Solo Leveling
--- Third Person's POV ---
[And, don't you want to know what kind of powers you actually have?]
Jin Woo has come to the hunter's association in order to renew his rank.
In short: After going back home, he trimmed his hair, go to his sister's school, and went to a C-ranked dungeon with her sister's friend, suddenly the C-ranked dungeon becomes a red gate, and then he kills an ice elf.
Oh, and he finished 19 raids with Yo Jinho and also opened the "demon tower" with the key in his inventory as well as collecting demon souls.
Does that make sense?
No?
Good.
He understood one thing from these experiences.
Known as an E-class hunter, he was easily looked down upon.
He understood that fact, and he knew he can't take any more of those chances.
He had to fight multiple human enemies ever since he received the system. More things will probably happen in the future, so Jin Woo decided it'll be better to reveal his powers now.
Jin Woo's mother who is intolerant to mana was suffering from the Eternal Slumber.
This disease causes the victims to lose consciousness permanently, Eternal Slumber also quickly drains its victims of their life force.
As a result, unless they are hooked up to life support devices powered by essence stones, the disease will magically suck them dry and they will die.
So after realizing he now has another reason to get even stronger, and...
"No more pretending"
Thus, he concluded in form of his unconscious mother in the hospital room. He knows he already reaches the S rank, so with all the privileges an S rank can have, he wouldn't have anything to fear.
But to his surprise, even the mana measurer from the hunter association broke when he touch it.
He swear the woman who read his results stated "an error" or something along those lines.
And in the end...
"Um... according to the machine, your--- I mean, Sung-nim, your mana levels are unmeasurable. To use a more advanced mana meter, we need permission from the higher-ups. could you come back in three days?"
Oh well, he knows he is an S-rank when this kind of thing happens.
He also met a guild master of a big guild later on, and ditched the whole thing with stealth. He went back to his mom inside the hospital.
Yet, when he goes out of his mom's hospital room, he met a certain man.
"Were you the one...Who defeated all the beasts inside the double dungeon?"
The man with orange hair slick to his back, he wore a sunglasses which compliments his formal suit.
This is Woo Jinchul. The man Jin Woo met after he survive the double dungeon. He suspected Jin Woo reawakened after the incident which almost take the lives of a whole raid party, but he was proven wrong with the portable mana meter he gave him.
Yet there they are, meeting once more with the truth revealed.
"I always thought I had a good eye for talent, but you've proven me wrong."
Thus he stated.
We keep running into each other, Woo-Nim.
"The main responsibility of the surveillance team is not to fight beasts, but to manage hunters. Our job is to keep an eye for hunters."
Jin Woo started walking away.
"I don't want anything to do with the surveillance team."
But Jin Woo stopped on his track when he listen to what he said:
"Our existence is the only thing that keeps hunters in check. Though we're pretty much useless against s-ranks..."
And he continues his words after pausing a little.
"There's someone who'd like to meet you, Sung-Nim, please come with me. It's the chairman of the hunter's association, Go Gunhee. he's here to meet you."
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Thus, he meets the man.
Jin Woo is surprised to see the man.
The man was rumored to be over 80 years old despite wearing the appearance of a retired wrestler.
And to top it off, he's an S-rank.
The mana he radiates gains Jin Woo's attention.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Go Gunhee. Let's sit down and have a chat."
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"Congratulations on becoming an S-rank hunter." (Go Gunhee)
"I still have to be re-evaluated." (Sung Jinwoo)
"To be honest, re-evaluating your rank won't really mean anything. The advanced mana meter merely breaks down the evaluation results. It can't actually measure the mana levels of someone whose levels exceed the range." (Go Gunhee)
The chairman of the association explained to him:
"If the meter were capable of measuring the full range, your results would've shown up as "ss-rank" or "sss-rank." however, no matter how many S's are added, the results still won't be an accurate measure of your powers."
"Then why...?"
"You want to know why the re-evaluation procedure even exists, correct? because it serves as a grace period."
A grace period, it was a period where the association came to the awakeners and invite them.
How would there be anyone who wants to get into the association if guilds promised fame and fortune?
This is the time when they scout a recruit.
They are governmental organizations, they are not a corporation. Therefore, they can't promise you a lot of money.
So the only they can provide you with is another path.
"If you joined one of the five guilds... The power balance will shatter. Our peace will not come to last."
Jin Woo understood that clearly.
In this world, monsters aren't the only threat that exists, hunters are equally monstrous.
That was the reason Go Gunhee was very desperate to have him join the association.
But to his dismay, "I'm sorry" hearing the apology from the hunter, he knows he won't be getting approval. In the end, it was all about the money--- or so he thought.
"I want to fight."
However, something else caught his attention.
The new S rank who has determination in his eyes, said he wanted to fight?
"I belong to the dungeons"
He can't believe it either.
To fight?
A hunter?
When everyone else is running around trying to gain the most power, either for fame or riches.
The young man in front of him wants to fight?
Simply because of that, Sung Jin Woo is already a special case.
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.
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"Woo-Nim, you do have a good eye. I wasn't the one who defeated the beasts inside the double dungeon."
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Sung Jin Woo did say all that, but in the end, he still needs money. He ends up joining a mining team of a major guild's raid. But that is a story for another time.
*Ding*
[You have invited Administrator Y to a private chat]
[Weakest Hunter: Akihito-nim, do you have some time to spare?]
Not long after that...
*Ding*
[Administrator Y: Yeah? What's up?]
[Weakest Hunter: So it's about those skills you promised me before this...]
...
...
...
...
After a long pause...
*Ding*
[Compendium Attachment: (Skill Core) Gluttonous Swordsman (S)]
[Compendium Attachment: (Skill Core) Swordsman's Greed (S)]
[Weakest Hunter: Thank you.]
[Administrator Y: Don't mention it... Quick question though= Do want to become smarter, or have someone inside your mind so smart it can manage your skills and body condition in the best possible way possible?]
"Huh?" The vessel of shadow Monarch expresses his confusion inside his home.
He had to make sure JinAh slept, and he is looking through his smartphone.
[Weakest Hunter: May I know what these are for?]
[Administrator Y: No you can't, now please choose option A or B.]
Well, the admin is only asking for his opinion so...
[Weakest Hunter: A.]
He doesn't find the interest in taking B as an option, after all... Why have someone else do it if you can have the ability to do it yourself? Of course, he wasn't talking about the shadow soldiers he often used.
[Administrator Y: Good, here's some gift for you.]
*Ding*
[Compendium Attachment: (Skill Core) Rikugan (EX)]
[Compendium Attachment: (Skill core) Great Sage (S)
[Administrator Y: even after you say what you want, I still can't decide whether to give you which. So here's both.]
Rikugan, if Jin Woo wasn't wrong, that translates to "Six Eyes". What kind of skill is named "Six Eyes"... Will he have multiple eyes if he receives it?
And there's this Great sage thing?
Wasn't that Rimuru's skill he mentioned so much?
What is the admin of the group trying to do here???
[Would you like to open the skill core: Rikugan (EX)?]
"Ugh..." He hesitated a bit, but he knows Akihito, despite his chaotic nature, won't do him any harm... So, he clicked on the Yes option.
"Wha--!?"
Suddenly... Information...
Information flooded his mind as if his thoughts were accelerated a billion times.
He stood there for over a minute, yet the time he had thought of any future events was immensely long.
In that prolonged time, he was able to grasp how to use his powers without relying on the system.
He now understood the concept of his other new skills acquired from the admin: Swordman's Greed and Gluttonous Swordsman.
And finally, how to use his power to the best potential.
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To be continued.