Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 59

At that moment, **Beru** poked his head out from Suho’s shadow and spoke up, causing the surrounding Hunters to click their tongues and look away from Suho.

“Ah, so he’s a Summoner?”

“A Summoner, huh.”

“He’s a Summoner.”

“…?”

Suho suddenly felt like someone who had just been rejected without even making a confession.

Oblivious to Suho’s feelings, Beru fluttered over and patted Suho on the shoulder.

**[Don’t worry. You have me, Young Lord.]**

“It’s because of you, idiot.”

Suho had already acquired many other combat skills beyond summoning.

However, because of Beru’s sudden appearance, everyone’s first impression of Suho was now set as a Summoner, and as a result, their interest in him plummeted.

Even though Summoners had their uses, they were still considered a niche class among Hunters, even for a C-rank.

Suho let out a small sigh and glanced at the other Hunters.

They all diligently avoided his gaze.

‘He’s a new face, and he’s a Summoner?’

‘That summoned creature looks pretty weak.’

‘If a Summoner joins the party, they’ll just slack off without pulling their weight but still take a share of the rewards.’

Fearing that Suho might ask to join their party, the other Hunters did their best to avoid making eye contact with him.

Suho wasn’t the only one being avoided. There were a few other Hunters scattered about, similarly left out.

Most of them were either newcomers whose abilities were still unproven, or they had skills that were notoriously ineffective, leading to their exclusion in the Hunter community.

As these isolated individuals stood awkwardly, the Baekho Guild members looked at **Baek Miho** and asked her how they should handle the situation.

“Vice Guild Master, what should we do about them?”

It was a tricky situation.

Forcing these excluded Hunters into other parties would obviously cause backlash.

Dungeon raids were a life-or-death matter, so it wasn’t something where you could just force people to accept team members they didn’t want.

“Hmm.”

After a moment of contemplation, Baek Miho spoke up.

“Have the remaining people form their own party.”

“Huh? But that’s too dangerous…”

“I’ll assign three B-rank Hunters to that party.”

“Oh! That’ll work. After all, we just need to keep them safe until the villain is caught.”

The Baekho Guild members nodded in agreement with Baek Miho’s decision.

The reason they had gathered these C-rank freelancers wasn’t purely for protection.

With an A-rank villain like **Lee Minseong** on the loose, it wasn’t just the Hunters who were in danger; the citizens of Seoul were at risk too.

And this was the bustling heart of Seoul, no less.

‘If the villain is hunting Hunters, the most efficient way is to stay close to the prey.’

The C-rank Hunters gathered here were aware that, in a way, they were being used as bait.

But given that they had no idea when they might be attacked, being well-protected bait seemed like the safer option.

Besides…

“I hope the villain shows up near us.”

“What? Are you out of your mind?”

“Why? With this many people, we could just run away, and if we report the villain’s location to the Association, we’d get a reward.”

“Have you ever encountered an A-rank Hunter? Do you really think a C-rank like us can escape from an A-rank?”

“Still, with two B-ranks on our side…”

“The best thing is not to run into him at all.”

The Hunters who had already formed parties argued amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, Suho was guided by the Baekho Guild members to join the remaining Hunters who had yet to form a team.

**[Ugh! How could they treat our Young Lord like this? I’m furious!]**

“It’s because of you, though.”

In truth, Beru’s loyal words often had a way of adding insult to injury.

Nevertheless, Suho decided to quietly accept the protection of the Baekho Guild.

‘I was curious about how I’d compare to the other Hunters, so this works out.’

Looking back, Suho hadn’t even been awakened for a month yet.

In that short span of time, a lot had happened, and he had encountered the remnants of not one, but two Monarchs.

The **Beast Monarch**, Rakan of the Fangs.

The **Monarch of Body Strengthening **, Tarnak.

It was clear that the path Suho walked was different from that of ordinary Hunters.

And that only made him more curious.

How much did he now differ from other Hunters?

Suho’s eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the other Hunters.

—

The Baekho Guild was kind enough to open up several dungeons they had already secured to the C-rank Hunters.

While the Baekho Guild members would still share in the profits from the raids, it was still a significant gesture on their part.

‘No wonder the Baekho Guild has such a great reputation. This is true nobility in action.’

Impressed by their generosity, Suho joined his newly-formed party and headed to the dungeon.

The problem was that his party was truly composed of outcasts.

**[They really did gather all the misfits.]**

Beru’s assessment was cold.

The party consisted of ten members in total.

There were three B-rank Hunters from the Baekho Guild and seven C-rank Hunters, including Suho.

Of the C-rank Hunters, five were newcomers who had only recently awakened, much like Suho. The remaining two were experienced, but they were both Summoners.

In the Hunter world, having too many Summoners in a party often led to poor evaluations.

This was because the more Summoners there were, the fewer members there were actively participating in combat.

“…Is this raid party really going to be okay?”

Even one of the Baekho Guild members assigned to protect them couldn’t help but voice their concern.

But there was another issue.

When Hunters formed parties, there was one more trait that they were wary of.

Personality.

How can you tell someone’s personality just from meeting them for the first time?

It’s simple.

Newly awakened Hunters often had terrible personalities.

They had suddenly acquired superhuman abilities, essentially winning a lottery without having to pay any price.

Given the immense wealth they would soon accumulate, it really was like winning the jackpot.

And so, they developed a sort of nouveau riche attitude.

In other words, they became full of arrogance and vanity.

“Seriously. Why am I being treated like this?!”

As they traveled to the dungeon the Baekho Guild had prepared, a new Hunter named **Goo Dongjae** suddenly voiced his dissatisfaction.

He was the biggest of the ten Hunters, even larger than the B-ranks from the Baekho Guild.

At a glance, he looked like a strong Tanker.

Goo Dongjae had awakened just a week ago, so he was still fresh, but he was brimming with confidence, thanks to his newfound superhuman strength.

And to be fair, his abilities were impressive enough to earn high marks once he gained more experience.

After a few dungeon runs, he could likely be scouted by a prominent guild.

‘But right now, he’s a ticking time bomb.’

Drunk on his newfound power, he had no sense of fear or caution.

The Baekho Guild members immediately labeled Goo Dongjae as such.

“Hey, look. Other than the Baekho Guild members, I’m obviously the strongest one here. I’ll take command of this raid. Agreed?”

“What? Says who?”

Naturally, the other Hunters were taken aback by Goo Dongjae’s sudden declaration.

“Goo Dongjae, you’ve only been awakened for a week. What makes you think you’re qualified to lead this raid?”

“And you’re any different? We’re all newbies here, and wouldn’t it be safer to let the strongest person lead?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to let the Baekho Guild members…”

“Didn’t they say from the start that they weren’t going to manage the party?”

“Since when did you start talking so informally? How old are you, anyway?”

“What are you going to do about it?”

Thud.

As Goo Dongjae took a step forward, the Hunter who had been arguing with him instinctively backed down.

The sheer pressure radiating from Goo Dongjae’s muscular frame was overwhelming.

His muscles were massive, clearly not just the product of a gym workout.

In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if his oversized physique was the result of his skill.

Meanwhile, **Beru**, perched on Suho’s shoulder, tilted his head as he watched the squabble from a distance.

**[Young Lord, shouldn’t the strongest individuals just take the lead?]**

Beru pointed at the Baekho Guild members.

Suho shrugged in response.

“That wouldn’t look too good.”

**[What do you mean, it wouldn’t look good?]**

In truth, by both experience and rank, it would make sense for the Baekho Guild members to lead the raid.

But if they did, after calling a bunch of freelancers together for help under the pretense of an emergency, wouldn’t it seem like they were just forcibly asserting dominance?

“That would turn this into a blatant display of a major guild’s tyranny. It would look like they’re trying to forcibly unite freelancers under their control. And besides…”

Suho glanced over at the Baekho Guild members.

Their attention was entirely focused on scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.

In a situation where an A-rank villain could appear at any moment, bickering over who should lead among the C-ranks was the least of their concerns.

Annoyed by Suho and Beru’s conversation, Goo Dongjae shot them a disgruntled look.

“What? Are you thinking of taking command too?”

“No, no. We’re Summoners, so we’re not really suited for leadership roles…”

The ones who quickly answered and backed away weren’t Suho, but the other two Summoners in the party.

Ironically, these two Summoners had over a year of experience in the Hunter world.

However, this made them all the more aware of their limitations.

There are two types of raid leaders.

The first is the type that charges ahead and leads from the front.

The second is the type that stays back and manages the party’s overall health, balancing everything.

Of course, the latter role could only be filled by a Healer.

And Summoners were capable of neither.

With the two Summoners quietly stepping back, Goo Dongjae’s grin widened in satisfaction.

‘Perfect. The flow is going my way.’

As the raid leader, he would have first pick of the rewards.

While the distribution of profits was slightly higher for the leader, the true advantage lay in having first dibs on any valuable items found in the dungeon.

Moreover, once he gained experience as a raid leader, he would have a higher chance of leading future raids as well.

‘But who is that guy?’

Goo Dongjae narrowed his eyes at the one remaining Summoner who hadn’t stepped back: Suho.

Suho, however, was paying him no mind and was instead chatting with Beru.

Thud.

Goo Dongjae’s shadow loomed over Suho.

“What about you? Are you interested in being the leader?”

“No. I’m not interested. You can take it if you want.”

“Haha. Good answer.”

Goo Dongjae’s smile widened, and he patted Suho on the back with his large hand.

“Just as I thought. I heard you awakened not long ago too, right? It must be tough for you, especially since you ended up with summoning skills. Don’t worry. Just follow me, and…”

Suddenly, Goo Dongjae’s expression twisted.

He stared at his hand in confusion.

Something felt off.

Normally, when he patted someone’s back like that, they would stumble forward, letting out an “Oof!” sound.

But Suho hadn’t budged an inch.

Even though he hadn’t hit him hard, the frail-looking Suho had stood his ground without flinching, as if Goo Dongjae had struck a solid tree trunk…

“However.”

Suho spoke up.

“I’ll fight on my own.”

“What?”