Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

solo leveling: ragnarok Chapter 23

“Captain!”

There was an urgent voice calling the assault squad captain from the front.

“We found a human corpse!”

“A corpse?”

The assault squad captain, who was talking with Suho, quickly turned back to the hunters.

And he discovered the corpse and widened his eyes.

“It’s a real corpse?”

“But this… It doesn’t seem like an ordinary corpse.”

The hunters’ expressions became serious.

The condition of the corpse was definitely strange.

A corpse burnt black like charcoal all over.

In none other than the Seoul Station field, there could only be an unnatural corpse.

“I’ve never heard of monsters using fire in Seoul Station…”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Just then, Suho also approached with the retrievers to see the condition of the corpse.

“Hmm?”

A thought crossed Suho’s mind as he looked at the corpse.

The condition of the corpse was very familiar to him.

Suddenly, Suho turned his head to look at Instructor Lim, and Instructor Lim also had a serious expression on his face, as if he had the same thought.

“Suho, could this corpse be…?”

“Yes. It seems to be a Mist Burn.”

Suho nodded confidently.

If his words were heard, all the hunters in the assault squad turned their gaze towards Suho at the same time.

“Mist Burn?”

“The monster that burns blue fog?”

“Are you sure?”

Unless it was a large guild, not all hunters knew about the types of monsters.

“I’m sure.”

Suho had searched for information about Mist Burns on the internet after experiencing the incident in Korea.

And he had found one surprising fact.

Mist Burns… were not ordinary monsters.

No, they weren’t even monsters to begin with.

Suho calmly recited the information he had read at that time.

“Mist Burn. A phenomenon in which the body spontaneously ignites when a non-awakened person inhales a certain amount of blue fog.”

“What, what?!”

“Are you saying Mist Burns were originally human?”

Among the hunters with short careers, there were some who didn’t know this fact.

It was understandable, as the truth about Mist Burns had only recently been revealed by the Hunter Association.

It was well known that Mist Beasts attacked humans to increase their numbers through fission.

However, there was no known way to confirm how the first Mist Beast was created.

Then suddenly, one hunter realized something and muttered to himself.

“Wait. If Mist Beasts are really created like that, then how did the rumor of awakening by drinking the blue mist come about?”

“Of course, it must be a false rumor. Or maybe it’s outdated information about Mist Beasts.”

-The rumor of awakening by drinking the blue mist.

This rumor had been circulating on the internet like an urban legend for over a year.

But so far, no one had come forward to prove the truth of the rumor.

“…Because everyone who tried to drink it probably burned to death.”

Anyway, that wasn’t important right now.

“Then how did these corpses… end up here?”

That’s what the hunters were curious about.

They were currently in the underground fourth floor of Seoul Station.

It was impossible for a non-awakened person to come down here alone, piercing through the lizards.

But it was also strange to think that someone became a Mist Beast on the first floor and walked down here on their own.

It was absurd to think that they would come down here, where only monsters boiled, just to burn the living people outside.

“Captain! We found more over here!”

Then, a new corpse was discovered not far away.

The condition of the corpse was the same as the first one. It was the remains of a charred Mist Beast.

“There are more over here too!”

After that, the hunters found several more corpses.

The expression on the captain’s face became increasingly serious as more corpses were found.

“…Something’s not right.”

As someone responsible for the safety of the hunters, it was difficult to ignore such strange phenomena.

But it was also too risky to just stop hunting with just a few corpses found.

Moreover, with this many people gathered, they could easily deal with dozens of Mist Beasts if they appeared.

“For now… let’s keep hunting.”

So the hunting resumed.

“Suho.”

Im Cho-gyo approached Suho with an uneasy expression.

“I’ll tell you in advance this time.”

“What?”

“If it gets dangerous, should I be the first one to run?”

“…?”

[Huh, what’s with this upfront coward?]

It was well known that the mistborns attacked humans to increase their numbers through their offspring.

However, there was no way to confirm how the original mistborns were created.

Then suddenly, one hunter realized something and muttered.

“Wait. If mistborns really come into existence like that, then how did the rumor that drinking blue mist can awaken powers spread?”

“It’s obviously a false rumor. Or maybe it’s outdated information about mistborns.”

-The rumor that drinking blue mist can awaken powers.

This rumor had been circulating on the internet like an urban legend for over a year now.

But so far, no one had been able to confirm the truth behind the rumor.

“…Maybe because anyone who tried drinking it as an experiment ended up burning to death.”

Anyway, that wasn’t important right now.

“Then how did these corpses… How did they end up coming down here?”

That’s what the hunters were curious about.

They were currently on the 4th basement floor of Seoul Station.

It was impossible for a Mistborn to have come down here alone, piercing through the lizard-like creatures.

But it was also strange to think that they became mistborn on the 1st floor and walked down here on their own.

If they wanted to go outside to burn only the living people, they could have gone outside, but it was highly unlikely for them to come down to this boiling place where only monsters were.

“Captain! We found another one here!”

Then, not far away, another corpse was discovered.

The condition of the corpse was the same as before. The remains of a charred mistborn.

“There’s one over here too!”

After that, the hunters found several more corpses.

The expression on the captain’s face became increasingly serious.

“…Something is strange.”

As someone responsible for the hunters’ safety, it was difficult to just ignore this strange phenomenon.

But it was also too risky to simply stop the hunt because of just a few corpses.

Even if there were dozens of mistborns appearing, they could still handle it with the number of people they had gathered.

“Let’s continue the hunt for now.”

So the hunt resumed.

“Suhoya.”

Im Jo-gyo approached Suhoya with an anxious expression.

“I’ll tell you beforehand this time.”

“What is it?”

“If it seems dangerous, I’ll run away first, okay?”

“…?”

[Heh, what kind of cowardly person is this again?]
Behind them, the remaining survivors were still sobbing and begging for their lives.

Pure fear.

Desperate madness.

It was incomprehensible.

Why did they have to end up like this here…

“Hey, how can we increase our firepower?”

“We’re running low on fuel.”

“Ugh, fuel is always the issue. How can’t we find more?”

“Because the hyenas caught all of them this time…”

“Well, isn’t this just great.”

The crow-masked figures grumbled nonchalantly.

Meanwhile, the screams that seemed like they would never end suddenly cut off.

And in their place, tied up in the spot…

[Kraaaa!]

Mistborn.

The monstrous blue smoke creature, made from the charred remains of a black bird, roared ferociously.

“Ah, there you are. Nice to see you too,” said the crow-masked figures, casually shaking hands and donning thick gloves on both hands.

“Well, let’s get to work then, before the firewood goes out.”

“What should we do with the used ones?”

At that moment, one of the crow-masked figures in the corner raised their hand and spoke.

Beside them, the remains of Mistborn lay piled up, the fire extinguished.

“Oh, right. Since we’ll be working among ourselves, just throw them far away and come back.”

“Understood.”

“Don’t throw them nearby, you know that, right?”

“Of course. Got it.”

The crow-masked figure loaded the remains of Mistborn one by one into a cart.

Then, dragging the cart, they went outside and grumbled.

“Ugh, such a hassle. Where should I throw them this time? I’d rather just pile them up near the factory.”

“Oh, so you want to get caught here? Throw them as far away as possible and come back!”

“Fine, I got it.”

With a shrug of their shoulders, the crow-masked figure disappeared into the darkness, dragging the cart with a creaking sound.

“The ones who have come for fuel have found it on their own,” said the Crow Mask, raising its hand from the corner.

Beside it, the remains of Mist Burn, now extinguished, were piled up.

“Oh, right. Since we’re working together, let’s dispose of it far away and come back,” said the Crow Mask.

“Understood.”

“You know it can’t be disposed of nearby, right?”

“Of course. I’ll take care of it.”

The Crow Mask loaded the remains of Mist Burn one by one into a sack.

Then, dragging the sack, it muttered as it left, “Ugh, so troublesome. Where should I dispose of it this time? I’d rather just pile it up near the factory.”

“Hey, what if someone finds the location here? Dispose of it as far away as possible and come back!”

“Alright, alright.”

With a shrug, the Crow Mask disappeared into the darkness, dragging the sack.

In that moment, Beruga’s sensory tentacles twitched.

Then, it turned its head to look in the direction where the darkness of the subway tunnel stretched out.

[My liege.]

“I felt it too.”

Beruga also had heightened sensory stats, it seemed.

[Information]

Sensory: A stat that enhances the senses. Increases crisis detection ability.

In the dark tunnel that stretched out along the subway tracks.

A faint, ominous energy could be felt.

‘It’s giving me chills.’

Even without looking, Beruga knew.

At the end, there was undoubtedly a powerful presence lurking.

The first thought that came to mind was the existence of a boss.

However, Seoul Station Field had already been around for a year, an old dungeon that had been around for quite some time.

That meant that lucrative monsters like boss mobs had already been wiped out by other hunters and were no longer present.

As a result, the only creatures left here were the numerous and highly reproductive lizards.

‘If it’s not a boss, then what could this energy be?’

Beru observed the assault team hunters who were hunting down the lizards.

‘Did no one else notice this blatant hostility? Like this, out in the open?’

And that hostility was directed towards the assault team hunters who were making a commotion.

As if… an eagle watching its prey from high up in the distant sky.

And the hunter’s target was none other than the assault team hunters.

“And the fuel has come to me on its own.”

Suddenly, a murmuring voice in the darkness.

“Hwaak!”

“…!”

At that moment, Suho and Verge opened their eyes wide and shouted simultaneously.

“Watch out!”

[Enemy!]

Kwaang-!

“…”

At that moment, an explosion occurred.

And something wearing a black robe appeared there.

A man with a crow mask.

But no one thought of him as a human.

Because the monstrous arm swollen abnormally outside the black robe was protruding.

“It’s a humanoid demon!”

At the shout of the commander, the hunters quickly adjusted their formation.

“Oh, trying to avoid this?”

The man with the crow mask slowly stood up and lifted the fist that was stuck in the tunnel floor.

“Not bad.”

Whack.

From his eerie-looking hand, a piece of cement shattered.

And…

Whoosh.

In an instant, his figure disappeared from everyone’s sight.

“…”

The surprised gaze of the hunters searched for him busily.

But it was already too late.

“Starting with the troublesome healer.”

Splaack-!

The enormous fist that suddenly appeared from behind aimed at the exposed back of the commander.

The commander’s eyes widened in realization one step too late.

And…

Flash-!

“…”

At that moment, the eyes of the man with the crow mask widened in surprise.

Someone had jumped in front of him and blocked the attack.

Splat!

Black blood spurted out like a fountain.

“Huh.”

Suho, who had blocked his fist with the ‘Horn of Volcan’, looked at him with a vigilant gaze from under the spattering blood.

“Take a look at this.”

The corners of the crow-masked man’s mouth twisted into a sinister smile.