**Hunters Guild Training Facility - Evening**
The day passed quickly, filled with the organized chaos of combat training and magical experimentation.
The Hunters Guild's private training facility was an impressive structure—a massive warehouse-like building reinforced with barrier magic and designed to withstand everything from high-level spell casting to the destructive force of S-rank hunters going all-out.
The interior was divided into multiple zones: open combat arenas with reinforced floors, target ranges for ranged specialists, meditation chambers for mages.
Today, the facility hosted a very special training session.
Guild Master Choi Jong-In and Vice-Guild Master Cha Hae-In had personally selected twenty of their most trustworthy and talented members for this opportunity.
These weren't random recruits—each one had proven themselves through countless dungeon raids, demonstrated unwavering loyalty to the guild, and shown the potential for significant growth.
They stood in neat rows across the main training floor, watching with a mixture of excitement and nervousness as Ethan Carter, Jean and Anna—the mysterious foreigners and prepared to revolutionize their understanding of power.
Ethan had decided early on to keep things simple and efficient. He and his wives were easy-going by nature, so they'd split the responsibilities in a way that played to everyone's strengths.
"Alright, everyone," Ethan announced as his voice carrying easily across the vast space. "Here's how this will work. I'll be handling your fundamental enhancement—increasing your base capabilities, expanding your limitations, basically giving you a higher ceiling to grow into."
He gestured toward Jean and Anna, who stood to either side of him like warrior queens flanking their king. "Jean and Anna will be your combat instructors. They'll whip you into shape, teach you proper techniques, and make sure you can actually use the power I'm giving you without hurting yourselves or looking like complete amateurs."
Anna grinned before cracking her knuckles in a way that made several of the hunters swallow nervously. "Don't worry. We'll be gentle."
"She's lying," Jean added with a sweet smile that somehow managed to be more terrifying than Anna's predatory grin. "We will not be gentle. But you will be stronger for it."
A ripple of nervous laughter ran through the group, though no one doubted the truth of her words.
Ethan's part of the training was something that should have been impossible according to everything the hunters knew about their world.
In the Solo Leveling universe, power was essentially fixed at awakening.
A hunter's rank—E, D, C, B, A, or the rare S—determined the upper limit of their capabilities. No amount of training could fundamentally change that ceiling. The only exception was the extremely rare phenomenon of "Second Awakening," which happened spontaneously and unpredictably, if at all.
Ethan was about to shatter that limitation completely.
He'd developed a system using his mastery of Rune Magic—specifically, combining Norse runic principles with his own understanding of matter manipulation, energy flow, and biological enhancement.
The first hunter stepped forward—a nervous-looking mage named Park Min-Ho, a B-rank fire specialist who'd been stuck at his current level for three years.
"Relax," Ethan said gently, placing one hand on Min-Ho's shoulder. "This won't hurt... Much."
"Wait, 'much'?" Min-Ho squeaked.
Before Min-Ho could process that worrying qualifier, Ethan's other hand began to move. His finger glowed with blue Genesis energy as he literally wrote runes directly onto Min-Ho's skin—not with ink or tattoo equipment, but by inscribing them into the very fabric of his body.
The runes appeared as glowing symbols that sank beneath the skin, becoming part of Min-Ho's body on a fundamental level.
Ethan worked with practiced precision, placing different runes at key points: one at the base of the spine for energy circulation, another over the heart for mana capacity, a third on the forehead for mental clarity and magical control.
Each rune was customized based on what Ethan's analytical abilities revealed about the hunter's specific capabilities and limitations.
"For mages like you," Ethan explained as he worked, his tone taking on the quality of a professor delivering a lecture, "the primary limitation is mana capacity and regeneration rate. These runes will fundamentally increase how much magical energy your body can store and process. Think of it like upgrading from a small water tank to a massive reservoir."
Min-Ho gasped as the final rune settled into place. He could feel the difference immediately—like breathing freely after years of having something pressed against his chest.
"Holy..." he whispered, staring at his hands as small flames danced between his fingers with an ease and intensity he'd never achieved before. "This is incredible!"
"Next!" Ethan called out cheerfully.
The process continued for each hunter, but Ethan's approach varied based on their individual needs.
For warriors and physical fighters, he focused on runes that enhanced body physique—increasing muscle density without added bulk, improving bone structure for greater durability, accelerating healing and recovery, and optimizing neural pathways for faster reflexes.
For mages and spell casters, the emphasis was on magical capacity, energy manipulation, and spell efficiency—allowing them to cast more powerful magic with less strain.
But the truly interesting cases were the ones that didn't fit neatly into either category.
"Fascinating," Ethan murmured as he examined a young woman named Lee Soo-Jin, an A-rank mage who specialized in ice magic. "Your magical capacity is average, but your body's physical capabilities far exceed your mana reserves. You try to cast spells faster and in greater numbers, but you run out of mana, leaving you no choice but to rely on close-range combat and your own body."
Soo-Jin blinked in surprise. "How did you...?"
"I have a spell for analyzing talent distribution," Ethan explained before gesturing at the faint golden aura surrounding her. "Think of it as an MRI for potential. And in your case, I'm seeing something interesting—you have latent talent for close-quarters combat. Your body wants to move, but your training has been purely magical."
He began inscribing a more complex pattern of runes. "So we're going to do both. Increase your magic capacity and your physical capabilities. Make you into a combat mage—someone who can freeze an enemy with a spell and then shatter them with a reinforced punch."
Soo-Jin clenched her fists as power flooded her frame. 'I… feel balanced,' she realized in awe.
Similar cases emerged throughout the session.
A warrior who turned out to have significant magical talent. An archer whose body was built for heavy melee combat. A tank-type hunter who possessed surprising speed and agility that had never been properly developed.
Ethan addressed each one individually, customizing runic inscriptions to bring out their full potential rather than forcing them into narrow categories.
While Ethan "upgraded" the hardware, Jean and Anna began the software installation. It was brutal.
**The Physical Zone**
Anna stood in the center of the melee arena, facing five A-rank tankers and damage dealers. Among them was the tank-type hunter, Kim Cheol-Su, whose muscles had just been reinforced by Ethan's runes.
"Come on then, big boys!" Anna taunted, gesturing with a "bring it" motion. "Ethan gave you the engine, now show me if you can even drive."
Cheol-Su lunged, his speed nearly doubled by his new enhancements. He swung a massive shield, aiming to pin her. Anna didn't even move until the last millisecond. She blurred—a flash of movement—and suddenly she was standing on top of his shield, her boot pressing lightly against his chin.
"Too slow. You're fighting like a man who's afraid to break his toys," Anna teased. She hopped down and delivered a palm strike to his chest that sent the 250-pound man skidding twenty feet across the reinforced floor. "Again! If I don't see sweat and a little blood, you're not trying!"
**The Ranged & Magic Zone**
On the other side of the hall, Jean was putting the mages through hell.
"You focus too much on the 'shape' of the spell," Jean lectured, her voice calm even as she deflected a barrage of ice spears with a casual flick of her wrist. "Stop thinking of it as 'Fireball' or 'Ice Spike.' Think of it as mana seeking a destination. Use the new capacity Ethan gave you to feel the air."
Lee Soo-Jin, the ice specialist Ethan had identified as a "Combat Mage," was gasping for air. Her mana pool felt like a bottomless well, but her brain was struggling to process the sheer volume of energy.
"Don't just stand there and cast, Soo-Jin!" Jean commanded. "Ethan reinforced your body for a reason. Close the gap! Freeze the floor and slide—turn your momentum into a physical strike!"
Soo-Jin took a breath, the new runes on her forehead glowing. She didn't just cast a spell; she became the spell. She blurred forward, her fist coated in a sheath of diamond-hard ice. She swung—not at a target, but at Jean.
Jean caught the fist in her palm, the impact creating a shockwave that cracked the floor. Jean smiled—a real, proud smile. "Better. Much better."
.
.
.
**The Observation Deck**
From the raised observation platform, Choi Jong-In and Cha Hae-In watched in stunned silence. Choi, the "Ultimate Soldier," felt his own mana reacting to the raw power being thrown around below.
"This is impossible," Choi whispered while his glasses reflecting the flashes of elemental magic. "Min-Ho... he's outputting mana levels that rival an A-rank. And Soo-Jin... she's moving like a high-tier warrior while casting A-rank level frost magic."
Cha Hae-In didn't speak. Her hand was gripped tight on the hilt of her sword. Her "smell" ability was overwhelmed—the scent coming off the hunters wasn't the usual "rank-fixed" odor. It was growing.
"They aren't just training them," Hae-In said. "They're rewriting what it means to be a hunter."
She continued while looking down below, "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it… but I'm glad they're helping us."
Choi adjusted his glasses while a thoughtful look crossing his face.
.
.
.
During a brief break, Guild Master Choi approached Ethan with obvious curiosity and barely contained excitement.
"This is revolutionary," Choi said while watching his guild members test their new capabilities with obvious wonder. "If this technique could be spread throughout the hunter community—"
"It won't be," Ethan interrupted gently but firmly. "At least, not widely. I've already discussed this with Chief Woo Jin-Chul. I'll help selected individuals—people who are trustworthy, talented, and won't abuse this power. But mass distribution would be... problematic."
He gestured toward the hunters. "Each inscription requires me to personally analyze and customize the runic patterns. It's not something that can be mass-produced or taught easily. And frankly, giving this kind of power boost to unvetted individuals would cause more problems than it would solve."
Choi nodded slowly, understanding the wisdom in that restriction. "Still, even helping a select few like this... you're changing the balance of power in Korea."
"That's the idea," Ethan agreed with a slight smile. "I've asked Chief Woo to send me talented individuals in the coming days. People who've proven themselves worthy of enhancement. We'll create a core group of hunters who can handle threats that would normally require multiple S-ranks working together."
He didn't mention his true reason for all this effort. That would have been too embarrassing to admit aloud.
Later that evening, after the training session had concluded and the exhausted but exhilarated hunters had been dismissed, Ethan stood alone in the empty facility, staring at his reflection in the polished metal walls.
'Why am I going through all this trouble?' he asked himself, the question he'd been avoiding all day. 'Why spend time and energy making others stronger when I could be doing... well, anything else?'
The answer, when he finally admitted it to himself, was almost disappointing in its simplicity.
He was bored. Monumentally, existentially bored.
His Adaptive Evolution—that incredible ability that made him stronger with every challenge, that allowed him to overcome any obstacle given enough time—had become a curse as much as a blessing.
He grew stronger every time he fought. Every attack he survived, every enemy he faced, every limit he pushed against—all of it made him more powerful. Exponentially so.
'I thought the Monarchs would provide a challenge,' Ethan reflected, his expression growing troubled. 'Ancient beings of cosmic power, capable of destroying civilizations. They should have been exciting opponents.'
Instead, Tarnak had fallen to a single punch. Yogumunt had been reduced to begging for death within minutes. Even holding back more than eighty percent of his power, Ethan had been overwhelmingly superior.
'Twenty percent,' he thought with something between amusement and frustration. 'I only need about twenty percent of my full power to deal with these "threats to humanity." The being's Rulers fears as monsters among monsters.'
Maybe Antares—the Monarch of Destruction, the strongest of their kind—would provide some entertainment. But after his experiences with the other Monarchs, Ethan wasn't holding his breath.
'I'm starting to understand how Saitama must feel,' he realized, thinking of the bald hero from the One Punch Man universe. 'That soul-crushing boredom that comes from being too strong. When one punch—or in my case, one punch while barely trying—is enough to end any fight.'
He touched his blonde hair reflexively, grateful that at least his overwhelming power hadn't come with the side effect of baldness.
'What would happen if I fought Saitama?' The thought was genuinely intriguing. 'Two beings who'd transcended normal limits, who'd become so strong that nothing could challenge them anymore. Would we finally find worthy opponents in each other?'
Probably. Both of them would likely be satisfied by the encounter.
But Ethan's Adaptive Evolution would give him the edge. During the fight, he would adapt to Saitama's power, match it, then surpass it. The longer the battle continued, the stronger Ethan would become.
'Something to look forward to when I eventually visit the One Punch Man world,' he mused. 'But for now...'
For now, he was stuck in a reality where he was so overwhelmingly powerful that combat had lost its thrill.
The rush of adrenaline, the desperate struggle to overcome a superior opponent, the satisfaction of hard-won victory—all of it was gone, replaced by the mechanical efficiency of someone going through motions they'd perfected long ago.
So he trained others. Helped them grow stronger. Watched them struggle and overcome and improve.
Because if he couldn't experience growth and challenge himself, at least he could facilitate it for others.
It wasn't much. But it was something.
And it beat sitting around feeling sorry for himself about having too much power.
Moreover, he wanted the world to be ready for what would come after the main events of Solo Leveling.... The Ragnarok.
Solo Leveling: Ragnarok takes place years after the end of Solo Leveling and follows Jin-Woo's child as he battles the Outer Gods.
Even though Ethan never got the chance to read the manga—only ten chapters had been released before he died in his original world—he had planned to stockpile the chapters and read them all in one go. That was how he approached most of the manga and anime.
Still, a few spoilers slipped through. He learned about the existence of the Outer Gods, and that Jin-Woo's child would eventually fight them.
Because of that, he wanted everyone to be strong enough.
He then slowly moved into the next room, where Anna was training the hunters.
The moment he stepped inside, the scene unfolded before him—the hunters were taking a short break. Sweat soaked their clothes, and exhaustion weighed heavily on every movement.
He turned and shouted at the exhausted hunters.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Break's over! If I see anyone sitting down, I'm letting Anna handle your next 'enhancement' session—and she doesn't use runes, she uses her fists!"
A collective groan rippled through the hall, echoing off the walls. Yet beneath the complaints was something new—an unfamiliar spark of fervor. They were tired. They were bruised. Every muscle screamed in protest.
But for the first time in their lives, they felt truly powerful.
.
.
.
**The Next Day - Mountain Range, Undisclosed Location**
The morning sun cast long shadows across the rugged mountain terrain as three figures stood atop a rocky outcropping, surveying the wilderness below.
Ethan, Jean, and Anna had arrived early, using a portal to transport themselves to this remote location far from any human habitation.
They had chosen this location deliberately. If the upcoming battles were to take place here—which was highly unlikely, but just in case the battle happened outside, the resulting environmental destruction would be severe, and collateral casualties were unacceptable.
But more importantly, all three of them were dressed for battle.
Jean stood tall and confident in her hero costume. The suit was primarily blue and gold—a form-fitting bodysuit in deep blue that accentuated her athletic figure, with bold yellow accents running down the sides, across the shoulders, and forming an C pattern across her chest.
Long blue gloves extended past her elbows, while matching boots reached mid-thigh. A golden belt cinched at her waist, and the high collar framed her face perfectly. Her hair was pulled back in a practical ponytail, though a few strands had escaped to frame her face. The entire ensemble radiated power and purpose—this was the uniform of a warrior, not a fashion statement.
Anna was the same. Her suit featured the same blue and gold color scheme, but the design was slightly different: a jacket-style top in yellow and green over a dark bodysuit, with her signature leather bomber jacket draped over one shoulder.
Long gloves covered her arms completely. She stood with casual confidence, one hip cocked, looking like she was ready for either a fight or a photo shoot—possibly both simultaneously.
Ethan chose something simpler, a black tuxedo with a white shirt underneath.
"Alright," Ethan said, his voice carrying clearly in the mountain air. "Today we deal with the three remaining Monarchs before Antares. Rakan, Sillad, and Querehsha."
He turned to face his wives fully. "I want to be clear about something. I'm going after Antares—the Monarch of Destruction—personally because I'm hoping he might actually provide a challenge. A chance to see if I need to reconsider my opinion about Monarchs being weak."
'But the truth is... it's not that they're weak. It's that I've become strong enough to level a galaxy without much effort. That's not arrogance—that's just an objective assessment of my capabilities at this point.'
Jean and Anna both nodded while understanding the distinction.
"So," Ethan continued, "how do you two want to handle the others? I've already given you all the information I extracted from Tarnak and Yogumunt's minds. You know their powers, Rakan's fighting style, Sillad's tactical thinking, Querehsha's plague abilities. How do you want to approach this?"
Anna stepped forward, a playful grin spreading across her face. She grabbed Ethan by his suit's collar, pulled him down slightly, and planted a deep, passionate kiss on his lips—the kind of kiss that would have made nearby observers very uncomfortable had any been present.
When she finally released him, she was breathless and smiling. "For luck," she explained innocently.
Jean rolled her eyes with fond exasperation, then did exactly the same thing—grabbing Ethan and kissing him with equal intensity. "Also for luck," she said when they separated. "Can't let Anna have all the fun."
Ethan blinked, somewhat dazed despite his cosmic-level mental fortifications. "Not that I'm complaining, but what brought that on?"
"We want to fight them one-on-one," Anna explained with her expression growing more serious. "Each of us taking a Monarch solo. It's the best way to test our own capabilities without wondering if we only won because of team coordination or outside help."
"A proper measurement of individual strength," Jean added. "We need to know where we stand."
She pulled out her hand in a fist. "Rock, paper, scissors to decide who fights first?"
Anna matched her stance. "No telepathy," she said firmly. "That would be cheating."
"Agreed."
They counted down together. "Rock! Paper! Scissors!"
Anna's hand remained flat—paper. Jean's had formed a fist—rock.
"Ha!" Anna crowed triumphantly. "I go first!"
Jean sighed but smiled. "Fine. Who are you choosing?"
Anna's grin turned predatory. "Rakan. The Beast Monarch. He's supposed to be the strongest of the three in pure physical combat, right? All about raw power, speed, and predatory instincts?"
She cracked her knuckles. "That sounds perfect. I want to test myself against the best physical fighter available."
Ethan felt a surge of pride watching his wives prepare for battle. He wasn't worried about them—both Jean and Anna had trained extensively, possessed incredible powers.
If anything, he was excited to see how much they'd grown.
"Alright," he said before raising his hand. "Let me find him for you."
Blue energy began to flow from his palm, coalescing into the complex locator rune he'd developed to find Legia.
Four separate runic symbols manifested in the air, then merged together into a single unified construct that pulsed with concentrated power.
A thin line of red energy extended from the rune, connecting directly to Ethan's forehead just between his eyebrows—the location of the mystical "third eye."
Ethan closed his physical eyes and expanded his consciousness outward. The locator rune amplified his Genesis Telepathy, creating a sensory net that could identify and track specific energy signatures across dimensions.
'Rakan,' he focused his intention. 'The Beast Monarch. King of Fangs. Predatory, savage, radiating the concept of "hunt" and "fang." Where are you hiding?'
His awareness spread across the Korean peninsula, then beyond—touching dimensional boundaries, sensing the pocket realities where the Monarchs maintained their domains.
There.
A surge of recognition as he locked onto a familiar energy signature—wild, untamed, burning with barely restrained violence.
"Found him," Ethan announced, his eyes snapping open and glowing with blue Genesis light. "His domain is... actually not that far from here, relatively speaking. Maybe fifty kilometers north, in a pocket dimension anchored to the Baekdu Mountain range."
He looked at Anna with a mixture of pride and concern. "Are you sure about this? Rakan is genuinely dangerous, even if he's not at my level. He's survived millennia of warfare through pure combat instinct."
"Sugar," she said with a Southern drawl that only appeared when she was particularly confident, "I was born ready."
Ethan couldn't help but grin at that. "Alright then. Let's go hunting."