Solo Leveling: Ragnarok [FAN TL]

Grrrrrr!

Nidhögg, its jaws forced shut by Ammut, began to thrash violently. Despite that it had no choice but to swallow Gray whole, which initiated the succession ceremony. Realizing this, Ammut finally released Nidhögg, who then hurriedly fled upwards, climbing the World Tree's trunk with Gray trapped inside, a stark contrast to its previous arrogance when aiming for the roots. Beru was aghast, seeing Ammut nonchalantly allow the now four-headed monster to escape.

[Kieek! What are you doing!]

[Don't worry. He'll do just fine.] But Ammut merely shrugged with an indifferent expression. Despite his seemingly insane act of shoving Gray into the Primordial Darkness, he was confident.

[Did you really think I'd just leave that weak pup alone…?]

[Kiek?]

"Wait, wait. You don't mean...?"

Suho couldn't help but pause at those words. Thinking back, where did Gray usually stay? It was the shadow dungeon. When Suho called, he would always join the battles outside, but what did he do the rest of the time? As far as Suho knew, Gray was steadily growing by feeding on the prey they had hunted together in the shadow dungeon. The Fang Monarch once said that the best thing for Gray's growth was to eat well and rest well. But was that really the case? Considering that, of all things, a crazy crocodile who was itching to torment the weak was living right next to him?

He smirked.

[...Yeah, that's right.]

Looking at the retreating figure of Nidhögg, who had swallowed Gray and was fleeing with its tail between its legs, Ammut curved his lips into a most wicked smile. It was an utterly delighted grin.

[Lim Dogyoon. That weakling human was much less rewarding to torment… I mean train, than that little wolf.]

'…He definitely said torment.'

'His true feelings slipped out.'

At that moment, Suho's and Beru's eyes met in mid-air, and they both gulped. He was definitely a crazy crocodile who simply enjoyed tormenting the weak as a hobby. Realizing that, the expression Gray made as he disappeared into the darkness seemed to make sense. It seemed that Gray...

[So don't worry and wait. He'll somehow inherit the Primordial Darkness and return. That succession ceremony thing, I tried it myself, and it's nothing special.] Having "reassured" everyone, Ammut folded his arms leisurely, gazing up at the World Tree where Nidhögg had disappeared.

[From now on, I'll watch Nidhögg. In the meantime, you guys do what you were doing.]

The direction Ammut was gazing towards was where Arsha was diligently building her hive. She was using countless Void Insects to build her own enormous kingdom on the trunk of the World Tree. And as she did, her presence grew stronger.

[If that's how insects grow, there's nothing I can do to help.]

Muttering and smacking of his lips, Ammut's low words made Arsha, in the hive, shudder. There had never been a moment when she was more grateful for being an insect.

"Besides, the Monarch of Trials. You've got a fitting nickname." At Suho's words, Ammut looked at him with a slightly displeased expression.

[Tsk. I didn't choose it.]

[It's the result of your father's intervention.]

"What? My father?" Suho tilted his head at the unexpected statement. Ammut chuckled and spoke, recalling the illusion of Sung Jinwoo that had once appeared before him.

[Yes. The pyramid I was trapped in was a magical prison perfected by that damned Kandiaru after countless experiments. The ultimate goal of that research was to train the weak through me, the 'trial'.]

The Iron Body Training Ground, the pyramid where Ammut was trapped, was a place to train in Iron Body techniques, to transcend the inherent limitations of one's race. Its ultimate purpose was to strengthen the vessel of one's soul. But most died, either with their physical bodies shattered or their souls exploding.

[But one day, your father's illusion appeared there. Then, he casually fiddled with the magical circles Kandiaru had designed and disappeared.]

Even Ammut, who was rarely surprised, couldn't help but be astonished at that moment. After that day, many things changed, including his own spiritual body trapped in the pyramid, the very purpose of which was altered in a completely different direction from what Kandiaru had intended.

[I'm only good at fighting; I don't know much about the fancy magic that sorcerers use. But even I... know a lot about the spells cast on that pyramid. For a very long time, it was the vessel containing my soul.] 

Now that Ammut had been reborn as a monarch, he could exist outside the structure.

[But ironically, the pyramid is still a shackle on me. The only consolation is that if it was a prison before, now it feels like a much less restrictive handcuff. In short, the name 'Monarch of Trials' means that even now, as a monarch, I am still one with that place.]

It was a bitter statement. It meant that even though he had obtained the Primordial Darkness and become a monarch, Ammut was still not completely free from the prison Kandiaru had created.

[But it can't be helped. If it weren't for that prison, I would have died of old age long ago.]

Well, what could he do? It was Kandiaru's pyramid that had prolonged the inherently limited lifespan of Ammut, the strongest crocor, until now, so he couldn't be completely free of it even at this moment, having become a monarch.

He smirked. [...So your father gave me a choice. To become a shadow soldier and be free from death, or to endure humiliation and become a monarch while alive. And I simply chose the latter of my own free will.] By now, Ammut, looking down at Suho, assumed a carefree expression.

[So, Sung Suho. I'm truly grateful to you. I was able to become a monarch thanks to you acting properly as the priest.]

"Earlier, you said a priest wasn't necessary?"

[I meant it wouldn't be necessary from now on. Since we've already arrived here, the role of the priest is no longer needed.]

"Well, that's true."

Suho nodded, understanding the meaning of his words. The dead monarchs' priest. The role he had been playing so far. It was to find suitable successors to the monarchs, or to grow them, and help them inherit the Primordial Darkness. In the process, time stopped, he met dead monarchs who had returned to nothingness. He intervened in dreams and helped with the succession ceremony. But in the end, all those processes were secondary. Ultimately, the priest's job was to bring the successors to the Primordial Darkness, 'wherever it may be.'

But look. As Ammut said, there was no need for such a cumbersome method now. They had directly found the Primordial Darkness! They had launched a fleet into the endless expanse, the Sea of Afterlife, and found the World Tree where the Primordial Darkness was directly gathered. From now on, why would they need a priest as an intermediary?

[Do you understand now?] Ammut smiled contentedly at Suho.

[You have done an unparalleled job as a priest. Surely, even your father couldn't have envisioned that you would do this well. The proof: He created a shortcut to the Sea of Afterlife at the end of the pyramid.]

Insurance in case his son couldn't find the Sea of Afterlife. Sung Jinwoo's illusion had prepared for that too, but his son had chosen the difficult path over the easy and fast one. As a result, he had to do a lot… But, in the process, everyone got what they wanted. 'Growth'

As a result, Ammut, who had independently become the King of Monstrous Humanoids, the Monarch of Trials, did not overestimate his achievements. What he had done was not a big deal in the first place.

[From what I experienced, inheriting the Primordial Darkness is something anyone with the qualifications can do. The most difficult part is reaching it.]

The Sea of Afterlife. The World Tree. Nidhögg. A pilgrimage to overcome all those trials and find it. It was the priest who guided the way in that dark and imperceptible abyss. But Suho wasn't content with the role of an ordinary priest; he paved the way himself. He pierced the dimensional gap. He found the entrance to the Sea of Afterlife. He built ships from the elves' sacred tree and explored the Sea of Afterlife with demons. As a result, he found the World Tree. In the end, he even froze the deadly aura, which dominates the Sea of Afterlife, with a harsh winter.

[Sung Suho. No… Priest of the Monarchs and the son of the Shadow Monarch.] Ammut's, who had been watching Suho's path all along, became serious.

[If it weren't for you, I could never have reached this place. I wouldn't even have been able to encounter the Primordial Darkness.]

Ammut would have wandered aimlessly in the Sea of Afterlife without the ship of demons that Suho had prepared in advance, and would have melted into the abyss like other spirits. Even if he had been lucky enough to find this place, if Nidhögg hadn't been sluggish due to the harsh cold. Or if Nidhögg had just a couple more heads than it did now, even Ammut wouldn't have been able to deal with it so easily. Knowing better than anyone how much help he got, Ammut could only sincerely acknowledge Suho's achievements and he could only be grateful.

[…Thank you. Because of you, I was able to satisfy a long-standing promise.]

"Promise?"

[Yes. I wanted to properly beat up that disciple of mine who died so carelessly on the battlefield. Heh, heh, heh.]

-Tarnak. You are my disciple before you are the King of Monstrous Humanoids. If you lose, I'll kill you with my own hands.

Ammut suddenly recalled. The last regards he gave to Tarnak, who was leaving for the battlefield. At the time he had a confident expression, but in the end, he paid the price for that foolishness today. He ended up being pummeled by his teacher even after death.

[That's why I willingly chose to become the Monarch of Trials. To help you. So I will always be your teacher. For your growth. I will give you 'trials'.]

"Ah." Suho's expression twitched at those words.

[The King of Monstrous Humanoids, the Monarch of Trials, swears allegiance to you.]

[The King of Monstrous Humanoids, the Monarch of Trials, offers you the 'Tower of Trials'.]

[A daily quest has arrived.]

"...."

It was dizzying. While swearing allegiance, the offering was a 'trial'. Seeing the quest that immediately followed, Suho felt his vision darken. It seemed that the daily quests would become much more difficult in the future, so he was afraid to open the information window. But…

He smirked. 

"I don't have to suffer alone." Soon, a mischievous smile formed on Suho's lips.

'Tower of Trials' 

The concentrated magic that had turned from Ammut's prison into an extension of himself. There was a way to utilize it much more effectively.

* * *

"...I understand." 

Yoo Jinho, the CEO of Ahjin Soft, nodded silently after receiving Suho's call. He immediately turned his head and calmly gave instructions to the secretaries waiting beside him.

"It seems we need to buy some land. Right now."

"Yes, sir."

"Which area are you referring to?"

It wasn't difficult for the company to purchase real estate. Even with the condition of 'as soon as possible' attached, it wasn't impossible if they were willing to spend more money. But the secretaries, who were calmly taking notes on the CEO's instructions, couldn't help but be puzzled by his following words.

"The outskirts of the capital cities around the world. The most densely populated downtown areas."

"...Yes?"

At that moment, the secretaries started doubting their ears. All over the world? Of course, even Yoo Jinho couldn't be thinking about something crazy like buying an entire city. It was a few small areas per city. Ahjin Soft, a global company, had enough funds for that. But the problem was something else entirely, the purpose of the purchase.

"Hurry up. It's going to start soon."

Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!

Before he could finish his words, earthquakes began to occur simultaneously in the capitals of the world.

"Aaaah! It's a gate…!"

People screamed everywhere around the world. But surprisingly, there were no casualties. This earthquake wasn't normal, so the ground didn't actually shake, the dimension did. The dimensional wave pushed all the people nearby outside, creating an instance dungeon. And above it…

Rumble!

Rumble!

The mysterious black pyramids, slowly revealing their magnificent forms, left everyone speechless.

– Wh-what is that!

– A pyramid?!

– A pyramid suddenly sprang up from the ground!

While everyone around the world was panicking. To end the chaos as quickly as possible, Ahjin Soft, which had purchased all the land, announced the name of the pyramid that appeared.

[Tutorial: Tower of Trials]

It was the moment when Ahjin Soft's mega-project, named 'Solo Leveling: Ragnarok', was unveiled to the world.