Ruler | Solo Leveling

Chapter 6

"Hey." Something slapped the side of your check.

You groaned, doing your best to turn away from the source of annoyance. It was late, and you were tired. To make matters worse, you couldn't get comfortable, somehow ending up in an awkward position with your cheek pressed against the window.

"Wake up." You were slapped again, much harder this time.

"Wha...?" Blearily, you opened your eyes, spotting Jinchul's form looming over you.

"I told you." He sighed, fighting the urge to smile as you let out a massive yawn. "If you're going to pass out, you should have just gone home."

"It's fine." You managed to croak out as you stumbled out of the car, doing your best not to fall flat on your face. "I'm just tired."

It was a bad night to be caught in the open. The sky was murky, and the chill wind blew droplets of rain down at regular intervals. This neighborhood was long abandoned due to the frequency of gate appearances, making the area feel more eerie than it already was.

If you strained your ears, you could hear a low hum in the air. It was barely discernible over the constant wind, but the sound was unmistakable. It was the telltale sign of a gate nearby.

"Hey!" A voice called.

You turned, spotting two men standing on the side of the road.

"Didn't expect you to come." Baek Yoonho said, raising an arm in greeting. He leaned against the side of a rundown convenience store, dressed in a form fitting suit - probably called here in the midst of work.

It didn't surprise you that the leader of the White Tiger Guild came personally. His guild was the ones who organized the raid after all, which meant he had the most to lose if it went badly.

He walked towards you, leaving his colleague behind.

"It's cold out here." You muttered impatiently. "Come on."

Grabbing his arm, you pulled him off the street, over a fallen streetlight and through a short alleyway, finally coming to rest in front of the entrance of an abandoned family diner.

"Let's talk here." You said, peering inquisitively at a booth near the entrance. It was out of the wind, but you still had to suppress a shiver as you sat down, the cold seeping through your pant legs.

Yoonho grunted, stretching his arms as he dropped down next to you.

"So, any idea of what to do?" He asked.

"Nope."

"Huh?"

"There's not much I can do now." You emphasized. "We'll have to wait for the dungeon break tomorrow."

"But the hunters aren't strong enough." Yoonho pointed out. "By then they'll all be dead."

"Not necessarily."

"What?" He looked up at you, expression incredulous. "You're saying that there's someone in there that can clear A ranked gates?"

"Yeah." You said, thinking of Jinwoo. If there was a chance of anyone clearing the gate, it would be him...

But deep down, you doubted yourself. Could he really do it? The last time you'd seen him, he had definitely grown stronger. He certainly wasn't at risk of dying inside. But what if it wasn't enough to beat the dungeon boss?

You got up, walking towards the red gate.

It hummed loudly in the air, luminating the street with an eerie red glow. Assuming Jinwoo decided to wait it out, it would still be a day or so before the dungeon break. But if he challenged the dungeon boss...