(I'll be taking things more slowly and going into greater detail in this novel, having learned from the experience and lessons of my previous one. That said, it's still a satisfying power fantasy. Those who haven't read Solo Leveling can still enjoy it.)
(One more thing: I've recently become obsessed with the novels by the great "Get Lost," such as Extreme Dao Heavenly Demon and Ten Directions Martial Saint, so my writing style... you get the idea.)
(Deep Blue, add points!!!)
Country H, Z City.
The setting sun was red as blood, staining the docks a deep crimson.
The laborers in undershirts hunched their backs as they moved between cargo ships from various countries and the storage yards, like an endless herd of cattle and horses.
Shouts and commands rose and fell, mingling with the fishy stench carried by the sea breeze as they echoed across the docks.
At the edge of the docks, a yellow line cordoned off a large area.
Unlike the salty tang of the sea breeze, a faint smell of blood drifted out from within the yellow line.
Outside the yellow line, soldiers in full combat gear stood rigidly in rows, their muzzles pointed straight toward the depths of the restricted area.
Yet their fingers, curled around the triggers, trembled ever so slightly.
It was not excitement.
It was fear that had seeped into their very bones!
They wanted to retreat. They wanted to flee this land.
But the star insignias on their military shoulders were like a thousand-kilogram burden, pinning them firmly in place.
At the center of the restricted area, a pale-blue vortex slowly turned, its halo hazy and indistinct.
Scattered across the ground around the vortex were chunks of mangled flesh.
Most of them were human limbs, with scraps of cloth still clinging to the bones.
Mixed among them were several bizarre tentacles, flecks of human flesh still stuck to their suction cups.
Whoosh—whoosh—!
The sound of objects tearing through the air suddenly rang out.
Several figures in various combat suits abruptly flashed out of the blue vortex, followed by more than a dozen assistants carrying bulging backpacks.
Almost the instant they landed, the spinning vortex flickered several times before transforming into wisps of blue smoke and completely dissipating into the air.
Most of these people were drenched in blood and seriously wounded.
Yet without exception, their eyes burned with the joy of harvest, along with a hint of arrogance.
The soldiers around the perimeter visibly relaxed when they saw them.
The officer in charge hurried forward, a smile plastered across his face as he went to greet the group.
These people were the guardian deities of this land.
Hunters!
They possessed extraordinarily powerful supernatural abilities and could kill monsters that even artillery fire could not pierce.
That pale-blue vortex gate was the passage through which monsters descended upon the human world. Hunter organizations across the various countries called it a "dungeon."
Dungeons were ranked from E to S according to the danger posed by the monsters within.
Hunters were ranked the same way, and these ranks served as an ironclad measure of strength.
Only they could defend human territory from the claws and fangs of the monsters.
"That's wonderful! The gate disappeared! The hunters cleared it!"
"Those hunter uncles are amazing! They're the ones protecting us!"
"My son... he was only seven... how could he just be gone..."
"Mommy, Daddy, where are you...? Please don't leave me behind..."
The area outside the cordon had long since been packed with people, and the uproarious waves of sound nearly overturned the sky above the docks.
Some people clenched their fists, their faces filled with excitement and admiration as they stared fixedly at the hunters emerging from the vortex.
Others collapsed on the ground, their cries tearing at the heart. Their anguished sobs mingled with the clamor, making everyone's nose sting.
Xu Feng was mixed in with the bustling crowd.
He wore a blue-and-white school uniform that had been washed pale. His handsome features and neatly parted hair gave him the unmistakable look of a model student.
But at that moment, as he stared at the bloody wreckage inside the cordon, his knuckles had unconsciously turned white from clenching his fists.
He was actually a native of Country Z.
As a child, he had always lived in the streets and alleys of Country Z. It was not until he was ten, when his father's job changed, that the entire family moved to Z City in Country H.
He was now attending an ordinary local high school.
One day, two and a half years ago.
A great many fragmented memories had inexplicably surged into his mind, leaving him dizzy and making him nod off repeatedly even during class.
It took him an entire week to barely digest those jumbled memories.
They were fragments of an alternate-world college student's life.
In that world, there were no battles between hunters and monsters, nor did people have to live every day in fear of portals suddenly appearing.
Instead, they spent their days slacking off at school.
Skipping every required class, and every elective class too.
It was so comfortable it felt like a dream.
But what truly shocked him was that those memories contained information about this world.
In that college student's understanding, this crisis-ridden world he inhabited was nothing more than a manga called Solo Leveling.
The memories were too scattered, and he had only managed to grasp one crucial piece of information.
The savior of this world was a man from Country H named Cheng Xiaoyu.
In the future, this man would become the Shadow Monarch, feared across the four corners of the earth, and save all living beings through his own strength.
But there were countless people named Cheng Xiaoyu in the world. Which one was the savior destined by fate?
This vague clue did not even give him a chance to cling to the protagonist's coattails.
No.
Xu Feng suddenly gave a self-deprecating laugh.
He was merely an ordinary person without the strength to truss a chicken. He had no value whatsoever that could attract a hunter's attention.
Even the lowest-ranked E-rank hunter probably would not spare him a second glance.
"Sigh... am I really supposed to wait for Cheng Xiaoyu to reverse the cycle of reincarnation and save this world, just like in the manga?"
He muttered to himself, his gaze falling on his somewhat thin arm as a profound sense of powerlessness washed over his heart.
"But by then, if I've lost my current memories, can I still be considered myself?"
Besides, he lived in a real, living world. Would it truly be saved by some so-called savior just as the manga had foretold?
Xu Feng let out a low sigh.
Simply surviving until now was already a blessing in his eyes.
Portals could appear anywhere in this world. No one knew when one might suddenly burst open beside them and send man-eating monsters straight before their eyes.
Over the years, he had personally witnessed no fewer than ten portal descent incidents.
Once, a portal had even appeared directly in front of him.
If he had not reacted quickly and run for his life, he would probably have long since become a monster's meal.
His mother, Yang Lingxia, was also a victim of the monster disaster.
Years ago, a monster that leaped out of a portal severely injured her internal organs.
She had been left with chronic health problems ever since, constantly weak and sick, with medicine always at hand. The household expenses had consequently become a heavy burden.
To support the family, his father, Xu Shan, had been forced to quit his originally stable job and come to Country H, where he began dealing in monster scraps—a business that offered higher profits but was also far more dangerous.
"Brrr—"
The phone in his pocket suddenly began to vibrate.
"Son, what time is it? Why aren't you home yet? The food is almost cold." His mother Yang Lingxia's worried voice came through the receiver.
"Mom, I accidentally missed my stop on the bus just now," Xu Feng replied quietly.
"You must have been looking down at your phone again and lost track of time! How many times have I told you not to stare at that screen so much? Put more of your mind toward studying..." His mother's endless nagging flowed through the phone, yet it caused the gloom in his heart to dissipate slightly.
Xu Feng helplessly raised a hand and scratched at his ear, answering her repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, yes, I know, Mom. I'll be home soon."
He patiently listened to another two and a half minutes of reminders before his mother finally hung up, satisfied.
Xu Feng slipped his phone back into his pocket and took one last glance at the area inside the cordon.
The soldiers were busy cleaning up the bloody wreckage, but the smell of blood still hung in the wind.
He silently turned around, his footsteps gradually merging into the crowd.
After walking several steps, his lips finally moved slightly, and an almost inaudible murmur slipped out:
"What... exactly is this thing for?"
At the same time, a translucent screen visible only to him quietly appeared before his eyes:
[Name: Xu Feng] [Breakthrough Points: 15]
(Author's note for this chapter: I'll explain the realms and general setting of Solo Leveling.)
If you can't find it by searching the title, try searching for the author instead. It may simply have been renamed!
Before you continue