Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 69

To sprint at full speed, Suho needed to activate several buff skills, which steadily drained his mana in real time.

Although he could replenish his mana with potions, there was no guarantee he’d have the chance to do so once they confronted Lee Minseong.

‘I have to conserve as much stamina as possible so I can jump into the fight the moment we arrive.’

With that in mind, Suho decided to make use of Baek Miho, who was conveniently by his side.

“…You want me to carry you?”

“Yes.”

“You want me, Vice President of the White Tiger Guild, to carry you?”

“Yes. We’re headed the same way anyway, so why not give me a lift?”

“Wait, hold on! Why do you act like it’s so obvious I’d carry you?!”

As Suho looked like he was about to hop on her back at any moment, Baek Miho was completely thrown off guard.

“Are you serious right now?”

“Do I look like I’m joking? Do we have time for jokes right now?”

“Wow…”

Baek Miho felt momentarily speechless at Suho’s audacity.

Looking into his earnest eyes, she was certain—he wasn’t joking.

Not that they were the type to joke around with each other, and besides, no sane person would dare spout such nonsense to the vice president of the White Tiger Guild.

He was seriously asking to be carried.

Like she was a taxi.

“I need to conserve as much stamina as I can before facing Lee Minseong,” Suho explained.

“And what about my stamina?”

“Carrying one person shouldn’t drain the stamina or mana of an A-rank hunter, right?”

“That’s… true, I guess…”

“Great. Since I’m just a C-rank, I need to conserve my energy. I can’t afford to rest before the fight, can I?”

He made… a good point?!

‘Wait! No, it doesn’t make sense… but somehow it does…’

Against her own better judgment, Baek Miho found herself being persuaded by Suho’s reasoning.

Though it wasn’t just logic that was swaying her. There was a strange sense of pressure radiating from Suho—something beyond words.

It was almost like…

‘Why does he feel like my father…?’

[The Beast King, Fang Monarch, grins as he watches Baek Miho closely.]

Baek Miho didn’t realize it yet.

From a distant place, the mighty Fang Monarch was observing her, his overwhelming aura unconsciously flowing through Suho, pressing down on her.

Eventually, Baek Miho shut her eyes tight and shouted, “Fine! We don’t have time to argue about this anyway!”

*Whoooosh!*

“Oh.”

[Heh?]

As a powerful surge of beast energy exploded from Baek Miho’s body, both Suho and Beru’s eyes sparkled in recognition.

Now they understood why Rakan, the Fang Monarch, had been watching her from the resting domain.

‘If it weren’t for me, she might have become Rakan’s priestess.’

Beastification.

A mystical ability that enhanced the human body to resemble a beast.

It was said that when Baek Yunho, the White Tiger Guild’s leader, fully unleashed this power, he transformed into a white tiger.

But Baek Miho…

“A fox?”

*Swish.*

Surrounded by beastly energy, Baek Miho now looked like a graceful fox. Her flowing, snow-white hair shimmered, and the pure white aura around her formed the shape of fox-like ears and a tail.

“Nice. Well then, I’m getting on.”

Suho’s calm and direct action as he hopped onto Baek Miho’s back caused her eyes to waver.

‘He’s not intimidated by my aura? A C-rank hunter?’

Among hunters who used beastification, a natural hierarchy was instinctively established.

Although human willpower could suppress or ignore this instinct, most people reacted the way the White Tiger guild members behind her did.

“Ugh! V-Vice President…!”

The guild members, overwhelmed by the aura Baek Miho emitted, turned pale and trembled as if they were prey in the presence of a superior predator.

But Suho was different.

*Clap!*

“Alright, let’s go! Hurry!”

“…”

He clung to her back like a carefree cicada, seemingly unbothered by the oppressive atmosphere.

And on top of him sat another, even smaller and noisier cicada.

[Get moving, fox! Quickly!]

“…Hold on tight.”

Baek Miho gritted her teeth, her eyes sharp with determination.

“I’m running at full speed.”

*Leap!*

“…!”

With Suho on her back, Baek Miho shot forward like a streak of light.

—

Running at full speed in an urban area wasn’t easy for a hunter.

The main issue was the unpredictably moving pedestrians. If even a single one was brushed by an awakened hunter running at full speed, the impact would send them flying like bowling pins.

It was more dangerous than getting hit by a dump truck, often resulting in instant death or severe injury.

In the early days after the Great Cataclysm, such accidents were common.

Many newly awakened hunters, intoxicated by their newfound power, caused major accidents by recklessly running through the streets.

However, with the establishment of the Hunter Association and the introduction of hunter laws, it became rare for hunters to sprint openly on the streets.

Even the most confident hunters preferred to use transportation whenever possible.

But in emergencies like this, things were different.

‘Stick to the rooftops as much as possible!’

*Tap, tap, tap!*

Carrying Suho, Baek Miho leaped gracefully from building to building, her speed far beyond what ordinary people could comprehend.

“Did you see that?”

“Huh? See what? There’s nothing there.”

“…Maybe I imagined it?”

Even if someone tried to capture a photo from afar, she was gone before the shutter could click.

*Tap, tap, tap!*

Suho was genuinely impressed by Baek Miho’s agility.

‘She’s definitely fast. This must be the power of an A-rank.’

He evaluated her speed, using it to estimate the challenge Lee Minseong might pose in battle.

[Hoho. Quite the nimble little fox. You should ride on her more often.]

“Beru, that’s rude.”

“…”

Hearing the casual conversation behind her, Baek Miho felt her irritation flare and pouted slightly.

The summoner and his summoned creature were both unbelievably shameless.

“At this rate, we’ll make it in under 20 minutes,” Suho noted cheerfully.

[It seems so.]

Unable to hold back any longer, Baek Miho finally spoke up.

“Do you seriously think I’m some kind of taxi…!” Baek Miho exclaimed in disbelief.

Just then—

“But,” Suho said, glancing at Beru. “The faster, the better, right?”

Beru’s eyes narrowed as a wicked smile spread across his face.

[As you command.]

*Ding!*

[Beru has activated the skill: *Harsh Command.*]

…!

The buff skill Beru had obtained after devouring the tyrannical hyena commander Broki was now in effect.

This buff applied exclusively to beasts—and since the “beast” currently carrying Suho was Baek Miho, she was no exception.

[‘Skill: Harsh Command’ increases Baek Miho’s stats by 50%.]
[As a side effect, Baek Miho falls under the curse of madness.]

“…!”

In an instant, Baek Miho’s expression shifted dramatically.

A seething rage welled up from deep within her, surging to her very core.

Whether this fury stemmed from Suho and Beru’s chatter or the unknown buff skill was unclear.

“…Grrr!”

The moment she surrendered to that emotion—

Her body became unbelievably fast.

*Swishhhhhh—!*

“That’s more like it!” Suho exclaimed.

[Heheheh!] Beru chuckled gleefully.

And Baek Miho? She was *genuinely* pissed.

—

In the end, they arrived at the scene in just ten minutes.

[‘Skill: Harsh Command’ has been deactivated.]

“Are you okay?” Suho asked.

“…I’m fine,” Baek Miho replied, though she looked slightly fatigued from overexerting herself.

It was nothing a short rest wouldn’t fix, but there were more pressing matters to address.

“What the…?”

Baek Miho’s face grew grim as she took in the sight before them.

Grotesque mutants were attacking civilians, and hunters were scrambling to fend them off.

The problem was that the civilians injured by the mutants began to decay and turn into new mutants themselves.

If this wasn’t contained quickly, the situation would spiral out of control.

“My god… a zombie outbreak in the middle of the city?”

“It’s not a zombie outbreak,” Suho corrected.

“They’re ghouls.”

Above the mutants’ heads, Suho could clearly see the labels:

[Contaminated Ghoul]
[Contaminated Ghoul]
[Contaminated Ghoul]

…

Unlike zombies, ghouls were more akin to vampires. Specifically, **shikigwi**—monsters that devoured corpses. While vampires thirst for blood, ghouls crave human flesh.

The crucial difference was that ghouls weren’t mindless corpses—they retained some intelligence.

Strangely, however, the ghouls here seemed more focused on killing than consuming their victims.

The injured victims decayed rapidly, transforming into new ghouls much like zombies.

‘This isn’t just random slaughter.’

Suho could feel the poisonous energy of the royal jelly that Arsha had used to create soldiers emanating from the contaminated ghouls.

‘Just as Arsha hinted, Lee Minseong is building his own army of ghouls.’

With the situation clear, Suho turned to Beru.

“Beru.”

[Yes, sir.]

“Can you find Lee Minseong?”

[I already have.]

Beru’s antennae, which had been twitching non-stop, suddenly froze, pointing in a specific direction.

Suho and Baek Miho followed the direction Beru indicated, their eyes locking onto a tall, 40-story mixed-use building right in front of them.

Their expressions hardened.

So close, yet they had overlooked it.

At the top of the high-rise, a massive beehive had been constructed.

“…So that’s where Lee Minseong is,” Suho muttered.

Baek Miho clenched her fists, her eyes gleaming with determination as an overwhelming aura surged from her body.

“Hunter Sung Suho! We’ll move separately from here. I’ll storm the hive while you stay down here and—”

“You’re not seriously planning to climb all the way to the top using the stairs, are you? The power’s out,” Suho interrupted.

“I’ll handle that myself. Now, if you’ll excuse me—urk?!”

“Wait a second.”

Just as Baek Miho was about to charge into the building, Suho grabbed the back of her collar.

“W-What are you doing?!” she demanded, her face flushing with embarrassment as she spun around to glare at him.

Suho chuckled and said, “Since you gave me a ride earlier, it’s only fair I return the favor, right?”

*Lift.*

“Eek?!”

Baek Miho squealed as she was suddenly lifted off her feet.

“…!”

From Suho’s shadow emerged several **shadow knights**, their bodies cloaked in swirling black mist.

[Shadow Knight Lv. 1]
Grade: Common

[Shadow Knight Lv. 1]
Grade: Common

The shadow knights, roughly human-sized and resembling soldier bees, cradled both Suho and Baek Miho in their arms.

“No time to waste. Let’s fly.”