Solo Leveling Chapter 10:
I Alone Level-up: Chapter 10
Panicking, Jinwoo tried to get a grasp of the situation; suddenly, he heard the sound of sand shifting .
ssssssss
The sand on the ground next to him was sinking into the ground .
“Uh, uh oh!”
Using all his strength, Jinwoo struggled to not be sucked into the whirlpool . As the sunken area became wider, Jinwoo barely escaped the sinkhole using his two hands .
“Pant, pant, pant”
As he sat panting, he looked down into the newly created depression on the ground . The sand at the lowest point of the hole was boiling strangely . Jinwoo shuddered as he realized a single misstep would’ve resulted in him falling down into that hole .
“Wait…”
His eyes narrowed .
“It’s not boiling . ”
Taking a closer look, he realized something big was wriggling beneath the sand at the bottom of the depression . Jinwoo stood up instinctively . Something did not feel right .
Confirming his suspicions, a pillar of sand shot up from the hole as he was walking backwards .
Shaaaah!
Sounding like a waterfall, the sand fell all around him, revealing what had appeared from the hole . Jinwoo’s eyes widened .
“A-a bug?”
A giant centipede had risen out of the sand .
Screeeech!
The fully revealed form of the monster stood taller than a 5-story building .
Jinwoo gulped .
‘This is impossible…’
And like so, it was an impossibly large existence . He had never heard of a centipede of this size before . But it wasn’t just the size of the centipede that shocked Jinwoo .
“Why… why is there a name floating above that thing’s head?”
Was he dreaming?
He closed his eyes and opened them again . Nothing had changed . The centipede’s name floated above its head in red letters . Like a video game monster .
‘Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede[1]’
Alongside its uncanny and dangerous looking figure, it had a name that screamed at him to run . Especially the “poison-fanged” part . Two fangs the size of a child caught Jinwoo’s eye . It was very clear from its name what would happen if he was pierced by them .
Jinwoo saw the centipede’s mouth open and close repeatedly without rest .
“Looks like it’s hungry . ”
At that time, a sound rang through his head .
ring~
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Penalty Quest: Survive |
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Goal: Survive for the required time . Required time: 4 Hours Remaining time: 4 Hours 0 Min 0 Sec |
‘You’re kidding, right…?’
But the second the remaining time decreased to 3 Hours 59 Min 59 Sec, the centipede started moving across the sand as if it was waiting .
sliiiiiide
“Wait, what?!”
Jinwoo quickly turned and started running .
Tripping, he fell and rolled on the ground and quickly shook the sand off his head . His eyes widened looking at the sight before him . There were more pillars of sand appearing in front of him .
shaaaah
shaaaaaaah
Before he realized it, seven centipede heads had risen from the ground and were staring down at him .
Screech!
Screeeeech!
Jinwoo’s face paled as he heard their terrifying shrieks .
“Shit…”
Exactly 4 hours later, he reappeared in the hospital room .
collapse-
Lying on the floor of his room, he coughed in agony .
*cough* *cough* *spit* *spit*
The inside of his mouth was dry . His eyes stung from the sand . Jinwoo sprawled out on the ground, moaning . He did not have the strength to even move a finger .
“Hah… hah… what… was… that…?”
A new message appeared before the panting Jinwoo .
ring~
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You’ve completed the “Penalty Quest” . |
His brows furrowed .
Penalty Quest?
Did he do something to deserve punishment?
Searching his memories, he remembered the [Daily Quest] that he half-heartedly gave up on .
‘It can’t be…’
He recalled the part of the quest that talked about receiving a penalty if he did not complete it .
“Hah… hah… you mean… that wasn’t . . . a hallucination . . . ?”
Indeed .
It was not a hallucination .
Nor a dream .
There was no need to check by pinching his cheeks . The pain of running until his breath ran out; the pain of being scratched by the centipede’s legs; he felt them all even right now .
It was all real . He had almost met his death back there .
“This… is… too… much… hah… hah…”
To think that something like a penalty would throw him into the jaws of death . At the same time, a foreboding dread washed over him . If what just happened now was due to the daily quest, it meant that all of this was not over yet .
As if on cue, the electronic sound rang .
ring~
Startled at first, he relaxed as he realized it was not another quest .
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The reward for completing the Penalty Quest has arrived . |
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Would you like to verify? (Y/N) |
‘Reward…?’
The word “reward” briefly caught his attention . Unfortunately, Jinwoo lacked the strength to care about anything at the moment . It was a testament to how tough the Penalty Quest had been .
‘Reward or whatever… I just want to rest for now…’
And with that, he fell into a deep slumber .
“Oh no! Why is he on the ground?!”
Next morning, his assigned nurse was greeted with a shocking scene when she entered the room . The patient was lying on the floor, and there was sand scattered about the ground . Even the patient’s clothes were filled with sand . The nurse threw the treatment chart onto the bed and pressed the call button .
“Someone come help!”
Soon, Dr . Joo Chiui arrived .
“What’s the ma- why is Mr . Sung on the ground?!”
“I’m not sure! He was fine until last night! I found him like this just now . . . ”
“Let’s first get him on to the bed . One . Two!”
The two put Jinwoo onto the bed . In the rough movement, the medical chart that was thrown on the bed made a small papercut on the back of Jinwoo’s hand, but no one noticed .
“Now, let’s check him . ”
Joo Chiui went over Jinwoo’s condition, but found no abnormalities .
“What’s this? He’s just sleeping . ”
He sighed in relief . The Hunter Association had requested special care for this patient . He had been nervous in fear that something had happened to him .
“Let’s just let him rest . He seems to be in deep sleep . ”
After he spoke, Joo Chiui began to leave when he noticed the sand in the room .
“Er… Looks like we should clean-up this room a little . Ms . Yura, I’ll leave it to you . ”
“Understood, doctor . ”
As the doctor left the room, nurse Choi Yura also relaxed in relief . It was a good thing nothing bad had happened . After all, there were no doctors or nurses who wished ill upon their patients . The hospital she worked at was specially dedicated to the treatment of Hunters . Having seen the unfortunate end of many Hunters before, she did not want to see yet another Hunter be hurt under her care .
“Phew-”
Calmed down, she began to figure out how to clean the room when she noticed something on the ground . It was a drop of blood .
“Oh my . ”
The drop of blood had fallen from the patient’s hand that stretched out from the bed over the ground . Surprised, she looked for a wound on Jinwoo’s hand and held it in inspection . Turning over to the back of his hand,
“ . . . This is…?”
She saw traces of fresh blood, but no scar . Wiping away the blood, the hand was completely clean .
‘Did… did his cut heal in an instant?’
With concern, Yura looked over to Jinwoo’s face .
He appeared to be sleeping without a care in the world .
-7 . Daily Quest-
ring~
[The Daily Quest has arrived . ]
Jinwoo’s eyes shot open . Sitting straight up from the bed, the first thing Jinwoo did was to check the time; it was a little past 4:30 in the afternoon . There was roughly 7 hours and 30 minutes of breathing room until midnight .
‘Good . ’
He opened the message box .
ring~
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Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful |
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Do 100 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (0/100) Do 100 Sit-ups: (Incomplete) (0/100) Do 100 Squats: (Incomplete) (0/100) Run 10 kilometers: (Incomplete) (0/10) *Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest . |
“Same thing?” He uttered reflexively . No, perhaps this was a good thing . Compared to a possibly difficult quest, this was much better . Even if it strained his body, it was at least something that could be completed with time .
He went on the floor and began the push-ups .
“One . ”
He couldn’t afford to be dragged to some strange place and be forced to run from death again .
“Two . ”
He got lucky last night . He didn’t feel like he would get lucky again .
“Three . ”
He paused to look up at the quest creen; the numbers were rising accordingly with each push-up .
ring~
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You’ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . |
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Do 100 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (7/100) |
ring~
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You’ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . |
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Do 100 Push-ups: (Incomplete) (8/100) |
As if testing the System, he performed a half-hearted push-up, going only part way down, but it did not register on the screen . He understood why his weak attempts last night did nothing .
‘Sigh… really?’
Although exasperated, he did not let-up the strength in his arms . 50 push-ups remaining . After that would be sit-ups .
Then squats . . .
Then running… . . .
3 hours later .
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Do 100 Push-ups: (Complete) (100/100) Do 100 Sit-ups: (Complete) (100/100) Do 100 Squats: (Complete) (100/100) Run 10 kilometers: (Incomplete) (9/10) |
“Pant, pant, pant, pant,”
Having run a lap around the area outside, Jinwoo bowed over huffing . His heart felt like it was about to explode, but he knew he could not stop here .
‘If I think about the effort up until now…’
He entered the hospital gates and completed the last stretch of his run .
ring~
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Distance ran: 10km . |
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You’ve succeeded in running 10km . |
It was finally over .
“Pant… pant…”
He fell to his knees . His lungs were on fire . His forehead and back were soaked .
“Pant… pant…”
Sweating profusely, he attempted to control his breathing when a familiar message arrived .
ring~
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You’ve completed the ‘Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful’ |
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The reward for completing the quest has arrived . |
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Would you like to verify? (Y/N) |
He almost wanted to forget about it like yesterday but changed his mind . He wanted to confirm just what this **** reward was .
“Yes . ”
ring~
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You’ve received the below rewards . |
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Reward 1 . Status Recovery |
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Reward 2 . Stat points +3 |
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Reward 3 . Random Box x 1 |
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Accept all? |
‘Why is there so many?’
Was his first thought after looking at the reward screen . But after thinking about it, he noticed some useful rewards and rewards he was curious about .
Feeling like he was about to pass out any moment from now, the first reward caught his eyes . Having experienced the penalty involved in failure, he knew there was a good chance that its rewards were just as real .
‘It couldn’t hurt . Probably won’t throw me in the Penalty Zone after offering me a reward . ’
“Accept . ”
Translator’s Notes:
[1]: “Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede”: The name translation is almost word for word literal .