Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

For the briefest moment, it felt as though time itself had frozen.

Blue blood and fragmented guts rained down from the sky. This surreal moment was broadcast live to the world, leaving viewers in stunned silence. The colossal beast had burst apart like an overfilled balloon.

The internet, frozen in collective shock, began to stir moments later.

Comment sections exploded. A tidal wave of question marks flooded online chats. It was a sight so unbelievable that no one seemed capable of typing out a coherent message.

Finally, one user managed to break through the chaos.

—Who is that???

Even the Chinese government, which had overseen the broadcast, was in turmoil.

“Who the hell is that hunter?”

“W-we’re still investigating!”

An aide glanced nervously at his superior, who was gnawing on his thumbnail and muttering obsessively. Trying to maintain composure, the aide ventured, “Yes, he must be. Look at his hair color. And he’s with Liu…”

“But why don’t we have any record of him? If someone stronger than Liu exists, then surely we must be aware of him!”

“I-I’ll confirm immediately!”

The government analysts typing furiously on keyboards and combing through databases all wore the same anxious expression.

This was not good. This couldn’t be happening.

He has to be Chinese.

Please, let him be Chinese.

The Chinese government had already violated international laws to deploy their drones, confident the move would bring political glory.

International laws? Those could be waived with the right excuses. If all else failed, the fallout could be smoothed over with strategic apologies or monetary compensation to the Indian government.

And the payoff? Immense. After all, Liu Zhigang, the greatest hunter in China, was single-handedly saving India, and broadcasting his heroics to the world was definitely worth it.

Both in terms of politics and brand value, things looked perfectly in the Chinese government’s favor.

However, there was an unexpected and fatal hitch in their calculations.

“O-oh, no!”

A panicked shout shattered the room’s tense atmosphere.

An analyst, pale as a ghost, pointed shakily—not to the Chinese Hunters Association’s database, but to a chat window on a global livestream. Messages written in Korean, translated in real time, filled the screen.

—Isn’t that a South Korean hunter?

—Oh! You’re right.I’ve seen him on the news.

—What?He’s Korean?Who is he?

—This is the same guy, right?

—(News article link)

—Wait, what?The Lee Minsung controversy?

A helpful viewer had shared a link to a news clip featuring an incident involving a South Korean A-rank villain.

The footage showed three hunters flying toward a massive beehive atop a skyscraper. Two of them were Lim Taegyu and Baek Miho, both well-known names. The third hunter was unmistakably the same man currently fighting alongside Liu in India.

“Damn it!”

An official’s fist slammed into a desk with a deafening crack, but no one even turned. The team was too overwhelmed by the implications.

He wasn’t Chinese. They had done this Korean hunter, not themselves, a favor. They had broken international laws to advertise China’s prowess to the world, but in their eagerness, they ended up promoting the South Korean hunter instead. Worse, Liu now looked like the young man’s subordinate—a mere supporting act.

This is a disaster!

The officials’ heads spun as a chilling realization set in. They were going to face severe repercussions, both internationally and domestically.

Maybe fleeing the country immediately would be the smartest solution.

However, no one had the courage to act on it.

***

Meanwhile, Liu Zhigang regarded the drones overhead with a scowl.

“Pointless nonsense,” he muttered, swatting one out of the air with a sword like it was an irritating fly. Turning to Suho, he added, “I’m sorry about this. Everyone now knows your face. That’s on me.”

Suho shook the blood off his fist and shrugged. “I don’t mind. My father recently gave me permission to do this.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Strictly speaking, it had been Jinwoo’s apparition, not Jinwoo, but that was a technicality.

Now over level one hundred, Suho was strong enough to stand against the followers of the Itarim on his own. Hiding his identity had become unnecessary, and revealing himself would only help him hunt down the scattered remnants of the Itarim more efficiently.

“Are you all right?” Suho asked, turning to the Indian hunters he had saved.

The hunters from the Indian Hunters Association bowed deeply in gratitude and thanked him in English.

“Th-thank you!

“Thank you for saving us.”

Though they were grateful, they couldn’t hide their unease.

Frankly, he scares me.

Is he even human?

Despite their gratitude, an unsettling feeling lingered.

No matter their rank, hunters shared a common knowledge of the difficulties they often faced. Once they became capable of using mana, people looked at them differently.

Civilians did not see hunters as their own. The press liked to praise them as the shining shields of humanity, but ordinary humans regarded hunters as nothing more than magic beasts who were capable of speech.

In truth, it was natural for them to feel this way. Hunters were superhumans who could throw cars around and destroy buildings if they felt like it, but they lived among the citizens as though they were still normal.

This was frustrating for the hunters who risked their lives to save the human race, and quite a few individuals turned to hunting magic beasts for money rather than fighting a losing battle to gain recognition.

However, the Indian Hunters couldn’t help but see Suho the same way that civilians looked at them.

This was an A-rank magic beast, at the very least… Maybe even an S-rank…

It was unavoidable as they glanced at the remains of the creature Suho had obliterated in a single blow.

They hadn’t been able to evaluate the monster precisely, but considering the sense of overwhelming power they had felt, an S-rank seemed possible. And this superhuman hunter in front of them had just reduced it to a pulp with a single fist.

“Uh… Are you an S-rank hunter?” one of the Indian hunters hesitantly asked, breaking the awkward silence.

The question, however, seemed almost redundant.

Why even ask?

Everyone knew Liu Zhigang, the six-star hunter from China, stood nearby. Yet this young man had effortlessly demonstrated strength far surpassing Liu’s.

The title of “S-rank hunter” wasn’t just a classification. It represented individuals whose power defied the limits of human technology’s ability to measure such things. This meant that even among S-rank hunters, there was an enormous variance in strength.

Testing their strength against one another was out of the question. A clash could result in the death of one combatant, which would be a national and human loss—and the collateral damage from such a fight could easily obliterate an entire city. Witnessing someone annihilate a boss monster with a single strike—and make it look as effortless as popping a balloon—made the Indian hunters realize just how justified that belief was.

S-rank hunters… are even more incredible than we imagined.

Suho, visibly uncomfortable with the attention, scratched his cheek awkwardly. Lacking the English proficiency to explain everything in detail, he kept it simple.

“I’m C-rank.”

“What…?”

The other hunters’ confusion only intensified.

***

Back in Imphal, Suho directed the Indian hunters.

Their task wasn’t to hunt the rampaging magic beasts, but rather to protect the citizens. With Rio handling the translations, communication flowed smoothly.

“Please keep the monsters from breaching the city,” Rio instructed. “My guild master will take care of the magic beasts.”

“We can fight too!” one of the Indian hunters protested. “We may not be that strong, but we can still help!”

Despite their feelings of inadequacy, the hunters weren’t about to abandon their duty.

Rio, however, remained firm. “Oh, you don’t need to do that. My guild master will handle everything.”

Confusion spread across the Indian hunters’ faces. They simply couldn’t understand it. They had witnessed Suho’s strength firsthand, but this field was massive, filled with countless roaming beasts.

“Even if Liu Zhigang helps him, they’ll need more manpower to deal with all those creatures!” a different hunter cut in.

Rio glanced over his shoulder and said casually, “Liu is over there… resting.”

“I’m sorry?”

All heads turned to see Liu reclining, receiving a massage from Esil.

“Ahem. You really don’t have to,” Liu muttered as Esil rubbed his shoulders.

“Oh, I have nothing better to do,” she replied.

This arrangement ensured that no one interfered with Suho’s leveling.

“What? He’s seriously planning to do this alone?”

As the stunned Indian hunters watched, Suho began walking away—straight toward the horde of magic beasts. He glanced briefly at the hovering drones filming the scene.

“A live broadcast to the entire world… That does make me a little uncomfortable.”

“This is actually a good thing,” Beru said, poking his head out.

The shadow ant’s eyes gleamed. The higher the level, the more experience points it took to reach the next. Even the boss monster Suho had just obliterated hadn’t been enough to level up once.

“A handful of monsters won’t be enough anymore. It will be faster to draw stronger enemies to us,” Beru continued. He was suggesting that Suho use this opportunity to lure out the followers of the Itarim hidden across the globe.

Suho nodded. “Fine. Let’s show them.”

At that moment, Antares’ mana ignited within Suho, surging like a blazing inferno. Dark shadows spilled from his feet, spreading across the ground.

“All of you, out,” he commanded.

In response, thousands of shadow soldiers erupted from the darkness, pitch-black vapor swirling around their forms.

The moment this spectacle was broadcast to the entire world, the Chinese chat servers crashed almost instantly.

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