Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

The ground trembled violently as though struck by an earthquake. An oppressive wave of mana was filling the city, leaving the air sharp and stinging against the skin.

The cries of beasts echoed from all directions as a tidal wave of monsters surged through the streets, overwhelming the city as though a dungeon break had occurred.

Amid the chaos, Rio darted through the fray, twin swords flashing. He cut down yet another dragonkin, its blood spraying into the air before it collapsed with a strangled death cry behind him. Panting heavily, he wiped the blood and sweat from his face, his chest heaving.

How many of them are left, exactly? His vision blurred, a yellow haze creeping in from exhaustion. Out of habit, he tried to count the enemies ahead, but the sheer number made it pointless. The path behind him was littered with the corpses of slain dragonkin, yet the horde before him stretched endlessly, hundreds more charging forward without pause.

Even as a high-ranking hunter capable of battling hordes of magic beasts single-handedly, Rio felt the crushing weight of the situation.

Dragonkin were no ordinary foes—they were humans corrupted by dragon blood, their strength rivaling that of B-rank beasts. Worse still, they retained their intelligence, enabling them to fight strategically and form roles like tankers and damage dealers. At least there were no healers among them, but their sheer numbers rendered that small mercy nearly meaningless.

Guild Master!What in the world were you thinking?

Rio’s eyes shut tight as his thoughts turned to Siddharth Bachchan, the man he had once admired. Who could have imagined such a thing—that the hero of India would be capable of doing something so terrible behind the scenes? Turning fellow humans into beasts! No justification could excuse such a heinous act.

Rio’s blades danced once more, cleaving through another beast. Three dragonkin sprang from the shadows, their claws aimed at him. He avoided them by a hair, countering with swift, relentless attacks.

Evade.Attack.Evade. His movements became a rhythm, but the exertion was taking its toll. His breath came in short, labored gasps.

Can I survive this? The thought crept in, and Rio suddenly felt afraid.

Hunters, after all, were still human. They bled when wounded, and even the strongest among them grew slower as fatigue set in. Rio would last longer than others as an A-rank hunter, but even he would reach his limit at some point. This would also be true of Liu, the great six-star hunter from China, and Suho.

Or… perhaps not. Rio’s eyes widened as he looked at his companions. To his astonishment, they showed no signs of fatigue.

“Hahaha! It feels so good to be free of my demons!”

In a single, radiant strike, the aura of Liu’s sword cleaved through an entire group of dragonkin. Blue blood splattered across the battlefield. The white-haired warrior fought with a blend of elegance and ferocity, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“This is the best I’ve felt in years!”

Today, he fought with unparalleled clarity.

Fatigue? That was just everyday life to Liu. For years, he had lived while expelling foreign energy from his body so that the Itarim could not control him. He walked the endless path of a warrior in a state of perpetual exhaustion.

Haha.But what am I compared to him? From Liu’s perspective, Suho was even more incredible. Liu was starting to falter, but the young hunter hadn’t so much as broken a sweat.

That’s surprising.I don’t think that can be explained merely by good stamina. The Chinese hunter’s sharp eyes took in every detail as he studied Suho, and he frowned in disbelief. He’s not even winded. If anything, he’s speeding up.

Liu’s instincts rarely failed him. Suho’s movements weren’t just precise—they were growing stronger, faster, and sharper with each exchange. Is he learning mid-battle?How is that even possible? Liu marveled.

The sight of the young hunter brought to mind another figure from Liu’s past—Sung Jinwoo. “So you are his son, after all,” he murmured, a dry laugh escaping him.

In an age that had long been forgotten and no longer existed, he had crossed paths with Sung Jinwoo. They had even fought each other, albeit briefly. However, that was all. Liu had never witnessed Jinwoo at his peak. Even if he had, could someone of Liu’s level have truly grasped the extent of his power?

The scene above Seoul’s skies was still vivid in Liu’s mind—a colossal gate and hundreds of thousands of beasts bowing before Jinwoo in submission. He was an entity that defied Liu’s evaluation, and now, Liu was glimpsing the man’s legacy once more through his son.

A chime sounded, and messages appeared.

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

Repeated level-ups brought simultaneous recovery.

Suho’s blade storm shredded the enemies that surrounded him. The more enemies there were, the more experience points he gained, and the longer he could last. He could keep this up forever if necessary.

To Rio and Liu, unaware of the system’s mechanics, this performance was nothing short of miraculous.

My god.Is there no limit to his stamina? Rio wondered.

Not even this level of combat can wear him down?! Liu marveled.

Both wanted to know what the Koreans had been thinking, giving someone so powerful the measly rank of C.

“Arise!” Suho shouted.

[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]

[The Shadow Extraction was a success.]

As Suho’s level increased, so did the number of shadow soldiers, growing steadily with the boost to his intelligence stat. He only had a hundred and twenty soldiers so far, but the number was quickly rising in real time.

Compared to the enemy’s forces they were vastly outmatched, yet they had one unbeatable advantage—they were a legion of immortals as long as mana potions kept flowing. As long as Suho did not grow afraid and back away, he could continue this absurd battle for as long as he pleased.

“Young Monarch!” Beru cried, “You can’t let down your guard! A powerful presence is drawing closer from afar!”

He was the only one who still worried about Suho amid the chaos.

“Leveling up is important, but nothing is more crucial than your safety, Young Monarch! If things become even slightly dangerous, you must return to Korea immediately!”

This large-scale battle may have been unexpected, but it hadn’t unfolded without some planning on Suho’s part. The cooldown for his Shadow Exchange skill had long reset. If needed, he could swap places with Kira, the shadow assassin, at any time and return to South Korea just as he had arrived.

Knowing he had an escape route ready allowed Suho to focus on leveling up without worry. Besides, he didn’t intend to continue fighting these small fries forever. If the boss comes to me of his own accord, that’s even better!

Suho’s sense stat had been sending him warnings for a while now. A massive presence—no doubt Siddharth Bachchan—was getting closer by the minute. Any moment now!

It was then that a massive shadow fell across the sky.

“There!” Esil pulled a spear out of a dragonkin’s heart and glared at the sky.

Rio’s face turned pale as he followed her sight, a scream escaping his lips. “My god! What on earth is that?”

Above them, gigantic, grotesquely transformed dragonkin spread their wings wide, blotting out the sky.

Ragna—that is, Antares—frowned beside Suho. “How dare they… To dare mimic the form of dragons, using dragon blood, no less.”

It was unclear what kind of experimentation had been transpiring, but the massive dragonkin looked crude and disgusting as if stitched together in a patchwork quilt of flesh.

However, it was only the Monarch of Destruction who thought little of what he saw. The unholy fusion of human life force, the unstable mana of the Outer Gods, and the raw power of the dragons was not to be taken lightly.

A chill suddenly ran down Liu’s spine. Instinctively, he felt something terrible was coming. “Brace yourselves!” he shouted to everyone. “Ready all the power you can!”

Moments later, the creatures roared, their jaws splitting wide as their menacing presence swept over the land.

[“Dragon’s Fear” has been activated.]

“What…?!”

Dragon’s Fear was the deadliest skill the dragons possessed, affecting enemies and allies alike. It was a soul-crushing roar that paralyzed all weaker beings within its radius, driving them to the depths of despair.

The battlefield froze as the effects hit, and those who were on the ground stopped short.

***

Siddharth Bachchan was in ecstasy.

Could it be that he had lived this long just to witness this moment? He had devoted countless efforts to replicating the fear that dragons could inspire, a fear he remembered all too well. There had been countless failures and successes, but it was the noble sacrifices of those failures that made this miracle possible: Dragon’s Fear.

The dragonkin army roared in unison, sending a shockwave of unparalleled terror through the land. The earth seemed to vibrate endlessly, and the violent surge of mana instilled agony and panic in every weak creature regardless of allegiance.

Siddharth erupted into wild laughter. Look at them!Even Liu Zhigang, the great six-star hunter from China, can’t move! The dark summons that had once wreaked havoc in the city were now crumbling before his might.

Siddharth reveled in his power, basking in the absolute authority he commanded. Spreading his wings wide in the air, he let out a mad laugh.

“Heh heh heh. HAHAHAHA!”

Liu, of all people!What luck! The great Chinese hunter, paralyzed and helpless, could become a formidable warrior if converted into a dragonkin. Siddharth was already salivating at the thought.

Pointing to Liu and the others overwhelmed by Dragon’s Fear, Siddharth commanded his soldiers, “Capture them all! Leave them alive, but cut off their limbs if you have to!”

The dragonkin army screeched in response, their claws outstretched like falcons diving for prey.

“Well, I didn’t expect that.”

There was at least one being unaffected by Dragon Fear—Antares.

“To think you would gather such wretched hybrids and even mimic Dragon’s Fear,” Ragna said, speaking with Antares’ voice. A grin spread across the tiny dragon’s face. However, his gaze burned as he stared at the grotesque beings in the sky. He knew exactly who this insolent fool was trying to mimic.

“How dare the likes of you… try to mimic me?” Antares said. At least Suho was the son of the Monarch of Shadows. The title of the King of Dragons was not so meaningless that some nobody could attempt to take his place.

Responding to Antares’ rage, hot flames burst from Ragna’s small body. The intense heat pierced the stillness, its force unmistakably aimed at Siddharth.

Startled, the guild master instinctively turned toward it, feeling something wasn’t quite right. He spotted Ragna amid the chaos, a tiny dot in the distance. His eyes widened.

“What… B-but how?”

No one, ally or enemy, should have been able to move after Dragon’s Fear had been unleashed. Yet one more figure stood unshaken in the heart of the battlefield—Suho. Seizing the opportunity created by the wide-range stun effect, he had begun cutting down the immobilized enemies one by one.

The sound of dings echoed repeatedly.

[Level up!]

[Level up!]

Finally, he had achieved his goal.

[You have reached level 99.]

[You have met the completion requirements of the job change quest “The Trial of the King of Dragons.”]

At that moment, Suho’s gaze locked onto Siddharth Bachchan in the sky.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!