Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Things had become hectic for everyone.

The signal Suho broadcast across the globe sent ripples throughout the world, causing people in various nations to act, each with their own agenda.

Among them, the busiest by far was Suho himself. Leading his army of thousands, he swept through the Loktak Field, eradicating magic beasts with ruthless efficiency.

“Follow me!”

Wherever he and his army went, destruction followed.

It didn’t matter how vast the land was, or even if five dungeon breaks occurred at the same time—with Suho’s undying army, spearheaded by Greed, Iron, and Sita, no beast could hope to survive.

“Kneel before me.”

The creatures infused with dragon blood quaked in terror before Suho’s overwhelming authority. Other magic beasts, oblivious to the threat, foolishly charged forward, only to be massacred.

Regardless of how they chose to respond, death was dealt equally to all.

[Level up!]

And Suho was capitalizing on the sheer number of enemies, gaining a tremendous amount of experience and even leveling up in the process.

That was worth the hard work.

The blue fog that had blanketed the Loktak Field was noticeably thinning. As the open gates diminished one by one, the dimensional rifts that had torn apart the realm began to mend. The endless influx of otherworldly energy streaming through the cracks ceased, as if a faucet had been turned off.

“Look! The mist is fading!”

“My god.”

“I didn’t think it was possible!”

The hunters of the Indian Hunters Association, who had been watching from within the field, stared in disbelief.

Suho’s ability to single-handedly purify such a massive area defied all logic. They had always known S-rank hunters were extraordinary, but his feats exceeded anything they thought possible.

Hunters like Thomas Andre of the United States or Liu Zhigang of China had already set themselves apart from other S-ranks. But Suho was operating on an entirely different plane. Had the world even realized that the very concept of strength had been completely redefined by this young man—this Sung Suho from South Korea?

“Is it even right to call that man an S-rank hunter?”

A single, unwitting comment escaped someone’s lips, and there was a gasp.

Instantly, both the speaker and the other hunters turned pale, nervously glancing at Liu. Surely, such a statement would wound the pride of an S-rank hunter like him.

To their surprise, Liu chuckled. “Haha! Of course not!”

Huh?

Liu didn’t seem offended in the least. He was standing at the rear, relaxed, with his arms folded. He actually smiled at the words of the Indian hunters.

“It would be a grave injustice to call him a mere S-rank hunter.”

A ripple of shock passed through the Indian hunters.

A “mere” S-rank hunter?

Did I hear him correctly?

Everyone tensed up at the remark, unable to believe what they’d just heard. Who in the world could make such a statement?

The term “S-rank” referred to those whose power transcended measurable limits. It was a title reserved for the most elite, those beyond the capabilities of mana measuring devices. Even as a six-star hunter from China, Liu’s comment was an insult to every S-rank hunter worldwide.

However, Liu didn’t seem to care about the others’ reactions. He gazed wistfully into the distance as though recalling a distant memory.

“A National Level Hunter…”

The hunters exchanged confused glances.

The title was unfamiliar, a classification once widely recognized but now unknown in this world. It was a name reserved for those who could stand against entire nations—individuals so powerful they could be considered nations themselves. There had only been a handful of people in the world who could be called by that title.

“Yes. Sung Suho has already surpassed S-rank. He is a National Level Hunter.”

“National Level…?”

The Indian hunters tilted their heads in confusion.

Liu simply grinned at their puzzled expressions, offering no explanation.

It won’t be long now, he thought. In time, everyone would know.

Liu’s mind drifted back to his first encounter with Suho’s father, Sung Jinwoo. He remembered the overwhelming shock the world felt when Jinwoo revealed his full power. Now that same feeling stirred within him again, a powerful emotion he had long forgotten.

Liu smiled quietly to himself.

Yes, it was only a matter of time. Soon, the entire world would come to recognize Sung Suho—this timeline’s first-ever National Level Hunter.

***

Exactly three days later, the news that the Loktak Field had been completely purified reached Korea.

“Hmm.”

Kira, the shadow assassin, saw the headline and smirked.

“He’ll be back soon, then.”

Kira had initially traveled to India with Rio Singh, but Suho’s Shadow Exchange had sent him back to South Korea. Since then, the shadow assassin had been lying low, awaiting orders.

He wasn’t one to sit around idly, though. It made him feel incompetent. So he decided to do what he did best—murder.

“Gah… H-help!”

In a dark alleyway, the neck of another hapless individual was cleanly severed.

The body, now headless, collapsed backward with a thud. Blood pooled on the ground, filling the air with a sharp metallic scent.

“I suppose the police can handle the body,” Kira said, a twisted grin spreading across his face. He then turned to address someone behind him. “You all right?”

“Th-th-thank—”

“I’m not going to kill you. Once you’re able, report this to the association.”

A woman was huddled in a corner of the alley, trembling uncontrollably. She had turned deathly pale with fear, and she could barely breathe.

“What, do I have to give you the hotline for reporting villains?” Kira asked.

“I-I know it…”

“Good.”

The shadow assassin turned away nonchalantly, his attention falling on another figure. Ahead of him, the accomplice of the freshly killed man was desperately crawling away.

“Oh, you’re still alive! Tough one to kill, aren’t you? Tanker skills, maybe?”

A trail of bright red blood was smeared behind the man as he tried to escape.

“Ugh… Why…”

The man’s face was a mess of tears and snot. A dark demon was following him, tracking the crimson path he left behind.

Drenched in sweat, he looked up in terror. “Why… Why are you doing this?”

“Do you really not know?” Kira asked, his tone casual.

The man gasped, his voice shaking. “Y-you’re no better! You’re a killer, j-just like us! We just wanted to have some fun. We were going to let her go after one night!”

“Villain number 521. Kidnapping. Rape. Illegal trafficking of human organs.”

Kira deftly flipped through the villain registry, just as he had done when he was alive, cross-referencing the man’s face with the villain entries.

“True, you’ve never actually killed anyone yourselves. You just handed over the men you kidnapped to organ harvesters and sold the women to brothels. I genuinely want to know… This line of work makes far less money than being a hunter, right? So why bother?”

“Wh-what are you even talking about…?”

The man clutched his bleeding wound, his mind racing for an answer. However, he had latched onto a glimmer of hope in Kira’s dry tone.

He’s asking about money?Does he mean to join us if I can make it worth his while? Perhaps if he chose his words carefully, he could survive this nightmare.

“That’s because it’s easier!” the man blurted out.

“Easier?” Kira repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Y-yes! Civilians are much easier to hunt than magic beasts! Those monsters could kill us, but civilians are…”

“Weak?”

“Th-that’s right!” the man stammered, nodding frantically.

Kira tilted his head as if considering it. “I guess that makes sense. Good answer.”

The man felt a wave of relief. His heart soared. I-I’m going to live!

Kira leaned closer, his voice soft but chilling. “The weak deserve to die, don’t they?”

“Y-yes! There’s no place for the weak in this world any—”

“Exactly,” the shadow assassin interrupted, his tone suddenly cold. “Because when you’re weak, you might meet someone like me… and lose your head.”

“What?”

Before the man could react, his head was separated from his body. It rolled to the ground, its eyes still wide and disbelieving though they could no longer see.

Kira smirked. “Glad we’re on the same page.”

Though he was no longer human, he couldn’t shake old habits. Hunting villains was his specialty—and now, as a shadow soldier, he was free from the restrictions of the human legal system. This sort of thing would not displease his master, anyway.

The hardest part about tracking down villains had always been sifting through their stories, listening to heart-wrenching excuses and claims of innocence. Now he could simply watch from the shadows and strike only when he was certain of their guilt. It made things so much easier.

“Good,” Kira muttered, brushing his hands together as if wiping away dirt. “What a satisfying day.”

He then turned toward the trembling woman still huddled in the corner. “Did you make the call?”

“Y-y-yes!” she stammered, nodding frantically. Pale as a ghost, she couldn’t stop shaking.

The shadow assassin gave her a stern look. “Right. Next time, be careful about wandering around alone at night and stay away from dark streets like this one. It’s not just men who are dangerous. Women can turn into villains if they awaken too. Got it?”

“Y-yes!”

“Good. Now leave.”

“I-I can’t… My legs…”

The woman hesitated, looking at her legs, which refused to cooperate.

“Oh, your knees are too weak? Then take your time,” Kira said matter-of-factly. “You’ll be fine for tonight. I’ve already killed all the villains in this vicinity.”

This only seemed to scare the woman more, but Kira began to melt into the shadows, oblivious to her reaction.

“ShadowExchange!”

“Oh?”

Suddenly, the darkness rippled, and Kira vanished. In his place stood Suho, blinking in confusion.

“Huh?” Suho said, taking in the blood-soaked alley, the woman screaming and promptly fainting, and the overwhelming metallic stench of death.

“Kira…” What have you been up to?

But by then the shadow assassin was already in India, half a continent away.

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