I Alone Level-Up

You"ve defeated a Low-level Demon.

You"ve earned 100 experience points.

You"ve earned 1 Demon Soul.

…

…

You"ve defeated a Low-level Demon.

You"ve earned 100 experience points.

You"ve earned 1 Demon Soul.

Jinwoo had been hunting the low-level demons for two hours now. He checked the current soul count.

Collected Demon Souls: 309 / 10,000

The quest was 3% done. Additionally, at the current rate, he would level-up in about two more hours of hunting. His current level was 61. It took nine C-rank Dungeons to level-up from 60 to 61, and that was over two days. Compared to that, he would be able to gain one level after four hours of hunting here.

"That"s crazy."

A smile appeared on Jinwoo"s face. How long had it been since he enjoyed hunting this much?

"I think it"s the first time since that day."

He recalled his first Instant Dungeon with nostalgia. Jinwoo had alternated hunting between the first and second levels of the subway Dungeon nonstop until he stopped leveling up.

"Kiek!"

Everytime Jinwoo"s dagger flashed, a low-level demon fell.

"Kiaaak!"

"Kiek."

"Keh geck, kek!"

Sometimes, more than one with a single swing. In no time, he took down 20 more low-level demons.

"This is amazing."

The experience points and soul counts increased appropriately with the fallen demons. On top of that were the drops. A smile bloomed on the face of the Hunter collecting items.

"Looks like the horns are a guaranteed drop."

Low-level Demon"s Horn

Rarity: None

Type: Junk

A horn from the low-level demon"s head. As a valuable magic reagent, a demon"s horn sells for quite an amount.

The junk item, "Demon"s Horn". Selling it at the shop earned him 200,000 gold.

"Even Cerberus" teeth sold for 150,000 each… The monsters of the Demon Castle sure are generous."

Having tasted the value of the shop recently, the junk items were no longer just "junk" to Jinwoo. They were valuable gold would become his flesh and blood.

"There"s really nothing to throw away."

Jinwoo happily sold what needed to be sold and stored whatever he didn"t. While he was going through the corpses, he discovered something.

"What"s this?"

He found an item he had not seen before.

Entry Permit

Rarity: ???

Type: ???

It"s a permit to enter the 2nd Floor.

Usable in the interfloor movement magic circle on the 1st Floor.

It was a doc.u.ment rolled up like a scroll.

"Entry Permit?"

Unfurling the scroll, Jinwoo found a bunch of letters and shapes he could not interpret. The only information he could find was in the item"s information box.

"An item that lets me go from the first floor to the second…"

Could it be? Jinwoo looked around the area. While this was the interiors of the Demon Castle, in a way, its base was Daesung Tower. If the Demon Castle was divided up into floors like Daesung Tower, then this would be the 1st Floor.

"It never even occurred to me that a field-type Dungeon could have multiple floors…"

Did that mean this place also had a hundred floors like Daesung Tower? Imagining the sheer scale of the Dungeon, Jinwoo stuck out a tongue.

"...It can"t actually be a hundred floors, right?"

Only one way to find out. He had to find that magic circle.

"Only place that the interfloor movement magic circle could be is…"

Jinwoo looked over to the pillar of light that reached to the sky.

"...That."

Well, it was his goal from the start, but he was distracted by hunting the low-level demons and ended up in the opposite direction.

"Guess I"ll head over there now."

He had hunted all the low-level demons in the area anyways. Jinwoo smiled.

"Come forth."

The Shadow Soldiers stored by Shadow Storage did not need any particular command to be summoned. All he had to do was call on them with intent.

shooo-

The Shadow Beast sp.a.w.ned from the alpha ice bear stood before Jinwoo.

grrrrl

The monstrous bear stood on its hind legs. It towered over a house. However, in front of Jinwoo, it was no different than a trained puppy.

"Down."

whimper

The Shadow Beast obediently lowered its body, and Jinwoo got on its back.

"Hiyah!"

Jinwoo kicked the side of the beast, and his ride shot forward towards the pillar of light with a terrifying speed.

koong koong koong koong!

Combined with the large strides of its giant body, doubled up with its unnaturally fast speed, the objective came closer with great haste. Well, there was an obstacle every once in a while.

"Kirik!"

"Kik kik!"

ROOAR!

The beast swiped its claws with a lightning speed, and the obstacles disappeared in an instant.

Oh?

Jinwoo nodded in satisfaction.

"I just got on for kicks and giggles, but he"s better than I thought."

Jinwoo decided he would use him as a mount in the future and even gave it a name.

"From now on, your name is Tank."

"Guoooo!"

The Shadow Beast, no, Tank raised its head and howled. Jinwoo wasn"t sure if it liked or disliked the name. Slowing down, Tank reached and stopped before the pillar of light.

"Good boy."

Jinwoo dismounted, petted the Shadow Beast then returned him to his shadow. He turned around.

ring~

You"ve discovered the interfloor movement magic circle.

A circle magic seal was drawn on the floor. The light from the magic circle reached the sky. Jinwoo stepped in the light.

"..."

Nothing happened. Confused, Jinwoo took few more steps and reached the center of the circle.

There are no other open floors.

Which floor would you like to go to?

"How many floors are there?"

There was no reply.

"To see the top, I just have to climb the tower, eh?"

Jinwoo thought for a moment. He was almost leveled up. Should he level-up here or go up a floor?

"Compared to the other Instant Dungeons, monsters don"t resp.a.w.n here. There"s no point in staying in one place."

On top of that, the quest told him that there would be demons with multiple souls in the upper floors. With regards to both experience points and souls, Jinwoo decided it would be better to go up to higher floors.

"Alright."

Let"s go up.

Jinwoo spoked to the air,

"2nd Floor."

An entry permit is required.

Following the instruction, Jinwoo took out the scroll from the inventory. The moment it left the inventory, the scroll disappeared with a flash of light.

The 2nd Floor of the Demon Castle has been opened..

You will now go up to the 2nd Floor.

wooooong-

The magic circle began to glow fiercely. At the same time, Jinwoo understood what was happening.

"Oh.. so this is…"

Just an elevator.

The moment he understood the pillar of light"s purpose, Jinwoo was sent to the 2nd Floor with a blinding flash.

-

2nd Floor, 3rd Floor, 4th Floor… And now, 27th Floor.

This was Jinwoo"s progress in the past two days. He had told Jinah that he would be traveling for a week.

"I have five days remaining."

Considering the increasing speed at which he was clearing each floor, Jinwoo gained hope that it might be possible for him to reach the 100th Floor in the five days remaining. Jinwoo looked around area. It was a completely destroyed city.

"I can"t even tell what city this is based off of."

Every floor was a different city. Additionally, the destruction of the cities worsened as he went up the floors. On the 27th Floor, it started becoming harder to even call it a city anymore. Is this what a city would look like if it was carpet bombed? Jinwoo dismissed the thought and shook his head.

"Not the time for such thoughts."

He checked his watch; it was 11 PM. There was no night or day in this place. He had to rely on his watch to keep track of the time. If it was 11 o"clock, he should grab some rest. Proper sleep was necessary to continue the Raid. Before that,

"Let"s check the progress."

Collected Demon Souls: 2,116 / 10,000

"2,100…"

It was a rate of roughly a thousand demons a day. He had made good progress in the past two days. There was still a long way to go to ten thousand, but Jinwoo had great expectations on those demons with multiple souls on the upper floors.

"Looks like the most important thing is to keep going up."

After that would be leveling.

"Wow!"

Jinwoo opened his eyes wide.

Level: 67

He had reached Level 67 in no time. Going from the low-level demons that gave 100 experience points to mid-level demons that gave 300, the progress he made towards leveling increased explosively.

"Man, I really am leveling up fast here."

Ton of monsters. Generous experience points. A proper difficulty.

The Demon Castle was truly a heaven for leveling. And that was not all. Jinwoo had diligently worked on raising the proficiency of his kills. Even now, he was keeping Knight Killer hovering over his hand. The "Ruler"s Hands". It was a skill that allowed him to move physical things without touching them.

"Thankfully, the "Ruler"s Hands" don"t cost any mana."

It was a bit tiring to keep his mind concentrated on maintaining the skill, but compared to the benefits of raising his proficiency, it was worth it. As if on cue, Jinwoo received the good news.

"Ruler"s Hands" has leveled up!

"Alright!"

Jinwoo beamed in happiness and rested his back against the wall. Everytime he became stronger, his heart relaxed a bit. His eyelids began to droop.

"Hmm, he should"ve gotten his license by now."

Wonder if Yoo Jinho was well? It"s been a while since Jinwoo moved on his own. It made him think of the young man who had always clung to his back in Dungeons. The fight between the older brother who had already proven his worth in the financial world and the younger brother who was only a college student with a Guildmaster license. It would not be an easy battle.

"Stay strong, Yoo Jinho."

Cheering Yoo Jinho on in his heart, Jinwoo slowly fell into deep slumber.

-

Yoo Jinho entered the high-end Korean restaurant with a determined face. He handpicked the location to accommodate his father"s tastes.

"The chairman?"

"He"s waiting inside."

Yoo Jinho gulped.

"Please, this way."

Yoo Jinho was led to the room his father was in.

slide-

The sliding door opened, and the young man saw his father"s face across the room. His nervousness multiplied. The moment of weakness lasting only a moment, Yoo Jinho gathered his courage and sat down across his father.

"So what is this all about? To think that you of all people would actually set-up a meeting with me."

"Father, before I say my piece, please take a look at this."

"This is…?"

"It"s my Guildmaster license and my raiding records."

"A Guildmaster… licence? You?"

When Yoo Myunghan looked at him with a suspicious gaze, Yoo Jinho nodded happily,

"Yes, father."

Without a word, Yoo Myunghan took the doc.u.ments Yoo Jinho took out and looked over them. As the chairman pored over the information, a light appeared in his eyes.

"So,"

Yoo Myunghan put down the doc.u.ments on the table.

"You"re telling me you want Yoojin Guild?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm…"

For a brief moment, traces of surprise and contemplation appeared in Yoo Myunghan"s face.

"To think that father actually has to take the time to choose between me and my brother."

Yoo Jinho was amazed. Even just that was a great result for the young man. If it was him in the past, he would"ve been satisfied with that. However, Yoo Jinho had changed. The young man did not want to back off after coming this far.

"Father should know already, but leaving the Guildmaster"s position to an outsider gives too much power to someone not under-"

"Enough."

Yoo Myunghan held up a hand. At the same time, Yoo Jinho closed this mouth. In the Yoo clan, the word "enough" from Yoo Myunghan was an absolute order no one would dare refuse.

"There is someone I want to introduce you to."

"Sir?"

Yoo Jinho was caught off guard. The one who called for this meeting was him, so how could his father have someone to introduce him to? Who could it be? As the young man"s curiosity reached its peak, another entrance to the room opened.

"Er… h.e.l.lo."

A man in his 20~30s stood at the door and awkwardly greeted them.

Who?

Yoo Jinho did not recognize the man. Yoo Myunghan gestured with his chin, and the man sat down next to him.

"This is Hunter Go Myunghwan."

"Go Myunghwan?"

Yoo Jinho was confused. It was a name he had never heard of. His father nodded understandingly then continued,

"That Baekho Guild"s Red Gate news making its rounds lately, he"s one of the survivors of that incident."