Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

In a hidden corner of Imphal, far from the glimmering streets of the developed city, there lay a shantytown teetering on the edge of collapse. Just a few years ago, businessmen had taken an interest in this area, and a new sign was installed:

—Slated for Redevelopment

The once-forgotten part of the city had now become valuable, its redevelopment planned to mirror the vibrant, prosperous streets nearby.

However, the poor residents would soon find themselves homeless, cast out to live on the streets. Naturally, those who had called this place home protested. However, they were swiftly driven out—whether by means of persuasion or threat—by the government and the businessmen.

This had all begun only three years ago. Only the final stage of development remained, but not even the most seasoned businessmen could have foreseen the global disaster that would become the Great Cataclysm.

Imphal had turned into a field-type dungeon overnight. The grand designs of the project’s investors were now thoroughly delayed.

However, these businessmen were not ones to sit idly by. The dungeon was so vast that no one could predict when, or if, it would ever be cleared. Time was money, and they could not afford to wait for or rely on Imphal’s hunters.

In the end, they were forced to accept a small loss, believing that enlisting the help of the greatest guild in India, the Asura Guild, would clear the dungeon swiftly. In the long run, it would hopefully prove to be the most cost-effective solution.

Siddharth Bachchan welcomed their request. On the surface, it appeared he had become involved in order to help the poor citizens. In truth, capitalistic concerns guided his actions. With the large sums involved, the investors found their return on investment satisfying. The moment Siddharth entered the scene, one of the countless gates of the Loktak field was cleared.

And that was about as good as it got. Manu Kijal, the governor of Manipur who had mediated the deal between Siddharth and the businessmen, was now nervously chewing his lip. Until now, his Stardust necklace had brought him peace whenever he touched it. But today, things felt different.

How did it come to this? Siddharth had halted the dungeon-clearing after the first gate, stalling for time. He continued to take guild members in and out of the gates, but it was clear that his true intent was not clearing the dungeons.

Why is he conducting these experiments? Manu didn’t know the specifics, but he was aware that Siddharth was conducting some biological experiments in Imphal using the poor slum residents as test subjects. As governor, Manu needed to keep the redevelopment project moving forward with the businessmen. He had little objection to pushing out the slum’s residents, which was why he had turned a blind eye to Siddharth’s actions.

In the end, however, it had come back to haunt him. At some point, Siddharth had begun ordering him around, as though he were the governor. The businessmen were becoming increasingly unhappy with the delays in dungeon clearing, but this was not what bothered Manu the most. It was Siddharth’s treatment that was truly irksome.

Still, the moment Manu had turned a blind eye to the experiments, he had become complicit in the crimes. Now all he could do was wait until the guild master got what he wanted and cleared the dungeon as promised.

Suddenly, a soft glow from Manu’s necklace washed over him, and his anxiety melted away. Well, what Siddharth is doing isn’t entirely a bad thing for me, either.Right.This is good.

Such thoughts settled into his mind, and he eventually nodded to himself. Who knows?Perhaps the army he is creating through these experiments is meant to free Manipur from India, and he is starting with the Loktak field.Imphal could become the capital of an independent nation.And then what would happen to me? That was obvious—he would become the king.

Manu’s heart swelled. Siddharth was undoubtedly a powerful man, but he was no politician, and a politician was necessary to rule a country. In the end it will be me who takes the political reins, and he will handle national defense…

If Siddharth achieved his goal, Manu would rise far beyond the rank of governor. He would become king of a nation. Even if the land he ruled remained unchanged, a king was a far cry from a governor, which was a position subject to the whims of voters.

A smile crept onto Manu’s face. He lifted his head, confidence radiating from his gaze as blue energy streamed from his eyes.

There they are. In the distance beyond his vision, he could see the outsiders who had begun targeting hunters after invading Imphal.

Invaders must die.It is for the sake of our great plan. His thoughts spun wildly, as though he had lost the ability to reason, and they eventually led him to a conclusion that was difficult to understand. “Ha! Liu Zhigang of China has crossed the border into Imphal? Do everything you can to kill him and his men!”

Liu might have been a six-star hunter, but he was also human, a man of flesh and blood. If he was relentlessly pursued, he would die eventually.

“In fact, if the world learns that we killed Liu, no one will dare to look down on us. We will establish our position as an independent nation!”

Thus, the governor declared outright war on Liu and his party, who were clearing the guilds in Imphal.

The hunters they were chasing now were simply incomplete test subjects. Luckily, their minds were still intact, but they were feeble mutants, having absorbed only a few drops of dragon blood. Still, not even the mighty Liu could defeat a fully formed army of dragonkin!

“Kill them!” Manu commanded, and his orders were met with roars of approval.

***

Suho and his party had just healed a pauper boy discovered by Beru in the backstreets. In the process, they learned more about what was happening in the city.

“So, you don’t know where Siddharth is?”

“I’ve been locked up in a cage all this time… I don’t know. All I can say is that he’s somewhere in the dungeons,” the boy replied, feeling the miraculous healing effects of the potion. For someone born and raised in the slums, this felt like a gift from the gods.

“Master, I have removed the Star Fragments,” Harmakan reported. He had completed his healing operation, and the boy was able to return to his normal state before being transformed. While personally healing the boy, Harmakan uncovered why he had been pursued by the hunters. “This boy seems to be more compatible with dragon blood than the other subjects we rescued so far.”

“So he was a favorite subject,” Suho mused.

“Yes. If he had been kept locked up, he would likely have successfully transformed.”

Suho turned, his gaze fixed on the mutants charging toward them. They were dragonkin—each as powerful as C-rank or B-rank hunters, perhaps even stronger. There were at least hundreds of them, though their numbers seemed endless, suggesting there might be thousands in total. Yet it wasn’t their numbers that were intimidating. These dragonkin were intelligent like the ice elves, unlike the savage creatures the party had encountered before.

“An army like this could bring down an entire nation. What is Siddharth thinking?” Liu muttered. This was like a massive guild made up entirely of villains, though it was a darker and more destructive force than even that, as the dragonkin had lost their humanity. But to someone else, this was a lovely sight indeed.

[The Monarch of Destruction smacks his lips.]

[Antares declares that absorbing the dragon blood from their veins will increase Ragna’s mana pool.]

I’ll level up, too, Suho thought, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. He had a job change quest to complete in order to become the Monarch of Destruction. Perhaps today, he could finally reach his goal of level 100, his first objective.

Suho eyed the dragonkin rushing toward him and called the scattered soldiers, who had been searching for the void gate, back into his shadow. “Arise.”

The shadow soldiers rose into view. The energy they gave off dominated the battlefield.

Liu could not contain his shock, despite being on the same side. My god!So the summons I’ve seen so far weren’t the only ones? Greed, whom he had faced personally, had been powerful—but every single one of the other soldiers looked just as formidable.

Liu swallowed nervously, knowing full well the true strength of these summons. They could not be killed, no matter how severe their injuries. This was an undying army.

What terrifying power. Liu had met Sung Jinwoo in a past life, but had never seen the man’s true potential. As such, it was almost by instinct that he sensed Jinwoo in Suho as he watched from behind. One thing, however, was certain. He is nowhere as strong as Jinwoo.

Suho was vastly outnumbered—that much was clear. He had only fifty soldiers, a combination of his saved soldiers and the temporary mercenaries he had recruited on the way here. This number also included ordinary foot soldiers who had joined him for revenge.

In contrast, his enemies were growing in number, and were twenty or perhaps even thirty times as numerous. Moreover, Siddharth was likely behind them and far stronger, bolstered by the power of the outer universes. Liu was unsure that Suho could win—from his perspective, at least.

Suho simply grinned. “I can make up for the lacking numbers.”

[Number of Extractable Shadows: 50/100]

[Available Shadow Preservation Slots: 8/10]

“I’ve been investing in intelligence, you see.” Weak soldiers could easily be powered up. “Harmakan! Enhance the foot soldiers!”

“Will do! I’ll use the armor of the death knights!”

The armor Harmakan had crafted for the evil spirits materialized, and the foot soldiers eagerly donned it. Reborn as death knights, the vengeful souls still cried out within their armor. All their resentment, however, was aimed at the dragonkin who had turned them into experimental subjects.

Suho’s shadow spread across the battlefield in every direction.

[Skill: “Monarch’s Domain” has activated.]

[The stats of shadow soldiers who fight in the shadow of the user are now 50% higher.]

His soldiers embraced the frenzy rising within them, their roars filling the air. The real battle had begun.

[Harmakan used the skill “Amplify Damage.”]

[Harmakan used the skill “Thorns of Pain” on all shadow soldiers.]

[Damage taken by cursed entities has been increased.]

[Ordinary attacks will now inflict fatal damage.]

[All pain and damage shadow soldiers receive is shared with the attackers.]

The effects were nothing short of devastating.

[The Monarch of Destruction let out a maniacal laugh.]

[Antares drives Ragna onward.]

[Sillad uses Blistering Blizzard…]

“So this is Sung Jinwoo’s son…” Liu couldn’t help but stare in disbelief.

Manu Kijal, who had been observing the horrific scene from a high building in the distance, was equally stunned. “I-I don’t believe it!”

It was beyond comprehension, but his city was being overtaken by vengeful spirits. Without a moment’s thought, he turned and fled, panic propelling him forward.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!