Solo Leveling: Monarch of Knowledge

(Sunday, June 16, 2026 – 2:12 AM)

The explosion that tore through the auction house was nothing short of apocalyptic. From the streets of Rome, civilians and bystanders watched in horror as a shockwave of debris and shattered glass erupted into the night sky. The once-luxurious structure, a beacon of wealth and exclusivity, was now a collapsing ruin, flames licking at its edges.

Screams filled the air. Pedestrians, drivers, and late-night workers turned their eyes upward, their bodies frozen between the instinct to run and the sheer awe of witnessing something beyond their comprehension. The ground trembled beneath their feet, the force of the destruction sending smaller tremors through the nearby streets.

Then came the venom.

From the ruins of the auction house, a sickly purple mist began to rise, swirling in unnatural patterns, its density thickening as it expanded outward. Those who had no knowledge of Hunters could only assume it was smoke, but something about the way it moved, how it clung to the air instead of dispersing, sent a chilling realization through the crowd.

"What the hell is that!?" a man near a café shouted, clutching his phone as he livestreamed the scene.

"Run!" someone screamed from further down the street.

The fear spread like wildfire. Families abandoned their late dinners, drivers left their cars in the middle of intersections, and tourists clung to each other in confusion. Those with Hunter knowledge understood immediately: this was poison. Deadly. Unstoppable. There was no counter to a venom mist of this scale.

A woman clutching her young daughter stumbled as she tried to escape. She turned back for just a moment, watching as the sky above the ruins split open. Two streaks of light, moving so fast they were nearly invisible, weaved through the cityscape like meteors colliding in rapid succession.

The crowd whispered in hushed terror and awe.

"That… that has to be an high rank battle."

"Two Hunters… One of them is trying to stop the other… but who?"

The assumption spread. Even those unfamiliar with the intricate rankings of Hunters knew that no ordinary human could move like that. No normal fight could level buildings without casualties.

And yet, there were no deaths.

A sudden realization struck the civilians. The buildings were falling, debris was flying, venom was descending, but not a single person had been harmed.

A reporter on-site, barely able to keep her balance, adjusted the microphone in her trembling hands, her cameraman struggling to keep the frame steady.

"This is… This is incredible, viewers. The destruction is enormous, the entire area near the auction house has been devastated, but.. and this is shocking, no bodies, no civilian casualties have been confirmed! Somehow, someone is protecting the people of Rome!"

Then, as if on cue, it happened.

The venom mist finally reached the city. Screams erupted once more as entire blocks darkened beneath its descent. Windows shattered as the toxic vapor seeped into the streets, creeping toward the helpless civilians who had nowhere left to run.

A father clutched his son tightly, backing against a crumbling building, knowing there was no escape. His wife grabbed his arm, shaking, her voice cracking.

"What do we do!? We can't outrun it!"

The boy, no older than seven, whimpered as he watched the mist approach. The father held him closer, shielding him with his own body, knowing full well that it would be useless.

And then, the mist never touched them.

Instead, a light blue aura enveloped them.

The father gasped as his son, previously trembling in his grasp, suddenly lifted into the air.

"Papa!" the boy shouted in shock, his small hands reaching out as his body drifted from the ground, the aura wrapping around him like a protective cocoon.

The mother screamed, reaching for him, but within seconds, she too was lifted into the air. The father barely had time to react before his feet left the crumbling pavement, the entire family now weightless, carried by an unseen force.

The father twisted his body, trying to reach his son, but then he realized.

They weren't falling. They were being moved.

Their bodies surged through the sky, alongside dozens, hundreds of others. Civilians across the affected area while those caught in Venin's deadly mist, were teleported.

The family landed gently in an open plaza. The mother gasped, clutching her son, looking around wildly. Hundreds of others surrounded them, each as confused and awestruck as they were. No one had been left behind. No one had been lost to the mist.

A man in a suit stumbled next to them, breathing heavily. "W-What happened?" he stammered.

"Are we… alive?" a woman whispered.

"That light… That light was blue." The father's voice broke through the murmurs. "It was the same as the one we saw in the sky."

Realization dawned upon them. Someone had done this. Someone had moved them to safety, away from the venom, away from the destruction.

"Who… Who saved us?" the mother whispered.

Above them, in the sky, massive constructs materialized.

The people of Rome turned their eyes upward, watching in stunned silence as titanic structures of pure mana emerged amidst the chaos. Gigantic spears, walls, and barriers, all glowing with a radiant blue hue, intercepted the venomous onslaught before it could reach the city.

From the gathering of civilians, someone finally spoke, their voice filled with realization.

"It's him."

"Who?" another asked breathlessly.

"I don't know his name… but the Hunters called him something earlier."

The silence stretched before the man finally finished his sentence, his voice barely above a whisper.

"The Saint."

....

(Some minutes before.)

Boris swung his massive fist toward Mattia with a casual, almost lazy motion. To any normal Hunter, it would have been an unstoppable strike, the sheer force enough to shatter bones and send bodies flying. But Mattia wasn't a normal Hunter.

With a precise step, he pivoted to the side, allowing the blow to pass inches from his chest. The displaced air alone cracked the ground where he had just stood. In the same motion, he brought his greatsword down in a sharp arc, aiming for Boris' exposed ribs.

Boris didn't dodge. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he twisted his body, catching the massive blade against his forearm. A deafening clang rang through the battlefield as metal met hardened flesh, Boris' mana-reinforced skin absorbing the force like tempered steel.

The impact forced Mattia back a step. He narrowed his eyes, feeling the vibrations through his blade. 'He's reinforcing his body instinctively… He doesn't even bother blocking properly.'

Boris grinned. "Not bad! You actually made me feel that one!"

Mattia didn't respond. He launched forward, blade flashing in a flurry of rapid strikes. Each swing was precise, aimed at weak points, joints, tendons, areas where even enhanced durability had limits. But Boris? He barely moved. He met Mattia's speed with sheer brute force, his fists slamming into the ground and sending tremors that disrupted Mattia's footing.

"You dance around too much." Boris chuckled, swiping at him again. "You should try fighting like a man!"

Mattia let out a sharp breath, reading his opponent. Boris wasn't fighting at full power. He was playing. Testing his opponent's patience, letting Mattia wear himself out.

"You rely too much on strength." Mattia countered, ducking under another massive swing before launching himself forward. His sword traced a crimson arc through the air, striking against Boris' ribs once more, this time, with a surge of mana. The force sent Boris skidding back, his boots grinding against the cracked stone.

The Russian let out a low whistle, rolling his shoulder. "Alright, maybe you do have a little bite."

Mattia exhaled with his grip tightening. 'He's barely trying. This is just warm-up to him.'

Boris grinned wider, setting his feet. "Now, let's see if you can survive when I start actually having fun."

The air around them shook as the real fight began.