Chapter 88

Leveling Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 87

The third dungeon in Pyeongtaek had already transformed into a jungle of bizarre scenery.

The field-type dungeon, completely eroded, had become a world entirely separate from Earth's ecosystem.

However, it wasn't rated D-class for nothing.

The level of the monsters roaming around was low, and their numbers were few.

But in exchange, the jungle itself was challenging.

"There are traps everywhere, Master."

"Ah!"

When Quei appeared from the Shadow of Protection, Im Do-kyun jumped back in shock.

Although he moved quite quickly, he was afraid of getting caught in a trap if he strayed too far, so he quickly returned and hid behind Seo-ho's back.

"Esil, come out too."

When Seo-ho opened the door to the Shadow Dungeon, Esil, who had been waiting below, also appeared.

"Is it here this time?"

Im Do-kyun looked at Seo-ho's shadow with renewed amazement as Esil, sharpening her senses, looked around.

"Seo-ho. No, Guild Master, can I go inside too?"

"You can go in, but..."

[This shadow is a world of death. If a living being enters carelessly, they might lose their vitality and become a wandering spirit.]

"Wh-What? Really?"

[Of course, I'm joking.]

"..."

Berga chuckled at Im Do-kyun's pale expression.

[But it's not entirely wrong. It wouldn't be very healthy for an ordinary human. In many ways.]

"Ah."

At that moment, Im Do-kyun realized something and shivered.

'Esil looks human, but she's ultimately a summoned creature...'

Im Do-kyun only knew Esil as a demon summoned by Seo-ho.

So, in the end...

He was the only ordinary person here.

Of course, Seo-ho was human, but pulling out these strange creatures from the shadow was already far from ordinary.

"Ahem. I'll just keep running as usual..."

Im Do-kyun's role was a miner and collector.

But when it came to actual work, Seo-ho would summon the shadow mummies to do the job, so Im Do-kyun's main task was to guide Seo-ho with the information he knew from his previous dungeon experiences.

"Guild Master! In such a dungeon, as long as you don't get lost, it shouldn't be too difficult. Usually, you mark the path by dropping small stones on the ground..."

"You already said that last time, bro."

"..."

His stock of knowledge was running low.

'I should ask to be transferred to an office job once the guild is established.'

As the monster hunting began in earnest, Im Do-kyun had even less to do.

He just had to avoid getting in the way of the fierce shadow soldiers' battles.

But then, something caught his attention.

Im Do-kyun's expression turned serious.

"Seo-ho, look at this."

"What is it, bro?"

"...It's a human corpse."

Finding human corpses in the dungeon was common.

But the problem was the state of the bodies.

"They died from Mist Burn."

The bodies were completely charred black.

Mist Burn was a phenomenon where civilians with low magical adaptability would transform after prolonged exposure to magic.

They would run around wildly until their energy was completely drained, then collapse and die.

"But this..."

"Indeed, it's strange."

Seo-ho's expression also turned serious.

The charred bodies were neatly piled up in one place.

It was as if someone had brought these bodies here and dumped them all at once.

One thought immediately came to Seo-ho's mind.

"Could it be..."

"Exactly. It seems to be the case."

It was Esil who responded to Seo-ho's words.

"It looks like demons have made their nest here."

Factory.

These abandoned corpses were the leftovers from the demons' creation of stardust.

Realizing this, Esil's eyes burned with a calm intensity.

Esil, the eldest daughter of the Radir family, who had been thoroughly destroyed by demons.

The dense killing intent emanating from her body made Im Do-kyun quickly retreat.

* * *

Manager Lee Young-ho gritted his teeth.

"How dare they ignore Hyunmu?"

It was unbelievable.

"Could they be so clueless?"

He never imagined they would just walk in so casually after such an overt threat.

'Don't they care about their lives?'

Manager Lee Young-ho did some quick calculations in his head.

After all, Seo Su-ho was a relative of Representative Yoo Jin-ho.

If Seo Su-ho were to 'disappear' here, Representative Yoo Jin-ho would immediately realize what they had done.

'Would it harm us if that happened?'

No.

The business between Hyunmu Guild and Ajin Soft was already over due to the previous incident.

Moreover, even if Ajin Soft was a famous company, they were just a game developer.

Unless it was related to Hunter games, there was no reason for a Hunter guild to have any conflict with them that would cause any loss.

'Instead, they should be the ones to watch their backs at night.'

After all, Hunters were a powerful armed group.

Especially in these times, having a conflict with Hunters could be life-threatening.

No one knew when or where a gate would open and monsters would invade, and it was common for the assets of wealthy tycoons to be devastated in an instant.

That's why more and more large corporations were trying to establish Hunter guilds these days.

'This time, Representative Yoo Jin-ho was planning to establish a guild with Seo Su-ho leading the way.'

The calculations were done.

A murderous intent flickered in Manager Lee Young-ho's eyes.

'Seo Su-ho. Today is your day of reckoning.'

His gaze turned to the civil servant in charge of the Pyeongtaek dungeon.

"No matter how I think about it, it's not right."

"Wh-What do you mean...?"

The civil servant, flustered, looked at Manager Lee Young-ho, who put on a genuinely worried expression.

"I'm really worried about the junior Hunters who went in first. Isn't it? It's ridiculous for just two young guys to enter a dungeon, isn't it?"

"That's true, but..."

The civil servant started to worry about the Hunters who had gone in first, influenced by Manager Lee Young-ho's words.

After all, this was a field-type dungeon, so even two Hunters could enter, unlike a regular gate which required at least ten people.

And there was another point.

"Besides, field-type dungeons can be tackled by multiple attack teams at the same time, right? Since we're worried about those juniors, we'll go in right after them. Is that allowed by the rules?"

Since Seo-ho's team, who had won the bid for this dungeon, had already entered, there was no major issue with a follow-up team entering.

"But, entering right after them is against the rules..."

"Come on! Have you ever seen such a rigid person! Two people went in, and you're not worried? If they've already become monster food by the time we do this, will you take responsibility?! Do you even know who that young man I was talking to just now is?"

"Wh-Who is he?"

"He's a very close relative of Ajin Soft's Representative Yoo Jin-ho! If we don't go in to save him right away, that reckless young master might already be dead!"

"Wh-What?"

The civil servant's eyes widened at Manager Lee Young-ho's words.

After all, he was just a low-level civil servant.

If something went wrong, he would be the first to take the blame!

"I'll issue the entry permit right away!"

The civil servant hurriedly flipped through the files, and Manager Lee Young-ho smiled.

"Let's go, kids."

We have to take the consequences of daring to ruin our business.

His smile was cruel.

* * *

"This way."

Esil, leading the way, was searching for the presence of demons.

Seo-ho followed behind, hunting monsters.

This was a D-class dungeon, so the level of the monsters was low.

As a result, it didn't yield much money, and it had been pushed down in priority by Hunters, leading to restricted access for civilians.

'Quite a good place to secretly set up a factory, isn't it?'

In fact, most of the dungeons Seo-ho had visited to build his experience were like this.

However, this was the first time he had found traces of demons.

Seo-ho gripped the "Horn of Volcan" in his hand.

[Item: Horn of Volcan]

Acquisition Difficulty: ??

Type: Sword

Attack Power +40

A sword made from the horn of the greedy demon Volcan.

It is imbued with Volcan's power, dealing more damage.

-Effect 'Destructive Desire': Increases physical damage by [40%].

-Effect 'Demon Devourer': Volcan's power grows stronger the more demon souls it devours.

[Devoured Demon Souls: 10]

The Horn of Volcan amplifies its attack power the more demon souls it absorbs.

'I hope there are many demons in this factory.'

Seo-ho subtly licked his lips and surveyed the surroundings.

But then, suddenly.

Swoosh!

A powerful arrow flew at Seo-ho's back at incredible speed.

Just as Seo-ho, sensing the presence, was about to turn around.

[Who dares...!]

Crack!

Quei appeared first, catching and breaking the arrow.

He glared at the direction the arrow came from.

[To target Master!]

"What, a summoner?"

From behind the trees, the Hyunmu Guild members appeared.

"You're a summoner, huh? You can summon a decent one. If you had joined our side, you might have been quite favored."

At the back, Manager Lee Young-ho stood with his arms crossed, casually evaluating Seo-ho.

Seo-ho's lips curled into a smirk.

"You finally crossed the line."

"Line? What line? You crossed it first, you brat."

The moment they entered the dungeon, Manager Lee Young-ho had shed all pretenses of social decorum.

He glared at Seo-ho with a cruel smile.

"Brat, don't you know? In here, the strongest rule. It's survival of the fittest, got it?"

"Survival of the fittest..."

Familiar words.

[The lord of beasts, the Fang Lord, bares his fangs, showing that he knows something.]

At that moment.

Ding.

[A critical quest has appeared.]

The proof that Manager Lee Young-ho's murderous intent was genuine appeared in front of Seo-ho.

[Critical Quest: Eliminate the enemies!]

There are individuals with murderous intent towards the 'player' around you. Eliminate them all to ensure your safety.

Number of enemies to eliminate: 10

Number of enemies eliminated: 0

"I've confirmed your true intentions."

The moment Seo-ho nodded, his eyes changed.

Chill.

Manager Lee Young-ho suddenly realized he was tense and felt his pride was hurt.

'Just a C-class prospect, what am I...?'

He tried to shake off the ominous feeling, blaming it on his recent focus on business rather than dungeon hunting.

"Look at this. These days, kids are just..."

Just as he was about to order his guild members to attack Seo-ho,

Roar!

"!"

Suddenly, overwhelming killing intent erupted from all sides, and numerous roars echoed.

"What, what is this?!"

The Hyunmu Guild Hunters, startled, were on high alert.

Their eyes widened as demons poured out of the jungle.

Seo-ho's eyes also widened, but for a different reason.

'I found them! The demons!'

Sure enough, there was a factory nearby!

But Manager Lee Young-ho, busy fighting the suddenly attacking demons, snarled at Seo-ho.

"You brat! Did you summon these too?!"