gulp
Even after all of his progress, Jinwoo could not help but be wary of what was to come . Still, his excitement in the anticipation of growth eclipsed his fear .
A moment ago, while he was looking for a suitable spot to start the quest, Jinwoo had used his phone to look through various video game wikis on classes .
[New skill . ]
[Growth benefits . ]
[Class-specific weapons . ]
[Class-only quests]
[ . . . Etc]
One thing was common across different video games: class advancement had many great benefits and rewards .
‘And it became possible for me at level forty . ’
Of course, not everything he found was positive . There were forum posts here and there complaining:
[I’m worried that I picked the wrong class . ]
[F***, if I knew, I would’ve picked a different class . ]
[I messed up on my build . I think I’m done with this game . ]
[Do I have to delete my character?]
. . . Well, they were still talking about video games .
Jinwoo wasn’t that worried about what class he would pick . He had solely used a dagger up until now, and even his skills were all related to an assassin class .
‘Dagger skills and something like ‘Stealth’ . ’
On top of that, his attributes were largely focused on strength and agility . Because of this, Jinwoo couldn’t think of obtaining a class other than Assassin . Thinking about the idea, Jinwoo summoned Casaka’s Poisoned Fang from his inventory .
shooo-
The dagger’s grip felt perfect in his hand . He nodded to himself .
‘Yep, this is what I’m used to . ’
With the dagger in hand, Jinwoo moved his gaze towards the quest screen .
‘Well then…’
He began planning for as many possibilities as possible . After taking a moment to prepare his heart, Jinwoo replied to the message .
The Class Advancement Quest has arrived .
Would you like to accept? (Y/N)
‘Accept . ’
The moment he spoke the word in his mind, a messaged followed .
ring~
You’ve accept the Class Advancement Quest .
A Dungeon will be created for the quest .
‘A Dungeon… will be created?’
Before he could fully grasp the meaning of the message, a change occurred in the space in front of him .
wooooong-
A tiny black hole appeared before his eyes, but that was just the start .
woo wooooong-
The hole that was as small as a bean grew to a size of a coin, then a volleyball, then finally became large enough for a man to enter .
‘This is…?’
Jinwoo’s eyes were wide open . After accepting the quest, he had expected another information screen with the quest’s information would follow but not this…
A Gate had formed before his eyes .
‘To think that it would even make a Gate…’
The phenomenon in front of him was exactly the same as the Gates that appeared in the world . Only difference was that it was a bit smaller than the one he had seen . The System’s message continued, beckoning him in .
Please enter the Dungeon through the Gate .
‘Let’s be calm . ’
Jinwoo calmed his heart .
Yes .
If he thought about it, whether he entered using a key or through a Gate, a Dungeon would be waiting on the other side . He was just surprised at the creation of an artificial Gate in front of his eyes . While he had entered many Gates before, he had never seen one being created . When he reached that line of thought, an idea appeared in his head,
‘Wait… Could other Hunters enter this Gate?’
Well, there was no time to experiment . There weren’t any other Hunters in the vicinity, nor did he know of any Hunters that would come running if . . he . . . called… .
Jinwoo erased Yoo Jinho’s face from his mind and shook his head .
‘What would I do if something went wrong . ’
The System’s message blinked as if reminding him,
ring~
Please enter the Dungeon through the Gate .
Jinwoo was snapped back to reality by the electronic tone . He slapped his cheeks to focus .
‘Now’s not the time to get distracted . ’
Success here would mean obtaining a class and other rewards . He dreaded what failure would entail . He had to be focused .
“Whew-”
After a deep breath, Jinwoo held Casaka’s Poisoned Fang in a reverse grip and entered the Gate .
You’ve entered the Dungeon .
‘Huh?’
To be honest, he had entered the Gate with a great anticipation . Contrary to his expectations, there was not much to be surprised at inside . It was just a simple cave Dungeon .
“It’s the same as always…?”
He had heard that high-level Dungeons would connect to different types of interiors and expected something similar but was disappointed . A special message did appear, however,
ring~
In this place, usage of potions and the shop is restricted, and leveling up will not restore your status .
Jinwoo put away the dagger after confirming that there were no magic beasts around .
‘ . . . Looks like this won’t be easy . ’
Since this was a special Dungeon for class advancement, it seemed that there were a few conditions . The fact that he could not heal himself through potions or level-ups was particularly troubling .
‘That means even small damage will accumulate over time . ’
An injury would spell the end here . Without means of recovery, he would have to be cautious of every move he made .
‘I really, really have to be focused . ’
Jinwoo closed the message box . As he always did, he checked the exit of the Dungeon .
Until your class advancement is complete, you cannot leave .
The moment he placed his hand on the Gate, that message appeared . He put his back into it, but the exit did not budge .
“ . . . ”
He retracted his hand .
‘So the path to retreat is blocked . ’
He had yet to figure out the difficulty of the Dungeon . Additionally, he could not recover his health here . Finally, there was no leaving until he was finished .
The risk this time was very high . Even the bravest of Hunters would hesitate before entering with such conditions .
‘But a high risk doesn’t necessary mean that it’s bad . ’
High risk equaled high rewards . He had learned as much from his experiences . If all these conditions made the quest harder, perhaps an equally great reward waited at the end .
Well, there was only one way to find out .
‘Time to go . ’
Jinwoo began to walk deeper into the cave . He could not see the end of the tunnel and at the same time did not see or sense any magic beasts .
‘Wait, since this is the System’s territory, should it be “monsters” and not “magic beasts”?’
Eh, in the end, they were both dangerous beings .
There was one difference in this place compared to the normal cave Dungeons . The cave’s walls were decorated with torches, placed evenly across the path .
‘Torches instead of glowing rocks . Hmm . . . ’
The torches were not an effective source of light . Even if there were many of them, it was not enough to completely illuminate the dark tunnel . As such, the flickering light produced many shadows here and there . The combination of the shadows and the silence produced a very dreary atmosphere compared to a normal Dungeon .
‘Well, I don’t have any problems seeing . ’
What bothered him was the impact it had on his mood .
Jinwoo went over and removed the closest torch from the wall . The way forward became slightly brighter .
‘This is better . ’
Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction . He took a brief look behind him, then started forward again, torch in hand .
How long did he walk in this straight path?
After some time, he finally came across a turn . Around the corner, he felt several presences .
‘Finally . ’
He carefully dropped the torch on the ground .
shooo-
In the place of the torch, his right hand now held a dagger . He briefly considered using ‘Stealth’ to gain a preemptive advantage but decided to conserve his mana; potions could not be used after all . If he carelessly spent his mana, he might not be able to use a skill in a pivotal moment .
‘ . . . They’re coming this way . ’
Jinwoo hugged the wall with his back, then waited for the enemies to come around the corner .
clang, clang
A metallic sound rang while they were walking towards him . The sound came closer and closer .
clang, clang
At the rambunctious sound, Jinwoo wondered,
‘Are they holding some sort of a chain weapon?’
He was curious but did not worry . He would find out in a moment .
‘5, 4, 3 . ’
He held his dagger in a reverse grip and held his breath . He did not want the sound of his breathing to be heard .
‘2, 1 . ’
clang, clang .
Finally, their shadows appeared around the corner .
‘ . . . 0 . ’
As Jinwoo finished counting down, the thing showed itself . Jinwoo immediately went for its neck .
Clang!
The sound of metal striking metal rang loudly . His dagger did not pierce the target .
‘Armor?’
Jinwoo was surprised . Confirming the identity of his enemy, he quickly backed way .
“Human?”
It was a knight equipped with a full set of armor . Even its face was covered by a helmet . Just in case, Jinwoo called toward it,
“Oy!”
The knight reacted by charging toward Jinwoo .
clang, clang, clang!
The knight vigorously used his shoulders to try and tackle Jinwoo, but the Hunter easily twisted his body to dodge the attack . The knight could not stop its momentum and ran forward for a bit before stopping .
‘Not human?’
After expanding his sense a bit more, Jinwoo was sure . The knight did not have a heartbeat . It was a magic beast, or rather, a monster that he had never seen before . To think that there’d be a monster covered from head to toe in armor .
‘So…’
It was almost as if he was fighting another human .
shiing!
The knight turned around and unsheathe the sword at its side . As Jinwoo thought, it had no intention of letting him leave alive . Confirming each other’s hostility, Jinwoo’s eyes became a level sharper .
‘Sprint!’
Your movement speed is increased by 40% .
The first to strike would be the victor!
Before the knight could reach him, Jinwoo entered its range first .
slash!
The Hunter dodged its panicked swing and stabbed its armor here and there .
Clang! Clang!
But he could not do any damage .
‘The armor’s too thick . ’
Not only that, it could almost be described as slippery . His dagger helplessly slid off and was deflected everytime he struck the armor . The knight swung its sword in a horizontal line .
slash!
Jinwoo lowered his head to dodge . The blade of the sword passed just inches above his head . As its attack was powerful, the opening created after missing was equally huge . Jinwoo did not miss the opportunity . Still in melee range, Jinwoo focused all of his power into his dagger .
‘Vital Stab!’
Crack!
The dagger pierced through the armor .
‘Did it work?’
However, as if it didn’t do any damage, the knight ignored the dagger sticking out of its side and brought down the sword in a vertical line .
Slash!
Jinwoo threw his body backwards .
Clang!
Sparks flew from the ground the sword struck .
“ . . . ”
Jinwoo straightened himself after taking few steps back . Casaka’s Poisoned Fang was still stuck to the knight’s side .
Che .
Jinwoo clicked his tongue .
‘He’s not exactly strong . ’
It was true . Because of its armor, the knight was slow . Not only that, its attack pattern was rather simple . The primary obstacle was its tough resistance to bladed weapons .
Jinwoo rolled up his sleeves .
‘If it’s a tough armor a blade can’t get through, I’ve already got some experience . ’
His maintained his composure . He recalled the scales of a boss that effortlessly broke a magic power infused steel sword . He remembered how he took down that giant snake .
‘Compared to Casaka, this bastard’s nothing…’
Thinking of the first boss he ever won against, Jinwoo smiled in nostalgia .
clang, clang, clang!
The knight, confident in its armor, charged at Jinwoo once more .
‘As expected, it’s not that smart . ’
Jinwoo easily dodged the knight’s shoulder tackle and maneuvered behind its back and put it in a headlock .
craaack!
Of course, its neck was also armored; it probably would not be choked just by this .
craaaaaack!
Jinwoo’s arms flexed and showed their veins . He was not trying to choke the knight . He clenched his teeth, and his eyes flared open .
CRACK!
With a sickening sound, the helmet was removed . This was the power of the strength stat that had reached above 100 . Having lost its head, the knight knelt to the ground .
Clang!
You’ve defeated the Knight .
The welcoming sight of a message signaled the end of the fight . While there was a light indicating a drop coming from the knight’s corpse, Jinwoo was focused on something else .
‘What the, it’s empty?’
There was no head in the helmet he was holding . He also looked inside the kneeling armor but found it just as empty .
‘Then was I fighting with a moving armor?’
As he reached that conclusion, two more knights appeared around the corner . It appeared that they had finally realized that there was a fight going on .
clang, clang .
Having discovered Jinwoo, the two knights took out their swords in unison .
shiing-
shiing-
Jinwoo threw aside the helmet and stretched his neck and shoulders . He knew the method of defeating them now .
‘Shall we begin?’
clang, clang, clang, clang!
Jinwoo smiled at the approaching knights .
The quest was going smoothly so far .
Sponsored Content
I Alone Level-up: Chapter 46.
.
gulp.
.
Even after all of his progress, Jinwoo could not help but be wary of what was to come . Still, his excitement in the anticipation of growth eclipsed his fear . .
.
A moment ago, while he was looking for a suitable spot to start the quest, Jinwoo had used his phone to look through various video game wikis on classes . .
.
[New skill . ].
[Growth benefits . ].
[Class-specific weapons . ].
[Class-only quests].
[ . Etc].
.
One thing was common across different video games: class advancement had many great benefits and rewards . .
.
‘And it became possible for me at level forty . ’.
.
Of course, not everything he found was positive . There were forum posts here and there complaining:.
.
[I’m worried that I picked the wrong class . ].
[F***, if I knew, I would’ve picked a different class . ].
[I messed up on my build . I think I’m done with this game . ].
[Do I have to delete my character?].
.
. Well, they were still talking about video games . .
.
Jinwoo wasn’t that worried about what class he would pick . He had solely used a dagger up until now, and even his skills were all related to an assassin class . .
.
‘Dagger skills and something like ‘Stealth’ . ’.
.
On top of that, his attributes were largely focused on strength and agility . Because of this, Jinwoo couldn’t think of obtaining a class other than Assassin . Thinking about the idea, Jinwoo summoned Casaka’s Poisoned Fang from his inventory . .
.
shooo-.
.
The dagger’s grip felt perfect in his hand . He nodded to himself . .
.
‘Yep, this is what I’m used to . ’.
.
With the dagger in hand, Jinwoo moved his gaze towards the quest screen . .
.
‘Well then…’.
.
He began planning for as many possibilities as possible . After taking a moment to prepare his heart, Jinwoo replied to the message . .
.
The Class Advancement Quest has arrived . .
Would you like to accept? (Y/N).
.
‘Accept . ’.
.
The moment he spoke the word in his mind, a messaged followed . .
.
ring~.
.
You’ve accept the Class Advancement Quest . .
A Dungeon will be created for the quest . .
.
‘A Dungeon… will be created?’.
.
Before he could fully grasp the meaning of the message, a change occurred in the space in front of him . .
.
wooooong-.
.
A tiny black hole appeared before his eyes, but that was just the start . .
.
woo wooooong-.
.
The hole that was as small as a bean grew to a size of a coin, then a volleyball, then finally became large enough for a man to enter . .
.
‘This is…?’.
.
Jinwoo’s eyes were wide open . After accepting the quest, he had expected another information screen with the quest’s information would follow but not this….
.
A Gate had formed before his eyes . .
.
‘To think that it would even make a Gate…’.
.
The phenomenon in front of him was exactly the same as the Gates that appeared in the world . Only difference was that it was a bit smaller than the one he had seen . The System’s message continued, beckoning him in . .
.
Please enter the Dungeon through the Gate . .
.
‘Let’s be calm . ’.
.
Jinwoo calmed his heart . .
.
Yes . .
.
If he thought about it, whether he entered using a key or through a Gate, a Dungeon would be waiting on the other side . He was just surprised at the creation of an artificial Gate in front of his eyes . While he had entered many Gates before, he had never seen one being created . When he reached that line of thought, an idea appeared in his head,.
.
‘Wait… Could other Hunters enter this Gate?’.
.
Well, there was no time to experiment . There weren’t any other Hunters in the vicinity, nor did he know of any Hunters that would come running if he . called… . .
.
Jinwoo erased Yoo Jinho’s face from his mind and shook his head . .
.
‘What would I do if something went wrong . ’.
.
The System’s message blinked as if reminding him,.
.
ring~.
.
Please enter the Dungeon through the Gate . .
.
Jinwoo was snapped back to reality by the electronic tone . He slapped his cheeks to focus . .
.
‘Now’s not the time to get distracted . ’.
.
Success here would mean obtaining a class and other rewards . He dreaded what failure would entail . He had to be focused . .
.
“Whew-”.
.
After a deep breath, Jinwoo held Casaka’s Poisoned Fang in a reverse grip and entered the Gate . .
.
.
.
You’ve entered the Dungeon . .
.
‘Huh?’.
.
To be honest, he had entered the Gate with a great anticipation . Contrary to his expectations, there was not much to be surprised at inside . It was just a simple cave Dungeon . .
.
“It’s the same as always…?”.
.
He had heard that high-level Dungeons would connect to different types of interiors and expected something similar but was disappointed . A special message did appear, however,.
.
ring~.
.
In this place, usage of potions and the shop is restricted, and leveling up will not restore your status . .
.
Jinwoo put away the dagger after confirming that there were no magic beasts around . .
.
‘ . Looks like this won’t be easy . ’.
.
Since this was a special Dungeon for class advancement, it seemed that there were a few conditions . The fact that he could not heal himself through potions or level-ups was particularly troubling . .
.
‘That means even small damage will accumulate over time . ’.
.
An injury would spell the end here . Without means of recovery, he would have to be cautious of every move he made . .
.
‘I really, really have to be focused . ’.
.
Jinwoo closed the message box . As he always did, he checked the exit of the Dungeon . .
.
Until your class advancement is complete, you cannot leave . .
.
The moment he placed his hand on the Gate, that message appeared . He put his back into it, but the exit did not budge . .
.
“ . ”.
.
He retracted his hand . .
.
‘So the path to retreat is blocked . ’.
.
He had yet to figure out the difficulty of the Dungeon . Additionally, he could not recover his health here . Finally, there was no leaving until he was finished . .
.
The risk this time was very high . Even the bravest of Hunters would hesitate before entering with such conditions . .
.
‘But a high risk doesn’t necessary mean that it’s bad . ’.
.
High risk equaled high rewards . He had learned as much from his experiences . If all these conditions made the quest harder, perhaps an equally great reward waited at the end . .
.
Well, there was only one way to find out . .
.
‘Time to go . ’.
.
Jinwoo began to walk deeper into the cave . He could not see the end of the tunnel and at the same time did not see or sense any magic beasts . .
.
‘Wait, since this is the System’s territory, should it be “monsters” and not “magic beasts”?’.
.
Eh, in the end, they were both dangerous beings . .
.
There was one difference in this place compared to the normal cave Dungeons . The cave’s walls were decorated with torches, placed evenly across the path . .
.
‘Torches instead of glowing rocks . Hmm . ’.
.
The torches were not an effective source of light . Even if there were many of them, it was not enough to completely illuminate the dark tunnel . As such, the flickering light produced many shadows here and there . The combination of the shadows and the silence produced a very dreary atmosphere compared to a normal Dungeon . .
.
‘Well, I don’t have any problems seeing . ’.
.
What bothered him was the impact it had on his mood . .
.
Jinwoo went over and removed the closest torch from the wall . The way forward became slightly brighter . .
.
‘This is better . ’.
.
Jinwoo smiled in satisfaction . He took a brief look behind him, then started forward again, torch in hand . .
.
.
.
How long did he walk in this straight path?.
.
After some time, he finally came across a turn . Around the corner, he felt several presences . .
.
‘Finally . ’.
.
He carefully dropped the torch on the ground . .
.
shooo-.
.
In the place of the torch, his right hand now held a dagger . He briefly considered using ‘Stealth’ to gain a preemptive advantage but decided to conserve his mana; potions could not be used after all . If he carelessly spent his mana, he might not be able to use a skill in a pivotal moment . .
.
‘ . They’re coming this way . ’.
.
Jinwoo hugged the wall with his back, then waited for the enemies to come around the corner . .
.
clang, clang.
.
A metallic sound rang while they were walking towards him . The sound came closer and closer . .
.
clang, clang.
.
At the rambunctious sound, Jinwoo wondered,.
.
‘Are they holding some sort of a chain weapon?’.
.
He was curious but did not worry . He would find out in a moment . .
.
‘5, 4, 3 . ’.
.
He held his dagger in a reverse grip and held his breath . He did not want the sound of his breathing to be heard . .
.
‘2, 1 . ’.
.
clang, clang . .
.
Finally, their shadows appeared around the corner . .
.
‘ . 0 . ’.
.
As Jinwoo finished counting down, the thing showed itself . Jinwoo immediately went for its neck . .
.
Clang!.
.
The sound of metal striking metal rang loudly . His dagger did not pierce the target . .
.
‘Armor?’.
.
Jinwoo was surprised . Confirming the identity of his enemy, he quickly backed way . .
.
“Human?”.
.
It was a knight equipped with a full set of armor . Even its face was covered by a helmet . Just in case, Jinwoo called toward it,.
.
“Oy!”.
.
The knight reacted by charging toward Jinwoo . .
.
clang, clang, clang!.
.
The knight vigorously used his shoulders to try and tackle Jinwoo, but the Hunter easily twisted his body to dodge the attack . The knight could not stop its momentum and ran forward for a bit before stopping . .
.
‘Not human?’.
.
After expanding his sense a bit more, Jinwoo was sure . The knight did not have a heartbeat . It was a magic beast, or rather, a monster that he had never seen before . To think that there’d be a monster covered from head to toe in armor . .
.
‘So…’.
.
It was almost as if he was fighting another human . .
.
shiing!.
.
The knight turned around and unsheathe the sword at its side . As Jinwoo thought, it had no intention of letting him leave alive . Confirming each other’s hostility, Jinwoo’s eyes became a level sharper . .
.
‘Sprint!’.
.
Your movement speed is increased by 40% . .
.
The first to strike would be the victor!.
.
Before the knight could reach him, Jinwoo entered its range first . .
.
slash!.
.
The Hunter dodged its panicked swing and stabbed its armor here and there . .
.
Clang! Clang!.
.
But he could not do any damage . .
.
‘The armor’s too thick . ’.
.
Not only that, it could almost be described as slippery . His dagger helplessly slid off and was deflected everytime he struck the armor . The knight swung its sword in a horizontal line . .
.
slash!.
.
Jinwoo lowered his head to dodge . The blade of the sword passed just inches above his head . As its attack was powerful, the opening created after missing was equally huge . Jinwoo did not miss the opportunity . Still in melee range, Jinwoo focused all of his power into his dagger . .
.
‘Vital Stab!’.
.
Crack!.
.
The dagger pierced through the armor . .
.
‘Did it work?’.
.
However, as if it didn’t do any damage, the knight ignored the dagger sticking out of its side and brought down the sword in a vertical line . .
.
Slash!.
.
Jinwoo threw his body backwards . .
.
Clang!.
.
Sparks flew from the ground the sword struck . .
.
“ . ”.
.
Jinwoo straightened himself after taking few steps back . Casaka’s Poisoned Fang was still stuck to the knight’s side . .
.
Che . .
.
Jinwoo clicked his tongue . .
.
‘He’s not exactly strong . ’.
.
It was true . Because of its armor, the knight was slow . Not only that, its attack pattern was rather simple . The primary obstacle was its tough resistance to bladed weapons . .
.
Jinwoo rolled up his sleeves . .
.
‘If it’s a tough armor a blade can’t get through, I’ve already got some experience . ’.
.
His maintained his composure . He recalled the scales of a boss that effortlessly broke a magic power infused steel sword . He remembered how he took down that giant snake . .
.
‘Compared to Casaka, this bastard’s nothing…’.
.
Thinking of the first boss he ever won against, Jinwoo smiled in nostalgia . .
.
clang, clang, clang!.
.
The knight, confident in its armor, charged at Jinwoo once more . .
.
‘As expected, it’s not that smart . ’.
.
Jinwoo easily dodged the knight’s shoulder tackle and maneuvered behind its back and put it in a headlock . .
.
craaack!.
.
Of course, its neck was also armored; it probably would not be choked just by this . .
.
craaaaaack!.
.
Jinwoo’s arms flexed and showed their veins . He was not trying to choke the knight . He clenched his teeth, and his eyes flared open . .
.
CRACK!. .
With a sickening sound, the helmet was removed . This was the power of the strength stat that had reached above 100 . Having lost its head, the knight knelt to the ground . .
.
Clang!.
.
You’ve defeated the Knight . .
.
The welcoming sight of a message signaled the end of the fight . While there was a light indicating a drop coming from the knight’s corpse, Jinwoo was focused on something else . .
.
‘What the, it’s empty?’.
.
There was no head in the helmet he was holding . He also looked inside the kneeling armor but found it just as empty . .
.
‘Then was I fighting with a moving armor?’.
.
As he reached that conclusion, two more knights appeared around the corner . It appeared that they had finally realized that there was a fight going on . .
.
clang, clang . .
.
Having discovered Jinwoo, the two knights took out their swords in unison . .
.
shiing-.
.
shiing-.
.
Jinwoo threw aside the helmet and stretched his neck and shoulders . He knew the method of defeating them now . .
.
‘Shall we begin?’.
.
clang, clang, clang, clang!.
.
Jinwoo smiled at the approaching knights . .
.
The quest was going smoothly so far . .