Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 129
Just before Cha Hae-in was engulfed by the blinding light—
[Kyaaaah…!]
Kaisel wrapped his massive wings around her in a desperate attempt to shield her from the explosion.
The cost was devastating.
‘Hwaaaaak!’
‘No… this can’t be…!’
Cha Hae-in’s heart screamed as she felt Kaisel’s energy rapidly depleting.
The black shadow that made up Kaisel’s body was fraying, turning into tattered remnants.
‘Kaisel is…!’
Kaisel was sacrificing himself to protect her, even if it meant his own destruction.
But then—
From the epicenter of the brilliant light, Thomas Andre, wrapped in blue energy, frowned and turned his gaze toward something.
‘Fwoooosh—’
His glowing blue eyes locked onto a streak of compressed frost, cutting through the air in a straight line.
The howling snowstorm of Echo Forest was roaring.
‘Fwoosh!’
Finally, the streak broke through the storm, revealing a frozen trident.
‘Crash!’
The Spear of the Ice Tree struck the Ice Dragon’s body directly.
[…!]
The impact was immense, shattering ice crystals that flew in all directions.
‘Shwaaaak!’
New spirits nearby immediately rushed toward the Ice Dragon, attempting to repair the damage.
But—
‘Goooooo!’
A colossal pressure blanketed Echo Forest.
‘Ding! Ding! Ding!’
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost, suppresses the Ice Spirits with his overwhelming presence.]
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost, compels the Ice Spirits to submit.]
[The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost, dominates the Ice Spirits…]
Suddenly, the frenzied spirits shrieked in terror at the Monarch’s aura, scattering chaotically.
Even the snowstorm swirling through Echo Forest trembled uncontrollably.
At the center of it all—
‘Grab!’
“Found you.”
Suho caught hold of his mother.
“Mom.”
…!
[Kiaaaaak!]
At the same time, Beru clung to Cha Hae-in’s head, letting out a high-pitched wail.
[Lady Cha Hae-in! Are you unharmed?! Worry not, for your humble servant Beru has come to your rescue!]
[Groooaaarrr!]
The tattered Kaisel let out a cry of recognition when he saw Suho and Beru. Meanwhile, Cha Hae-in stared at her son in disbelief.
“A-Ah, my son? Wait, how did you even get here…?”
“I brought him, Cha-cha! I brought your son!”
Sirka chimed in cheerfully, overjoyed at seeing Cha Hae-in safe and sound.
But this wasn’t the time for casual conversation.
‘Krrruuumble!’
“…!”
“…!”
The Ice Dragon, which had been shattered by the Spear of the Ice Tree, was already regenerating and rising behind them.
Suho’s sharp gaze caught sight of Thomas Andre’s face, faintly visible through the thick ice.
“Thomas Andre?!”
“Could he have been possessed by a spirit? No… this feels different.”
Sirka stared at the ominous blue energy radiating from Thomas Andre’s body, feeling uneasy.
The energy resembled that of spirits, but it was distinctly alien and unnatural.
‘Thud.’
[Young Lord, prepare yourself.]
Beru stepped forward, releasing a ferocious aura.
[An Apostle of the Itarim has appeared.]
‘Ssshhh!’
At Beru’s words, Suho immediately pulled a massive bow from his inventory.
From his shadow, he drew the Quay, notched it on the bowstring, and took aim.
“Rise, Quay!”
The shadow-infused arrow was directed straight at the Ice Dragon’s heart—where Thomas Andre was encased.
“Fire!”
[As you command, Master!]
‘Screeee!’
Suho’s arrow flew unhesitatingly toward Thomas Andre.
There was no room for hesitation.
Thomas Andre’s state was clearly far from normal, but there was no time to dwell on his condition.
The enemy wasn’t just some mindless beast—it was an Apostle of the Itarim.
Hesitation could lead to the deaths of not only Suho but also his mother.
But Suho’s resolve proved futile.
‘Krrraaaaack!’
Before the arrow could reach Thomas Andre, his body sank deeper into the Ice Dragon’s core.
The arrow failed to penetrate the dragon’s thick defense.
[Itarim, guide me.]
From within the icy depths, Thomas Andre’s distorted voice echoed.
The Ice Dragon opened its massive jaws, and an overwhelming energy began to swirl within.
Recognizing the incoming danger, Cha Hae-in’s voice rang out urgently.
“Watch out! It’s a Dragon Breath!”
But Suho had no intention of backing down.
“Beru!”
[Yes!]
Suho fixed his gaze on the Ice Dragon and shouted:
“The Shadow Dragon is already exposed to the enemy. At this point, we have nothing to lose, right?!”
Suho’s words referred to Kaisel, who, despite his tattered state, continued to protect Cha Hae-in.
Beru bared his fangs in agreement.
[Absolutely, my lord!]
“Everyone, come out!”
In that instant—
The shadow beneath Suho spread wide.
‘Shwaaaaaak!’
Dozens of shadow soldiers emerged simultaneously.
“…!”
Cha Hae-in, witnessing the scene from behind, widened her eyes in shock.
‘No way.’
The sight was so familiar.
The back of her son, surrounded by an army of shadow soldiers.
For the first time in years, Cha Hae-in saw the shadow of her husband in her son.
‘When did Suho become… like this?’
It was a strange feeling.
In the midst of such an intense situation, her chest felt oddly warm and ticklish.
[Listen up, all of you!]
At the forefront of the army, the diminutive yet commanding Beru roared.
The former legion commander issued his orders with ferocity.
[Scatter and launch a full assault!]
‘Kwaaaaaa!’
In an instant, the shadow soldiers scattered in all directions, launching simultaneous attacks on the Ice Dragon from every angle.
‘Shu-shu-shu-shu-shu-shuk!’
The shadow elves unleashed volleys of arrows that bent and twisted mid-flight, piercing into the Ice Dragon’s icy body.
From the points of impact, cracks spread like spiderwebs across the massive chunks of ice.
‘Crack! Crack-crack!’
Simultaneously, shadow minotaurs and shadow trolls charged forward like battering rams, slamming into the dragon’s body with immense force.
‘Thud!’
‘Boom-boom-boom!’
The relentless bombardment caused the Ice Dragon’s body to crack and tremble, appearing as though it would collapse at any moment.
But it wasn’t enough.
Not nearly enough.
Their opponent was an Ice Dragon—a monster superior in both attack and defense.
‘Kwaooooo!’
Finally, the dragon released its pent-up mana in a devastating Dragon Breath.
With a single sweep of its massive head, the destructive energy poured forth, annihilating everything in a straight line through the forest.
[…!]
The attack obliterated countless shadow soldiers in an instant.
Some soldiers managed to survive, but the majority of the shadow elves were completely reduced to nothing.
But—
‘We bought time!’
Taking advantage of the momentary pause, Suho turned his attention to his mother, feeding her a healing potion and a mana potion.
At the same time, Suho replenished the ranks of his fallen soldiers, extracting new ones to take their place.
There was no shortage of available bodies.
Ironically, the dragon’s devastating breath had not only eliminated shadow soldiers but also the ice elves of Echo Forest, who had been possessed by spirits.
“Rise!”
[‘Shadow Extraction successful.’]
[‘Shadow Extraction successful.’]
[‘Shadow Extraction successful.’]
…
New soldiers continuously emerged to fill the ranks, launching fresh attacks on the Ice Dragon. Once again, the dragon’s breath swept through them, annihilating them in waves.
During this cycle of combat, Cha Hae-in’s condition visibly improved.
Not only was her immediate fatigue fading, but even the deeper scars accumulated over the years on this unfamiliar land were being healed.
However, Suho wasn’t satisfied.
He used every recovery item he had on his mother, from the Mummy’s Bandages to the recently acquired Echo Forest Springwater.
The Echo Forest Springwater was an invaluable detoxifying potion, only obtainable in the Frost Monarch’s sanctuary.
‘It has to help somehow!’
While tending to his mother, Suho kept his focus on the battlefield, analyzing the situation.
First, he confirmed what he had heard from the elves’ village—his mother had awakened as an S-rank hunter.
The woman he had thought of as an ordinary housewife had become an overwhelmingly powerful figure.
Even as he witnessed it with his own eyes, it was hard to believe.
He also noted the scattered presence of Scavenger hunters in the area.
‘Esil’s here too!’
Combining all the pieces, Suho quickly devised a strategy.
‘I can’t beat that dragon alone. I need to fight alongside my mother.’
At that moment, Cha Hae-in, now sufficiently recovered, stepped out of Kaisel’s protective embrace.
“Kaisel, leave the rest to me and rest now.”
[Grrooo…]
Kaisel purred gently, feeling the comforting touch of Cha Hae-in’s hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes, his strength spent.
Gradually, Kaisel dissolved into black smoke and retreated into the necklace Cha Hae-in wore.
‘Thank goodness Kaisel is safe.’
Clutching the necklace tightly in both hands, Cha Hae-in let out a sigh of relief.
Then, lifting her head, she turned toward Suho.
“Son.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“I’m really angry right now.”
“….”
Ah. Suho flinched, feeling a twinge of guilt, and cautiously glanced at his mother’s face.
Her previously clear eyes now burned with fiery determination.
“Buy me some time. I’m going to pour all my mana into one final skill.”
‘Goooooo!’
As she spoke, an incredible surge of mana began to gather around her body.
Her skill—Blade of Light—was her trump card, a technique so mana-intensive that it could only be used in desperation.
“If this one attack doesn’t work, then you’ll just have to stall for time and feed me more of those mana potions you gave me earlier.”
It was a strategy born of experience, the perfect plan from Cha Hae-in, who had once been the vice guild master of Korea’s strongest hunter guild in the now-erased timeline.
“Can you do it?”
She looked at Suho with a gaze full of trust.
For a brief moment, she marveled at how much her son had grown. The man standing before her carried the same aura as her husband during his younger years.
‘But he still has a long way to go.’
Cha Hae-in was realistic in her assessment. Suho’s current level was nowhere near that of her husband or even herself.
But it was enough.
‘He can buy me time.’
That was all she needed.
Suho nodded.
“Understood. But I’ll decide where you should attack.”
“What?”
Suho’s eyes sparkled mischievously as a confident smile spread across his face.
Before him, the information about the Echo Forest Springwater appeared.
—
Item: Echo Forest Springwater
Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Consumable
A mysterious springwater from Echo Forest.
When consumed or applied, it neutralizes toxins.
—
This springwater was one of the ingredients used to create the Divine Elixir, which neutralized the Corrupted Blood of the Demon King.
“Silad, one question.”
Suho’s gaze shifted toward the direction of the hot spring beyond the Ice Dragon.
“Will the effect of the Echo Forest Springwater work on a Monarch?”