Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 105

Meanwhile, it seemed everyone had forgotten about one person’s existence. Dogyoon was dying.

“S-Suho... Save me...”

He crawled on the floor, his entire body wrapped in white bandages. His trembling hands, clawing at the ground as he desperately tried to escape this hellhole, were truly a pitiful sight.

Suho couldn’t help but shut his eyes tightly and turn his head away. “I’m sorry.”

With a flick of beastly fingers, Dogyoon’s trembling hand fell limply to the ground. At the same time, a cold voice spoke. “Get up.”

Whump.

Ammut’s colossal hand easily lifted the collapsed man’s body as if it were a rag. “You still have three laps to go.”

“Ahhh...!” Caught in the beast’s grip, Dogyoon shrieked, his arms flailing like those of a broken doll.

Regardless of what the man wanted, Ammut forcibly set him on his feet. In a stern and solemn voice, he commanded, “If you have time to talk, you must run.”

“Ammut! Please! I can’t go on!”

“Yes, you can.”

“No, I can’t, honestly! My legs are broken!”

“You must fool your brain. As long as you believe they are not, you can run.”

“You think that will work?! You crazy crocodile!”

Ammut glared down at him.

Dogyoon quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, that was nonsense. I must have drifted off into a dream for a moment.”

“Hehe. I’m glad to see some spirit in your eyes again. Double the gravity.”

Whoosh!

With another flick of Ammut’s fingers, a heavy gravitational field pressed down on Dogyoon, pinning him to the ground.

Crack!

“Ahhhhhh!”

The fractures in Dogyoon’s legs widened under the increased pressure. Regrettably, the “Item: Mummy’s Bandages” that were wrapped tightly around his entire body forcibly held his damaged frame together. This meant he could run despite his broken legs, but it was an entirely unwelcome ability.

Sniffle!

“I hate this... Why am I still moving?!” Dogyoon’s eyes glazed over and drool dripped from his mouth as he lamented his fate. Somehow, he was both grateful for and cursing the fact that he was still alive.

Gently nudged forward by Ammut’s gravitational push, he inevitably began to jog again with a stagger.

Over the past few days, while Suho was visiting the demon realm, Dogyoon had been temporarily staying at Ammut’s pyramid.

Suho had initially sent him there for safety due to the perilous situation outside. However, a more horrifying hell awaited him inside the pyramid. Before his eyes, a giant, muscled crocodile-man hybrid eyed him hungrily.

Ammut was not salivating out of an eagerness to devour him. The crocodile just particularly enjoyed such weakened, useless beings.

“Heh. This one... Hehehe.” Drool dripped from Ammut’s jaws like he was a chef uncovering fresh ingredients for a delightful new recipe.

The beast was excited at the prospect of training this weakened human wretch and creating a being of enough strength to spread rumors of his effective teaching. He was equipped with the pyramid’s gravitational field, which as Suho had experienced, could become heavier or lighter at his whim. If this system was well utilized, it could wring every last bit of strength out of even the most withered and pathetic body, pushing it beyond its limits.

No matter how much Dogyoon tried to refuse the training, it was to no avail. No one who had stepped into this pyramid had ever escaped Ammut’s clutches.

“Ahhhhhh!” The man’s harrowing screams filled the pyramid, echoing ominously through the corridors, but even that only brought the crocodile more delight.

“Hehe. Good, good. Still full of vigor.”

“Agh, no... Wait, you can’t be serious!”

“Another round.”

Not too far away, shadow soldiers observed Dogyoon’s plight.

[Decayed Mummy]

[Decayed Mummy]

They were his many predecessors who had died after undergoing the Iron Body Technique training. Even in death, they were bound to this pyramid forever, serving Ammut as laborers.

“Grrraah...” one groaned, incapable of speech. Dead men tell no tales, after all.

The mummies gazed vacantly at Dogyoon with their empty eye sockets, then turned away bitterly.

“Hehe. Don’t worry. I’ve now mastered the art of training. I only bring my students to the brink of death, not beyond it.”

“I’m sure that’s true, but...” Feeling incredibly guilty, Suho purchased a healing potion from the store. As he poured the potion into the ashen Dogyoon’s mouth, life gradually returned to the man’s vacant eyes.

“A-are you an angel...? I feel my strength returning. Will I live?” Dogyoon was too overwhelmed to wonder how Suho possessed such abilities. “Suho... Thank you...”

“Hm? So you’re feeling better, huh?” Ammut sneered.

“W-wait... No, seriously, I can’t...”

At that moment, the crocodile’s eyes lit up, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

Dogyoon shot Suho a look of utter despair. Meeting his gaze, Suho solemnly nodded. “You have to run until you hit ten kilometers.”

“Y-you traitor!”

The training resumed. Dogyoon might have been pitiful, but Ammut’s training was undeniably going to be beneficial.

Even if he can’t level up like me, pushing his strength to the limit is a good thing, Suho thought solemnly.

In fact, Dogyoon should have considered it a stroke of good luck. Ordinary hunters couldn’t grow through leveling up like Suho could. But while awakened individuals couldn’t improve their ranking, it didn’t mean they couldn’t increase their physical strength. Most hunters, if not all of them, already practiced using battle simulations to utilize their skills in battle to the fullest.

The reason hunters wanted to join large guilds was precisely for this purpose—training. Large guilds would even hire coaches who had trained national-level athletes, paying them a hefty sum to assist in the hunters’ systematic training.

Although Ammut’s Iron Body Technique training was rather brutal, it was actually incredibly effective. The training, especially if combined with items like the “Mummy’s Bandages,” which forcibly moved the body despite broken bones and torn muscles, was enough to push the body to its limits and remold it.

“Eughhh...!”

Of course, one had to endure pain in return.

“More importantly, my pupil. How did things turn out in the demon realm?”

Ammut had suddenly turned to Suho to ask about his recent excursion, but it was unlikely he was wondering out of pure curiosity. Suho intuitively sensed what he was about to say next.

“I suppose you’ve wrapped everything up, then?” the crocodile said. “Let’s start today’s training.”

“You could have at least pretended to care about an answer,” Suho griped.

It sucks to be back at this so-called gym... Shaking his head, he moved to stand beside Dogyoon.

“Triple the gravity.”

With that, his daily quest began.

***

Meanwhile, during Suho’s journey in the demon realm, the outside world remained as tumultuous as ever.

“What?! You’re saying Suho still hasn’t returned from the dungeon?” Jinho yelled.

Suho’s uncle and the CEO of Ahjinsoft was shocked to learn that his nephew, who was on a dungeon expedition, had been out of touch for several days.

The secretary who relayed this news wore a grave face. There was yet another critical piece of information that had to be disclosed. “While it’s common for hunters to stay in dungeons for extended periods, this situation is particularly unusual. After Sung Suho entered the Pyeongtaek dungeon, hunters from the Black Tortoise Guild followed.”

“The Black Tortoise Guild?!” Familiar with the name, Jinho couldn’t shake off his unease. “Was there a Lee Yeongho with them?”

“That’s correct, sir. He’s one of the guild’s managers who recently ran into some trouble with us. He suddenly showed up at Pyeongtaek with his subordinates—”

“Damn it!” Jinho jumped to his feet and grabbed the phone. “I need mercenaries right away to rescue Suho! And contact the Black Tortoise Guild to find out where Lee Yeongho is!”

“Yes, sir! Understood!”

The thought of his nephew being in danger infuriated Yoo Jinho to no end. This is my fault! Who would have thought that Lee Yeongho would take his frustration out on Suho over a failed venture! Even the most unrestrained hunters never would have crossed the line to this extent, but it was a mistake that he hadn’t considered the possibility of such a thing happening.

However, it had to be recognized that the profession of “hunter” had only been established for a mere two years. No matter how diligently the Hunter Association crafted laws to guide their conduct, correcting every rogue element who suddenly gained superpowers and wreaked havoc was next to impossible.

It momentarily slipped my mind that the line between a hunter and a villain is paper-thin... Plenty of hunters had become intoxicated by their supernatural strength, evading the law and indulging themselves in their desires. Humans were greedy and selfish creatures by nature. Even before the Great Cataclysm, one could commit any atrocity with enough money.

“Sir! We’ve established contact with the Black Tortoise Guild! But...” Jinho’s secretary brought him new information. “Lee Yeongho has also been out of contact since he entered the dungeon.”

“What?”

This struck Jinho as odd. According to their information, the dungeon Suho had entered was not of a high difficulty. Originally, Suho had chosen this dungeon for a quick visit to build experience for establishing his guild. The Black Tortoise Guild that followed him would have been a much more serious threat than the dungeon itself. If they had clashed with Suho’s assault team, the outcome would have been decided by now.

“Connect me with the Black Tortoise Guild right away. I’ll speak to them directly.” Jinho said, picking up his phone with a stern expression.

The secretary, witnessing that fierce demeanor, felt a chill run down his spine.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the CEO this angry... He had assisted Jinho for many years and remembered precisely when the man had last shown such a demeanor. It was a few years ago, when they had received the sudden news of Sung Suho’s parents going missing. Jinho had been enraged, his eyes burning with the intensity of his emotions. When he’s like this... No one can stop him.

Click.

Just then, Jinho was connected to the Black Tortoise Guild.

“You’ve reached the Black Tortoise Guild. I am the chief executive...”

“Put the guild master on the line now.”

“Sorry?” The intense killing intent in Yoo Jinho’s voice sent a wave of panic through the phone.

Jinho had no intention of conversing with a mere chief executive. Like a wild beast that had lost its family, he ferociously demanded to speak with the master of the Black Tortoise Guild.

Knowing who Yoo Jinho was, the chief executive dared not defy that order. “I’ll connect you with the guild master right away.”

At the same time, Yoo Jinho turned to his secretary, who stood beside him looking unsure of what to do. “Have the mercenaries been recruited?”

“Yes. But the more skilled ones said they’ve already been booked—”

“Tell them the pay will be doubled. No, tripled. We’re racing against time.”

Ding!

Just as he gave the order, a text message from Suho arrived on his phone.

—Sorry, Uncle. This dungeon took longer than expected, so my reservations for the next dungeons are delayed...