Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 1

“Do you really like ants that much?”

Korea National University’s Art Gallery.

Su-ho’s paintings were being reviewed by Do-Gyun Im, a teaching assistant in the painting department, who wore an expression of disbelief.

The wall was filled with dense arrangements of ant paintings. Oil paintings, watercolors, and all sorts of sketches.

The variety was vast, with the ants depicted in numerous different ways.

Teaching Assistant Im placed a nameplate beneath them.

[Korea National University Painting Department Exhibition]

[3rd Year Student Sung Su-ho]

“If you gathered all the ants you’ve painted since you were a freshman, they’d fill a truck. Why didn’t you go to the Entomology Department instead of the Art Department?”

“I considered it, but there’s no separate department for ants.”

“So, you only like ants, not insects in general?”

“Yes. I’ve been strangely fascinated by ants since I was young. Whenever I saw a line of ants, I’d be careful not to step on them, even by accident.”

“You’ve liked them since you were a kid? Your preferences sure are consistent.”

Teaching Assistant Im chuckled as he continued to examine Su-ho’s paintings.

Then he stopped abruptly.

“This ant looks different.”

In front of him was a painting of a human-like ant enveloped in a dark aura.

“Hmm. The dynamic movement is impressive. Is this supposed to be a monster?”

“Not a monster. Just an ant that appeared in my dreams when I was younger.”

“Pfft. You must really love ants if they even show up in your dreams. How long ago was that?”

“Before the Great Cataclysm.”

The Great Cataclysm.

A term referring to the apocalyptic crisis that struck Earth two years ago.

Mysterious gates appeared all over the planet.

Terrifying monsters emerged from these gates and invaded Earth.

Fortunately, a small number of humans awakened special abilities, and humanity narrowly averted disaster.

That was only two years ago.

At that time, Su-ho was twenty years old, a freshman in college.

But Su-ho’s intense “ant dreams” dated back to his middle and high school years.

“You really are unique.”

Teaching Assistant Im laughed hollowly as he scrutinized Su-ho’s painting again.

“But you did a great job. It looks like it could come out of the painting and bite you. Ah, maybe that’s too much? It just shows how vivid your painting is.”

Su-ho smiled inwardly at his words.

‘It can’t be helped.’

The ant in the painting was not just a figment of his imagination; it was the monster from his nightmares.

In his adolescence, the ant would frequently emerge in his dreams, trying to kill him.

‘Looking back, they were really awful dreams.’

Su-ho recalled those dreams.

[Your level has increased!]

[Your level has increased!]

In those dreams, Su-ho had to fight for his life against monsters without knowing why.

He faced endless waves of armored knights and ant armies, and later, even massive dragons.

Killing those monsters allowed him to level up like in a game.

But if he died, everything reset.

He had to start over from level 1.

The only way to escape the dream was to somehow survive and reach the final boss’s room.

After fighting relentlessly, when he finally reached the final boss, the face of the boss was…

‘It resembled my father.’

Su-ho chuckled bitterly, remembering it as a ridiculous dream from his adolescent years.

But since some time ago, he had stopped having that dream.

‘It must have been around then.’

Yes, it was precisely during the summer of his first year in high school.

Since his parents disappeared.

… Su-ho’s peaceful life had crumbled.

* * *

Around that time.

Strange signs began to appear in a corner of the art gallery building.

“Is it here?”

“Yes, senior. The teaching assistant said they collected it here.”

Creak.

Students from the painting department opened the storage room door to retrieve some exhibits.

Their eyes widened when they saw “it” inside.

“What?”

Zzzt! Zzzt!

A pitch-black hole appeared on the wall.

“Ugh! It’s a gate!”

“Hurry and report it!”

The students stepped back in horror, fumbling to get their phones, but their senior stopped them urgently.

“Calm down! It’s clearly a closed gate!”

“Oh, right. There’s no blue mist coming out yet.”

“Yeah. It’s not going to break open anytime soon.”

“Phew, that was scary.”

Realizing the situation, the students sighed in relief.

A dungeon break referred to monsters pouring out of a gate.

But just because a gate appeared didn’t mean a dungeon break would happen immediately.

First, blue mist had to leak out and contaminate the surroundings before the gate could open and the monsters could emerge.

“So, it’s still safe for now. Hehe.”

“Se-senior, why are you laughing like that? It’s still dangerous, so we should report it quickly, right?”

“You fools. Haven’t you heard the rumors? They say if you inhale the blue mist, you can awaken.”

“Ah!”

The juniors’ ears perked up at their senior’s words.

The nature of the blue mist was still unknown.

But a rumor had been spreading online like an urban legend.

The mist was actually magical energy, and inhaling it could make an ordinary person awaken magical abilities.

“Isn’t that just a baseless rumor?”

“It hasn’t been disproven either.”

“Hmm.”

“Hehe. So why don’t we find out for ourselves this time? Who knows, one of us might become an S-rank hunter?”

“…!”

The seniors’ secretive suggestion made the juniors’ eyes light up.

They envisioned the astronomical earnings of an S-rank hunter.

Since the materials and minerals from monsters and dungeons became valuable new resources, the job of a hunter had become a symbol of wealth and fame.

But it had only been two years since the Great Cataclysm.

There was still no clear understanding of how to awaken magical abilities.

“And you all know that Teaching Assistant Im is an E-rank awakened, right?”

“Yeah, I heard he always complains that E-rank hunters don’t make much money, which is why he works as a teaching assistant during the semester.”

“Tsk, tsk. You don’t know anything. He’s lying. Do you know how much he makes just by joining a mining team in a dungeon, not even an attack team?”

“How much?”

The senior whispered conspiratorially, and the juniors’ eyes widened again.

“What? That much? Even as an E-rank?”

“Yeah. Even the lowest-rank hunters can earn that much. Are you going to miss this great opportunity? Huh?”

“Wow, hunters really are amazing. But why does the teaching assistant still stay at school if he earns so much?”

“He makes money in dungeons and spends it freely on art. Working in the assistant’s office gives him many exhibition opportunities too.”

“That’s incredible.”

The juniors, who had been hesitant, were swayed by the senior’s persistent persuasion and slowly lowered their phones.

“Well, if the blue mist starts coming out, we should be safe for a while, right…?”

“So, should we wait a bit? Just for a moment?”

“You guys finally get it. Life’s about taking risks. As soon as the mist comes out, we’ll take a sip and then report it. No danger.”

And after a short while.

The gate began to release a faint blue mist.

* * *

Thump!

Suddenly, the building shook.

‘Huh?’

Su-ho looked up from the exhibition hall.

‘What was that? An earthquake?’

Something felt off.

It felt like the space itself was trembling.

But Su-ho was the only one who noticed this anomaly. No one else in the exhibition hall seemed to sense it.

Then it happened.

Stagger.

“Ugh.”

A student stumbled into the exhibition hall.

Teaching Assistant Im, who was near the entrance, approached him.

“Young-chul, I asked you to check the storage room. Why are you so late…?”

“I, I tried to stop him.”

“…Young-chul?”

“The senior kept insisting.”

“Park Young-chul?”

“The smoke…”

A chill ran down Su-ho’s spine.

‘Something’s wrong.’

Assistant Im’s face hardened as he got a closer look at Young-chul.

His eyes were unfocused and trembling.

He kept muttering nonsensical words.

“Park Young-chul? What’s that in your mouth?”

Assistant Im’s question made Young-chul realize his condition.

Ssshh.

Blue smoke was already seeping out from his mouth and nose.

“Oh no, this isn’t good.”

Young-chul tried to cover his mouth with his hands in panic.

But the more he tried, the more smoke seeped out through his fingers.

Then.

Fwoosh!

With intense heat, the blue smoke engulfed Young-chul.

“Assistant!”

Su-ho pulled Assistant Im back urgently.

“Gah! Hot…!”

“…!”

Pulled back, Assistant Im’s eyes widened.

Young-chul’s body was burning in the blue smoke.

“Ahhhh!”

“What’s that!”

Nearby students screamed in horror as they witnessed the gruesome scene.

Then it happened.

WEEEEEEEEEEEEE-!

A chilling siren blared from the campus speakers.

[This is an emergency!]

The sudden announcement caused the students to murmur.

[A gate has appeared on campus!]

“…?!”

“A gate?”

[The identified gate is located in the art gallery building…!]

“Damn it! It’s here!”

“Ahhhh!”

“Ahhhhh!”

Panic ensued.

Students, pale with fear, began running frantically.

Seeing someone burn to death right in front of them was terrifying.

But there was a problem.

The only exit was blocked by Young-chul’s burning body.

They had to pass by the body to get out.

Fwoosh!

One student, who was ahead, recoiled from the intense heat.

‘Is there another exit…?’

Desperately looking around, he found none.

There was only one exit.

As the students panicked and scattered.

[Grrr…]

The unthinkable happened.

“What?”

“That person?”

Young-chul’s charred body started moving again.

Covered in blue smoke.

“Wait, is that…?”

Assistant Im’s eyes widened.

“It’s a monster! Get away from it!”

Assistant Im shouted urgently.

[Graaah!]

But it was too late.

The blue smoke monster, using Young-chul’s body as a host, lashed out with its whip-like arm.

Crash-!

“Ahhh!”

Students spat blood and fell to the floor.

As the blue smoke clung to their clothes, their bodies began to burn.

“Ahhh! Fire! Fire!”

“Ahhhh!”

Students scattered in panic, screaming in terror.

“Oh my God. It’s really a Mistborne…”

Assistant Im frantically pulled out his phone.

Mistborne was not something an E-rank like him could handle alone.

As he requested backup, Su-ho asked urgently.

“Mistborne? What kind of monster is that?”

“If you get hit by it…”

Assistant Im bit his lip.

“You’ll turn into one of them.”

[Graaah!]

Meanwhile, the bodies of students attacked by Mistborne began to rise, engulfed in blue smoke.