Solo Laveling
Chapter 13

Solo Leveling – Chapter 13

It's not good to be the center of attention.

Not only did he feel uncomfortable being placed under the spotlight, but he also did not want to tell others about this strange phenomenon.

Isn't the old adage like, scratching unnecessarily results in more splinters to clean, or something like that?

He wanted to raise his Stat points as calmly as possible.

"And it shouldn't be a problem for me to leave the hospital right now, too,"

Fortunately, tests showed that he was normal and healthy. That is, he can leave whenever he wants. No, wait a minute, it looks like the hospital and the Association want him to leave.

Well, it would be futile to spend that much money as hospital fees on a very small E rank like him.

One of the privileges that S-rank Hunters enjoy is that the government pays for all their health-related expenses. Of course, it is a story that takes place in another cosmos as far as Jin-Woo is concerned.

So, he thought it wasn't a bad idea to leave this hospital right now.

And there was something he wanted to confirm as well.

"Now, where do I put it …?"

Jin-Woo looks around in his pocket and pulls out something. It was a key that shone in a golden hue. It features a design so simple that it can be passed off as an accessory in plain view.

Jin-Woo observes the key for a long time before he returns it into his pocket.

***

While she was in the midst of being discharged, a young female nurse hurriedly ran to where she was.

"Panting !! Mr Seong Jin-Woo, are you preparing to be dismissed today? "

"I'm sorry? Ah, yes, right. ”

She is the nurse in charge of her care, Choi Yu-Rah.

Yu-Rah forms a sad expression when she hears her affirmation.

Jin-Woo doesn't know why, so he can only stand there looking a bit confused. He wondered if he had made a mistake somewhere, but he could not think of anything.

Yu-Rah hesitates a little, before taking out a small memo.

"Will it be okay if you give me your contact number?"

"My contact number?"

"Yes…. Only if you're okay with it. "

Could there be some test results that need to be sent out later in the day or what? Jin-Woo doesn't think too much about it and takes the memo. However, all he got from her was that, a memo pad and nothing else.

When Jin-Woo looks at him, his face flushes red.

"A-what's up?"

“Uhm, yeah …. About pen …. "

"Ah? Ah, please wait. "

He must forget to rush to get here; Yu-Rah gets confused and hurriedly turns around.

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‘Uh? Waita minute. Pen, is that ….? '

He doesn't have to think for long. Before anyone knew it, he was already holding a pen. As he thought of the pen located within his Inventory, the pen automatically appeared in his hand.

Once an item was placed within the Inventory, he could retrieve it freely with just his mind alone.

What are the convenient features of that Inventory.

Confirming the pen in his hand, Jin-Woo calls Yu-Rah.

"wait. I looked and lucky enough, I brought a pen. ”

"Oh really? Well, what a relief. ”

Yu-Rah puts a hand on her chest and sighs in relief.

Jin-Woo smiles at her and she records her phone number.

This happens all the time now – items that come out of the random box always see some kind of use as soon as he gets it.

When the raincoat came out, it rained the next day. He got a cup the day before the hospital somehow ran out of paper cups. Of course, things like help-bands without obvious uses sometimes come up, but most of the time, they do come in handy.

"Here we go."

Yu-Rah receives a memo from Jin-Woo with a joyful expression on her face.

He then lowered his head as well.

"Please take care of me from now on."

“Oh, uh, of course. I am also."

Yu-Rah turns around and hastily disappears somewhere. Jin-Woo looks at him going back and tilts his head here and there.

'By the way.... How does he expect me to take care of him? "

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She is a good nurse, but she is also polite. Jin-Woo thinks like that and leaves the hospital with a fresh and refreshed mind.

***

The first place he visited was the headquarters of the Hunters Association, located in Guro district in Seoul.

The smartphone used by Hunters is designed with special components so that, to get it, it must apply at the Association.

The Association employees spoke while looking at the computer monitor.

"It looks like your phone will be available only after two weeks, Hunter-nim."

"I'm sorry? Why so long?"

Jin-Woo's eyes are wide open.

His old phone was smashed to pieces when he was chased by a statue of a god. However, he now had to wait for two weeks for the new phone to arrive?

"If you need a mobile phone immediately, we can loan you on a temporary basis, but the cost for each use is ₩ 50,000." (TL: More than $ 44)

50,000 won …. He didn't even buy one, only rented it for a while, yet it cost so much?

If he thought about his current financial status, it was too great an expenditure.

"Well, after all, no one wants to call me."

If the Association fails to contact someone on their smartphone, they will call the house. So, there was no real reason for him to spend money and get a temporary phone call for himself.

Jin-Woo shakes his head.

"I'll just wait."

"I understand. As soon as your replacement phone arrives, we will send it directly to your residence. "

"Thank you."

Jin-Woo gets up to leave. Business is done here.

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He had completed a Daily Quest that never failed to appear every day, and the application for a new phone in the Association also ended sooner than he had expected.

Jin-Woo exits the Association building and pulls out the golden key again.

‘Is it time to check on this little guy?

The information on the key is floating in green letters.

(Item: Underground Prison Lock)

Scarcity: E (ED: also reflects the difficulty in obtaining the item)

Type: Lock

The key that transfers you to an instant dungeon. Can be used at the 3rd exit of Hapjeong subway station.

He found this key inside one of the random boxes he got as a Daily Quest reward.

At first, he wondered why the key would come out from there, but once he saw the 'rare' category, he immediately realized that this was no ordinary item.

This was one of the reasons that prompted him to get out of the hospital as well.

‘Instant dungeon entry lock, yes ...’

Whether it was called 'instant' or not, the dungeon was a dungeon.

If it was about the basement, then he had many painful memories about it.

This time, he took part in an E-level attack and ended up seriously injured so he had to stay in the hospital for more than a week.

Back then, he was able to survive because of the comrades that went with him, but ….

But, if he were to use this key to enter the basement, then it would mean that he would have to enter everything alone. He deliberated for a long time, before deciding.

"I'm sure there won't be any trouble as long as I peek inside."

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If things looked bad, all he had to do was run away.

***

And, it was his fault for taking it too lightly.

Banging, slamming!

"Where....the wall blocks me? "

He banged on the invisible wall and shouted outside, but no one retaliated. People continue to live their own lives, that's all.

Occasionally, someone approached Hapjeong station, but they vanished once making contact with this invisible 'wall. It is likely that the place he is located and the outside world are two separate dimensions.

Jin-Woo tries his hardest to force his way out of this place, which prompts a new warning message to appear.

Tti-rings.

(You can't get out of the dungeon. Please defeat the boss first or find the return crystal.)

It's the same message as before.

The key to his possession disappeared as soon as he set foot in the 3rd exit of the subway station and, uh, the, by the time Jin-Woo realizes things are going a bit awry and hurriedly turns to leave, it's too late.

He was thinking of finding a hidden Gate or some kind of door at the 3rd exit that would lead him into the basement, but his hopes were completely deviated. And very different from ordinary dungeons, he could not even leave as he pleased.

"It's different from other basements …."

Jin-Woo spat out a long groan and looked back. What he could see now was the interior of the subway station that had turned into a forest.

The walls were thick with twisting vines, and a rancid smell similar to a rotting corpse invaded his senses. Damn, he even heard cries of what sounded like a ferocious beast from afar every now and then, as well.

"… .."

It was not that there was a hidden entrance somewhere near the entrance of Hapjeong station, but the entire station had become a basement, instead.

Jin-Woo pulls the steel longsword from his Inventory.

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Tti-rings.

(Item: steel longsword Kim Sang-Sik)

Attack +10

His back was blocked, and he had no method to contact outside, so the only option left was to advance.

Jin-Woo nervously gulps his saliva and slowly goes down the stairs. He held his breath and observed his surroundings, but he could not sense anything special.

However, it was absolutely forbidden to underestimate the danger in the basement.

Among the low rank monsters, there were some who knew how to cover up and hide their presence very well. No, probably because their rankings were so low that they had no choice but to hide and wait to ambush their prey.

Passing through the toilet, he went deeper and found an underground shopping mall.

The shops were worn out and messy, looking more like ruins than anything else. Seeing the inhuman shells being broken from the dimly lit shops lit by the flickering lights above, something felt rather creepy and creepy.

Flashing, Flashing ….

Some lights kept flashing as if their lives were nearing the end.

Jin-Woo carefully stomps on the weeds growing out from among the cracked floor tiles and continues forward, but he takes on a general aura of uneasiness and observes his surroundings.

"…."

Everything seemed so quiet and serene, but he felt the gaze of something.

And then, there was this smell as well.

The stench of a very rotten animal with flies buzzing around came from somewhere. For Jin-Woo, who frequently enters the basement, this smells a bit familiar.

‘This Bau …. Animal type monsters. ’

However, he was still unable to find his existence at all. Just like how a predator would stalk its prey.

"Oh, so you want to stay hidden and wait for your chance, don't you?"

In this case, he should give it.

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Jin-Woo deliberately turns around and gives her back. And very slowly, repeat the path he has taken until now. An animal will try to pounce on prey once its back is displayed. Animal-type monsters would be no different.

So, it happened when he took the third step.

Destroy it!!

The window of a clothing store behind him shattered into pieces and something jumped out. And this something, as soon as it landed on the ground, jumped onto the exposed neck of Jin-Woo in one go.

"Rubber!"

Jin-Woo has been getting ready for a sneak attack like this, so soon, he swings the sword towards the sound.

It was a perfectly executed instinctive counter!

Swish!

The sharp edge of the blade sliced through the creature's jaw.

The monster let out a cry of pain as it flew away from Jin-Woo and fell on the ground, rolling around in a pile.

* SFX for dog whining type\, repeated *

It was a huge wolf with a reddish fur coat.

The wolf with its jaws split was wobbling and throwing a seizure-like attack as if it was under a lot of pain. When he took a closer look, his name also appeared above his head, like a centipede from the penalty zone.

"Lycan fanged iron."

However, unlike before, his name was written in white instead of red.

"There's no time to waste here!"

This was the perfect opportunity while the monster could not move from his wound. Jin-Woo throws his body forward.

He ran hard and fast, and cut down with his sword, separating the creature's head from its body.

"Brach!"

Lycan spat out a final roar and stopped breathing afterwards.

(You have killed an Iron-Faced Lycan.)

"Good!"

However, the joy of victory was only temporary!

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Two more Lycans jumped out of their hiding place from behind the darkness of the shop.

"What's that, it's in the package?"

Jin-Woo's eyes grow wider.

They bared their huge fangs and closed the distance in an instant.

Jin-Woo's expression is tangled.

He had to be cut down too hard from all the excitement, because the sword was lodged in the ground too deep and stubbornly refused to come out.

"It's stuck somewhere."

It was at this moment that one of the Lycans aimed at his face and jumped up.

"D* that mn !!"

Jin-Woo ducks low. Lycan flew over his head and landed face-to-face on the ground after failing to stop in time.

Stab!!

When its fangs pierced into the stone floor, cracks instantly formed on the hard surface.

"I don't think it's called Iron-Fanged for anything, yeah."

Of course, he did not have the leeway to stay there and admire this sight. Another monster was still running towards him at this moment as well. His sword showed no sign of going free from his earthly prison for now.

"These strings!"

Jin-Woo has no choice but to give up on the sword for now and throw a loud punch at the approaching Lycan.

WHIZZING SOUNDS!!

Accompanied by the cold voice of the splitting wind, his fist flew straight forward.

POW !!

It only took one hit and Lycan's head exploded.

Lycan's now headless corpse crashed into the ceiling above and then, falling helplessly to the ground.

Thump!

"…. ??"

Jin-Woo's eyes open very wide and he stares in amazement at his own fists.

What an unexpected destructive force it is.

And