Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 234

It was a daunting task to list all of Woo Jinchul’s achievements over the past two years.

And for as many accomplishments as he had, he had just as many epithets and nicknames—one of them being “the Villain Detector.”

—Woo Jinchul is so interesting.

—How is he so good at capturing villains? Does he have some kind of secret method?

—I heard a rumor that he can predict which people with criminal records will awaken as hunters.

—Hey, that’s absurd.

—No, it’s totally believable. There’s a reason people call him the Villain Detector.

—Everybody knows how Jisan Prison was created, right?

Jisan Prison was a special facility for villain detention, established by the Hunter Association two years prior as part of Jinchul’s aggressive measures to combat villains.

In the early days after the Great Cataclysm, it had been a very different sort of place. Back then, it was a normal prison where ordinary prisoners with long enough sentences were sometimes sent, even if they weren’t villains.

But at a certain point, something interesting had started to happen there. The criminals that Jinchul had locked up in Jisan began to awaken while inside.

At first, people brushed it off as a coincidence, but as the pattern continued and most of the inmates began awakening, the relationship was too clear to deny. People were shocked.

—Maybe Jinchul really does have a skill that lets him see who will awaken and when.

—That seems like a stretch. If that were possible, the Hunters Association would have found the villains and registered them in advance.

—At the very least, he can clearly tell who is going to become a villain. It’s a fact that he has a knack for discovering them.

—Well, he was in the police force for years before he awakened. Maybe it’s experience?

There were countless opinions, but no one in South Korea doubted that Jinchul had an uncanny ability to spot potential villains.

Naturally, they now began to talk about Suho’s abilities as well.

—What about Sung Suho, then?

The Korean Hunters Association had officially recognized him as an S-rank hunter. Not only that, but he had declared that he was, in fact, the one who had been acting against the villains under the guise of “Crow, the Beast King.”

Those who learned of the news were eager to talk about Suho every chance they got.

—I wonder if Jinchul can tell if Sung Suho is a villain too.

—Why would he be a villain? LOL. He’s the hero of the Loktak Field! He’s a patriot!

—Which makes him even more suspicious.

—Yeah. Why did he sneak all the way to India? He’s Korean, not Indian.

—Don’t tell me he’s actually a criminal?

—LOL. Actually, he is. An S-rank hunter crossed another country’s border without permission! That’s a violation of international law.

—Yeah. Although things ended well for India, the situation could have sparked a war.

—He even confessed recently to being the Beast King.

—Why would an S-rank hunter need to hide his identity at all? He probably has skeletons in his closet.

—Wow, so he’s an actual villain?

“And so the chaos begins.”

Beru, who had been watching the chaotic online discussions on a tablet, chuckled gleefully.

He wasn’t wrong. The flood of information about Suho that had been released in South Korea was throwing the world into confusion.

Dogyoon was sitting next to Beru, watching the news unfold. He glanced at Suho anxiously.

“Suho— I mean, Guild Master. Are you sure you’re okay with this? The situation right now seems a little... Well, the public seems convinced you’re suspicious.”

Dogyoon looked like someone who had just been promoted to vice president of a failing company. He felt indignant.

“I mean, people just aren’t fair!” he exclaimed. “All you did was keep your identity private! What did you do wrong? Why are they suddenly calling you a villain?”

Suho grinned at Dogyoon’s fussing and shrugged. “There’s no reason for you to get all upset. Technically, I did do something wrong. Crossing into India as an S-rank hunter without permission is a pretty serious crime.”

“But Thomas Andre came to Korea without permission too, and nobody said a thing about that!”

“I was told later that he paid a huge settlement to South Korea as an apology.”

“Money isn’t the answer to everything!”

“It’s the answer to most things,” came a reply from the door.

Jinho stepped inside, a lazy grin on his face.

“Suho,” he said, meeting his nephew’s eyes, “You think this will be enough?”

Suho smiled back. “Yeah, this is perfect. With all of this going on, I don’t think anyone will refuse to let me go to North Korea.”

“Exactly. People are even suggesting that one of the S-rank hunters delivers you directly to Jinchul so he can have a look at you. I left a comment that the only real way to confirm you’re not a villain is for him to bring you along while he does good in North Korea.”

“Thank you.”

Dogyoon, realizing something incredible from this conversation, flinched and went wide-eyed. “W-wait. So the public backlash... This was intentional?”

Jinho cracked his neck from side to side and furrowed his brow. “I may have had a few employees drop some comments online.”

Dogyoon’s jaw fell open. He looked like a kid who had just found out that Santa was actually his father all along. He had just realized how terrifying “a small effort” from Ahjinsoft’s CEO could actually be.

“The voting has begun!” Beru screeched.

Everyone turned to look at the tablet screen.

“There are... almost no votes. Nobody’s voting against you,” Jinho said.

Suho nodded. “We’ll have to wait until tonight for the final count, but...”

“Yes. I think we can call this a success.”

Suho and Jinho exchanged knowing smiles.

The votes against Suho’s mission crawled up incrementally, but they were barely moving. His team had manipulated public opinion in various ways just in case, but the fact that their campaign was so effective meant people were actually quite nervous about what he could do.

“Well, it’s hardly surprising. I know that’s not you, Suho, but don’t feel hurt. All right?”

Jinho patted his nephew’s shoulder lightly as he spoke.

“It’s only been two years since the Great Cataclysm. Even if hunters are seen as protectors, ordinary people still find it hard to live alongside superhumans. It will take at least... five years for people to adjust.”

Jinho was speaking from the experience of his past life, which meant that a five-year period was probably an accurate estimate.

“All right. So we will just wait until evening for the final votes to roll in. In the meantime, why don’t we deal with something else?” Suho asked, stretching and glancing at Beru.

“I will follow you, my lord!” the shadow ant said, swiftly climbing onto his shoulder.

Just then, Seo Jiwoo called.

“Suho, I’m here. Where are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Um... I’m almost there,” Suho lied.

He had arranged to meet Jiwoo so she could tell him the exact location of the double dungeon where she had contracted Eternal Slumber. He hadn’t even left yet, but getting there would take no time at all, anyway.

“Dogyoon, Uncle. I have somewhere to be. Text me when the results are out.”

“Wh-what?” Dogyoon stammered.

“Sure thing. See you,” Jinho replied, smiling and waving him off.

[Skill: “Shadow Exchange” has been activated.]

At that moment, Suho switched places with the shadow soldier hiding in Jiwoo’s shadow.

***

“Hello.”

“Wha—?!”

Jiwoo, phone still in hand, flinched and stumbled backward as Suho suddenly appeared beside her.

“H-how?!”

Her surprise was justified.

What? I didn’t even sense him coming! Don’t tell me he’s an assassin-type hunter, not a tanker?

That couldn’t be right. Suho had clearly shown himself to be a tanker during the duel—if it could be called that—with Ma Dongwook. She had seen a combat-oriented hunter with great strength and pain tolerance, while Jiwoo herself was an agile damage dealer who specialized in swift movements and powerful skills at an S-rank level.

If he can move without me noticing, then just how skilled is he...?

Her confusion grew. From the moment she first saw him at the association, she knew he wasn’t ordinary, but the deeper she looked, the more endless the mystery surrounding him seemed to be.

Suho, however, appeared entirely unbothered by her shock. His gaze shifted calmly around the area.

“Hapjeong Station... So you were afflicted by Eternal Slumber somewhere around here.”

“Yes. I’ve asked the association to cordon off this exit area for now.”

There were several “under construction” signs surrounding the station exit. Commuters were being forced to use the exit on the opposite side of the street, but nobody raised a fuss. Since the Hunters Association had closed it off, people assumed it was related to a gate, and they wanted to stay far away from trouble. As a result, the street in front of the station exit was quiet and deserted.

Jiwoo retraced her steps from memory as she led Suho forward.

“Back then, there was a gate in this stairwell, but now it’s just an ordinary station exit. Do you think... you could still find something here?” she asked.

“We’ll have to find out,” Suho said, his eyes flickering toward his own shadow. “Harmakan? Get out here.”

“Yes, Master.”

“Eek!”

Harmakan, the great shadow demonic spirit, rose from Suho’s shadow. Jiwoo’s scream escaped before she could stop herself.

“Ahem.”

Harmakan cleared his throat. He bowed respectfully toward Suho, then turned his attention to Jiwoo. His eyes bore down on her, sending an icy chill racing down her spine.

“S-Suho...?”

Jiwoo tried to stay as calm as possible, but she was unable to keep her voice from shaking.

What is with this summon? It has to be at least A-rank—or perhaps even S-rank! I’ve never seen a summon that feels so disturbing. I thought Suho reawakened as a tanker!

Her thoughts spun wildly. Until now, she had only seen Suho’s tiny, adorable summons. The powerful energy that this new summon gave off left her completely unnerved.

[Harmakan - Level 5 - Elite Knight Grade]

Suho had leveled up quite a bit, and the summons who had fought with him had done the same as a result.

Harmakan, who had been the supreme chief of the demonic spirits, was capable of evoking an unsettling reaction in any living being. Looking at him, Jiwoo was reminded of the thousands of shadowy magic beasts standing behind Suho in Loktak.

Wait, so... that wasn’t a dungeon break?

It seemed the association should have done their homework better. It was a huge mistake to assume Suho was a tanker for being strong enough to hold his own against Dongwook.

“Suho... Who exactly are you?” Jiwoo asked.

“Crow, the Beast King.”

He responded as if it was a joke, but to Jiwoo, even that no longer sounded ridiculous.

“The Beast King...” Yes... I see! The disaster at the Magok Field.

She remembered when a mysterious hunter had overcome all the odds there and gained the power of a king. The fact that this hunter had been Suho took on a new meaning.

“I see. Suho, you reawakened at Magok after gaining the power of a king...”

It gave her goosebumps. All the puzzle pieces were falling into place.

He didn’t luck out and escape Eternal Slumber. He reawakened in a completely different way, and by overcoming a terrible trial.

Her gaze on him grew more unsteady, but she was unable to tear her eyes away.

Suho didn’t seem to notice, since his attention was fixed on the station.

He shifted his eyes to Harmakan and gave an order. “The double dungeon was here somewhere. You can find out where, right?”

“I shall do my best.”

Suddenly, a large magical circle spread out with the demonic spirit at its center.

This spell was a legacy of Kandiaru, one which Harmakan had discovered long ago in the arcane realm by coincidence. He had experienced rapid growth in power after he had started to study the ability in earnest. It was the reason Harmakan, an ordinary chief, had been able to rise to the position of supreme chief.

[Instance dungeon has been created.]

This ability unleashed a wide-ranging magic circle that twisted the existing dimension and created a mirror world.

There was a ding.

[Item: Dungeon Key]

[Acquisition Difficulty: E _{𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢}

Type: Key

A key that grants access to an instance dungeon.

It can be used at Exit 3 of Hapjeong Station.]

Harmakan politely offered the key to Suho.