Solo Leveling, Vol. 1, page 1
Copyright
Solo Leveling 1
CHUGONG
Translation by Hye Young Im and J. Torres
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
SOLO LEVELING Volume 1
© Chugong 2017 / D&C MEDIA
All rights reserved.
First published in Korea in 2017 by D&C MEDIA Co., Ltd.
English translation © 2021 by Yen Press, LLC
Yen Press, LLC supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact the publisher. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Chugong, author. | Im, Hye-Young, translator. | Torres, J., 1969– translator.
Title: Solo leveling / Chugong ; translation by Hye Young Im and J. Torres.
Other titles: Na honjaman rebereop. English
Description: First Yen On edition. | New York, NY : Yen On, 2021.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020047938 | ISBN 9781975319274 (v. 1 ; trade paperback)
Subjects: GSAFD: Fantasy fiction.
Classification: LCC PL994.215.G66 N313 2021 | DDC 895.73/5—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020047938
ISBNs: 978-1-9753-1927-4 (paperback)
978-1-9753-1928-1 (ebook)
E3-20210113-JV-NF-ORI
CONTENTS
Cover
Insert
Title Page
Copyright
0. Prologue
1. E-rank Hunter
2. First Blood
3. The Final Test
4. Daily Quest
5. Boss Round
6. The Lizards
7. A Proposal
8. The Demon’s Castle
9. B-rank Taesik Kang
10. The Strange Raids
Yen Newsletter
0
PROLOGUE
[The daily quest has arrived.]
I heard the clear voice of a young woman.
I swear I wasn’t playing some video game. I definitely wasn’t dreaming, either. The voice had undoubtedly echoed in my head. A quest notification was floating in midair.
No way…… It can’t be the same one again.
I warily opened the notification while saying a silent prayer.
Ping!
[DAILY QUEST: STRENGTH TRAINING]
Push-ups 100 times: Incomplete (0/100)
Sit-ups 100 times: Incomplete (0/100)
Squats 100 times: Incomplete (0/100)
Running 10 km: Incomplete (0/10)
Warning: Failure to complete the daily quest will result in an appropriate penalty.
As soon as I saw the screen, I couldn’t help but curse:
“Dammit… How many times do I have to do this?!”
1
E-RANK HUNTER
E-rank hunter Jinwoo Sung. That title followed him around everywhere.
In terms of ability, Jinwoo was no different from a civilian. He was just a little sturdier and recovered slightly faster than a regular person. Because of this, he was always sporting some kind of injury. He’d even been brought back from the brink of death several times.
Needless to say, Jinwoo didn’t enjoy being a hunter. The work was dangerous, people constantly looked down on him, and his pay wasn’t all that great, either. If not for the health insurance provided by the Hunter’s Association, he would’ve turned in his license on the spot and lived a normal life.
Unfortunately, as a man in his midtwenties without any employable skills, working as a hunter was the only viable way to pay for his mother’s hospital bills, which cost him several hundred thousand won every month.
In other words, he didn’t have much of a choice.
That was why Jinwoo had steeled himself and participated in the association’s raid that fateful day.
Most hunters who worked in the same area knew one another well, given that they all gathered every time a gate opened. Those who arrived first exchanged greetings over coffee provided by an association employee.
“Hey, Kim! Over here.”
“Oh, Park, it’s been a while. I thought you quit?”
“It……turns out my wife is pregnant with our second child.”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha! Well, as hunters, we know there’s nothing like raids to make some big money.”
Embarrassed, Park chuckled along with Kim’s loud guffaws before asking a question. “So why hasn’t the association been summoning hunters as often? Is there a shortage of gates?”
“Nah, of course not. It’s because the guilds are grinding harder than the association these days. Guilds get really fired up when there’s big money.”
“But this raid should be safe, since the association organized it, right?” Park glanced around furtively as his worry started to build.
The absence of guilds typically meant there wouldn’t be a large payoff, and while it wasn’t always the case, that usually meant a low-rank gate.
However, there is no such thing as a guarantee. Park wasn’t the only one; other hunters were looking around uneasily as well.
“Well…” Kim was taking a sip of his coffee to avoid responding when he spotted a familiar figure in the distance and waved in welcome.
“Hey, there he is. Sung! Over here!”
The others also brightened at the sight of the approaching hunter.
“Hello, everyone.”
It was Jinwoo Sung. Jinwoo nodded politely at Kim’s cheerful greeting as he walked by.
After making sure Jinwoo was out of earshot, Kim turned to Park with a cocky grin. “Jinwoo Sung’s here. That means it’s safe.”
Park’s eyes went wide, and he leaned in closer. “Wait. Is Jinwoo Sung that powerful a hunter?”
“Ah, guess you wouldn’t know. He started not long after you retired. Everyone knows Jinwoo Sung.”
“But if he’s that strong, why’s he working under the association? He’d be better off at some big guild or as a freelancer.”
Kim’s grin faded, and he gave Park a wry look. “Do you know what his nickname is?”
“How would I know that? Stop beating around the bush and just tell me.”
“The Weakest Hunter of All Mankind.”
“……The weakest? Not the Ultimate Hunter?”
“C’mon! That’s Jongin Choi, the S-rank hunter. Sung’s nickname is the Weakest Hunter. He’s probably the worst hunter in all of Korea.”
“What?” Park frowned.
Why had everyone welcomed Jinwoo so excitedly if he was that weak? They’d have to count on him to cover their backs in an emergency. Park couldn’t understand the other hunters’ reactions.
Kim snickered at Park’s blank, confused look and elbowed him in the side.
“Listen, any raid with Jinwoo has to be easy. The association never gives him a difficult job. After all, they wouldn’t want to be liable for his death!”
Finally, Park visibly relaxed. “R-really?”
Park’s wife was worried sick, as it had been a while since his last raid. If he was being honest, he was nervous, too, but Kim’s words put him at ease.
Kim continued. “Rumor has it, Sung was hospitalized for a week ’cause he got hurt in an E-rank gate.”
“A hunter got hurt in an E-rank gate?”
“Apparently! And the association didn’t think anyone would, so they hadn’t even bothered sending along a healer.”
“So he was hospitalized for a week? Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
Kim shot Park a warning glance for laughing too loudly.
“Shhh! Sung might hear us.”
“Oops. Didn’t think about that.”
Park snickered to himself while keeping an eye on Jinwoo. Luckily, it seemed Jinwoo was too far away to hear them.
He was wrong.
I can hear everything, old man.
Jinwoo smiled bitterly while pretending not to notice their gazes. These were the times he cursed his sharp hearing.
The raid wasn’t yet ready to commence.
Am I too early?
Jinwoo looked around for something to pass the time before finally making a beeline for the coffee.
“May I have a cup?”
“Oh, Hunter Sung…… I’m so sorry. I just ran out.”
“……”
The cold winter wind bit the tip of his nose. Jinwoo rubbed it with his finger.
It was just that kind of tragic day where even the coffee let him down.
“Why do you insist on working as a hunter?”
Joohee Lee, the beauty performing a healing spell on him, made her disapproval clear by sulking.
“I didn’t ask you that to hear you apologize. I asked because I’m worried about you. Keep fighting like this, and you’ll find yourself in real danger someday.”
Jinwoo gazed over Joohee’s shoulder at his colleagues locked in combat.
Gates were entrances to dungeons.
This particular dungeon was approximately D rank. Over a dozen hunters were dealing with the magic beasts without breaking a sweat. Unfortunately, it had proven too much for an E-rank hunter like Jinwoo.
Generally, healers brought up the rear and took care of the wounded. Jinwoo was infamous among healers for getting injured in every raid.
Joohee cautiously asked him, “Is there a reason you can’t just quit?”
Jinwoo shook his head firmly. He really didn’t want others knowing his personal business.
“This is my hobby. I’d probably be bored to death if I didn’t do this.”
Joohee pouted at this. “Well, indulge in your hobby too much, and your next raid will be in the afterlife.”
Caught off guard, Jinwoo burst out laughing.
Joohee’s scolding continued. “Ahhh! Don’t laugh! You’ll open your wound!”
Jinwoo couldn’t stop giggling. “Who talks like that these days?”
“Who do you think? That uncle aaaall the way over there, Mr. Kim.”
“Oh man, that old geezer…”
As they chatted, Jinwoo’s treatment was wrapping up.
Unfortunately, it was already too late for him. The raid seemed like it was almost done.
His face clouded over.
I barely defeated one beast today.
What’s more, it had been only an E rank.
Jinwoo fiddled with the E-rank essence stone in his hand. As the lowest-rank item, the essence stone from an E-rank magic beast was worth less than 100,000 won. It was a terribly low reward for risking his life.
They say an essence stone from even a C-rank magic beast could be worth over 10,000,000 won……
However, because he barely qualified as an E-rank hunter, Jinwoo was no match for a C-rank beast.
Suddenly, someone shouted to the rest of the group.
“Huh? There’s another entrance here?”
Nearby hunters gathered next to him.
“Whoa, it’s true.”
“Looks like it’s really there!”
Just as the first hunter had claimed, there was indeed a hidden entrance to yet another dungeon.
Hunter Song, whose grizzled hair spoke to his ten years of experience, examined the entrance, fascinated.
“A double dungeon…… I guess they actually exist.”
It was hard to see far into the dimly lit cave. Song cast a fire spell, his specialty, and tossed it inside. The flame flew through the cave, illuminating the interior.
The passage seemed endless. Eventually, the flame lost its momentum and fell to the ground, where it sparked for a bit, then fizzled out. Darkness engulfed the cave once again.
“Hmm…… Everyone, gather around, please.” Song, the de facto leader of the party, summoned all the hunters to him. With Jinwoo’s treatment now finished, he and Joohee also joined them.
Song looked at the group as he addressed them. “As you all well know, a gate will not close until the boss is defeated. Even though we’ve cleared this area, the gate’s still perfectly fine, so my guess is that the boss is in there.”
Song gestured at the entrance to the hidden dungeon. The others exchanged looks and nodded in agreement with Song’s assessment.
There was no other possibility.
Song continued. “Now, protocol dictates that we report this to the association and wait for their decision. But…we’d make a lot less money if some other hunters showed up and stole our kill in the meantime.”
Everyone’s expressions hardened. Park, who needed a big payday because of his wife’s pregnancy, looked particularly displeased by the prospect.
Postnatal care alone is so expensive these days……
If they were paid less, it would mean risking his life to participate in this raid would’ve been meaningless.
“That’s why I don’t want to leave this dungeon without defeating the boss…… What do you all think?”
Everyone was lost in their thoughts.
“……”
“……”
No one’s safety could be guaranteed in such an unusual situation.
On the other hand, this was a very low-rank dungeon. It was likely the level of difficulty of the hidden dungeon wouldn’t be that high.
“Ahem.” Song cleared his throat.
“There are seventeen of us, so let’s vote. Once a decision is made, no one can object. Does that sound good?”
Everyone nodded at Song’s suggestion.
There wasn’t a single objection.
“I’m going in.” Song raised his hand. As he did, others also warily raised their hands.
“Me too.”
“I vote for going in, too.”
Park was the first to raise his hand, and other hunters, including Kim, followed. Naturally, there were also many votes in opposition.
“Let’s not go in.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to wait for the association’s decision?”
With the tally for both sides being neck and neck, the voting continued until Jinwoo and Joohee were the only two left.
“I’m sorry……” Joohee bowed her head toward Song apologetically and opted not to go in.
With her vote, it was eight for and eight against. A tie.
When Jinwoo hesitated, Song addressed him point-blank. “How about you, Sung?”
It all came down to him. Jinwoo gripped the E-rank essence stone in his hand tightly and looked to the person at his side.
Joohee shook her head at him. She seemed unsettled by the situation.
Jinwoo also felt uneasy. Normally, he would never expose himself to such risk. He had neither the ability nor the courage for it.
But he also had a sister who was going to college in the near future.
I don’t have any savings……
Jinwoo was twenty-four years old. For his part, he’d given up on higher education because he’d been unable to afford it. He refused to make his sister suffer the same fate.
At the moment, there was nothing but lint in his pockets. Park wasn’t the only one who needed a big payday.
Jinwoo’s hand shot up. “I’m going in, too.”
As he did, a small sigh escaped next to him.
The tunnel stretched on forever. The strongest hunters, including Song, led the way. Song lit their path with the little flame he’d summoned, keeping it cupped in his palm.
Kim walked beside him. “Aren’t we going in too deep? We need to start considering the exit time.”
“How long have we been walking?”
Kim checked his watch. “It’s been about……about forty minutes.”
“Since gates close an hour after the boss is defeated, we still have about twenty minutes.”
“We should withdraw if we can’t find the boss by then.”
“I guess we should.”
Song silently nodded and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “It’s dark up ahead, so stay behind me, Kim.”
Kim stared at the little spark of light before taking out his hunter-issue phone and turning on the flashlight app. As he did, the road ahead was flooded with light.
“……” Song glanced between his flame and the light from the phone, then wordlessly started digging through his pockets.
Jinwoo, who had been wounded badly earlier, and Joohee, who lacked combat skills, brought up the rear of the party.
Jinwoo rubbed the back of his neck. “Ummm…… I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For making you come with us.”
“I’m fine, so don’t worry about me.”
Jinwoo peeked at Joohee’s expression. She didn’t look fine at all.
Fidgeting a bit, he cautiously tried to talk to her again. “Are you really okay?”
Joohee whirled around to face him.
“Of course not! Are you out of your mind? Just a little higher, and the beast would’ve punctured your heart. And what about the wounds on your wrist and thigh? Healing you wasn’t easy, but now you want to go into yet another dungeon? Even though you have absolutely no clue what could be waiting for you?”
