Solo Leveling- Ragnarok-Chapter 280

The president of the bank sprinted through the city at breakneck speed, his breath coming in ragged gasps as the world blurred past him. His destination was clear—his bank, where Suho had reportedly appeared.

His legs, unnaturally taut with strength beyond that of any ordinary human, propelled him forward in massive leaps, each step leaving craters in the ground.

Every resident of this city was awakened, and the president was no exception. He was a B-rank villain. He hadn’t pushed himself to run like this since a certain moment long in the past. The moment he’d heard Suho had appeared at the bank, however, his hair stood on end just as it had then.

I have to stop him at all costs!

Panic clawed at his chest. He could only hope that his employees were handling the situation with composure and caution, but he was filled with worry. There had never been any training or protocol for this kind of situation, so leaving it entirely to his employees’ discretion felt like tempting fate.

Should we just attack him together and kill him, rules be damned?

Murderous intent surged within him, and a crimson energy pulsed along the veins protruding from his skin and spread across his body.

In the end, he was a villain just like everyone else in this city. It would be far easier to kill “Beru” than to waste time agonizing over strategy.

Ah, I’ve arrived!

The bank president slammed open the doors and barged inside.

“S-sir...”

One of the employees stared at him wide-eyed, clearly unsettled by the president’s frantic appearance. The employee’s face was as pale as a sheet.

What happened...? What the hell happened here?

His breathing ragged, the president quickly scanned the bank. The air felt thick with chaos, as though a storm had ripped through the place and left devastation in its wake.

Then he saw it.

Money!

His eyes bulged. Towering piles of glittering coins were stacked in front of the employees, the sheer amount dominating the room. The very currency that he had just been discussing with the coalition had returned to the bank of its own accord.

But the sight did not bring him relief. Ignoring the fortune, he stormed past the money and bolted toward the fruit storage—the most important part of the bank. The door was wide open.

He gritted his teeth. “You... f*cking idiots!”

The moment he saw the emptied vault, he looked back at the employees. His arm shot forward, elongating unnaturally as it wrapped around an employee’s neck—that of the bank’s vice president, the man standing closest to the money.

The vice president gagged and kicked desperately as he was hoisted into the air. The president’s arm seemed to have no trouble lifting him. Instead of flesh and bone, a mass of writhing plant fibers extended from his shoulder, coiling and shifting like tentacles, undulating like the branches of Álfheimr itself.

“Tell me.”

The bank president’s voice was cold as death as he swept his gaze across the cowering employees.

“Tell me exactly what happened here, and do it quickly.”

Madness flowed from his bloodshot eyes.

***

Not long before, Suho had stepped through the bank’s doors. As he did, the employees, as well as the citizens who were here over a job or their debt, stiffened in shock.

“I-is that...”

“Is that what I think it is?”

Suho had a massive pack slung over his shoulder. As he made his way toward the counter, the awed crowd instinctively parted, clearing a path.

Thanks to the incident at the market that morning, there was no one in the city who didn’t recognize him. Even those who hadn’t personally been at the scene to see his face had at least heard his alias, “Beru.”

When they saw a man walk into the bank carrying a sack of that size, it took no great intelligence to figure out that he was the infamous figure from those rumors. It was difficult for less perceptive villains to survive in a land like this one.

As they watched, Suho opened the pack in front of a bank teller. The radiance of the coins glittering inside made everyone’s jaw drop.

Holy sh*t.

I never actually thought...

All that in just a single day?

It was overwhelming. Under normal circumstances, seeing so much wealth would have made any villain greedy, but there was so much money that their first reaction was pure awe.

“I’m here to buy some fruit,” Suho said.

“Well, uh...”

The directness of his request made the bank teller flinch, momentarily blinded by the gleam of the coins.

Seeing this, the vice president of the bank swiftly stepped out from behind the teller, pushing them aside to handle things personally. “Welcome! You must be Beru, the newcomer who arrived last night! You’re looking to purchase fruit, is that correct?”

“Yes. How many Álfheimr fruits can I buy with this?”

“Hmm... Are you sure that’s what you want? There is so much money here that you’ll likely find it difficult to store all the fruit—”

“It’s fine.”

“Do you really need to purchase so many at once? Rather than buying in bulk and dealing with storage issues, you could leave it here and withdraw fruit as needed—”

“I need them now.”

Suho’s tone was firm and unyielding, and the vice president had no choice but to close his mouth. He glanced down, assessing the staggering heap of coins before him.

With this amount of money...

He gulped. It wasn’t just the bank employees—everyone in the room, even those who weren’t affiliated with the bank, could tell at a glance that this was enough to purchase every last fruit.

Is he here to clean out the vault entirely?

It was a stickup. Instead of bringing weapons like knives and guns, however, Suho was trying to empty the fruit storage the lawful way, armed with nothing but money.

As people watched, the vice president cleared his throat, his mind racing.

Sh*t. Of all times, why must the president be absent now?

He had gone to meet with the coalition leaders, specifically to discuss how to deal with this very man.

For now... I need to stall. He will be back soon, anyway.

Doing his best to maintain a relaxed expression, the vice president continued, “Haha! My, my, Mr. Beru. This is quite amazing! I did hear about your success at the market today, but seeing it in person is truly—”

“The fruit.”

“Ah, yes! Of course I shall give you the fruit. The thing is—”

“The fruit.”

This was terrible. Nothing was working. No matter what the vice president said, “Beru” just calmly pointed to the fruit’s price listing on the wall and repeated the reason he had come.

“Bring them all. I’ve got all the money you need,” Suho said. “The bank will need this money anyway, won’t it?”

At those words, the vice president fell silent and closed his eyes.

So he knows...

“Beru” had not come here on a whim. He was fully aware of the city’s economic crisis.

Every villain visiting the bank—and every member of the Huntsman Guild—was watching with interest. Little by little, the look of confusion disappeared from their eyes, and greed began to creep in.

That sure is a lot of money...

That money could set me up for life.

They gulped, their mouths watering much the way they had when they’d seen Beru Bakery at the market.

Violence was prohibited in the market, and the same was true within the bank—but the moment one set foot outside the door, no law would protect them. This “Beru” would become a target as soon as he went out, no matter what transaction he made while inside.

The villains had seen the money for themselves. His fate was sealed.

We’ll strike all at once. Kill him first.

Then we’ll split the money.

The villains exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with raw, unfiltered greed.

The vice president did not find it difficult to tell what they were thinking.

If I refuse this money, they will take it the moment he sets foot outside the door.

If that happened, it wouldn’t just be a blow to the bank—it could bring down Paradise itself. However, handing over every last fruit in the vault to this lunatic would lead to the same result. It was a catch-22.

It can’t be helped. In situations like this, I must use my own judgment.

With that, the vice president finally came to a decision. Without warning, he strode over to the poster on the wall listing the prices of the fruit and ripped it down. A ripple of confusion spread through the bank.

With an expression as firm as steel, he turned to Suho and announced, “I sincerely apologize, but as of this moment, the price of the fruit has increased.”

“That was sudden,” Suho said, tilting his head and watching the man’s face.

“Yes, I’m afraid so. I ask for your understanding.” 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

“So how much are you asking?”

“Ten times the market price.”

It was the villains, rather than Suho, who reacted with shock. Their eyes widened.

“What? Did you just hear what that bastard said?!”

“He must be out of his mind!”

They openly turned hostile toward the vice president, but he remained unfazed, his attention fixed solely on Suho.

“You might not be aware of this, Mr. Beru, but the bank is responsible for managing both the city’s currency and its fruit supply. We have the right to adjust the prices of fruit whenever necessary for the safety and stability of the city.”

Rules were rules, and technically, he wasn’t wrong. The price of fruit did fluctuate, controlled solely by the bank.

But a tenfold increase was way beyond anything remotely reasonable. Everyone in the city needed the fruit.

How about this, then?

The vice president pressed on, emboldened. His plan was to make Suho pay for what he’d done at the market. The bank would teach him a lesson in unfairness.

“As such, we have decided that from this moment forward, you will be the only one required to purchase fruit at the new price.”

“Oh?” Suho’s brow furrowed.

“Of course, all other citizens may continue to purchase at the standard rate.”

The villains grinned.

Oh...?

Now this changes things.

In an instant, all of their objections vanished.

Sensing the change in public opinion, the vice president smiled triumphantly. “As vice president of the bank, I will take full responsibility for this matter. My only concern is your safety, Beru. This is a city of villains. It’s far too dangerous to keep such a large amount of money on yourself rather than depositing it in the bank.”

He smirked. His reasoning was foolproof.

Now what will you do? he thought.

With a knowing smile, he waited for Suho to answer. The stage was set, and now this cocky newcomer was left with only two options.

Either he buys the fruit at an inflated price, or he carries his money out and dies to the starving wolves waiting for him.

This was a stroke of genius. The vice president almost shivered at his own clever idea.

For some odd reason, however, Suho was smiling.

“Hmm. I see... Understood.”

The blatant, one-sided extortion didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. He simply nodded without a hint of irritation or discomfort.

Huh? Is he trying to look tough? the vice president wondered.

But he soon learned that this was not the case. Without even questioning the decision to raise the princes, Suho simply turned around. He faced the villains who were watching him intently.

“You all heard him, right? I pay ten times the price, but you don’t have to.”

Mocking laughter rippled through the crowd. Everyone in the bank had heard it. How could they not?

However, no one expected what he said next.

With a smirk, Suho addressed the villains watching him again. “Starting now, I’ll buy any fruit brought to me for twice what the bank offers.”

What...?

The vice president, who had been basking in his triumph, froze. The villains who heard this doubted their ears.

“Wh-what did he just...”

Suho drove in the final nail. “Actually, scratch that. I’ve got plenty of money. Let’s make it five times the price.”

W-wait, what did he say?!

But the vice president had no time to process this information.

“Go.”

The moment the word left Suho’s lips, every villain in the bank exploded into motion, rushing over to the counters.

“Fruit!”

“I’ll buy a fruit!”

“Me first!”

Their minds had gone blank, all rational thought erased. If they bought fruit at the normal price, they could immediately turn around and sell it to Suho for five times as much. Who could possibly resist that?

“By the way, this offer only stands until I run out of money,” Suho said, adding fuel to the fire. It was first come, first served.

“Give them to me now! Give me fruit!”

“H-hold on, everyone—”

“Please calm down!”

It was a full-fledged riot. The villains, armed with money, grabbed the employees by their collars and shook them desperately. And it was all fair and square—all so they could sell the fruit back to Suho.