Chapter 9

Alone Leveling: Ragnarok Chapter 8

"Are you okay? You were unconscious for two whole days!"

The person who entered the hospital room was none other than Assistant Lim.

He checked on Soho, who was sitting on the bed, and the moment their eyes met,

"I'm sorry! I'm really sorry for running away by myself!"

He started with an apology right away.

In fact, there was nothing an E-class Hunter could do alone in that situation.

E-class Hunters have physical abilities not much different from ordinary people, so they weren't considered combatants in dungeons.

When Assistant Lim first awakened as an E-class Hunter, the first thing he learned was to run away at full speed if he saw a monster.

However, Soho, who was just an ordinary person at the time, was extremely heroic.

'Saving people until he fainted in such a dangerous place!'

Thanks to Soho's actions, which were in stark contrast to his own, Assistant Lim experienced a level of embarrassment and burning cheeks he had never felt before.

But Soho, who received his apology, was composed.

"It's fine. There's no need for you to feel sorry, Assistant Lim."

"No, even if I had ten mouths, I wouldn't have anything to say."

As he repeatedly apologized, Assistant Lim took out a steaming bowl of porridge from the shopping bag and set it in front of Soho.

"Come on, are you hungry? Eat the porridge first since you're on an empty stomach. Here, the spoon."

"Wow, such a good sense of timing?"

Rumble!

As soon as he saw it, Soho's stomach growled loudly.

The smell of sesame oil wafted, and it was a well-colored and delicious beef porridge.

Soho immediately picked up the spoon and started eating the porridge.

After two days, the porridge tasted like honey.

"Want me to peel an apple for you after you finish?"

For some reason, there were apples in the refrigerator.

It turned out that Assistant Lim had been visiting the hospital every day while Soho was unconscious.

'Who would have thought I'd be receiving care from the department assistant? I didn't even have any injuries after leveling up.'

While thinking about being discharged today, Assistant Lim asked as he handed over an apple.

"By the way, the people who left the room earlier were Association staff, right? What did they say?"

"They were measuring my mana."

"Huh? They measured it? You really did awaken, didn't you?"

Assistant Lim's eyes widened.

"How much mana do you have? The dungeon was D-class this time, so if you survived, you should be at least..."

"E-class."

"Huh? Really?"

Assistant Lim's eyes grew even wider.

Soho showed him the mana measurement results left by the Association staff.

"Hey, what's this? You're really E-class? With a mana value of 46, that's on the lower end of E-class."

"What, why are you disappointed, Assistant Lim? What did you expect? Wow, goosebumps. Did you think I'd become an amazing Hunter and try to get in line or something? I guess you were treating me well."

"No, man! If you were an amazing Hunter, would you have fainted in such a dangerous place? I thought you'd be at most D-class."

"See? You did think that."

Assistant Lim jumped up, claiming he was really wronged.

Then, he put down Soho's results and comforted him.

"Hey, it's actually better this way. E-class is good, man. Don't you know that E-class is more stable than a mediocre D-class?"

"I don't know."

"Heh. Of course you wouldn't. You just awakened."

Assistant Lim puffed up and put his hand on Soho's shoulder.

"From now on, just follow this senior. I'll lead you into the world of E-class Hunters."

* * *

Dungeon raids are thoroughly divided into roles.

First, the attack team that raids the dungeon.

Following them, the collection team that gathers the remains of monsters.

At the rear, the excavation team that mines the dungeon's resources.

Among these, the roles E-class Hunters take on are everything except the attack team.

"In other words, there are the most jobs for E-class."

Assistant Lim was right that E-class was more stable than a mediocre D-class.

D-class Hunters are the weakest among those who can join the attack team.

In a way, they are the most exposed to danger.

On the other hand, E-class Hunters are excluded from combat, so they can earn their daily pay by doing manual labor in a safe place, which is very good.

"Of course, there are some E-class Hunters who volunteer for the attack team because they need quick money, but it's rare. The hospital bills are higher. Unless you have a close healer, that is."

After being discharged from the hospital the next day,

Soho arrived at the Korean University Art Museum, listening to Assistant Lim's explanation.

'...I never thought I'd come back here again.'

Soho looked up at the art museum, which had been half-destroyed 'because of Ber,' and reflected on his feelings.

The purpose of coming here today was to become a miner.

Since this was his first real dungeon, he decided to accept Assistant Lim's offer to help.

"By the way, all classes have been switched to online until the dungeon is completely cleared. Since you're a Hunter now, you'll naturally take a leave of absence, right?"

"Sure. The exhibition is probably over anyway, and this semester is almost done."

"Okay. I'll go to the assistant's office and submit your Hunter leave of absence application. Shall we start now?"

Assistant Lim looked at Soho with enthusiasm, his eyes shining.

From his gaze, the aura of a seasoned senior was felt.

"Heh. Today, I'll thoroughly guide you in the wise life of an E-class Hunter! First, a miner is!"

[What a ridiculous show.]

"Kyah?!"

Suddenly, Ber popped out of Soho's shadow.

Assistant Lim was startled and fell on his butt.

"M-monster?!"

Ber looked down at Assistant Lim with a disdainful gaze and muttered.

"Tsk. To be so cowardly. Young Master, I know much better what a Hunter is. You should learn from me."

Then, he flew in front of Soho, spreading his short arms wide, and declared grandly.

"A Hunter is a natural hunter! To slaughter, dominate, and devour the enemy! That is the essence of a Hunter. So please, kill and kill to harness all that power... Gulp?"

Soho grabbed the glowing Ber like a baseball and squeezed.

"Why did you come out suddenly?"

[Cough. I sensed the aura of the dungeon nearby. You are now as weak as an ant larva, so I must stay close to protect you.]

Squish!

As he said this, Ber's body stretched and slipped out of Soho's hand.

Then, he jumped onto Soho's shoulder and began to guard the surroundings with a very fierce look.

But Soho wasn't fooled.

'He'll just sit on the sidelines and talk big when it's time to fight.'

At that moment, Assistant Lim, who had just regained his composure, pointed at Ber and asked cautiously.

"Soho, is this your summon?"

[No.]

Ber answered firmly instead of Soho.

Strictly speaking, Ber wasn't Soho's summon but his father's.

"If it's not a summon, then what... Huh?"

Already having lost the first round, Assistant Lim inadvertently used formal language.

Ber's eyes flashed intensely.

[I am a nanny.]

"…A nanny?"

Assistant Lim tilted his head.

[Yes. By human standards... a kind of uncle, perhaps?]

"…?"

[Heh. There were times like that.]

What was he talking about?

Ber muttered incomprehensibly and looked at Soho with a wistful gaze.

Ignoring Ber, Assistant Lim asked Soho directly.

"Did you awaken as a Summoner Hunter?"

"Yes, something like that."

"Hmm. That's surprising. I've never seen an E-class Summoner before."

Assistant Lim was careful with his words.

There was no need to mention how bad Summoner Hunters were.

Especially the combination of an E-class Hunter and a summoning skill.

'A minor of minors, perhaps.'

Assistant Lim stared intently at Ber, who was perched on Soho's shoulder.

He was startled by Ber's sudden appearance earlier, but now, seeing Ber's cute appearance directly...

'He's probably useless for anything, right?'

[That look is very disrespectful. Want me to cut it out?]

"…"

Assistant Lim narrowed his eyes slightly.

At least, he seemed to be a good show-off as a summon.

Plus, he could communicate, so he might be useful after all?

"Hem. Still, among E-class Hunters, many don't have any skills, so you're lucky. By the way, I have a running skill."

"Ah, so you can run well."

"…"

Soho's innocent comment hurt Assistant Lim.

It hurt even more because it was true.

* * *

Thus, Soho became a miner on Assistant Lim's recommendation.

"Alright! Let's work hard today!"

The excavation team, composed of E-class Hunters, had a construction site vibe.

"Hey, new guy! Come get your pickaxe."

Thud.

The dungeon pickaxe was placed in Soho's hand.

The uncle who distributed the pickaxes smiled warmly at Soho.

"If it breaks while you're working, come back to me. But the cost will be deducted from your pay, so be careful. Still, it's impressive for a young guy. You're a student here, right?"

"Hey, is this the guy?"

To his surprise, most of the miners recognized Soho and greeted him warmly.

'It's because of the news.'

Soho smiled bitterly, recalling the news that had been posted online recently.

The title was 'Korean University's Hero Becomes an E-class Hunter.'

It was an ambiguous news piece, neither praise nor criticism.

If he had been a hero as an ordinary person, he might have received a bravery award, but since he awakened, it was just a Hunter doing Hunter work.

However, his Hunter rank was the lowest, making the situation awkward from others' perspectives.

But even this awkward situation seemed to endear him to these uncles.

"Heh. What a shame. If you had awakened to a higher rank, your life would have changed dramatically."

"Still, don't be too disappointed about the low rank~ We're doing pretty well, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's a bit tough on the body, but it's great because you don't need any special skills, just good at using a pickaxe."

Everyone was eager to give Soho some advice, seeing him as a promising new recruit.

Ber, however, hated this warm atmosphere.

[Young Master, instead of chatting with these ignoramuses, let's go level up. It's a waste of time.]

"Wow! Is this a summon?"

"Kyah. I've never seen one like this before."

"He's cute to have around."

"He's too small to be useful for mining, though."

The miners gathered around, intrigued by Ber's sudden appearance.

Ber fiercely guarded and emitted a killing aura.

[Hey! Don't come any closer, you rude fellows! Our Young Master is a delicate person who could die from a light touch! Young Master, don't worry. I'll protect you!]

"…?"

Soho stared at Ber.

Was this overprotection or just showing off?

"Ha ha. Your summon is reliable."

"Alright, let's get to work."

The miners laughed at Ber's antics (or affection?) and scattered, carrying their pickaxes.

Seeing this, Soho had a good idea.

"Ber."

[Yes, Young Master. What command do you have?]

"Don't cut."

[Then what is your command?]

"Bring out the goblin corpses from the Shadow Dungeon."