Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 82

“Sir, I...” Yeongho’s complexion grew pale at the mention of his name and title.

Jinho glared at the hunter sharply. “Laws are expected to be followed, especially in times like these, don’t you agree? Considering the recent Fiend Guild incident, it seems like hunters these days might be operating beyond the confines of the law.”

“Absolutely not, sir!”

“If that’s not the case, then why has this happened? It wasn’t just the Black Tortoise Guild. Other guild scouts were spying on him with a drone. I don’t recall that being legal.”

“Well, um...” Yeongho sheepishly avoided eye contact. He had personally delivered the drone to his scouts that very morning.

The latest drones had exceptionally high performance. They were equipped with ultra-high-resolution wide-angle cameras with recording capabilities, and their flying abilities and controls had improved tremendously. The enhancements were so good that, if one wanted to, the user could zoom in and find a strand of hair sitting on a window sill. With such high performance, it was only natural that there were strict regulations in place to protect privacy.

However, those laws changed significantly after the Great Cataclysm.

The recent incident with Minsung and his ghouls highlighted this. Drones from numerous broadcasting stations had been hovering in the sky for live broadcasts. When it came to dungeon breaks or catastrophic events, hunters spared no means or methods, whether it be drones or anything else, to hunt down magic beasts. However, no matter how chaotic the world had become, trespassing into the homes of ordinary citizens without permission was still unacceptable.

“Mr. Lee Yeongho, it seems that the Black Tortoise Guild may not be a suitable match for our company. You may leave now. Please don’t wait because we won’t be reaching out.”

“Mr. Yoo! Please reconsider!”

“Sometimes, you can judge a book by its cover. Your guild’s potentially negative reputation, no matter how small, could greatly impact our sales.”

All the hard work he’d put into getting this meeting was about to be for naught. Looking like he had received a death sentence, Yeongho quickly bowed his head, “Mr. Yoo! I apologize on behalf of my team. My poor management is to blame for this. My eagerness to recruit a valuable talent like Suho here was excessive. However, as recompense, I’ll take responsibility and offer him a record contract!”

Jinho’s gaze shifted to Suho, who was standing beside him. “He’s willing to offer you the best terms in the industry. Have you received any offers from other guilds?”

Suho remained silent, knowing his uncle wasn’t looking for an answer.

Jinho continued, “Regardless, don’t sign anything. Industry best or not, I can’t stand to see my nephew sold for mere pennies. I’d rather set up a guild for you myself.”

“Huh? A hunter guild?” Suho was taken aback by the suggestion.

“Yes. In a world where corporations own baseball teams and soccer clubs, why can’t they have a hunter guild?”

Though it was a spur-of-the-moment remark, owning a guild had already been discussed in department meetings.

“Are you all still here?” Jinho said, looking at the Black Tortoise hunter. His face looked more annoyed than before.

“Sir, please reconsider. Just this one time...” Yeongho pleaded desperately, but he was grasping at straws.

Jinho’s decision wasn’t solely based on personal reasons. “You’ve heard my explanation. The new game is very important to our business. We can have any potential controversies with the hunters appearing in the game. The Black Tortoise Guild seems a bit precarious for my liking. Please, take your leave now.”

Yeongho felt like a cold dagger had struck his heart. He realized that nothing he said would make a difference. All he could do was leave Ahjinsoft with his team.

His seething mind was wondering how to punish the scouts he had sent to Suho’s house earlier that day.

***

Jinho led Suho into his office. “Now that the nuisances are gone, shall we catch up in peace?”

A secretary brought coffee as they sat facing each other.

“How’s the hunter life treating you? It’s tough, right?”

“It’s manageable.”

“Manageable, huh? The news tells me otherwise. You’re fighting alongside S-ranks and A-ranks when you’re just a C-rank. Why are you pushing yourself so hard?” Despite Suho’s composed response, Jinho gave his nephew a look of concern.

Suho was something of an Achilles’ heel for him. He had known him since he was a boy. His nephew had grown up to be a fine young man under the guidance of a strict father and a kind mother. He had never once heard that Suho rebelled or caused trouble, even during his teenage years. Of course, his father was jokingly known as the strictest man in the world. A legendary detective in the violent crimes unit, he was feared even by the toughest gangsters.

But how did things end up like this... He looks so much like his father. Jinho thought.

A few years ago, tragedy unexpectedly struck Suho, who had lacked nothing until then. His parent strangely went missing. At first, no one could accept something like that had happened. His father and mother were very close, and they often went on trips spontaneously, but the days turned into weeks. As it became clear something was amiss, Jinho used all of his connections and money to search for them. But despite his efforts, he couldn’t find a single trace of them.

Assuming responsibility, Jinho took Suho in as his own after the fruitless search. He recognized his nephew’s talent for art early and supported his studies.

I never expected him to get into Hanguk University, though, Jinho thought.

He wasn’t sure if it was his nephew’s love of art or the distraction brought by the Great Cataclysm—a disaster even more absurd than the disappearance of his parents—that kept Suho going these last few years. Either way, he was relieved that Suho maintained his character without harboring any ill will.

“How’s Aunty doing?”

“Um. Your aunt is...” Jinho was caught off guard by Suho’s sudden question. “Well, she’s still trying to find your parents.”

“Oh...” Suho lowered his head.

His aunt, Sung Jinah, was still looking for her beloved brother and his wife. It wasn’t in her nature to quietly wait for her family to turn up after disappearing overnight. Initially, she relied on the police to solve the case, but nowadays, she took it upon herself to search the entire world. She had also employed private detectives and even hunters.

Noticing a slight difference in Suho’s reaction to the mention of his parents. Jinho’s eyes showed slight surprise. “That look in your eye... Have you discovered something?”

“Oh, not at all. I was just thinking that it would be a good idea to intensify the search for my mother.”

“Your mother instead of your father?”

“Yes. Somehow, I’m not as worried about my father, wherever he may be.”

“That makes sense. We never ruled out that they went missing separately. Don’t worry too much. We’ve expanded our search to cover the possibility that they got caught up in a dungeon break.”

“A dungeon break?”

“Yes. They disappeared before the Great Cataclysm, but experts suggest that gates might have been intermittently opening on Earth even before that. We’re investigating that possibility too, so don’t worry.”

Suho nodded in agreement. My father could handle himself in such a situation, but the likelihood of my mother being caught in a dungeon and going missing is quite high. He recalled something Beru had once told him. Now that I think about it, my mother knew about my father’s true identity from the beginning. And those who awakened before the time was reset became hunters again in the present.

Awakening, after all, was a matter of innate talent. As long a person showed high adaptability to mana, their powers were bound to awaken at some point, regardless of time. And since my mother was an S-rank hunter in the past, she must have regained her power.

An S-rank hunter could survive anywhere on Earth, even alone. But it was a different story if she’d been taken to another planet or dimension.

I need to investigate the dimensional rift.

“Anyway, Suho.” Trying to lighten the mood, Jinho emphatically set down his coffee cup and said, “What I was serious about what I said earlier. I’ll set up a guild for you, so don’t go joining just any random guild.”

“Huh? I thought you said that to make that guy leave.”

“It was a bit impulsive, but our company has been planning to start our own guild.” Jinho pulled out a file and placed it in front of Suho.

—Hunter Guild Project Proposal

“See this? The plan is still in its infancy, but given the conversation, I think it’s time to start building one immediately.”

“Oh, you were serious.”

The business proposal was thick, suggesting it had been prepared with considerable detail.

“Of course, with your current rank, you can’t be the guild master, but I’ll assign some experienced senior hunters to assist you.”

Jinho, proudly displaying the file, had an air of hubris—the kind that rich uncles tended to have.

But then, suddenly...

Whoosh!

“We don’t need those guys.” Beru emerged from Suho’s shadow and glared at Jinho. “The Young Monarch has me.”

“Wh-what the...!” Jinho’s eyes widened in shock, and he jumped from his seat.

Beru’s eyes narrowed at his exaggerated reaction. “Your memory... Surely not?”

“Suho, you really did it!”

“Hmm?”

Jinho pointed at Beru and burst into laughter. “All that time spending ants has paid off! Now you’ve developed a skill to summon them!”

“Is this true?” Beru asked as his eyes shone with great intensity. He then clung to Suho’s head and cried tears of joy. “Young Monarch! You must have missed me dearly!”

“Well... I think I was tapping into something etched in my subconscious...”

His uncle was making a game that was likely sourced from his subconscious memories, so he figured his preference for drawing ants was something similar.

Feeling a bit sheepish, Suho forcibly peeled Beru off of him and shoved him back into his shadow.