Solo Leveling, Vol. 1, page 6
Jinchul rubbed his chin. This was his sixth year working in the Surveillance Team after awakening as an A-rank hunter. He was confident he had experienced all sorts of adversity and enemies, so this was a first. He’d even sought the advice of guilds as well as associations of other countries, but they’d all been dead ends.
And so…
“Here’s what we think……,” Jinchul said cautiously. “There was definitely something powerful in that room. And those things were defeated by someone or several someones. That’s what we concluded, since nothing escaped into our world before the gate closed.”
They had to be open to all kinds of possibilities. They had to consider all the scenarios, however unlikely or impossible. The association had contemplated the situation again and again and had ultimately come up with one theory.
Jinchul watched for Jinwoo’s reaction as he continued. “We believe……that you had a second awakening, Hunter Jinwoo Sung.”
A second awakening!
Jinwoo’s eyes widened.
It was rare, but a person who had already awakened as a hunter could have a second awakening. This was also known as a “reawakening.” Most of the hunters who experienced this process came out much stronger than they’d been previously.
Once a hunter’s rank was set, there usually was no way to change it. A hunter’s ability was established when they awoke as a hunter.
But reawakened hunters were different. They surpassed their limits, and a C-rank hunter could level up to an A rank, and a B-rank hunter could even level up to an S rank.
Jinchul swallowed nervously.
Jinwoo Sung…… If he reawakened as an S ranker, or maybe even more powerful than that, it would’ve been possible for him to defeat all those beasts.
The survivors had specifically pointed out that the giant statue had vaporized C-rank hunters using only its eyes. How powerful would an individual have to be to defeat that kind of magic beast while unconscious?
The association had classified this case as top secret and made sure everyone involved kept it absolutely confidential. Those who’d come to visit Jinwoo in the hospital had been given only minimal information about his current state. For the same reason, Jinwoo had been assigned a private room and the best doctors in the hospital.
Jinchul’s heart sped up.
To think that we might finally have a national-rank hunter in Korea……
There were fewer than ten national-rank hunters in the entire world. They were said to hold more power than a nuclear weapon, and if Korea could have one, too…!
Fortunately, it wouldn’t be difficult to verify whether he’d had a second awakening. One must strike while the iron is hot, so to speak.
Jinchul gave an order to his subordinate. “Bring it here.”
The subordinate took something from a bag in a corner of the room and brought it over.
“Is that……?”
Jinchul began explaining before Jinwoo could finish asking. “This is a mana meter.”
He explained that the device was a smaller, though no less effective, version of the one found at the Hunter’s Association Headquarters.
“All you have to do is place your hand on this essence stone.”
A fist-size essence stone sat embedded in the middle of a round board. It was an ebony stone that looked like a black hole one could get sucked into. It was the highest-rank essence stone in existence, harvested from an A-rank or higher magic beast. An essence stone in good condition could go for more than 1,000,000,000 won.
Jinchul spoke up in a serious tone when Jinwoo continued to wordlessly stare at the essence stone.
“This is a necessary procedure for our investigation, so your cooperation would be greatly appreciated.”
Jinwoo nodded.
If this really was the reawakening he’d often dreamed of, his life would take a complete one-eighty. They were offering to verify it at no cost, so he had no reason to refuse.
He placed his hand on the essence stone, and it started to emit a faint glow. Both Jinchul and his subordinate were sweating in anticipation.
Fshhhhh…
The light surrounding the stone faded. Jinchul hurriedly took off his sunglasses and checked the result.
He blinked in disbelief. “That can’t be!”
He double-checked the number, but it remained the same.
What……?
How could someone with a hunter’s license have only 10 mana? When one took into consideration that E-rank hunters averaged between 70 and 100 mana, Jinwoo’s mana level was closer to a regular civilian’s.
However…
“So is it a reawakening? What’s my new rank looking like?”
Jinwoo’s palms were sweating. The result must have been extraordinary if the two surveillance agents were reacting this way.
Jinchul nodded after comparing Jinwoo’s current result with his previous data.
The result from his initial test was 12. Now, four years later, the result is 10. Even though it went down by 2, that’s within the margin of error.
The mana meter wasn’t broken. Jinwoo’s mana was simply unbelievably low. Frankly, it was a miracle he’d survived until now.
“There must have been a misunderstanding. I apologize.” Jinchul decided staying any longer would be a waste of time and quickly stood up.
“Let’s go.”
“Yessir.”
They quickly packed their bags.
“Uhhh, could you please tell me……?”
Jinchul turned slightly and merely responded, “Thank you for your cooperation. If you remember anything else, please contact us.”
The two men in black rushed out of the room like they had somewhere else they urgently needed to be. The space felt empty without them.
“……” Jinwoo rubbed the back of his neck.
Guess I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.
If he really thought about it, he didn’t feel any different, other than that strange sense of refreshment. Plus, it would’ve been impossible to defeat all those things by himself even if he had experienced a second awakening.
Maybe if it was the S-rank hunter Jongin Choi or Gunhee Go, who’s considered an S rank among S ranks, they could’ve taken them on by themselves?
Since he’d never seen either of them fight against magic beasts, his speculation was pointless.
Not much was known about S-rank hunters. They were like gods among men.
Lost in thought, he shifted his gaze up to the ceiling.
Huh?
As soon as he did, he saw letters floating in the air.
[You have unread messages.]
……?
Jinwoo tried closing and then opening his eyes again.
[You have unread messages.]
The letters were still floating in midair, unchanged.
Jinwoo shook his head hard to clear it and tried rubbing his eyes, but still nothing changed. He placed his hand on his pounding forehead and craned his neck down.
A few days ago, I was hearing things, and now I’m hallucinating……
Maybe there really was something wrong with his brain?
There’s a thing called post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. It’s a disorder prevalent in people who endured severe traumas or major accidents. Hearing things and having hallucinations after losing most of your colleagues and surviving a near-death experience wasn’t so strange.
But……
Some things couldn’t be so easily explained. His gaze went to his leg.
My leg is fine.
His leg, which had definitely been severed by a stone statue’s shield, was there.
The underground temple of the double dungeon, the voice he’d suddenly heard, his completely healed leg, and now the message floating in front of him… So many unexplainable things were happening at once.
Maybe……
It was possible all those things weren’t separate incidents but were, instead, connected. Having reached a possible conclusion, he felt his headache abate slightly.
Fine.
Jinwoo raised his eyes. He was curious about the contents of those messages now that he was calmer and his head wasn’t throbbing quite so much. The messages might contain hints that explained some of the mysterious happenings.
Jinwoo extended his hand to the letters. His fingers passed through them.
It’s not touch activated?
It seemed Jinwoo was a little too used to smartphones; he couldn’t think of any way to open messages other than via a touch screen.
As he pondered how to check the messages, he recalled what had happened right before he lost consciousness.
“Oh, right.”
The communication between himself and the strange voice had been conversational.
Will it work if I think it in my head, or do I have to say it out loud?
Jinwoo ended up deciding to try speaking every possible command word.
“Check.”
“Message.”
“Check message.”
“Read message.”
“Look.”
“I want to look.”
“Let’s take a look.”
“Show me!”
Just then…
“……What is it you want to look at so badly?”
Feeling like he was being watched, Jinwoo turned to find his sister, clad in her high school uniform, peeking back at him from behind the half-ajar door.
“Ummm……”
Jinwoo didn’t know what to say. He’d been caught begging someone to show him something while staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t really have any explanation for his behavior.
“You sure you didn’t hit your head?”
Jinwoo shook his head at his sister’s question, posed from a distance. “No.”
Jinah Sung continued regarding him suspiciously, even after his response.
“Are you really okay?”
“I said I’m fine.”
She looked him up and down as if to assess his condition before charging toward him like a raging bull. Jinwoo quickly raised his hands to defend himself as she started smacking him.
“I told you to stop getting hurt! Do you know how worried I was?!”
“……I’m sorry.”
“Other hunters are always fine, so why do you always get hurt?!”
“……Sorry.”
Jinah’s blows weakened, and she eventually bowed her head and started crying.
Jinwoo gently stroked his sniffling sister’s back. His heart felt heavy.
How could I even think about dying and leaving her behind?
He was glad to be alive.
The giant’s eye lasers, the shield that had severed his leg, the spear that had impaled him… Thinking back, there had been more than a few times when he’d felt his life was in danger. It was almost like he’d woken up from a horrific nightmare.
Jinwoo’s gaze drifted to the letters hovering in the air.
[You have unread messages.]
It’s like I still haven’t woken up from that dream……
There was so much that was unexplainable. But none of that mattered.
The important thing was that Jinwoo was still alive and could see his family again.
“Sniff.”
Luckily, his brave sister soon stopped crying, though she continued nagging him for another hour afterward.
“Got that? If you get hurt one more time, I’m going to drop out and get a job and make you quit being a hunter.”
Jinah’s sharp eyes, which didn’t suit her lovely face, were very much like Jinwoo’s.
“Okay, okay.” He nodded with an expression that indicated he was sick of this lecture.
She made him promise several more times before she was satisfied, then stood to leave.
“Where’re you going?”
“School. I only got permission to check on you briefly. I have to go back.”
He nodded in understanding. “Your university entrance exam is next year.”
Jinah had never once had a private tutor or taken any extra classes after school, but she was always at the top of her grade. Jinwoo was fiercely proud of her.
Jinah’s dream was to become a doctor. A few years back, she’d only liked hanging with her friends and playing video games. After their mother fell ill, though, she’d made up her mind to become a doctor and become glued to her desk.
Jinwoo wanted to make sure her dream came true.
Wait a minute…… A video game?
Jinwoo’s eyes flashed.
“Okay, I’ll see you later.”
He quickly called to her before she could leave the room. “Jinah.”
“What?”
“When you play a game……”
She grinned. “I don’t really play these days. I’ll be a senior soon.”
“I know, I know—but I have a question.”
“Really? About what? Have you starting playing?”
Perhaps because this used to be her area of expertise, Jinah seemed eager to help.
Jinwoo quickly glanced at the words still floating in the air.
“What do you do if you have an unread message that you want to check in a game?”
“Well, first, you’d open your inbox.”
“Open your inbox?”
Ping!
As soon as he said “open,” the hidden messages were revealed with some kind of alert sound effect.
[You have 2 unread messages.]
[Congratulations on becoming a Player.] (Unread)
[Daily Quest: Strength Training has arrived.] (Unread)
Jinwoo’s face lit up.
Yes!
Her brother’s sudden giddiness made Jinah uneasy.
“What? Which game is it? Should I help you?”
Jinwoo shook his head firmly. “No. I want to try it by myself.”
How would his sister react if he told her what he was currently experiencing?
I don’t want her to think I’m crazy.
Jinwoo swallowed the words he desperately wished he could say.
Jinwoo made sure Jinah got in the elevator under the pretense of seeing her off, then hurried back to his hospital room.
Can’t make the same mistake again.
Click.
He even locked the door to make sure there would be no witnesses. Preparations complete, Jinwoo sat on the edge of his bed and started reading through the messages.
[Congratulations on becoming a Player.] (Unread)
[Daily Quest: Strength Training has arrived.] (Unread)
He felt like he’d seen the title of the first message somewhere.
Where have I heard that before? It sounds familiar…
Jinwoo decided to start with the first message.
[Congratulations on becoming a Player.] (Unread)
Check.
Ping!
[This system is designed to assist the development of the Player.]
[Failure to comply with the system may result in a penalty.]
[The rewards have been delivered.]
“Ahhh.”
He belatedly remembered where he’d heard those words. That had been the last thing the voice had said to him before he’d passed out.
It mentioned a Player or something back then, too.
He hadn’t understood what that meant then, and he didn’t fully understand it now.
System, development, penalty, rewards… They were just a bunch of vague terms to him.
How the heck is it going to help me develop, and what kinds of rewards are they planning to give me?
Because it was using video game terminology with no good explanation of what it all meant, Jinwoo couldn’t help but be confused. He decided to move on and opened the next message.
[Daily Quest: Strength Training has arrived.] (Unread)
Gulp.
Jinwoo involuntarily reacted to the noteworthy subject line. His heart started racing.
Check.
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 (0/100)
Warning: Failure to complete the daily quest will result in an appropriate penalty.
After reading the message, Jinwoo laughed in spite of himself.
“Ha-ha…… Seriously?”
It was a big letdown, to say the least.
Despite having such a grandiose subject line like “Strength Training,” the daily quest message had merely been an endurance training exercise regimen. Jinwoo couldn’t argue that he’d definitely be in slightly better shape if he completed it. Were those the “development” and “rewards” mentioned?
Now that I think about it……
He’d once read in a book that “those going through an inner conflict should lend an ear to their inner voices.”
Guess I’m just seeing what I want to see.
How badly did he want to get stronger that his mind was conjuring these unbelievable delusions?
He let out a bitter laugh. “……If I could’ve become a stronger hunter with this kind of thing, why would I have endured all those hardships?”
He shook his head. He thought himself pathetic for trying to search for answers to his doubts in a message that might be a hallucination.
Whatever.
Jinwoo sprawled out on his bed and wordlessly stared at the ceiling.
“……”
Time flew even though he wasn’t doing anything. He started feeling the weight of the silence filling the hospital room.
He abruptly sat up.
What if……?
What if something really would happen? Half full of anticipation and half doubtful, Jinwoo’s mind filled with the thought of trying it out.
I have nothing to lose anyway.
If he considered it some light exercise, there was no reason not to do it, right?
He finally made a call. He’d do it. Jinwoo got out of bed and, after a light warm-up, gripped the bed frame and started slowly doing push-ups.
