Chapter 77
As Suho pulled back his giant fist, a heavy silence descended.
Minsung’s fiercely stubborn life had come to an end, and his ghouls crumbled like broken marionettes. The ominous sky, once filled with Contaminated Hornets, also vanished.
Miho had rushed to help Suho but ended up staring blankly at him Although they fought alongside each other, she couldn’t believe that a C-rank hunter had overpowered an A-rank villain with sheer strength. This prompted her to make her own guesses about Suho’s true identity.
Meanwhile, in the suffocating stillness, Suho was busy reading the flood of system messages.
[Queen Bee’s Lancer has been defeated.]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
Amazing. It was worth the struggle. I’ve gained three levels.
Suho’s level was now at 32.
Surprisingly, the messages didn’t end there.
[The player has reached the required level.]
[Secret Quest: You have met the completion requirements of “Worthy Commander”]
[You have an unread message.]
Required level? Worthy Commander? As he tried to make sense of the message, Suho suddenly stumbled.
The ground began to suddenly shake as if it was on the verge of crumbling.
“Young Monarch! You must escape immediately!” Beru urgently pressed Suho.
At that very moment, the sky suddenly began to be torn apart by multiple rifts.
“If we don’t act swiftly, we could be trapped here for all eternity!”
Minsung had forcefully brought the Sanctuary of Insects to Earth by offering numerous sacrifices. Whether he realized it or not, this was the role Arsha had desired from him as her potential shaman.
With Minsung’s death, the compelling force had vanished, and the sanctuary was now attempting to return to its original dimensional rift.
“Okay, let’s get out of here.” Suho decided to check the remaining message later and turned to Miho and Taegyu.
The S-rank hunter had been staring intently at Minsung’s lifeless body. With a complex gaze, Taegyu glanced at Suho and said, “There are many questions to ask, but let’s talk after we get out of this place.”
“Count me in.” Miho also looked like she had a lot to say.
The three hastily made their way out.
But just before Suho was about to exit the sanctuary, he suddenly stopped and glanced back. It’d be a shame to let him go after going through so much trouble to catch him. He reached out toward Minsung’s body. Ruler’s Authority.
One of Minsung’s arms, more insect than human, flew toward Suho, who then left the sanctuary with a meaningful smile.
***
The aftermath of the incident swiftly unfolded. The moment Minsung perished, all the ghouls wreaking havoc in the city came to an abrupt halt, bringing an immediate end to the entire catastrophe. His royal jelly pervading their bodies had lost its power.
Taegyu promptly summoned a detoxification specialist once he got back, and he luckily managed to escape the clutches of addiction.
“I truly came close to death. Should I keep a poison tester on hand? From now on, my secretary must be an expert healer of poison,” Taegyu said resolutely.
Meanwhile, Miho mobilized all the resources at the White Tiger Guild’s disposal to recover the casualties and find the missing.
Which was something the Fiend Guild could not do. The incident was resolved, but they had lost too much from it.
Fortunately, most of their elite hunters of B-rank and above remained unharmed. However, the impact was severe, as a majority of the C-rank and lower-ranked hunters were lost.
People could always be recruited, but... Who would want to join our guild now? I’m worried that even the existing members might leave. Sigh. Taegyu raised his head, staring blankly toward where Minsung’s beehive had been as he pictured Minsung pointing a middle finger toward him. That son of a b*tch. Mom always said I needed to make better friends... “Wait, that’s right! Secretary Oh!” Suddenly remembering Oh’s betrayal, he anxiously scanned his surroundings, but the traitor was nowhere to be found.
He began to rue another failed friendship, I selected him myself... Not only was he diligent and efficient, but our personalities also matched well. When did my trusted ally become a traitor? Was he ever truly human?
***
Secretary Oh was blending into the crowd, silently observing the aftermath of the carnage. As he turned away from the scene...
Buzz!
The buzzing of bees, unnoticed by others, suddenly formed and turned into Arsha’s face. She looked even more disheartened than Taegyu had looked at the end of the battle.
“How disappointing.” Her shaman was dead, and the ritual had failed. All her meticulous plans had crumbled overnight. “The plan itself was flawless.”
Her plan had indeed been flawless: established a hideout in a secluded region, gradually expanded her workforce, diligently nurtured a shaman, and offered sacrifices for Querehsha’s ritual.
The shaman had decided to flee before the ritual, but that minor deviation aside, nothing else had posed any significant issues. If anything, Minsung’s desertion acted as a catalyst for her plans. The only flaw was... Letting that human go.
Arsha saw Suho in the distance. He was intimidating from the moment she saw him. She had felt the need to eliminate him earlier, but the attempt had backfired, leaving her worker bees vulnerable to his wrath. Revenge was now out of the question. The priority now was her survival.
“So, this is the power of Rakan’s successor...” Arsha’s gaze was one of strong desire.
She realized that from the moment that humans became involved, the odds were never in her favor. He had proved himself worthy of being the King of Beasts’ successor, and since she had yet to obtain the power of a Monarch, it was only natural that she couldn’t compete.
“If I became a Monarch, I would be able to wield such power.”
Thankfully for Arsha, the day hadn’t given rise to the new Monarch of Plagues. Having confirmed this crucial fact with her own eyes, she swiftly made a decision. “I will withdraw for today.” But someday for sure... Arsha’s bees scattered in an instant.
***
Suho brought two business cards back home. They were from Miho and Taegyu, the vice guild master and the guild master of the biggest guilds in the country. They were institutions any South Korean hunter would love the chance to join.
“Today, I’m letting you go because I’m busy!”
“Please contact me tomorrow! You better!”
Despite the chaotic barrage of reporters Suho faced following the aftermath, they had managed to thrust their business cards into his hand. They even managed to get his phone number, probably because they weren’t sure if he’d contact them back.
“Now I know what it feels like to be scouted in the streets.”
“Well, you’re not wrong!” Beru responded with a proud expression. “Not only is the Young Monarch handsome, but you also boast outstanding combat prowess! When did you grow up to be so amazing...”
“Stop exaggerating.”
Leaving Beru to cry, Suho casually tossed the business cards onto his desk.
Joining a large guild was a tempting proposition. They had earned their reputations for a reason. The starting salary wasn’t exceptionally high, but the benefits they provided were truly astounding. Depending on one’s rank and experience, they would generously lend out expensive, high-quality equipment. They also boasted a spacious and secure training ground that could withstand the unrestrained release of mana.
Other hunters didn’t need such facilities, but Suho was growing stronger by the day, and he needed somewhere to hone his strength to help efficiently utilize the powers bestowed upon him. But luckily for him, he already had everything he needed.
The store window feature allowed him to buy any desired equipment as long as he had enough gold, and there was no hunter or guild in the world with a training ground as vast as Suho’s.
He promptly inserted his key to the Shadow Dungeon into his shadow.
“Are you going in?” Beru asked.
“Yeah. There’s something I have to check.”
[Would you like to enter the Shadow Dungeon? (Y/N)]
“Enter.”
[You have entered the Shadow Dungeon.]
In the blink of an eye, Suho’s vision was tinged with shades of black and white, and before he knew it, the pyramid he learned the Iron Body Technique was before him.
Ammut had been awaiting Suho’s arrival, and the beast rose with a sinister smile, towering over Suho. “You’ve finally arrived. Let the training begin.”
“W-wait...! Not yet!”
Ammut, who was about to turn into a spirit to possess him, furrowed his brows. “Do you have something else to do?”
“Yeah. I do. It’s an important task.” Suho sighed with relief, checking the glimmering message that had been flashing before his eyes.
[Secret Quest: You have met the completion requirements of “Worthy Commander”]
[You have an unread message.]
After a brief deep breath, Suho immediately checked the message.
[Secret Quest: Worthy Commander]
[The player has reached the required level and proven his worth. Become a Shadow Commander and cultivate your own army.]
“This can’t be...?” Suho’s eyes widened in astonishment.
As he began to comprehend the ramifications, the shadows beneath his feet spontaneously surged, unleashing spectral screams as they swirled in the air. The majestic sound resembled the eerie warcry of an undead army, rising to the tune of a frantic requiem.
[Skill: “Shadow Preservation” has been learned.]
“Shadow Preservation?”
“Oh my?!” Beru, utterly astonished, let out a thunderous roar. “Good heavens! Has the Young Monarch finally gained recognition from our Monarch?”
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