Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 65

All day long, Baek Miho had been monitoring the status of her guild members from headquarters.

Some field-type dungeons located in urban areas surprisingly had decent cell reception.

Of course, in places where the blue mist was especially thick, signals often failed. But today’s fields, shared with the C-rank hunters, were specifically chosen to avoid such areas.

“Vice-master! We’ve received contact from Times Square!”

“Is it Lee Minseong?”

“They’re not certain yet, but there are some unusual phenomena occurring…”

“Unusual phenomena?”

Baek Miho’s expression stiffened.

The White Tiger Guild was known for its extensive information network.

The fields assigned to the C-rank hunters today had been thoroughly inspected multiple times.

But now there was an unrecorded phenomenon?

And during a time when villains were running rampant?

Her eyes sharpened.

“What kind of phenomena?”

“Well… toxic mist and wasps…”

Wasps?

That one word was enough.

In the CCTV footage, Lee Minseong had taken on a form eerily similar to that of a wasp.

Whether it was due to a skill or something else, the sudden appearance of wasps in the field was undoubtedly connected to him.

“Let’s head to Times Square.”

At her command, the guild members who had been waiting immediately rose to action.

Upon arriving at Times Square, Baek Miho took a deep breath as she stepped into the field.

“Huff.”

The thorny labyrinth was thick with toxic mist.

‘I didn’t expect the poison to be this strong.’

Hunters usually had a much higher resistance to toxins compared to ordinary people.

Most poisons didn’t affect them, and even if they were poisoned, healers could easily treat it.

However, with the entire field filled with toxic mist, it was a different story.

With a limited supply of mana, healers wouldn’t be able to sustain their detoxification abilities for long.

“Everyone, put on your gas masks.”

*Rustle.*

Following Baek Miho’s instructions, the hunters quickly donned the gas masks they had prepared in advance.

Baek Miho also put on her mask—

*Bzzzt—Swish!*

In an instant, her hand shot out, snatching something from the mist.

It was a corrupted wasp, attempting a stealth attack.

Baek Miho’s gaze hardened as she inspected the drop of venom at the tip of its stinger.

A venomous insect infused with mana—capable of flying effortlessly through such a toxic environment.

She began to worry about the hunters who had entered the field earlier.

“Vice-master…”

The White Tiger guild members looked at her with concerned expressions.

“Let’s search for survivors.”

Clenching her teeth, Baek Miho marched into the toxic maze.

‘I have to save them, no matter what.’

Good intentions didn’t always yield good outcomes.

It was she who had sent them into this field.

If anyone were to die, the responsibility would rest solely on her.

‘I hope… we’re not too late.’

However—

“Ah!”

“Vice-master Baek Miho?!”

“We’re saved! Reinforcements are here!”

“…!”

To her surprise, Baek Miho found the hunters gathered and resting together.

Contrary to her fears, they were all alive.

Although their clothes were filthy, and they looked exhausted from their ordeal, they were fully healed, thanks to the healer they had brought with them.

But what truly surprised Baek Miho was the gas masks they were wearing.

“How did you get these gas masks…?”

There had been no prior information about poison in this dungeon.

There should have been no reason for them to carry gas masks, as they would have only been unnecessary baggage.

“Oh, these? Hunter Sung Suho brought them from somewhere and gave them to us…”

“Sung Suho…?”

Baek Miho’s gaze shifted as she searched for Suho.

But he was nowhere to be found.

Out of the ten hunters they had sent into the field, nine were safe and accounted for—except for one.

The C-rank hunter, Sung Suho.

“Where is Hunter Sung Suho? Don’t tell me he’s…”

“No! Sung Suho is fine! He’s definitely fine!”

The hunters hurriedly reassured her, sensing the concern in her voice.

However, their expressions were odd, as if they were hiding something.

Noticing this, Baek Miho’s expression hardened, and she turned to the White Tiger guild members who had accompanied Suho.

“What exactly happened here?”

“Well… Hunter Sung Suho saved us.”

“…What? Who saved whom?”

She struggled to comprehend what she had just heard.

How could a C-rank hunter save a raid party that included three B-rank hunters?

Yet, the hunters’ answers remained the same, no matter how many times she asked.

“Hunter Sung Suho rescued us, gave us these gas masks, and then left.”

Up until a short while ago, they had all been on the verge of death.

The toxic mist had been gradually paralyzing their bodies, while thorny vine puppets—Woodvines—relentlessly attacked them from all sides.

Whenever they let their guard down, corrupted wasps would silently appear and strike with their venomous stingers.

Each of these enemies was deadly, but the most terrifying of all was the wasps’ venom.

Even a single sting, no matter where it landed, would spread the venom throughout the body, causing it to decay rapidly.

The only way to survive was to amputate the affected area immediately—just as Suho had done for Koo Dongjae earlier.

The healer would then have to regenerate the severed limb, which consumed an enormous amount of mana.

But such a treatment couldn’t be used repeatedly.

That was when Suho, separated from the group by the thorny walls, had returned.

The odd part was…

“His hair had changed color?”

“Yes. It turned silver-gray…”

Baek Miho’s expression grew stern as she listened to their account.

There were few known skills that could cause a sudden change in hair color.

The most notable among them was the **Beastification Skill**.

With that skill, parts—or even the entirety—of a user’s body could transform.

‘Could it be that Hunter Sung Suho possesses a Beastification Skill? Ah, now that I think about it…!’

It finally clicked.

She realized that this wasn’t her first encounter with Hunter Sung Suho.

‘The Magok Field.’

The strange dungeon that had gathered nearly every Beastified hunter in the metropolitan area.

The dungeon where the title of Beast King was contested.

‘Hunter Sung Suho was there!’

Unlike the others, he had given off an unusual scent that had drawn her attention.

‘Since only Beastified hunters were present, it makes sense that he has the skill too…’

Still…

Why did another thought keep surfacing in her mind?

There was another person, besides her and her father, known for having silver-gray hair.

A mysterious hunter currently making waves.

‘The Beast King, Crow.’

Though his face was always hidden behind a mask, that enigmatic individual…

‘No. Now’s not the time for this.’

Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Baek Miho turned to her guild members.

“So, where did Hunter Sung Suho go?”

“He said he was heading toward the queen wasp.”

“The queen wasp?”

Things were taking an unexpected turn.

A new development had emerged—not caused by Lee Minseong, but by a queen wasp.

This dungeon wasn’t supposed to have a boss monster.

Had one appeared out of nowhere?

‘Could Minseong be involved?’

The CCTV footage had shown insect-like wings sprouting from his back.

If all of this was his doing, the pieces fit together.

One of the hunters pointed toward a set of stairs leading underground.

“Hunter Sung Suho went down there.”

“So, the queen wasp is below.”

With a determined look, Baek Miho nodded.

The truth would only become clear once they ventured underground.

She glanced at the reinforcements she had brought.

“Escort these people out of the dungeon. The rest of you, follow me. We’re going after the queen wasp.”

—

At that moment, deep within the underground levels of Times Square, Suho wore a grim expression.

“So, it’s you?”

His icy voice seemed to freeze the air around him.

From his shadow, 20 black spearmen rose simultaneously.

[Keeririk!]

The shadow spearmen, now loyal guardians of Suho, assumed battle stances, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

Yet despite the intimidating sight, **she** remained unfazed.

Calmly seated at a café table entwined with thorny vines, she sipped her tea leisurely.

“Would you care to sit?”

Her clear, composed voice invited him to the empty seat across from her.

“Sure.”

Suho took the seat, and in that instant, a strange stillness enveloped them, as if the chaotic battlefield had been sealed off.

“Would you like some tea? It’s made with honey. A special honey that I crafted myself.”

[How dare a mere insect play such tricks!]

Beru growled, thrusting his tiny head forward with a ferocious snarl.

Though still only the size of a fist, his presence was enough to make the woman flinch.

“Oh my, what a remarkable guard you have.”

[Hmph. Of course, I am extraordinary.]

Beru puffed out his chest in pride, his expression smug.

The woman couldn’t tear her gaze away from him.

A small ant, cloaked in black mist, brimming with immense presence.

In the insect world, size didn’t dictate strength—underestimating small creatures could be fatal.

‘This is the first time I’ve encountered a presence like this… since Lady Querehsha.’

The woman seemed troubled, sensing an unsettling instability within Beru’s aura.

“What are you two doing? Is this a date or what?”

Suho’s dry remark snapped the woman out of her thoughts.

With a polite bow, she turned her attention to Suho.

“My apologies. My name is Arsha. May I ask for yours?”

“Sung Suho.”

“Then, I shall call you Lord Suho.”

“‘Lord’?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t want to offend this ant, lest he punish me.”

[Hmph. You’re quite perceptive for a mere wasp.]

Beru grinned wickedly, thoroughly enjoying himself.