I often dream that you're here WITH ME
laughing out loud holding 'hands but I'm HERE ALONE
on the phone TRYING get you to COME BACK home
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(Author's Note: So I am writing a small Re, zero story if you like you could give it a visit. Fate's Re: Zero Transmigration: The Legendary King Awakens
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(Author's Note: Give me powerstones and I will give you chapters!!! And write some comments)
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And Yoo Jin-Ho knew out of two new S-rankers, one of them was going to be Hyungnim, but if he was the one to destroy that ice ball of doom, then it makes a lot of sense. But he didn't know Ice Empress and Hyungnim were in a relationship. Forget that, how did his father know that?
And where does this red gate fit in all this?
Since the incident had been talked about non-stop in mass media, even Yoo Jin-Ho knew what had happened. But this timing was suspiciously coincidental and so, he found it difficult to figure out where his father was going with this.
'And this man here…'
A man who was supposed to be a survivor of that incident.
Why did the survivor that the media was madly scrambling over to find appear here? Yoo Jin-Ho's curiosity continued to balloon greatly.
After staring at his son for a little while, Yoo Myung Han slowly opened his mouth.
"Looks like you haven't heard of it yet."
"Pardon me?"
Yoo Myung Han disregarded the still-confused Yoo Jin-Ho for the time being and shifted his gaze over to Goh Myung-Hwan, sitting there in nervousness.
"Mister Hunter."
"Yes, Chairman."
"Please inform my son who was there besides the White Tiger Guild's new recruits on that day."
"Understood."
Goh Myung-Hwan's stare was now directed at Yoo Jin-Ho. Unintentionally, Yoo Jin-Ho met Goh Myung-Hwan's gaze, and a question mark floated up on his face.
Goh Myung-Hwan opened his mouth.
"There was a young female Hunter who looked to be a high schooler, and….."
'A young female Hunter?'
Even then, Yoo Jin-Ho couldn't imagine just whose name would pop out from Goh Myung-Hwan's lips.
"….And, Mister Sung Jin-Woo."
Tumble.
Sure, here's the edited version:
---
Yu Jin-Ho's heart seemed to plummet into the pit of his stomach.
"Hyung-nim was there at the Red Gate incident?" he stammered.
The confusion he was already feeling escalated into a complex mess. Amid this turmoil, a memory suddenly surfaced.
"Wait, a few days ago..." he thought. "...Hyung-nim was talking so familiarly with Hahn Song-Yi, someone he hadn't even exchanged a casual greeting with before."
"Do you remember the name of that female Hunter?" Yu Jin-Ho asked.
"It was Miss Hahn Song-Yi."
This revelation left Yu Jin-Ho flabbergasted. The mysterious relationship between the two held a secret.
"But, that can't be right, then..." he mused, remembering how Hyung-nim often talked about his preference for older women. This contrasted with his reactions when young pop stars were mentioned.
"And my father already mentioned that both Hyung-nim and the Ice Empress were in a relationship."
Then, Goh Myung-Hwan confirmed what Yu Jin-Ho was about to ask, as if reading his thoughts.
"We, the members of the White Tiger Guild and Miss Hahn Song-Yi, could escape from the Red Gate all safe and sound thanks to Mister Sung Jin-Woo."
Amid Yu Jin-Ho's surprise and joy, he forgot his father's presence and blurted out, "What happened inside the Red Gate?"
Yoo Myung-Han nodded, granting permission for Goh Myung-Hwan to speak. The tale was shared with relish.
"At first, everyone was taken aback upon learning that a pair of rank E Hunters were observing the new recruit training process. But then…"
Goh Myung-Hwan recounted the day's events, his excitement reminiscent of a child showing off a new toy.
But Yu Jin-Ho was particularly intrigued by one detail. "He did what to a rank A Hunter?"
Yoo Myung-Hwan wasn't the only one excited in the room. The story made Yu Jin-Ho's heart race as if he were living through it himself.
'As expected of Hyung-nim…' he thought. For him, hunting high-ranked monsters was child's play. He could even knock out a rank A Hunter with a single slap.
Yu Jin-Ho's heart swelled with pride realizing that such an incredible person had stood by his side all this time.
Goh Myung-Hwan continued his story. "….I thought we'd die for sure when dozens of Ice Elves showed up. But then again…."
Caught up in the story, Yu Jin-Ho hardly noticed the time passing. The story of that day was finally drawing to a close.
Goh Myung-Hwan's excitement grew. "So, this is just too unfair. Mister Sung Jin-Woo saved us. He's our savior."
Yu Jin-Ho nodded in agreement. He had experienced similar help before and understood Goh Myung-Hwan's perspective.
"But then, I can't reveal the existence of Mister Sung Jin-Woo?" Goh Myung-Hwan's excitement faded.
At this point, Yoo Myung Han intervened. "Goh Myung-Hwan, that's sufficient."
Goh Myung-Hwan apologized and lowered his head.
Yoo Myung Han turned his attention to his son, Yoo Jin-Ho. "During my investigation of Hunter Sung Jin-Woo, I came across a name I didn't expect."
Yoo Myung Han pointed to the documents. Yoo Jin-Ho's name was there. Below it were the words 'Sung Jin-Woo.'
The raid leader, Yoo Jin-Ho. The raid member, Sung Jin-Woo.
This was undeniable evidence.
The father and son exchanged a glance. 'I'm busted.'
The truth about Hyung-nim's assistance in acquiring his Guild Master license was now in the open. Yoo Jin-Ho's expression hardened.
"Hunter Sung Jin-Woo greatly aided you in obtaining the Guild Master license. Do you acknowledge this fact?"
"Yes, Father."
"He is the man behind the unknown metal deal."
"Yes, Father."
"Is there anything else you want to add?"
Yoo Jin-Ho's vision dimmed. With the truth out, convincing his father that he was the right person for the Yujin Guild's new Master position seemed impossible.
He felt his father's stern gaze. In the past, that look would render him weak in the knees.
'But this time…' Yu Jin-Ho's determination surged.
He raised his head and mustered the courage to speak. "Can you entrust the Yujin Guild to me, Father?"
"I will."
"Huh?" Yu Jin-Ho was taken aback.
"I will entrust the Yujin Guild to you."
"But why...?"
"Didn't you say it yourself? It's risky to entrust the Guild to an outsider. With you, is there still a reason for that risk?"
"But I deceived you, Father."
"Did you think I'd scold you and throw you out for that? Especially when trillions are at stake."
Yoo Jin-Ho felt like his father was smiling, an unusual occurrence since his father's lips always remained impassive.
"If you had entered dungeons recklessly, I might have done that. I didn't raise an idiot son."
Yu Jin-Ho's face flushed. 'If I hadn't met Hyung-nim, I'd be getting scolded...' No, he might have been dead long ago.
A sigh of relief escaped him. "But there's a condition."
"Yes, Father."
"Hunter Sung Jin-Woo… Can you bring him to Yujin? And if possible, the Ice Empress too, since I heard they'll both be in the same guild."
Yu Jin-Ho was stunned. "You mean, Hyung-nim?"
'Hyung-nim?' Yoo Myung Han's eyes flickered momentarily.
"That's correct."
Yu Jin-Ho was at a loss for words.
'Ugh…' Now was the time to leave a confident impression, but this was Hyung-nim.
"I can't be certain."
"Good. It's not meaningful if it's too easy for you."
The Chairman sipped water, dabbing his lips with a handkerchief.
"If you fail, I'll give the Guild to your brother. Will you accept?"
Yoo Jin-Ho's expression grew serious.
'I struggled so hard for this shot...' Backing out now would mean disappointing Hyung-nim, who had helped him reach this point.
"I accept, Father."
"Good."
The father-son negotiation concluded. Yoo Myung Han nodded, and Yoo Jin-Ho stood, bowing and leaving the room.
Yoo Myung Han removed the handkerchief, suppressing a smile. 'This kid...' This boy wanted the Yujin Guild.
He had sensed something during this meeting, but he hadn't expected his son to be so audacious.
'A tiger's cub is still a tiger.' Yoo Myung Han's smile widened.
Goh Myung-Hwan stared in awe. Yoo Myung Han, known as 'Poker Face,' never showed emotion, whether joy or sorrow.
Chairman Yoo Myung Han turned to him. "Hunter-nim, anything to add?"
---
Suddenly finding himself on the receiving end of that stare, Goh Myung-Hwan grew flustered and hurriedly shook his head.
"N-no. Not at all."
***
...47, 48, 49, 50.
Jin advanced through the floors with alarming speed, as if it were effortless.
[You have defeated the Mid-Ranked Demon.]
[You have gained 315 Experience points.]
[You have obtained (1) Soul of Demons.]
…
….
....
[You have defeated the Mid-Ranked Demon.]
[You have defeated the Mid-Ranked Demon.]
He didn't feel tired at all when observing the total experience points and the accumulating number of souls each time he slew a monster.
[Collected Number of Souls: 17,783/10,000]
'It's already surpassed the 10,000 mark, and now they are accumulating like goods on sale in local Walmart stores.'
Since entering this place, he had been relentlessly hunting demons. The barrier of ten thousand souls wasn't too high when he continued to kill everything on every floor non-stop. Overcoming it wasn't a challenge.
But what about his level?
[Level: 111]
In just one day, he had gained thirteen more levels.
The leveling-up speed had slowed compared to the beginning, but it was still impressive considering the rate of collecting required souls. Even now, the experience points were quietly accumulating.
He had gained around 7 million experience points. He hunted down every demon on each floor, amassing experience points. This way, he crossed the level gap of 100, unlocking the key to the system – the Double Dungeon Gate key.
The required experience points to level up had soared. They were now so high that clearing an S-rank dungeon wasn't enough to level up.
"Kiieehk!"
[....Killed the Mid-Ranked Demon.]
[You have gained 315 Experience points.]
[You have collected (1) Soul of….]
"Whew!"
After dealing with the last demon, Jin stretched his back and surveyed his surroundings. Beneath the reassuring presence of his shadow soldiers, the corpses of mid-ranked demons littered the ground.
Jin smiled and clapped his hands. "Great job, everyone."
The soldiers that fought alongside him returned to his shadow in an instant, collecting loot like magic crystals.
[Will you take…..]
He had to manually click 'yes' on every system message, making the process slightly cumbersome.
'This is a bit bothersome.' Jin processed it quickly. When fighting in a large group like this, he fought alongside his soldiers and they began collecting loot immediately after the battle.
"Why did Yoo Jinho find this fun?" he thought, extracting loot from a dead demon and smirking.
One inconvenience of this place was that he couldn't extract shadows within the Demon's Castle. The black fog indicating shadow extraction didn't appear from demon corpses, whether mid-ranked or low-ranked.
'Even when I'm staring at the remains.'
[This Mana is tainted.]
[Shadow extraction is impossible.]
No matter how he looked at them, these messages popped up, claiming that extraction was impossible due to tainted Mana.
'Is there anything I can do about this?'
As Jin helplessly surveyed the remains of the demons, he knew this would happen, but the loss of potential army members still stung.
But just in case, he continued collecting demon bodies, hoping to find a way to use them or purify the tainted shadows.
Even if he couldn't do that, he could still use Life Drain on them.
A new message appeared.
Ring~
[You have found 29 'Items: Horns of Mid-Ranked Demon'.]
[Will you take them all?]
Jin grinned. 'Of course!'
He brushed away his frustration with shadow extraction, thanks to the abundant loot.
'There's nothing directly usable among the pile, huh.'
In that case, he would sell them all.
Selling all the items, more Gold found its way into his bank balance.
[Current Gold: 2,014,690,772]
'Whoa!' Jin checked his inventory, his eyes widening with happiness. The Gold in there had already exceeded two billion.
'Well, each pair of demon's horns is worth about 200,000, and I hunted down well over 30,000, so….'
Around 8,500 gave me loot. Additionally, he sold off unnecessary items on his way here, causing Gold to accumulate at a staggering rate.
'Should I buy an S-rank rarity weapon or armor?'
Jin shook his head. He didn't need either, so there was no need to spend money just because he had it.
'True, I might need to splurge eventually.'
Jin closed the inventory window and dusted his hands.
The area was clean now. He had obtained the entry permit for the 51st floor a while ago. All that remained was to reach the floor-transfer magic circle and move upstairs. However...
Jin's gaze shifted to the pillar of light, more precisely, a short distance in front of it.
A massive demon and scores of high-ranked demons were waiting there.
Jin looked higher and saw the giant demon's name, floating in a deep crimson-red-black hue.
[The Sovereign of the Lower Floors, The Avaricious Vulcan]
It was a massive mess of fatty flesh, weighing hundreds, maybe even thousands of tons. The massive club it held looked equally terrifying.
However, a smile played on Jin's lips.
'So, that's the mid-boss of this place, huh?'
He had fond memories of bosses in instant dungeons. They gave him plenty of experience points and excellent items.
Compared to the bosses in regular dungeons, which required much effort but provided little reward, these instant dungeon bosses were like gift boxes, filled with rewards.
'I wonder what items that guy will drop? Maybe even more than the story suggests.'
Jin smiled widely, drooling at the prospect.
'Shall we get started?'
Shadow Soldiers emerged behind Jin. His army consisted of infantry, mages, beasts, giants, flying beasts, armors, battle suits, mechas, ninjas, fighters, element controllers, Huge worms, and a beast so powerful it could overpower anyone in this dungeon, not even the Demon King could survive. At the head stood Jin. The two knights, Igris and Iron, stood at his side.
Looking at them, Jin beamed with pride. focused all his might on his clenched right fist, 'it feels great to see your power grow, when I came to this world I was a pathetic little weakling yet now I stand here and soon I will have power to end worlds. But still it's far from end goal in fact I don't even know where or which time is my end goal is after all I want to achieve true infinity ♾ something the human mind can't even comprehend.
"M-mm??"