Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 63
“…What did you just say?”
Im Taegyu, the guild master of the Reaper Guild, couldn’t believe his ears.
“Our members have gone missing?”
“Yes. To be precise, they are continuing to disappear.”
“They’re not just passed out drunk somewhere? Are you sure they’re really missing?”
“Yes. It seems they were kidnapped.”
“A hunter, kidnapped? That makes no sense.”
He was dumbfounded.
The idea that all the guild members who had suddenly gone out of contact over the past few days were actually kidnapped was unbelievable.
But Secretary Oh’s expression remained serious.
“At first, I thought it was unlikely, but the planning team obtained some CCTV footage earlier. You should take a look…”
“…”
Im Taegyu took the USB drive from Secretary Oh, plugging it into the computer. His expression darkened by the second.
The fact that the video wasn’t sent by email or messenger but rather hand-delivered on a USB indicated how sensitive the situation was.
And there was only one recent situation that could warrant such caution:
The disappearance of the Reaper Guild’s vice-master, Lee Minseong, who had gone rogue.
‘No way…’
Because of that one man, the Reaper Guild’s reputation had plummeted in Korea.
Even though they insisted they knew nothing, no one was willing to believe them.
The Hunter Association was also applying pressure, suspecting that someone inside the guild had collaborated with Minseong.
“Damn it.”
Im Taegyu’s expression twisted violently as he played the video on the USB.
In the footage, one of the guild members stood idly on the street.
Then, in the blink of an eye, someone snatched him away.
*Click.*
Secretary Oh pressed the spacebar to pause the video, revealing the blurry face of the figure who had grabbed the guild member.
Despite the poor resolution, Taegyu, having known Lee Minseong for a long time, recognized the face immediately.
A surge of complicated emotions welled up inside him.
“Lee Minseong… That bastard!”
*BANG!*
Im Taegyu slammed his fist onto the desk, splitting it in half.
Startled, Secretary Oh stumbled backward.
Though he had worked with Im Taegyu for many years, he had never seen him so furious.
That was how deep Taegyu’s rage ran.
“Ha… Minseong…”
Taegyu slumped back into his chair with a deep sigh.
The fluorescent lights above flickered uneasily.
“Why did you end up like this…?”
Regardless of his title as guild master, vice-master, or hunter, Lee Minseong had once been a cherished friend to him—no, a friend he was proud of.
From a young age, Minseong always shined.
There was a time when Taegyu had taken pride in calling him his friend.
Before the Cataclysm.
When Minseong had asked him to become his personal driver.
He had accepted without hesitation, simply because he enjoyed spending time with Minseong.
– “Taegyu, just be my driver.”
– “What? All of a sudden?”
– “We hang out every day anyway. If you drive, we can have fun even when I’m working.”
– “I guess that makes sense. Are you gonna pay me, though?”
– “I’ll pay you more than any manager. And since I’m always the one buying drinks, you can save your money to buy a house.”
Minseong had hired him as a driver, not a manager, because a manager had too many responsibilities to hang out all the time.
And those days had been truly fun.
He had visited movie sets with Minseong, and through him, even ended up marrying an actress.
At the time, they had been closer than brothers.
But at some point, things started to go wrong.
When had everything gone so wrong?
No.
‘Deep down, I always knew.’
He had just pretended not to see it.
Taegyu remembered the moment clearly.
After the Cataclysm changed the world.
When he suddenly awakened as an S-rank hunter.
‘The first time I bought him a drink.’
After earning his first fortune as a hunter, the very first thing Taegyu did was buy a drink for the friend who had always treated him.
– “Hey, I got the bill today.”
– “…What?”
– “I felt bad always freeloading off you. I’ll treat you from now on.”
– “…”
He could still remember the awkward expression that crossed Minseong’s face that day.
He didn’t know what that expression meant.
But it was from that day that Minseong began to change.
And when Minseong awakened as an A-rank hunter—just one step below S-rank—he became a completely different person.
It was as if all their years of friendship had been wiped away, replaced with overwhelming envy.
‘Why would someone who already had so much…?’
People’s hearts are truly incomprehensible.
Taegyu had never once considered his S-rank awakening a stroke of luck.
Luck and misfortune were two sides of the same coin.
On the day he gained that incredible power, his wife—caught in a blue mist—transformed into a Mistborne.
And… she attacked their only son.
On the very day of his awakening—the day he had thought himself so fortunate—he had to kill what was once his wife.
The day he lost everything.
And the only friend who had stayed by his side…
Was Minseong.
“Damn it… How did it come to this?”
Taegyu pressed his thumb hard against his throbbing temple, gritting his teeth.
Then, glaring at the blurred image of Minseong on the screen, he muttered under his breath.
There was no trace of the brightness Minseong once had in that sinister expression.
“So.”
His cold voice made Secretary Oh flinch.
“What do you think Minseong’s reason is for kidnapping our guild members?”
“Um… Revenge, perhaps? We did cut ties with him first after the incident…”
“No. If it was just revenge, he would’ve killed them outright, not kidnapped them.”
In fact, Minseong had recently attacked hunters from other guilds as well, killing them on the spot.
Moreover, the CCTV footage showed something strange on Minseong’s back—wings resembling those of an insect.
According to experts, the wings most closely resembled those of a wasp.
“A wasp…”
Taegyu’s mind grew cold as he thought about wasps.
They were social insects that lived in colonies.
“…Could it be that he’s kidnapping them to create more companions? To turn them into beings like himself?”
“What? There’s no such skill, is there?”
Secretary Oh’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Who knows? That greedy bastard might’ve bought a rare Rune Stone with a fortune.”
“…”
Suddenly, Im Taegyu stood up.
“Tell the planning team to locate any dungeon where wasps could thrive.”
“A dungeon?”
“Yes. In a country as small as Korea, dungeons are the only places for villains to hide.”
“I’ll relay the message immediately. But… where are you going, sir?”
“The armory.”
With that, Taegyu strode out of the office, leaving Secretary Oh bewildered.
From his entire body radiated an overwhelming aura.
The rage-fueled S-rank hunter had begun to move.
—
At that moment.
Suho held the neck of the last remaining spearman.
“Keck! Keh!”
The spearman dangled helplessly in Suho’s grip, terror filling its face.
“I’ll ask just once.”
Suho locked eyes with the creature.
“Where is your master?”
“Keerik…!”
Even as it gasped for breath, the spearman bared its fangs.
“Meeting him… will mean your end…”
“I’ll decide that. Now, tell me.”
“Keerik! As if I’d—!”
“Then die.”
*Crack!*
Without hesitation, Suho snapped the creature’s neck.
[You have defeated a Corrupted Spearman.]
[Your level has increased!]
The lifeless body dropped to the ground.
Suho stared at the rising black mist from the fallen spearmen.
[Extractable target detected.]
[Extractable target detected.]
After dismissing five shadow mummies, Suho reached out toward the shadows of the spearmen.
“Rise.”
*Kieeeh—!*
With horrifying cries, the shadows twisted and writhed.
From the darkness, insect legs began to emerge, dragging their bodies up from the depths of hell.
*Ding!*
[Shadow Extraction successful.]
[Shadow Extraction successful.]
Suho grinned, satisfied with his new soldiers.
[Shadow Spearman Lv.1] – Common Rank
[Shadow Spearman Lv.1] – Common Rank
“I’ll ask you again.”
At Suho’s words, the shadow spearmen knelt on one knee.
“Where is your former master?”
In unison, the spearmen pointed their spears downward.
“Underground?”
[Keerik!]
“So, he’s hiding below.”
A sly grin spread across Suho’s face.
Just then—
*Screeeech!*
Dozens of new spearmen swarmed toward Suho from above.
[Corrupted Spearman] [Corrupted Spearman]
[Corrupted Spearman] [Corrupted Spearman]
[…]
[My lord! It seems those five were just scouts!]
Despite the situation, Beru’s grin grew even wider.
“The more, the better.”
Suho smiled faintly as he looked up at the approaching horde of spearmen.
“Keerik?!”
The newly arrived spearmen faltered.
They stared in disbelief at the sight before them—shadow versions of themselves standing at attention around Suho, their bodies cloaked in swirling black mist.
And perched atop one of the shadow spearmen’s shoulders was the small, ant-like Beru, grinning from ear to ear.
[Welcome, my new minions.]
Beru cackled with malicious glee, his antennae twitching in delight.
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