Solo Leveling: Ragnarok

Chapter 19

The internet has been buzzing for a while.

-Breaking news! The hidden reality of the Hyena Guild!
-Werewolves of Gwanaksan!
-Survivors who almost became sacrificial lambs!

The survivors of Gwanaksan Field, rescued by Suho, revealed everything they had experienced to the media, and the public was shocked.

-Crazy;;; What was that;;;;
-They caught their own kind, human, and sacrificed them??
-How could they do that??
-Hunters were living as slaves of demons;
-Aren’t they a traitor to humanity at this level?

Citizens reacted extremely to the fact that the same humans were hunting humans and feeding them to those beasts.
Along with them, other guilds that had been involved with the Hyena Guild were also criticized.

-Wasn’t the Reaper Guild behind the Hyena Guild?
-Yepyep, that’s right. Even if they deny it now, everyone in the industry knows otherwise.
-Where did that huge capital come from when the Hyena Guild were milking from low-level hunters’ loan in the first place?
-I heard they were originally neighborhood gangsters.
-100% sure a certain guild gave them that money.
-That guild might be very anxious now.

Blag!
“Are we going to keep looking at all this nonsense?!”
Lim Taegyu, the guild leader of the Reaper Guild, hit his fist hard with an angry face.
The force had split the marble desk in two, but no one in the conference room cared about it.
“I-I’m sorry. We are also responding with urgency, but as you can see, the public opinion is too strong…”
“Planning Director.”
Chills.
A cold voice held the planning director’s breath.
“Do you think I hired you to make that excuse? To gather in this room and rely on the comments?”
“… I’m sorry.”
“Pheeew.”
Lim Taegyu leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.
“Let me ask you one thing. How did our image end up like this? Until last year, everything was good, right?”
“…”
In response to Lim Taegyu’s question, the executives only looked at each other with embarrassed expressions.
In the previous year, Reaper Guild was on the rise as Korea’s No. 1 guild in name and reality.
The reason was Lim Taegyu, the guild leader.
It was thanks to him being one of the few S-Class hunters in Korea despite being middle-aged.
There was one more person.
Aside from Lim Taegyu, there was one more S-Class Hunter in the Reaper Guild. It was only up until last year.
“That’s right, Sir. When Vice President Baek Yunho went on his own last year…”
”Shh.”
The head of the Planning Office hurriedly shut the subordinate’s mouth.
‘Such a tactless person! Who wouldn’t know that and ask?’
S-Class Hunter Baek Yunho.
He was the person who established the ‘Baekho Guild’ last year after becoming independent from the guild he was previously in.
The moment he left, an S-Class hunter, the power of the Reaper Guild was virtually cut in half.
But, that wasn’t the real problem.
The thing is, everyone in the room knew the underlying reason.
They just couldn’t speak about it.
If they do, their throats would be cut in half.
After Baek Yunho left, Lim Taegyu brought an A-Class hunter from outside and put him in the Vice President position in a fit of anger.
Judging from the fact that he was a close acquaintance with Lim Taegyu even before the cataclysm, he was a so-called paratrooper.
Of course, the executives of the Reaper Guild strongly objected to that decision.
Because an A-Class hunter couldn’t take the place of an S-Class hunter.
The A-Class hunter ’Lee Minseong’ he brought was a beginner who had never entered a dungeon.
However, Lim Taegyu did not bring Lee Minseong for no solid reason.
Lee Minseong… just had a lot of money.
He was already a businessman with a lot of money born with a golden spoon even before awakening.
When he was younger, he was a movie actor who was so popular that he made a name for himself as an Asian superstar.
Regardless of dungeons or hunter things, Lee Minseong’s life has been that of a rich man who has only walked the glamorous road from the time he was born.
Lim Taegyu’s real purpose?
Money.
’If power is weak, why not buy an expensive weapon through an increase in financial power!’
In fact, Lee Minseong was more of a sponsor with strong financial power rather than a Vice President.
The plan worked to some degree.
After Lee Minseong became the vice president, the guild members started to get more and more expensive and flashy equipment.
But, ironically…
’Since then, the guild’s image has deteriorated.’
The head of the Planning Office had no choice but to press down on what he wanted to say and endure it.
Just then, the door of the conference room opened and Vice President Lee Minseong in question entered.
“Hey! Sorry for being late, sorry! There was so much traffic~”
Lee Minseong laughed and joked even though he was an hour late for the meeting.
As a handsome and famous actor when he was young, his face was covered with a pitiful act.
Lim Taegyu’s cold eyes glared at Lee Minseong.
“Vice President Lee Minseong.”
“Ooh, what is this? Did you break the table? Your strength is great.”
“Vice President Lee Minseong.”
“Hey, Secretary Kim! Change this table to something better sometime today, okay?”
”Hey! Lee Minseong!”
Thud.
Lim Taegyu couldn’t hold his anger and shouted. The smile on Lee Minseong’s face disappeared.
”Hey?”
Lee Minseong’s head turned and he looked at Lim Taegyu with a raging gaze.
“Doesn’t that title sound a little rude?”
Lim Taegyu ignored the words and asked, glaring at Lee Minseong.
“Vice President Lee Minseong, why are you late for the meeting?”
“I told you, there was a traffic jam.”
”Aren’t you late because you’re taking care of the mess with Hyena Guild?”
“…”
At those words, Lee Minseong’s brow flinched.
However, he soon smirked.
“What are you talking about again? What hyena? The one you can see at the zoo?”
“Don’t change the topic, Minseong.”
Chills.
The mask was removed from Lee Minseong’s face.
“I’m not liking your tone.”
Even in the face of wrath with Lim Taegyu, an S-Class hunter, Minseong only has a mockery look on his face.
“When did our Taegyu grow up like this? The bastard who used to be my driver?”
“…”
At those words, anger welled up in Lim Taegyu’s eyes.
However, Lee Minseong did not care and rather approached him.
He pulled Taegyu’s collar then he glanced up and down at him with a scanty glance.
”Tsk. Do you really not know what people do? How did you get lucky enough to wake up as an S-class? So you could become arrogant in only two years? Was it like this with the old owner as well?”
“Lee Minseong…”
“Oops. Come to think of it, you weren’t the previous owner. Our Taegyu, don’t you still have two years left on your driver’s contract?”
“Lee Minseong… Do not test my patience.”
”Why? You’re going to kill me? Oh wow, that’s scary. The dog is trying to bite its owner. I gave money to a guild that was going down, but you don’t even know how to return the favor.”
If a person could be killed with a gaze, everyone in the conference room might have already died.
‘Please go outside and fight…’
The battle of nerves between the two people, who had a complicated relationship, made it impossible for the executives and staff to even breathe properly.
Fortunately, Lim Taegyu was not hot-tempered enough to cloud his mind with anger.
“… Whew. Let’s stop this.”
“You were going to do something, weren’t you?”
“Vice President Lee Minseong, I already know that you have had some kind of commission with the Hyena Guild. Sooner or later, the association will also know about it.”
“… Association?”
Lee Minseong’s expression hardened.
Lim Taegyu let out a deep sigh.
”Yes. So tell me what the hell you were doing behind our backs. We have to know so we can clean it up somehow.”
“Hmm. Clean up?”
Lee Minseong rubbed his chin and was lost in thoughts.
He didn’t want to be specific.
’He couldn’t do it either.’
In the end, Lee Minseong smiled and shrugged.
“Well, nothing special. Just running light errands and playing with money?”
“Is that really all?”
“Yes. Even if the association decides, I can solve it on my own, so don’t worry.”
“I hope that is true.”
“Or else, what? The Hunter Law is so weak so there won’t be any problems if I mobilize my lawyers.”
”The law…”
The Hunter Law is definitely out of date.
Lim Taegyu pondered on those words.
It was natural.
It has only been two years since the cataclysm occurred.
Even now, the Association was working hard to pass Hunter-related legislation, but there were still holes in it.
That’s why guys like Hyena Guild were still able to play to their heart’s content.
“Satisfied now? If you don’t have anything more to say, I’m leaving.”
Lee Minseong turns around and leaves the conference room without even listening to the answer.
Behind him, Lim Taegyu issued the last warning.
“Vice President Lee Minseong, it would be better not to be overconfident. Even if the law is weak, the president of the association is never an easy person.”
Thud.
The conference room door was slammed shut.
Lim Taegyu shook his head and sat back in his chair.
It was only then that the employees were able to breathe out.
Lee Minseong came out with a relaxed gait…
His expression was contorted like that of a demon.
’A bastard who doesn’t even know the subject dares question me!’
He didn’t show it, but in fact, his whole body was drenched in cold sweat from Lim Taegyu’s killing gazes.
More than the fear he has, he couldn’t tolerate getting his pride stepped on.
‘I only got in because he begged me to be the vice president, but he treats me like a servant? Lim Taegyu, how dare you?’
But he had no right to express this anger.
After all, Taegyu was an S-Class hunter, and he was only an A-Class.
He couldn’t help but control his anger.
Hyena Guild?
No.
’The guy who destroyed the Hyena Guild!’
Lee Minseong called someone with a scary look on his face.
“Yes, it is me. Did you figure out his identity?”
-No, Vice President. I’ve been trying to find out about him from all the survivors…
A voice without confidence came from the other side of the phone.
-None of the survivors knows what he looks like.
”What? They don’t know what he looked like? How come?”
-The hunter was covering his face with a mask and hood the whole time. What is noteworthy is that he used twin swords, and it is said that he picked up the sword used by werewolves and used it.
Hmm.
“… Find out more about who that bastard is and bring him to me.”
-Yes, Sir. Well understood.
Thud!
Lee Minseong couldn’t hold back his anger and threw his phone on the floor.

* * *

Meanwhile at that time.
Suho was spending a peaceful time in the Shadow Dungeon.
Of course, only Suho is at peace.
Gray, the wolf cub of the canine clan, was about to die.
“Growl!”
[Oh, that’s great. Finally, our wolfie hunted a goblin alone. Although the opponent is of course a baby goblin.]
“Kyao-!”
At Beru’s praise, the palm-sized wolf cub howled sadly— no, howled ferociously.
The way he stepped on the young goblin’s corpse with his paws looked extremely pitiful— no, brave.
[Now, eat! A true hunter eats all his prey without leaving any!]
“Growl!”
[Ugh! Open your mouth wide and chew!]
“Thud!”
Chomp! Chomp!
Gray showed signs of exhaustion, but couldn’t disobey the harsh commands of Assistant Professor Beru.
As he was told to do so, he opened his mouth wide and bit the goblin he hunted…
Ring!

A message arrived in front of Suho.
“Oh, he also levels up?”
-Didn’t I tell you? If you let him eat, sleep and play, he’d grow up.
”I know he’d grow up. But, I thought I was the only one leveling up.”
Another message arrived.

“What?”
[Ehhh?]
Suho and Beru looked at each other.
They turned their gazes to look at Gray, who was lying flat on the floor.
“Hnnnggg.”
[Young Master. How could you steal this little one’s power?]
“No, I…”
Suddenly, a feeling of guilt came flooding in.