Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 14

A field-type dungeon was a contaminated area that emerged when a dungeon break couldn’t be completely contained. This typically occurred, not necessarily due to the strength of magic beasts within, but rather because of the uniqueness of the terrain. Many dungeons of this kind spawned mostly in China and Russia due to the vast expanse of the terrain. Once a gate opened, it became difficult for hunters to locate and eliminate the magic beasts one by one, leading to their unchecked proliferation.

Furthermore, locating the gates where the corruption had begun was also challenging, which often resulted in the time needed for an operation being several times longer. Due to similar reasons, South Korea, with its narrow but rugged terrain filled with mountains, saw its fair share of field-type dungeons.

—Gwanaksan Field contemporary romance

—Access Restricted to Hyena Guild Members Only

At the entrance of Gwanaksan, access was strictly blocked by barbed wire fences. The Gwanaksan field had been occupied by the Hyena Guild for a whole year. While concealing his face with a hood and mask, the Young Monarch observed Gwanaksan from a distance.

“This is the place.” Perched on Suho’s shoulder, Beru eagerly anticipated what was to come. According to Rakan’s Fang, this was the location that emitted the aura of a sanctuary. However, even the sword didn’t know what exactly was inside the sanctuary. “You’re right in front of it, and you still don’t know?”

“No matter how many times you ask, my answer remains the same. I was just a sword stuck in the ground. While I can sense the aura of a sanctuary, I can’t precisely discern its true nature.” Feeling wronged, Rakan’s Fang protested.

In response, Beru chewed on a magic stone with a menacing expression, intimidating the sword. “I hope those words are not lies. If they are, I’ll start chewing you from the handle and eat you whole. Very, very slowly...”

“Could you stop making such threats?”

“And what if I don’t?”

“I’m scared.” Rakan’s Fang was straightforward. As a sword, it lacked any human instinct to hide one’s emotions.

The sun began to set, and Suho, who had been waiting for this very moment, glanced at the sky, eyes gleaming. “Nice. It’s time to go in.” With his hood pulled down low, he walked slowly toward the fence.

Due to an increase in his sensory stats, some degree of visibility remained even in darkness. At this rate, it seemed like there wouldn’t be any significant hindrances when in combat. He was actually glad it was dark.

The priority is not getting caught by the Hyena Guild. It was illegal for an unlicensed hunter to enter dungeons occupied by other guilds. However, as long as he didn’t get caught, there wouldn’t be any problems, especially since he wasn’t there to make money from someone else’s business. He was only there to quietly retrieve the Monarch of Fang’s artifact. If the artifact ended up in the hands of an ordinary awakened individual, just like what had happened with Rakan’s Fang, the hunter might lose control and turn into a berserker.

Surveillance cameras and barbed wire fences? Suho calmly surveyed his surroundings. It was impossible for people to guard such a vast field-type dungeon by themselves. The only things guarding this place were the electrified barbed wire fences and the surveillance cameras that were scattered throughout the area.

Ruler’s Authority. Suho slowly lifted the black plastic bag he had brought using telekinesis. And then, as if carried by the wind, he smoothly maneuvered it to cover the entire camera. Now! With a single leap, Suho cleared the fence. The increased strength stat he had been accumulating truly shone.

Landing gently inside the field, Suho immediately began to survey his surroundings. A thick, greenish mist blanketed the entire area of Gwanaksan. In reality, it was the mist rather than the fence that essentially marked the boundaries of the field.

“This blue mist is extraterrestrial magic. It’s used to forcefully breach dimensional barriers and create rifts in the world,” Beru said.

“Correct. Due to this mist, the sanctuary I was in ended up drifting through the dimensional rift and connecting to Earth.”

“In the end, what our friends from outer universes want is to spread this mist worldwide and trigger a massive rift. They want their army to create a massive hole, large enough to cross dimensions,” the ant explained.

“Shh.” Suho held his breath and narrowed his eyes. Stay alert. It hadn’t even been a minute since he had stepped into the field, but the number of red pupils watching them had steadily increased.

[Razor-Clawed Briga]

[Razor-Clawed Briga]

[Razor-Clawed Briga]

Under the cold moonlight, monstrous apes revealed themselves one by one. Suho realized that the leveling system displayed different colored names above magic beasts depending on their strength. White indicated relative weakness, orange meant that they were on an equal or stronger level, and red signified much greater strength. The apes that emerged had orange names above their heads.

“We’re surrounded by weak apes. However, since the Young Monarch is even weaker, please be cautious.”

“I’m sure there is a better way to say that, but thanks for the support.” Beru’s tough love drew a smile out of Suho as he clenched Rakan’s Fang in his hand. Considering their difficulty and numbers, it was a somewhat risky situation. I can do this. It’s better this way. Defeating easy enemies means fewer experience points. His lit up and his movements quickened—it was time to level up.

Right then, monkeys began to fall from the trees all at once. Their razor-sharp, elongated fingernails swooped down with ferocity, aiming to tear through Suho’s body. Rakan’s Fang in his hand sliced through the chilly night air.

[Razor-Clawed Briga has been defeated.]

[Razor-Clawed Briga has been defeated.]

Suho continued to move forward with the same intensity, trampling over the corpses of the relentless beasts that kept coming at him. Naturally, he had no intention of wandering aimlessly in the wilderness at such a late hour.

“Guide me. Which direction is the gate?”

“How surprising. Are you used to this kind of adversity?” Rakan’s Fang was genuinely taken aback. The situation was dire. When one was killed, two more rushed in. Kill two, and five more dropped from above. The treacherous monkeys used the darkness and terrain to their full advantage, thoroughly confusing Suho. Some of them even threw rocks from the trees, laughing.

However, amidst the chaos, Suho showed no signs of panic as he moved about, dodging and leaping without hesitation.

“Even if you’re the Monarch of Shadow’s successor, aren’t you more skilled in battle than you should be, considering the power you possess? What kind of battles have you been through up to this point?”

“Can you just guide the way?” Suho said with a wry smile. He had hardly fought any battles but his current abilities honed thanks to the dreams he had during puberty. To wake up from the dream, he had to somehow survive against all the odds and make it to the final boss. Those harrowing experiences were deeply etched into his body. If he died halfway, he had to start all over again from the beginning. The tutorial was too difficult. No matter how bad the situation was now, it was heaven compared to his dreams.

“Ahem. Cough, cough.” Beru was smirking and shrugging his shoulders annoyingly with a proud expression.

The tip of Rakan’s Fang moved on its own and pointed in a particular direction. “For now, it’s this way. But the path to the sanctuary is likely to be hellish. It seems that you’re quite accustomed to chaotic situations, but even so, it’ll be difficult for you to reach it on your own...”

“Who says I’m going alone?”

“What?”

With a slight chuckle, Suho looked around. At that moment, black smoke slowly rose from the lifeless bodies of the monkeys strewn across the ground.

[Target is eligible for shadow extraction.]

[Target is eligible for shadow extraction.]

Suho reached out his hand toward those shadows. “Arise.”

Eerie echoes resounded through the chilly night air. From the shadows of the lifeless monkey corpses sprawled on the ground. Their hands emerged and touched the ground, crawled out of the shadows, and began to pull themselves up, forming complete figures.

[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]

There were five of them. Shadow monkeys exuding smoke from their entire bodies appeared in front of Suho.

[Shadow Monkey - Level 1- Normal Grade]

[Shadow Monkey - Level 1 - Normal Grade]

Beru ecstatically clapped his hands at the sight. “Ooh! There are five of them! As your intelligence stat increased, the number of shadow soldiers also grew! However, compared to the magnificent armies of our great Monarch, they seem quite insignificant... Huh?”

“Shut up.” Suho grabbed Beru and tossed him directly at the beasts.

“Hehe. Lucky things like this don’t phase me.” Beru flew through the air, extending his razor-sharp claws. He was ready to tear apart all the monsters with a single strike. “Huh?” But Beru was simply kicked back. The monkeys that had kicked him away now swarmed Suho once more. But just in time, the shadow monkeys approached them from behind and thrust their blade-like nails into their throats.

[Razor-Clawed Briga has been defeated.]

[Razor-Clawed Briga has been defeated.]

[Level up!]

Energy surged through Suho’s body. The shadow monkeys, cackling heartlessly, trampled over the corpses of their former troop. He found the monkeys somewhat endearing now that they were on his side. “Let’s continue onwards.” However, it was a short-lived camaraderie. As the terrain grew treacherous, stronger monsters blocked their path.

[Black-Shadow Razan]

[Black-Shadow Razan]

Stealthy assassins lurked in the darkness. Red-eyed beasts resembling black leopards mercilessly tore into the shadow monkeys’ throats. The shadow monkeys surrendered their throats without resistance. The difference in their power was keenly felt.

“Hmm.” But Suho’s eyes gleamed even more. They’re mine too. At that moment, vitality burst forth from Rakan’s Fang.

[Skill: “Scorn of the Weak” has activated.]

A Black-Shadow Razan noticed its body suddenly becoming heavier.

[Effect: “Fear” has been activated.]

[The target’s stats are reduced by 50% for 1 minute.]

However, Rakan’s Fang’s Scorn of the Weak skill was more effective against opponents weaker than the wielder. Roar!

[Effect: “Fear” has been deactivated.]

The Black-Shadow Razans’ names were in orange. Because they were on par with or slightly stronger than Suho, simply roaring powerfully was enough to dispel the fear effect. But that brief moment was enough as it allowed him to disappear from their line of sight. One of the black leopards had its throat slashed, black blood spraying forth.

[Black-Shadow Razan has been defeated.]

Strike! In that instant, the others quickly hid in the darkness, but one was enough. Suho immediately reached out to the corpse. “Arise!”

[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]

At that moment, one of the shadow monkeys disappeared, and in its place, the shadow of the Black-Shadow Razan appeared.

[Shadow Leopard Level 1]

[Normal Grade]

Suho chuckled contentedly, “Nice. Welcome to the family.”

Prrrrr. The beast that had been trying to tear apart Suho’s throat just a moment ago was now rubbing its body against his legs, wagging its tail. Then, it turned its head and revealed itself to its fellow creatures lurking in the darkness of the forest. He smiled brightly and spoke. “Are you lonely? Bring your friends with you.”

Roar! Upon hearing those words, the shadow leopard immediately dashed out to hunt its own kind. Suho continued to upgrade the shadow soldiers one by one, making them stronger, as he moved forward.

“No wonder we lost the war. Disgraceful fools,” Rakan’s Fang murmured with acute disappointment.

***

“Everyone, stop.” At Suho’s command, the shadow leopards held their breath and lay flat on the ground.

“Yes. It’s up ahead.” There was no need for Rakan’s Fang to say anything else as the makeshift camp of the Hyena Guild was plain for all to see.