Solo Leveling

Chapter 99

“Do you by any chance have a Hunter close to you? Or perhaps someone close to you that is waiting for their Awakening test results?”

The doctor asked a strange question. The chairman had asked if there was anything wrong with his body, so why was the man talking about Hunters? Yoo Myunghan asked,

“What do you mean? Why is the topic of Hunters being brought up all of the sudden?”

“Have you heard of an illness called the Eternal Sleep?” [1]

Hearing the words, “Eternal Sleep”, even the normally calm and expressionless Yoo Myunghan quickly became shaken.

Eternal Sleep.

The sleep that you could not wake up from.

It wasn’t just falling asleep forever. The illness would cause the patient’s life to waste away quicker than normal. Life support devices empowered by magic cores were needed to maintain the life of the sick. It was a terrifying illness that appeared with the Gates. Many people who could not afford the life support devices succumbed to the illness and passed away.

“You’ll continue to fall asleep periodically. Eventually, you will never wake up.”

The doctor looked defeated. Until now, no patient had ever woken up from the Eternal Sleep. All that you could do was extend your life with support devices, but you would be no different than a lifeless doll.

“...”

When the doctor finished his explanation, Yoo Myunghan asked impatiently,

“So what does that have to do with Hunters?”

“It is known that the Eternal Sleep has a correlation with magic power.”

Due to their nature, there were people in the world weak to magic power exposure. Among such people, one of the side effects of being exposed to a magic power for a long time was the Eternal Sleep.

“Aren’t the patients’ lifespans extended with devices powered by magic power?”

“That is correct but,”

Just as nuclear power could result in both good things and harmful things, the doctor explained that magical devices empowered by magic power did not harm the body.

“What you have to watch out for are magic cores, magic ores and people with magic power.”

‘People with magic power…’

Yoo Myunghan thought of the sole Awakened Being in his immediate family, Yoo Jinho. The doctor carefully continued,

“I heard that… the chairman’s second son is a Hunter.”

At the mention of Yoo Jinho, Yoo Myunghan’s face hardened,

“So… what you’re telling me is that I can never see my son again?”

“That is the only way for you to-”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

Yoo Myunghan firmly cut the doctor off,

“There is no way.”

And with a wave of his hand, he dismissed the doctor.

“Chairman…”

At a loss for words, the doctor looked at Yoo Myunghan’s fierce gaze and left the VIP room. Yoo Myunghan continued to stare at the door the doctor left through with rage,

‘Telling me to distance myself from my son because of an illness. Is that something you could ask a father?’

And let’s say that was the case. Just how would Jinho react if he heard the news? As a father, Yoo Myunghan could not burden his child with such a thing.

‘Also…’

Everyday, the use of magic power spread throughout the world, and the number of Awakened Beings increased. In such a world, telling him that he was unable to withstand exposure to magic power was but a death sentence.

‘This Yoo Myunghan received a death sentence?’

This would not stand.

‘I will not lose.’

He had managed to accomplish things that everyone else had told him was impossible. He inherited Yoojin Construction when it tittered on the 30th place among the business world and raised it to the #1 spot in the country.

‘And do you think I will bow down before a mere sickness now?’

I will not lose.

Yoo Myunghan repeated that many times in his head.

Before leaving, Jinwoo carefully peaked into his sister’s room. Because it was so early, Jinah was still deep in slumber. Still, her older brother was worried.

‘What if someone gets to her while I’m gone?’

Of course, people wouldn’t be stupid enough to harm the little sister of an S-rank Hunter, but at the same time, people were unpredictable. At the very least, he needed to plan a few contingencies.

‘Wait, my soldiers can hide in someone’s shadow, right?’

Jinwoo recalled the soldiers he put up as patrol for the serial killer around the neighborhood. At that time, the shadows were moving while hiding in various objects’ shadows. With that, he might be able to protect his sister without being noticed. In fact, there were few soldiers perfect for protecting someone.

‘Come out.’

Jinwoo called the magic beast soldiers that once acted as Tusk’s bodyguards.

shooo

Big even for a high orc, the three soldiers filled up the entirety of Jinah’s room.

Hold on.

‘Wait. Why are there only three of them?’

Weren’t there definitely four bodyguards? Combing over his memory, Jinwoo silently exclaimed in realization,

‘Ah.’

He realized that he left one of the bodyguards nailed to the ceiling. He forgot to extract that one’s shadow.

‘I’ll have to be more mindful next time.’

With a smile, Jinwoo sent the three former high orc bodyguards forward. All three of them were Elite Grade. It was a step above the Normal Grades given to the ordinary high orc warriors. If it was those three, even an A-rank Hunter wouldn’t be much of a trouble. This wasn’t just a theory, Jinwoo recalled seeing the A-rank Son Gihoon struggling against ordinary high orcs. These three were much stronger than those enemies. Jinwoo raised a chin towards Jinah.

shooo-

The bodyguards melted into their shadow forms and traveled across the floor. They were absorbed into Jinah’s shadow.

‘Alright.’

Just quietly hide in her shadow. If she is in danger, no matter who the enemy is, eliminate them without mercy. With that order, Jinwoo carefully closed the door.

‘Now I feel a bit better.’

His worries were abated. After making sure the door was secure, Jinwoo went outside.

As promised, Yoo Jinho was waiting for him.

“Hyungnim!”

With a bright expression, the young man greeted Jinwoo.

“Was your room alright?”

“Yes, hyungnim. A motel isn’t that bad these days.”

Since his little sister was at home, Jinwoo ended up letting Yoo Jinho stay at a nearby motel. Thankfully, it did not seem like it was that uncomfortable.

“Until we get a Guild office, stay there for now.”

“Understood, hyungnim.”

In a good mood for some reason, Yoo Jinho kept smiling. Jinwoo had heard the rough story from the young man. To think that he would actually refuse the Guildmaster’s position and come to him. When Jinwoo asked dumbfoundedly, Yoo Jinho replied as if he was wronged,

“Wait, so you really decided to come to my Guild?”

“Hyungnim told me to do so!”

And so, he could not scold or push away the young man who had thrown aside the Guildmaster’s title and came to him instead.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yes, hyungnim.”

Yoo Jinho got in the driver’s seat, and Jinwoo got in the passenger side. The pair in the van headed to Daesung Tower. On the way, Yoo Jinho glanced over to Jinwoo.

‘I wonder what he wants to do in this hour at Daesung Tower.’

He was curious, but felt like it was out of his place to ask hyungnim too many questions.

screech-

When the van arrived at Daesung Tower, the young man finally gathered the courage,

“So hyungnim, why are we at Daesung-”

“I’ll be back.”

“Huh?”

Yoo Jinho quickly turned his head. But the passenger door was already open, and hyungnim was gone. Yoo Jinho was reminded of something similar that happened in the past. The young man scratched the back of his head.

‘Sometimes… I wonder if he’s a ghost.’

You have entered the Demon Castle Dungeon.

Jinwoo released his ‘Stealth’.

‘I’m finally back.’

You have entered the Demon Castle Dungeon.

Jinwoo released his ‘Stealth’.

‘I’m finally back.’

At the idea of coming back to a place where he didn’t have to hold back, Jinwoo’s heart fluttered. Once he crossed through the castle gates, the electronic voice rang out as if it had been waiting.

ring~

A quest has arrived.

Unlike his first step into this place, Jinwoo was not surprised. After all, the last quest he received here was labeled “Part 1”. He predicted that the second part of the quest would appear eventually. The Hunter opened the message box.

ring~

Ordinary Quest: Collect the Demon Souls! Part 2

The Monarch of Demons, Baran, resides at the highest floor of the Demon Castle. Please defeat Baran and collect his soul. [1]

Quest Requirement:Complete Part 1

Re-enter the Demon Castle

Quest Goal:Defeat the Demon King [2]

Rewards:

Top-class Runestone

Stat points +30

Unknown Reward

‘So the goal is to defeat the demon king this time?’

Jinwoo’s face brightened. Instead of wandering around like last time, all he had to do was rush to the top of the tower with maximum speed. The rewards were also quite good this time.

‘Thirty bonus stat points!’

For the last quest, he had to toil away in collecting ten thousand Demon Souls. And the fruits of his labor were twenty stat points. But this time, all he had to do was defeat a single enemy to earn thirty stat points. It was an amount that would take ten days of daily quests or six level-ups to earn. He had not expected much out of the quest this time, so naturally, Jinwoo smiled when looking at the great rewards.

‘But what could the top-class Runestone be?’

Jinwoo checked the first reward.

ring~

Top-class Runestone: Shadow Swap [3]

Break the Top-class Runestone to learn a class-specific skill. [4]

‘Learn a class-specific skill?’

Jinwoo’s eyes widened. Up until now, he had learned three class-specific skills:

Shadow Extraction.

Shadow Storage.

Domain of the Monarch.

Not a single one of them without its value, all three of them were incredible skills. And the thought of adding another skill to that list made his heart race.

‘What kind of a skill is it?’

Although he tried to check the skill’s information, all the System told him was the skill’s name.

tsk

Disappointed, Jinwoo clicked his tongue.

‘Well, I can confirm it myself once the quest is over.’

A class-specific skill and thirty bonus stats. Even if he ignored the unknown third reward, the rewards were already incredible. Jinwoo wanted to start immediately and charge to the top.

However,

‘Before I start…’

It had been a while; Jinwoo pulled up his status screen in full.

ring~

Name:Sung Jinwoo

Level:80

Class:Monarch of Shadows

Title:One Who... (...1 more)

HP:24,406

MP:5,019

Fatigue: 0

Stats

Strength:186

Constitution:145

Agility:175

Intelligence:189

Sense:126

(Available stat points: 0)

Physical Damage Reduction: 46%

Skills

Passive Skills

-(Unknown)(Lv. Max)

-Unyielding Spirit(Lv. 1)

-Advanced Dagger

Proficiency(Lv. 2)

Active Skills

-Sprint(Lv. Max)

-Bloodlust(Lv. 1)

-Stealth(Lv. 2)

-Vital Stab(Lv. Max)

-Dagger Throw(Lv. 2)

-Ruler’s Hands(Lv. 2)

Class-specific Skills

Active Skills

-Shadow Extraction(Lv. 1)

-Shadow Storage(Lv. 1)

-Domain of the Monarch (Lv. 1)

Crafting Skills

-Consumable: Holy Water of Life (2/3)

Equipment

Red Knight’s Helmet (S)

Monarch of Demons’ Earrings (S)

Monarch of Demon’s Necklace (S)

High-level Knight’s Breastplate (B)

High-level Knight’s Gauntlet (B)

High-level Mage’s Ring (B)

Mid-level Assassin’s Shoes (C)

[5]

His level was now 80. And after having invested every single point into it recently, the Intelligence stat finally overtook the Strength stat.

‘Almost at 200 Int.’

Thanks to that, his maximum mana had reached over five thousand. In a way, Jinwoo’s mana was basically the life of his army. It’s what allowed them to continuously regenerate throughout battles. When he thought about how his army will only continue to increase, even five thousand seemed lacking.

‘Alright, let’s get started.’

Even a single second was precious now. Jinwoo closed the status screen. He was currently on the first floor. Thankfully, he did not need to waste any time on the 75 floors he had already cleared. He went into the middle of the interfloor movement magic circle.

Floors 1 through 76 are open. [6]

Which floor would you like to go to?

Jinwoo spoke without hesitating,

“76.”

Light flashed brightly from the circle. When the Hunter closed and opened his eyes, the scenery before him had completely changed. He stood before a fiercely burning city. Even though the environment could not affect him while he was still in the magic circle, just looking at the flames made his skin feel hotter.

Jinwoo put down the bag he brought and took out two artifacts. One of the artifacts was a black robe named “Robe of Wind” by its creator, and the other artifact was a nameless ring enchanted with water-element magic. Wearing the robe, it felt like he really had become a Mage-class Hunter. [7]

‘...It’s cooling down my body.’

Just wearing the new artifacts made him feel like he was standing in a cool cave.

‘Would these work on the Demon Castle’s flames?’

Jinwoo slowly walked outside of the magic circle.

Interesting.

Their expensive price had a reason after all. Unlike in the past, the heat of the environment did not affect him in the slightest.

‘I wonder if the robe will hamper my movements.’

He stretched and moved his body here and there. Fortunately, his movements still felt comfortable. Fitting of its name, the Robe of Wind was as light as air.

‘Alright.’

His preparations were finished. However, he was not the only one. Catching the scent of a human, demons began to group up and head toward his direction. In the past, he would’ve faced them head on as a warm-up and even would’ve searched every corner in the area for enemies to gain experience points from.

‘But right now…’

He did not want to waste a single second in obtaining the cure for his mother. Instead of bringing out his daggers, Jinwoo summoned his soldiers.

shoooo

The trustworthy Shadow Soldiers made their appearance.

“Where’s Tusk?’

Jinwoo looked for the newest member of his army. As if their relative strength determined where they would spawn from, Tusk had appeared right behind him. Jinwoo took out the Marble of Avarice from his inventory and placed it in Tusk’s hand.

“You’ll be using this today.”

Even though Jinwoo was a Mage-class, the man did not receive any benefits from the amplification effect of the Marble of Avarice. However, since Tusk was a sorcerer in life, he could probably make use of the magic tool somehow.

‘...’

As if to display his gratitude, Tusk bowed his head deeply.

boom, boom, boom

The giant demons appeared in the horizon.

‘Shall we get started?’

After giving the preparation orders to his soldiers, Jinwoo summoned Baruka’s Tanto and Knight Killer into his hands. Ahead of him, a multitude of demons charged at his army like insects. However, the number in Jinwoo’s side was not lacking in any way. Having more confidence than last time, Jinwoo watched the timing and shouted,

breathe in-

“G-!”

Jinwoo meant to yell “Go!”, but before his voice even came out,

WOOOOOOOSH-

A terrifying pillar of flame shot horizontally above his head towards the charging demons.

“-O-what?”

FLAAAAAAARE-

As the flame breath swept over them, both the demons and the ground melted in its path.

“KIIIIIIEK!”

“KIWEEEEK!”

In an instant, an incredible amount of demons were obliterated, followed by a familiar voice.

You have leveled up!

You have leveled up!

‘Could it be…?’

Jinwoo tried to calm his pounding heart and turned around. Tusk had grown to twice the size he was back in his Dungeon. The high orc mage was standing with grey smoke escaping from his mouth.

gulp

Jinwoo gulped.

‘This is the power of the Marble of Avarice?’

The monsters living in the fiery Demon Castle should’ve had some resistance to fire-based magic. In spite of that, Tusk’s flame breath attack had burned them all to crisp.

“Ha ha ha ha!”

After confirming the situation, Jinwoo broke into a loud laughter.

‘I could clear this entire place in no time!’

The Hunter stared at the still roaring fire and the charred corpses of the demons.