Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 34
The *relic* was genuinely flustered.
An uninvited intruder had stormed into the sacred trial grounds of the king and was wreaking havoc without hesitation.
The Wraith Trees.
These cursed trees had grown by absorbing the spirits of those who had died on this land, and they were the protectors of the sanctuary. There were originally three of them.
Now, only one remained.
And even that final tree was being ruthlessly destroyed by the intruder.
*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!*
*Stop it! Please stop! Ahhh, the power of the sanctuary…! The King’s trial…!*
Su-ho ignored the desperate pleas of the *relic* as he relentlessly hacked at the third and final Wraith Tree.
[Growl!]
Meanwhile, the six Shadow Jackals stood tall and proud, guarding Su-ho like loyal sentinels.
*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!*
‘Once I destroy this one, I’ll level up again!’
Although he hadn’t leveled up after destroying the second Wraith Tree, Su-ho knew from experience that this time it was guaranteed.
*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!*
His strikes became even faster.
But while Su-ho was ecstatic, the *other Rakhan’s Fang* was desperately pleading in his mind.
*No! That’s the last Wraith Tree! Do you know how much effort I put into growing it?!*
“I can’t hear you. I can’t hear you.”
*You can hear me! You definitely can…!*
*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!*
*You’re not even qualified, so stop meddling with the King’s trial!*
At that, Su-ho paused for a moment, his sword halting in mid-air.
“…Qualified, huh?”
He lifted his head, a faint smirk forming on his lips. He mockingly addressed the *relic* that was undoubtedly watching him from somewhere.
“You weren’t planning to crown a real king anyway, were you?”
*…*
The *relic* was silent.
Su-ho had been sure of this from the beginning.
He had one of Rakhan’s Fangs in his possession, so he knew exactly how things worked.
“You were just planning to steal the body of whichever human survived, weren’t you?”
Rakhan’s Fangs had a way of taking over the bodies of those unworthy to wield them. But this time, the criterion for worthiness was being on the level of a “king.”
No human on Earth, no matter how skilled, would ever truly meet the qualifications to become the Beast Monarch.
*CRAAASH!*
Just then, Su-ho’s sword struck the final blow, toppling the last Wraith Tree.
[You have destroyed the Wraith Tree.]
[All Wraiths have disappeared.]
[You have leveled up!]
As the message flashed, every Wraith in the Magok Field vanished without a trace.
With the constant wails of the Wraiths gone, a heavy silence settled over the forest.
At the end of that suffocating stillness, the *relic* finally spoke again.
*…You knew about me. Who are you?*
The question was directed at Su-ho, but the weight of the voice sent a shiver down the spines of every hunter in the Magok Field.
*Rumble!*
The forest itself began to tremble.
The ground quaked as if it would collapse beneath their feet.
“What… what is this?!”
“What the hell is going on?!”
Hunters throughout the forest paled as an ominous earthquake began to shake the ground.
Su-ho, however, just chuckled and glanced at *Rakhan’s Fang* in his hand.
“Is the *relic* here stronger than you?”
*Of course not. It just found a good host.*
*Rakhan’s Fang* sneered.
*But I found someone even better. I found the one with the true qualifications to be king.*
The one it referred to was none other than Gray, Su-ho’s loyal companion currently in the Shadow Dungeon.
Although Gray had become Su-ho’s pet, *Rakhan’s Fang* was confident that being by Su-ho’s side would only help Gray grow into a stronger monarch.
*Do you know why relics exist?*
“What for?”
*To pit their chosen successors against each other and prove who’s truly fit to be king.*
*Shhhk.*
*Rakhan’s Fang* twitched in Su-ho’s hand, pointing toward the location of the other *relic*.
*Go. Prove that this side is more qualified.*
Su-ho didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his gaze to the Shadow Jackals.
“Jackals!”
[Growl!]
“Carry me!”
Obediently, one of the Shadow Jackals approached, allowing Su-ho to climb onto its back.
And with blistering speed, they tore through the dense forest.
* * *
*Rumble!*
As Su-ho drew closer to the source of the earthquake, the forest became even more overgrown.
Countless plant-type monsters filled the surroundings.
No other hunters had made it this far. The danger alone had kept them away, not to mention the lack of monetary rewards.
[These plants are filled with murderous intent. They’ve already tasted human blood.]
Beru’s observation was spot on.
The cause of the Magok disaster.
This jungle had transformed into such a deadly place because of the location where the gate had opened.
Magok housed Seoul’s largest botanical garden, and when the gate to another world opened in its heart, the blue mist that poured from it seeped into the plants, causing them to undergo a grotesque evolution.
…The place became hell on Earth.
If this had been an ordinary mountain like Gwanaksan, things might have been different.
The plants growing there wouldn’t have been as diverse as those in the botanical garden.
And if this wasn’t an urban area, the mutated plants wouldn’t have consumed so many humans, further accelerating their horrific evolution.
The result of all that misfortune stood before Su-ho now.
[Magok Botanical Garden.]
In place of the botanical garden stood a grotesque tree, its massive trunk twisting as if it were alive.
Su-ho narrowed his eyes, carefully observing it, and quickly realized the truth.
“That’s… not a tree, is it?”
It wasn’t a tree at all.
Thousands of plants from the botanical garden had merged together, entwining into a monstrous shape that resembled a tree.
*That’s a nest for the king.*
*Rakhan’s Fang* spoke with excitement in its voice.
*The other me has grown this sanctuary to such a size. I have to admit, it’s impressive.*
At that moment—
*Shwaaaa!*
The vine-covered entrance to the botanical garden suddenly opened wide before Su-ho.
“They’re inviting us in?”
[Young Lord, this could be a trap.]
Beru voiced his concern, but Su-ho simply smirked.
“If it’s a trap, I’ll break through it.”
*Swish.*
He lowered the two swords in his hands and stepped through the entrance.
[Entering the dungeon.]
The botanical garden, now fully consumed by the dungeon, swallowed Su-ho whole. The vines coiled back, sealing the entrance shut.
* * *
Inside the botanical garden, all was silent and dark.
Pitch black.
Su-ho heightened his senses to adapt to the darkness.
To further enhance his vision, he equipped the *Raven Mask* from his inventory.
Now, he could see.
Spiderwebs.
“Huh. Look at that.”
Su-ho chuckled as he glanced around.
The entire place was covered in thick, white spiderwebs.
“So, this was the trap?”
*Ssssk, ssssk.*
Giant spiders of various sizes crawled along the webs, their eyes locked onto the intruder.
[Grave Spiders.]
[Grave Spiders.]
…
‘Grave, huh.’
It was a fitting name.
Clearly, others had entered this place before Su-ho.
Hunters who had followed the scent into the depths of the forest while Su-ho was busy dealing with the Wraith Trees.
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
They were now wrapped tightly in the webs, hanging from the ceiling.
Seeing Su-ho approach, those whose mouths weren’t gagged began shouting desperately.
“Please… save us!”
“Please help us…!”
*They are sacrifices. Offerings for the king.*
Ignoring the pleas, Su-ho gazed deeper into the darkness.
There, a massive spider crouched.
Its body was the size of a house.
It had dozens of eyes.
A hideous mouth.
And a pair of enormous pincers.
[Grave Spider Arachne.]
The sheer pressure emanating from the creature was overwhelming.
*I sense the presence of the relic inside that thing.*
Hearing this, Su-ho’s eyes narrowed.
“So, I need to gut it to get the relic, huh?”
*Fwoosh!*
Without hesitation, Su-ho launched himself at the massive spider with tremendous speed.
*Screech!*
At that moment, hundreds of smaller Grave Spiders poured down from the ceiling and walls, aiming for Su-ho.
“Take care of the small fry!”
[Graah!]
At Su-ho’s command, the Shadow Jackals leaped into action, tearing through the smaller spiders with their claws and fangs.
[You have defeated a Grave Spider.]
[You have defeated a Grave Spider.]
[You have defeated a Grave Spider.]
…
Message after message appeared, but Su-ho ignored them all, his focus solely on the enormous Arachne.
His target.
“Chaaaa!”
Arachne spat out thick webs, aiming to trap Su-ho.
‘I’ll slice right through them!’
He swung his twin swords in a whirlwind.
[Skill: Tempest Slash has been activated.]
*KABOOM!*
The webs were shredded, revealing the massive spider behind them.
*Screeech!*
The spider’s gigantic pincers slammed down toward Su-ho.
*BAM!*
Had he not twisted his body at the last second, he would have been crushed.
The pincer that missed him shattered the stone floor.
Su-ho’s eyes sharpened.
‘Here it comes again!’
*SWOOSH! BAM!*
He dodged another strike.
*BAM!*
And another.
*Screeech!*
In its rage, Arachne began smashing its pincers wildly, striking the floor with reckless abandon.
*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!*
The scene resembled a demolition site, with Arachne acting as the wrecking ball.
But.
‘I can see it.’
No, he could feel it.
Thanks to his heightened senses and the *Raven Mask*, Su-ho could detect every move Arachne made, allowing him to narrowly dodge each attack and close the distance between them.
And then, he struck.
*BAM!*
He slashed one of Arachne’s colossal legs with *Rakhan’s Fang*.
*Screeeech!*
As the spider staggered, Su-ho darted to its other side and swung *Volcan’s Horn*.
*BAM!*
From that moment on, Su-ho’s twin swords attacked relentlessly.
*BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!*
[Skill: Dual Swordsmanship has leveled up!]
A barrage of heavy strikes rained down on Arachne as it screamed in pain.
*Screeeeech!*
*That’s not enough! No matter how much you struggle, you’ll end up as my prey!*
The voice echoed from within Arachne.
Not enough?
Su-ho knew.
‘Its outer shell is tough.’
But it didn’t matter.
If the defense was tough, he’d just keep attacking until it broke.
‘Prey? Me?’
What a joke.
Su-ho bared his teeth, grinning wickedly.
‘You’re the one who’s my prey.’
He was already thrilled at the thought of killing this beast and turning it into a shadow soldier.
[Skill: Tempest Slash has been activated.]
*Screeeeeech!*