Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

On Haeundae Beach in Busan, Suho had received a quest from the apparition of Sung Jinwoo as he clashed with the demonic spirit Jarvier.

[Emergency Quest: Prove Your Worth!

The illusion of Jinwoo, the Monarch of Shadows, demands that his son prove himself worthy.

Defeat the demonic spirit illusionist Jarvier and awaken a new shadow power.]

In the process of doing this quest, Suho had acquired Monarch’s Domain—not as a reward, but as a skill he’d mastered on his own. The shadow power he received for completing the quest was something else entirely.

[Skill: Shadow Exchange - Level 1

A shadow ability. No mana required.

The caster can swap places with a designated shadow soldier.

This skill has a three-hour cooldown, which lessens with each level gained.]

This skill worked regardless of the shadow soldier’s location, making it nearly identical to teleportation. Suho grasped how it worked the instant he saw it.

It’s like a gate. This sort of ability was familiar to him, as he had already been using his shadow as a gateway to freely access the Shadow Dungeon. After a few practice runs to get a feel for the skill, he’d sent Kira to track Rio Singh in India as a precaution. And this was the result.

A thunderous impact sounded, followed by a screech.

“Hahaha! Didn’t expect you to withstand that! Looks like you can handle a few hits, huh?”

“High Priest— I mean, Greed! It only shows we’ve gotten weaker!”

Greed and Iron struck back at the gigantic, ferocious Naga with fits of laughter.

Rio, watching this incredible sight from behind them, could only stare in awe. My god.Were Suho’s summons always this strong?

Nagas, whose upper bodies resembled humans but with the lower bodies of sea serpents, were rare monsters that sometimes appeared in high-grade dungeons. They were nearly on par with dungeon bosses. Although their size and strength varied, their bodies were covered with scale armor tough enough to serve as material for shields and other defense equipment.

Rio marveled, And yet those scales are shattering so easily…

More fits of laughter burst from the shadow soldiers, and the creature screeched in agony. The Naga’s scales crumpled and tore like paper under their relentless attacks.

These two are at least as strong as A-rank hunters—perhaps even S-rank.I can’t believe a single individual can summon creatures like these. His mind spun with disbelief. Even if he tried to tell someone about this, he doubted they’d believe him, considering he could barely accept it himself. But this isdangerous!If my information is correct, Nagas don’t move alone…

As a top-tier hunter, Rio had researched all he could about the Nagas before setting foot here. These were high-ranked magical creatures, experts in both combat and magic, presenting serious challenges to even seasoned hunters. Because they also moved in packs, they were very difficult to defeat. Due to their rarity, this information was not widely known.

Rio shouted out a warning, “Suho! Be careful! I heard that Nagas always move in packs of at least thirty—”

Before he could finish, other Nagas of varying sizes emerged from the lake, all at once, launching an attack on Greed and Iron from all sides.

However, the summons would hardly be outnumbered. Suho grinned. “So it’s a game of numbers, is it? Arise.”

Rio was stunned. More shadow soldiers rose from Suho’s shadow, and the sight of them surging forward to battle the multitude of Nagas was awe-inspiring.

Suddenly, he realized something. My goodness.Suho didn’t just gain stronger summons.

There was a puzzling thought that had lingered in Rio’s mind since he’d first joined Suho. He’s a hunter who keeps growing stronger! he realized.

Hunters simply did not get stronger after awakening. It was a basic fact that everyone in the world had accepted. Although hunters could hone their combat skills through training and rune stones, the core power determined upon awakening was fixed and could never be altered. Yet right before his eyes, there stood a hunter who ignored that rule and was growing stronger every day.

How stupid can I be?How could I have missed this? Rio berated himself for not noticing. Even if a summoner’s power varied depending on the summons they used, Rio had not realized that his comrade, with whom he had been through thick and thin, possessed a unique kind of power.

“Oh! Jackson! Jackson!” he shouted.

Now wasn’t the time for amazement. Rio quickly recovered and pulled the unconscious man from the overturned truck. The state of the mangled truck suggested the driver died instantly, but Jackson, a C-rank hunter, appeared unharmed.

“Hmm. Fret not. He is not dead.”

Before Rio knew it, Beru had approached. He looked Jackson over before flying back to Suho.

Suho, still directing the fight, hurried over and quickly poured a potion into Jackson’s mouth. The man coughed, and the bleeding wounds on his forehead began to heal.

Rio sighed in relief, deeply regretting bringing his old subordinate into this pursuit for a promotion. At the same time, he shivered as he realized once again how extraordinary Suho was. Handling summons as powerful as S-class while also possessing the abilities of a healer—Suho was practically a walking strategic weapon on his own.

“Suho! I have a favor to ask!” Rio called out urgently as he supported Jackson, who had regained consciousness. He owed a debt he could never repay for being saved just in time, but he couldn’t hold back this one request. “All of Asura Guild’s fighters were deployed here. It just doesn’t make sense that Nagas would appear at the entrance!”

He was right. This was the only entrance to the field, and Asura Guild’s members should have already passed through. There was no way to avoid this location. What were the odds that they had missed this many enormous monsters at the entrance?

“They wouldn’t have left monsters like this behind… Something must have happened—”

“Or perhaps they did leave them,” came a sudden response.

“Huh?” The voice had not come from Suho. I-is that a lizard? Rio blinked at the small, winged creature on Suho’s shoulder, who was looking around with a grave expression.

“Hmm. I didn’t expect any Nagas to survive. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. It is always the cowards who survive a war.” Antares, who had seized control of Ragna’s body once his mana had been restored, squinted as he noticed a familiar aura radiating from the lake. “Strange. I can sense the dragonkin here.”

“Dragonkin?” Suho asked.

“Yes. Like the Nagas, they were one of the many tribes that served the dragons. They were entirely eradicated, down to the very last member, by your father.”

“So they were turned into a shadow army.”

“Yes. But it doesn’t explain why I can smell them here. Could there be survivors like these Nagas?”

At that moment, the battle came to an end.

“A-already?” Rio stammered, stunned at the sight of countless Naga corpses littering the ground.

Suho smiled in satisfaction at Greed and Iron, who had led the charge in defeating them. “I guess experience doesn’t lie.”

Though they were rookies in Suho’s army, Greed and Iron had been part of Sung Jinwoo’s shadow force. Both had been capable commanders in life, and that skill had only grown. They were now masters at controlling the shadow soldiers below their rank.

Greed had once been Hwang Dongsoo, an S-rank hunter who had belonged to the United States’ greatest guild, the Scavenger Guild. Iron had been an A-rank hunter, Kim Chul, the up-and-coming ace of the White Tiger Guild—one of the best guilds in Korea. Their original power had been formidable, but they were also skilled in leading troops as commander-level soldiers.

“Young Monarch, we have completed the hunt, as commanded!”

Greed and Iron had dragged the giant Naga corpses to Suho without waiting for further instructions.

“Why don’t you add these Nagas to your army?”

“They are idiots, but they can be useful as war fodder.”

Like Beru, they knew quite a bit, having served in Jinwoo’s legion for a long time.

Antares looked at the Naga corpses with a hint of hunger and smacked his lips. “Child of Shadow, did you know these Nagas originally hid in the deep waters to avoid us dragons? They didn’t want to be eaten.”

“They were food?” Suho asked.

“Oh, yes. They’re quite meaty,” replied Antares, flicking his tongue and swallowing hungrily. “I, the Monarch of Destruction, declare these will be my feast! I shall restore the mana reserves of this Ragna creature!”

“If that’s what you want,” Suho said indifferently. He didn’t mind what became of the bodies after shadow extraction. Although he could sell them for a high price, increasing Ragna’s mana reserves seemed far more rewarding.

[Target is eligible for shadow extraction.]

[Target is eligible for shadow extraction.]

“Arise,” Suho commanded, and the shadows of the great Nagas rose intimidatingly into the air.

“W-what?!”

“I-I don’t believe it!”

Though smaller than before, the dead beasts loomed in spectral form, black vapor swirling off them with a malevolent aura. Overwhelmed, Rio and Jackson sank to the ground.

Ignoring their reactions, Suho chose the strongest one among the Nagas and saved it as a shadow soldier.

[Please provide a name for the soldier.]

“Hmm… A good name for a Naga… A snake, a Gorgon… Let’s call him Gordon.”

[Choose the name “Gordon”?]

“Yes,” Suho said without much thought, choosing the first name that came to mind. With this, the powerful, hulking Naga was added to his ranks.

However, something else was of greater interest to him—the job change quest. He had gained four levels through this battle.

[Level: 87]

Suho checked his status screen and smiled faintly as he looked ahead. “I think I like it here more than I expected,” he said.

Antares warned with a stern look, “Watch out for the dragonkin. I would expect—”

Chirp!

The Monarch’s voice was cut short. Ragna was back.

[The Monarch of Destruction covers his face, upset.]

[The Monarch of Destruction lectures Ragna, instructing him to eat those Naga no matter what.]

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