My name is Sung Jin-Woo. I am a Hunter.
But I am just a hunter who enters the weakest dungeons, bound by the inevitable reality of being ranked at the very bottom—E Rank.
I am an E Rank Hunter, the weakest of all, burdened with a title that follows me everywhere:
"The World's Weakest Hunter."
There is nothing I can do to change this. The day I was evaluated and received my rank, I knew what would come—people calling me weak, looking down on me, questioning why I even bother.
"Hey, why are you so determined to work as a hunter?"
"..."
"Fighting like this will only bring you more pain and danger!"
"Sorry for always making you heal my injuries..."
"I'm not saying this for an apology! I'm just worried."
I have heard these words all my life. Some judge me, others pity me. They tell me to stop taking risks, to find another way.
But I have no other choice. Being a hunter is the only way I can afford my mother's hospital bills. It's the only way I can secure a better future for Jin-Ah. The world doesn't care how weak I am. If I don't fight, I don't survive. It's that simple.
.
After collecting a core from the E Rank monster I just killed, I muttered to myself:
"Earning money like this is—"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted my thoughts.
"Hey! Everyone, listen up! There's another entrance here! Follow me!"
Another entrance? Is that even possible?
Curious, we followed him and soon discovered it—an entrance hidden within this C Rank Dungeon. A second lair within a dungeon.
"A Double Lair... huh..."
One of the hunters shot a fireball inside. The flames disappeared into the darkness. This place was larger than I expected.
The gate remains open until the boss is defeated. If the boss is still alive, the gate won't close, and that could be dangerous for the outside world.
"Since the gate is still open, it means the boss is inside. Normally, we'd contact our guild and wait for orders, but..."
I understood what the leader was getting at. If we cleared this lair ourselves, we'd earn more rewards. More mana crystals. And I needed them just as much as anyone else here.
"If other hunters get here first, our profits will shrink. So, let's take a vote. There are seventeen of us. What do you say?"
Some hesitated, but the allure of more loot was too tempting. Eventually, everyone agreed. Greed often overshadows caution.
As we entered, an eerie silence filled the air. It felt... wrong. Unlike anything I had ever encountered before. The deeper we walked, the more suffocating the atmosphere became. The usual sounds of a dungeon—growls, shifting shadows, distant roars—were absent. Just silence.
And then, we saw them.
Giant stone statues. Dozens of them, standing still, their cold, unblinking eyes staring down at us. They resembled ancient gods, each one carved with intricate details, their expressions frozen in time. In the center of the room stood the largest statue of them all, an overwhelming presence that sent a chill down my spine.
A hunter gulped. "This... this doesn't feel right."
Someone whispered, "Maybe we should leave..."
But before anyone could turn back, the massive stone doors slammed shut behind us.
And then, they moved.
[YOU HAVE ALREADY WATCHED THE ANIME OR READ THE MANHWA ABOUT SOLO LEVELING. THERE'S NO NEED TO EXPLAIN ANYMORE. IF NOT, READ CHAPTERS 1 TO 9.]
...
...
"I always looked down on you, never expecting much. But when we entered this room, so many people died. The ones who survived... it's all because of you. Because you solved the riddles. I'm still alive because of you. Thank you."
"Mr. Kim Sang-Shik..."
"But... but... I have a family. I don't want to die here. I don't want to die..."
Why does he sound like—
"I'm sorry... I don't think I can stay here any longer."
"Mister! Mister!"
"I'm sorry..."
He ran. Just like the others.
Damn it. Damn it!
I shouted with everything I had—
"MISTER!"
What was that? What kind of "thank you" was that?
Thank you?
Don't make me laugh.
Hahaha... sniff sniff
Because of you all who ran away... we're going to die.
Damn it. What do we do now? So, this is the kind of world we live in...
"You should leave."
Huh?
"Mr. Song Chi-Yul?!"
"The door won't fully close as long as at least one person remains on the altar, right? You two have long lives ahead of you... You should leave."
What is he saying? There's still a chance we can all escape, right?
Right?
But as I scan my surroundings again, I see the colossal statues moving towards us. And that statue of an evil god... is smirking.
He's the real monster.
"Miss Ju-Hee, help Sung Jin-Woo."
"Y-Yes!"
"Ah... My legs, my legs... they won't move!"
Mana exhaustion. Because of me, right?
"Mister, you should take Miss Ju-Hee out of here."
"I SAID I WOULD STAY!"
"Then... who will help Miss Ju-Hee get out?"
"But... but..."
"There's no time for 'but'! Please, take her—"
"No, Jin-Woo! I'd rather stay!"
"I promised to buy you dinner, didn't I? Take this. I'll get my payment from you when I return."
"sniff This isn't the time sniff for jokes..."
"..."
"Sorry, but there really isn't any time left."
"Please take care of her."
"Yeah, I will."
Hah... hah...
Thank God.
At least I'm the only one who's dying.
As the doors finally shut, sealing me inside, I turned back to face them. The statues, their soulless eyes locked onto me, the last remaining sacrifice.
My entire body screamed in pain. My wounds, my exhaustion, my mana... all of it meant nothing now. Because I knew what was coming.
Death.
I was going to die here.
...
...
"ONE... MORE... CHANCE..."
What is this?
What is this?
...
...
/
/
Wha... Wha... Huh...!?
/
/
I don't know what's happening anymore... If this thing is giving me a chance, then I will -
/
/
Rapid, shallow breaths
Haa... Haa... Haa...
A dream...? Was all of that just a dream...?
No... it couldn't have been.
I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the soft, pale lighting above me. My gaze shifted side to side, scanning my surroundings. I'm not lying on cold, hard ground anymore—this is... a bed?
This isn't my home either.
As my senses slowly returned and the haze in my mind began to clear, I pieced it together.
A hospital.
I'm in a hospital room.
But how...?
If I'm really here, then that means... it wasn't all a dream.
A cold sweat formed across my forehead, and I could feel my breathing grow erratic again just from thinking aboutthat place. The overwhelming sense of dread, the suffocating pressure of death—none of it felt like a dream.
Am I... even alive?
The question came unbidden. I reached up and touched my face, needing confirmation—needing to feel something real.
My fingers traced my cheeks, my forehead, my jaw. Warm. Solid. Human.
Drawing in a slow, deep breath, I tried to piece everything together. My mind retraced the events leading up to now...
It doesn't make any sense. I should be dead.
Yet... my body doesn't hurt. There's not a single bruise, not even the faintest trace of injury. It's as if—
Click.
Hm?
My head turned toward the sound of the door opening. Visitors?
Not Jin-Ah.
Instead, two men walked in—dressed entirely in black suits. Not a trace of emotion on their faces.
Right... Jin-Ah should be home. But these men—
They weren't just anyone.
"Have you regained consciousness?" one of them asked, stepping forward.
So Iwasunconscious... the entire time since the raid.
That confirms it—what I saw wasn't just a nightmare. That hellish place... it really happened.
"I'll answer your questions," I said slowly, voice still a bit raspy. "But first—who exactly are you two?"
The man who had spoken nodded, then reached into his pocket. From within, he pulled out a sleek black card and handed it to me.
I examined it—and my eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Hunter's Association Surveillance Team..."
He confirmed with a simple nod.
"Yes. We're from the Surveillance Division of the Hunter's Association."
"But... why would the Surveillance Team be interested in me?"
"You were asleep for three days."
Three days...?
My mind reeled.
I had been unconscious for that long? It felt like no time had passed at all... or maybe like an eternity.
"Does Jin-Ah know...?" I mumbled to myself, then shook my head.
No. She must be fine. I would've heard something otherwise.
I looked up. "What about Miss Ju-Hee and Mr. Song Chi-Yul? Did they make it out?"
The agent's expression dimmed slightly.
"They survived... but..."
"But?"
"Hunter Song Chi-Yul lost his arm. It's unlikely he'll be able to continue his work. Retirement is an option he may have to consider."
"..."
"As for Hunter Ju-Hee—she's still undergoing treatment for severe psychological trauma. It's uncertain if she'll return to the field."
Ju-Hee...
She helped me so many times. I owe her more than I can repay. I'll visit her once I'm discharged—at the very least, I should check on her.
"And about the others... Hunter Kim Sang-Shik—"
"Ah... no." I cut him off gently. "That's enough."
I didn't need to hear any more. I already knew the answer.
"The total number of survivors from the double lair incident isSIX," the agent continued.
"Though danger is part of every raid... a massacre like this hasn't occurred in years."
I said nothing.
"When the inspection team arrived, along with the White Tiger Guild—"
Did they find the monsters?
The statues... the god-like being... that voice...
"Everything was gone."
My breath caught.
"W-what...?"
"There were no statues. No altar. Just you—lying unconscious in the center of the room.
The rest? Gone without a trace."
That can't be...
There wereseven statues, no—more. And that towering, divine presence—how could it all just vanish?
"T-That's not possible!" I stammered. "There were dozens of statues—and one... onegodlystatue that—"
My voice trailed off.
Just what the hell happened in that place?
"We couldn't believe it either. In the survivors' testimonies had differed by even a little or if some of the body parts of the deceased weren't found there, we would've thought of a different explanation."
Hmm..? His voice suddenly changed into more of a serious tone. His eyes are also started to sharply analyze my body -
"This is just a theory... but we believe you've experienced something known as a 'Double Awakening.'"
Double Awakening...?
I blinked, trying to process the words.
It echoed in my head like an unfamiliar melody, strange and unreal.
'Double Awakening.'
I'd heard whispers about it before.
When a person awakens for the first time, their abilities—their stats—are determined and locked in by the system. Most live and die by that first awakening.
[Here System refers to that place where everyone who have tested their prowess and has been stored this information confidentially.]
But then... there are rare exceptions. Very rare.
Some hunters, for reasons unknown, awakenagain.
A second awakening. A power that overrides the limits set by the first.
I'd heard of a few cases—C-Rank hunters who suddenly surged to A-Rank, or B-Ranks that skyrocketed to S-Rank overnight. Miracles, people called them.
But me?
An E-Rank...? The weakest of the weak?
No one's ever heard of an E-Rank undergoing a Double Awakening.
Just how far could someone like me even rise...?
The older agent stepped forward and held out a device.
"This is a magic power detector. All you need to do is place your hand on the mana crystal."
I stared at it. A sleek, dome-shaped artifact with a pulsing core of blue light.
It almost looked like it was alive.
It is the same device which told me about my power and help me decide on which rank I lie.
~Deep Breath~
Honestly, I didn't feel any different.
No sudden surge of power. No raging storm of mana inside me.
If anything, I felt exactly the same—ordinary. Weak.
But still, the way this crystal pulsed... it felt like it was waiting.
Without hesitation, I placed my hand on it.
The detector came to life with a series of sharp beeps and glowing lights. It whirred quietly, analyzing, calculating.
Then silence.
I looked up.
"Well? What's the result?"
Their expressions told me everything.
The disappointment was written all over their faces.
As expected...
There's no such thing as a second awakening for someone like me.
It was just a false alarm. A theory, nothing more.
But then... why do I keep thinking about that place?
Why do I still feel the lingering weight ofsomething... pressing against my very soul?
And more importantly—
Why can't anyone else see this?
That floating screen...
It's been hovering in front of me ever since I woke up—faintly glowing, a translucent blue like a hologram.
I didn't mention it to the agents.
I wasn't even sure if it was real.
My injuries were gone
The torn flesh of my leg, the hole that had been punched through my chest—completely healed.
I should've died. And yet, here I am.
Alive.
Still breathing.
And with a glowing blue screen in front of me that no one else seems to notice.
Should I have told them?
Would they even believe me?
"Brother, what are you doing?"
I flinched slightly at the sudden voice.
Turning, I saw her—Jin-Ah.
She stepped into the room, her eyes narrowing as she took in the sight of me awkwardly reaching toward thin air.
"Huh...? Don't tell me your head's injured too?" she said, arms folded, voice tired but sharp.
She walked closer, her expression shifting into frustration and concern all at once.
"Didn't Itellyou to stop getting yourself hurt?! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
"...Sorry."
"The other hunters always come back fine, butyou—you'realwaysthe one who ends up in a hospital bed!"
I couldn't help but smile, just a little.
Even in the middle of all this... she was still the same.
Loud. Annoyed.
But here—for me.
Even now, when everything still feels like a dream... her voice, her presence—that's real.
No matter what strange power might be awakening in me...
No matter what that screen floating in front of me means...
Jin-Ah's voice grounded me more than anything else.
And for the first time since I opened my eyes—
I was sure of one thing:
I'm not alone.
She continued to shout at me and acted like she always does. Well, let's try asking her.
"Jin-Ah. Can you see this?"
"What?! Did your head also hurting?"
"Oh..."
She can't see it. It means only I can see this.
"Well, mind telling me when there's an unread mail in a game, how would you read it?"
I really feel like that I should have played video games with her, when she was asking me in the past.
"Huh? Well, you would have to open the mail-box first."
There is no option regarding this. Oh, right. Should I try to say it out loud...?
"Open... OPEN THE MAILBOX?"
[MESSAGE]
WELCOME, [PLAYER] (UNREAD)
[DAILY QUEST: PREPEARING TO BECOME STRONG] HAS ARRIVED
(UNREAD)
The content on the mysterious blue screen shifted again—reacting the instant I blurted out those words.
"What... what is it?"
Jin-Ah's voice cut through my focus.
She looked at me, confused and clearly worried. Her eyes scanned my face, searching for any signs of injury—or maybe sanity.
I froze, unsure of what to do next. The screen still hovered in front of me. But Jin-Ah couldn't see it. To her, I was just staring into empty space.
Yet... in that moment, something else felt more important than answers or this screen in front of me.
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her.
She gasped in surprise, clearly not expecting that—but she didn't pull away.
The tension in her shoulders eased, and the anger in her eyes softened. A quiet chuckle escaped her lips as she slowly returned the hug, resting her hands gently on my back.
"Big brother..." she whispered, voice barely audible.
"Please stay at home with me more. I... I miss your cooking. And your company..."
If we weren't this close, I probably wouldn't have heard her at all.
I tightened the embrace for a moment longer before responding softly, "Okay."
Just that. No promises. No excuses. Just—okay.
She pulled back slightly and looked up at me, eyes shimmering, cheeks flushed.
"I should go," she said, rubbing her eyes quickly. "My friend's waiting outside."
I nodded and released her from my arms. Before she turned to leave, I leaned down and gently kissed her forehead.
Her face turned even redder, but this time, she smiled brightly.
"Well then... see you later, big brother."
I watched her walk to the door.
"Take care," I said as she opened it.
And just like that, she was gone.
But the room wasn't silent.
[ALARM]
[THE SYSTEM WILL HELP THE 'PLAYER'S GROWTH'.]
[ALARM]
[IF HE FAILS TO OBEY THE SYSTEM'S ORDERS, THERE MAY BE APENALTY.]
[ALARM]
[YOUR REWARDS HAVE ARRIVED.]
"I can't understand what they're saying."
After I said to open the mailbox, I said, "Okay".
Then the screen started to showing me multiple screens, I can't seem to understand anything at all about what is going on here.
Like what is this even all about. Am I really in a game or is it reality -
"No, wait... Now, that I think about, I remember seeing something similar when I was left on the Altar... There was like saying -"
[YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECRET QUEST]
['COURAGE OF THE WEAK']
My brain can't take this all. What should I do -
Then another screen popped in front of me.
"?"
[MESSAGE]
[DAILY QUEST: PREPARING TO BECOME STRONG HAS ARRIVED (UNREAD)]
Huh?
"Check."
[DING!]
[DAILY QUEST - GETTING READY TO BECOME POWERFUL]
GOAL
[INCOMPLETE] PUSH-UPS - [0/100]
[INCOMPLETE] CURL-UPS - [0/100]
[INCOMPLETE] SIT-UPS - [0/100]
[INCOMPLETE] SQUATS - [0/100]
[INCOMPLETE] RUNNING - [0/10KM]
WARNING- FAILING TO COMPLETE THIS DAILY QUEST WILL BRING A PUNISHMENT ASSOCIATED WITH THIS QUEST.
Haha... What the hell this supposed to mean? Is this some kind of some joke or something...?
"Moreover, someone hospitalized doesn't even have the strength to do this."
I said these words and decided to lay on the bed for some sleep...
I'll check what this is, after I get some more sleep. I literally don't feel like doing anything. And still -
The quest or whatever this is, is like impossible thing for me... And it says - Daily? Quest?
Well, whatever.
I was sleeping but then I immediately heard a [DING!] tune in my ears, which made me to wake up from my sleep and -
[ALARM!]
[PLAYER, YOU HAVE NOT COMPLETED THE DAILY QUEST. YOU ARE NOW HEADING TOWARDS THE 'PENALTY ZONE' FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME.]
Huh, what is the meaning of this?
But then immediately the bed, the ground, everything started to shake wildly... As IF -
"E-Earth Quake...!"
[SYSTEM ERROR!]
[SOME OTHER ENTITY IS DISTURBING THE SYSTEM!]
[PENALTY ZONE IS NOW CHANGING !]
[PENALTYZONEIS NOW CHANGING !]
[PENALTY ZONE IS NOW CHANGING !]
[PENALTY ZONE IS NOW CHANGING !]
.
.
.
[PENALTY ZONE IS NOW CHANGING !]