Bab 83: CHAPTER 78 HOW??
"Anyone accepting defeat will be punished by running ten laps around the school, naked! And you'll have to yell "Green Martians are chasing me!" for the whole ten laps!"
- Haruhi Suzumiya
hey, if an all-seeing all-knowing omnipotent being exists that could take any form,
why couldn't it be...
...a Tsundere high school girl in short skirts?
Or as some experts in Waifuology have suggested, why shouldn't it be...
a Tsundere high school girl in short skirts?
.....
'Fuck.'
Rather than putting down this useless, bitter liquid, he was better off drinking soda.
"Excuse me,"
Jinwoo flagged a server,
"Could we get two more orders of samgyupsal and a bottle of soda?"
"Of course."
When the server walked away, Yoo Jinho tilted his head,
"Hyungnim, you're not going to drink anymore?"
"I'm not that good with alcohol."
Jinwoo had replied with an expressionless face, but as always, Yoo Jinho did not take the hint. His face was becoming red with drunkenness, and the young man smiled moronically,
'To think that even hyungnim has a human side like this…'
Yoo Jinho sent a strange look at Jinwoo, but the man ignored it.
'Not like this is the only time the kid's being weird.'
There was something Jinwoo was curious about, however,
"So what's your plan now?"
When a serious question appeared, Yoo Jinho suddenly sat upright like an interviewee on his first job interview,
"After a simple written test at the Association, I will obtain my Guildmaster license, hyungnim. With it, I will go and try to make a deal with my father. With your assistance, we already got a big deal with the black metal. It would bring a huge sum of money to my family, and you will get a big share of that."
The young man's eyes were filled with determination. He had invested quite a bit of his own money into this plan; there was no room for backing out now.
'And I have my promise with hyungnim.'
That building he promised to Jinwoo. He would only be able to keep that promise if he was able to convince his father to hand over the Guildmaster's position. Meanwhile, Jinwoo was rather carefree about the entire affair.
'It'd be nice to get that 30 billion won building, but…'
That was just the tip of the iceberg. His real goal was to level up. And with the 16 C-rank Dungeons and 12-rank Dungeons and 2 A-rank dungeons he had conquered with Yoo Jinho, he managed to fulfill that goal plenty of times. The results of that level up? Kim Cheol was an A-ranker with contract fees probably in the billions, and Jinwoo knocked him out with a single hit.
'plus all the materials I collected are still rotting in my inventory, and seeing them would also bring a much greater amount of money.'
Great income would naturally follow great abilities. There was no need for Jinwoo to worry about money, especially with the metal deal. He already got richer than 99.5% of the world population. Because of that, Jinwoo's face was filled with a carefree expression. As Jinwoo reminisced on the past few days with a smile, Yoo Jinho asked a question,
"What about you, hyungnim? What's your plan now?"
"Me?"
Was it something he shouldn't have asked? Yoo Jinho panicked for a second but relaxed when Jinwoo softened his expression.
"I am not sure. I have much to do. One of them includes making myself the 10th S-rank of Korea. Anyway, I'll be out of contact for a while. There's somewhere I have to go."
With that sentence, a noticeable frown appeared on Yoo Jinho's face. The young man looked like a puppy abandoned on the road and drained his glass.
*tap*
Yoo Jinho placed his glass loudly down on the table. With help from the liquid courage, the young man opened his mouth,
"Hyungnim,
"If I'm just a bother to you, please let me know. I won't bother you anymore."
'This brat…'
It seemed that Jinho had mistaken his words about being "out of contact" for something else. Jinwoo scratched his temple and spoke,
"Jinho."
"Yes, hyungnim."
"What exactly am I to you?"
"To me…"
Unable to reply immediately, the young man's eyes looked to the ceiling.
"I have an older brother, about 10 years older than me, hyungnim."
Jinwoo had heard of it. Yoo Myunghan's firstborn, Yoo Jinsung.
"My hyung doesn't like me that much. To be honest, I've probably spent more time with you in the past few days compared to my entire life with my hyung. Compared to that older brother, hyungnim saved my life, helped me with my plans…"
Yoo Jinho looked at Jinwoo with clear eyes,
"To me, hyungnim feels more like my older brother than my real brother."
Well, he was still scared of Jinwoo from time to time. Still, the memories he had made with Jinwoo in their days together were something he could never forget. The respect Yoo Jinho had for his hyungnim was far greater than any fear.
"If you think of me as your older brother,"
Jinwoo spoke with a smile,
"I'll think of you as my little brother."
"H-hyungnim…"
With his nose turning red, Yoo Jinho began to cry. Well, Jinwoo could've tolerated just crying, but the young man suddenly pushed himself toward Jinwoo,
"Hyungnim! I want to give you a hug!"
"Hey, hey! You're drunk, you punk!"
"No, hyungnim! My head has never been clearer than now!"
"At least keep your eyes open when you're talking!"
"Waaaaaaah!"
Whether he was truly moved or was just drunk, Yoo Jinho put his head on the table and began to cry loudly. Jinwoo gently patted the young man on the shoulder. Soon, Yoo Jinho fell asleep.
"Sigh… He's really something else."
Jinwoo leaned back in his chair and bit his tongue.
Yoo Jinho. In many ways, he was an annoyance, but Jinwoo did not dislike him.
[-And here's the next report.]
Jinwoo turned his head towards the TV. The TV in the restaurant was tuned to a news channel.
'Is it already 9?'
Jinwoo absentmindedly stared at the screen when a familiar face appeared.
'Oh?'
Jinwoo's eyes widened. Leaving his Guild HQ, Baek Yoonho was assaulted with a barrage of questions from reporters surrounding him.
"We've received a report saying there was a big accident with the new recruit training, is it true?"
"We've heard that all the high-ranking Hunters died and only low-rank Hunters lived, do you have any comments?"
"There were reports that an unknown helper rescued the survivors, what are your thoughts on this?"
"There is a rumor that he is the same man who is responsible for the Aakivara Incident."
The S-ranker did his best to ignore the reporters but eventually relented,
"The incident has already been investigated by the Association. It is true that there was an accident during the training, but there was no such thing as an outsider helper. Baekho's members worked together to clear the Dungeon, but many Hunters fell during the process. That is the final story."
A reporter asked,
"Then why are you preventing an interview with the survivors?"
"They've just barely escaped with their lives from the jaws of death. I would not let them be subjected to questioning after what they've been through. That will be all."
The TV showed Baek Yoonho quickly getting into a car and driving away. Jinwoo's eyes were wide open.
'...Aren't they talking about me?'
And who is the fucker who connected all this with the Aakivara Incident?
Some time ago.
...…..
Eastern Seaboard, United States.
"AHHHHH!"
James fell to the ground. With the strength in his legs gone, the man crawled on the floor to escape but realized he had come across a dead-end. All hope left the american.
"Oh jesus!"
The Dungeon this time was A-rank. A raiding party with the appropriate level of power was put together to clear the Dungeon, but the entire party was wiped out. To be accurate, they were knocked out.
'Impossible!'
With his back against the wall, James collected his breath and shook his head repeatedly. It truly was an impossible occurrence. When they had first entered the Dungeon, the raiding party had discovered it was completely empty. Not a single magic beast was found.
"A Dungeon with no magic beasts?"
"Is that even possible?"
"Then where did all the magic power measured outside come from?"
The Hunters were confused in unison. However, past this strange issue, something even more surprising was found in the boss room. They found a lone magic beast there. A magic beast that looked exactly like a human. That single enemy knocked out the entire raiding party. Strong didn't even begin to describe this thing. Only James was able to barely escape the boss room.
'Wait, was all the magic power measured outside coming from just that one magic beast?'
The A-rank designation was given to the Dungeon after measuring the magic power seeping from the Gate outside. In an ordinary situation, that magic power would be the combined amount leaked by every magic beast in the Dungeon. This time, there was only one entity releasing said magic power.
'Impossible.'
But.
"Sigh… Come on." (In Korean)
That magic beast had appeared in the distance. James screamed,
"AHHHHHH!" (Screaming in English)
"Ow, my ears" (In Korean)
The magic beast, no, the asian man with overgrown hair and facial hair scratched his head.
"Ah, ahh…"
Jame's screams turned into a groan. The mysterious man stood before the american and put his hands on his hips.
"I mean, why'd you attack me like that? I told you, I'm not a magic beast. I'm human." (In Korean)
James could not understand the man. His face just turned whiter and whiter. The asian man stared at the panicking american, wondering what he should do. He sighed deeply.
"Not like you yankees can understand me." (In Korean)
Still, the man attempted communication. He squatted down to sit at an eye level with James, then tried to speak as friendly as possible,
"Hey, hey" (In broken English)
The man tried to remember what little English he knew.
"Aim Coreaun." [I'm Korean]
He did his best to speak as clearly as possible,
"Ai wanteu to go hom." [I want to go home]
...
It was a piece of unprecedented news!
A living human came out of a Dungeon!
The Federal Bureau of Hunters (FBH) was called in an emergency. The Deputy Director of FBH arrived at the interrogation room. He was on one side of a one-way mirror, looking at an Asian man in handcuffs on the other side.
"Is that him?"
"Yes, sir."
"Looks human to me."
"I agree, sir."
Indeed. If he cleaned up his messily grown hair and facial hair, he would've looked like an ordinary, middle-aged Asian man.
"Did he say anything about himself?"
"He's claiming that he's a Hunter from South Korea."
"South Korea?"
"Yes, sir."
"How the hell did a Hunter from South Korea come out of a Dungeon on the other side of the world?"
"He says he was stranded in the Dungeon 10 years ago when the Gate closed before he could leave."
"And when he opened his eyes, he was in the States?"
"That's what he's claiming."
The deputy director placed a hand on his forehead. How to explain all this to the director? This incident could very well overlap with the Aakivara Incident whose root was also Koria. He already felt a headache coming on.
"So why are you just waiting out here? Shouldn't someone be in there interrogating him?"
Forget the director, this might make its way up high into the chain of command. They shouldn't be wasting time like this. However, the head of the interrogation had other thoughts,
"It is one of our theories that that man is a magic beast that somehow obtained a human's memories."
"So?"
"If it reveals its true nature during interrogations the entire capitol might be placed in danger."
It certainly was a possibility. According to the report, even a raiding party with multiple A-rankers were taken down by this thing. They could not make any careless movements.
"So we need a capable Hunter to perform the interrogation."
An S-ranker if possible. The head of the interrogation nodded,
"Fortunately, there is an S-rank Hunter nearby who is fluent in Korean."
The deputy director's face brightened. He was the Deputy Director of the FBH; the man was familiar with every single S-rank Hunter working in the U.S.
"Mr. Hwang! Is he on the way?"
"Yes, sir."
One of the main Hunters of Scavenger, Hwang Dongsoo. Bringing him to the U.S. required quite an effort by the FBH.
'But if it's him…'
There shouldn't be any problems. The deputy director smiled.
"Oh right,"
He had forgotten to ask. To report this to the higher-ups, he had to at least know the target's name.
"What did that man say his name was?"
The head of interrogation had trouble pronouncing the name. He checked the report from his subordinates,
"A Hunter from South Korea. His name is Sung Ilhwan."
...…..
Hwang Dongsoo was a merciless person. Especially to magic beasts. Because of a Dungeon Break, he had lost his parents and grew up under his older brother. And when he Awakened as an S-ranker, he considered it a blessing from the heavens.
'The chance to rip apart magic beasts without mercy!'
And so, the S-ranker entered the interrogation with a cold attitude. A man from a Dungeon. They even said the wavelength of his magic power matched the pattern of magic beasts.
'If it's a magic beast imitating a human…'
He would kill it on the spot. He had accepted the request from the FBH with that in mind.
Hwang Dongsoo met the eyes of the man.
'...'
'...'
The pair exchanged looks. Hwang Dongsoo placed the man's file on the table and leaned back on the chair,
"I suggest you cooperate. My word will determine whether or not you're a human or a magic beast."
"Alright."
Before starting the official interrogation, Hwang Dongsoo asked a personal question. They said his brother died in the Dungeon. Was there a chance he could come back? The S-ranker wanted to know,
"Is it possible for other Hunters to come back like you?"
The man shook his head. "You can't bring the dead back to life" Hwang Dongsoo's brows twitched,
"How can you be sure?"
"Because I know the reason why I was able to return."
"Reason? What reason?"
"Before that, let me ask you something,"
"...I'm the one asking the questions."
Hwang Dongsoo's eyes narrowed. However, the man ignored him and continued,
"Gates, magic beasts, Dungeon Breaks. Just what do you know about all of that?"
"..."
If it was a boring question, Hwang Dongsoo would've used his strength to silence the man. But it was not a boring question. Since the Gates first started appearing 10 years ago, followed by the Awakened Beings, many had challenged that question but to no avail. This might be an opportunity to finally obtain some answers.
"Deputy director…"
"Shh."
The FBH employees across the one-way mirror gulped. Hwang Dongsoo asked,
"Are you saying you know?"
"Dungeons, Gates, magic beasts… They are all but a prelude to the real war that's coming. And the existence that will become the greatest disaster of that war just opened its eyes."
"Then the reason you are here is?"
"To prevent that disaster."
"What exactly is this "greatest disaster" ?"
"...That I cannot say."
Hwang Dongsoo sneered,
"If you truly are a human who came here to prevent a disaster, why can't you reveal any details? No matter what it is, wouldn't it be better to work together?"
The man shook his head,
"Numbers mean nothing in front of its power. Weaklings grouping up will only become used by it."
"And only you can stop it?"
The man nodded. Hwang Dongsoo clicked his tongue in his mind.
'He's fucking crazy.'
Well, it made sense if the man was stranded in a Dungeon for 10 years. Or, it could just be that a magic beast imitating a human made an error. Hwang Dongsoo decided to entertain the man's delusions,
"You must be quite confident in your abilities."
"I have a certain qualification other than abilities."
"Well, of course, of course."
What could they hope to learn from a crazy man? Hwang Dongsoo decided he was done asking questions. Instead, he opened the file given to him by the FBH. It was a list of information and questions to confirm the man's identity.
"Name, Sung Ilhwan…"
The picture in the file was a perfect match.
'Instead of 10 years, it looks like only a few weeks or months have passed.'
But Hwang Dongsoo did not pay it much mind. After all, they say high-ranking Hunters can even slow their ageing, and healers who could reverse the ageing.
"Your accomplishments as a Hunter are rather impressive. You could earn quite a bit in today's world."
Sung Ilhwan did not reply. At the time, the system of classifying Hunters did not exist. They were not even assigned rankings. Hwang Dongsoo continued through the document,
"Wife, Park Gyunghae. Two kids, son's name is…"
Absentmindedly reading down the list, Hwang Dongsoo froze for the briefest of moments when he got to the son's name,
'Sung Jinwoo?'
Hwang Dongsoo continued without showing any indication,
"...Sung Jinwoo. What is your daughter's name?"
"Sung Jinah."
"Okay, next."
Suddenly,
"Hold on."
Hwang Dongsoo was about to flip to the next page when Sung Ilhwan stopped him. The S-ranker raised his head without much thought. Sung Ilhwan's face had turned as cold as Hwang Dongsoo's,
"Why did I feel a killing intent when you read my son's name?"
"..."
tak
The file was tossed to the table. Hwang Dongsoo turned off the microphone connecting to the outside.
"I thought I said I would be the one asking questions."
"I need to hear your answer."
"And if I refuse?"
"I'll have you talk with force."
Sung Ilhwan's eyes flared. The man was not about to back off. With that, Hwang Dongsoo sneered widely,
"Alright. You're a magic beast."
How dare a mere magic beast threatens a Hunter? Feeling Sung Ilhwan emit a powerful hostility toward him, Hwang Dongsoo felt that it was enough evidence to claim the man was a magic beast.
'Perhaps the heavens have blessed me again.'
Having made his conclusion without much thought, Hwang Dongsoo turned on the microphone again.
beep
"Deputy director, this man is a magic beast. He's going to attack soon, please evacuate."
- "What? Hey, wait!"
beep
The presence he felt on the other side of the one-way mirror panicked then ran off. The sirens rang loudly throughout the building. Hwang Dongsoo's fists began to glow with a silver light.
"I will be visiting Korea soon."
Finishing his preparations, Hwang Dongsoo's lips made an ugly smile towards Sung Ilhwan,
"What should I tell your son his father's last words were?"
...
The TV continued to report on the Red Gate incident. Jinwoo scratched the back of his head.
'Things are about to get really loud.'
However, he did not feel annoyed. Just a strangeness. Strangers on the TV were reporting left and right trying to figure out Jinwoo's identity. And if they succeeded? It did not matter.
'I've become strong enough.'
The reason why he had hidden his power up until now was to avoid being used by someone. But things were different.
Baek Yoonho.
Jinwoo was able to throw aside the grip of the S-rank Guildmaster of Baekho without even trying. That's how strong he had become. It was an unthinkable action in the past.
'I would've probably pissed my pants if I saw those eyes in the past.'
A light smile appeared on Jinwoo's face. It was moments like this you had to enjoy in drunkenness.
ring~
A harmful substance has been detected.
The effects of the 'Detoxification' buff will be activated.
3, 2, 1… Detoxification complete.
Unfortunately, that much was not allowed for him. Jinwoo chuckled in defeat. Putting down the shot glass, his expression became serious again.
'Still, I'm not stopping here.'
Jinwoo brought up the status screen.
ring~
Name: Sung Jinwoo
Level: 89 (56.3%)
Class: Monarch of Shadows
Subclass:
Title: God of Death... (...14 more)
HP: 30952/30952 R: 19.3% (1040.57) per Minute
MP: 49268/49268 R: 27.87% (4887.93) per Minute
Fatigue: 0
Stats
Strength: 265
Constitution: 234
Agility: 224
Intelligence: 298
Sense: 228
(Available stat points: 59)
Physical Damage Reduction: 46%
Cold Immunity
Ice Damage Reduction 20%
Active Skills.
•Mana Shield (Lv. 1)
•Magic Missile (Lv. 1)
•Mana Arrows (Lv. 1)
•Rain Of Arrows (Lv. 1)
•Hail (Lv. 1)
•Mystic Master Mine (Lv. 1)
•Globe Of Invulnerability (Lv. 1)
•Protego (Lv. 1)
•Ice Shards (Lv. 1)
•Scient Step (Lv. 1)
•Divine Recovery (Lv. 1)
.. Click Here to see more…
Having invested a big chunk of stat points to start, even my intelligence was nearing 300.
I can't wait to see what perk I will get once it's 300.
These are all the new spells that I have created in the last few days with my army. I have tasted many things and gotten to know them.
I'm now much more proficient with magic, so I can easily create new spells. But I still have a long way to go…
...
*Jin-Woo POV*
Yes, a long way to go. To a higher place. Somewhere no one could dare to reach him.
To start, I would begin with the Demon Castle.
'The System definitely told me it's something I want.'
He recalled the description on the Blessed Random Box:
Blessed Random Box
Will provide what the 'Player' wants.
And the Demon Castle Key came out of that box. High-leveled monsters and great rewards. I had already confirmed this with Cerberus. I was sure that it would be just as great. It was finally time to return to that place. In fact, I planned on staying there for a few days. I just had one issue:
'Once I'm inside, I won't be able to make contact with the outside world.'
What would I tell my little sister? I would have to think of an excuse.
But before that, I have much to do, which includes giving re-rank up exams, shifting to a new home (which was ready quite a few days ago), and clearing both the Demon Castle and Angel's Layer dungeons. There is so much to do.
While scrolling down my inventory, I saw a "Mystery Box," and my mind snapped as I recalled the third thing I got from the class quest.
I was so incredibly busy that I even ignored the thing, and with continuous events happening one after another, I didn't even open the box to check what was inside.
"Damn! How can I be such a fool?"
How can I be such a fool? I overlooked such a big thing, no matter how busy I got. I encountered this.
"Did something happen that I don't remember?"
No, I can recall every moment of my life since I was born, so no one interfered with my memories. And I have proof of the young man sleeping here.
So does that mean it could be done by a reality bender?
No, that can't be, as even the supreme being of this world was very much killable.
As my mind came up with millions of possibilities of how this could be possible, but all of them ended with a dead end.
Does it mean it's my own mistake, my own overconfidence, my enthusiasm, or a sudden burst of power?
It's the most feasible answer. Should I take it out now?
No? It wouldn't be wise of me to do that as who knows what could be inside. It's very much possible that it could be something huge and it could destroy the whole place.
And if accounting for possibilities, it's possible that inside is a bomb, or a virus, or a super bright thing, or even a beast, or something else.
'Impossible.'
How can this happen?
There are more possibilities than even I could count on. After all, who can say a system could only give good things, or if it's good for me, it would be good for everyone, like an energy that could empower me but kills everything?
Never Tell Me the Odds!
After all, there is a saying that it's not zero percent. In my case, that's as good as 100 percent!
So it would be a good idea to open it at home where if something goes wrong, I could handle any situation that may occur…
.....
Chapter is much bigger then usual as a thanks) Remark
"So finally, the fight between Esdeath and Jinwoo ended. Thankfully, they have settled their differences, and I have already written more than 2000 words just for them to share kisses and what comes after that.
But it's a very soft R18, so now I want to know if I should write a full R18 scene or let them do it in the Solo Leveling world.
Also, please give me some ideas for shadows of both humans and danger beasts, including all of them.
And please note that Esdeath is the only one who is part of the harem."
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone