Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 56

[You have entered the Shadow Dungeon.]

*Kugugugung!*

A world of black and white.

The space of the Shadow Dungeon cracked open, its distorted dimensional rift splitting apart.

From that twisted tear, a gigantic pyramid emerged.

*Ding! Ding! Ding!*

[‘Pyramid: Kangche-sul Training Hall’ has been assimilated into the Shadow Dungeon.]

[‘Pyramid: Kangche-sul Training Hall’ will automatically repair itself even if destroyed.]

[‘Ammit, the Crocodile Who Eats Death,’ has been designated as an NPC of the Shadow Dungeon.]

[‘NPC: Ammit’ cannot leave the Kangche-sul Training Hall.]

System messages continued to appear in front of Suho.

He glanced around and noticed that, except for Ammit, the entire pyramid had turned black and white.

The messages kept popping up.

*Ding! Ding!*

[You have completed the ‘Emergency Quest: Dimensional Rift.’]

[Your level has increased!]

[Your reward has arrived. Would you like to check it?] (Y/N)

“A quest completed?”

Suho’s eyes widened at the sudden message of completion.

The quest had been to remove the cause of the dimensional rift.

But he hadn’t done anything yet, so what had happened?

[Kiehk?]

Beru and Esil, who looked around in confusion, quickly approached Suho.

[My lord, it seems the entire pyramid has transferred into the Shadow Dungeon.]

“I felt it too. We’ve crossed the dimensional boundary.”

Suho nodded at Esil’s observation.

‘So, that’s how it is.’

The pyramid itself had been causing the dimensional rift on Earth.

But since it was transferred into the Shadow Dungeon, the cause of the rift on Earth disappeared as well, resolving the problem naturally.

As Suho came to terms with this realization, Ammit was stroking his chin, fascinated as he examined the black-and-white walls and ceiling.

“Khh. Interesting. Kandiaru… Truly a shaman of illusions. Who would’ve thought I’d end up as a resident of the Shadow Monarch’s world?”

In truth, Ammit was already in a state close to death.

Whether the pyramid was in the desert or the world of death, it didn’t matter—he couldn’t leave it anyway.

‘This place is my grave.’

As a bitter smile appeared on Ammit’s face, Suho spoke, breaking the silence.

“Well, this works out nicely. It’ll be easier for me to come by and do the daily quests.”

Having read through the messages, Suho nodded and turned to Ammit, offering him a friendly smile.

“Since things turned out this way, I look forward to working with you, teacher.”

“Teacher?”

“Yeah. You said I’m your disciple, right?”

“Kuhuhu. Arrogant brat. You speak informally to your teacher?”

“Oh, does that bother you? It’s just weird to speak politely to a crocodile. But as a sign of goodwill, I’ll give you a gift.”

“A gift?”

Ammit’s eyes twitched at Suho’s words.

With a mischievous grin, Suho checked one of the messages in front of him.

[‘Pyramid: Kangche-sul Training Hall’ will automatically repair itself even if destroyed.]

‘So it repairs itself automatically, meaning I can break it as much as I want?’

Suho suddenly gathered all his strength.

*Whoosh!*

“Wait… What are you—”

Seeing Suho’s body surging with overwhelming power, Ammit’s expression froze.

[M-My lord?]

“Suho! You’re not about to…?”

Even Beru and Esil were startled by Suho’s sudden action.

“Esil, come inside.”

“Huh?!”

Suho summoned Esil back into **Volcan’s Horn** and then combined it with **Rakan’s Fang**, activating his size-enhancing abilities.

He then focused all his power on a single point and unleashed it at the wall in front of him.

[Using Skill: Kangche-sul.]

[Using Skill: Storm Slash.]

*BOOM!*

Suho’s twin swords slashed out like a storm.

He repeatedly destroyed the labyrinth’s walls, charging forward relentlessly.

*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*

He kept breaking through, smashing the walls until he finally reached the outside.

And at last…

“Ah…”

As the sky opened up before them.

Ammit could finally see it.

The white darkness.

The pale sky of **Eternal Day**.

Even though it was a black-and-white world, he was seeing the outside world for the first time in ages.

So long it had been forgotten.

As Suho stood against the white sky and turned back toward Ammit, he grinned and spoke once more.

“Welcome to my world, teacher.”

“…Khh.”

“What? Are you crying?”

“Who’s crying, you insolent disciple?”

Ammit sniffled and bared his teeth.

It was a truly vicious grin.

*Swoosh.*

Suho chuckled and returned to his normal size.

Afterward, he checked the rewards from the emergency quest, and a strange expression appeared on his face.

The rewards were a little different from usual.

—

[The following reward has been prepared.]

Reward: ‘Blessing: Kandiaru’s Blessing.’

[Blessing: Kandiaru’s Blessing]

High Shaman Kandiaru has gifted you with a special spell. As long as Kandiaru’s Blessing is with you, you will live a strong and healthy life.

“May light shine upon the challenger’s path.”

– Permanent Effect: ‘Longevity and Immunity’: You are immune to all diseases, poisons, and abnormal status effects, and your regenerative ability is greatly enhanced during sleep.

—

*Shrrrk.*

A sacred silver powder descended over Suho’s entire body.

“…Longevity and immunity?”

Immunity to all diseases and poisons, with explosive regeneration during sleep?

This was truly the gift of a long and healthy life.

[Oh-hoh?]

Sensing the change in Suho, Beru approached with a sharp gleam in his eyes.

[The pyramids of the pharaohs were built with the ancient people’s hopes for the afterlife. Life may be painful, but may death bring peace. And the one who rules over the realm of death is none other than the Shadow Monarch.]

Having spent many years with Sung Jinwoo, Beru was knowledgeable about various subjects, including Western history.

His main interest, of course, was historical dramas.

Suho’s curiosity was piqued.

“Oh, so that’s why this reward…?”

[Actually, that was just something I came up with. I heard that the Monarch himself received a similar blessing in the past.]

“…”

Suho’s expression soured at Beru’s jest, causing Beru to cackle.

[Keh-kek. You may have taken a long and difficult road, but you are now following in the footsteps of the Monarch himself. Truly, it is admirable.]

Beru was thrilled.

Suho wasn’t simply retracing Sung Jinwoo’s steps.

He was taking a much more arduous and roundabout path, earning his strength through hard-fought battles, engraving the qualifications of the Shadow Monarch into both his soul and body.

What kind of person would Suho grow into by the time he reached the end of this path?

[Just thinking about it makes my heart swell with excitement. I shall simply watch… Oh? Where are you going?]

“Where else? I’m going to sleep! I haven’t slept in 24 hours!”

Suho had gone out for a simple magic re-measurement test, only to face endless problems with no chance to rest.

Despite leveling up and recovering his stamina, even Suho, a human, needed sleep.

And with the blessing that boosted his regeneration while sleeping, sleep was now the best cure!

[Exiting the Shadow Dungeon.]

*Swoosh!*

Leaving everything behind, Suho returned to the outside world.

* * *

Meanwhile.

While Suho was inside the pyramid, a major incident was unfolding back in Korea.

Just the day before, the internet had been buzzing with the Beast King Crow’s battle in the middle of the city.

But that excitement was quickly overtaken by another breaking news story.

—

[Breaking News! Lee Min-sung’s Risk!]

[Deputy Guild Master of the Reaper Guild! Secretly operating a Stardust laboratory!]

[Who is Lee Min-sung, the primary suspect?]

[The Hunter Association has designated A-rank hunter Lee Min-sung as a villain!]

[A-rank villain Lee Min-sung, now wanted!]

—

Thanks to Suho, the secret of Lee Min-sung’s Stardust laboratory had been exposed, leading to an arrest warrant.

With evidence linking Lee Min-sung to all of this, the Hunter Association immediately took action.

“Gather everyone who can move!”

Team Leader Han Jae-hyuk summoned all available hunters from the Association.

“You all know what to do! We must use every bit of our strength to subdue him as quickly as possible!”

“Yes, sir!”

Their extreme tension was justified.

Lee Min-sung wasn’t just an A-rank hunter; he was now classified as an A-rank villain.

Theoretically, two A-rank hunters could subdue him, but that only applied if no civilians were nearby.

An A-rank hunter’s strength was on a superhuman level.

If he went berserk in the middle of a city, every citizen in the area would effectively become his hostage.

“Request support from the military! Evacuate the citizens and block all escape routes!”

While the military couldn’t stop an A-rank hunter from breaking through, they could at least slow him down until the Hunter Association’s reinforcements arrived.

Their role was essentially that of human shields, protecting the citizens.

That was their duty and their mission.

“Team Leader! We’ve located Lee Min-sung!”

An association staff member had tracked Lee Min-sung’s phone, pinpointing his location.

“Great! Let’s go!”

Fully prepared, the association hunters launched a raid on Lee Min-sung.

But.

“What the… Where did he go?!”

He was already gone.

Only his phone remained.

‘Damn it.’

They had been tricked.

Team Leader Han Jae-hyuk’s face twisted in frustration as he shouted orders.

“Find him! He can’t have gone far! Check all nearby CCTV cameras and black boxes!”

“Yes, sir!”

The situation had taken a turn for the worse.

While it was fortunate that Lee Min-sung hadn’t taken any hostages, his quiet disappearance meant only one thing.

He was aiming to flee the country.

‘If Lee Min-sung crosses the border, we’ll never be able to catch him!’

The Hunter Association, as a paramilitary organization, couldn’t exercise its power in other countries without violating international law.

“Block all exits from the country and freeze all of Lee Min-sung’s accounts immediately!”

* * *

At the same time.

Lee Min-sung was not at an airport or a port, but inside a VIP room he frequented.

“Oh my. You’ve become quite the celebrity overnight.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes, Madam.”

Lee Min-sung gritted his teeth and glared at the woman.

The lavish chandelier above shook in the wake of the A-rank hunter’s murderous aura.

This was a private room reserved for the elite.

[**Queen Bee**]

It wasn’t time for the venue to open yet, but as always, the Madam welcomed Lee Min-sung with her usual seductive smile.

“My, my. Our vice guild master must be busy, so what brings you here? Should I hide you?”

“Money.”

“Money?”

The Madam tilted her head innocently, pretending not to understand, while Lee Min-sung’s face flushed with shame.

“Lend me some money. I need cash to use overseas.”

“Aren’t you much wealthier than me?”

“They’ve frozen my accounts. And I’m sure they’ve already banned me from leaving the country.”

Becoming a villain meant dealing with such consequences.

But that didn’t matter; there were other ways to leave the country besides planes or boats.

“If you’ve been banned, how will you leave the country?”

“I’ll swim if I have to.”

“Oh my. Still full of energy, I see.”

“Do you want to die? I told you, I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

*Snap!*

Frustrated by the Madam’s flippant tone, Lee Min-sung lashed out, grabbing her by the throat.

It seemed like he was ready to snap her slender neck at any moment.

After all, he had no intention of leaving behind any witnesses to his escape.

But he had to hold off for now.

‘I’ll kill her after I get the money.’

Even in this situation, Lee Min-sung maintained cold, calculating logic.

But there was something he hadn’t realized yet.

How had the Madam been able to stand in front of an A-rank hunter’s killing intent without flinching?

Even now, as he strangled her.

She was still smiling.

“…What a shame.”

“What?”

When the Madam spoke in cryptic words, Lee Min-sung bared his teeth in anger.

“What the hell are you—”

In an instant.

*Thud.*

…!

Something sharp pierced his body.

His mind became hazy.

Staggering.

‘What… is this…?’

As he stumbled backward, his vision blurred.

Before him, the Madam’s alluring smile grew even more radiant.

“Welcome to my hive, my little worker bee.”