine. Hmm, information disruption..."

Yoo Jin-ho nodded several times, mulling over the information Suhwo had provided.

"Okay! Then, set up your guild separately from our company! I'll help you with all the legal issues and other trivial matters."

"Thank you."

"However."

Yoo Jin-ho's confident expression suddenly turned serious.

"I can help you with everything else, but there's one thing I absolutely can't help you with. You have to overcome this on your own."

Suhwo's eyes also turned serious.

"What is it?"

"Hmm."

Yoo Jin-ho's eyes became distant as he spoke.

He had said the same thing a long time ago.

As the memory resurfaced, he tried to hold back the tears and continued calmly.

"When you first set up a guild, you need at least three Hunters. President, Vice President, and Member."

"Oh."

A problem arose.