Chapter 90

Level Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 89

[Shadow extraction is possible.]

[Shadow extraction is possible.]

[Shadow extraction is possible.]

...

Above the bodies of the Hyunmu Guild, black vapor surged violently, refusing their deaths.

And at the moment the command to protect was issued.

Aaaaah-!

Chilling screams echoed through the air.

With that, the black shadows of the bodies fiercely swirled, beginning to form new bodies.

Swish!

[Shadow Infantry Lv.1]

Common Tier

[Shadow Spearman Lv.1]

Common Tier

[Shadow Shieldman Lv.1]

Common Tier

Even if they were the second division of the Hyunmu Guild, they were hunters with a perfect combination as an attack force.

Of course, there was the disadvantage that the shadow soldiers would be slightly weaker than they were in life, but the overwhelming advantage more than made up for it.

Immortality!

The moment they became immortal shadow soldiers, they transformed into a demonic army that charged forward without hesitation, solely to slaughter their enemies.

[Roar!]

[Roar!]

From their mouths, which had lost the ability to speak, thunderous roars erupted.

[This, this can't be...!]

The transcended mid-level demon, upon seeing the shadow soldiers, could only be shocked.

This is impossible.

Truly, an impossible thing has happened.

The mid-level demons here, and indeed all the demons who survived even after the end of the Overlord War, were essentially remnants who had hidden to avoid the war.

Thus, none of the demons here had ever seen the Shadow Overlord, the victor of the war, in person.

However, the mid-level demon, superior to ordinary low-level demons, instinctively recognized the nature of the death aura spreading from Suho.

[Shadow Army...!]

No, the Shadow Overlord shouldn't be on Earth right now!

If the Shadow Overlord were still on Earth, they would never have dared to invade this place.

[Grunt! Yes, that's impossible! If you were the real Shadow Overlord, you would have annihilated us the moment you saw us!]

The mid-level demon unleashed a fierce burst of mana at Suho.

Along with it, all the low-level demons attacked Suho's soldiers.

[Kill them! Kill them all! These guys will be valuable materials for our grand plan!]

Rumble!

Another bolt of lightning struck from the sky.

'Sure enough, it's a skill.'

Suho, while mercilessly cutting down the demons, kept his eyes on the sky.

The lightning attack tore the shadow soldiers to pieces.

But it didn't matter.

Swish!

[Ha ha ha!]

The bodies of the torn shadow soldiers returned to their original form, accompanied by black vapor.

And like demons, they once again cut the throats and pierced the hearts of their enemies.

[Ha ha ha!]

Among them, the one who burst into maniacal laughter at the forefront was Lee Young-ho, reborn as an armored knight.

The moment he became a soldier of death, he poured his cruelty onto the demons as a loyal servant of Suho.

"Such a tough uncle, huh?"

Suho burst into a hollow laugh at his ruthless fighting style, which even used the demons' severed heads as weapons.

'Well, I can leave the small fries to them.'

The mana was being drained rapidly due to the shadow soldiers regenerating multiple times.

['Item: Mid-Level Mana Potion' purchased.]

Suho drank the mana potion and called out to Essil.

"Essil!"

"Got it!"

Now, she doesn't need to be told; she immediately understands.

Suho's raised Volcan's horn, which had been greatly amplified in attack power thanks to the souls of the demons he had killed.

But that wasn't enough.

To defeat the giant demon, he needed the soul of a stronger demon.

At Suho's call, Essil immediately materialized and flowed into Volcan's horn.

[Volcan's horn is devouring the demon's soul.]

Swish!

At that moment, an overwhelmingly powerful and ominous aura surged through the blade of Volcan's horn.

And one more.

"Rakan!"

Suho raised 'Rakan's Fang' in his other hand and shouted, and a response came from afar.

[The King of Beasts, the Fang Overlord, nods in approval.]

Swish!

At that moment, a divine aura enveloped Rakan's Fang.

A smile appeared on Suho's face as he raised the two swords.

"Add the Giant's Armor to this."

['Skill: Giant's Armor' activated.]

Whoosh!

At that moment, an aura armor enveloped Suho's body!

Suho's body grew larger, and the dual swords in his hands grew in size to match.

Suho immediately charged at the mid-level demon.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

[Roar!]

The mid-level demon extended his hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning at Suho.

But Suho, despite taking the lightning directly on his bare body, did not stop his attack.

['Skill: Storm Slash' activated.]

Kwaang!

The lightning and the storm clashed, tearing the sky apart.

In the center, Suho and the mid-level demon were engaged in a fierce battle.

[Grunt!]

Caught off guard by Suho's sudden fierce attack, the mid-level demon pulled out an item from his robes.

Crack!

And the moment he gripped something, a purple powder like smoke enveloped the mid-level demon's entire body.

At that moment, Essil's voice echoed in Suho's mind.

[Good heavens! That's a bloodstone?!]

"Bloodstone? What's that?"

[It's highly refined demon blood! Think of it as a much more powerful mana amplifier than stardust!]

"Stardust? So it makes him stronger?"

[Of course! We need to kill him before the bloodstone is fully absorbed! Since it's not a perfect bloodstone, the absorption will be slow!]

Even as the conversation continued, Suho kept attacking the demon.

[Ha ha! Even in this initial version, it's this powerful! But there's no need to be sad! If I can capture a demon noble right here, I can create an even better bloodstone!]

The mid-level demon, intoxicated by the sudden surge in his power, blocked Suho's attack with one hand and mercilessly pushed him away.

Bang!

"Ugh!"

Blood spurted from Suho's mouth.

[Young Overlord-!]

Berga flew over in a hurry, worried, but Suho immediately got up and put a potion in his mouth.

"I'm fine. We can still do this."

If the other side was powered by a bloodstone, this side had potions.

Thanks to the increased health, the speed at which HP was restored was a bit slower, but it was still possible to buy enough time.

And there was a reward for deliberately pushing himself to his limits.

Ding.

['Skill: Toughness' level increased.]

[Physical Defense +80% → +100%]

Smirk.

Suho savored the increased defense and watched the performance of his first soldier.

Swoosh!

In the sky, Quei, whenever the mid-level demon showed a weakness, turned into a beam of light and ambushed him.

The light beams were like a spider web, confusing the demon's vision.

[Dare to make my master bleed?]

[Roar!]

Quei, having become a shadow soldier, could no longer use Royal Jelly.

It was a poison to brainwash his own army, and as a mere shadow soldier, he no longer had the right to lead an army.

But his extreme aggressiveness had not disappeared.

Lee Min-sung, who had spent his life manipulating from behind, was now at the forefront, leading the charge to slaughter the enemy.

And Quei was quite satisfied with this transformation.

[It's enjoyable.]

Quei was not afraid of the giant demon.

[It's enjoyable.]

The immortality he had long desired.

And the overwhelming power to crush the enemy with his pure strength, without resorting to underhanded tactics.

[Truly enjoyable. This is...]

Quei's spear finally pierced the mid-level demon's shoulder.

[Is this what strength is?]

Crack!

[Roar!]

[Die. Die. Die. Die! Spit out a thousand times more blood than my master and die! Ha ha ha!]

Puff!

Finally, through the wound Quei had inflicted, the aura of the bloodstone began to seep out.

Despite the intense battle, only about 5 seconds had passed.

And in that short time, Suho had recovered enough to move his body.

And he had enough mana to use the Body Strengthening skill.

['Skill: Body Strengthening' activated.]

Kwaang!

Suho's arms were coated with a black aura.

The mana consumption for maintaining Body Strengthening had increased due to the skill level being too high.

But the attack power had increased even more.

Crack!

[...!]

"I've got you."

Finally, Suho's black hand pierced through the aura of the bloodstone and grabbed the mid-level demon's neck.

At that moment, the mid-level demon's eyes, which met Suho's, trembled.

[Wait, just...! This aura, it can't be!]

You were mistaken.

To mistake such a creature for the Shadow Overlord!

[You were the descendant of the Overlord of Body Strengthening...!]

Crack!

The demon's neck was broken before he could finish his sentence.

[Transcended mid-level demon defeated!]

['Item: Volcan's Horn' is devouring the demon's soul.]

[Level increased!]

[Level increased!]

At that moment, numerous messages appeared before Suho.

But the message that followed was even more surprising.

Ding.

['Title: Demon Slayer' obtained.]

"Oh."

Suho's eyes sparkled.

Having killed many demons, he had obtained a perfect title.

[Title: Demon Slayer]

A title given to hunters skilled at killing demons. All stats increase by 40% when fighting demon-type monsters.

"If this had appeared earlier, it would have been much easier to kill them."

Swish!

Suho's body shrank again, and Essil emerged from inside Volcan's horn.

She shuddered at the aura of the 'Title: Demon Slayer' she felt from Suho.

Her demonic instincts recognized Suho as a predator.

"Why are you so far away?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

When he came to his senses, Essil had discovered herself hiding behind Im Do-gyun.

Suho took the opportunity to check the messages he hadn't had time to confirm earlier.

['Urgent Quest: Defeat the enemies!' completed.]

[Would you like to check the rewards?] (Y/N)

"Check."

[The following rewards are available.]

Reward 1: Status recovery

Reward 2: 'Buff: Roar of the Battlefield'

"Buff?"

Suho's eyes lit up.

'I need to use this at a crucial moment.'

Suho, having postponed claiming the rewards, looked around.

Essil was already standing on the body of the mid-level demon.

Swish...

A red aura flowed from the body and was absorbed into Essil's hand.

"Suho."

Essil called out to Suho with a serious expression.

"This was a bloodstone made from my blood."

"Your blood?"

"Yes. It seems that somewhere here, there are demons from the Underworld who were hunting me."

[Young Overlord.]

Berga looked at Suho with a serious expression at Essil's words.

[If this is true, it will be a difficult battle.]

Berga vividly remembered the Radir family from the Overlord War.

Those who had brought down the family and amplified their power with their blood would not be friendly to the Shadow Army.

Suho nodded seriously in response.

"First, we need to confirm that there's a factory somewhere here."

"Right. The ones who made bloodstones, which are even more powerful than stardust, must be somewhere here..."

The problem was that the method to find the factory's location had disappeared.

"Maybe we should have kept one alive."

Suho had a regretful expression.

The demons, being contaminated with mana, could not be shadow extracted.

"Let's thoroughly search this place..."

At that moment.

Im Do-gyun's voice, who had been running around and hiding, was heard.

"Suho! There's something here!"