Solo Leveling- Ragnarok-Chapter 327

The towering black pyramids stood tall and surreal, leaving the world stunned in their wake. They had manifested in major cities across the globe—Manhattan, New York, alongside the River Thames in London, by the Han River in Seoul, in Paris, Beijing, Tokyo, and so on. In each city, the pyramids tore through the walls of reality and appeared, causing a global uproar.

“So it really worked...”

Jinho stood by the window, watching one such pyramid rise in the distance as he laughed to himself in disbelief. Around him, secretaries bustled with urgency.

“Well, what else would you expect from Jinwoo’s son? Talk about doing things on a massive scale.”

He’d been worried there wouldn’t be enough time to secure all the land, but somehow, it had all worked out.

The Tower of Tribulation, a gift from Ammut, now reborn as the Monarch of Tribulation and the king of his kind, was fundamentally different from ordinary gates. Gates appeared randomly, like natural disasters, but Suho could choose the time and place of the towers’ appearance.

He had used the shadow soldiers he’d spread all over the world to provide the coordinates, and then used Harmakan’s spells to create them. All that had remained was for Ahjinsoft to quickly purchase the relevant land through the lawful channels.

Jinho had managed to do it all in just a day’s time. That kind of speed was only possible because of the global reach he had built for his company. Ahjinsoft had international branch offices, which made land acquisition and unique construction across borders both legal and efficient. Not a single delay had slowed their progress as the company pursued what they called “the release of their new game.”

“Sir, we’re being flooded with inquiries,” a secretary reported as they held out a tablet.

The screen was filled with messages from global press outlets and government agencies alike.

“Of course they are. Everyone’s dying of curiosity.”

Grinning like a mischievous kid, Jinho straightened his tie. It had been a while since he had taken the spotlight like this, and his heart was pounding with anticipation for the announcement.

“Is the official statement ready?”

“Yes, sir. Here’s the final draft for your approval.”

He took the tablet and briefly glanced through the document. There were no surprises since he and Suho had already gone over the contents thoroughly beforehand, but everything mentioned in it was a strict secret from the public, at least for now. It was up to him to decide what would be revealed to the public, and how.

“I’ll leave the rest to you, Uncle.”

Surprisingly enough, even after he’d put together all these systems, Suho had entrusted the important bits to Jinho, as if that was the natural thing to do.

“You made this game, remember?”

“The game I made, huh...” Jinho murmured.

He smiled faintly at the memory. It was true he had been the one who had begun the development. It had been partly for the greater good and partly for personal ambition. He had slowly but surely set the groundwork for the development. But somewhere along the way, the game had grown far beyond what he’d imagined.

“You’re wrong, Suho...” Jinho muttered confidently as he left the meeting room. “We made this game together. And what’s more...”

He opened the door that led to the auditorium and was greeted by the sight of reporters stood waiting with cameras poised. Flashes exploded in his vision.

“From now on, everyone here will be building this game together.”

At that moment, the first game in history truly meant for all of humanity was announced.

[Ahjinsoft Reveals Innovative New Project, “Solo Leveling: Ragnarok”]

[Pyramids Emerge All Over the Globe! Revealed to Be Surreal Training Grounds For the Human Race!]

[Even Ordinary Humans Can Become Hunters Now! Ahjinsoft’s Shocking Technological Breakthrough!]

Headlines all over the world were talking about the Tower of Tribulation.

— Yoo Jinho, CEO of Ahjinsoft, held an emergency press conference today to reveal the truth behind the mysterious pyramids that appeared around the globe! These pyramids, known collectively as the “Tower of Tribulation,” are surreal training facilities where all of humanity can learn to fight. Combining cutting-edge virtual reality with a newly unveiled avatar system, even non-hunters will be able to awaken similar abilities inside these towers! Governments worldwide have ordered immediate safety inspections and are reviewing whether the system poses any health risks.

The people of the world gaped at the sudden news, but their reactions soon turned into eager welcome. For years, ordinary people had envied the hunters—those blessed with mana after the Great Cataclysm. All they could do was watch from the sidelines, powerless. Now, for the first time, they had a chance.

“Holy sh*t! Did you hear that? So I can become a hunter, too?”

“Wait, for real? So I could become as strong as an S-rank hunter?”

“Idiot, it’s obviously a marketing stunt for some new game release. Have some common sense. What kind of game actually lets you awaken powers?”

“Oh yeah? Then explain how gates and monsters suddenly started appearing one day. Was that normal?”

“Exactly! Since when have we had anything remotely like common sense since the gates appeared?”

“I mean, with the gates, it doesn’t seem so far-fetched for there to be a game that uses gates to churn out new hunters!”

“Yeah! I knew Ahjinsoft was cooking something good!”

“H-hold on, you were holding onto their stock?”

“Hahaha! Buy and hold, baby!”

It didn’t take long for Ahjinsoft’s stock to fly through the roof, but the real buzz wasn’t just about buying in. People now believed that something even bigger was at stake—the possibility of awakening as a hunter. Excitement and anticipation spread like wildfire across the world, but not everyone shared in the enthusiasm.

[Korean Hunter Association]

“What in the world were you thinking? You didn’t say a word about this!”

Woo Jinchul, Chairman of the Korean Hunters Association, was under fire from his global counterparts. Of course, these were some of the busiest individuals in the world. Gathering in person was out of the question, so ironically, they were holding this emergency meeting in a virtual reality. In this space, they could meet each other without covering large distances, and the automatic translation system that was in place made communication a breeze.

Thus, virtual reality had evolved far beyond its initial role as a game platform. It had become a vital tool used in countless fields. This system, too, was built by Ahjinsoft, but the heated debates taking place within it now were mainly about condemning Ahjinsoft’s reckless actions.

“Is this supposed to be reasonable? There’s a line, even for outrageous marketing!”

“You’re saying ordinary people can awaken?!”

“Even if this is just hype for a game, this crosses a serious line!”

“You don’t seem to be aware of the worldwide influence Ahjinsoft has!”

Despite the scathing accusations of the other chairmen, Jinchul remained silent, arms crossed calmly. It was the kind of posture that said he was willing to let them ramble as long as they needed to. It was called a meeting, but everyone knew what it really was—a hearing.

“Tower of Tribulation! Ha!”

“I don’t care what it’s called. How did you even make them appear like that?”

“You created artificial gates and formed buildings from them! On foreign soil, no less!”

“What dangerous things are you up to in that country of yours?”

“Hmm...”

Jinchul finally broke his silence, a faint smile playing on his lips.

“Now, now, everyone. Let’s cool down.”

“You don’t get to tell us to—”

“We bought the land. Legally. Then we built on it. If anyone wasn’t willing to sell, we signed long-term lease contracts. Is there any legal problem here?”

“You didn’t build those things the normal way!”

The Brazilian Chairman looked especially incensed by Jinchul’s shameless stance.

Jinchul, unbothered, simply shrugged.

“So? Does it matter how I build something on land I own?”

“Will you listen to yourself? You created gates in foreign countries without permission!”

“Well, I suppose I’ll go over that first, then. Didn’t you hear Mr. Yoo’s statement? He didn’t make those gates happen. He only purchased land where the gates had already occurred.”

“You expect us to believe that? He bought land all over the world at the exact right moment. You expect us to believe that was a coincidence?”

“Oh? Then are you suggesting that Ahjinsoft discovered a method to create gates? Now, that’s something I find shocking. I’m not an expert myself, but I suppose that’s within the realm of possibility, considering the tech they’ve developed.”

“That’s not what I’m saying!”

“Then just get to the point, if you please. Skirting the point like this only makes things tiring for everyone,” came a cold voice from above.

The angry chairmen started at the unfamiliar voice. All heads turned upward in unison. An uninvited guest was slowly descending into the conference space. When they saw who it was, every association head froze in disbelief.

This virtual meeting space was exclusive, reserved only for the chairmen of the World Hunters Association. It was a private server, inaccessible without invitation. And yet, someone had just bypassed all security. There was only one person capable of doing that—the designer of this VR space itself.

Yoo Jinho.

“Apologies for the intrusion,” he said coolly. “But I had a feeling I’d be the topic of discussion, so in spite of the rudeness, I thought I might as well come hear it firsthand.”

He swept his gaze across the room, locking eyes with each of the astonished chairmen. His expression was unapologetically arrogant. These were S-rank hunters, superhumans who rarely tolerated disrespect, and each one was glaring daggers at him. But not even they could harm him while they were in here. The evidence was clear in the fact that even though he had stormed into this high-level summit without warning, not a single one dared to raise an objection. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The terms of service stipulate that for the sake of maintaining a stable virtual environment, the system administrator is allowed to do... whatever they want.

It was a clause he had written as a joke once, but in this situation, Jinho had no qualms about putting it to full use.

Thomas Andre, who had been sitting and watching with his arms folded leisurely over his chest, smiled.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” he muttered. “To think that little kid I used to know is untouchable in here!”