Chapter 120: Into the World of Solo Leveling
The sudden declaration of his name, spoken in fluid Korean by a mysterious, impeccably dressed foreigner, had instantly ramped up Sung Jin-woo’s caution.
The arrival of the beautiful, red-armored Cha Hae-In only amplified the tension, her hand hovering over her blade.
"Let me properly introduce ourselves again," Ethan said, his voice measured and friendly, yet carrying a profound confidence that seemed to settle in the massive cavern. "I am Ethan Carter, and these beautiful ladies are my two wives, Jean Grey-Carter and Anna Marie-Carter. We are, believe it or not, on our honeymoon and appeared here entirely by accident."
He offered a brief with a charming smile. "I’d love to get into the intricate details of our travel, but this is hardly the appropriate venue for a casual chat. We’d prefer to go outside and discuss our rather unique situation. We can, of course, contact your local Hunters Association for complete verification of our identities."
Jin-woo, despite the shock of hearing his own name from a stranger, kept his expression neutral.
He knew the golden rule of the gates: expect the unexpected.
Humans appearing out of nowhere inside a high-level dungeon was the epitome of the unexpected.
He scanned the trio again. He could sense no mana—the lifeblood of Hunters in this world—from any of them, which only deepened his suspicion. They were either the most bizarrely disguised Magic Beasts he had ever encountered, or something else entirely.
Jin-woo’s focus narrowed on Ethan. He could gauge the strength of Jean and Anna; their auras, though strange, suggested they were powerful enough to be A-Rank Hunters, perhaps even S-Rank. He was confident he could handle the two women if a fight broke out.
But Ethan... Ethan was an entirely different story.
Jin-woo’s unique Perception stat, a gift of the System, screamed a terrifying warning. He felt virtually no outward energy, yet his gut reaction was raw, primal fear.
This man, with his bright eyes and easy smile, reminded Jin-woo of the monstrous God Statue from the Double Dungeon.
He suppressed a shiver. ’No... this man might be stronger.’
’If we fought,’ Jin-woo thought, his jaw tightening, ’I would be dead before I could even draw my dagger. He is on a whole other level.’
He glanced at Hae-In, realizing that since he was merely a E-Rank mining team member in this A-Rank raid, the final decision belonged to her, the primary S-Rank Hunter.
Hae-In was equally unsettled. Her Hunter instincts were screaming that the blonde man was immensely powerful, yet she too sensed zero conventional mana. She kept her guard up, observing Ethan’s calm, friendly demeanor.
Unbeknownst to the two Hunters, Ethan had initiated his own strategy.
’Jean, Anna, a quick mental briefing,’ he projected clearly through the Nexus-Mind Bridge. ’Jean, read her surface memories—just the basics of this world’s structure. Mana, Hunters, Gates, and the Association. Share the data instantly with Anna. We need to be on the same page. But don’t touch this guy’s mind.’
Jean hesitated for a heartbeat. ’You sure?’
’Yes. Knowledge is survival. We’re not in danger, but ignorance is for the weak. I’ve already got the basis idea of this world.’
Normally, they wouldn’t read other people’s minds—they valued privacy too much for that. The only exceptions were practical ones, like using telepathy to speed up company product approvals or negotiations.
But this was different. Unlike their previous worlds, this one was far more dangerous. Not dangerous to them—they were strong enough to handle almost anything—but knowledge was vital here. And as Ethan had reminded them, information was key on their journey.
Jean nodded slightly and reached out with her telepathy. Her consciousness brushed against Hae-in’s surface thoughts — flashes of mana beasts, Hunters, dungeons, and the modern world beyond this gate. She quickly shared the imagery through the Mind Lattice to Anna.
’So... gates, mana, Hunters, association, monsters... this world’s structured differently,’ Anna thought, quietly impressed.
Ethan had strictly cautioned them against probing Jin-woo, not wanting to disturb the delicate balance of the Shadow Monarch’s future. For now, they needed to respect the protagonist’s privacy.
While his wives worked, Ethan used his Empathy and the new authority to project a wave of pure, benign intent.
This was not the invasive coercion of telepathy, but an atmospheric release of his genuine feelings: We mean no harm. We are simply lost travelers.
Jin-woo felt the surge—a soothing, irrational sense of safety that ran contrary to all his instincts. He instantly recoiled, his experience in the Double Dungeon teaching him that trust was a death sentence.
Hae-In, however, felt the sensation deeply. Her intense physical tension eased slightly, the primal fear in her stomach giving way to a perplexing sense of calm.
"We really should make a decision quickly," Ethan advised, his voice snapping both Hunters back to the present. "I sense the primary life-form, the ’Boss,’ is quite agitated nearby. I imagine it doesn’t appreciate unannounced guests."
Hae-In knew he was right; the proximity to the Boss Room was too dangerous for prolonged discussion.
She cautiously lowered her hand from her sword. "Alright, we will escort you out," she agreed, though her voice remained firm. "But remember, do not make any move that forces us to react. There’s a miner behind us who needs to remain safe."
Just as Ethan took a step to follow, Hae-In’s eyes widened. She moved toward him with sudden, bewildering speed, halting right in front of his chest. Then, she closed her eyes and began to sniff him intensely, like a bloodhound.
Jean and Anna exchanged bewildered glances, while Jin-woo watched with surprise.
Ethan, however, remained perfectly calm, a knowing smile touching his lips.
He was aware of Cha Hae-In’s unique condition: her rare, highly sensitive nose that could smell mana. To her, the mana emitted by all Hunters and monsters had a repulsive, nauseating odor.
Hae-In’s confusion was genuine. Hunters reeked. Monsters reeked. This man, who should smell like a collapsing supernova given the invisible power around him, had no scent of mana whatsoever. In fact, he smelled very nice—like clear air and warm earth.
She instinctively turned to Jean and Anna, sniffing them just as intently. The result was the same: clean, sweet air.
Her eyes widened. ’Are my senses finally cured? Or are these people... truly not of this world?’ She backed away, curious about the blonde man who didn’t smell sticky.
Jean, through the Lattice, whispered mentally to Anna, ’She has a mana sensitivity condition. That’s why she wears the handkerchief earlier.’
Anna’s eyes softened. N’o wonder she looks so wary.’
Hae-in looked at the trio again, more puzzled than before. The more she tried to sense them, the stranger they seemed. No mana, no foul odor, no monster scent — just very nice smell.
And it intrigued her. Especially the man who called himself Ethan Carter.
Ethan, meanwhile, was inwardly exasperated. ’Wait, why is she looking at me like that? Isn’t she supposed to be into Jin-woo? I’m not trying to be that guy who steals the main character’s girl!’
But he kept his polite smile intact.
.
.
.
A few minutes later, the group was outside the massive A-Rank Gate.
They were now inside a temporary command tent, the atmosphere significantly more strained than in the cavern.
Sitting across from Ethan, Jean, and Anna was Choi Jong-In, the master of the Hunters Guild and a powerful S-Rank Hunter known as the Ultimate Soldier. Hae-In stood dutifully behind her Guild Master.
Jong-In, despite his famed composure, was internally unnerved.
He leaned forward, his professional smile hiding his unease. He couldn’t sense mana from them either, yet their presence was... overwhelming.
Especially the blonde man. Sitting across from him, Ethan felt like a calm ocean — vast, endless, and unfathomably deep.
Jong-In forced a polite, professional smile. "Mr. Carter, Mrs. Carter... Mrs. Carters. My name is Choi Jong-In. This is certainly a... unique situation. The Association is dispatching personnel, but in the meantime, could you perhaps indulge me with a summary of your background? Where exactly were you traveling from before your, ah, ’accidental arrival’?"
He found the marriage arrangement unusual, his curiosity flickered between them, wondering how any man could manage such an arrangement.
Even Hae-in couldn’t help but glance at the two women, curiosity flickering in her eyes. ’They seem... fine with it?’ she thought.
Ethan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his eyes twinkling. He kept his explanation intentionally vague, offering only a few tantalizing scraps of truth.
"Well, that’s a long story. Let’s just say... we were traveling, and things went a little sideways. Wrong turn, wrong world, maybe?"
Jong-In tried to draw Jean and Anna into the conversation, but Jean’s responses were carefully minimal, veiled by the telepathic wall they’d constructed, and Anna merely offered dry, witty comments that gave Jong-In no actionable intelligence.
The Ultimate Soldier knew he was dealing with three entities who were playing entirely by their own rules. He just needed to know if those rules included mass destruction.
He frowned slightly, but didn’t push further. ’They’re definitely not lying,’ he thought, ’but they’re not telling everything either.’
Across from him, Ethan smiled again — the kind of smile that hid more than it revealed.
Meanwhile, Hae-in was staring intently at Ethan—like a predator eyeing a long-lost delicacy.
To her heightened nose, the air around him was different. Everyone else carried the unpleasant scent.
But Ethan... Ethan smelled clean. Not just physically, but something deeper—like fresh rain after a storm mixed with a trace of warm lightning and life itself. It was intoxicating. It made her throat tighten, her instincts whispering that whatever he was... he smelled far too good to ignore.
Meanwhile, Ethan, sensing Hae-in’s emotions through his empathy, began to sweat inwardly.
’If this kept going the way it was, he might just end up putting a green hat on Jin-woo.’
He’d always liked Hae-in back when he read Solo Leveling in his previous life—her strength, her quiet beauty, her loyalty. But that didn’t mean he wanted to steal her. Jin-woo was one of his favorite protagonists, a man he deeply respected.
Yet here he was, accidentally derailing their fated meeting.
Ethan sighed inwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. ’Great,’ he thought. ’What was supposed to be a romantic omniversal honeymoon might end up being called "Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls Across the Omniverse During Your Honeymoon?"’
...
It wasn’t long before the situation escalated from an internal guild matter to a national security incident.
Several black sedans, their windows tinted to an absolute black, tore across the dirt path leading to the encampment.
Out spilled men in crisp black suits and the unmistakable earpieces of the Hunters Association Monitoring Division.
At their head was a broad-shouldered man with a commanding presence — Woo Jin-chul, Korea’s strongest A-rank hunter and the current Head of Surveillance for the Korean Hunters Association.
His expression was unreadable, but his sharp eyes took in every detail — the lingering mana distortions, the large tent set up by the Hunters Guild, and the faint ripple of unknown energy that hung in the air like static.
This wasn’t a standard gate incident.
Three people had appeared inside an A-rank gate — humans with no trace of mana, yet radiating some strange force that felt almost like it. The Association couldn’t afford to treat it lightly.
The Hunters Association in this world functioned as the bulwark of humanity—a governmental body responsible for managing the proliferation of Gates, authorizing and overseeing dungeon raids, and maintaining the vital Hunter Registry.
An anomaly like three mana-less, yet powerful, individuals appearing inside an A-Rank Gate was a code-red alert; it suggested a new type of Magic Beast or an unprecedented international breach.
Jin-Chul, relying on years of intuition that had kept him alive, was deeply unsettled. He suspected the trio might be shapeshifting Beasts, but his concern wasn’t fear, it was cold calculation.
He knew that with three S-Ranks present—Choi Jong-In, Cha Hae-In, and Sung Jin-woo—they had the best odds of neutralizing a threat here, rather than moving them to headquarters where their movements would be less restricted.
He lifted the tent flap and stepped inside.
At the table sat Choi Jong-in, calm and composed as always, with Hae-in standing silently behind him.
Across from them were three strangers — a man with sharp blue eyes and golden hair, seated casually with an easy smile, and two women beside him — one red-haired with a composed demeanor, and another with auburn hair and a mischievous glint in her eyes.
The moment Jin-chul entered, the air seemed to shift.
The strangers’ presence wasn’t oppressive, but it was dense, heavy with something he couldn’t name. Every instinct honed by years in the field screamed that these weren’t ordinary people.
Choi Jong-in rose and greeted him. "Jin-Chul," he said with a polite smile. "Thank you for coming so quickly."
"Of course," Jin-chul replied before nodding curtly. His gaze flicked briefly to Hae-in, who bowed in greeting. Then his eyes settled on the trio seated before him.
Ethan and his wives rose fluidly. Ethan extended a hand, the confidence in the gesture utterly disarming.
"Mr. Jin-Chul, I presume? Ethan Carter." he said warmly. "A pleasure to meet you. And these," he gestured with pride, "are my wives — Jean Grey Carter and Anna Marie Carter."
A few of the association agents exchanged looks. ’Two wives?’
Jin-chul accepted the handshake after a slight hesitation, noting the firmness in Ethan’s grip. "Woo Jin-chul," he introduced himself. "Head of Surveillance. Please, have a seat."
Once everyone was settled, He bypassed formalities and went straight to the core of the matter. "From your names, I’m guessing you’re from America—or somewhere in the Western countries, right?"
"I have already contacted the American Hunters Association to verify your identities. According to them, no such individuals exist in any record. Mr. Carter, I must insist. Who exactly are you?"
The tent fell quiet.
Jin-Chul was prepared to use force if necessary afterall this is a national security issue, but his gut screamed that fighting these people here, even with S-Ranks, would be catastrophic.
He hadn’t planned to confront them so directly — originally, the idea was to escort them to Association headquarters for questioning.
But the moment he’d stepped into the tent, he’d felt it — a quiet, coiled power. These weren’t ordinary beings. Even without mana, something inside him knew he wouldn’t win if they fought.
His gut told him they were dangerous. But also... calm and Controlled.
With three S-rank Hunters on site, this was the safest place to test the waters. Moving them elsewhere might trigger something worse.
Jong-in and Hae-in seemed to have come to the same conclusion. They were alert, yet ready — their guild hunters outside already on standby, just in case.
"You guys are clearly on edge, and I can’t blame you," Ethan said, his smile turning slightly sympathetic. "Finding three tourists inside an A-Rank dungeon doesn’t happen every day. But trust me, we mean no harm. We are travelers who hit the wrong cosmic detour on our honeymoon."
Jean and Anna nodded in calm agreement, but Jin-Chul’s scrutiny intensified.
"As for our identities," Ethan continued, allowing his smile to fade to a look of seriousness, "that is a matter of such extreme sensitivity that it requires the presence of Chairman Go Gun-Hee, the President of the Hunters Association, to discuss."
Jong-In and Hae-In exchanged a tense glance.
Jin-chul’s eyes narrowed at the name of the Chairman, but he didn’t respond. Jean and Anna both leaned forward slightly, their voices calm and diplomatic.
"We understand your caution," Jean said gently. "But please believe us — we have no intention of causing trouble."
Anna added with a faint smile, "We’re tourists, not terrorists."
’Ethan, they are ready to strike. We need to de-escalate, not demand meetings,’ Jean warned him through the Nexus-Mind Lattice.
’I agree, Ethan. Time to stop messing with them. Try something, love. Something that helps them believe us.’ Anna added.
Ethan gave a subtle mental nod to his wives. ’I understand. But humanity fears the unknown. We’re going to make ourselves known, quickly and thoroughly.’
He slowly stood, his casual movement instantly bringing Jong-In and Hae-In to a heightened state of alert. Jin-Chul tensed, his hand dipping toward the weapon concealed beneath his suit.
Ethan ignored them all. He looked past the canvas walls of the tent, toward the looming silhouette of the A-Rank Gate.
His blue eyes began to pulse with the luminous, oceanic glow of the Authority of Genesis power.
"Gentlemen and ladies, It’s in human nature to fear the unknown. So, let me give you a small demonstration," Ethan announced before raising a single hand toward the Gate. "A taste of my power, so you don’t fear me. Because fear leads to mistakes, and mistakes are messy."
"Ethan, don’t—" Jean started, but it was too late.
Anna mentally groaned, knowing ’small’ with Ethan was a relative term, but she relaxed, accepting his decision.
A wave of energy pulsed outward, invisible yet immense.
Outside, the entire camp jolted as the A-rank gate flared violently. Hunters nearby shouted as instruments spiked off the charts.
"Mana fluctuations!"
"What’s happening to the gate?!"
Then, the unimaginable happened.
A torrent of crystalline objects—the Mana Stones, the very core energy resource of the dungeon—began to pour out of the Gate as if rejected by a faulty valve.
They shot through the opening in a glittering, metallic stream, flying past the startled Hunters and landing in a massive, shimmering pile near the camp.
Association members rushed toward the tent, shouting for Director Woo.
Before the Hunters could even process the loss of their resources, a terrified, bestial roar ripped through the air.
"What in the—" one began, before his words caught in his throat.
The A-Rank Boss—a massive, two-legged, armored Giant Ogre that should have required a coordinated A-Rank raid—was suddenly dragged out of the Gate.
It hung suspended twenty feet above the ground, thrashing and screaming as it was held in place by an invisible, suffocating force.
Hunters scrambled for their weapons. "Boss monster! Defensive positions!"
Some shouting commands to call for aid and evacuate the area. They raised shields and prepared to engage the Boss.
But before a single Hunter could move, the Giant Ogre’s massive, rocky head ripped free from its body.
The telekinesis power, invisible to the naked eye but overwhelming in its effect, had conceptually dismantled the Ogre’s life force from its physical form.
The headless corpse fell to the ground with a thunderous thud, instantly lifeless and still.
Silence descended, absolute and profound.
Outside the tent, Sung Jin-woo, who had been watching the scene unfold from a distance, felt the surge of power that accompanied the impossible event.
His eyes widened into shocked saucers as he stared at the headless corpse and the mountain of mana stones.
Then he turned toward the tent. His heart hammered in his chest, and his earlier suspicion transformed into absolute certainty.
’This... this power...’ Jin-woo thought, trembling not from fear, but from the dizzying reality of unimaginable strength. ’He didn’t just kill it; he commanded the entire dungeon to expel its resources. What in the world is that guy?’
Inside the tent, Jin-Chul, Jong-In, and Hae-In stared at Ethan while an Association agent and a few guild hunters explained what had happened outside.
Their faces were masks of stunned disbelief.
Ethan simply lowered his hand, the blue light fading from his eyes, and offered a polite, casual shrug.
"See?" he said, his voice light and utterly relaxed. "No muss, no fuss. Now that we’ve established our, shall we say, non-hostile capabilities, can we please call your Chairman so we can get back to our trip?"
Jin-chul stared at the man in front of him, unable to hide the chill running down his spine. Even Jong-in, who had faced countless monsters, felt his flames flicker uncertainly.
Cha Hae-In didn’t know what to feel after witnessing such overwhelming power.
A part of her was in awe—another part unsettled. She had fought and seen countless hunters, but nothing she’d ever encountered came close to what Ethan had just displayed.
Jean facepalmed herself as Anna let out a dry chuckle—they both shared the same thought: This idiot did something stupid again.
Through their psychic link, Jean asked Anna, ’Does gaining power always make them lose common sense?’
Anna, too, was beginning to have her doubts.