Reborn as Sung Jin Woo

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***

Feeling a slight pressure, I only muttered, and rolled over onto my side.

But, partly, I was already awake. And someone had already grabbed my shoulder and started shaking me. I couldn't open my eyes yet, as if they were stuck together from fatigue. Yesterday I was so tired with this class assignment, even the recovery from the strength boost didn't take it away completely. And then there was the penalty of four hours of endless fights with giant centipedes, which were as strong as lath golems. But at least I could level up for them, and their shadows were good for reinforcing my robes.

When I got home, I just fell into bed without undressing and sank into the pillow....

- Brother! - I heard Jin-A's nasty voice.

Well, right now it just seemed so nasty because I wanted to sleep in silence and she was disturbing me.

- Oooooh... - I mumbled, rolling over.

- Yaayahhhh... - The girl squeaked as I clutched her to me.

Hugging and cuddling her to me like a big plush toy or a cuddle pillow, I, to my surprise, fell back into sleep. The girl was excitedly quiet and stopped stirring me, so there was nothing to stop me from going back to sleep.

Thus, I woke up only when I had really slept.

- Oaahhhh..." I lifted myself up and looked at the girl who was sleeping sweetly.

Yeah, she never made it out, staying here and falling asleep herself.

Reaching out, I grabbed my smartphone from the nightstand to check the time. And it looks like I'm the reason Jin-A missed school. And I have to go to the hunters' meeting soon. Lowering my gaze, I look down at the girl's leg that she threw on top of me while she slept.

- Mmm...

I couldn't resist stroking the girl, which made her purr sweetly in her sleep.

Still, she's very pretty. But the whole situation suddenly made my trousers feel tight. I think I should get a girlfriend. But I don't really have time for a relationship. I need to work out while I still can. And, sighing, I began to carefully get out of my sister's embrace, so as not to wake her up. After that, all that was left was to pack up, and it was time to go.

And on the way...

I seriously thought that I could try to seduce Jin Wu's little sister. We have a pretty good relationship right now, except for the fact that she mistakes me for someone else. But, it's not that it bothers me that much. It won't stop me from relaxing with a pretty girl. On the contrary, it only adds a certain spice to the idea.

Still, I've been asleep too long.

So I was a little late for the meeting. Only by a couple of minutes, but still. As I approached the place, I could see a rather unpleasant sight. A man in a yellow prisoner suit approaching a frightened girl.

- Hey, what a wench...I'd have fun with you. - He licked his lips defiantly.

But, it wasn't a threat, the man's hands were cuffed and behind his back stood a man with a murderous look, ready to kill the prisoner at any moment. This guy was just showing off, posing in front of the regular hunters that were also gathered here.

As for the girl herself...

She was a charming brown haired girl with blue eyes. A really beautiful girl and, as far as I remember, an old friend of Jin Wu's who often accompanied him on raids. I even found her name in the contacts on my phone. And, after this morning's incident with my sister, I immediately thought of Ju Hee as a very good option too.

- Why are you shivering, you're already leaking... - The prisoner started.

- Shut your mouth. - I said irritatedly, coming closer.

- Shut your mouth. - The agent of the association echoed me.

There was silence for a moment.

The hunter-killer looked back at me, dumbfounded. I, in turn, looked at him in the same surprise. We spoke almost simultaneously, and the effect was quite strange.

- Hmm, smart people think alike. - I hummed.

- D-Jin Wu? - Ju Hee exhaled dumbfoundedly. - Sung Jin Woo? Is that you?

She stared at me with a trembling look.

- Yeah, it's good to see you. - I smile at the girl.

- But... how? I...I've been looking for you, but it's like you disappeared....

- It's a long story. - I'm stretching my neck.

- What an abomination... could have told me you had a boyfriend. - The prisoner wrinkled his nose.

- I don't have a...

- Are you Jin Woo? - The agent frowned. - 'It's all here now, we were only waiting for you.

I rubbed the back of my head.

- Yes, I apologise for that. I'm ready for the raid, but first, who are these clowns?

- Gahhh...- The prisoner's eyes bulged out.

The other criminals, standing a little further back, only grinned.

- There aren't enough hunters in this area, so the department decided to involve the prisoners in the raid. - The agent explained calmly. - I am Kang Tae-shik, the representative of the association, and I will personally supervise them.

Hmm...

I could also feel the aura of those guys. The prisoners were weak, somewhere on the level of ordinary demons, that is, S-rang. Whereas the agent seemed like a B-rank. But I can tell you right now, none of them stand a chance against me or Igris alone.

- Jin Wu... - A man from the regular hunters sighed with a wrenching sigh.

A red-haired guy with no arm, and his strength was at the C-rank level. And it looked like he was one of the guys who left Jin Wu to die in the double dungeon. And the other hunters are the same.

- You... got taller.

- Yes. I said calmly.

There was no emotion in my answer. I just didn't remember those guys and didn't feel anything for them. Only Ju Hee had some sympathy. However, the man only gloomed, but took it for granted, thinking that they deserved such indifference on my part.

- All right, come on, quicker we start, quicker we finish. - I looked at the agent.

The assassin nodded.

And, in fact, I call him assassin for a reason. It's his fighting class. In the manhwa, this character was an assassin, specialising in dagger assassination, and had the ability to disguise himself. And that's exactly what I came here for.

- Let's go. - He sighed.

The gate was close by.

From the outside, in this world, it looked like a quivering blob of energy. And as he approached it through the park, Dae-shik finally uncuffed the prisoners.

- Phew... that's better... - One of them stretched out contentedly. - Hey, what are we, slaves to you?

- Shut your mouth.

Still, this guy has a certain... style. Without any expression, he besieged the prisoner in such a way that he immediately fell silent. There was a constant sense of menace emanating from Dae Shik that both the prisoners and the other hunters felt. Although, low level hunters could hardly pinpoint these sensations, their perception was much weaker than that of high ranked hunters. But, even someone A-ranked is unlikely to be able to simply determine another hunter's power level by eye.

- Before we go in... - He uttered. - Who will be the raid leader?

The hunters looked at each other.

- Jin Wu... - The one-armed man turned to me. - Do you mind... if I'm the leader again?

- Yes. I said calmly. - You're a better fit than anyone else...

- Thank you for giving me a chance. - He bowed guiltily.

Honestly, it was a little surprising. The man felt shame and guilt over the events of the double gates, though it wasn't really that much his fault. That time the entire group had simply fallen victim to an unimaginable monster capable of grinding down the world's strongest hunters as well. No one had the strength to resist the Architect back then.

For now, he continued to bow and scold about his honour and how he had disgraced himself by letting people die that time.

- Enough already. - I said coldly. - It's a dungeon. Hunters die in them all the time. You've done your best, so stop snivelling.

- Ahem, ahem, ahem, ahem! - Laughs one of the prisoners. - Seriously, man, stop whining!

- I'm sorry... - The old man blurted out, ignoring the prisoner.

- If you've made up your minds, let's go in.

And the killer was the first to send forward our volunteers. The criminals themselves were grinning in anticipation of the fight, kneading their stiff arms. After their imprisonment, they were hungry for action. The regular hunters, along with me, followed.

On the other side, the battle had already begun.

Once in the spacious cave, the criminals faced a group of goblins, small green creatures armed with primitive weapons. But, these guys were very aggressive, and upon seeing the humans, they immediately rushed into battle.

- Jin Wu, Ju Hee, stay behind. - The leader threw to us.

- Huh?" The girl looked at me in surprise. - Jin Wu, where did you...

She only noticed that I now had a sword in my hand, which I had placed on my shoulder for now, but was ready to face my opponent at any moment.

- And you... still, decided to go down into the dungeon again. - I noticed.

- Y-yes..." she nodded.

- I'm glad you're feeling better.

Meanwhile, our group had dispersed. The prisoners moved on, cutting through the goblins. And, just like that, another group of monsters faced us. The leader emitted a stream of flames from his hand, incinerating the goblins. The other hunters were using weapons. And, although they tried to cover Ju Hee and I, a couple of monsters made their way towards us. The group had dispersed too much. Nevertheless, the leader could kill them, I just got there early.

A step forward and with a single chopping blow, I blew off the head of both of the monsters that got close enough.

- Haa? - The girl naturally widened her eyes and opened her mouth in shock.

- Jin Wu? - The leader was stunned.

I just shook the blood off my sword.

- Wow! Ha... and you've become stronger. - The man smiled. - And taller... you don't look like your old self at all.

- The Sung Jin Woo I used to be is dead. - I said calmly.

- Hmm..." The leader bit his tongue.

It wasn't that I wanted to shame him, but after that phrase, I stopped being pestered with talk. I didn't really feel like hanging out with these guys.

- Hmm, there's a few passages here.

So we came to a fork in the road.

- The goblins are pretty weak, so we can split up and clear the dungeon faster. - Suggested the assassin.

- Yeah, I guess we could do that.

Though I suppose he suggested it to get the prisoners away and kill them without witnesses.

And, just then, while the hunters couldn't see it in the cave's semi-darkness, my shadow moved. A small clot of darkness separated from it, and it quickly hid in the girl's shadow. And, only, I wasn't going to look out for anyone else.

- Let's go this way. - I pointed to the far left.

- Huh? Okay... - The leader agreed.

It was from this passageway that a powerful pulse of force was emanating. Killing ordinary goblins I didn't feel that I was even a little bit close to leveling up.

Yeah, I thought I'd deal with the boss....

But, we didn't get very far before a loud shriek sounded behind us.

- W-what?

- It's Sang Shik! - The girl exhaled anxiously. - They're in trouble.

- Let's go back. - The leader declared.

Sighing, I followed them.

But as we left the tunnel, I had to shift forward to intercept the assassin's attack. Dae Shik moved lightning fast and appeared out of nowhere, aiming his dagger at Ju Hee's throat. The girl didn't even have time to realise, only recoiled when I appeared right in front of her.

- W-what...

- What do you mean? - I calmly asked the assassin.

I could have just broken his arm at that moment, but I let the agent break free. It would have been a bit ugly to kill him right away like that, even though it was the right thing to do. But, since I also don't want to kill the other hunters, it's worth letting the agent speak.

- The B-rank healer... could have been a nuisance, so I decided to eliminate her first. - The man said annoyed.

- What? The leader was stunned.

And now we could also see the body of one of the hunters lying to the side. Running away from Dae Shik, he ended up here, where he was killed.

- I don't understand.

- Ohhh... it's simple... - The assassin started.

And then he attacked again, but now he was aiming at me. I guess he felt threatened by me, so he didn't attack and tried to distract us. But, he's just a B-rank. I felt that I had already outgrown that level. And with my speed, I could see his movements and intercept him.

- Die...

Catching his arm again, I threw the hunter over me sharply, throwing him into the wall. The stone cracked, and the assassin was visibly uncomfortable.

That's when the Monarch's power surged within me.

Attention!

Emergency mission - destroy the enemy!

There is a person near you who intends to kill you, eliminate the threat.

Enemy 0\1

Here we go again. Only this time, the system didn't threaten me with penalties like cardiac arrest. I guess after gaining my profession, I've already become more valuable to the Shadow Monarch to threaten me like that.

- Kha... w-what the... what rank are you? - The assassin gave out hoarsely as he came to his senses.

- Why did you kill the prisoners and those hunters? - I leaned towards the dead man.

- Sang Shik... - The girl recognised him.

The killer just grinned.

- Hehe... do you feel sorry for them?

- I was just wondering why you decided to kill all of us. - I explained calmly.

Dae Shik's facial expression changed.

- Hnn... okay. I was paid to kill those criminals.....

- I see. And we are the witnesses. - I nodded.

- Oh no, I decided to kill you just because I enjoy it. - Clarified the killer.

- Huh? Ohhh, I see... - I shook my head.

- You're so calm... looks like you've been tried to kill before? Yeah, and you've killed yourself too, ha ha...I see, you're just like me.

- No. - I objected and pointed my thumb behind my back. - People like you are lying there right now with their throats cut.

- Don't equate me with that scum. Yes... you have power, but..." The assassin grinned again, beginning to fade away. - You will all die...

- It's a skill...

But before he completely disappeared. I managed to swing my sword, which began to be covered by darkness. And, in the next moment, a throw was already made. A huge black spear drew a line across the room and pierced the hunter. Realising what was about to happen, he still tried to escape, but he simply didn't have the time. In addition, to be sure, I activated a skill. Folding the fingers of my free hand as if I was grabbing my opponent by the throat, I used the Lord's Touch, pinning the man against the wall and preventing him from dodging. Not that it was that necessary, but after all, you have to use them to pump up your skills.

- Ghaaaa!

The shadow spear pierced through Dae Shik before melting away, letting his dead body fall to the floor.

- Ju Hee, can you help Sang Shik? - I said calmly.

- Huh? Y-yes, now!

And the girl rushed towards the dead man, believing that she could still help him. But it was pointless. I, on the other hand, approached the dead man. There was a faint light coming from his wound.

Cloaking Runestone

Allows you to learn a skill by destroying the stone.

This was just great!

And this stone wasn't the only reward for this kill, which couldn't even be called a fight.

Mission accomplished!

The enemy has been destroyed

Choose your reward:

Restoration

Character Points +10

Monarch Mastery Skill

Monarch Mastery level 1.

Shadow Warriors around you become stronger.

It was hard to hold back a satisfied grin. Two powerful skills at once! Although, I would still get the Monarch's Possession sooner or later. I guess it wasn't even about my current level of strength, not only that. I had already adapted a bit to the new abilities, shadow summoning and attire, so, Ashborn decided to give me the next skill that would train me to use his powers.

- Jin Wu... you... - The leader exhaled. - You saved us! I thank you...

- We should close the dungeon.

- What? But... we...

The man didn't finish, watching in shock as the tall figure of a shadow knight emerged from my shadow. His eyes glittered mysteriously with mystical fire. Igris looked at the hunters with mild curiosity. Those, in turn, nearly punched the floor of the cave with their dropped jaws.

- W-what is this...

- Reawakening. - Calmly explained. - It's my ability.

- So you...I see. - Nodded the leader.

I didn't really intend to hide my powers. Of course, it doesn't mean that I'm going to reveal all my trump cards at once. But now that I could stand up for myself, there was no point in pretending to be an E-rang. And the higher level will allow me to safely clear higher dungeons. Although, it might cause some problems with my contract to clear twenty dungeons with Eugene. But, in any case, it would still be a while before my rank would change.

For now, after sending the survivors out, I myself stayed behind to clear this dungeon.

- Rise. - My orders sounded.

A grim shadow enveloped the body of the V-rang assassin and with an ominous pulse, a new figure rose from him. He looked like a distorted copy of himself, a ghost incarnate. And seemed even stronger than he had been when he was alive. Somewhere on the level of my ordinary shadow warriors that approached the elite rank in terms of strength. I feel like the devil that robbed the poor hunter of everything he had, taking everything he could from him. I took the skill stone and then his very soul.

And, no, I didn't release the shadow knights from the dungeon on class change. It's just that by getting the reward for the penalty quest and completing the new daily quest, I raised my intelligence, which affected the number of shadow servant storage cells available to me.- Even your death is not enough to atone for daring to raise a hand against me.

The ghost blinked in surprise, and then bowed vigorously, expressing his willingness to do all my bidding.

- First, finish your work. - I shifted my gaze to the prisoner who was pretending to be dead.

My senses can't be deceived so easily, and I wasn't going to return these guys to the human world. It would be like letting the monsters of the dungeon come out.

And after the command, Dae Shik silently made a dash and, the prisoner didn't even have time to get up before his head was severed from his body in one swift blow.

- That's how...

When the shadow executed the criminal, I felt a change in the system corresponding to the game experience set. Even if shadows are killed, I become stronger. But after checking it with people, I headed towards the boss room that was hidden in the left tunnel.

Along the way, a skill stone was smashed in my palm.

- Destroy them. - Giving the command.

The rustle of the cloak cloth and the shadow of the knight darted forward. And I disappear in cloaking mode.

Opening the wooden gate to the boss hall, Bloody crashed into the crowd of goblins, mowing down the whole group with a single strike of his huge blade. I personally didn't join the fight, I just calmly followed. It took Igris only a few seconds to destroy the crowd of goblins and blow the head off their boss, a massive hobgoblin monster. Dae Shik was trying to keep up with the knight, but he just couldn't keep up, he only got a couple of weak goblins.

Your level has been raised

Even though I didn't get much experience for killing the C-rank boss, it was enough to finally get to the next level. I had just a little bit left.

With the death of the boss, the energy of the dungeon went into chaos. It will close soon, usually within an hour.

- Well done, Igris, you did well... you did well....

I looked at the shadow that brought the hobgoblin's head to me in surprise, dropping it at my feet. After which the knight himself went down on one knee, putting his fist to his chest, expressing reverence and devotion.

- What do I need it for? All right, let's go.

Returning to the gate, I called back my shadows. I noted that the shadow warriors' presence in this world had no effect on my mana level. It seems to be spent on regeneration, when the shadows take damage, they constantly regenerate at the expense of my magic power. But that still needs to be tested. For now, I can just use cloaking more often to pump up that skill. But I don't think I'll be using it much in serious fights now. This ability was eating up a lot of my magic energy!

Meanwhile...

I met up with the surviving hunters again. Just a one-armed old man and a girl. And, it's worth noting that when we reported to the association what had happened, it wasn't some shocking news. Apparently, Dae Shik didn't have the best reputation in the department.

The organisation's agents didn't arrive to investigate until half an hour later, and that was pretty fast.

- Sung Jin-woo? - The inspector was surprised.

- Oh... you are...

I was surprised too. That was the guy who met me at the hospital to measure my strength. Even then, he had already surmised that I had re-experienced the awakening. And now that we met again, I could clearly feel his power. A very strong A-rank, but... I'm already stronger. Though not by much. I guess I overestimated my strength a bit, thinking that I had already reached S-rank. And by the way, that's the same guy that was in the comic book. He doesn't look like much, so it's no wonder I didn't recognise him that day at the hospital.

- My name is Woo Jin Chul. - He introduced himself. - Let me ask you a few questions.

At that, he glanced at the raid leader.

- Yes... well... - The man, on the other hand, shifted his gaze uncertainly to me.

And, of course, the inspector noticed it.

- Which of you killed the B-rang hunter, Kang Tae-shik? - He asked the main question right away.

- It was...

- Я. - I'll state it calmly.

The inspector's eyes widened. Now he realised that his initial guess about me had been correct. Though perhaps not all of his conclusions were true, he was right that I could be considered reawakened.

- So you're--

- Yes, re-awakening. I didn't realise my new abilities until after I'd regained consciousness in the hospital.

- That's how..." The inspector nodded. - That explains it. But... what is your rank now?

- Hmm, I can't say for sure, but definitely not below A-rank. Anyway, I was going to re-register soon.

- Wait... - He remembered something. - Destroying Hwang Dong-seok's group?

- That too. - They were the Lizards, trying to feed us to the boss, but it didn't work.

The inspector's face darkened.

- 'Please, can you come with me and help me write the report? I'll need to ask a few more questions.

- I hope this won't take too long. - I rubbed my neck.

- I'll try to finish quickly. - The inspector nodded.

I didn't worry about any consequences. In both cases I was in my own right. Unless Dong-suk would be in trouble when his younger brother showed up in Korea. But that would only mean that I would have another strong shadow. But there's a domino effect at work here. Because Dong-suk's brother is already backed by the American guild, and is a subordinate of one of the strongest hunters in the world. So, before this meeting, I would prefer to get a little more pumped up.

*** 

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