Solo Leveling- Ragnarok-Chapter 353

Ilhwan slowly withdrew the mysterious light radiating from his body.

“Phew...”

Though a deep breath escaped his lips, the silence in the living room remained unbroken. Everyone sat in quiet awe at the transformation that had come over him. Just moments ago, Ilhwan had looked as if his entire body would shatter at any second, riddled with dimensional breaches. Now, it seemed he was someone else entirely. Even Suho’s family members who weren’t hunters could feel that something had changed within him.

“Honey...”

Kyunghye approached him with concern in her voice. Ilhwan turned toward her. His eyes shimmered with a soft, divine glow.

“Are you all right?”

At her worried question, Ilhwan smiled gently and nodded. “I feel better than I have in a long time. Our grandson gave me some incredible medicine.”

Though he made light of it, the truth was, even he was stunned by its effects. It had taken him completely by surprise.

“I didn’t expect to feel this good...”

He looked down at his hand, opening and closing it slowly. It was a simple movement—yet it let him sense a power completely unlike before. The strength was undoubtedly divine power from the Outer Gods, but at the same time, it was an independent force that didn’t submit to them. It was like sunlight, but not the sun itself—a completely new kind of starlight. It was wondrous and utterly unexpected, especially for a man like Ilhwan, who had always fought for his mission while carrying a power too great for him to handle.

“The divine power that had always tormented me has now fully harmonized with my body. I never thought such a thing was possible...”

“There’s no need for surprise,” Beru said, appearing as if on cue. “We already saw the power of the Life-Giving Elixir when Lady Haein gave birth to the Young Monarch.”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, reminiscing.

“If anything, things were far more dangerous back then. After all, she carried the birth of a new universe within a human body.”

The phrasing was so apt that Haein found herself nodding in agreement. She recalled the pain of giving birth to Suho, and a phantom ache stirred in her abdomen. It had felt like an over-the-top phenomenon, like a miniature Big Bang had taken place inside her. It was the Life-Giving Elixir from her husband that had managed to dull the pain. A single bottle had not been enough, however, so she’d had to down several at once.

“To have carried new life... I understand. It feels like I’ve been reborn myself,” Ilhwan said, meaning it quite literally.

It truly felt as if a divine being had created him anew. The energy now coursing through him brought with it a strange but welcome sensation—one that made him feel like he had to relearn everything from scratch, even how to walk.

I’ll need training to get used to this...

A surge of motivation rose within him. Ideas kept coming to him, one after another, as he imagined how to use this unfamiliar yet natural power. Realizing this, Ilhwan let out a quiet laugh.

“To think I’d feel this fired up at my age!”

It was as if he were a child again, excited about the prospect of playing with a new toy. Nearby, another gray-haired elder stood, feeling just as rejuvenated as he did—Thomas Andre. Now the King of Giants and the Apostle of Domination, he leaned against the wall, his muscular arms crossed. He grinned as he listened to Ilhwan’s words.

“Heh. I know that feeling well. Congratulations on becoming an Apostle who serves no god. Or a ‘godless Apostle,’ I guess.”

“A godless Apostle?” Ilhwan echoed.

“Well, you’re now at the level of an Apostle, so it seems right, don’t you think? Forgive me. Korean’s a bit hard for me.”

The Godless Apostle.

It was a surprisingly fitting name. Thomas had been studying Korean for quite a while, and it showed.

“A-Apostle level?” Adam White cried out in shock, glancing back and forth between the two men.

Though they were of different nationalities and races, these two old men had now become beings with power on par with a Monarch and an Apostle, respectively. Unlike ordinary hunters, they had transcended the limits of humanity itself.

In response to Adam’s bewildered tone, Thomas nodded. “Yeah. But he’s no ordinary Apostle. Unlike the ones we’ve defeated so far, he purified the power of the Outer Gods and made it his own.”

“I didn’t know that was even possible. Is there a chance that the Outer Gods may possess him again at a later point—”

“None. I can guarantee it,” Beru said with certainty.

“The key ingredient of the Life-Giving Elixir is the Fragment of the World Tree. And that World Tree was created as a purification device by our universe’s Itarim, one that’s already dead. Now that it has been used to purify the power, the power no longer belongs to the original gods. That means there is no risk from the Itarim. Remember, the Itarim invaded us first to steal our universe’s mana in the same way,” Beru explained.

Ilhwan let out a sigh of relief, the last trace of unease fading away. He turned confidently toward Suho. “Thank you, Suho. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to continue helping you.”

“Just don’t overdo it. If you push yourself too hard, I’ll get in trouble when Dad comes back,” Suho said.

“Hah!”

Ilhwan laughed warmly at Suho’s playful complaints.

Then, in the back, Norma quietly rose from her wheelchair.

“Oh!”

Thomas’ eyes widened as he caught sight of her. Everyone had been so focused on Ilhwan’s change that they hadn’t noticed—Norma had also taken the Life-Giving Elixir Suho had given her. The effect had been instantaneous. Her curved back straightened immediately, and her trembling hands grew still. The strength returned to her legs, which had grown too weak to support her. Though she was much older than Ilhwan, the elixir had breathed vitality back into her frail body. Like watering a parched flowerpot, even the age spots on her skin began to fade.

The Life-Giving Elixir, at its core, was the power of the World Tree. It was not able to counter the usual flow and reverse aging, but it could still revitalize a body grown weary with time. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Jinho couldn’t help but marvel.

“Ms. Selner... You’ve improved so much,” he said in awe.

“I... haven’t felt this way in a long time,” Norma managed to say.

It took her a long moment to speak again, as if she’d regained ten years of youth all at once. She took slow, careful steps toward Suho. It had been so long since she could walk like this. With genuine sincerity, she bowed deeply. “Thank you so much, Suho. I don’t know how to express my gratitude for such a gift.”

Norma hadn’t come to Suho today expecting something like this. No matter how great a prophet may be, no one can see every future. With the looming threat to the universe, the fate of her old, frail body had hardly seemed worth thinking about. This precious gift had taken her completely by surprise.

Moved by the deep sincerity of someone so much older than him, Suho answered humbly, “It’s all right. I only did what anyone would have.”

He already knew that Norma had a long-standing connection with his father. His father would likely be saddened if he returned to Earth and found that she had passed from old age.

“I’m sure my father would’ve done the same thing if he were here.”

“Ahem...”

Thomas abruptly turned his head and cleared his throat. His longtime secretary, Laura, tilted her head and looked at his face. Something was off—just moments ago, Thomas had been smiling warmly, but now his eyes were wide, and his expression had turned rather intense.

“Thomas... Are you crying?” Laura asked.

“Ahem. Of course not.”

Thomas clenched his jaw, his face growing fiercer. His ears, however, had turned bright red.

Laura nodded casually. “Well, that happens. Estrogen levels do rise with age...”

“I said I’m not crying.”

“Ms. Selner is your one and only friend, after all.”

“What? Only one? Then what about you, Laura?” Thomas asked.

“Our relationship is strictly professional, sir.”

“Augh!”

Thomas nearly burst into tears for real at that.

Norma chuckled softly as she watched him. Her old friend hadn’t changed a bit. She lifted her head, looking Suho in the eye.

“Suho, if you don’t mind, may I take your hand for a moment?” she asked respectfully.

“My hand? I don’t see why not... But why?”

Suho extended his hand, still puzzled. Norma accepted it in both of hers, moving with utmost care. She closed her eyes.

“It’s all in the past now, but I once did this with your father,” she said.

Currently, Jinho, the head of the game company that can turn the entire human race into hunters, was known to the public as the Upgrader. At one point, Norma had been the world’s only Upgrader. She had the rare ability to awaken the dormant potential of hunters, boosting those who otherwise couldn’t grow any further. However, unlike with Jinho, Norma’s ability back then had only worked on those who were already hunters.

“At the time, I presumed to offer to strengthen Sung Jinwoo’s power.”

She let out a quiet laugh at the memory of how bold that idea had been in hindsight. She had nearly collapsed after sensing the boundless darkness within Jinwoo. The situation was similar now, only she didn’t intend to offer to do something similar for Suho. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

“I was retired once, but after the Great Cataclysm, I gained the power to see things that others cannot, just like before,” she said. “And recently, I’ve sensed a very disturbing gaze.”

“A... gaze?” Suho asked.

“Yes. I can sense it even now... I suspected you might want to see it as well, which is why I chose to visit in person. Would you close your eyes for a moment and accept the energy I’m offering?”

“All right. Sure.”

Suho wasn’t entirely sure what she meant, but he closed his eyes obediently.

Norma opened hers. Her eyes had turned completely white, and though Suho’s eyes remained shut, his vision suddenly expanded. The living room, the house, the entire city—all of it vanished from view. The phenomenon continued, leaping beyond the Earth and stretching across infinite distances, beyond even the outer universes. That was where he sensed it.

An eye...?

What Suho saw was a colossal eye. Larger than anything he could comprehend, it stared down at the Earth, cold yet filled with curiosity, like a scientist examining a cell beneath a microscope. He instinctively understood. It was an Itarim, and its interest in his planet had not faded.

At that moment, it noticed him. Suho knew he wasn’t imagining it. That unknowable gaze was now fixed directly on him. Then, it seemed to smile as if pleased to see him.

“The white abyss... It stares right back at you,” came Norma’s voice in Suho’s ear.

It was not her usual tone, carrying a strange, prophetic resonance.

With that, like a spark jumping between them, both of them dropped their hands at once. Suho’s consciousness was flung back from the outer cosmos into the present. He gasped. The immense eye that had been watching him was gone, but its afterimage remained, burned into his mind.

“That thing just now...”

Suho stared at his palm, choosing his words carefully. He had so many questions, but among all the thoughts swirling in his mind, one question stood out above the rest.

“Where is it right now?” he asked, teeth clenched. His eyes were those of a hunter going after his prey.

Norma’s pale, clouded eyes drifted slowly to the north. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead as she muttered, her face filled with confusion. “Ah... It’s already so close! In fact, it has already begun!”

Everyone in the living room tensed.

“Ms. Selner, what do you mean? What has begun?” Adam asked, his voice sharp with urgency.

Norma cried out in a near scream, “The Arctic! You must stop them immediately! That eye has already reached us... Hurry, now!”

Thomas’ massive hand caught Norma’s back as she collapsed, unconscious. He turned to look at Suho.

“What did you see?” he asked.

“An Itarim,” Suho answered, fire in his veins and resolve in his eyes. “That was no Apostle.”