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Solo Leveling Novel Chapter 69 Average 5 / 5 out of 1
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Summary
“Let us escort you back home, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim.”
The Association President Goh Gun-Hui hurriedly made that offer as Jin-Woo stood up to leave.
“If you wait for a minute, one of our agents will bring a car around. How about going home with that, instead?”
“….”
Jin-Woo had fully understood that the Hunter’s Association, and especially its boss man, Goh Gun-Hui, were feeling extremely grateful towards him.
However, that didn’t mean he wanted to be treated like royalty even in something as minor as this.
It wasn’t as if his home was too far away and he needed to borrow a car, either. If he wanted to save on time, he might as well ride on Kaisel. Or run all the way back home, which would actually be quicker, instead.
That’s why Jin-Woo declined the offer.
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine.”
However, Goh Gun-Hui shook his head and insisted on it.
“I believe that… it’ll be more convenient for you to get a ride home.”
“What do you mean by that….?”
Goh Gun-Hui approached the window and spoke to him.
“Could you please come over this way?”
Jin-Woo also walked over to the window, and that’s when he saw it.
….Outside the window.
Less than one hour ago, the front entrance of the Association used to be sparsely populated. But now, a huge crowd of people had gathered there and he couldn’t see any openings at all.
“All these people came here to see you, Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim. They have heard that you came for a visit in the Association.”
Jin-Woo didn’t have to ask how these people knew.
‘Well, I did fly on Kaisel to get here, so….’
In this day and age, everyone walked around with a minimum of one camera on their persons. The images of Jin-Woo riding on Kaisel, and disembarking in front of the Association, spread through the medium of SNS like wildfire. And sure enough, online reporters were also among those who heard of the news.
Just one headline was all that’s needed. The article itself wasn’t even that long, either.
‘Who is the owner of the monster that landed in the Association?’?
The article stated that the monster was definitely not what one would call average, and that it was jet-black like a shadow. Finally, the article went on to posit that it was most likely one of Jin-Woo’s summoned creatures, as it looked similar to what millions saw on their TV sets.
Those who heard the news and came here to confirm the truth, and those who only wished to meet Jin-Woo in person, combined to create this massive throng of people gathering right on the front lawn of the Association building.
A flood of emotions welled up inside Jin-Woo as he stared at all these people.
Goh Gun-Hui also stared at the crowd in silence for a while, before he calmly opened his mouth.
“I’m sure that you’re aware of it by now… Our countrymen had been thirsting for a victory.”
South Korea became the sole nation on Earth who lost a part of their land to monsters after a catastrophic dungeon break occurred on Jeju Island four years ago.
Many countries outwardly expressed their solidarity but inwardly, they were mocking the Korean Hunters for their uselessness. By the time the third subjugation operation ended in failure, that sentiment reached its peak.
Two years of humiliation later….
People learned of the news that the fourth subjugation attempt would be a joint operation with the Japanese. There were some sceptical voices mocking the Koreans for their inability to deal with the monsters without the aid of the Japanese. Unfortunately, that was the actual hard truth.
But then….
The mighty Japanese and their twenty-plus rank S Hunters turned tail and ran away from the raid. Yet, Jin-Woo suddenly made his appearance along with his black soldiers. It was understandable that people would go absolutely crazy about him.
Exactly like how one would quench his thirst in an oasis, the citizens witnessed Jin-Woo’s feats and threw away their sense of powerlessness. Many viewers had to pour out onto the streets, unable to contain their unbridled joy. And when they heard of Jin-Woo’s whereabouts, they ended up running over here.
“Of course, I’m sure you can also fly away using your monster.”
Goh Gun-Hui gently chuckled from the side.
“However, I believe that you should go downstairs in consideration of the crowd. Because, the people… need a hero, you see.”
***
Jin-Woo pushed open the glass door and exited from the Association building. All chaos suddenly died down right away.
Everyone gathered here kept their mouths closed and quietly stared at Jin-Woo.
“….”
“…..”
Many areas of Jin-Woo’s clothes still sported traces of battles he fought.
There were blotches of ant monster’s bodily liquid, and some part had been torn open at the hands of the mutated ant monster, too. However, not one person here made fun of Jin-Woo’s current appearance.
No, the citizens simply stared at him in silence while feeling a certain boiling something well up from deep within their chests.
Jin-Woo quietly stared back at them as well. Just as the heavy silence descended between him and the citizens….
“Hunter-nim, please. This way.”
Woo Jin-Cheol was now tasked with guiding Jin-Woo, and he faithfully carried out his duty.
The agents of the Monitoring Division went ahead and created a path forward while asking the crowd for their understanding; citizens moved aside without any complaints whatsoever.
However, there was a sole exception.
A grandpa walked in front of Jin-Woo when there wasn’t that much distance left to the waiting car.
“Hunter-nim….”
One of the Monitoring Division’s agents tried to stop the grandpa, but he hesitated somewhat after seeing the tear-soaked face of the old man, before he had to take a step back. Because, Jin-Woo held the agent back, that’s why.
The grandpa was finally able to stand before Jin-Woo. Thick tears streamed down his face and he called out to the young Hunter in a choked-up voice.
“Hunter-nim…. Thanks to you… My son, he can close his eyes and rest now.”
The grandpa faltered as strength left his legs. Jin-Woo quickly supported him before he fell.
The grandpa held on to Jin-Woo’s hands and arms and kept bowing his head over and over again.
“Thank you, Hunter-nim….. Truly, I…..”
“I only did what had to be done. Please, do try to stand up.”
Woo Jin-Cheol helped with assisting the grandpa, and then entrusted the still-crying old man to his subordinate. He leaned in closer and whispered to Jin-Woo.
“Hunter-nim. The crowd is getting larger. Perhaps we should get going….”
“Alright.”
Jin-Woo nodded his head. Woo Jin-Cheol opened the car’s rear door and held it there.
Jin-Woo took one last look at the crowd before climbing into the car.
It was unknown who started it first.
Someone within the crowd quickly lowered his head as soon as meeting Jin-Woo’s gaze as a sign of a thank you, but then, everyone followed suit and did the same. Greetings filled with genuine appreciation came back to him wherever his eyes swept by.
“…..Hunter-nim.”
Woo Jin-Cheol’s anxious voice woke Jin-Woo up and only then did he fully climb into the car.
Woo Jin-Cheol entered the front passenger’s seat while his subordinate settled into the driver’s. Eventually, the car drove slowly away from the Association’s grounds.
Without saying a word, Jin-Woo gazed outside the window.
The crowd kept looking at the car right up until it could no longer be seen.
He leaned back on the seat and placed his hand on his pounding chest.
Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump….
His heart was beating fast as the wonderful sense of accomplishment filled him up.
He initially felt at a loss when the Association President suggested that he should meet with the crowd. But now, he was glad that he didn’t just walk past them.
It felt like every single gaze he met were his reward for a job well done.
It was then….
“Ah!”
Woo Jin-Cheol hurriedly looked behind him after Jin-Woo inadvertently cried out.
“Did something happen, Hunter-nim??”
“….No, it’s nothing important.”
Jin-Woo remembered only now that he broke the TV without an explanation, just so he could reduce the shock his mom might feel. He helplessly massaged his forehead.
‘Just how am I supposed to explain all this?’
Sure enough….
He switched his phone back on to find 13 missed calls from home.
***
It was pandemonium in online forums, too. But, that was to be expected.
The Jeju Island subjugation raid was the very first time Jin-Woo made his public appearance, ever since getting his rank S licence. It was the same thing as him making his public debut.
And during his first public appearance, he overwhelmed the mutated monster ant that freaked out everyone, and then, swept away thousands of ants blocking the escape route with his summoned creatures.
Like the excited fans pouring out into the streets after a match, those who witnessed the raid broadcast all logged online to voice their opinions.
└ Wow…. I’m speechless….
└ But, I thought that you can’t call out that many summoned creatures?
└ My ten-year-old tumour got cured from watching the assault of Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim’s summoned creatures.
└ By the way, mister? That tumour must’ve been a minor one since you had it for only ten years.
└ It was so cool. It was the best.
└ I lost my parents four years ago on Jeju Island. I know that Seong Jin-Woo Hunter-nim won’t read this, but….
The operation managed to capture the interest of all South Korean citizens. It was no wonder that various online forums were overflowing with the stories related to the raid. And Jin-Woo’s name always cropped up in those discussions.
Also, a hot debate regarding how high Jin-Woo’s skills should be rated opened up among the netizens famed for their love of comparisons.
└ With his powers, shouldn’t we say that our country now also has a Special Authority-rank in our midst?
└ Eiii. With only that? You should limit your intake of Kimchi soup per day. (TL: a Korean idiom, “drinking Kimchi soup”. Means you’re putting the cart before the horse.)
└ But, why not? He almost solo cleared a rank S dungeon, and the gap between him and other rank S Hunters is pretty vast, you know?
└ Hunter Seong Jin-Woo’s record isn’t extensive enough. If his skills are for real, then people will acknowledge him sooner or later.
└ In any case, man, he was so freaking awesome.
└ A rank E is only a bit better than a regular person, so how can someone like that become so strong?
└ Is Hunter Seong Jin-Woo a Re-Awakened?
└ Lots of people don’t seem to know that Seong Jin-Woo is a Re-Awakened. He applied to have his private information protected right away, so…..
Of course, there were some people among many who felt mighty uncomfortable about Jin-Woo, as well.
└ But, hold up…. If Seong Jin-Woo participated in the raid from the get-go, Min Byung-Gu wouldn’t have died, right?
└ He wanted to be left out in the beginning, so why did he show up in the middle?
└ Looks like guys above mine haven’t seen the article put up by the Association explaining themselves yet.
└ What article? Links please.
The contents of the article went like this.
Even though he was ranked S, Jin-Woo lacked experience in entering high-ranked dungeons. Therefore, the Association chose to keep him in reserve nearby in case of an emergency, instead of making him join the raid team from the beginning. Once the situation became dire, they decided to insert him right away.
It was a hastily-cooked up story, but it proved to be enough to convince the masses.
‘This is the best I can do for Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.’
Goh Gun-Hui’s quick response was able to stop the sharp arrows of criticism from pointing at Jin-Woo, while also managing to keep the latter’s private affairs out of public limelight.
Thanks to that, some people denounced the inability of the Association to properly gauge the capabilities of their own Hunters, but no one pointed the fingers of blame in Jin-Woo’s direction.
No, Jin-Woo’s acclaim only rose even further in the eyes of the public.
The situation was at its worst point, with the Japanese team tasked with buying time having withdrawn from the island and the Korean team facing certain annihilation. Yet, he didn’t complain once and jumped into the ant tunnel all alone.
└ I wouldn’t have been able to go in there, even if someone pushed me from the back, ‘cuz I’d get scared sh*tless. Other rank S Hunters were getting massacred in there, so why should I?
└ Agreed.
└ What did he think about when he entered there?
└ Shouldn’t Seong Jin-Woo be the true role model of all the Hunters out there?
└ Shouldn’t those idiots slagging off Seong Jin-Woo for not participating beg for his forgiveness right about now?
└ LOLOLOL That’s why you shouldn’t yap on like that when you don’t know anything.
Jin-Woo was fast becoming the most famous Hunter in South Korea, much to his fluster. Even though he had requested for the protection of his private information early on, his fame continued to soar higher.
***
Two days later.
Military personnel and Hunters landed on Jeju Island to recover the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu.
They were from the Yeongnam District’s Guild, the ‘Knight Order’. Although they were one of the five large Guilds representing South Korea, they lacked a rank S Hunter in their midst and therefore, couldn’t participate in the raid.
They sensed their reputation diminishing from this event, and volunteered for this mission. Thanks to that, the matters had progressed rather swiftly.
Hunters had to take the lead after seeing the specially-trained soldiers hesitating somewhat.
“Oii, stop it and come on, already.”
“I’m telling you, there isn’t a single detectable magical energy on this island. Argh, you guys are far too distrusting.”
Hunters walking forward far up ahead waved at the soldiers. The hesitant soldiers cautiously followed from behind, but they still kept their guards up.
From the Hunters’ perspective, that sure was one frustrating sight to see, but there was no helping it. Regular people couldn’t sense magical energy, nor were they able to fight against the monsters. So they could only be overly cautious like that.
“Tsk, tsk.”
The Guild Master of the Knight Order tutted unhappily, and placed his hands on his waist while scanning his surroundings.
‘Huh….’
His jaw dropped all on its own.
The closer they got to the vicinity of the ant tunnel, the greater the number of dead ants strewn about on the ground.
Nay, they resembled small mountains now, instead.
The Vice Guild Master, a close friend and a fellow Hunter who he fought alongside for a long time, helplessly shook his head.
“Hyung-nim…. Can you believe this? You telling me that a lone Hunter did all of this?”
“…..”
The Knight Order Guild also took part back during the third subjugation operation along with countless other Hunters. That’s why they knew better than anyone here how scary these creatures could be.
“To think that those ants ended up in this sorry state….”
“Wow…. That kid, Seong Jin-Woo or whatever his name was, he’s no ordinary man, that’s for sure.”
The Vice Guild Master continued to look around at his surroundings and spoke while sounding a bit fed up.
“How did he even manage to wipe out every single ant on this huge island??”
“I wonder about that myself.”
The elite members of the Knight Order, pretty well versed in all things monster-related, could only gawk in astonishment at the piles upon piles of dead monsters.
Eventually, though, their astonished steps brought them to the entrance of the ant tunnel.
“Hyung-nim, I can see it.”
“Yup, me too.”
Hunters came to a stop in front of the ant tunnel so they could enter it together with the soldiers. The latter group was still a bit of distance away. Since there wasn’t much to do during the wait, the Guild Master lit up a cigarette. The Vice Guild Master also lit one up for himself.
But then….
The Guild Master furrowed his brows after seeing that lit cigarette powerlessly fall from the Vice’s lips.
“Oii. What’s the matter?”
“H-hyung-nim!!”
The Vice Guild Master urgently slapped the Master’s shoulder as he pointed to the front. The latter finally realised that something was off and quickly turned his head to the front.
“Heok!!”
A distinct shadow of a man appeared in the entrance of the tunnel.
The wide-eyed Guild Master flinched in surprise, before opening his mouth up to speak.
“Y-you, who… are you?”
Translator:??Editor:
The Master of the Knight Order Guild, Park Jong-Su, had to doubt his own eyes. Because, there was a good-looking foreign man leisurely strolling out of the ant tunnel’s entrance at that very moment.
But, that was just impossible.
‘The ants being completely wiped out should still be a top secret, so how could this be??’
Everything found rolling around on the ground was literally the top-grade magic crystals. So, the Association decided to keep the annihilation of the ants a secret in order to prevent those enterprising souls from taking their chances here, at least until they could come up with a suitable solution to this problem.
So, only a few select people knew that there were no monsters left on this island.
‘It’s only to the extent of the Association entrusting the mission to us, the military, and then….’
And then, Hunter Seong Jin-Woo.
However, Park Jong-Su could confidently bet his entire life savings that the man standing in front of the ant tunnel was definitely not Seong Jin-Woo.
How could anyone forget that man’s face? Not only was he the most talked-about Hunter in South Korea, but he also occupied the top spot on the Knight Order’s must-scout list.
Park Jong-Su asked again.
“I asked you who you are! Why are you coming out from there?”
It was unknown whether the foreigner didn’t understand a single word coming out of his mouth or wasn’t planning to answer in the first place. No, that man just stood there, smiling brightly.
The Knight Order’s Vice Master, Jeong Yun-Tae, got right next to Park Jong-Soo, his suspicious eyes firmly locked on the foreigner.
“Hyung-nim. Is that guy even a human?”
“I…. I’m not sure, myself.”
They couldn’t sense any magic energy emission from the mysterious man, so he couldn’t have been a Hunter nor a monster…. But, for some reason, he was also emitting this strange aura.
Jeong Yun-Tae always had been the ‘act first, talk later’ type of a guy. But even he had to take a step back and cautiously observe his surroundings after sensing the ominous aura.
Unfortunately, soldiers didn’t possess the Hunter-like sensory perception. They belatedly discovered the foreigner’s presence and hurriedly raised their firearms.
Park Jong-Su quickly dissuaded them, fearing that they might end up inadvertently killing someone.
“Oii, oii! Don’t shoot! He’s not a monster!”
“Is he a human, then?”
“Well, that is…. Maybe?”
Park Jong-Su could only nod his head with a somewhat unconvinced expression.
‘You can only be a human being if you’re not a monster.’
Park Jong-Su’s limited scope of knowledge meant that he could only arrive at this faulty conclusion.
The military commander briefly nodded his head.
“Understood. From here onwards, we’ll handle the affairs of that person.”
“Pardon me? I thought you guys came here to take Hunter Min Byung-Gu’s remains back home?”
“Our orders were to secure the remains of Hunter Min Byung-Gu, as well as to control the situation on the island itself.”
Park Jong-Su stepped back, having understood the gist of it.
If they weren’t dealing with monsters or other Hunters then the Knight Order didn’t have to get involved here. Besides, they wouldn’t get mired in unnecessary headaches this way, too.
The commander shouted at the mystery man.
“You are currently inside a restricted area. Please follow my orders to the letter or you’ll be fired upon.”
“…”
The mystery man continued to smile, not a single hint of nervousness visible on his face.
Gulp.
Soldiers swallowed their saliva while thinking to themselves, “Are we really going to open fire at him?”
This was an expected response from these soldiers who had never pulled the trigger on another human being before.
Hunters were also carrying tense expressions now. They began thinking that there was something strange going on with this situation when that mysterious man continued to smile like that.
It was then – the man slid his hands inside the trouser pockets.
‘That man…. Is he really a human being?’
Could anyone stay so nonchalant when these many guns were pointing at them?
Park Jong-Su’s expression gradually hardened. Meanwhile, the nervousness of the soldiers reached their peak when they could no longer see the mysterious man’s hands.
“Hold your fire!! Hold your fire! Not yet!”
A thick vein popped up on the commander’s neck as he shouted at his soldiers.
But, then….
“Commander, look!”
The commander quickly turned his head towards the mysterious man as soon as he heard that urgent call. That man was slowly opening his mouth.
“…??”
He couldn’t understand the language being spoken here.
It wasn’t that he had never heard of it, but more like it didn’t even originate from Earth, to begin with, judging from the way that man sounded and how he enunciated the words.
“What?”
“What is he saying?”
While the soldiers were at a loss from this situation they had never encountered before, Park Jong-Su’s lips were busy flapping open all on their own.
“M-monster language??”
One could sometimes meet intelligent monsters in higher-ranked dungeons. What that man said sounded almost like the language spoken by those creatures.
“Which means, is that….”
Before the commander could finish his sentence with “….is that a monster?” the mystery man pulled his hands out from the pockets.
Blam-!
An ear-splitting boom reverberated throughout the land.
When that mysterious man behaved in a suspicious manner, one of the well-trained special forces soldiers ended up reflexively squeezing the trigger.
‘Heok!’
The commander’s stunned eyes quickly locked on to the man.
The bullet, failing to dig into the man’s smooth forehead, fell to the ground with a light thud. The smile on his face was already gone.
“It, it’s a monster!”
“It’s not a human!”
Their cries lasted only for a brief moment because, as soon as that man’s eyes changed colour to red, everyone here felt an incredible pressure tightly squeezing down on their hearts.
“Ah, ah-!!”
“Argh….”
But, then…
Snap!
Like puppets with their strings cut, the soldiers and Hunters all collapsed to the ground along with the sound of a crisp finger snap. That mysterious man wasn’t responsible for this event.
He looked behind him and testily spoke up.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
There was a short-statured middle-aged man standing behind him now.
“There’s no need to make a commotion here. I just put them all to sleep.”
The middle-aged man also wasn’t speaking in the language of humans.
“….Indeed.”
The mysterious man sounded rueful, but still agreed with his new guest nonetheless. The middle-aged man shifted his gaze towards the interior of the ant tunnel and asked.
“Did you confirm it?”
The mysterious man nodded his head.
“It’s definitely ‘his’ power.”
“How strange.”
The middle-aged man’s gaze now shifted over to the collapsed Hunters.
“Why is ‘he’ helping out these humans?”
“Who knows what ‘he’ is thinking? If you’re curious, why don’t you go ask ‘him’ personally?”
“….I’ll decline.”
The middle-aged man shook his head before continuing on.
“We commence with the hunt as planned. Nothing has changed.”
“Got it.”
The middle-aged man lightly twirled his hand in the air. A black Gate small enough to let a person through opened up there.
“Oh, by the way.”
The middle-aged man stopped briefly and looked behind him when the mysterious man called out to him.
“I think one of them is here.”
“You mean, here in South Korea?”
“Since we’re here, how about we take care of that guy, first?”
The middle-aged man closed his eyes slightly. Soon, the information the mysterious man was talking about flowed into his head. However, the middle-aged man didn’t look wholly convinced.
“If it’s around here…. Let’s leave it to his hands.”
“You don’t want to get involved, is that it?”
“It’s fine to think of it that way. It doesn’t matter.”
The middle-aged man and his trailing voice soon disappeared along with the Gate itself.
After confirming that the black Gate was closed for good, the mysterious man muttered to himself.
“What a coward….”
He took a look at all the unmoving humans lying on the ground. They were only knocked out for a little while and should regain their consciousness soon enough.
“Hmph.”
The man snorted derisively and extended his hand towards the humans. However…
‘……’
He quietly withdrew it his hand.
“Well, there’s no need to raise a commotion.”
He also entered a small Gate and disappeared from the spot, as well.
***
Late at night.
Jin-Woo was sitting on his bedroom floor, busy taking a closer look at his shortsword. Currently, he was holding the ‘Demon King’s Shortsword’, a weapon that proved its worth several times over during the battle against the mutated ant monster.
[Item: Demon King’s Shortsword]
Rarity: S
Type: Shortsword
Attack: +220
A shortsword taken from the Demon King, Baran. Using two ‘Demon King’s Shortswords’ will activate a set effect.
Set effect ‘Two Becomes One’: Extra attack power equal to the current Strength Stat will be added to each shortsword.
His eyes almost bulged out when he first saw that attack power, as well as its additional attribute. In fact, he now forgot how many times he re-read that information.
His reaction was justified, though. The ‘Baruka’s Dagger’, a rarity A item, only boasted the attack power of 110, after all. He searched through the Store just in case, but not many of the rarity S daggers being sold there exceeded 200 in their attack power.
‘Not only that….’
He really liked the fact that, when wielding both Demon King’s Shortswords at once, his Strength Stat would be converted and added to the weapons’ existing attack power.
His current Strength Stat had far exceeded the 200 mark, and was fast closing in on 250. And now, such a high Stat value would be added to the weapon’s attack power as well?
If he omitted the last digit and added up the numbers, then he’d still get to a frightening four times the attack power of what ‘Baruka’s Dagger’ possessed.
‘This is why it felt so good when I swung them around back then.’
Other Hunters would froth in their mouths like madmen and pounce on these shortswords, if they were able to see the item’s information like he could.
What about the longsword’s specs, then?
[Item: Demon King’s Longsword]
Rarity: S
Type: Longsword
Attack: +350
A longsword containing the power of the Demon King, Baran. Swinging the sword will activate the effect, ‘Tempest of White Flames’.
Effect ‘Tempest of White Flames’: Summons a persistent thunderstorm within the designated area.
A longsword had to be wielded with both of his hands, while he could hold one shortsword each in his individual hands. This meant that, quite obviously, the former would boast better attack damage than the latter.
However, the additional effect the longsword had been blessed with was not ‘obvious’ at all.
‘I can perform an AOE attack just by swinging this thing?’
It was a weapon that would no doubt prove its worth during a fight against multiple opponents.
He still felt chills run down his spine whenever he thought back to how Baran’s magic attacks rendered his Shadow Soldiers into a bunch of helpless sitting ducks.
Of course, the sword’s effect wasn’t as good as Baran’s magic, but it was still an excellent trump card to hold onto, nonetheless.
‘If it weren’t for my dagger skills, I might even consider using this longsword, instead….’
Jin-Woo was about to take a swing with the sword, only to stop himself in time.
‘……’
The hours were getting late; but then, you’d still wake up from your sleep in sheer fright when a lightning strikes in the room next to yours, now wouldn’t you?
He didn’t want to shock his mother any more than he had already. So, he cautiously put the sword down.
‘Well, what a relief it was, at least.’
Indeed, it was a relief that his mother didn’t object to his decision.
That day, Jin-Woo explained everything that happened to him to his mother, minus the stuff about the System, of course.
He told her that, he coincidentally went through a Re-Awakening and became a rank S Hunter, and that he’d like to continue working as one in the future, too.
Mom was worried about him but eventually, decided to support her son all the way.
– Mom wants to see you do what you want with your life, my son.
The sole condition his mom put forward was that he was forbidden from pushing himself too far.
‘But, well, if I’m in a situation where I have to push myself to that extent, then….’
Jin-Woo shook his head since his imagination was about to take him to a pretty dark and horrifying place.
It was then, he abruptly remembered something else his mom told him.
– Was that why ‘he’ showed up? Because ‘he’ knew something like this would happen?
– Who’s ‘he’?
– While I was asleep in the hospital, I heard your father’s voice.
– What did he say?
– Well, he said…..
Mom added that she had never heard of someone else’s voice before and after that day, as well.
‘I guess Mom still hasn’t gotten over Dad yet.’
Even then, his mother didn’t try to stop her only son from being a Hunter. It was proof that she trusted him. Jin-Woo didn’t plan on betraying that trust any time soon.
Survival.
That had always been his priority, his end goal.
He only got to this place precisely because he didn’t give up and struggled right till the end during one of the most dangerous moments in his life.
‘….Alright.’
Now that his biggest worry, his mom saying no, had been addressed, there was nothing stopping him from entering dungeons now. He’d establish his own Guild, monopolise high-ranked dungeons and quickly raise his levels even higher.
Jin-Woo’s heart began beating faster and faster.
‘Well, now I have a different reason to raise my levels, don’t I?’
Shururuk….
Igrit revealed himself after Jin-Woo called him out.
This guy had been with him for the longest time out of all his soldiers.
‘Not only that….’
He was also the lone Knight-grade soldier the System gifted him with.
In other words, one could say that Igrit was the closest to the System out of all his soldiers currently.
“I’m sure you’ll be able to talk once your grade goes up, right?”
Jin-Woo had so many things he wanted to ask Igrit. Of course, he couldn’t hear any answers from his trusty knight yet.
“…”
Igrit replied with silence, as usual.
If silence could be seen as words, then wouldn’t this guy qualify to be the most talkative soldier in the whole world?
Jin-Woo smirked to himself and scratched the side of his head. He then carefully picked up the Demon King’s weapons to store them back in his Inventory.
‘Inventory….?’
But then, Jin-Woo’s eyes caught a flash of light being reflected off an object.
‘….What was that?’
Jin-Woo’s eyes opened wider.
An item was gleaming brightly inside his Inventory.
< Chapter 69 > Fin.
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