Chapter 87

Solo Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 86

A few days later.

"Is this even possible?"

Suhwo was flabbergasted.

"How can I only level up by 3 after running through the dungeon ten times?"

[Perhaps the monsters were too weak from the start.]

"I guess I need to form a guild as soon as possible."

If he could enter dungeons at the guild level, the leveling speed would be much faster.

Fortunately, thanks to the daily quests, or rather the Hell's Health quests, his stats were steadily increasing every day.

However, the daily quests were limited to once a day.

Amut also said that repeating the Body Strengthening training more than once would be harmful to his body, and without the 'Status Abnormality Recovery' reward from the daily quest, he wouldn't have the stamina to repeat it.

'How does the difficulty of Body Strengthening training increase day by day?'

The powerful gravitational field created by Amut was now so intense that it felt like his body would be crushed and burst at any moment.

And as Suhwo's growth progressed, the intensity of the field was gradually increasing.

But the effort of pushing his body to the limit was clearly paying off.

[Body Strengthening Lv.4]

Even though his level hadn't increased much, his skill level had.

Suhwo's Body Strengthening skill was now at level 4.

He had reached the point where he could coat his hands with a black aura, like armor.

"Huff."

Amut nodded with a fierce smile as he saw Suhwo holding a pair of swords enveloped in black aura.

[Not bad. To be able to apply Body Strengthening to generate sword energy. However, compared to what Tarnak achieved, you still have a long way to go. That's enough for today.]

Even if he pretended to be generous, he had no intention of doing more.

Suhwo quickly got up and fled out of the Shadow Dungeon.

[You have exited the Shadow Dungeon.]

"Hey, Suhwo."

Eshil approached Suhwo, who had just finished his training and stepped out of the Shadow Dungeon.

"Where is our next dungeon?"

In Eshil's hand was a brand new, state-of-the-art smartphone.

If Suhwo's Body Strengthening skill had improved, Eshil had become a master of smartphone skills.

She was now fully socialized, able to go out and buy pork belly with pride using smart functions, just like a normal human.

In response to Eshil's question, Suhwo answered.

"The third dungeon in Pyeongtaek. Why?"

"I don't think we can enter there."

"What? Why?"

"Right now, the Hyunmu Guild is setting up camp in front of it."

Suhwo looked puzzled at Eshil's words.

"Hyunmu Guild? How do you know that?"

"I follow other guilds on social media."

Eshil showed Suhwo her phone screen.

Sure enough, the Hyunmu Guild's account was prominently displayed.

And the most recent post...

"Really?"

Suhwo tilted his head.

Sure enough, the current address tagged in the photo posted by the Hyunmu Guild was the dungeon they had bid on.

"Why are they here? And can they just post this kind of information? Isn't bid information supposed to be confidential?"

"Where are secrets in this world these days? People just post whatever they want. They use it for guild promotion, you know."

Eshil shrugged as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"But how did you learn all this?"

Thinking about it, Eshil was a demon.

He had only bought her a phone a few days ago.

Even though demons don't have a language barrier, her adaptation speed was still surprising.

"What's so hard about it?"

Eshil flipped through her phone screen and showed Suhwo.

All the latest popular apps were installed.

Suhwo couldn't recognize any of them.

"What's this?"

"An app that uses AI to predict dungeon spawn probabilities."

"And this one?"

"A second-hand market for hunters."

"..."

Suhwo felt a bit ashamed.

Maybe Eshil was a more modern hunter than he was.

It was absurd, but it was useful.

Suhwo stared intently at the photo Eshil showed him, his expression stern.

"It's Lee Young-ho."

A familiar face was captured in the corner of the photo.

* * *

The third dungeon in Pyeongtaek.

This place was originally a military base, but it became a field-type dungeon due to the Dungeon Break. Fortunately, the damage was not severe.

Thanks to the timely response of the soldiers stationed there during the Dungeon Break.

However, this also meant that the dungeon was pushed to the back of the Hunter Association's priority list.

With so many dungeons that required urgent attention due to severe damage, it was inevitable.

Another issue was that it was not popular among regular hunters.

There were many profitable dungeons, but this one was less accessible, making it a natural result.

Suhwo bid on this dungeon for that reason.

With less competition, it was easier to bid, and he could enter and clear it without much hassle.

"But why would a large guild like Hyunmu be interested in a place like this?"

Im Do-kyun, who heard the situation, looked genuinely puzzled.

"Suhwo. No, Guild Master. Let's go quickly. This bid is just a formality; if we get there first, there's no problem."

The dungeon bid system was relatively new.

While it had become established, from Pyeongtaek's perspective, which wanted hunters to come and clear the dungeon as soon as possible, such a system could be easily ignored.

"Let's go."

"I'll drive... Guild Master."

Im Do-kyun, who hurriedly took the steering wheel, quickly looked forward.

Because of Ber, who always glared at him from behind Suhwo, he was getting used to using honorifics.

When Suhwo's group arrived at the Pyeongtaek dungeon, they found the Hyunmu Guild, just as Eshil had shown in the photo, firmly set up camp.

In front of them, a city hall official was having a difficult conversation with them.

"Thank you for your proactive approach, but from our perspective, it's a bit difficult to ignore the procedures..."

"Come on, people! There's a dangerous dungeon right in front of us; shouldn't we clear it quickly?"

"But this area hasn't had any casualties, and another hunter has already bid on it..."

"So who are these people? Are they more important than the Hyunmu Guild? Huh?"

"Well, not necessarily..."

The official was at a loss in front of Lee Young-ho, who had suddenly appeared and was being forceful.

After a while of yelling, Lee Young-ho put his large arm around the official's neck and started to soothe him.

"Of course, as a public official, you might value procedures. But if we take the lead, it will ultimately benefit Pyeongtaek, right? It's dangerous, so just sign the permit and go home."

"Your arm is the dangerous one, sir."

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out.

Lee Young-ho turned around with a fierce expression, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"Well, well, who do we have here? A rookie hunter with a famous uncle, what brings you here?"

"..."

The clear hostility in his eyes confirmed Suhwo's suspicions.

'Is this revenge for the last incident? How childish.'

No, it wasn't just childish; a big business deal had fallen through, so it was understandable.

[Keek! How dare you look at me with those snake eyes! I will tear you to pieces...!]

Suhwo grabbed Ber, who was about to lunge forward, by the back of the neck and pressed him into the shadows.

[Keek... I'll remember your face...]

Ignoring Ber,

Suhwo looked up at Lee Young-ho, who was walking towards him.

A head taller than Suhwo.

Even though Lee Young-ho dealt more with people, he was still an active B-rank hunter.

When he decided to show his presence, the pressure was so intense that the nearby official's face turned pale.

Of course, Im Do-kyun, who was standing behind Suhwo, had already fled to a distance to check the bid documents.

"Hmm. What's your name again? Hmm. It's on the tip of my tongue."

Lee Young-ho scanned Suhwo's face provocatively.

But Suhwo just smiled and replied.

"Director Lee Young-ho, this dungeon is ours. What brings the Hyunmu Guild here?"

"Oh, Seong Suhwo! I remember now."

"Could this be because of the last incident?"

"Last incident? What incident? We just heard there was a dangerous dungeon here and came out of the goodness of our hearts."

The conversation kept going in circles.

The deliberate and overt taunting made Suhwo glance at the dungeon.

A field-type dungeon that had already experienced a Dungeon Break.

With no casualties and only a D-level danger rating, it was a loss for a large guild like Hyunmu to be involved.

'No, he must have only brought the second team.'

The hunters behind Lee Young-ho had a much weaker presence than a large guild should.

They had come here to sabotage him, but to minimize opportunity costs, they had only brought weaker hunters.

But,

'Did he only bring the ones with fierce looks?'

Suhwo couldn't help but laugh.

Their appearances were far more intimidating than their actual power.

They looked like they could crush a quagga with one hand.

"Laughing?"

Suhwo's laughter made Lee Young-ho's expression even more fierce.

At the same time, the Hyunmu Guild hunters surrounding the dungeon began to emit a menacing aura and glared at Suhwo.

A show of force in front of a dungeon that had already been bid on.

The meaning was clear.

"Seong Suhwo, since you're a rookie hunter, let me explain how things work here."

Lee Young-ho pressed his finger into Suhwo's chest and glared.

"Dungeons are dangerous. They are lawless zones. Once you step inside, anything can happen. Especially for rookie hunters."

Then, he ran his thumb across his neck with a meaningful smile.

"Even a moment's lapse in attention can turn you into monster food, leaving no trace."

A blatant and clear threat.

The Hyunmu Guild hunters chimed in, snickering at each other.

"Hehe. That's right, that's right."

"Being a hunter is a dangerous job."

"A job where you can die at any moment."

"Especially for a well-bred young man like you."

Lee Young-ho's lips curled up as his subordinates fell in line.

It was worth bringing them along, even on their off days, just to give them some pocket money.

The possibility of murder in a dungeon was the most feared aspect for rookie hunters.

Especially when the atmosphere was openly threatening, even if they had bid on the dungeon, they would be too scared to enter.

They were afraid of what might happen inside.

"So... Huh? Where did he go?"

Lee Young-ho, who had turned back to Suhwo with a meaningful look, was puzzled.

Suhwo, who had been standing in front of him, was nowhere to be seen.

The official, looking embarrassed, spoke to the bewildered Lee Young-ho.

"He just entered the dungeon a moment ago."