Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

This is it.
Rakan’s fang moved the tip of the sword and pointed to the center of the fortress.

Suho boldly jumped into the jungle with Rakan’s fang leading the way.

However, Suho was not the only one exploring the Magok field.

“Vice President, it’s already been two days.”

“How long are you going to stay here?”
“Well, it’s not that it’s difficult, but we need to know the schedule and purpose.”

The hunters of the Baekho Guild had been wandering aimlessly in the jungle for two days.

The reason for this was Baek Miho, the vice president of the Baekho Guild, who was leading them.

But no one dared to openly express their dissatisfaction to Baek Miho.

Especially since Baek Yoonho, the president of the Baekho Guild, was out of the country, Baek Miho, the daughter of Baek Yoonho and the vice president, was virtually the president.

“Who keeps calling?”

Baek Miho had been hearing strange voices for a while now.

-Prove your qualification.

The voice suddenly began.

-Prove your qualification.

At first, she dismissed it as a hallucination.

But the voice grew louder over time, eventually leading Baek Miho to the Magok.

‘What could be here? What kind of qualification do I have to prove?’

Baek Miho was also frustrated.

But she knew there was something here.

Because she no longer heard the voices when she set foot in the jungle.

And then it happened.

Snap!

The hunters who saw Baek Miho’s face trembled.

‘Vice President’s eyes…’

Her pupils were vertically split like a beast’s eyes.

‘Beast’s eyes.’

-Prove your qualification to become king.

Baek Miho took off the hair tie around her wrist and tied her messy hair like a lion’s mane.

And with the eyes of a beast, she fiercely looked in the direction the voice was coming from.

“Everyone, prepare for battle.”

Prove your qualification to become king.

“……!”

Suddenly, Suho’s senses detected an abnormality happening in the forest.

The forest was trembling.

Suho stopped and looked at Rakan’s fang, asking, “Did you say something just now?”

-It wasn’t me.

“The voice sounded the same as yours?”

-It’s inevitable. It was spoken by a being here in the fortress just like me.

Suho tilted his head.

“A being just like you?”

-Yes, another fang. Did you think there would only be one fang, the Fang Lord Rakan, who is the king of the beasts?

“Well, usually there are four.”

-Two.

“….”

-Excuse me, but to be precise, I am Rakan’s milk teeth.

Milk teeth, also known as baby teeth, are the teeth that fall out during childhood.

-I was created by the lower tribe who hoped for a future lord to be born from them. I was made into a treasure by receiving the teeth Rakan lost during his growth. Since the teeth he received were two, the treasure is also two.

Once again, a voice penetrated Suho’s mind.

-Prove your qualification to become king!

Suho asked again, “What does this mean? Qualification to become king?”

-At that time, the lower tribe made me with the hope that a future lord would be born from them. But now that Rakan is dead, it’s time to choose a new king. The so-called ‘King’s Test’ has begun.

“Oh.”

Suho asked with interest, “So if I pass this test, does that mean I can also become the Lord of Fangs?”

“It’s possible, if you’re willing to become a beast,” replied Lakan’s fang.

“A beast?”

“Well, we’re choosing the king of the beasts, so you have to be prepared to become one, don’t you?”

“I don’t like that idea.”

Seeing Suho’s disgusted expression, Lakan’s fang chuckled and said, “That’s why you don’t have the qualifications to begin with. And that voice isn’t talking to you, it’s just a message broadcasted to the entire fortress.”

“My lord.”

Just then, Veil, who was flying around on patrol, returned to Suho.

“There are other hunters wandering around this field besides us. But their appearances are all different…”

Pap! Pap! Pap!

As Suho listened to Veil’s report, he stepped on a branch and jumped up high. From there, he looked down in the direction where the commotion was coming from, and an interesting sight unfolded.

In Suho’s mind, an image came to mind.

“They’re choosing the king of the beasts.”

“….Everyone is using the beastification skill.”

It seemed to be exactly these words.

Kyaohhh!

Growwwwl!

Kwakwakwak! Kwang!

In various parts of the forest, hunters with body parts or entire bodies transformed into beasts were engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

Those with wings like eagles on their backs.

Those who had become hairy like bears and grown in size.

The variety was truly diverse.

-Prove your worth to become king!

And they were fighting with the crazed forest to prove their worth.

-It seems that all the relics here have summoned all the beasts with the potential to become kings.

Then, it happened.

Swoosh!

Just then, sensing something under his feet, Suho immediately twisted his body and leapt out of the tree branch.

Crack!

Surprisingly, what attacked Suho was the tree itself.

“A tree trunk?”

Even as he jumped to the ground, countless tree branches attacked Suho like whips.

“The power of domination!”

Currently, the power of domination was not strong enough to lift Suho’s body weight, but he could make a double jump and leap through the air.

Papap!

Suho spun like a circus acrobat and avoided the whip-like vines, landing safely on the ground.

Then the real battle began.

Swoosh! Crack! Sizzle!

Plant-type beasts attacked Suho from all sides.

Suho grabbed Rakan’s fangs and Volcan’s horns with both hands and used them to fight off the beasts.

-Prove your worth to become king!

In the midst of the ongoing battle, the voice kept ringing in his ears.

Suho felt unjustified.

“No, I don’t have the qualifications, why am I being tested?”

-It’s a matter of timing. You happened to come into the stronghold at this time and got caught up in the king’s ordeal. Or maybe it’s because I, the relic, came here that the ordeal has just begun.

“That’s why the problem is with the artifact from the beginning,” Suho thought simply. “Let’s find the testing facility.”

“Let’s find it and destroy it. Who dares to test us?” Ber growled fiercely.

“The direction is this way,” Rakan’s fangs had been pointing in the direction of the testing facility since earlier.

Suho continued to cut down the plant-type monsters and ran towards where the artifact was located.

As the jungle became thicker, the blue mist became even darker. At first, it gave a dreamy feeling, but it was soon the beginning of a nightmare.

“Ghost is coming.” The hunters taking the test for the king’s eligibility quickly became alert and guarded their surroundings. A spine-chilling wind sound was heard from all directions.

In fact, the plant-type monsters were not particularly strong when viewed individually. However, when viewed as a whole, the danger increased. Hunters, regardless of whether they were E-rank or S-rank, were ultimately made up of flesh and blood. If a sharp tree branch suddenly flew in and pierced their neck or heart, their lives could be taken away easily.

In addition to these chilling assassins, ghosts had also been added to the mix.

“That’s why this field is not popular.”

“I told you, it’s dangerous and there’s nothing to gain.”

Until last year, there was a large city located here. Countless people lived here, and a substantial business district had been formed, boasting a huge floating population. However, one day, a gate opened here, and a disaster occurred. Many people died, and those who were lucky enough to survive lost their homes. And the ghosts of those who died at that time still roamed this land.

“Damn it! Banshee!”

“Everyone, plug your ears!”

Banshees, a type of ghost monster.

The wailing of the Banshee disrupts the sense of direction, which was already a nightmare for the hunters who were lost in the jungle.

Furthermore, the hunters were currently using the Beastification skill, which enhanced their hearing.

“Uwekk.”

Some even began to vomit at the overwhelming sound.

-Prove yourself worthy of becoming a king!

Even in this moment, the voice continued to whip them.

Temporarily losing their senses of sight and hearing, the hunters finally realized the nature of this test as the voice stuck in their minds.

“Got it.”

A smell.

There was a scent somewhere calling out to them, a smell of magical power that could only be felt in the extreme state of being a beast.

“That’s it! It was the smell!”

The hunters focused their nerves on their sense of smell.

But the tree vines still managed to break through their defenses!

Splat!

“Agh!”

Even as they tore apart the vines that had wrapped around their thighs, their eyes were burning with wildness.

“We must find it.”

“We have to find it to become the king!”

They were taking the test blindly, without even knowing what the true form of the king was.

“Something’s off.”

With a sudden stop, Baek Mi-ho, who was fighting with the ghosts while tracking the scent, had a displeased expression.

The other hunters of Baekho Guild who followed her stared at her with confusion.

“Deputy leader, why did you suddenly stop?”

Baek Mi-ho already knew that many other hunters were wandering around the forest besides them.

And they, too, were using Beastification skill to move competitively to find the same place.

The same was true for Baek Mi-ho’s wildness.

The moment she stopped walking, her impatience began to rise, as this was not the time to hesitate.

And that was the part that offended Baek Mi-ho’s self-esteem.

“Doing this makes me feel like I’m being played by someone. I don’t like it.”

“What do you mean?”

“As of now, Baekho Guild is leaving this unknown test.”

“…!”

The sudden declaration of resignation from Baek Mi-ho surprised the members of the Baekho Guild.

Just yesterday, they couldn’t understand why the vice president had come to this forest.

But once the king’s test had started, their doubts disappeared.

Even though they didn’t know what awaited them at the end of the test, the power associated with the word “king” fueled their desires.

However, Baek Mi-ho suddenly hit the brakes on all of their psychological drives.

“It’s disgusting to become a beast, being fascinated by desires of unknown origins. It’s not like being a dog in heat swayed by pheromones.”

Baek Mi-ho stuck out his tongue and even released the eyes of a beast.

“So, are we going back now?”

“No.”

It was a waste to hunt with others without knowing the purpose.

But Mi-ho wanted to see with his own eyes who would become the final winner here.

“Let’s move to high ground with a clear view.”

“Okay, understood.”

The subordinates followed without a word, following Baek Mi-ho’s decision.

Then, at that moment…

“Growl?”

A group of werewolves appeared in front of the Baekho Guild, breaking through the bushes.

“Hmm?”

Baek Mi-ho’s gaze changed as soon as he recognized their identity.

The Baekho Guild was the most famous guild in Korea for their beastification skills.

Therefore, they also had a separate list of hunters with beastification skills from other guilds, with the purpose of eventually recruiting them.

So, they were familiar with the identity of the werewolves they had just encountered.

“They’re the minions of the Hyena Guild.”

They must have also been mesmerized by the king’s proof and come into this forest, even though they had not been caught by the police yet.

But the problem was that their nature was evil, and having served Broki for a long time, they understood the king’s test better than anyone else.

“There’s only one king!”

Grrr!

When they coincidentally met the Baekho Guild, the werewolves did not hesitate to reveal this and unleashed their life force.

And then they attacked without hesitation.

“Kill them!”

“Crack!”

The Baekho Guild was the most promising candidate for the king’s qualifications.

If they didn’t kill them now, they might lose their chance to the throne.

But their blatant attacks actually awakened the beast inside Baek Mi-ho that he had barely held back.

“…Tsk.”

Baek Mi-ho stuck out his tongue with an annoyed expression.

“They’re just ignorant puppies.”

Snap!

In that moment, his hair tie came undone.

Whoosh!

White hair burst out of Baek Mi-ho’s head like a lion’s mane, bleached white.

“Beastification!”

Half-human, half-beast.

Baek Mi-ho’s true power was revealed as his claws ripped through the heart of the lead werewolf.

Then, at that moment…

“Prove yourself worthy of becoming king!”

“Huh?”

A voice was heard, seemingly delighted by Baek Mi-ho’s slaughter.

“Kill and kill again!”

“Only the one who survives until the end is truly strong!”

“So this is what it’s about?”

Baek Mi-ho realized what the voice truly wanted.

“A battle royale.”

He didn’t like it one bit.

Forcing people to kill each other under the influence of the king’s power, and with the heightened senses of beastification, screams of people killing each other could be heard throughout the forest. Battle royales were already taking place in other areas.

“I really don’t like this.”

Baek Mi-ho fought with the Hyena Guild members while wearing an uncomfortable expression.

Then suddenly, he noticed a person walking in the distance with two swords in his hands, calmly walking.

“But why is that person alone?”

Did he kill all of his companions and survive on his own?

If that was the case, he truly was the worst kind of human.

Killing even his own companions under the influence of the king’s power!

… But…

“Sniff, sniff.”

“I don’t smell any blood.”

Did he not kill anyone? Then why is he alone?

Baek Mi-ho kept glimpsing at the person’s figure, even while fighting with the Hyena Guild, until he disappeared from sight.