Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 252

“Whoa! What in the world are these?” Dogyoon exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.

Countless gift boxes were being carried into the Woojin Guild’s office, and Jinho stood in front of the pile, chuckling proudly.

“Hehe. I pulled a few strings.”

It had been a while since Jinho had felt this way. He had set aside his usual cool-headed and intellectual CEO persona and entered nostalgia mode, pining for his younger days.

How could he not? Watching Suho and Dogyoon establish their guild in the office he provided brought back memories of his time with Jinwoo and the Ahjin Guild.

While his nephew was out handling important matters, Jinho couldn’t help but see Dogyoon, who had been left on his own to manage the office, as someone he should look after.

“Speaking of which... Dogyoon.”

“Y-yes?”

“Keep your mouth shut and your ears open. I’ll give you a brief update on the current situation.”

“Yes, sir!”

Dogyoon quickly mimed zipping his mouth shut and immediately stood at attention.

Someone as important as Yoo Jinho was about to give him a personal briefing! This was a big deal.

And it’s got to be top-secret! Dogyoon thought. The fact that Jinho himself was going to fill him in meant this was a confidential and critical issue.

“Let’s start with something you and I both know about,” the CEO continued. “The national vote went just as we expected.”

Unsurprisingly, there were no unforeseen results. It had been decided that Suho would go to North Korea.

The repercussions were massive, and the political and economic sections of every news outlet in Korea were in turmoil.

—Breaking: Sung Suho Headed to North Korea

—News: S-rank Hunters Provide Their Full Support!

—Urgent: The World Hunters Association Begins Political Cooperation

—President Sees Opportunity to Aid Woo Jinchul

While Suho and Jiwoo had been searching for the Sea of the Afterlife and Suho prepared the rafts to track down the World Tree, a storm of events had been unfolding outside the gate.

Jinho had his hands full. He had been resolving the numerous political and economic issues tied to Suho’s trip to North Korea, using all the resources he had and by any means necessary.

“Mark my words.”

Jinho’s sharp gaze pierced right through Dogyoon as he concluded his explanation.

“Suho is out there fighting countless magic beasts, and it’s our job to handle all the menial tasks so he doesn’t have to. And time is of the essence, as you might expect.”

Jinho was very familiar with this fact.

“Let down your guard even for a second, and you’ll fall behind.”

To keep up with the rapid growth of hunters like Jinwoo and Suho, they had to move at an equally blistering pace.

“If we fall behind even a little, trivial tasks will pile up like toxic inventory, eventually slowing him down. Things like international law, public opinion, and bureaucratic nonsense—if any of that drags Suho down, it would be a loss to mankind and even a global crisis.”

“Ah...!”

Dogyoon realized what Jinho, as the most senior member of Suho’s support team, was getting at.

True support wasn’t about following from behind—it was about paving the way ahead. It wasn’t just about walking in a leader’s steps, but racing in front of them and clearing the path for them. That was Dogyoon’s real role as a vice president, the pillar supporting Suho’s guild.

“With that in mind, these gifts were extracted directly from the S-rank hunters,” Jinho said. “The news likes to say they’re volunteering their support, but in reality, I left them with no choice.”

Dogyoon’s jaw dropped.

Oh! There it is! The secret!

He realized he had just learned a massive untold truth.

So this is how corporate high-handedness works! he thought in awe. He’s like the Robin Hood of the hunter world!

“All right, time for the unboxing,” Jinho declared.

He stood at the ready and slipped on a pair of luxurious white gloves. With the elaborate precision of a tech streamer, began opening the gifts one by one.

The splendor that radiated from the boxes nearly blinded Dogyoon.

“My god.”

Just a glance told him this was all high-end equipment. His mouth fell open.

“Isn’t this Calion, the longsword recently released by Mayasa? And this is a Royal Series shield crafted by the artisan Gredos!”

Jinho smiled with satisfaction. “So you know your weapons, hmm? True masterpieces transcend time.”

His memories came flooding back as he thought back to a time that no one else remembered.

In that forgotten era, there were renowned brands recognized by all hunters. Master craftsmen had personally created those legendary items

Decades had passed from the end point of that timeline, and while people had seemingly regressed to fighting magic beasts with primitive weapons like swords and shields, there was one thing that had moved forward: science.

Even though the same craftsmen have aged, technology has advanced several times over compared to before. With the same materials, they can craft far more refined and durable weapons.

Satisfied, Jinho smiled to himself. It had been worth squeezing the large guilds for everything they had.

“H-how much is all this even worth?” Dogyoon asked, barely able to process it all.

“I would say about 10 billion won, all combined.”

Dogyoon gasped.

“You’re surprised already?” Jinho asked. “That’s just what we’ve opened so far. There are more packages on the way.”

“Oh!”

Dogyoon was floored. In these boxes alone, there were mana crystals easily worth hundreds of millions of won, as well as items made from priceless materials. They were treasures of the highest degree, objects which could bring a hunter up in rank simply by possessing them.

“But... will Suho really use all of this?” he asked. “Will he take these to North Korea?”

“There is nothing to lose from having multiple weapons. Suho doesn’t have to use them himself. He could have his soldiers use them. That would be hugely beneficial as well.”

“Ah... I-I see!”

As the leader of a corporation, Jinho’s vision was on a different scale. Dogyoon had been wondering why there were so many weapons, but it seemed that Jinho intended to arm not only his nephew, but the entire army as well.

“I don’t care how expensive these things are,” Jinho added. “If they can protect Suho’s life, they could even be used as disposables. Once he crosses into North Korea, we won’t be able to send supplies. We must make all the necessary preparations before—”

“Kieeek! I like that mindset!”

At that moment, Beru popped up from a shadow, grinning wickedly. It had been worthwhile to bring Jinho’s memories back—here he was, providing support without even being asked!

Jinho tapped a small box among the pile of gifts and spoke to the ant. “This one was particularly troublesome to get my hands on...”

Beru’s eyes narrowed. His sharp gaze showed that he was both impressed and curious.

Indeed, it really had been worth it to revive Jinho’s memories.

***

The front line between North and South Korea, once a demilitarized zone, had long served as a border between the two countries. It had not been touched by human hands for more than a century, slowly turning it into one of the largest wildlife reserves on the peninsula. Because of this, it was sometimes referred to as the “Old Forest” or the “Natural Reserve.”

“There used to be a lot of mines buried here,” a captain at the border told Suho.

The South Korean soldiers had been waiting for the hunter to arrive.

The captain continued, “The area was filled with mines and blocked with metal fences. Civilians were strictly forbidden from going inside. Now it’s off-limits for an entirely different reason.”

In short, the area beyond the fence was a complete disaster.

“On that day, every mine exploded at once.”

This man was Captain Kim, an officer who had been stationed at the border for five years. He gulped as he thought back to that terrible day.

“Simply put, the mines were not enough to kill the magic beasts. Instead, they were worked into a frenzy. And that... Well, to put it one way, it tore up the sky and split the earth.”

He was not exaggerating. As Suho stood silently, listening to the explanation, his gaze moved past the metal fence and took in the desolate landscape.

“Those magic beasts were spirits,” the captain continued.

Suho had seen spirits in Sillad’s sanctuary. Back then he had only encountered ice spirits, but beyond this fence, there were all kinds. They had gone wild, raging uncontrollably.

“The spirits lost control and caused an earthquake,” Kim explained. “The river boiled and flooded. In some areas, entire regions froze over. In others, trees burst from the ground and grew into dense jungles.”

“So the geography changed completely,” Suho said.

“Yes. It’s... a literal hell beyond this fence. In hindsight, it might have been a blessing that the countries were not reunited before it happened.”

The captain sighed quietly. Just as he had mentioned, a river as broad as a sea was flowing beyond the barbed wire fence at the border.

Despite years of serving at this post, the sight never ceased to amaze him. On his side of the fence, everything appeared normal, but just a few steps beyond it, the molten river water bubbled with intense heat as if it were boiling lava.

The seas on either side of the Korean peninsula were perfectly normal. It was only the river in this region, shrouded in blue mist, that boiled without end.

It’s far worse than I expected, Suho thought.

He had already seen such abnormal phenomena in the void, the dimensional rift that resulted from multiple dungeons overlapping with each other. But this place was far too dangerous to be simply described as a field-type dungeon. It was like a double dungeon, only much larger and far more hazardous.

“There were no casualties because no one lived here,” Kim continued. “Honestly, it’s a miracle that our countrypeople can still go about their lives with something like this existing on the same peninsula.”

That miracle could be credited to one man—Woo Jinchul.

“If the chairman hadn’t sent out hunters with shielding skills at just the right time, South Korea would have faced the same fate as North Korea. Everything above the Han River would have been lost, at least.”

The captain finished his explanation, then noticed something. The soldiers posted on guard duty were all watching Suho.

I told them to mind their manners. Those men...

Kim gave a wry smile, already guessing what they must be thinking.

There were varied emotions in the gazes of these soldiers, who had been guarding the area for two years now, but a single question could summarize them all: “So what can this guy do?”

The soldiers knew the reality of this place better than anyone. In the face of catastrophic disaster, there was nothing an ordinary person could do.

The results had actually been the same when the great Jinchul and Jongin visited. The most they had done was reduce the number of magic beasts traveling south.

Of course, that alone was a monumental accomplishment. They had single-handedly rendered South Korea safe.

But that was about it. While they succeeded in culling the numbers of magic beasts, the demilitarized zone had essentially become a demonic realm, and they hadn’t managed to get it back to normal. That was natural, since this place had already been subject to erosion.

“The land beyond already belongs to the spirits,” Captain Kim added. “I don’t know if you’ve ever fought spirits before, but they cause more than changes to the climate. They—”

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the boiling water beyond the fence. The weather here was completely unpredictable.

“They... possess the wild plants and animals here. The result is malformed magic beasts. There are trees, large animals, and even insects too small to see, and they’ve all turned into magic beasts. You could say the entirety of nature has been changed.”

The captain wanted to render a clear warning to Suho, who was here with the intent of crossing into North Korea. Honestly, he wanted to dissuade him. What was a young man with a bright future doing here of his own accord?

Likewise, the soldiers simply could not understand why Suho was willingly walking into danger.

He should be content with the money pouring in since he was lucky enough to awaken as an S-rank hunter...

This is reckless bravado.

It’s like he’s drunk on power.

They had no idea, however, that their captain’s warning was only fueling the young hunter’s determination.

“That’s great to hear,” Suho said.

[Rakan drools at the mention of many wild animals.]

[Querehsha smacks her lips at the thought of countless insects.]

As the Monarchs reacted eagerly, a satisfied grin spread across Suho’s face.

He would need to fight Nidhogg, the powerful snake that fed on the World Tree, once again. In order to face it, he needed to remove some of its six remaining heads. And the only way to do that was to let the other successors receive the primordial darkness just like Esil had.

I should use this opportunity to strengthen Arsha and Gray, he thought.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the lightning seemed to be getting excessive. A chilling breeze began to replace the intense heat rising from the river.

“Oh god!”

“Emergency! Emergency!”

The soldiers at their posts suddenly screamed as sirens began to blare.

“The sky!”

“Look at the sky!”

They pointed upward, aghast. Amid the thunder and lightning, a colossal monster with massive wings was descending.

“It’s a giant magic beast!”

“Summon all hunters!”

Caught off guard by the sudden crisis, Captain Kim grabbed his radio in panic.

Meanwhile, Suho, who had been gazing at the sky with a blank expression, simply said, “Calm down. It’s all right.”

He gently placed a hand on the captain’s radio to stop him. With a somewhat awkward smile, he added, “It’s just my mother.”