Solo Leveling: Monarch of Light

The dungeon seemed to shake from its very foundation as the towering Specter burst into view completely from the shroud of shadow that hid him, glowing red eyes fixing unerringly upon the hunters. Suho's had never had anything quite this imposing face up to him-be it looming like some colossus, yet in motion appearing fluid like darkness in the water-but unmistakably power stood as his very aspect.

The monster raised an enormous claw, black energy swirling around it like a storm of death. The entire cavern flickered, as if the shadows themselves were bending to the will of the beast.

Joon-Ho's voice rang out. "Scatter!"

The Specter swung down—and the ground exploded.

Suho barely managed to roll out of the way as a shockwave of black energy tore through the stone where he had been standing. Dust and debris flew in all directions, forcing him to shield his face.

"We can't fight it head-on!" one of the hunters shouted, panic creeping into his voice.

"No choice," Joon-Ho growled. "We're locked in."

Suho's eyes darted toward the entrance of the chamber—now completely sealed by a barrier of shadows. There was no escape. They had to win or die here.

---

Joon-Ho took control quickly. "Mages, light magic—NOW!"

The ranged hunters started chanting and their hands emitting a bright glowing orb. They hurled the orbs towards the Specter. It lit the cavern with brilliance that blinded and blinded further with its light as it struck the creature. Upon the impact, the creature gave an ear-shattering shriek and recoiled, its body flickering extremely.

Suho's grip tightened on his sword. It is weak to light. That's our way out.

"Hit it when it opens up!" Suho shouted. "Can't afford to miss one opening!"

Joon-Ho nodded. "Agreed. Tanks, keep its mind busy! Suho, come on with me. We're going to hit it the instant it's open."

The tanks charged ahead, their shields raised to defend against a wave of shadow energy as the Specter tried to force them back. They stood firm, armor glowing faintly as protective enchantments took the hit.

The mages cast another salvo of light spells, forcing the Specter back once again. This was it.

"Go!" Joon-Ho bellowed.

Suho sprinted forward, his heart racing. His Agility stat had risen, and he could feel it-his body was lighter, faster, sharper. He closed the distance in seconds, raising his blade high before hacking down.

His sword met solid resistance.

The Specter let out a guttural hiss as black ichor splattered from the wound.

Suho didn't stop. He twisted his body, delivering another quick strike before backstepping just in time as a claw the size of a boulder slammed down where he had been standing.

Joon-Ho followed up with a massive swing of his greatsword, cleaving through the Specter's midsection.

"It's working!" one of the hunters yelled.

But then, the cavern went dark.

---

The glowing crystals lining the walls of the cavern shattered, sending the entire battlefield into pure darkness.

A sudden force slammed into Suho's chest, sending him flying backward. He hit the ground hard, rolling several feet before he finally came to a stop. His vision spun, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe.

"Damn…" he coughed, forcing himself up.

The Specter had adapted. It was using the darkness against them.

"Stay together!" Joon-Ho called. "Don't let it pick you off one by one!"

A bloodcurdling scream tore from the darkness, and a hunter's scream of agony cut through the night.

Suho's chest was constricting. They were losing control.

Then, out of the dark, his Status Window lit up.

---

[Emergency Quest: Survive]

Objective: Defeat the king of Specter before your team is wiped out.

Time Limit: 5 minutes.

Quest Penalty: Death

---

Death? This is the first time the system gave a penalty such as this

Suho clenched his fists. No. He wasn't going to let that happen.

---

"Everyone, listen to me!" Suho shouted over the chaos. "The Specter is using the darkness, but we can still win! Mages—charge up a concentrated light attack! When I give the signal, release it all at once!"

Joon-Ho looked at him and smiled. "Not a bad plan. You heard him!

The mages began to chant and their combined light magic began growing into one massive orb of radiance. The Specter, sensing danger, let out a guttural screech and rushed toward them.

"Not so fast!" Suho roared.

He sprinted forward, intercepting the Specter's charge. He couldn't block it. He didn't have the strength for that.

But he could redirect it.

Just before the Specter could rip through the mages, Suho dodged to the side, slashing into its leg with a precise cut, controlled with all his might. The Specter lost its balance, reeling just for a moment under the light magic's peak.

"Now!" he yelled.

All the mages let loose of every last iota of energy within them.

The entire cavern became a blinding radiance.

The Specter let out an unearthly shriek, its form writhing as the pure light energy burned away its shadow essence.

Suho didn't hesitate. He gritted his teeth, ignoring his burning muscles, and launched himself forward one last time.

With everything he had left, he drove his sword straight into the Specter's core.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, the Specter exploded into a cloud of black mist, dispersing into nothing.

---

Suho stood there, panting, his sword still raised. The barrier sealing the cavern cracked before shattering completely.

They had won.

One by one, the remaining hunters let out relieved sighs, some collapsing to their knees from exhaustion. Joon-Ho wiped sweat from his brow, giving Suho an approving nod.

"Not bad, rookie," he said. "You really pulled that off."

Suho let out a breathless chuckle. "I told you—I'm not here to lose."

Before he could even process what had happened, his Status Window flashed again.

---

[You have defeated a spectrum.]

[You have gained experience points.]

[You have leveled up.]

[New Item Acquired: Shadowed Core of the Specter Lord (Spectrum).]

---

Suho's eyes widened. A reward item?

He paused, noticing something off. "Lord of Specter? Not king of?" Suho mumbled in a low tone his eyes gazing in the shadow

"Gaze into the abyss and the abyss gaze back" suddenly an eerie voice emerge in the dark subsequently as a glowing eyes shot back a look startling suho

Suho suddenly flinched as he look back into the group of people behind him

"EVERYONE! DODGE" Suho shouted in horror as everyone looked at him in confusion

Jon-hoo also noticed something and shouted as he rolled unto the side

"Just fucking dodge!!" And Everyone without question dodge too

Then in a flash, a massive red beam of light came, Annihilating everything in its path

Everyone looked in horror as they saw the ground where they were standing earlier, now hollowed

Not even a speck of dust survived the attack

Joon-ho looked at the direction of the attack, then cold sweats emerge from his back as he felt every scalp of his tingle in fear

He felt the lady of death looking at him

On the direction of the attack, as the glowing crystal stones shone on it

Everyone then saw it, a massive humanoid creature the size of a 2 story building. It's eyes glowing, it's hand resting on its spear

It looked on them with its cold gaze, uncertainty in it's eyes as it looked at suho

As Suho stood there, catching his breath, something shifted. The air felt colder, denser. The darkness in the cavern seemed to press in even harder, like a living entity, smothering all light and hope. Suho's instincts screamed, his heart pounding against his ribs as a wave of dread washed over him.

Suddenly, the ground trembled, sending Suho off balance. The Specter's body had dissipated, but that wasn't the end. The very walls of the dungeon shuddered and creaked, as if the entire place was about to collapse.

"Suho," Joon-Ho's voice came sharply through the static of his thoughts. "Stay alert."

But it was too late. The screeching howls of more Specters echoed from the deepest shadows, much louder than before. They were coming.

And then came the twist— the real boss had not been the creature they had just slain.

Suho felt it in the air, a shift in presence. The monster that had appeared wasn't the true commander of this dungeon. It had been a lie, a trap to lure them in, and now the true power was about to show itself.

Joon-Ho turned sharply, his gaze widening as he scanned the darkened chamber. "No way. This can't be right…" His voice was strained, a deep sense of fear creeping in for the first time.

Before anyone could react, the shadows in the cavern deepened, and something massive emerged from the abyss.

An immense humanoid figure took form, the air bending and crackling around it. It stood nearly two stories tall, with glowing red eyes that locked onto Suho. Its armor glistened like blackened obsidian, and it held a giant spear, its tip glowing with dark energy. Every step it took sent ripples through the ground.

"No..." Suho breathed. "This wasn't the boss."

Joon-Ho's face paled, and for a brief moment, Suho saw the fear in joon-ho's eyes. "It's... the Specter king"

The Specter king, as it was now known, towered over them like a nightmare made flesh, its sheer presence crushing any last remnants of hope. It stared down at Suho, its glowing red eyes full of curiosity—but something deeper lay within them. There was an ancient knowing. The creature was aware of who Suho was.

Joon-Ho, suddenly aware of the threat, gripped his sword. "We need to get out, now. Suho, we can't—"

But his words were cut off by a sickening shriek that tore through the air. The Specter king lifted its spear high, and the dark energy swirling around it intensified, illuminating the cavern with an ominous glow.

The first strike came almost instantly. The spear's shaft glowed red as it shot forward, aiming directly at the center of their formation.

"Move!" Joon-Ho shouted, shoving Suho to the side.

Suho barely had time to react before the spear pierced through the ground, sending a shockwave that ripped through their ranks.

The impact was devastating.

---

The Tragedy Unfolds

The hunters around them were immediately overwhelmed. Some managed to dodge, but others weren't so lucky. Screams of pain echoed as one of the hunters was impaled by the incoming spear, his body crushed beneath the sheer force of the blow.

Joon-Ho gritted his teeth, his voice trembling. "No… NO!" He charged forward, but the Specter Lord's attention was fully fixed on Suho now.

Suho couldn't process it. The sight of his fellow hunters falling—struggling, some disappearing into the shadows—was enough to freeze his body.

It all seemed like it was happening in slow motion. They had given everything. They had sacrificed for the victory. But it wasn't enough.

Suho fell to his knees, devastated. The darkness in the cavern seemed to press in on him from all sides, the weight of failure settling into his chest.

"We can't... we can't lose now..." Suho muttered under his breath, the words barely a whisper, his mind racing for a way to stop the monster, to save the others.

But there was no more time.

One by one, the remaining hunters were either crushed by the sheer force of the Specter Lord's strikes or torn apart by its shadow-claws. The barrage of attacks kept coming relentlessly, and within moments, only Joon-Ho and Suho were left standing.

Joon-Ho, his face streaked with blood and dirt, staggered toward Suho. "We've got one chance…" He managed a strained grin. "We can't give up."

Suho's eyes widened. "Joon-Ho... don't! We can still fight!"

But the B-rank hunter's eyes were filled with resolve. "I've fought enough battles to know when it's over." He turned to face the Specter Lord, lifting his sword for a final stand. "This is it. You finish what we started."

Suho couldn't believe it. "No, I—"

But Joon-Ho had already launched himself toward the beast, sword raised. "Do it, Suho!"

In that single, fleeting moment, Suho understood what was happening. Joon-Ho wasn't going to survive. He wasn't just throwing his life away—he was giving Suho the final chance to end this.

Joon-Ho's sword collided with the Specter Lord's armor, causing a massive shockwave, but it wasn't enough. He was thrown backward, wounded, but still alive—barely.

In his final moments, Joon-Ho's voice was strong, a command given through sheer will. "Finish it, Suho!"

The Specter king's spear descended, and with it came the weight of finality.

Suho screamed, his mind breaking as he charged forward, sword raised. He had no plan—only a burning desire to finish this for Joon-Ho, for the fallen hunters, for everything that had brought him to this point.

With everything he had left, Suho drove his sword deep into the chest of the Specter Lord. The creature let out an otherworldly roar, its form flickering, finally disintegrating into nothingness as its essence was obliterated.

As the Specter Lord's form vanished, a voice rang out—clear, resonating only in Suho's mind.

"Why does a vessel of a Monarch fight for humans?" the voice asked, an unsettling, cryptic question that pierced Suho's mind.

Suho's breath caught in his throat. He felt a chill run down his spine as his system notification flashed, but before he could process the meaning, the dungeon began to collapse.

[Congratulations for defeating The weakened remnant of the forgotten Era Rokan, the king of specter]

[Congratulations, you have completed the "emergency quest" in the allotted time]

[You have gained a massive amount of experience points]

[You have Level'ed up]

[You have Level'ed up]

[You have Level'ed up]

[You have Level'ed up]

[You have gained an additional points for completing the quest]

[You have Level'ed up]

-----------------------------------------

[Status Window]

Name: Kim Suho

Level: 13

Class: None

HP: 550

MP: 130

Strength: 58

Agility: 53

Vitality: 48

Intelligence: 38

Sense: 35

Points Available: 10