Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 333 TRIO LEVELING

As I got to the Red Room I brought up my Status Screen. 

I wasn’t too surprised by the new skills. They were classic tropes in Manhwa. Most were based on gaming moves. None were too great for fighting but they made daily life easier. Curious what the next world could bring I was having some fun with these worlds. I doubted that we would happen on a Pet Choice, but I moved to the 1 o’clock door anyway, excited to see what lay beyond. 

Once inside the scenery around me turned into a small apartment. Some trash littering the crusty carpet. The room was cramped, but livable. 

“Freakin Hancock is probably a princess,” I grumbled as I walked to where I guessed the bathroom was. Looking in a mirror I was skinny at least. Some actual muscle on me, I was happy with this version. Memories quickly flooded in as I studied my face. 

I was Weston Woon. 22 years old again and lived in Seoul, South Korea. I had awakened as a Hunter a year ago. I had been more than excited about the awakening when it happened, but then I was only judged to be worthy of a D-rank. With that information I was fairly certain I knew what world I was in. The memories continued to fill my mind. 

My parents were killed in a dungeon break a few years ago. I had no one but myself to rely on. I maintained my own apartment and simple lifestyle by acting as a porter for a local guild. No real contract set-up, the guilds I worked with only asked for me when they were short-handed. The memories settling, my heartbeat quickened further as I got the notification. 

I really loved the Solo Leveling Manhwa. In the source material the main protagonist was a weakling, of course, and he became the strongest person in the world by fighting monsters and leveling up. Gaining a video game-like ability he was able to surpass every other human in the world. 

In the world of Solo Leveling portals from other worlds popped up randomly. Around the same time portals showed up, people started awakening impossibly strong abilities. These people were called Hunters. Your strength and skills reflected class-based techniques inspired by RPGs like healing, super strength, spells, and other classic moves. If you awakened as a Hunter you could be super strong or weak, depending on your luck. Only Awakened Hunters could enter into these portals/dungeons. Ranked from E to S-Class the story followed the man known as the weakest Hunter in South Korea.

“A man I know,” I said with a gasp. When I thought of the weakest Hunter I knew, I could only think of 1 person. My friend Sung Jin-woo. Always getting hurt in dungeons no one liked to dungeon-dive with the guy, but his mom was sick and he needed to work to pay for her medical bills. 

I pulled my cell phone out. His text was the first in my list. Like he did everytime before he entered a dungeon he texted me, Take care, less than an hour ago.

“Fuck,” I said. He had entered a dungeon. “Was it-” I stopped asking as a pop-up appeared. 

“Fuck!” I yelled. I didn’t hesitate to break my window with a Tremor and jump out. Pooling water under me I began to hyperventilate as I headed to the nearest Hunter HQ. 

Not only was I getting the Reward I actually wanted, but I had the chance to really become the protagonist. Not some ambiguous side-character with a bunch of quests in front of me where I didn’t know the ending. But a full-blown overpowered protagonist with broken skills. I could have front row seats to one of the most epic power leveling stories ever told. With the strength I earned from this world I knew I could pass all the other rooms in the Manhwa Hall with ease. This was like joining MHA World and you were able to force your way into getting One-For-All instead of Midoriya. 

My heart beating like a drum in my chest I flew on my disc of water for all I was worth. Wind roaring all around me I dropped down at the front door of the large Hunter HQ. Pushing past people they yelled at me but I didn’t care. I ran to the stairs and up to the 3rd floor. Skipping steps I barely had a mind to breathe let alone care about who I had to knock down in my way.

Moving past cubicles I spoke to the only person that could help. “Ji, where did Sung Jin-Woo go to for his dungeon today?!”

“Woah, Weston,” the girl said. She was a little older than me, but had given me a few tips on people hiring porters in the past. “I’m on the phone.” I pulled out a stack of won and dropped it on her desk. Her eyes bulged and she slammed her phone down. “Who?”

“Sung Jin-Woo?” 

“The Weakest Hunter?” She asked.

“The same,” I said, catching my breath. She got onto her computer and began typing.

“Uh looks like portal opened in the basement of a newly constructed building. He joined a smaller group from the Hunter Guild. Over by Gyeong and Aera-”

I knew the place. I turned as she made the won disappear. I could have sworn the right dungeon in the manhwa was in a construction area. There was literally no time to waste. I looked to the window facing the busy street and broke it with a Tremor. People were yelling as I jumped out of the window. Before I hit the street, water caught me and I was on my way. Only to gain a huge amount of speed as I headed toward the dungeon. 

It was easy to find. A squad of police cars were outside the building to make sure no one snuck in. I dropped down over their heads and landed behind their blockade easily. Running in, a few yelled at me but I ignored them. Feeling the spiritual energy in the dark half-built office building I found some concrete stairs that went down.

As I ran I was almost knocked over by someone trying to flee. The guy in a suit of armor and with a sword at his back he didn’t pause and kept going. “Guess I’m in the right place,” I said as I ran the way he had come from.

The black portal was soon in front of me. The portal poured out a huge amount of Spiritual Energy. I headed in without hesitation. I didn’t bother to look at the new cavern I was in. The dungeon portal took me to a whole new world, but I couldn’t care less. My target was ahead. Speeding up, more people were running my way. Chakra all over my body I began to float on water-chakra again.

People missing limbs continued to run in the opposite direction. Bloody stumps for arms, disheveled and dirty, they appeared to have just left a war-zone. I headed toward where they were coming from. A set of large iron double doors with intricate designs etched in their face, they slowly closed just ahead. With a burst of speed I flew inside as a man carried a girl outside. 

What laid inside was what I expected. The room had a blue glow to it. A huge stone statue straight ahead, it was of a man seated on a throne. A good 100 feet tall. the statue stared at the center of the room. 12 other statues only 20 feet tall were slowly walking toward an altar in the middle of the room. A beaten and bloody Sung Jin-Woo laid atop it. Breathing his last breaths his spiritual energy was weak but there. I ran toward him. Flames around the altar slowly flickered out. I clicked summon as I got close to him. 

“Weston!” Hancock yelled. Completely nude this time she covered herself up as the last flame winked out around us. 

“You’ll thank me later, my dear,” I said confidently as one of the stone statues raised it’s sword. The statue swung the sword down toward us and time froze. Unable to move my body I received multiple notifications in quick succession. 

Only able to move my eyes, I thought ‘Yes’ as loudly as I could.

I read the message and everything turned black.