"Jin-woo is gone?"
Min-Jun narrowed his eyes. The memory of the original Solo Leveling plot rapidly surfaced in his mind.
Don't tell me...
Did the main plot just kick off?
He knew very well that the true protagonist of this world was Sung Jin-Woo. Despite currently being the absolute weakest E-Rank Hunter in existence, Jin-Woo was destined to grow into a god-like existence. And the catalyst for that monstrous growth was an event that was supposed to happen right at the beginning of the story—the moment Jin-Woo acquired the 'System'.
Is this my chance?
Min-Jun knew it was highly cynical, even borderline cruel, to think of this as an opportunity. The Double Dungeon was an absolute massacre. Jin-Woo's experience in acquiring the System was built on unimaginable pain, terror, and betrayal. But Min-Jun also knew that the traumatic experience was entirely necessary. It forged Jin-Woo's unbreakable will to fight and survive, molding him into the ruthless Monarch the world would eventually need.
But... he's not a great decision-maker.
No one was perfect. Even after Jin-Woo gained almighty power that allowed him to stand above the gods, he still made several highly irrational decisions. Raw physical might and an army of shadows were undeniably the fastest ways to solve crises, but they weren't always the best ways.
Regardless of his internal plotting, the immediate priority was comforting Sung Jin-ah. Jin-woo was her only family, and frankly, Jin-woo's stubborn insistence on carrying the world's burdens by himself, while noble, was deeply frustrating. Jin-ah just wanted to help him.
How am I any different?
Min-Jun laughed at himself bitterly. He liked to think he was better than Jin-Woo, but he was exactly the same. Probably worse, actually, considering the cunning, manipulative thoughts currently running through his head.
The other Suzukis in the multiverse were unabashedly honest with their desires. Instead of holding back and making the people they cared about sad, they acted decisively. That ruthless honesty was exactly why Min-Jun had brought Cha Hae-In along instead of leaving her behind.
"Don't worry," Min-Jun said softly, placing a reassuring hand on Jin-ah's trembling shoulder. "I'll save him."
"Um."
With Min-Jun standing right in front of her, Jin-ah felt a massive wave of relief wash over her. In her eyes, he had always been an impressive, incredibly reliable older brother figure. That was why, when she realized her brother was missing, she had immediately called Min-Jun, even though she knew he was now an incredibly busy, world-famous S-Rank Hunter.
However, as her panic slightly subsided, her focus shifted to the woman standing quietly beside him.
Cha Hae-In. The beautiful warrior known as the 'Dancer' due to her fluid, devastatingly fast combat style. The undisputed strongest female Hunter in Korea.
Jin-ah felt a sudden spike of nervousness, accompanied by an inexplicable, sharp tightness in her chest. Her hands subconsciously gripped Min-Jun's shirt tighter. She knew she was being slightly selfish, secretly hoping he would always stay by her side as her reliable 'Oppa.' Seeing him arrive so quickly had made her incredibly happy despite the terrifying circumstances.
But...
Seeing Cha Hae-In standing so closely, so comfortably beside him, Jin-ah sharply realized that their relationship was far deeper than she had imagined.
Yet, Jin-ah wasn't the only one experiencing a tightening in her chest. As Cha Hae-In watched how naturally Jin-ah clung to him, and how softly Min-Jun looked at her, she suddenly felt like a complete outsider. Cha Hae-In only knew the S-Rank Archer. But Jin-ah? Jin-ah had known him from the very beginning—back when he was just a normal, exhausted civilian desperately working multiple jobs to survive.
"Tell me exactly what happened to Jin-Woo," Min-Jun ordered, snapping both women out of their overthinking.
Jin-ah quickly explained that Jin-Woo had gone out for a standard, low-rank Association raid earlier that day. However, it was completely unlike him not to call or return home by dinner, especially since it was supposed to be a safe D-Rank gate.
"Do you know exactly which gate he was assigned to?"
"Er... no, I don't."
Min-Jun sighed internally. He pulled out his high-clearance smartphone and dialed a direct line.
"Min-Jun Hunter-nim?"
"Sorry to call you so late, Chief Woo Jinchul."
"No, it's perfectly fine. Is there something the Association can assist you with?"
As the Chief of the Hunter's Association Surveillance Team, Woo Jinchul practically lived at the office. However, he was more than happy to take a late-night call from Min-Jun. Doing a favor for a newly awakened S-Rank was a highly valuable political investment.
"I need you to run a location check on a Hunter for me. A friend of mine, Sung Jin-Woo, went into a gate today and hasn't returned. I need to know his last known coordinates."
"Understood. Just give me a moment. Sung Jin-Woo, correct?"
"Yes. He should be... well, he's known as the Weakest Hunter in Korea. He shouldn't be hard to find in the database." Min-Jun lowered his voice slightly out of respect for Jin-ah, even though it was the harsh truth.
"O-Okay, pulling up the logs now."
Every Hunter who entered a dungeon was strictly recorded by the System. Unauthorized entry into a gate was a severe federal crime in South Korea, usually punishable by forced labor in high-risk mining gates.
It might have sounded tyrannical, but South Korea was a fiercely capitalist country. Dungeons were terrifying, deadly threats, but they were also massive goldmines of magic crystals and mana stones—vital resources for a country severely lacking natural exports.
For unguilded, freelance Hunters like Jin-Woo, the Association levied a brutal 40% resource tax. Guilded Hunters enjoyed massive tax breaks, but in exchange, they were legally bound to act as national military assets during A-Rank or S-Rank dungeon breaks.
However, at the S-Rank level, those 'obligations' were merely polite suggestions. When Min-Jun awakened, he received astronomical offers from guilds in the United States, Canada, and the Middle East. If he had moved, he would have been treated like royalty, given absolute political immunity, and paid billions.
He had refused them all.
Why? Because outside of Korea, the rest of the world was essentially irrelevant to the main plot. His primary goal was to study the 'System' that Jin-Woo was about to receive, replicate its core mechanics using his Manager, and infinitely scale his own power. He couldn't do that from a mansion in Dubai.
"I have him," Woo Jinchul's voice crackled over the line, sounding suddenely tense. "He's registered to a D-Rank gate in the..."
"Thank you. Send the coordinates to my phone immediately."
"Hunter Min-Jun, wait," Jinchul urged, his tone shifting to official urgency. "I am placing an emergency request. We just received a massive mana fluctuation spike from that exact location. The D-Rank gate has suddenly mutated. It's radiating high-level energy. Every Hunter inside is likely in extreme danger. There's a high probability of a total party wipe."
In other words, the Association was officially begging an S-Rank to intervene.
"I'll do what I can. But if they've been in there this long..."
"I understand. Just... thank you."
Min-Jun hung up. He knew exactly what had happened. The party had stumbled into the Double Dungeon—the Architect's trap. The massacre had likely already begun. He couldn't afford to waste another second. This was the absolute climax of the prologue, and he needed to witness the birth of the Shadow Monarch firsthand to gauge the true limits of this world's power.
"I'm sorry, Hae-In," Min-Jun said, turning to the S-Rank swordswoman. "But I need you to stay here with Jin-ah. I can't leave her alone right now, and taking her near a mutated gate is too dangerous."
"Understood," Cha Hae-In nodded firmly. "Leave her to me."
"Please... please bring Oppa back, Min-Jun-oppa!" Jin-ah pleaded, tears welling in her eyes again.
"Don't worry. I'll bring him back."
Without another word, Min-Jun vaulted off the edge of the building, disappearing into the night sky.
Left alone in the quiet apartment, Jin-ah and Hae-In slowly turned to look at each other. The tension in the air was palpable as the two women wondered exactly what they were supposed to talk about now.