Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 130
‘…This dream again.’
Thomas Andre was dreaming amidst a haze of blue mist.
It was the same haunting nightmare that had plagued him his entire life.
– “I am Thomas Andre! Do you think I’ll crumble under something like this?!”
In the dream, he would shout defiantly, only to be met with one-sided blows.
It wasn’t a fight—it was pure violence.
‘Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!’
Faced with that overwhelming power, there was nothing he could do.
No matter how hard he resisted, all that awaited him was relentless and inescapable brutality.
No matter how much he struggled, he could never defeat the man in his nightmare.
– “I told you already.”
‘Smash!’
In the dream, the man would always strike his jaw and continue speaking.
– “It doesn’t matter who you are.”
That cold voice.
The emotionless eyes that gazed down at him from an unreachable height.
Thomas couldn’t recall the man’s face, but the chilling gaze was burned into his mind, so vivid that it haunted him even after waking.
Under that gaze, he was nothing more than a weakling.
Thomas Andre had never understood why he had this recurring dream.
Who was he, after all?
He was an undefeated UFC heavyweight champion.
The demon of the ring, the pinnacle of human strength.
An absolute force who had never tasted defeat until the day he retired.
A tyrant who always looked down at his opponents crumpled beneath his feet.
‘That’s who I am, Thomas Andre.’
But…
‘So why…?’
Despite his overwhelming accomplishments, the nightmare constantly reminded him of defeat, preventing him from ever truly believing in his strength.
No, more than that—
– “I am weak.”
This was Thomas Andre’s true belief.
If the world knew he harbored such thoughts, they would surely laugh it off as false humility or self-deception.
But it was his undeniable truth.
– “I am weak.”
Even as he trained his body, perfected his techniques, and climbed to the peak of human strength…
Even after becoming an S-rank hunter, one of the strongest beings in existence…
– “I am weak. Always.”
No matter how strong he became, he was plagued by unquenchable thirst, anxiety, and restlessness.
Even though he knew no one on Earth could defeat him, the belief that he was weak remained an unshakable obsession.
This feeling persisted even after awakening as an S-rank hunter—a being far beyond ordinary humans.
‘Why?’
Even now, as one of the strongest monsters among hunters, he was tormented.
‘Why am I so weak?!’
Thomas himself couldn’t understand the source of his compulsive insecurity.
‘Who is that man?!’
The man in his nightmares, the one he could never overcome, haunted him.
It was absurd.
An S-rank hunter, humanity’s apex predator, being tormented by a mere dream.
‘Maybe she knows something.’
Unable to endure it any longer, Thomas had confided in his old friend, Norma Selner, the renowned sorceress and prophet.
If anyone could provide answers about his dream, it would be her.
But Norma’s response only deepened his confusion.
With a sympathetic gaze, she had told him:
– “Thomas, the feeling you’re experiencing is emptiness.”
– “What do you mean?”
– “It’s because something that once filled your vessel is now gone.”
– “What are you talking about?!”
As always, prophets spoke in riddles that left more questions than answers.
But one thing became clear to Thomas through her words.
His vessel was empty.
And to fill that emptiness, he had spent his entire life chasing strength.
Then, in the Ice Dungeon, as he battled the relentless monsters, something happened.
Little by little, without even realizing it—
– “That emptiness was filled.”
‘So this is it.’
In that moment, Thomas Andre understood.
The thing he had longed for, the missing piece, had finally filled his being.
‘This is true power!’
At last, the puzzle he had spent his life solving was complete.
‘I, Thomas Andre, am…’
[‘…Now whole!’]
‘Kwaaaaaang!’
In the dream, Thomas Andre thrashed and awakened.
And in an instant, he instinctively understood the source of his newfound strength.
[‘Itarim, grant me power!’]
His primal instinct drove his body and mind, guiding him to wield this overwhelming power.
He would now teach those foolish, weak humans daring to stand against him what true terror was.
――――――!
Thomas Andre unleashed the full force of his newfound power, annihilating everything in his path.
The shadow soldiers that charged at him melted away instantly under his might.
But amidst the chaos, a small, persistent presence—imbued with a faintly unsettling aura—pushed forward, slicing through the shadow soldiers to reach him.
[‘Kraaaaaaah!’]
Thomas Andre roared, unleashing his overwhelming energy.
Yet even before his overwhelming might, the tiny human showed no signs of retreat.
With eyes blazing, Suho muttered as he charged.
“Esil.”
His voice reached Esil Radir, who was among the Scavenger hunters.
“Come.”
‘Shwaaak!’
[‘Vulcan’s Horn devours the soul of a demon.’]
At that moment, Esil’s spiritual energy transformed, and Suho’s shadow wielded it, manifesting two blazing horns atop his head.
[‘Equipping Item: Vulcan’s Horn.’]
[‘Buff Applied: Destructive Urge. Physical damage increased by 300%.’]
“Let’s go all out.”
[‘Using Skill: Wind of the Plains.’]
[‘Temporary movement speed increased by 30%.’]
[‘Temporary attack speed increased by 30%.’]
[‘Using Skill: Giant’s Armor.’]
‘Shwaaaaa!’
Suho’s silver hair billowed in the biting winds of the snowstorm. Each step he took toward the Ice Dragon—toward Thomas Andre—seemed to make his figure grow larger.
And then—
[‘Using Skill: Body Strengthening Technique.’]
Black energy spiraled around Suho’s arms, amplifying his strength. Gathering every ounce of power, he charged directly into the massive Ice Dragon.
‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’
[‘How dare you?!’]
Thomas Andre roared in fury.
To challenge him with brute force—of all things!
[‘You think you can measure up to me in strength?!’]
It was absurd. The great Thomas Andre, mocked by a mere child?
[‘You dare stand against me?!’]
‘Smash!’
In response to his will, the Ice Dragon swung with immense power, slamming into Suho and attempting to crush him completely.
But just as the Ice Dragon’s overwhelming weight pressed down, Suho’s eyes gleamed.
[‘Ruler’s Authority!’]
‘Shwaaaaak!’
The black energy swirling around Suho’s arms extended outward, invisible hands lashing out.
‘Crash!’
[‘…!’]
The Ruler’s Authority—a skill Suho had mastered from the moment he could walk—struck the Ice Dragon’s leg with immense force.
‘Crack!’
‘Snap!’
The dragon’s leg buckled under the blow, unable to support its massive weight, and its entire body tilted to the side.
Then, with a mighty heave—
‘Thud!’
Suho used the dragon’s weight against it, slamming it to the ground in a colossal throw.
“Mom!” he shouted.
‘Now!’
Cha Hae-in’s eyes sharpened.
“Got it.”
She unleashed the full power of her Blade of Light, concentrating all her mana into a single attack.
‘Flash!’
The blinding beam shot straight for Thomas Andre.
[‘Pathetic!’]
With a roar, Thomas Andre’s glowing blue eyes intensified, and he folded the Ice Dragon’s wings around himself, creating an icy shield.
‘Shreeeeek!’
The blade of light cut through the thick ice but failed to penetrate fully.
Cha Hae-in gritted her teeth.
‘Still too shallow!’
Even facing just Thomas Andre was a monumental task. Now, his existence was protected by the immense ice barrier of the Ice Dragon.
But this was enough—for Suho’s plan.
“Perfect.”
Amid the chaos, the Ice Dragon, struggling under the assault, had been driven backward.
Its massive hind leg sank into the steaming waters of the Echo Forest Spring.
‘Splash!’
―――――――!
The ice spirits composing the dragon’s body screamed in agony and scattered in all directions.
[‘What is this?!’]
As the Ice Dragon’s body began to melt away rapidly, Thomas Andre was finally exposed, his figure emerging from within.
His expression was one of clear confusion, though tinged with fury.
[‘You dare use cheap tricks?!’]
Though the ice surrounding him had vanished, his strength remained intact—perhaps even greater than before.
[‘Kahaha! So, what now? Do you think a weakened S-rank hunter and a bunch of pawns can stand against me?!’]
Thomas Andre laughed arrogantly, stepping forward onto the spring’s edge. Immediately, he unleashed his full power.
[‘Reinforcement!’]
The skill Reinforcement, a basic ability used by countless tanks, transformed into something terrifying when used by Thomas Andre.
True fear descended upon the battlefield.
But Suho’s plan was already complete the moment Thomas Andre stepped into the spring.
From the beginning, Suho had asked the Monarch of Frost one critical question:
‘Does the Echo Forest Springwater affect Monarchs too?’
The Divine Elixir required three ingredients:
1. Purified Demon King’s Blood,
2. World Tree Fragment,
3. Echo Forest Springwater.
While Suho didn’t know what the World Tree Fragment was, he fully understood the Springwater’s properties.
If it could purify the Demon King’s Blood, what effect would it have on an Apostle of the Itarim, currently controlling Thomas Andre?
Suho recalled what Beru had once said:
The gods of their dimension, the Itarim, had created both Rulers and Monarchs as beings of light and shadow.
‘If the Apostles of Itarim are similar to Rulers or Monarchs…’
“What would happen if the Echo Forest Springwater were used on an Apostle of Itarim?”
To Suho’s question, the Frost Monarch, Silad, had responded with a knowing smile and a nod.
[‘The King of Yetis, Monarch of Frost, activates Sanctuary: Echo Forest Springwater.’]
‘Crack!’
[‘…!’]
The steaming mist rising above the spring froze in an instant, binding Thomas Andre.
[‘Enough of these petty tricks!’]
‘Smash!’
Thomas Andre shrugged off the frost encasing him, but that frost wasn’t ordinary—it was infused with the Echo Forest Springwater.
—
Item: Echo Forest Springwater
Acquisition Difficulty: ??
Type: Consumable
A mystical springwater from Echo Forest. When consumed or applied, it neutralizes toxins.
—
[‘What…?!’]
Soaked in the Springwater, Thomas Andre’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. His expression twisted in agony as he doubled over.
[‘What have you done to me?!’]
“Purification.”
The answer came from Sirka, who arrived just in time. She watched the ice spirits flee from the spring as she murmured,
“This sacred water purifies corrupted minds. That’s why it exists in the sanctuary.”
[‘Kraaah! How dare you compare me to a mere spirit?!’]
Of course, an Apostle of Itarim far surpassed a spirit in power.
But the Echo Forest Springwater was part of the Frost Monarch’s sanctuary—sacred water capable of purifying even the Demon King’s Blood.
‘Shwaaaak!’
Finally, the blue energy possessing Thomas Andre was expelled from his body.
At that moment, Cha Hae-in, revitalized after drinking a mana potion from Suho, stepped forward.
“So, that’s the core,” she said, her mana surging as she locked eyes on the floating blue energy—the Apostle of Itarim.
And now—
With his mind finally cleared, Thomas Andre also turned his furious gaze toward the Apostle.
“That bastard dared to control me?”
‘Clench.’
Grinding his teeth, his face contorted with rage.