Monarch of Luminescence || Solo-Leveling

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷

As Hwan Chang-min stepped into the bathroom, he studied himself a bit.

"Hmm, I think my hair's gotten too long. Maybe I should cut it later..." Chang-min twiddled his hair for a bit before brushing the untidiness from his hair away and tying it into a low ponytail. "Oh well, I'll ask Jinwoo about it later."

After quickly preparing for another raid, he went next door and called out to his childhood friend, knocking on their apartment door. "Jin-woo! It's time to get going!"

"Okay- I'm coming! I just need to say goodbye to Jin-ah quickly!" The voice from behind the door was all muffled as if he was still chewing on his breakfast.

He chuckled at the younger, having been all flustered.

"I'm ready, sorry for the wait." He opens the door to be greeted by amber eyes.

"Don't apologise, I arrived pretty early." Chang-min giggled again, as he turned around and motioned the younger to follow him.

In the midst of walking toward the gate, Chang-min posed a few questions. "Are your cuts okay? I should have healed it all the way, sorry."

"Hyung, please don't say that. They're not deep, and they're just scratches. Don't beat yourself over it." Jinwoo sheepishly smiled, but the older sighed and shook his head.

"Should I teach you some skills and techniques for dodging and parrying...? I'm just concerned, Jinwoo."

"I know, I know. You should use your energy on someone other than me. Thank you for being worried on my behalf." He stared at the concrete as he slouched forward, every step sounding as miserable as they can. He's definitely bothered by his title, 'The weakest hunter in humanity'.

"Stop thinking like that, Jinwoo. Your mom, sister, and I both believe you can do it, even if you're so reckless at times. That's what you have me for, no? I'm always here to support you." Chang-min patted his back, trying to console him.

"Hyung... I sometimes wonder if I even deserve you or not. You're the one providing most of the hospital fees for my mom, I don't even know how to repay you."

"Hey, don't make it sound like we're strangers. Miss Sung is a lovely person, and I don't want her to rot away in a hospital bed for eternity."

"Thank you."

"Of course, always notify me if you need anything. I'm here." He ruffled the younger's hair as he let out a little smile. It's rare for him to let his emotions flow out like this. He's usually pretty cheery. Guess something got the best of him...

Upon arriving at the destination, everyone recognised the duo and began addressing them both.

"Hey, Sung and Hwan!"

"Good to see the both of you here."

"Inseparable as always, huh? Thanks for coming, must have been cold on the way here."

Jinwoo gave a small bow as he awkwardly chuckled and greeted back, while Chang-min waved to all and had a smile plastered across his face.

"Sung, Hwan! What's up? Have you both eaten yet?" A recognisable old man standing with another asked, and Hwan replied with a "yes Mr Kim Sangshik, thanks for asking."

As gossip started between the two men sipping coffee, Sung ignored it and went to the coffee stand and asked for a cup.

"Hey, who are those two, and why is everyone so happy to see them?"

"Haha, I guess you don't know since they came around right after you quit. The youngster with black hair has an infamous nickname. 'The weakest hunter of all mankind.,'"

"The weakest? Not the strongest?"

"That's what you would call an S-rank like Cho Jong-in, Sung's the 'Weakest hunter'."

"What about the lad next to him?"

"Oh, he's supposedly Sung's childhood friend. Never seen him leave his side, haha. According to rumours, he's a false ranker."

"What!? But don't they murder for fu-"

"Keep your voice down! We don't want them to hear us, you know?" After looking around, Kim continued. "Hwan is rumoured to be one because it's said that he defeated an entire B-rank gate all by himself when he was only D-rank. He's a healer type, also. Imagine that!"

"What, really?"

"I still don't know how you deal with it every day. Don't you feel annoyed?" Hwan said and dug daggers into the two men standing idly, and they both jolted to a stop.

"I do, but what can you do? It's true."

"There you go again, with your depressing talk..."

"I couldn't even get any coffee... Jeez, this sucks."

"Oh please, I'll cook for you and Jin-ah when we get back."

"Pfft. You really know how to get me going." Jinwoo brightened up and laughed, before someone shouted out his name, startling the both of them.

"JINWOO! YOU'RE HURT AGAIN!"

"Ah, Joohee. I see you're going on this raid as well." He rubbed his nape, thinking about how to get himself out of this scolding.

Hwan listened to Joohee and Jinwoo's conversation as he stared at the gate not too far from them. There's an ominous aura that's being emitted from it, and he hates it. It's almost as if something is bound to go wrong today.

Should I warn them about it?

"...were all high ranking, so they didn't bring a healer with them. I'm lucky that Chang-min was waiting for me, or else I probably would get hospitalised."

"It's still foul of them to be confident enough not to get hurt, and not bring a healer along." Speaking of the devil, Hwan joined in the conversation. "Do you think we should do this raid today?"

"Huh? What's wrong with it?" Joohee asked, confused about the situation.

"It's just... I'm getting a bad vibe from whatever is in this gate."