Solo Leveling- Ragnarok-Chapter 301

Far from Earth, deep in the Outer Universes, a war was raging against the Outer Gods.

A man clad in dark armor suddenly paused his command over his forces on the battlefield. He gazed into the distance and muttered, “I wonder how Mr. Woo is doing?”

As the war against the Itarim dragged on, there were moments like this when thoughts of those left behind on Earth surfaced. Among those thoughts, one person—Woo Jinchul—particularly weighed on his mind.

“Who is it that you are so worried about?” asked a Ruler who had been commanding angels at Jinwoo’s side. “Family? Friends?”

“A comrade... a colleague. The only colleague who shares memories of a past life.”

“A human with memories of the past life? Then he must be playing a significant role in this time of turmoil. What is there to worry about?”

“I’m worried he’ll work too hard.”

“Hmm?”

Jinwoo could only offer a bitter smile at the Ruler’s confusion. “That’s just the kind of man he is.”

How could he not worry? In the past, they had fought side by side as comrades, and this time, they had been colleagues. Having spent so much time together, Jinwoo knew Jinchul well.

Now Woo Jinchul was the person who knew more of the truth than anyone else on Earth. It had been decades since he had regained his memories. He had even known that whenever Jinwoo disappeared for days, it was because he was dealing with invaders from other dimensions. That was why he had always crafted adequate excuses for his absences, be it by granting him an early dismissal, half-day leave, and so on.

Jinchul had been a very reliable superior to Jinwoo, and over two lifetimes, he had become an even more trusted friend.

But sometimes knowing too much was its own kind of curse. Jinwoo had prevented the Great Cataclysm from occurring as widely as it had before, but it had only been delayed. There was always the chance that this fragile peace could shatter and things could revert to the way they had been in the past. That knowledge must have weighed heavily on Jinchul.

Jinchul retained memories of a world that was about to end, something that could not compare to a mere war between humans, and he was suffering from a kind of post-traumatic stress disorder. Fortunately for him, Jinwoo had always been by his side. At times, they would chat, and Jinchul would talk about what he would do when the same fate befell the world.

“Mr. Sung, if such a world ever arrives once more... Here’s what I’d do. Or perhaps I should do this instead? Mr. Go has already passed. If someone is to take his place...”

Of course, it had mostly been a joke at the time. Everyone spoke of the things that could happen. But Jinwoo could see that Jinchul’s eyes were grave every time he “joked” about such things.

Proof of this was that Jinchul had refused to marry. It wasn’t that he had sworn off it, but no matter how many years passed, he showed no interest in settling down or having children.

One day, when Jinwoo asked him seriously about this, Jinchul had replied, “You know something, Mr. Sung? I grew up in an orphanage. I never knew my parents. And having no children... You know, there’s an unexpected benefit to that. Do you know what I mean?”

“I’m not really sure. What do you mean?”

“I have no weaknesses. There’s no one to take hostage. That’s why I was able to climb to the top of the Surveillance Division previously. No matter how many villains I made enemies of, I had no fear of retaliation.”

With the pained look of someone who had swallowed an extremely bitter pill, he drew forth an ancient memory.

“There were... quite a few cases of that, villains taking revenge on the families of my comrades and subordinates.”

The Surveillance Division of the Hunters Association had been tasked with monitoring hunters who had turned criminal, and their members were always at risk.

“What good is it if we’re hunters? What use is being A-rank? If they track down your home and retaliate against your defenseless family, that’s all it takes.”

Jinchul vividly remembered the look in the eyes of the villains who were apprehended by the Surveillance Division. Their hate-filled stares weren’t simple threats to watch one’s back.

Villains were not like ordinary criminals—they had powers far beyond the average human. It was one thing to imagine revenge crimes carried out by regular criminals, but when superhuman villains took the same path, the results were catastrophic.

Villains didn’t simply stop at killing entire families. The hunters of the association had witnessed the most atrocious acts of vengeance. Truly terrible things could happen if the villains started to think lightly of the association.

“That’s why we instinctively hesitated when a villain merely hinted at a threat. Those with families, I mean. But me? Those threats never worked on me. I had no weaknesses to exploit, no target on my back.”

“Is that why you won’t start a family now? Because you’re part of the police force?”

“Hah! Perhaps. It just so happened that I became a VCU detective in this life. Though there are slight differences, this job is essentially the same. There can be consequences.”

“Don’t be like that, Mr. Woo. This time, you should date and get married. If you have a family, I’ll personally deploy every single soldier I have to protect them.”

“Haha! Just hearing you say that is reassuring. If the shadow army itself was guarding them, there would truly be nothing to fear. But you know...”

Jinchul looked around him carefully and whispered a hidden truth.

“The truth is... I’m just unpopular with women. Sometimes I go on dates people set up for me, but every time I do, the woman downs her coffee in one gulp and rushes out, saying my eyes are too scary.”

“When is your birthday, again? I’ll buy you some designer sunglasses.”

“Hah! I appreciate it.”

Their conversations always went like this—beginning on a serious topic, then somehow ending with lighthearted banter.

Looking back, that was always the nature of their relationship. They would fight side by side, capture criminals, and then return to the police station and drink coffee. Those small, unremarkable moments had become cherished memories.

Now as Jinwoo fought on a battlefield far from Earth, it was memories like those that kept him grounded.

“Anyway, Mr. Woo, I mean it. If you ever have a family, I’ll do everything in my power to protect them. So please... Don’t live your life alone.”

“All right. I don’t want to accept that offer for nothing, so... Hmm. Then again, what can I do for you?”

Jinchul had been lost in thought after Jinwoo’s sincere offer. But Jinwoo already had everything he needed, and Jinchul, who was only human, could do precious little for him.

“Oh! How about this? Now I know this shouldn’t happen, but... on the off chance that you ever are away for too long, I’ll protect your family as well.”

“Huh? Are you sure about that? It’s against regulations for the police chief to use his officers for personal matters, isn’t it?”

“Regulations? If that day comes, the world will already be on the brink of destruction. What would regulations matter?”

Jinchul had shuddered at the thought, having already experienced such a fate before.

Then years passed, and what was once a joke became reality. Jinwoo realized just how serious Jinchul had been.

“I knew it. He really was pushing himself too hard...”

He had glimpsed the situation on Earth through an illusion and had a vague understanding of what Jinchul had been up to during the past two years. Astonishingly, he had kept his word. He had founded the Hunters Association and had become its chairman. The association he had built was even stronger than the one Gunhee had once led, stabilizing Korea’s chaos at an unprecedented speed.

Imagining the hardship that must have entailed, Sung Jinwoo could only let out a bitter smile. Gunhee had controlled a large corporation, and had been S-rank to boot. He had even been powerful enough to be a vessel for a Ruler.

By contrast, Jinchul had started as just a police chief and was just trying to fill Gunhee’s shoes. But he had not only taken on the same role—he had done even better.

Jinwoo didn’t have to be told to know what Jinchul had been through. He had heard plenty already.

“If I ever become the chairman of the association... Not that it should ever happen, of course, but if it does...”

On nights when the VCU gathered for drinks, a drunken Jinchul would mumble about his contingency plans. Each time, Jinwoo would respond in a serious tone to everything he said, even though he knew that it wouldn’t come to pass.

“You can’t do that, Mr. Woo. If you take on even one too many skills, your body won’t be able to handle it, and your vessel will break. Something similar killed my father before, though what happened to him was slightly different.”

“I know. And Gunhee was also chosen as a vessel for a Ruler, but his body was too aged, and he wasn’t able to endure the power. He’s a good example. But still, if such a day comes... I’ll do everything I can. I never want to experience that despair ever again.”

Hearing the same words over and over, Jinwoo had never been able to find the right thing to say.

It only reminded him once again that sometimes ignorance was bliss. Forgetfulness was a blessing given to humankind. Recalling a past filled with absolute despair and world-shattering events meant drawing forth terrible trauma that had been lying dormant and forgotten.

“You’ll forget all of this once you get some sleep. Take him home.”

“Yes, my liege.”

“Mr. Sung! Don’t wipe my memories again! That’s an order from your superior...!”

The truth was that Jinwoo had attempted to erase Jinchul’s memories several times for his own sake, but it had been futile. Jinchul had forged too deep a bond with Jinwoo, and the memories of their past life were no longer so easily forgotten. The memories he shared with the Monarch of Shadows were special to him, engraved not only in his mind but in his very soul.

Jinwoo sighed, turning his attention back to the battlefield. “Well, he’ll be fine for the time being. I did take some precautions, just in case.”

***

There was a flash of light.

[Item: Jarvier’s Soulstone has activated.]

“Huh?”

As Suho stood in front of Jinchul, his inventory opened on its own, and the single item Jinwoo had placed there emerged. It poured out a golden light that seeped into Jinchul’s body, filling the small cracks that had formed under the strain of absorbing too many skills.