Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 110

“Ahem.”

Thomas Andre sat across from Suho with an awkward expression.

Beside them sat Laura, his secretary, and Yoo Jinho, the CEO of Ajin Soft.

“I apologize. This is entirely Thomas’s fault. Please show him some leniency.”

Ignoring Thomas, Laura took it upon herself to apologize to both Suho and Yoo Jinho.

Particularly to Yoo Jinho, the Scavenger Guild’s major shareholder, she had no choice but to grovel.

“Thomas, stop avoiding the issue and apologize properly.”

“Ahem. Well, still, we’re the Scavenger Guild. It’s not like this is about a few measly bucks…”

“The moment CEO Yoo Jinho causes our stock to drop by half, your worth will also plummet by half.”

“Er, I may have gone a little too far, CEO Yoo.”

At Laura’s pointed remark, Thomas Andre straightened his posture awkwardly.

Still feeling sheepish, he added a lighthearted comment to try and ease the tension.

“Haha, let’s just chalk this up to a misunderstanding. My poor Korean caused this little incident, so let’s laugh it off.”

“…For someone with ‘poor Korean,’ your pronunciation is surprisingly good. Anyone would think you’re a native.”

“That’s because I’m a huge fan of Korean dramas. Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of revenge-themed ones, so my Korean has gotten a bit aggressive.”

“Thomas, just apologize. Just apologize.”

Laura sighed, shaking her head as Thomas tried to deflect the situation with jokes.

Still, she kept stealing glances at Yoo Jinho, gauging his reaction. Even though it was her first time in Korea, Laura was well aware of Ajin Soft’s global reputation.

‘Ajin Soft. A global company leading the virtual reality gaming industry.’

The Hunter and gaming industries were entirely different fields, but from a corporate perspective, big companies always seemed to intertwine in some way.

Particularly, the fact that Ajin Soft was preparing a game featuring Hunters, titled “Solo Leveling,” was a widely whispered secret among business circles.

While bits of information were gradually reaching the public, only a few people knew that Ajin Soft had been planning the project since the moment the Great Cataclysm began.

To prove that, Yoo Jinho had been quietly acquiring shares in the world’s largest guilds for some time.

It was almost as if he had foreseen that the release of a virtual reality game featuring Hunters would cause guild stocks to skyrocket.

‘CEO Yoo Jinho is a terrifying man. He creates markets and buys up related stocks before the market even exists. That’s not something just anyone can do.’

Unlike the physically powerful but immature Thomas Andre, Laura clearly understood Yoo Jinho’s true nature.

That’s why she treated him with utmost respect.

Thanks to her efforts, the situation was resolved amicably, and Yoo Jinho let out a sigh of relief.

“Whew. Fine, I understand for now. But what exactly brings you here, Mr. Thomas? Why did you seek out Suho?”

“Ahem. I’ll explain that myself.”

As the atmosphere softened, Thomas grinned and turned to Suho.

“Sung Suho, we need your help.”

“What? All of a sudden?”

Suho looked at him incredulously, his expression full of disbelief.

Someone who needed help came charging in like they wanted to kill him first?

‘Is his brain full of muscles? Or has he just gone senile?’

Still, Suho couldn’t bring himself to get angry over it—he had his reasons.

“Well, at first, I thought I’d just lure you along. I didn’t expect it to be so difficult. My bad, I apologize.”

“…”

“Come on, I apologized, so let’s move on. Besides, I’m not even holding it against you for killing our guild members.”

For a moment, Suho’s expression nearly faltered.

But maintaining his composure, he responded with a blank face.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“What nonsense is this? Suho has lived in Korea his entire life. He’s never even set foot overseas. How could you claim he killed a Scavenger Guild member?”

[Well said! Keep pushing him back!]

From the shadows, Beru cheered enthusiastically for Yoo Jinho.

“Heh. I figured you’d say that.”

Thomas grinned knowingly, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed posture.

“Of course, there’s no evidence. No witnesses, no bodies. Even the pyramid they supposedly raided has disappeared entirely.”

“CEO Yoo, there’s no need to respond to this claim. Let’s pretend we didn’t hear it,” Laura interjected, adjusting her glasses.

“But the surviving Hunters from the Asura Guild submitted an odd report. They claimed to have befriended a Korean Hunter named Sung Suho.”

[As I expected! My liege, shall I tear out their tongues?]

Beru sprang up from the shadows in a fury, but Suho calmly stomped him back down and continued the conversation.

“They must be mistaking me for someone else with the same name.”

“That’s possible, but it doesn’t matter. The guild members who went missing were troublemakers anyway.”

“Right. Who cares where or how those idiots got themselves killed? Back in my prime, I wouldn’t have let anyone touch what’s mine, but…”

Thomas ground his teeth, his eyes narrowing.

However, instead of exuding killing intent, his expression turned somewhat bitter, and he let out a deep sigh.

“…There’s something much more important now.”

With a serious tone, Thomas looked directly into Suho’s eyes and spoke.

“So, you need to help me out,” Thomas said.

“…What exactly do you need help with? I’m just a mere C-rank Hunter.”

At this point, Suho’s curiosity was piqued.

What on earth could make an American S-rank Hunter come all the way to Korea to ask for his assistance?

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a C-rank or an E-rank. Norma Selner—the old hag’s predictions are never wrong.”

“Norma Selner? Are you saying that prophet made a prediction about Suho?”

Yoo Jinho was the first to react to those words.

Among the four people present, he was the only one who retained memories of his past life, so he understood the immense significance of Norma Selner’s prophecies better than anyone else.

“Yes. The old hag specifically mentioned Sung Suho from Korea in her prophecy. She said he’s the only one who can help me.”

As Thomas suddenly singled him out, Suho asked, “What exactly am I supposed to help with?”

“I don’t know. That’s as far as her prophecy went. But she told me to deliver this message to you.”

“…?”

“The Glacier Dungeon. She said there’s a chance you’ll find clues about your mother there.”

…!

Suho and Yoo Jinho’s eyes widened in unison at the completely unexpected revelation.

Even Beru, listening from the shadows, was shocked.

[Kieeek! A clue about Lady Hae-in! My liege, this is a miracle! A miracle, I say!]

“Quiet for a second! I need to think!”

Suho’s mind was thrown into complete disarray.

Was this even possible?

Out of nowhere, a foreign visitor had appeared and suddenly started talking about his mother, who had gone missing years ago.

Yoo Jinho looked at Suho urgently.

“Suho! If it’s Norma Selner’s prophecy, you can trust it! You might not know, but she’s…”

[I know too! The master once said she’s the prophet who even correctly foresaw the war between the Shadow Army and the Monarchs! Whatever the Glacier Dungeon is, you must go there, my liege!]

While Beru excitedly chattered in the shadows, Laura also spoke seriously to Suho.

“I was present when Norma Selner gave her prophecy, so I can vouch for it. She didn’t share many details, but she said that helping us would definitely benefit you, Hunter Sung Suho.”

“…I’ll think about it for now,” Suho said, trying to calm his tumultuous thoughts.

At his response, Thomas let out a hearty laugh.

“Good, good. I knew you’d come to the right decision.”

“Thomas, Hunter Sung Suho said he’d think about it. You should study more Korean.”

“Same difference.”

Ignoring Laura’s correction, Thomas laughed boisterously, interpreting Suho’s response however he pleased.

—

[You’re going, right?]

After Thomas returned to his hotel, Beru hovered nervously around Suho, who had just arrived home.

[Even though Lady Hae-in is under the master’s protection, she is ultimately only human. The thought of what suffering she might be enduring right now… I can’t bear it! Sob!]

Clinging to Suho’s shoulder, Beru wept openly.

While Suho had said he’d think about it, his decision had already been made.

“Of course I’m going.”

It was the first clue about his missing mother in years.

Even if the prophecy turned out to be false, he had to check it out.

But the reason he hesitated to give an immediate answer wasn’t doubt.

“The Glacier Dungeon. The problem is, I know nothing about that place.”

Wherever it was, it was dangerous enough to give even an S-rank Hunter trouble.

He couldn’t just charge in without any preparation, especially if it might hold clues about his mother.

Given Thomas Andre’s impulsive nature, Suho suspected that agreeing on the spot would result in him being dragged off to America immediately.

‘He’s definitely lost his mind. What kind of old man starts off a plea for help with an attack?’

Caution was critical.

It wouldn’t be surprising if that old man tried to kidnap him tomorrow morning.

Before that could happen, Suho needed to gather as much information as possible about the Glacier Dungeon.

The issue was that even Thomas Andre didn’t seem to know much about it.

The Scavenger Guild, despite being a major guild, wasn’t particularly adept at intelligence gathering. Ironically, this was because of the renowned prophet Norma Selner at Thomas’s side.

Having a great prophet nearby had caused the guild to neglect traditional methods of information-gathering over time.

After sending Thomas back to his hotel, Suho asked Yoo Jinho to gather as much information as possible about the Glacier Dungeon.

He also began searching through HunterNet and other resources himself.

“If the clues about my mother are truly there, I can’t afford any mistakes. I have to prepare thoroughly…”

Just then, Suho’s phone rang.

“Seriously, my phone never gets a break,” he muttered.

Since becoming a Hunter, his phone had arguably worked harder than anyone else.

“A number I don’t recognize?”

Suho stared at the unfamiliar number on the screen.

It could be spam, but there was also a chance it was from Thomas or Laura. He decided to answer.

What he heard was a voice he didn’t expect.

-Hunter Sung Suho! I have arrived! I am Ryo Singh!

“…Who?”

Suho covered the phone and looked at Beru.