Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 15

The outpost was guarding a gate, as expected.

[It seems they were mining mana stones inside the dungeon.]

“Looks like it.”

As Beru mentioned, there were carts full of mining equipment lined up outside the gate. The carts were filled with mana stones, suggesting that miners had been hard at work until they called it a day. Normally, they wouldn’t leave such a large quantity of mana stones unattended, but this was a field-type dungeon, which made it possible.

‘No one in their right mind would risk climbing a monster-infested mountain at night just to steal some mana stones.’

Yet, here was someone crazy enough to do just that.

*Crunch, crunch.*

[Oh, what a feast of mana stones we have here.]

Before Su-ho knew it, Beru had flown over to the carts and was munching on the mana stones. Though he initially hesitated, Beru seemed to enjoy eating them now.

[There’s something satisfying about the crunch.]

As Beru chewed on the stones, he scanned the surroundings.

[It seems everyone has gone home for the night. Not a soul in sight.]

– Count properly. You’re the only bug here.

[Oh? My lord, do you find the sword’s handle a bit long? How about I just take a little bite off the end?]

– Hmph. If you eat me, it’ll be hard to find the relics inside the sanctuary.

“Beru, stop drooling. He’s right.”

[Slurp. As you command.]

At Su-ho’s words, Beru quickly replied and stuffed the last piece of mana stone into his mouth. The truth was, eating even a truckload of these mana stones wouldn’t recharge Beru nearly as much as devouring Rakhan’s Fang would. However, since Su-ho had finally gotten his hands on a decent weapon, Beru couldn’t just ask for it, so he made do with the mana stones.

*Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch.*

-…

Rakhan’s Fang trembled slightly in Su-ho’s hand. Beru kept glancing at it longingly, even as he chewed on the mana stones.

For once, Su-ho felt incredibly relieved to be holding the sword.

– Now, enter the gate. The sanctuary lies beyond.

“Wait a minute.”

Suddenly, Su-ho changed direction and hid behind the outpost. He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the gate.

‘Someone’s there.’

At that moment, he saw figures emerging from the gate.

And it wasn’t just one or two people.

‘Could the miners still be working?’

That didn’t make sense.

Staying out this late in a field-type dungeon was too dangerous. Plus, mining wasn’t something that required a last-minute rush, so there was no reason to work this late.

Which meant these had to be the strike team members, but that was even stranger.

‘Why would the strike team be inside the gate when all the monsters are out here?’

Then, Beru leaped onto Su-ho’s shoulder, whispering in a low voice.

[My lord, something is off. They smell like beasts.]

‘Beasts?’

Just then, the moonlight revealed the faces of the people stepping out of the gate.

But their appearance…

‘Werewolves?!’

Their faces were covered in matted fur, and sharp fangs jutted from their mouths. Shockingly, the “Hunters” were actually werewolves dressed in human clothing.

‘Is it a Beast Transformation skill?’

The first thing that came to Su-ho’s mind was a skill.

Skills came in many forms, and there were Hunters who could transform into non-human shapes. However, the odds of so many Hunters with the same skill gathering in one place were extremely low.

‘Except maybe in the White Tiger Guild.’

But even the White Tiger Guild, known for having many Beast Transformation Hunters, wouldn’t have a group entirely made up of the same kind of beasts.

– It seems they’ve consumed the blood of my kin.

‘Blood?’

Su-ho glanced down at Rakhan’s Fang.

– The blood of the Fang Clan contains great power. Even lowly humans can gain immense strength by drinking just a few drops.

“Like how touching you can take over someone’s body?”

– No, it’s the opposite. They haven’t been taken over; they’ve stolen the clan’s power.

“Stolen?”

– Yes. I don’t know which fool from my clan gave them the blood, but their strength would have diminished as much as the blood was drained.

Su-ho frowned.

Gaining a Beast Transformation skill by drinking blood? He had never heard of such a strange method of acquiring a skill. But it had only been two years since the Great Cataclysm, so there were bound to be new, unusual phenomena.

– But I can’t understand why anyone would do this.

Rakhan’s Fang muttered in a displeased tone.

– Who would willingly weaken themselves to create these mutts? What on earth is going on inside that gate?

As Rakhan’s Fang voiced its confusion, something truly strange happened.

The werewolves entered a nearby storage shed and began dragging out people who had been bound tightly with duct tape.

‘What the?!’

Su-ho’s eyes widened in shock.

“Mmph, mmph…!”

The people, their mouths sealed with tape, trembled in terror. The werewolves’ lips curled into wicked grins.

“Grk. It was boring waiting all day, wasn’t it?”

“Should we let them have a nice, easy last breath?”

“Just keep quiet, alright? We hate noise.”

*Rip.*

The werewolves tore the tape from the people’s mouths.

Immediately, the captives began to cry out in despair.

“Please, save us!”

“Please, let us go home!”

“Ugh, shut up. Want to get eaten now?”

*Gulp.*

At the werewolf’s words, the people instantly fell silent.

“Hic.”

They bit down hard, trying not to make a sound, but their teeth chattered uncontrollably.

“Yeah, that’s better, isn’t it?”

“We’re sensitive to noise, you know.”

“So, everyone? If you get loud again, we might just get startled and rip your throats out. Grk.”

The last comment was anything but a joke, and the people’s faces turned pale with fear.

Satisfied, one of the werewolves spoke as if doing them a favor.

“Alright, it seems like you’ve got a lot to say after being captured for a few days, so we’ll listen to your final words. Just make it quick, alright?”

A middle-aged office worker in the group hurriedly spoke up.

“Um, if it’s money you want, I can find a way to…!”

“Click.”

“W-wait! Please, hear me out! If you tell us what you want, we can…!”

Annoyed, the werewolf gave a quick glance to one of his subordinates.

“Hey, just kill him.”

“Should I?”

“He’s annoying, but we might as well bring one of them back ourselves.”

“Grk.”

As the werewolf approached, the office worker panicked and screamed.

“N-no, wait! This is a crime…!”

*Crack!*

The werewolf grabbed the office worker by the neck, lifting him off the ground, his face filled with irritation.

“I said, we hate noise.”

With practiced ease, he pulled a dagger from his waist and thrust it into the man’s throat.

*Slice!*

“…?”

But something was off.

*Thud*

The head that fell wasn’t the office worker’s.

Out of nowhere, an axe had flown in and decapitated the werewolf.

“Hiiii…”

The office worker, barely saved, wet himself as he stared at the werewolf’s severed head lying before him.

“Grk?!”

Startled by the sudden attack, the other werewolves bristled, drawing their weapons.

“Who’s there?!”

“Who dares…!”

At that moment, stealthy assassins hidden in the shadows slashed at the werewolves’ legs with their sharp claws.

*Slash!*

“Gah!”

[Shadow Panther Lv.1]

Common Rank

“Ra-Rajan?!”

The werewolves’ eyes widened in shock.

The Black Shadow Rajan was one of the most dangerous monsters in this forest.

But due to their dislike of light, they rarely approached the gate, where torches were lit.

“Why are the Rajans here?!”

“No, these aren’t normal Rajans…!”

There was no time for further discussion.

[Kaaooo!]

The shadow panthers lunged at the werewolves.

“Damn it! Kill them!”

“Don’t panic! It’s only five of them!”

*Clang, clang, clang!*

Though they were taken by surprise, the werewolves were veteran Hunters who had spent a year in this place. They weren’t going to lose their lives to just five monsters.

But they were unaware of one critical fact.

The five monsters were merely pawns controlled by someone who wished for their death.

*Thud.*

The axe that had decapitated the first werewolf floated back into the air.

Then…

*Whoosh!*

*Slash!*

“…Guh.”

Another werewolf’s head was separated from its body.

The remaining werewolves’ eyes bulged in disbelief.

“This is insane!”

“That axe again! What the hell is that thing?!”

The stone axe that had beheaded two of their comrades was spinning through the air like a boomerang, aiming for their throats!

“It’s a skill! It has to be!”

“Where is he?! Who’s hiding and attacking us…!”

But the owner of the axe had no intention of staying hidden any longer.

“Whatever the situation…”

Su-ho, his face concealed by a hood and a black mask, emerged from the shadows. His eyes reflected the cold moonlight.

“…let’s save the civilians first.”

[Truly words befitting a Hunter, my lord.]

*Whoosh!*

A terrifying killing intent burst forth from Rakhan’s Fang.

[Activating skill: Scorn of the Weak.]

“…!”

The werewolves’ bodies froze momentarily.

[Effect: Fear activated.]

[All stats of the targets decreased by 50% for 1 minute.]

“Grrraaah!”

A few of the werewolves roared, shaking off the fear that gripped them.

[Effect: Fear has been nullified.]

But that brief moment of hesitation was all Su-ho needed.

[Kaaooo!]

*Slash!*

The shadow panthers slashed through the Achilles tendons of the werewolves.

*Whoosh! Slash!*

The stone axe, controlled by Ruler’s Authority, struck another werewolf right in the heart.

And then…

– Wretched mutts.

Su-ho’s blade decapitated yet another werewolf.

“Grraaagh…!”

The remaining werewolves, though injured, bared their teeth at Su-ho, growling menacingly.

“He’s just one guy!”

“Kill him! Grrrowl!”

Their beast-like killing intent focused entirely on Su-ho.

At that moment, a notification popped up before Su-ho’s eyes.

*Ding!*

[Emergency Quest triggered.]

A quest window appeared in front of Su-ho.

[Emergency Quest: Eliminate the Enemies!]

**Some individuals around you have murderous intent towards the ‘Player.’ Eliminate them all to ensure your safety.**

– Enemies to be eliminated: 10
– Enemies eliminated: 5

The quest started with half the required enemies already taken care of.

[What a nice bonus.]

*Crunch, crunch, crunch.*

Despite the intense battle, Beru could be heard munching on mana stones in the corner, letting out a contented chuckle.

[Aah, I can’t stop. Why do the mana stones here have such high magical content? Could it be because this is a sanctuary?]

Unfortunately, no one answered Beru’s question.

Everyone else was too busy.

At that moment, Beru’s gaze sharpened as he turned toward the gate.

[…!]

[This scent…]

Someone with a scent similar to that of the Fang Monarch was emerging from the gate.