Summary :
Chapter 116 of the solo leveling titled “The Shadow Monarch” picks up where the previous chapter left off, with Sung Jinwoo being appointed as the new leader of the Korean Hunter Association. Jinwoo immediately begins preparing for the upcoming battle against the monarchs. He knows the Monarchs are extremely powerful and needs to make sure his team is ready for battle. Jinwoo also begins to train more intensively. He knows he must become even stronger if he wants to defeat the monarchs. Meanwhile, the Monarchs are also preparing for battle. They are aware of Jinwoo’s power and are determined to defeat him. The chapter ends with Jinwoo facing the Monarchs for the first time. The two sides engage in battle, but the outcome is unknown. The chapter begins with the appointment of Sung Jinwoo as the new leader of the Korean Hunter Association. Jinwoo immediately begins preparing for the upcoming battle against the Monarchs. He knows the Monarchs are extremely powerful and needs to make sure his team is ready for battle. Jinwoo also begins to train more intensively. He knows he must become even stronger if he wants to defeat the monarchs. Meanwhile, the Monarchs are also preparing for battle. They are aware of Jinwoo’s power and are determined to defeat him. The chapter ends with Jinwoo facing the Monarchs for the first time. The two sides engage in battle, but the outcome is unknown. Chapter 116 is a great follow up to the previous chapter. The chapter sets the stage for an epic battle between Jinwoo and the Monarchs and shows Jinwoo’s determination to protect the world. I was particularly impressed with how the author handled the action in this chapter. The battle between Jinwoo and the Monarchs is well done and exciting. Overall, Chapter 116 is a must-read for solo leveling fans. It’s a well-written and exciting chapter that sets the stage for an epic final arc.
Goto Ryuji ended the communication there, his expression last pretty grim.
‘Did we omit some thing?’
a good way to correctly reap what they had been aiming for, the japanese considered all forms of opportunities and variables.
but, the event of a team offering 5 of the very fine eastern Hunters getting annihilated in a single cross like this – such a issue without a doubt surpassed all their expectations.
‘Wait a minute….’
some thing popped into his reminiscence just then. there has been an odd occurrence approximately 4 months ago.
The ant queen, being observed for 24 hours directly each unmarried day, abruptly showed a large decline in its magical strength emission. It changed into much less than half of the same old quantity!
The studies team interpreted that as the lifespan of the queen coming to an cease, and submitted numerous hopelessly optimistic reports. That become simplest till the ant queen began slowly improving her magic energy, of direction.
‘It took approximately a month, didn’t it?’
It didn’t take too long for the queen to regain its unique magic energy output. All the ones researchers that spoke up approximately the lifespan or as a substitute had to close their mouths as this end result glaringly went in opposition to their expectancies.
“Goto-san.”
The voice of one of the team members woke Goto Ryuji up from his reminiscence.
“….Mm.”
He were kneeling on one knee in order to test the our bodies of crew three’s lifeless Hunters. He slowly stood again up. Now wasn’t the time to fear about some thing else.
‘Did we come in a ways too deep inland…?’
Shashashashak….
hundreds of ants had regarded behind him by way of then, and these monsters raised their heads up as if they have been smacking their lips in anticipation of a delectable meal.
***
on the other hand….
The Korean crew had entered the boss room, additionally known as ‘the queen’s chamber’. It took them 15 minutes to get here.
‘If we recall the reality that we’ll want more or less the identical amount of time to get out of here….’
They still had round 30 minutes of wiggle room. Assuming that they must be able to shorten their go back trip because they were already familiar with the route now, the final time was at the ‘greater than enough’ aspect.
‘very good.’
Having confirmed the time together with his wristwatch, Mah Dong-Wook raised his head. the whole thing changed into going according to devise. What remained now changed into how ought to they move about bookending this operation.
Baek Yun-Ho used his ‘Eyes of the Beast’ to see via the darkness and appropriately assessed the range of enemies gift.
“The queen is at the rearmost region. There are eight guards in the front of the target.”
The queen’s guards were incomparably more potent than the everyday ants. It’d be too tough for one Tanker to take at the assaults of the queen and its guard monsters. From right here onwards, Mah Dong-Wook wanted some other individual to act as a secondary Tanker. He looked to his aspect.
“Hunter Cha.”
“sure.”
“Can you take on the defend duty while I tend to the queen?”
“go away it to me.”
Cha Hae-In’s reply became brief and easy.
She served as the primary Tanker in the course of the raids of her Guild, the Hunters. So, acting the role of a sub-Tanker was less complicated than drinking bloodless soup for her.
Mah Dong-Wook shifted his gaze to the rest of the group. each single member gift here become a top expert in hunting down monsters. Going via certain reasons become a waste of time for them.
“allow’s go.”
As soon as Mah Dong-Wook turned toward the ants, Choi Jong-In created a huge ball of light and floated it up to the very best factor in the boss room. That brightly illuminated the entirety of the chamber.
“Heok.”
The cameraman spat out a quiet gasp at the sheer size of the mild sphere. He fast began whispering in the direction of a small mic placed near his lips.
“As a rank A Hunter, I’ve participated in quite some raids before, but it’s my first time seeing any such large ‘mild’ magic like that. As expected of Korea’s first-rate Mage-type Hunter!”
His voice entered the mic and were given transmitted to the viewers at some point of the complete united states.
no longer too lengthy ago, he heard that the stay broadcast he turned into filming had shot past the target audience rating of 80%.
Feeling overly stimulated now, the cameraman attempted to breakthrough so one can seize even higher pictures, however then, Min Byung-Gu status subsequent to him at the back of the institution hurriedly yanked him back with the aid of his shoulder.
“Keok?!”
At this absolute energy, the cameraman couldn’t offer any resistance and spun around to face Min Byung-Gu. His shoulder harm so much that his mouth bobbed up and down all by means of itself.
‘How can a Healer be this sturdy….??’
there has been no time to get greatly surprised, although. The cameraman become now facing Min Byung-Gu who carried a totally distinctive expression to whilst he turned into busy cracking jokes during the journey within the helicopter.
“This here is a boss room of a rank S dungeon. no person right here is answerable for your lifestyles, besides yourself.”
hearing Min Byung-Gu’s anger-infused voice, the cameraman may want to simplest keep to nod his head, unable to form an intelligible respond.
“in case you recognize, then stay at the returned. The real aspect is set to get commenced.”
The overflowing energy of a rank S Hunter – even a Healer, who became purported to be the physically weakest out of all of the Hunter kinds, nonetheless may want to show an charisma that effortlessly beaten a rank A Hunter. That became the difference among a rank S and a rank A.
Such giant beings had been uniting together to begin an extreme conflict, so what ought to a measly little rank A cameraman even reap here? The cameraman felt his own powerlessness for the first time when you consider that becoming a Hunter, and hurriedly stood at the back of Min Byung-Gu. certain sufficient….
“here they arrive.”
A top notch-large ant determined the Hunters’ presence and shifted its six legs to slowly method wherein they have been.
“So, that’s the queen….”
Baek Yun-Ho nervously swallowed his saliva.
The taut, nervous tension was additionally writ massive on the faces of other Hunters.
The in reality commanding presence of the ant queen!
those guys and lady had become the very first people to witness the outer appearance of the ant queen, having sneaked beyond the wall of masses, hundreds of ants to get here.
‘these days, we will give up the lifeline of those d*mnable ants for excellent.’
Baek Yun-Ho’s coronary heart trembled as he idea about bringing that huge creature down. but, if they had been to do that, then initially….
Baek Yun-Ho’s glare that had been constant on the ant queen now shifted decrease to the floor.
‘We want to….’
8 ants strolling in front of the ant queen – they needed to cast off the guards first.
“Ha-ahp!”
as though he had examine the minds of his fellow raid contributors, the primary Tanker of the group, Mah Dong-Wook, rushed ahead to the frontline. A thick vein protruded out of his neck as he shouted out.
“You d*mn ants, come and get some!”
His brilliant roar!
The ants’ sights had degenerated now, however in return, their experience of listening to had come to be even more developed, in order that they straight away bared their fangs and claws before pouncing on Mah Dong-Wook’s function.
He fast seemed in the back of him.
“Hunter Cha! Now!”
Cha Hae-In have been walking in the back of Mah Dong-Wook at the same time as keeping a sure distance, and whilst she heard his name, speedy unsheathed her longsword. Grabbing the hilt in a reverse grip with each palms, she powerfully stabbed the ground.
skill, ‘Tremor of Provocation’ – activated!
Khwack!!
With the sword stabbing the ground serving because the epicentre, magic power radiated out in circular waves. The ant guards aiming at Mah Dong-Wook all changed their guidelines and jumped at Cha Hae-In alternatively, as though they were entranced with the aid of something effective.
‘There you pass!’
Mah Dong-Wook inwardly fist-pumped the air as the monsters ran past him and toward Cha Hae-In. She became a success in attracting the aggro of the ant guards.
next up, it was his turn.
Mah Dong-Wook quickly stepped in between Cha Hae-In and the large ant queen trying to shuffle towards her.
“You’re mine.”
The ant queen should’ve been displeased via an enemy blockading its manner, as it commenced bellowing out a high-pitched scream.
Kiiiieeeehhhk!!
Any old Tanker would were suppressed by the sheer pressure and cover their ears from that frightening screech, however this sort of trick wouldn’t paintings towards Korea’s fine Tanker, Mah Dong-Wook.
“Hap-!!”
He alternatively activated his ability, ‘struggle Cry of Provocation’.
in contrast to Cha Hae-In, who activated an AOE aggro talent, Mah Dong-Wook activated one that simplest labored in opposition to a single target.
The ant queen stopped screeching out and glared at Mah Dong-Wook now. He had successfully attracted its aggro.
‘sure!!’
And now, his position was to bear the boss’s assaults till his colleagues managed to kill off the ant guards and come to his resource. And that would be the position he felt most confident of appearing in this international.
Mah Dong-Wook lifted up that heavy, large guard right up below his chin, the light of grim dedication burning in his eyes. As he continually had completed, he started praying deep in his coronary heart.
‘Please furnish me the strength to shield myself and my colleagues nowadays.’
Kwa-ka-increase!!
just then, a huge explosion resounded out from in the back of him, signalling the beginning of the raid of the ant queen, where endless lives have been at stake.
***
“Grandpa, aren’t you going to watch? Hunters are supposed to expose up on display screen these days.”
“Grandma, I don’t care.”
“Don’t be like that now…..the parents in tv said just now that they could simply spoil aside the ones ants nowadays this time, so permit’s watch together.”
“Argh. all of them say the precise equal factor all the bloody time. I told you, I don’t care.”
An vintage grandpa turned away on his chair and focused on the newspaper, as a substitute. however then, a valid of him clicking his tongue got here out from his barely hunched lower back.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Even this newspaper is talking about the ones d*mn Hunters and nothing else. How dull.”
The antique grandma cautiously closed shut the door to their bed room as the grouchy voice of her husband persevered to enter her ears.
“Uh-whew….”
most effective till two years in the past, her husband used to keep so much hobby toward all of the news associated with Jeju Island. He became also a large supporter of Hunters, too.
Their one and simplest baby turned into taken from them by the ants of Jeju Island, in spite of everything.
The despair that felt like their global was collapsing on them soon became deep hatred towards the ant monsters. Her husband donated a enormous sum of money to the Hunters affiliation every time there has been a subjugation operation taking region to cheer at the participating Hunters.
He didn’t doze off due to nervousness on the nights leading as much as the operation dates, too.
however, the larger the one’s expectation, the more the one’s sadness could be.
while the 1/3 subjugation try, where the Hunters promised to spare no attempt to succeed, additionally ended up in failure with heavy losses incurred, her husband couldn’t regain his wits for numerous days, searching all dazed and so forth.
After that, her husband stopped speakme about Hunters altogether. He stopped expecting, and stopped hoping for a miracle from them.
“Whew….”
The grandma sighed out once more and picked up the remote of the tv in the dwelling room. whilst it became switched on, the host of the printed was within the center of making his emotional speech.
– Our proud Hunters of South Korea have taken their first actual step towards the ant queen raid!
The Hunters have been on the point of engage in combat just as she grew to become the tv on. The grandma accumulated her arms in front of her chest and persevered to look at on, her coronary heart beating quicker and quicker in anxiety.
when the Hunters were injured, she avoided her gaze even as feeling sorry for them. whilst the attacks of the Hunters landed effectively, she clapped her hands in satisfaction.
“Aigo! Aigoo!!”
– Ah, ah!! subsequently! they have delivered down a monster!
That turned into the beginning. The terrifying-looking ant monsters began falling separately from the fierce assaults of the Hunters. And each time that passed off, the roars and cheers of human beings shook and reverberated for the duration of the apartment constructing the grandma lived in.
“Aigoo! Aigoo!!”
– simplest 4! There are simplest four more left!! they have got controlled to defeat half of in their numbers!
hearing that statement, tears unexpectedly formed inside the grandma’s eyes.
to start with, she was grateful closer to these Hunters who had been risking their lives to shield other human beings.
Secondly, she recalled the face of her son because the boy celebrated him getting employed by means of a big company placed in Jeju Island.
– only two extra guards continue to be! as long as they are able to defeat those , they can begin concentrating on the ant queen! It’s no longer too long now from the successful crowning glory of this raid!
It turned into then.
Slam!
The bedroom’s door flew open and the grandpa hurriedly ran out, his face burning with feelings.
“pricey….”
despite the fact that grandma known as out to him, grandpa didn’t say something, his reddened eyes glued to the tv screen and nowhere else. His tightly-clenched fists were trembling hard now.
The host held his breath and persevered to observe the state of affairs for a while, earlier than….
– they have defeated all of these effective ant guards! The best ultimate ant is the queen itself! As soon as they kill the queen, it’ll be the same as the ants being completely decimated!! Our proud Hunters, they’re now not wasting any time and feature began attacking their final goal!
The tv display now displayed the stirring picture of 5 Hunters dashing in on the equal time from at the back of Mah Dong-Wook, who had continued commendably nicely in opposition to the ant queen’s attacks.
Thick tears streamed down grandpa’s face as he energetically punched the air almost out of intuition.
“Uwaaahhh-!!”
***
within the television station.
as the smartphone calls of encouragements and assist inundated the station’s smartphone line, the station’s director yelled out in natural, unadulterated pleasure.
“Sir, the target market rating has gone past eighty five% simply now!!”
“We did it!!”
The director tightly clenched each of his fists.
The target audience score of eighty five%!!
Now that became a report that might never be crushed, even if the South Korean football crew reached the final of the world Cup. And when he idea approximately all the profit coming from overseas, as well as the potential destiny revenue…..
‘A jackpot!!’
He plopped down on his chair and rubbed his face. all the other personnel in the station’s ‘state of affairs room’ all breathed sighs of comfort after seeing the satisfied face in their boss.
On the main display showing the transmitted footage from the island, the Korean Hunters had been busy making mincemeat out of the ant queen.
– america, China, Russia, and France!! that is the moment that South Korea will join the listing of countries which have effectively cleared a rank S Gate!
The station’s director took out his handkerchief to pat down his sweat-soaked slick brow.
‘yes, superb! superb!!’
The queen became getting ready to demise now; these kind of Hunters needed to do now changed into to complete off the ant monster and adequately break out from the ant tunnel.
but….
Kyahhhhhhhh-!!!
“What the hell?!”
The director become jolted out of his senses and he quick took a glance behind him. one of the producers hurriedly diminished the extent. The director tilted his head this way and that, before on foot toward wherein this manufacturer became.
“producer Nah? What was that noise simply now?”
“Ah, that turned into…. that is the real-time stay feed coming from Jeju Island, really. That screech got here from the ant queen.”
“The ant queen made that noise?”
there has been a moderate put off among the published being proven to the general public and that of the real-time live feed coming in from the island. since nobody knew what could happen for the duration of the raid itself, it was determined that the actual-time photos couldn’t be shown to the general public without delay.
The station’s director stared on the feed, before issuing an order with a smile on his face.
“well, I think it gained’t do for a monster’s terrible screech to come out when we’re approximately to witness a historical victory. How approximately you edit that component out, or decrease the audio volume?”
“Will do, sir.”
This manufacturer named ‘Nah’ nodded his head, and the director squeezed his proper shoulder as a gesture of encouragement. It turned into then.
one of the station’s worker hurriedly ran as much as him with a hardened expression.
“Director, manufacturer Nah!!”
The director quick became his head around.
in step with his personal enjoy, now not once did the reports made with the aid of his subordinates carrying such expressions grow to be an awesome one.
Even before the director heard the report, he became beset with this rather ominous hunch. Praying that he became incorrect, as a minimum for nowadays, the director carefully asked the employee.
“….What passed off?”
unfortunately, one’s ominous hunches had a way of coming real. The worker spoke in a disconcerted voice.
“Sir, I just observed out that japanese Hunters are retreating from the island right now!”
“What became that?!”
***
Mah Dong-Wook spurred his teammates on.
“We’re almost there!! let us simply push a touch bit more difficult, each person!”
just as his words implied, the ant queen was absolutely on its last legs. All they wished changed into a touch more push, and that would be it.
There were masses of arrows stuck tightly collectively on the pinnacle of the queen fired through Im Tae-Gyu, and the creature resembled a hedgehog as a end result.
Pi-ooong!
Kwa-jeeck!
but any other arrow flew and struck the queen in the face. The creature screeched out as though it changed into in super pain and shook its head.
Kieeehhk!!
The queen quick recovered its bearings and started out spewing out toxic acidic liquid at some stage in the boss room.
Splash-!!
It became this sort of wide-scale assault that several Hunters did not get away in time. Their skins started burning up into black charcoal, but their wounds had been restored in full by using Min Byung-Gu’s recovery magic.
Kiieeehk!!
The queen was in addition enraged via the reality that its acid attack wasn’t effective, and bit down on Mah Dong-Woo in the front of the institution with its large, saw-like fangs.
Kwack!!!
but, Mah Dong-Wook activated the ‘advanced Fortification’ skill to shield his whole body and controlled to undergo the queen’s attack.
One side of the ant’s jaw turned into blocked off through the shield, at the same time as the other facet, along with his left hand. at the same time as Mah Dong-Wook changed into buying extra time in this style, a huge pillar of flames exploded out from the facet of the ant queen.
Kwa-ka-ka-increase!!
It became Choi Jong-In’s magic doing its element.
Kiiehk!!
The queen staggered and failed to balance itself. Baek Yun-Ho in his beast-type monster form, in the meantime, seized upon this hazard and jumped up in no time to tear out the queen’s left fang with his bare hand/paw.
Kwajeeck!!
Deftly touchdown returned at the ground, Baek Yun-Ho breathed heavily as actuality grew large in his coronary heart.
‘The queen’s completed.’
His great looking experience told him so. This would be the moment once they finally kill the leader of an army of monsters that dyed this land black with the blood in their sufferers.
just a little bit more, and it’d be accomplished. whilst he idea like that, a certain effective emotion welled up from deep interior his heart.
however then, the queen all of sudden raised its head high up within the air. And….
Kyaaaaaaaaahhh-!!
A screech that changed into so loud that it nearly ruptured the Hunters’ eardrums reverberated throughout the complete ant tunnel. Baek Yun-Ho’s eyes shook tough.
‘What become that?! A roar of anger? Its dying throes?’
No, it felt different from the ones. That screech gave the impression of a pleading call towards a person, some thing, which turned into nonetheless far away.
‘It’s calling for something?!’
whilst his concept process reached there, he felt an unexplainable relax run down his spine.
“We want to forestall that thing!!”
earlier than Baek Yun-Ho should take every other breakthrough, Cha Hae-In jumped up alternatively gracefully and swung down the sword she held firmly with each arms.
Slice!
The queen’s head fell down to the floor first before she ought to land lower back on her toes.
Thud!!
The cameraman were holding his breath as he bore witness to this war of the rank S creatures. And finally, he changed into capable of raise each of his hands up excessive in elation as tears shaped in his eyes.
This become the instant whilst the curtains closed on the scary warfare that lasted for four years.
“Pant, pant….”
The heavily-panting Mah Dong-Wook raised his thumb up towards his teammates.
Cha Hae-In also sighed out in comfort. Choi Jong-In grinned as he adjusted his glasses, even as Im Tae-Gyu punched the air. all of us changed into expressing their delight over the victory in their personal way.
best Baek Yun-Ho amongst them changed into shuddering from this ominous and unexplainable kick back taking root in the nook of his heart.
“Hyung, we just became the seventh raid team within the complete international to efficaciously clean a rank S Gate, so why do you seem like….”
“keep on.”
It turned into then. Mah Dong-Wook, who have been in conversation with the command centre, all of sudden formed an enraged expression.
there has been no time for them to relax like this. He quick known as out to his teammates taking a short spoil nearby.
“the japanese have withdrawn already, and the remaining ants are heading this way! We need to escape from right here, right now!”
“What?!”
“however, don’t we nonetheless have some time left?!”
“20 rank S Hunters couldn’t even keep out for 30 minutes, in no way thoughts one hour?!”
when his teammates grew visibly flustered, Mah Dong-Wook spoke in a complex voice.
“I don’t recognize the details, but…. The association is trying to find out what’s happening, but the eastern have one-sidedly reduce off the communication.”
“the ones stinking sons of b*tches…!”
Choi Jong-In spat out a few preference phrases in disgust.
If it were the japanese Hunters down right here and not the Koreans, might they’ve given up this early and withdraw? irrespective of what, though – one had to be alive first so that it will get indignant later.
To prevent unrest from breaking out among his teammates, Mah Dong-Wook did his exceptional to suppress his personal feelings. With a relaxed face, he hurried with their get away from this location.
“absolutely everyone, hurry!”
The individuals of the Korean raid crew hurriedly ran towards the exit of the queen’s chamber.
however, the only jogging in the lead, Baek Yun-Ho, stopped in his tracks first.
“Ah…..”
“Hyung?”
Min Byung-Gun going for walks proper in the back of needed to stop there, and as a sequence reaction, every body else came to a forestall as well. Wordlessly rooted to the spot, Baek Yun-Ho’s gaze became constant in a single direction as his whole body started out trembling quite.
“This, this can’t be….”
This couldn’t be happening.
No, one of these element shouldn’t even happen inside the first area.
As he watched a shadow approach them, he recalled the tall, humanoid-fashioned eggshell back within the nursery location.
‘This… you’re telling me that that is the electricity possessed by using a single monster??’
Baek Yun-Ho’s complexion paled instantly.
different Hunters feeling puzzled subsequently sensed something was incorrect and fast took a step lower back from the exit.
“What’s this?”
“Did the ants return right here already??”
as the Hunters commenced falling into a stressed kingdom….
From the far facet of the ant tunnel draped in darkness, a single winged ant become slowly strolling closer to the Korean Hunters.