Chapter 5

Leveling Up Alone: Ragnarok - Chapter 4 (5/176)

Leveling Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 4

“……!”

Suhwo was greatly shocked.

The black claw that suddenly appeared was a monstrous creature with a black exoskeleton like armor, from which black steam boiled off its entire body.

Its form was that of a giant ant with wings.

The black smoke that constantly billowed from its body was like shadows flickering in the light.

The moment Suhwo saw it, certain memories flashed through his mind.

‘Could it be the one I saw in my dream……?’

He was certain he knew this monster.

The countless ant monsters that appeared in his dreams long ago.

The leader of those terrifying ants looked exactly like this……!

But what was going on?

The ant monster suddenly approached Suhwo and knelt down with a thud.

“……What?”

Suhwo's eyes widened.

What was happening?

The monster was so large that even when it knelt, Suhwo had to look up at it.

However……

Thud.

Before Suhwo could say anything, the black monster's aura suddenly changed.

It had noticed Suhwo's condition, battered and bruised from the giant wolf's attack.

At that moment, the black monster erupted with a storm of killing intent and raised its head.

A terrifying roar that shook the entire building erupted from its mouth.

At that moment,

The world turned into hell.

Boom!

The terrifying killing intent that enveloped its body.

At that moment, the giant wolf that had been trampled by the black monster struggled to raise its head.

It then bit into the black monster's leg with a crunch.

Thud.

The black monster's head turned to look down.

At that moment, black steam boiled up.

The black monster kicked the giant wolf away at blinding speed and then rammed into it.

Crash!

The giant wolf was sent flying backward with a scream.

But the black monster moved even faster, overtaking the wolf and slamming it to the ground again.

Bang!

It then grabbed the wolf's two legs with both hands.

Crunch!

The wolf's body was torn in two.

Blood splattered in all directions with a terrifying scream.

This was no longer a battle.

It was one-sided slaughter.

The tyranny of a predator.

The overwhelming predator roared madly again as it trampled the wolf's corpse.

The cruel killing intent made the hunters who had just entered the first floor of the museum stiffen in fear.

“What, what is this! This killing intent!”

“It’s supposed to be a D-rank dungeon, but what is this……!”

Shock and fear!

The building was shaking as if it might collapse at any moment.

……But why?

For some reason, Suhwo wasn't afraid of the cruel monster at all.

Instead, it felt so familiar……

It was stimulating a nostalgic smell from his long-held memories.

‘What is it? Something feels like it’s coming back to me…….’

-Beep…… Beep……!

What is this memory?

From a distant memory, the voice of a baby who loved drawing ants in a sketchbook echoed.

‘Who…….’

Sizzle!

“Gah!”

A sudden, intense headache hit him.

Although he was very confused, he could at least be certain of one thing.

‘Anyway, I must be alive…….’

Thud.

All the tension finally released, and Suhwo collapsed to the floor.

At that moment, Suhwo thought,

The warmth of the monster's embrace as it rushed over to hold him tightly was so, so comforting……

Even as he lost consciousness, a smile crept onto Suhwo's lips.

Beep.

* * *

Suhwo had a dream.

A dream of a baby being carried on the back of an ant.

The baby in the dream was laughing happily.

When the baby laughed, the ant laughed too.

Wherever the baby went, ants were always there.

An ant wearing an apron feeding the baby with a bottle.

An ant helping the baby with numbers.

An ant tucking the baby in with a small blanket and taking a nap together……

If the ants were not around, the baby would cry.

Then the ants would appear instantly, shaking toys to comfort the baby.

The baby would stop crying as if nothing had happened and smile again.

The ant in the apron approached the baby with teary eyes.

……!

Then the baby suddenly grew up to be a 22-year-old Suhwo standing in front of the ant.

Bir.

Suhwo repeated the name in his mind.

The ant Bir looked at him proudly, wiping away tears.

Sniff, sniff.

Bir was so moved that tears streamed down like a faucet.

Bir took something out of its embrace.

Beep.

‘Shadow Dungeon? What is this?’

Suhwo felt puzzled by the sudden message.

But this was a dream.

Suhwo's voice did not reach Bir at all.

The ant held a key tightly in his hand and said,

Saying this, Bir knelt down and grabbed Suhwo's shoulders with both hands.

A solemn tone and a gentle touch.

Bir's eyes, filled with conflicting emotions, met Suhwo's.

Great power. Great capacity.

Suhwo repeated the words in his mind.

Bir's eyes narrowed, and a mischievous smile appeared.

Yay.

After finishing speaking, Bir stood up and bowed deeply.

Then it winked.

‘Healer? A healer?’

It was the most absurd thing Suhwo had heard recently.

Please stay healthy……

Bir's distant voice echoed.

‘Wait! I still have questions……!’

Suhwo called out urgently, but no sound came out.

At that moment, Suhwo woke up.

* * *

“Huh! Ants?!”

Suhwo sat up quickly and looked around.

White walls and the smell of disinfectant.

A calm atmosphere surrounded him.

“Oh. You’re awake?”

A nurse who was changing the IV looked at Suhwo.

“Where am I…….”

“It’s a hospital. Don’t you remember? A dungeon appeared at school.”

‘……Could it all have been a dream?’

Although he was awake, Suhwo had a dazed expression for a while.

‘What exactly was a dream? The ants? The dungeon? Or everything up to the leveling up?’

Everything was confusing.

At that moment, news was playing on the TV in the hospital room.

-Two days ago, the gate that appeared at Korea University is almost completely cleared……

-Despite the dungeon break occurring in the city center, the phenomenon of miraculously few casualties has experts……

‘It’s been two days already?’

It seemed that the events at the museum were not a dream.

‘Then, were the dreams from my childhood real too?’

Suhwo finally realized.

The memories of playing with large ants in his childhood.

How could he have forgotten those joyful moments all this time?

Suhwo felt a sense of loss thinking about the ant ‘Bir’ from his dream.

‘I couldn’t even have a proper conversation before he left.’

Suhwo lifted his head.

Texts had been floating in front of his eyes since he woke up.

‘Confirm.’

Suhwo chose to confirm without hesitation.

After nearly dying several times, it was only right to check the rewards first.

Reward 1: +5 Ability Points

Reward 2: +3 Strength Stat Points

‘They’re giving 8 stat points?’

Suhwo's eyes widened at the generous rewards.

It seemed that each time he leveled up, all stats increased by 1 point.

So, 8 additional stat points were a much larger amount than a single level up.

‘It’s worth it to risk my life and do good deeds.’

Suhwo immediately checked his status window.

Name: Seong Suhwo

Level: 3

Class: None

Title: None

HP: 140/140

MP: 14/14

Strength: 15

Vitality: 12

Agility: 12

Intelligence: 12

Senses: 12

(Available Ability Points: 5)

Passive Skill: None

Active Skill: Dominator's Power Lv.1

Compared to the dreams he had in high school, many more functions had been added.

Back then, only the level was displayed, and there was no detailed status window.

‘Hmm. Which stat should I increase?’

The 3 points for strength were automatically applied, and he was pondering where to invest the remaining points.

Suhwo didn't rashly invest the remaining points and carefully examined the other stats.

Then an information window appeared in front of him.

Strength: A stat that increases power and speed. Attack power increases.

Agility: A stat that increases dynamic vision and physical reaction speed. Reflexes and evasion rate increase.

Vitality: A stat that increases the maximum HP and recovery speed.

Intelligence: A stat that increases the maximum MP and recovery speed.

Senses: A stat that increases the five senses. Crisis detection ability increases.

Looking at this, all the stats seemed important.

‘I need to think more and decide later.’

After closing the status window, Suhwo suddenly realized he was thirsty.

Thinking about it, he had been unconscious for two days without drinking a drop of water.

Suhwo opened the small refrigerator next to the bed to find some water.

Click.

Then, inside,

“……Huh?”

Suhwo's eyes widened.

To his surprise, there was a tiny Bir, the size of a fist, peeling an apple.

“Y-You……!”

Rookie Rank

For some reason, the once majestic Bir was now very small and cute, looking embarrassed as it offered the apple.

It was shaped like a rabbit.

“…….”