"Huh?"
The same answer came back as before, but the nuance was quite different. If the first time had been a joke, this time it was clearly sincere.
"Why? Is it weird?" "…Why would you name a guild that?" "Because I like moving solo." "It's like you, but isn't it a bit odd to put it on your guild?" "Why?" "Your ability is summoning those black-clad soldiers, isn't it?" "Mm." "Strictly speaking, that's not fighting alone."
Come to think of it, she had a point. Jin-Woo nodded.
'So what's a skill type to me doesn't look that way to other people.'
It made sense. Since this might be the guild he'd spend the rest of his life with, he'd wanted a name that expressed something meaningful about himself. That was why he'd chosen "Solo Leveling" — or rather, "Sol-Pl."
'If that meaning doesn't really come across, it's pointless.'
A word that could represent him. Jin-Woo asked again.
"How about Ajin Guild?" "Ajin?"
Jin-Ah echoed the word thoughtfully, then smiled and asked back.
"It sounds like my name reversed, so it feels familiar. But what does it mean?" "Me — *a* (我) as in 'I.' Advance — *jin* (進) as in 'to move forward.'"
A feat that only he could accomplish. And a name he wanted to give to a guild that would grow alongside him.
"Combined, it means 'I advance' — Ajin (我進)." "Ooh—"
Jin-Ah gave her highest praise.
"That one's actually pretty good."
***
The next day. With the guild name settled, Jin-Woo visited the office.
"About the guild name…"
Yoo Jin-Ho, who had been there since morning, heard the news and beamed.
"That's really great, hyung-nim!"
They say even a swan gliding gracefully paddles furiously beneath the surface, don't they? That was how desperate Yoo Jin-Ho was.
'As long as it's not Sol-Pl, anything works.'
He had imagined it many times. Introducing himself as "Yoo Jin-Ho, Vice President of the Solo Leveling Guild." It was painful. He couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, but one side of his chest would always ache. But how could he possibly criticize a name his godlike hyung-nim had agonized over? Just as he was about to resign himself to it, an opportunity came.
"Hyung-nim, let's go with that name!"
Having finally secured his true partner's consent, Jin-Woo also made his final decision.
"Then the guild name is settled."
Those words alone made Yoo Jin-Ho cheer internally. Jin-Woo stroked his chin and spoke.
"One founding member left, I suppose." "Oh, hyung-nim." "Hm?" "What happened with Cha Hae-In yesterday?" "Cha won't work out. She wasn't the right person." "Ngh!"
Yoo Jin-Ho swallowed a groan. He had expected hyung-nim's standards to be high, but not even Cha Hae-In was enough. She was S-rank, young, with an outstanding track record, and on top of that, beautiful. By any normal person's measure, there wasn't a single flaw. But since when did the word "normal" apply to hyung-nim?
'He's the guy who single-handedly swept through S-rank beasts in his very first officially sanctioned raid.'
It was only natural that most S-rank Hunters wouldn't satisfy him. So then — what kind of Hunter would it take? The hundreds of applications that had flooded in based solely on the three characters "Sung Jin-Woo" to a guild that didn't even have a name yet all suddenly felt futile.
'There probably isn't anyone among the applicants better than Cha Hae-In…'
Worried that the guild doors might never open at this rate, Yoo Jin-Ho cautiously asked.
"So, hyung-nim. What kind of person are you looking for?" "Someone with a Hunter's license, who has zero interest in guild activity, but whom I can still trust?" "Uh…?"
Yoo Jin-Ho thought of one person who fit those criteria exactly.
'This is totally…'
Just then. Knock knock. Someone rapped on the office door.
"Who is it?"
Yoo Jin-Ho stood and opened the door. Two unfamiliar men were standing there awkwardly. They were Park Jong-Soo, the president of the Knights Guild, and Jeong Yun-Tae, the vice president, who had come all the way to Seoul on a whim to find Jin-Woo. Park Jong-Soo spotted Jin-Woo first and broke into a bright smile.
"Oh! You're here."
Jin-Woo stood from his seat and asked.
"Who are you?" "Ah, forgive the late introduction."
Park Jong-Soo approached quickly and extended his hand courteously.
"I'm Park Jong-Soo, Master of the Knights Guild."
Jin-Woo nodded. So that was why the face looked so familiar. Someone of the caliber of a top-five guild master — you'd recognize their face even without being interested. They appeared on the news and TV often enough. But the Knights were a major guild based in Busan. After the introductions, Jin-Woo tilted his head.
"Then how did the Knights make it all the way here?" "Ah, well, the thing is…"
Park Jong-Soo hesitated briefly, exchanged a glance with Jeong Yun-Tae, and then reluctantly spoke up.
"We've been assigned one of the larger A-rank Gates this time…"
But soon the hesitation vanished from his eyes.
"You won't regret hearing what we have to say, Sung Jin-Woo Hunter. Could you spare us a little of your time?"
***
[Citizens tremble in fear at the colossal Gate that has appeared off Haeundae Beach…] [The Hunter's Association is deliberating over the permit.] [Knights Guild abandons the Haeundae Gate raid?] [Is the nightmare of Jeju Island repeating itself?]
Park Jong-Soo opened one of many cards and showed a video.
— Look at that, look. Are you recording? — Y-yeah. — Wow, is that even possible? How is the Gate that big?
The footage, apparently shot by ordinary citizens, was filled with terrified voices. And no wonder — the Gate was enormous. Taller than a ten-story building. Even citizens who had grown used to the Gates that popped up constantly couldn't help but be frightened by this size.
"The size and rank of a Gate don't always correspond, but…"
Park Jong-Soo ended the video and added an explanation.
"Apparently, mana is gushing out of it in absurd quantities, befitting its ridiculous size."
Intrigued, Jin-Woo asked with a serious look.
"Was it classified as S-rank?" "Not quite 'immeasurable,' but just one step below that. It's the largest Gate that's ever appeared in Busan."
It was A-rank, but close to S-rank.
'At that level, I could probably expect some decent experience points.'
While Jin-Woo's heart quietly began to race, Park Jong-Soo continued in a bitter tone.
"As you saw in the video, the Association doesn't want to grant us the permit." "Because it's too dangerous?" "As you know, our Knights Guild doesn't have a single S-rank Hunter. From the Association's perspective, they can't trust us with it."
Park Jong-Soo stopped mid-sentence and glanced at Jin-Woo.
"If you're still looking for a guild to join, perhaps you'd consider ours—"
Before he could finish, Jin-Woo showed him a file cover lying on the conference table. The title stamped across the top caught his eye.
[Guild Founding Member Applicant List]
Park Jong-Soo looked sheepish, placed a hand on the back of his head, and nodded.
"Ah…"
Thus Park Jong-Soo's audacious attempt to recruit Jin-Woo into the Knights came to nothing. Now it was time to bring up the real proposal.
"The Knights' elite Hunters can hold their own against anyone, even compared to the Association's forces. All we lack is an S-rank to lead our A-rankers."
Things had gone well until now, but who knew what "something" might happen during this raid. And when that dreaded "something" did happen, what was absolutely necessary was a top-tier Hunter. A single S-rank presence could turn the tide. And no need to look far — he was sitting right here. The very man who had appeared out of nowhere to reverse the situation when the Korean team was on the verge of annihilation. Moreover, Sung Jin-Woo as seen up close… even to a fellow Hunter, he was the epitome of reliability.
'An autograph… if I asked, would he give one?'
He finally understood how the healer Jeong Rim had felt when she said that if the proposal was rejected, he should at least bring back an autograph.
"Is there something on my face?" "Ah, no."
Park Jong-Soo laughed it off with a wave of his hand and continued.
"So if you, Hunter, would join our raid party, we believe we can take on this raid."
Jin-Woo crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Before Jin-Woo's deliberation could deepen further, Park Jong-Soo hurriedly spoke.
"Of course, we'll make sure the compensation is nothing to scoff at."
With that, he smiled and produced a contract he had brought along.
"We'll offer you twenty percent of the profits from this Dungeon."
A major guild handing over twenty percent of Dungeon profits to a single individual. It was compensation that most Hunters couldn't even dream of. When a major guild typically cleared a Dungeon, the share an S-rank Hunter took was usually around ten percent. The Knights were offering Jin-Woo double that. As Park Jong-Soo had said, it was truly generous. But Jin-Woo's thinking was different.
"Fifty-fifty."
Park Jong-Sou's hand, which had been pulling out a pen to make signing easy, twitched.
"Pardon?" "If you treat me not as an individual but as a guild, I'll cooperate."
Jin-Woo stated flatly. At the proposal to split the profits in half, an earthquake struck Park Jong-Soo's pupils.
'Guh…!'
But he couldn't push back as firmly as Jin-Woo. You could say the fate of the Knights Guild hung on this very raid. Jin-Woo clicked his tongue internally.
'Twenty percent is still too low.'
He didn't intend to exploit the Knights' dire situation. After weighing everything, the most reasonable split was fifty-fifty.
'Even the Knights' elite can't compare to my Shadow soldiers.'
In numbers and in quality, they weren't even in the same league. And on top of that, Jin-Woo's side included an S-rank Hunter. If all he got for that was twenty percent of the profits, it was practically volunteer work. In a fair deal for mutual benefit, was there any reason to give away his share? Jin-Woo didn't want to undervalue himself.
"Then perhaps forty-sixty…" "I'm not here to haggle with the Knights Guild." "Then you're saying there's no room for negotiation beyond fifty-fifty?"
Jin-Woo answered with a nod. Ungh. Park Jong-Soo fell into thought.
'He looks young and his impression is friendly, so I thought this would be easy, but he's no pushover.'
Then again — this was a man you couldn't beat even if you gathered every S-rank Hunter in South Korea. And they were asking him to join their raid party. Maybe his demands weren't unreasonable after all.
'No…'
Park Jong-Soo shook his head. Unreasonable? If the other party had been ruthless, he could have insisted on taking eighty percent instead. In the end, the one at a disadvantage was Park Jong-Soo, not Sung Jin-Woo. If the Knights abandoned this raid, their losses would be immeasurable. What would Jin-Woo lose? Nothing at all. From the start, it was like being dragged to the negotiating table by the collar. And yet he was only asking for half? That was an extremely gentlemanly demand.
'And that's not all.'
If this contract went through, he would gain the most reliable insurance in all of South Korea — Sung Jin-Woo. A remark Jeong Yun-Tae had made yesterday suddenly came to mind.
— Hyung, if this turns out to be a Red Gate, we're all dead for real.
But what if Sung Jin-Woo Hunter were beside them? This was a man who hadn't so much as batted an eye while facing thousands of S-rank beasts. Hadn't he witnessed firsthand what had become of the Jeju Island ants?
'Right, that's right.'
The realization struck him suddenly that the man sitting before him was the one who had killed every last one of them. Gulp. A dry swallow艰难地 went down his throat. He had come back from witnessing the massacre of those ants, and the best he could offer the man responsible was a 20-80 split.
'I was the rude one.'
Park Jong-Soo honestly acknowledged his mistake. And he was deeply grateful, inwardly, for Jin-Woo's generous terms. But gratitude was gratitude. Since the other side was meeting him halfway, he could argue it was only fair to claim one thing in return. What to do. After a long deliberation, Park Jong-Soo cautiously opened his mouth.
"I'll accept. On one condition…" "A condition?" "Could you, Sung Jin-Woo Hunter, take down the boss-level beast?"