Solo Laveling
Chapter 9's
Solo Leveling – Chapter 9
"Maybe, did you really hurt your head?"
The younger sister stands a bit far away and asks Jin-Woo, prompting him to shake his head strongly.
"No, it's not that."
Although she denies it, Jin-Woo's sister, Seong Jin-Ah's eyes remain suspicious.
"Are you really okay?"
"Yes, I'm telling you the truth."
Jin-Ah blankly sweeps her gaze across Jin-Woo, before she approaches while her breathing becomes uneven, angry. And then, as soon as Jin-Woo takes a defensive stance, he starts punching him in all the unguarded parts.
"I told you to stop getting hurt !! You know how worried I am ?! ”
"…..I'm sorry."
"Other people are walking fine, but why are you the only one who gets hurt all the time ?!"
"….Sorry."
The power behind Jin-Ah's punch gradually permeated. He immediately stopped, and when his head fell, began to cry. Jin-Woo slowly pats his sobbing sister on the back.
His nostrils are slightly stung.
"I was thinking of leaving this child alone and dying, not me …."
It's a relief that he made it alive.
When he looked back, there were too many brushes with death for comfort back then.
It was as if he had been having a terrible nightmare.
Jin-Woo's gaze slightly shifted towards the words floating in the air.
(You have some unread messages.)
‘It still feels like I haven't really woken up from that nightmare, has it?"
There were many things he could not understand.
But, so what?
The most important thing was that he came back alive, and he had to meet his little sister again.
"Snorts."
Fortunately, her strong-willed sister stopped crying after a while. Unfortunately, for him, his tirade continued for more than an hour afterward.
"Did you hear me? If you get hurt one more time, I'll give up on studying, finding a job, and making sure you no longer work as a Hunter. "
Jin-Ah's sharp gaze didn't really match her pretty face, but it was a biological trait she shared with her older brother.
"alright then. I hear you."
Jin-Woo nodded as if he had given up.
Only after he was able to extract his collateral several times more did he show some satisfaction, and stood up from the chair.
"You go somewhere?"
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"Yes. To school. I've got permission to leave so I can check on you. So I have to go back. "
Jin-Woo nodded.
"Right, the university entrance exam is next year."
She may have never received private lessons or taken any extra classes, but she has always been ranked in the top ten at her school until now.
Jin-Ah dreams of becoming a doctor.
Just until a few years ago, she just liked to waste time on video games and stuff like that, but then, after their mom got sick, she said, he vowed to become a doctor and has never stopped studying since.
Jin-Woo desperately hopes to make his dream come true, no matter what.
Wait a minute.... Play video games?
Suddenly, Jin-Woo's eyes sparkle a little dangerously.
"Okay, I'm leaving now."
Just when Jin-Ah leaves her room, Jin-Woo urges her to call.
"Hey, Jin-Ah?"
"Yes?"
"When you play video games …."
Jin-Ah smiled gently.
“I'm not playing around anymore. The third year of high school is just a few days away, you know. ”
"I know I know. There's something I want to ask you. "
"Oh really? Likey? But I don't know Oppa plays video games? "
Jin-Ah suddenly shows a strong interest as a subject that she is very intimate with once brought up.
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Jin-Woo glances at the 'message' still floating in the air and asks him.
"When there is an unread message in the game, what should I do to access it?"
"You need to open the mailbox first."
"I have to 'open' the mailbox?"
Tti-rings!
As soon as Jin-Woo says the word 'open', a beep goes into his head and the hidden messages appear.
(There are two unread messages.)
– Welcome to (Player) (Unread)
– (Daily Quest: Preparation to be strong) is now available. (unread)
Jin-Woo smiled brightly.
'Finally!'
Seeing her brother's skin suddenly become bright like that, Jin-Ah feels that something is wrong and quickly asks him.
"What's wrong? What game? You need my help? "
Jin-Woo strongly shook his head.
"No, there's no need. I'll do it myself. "
How would her sister react if she said what happened to her now?
"I really don't want to be labeled as a loon by her."
Jin-Woo swallows back the things he wants to say for now.
***
While pretending to see him out, Jin-Woo justifies him taking the elevator, and quickly returns to his room.
"I can't repeat the same mistake again."
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Clik.
To prevent eyewitnesses from disturbing him, he even locked the door. Finished with his preparations, Jin-Woo sits on the bed and reads the title of the message available to read.
– Welcome to (Player) (Unread)
– (Daily Quest: Preparation to be strong) is now available. (unread)
He thought that the first message sounded familiar, as if he had heard it before from somewhere.
‘Where did I hear it from? I know I have. "
So, first message, then.
– Welcome to (Player) (Unread)
'Confirm.'
Tti-rings!
(This system will support the growth of ‘Player.’)
(Failing to comply with System instructions will result in a potential penalty.)
(Your receipt has been sent.)
"Ah."
He was late to remember this.
He heard those words just before he lost his consciousness.
"Then, it was talking about this Player and that, wasn't it?"
Of course, back then or even now, he still could not really understand what was going on here.
'System', 'growth', 'penalty', and finally, 'reward'.
Words with unknown meanings fell on his lap one after another.
"Only what can help it grow, and what will reward me with it?"
Seeing the words that could only be found in a video game that appeared before his eyes without any prior explanation, only made him even more confused.
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He decided to worry about those confusing words later and calmly opened the next message.
– (Daily Quest: Preparation to be strong) is now available. (unread)
Swig.
Jin-Woo involuntarily gulps his saliva after reading the somewhat suggestive title. His heart started beating faster in anticipation.
'Confirm.'
Tti-rings.
Press, 100 times: Not finished (0/100)
Sit-ups, 100 times: Not finished (0/100)
Squat, 100 times: Not finished (0/100)
Running, 10 km: Not finished (0/10)
※ Warning: Completion of Daily Quest will result in an appropriate penalty rate.
Jin-Woo reflexively spat out a dumbfounded laugh after confirming the contents of the message.
"Huh, haha ….. Seriously, man."
Should this be a feeling of disappointment?
In short, the so-called grand Daily Quest, titled 'Preparation to be strong', was nothing more than a list of physical exercises to train his body….
Yes, of course, if he did as the quest said, then his body would probably be a little harder.
Is this what the growth and reward system is talking about?
"Now I think about it …."
He recalled reading the quote 'someone with an inner problem should pay attention to the inner voice' of some book in the past.
"In other words, people will see what they want to see, in the end …."
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How desperate was he to become stronger so he ended up seeing this stupid hallucination?
Although funny, he also felt somewhat lonely inside.
"If anyone can become stronger by doing this exercise, who wants to go through a lot of hardships, then …?"
Jin-Woo shakes his head.
He suddenly thought that he was stupid for seeking answers to his many questions from hallucinations.
‘Urgh. I don't care anymore. "
Jin-Woo lies on his back on the bed. He speechlessly looked at the ceiling.
"… .."
He didn't do anything important, but time was ticking.
As she began to feel the weight of silence filling her hospital room ….
Jin-Woo suddenly lifts his body off the bed.
"But, what if …."
What if something could change?
When his mind was filled with half of uncertain expectations and the other half by unconvincing curiosity, he began to wonder if he should at least try 'that'.
"Anyway, I have nothing to lose,"
There's no reason not to try it, if he's treated as a light exercise to stretch his muscles or something, right?
He made a decision.
'okay. Let's try it. ’
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Jin-Woo gets out of bed and stretches her body a little, before leaning against the corner of the bed and slowly doing 'pressure'.
"One two three….."
The count starts from 'one' and quickly goes up.
"…97, 98, 99, 100."
Ever since he started this thing, he decided to do all 100, but very different from his expectations, nothing happened when he finished.
…. Other than his arm that hurt just a little, it.
"What am I doing …."
Jin-Woo grins helplessly and stands tall.
– Welcome to (Player) (read)
– (Daily Quest: Preparation to be strong) is now available. (Read read)
Those messages are now marked as ‘baca’.
No more words of 'unread messages' appeared in his view, and he also did not feel like hurting these hallucinations anymore, either
In other words, he had enough of this.
Jin-Woo closes the mailbox without regret.
"Yawning…."
Jin-Woo yawns at length and climbs back into bed. He felt sleepy as if he had pushed himself too hard.
The sky outside the window was already dyed with the color of the setting sun.
"It's been this late, yeah."
The Monitoring Division's agency said earlier that its hospital fees would be taken care of by the Association.
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He thought that it would not be too late to leave after receiving a thorough examination of his body and getting everything clear from the doctor first. Jin-Woo lies down comfortably while thinking like that.
"I'm sure these hallucinations and strange things I've heard will eventually vanish with time …."
His eyelids slowly closed tightly. And Jin-Woo is fast asleep.
Tick, tok.
Even when Jin-Woo snores slowly to himself, the clockwork hanging on the wall keeps ticking.
The needles rotate and rotate until they show 11:59:57.
Tick, tok, tick.
58, 59, 60 ….
The needles stop moving right when they touch 12:00:00.
Tti-rings.
(You failed to complete the Daily Quest. You will be transferred to the 'Penalty Zone' for a certain period of time.)
***
THE RUMBLING!!!
Jin-Woo's eyes darted to the right from a fierce tremor that shook his entire body.
"Earthquake?!"
Jin-Woo sits right and grabs the edge of the bed. His vibration was so bad that he could not maintain his balance.
THE RUMBLING!!
The tremors got worse as the seconds passed. It happened later.
* SFX for objects that turn into powder and fall to the floor *
One of the steel bars on the bed he was holding tightly, suddenly broke. No, it didn't break, but it just 'disappeared'. Jin-Woo hurriedly looks at his palm. No steel bars there, just sand grains.
'Sand?!'
* SFX for objects that turn into powder and fall to the floor *
Other steel bars also turned into sand as well.
Meanwhile, the 'earthquakes' became even fiercer.
RUEUUMBLE !!!
"Uwaaahk !!"
In the end, Jin-Woo is thrown out of bed. He jumped all over the hospital room and shouted. Even when that happened, the items in the room turned into one sand at that moment.
"Uwaaaahhhh !!"
….Swashbab.
Jin-Woo is thrown away and deposited without further ado.
He felt something soft at his fingertips. They are very fine grains of sand.
And the damned earthquake has stopped.
“Ptoei! Ptooi !! ”
Jin-Woo spat out the sand in his mouth and hurriedly raised his head.
"…?!"
His eyes caught the sight on the endless plains which was nothing but sand.
Jin-Woo frowned and got up. All the sand found in his clothes flowed out. He sprinkled sand that stuck to his chest while looking around him.
All he could see was sand. And more sand.
"Desert ….?!"
This can't be real.
Until just a moment ago, he was sleeping in a bed inside a hospital located in the middle of Seoul. But now, as soon as he opened his eyes, he was in the middle of a vast wasteland?
Jin-Woo scoops a handful of sand, and lets it escape from his fingers. The fine grains fell directly onto the ground.
"There's not a single breeze here."
However, not just the breeze of – when he raised his head to look, the sky does not have any sun, moon, or stars for that matter.
It was an empty sky, as if it was filled with black ink and nothing else.
However, for some reason, he had no trouble seeing at all.
"Where is this place?"
And