Solo Leveling : Ragnarok - Chapter 9

“Got it!”

Beru responded to Su-ho’s command but then asked in confusion.

“Don’t we need to ambush them to kill those wretched beings?”

“What are you talking about? We’re going to mine.”

“…!”

Beru jumped up, frothing at the mouth.

“What nonsense is this?”

Beru couldn’t believe it.

How could Su-ho use the incredible power of the Shadow Monarch’s abilities for mere mining?

“The universe is at war with millions of soldiers right now, and you want to mine?!”

“I get it, but my ability only controls three weak goblins right now. We need to be realistic. Dad probably did the same thing when he was weak.”

“But…”

“And you also said last night…”

Su-ho recalled his conversation with Beru from the previous night.

—

On the way home after being discharged from the hospital, Beru spoke with a serious expression.

“Our mission can be summarized into three tasks.”

Despite Beru’s small size, his words were grand.

“First, protect Earth from the otherworldly monsters.”

“So, you mean go into dungeons and hunt monsters?”

“Yes. By hunting monsters, you’ll level up, and as you grow stronger, Earth will become safer. Second, we must find Lady Hae-in, who has gone missing.”

“Right. But how do we find my mother?”

“Unfortunately, I have no clues. But by continually hunting these otherworldly beings, we might find some leads.”

In the end, it meant going into dungeons.

“And third, this is the most important.”

Beru’s eyes gleamed as he pointed to himself.

“I must regain my strength as soon as possible to return to the battlefield where your father is. Without me, the balance of the war is at risk.”

Su-ho was curious.

In his reduced form, Beru was conserving his strength, but his true form and power were a living nightmare.

Without such a powerful force, the outcome of the war must be drastically affected.

“How can you regain your strength?”

Beru’s lips curled into a sinister smile.

“By eating.”

It was a malevolent and dark smile.

Long ago, in the fragments of a forgotten world, the ant queen remembered:

-Create the ultimate soldier.

To rebuild her kingdom, the queen needed a supreme soldier to lead the inhabitants. For half a year, the queen devoted all her magic and resources to creating a new life.

Driven by the desire to create a strong soldier and the prime directive to annihilate all humans, a terrifying creature was born.

The creature’s inherent skill was ‘Devour.’

By consuming a target, it could absorb a portion of its magic and knowledge.

Remembering this, Beru said:

“My innate talent is ‘Devour.’ By consuming humans or monsters, I can gradually regain my strength. It’s an old and inefficient method, but it’s all I have now.”

Humans or monsters…

Su-ho felt a chill.

Beru lacked humanity, but that was expected.

“Still, you can’t just eat any human.”

“Oh?”

“If you must eat, eat only the bad ones.”

Beru’s eyes narrowed.

“Just like your father. He also said to only eat evildoers.”

“Father said that? What defines an evildoer?”

“Anyone who poses a threat to you.”

—

Back to the present.

“You said it yourself.”

Beru argued back.

“So, we should be going into dungeons to level up?”

“No. How can an E-rank hunter go into a dungeon alone? E-rank hunters can’t join assault teams.”

Su-ho was practical.

As Instructor Im explained, E-rank hunters could only take on support roles in dungeons. Su-ho planned to undergo a re-evaluation if his level and magic improved to a D-rank.

“Hunting alone is not an option. I need to focus on what I can do now.”

Su-ho smiled, and Beru felt a sudden unease.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Our third mission.”

Su-ho recapped Beru’s words.

“To quickly recharge your magic by eating. Right?”

“Yes, whether it’s humans or monsters…”

“What about mana stones?”

Beru’s expression froze.

“If your ability is to devour, wouldn’t consuming mana stones recharge your magic?”

“It would, but mana stones contain very little mana, so it’s not very efficient…”

“Is that a problem? You just need to eat more.”

Su-ho smiled brightly.

“They’re free if we pick them up here.”

“…”

—

Su-ho entered the gate with the miners.

The dungeon was vastly different from the Shadow Dungeon. While the Shadow Dungeon was a vast ruinous city, this was a winding cave.

Everyone carried pickaxes, making it feel like a mining expedition.

Su-ho and the miners slowly moved deeper into the dungeon.

Thanks to glowing mushrooms and moths, visibility wasn’t too bad.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of mining echoed uniformly, showing the miners’ experience and rhythm.

Then, suddenly, all the sounds stopped simultaneously.

“Huh?”

“What’s that?”

Everyone’s attention was drawn to one spot.

Su-ho was there, commanding shadow goblins.

[Creak! Crackle!]

[Cackling!]

The goblins let out sinister laughter as they mined with pickaxes.

“What the…”

“Summoning skills can do that?”

People were astonished.

Summoning skills were known for controlling creatures like explosive bugs or sleep-inducing butterflies to assist in battle, with the summoner trailing behind to direct.

“But you can use them like that?”

Clang, clang, clang!

Su-ho’s shadow goblins, though slightly smaller and weaker than regular goblins, had enough strength for mining and never got tired, replenished by Su-ho’s magic.

“Wow…”

“This newbie is something else! Hahaha!”

The miners praised Su-ho.

“The talk about summoning skills being useless is nonsense! This is amazing!”

“We can’t let the newbie do all the work!”

“Let’s show him what we can do!”

Laughing, the miners resumed their work, their spirits lifted by the shadow goblins’ presence.

“Filthy bugs…”

Beru muttered as he munched on mana stones.

—

Meanwhile, a team of D-rank and higher hunters was exploring deeper into the dungeon.

“This place is a dead end.”

“Yeah. Only wolf monsters so far.”

“Wolf pelts aren’t worth much.”

The dismantling team collecting wolf corpses was disappointed.

“Let’s keep going. Every bit helps.”

They piled wolf pelts onto their cart.

Then, one hunter called out.

“Hey, there’s something here!”

In front of them was a massive structure.

The hunters tensed, sensing the unusual presence of a powerful monster.

“Is this a boss?”

Typically, D-rank dungeons rarely had powerful boss monsters, but this structure suggested something special, which might not be good news for the hunters.

“What is this?”

“Why is there a structure like this here?”

“Should we call for backup?”

The hunters whispered among themselves, but their leader quieted them and scanned the area.

“Shh. My detection skill isn’t picking up any monsters.”

“Really? Then why is this structure here?”

“We’ll find out.”

A faint smile appeared on the leader’s face.

“There might be treasure instead of a boss.”

“Treasure…!”

The hunters’ eyes gleamed.

Dungeons offered more than just monster corpses and mana stones. Rare items could be found, which were highly valued by hunters as they enhanced their abilities.

“Captain! There’s something here!”

At the center of the structure was a sword emanating an extraordinary aura.

“Damn.”

The hunters’ eyes filled with greed.

“This is huge!”

“A sword?”

The hunters were ecstatic.

The leader tried to caution them.

“Wait, Kim Yong-jun! Be careful…!”

But Kim Yong-jun had already grabbed the sword’s hilt.

And then he heard a voice echo in his head.

– Who dares covet the Fang Lord’s sword?