Ruler | Solo Leveling

Chapter 1

"Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!"

Mind still bleary with sleep, you clumsily grab the source of the noise and tap repeatedly on the snooze button, tumbling back into bed with a relieved sigh when the sound suddenly stops. Yawning, you curl back into yourself, cuddling your warm blanket closer to your body, feeling awareness slowly return back to you.

Knowing you didn't have long before the insufferable alarm sounded again, you kick off your blanket and head to your kitchen, oddly well maintained and spacious for one in your apartment complex.

In retrospect, there was no reason for you to pick an old, rundown apartment on the outskirts of Seoul. It wasn't that you were poor or anything... you just preferred the quiet here, or at least that's what you told yourself.

"...after the third attempt to retake Jeju island has failed, leading to the death of S ranked hunter: Eun Suk, the Korean government has stated it currently has no plans of -"

"Nothing interesting today huh..." You groan, shutting off the television and pulling up your phone to scan for any newly appeared dungeons. Ignoring the long list of C and D ranked gates you were sure other guilds would have no trouble clearing, your eyes eventually fall upon a well placed advertisement for a sale taking place at your local supermarket.

"I suppose this will have to do."

»»————-

"E-ranked hunter" Sung Jinwoo.

He was not a hunter because he enjoyed the job; his constitution was only barely stronger than a normal unawakened person, and his hunting career was riddled with injuries and accidents, any of them potentially being the one to end his life.

He was not a hunter motivated by profit either; an E-ranked hunter could barely make enough money to justify the potential loss of life he faced each day he braved the dungeons.

No. If it wasn't for the Hunters Association that paid millions of won each month to support his hospitalized mother, Jinwoo would not have participated in dungeon raids in the first place.

But no matter how hard he tried to improve, he was still an E-ranked hunter, limited by his stats and abilities.

In fact, he was so prone to injuries that he was famous within the tightly knit group of the hunters association, known as "Sung Jinwoo: Humanity's Weakest Hunter."

»»————-

A long relieved sigh left your lips as the train approached the platform, ready to take you deeper into the city. It was a calm and serene afternoon, and you close your eyes as the approaching breeze brushes against your face chillingly.

The train doors slid open and a wave of people began to sweep toward you. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot someone familiar exiting off the train. Even though they had a hood up, you would recognize that person anywhere.

"Jinwoo!" You call out, smiling when you spot the familiar form of your friend, no doubt on his way to another low ranked gate that had appeared in the capital.

They stilled, like a deer caught staring into headlights upon hearing your voice, before quickly averting their eyes, suddenly finding the floor extremely interesting.

The hunter rubbed at his arm subconsciously, thinking about how he would get away from this clingy person when oddly enough, there was the sensation of something soft pressing against his back.

Jinwoo whipped his head around to stare at you with surprise as you crashed into him, slamming both arms over his shoulder and pulling him in for a rough hug.