Solo Leveling- Ragnarok-Chapter 302

Though Suho was taking a break from school at the moment, he was still an art major. He had spent hours standing before canvases, holding brushes and pencils while lost in thought. So much time had been spent mixing paints to create a particular color, molding clay into pottery, and contemplating the meaning behind various works.

All those hours sometimes gave him a unique perspective. At this very moment, Suho found himself recalling a class presentation he had once given about a Japanese pottery restoration technique—kintsugi.

Nothing was perfect. The process of breaking, shattering, and cracking was a part of life. It was art.

“The technique kintsugi, or “connecting with gold,” is a Japanese method of repairing broken pottery. The pieces are connected with lacquer, and gold powder is applied along the seams.”

“Does the technique have a philosophical meaning?” his professor had asked.

Suho had flipped to the next slide of his presentation.

“Kintsugi is not a simple method of repairing an object. It goes beyond that. It proudly shows a flaw rather than hiding it, and accepts flaws as a part of something’s beauty. From that, we as humans can learn to accept the injuries and flaws that are part of our lives and use them to propel us further—”

“Correct. Excellent work,” the professor had said with a faint smile and a nod. “The technique doesn’t perfectly restore that which was broken, but instead fills the cracks with gold to enhance a piece’s beauty without hiding the damage. The analogy is clear. All pottery will break at some point. As time passes, we encounter hurt. Sometimes life breaks us, or damages us, or makes us fall apart. But nothing in life is truly perfect anyway, is it?”

It was only natural that Suho was reminded of that presentation now.

“Embracing even that imperfection, accepting the wounds accumulated inside our souls as a part of our beauty... The scars that life gives us are a record of the battles that we have fought.”

Connecting with gold—it was not mere repair, but a glorification of the scars. The golden barrier that surrounded Jinchul’s body now was not so different.

“Such a high-level spell!” exclaimed Harmakan, more shocked than anyone.

Jarvier’s Soulstone had activated a magic circle that Jinwoo had left within it, sending golden light spreading through the cracks in Jinchul’s body. The golden cracks spread like the intricate roots of a tree, the fine lines of a spider’s web, or kintsugi performed by some artisan on a piece of broken pottery. Jinwoo’s barrier was carefully mending Jinchul’s damaged vessel, stitching together the scars of his struggle with threads of radiant gold.

[Jarvier’s Soulstone begins “Skill Reconstitution.”]

[Skills will be reformed under a new system.]

Like pottery reborn under the meticulous hands of a craftsman, Jinchul’s vessel began to transform.

The change was nothing short of astonishing. The skills that had been injected into his system, too many for him to handle, were melding together and taking on new forms. Danger Detection and Poison Resistance met to become something deeper—“Survival Instinct.” Stamina Enhancement and Mana Focus became something more fundamentally powerful—“Iron Body.”

Like puzzle pieces naturally clicking into place, the dozens of fragmented skills gradually became cohesive wholes as if this was the way it was meant to be all along.

[Skill Reconstitution complete.]

[A new skill system has been established.]

[The fractured vessel damaged by skill overload has been restored.]

“I guess this is what my father wanted.”

In the frozen silence that followed, Suho spoke quietly. Time itself seemed to have stopped.

He wondered just how much of the future his father had predicted that day he had appeared as an apparition. That was only a fragment of his power, not even his true form. Jinwoo had given so much thought to those left behind on Earth without using even a single ounce of his mana. All he’d done was utilize the soul of a demonic spirit.

At last the golden barrier dissipated, and Jinchul came fully into view again.

“Are you all right?” Suho asked.

Jinchul slowly raised his hands to inspect them. His previously cracked and fractured palms were now smooth and unblemished. Deep beneath the surface of his skin, a network of golden veins glowed faintly. They were beautiful, like threads of gold woven into aged pottery.

“I feel... so much better,” he murmured. The relentless, throbbing pain that had plagued him since acquiring his many skills had vanished completely. “I feel... as though I have been given a new body.”

The chaotic surge of skills that had been tearing his body apart had now been harmonized into a single, cohesive flow. A disjointed cacophony of noise that had raged within him for so long had finally become a smooth symphony.

It was evident to everyone that this golden barrier was a gift Jinwoo had left for Jinchul. Though Jinwoo often seemed cold to others, Jinchul had known him long enough to understand the kindness behind his actions. That was why he ventured a guess—perhaps even now, somewhere out in the far reaches of the universe, Jinwoo was aware.

“On the off chance that you ever are away for too long...”

Perhaps he knew that Jinchul was doing his best to keep his promise.

“I’ll protect your family as well.”

Jinchul had founded the association, become its chairman, and worked hard for the past few years. There had been a fundamental motivation that drove all his actions.

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

Jinchul grinned, recalling the conversation they’d had that day.

Looking back, it all made sense. He had worked so hard to solidify his authority as the chairman and pushed himself so desperately in his second life. At the core of all of that effort lay a deeply personal purpose: He would protect Jinwoo’s family just as he had drunkenly promised.

It was for that promise that out of all the powerful figures and conglomerates he could have aligned himself with, he had chosen to join forces with Jinho. This promise had also driven him to send Kim Chul, the most trustworthy hunter in the association, to Yangpyeong.

“Don’t let your guard down! This is only a temporary fix,” came Beru’s voice, breaking into Jinchul’s thoughts.

The shadow ant had been with Jinwoo for long enough to know what this was.

“My liege developed this barrier long ago with many demonic spirits. Its purpose is to forcibly hold together a vessel on the verge of shattering. He originally began the endeavor so that he would never again have to feel as helpless as he once did when he watched Lord Ilhwan die.”

But that research had eventually been applied to an entirely different situation.

“When Lady Haein was pregnant with the Young Monarch, her pain increased as his presence grew inside her body. Eventually her vessel threatened to rupture.”

“What? Are you talking about me?” Suho asked, his eyes wide. He hadn’t expected to hear a secret about his birth now of all times.

“Indeed. Her vessel was pushed beyond its limits merely by carrying you. She was an ordinary human, after all. That was the first time he put the magic circle to use.”

The spell was intended to repair any vessel that was at its limit.

“The result was a resounding success,” Beru said.

It had been a miracle. The moment the spell enveloped Haein, her pain vanished as if it had never existed, and her vessel was restored. That was how Suho had been born safely.

But the situation was different now.

“Back then, my liege refused to leave Lady Haein’s side, continuously supplying mana to the barrier,” Beru continued. “That is not the case now. Without such support, this barrier is only temporary. You may be safe for the time being, but if you push yourself too far again, your vessel will begin to break once more.”

Temporary.

Beru’s tone was cold, but his concern for Jinchul was evident.

“From now on, you must not acquire any more skills. Not if you value your life,” the shadow ant said.

“Thank you for the advice, Commander Beru,” Jinchul replied.

“That was a warning, not advice.” 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

“Then thank you for the warning.”

Jinchul, knowing Beru’s intentions, simply smiled. Then, looking around at Suho and everyone else gathered before him, he pushed up the black sunglasses Jinwoo had given him as a birthday gift.

“Now that I’m healthy again, shall we get down to business?”

***

Suho spent some time with Jinchul, sharing information and handing over the supplies they’d brought from South Korea.

Jinchul’s party, who had been forced to forage for their supplies, were shocked by the sheer volume he had brought. Even Jinchul, who was seldom surprised by anything, was taken aback. The supplies included not only what the Korean government and the association had sent, but also a considerable amount of military resources Jinho had managed to extract from the warehouses of large guilds.

Of course, the most useful weapons were now in the hands of Suho’s shadow soldiers, but to Jinchul and the others, even lesser quality items were precious. For hunters, weapons were ultimately consumables. No matter how sturdy a sword or shield was, constantly cutting through the tough hides and rigid bones of magic beasts would eventually dull a blade or wear down a weapon’s materials.

There were no blacksmiths or smithies to be found in an apocalyptic place like North Korea either. The situation had been so dire that in the end, everyone had been forced to fight beasts with nothing but punches and kicks.

“Thank you so much. Please inform Jinho that I will repay him handsomely for this later,” Jinchul said.

“No need. Just tell him yourself.”

“What?”

Once again, Jinchul was left speechless. He watched in disbelief as a gate materialized above Suho’s shadow. Just beyond, South Korea was visible.

“Why don’t you all take a break?” Suho suggested.

Jinchul’s team was still in shock as they were transported to a hospital in Yangpyeong to recover.

If anyone in South Korea had witnessed the scene, it would have caused a massive uproar. Fortunately, they all returned to North Korea early the next morning, and the situation passed without incident.

In that single night, Suho managed to cut down every single Elvenwood in the vicinity and send them to the Sea of the Afterlife.

Seeing this, Jinchul nodded and made his decision. “Now that everyone’s rested, we’ll take care of the remaining Elvenwoods in North Korea. You should move on to Russia, Mr. Sung. There are far more trees there anyway.”

He also entrusted Haseul to Suho.

“Take her with you. She is sure to be of use. This scythe, made of the Stones of the Outer Gods, in particular... It’s a weapon we received from a ‘Doctor’ that traveled out of Russia. I’m sure you will find a meeting with him beneficial as well.”

“A weapon made by a doctor? Is he a scientist?” Suho asked, his head tilted in puzzlement.

However, not even Jinchul seemed to know much about him. “We don’t know who the Doctor is, actually. He did introduce himself to us, but we were in no situation at the time to verify his claims. We didn’t even know about the Church of the Outer Gods at the time. But if you meet him, you might be able to find out his true identity.”

“All right. I’ll go and see him, then.”

That meeting came sooner than expected. The very instant Suho crossed the Russian border, a fierce flurry of snow began to fall from the sky. However, it wasn’t really snow—the flakes seemed to be living cells of some kind.

“Watch out, Young Monarch!” Beru warned urgently.

The small cells converged, taking the shape of a woman who stood before Suho and Haseul. Her skin was pale, and her hair was a striking shade of pink. Her beauty was so flawless that it bordered on unsettling.

The woman glanced at the scythe in Haseul’s hand, then greeted Suho in a tone that was cold but polite.

“I am the Doctor’s 47th doll. It is an honor to meet you, Sung Suho.”

It almost seemed as though she had been waiting for this meeting for a long time.