Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 119

‘Swhoooosh!’

The black arrow, Quay, tore through the raging blizzard like a tempest, flying straight ahead.

To a regular archer, this would have seemed like a reckless waste of mana—just a blind shot.

But Suho’s arrows had “eyes.”

“Quay! Hit the first thing you see!”

[Yes, Master…!]

Quay’s voice faded into the howling blizzard as it vanished from Suho’s thoughts.

Right now, the pressing matter was what was happening on this side.

‘Shwooosh!’

Even as Suho and the rest of the Scavenger Hunters plummeted through the gate, the blizzard continued to rage around them.

“Brace yourselves with mana for impact…!”

Thomas Andre’s commanding voice echoed faintly, growing distant with the fierce storm muffling all sound.

The blizzard blurred everything, making it impossible to see even Esil or Ryo Singh, who had been nearby.

Still, Suho trusted they could manage on their own.

‘Shwooosh!’

Following Thomas’ advice, Suho used mana to shield his body and enhanced his senses to their fullest.

Soon, through the thick white veil, a faint view of the ground below began to appear.

‘Whhoooosh!’

“…!”

A massive gust of wind cleared some of the blizzard, revealing a breathtaking scene that left Suho wide-eyed.

A forest.

Below them was a frozen, snow-covered forest.

Ice-coated rivers and snow-laden trees sprawled across the landscape.

Sparkling ice crystals dotted the streams winding through the dense mountainous terrain, eventually merging into a small, frozen lake that seamlessly blended with the snowy forest.

[My liege! You must recall Quay immediately! If we keep falling…!]

Beru’s urgent warning was justified; the impact from such a fall could be catastrophic.

But without Quay breaking through this treacherous storm, it would have been impossible to pierce the blizzard.

This wasn’t merely weather—it was a dimensional storm, infused with mana tearing through space itself.

Even as Beru’s warning echoed in his ears, Suho couldn’t help but marvel at the surreal beauty of the view below.

The sight was unlike anything he had ever encountered in any dungeon before, a truly majestic landscape.

The only drawback was…

He was free-falling toward it.

‘So the Ice Elves live down there?’

Having grasped the situation, it was time to act.

“Gray, descend!”

‘Grrrroooarrr!’

[‘Pet: Gray’ descends.]

‘Whoooosh!’

Even amidst the raging blizzard, a divine wind wrapped around Suho’s body.

[‘Skill: Wind of the Plains’ has been activated.]
[The Priest’s body is liberated by the Wind of the Plains.]
[Movement speed increases by 30%.]
[Attack speed increases by 30%.]

‘Fwoosh!’

Suho’s hair turned silver in an instant as he quickly opened his inventory and swapped his equipment.

Grasping two Vulcan’s Horns in his hands, a faint smile formed on Suho’s lips.

When the opponent was a storm…

‘I’ll just slice through it.’

‘Shwooosh!’

[‘Skill: Storm Slash’ has been activated.]

Ferocious winds wrapped around Suho’s dual blades as he twisted the storm against itself, forcibly slowing his descent.

‘Whoosh!’

Gliding like a hawk, Suho descended toward the forest below, aiming for a large tree nearby.

With both blades, he struck the tree vertically.

‘CRAAACK!’

The massive tree split in half under the force of Vulcan’s Horns, further reducing Suho’s momentum as he landed safely on the thick snow-covered ground.

“…Well, I’m alive for now.”

Thanks to the tree’s noble sacrifice, Suho safely landed on the snow, scanning his surroundings calmly.

Everything was a pristine expanse of white snow and trees.

There was no sign of the other Hunters—each had likely fallen at a different location.

“Looks like I’ve been stranded.”

[Now do you see why so few Hunters have ever returned from here, my liege?]

“You’re right. If I hadn’t counteracted the fall, I’d have been dead meat by now. Wait… hold on.”

As Suho nodded at Beru’s remark, a question suddenly occurred to him.

Raising his head, he gazed at the dimensional rift high in the sky with a puzzled expression.

“Then how did the survivors get back? Did they fly up there?”

[Kiieek?]

Beru squinted at the gate in the sky as if realizing something for the first time.

It was possible for Hunters with flight skills to return, but there was another issue.

[Hmm. Come to think of it… those Ice Golems wouldn’t destroy the ground every single time.]

If every Hunter who entered this dungeon did so by falling through a collapsing ground, the entirety of Fassad Island would have been a wasteland by now.

And it was unreasonable to think they repaired the ground after every collapse.

[Perhaps there’s more than one entrance.]

“More than one gate?”

[Yes, my liege. Look carefully at the sky. Humans often simplify it as a gate, but dimensional rifts tend to widen over time.]

As Beru explained, the gate Suho had entered wasn’t a singular hole—it was a tear in space, a shredded dimensional fabric.

Given how contaminated Fassad Island was with mana, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were multiple entry points scattered around.

“So other Hunters may have entered through different rifts…”

Suho’s thought trailed off as his senses flared.

Immediately, he twisted his body, slashing his blade.

‘Slash!’

“Keerrk…!”

[You have defeated an Ice Kobold.]

With a single strike, Suho decapitated the monster that had been sneaking through the blizzard toward him.

Suho scanned his surroundings, a faint smile on his lips.

“I guess I made too much noise while falling.”

[We are already surrounded, my liege.]

‘Whooooosh—’

The forest, shrouded in the howling blizzard, was now filled with predatory gazes directed at Suho.

[Ice Kobold]
[Ice Kobold]
…

The mana-infused blizzard was disrupting vision and hearing, but for the beasts native to this area, it didn’t seem to pose any challenge.

“…Interesting.”

Suho chuckled.

He now had to rely entirely on his sensory stats.

Though these were just kobolds for now, who knew what stronger enemies lurked beyond?

And, as if to make things worse, Suho was separated from his companions.

[That only makes it better, my liege.]

Beru also grinned.

A blocked view and solitude—perfect conditions for Suho to freely level up.

[The time for leveling up has come.]

“Minotauros, Tau. Come out.”

‘Shwwoooosh!’

At Suho’s command, two massive shadow beasts emerged from his shadow.

[Shadow Minotauros Lv.1]
Rank: Knight

[Shadow Minotauros Lv.1]
Rank: Knight

The fearsome beasts Suho had personally slain in the demonic realm were now his loyal soldiers.

‘Oooomooo—!’

The shadowy Minotauros roared fiercely, their muscular forms wreathed in dark steam.

The Ice Kobolds, which had been poised to attack Suho, instinctively trembled at the overwhelming aura.

Pointing at the kobolds, Suho gave his command.

“Crush them all.”

‘Oooomooo—!’
‘Moooarrr—!’

‘Thud-thud-thud!’

[You have defeated an Ice Kobold.]
[You have defeated an Ice Kobold.]
[You have defeated an Ice Kobold.]
…

The ensuing battle was one-sided.

Hundreds of kobolds emerged from the forest, only to be mercilessly slaughtered by the Minotauros’ brutal strength.

Finally, the true threat that had been hiding in the shadows began to reveal itself.

[Ice Troll]

‘Grooaarrr!’

A monster as massive as the Ice Golems Suho had seen earlier charged forward, wielding a giant log. It swung the log at Tau’s head with devastating force.

‘Crash!’

The log shattered on impact, snapping Tau’s neck.

But…

“…!”

[Omoo?]

It didn’t matter.

Shrouded in black steam, Tau’s broken neck straightened as if nothing had happened, his monstrous eyes gleaming with malice.

The Ice Troll froze in fear as Tau grinned wickedly, as if mocking the creature’s feeble strength.

Tau’s arm muscles bulged grotesquely as he raised a fist toward the troll.

[Omooo…!]

The overwhelming power was about to rain down on the Ice Troll when—

‘Shhlick!’

“…!”

A black spear pierced through the Ice Troll’s back, emerging from its chest.

‘Slash!’

As the spear was withdrawn, the troll collapsed lifelessly on the spot.

[You have defeated an Ice Troll.]

The spear’s owner was none other than Quay.

Having returned to Suho after his mission, Quay stood atop the fallen troll’s corpse, smirking at Tau.

[I was faster.]

[Omooo!]

[So what? You’re just a slow-witted cow.]

Ignoring the fuming Tau, Quay approached Suho and knelt.

‘Thud.’

[Spearman Quay has returned.]

But Quay wasn’t empty-handed.

Suho’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Quay held something—or rather, someone—by the ankle: a figure unconscious and limp.

“What did you bring back?”

[It’s an Ice Elf I struck down.]

To Suho’s surprise, Quay had captured what appeared to be a young Ice Elf, resembling a child around ten years old.

It was clear the figure was an Ice Elf based on its distinct appearance.

But what truly caught Suho’s attention was the name floating above the child’s head.

[Sirka, Guardian of the Baruka Tribe]

‘Guardian of the Baruka Tribe?’

The title was intriguing and hinted at significance.

This confirmed Ryo Singh’s information that the Ice Elves lived in tribal units.

What was even more surprising, however, was that the young Ice Elf was still alive.

“It’s still alive?”

[Yes, my liege. I regret that I couldn’t bring myself to kill it.]

“What?”

Suho was genuinely shocked.

The words coming from Quay’s mouth were unexpected.

It was hard to believe that Quay, of all beings, had suddenly developed a sense of mercy.

But what Quay said next shocked Suho even more.

[This Ice Elf recognized me. It asked if I served the Shadow Monarch. I thought it might be a lead…]

“What?”

Suho’s eyes widened in astonishment.

Quay had brought back a major catch.