Several days since Hwang Dongsuk death, Sung Jin-Woo helped Yoo Jin-Ho clear 10 C-Rank Gates, 10 to go.
Today might be eventful and uneventful day.
Depends on how you see it.
Just a minute ago, Sung Jin-Woo was enjoying a relaxing day, watching some random tv show while seating on couch before someone ringed the bell on his door.
And imagine his not so great surprise to see Baek Yoonho on his door. Seriously, it took this guy so long to find informations and to locate Jin-Woo?
Sung Jin-Woo is sincerely disappointed in his information-range gathering, literally. Now, Jin-Woo doesn't have anything against this guy, if anything he respects him. If Jin-Woo didn't re-awaken his abilities then he would have been dead, but at least his corpse would have been retrieved by this guy.
"So how may I help you?"
Baek Yoonho coughed in his, he is wearing complete black suit with white tie. Truly professional.
"Sung Jin-Woo I presume?"
Sung Jin-Woo nodded.
"I'm Baek Yoonho, I came here to discuss if you could join my guild. " He replied before motioning at Jin-Woo's apartment, "If I may?" Baek Yoonho's instincts are right, this young man in front of him is without a doubt the jet-black armored Knight who he meet after that double dungeon incident, the same aura, but same strength of aura is different.. Confusing..
'His aura is way weaker than before, if his previous aura was like a Titan standing in front of me, then his current aura is like a bus. Still stronger than me, definitely leagues above other S-Ranks, stronger than Hwang Dongsoo. But when he wore that armor.' Baek Yoonho unconsciously shuddered, he guessed that 'that' armor was probably his transformation ability, some-what similar to what Baek himself has. He stopped those thoughts, he needs to get this young man in his guild.
Sung Jin-Woo sighed before stepping away from the doors, motioning for Baek Yoonho to step inside. 'This might be worthy my while, I could maybe make connections with this man?'
"I apologize for interior, I didn't expect visitors today." Sung Jin-Woo said as he noticed dust around the living room and bags of chips.
Baek Yoonho simply waved of with his hand before a taking a seat at table, soon followed by Sung Jin-Woo.
"If you allow me to be blunt. I want you to join White Tigers Guild." Began Baek Yoonho as he clasped his hands on table and stared at Sung Jin-Woo.
Sung Jin-Woo though for a moment.
"I presume you have a skill that allows you to notice someone's strength?" Sung Jin-Woo dodged the question too obviously with his own.
Baek Yoonho raised his eyebrow at blatant dodge. But decided to entertain him.
"Indeed, in Dungeon I felt the difference between our strengths, so if you could entertain my question. Is that Black Knight Armor some type of transformation?"
Jin-Woo did not reply with that, instead he used [Active Skill: Spiritual Body Manifestation], instantly dark shadows spread from ground before enveloping his body and forming black armor around himself, followed by great sword positioned at his back underneath tattered cape.
In Instant, Baek Yoonho's Instincts flared, the danger that Jin-Woo previously represented skyrocketed.
'There is no mistake, that aura... He is strongest S-Rank in Korea..' Baek Yoonho clenched his fists, stopping himself from provoking any type of action..
But the same second, the pressure disappeared as Jin-Woo's body returned to normal.
"I suppose this was enough of an answer for you. But for your question, I currently do not have a wish to join any guild."
Baek Yoonho sighed, that resolve.
"But may I ask, are you capable of lowering your mana enough so mana compass didn't detect you as anything bigger than E-Rank?" This was obvious question, since he 're-awakened' at Double Dungeon incident, after that incident Hunter's Association had sent time of their own to re-evaluate him, but the results ended up being E-Rank which confused Baek Yoonho for a moment before he remembered existence of False Rankers..
Baek Yoonho immediately dismissed that idea, if Sung Jin-Woo was False Ranker then he nor that girl would have been alive right now.
Sung Jin-Woo leaned in his chair before nodding.
"I have re-awakened at Double Dungeon, I was not False Ranker, but yes I do have ability but it's very limited for a time. I fooled radar and their surveillance team then proclaimed me E-Rank, and before you ask, yes I do have my reasons for still being E-Rank which I do not plan to disclose to you. We are not friends, yet."
Baek Yoonho understood, it's fine.
"But while we are at it, I planned call Ahn Sang-Min soon." At that remark Baek Yoonho perked up, perfect, something that could help them smoother the relations between them.. " You see, the problem lies with one E-Rank girl, high-school girl who wants to drop out from School to try her luck at being Hunter."
Baek Yoonho already can see where this goes.
"So since I have heard that Guild regularly send their recruits on lower ranked gates I would request both me and that one girl to be sent along one of your teams of recruits. I will obviously take responsibility for her and her safety. I simply want her to see danger of Hunter's job so she doesn't ruin her life with it, she is barely 16 yet she is also friend of my sister. "Sung Jin-Woo sighed. " You can see why I am asking you this?"
Baek Yoonho nodded, this was small favor, honestly nothing that he couldn't do and with Sung Jin-Woo in the gate, there is hardly anything that would be able to hurt that child.
He appeared to take a moment to re-think the decision before he tapped the table once.
"Fine, it's not a problem. " He agreed "When do you plan to re-evaluate yourself? Beside me, only several people are aware of your strength in my guild. These being me, Ahn Sang-Min and his assistant."
Sung Jin-Woo rubbed his head in contemplation.
"I'm not sure, it might take few days, weeks or even a month till I decide to re-evaluate myself. I still need to get grasp on my strength." He replied.
Baek Yoonho nodded, that's seems appropriate and fair.
"Tomorrow at 6 PM a team should be lead by Kim Chul, one of our new A-Rank recruits, leading raid on C-Rank dungeon with team of B-Ranks and C-Ranks."
Jin-Woo nodded.
After another 30 minutes of discussion left and right, Baek Yoonhoo left.
With that.
"I'll need a weapon tomorrow, my dagger has been broken.. Who can I ask for a weapon." Sung Jin-Woo appeared to be thinking, before her remembered that one rich friend he has.
He immediately picked up his phone before texting him in the Group Chat he had created, Group Chat consist of Lee Joo-Hee, Yoo Jin-Ho, Song Chi-Yul and Sung Jin-Woo. They and along with Hang Song-Yi were working as raid teams yesterday and today, so they created this group for their communication.
[[ Jin-Ho, I'll need that sword you lent me to use tomorrow,]] Because Jin-Woo's Knight form is too powerful he likes to fight in his normal form normally, to get better grasp on his limits, so when they raided Dungeons Jin-Ho gave him a good sword for a weapon.
Reply was immediate.
[[Sure Boss, no problem. I can drop to your apartment if you want right now?]] Was Jin-Ho's reply.
[[Sure.]] And he turned the off.
It will probably take Jin-Ho about an hour or two to come, so in that time I'll fix up the apartment,
And with that, Sung Jin-Woo took his weapons and battle a huge war against bacteria, let it be healthy
After some thoughtful but much needed cleaning, it's 1 PM, 30 minutes since Baek Yoonho left.
"Will I ever meet my soulmate?" Sung Jin-Woo quested himself as he took of the glove on his right hand and rolled up his right sleeve so he could take a look at his Soulmate Mark.
His soulmate mark is already very different from others.
Soulmates share a tattoo, that tattoo is called Soulmate Mark, no matter how much someone tries to wash it away it won't work, and if someone tears off the skin, it will simply regrow with the skin.
And there might be multiple people sharing same Soulmate Mark on same people, so beside mark there is another factor when it comes to Soulmates.
Once Soulmates meet each other, they will feel that special attraction towards each other, and if they meet for first time their Soulmate marks would glove and burn lightly, showing each one of them that they are Soulmates.
Sung Jin-Woo touched his Soulmate mark once more.
Compared to people who are born with small Soulmate marks, Sung Jin-Woo was born with quite large Soulmate mark, covering his entire right arm and shoulder. Mark itself look like extravagant sharp lines circling each other, covering his whole arm.
That's one of the reason he almost always wears long sleeves shirts and outfits. But now.
He gripped his shoulder.
Even if he wanted now to try his luck and publicize his Soulmate Mark in hopes of finding his other half, there might be fools who would pretend to be and waste his time. Especially since he is not planning to remain E-Rank for long.
He just needs a bit more experience and Aura control, that's all.
~RING!
~RING!
"It must be Jin-Ho, Jin-Ah won't be coming yet, School ends at 3 PM for today." Jin-Woo muttered to himself before walking up to doors and opening them, and expected, there is hold and behold, one and only wallet.
"Come in." Jin-Woo said before stepping away, allowing Jin-Ho to enter his humble apartment with a case.
"Not to seem too demanding but, Boss. You have money, why don't you rent a bigger apartment than this ?' Jin-Ho couldn't help question him, he was just curious after all.
Sung Jin-Woo sighed at this curiosity.
"Yes I indeed do now, but.. It's my mother's apartment, she fell into eternal slumber and she always hoped that my father would return to our old apartment once. He was a strong hunter who ended up being stuck in a gate ten years ago.."
Jin-Ho awkwardly shifted in his place before he sat on couch, he wisely dropped the conversation. He doesn't want to pry too deep into personal life after all..
Jin-Ho brought up the case he walked into the apartment with before giving it to Sung Jin-Woo who sat next to Jin-Ho.
"Let's see.." Jin-Woo opened the case and he was surprised to see unfamiliar sword. Instead of the older but slightly used up western sword, in the case is two handed meter long sword of western design but black blade. "This is.."
Jin-Ho beside him smiled. "This is my gift to you for helping me out, I knew you needed a weapon for Dungeons outside of those C-Ranks you will raid with me, so I brought a priced artifact for you. It's made from Snake's Teeth, some snake that was C-Rank boss so weapon was around 50 million won and I think it would suffice as a weapon till A-Rank Dungeons. " He sighed "But I wouldn't suggest running with it in S-Rank Dungeon just in case."
Sung Jin-Woo sheepishly smiled at that before he took the sword from the case, and below the sword was black sheath with belt. Sung Jin-Woo stood up from the couch with one sheathed sword as Jin-Ho watched him attentively.
Sung Jin-Woo strapped the belt of the sheath around his back and it fit perfectly, and with fast motion he unsheathed the blade from it's sheath as it glistened in light.
"Woah! Don't cut me accidentally!"
Sung Jin-Woo chuckled at Jin-Ho's antics.
If there is something Jin-Woo likes it, it would be cool looking swords and daggers.
Chapter Word Count: 1991