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 .

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 . .