Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 105

At that time.

There was someone who had been completely forgotten.

“S-Suho…”

Im Do-Gyun was dying.

“Save me…”

He was crawling on the floor, his entire body wrapped in white bandages. His trembling hands desperately clawed for an escape from this hellish place, a truly pitiful sight.

When Suho saw him, he couldn’t help but tightly shut his eyes and turn his head.

“I’m sorry, hyung.”

…’Thunk.’

Finally, Im Do-Gyun’s trembling hand dropped weakly to the ground.

But then—

[Arise.]

‘Lift.’

Ammit’s massive hand easily picked up Im Do-Gyun’s crumpled body.

[You still have three laps left.]

“Uwaaaaah…!”

Caught in Ammit’s grip, Im Do-Gyun flailed his broken arms helplessly like a ragdoll.

But regardless of his protests, Ammit forcefully propped him up and spoke in his strict, dignified tone.

[If you have time to whine, then you have time to run.]

“Ammit-nim! Please! I can’t anymore!”

[You can.]

“No, seriously! My leg is broken!”

[Convince your brain. If you think it’s not broken, you can run.]

“Are you insane, you crazy crocodile?!”

[…]

“No, sir. That was nonsense. I must have been dreaming for a second.”

[Kuhuhu. Good. Your eyes are alive again. I can raise the gravity now. Gravity x2.]

‘Gooooo!’

With a flick of Ammit’s finger, a heavy gravitational field pressed down on Im Do-Gyun’s body.

‘Crack!’

“Guaaaah…!”

His already broken leg bones cracked further.

But unfortunately for him, the Item: Bandages of the Mummy wrapped around his body forcibly held his broken frame together.

Because of that, Im Do-Gyun could still run, even with a broken leg—not that he was thankful for it.

“Ugh… Why… why is my body moving again…”

Drool dripped from his slackened mouth as his eyes unfocused, but somehow, he still ran, feeling a mix of gratitude for being alive and the curse of his survival.

Ammit gently nudged him forward with gravity, and Im Do-Gyun reluctantly started stumbling into a run again.

While Suho had been away in the demon realm for the past few days, Im Do-Gyun had been staying in Ammit’s pyramid.

Suho had temporarily moved him here because the outside world was too dangerous.

However, an even worse hell awaited him here.

A giant muscular crocodile humanoid was eyeing Im Do-Gyun hungrily.

Ammit wasn’t licking his lips because he wanted to eat him.

No—Ammit ‘loved’ weaklings like him.

[Ahh, this one, this one… kuhuhu.]

Ammit’s excitement was palpable.

It was like discovering a fresh ingredient for cooking.

Ammit was thrilled just thinking about how to train this frail human and make him into a worthy specimen that others would envy.

Just as Suho had experienced before, the pyramid’s gravitational field could be controlled at will by Ammit.

By utilizing this system, he could squeeze every ounce of potential out of even the weakest, skinniest bodies.

And…

No matter how much Im Do-Gyun protested, he had no say in the matter.

No one who stepped into this pyramid had ever escaped Ammit’s grasp unscathed.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Im Do-Gyun’s desperate screams echoed throughout the pyramid, but to Ammit, it was music to his ears.

[Good, good. You’re still full of energy.]

“W-Wait… don’t tell me…”

[Add another lap.]

“……!”

Watching Im Do-Gyun’s plight from afar were hollow, lifeless figures.

—

[Decayed Mummy]
[Decayed Mummy]

—

These were the remains of countless predecessors who had trained in Ammit’s brutal Body Strengthening Technique until they literally dropped dead.

Even in death, they were trapped in the pyramid, eternally serving Ammit as workers.

“…Ugh…”

The dead were not supposed to speak.

The mummies watched Im Do-Gyun blankly with their empty eyes before turning away bitterly.

[Kuhuhu. Don’t worry. I’ve mastered the art of training people without killing them.]

“I… I can sort of tell…”

Suho, feeling a little guilty, quietly bought a healing potion from the store.

Then, he poured the potion into Im Do-Gyun’s mouth, and the light slowly returned to his lifeless eyes.

“A-Ah… Are you an angel…? My strength… it’s coming back… Am I going to survive this?”

He didn’t even have the energy to question how Suho had such abilities.

“Suho… Thank you…”

[Oh? You’ve recovered your strength?]

“W-Wait. No. No, no, no…”

At that moment, Ammit’s eyes lit up eagerly, and Im Do-Gyun turned to Suho with a look of utter despair.

Suho simply nodded silently.

“You haven’t finished your 10 kilometers yet. Get moving.”

“You… You traitor—!”

The training resumed.

Suho felt a little sorry for Im Do-Gyun, but Ammit’s training would undoubtedly help him.

‘Even if he can’t level up like me, pushing his physical limits through strength training is still valuable.’

In truth, this was practically a miraculous opportunity for Im Do-Gyun.

Ordinary hunters couldn’t grow by leveling up like Suho could.

However, that only applied to the growth of their awakened abilities. They could still strengthen their physical capabilities through training and practice their combat skills to maximize their effectiveness.

This was why hunters sought to join large guilds.

The major guilds recruited top-tier coaches who had trained national athletes, paying them exorbitant sums to systematically train their hunters.

In that sense, Ammit’s Body Strengthening Technique—though incredibly rough—was an extremely effective training method.

Especially when combined with the Bandages of the Mummy and Healing Potions, it was possible to push a human body to its absolute limit and rebuild it stronger than ever.

“Guaaaaaaah!”

Of course, enduring the pain was a separate matter entirely.

—

Meanwhile, during Suho’s time in the demon realm, the outside world was no less chaotic.

“What?! Suho still hasn’t returned from the dungeon?!”

Yoo Jin-Ho.

Suho’s uncle and the CEO of Ajin Soft, was shocked when he heard that Suho had been missing for days.

His secretary, who had delivered the news, looked equally grim.

“There’s something more, sir. Although it’s not unusual for hunters to stay in dungeons for extended periods, this situation feels different. After Sung Suho entered the Pyeongtaek Dungeon, members of the Black Tortoise Guild entered right after him.”

“The Black Tortoise Guild?!”

Yoo Jin-Ho’s face darkened immediately at the familiar name.

“Don’t tell me—one of those hunters is Lee Young-Ho?”

“…Yes, sir. Manager Lee Young-Ho of the Black Tortoise Guild—the very man who caused trouble with us recently—led his men straight into Pyeongtaek.”

“Damn it!”

Yoo Jin-Ho slammed his hands on the table and stood up abruptly.

“I’ll hire mercenaries immediately to rescue Suho! Also, get in touch with the Black Tortoise Guild and find out where Lee Young-Ho is right now!”

“Yes, sir!”

Furious at the thought that Suho might be in danger, Yoo Jin-Ho paced angrily.

‘This is my failure! I underestimated how far Lee Young-Ho would go to take his frustrations out on Suho!’

But before Yoo Jin-Ho could act further—

‘Ding.’

His phone buzzed with a message.

It was from Suho.

—

-Uncle, sorry! This dungeon is taking a bit longer than expected. I might need to reschedule my next dungeon appointment…