Chapter 333

“Something isn’t right!”

The Apostle of Domination was shaken by the reports coming in from all directions. His butterflies were far from weak. They had spent a long time feeding on the Elvenwoods’ nutrients provided by the Apostle of Paradise before undergoing metamorphosis. Their mana capacity was proportional to the amount of time they spent in the cocoon. That meant their strength varied wildly, but they were still all copies of him—sharing one mind, one will.

Even the ones that had only just spread their wings possessed the primary body’s knowledge and experience. They were born different. They were all one being, a single consciousness inhabiting many bodies at once. This was the true nature of the Apostle of Domination.

This only made it harder for him to understand what was happening. None of these butterflies were the main body, but still, how were they being so easily defeated, and by such weak human beings, no less? The hunters weren’t even especially powerful.

“Alerting the primary unit!”

“There is something wrong with this city!”

“Everyone lying inside capsules possesses mana!”

“And none of them...”

“None of them are ordinary hunters!”

“They are... skilled combatants!”

“They don’t seem capable of fear!”

The Apostle absorbed the confusion rippling through his other selves across the land, watching how these humans moved and how incredibly well they fought.

“Ha! You insect! You don’t just barge into my house like that!”

“I’m Sung Jinwoo 2718, the fire sorcerer! Fire Arrow!”

“Mana Net!”

“Well, now, this is great timing! I was itching to try this new skill. Ice Drill!”

“Cool! What’s this? A dungeon break? Good thing this didn’t happen before I cleared the tutorial!”

“Thank god I applied for the beta test.”

“A stupid insect is nothing! I was in the Tower of Tribulation!”

“Oh, no, were you scared, sweetie? Your dad is Sung Jinwoo 4196! You shouldn’t be scared of some bug! Now, stay behind me!”

The Apostle heard a series of violent blows, flaming detonations, and explosive impacts. Something was very, very wrong. The many butterflies he’d sent out were dying, helpless to resist. Flame magic charred their wings and ice attacks pierced them through. Even when the butterflies launched precise and bloodthirsty attacks, the humans didn’t freeze in fear. Instead, they twisted easily, evading the movements and striking back. Humans all over the city were doing a number on his army.

“Did Yuri Orloff lie to me?” the Apostle of Domination began to wonder.

Yuri had clearly said that the humans in this city were lying quietly inside capsules, doing nothing but playing a game. This was supposed to be an easy place to hunt. As it turned out, however, every single person using a capsule was actually a hunter. Not only that, they had all sorts of jobs and skills, and had unparalleled battle experience to boot.

“What are the odds that this was a trap?”

“Not likely.”

“Yuri had no reason to lie!”

The butterflies scattered across the city exchanged fragmented opinions. But in the end, there was only one conclusion to be reached.

“There is nothing he could have gained by deceiving me!”

“Then how to explain this situation?”

There was something else that struck the Apostle as odd as well. Why were all the humans calling themselves “Sung Jinwoo” with a number at the end? They seemed strangely proud of the name. It reminded him of the feeling he’d had when he had been named “Apostle of Domination” by the great Itarim.

“What’s the meaning behind this name, anyway?”

The Apostle had only recently emerged from his long wait. He wasn’t yet familiar with any of the current humans’ names. What mattered was that these “Sung Jinwoos,” each armed with different jobs and skills, were still actively whittling away at his army.

“These people who introduced themselves as ‘Sung Jinwoo’ are actually stronger than the hunters outside!”

“They seem to have gone berserk. They feel no fear!”

“They don’t hesitate to strike back!”

“It would be more efficient to fight the hunters who are on the streets!”

“I... I don’t like them!”

There was a deep, primal sense of unease. It didn’t have anything to do with the humans’ skills, or how they fought. There was something fundamentally wrong about them. The reason became clear as the butterflies perished, their final thoughts relayed like deathbed whispers to the main body.

“They almost...”

“They seem to treat us like prey.”

“Not just prey, but food...!”

— I wonder if hunting outside the game also grants experience points?

— Haha! Maybe I’m just addicted to this game.

— No. I can’t be sure yet... Maybe I’ll kill a few more just to be sure.

— Woo! There are so many more out here!”

Eventually, the capsule users who had each hunted down a butterfly began to spill out of the buildings one by one. Then, they began to hunt the swarms of butterflies that had engulfed the city in earnest, joined by ordinary hunters along the way. However, the “Jinwoos” were unlike any hunters he’d seen, which only struck the Apostle of Domination as even more bizarre.

Those people...

“Wow. There’s no end to them!”

“Let’s go on a leveling spree!”

“Nice! My first taste of real-world experience as a hunter!”

“I couldn’t have asked for more! I’ve been soloing this whole time. A bit of co-op play sounds fun!”

They were genuinely enjoying themselves, unbothered by the army of butterflies that filled the skies overhead. It was as if they still thought this was all part of a game—one they found wildly entertaining. Their obsession with combat left the Apostle of Domination dumbfounded.

“By the way, which one of you Jinwoos is a healer?”

“That would be me!”

“I’m a healer as well!”

“No way! I didn’t think there would actually be any. How did you get your job? I didn’t even know it was possible.”

“Oh, it was rough, believe me!”

“I had to sweep all the rune stones from the auction houses and brute-forced my way into something of a healer role!”

“Wow. That’s nuts. I was thinking of doing something like that. I didn’t know it actually worked!”

“I have the tech tree and walkthrough up on the

Solo Leveling

website! I’m a bit weak when it comes to combat, but I have a lot of supporting abilities! Like this one, for example. This one is an area-of-effect buff!”

Colorful buffs blossomed across the bodies of their companions, creating a dazzling synergy.

“Now that’s more like it! I

love

co-op gameplay!”

“Humans... truly seem to be a species madly obsessed with combat,” the Apostle said, laughing incredulously.

At last, he began to understand the gravity of his mistake.

“I see. I must admit it. I was lacking the proper information.”

He’d thought very little of the natives of this planet, but now elevated his opinion of them, though only by a small degree.

“But that’s all.”

The primary body of the Apostle of Domination scoffed and rose into the air.

“True domination isn’t about battle. It’s about strategy.”

This was a war. It didn’t matter if he lost a battle, or if his enemies gained more momentum. These opponents were small fry, rabble who were blinded by the battles in front of them and had no idea what the enemy was even after.

“Heh. This is the perfect moment.”

As he sharpened his gaze, every one of his butterflies mirrored his cunning smile. Then, in unison, they spread their wings.

“Everyone’s out of the buildings!”

“It’s time for us to take the capsules from them!”

“Loot the buildings!”

Those foolish humans didn’t know a thing. The butterflies had found the home of the darkness they sought to defeat. What mattered far more to them was to conquer it, rather than to fight the humans who stood in their way.

The butterflies flapped their wings, homing in on the game capsules the “Jinwoos” had left behind. Their expressions brightened as they detected trace energy of a dimensional breach inside the still-active machines.

“Everyone into the capsules!”

“They are the gateway to the enemy!”

Every butterfly that touched a capsule vanished in a flash of light. They passed through the breach connected to the pyramid’s magic circle and moved into the dimension beyond. Unlike the humans, who left their bodies inside the capsules to access it, the butterflies were transported whole into the world they sought to control. Their primary body moved to do the same.

“Hahaha! The king is absent. We will conquer his world while he is away—”

There was a burst of light. In the next instant, the Apostle realized something was wrong.

“Huh...?”

Someone was waiting for them on the other side.

“Well, well. It looks like we have guests!”

Another “insect” stood there in the abyss, deep within the endless dark that awaited them.

“Nice to meet you. It’s nice to have insects from the outer universes come to see us in person.”

The insect in question wore an enticing smile and carried herself with the grace of a lady.

“Who...?”

“Who are you?”

“Where am I?”

The butterflies, unsettled by her smile, exchanged wary glances. Though they had entered through different gates, they had all arrived at the same destination. That, at least, was fortunate. Now that they were gathered in one place, even if this were some sort of trap, they could easily fight their way out.

With one voice, they spoke to the insect who had welcomed them.

“Answer us. Is this the world of the Monarch of Shadows?”

“Hmm. I must admit, I’m a little disappointed. It would only be polite for you to ask who I am first.”

She sounded a little hurt.

The Apostle studied the insect before him. Where did her confidence come from? She had waited for them here, all alone. It didn’t matter who she was. She was just another bug. What

did

matter was the identity of this place.

“Where is this?”

“What is this place?”

“We asked you a question.”

The butterflies began to emit an intense malice as they clustered in the inky darkness. It resembled the light that came from the Outer Gods, splendid and beautiful. Their intent was clear—to burn away the darkness surrounding them and fulfill their mission to conquer this world for their god. The insect didn’t seem fazed. She simply gave them a light shrug.

“The obstinate type, I see. Mind asking the question again?”

“What is this place?”

“Again.”

“I asked you what this place is.”

“Again.”

As the circular exchange continued, the butterflies grew more and more hostile. The brighter their radiant light became, the deeper and thicker the darkness surrounding them grew.

“Let me ask something else, then. Will tearing you apart do away with this darkness?”

“Oh, my! You’re scaring me! I’m sorry, but that’s not going to be easy.”

The insect made an exaggerated show of being scared, but she was smiling as though she found the threat amusing. It was clear she was mocking them, and the Apostle frowned.

“What do you mean by that...?”

“How about this? You’re the Apostle of Domination... What a wonderful name you have.”

“You know who I am. Who told you?”

“A certain ant who devoured the brains of a hapless little being. Look, isn’t this funny? We’re all bugs here.”

The Apostle narrowed his eyes. For the first time, he was feeling rather uneasy about this insect. Very few knew his name. The “hapless little being” could only be one of the Apostles who had already perished.

“Who are you?” he demanded.

She chuckled softly.

“I thought you’d never ask.” She grinned, then straightened her posture with deliberate grace and introduced herself. “My name is Arsha. I seek to become the Queen of Insects. In order to do so, I have made my home in the World Tree, in the heart of the Sea of the Afterlife, with my Void Insects.”

“Void Insects? I don’t know what you mean,” the Apostle said, frowning. He’d never heard of such a race.

He’d just run out of patience for this mysterious conversation, anyway. He moved to act, intent on devouring this insect before giving the situation further thought.

The butterflies fell on Arsha at once.

“Did you know?” Arsha gave a coquettish smile. She opened her arms toward them, almost as if to welcome them. “You are insects who’ve come through the void. From the outer universes, no less. You are more than suitable to become my worker bees.”

A cold, creeping sensation came over them, and the darkness opened its eyes.

“N-no!”

The Apostle suddenly understood what he had missed. This was no darkness surrounding the butterflies. What they had mistaken for a shroud of shadow was nothing more than the countless silhouettes of insects.

A shrill whirring sound began to rise.

“Welcome, my new recruits.”

With a playful wink from Arsha, the Void Insects filling their field of vision swarmed toward the butterflies.

The Apostle of Domination was grossly outnumbered. He gritted his teeth, issuing a command to his soldiers.

“Attack! This is a holy war—”

Another chill ran down his spine. Something else had just come into view. Another insect had been concealed among the swarm, lounging comfortably as if waiting for the right moment. It was an ant, black vapor rising like smoke from its body. When their eyes met, the ant grinned wide, and burst into laughter.

“Domination, huh? You’ll be lucky to survive, let alone dominate. Struggle all you want, little pests sent by the Outer Gods.”

The ant had dug a pit for the Apostle of Domination, and the Apostle had walked straight into it.