Epilogue

One Year Later

The war with the Outer Gods was winding down. The moment Sung Suho joined the front lines, the balance of power collapsed in an instant. The World Tree, having come back to life, had begun to bear fruit again.

Suho’s power also played a decisive role in the war’s outcome. The angels of the sky, newly born soldiers of the Rulers from the World Tree’s fruits, were immediately sent into battle. Amazingly, every one of them became loyal soldiers who served and obeyed the World Tree’s shadow—Suho. In this way, Suho became a major variable in the war, though the method differed from his father, who had held the Outer Gods at bay with sheer, overwhelming strength.

The Outer Gods were no longer the imperious invaders they had once been, and now needed to fear the hunters who came for their heads. The moment Suho brought down a single Outer God, the tide shifted. One by one, more of them began to fall. With each death, another dimension was left without a master.

Naturally, the interest of the Outer Gods fractured. There was no longer a reason to fixate on Earth, a planet now defended by not one but two “abysses.” It simply wasn’t worth the risk. The Outer Gods who had once fiercely competed for Earth now scattered, fighting instead over the other unclaimed dimensions. Thanks to that, Earth naturally regained its peace.

Of course, it wasn’t a perfect peace. Gates of various sizes still opened from time to time, as the frequent battles between Outer Gods had weakened the walls between dimensions. However, humanity was no longer a powerless group of victims, unable to resist foreign invaders. Now, when a gate appeared, hunters across the world responded swiftly, neutralizing the magic beasts. In fact, the opposite happened quite a lot as well.

Ding!

“Huh?”

“It’s a new quest!”

Everyone walking along the street glanced down at the smartwatches on their wrists. Ahjinsoft’s game capsules had become an everyday necessity for humanity, and the system had just sent every user a message.

[Emergency Quest: Rescue refugees from the “Fractured Sky” dimension.]

[Random Quest: Eliminate the source of pollution in the “Floating Corpse” dimension.]

“Wow! No way! Two quests at the same time!”

“And they’re allowing tons of participants, too!”

“I’m joining this time for sure!”

To humanity, the Tower of Tribulation was no longer a virtual reality game. Shattered dimensional fragments remained, torn apart by the war with the Outer Gods. Countless Void Insects tracked down the coordinates of those scattered fragments, and the Tower became a frontier outpost of a new era, created to collect or eliminate the threats that emerged. The dimensional fragments which had wandered through space, or the outer dungeons, as they were called, were given a black pyramid—the Tower of Tribulation. This allowed the entire human race to travel over in their game avatars through the Tower. They would then adapt to the environment, level up, and complete their quests.

The quests were as varied as the universe was large. Some involved invasion or conquest, while others were about exchange or collection. The nature of each quest usually depended on which Monarch had issued it. The Monarch of Domination, as expected, wanted total control over the dimension. The Monarch of Tribulation issued quests that helped humanity grow. The Monarch of Gluttony, on the other hand, sought the collection of every last bit of nourishment left in the outer dungeons.

Killing the monsters that got in the way was simply part of the process. The alien resources and corpses of monsters they brought back greatly advanced human civilization, more than any other time in history. Crises were often opportunities, after all. At the edge of the war of the gods that had seemed eternal, humanity had opened the door to a new era.

***

In a quiet corner of that now-peaceful Earth, deep in an unknown, underground bunker, two of the most powerful beings of the universe were still engaged in a fierce battle. One of them was Sung Jinwoo, the Monarch of Shadows. The other was Antares, the Monarch of Destruction—in Ragna’s body, of course. Then, at last, the inevitable happened.

There was the rapid clacking of keys.

“Damn it! You! That’s my main base! That’s not fair!”

“Hahaha! War is all about deception, you brat! I saw through your silly attempts to scout long ago!”

The furious pounding of keys and mouse buttons echoed through the space like machine guns on a battlefield, sending vibrations rippling through the bunker’s air. Though Ragna had temporarily shrunk thanks to magic, his true form was growing larger and larger. This underground base had been built specifically for him. In truth, it was more of a dragon’s lair.

At the far end of the massive bunker, two identical computers sat side by side, the glow of the monitors illuminating the bloodshot eyes of two great beings. They were currently waging a brutal interstellar war in-game, commanding their respective races through the screen.

[Nuclear launch detected.]

Jinwoo slammed the keyboard.

“What the hell?!”

A curse flew from his mouth. A nuclear missile was headed straight for his main base. His face went pale.

“Hahaha! Behold! This is true destruction!” Antares let out a triumphant laugh.

Even using his tail to help him smash the keyboard, his deft movements were nothing short of divine. Under his will, countless units moved like clockwork and tore through Jinwoo’s last line of defense. It was the intelligence and commanding ability one would expect from the Monarch who had led the other Monarchs in an endless war.

Quietly, Haein approached them, a tray in her hands. One of Korea’s most powerful National Level Hunters, she didn’t so much as blink at the hostile energy the two were giving off. In fact, she couldn’t have seemed more at ease. The fruit knife in her hand, however, told a different story.

Sword of Light.

The knife moved faster than the eye could follow. In no time, perfectly peeled pieces of apple lay neatly on the tray, each one shaped like a little rabbit. The discarded skins fluttered down like autumn leaves into a separate bowl, trailing in elegant arcs.

“Doesn’t it hurt your throats to shout so loudly? Have some fruit, at least,” she said in a soft, kind tone, placing the plate of apples next to them.

“Oh, yeah... Thank you!” Jinwoo replied, barely managing a response. His eyes never left the screen. He wasn’t sure if he should just type “GG” or make one last desperate push. He was torn, his eyes flickering with doubt.

However, the match was already over. There was no going back.

“Hahaha! Victory is mine! I finally beat you! If you wish, I will even accept a rematch, you failure!”

“Ugh...”

Antares, basking in his win, shouted for another round, while Jinwoo was visibly deflated.

Haein let out a quiet sigh and shook her head. The two of them were so calm and dependable most of the time, but when it came to competition, they turned into children. This entire underground base had been specially soundproofed so their antics wouldn’t disturb the surrounding region. Even so, when they got too into it, the whole structure sometimes trembled, just as it did now. They released energy without realizing it when they focused on the game, and the bunker, despite the layers of demonic spirit magic that protected it, screamed for mercy.

She couldn’t very well tell them to take their enjoyment to the shadow realm, though. Apparently, online games didn’t work there. Of course, it wasn't entirely impossible. If demonic spirit magic was used to poke a tiny hole in the dimensional wall, they could get internet access. Still, this wasn’t a good time for such a thing. The dimensional wall was already unstable from the war of the Outer Gods. It wouldn’t be acceptable to widen the dimensional breach any further just to play a game. So, because of that grand, noble decision, a bunker had come into being under their home.

Haha...

Haein laughed at the absurdity of it.

A dragon’s lair, under our house. The lair of the King of Dragons, no less.

Now that she thought about it, it could almost be the title of a web novel, but this was reality. Really, in the end, it wasn’t half bad. She grinned.

My husband doesn’t have any friends anyway. This is a good thing.

What did it matter that they growled at each other the moment their eyes met? At least there was one companion, no matter how evil, who dared to challenge the Monarch of Shadows, the man who had saved the universe. Haein felt proud of that.

Even if her husband acted like a kid in here, the moment he stepped outside, the whole world went into a frenzy just seeing his face. Praise poured in from all directions. It had become nearly impossible for him to make friends who treated him normally anymore.

“All right, that’s it for now,” Jinwoo said.

“What?!” Antares demanded. “You coward, have you lost the courage for a rematch?”

As Jinwoo suddenly let go of his mouse, Antares shot up in outrage. Jinwoo stood and brushed himself off without a second thought.

“No, really. Let’s call it a day.”

He bit into one of the apple slices his wife had brought, powering down his computer. With a loud crunch, sweet juice spread through his mouth.

“Don’t tell me you’re running away, Monarch of Shadows!”

“Next time. Today’s my wedding anniversary,” Jinwoo replied coolly.

“Oh?” At that calm declaration, Antares was shocked. “Your... anniversary?”

His brain, which had only ever known destruction, had never once considered such a concept. The tail that had been raised triumphantly in victory drooped.

“You’re ending our sacred war... for something that trivial?” he asked.

“Of course. See you later,” Jinwoo replied, slipping an arm around Haein’s shoulder and leaving the bunker.

Antares screamed in fury behind them, but Jinwoo paid it no mind. He was more frightened of the smile on Haein's face.

“Oh, you remembered?” she said.

Jinwoo missed a beat. “Heh... Of course I did.”

For some reason, the sweet apple in his mouth suddenly tasted bitter. It couldn’t possibly be poisoned, of course—though he had noticed her growing much closer to Arsha lately.

I’ll trust that’s not the case, my dear wife...

***

The two of them strolled down the street, hand in hand for the first time in a long while. The clear blue sky poured down warm sunlight, and peaceful smiles lit the faces of people passing by.

“It’s been so long since we went on a date like this,” Haein said.

“Yeah,” he agreed.

She gently rested her head on his shoulder, and without a word, he gripped her hand a little tighter.

Some moments didn’t need words. It had been such a long time. The last wedding anniversary they could remember had been the day the war of the Outer Gods had begun in earnest. Suho had still been in high school at the time. That day had torn Jinwoo and Haein apart against their will, and that forced separation had stretched on for years.

Jinwoo had endured a long, grueling war in the far reaches of the universe all alone, and Haein had withstood the bitter cold and harsh years in the dimension of the Snow Folk. They had done it all to get back this quiet, precious time. It had taken years, but their wish had finally come true.

“I feel... happy,” Jinwoo murmured.

“Oh, I was just about to say that,” Haein replied. Their eyes met, and they smiled.

Then, Jinwoo froze. His brow furrowed.

Hmm.

He sensed a very unpleasant foreign presence. It seemed that unwelcome guests had returned to the peaceful Earth for the first time in a while. If it were an ordinary gate, he’d have left it to the hunters, but this evil energy was far beyond what they could handle. These guests had forcibly twisted the laws that had been put in place to shield Earth from the aftermath of the war against the Outer Gods.

“What is it? Don’t tell me it’s happening again?” Haein asked, instantly recognizing the look on his face.

Jinwoo sighed and looked at her. “I won’t be long,” he said quietly. He moved to open a path through his shadow.

“Dad, I’ll go instead.”

Suddenly, Suho’s face emerged from Jinwoo’s shadow. Just like his father, Suho had also detected the suspicious energy from outer space.

“Hup!” Suho climbed out and stood upright, grinning at his parents, who’d been enjoying their date. “You two relax. It’s your wedding anniversary, and it’s been far too long since you celebrated one.”

“Oh!”

“I’ll take care of those small fry myself.”

His words carried absolute confidence. Jinwoo silently looked into his son’s eyes for a moment. He really was growing up. Suho now stood as tall as he did, and in those deep, dark eyes were both his father’s abyss and his mother’s unwavering light.

At last, Jinwoo smiled faintly and nodded. It wouldn’t hurt to let his son take this one.

“Thanks, son.”

“Be careful,” Haein added.

“I will. See you.”

Suho’s gentle smile vanished the moment he turned away. In its place was the cold stare of a Monarch.

“Now then, shall we? I don’t know who decided to ruin my parents’ anniversary...” A pale shadow unfurled behind him. “But I’ll kill them all.”

With a leap, he soared into the sky to pass judgment on the invaders who dared set foot on Earth.

Jinwoo and Haein silently watched as he shot away at the speed of light. A new threat had come to Earth, but not a hint of anxiety touched their faces. Instead, they calmly smiled.

“Well then, let’s continue our date,” Jinwoo said. “We’ll leave world peace to our son.”

Beru gave a high shriek. “Then I shall act as your guide!”

“My lord, I’ve compiled a full list of the most popular date spots!” another voice piped up.

“No, let me!” shouted another.

“All of you, back inside,” Jinwoo ordered as his shadow soldiers emerged in excitement. They obediently sank back into the shadows. Igris, however, left behind a carefully prepared list of recommended date spots for the day.

No one seemed particularly concerned for Suho, who had flown off alone. It was to be expected. Suho was no longer the young son who needed their protection. Beru was reminded of this again as he watched Suho soar through the sky, splitting a fluffy white cloud in half.

He smiled in quiet satisfaction and murmured, “You’ve done well, Young Monarch.”

At those words, a soft smile appeared on Jinwoo’s lips too.

Yes, my son. The Protector of the World Tree, the Monarch of Transcendence. Suho. Great work.

There was one more thing he wanted to say to his son.

Thank you

for growing into such a strong man.

A new era had begun, and with it, a new legend, one that would shape their world forever.

(End of Solo Leveling: Ragnarok)