Chapter 7

Leveling Up Alone: Ragnarok - Chapter 6 (7/176)

Leveling Up Alone: Ragnarok Chapter 6

Seongsuho is one year old.

The day that the adorable baby finally took his first steps.

Just like any other parents, Seongsuho's house was in an uproar.

But in a slightly different way.

- Hey, honey! Seongsuho! Our Seongsuho!

- What about Seongsuho?

Seongsuho's mother, Cha Hae-in, shouted in disbelief.

- He's flying around right now!

- ...What?

- Seongsuho is flying around the house right now!

Seongsuho took his first steps not on the ground but in mid-air.

In fact, his true nature was one of the special powers he inherited from his father, Seong Jin-woo, known as the 'Power of the Ruler.'

Seongsuho, at the age of one, mastered the art of flying before he could even walk.

The scene was so extraordinary that it seemed like the legendary birth of a hero, and Ber wiped his nose.

However, at that time, Earth was a very peaceful world.

The power Seongsuho inherited was created to destroy everything, and in a peaceful world, it was utterly useless.

No, it wasn't just useless; it could even make a normal life impossible.

Thus, Seong Jin-woo decided to seal Seongsuho's power until he could control it.

Active Skill.

No mana required.

You can exert physical influence on objects without touching them.

While ignoring Ber's fuss, Seongsuho sent the arrow he had caught with an invisible hand flying back.

"I'll return it."

Swish— Thud!

The goblin archer fell over with the arrow he had shot embedded in his neck.

This startled the other goblin behind him, who turned and started to run.

Whoosh!

'You think I'll let you run?'

Seongsuho immediately chased after the goblin.

However, in a flash!

"Huh?"

Seongsuho surpassed the fleeing goblin with a single leap.

The goblin, who had been overtaken in an instant, met Seongsuho's gaze in mid-air.

Ber's voice, explaining with a laugh from above, sounded particularly annoying.

Seongsuho immediately struck the goblin's head with his axe.

Thud!

Seongsuho had quickly dispatched two goblins.

He wiped the goblin's blood from his face with the back of his hand and surveyed his surroundings with a calm gaze.

He had been thrown into battle without any preparation, and only now did he realize that this black and white world was far from friendly.

The malevolent gazes he felt from all over the ruined city were stimulating his perception stat.

"There are many of them."

Ber's smile, explaining with a smirk, was truly evil.

If it weren't for his cute mini size, one might believe Ber was the true master of this place.

Swish!

Ber spread his short arms and proclaimed in a grand tone.

Ding!

At that moment, a new quest window appeared in front of Seongsuho.

The residents of the Shadow Dungeon will never recognize you as the master of this land.

Survive the required time to prove your worth.

Required Time: 4 hours

Remaining Time: 4 hours 0 minutes 0 seconds

'Survival?'

Seongsuho's eyebrows twitched as he read the quest.

That's when it happened.

Roar!

Roar!

Squeal!

Cackle!

Babble!

With a cacophony of strange sounds, the goblins hiding throughout the city began to reveal themselves.

But their numbers were far too many.

Seongsuho's face turned pale.

"Are you kidding? Hold out for 4 hours like this?"

Ber grinned, winking and giving a thumbs-up.

His face was filled with the proud smile of a father looking at his grown son.

'...But why is he so annoying?'

But now was not the time for such thoughts.

Cackle!

The goblins were closing in.

Snap!

Seongsuho quickly picked up the second axe from the goblin he had just killed.

Acquisition Difficulty: E

Type: Axe

Attack Power +5

Axe used by a goblin

The item information floated above the axe.

'One in each hand from now on.'

Seongsuho's eyes gleamed like a demon as he held a stone axe in each hand.

But he still felt uneasy.

The goblins approaching in droves also held the same weapons.

Seongsuho quickly opened his status window and invested all 5 remaining stat points into Strength.

Whoosh!

Seongsuho felt a surge of power in his hands holding the axes.

The Strength stat increases both strength and speed.

Considering that his Strength stat was 10 at level 1, his strength had doubled.

'With this strength...'

He could jump even faster!

Whoosh!

Using this strength, Seongsuho turned and started to run.

He was looking for a terrain advantageous for fighting multiple enemies.

"..."

Damn, he's annoying.

While running, Seongsuho erased all the feelings of joy and nostalgia he had felt upon seeing Ber again.

He even decided to burn all the ant drawings he had made in the past.

'When I get back, I'll burn all the ant drawings.'

He firmly resolved to draw only ant-eaters from now on.

* * *

Seongsuho could clearly feel the effects of the Strength stat.

Holding two axes, Seongsuho rampaged through the battlefield.

Whoosh— Thud!

He deflected a goblin's axe with his right axe.

Crack!

And struck the goblin's neck with his left axe.

Whoosh, Thud!

He spun around and stomped on the ankle of a goblin attacking from behind.

Crack!

And beheaded him.

"Kee!"

He killed two goblins in one go, but the cost was severe.

Axes and spears flew at him from all directions.

He dodged half of them but couldn't avoid the other half.

Thud! Thud!

"Ugh!"

It hurt.

His health points were decreasing, and so were the wounds on his body.

But Seongsuho gritted his teeth and charged at the goblins again.

Whoosh— Crack!

Boom!

This time, he cut down three goblins.

In the meantime, he had also taken four more hits.

Snap!

He beheaded another goblin.

This time, he took three more hits.

His health points were now down to half.

His body was also covered in blood.

That's when it happened.

Ding!

'He got a new skill?'

Seongsuho's eyes widened.

Most hunters lived their entire lives with only the skills they received upon awakening.

To gain a new skill, they needed the expensive 'Rune Stone,' which was rarely found.

To get such a precious skill for free during a battle!

Passive Skill.

No mana required.

You have indomitable toughness.

Physical defense increases by 20%.

Before he could even read the skill description, he could feel its effects.

The pain from his wounds decreased.

At that moment, the goblins, realizing that Seongsuho was not an easy target, scattered with cries.

At the same time, the sound of horns calling for reinforcements echoed from all directions.

Seongsuho took the opportunity to hide behind a pillar and catch his breath.

"Damn, it hurts."

Ber flew over and stomped his feet.

"..."

Seongsuho, who was pressing his bleeding wounds, glared at Ber.

There, a tiny ant was smiling innocently.

"Can't you help instead of just watching?"

Ber was a powerful being who could tear apart a giant wolf with his bare hands.

He had been a great support.

But now that he was small, he didn't seem to have any intention of helping.

However, Ber had his own reasons.

He was recovering his strength to prepare for the return, as Seong Jin-woo, who could recharge his mana, was too far away.

None of what Ber said was wrong.

The problem was that he was so annoying.

He had been chattering away nonstop, which was really getting on Seongsuho's nerves.

It didn't seem like he was intentionally provoking him.

He was just a pure evil being without a sense of humanity.

Or maybe he wasn't human at all.

Seongsuho gritted his teeth and extended his hand.

'Power of the Ruler.'

An invisible hand flew forward and lifted a stone axe from a goblin's corpse.

He had realized during the battle that the Power of the Ruler could lift objects weighing about 10 kg.

Enough to lift a baby taking its first steps, and certainly enough to lift a stone axe.

Perhaps he had used this ability to fly as a child.

Seongsuho made the floating stone axe orbit around his body.

This would provide at least some defense.

Ber's eyes sparkled at the sight.

...That little ant was definitely a demon.

* * *

Time really drags on.

But after struggling and bleeding for a while, his level was gradually increasing.

And when he leveled up, the wounds from the goblins' axes, which had been bleeding profusely, healed completely.

His health, which had been on the verge of fainting, quickly recovered.

Most importantly, as his level increased, Seongsuho became stronger.

Finally...

Whoosh!

When the timer ended, the goblins who had been relentlessly chasing Seongsuho scattered and hid in the darkness.

"Is it over?"

Seongsuho didn't relax his guard and looked around.

The bodies of the goblins were scattered around him.

A heavy silence, like when he first arrived, settled over the area.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Ber, who was clapping enthusiastically, broke the silence.

How was it?

"How was it?"

"Those damn larvae..."

Still?

He shouldn't have asked.

That's when it happened.

Ding!

"Confirm."

As soon as Seongsuho answered, a message appeared.

Reward: 'Rune Stone: Shadow Extraction'