Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 70

**10 minutes before Suho’s arrival.**

Above the city plagued by disaster, countless drones buzzed through the skies.

“The mutants have suddenly appeared and are attacking civilians!”

Breaking news of the shocking events spread across the country in real-time.

“Police hunters from the Hunter Association are working to contain the situation swiftly…”

Despite the optimistic tone of the reports, the footage being broadcast painted a different picture.

Scenes of terrified citizens screaming and fleeing for their lives filled the screens.

Chasing close behind were mutants, catching up to the civilians with terrifying speed and tearing into them.

And worse…

“Graaaar!”

The wounds of the bitten civilians rotted rapidly, transforming them into new mutants before the viewers’ very eyes.

“Despite the efforts of the Hunter Association, the number of mutants is increasing rapidly!”

The catastrophe unfolding in the heart of the city looked like a zombie outbreak straight from a nightmare.

“The Hunter Association is deploying reinforcements to the scene, but it will take some time for them to arrive!”

The critical issue was time.

The disaster had struck in the heart of Seoul, a city home to tens of thousands of citizens.

If all those people were to turn into mutants, it would bring about a full-blown apocalypse for South Korea.

Though additional support was en route from several guilds, the numbers were insufficient.

Hunters were always in high demand, and without those already nearby, it would take significant time for reinforcements to arrive.

Then—something unexpected happened.

“Look! It’s the Reaper Guild!”

The drone cameras captured members of the Reaper Guild firing magical arrows at the mutants.

“Guildmaster Im Taegyu has arrived with his guild members to assist at the scene!”

Every drone zoomed in on Im Taegyu, who led the Reaper Guild with precision, supporting the overwhelmed association hunters.

“Meanwhile, the Hunter Association has confirmed that the root cause of this crisis is former Vice President Lee Minseong of the Reaper Guild…”

Simultaneously, news outlets began to flood the internet, emphasizing that the blame lay solely with Lee Minseong, not the Reaper Guild.

Comment sections filled with posts:

– “Seriously, does that make sense?”
– “They’re all in on it.”
– “So the guild threw the vice president under the bus?”
– “Probably a tantrum after getting cut off.”
– “Is this the end for our country?”
– “Glad I don’t live in the city.”

Public opinion had already abandoned the Reaper Guild long ago.

Their reputation, already marred by bad rumors, was now solidified with this disaster.

Yet, even the harshest critics couldn’t deny one fact:

Im Taegyu.

The S-rank hunter’s magical arrows rained down relentlessly, pinning mutant after mutant, a breathtaking spectacle captured on camera.

– “Wow.”
– “Im Taegyu really is something else.”
– “S-rank is on a whole other level.”
– “Why not just go solo? Why take the heat with a guild?”
– “Info: Being good at sports doesn’t make you a good coach.”
– “Info: Im Taegyu’s weapon is the ‘Reaper’s Bow,’ and it costs…”

Then, the viewers noticed something strange.

– “Wait, what’s that guy doing behind him?”
– “Hey! Watch out!”
– “Behind you! Look behind you!”

The viewers spotted something that Im Taegyu hadn’t—his secretary acting suspiciously behind him.

– “What the hell? Is this a betrayal?”
– “Is he working for Lee Minseong?”
– “How did an S-rank hunter go down that easily?”
– “Maybe it’s poison?”

Shocked viewers couldn’t believe what they were witnessing.

Even though S-rank hunters weren’t invincible, seeing Im Taegyu collapse from a mere dagger seemed impossible.

“Grrr!”

Betrayed by someone he trusted, Im Taegyu yanked the dagger from his back, more mentally shaken than physically hurt.

“Secretary Oh… why?”

With an awkward smile, Secretary Oh lowered his head.

“I’m sorry, sir. I have a sacred mission from Her Majesty.”

“Her… Majesty?”

Im Taegyu’s vision swam, and his legs wobbled.

It was poison—deadly poison.

Secretary Oh bowed respectfully.

“There’s no use resisting. This is Her Majesty’s royal jelly.”

“Royal… jelly?”

Memories flashed through Im Taegyu’s mind.

– “Sir, isn’t it your birthday soon? Here’s a gift.”
– “A gift? What is it?”
– “A rare liquor I managed to get through a connection. Would you like to try it?”
– “I love booze! What’s it called, Royal Jelly?”
– “It’s good for you.”

Secretary Oh had been giving him bottles of Royal Jelly for some time, each with a strangely sweet aroma.

A sharp pain shot through Im Taegyu’s head as realization struck.

– “Swear loyalty to Her Majesty!”
– “Swear loyalty to Her Majesty!”

“Argh!”

Im Taegyu threw down the Reaper’s Bow, clutching his head as he writhed on the ground.

But the Royal Jelly, which had failed to control Lee Minseong, couldn’t dominate someone of Im Taegyu’s caliber.

“Get out of my head!”

*Boom!*

A violent surge of aura exploded from Im Taegyu, forcing Secretary Oh to retreat in haste.

A healer from the Reaper Guild rushed to his side, attempting to use healing magic.

“It’s not working! You’ll have to purge the poison with your own mana!”

“Mana… I’m already doing that,” Im Taegyu groaned, focusing all his energy on fighting the poison.

The accumulated doses of Royal Jelly in his system made it a daunting task.

Just as his strength began to falter—

*Boom!*

Suho and Baek Miho arrived at the scene.

“Baek Miho…?”

Recognizing the vice president of the White Tiger Guild, Im Taegyu’s weary eyes focused on her.

But…

‘Who’s that on her back?’

Baek Miho, carrying someone?

If it were anyone notable, Im Taegyu would have known them.

Yet the young man she set down was a complete stranger.

Then the young man lifted his gaze, scanning the situation.

When his eyes landed on the suspicious beehive growing atop the high-rise apartment building, they gleamed.

“Let’s fly,” Suho said casually.

Im Taegyu, still sharp despite his condition, found the choice of words odd.

‘Fly?’

And at that moment—

*Whoooosh!*

From beneath Suho’s feet, black shadows surged up, wrapping around both him and Baek Miho.

“…Eek!”

Even Baek Miho, a seasoned hunter, was caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.

But Im Taegyu, watching from a distance, looked as if his eyes might pop out of his head.

Two pairs of wings, shimmering with black vapor, unfurled from their backs.

“What… what in the world is that!?”

—

The moment Suho laid eyes on the contaminated ghouls, he grasped the situation instantly.

Lee Minseong’s goal was to kill civilians to grow his personal army.

This was exactly what Arsha had intended—to increase the number of sacrifices through mass death.

In the end, everything pointed to a ritual dedicated to Querehsha, the Plague Monarch.

‘There’s no time to waste.’

If things continued as they were, the ritual would inevitably reach completion.

He needed to finish this quickly.

‘I’ll leave this to the other hunters. My target is the leader.’

There was no way he was climbing the stairs of that towering apartment building.

Nor did he intend to scale its walls.

‘I’ll have to fly.’

Fortunately, Suho had shadow soldiers with wings at his disposal.

“Bring out just two of them.”

*[Chitter!]*

At Suho’s command, the shadows at his feet rippled and stirred.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

‘They’re shadows anyway, aren’t they?’

Shadows could exist anywhere—underfoot, between fingers, even within the strands of hair.

Beru himself often hid in the tiny shadows scattered across Suho’s body, popping out whenever needed.

Sometimes, only his head would poke through, leaving the rest of his body in the shadow realm.

In theory…

‘The others should be able to do that too.’

Suho gave a new order to the shadow knights lurking within his own shadow.

“Attach to our backs and extend your wings.”

*[Chitter!]*

The command was swiftly carried out.

*Whoosh!*

Two shadow knights climbed up Suho’s body, sprouting pairs of wings from his back.

The result was an eerie figure, with black shadows wrapping around Suho’s shoulders and back, forming two sets of wings.

*[Chitter?]*

Beru chuckled, clearly amused by Suho’s creative strategy.

[An intriguing tactic, my lord. Summoning soldiers halfway… Your ingenuity reflects the boldness of the new generation.]

“Stop being a boomer.”

*[Screech!?]*

Beru shrieked in mock offense.

[The Beast King, Fang Monarch, wonders if you are trying to mimic possession.]

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” Suho grinned and took flight.

Before she could even react, Baek Miho was lifted into the air alongside him.

‘What the…!? He’s supposed to be a C-rank summoner!?’

Her shock deepened—what kind of skill was this?

Wing summoning? And a skill that could attach wings to allies too?

More importantly—

“If you had this skill, why did you make me carry you earlier!?”

Baek Miho glared at Suho with an exasperated expression.

Suho replied shamelessly, “Because using them drains my mana. Anyway, let’s head straight for the hive.”

Just then—

“Wait! Take me with you!”

A voice called out urgently.

Baek Miho turned in surprise.

“Im Taegyu, the Guildmaster?!”

“That’s him?”

Suho recognized the name. Im Taegyu, the leader of the Reaper Guild, was well-known across Korea.

Though he didn’t look to be in the best condition, an S-rank hunter would certainly be a valuable asset.

“Attach one to him too.”

*[Chitter!]*

*Whoosh!*

At Suho’s command, a shadow knight flew over and latched onto Im Taegyu’s body.

“If you’re coming, follow us.”

With that, Suho took off once more.

“This… what even is this?”

Im Taegyu felt a strange sensation as the shadow fused with him, but he didn’t resist.

‘I could reject this with my mana.’

A brief sense of discomfort welled up inside him, but he suppressed it—most of his energy was already tied up fighting the royal jelly’s poison.

Soon, a pair of black wings sprouted from his back, lifting him into the air.

Following Suho and Baek Miho, he soared toward the hive at tremendous speed.

*Whoooooosh!*

But as they neared the hive, a hail of arrows rained down from within.

Each arrow glowed with potent aura, making it impossible to dodge in mid-air.

“Hngh…!”

Baek Miho and Im Taegyu tensed. On the ground, evading these arrows would have been challenging enough—but in the air, with no cover or maneuverability, it seemed inevitable they would become pincushions.

Baek Miho shouted urgently, “Hunter Im Taegyu! Hunter Sung Suho! Stay behind me!”

If dodging was impossible, the next best option was for someone to act as a shield.

Among the three of them, Baek Miho, with her combat prowess, was the most suitable to take the hits.

[Hoho. Such a noble little fox.]

“…!”

Beru patted Baek Miho’s head approvingly, as if she were an endearing pet.

[But do not worry.]

He smiled faintly and glanced at Suho, who hovered just ahead of them.

[Our young master will take care of it.]

In that moment, Suho’s eyes gleamed.

“Don’t stop. Keep flying.”

*[Chitter!]*

The shadow knights flapping their wings on their backs surged forward with renewed vigor.

And then—

[Activating Skill: *Storm Slash.*]

*Kwooooosh!*

A typhoon of slashes tore through the air.

The twin swords in Suho’s hands cleaved through the oncoming hail of arrows, shredding not only the projectiles but the very space around them.

Amid the whirlwind of destruction, Suho, Baek Miho, and Im Taegyu flew straight toward the hive.

Baek Miho, still reeling from disbelief, could only stare at Suho in awe.

‘…What in the world is this?’

He was supposed to be a C-rank summoner—how was he capable of this?

Wing summoning, powerful offensive skills…

‘Has he been hiding his abilities all along? But why would anyone do that?’

No hunter would deliberately downplay their strength, not when rankings determined everything.

The situation made no sense.