Chapter 5

[Toneri's POV]

"Ohhmmmmmm..."

I hummed while sitting in a lotus position

What am I doing? Meditating, isn't it obvious? I'm trying to remember all the important points of solo leveling. Be it big or small, I'm trying to rack up my brain remembering every last bit of solo leveling memory I have. I wrote down what I remember to help me keep track of them.

The reason I'm doing this? Quite simple. I don't want to forget anything I should know about solo leveling. Even if it was when Cha Hae-in and Sung Jin-Woo's date, I'll write it down. No, I'm not a creep, stop that.

Anyways, I've only covered about... 110 chapters worth of memories? From the manhwa, I mean. And 110 chapters... Mostly covers season 1.

*yawn~*

I yawned before stretching both my arms upwards.

"This should be enough for now. I need a break."

And what I mean by a break is that take a walk outside and touch some grass— *ahem*. Stretch my muscles

And so, I stood up from my lotus position and left my room. This time, I used a simple transformation jutsu and changed my look. I didn't change much except the hair, which turned brown. Because, as I know of, people immediately think of me when they see white-haired people.

I even saw a lot of people online post themselves with white-dyed hair and blue contact lenses to imitate my look. But I did not mind it, after all, the body I'm using isn't also mine but Toneri's, so I just see them as cosplayers.

I wore a simple navy-blue waistcoat with a white shirt underneath and dark trousers to complete the look. And to top it all off, I bought black-rimmed glasses and wore them. If I have to be honest, I look like a British person you can find in important places.

Anyways, I stepped out of my house, entered my car, and wondered Seoul, just aimlessly wondering.

- On the road -

*BEEP!*

*BEEP!*

Loud horns of cars kept blasting off here and there. Currently, the road I'm driving on is in a traffic jam.

'Damn what's taking so long...'

Then, people wearing black suits approached our cars

"Please wait properly. A gate has opened up ahead, it will take some time to clear it. Thank you for your understanding." (Agent)

Oh? It turns out that they were from the Korean Hunters Association.

'A gate, huh? I just can't take a break... God damn it.'

I stepped out of my car and started walking towards the gate that can be seen about a kilometer away.

"Sir! You are not allowed to get close to the gate! Please wait patiently until a group of hunters arrive and clear it!" (Agents)

'So troublesome...'

I canceled the transformation jutsu revealing my white hair. I also took off my glasses and spoke to the agent

"If I clear it, would the traffic go away?" (Toneri)

"H-Hunter Toneri! I'm sorry, I'll need to ask permission from Chairman Go himself to confirm your request.' (Agent)

"... Alright." (Toneri)

The agent then took out a phone and put it near his ear. I assume that he's calling the Chairman

Meanwhile, the other people who were stuck in the traffic jam who saw me edit the car all exclaimed

"Ooohh! Isn't that the S-Rank Hunter, Toneri?!" (Mob)

"You're right! What's he doing here?" (Mob)

"Idiot! Can't you see he's here to clear the gate?" (Mob)

"Oh, you're right!" (Mob)

After about five minutes, the agent came back and spoke to me

"Hunter Toneri, Chairman Go has confirmed your entry for this gate, but you will need a team to help you enter." (Agent)

'A team? How troublesome... Hmm...' (Toneri)

I started looking around the perimeter and using my sensing jutsu trying to find people with strong mana

I then saw a black car with two strong mana signatures inside of them.

'That mana... Is similar to that of an S-Rank Hunter... But I don't seem to remember any S-Rank Hunters going here... How interesting...'

I then approached the car and knocked on the car window.

The car window slowly went down revealing two people. One was a male and another is a female.

"Hello!" (Toneri said while smiling)

"H-Hi..." (Both of them said)

"C-Can we help you?" (The woman)

'Mm? Their Korean accent sounds a bit stiff... Are they perhaps nonlocals?'

"You two seem to have a strong mana signature, are you two perhaps hunters?" (Toneri)

The people looked at each other before sighing and admitting it

"T-That is correct... We are Japanese hunters that was invited here " (The woman)

Hm? Now that I look at her speech pattern closely, she seems to be intentionally stuttering. Why?

And Japanese... Hmm...

"Well, it may be late to introduce myself but my name is Toneri. You can refuse if you want, but can you form a team with me to clear the dungeon?" (Toneri)

The two people looked at each other. Now that I think about it, are they perhaps a couple? They said that we're invited here so perhaps they're on a date and are exploring Korea? And as for the male... Why is he so quiet?

"Excuse me, umm... May I call you Toneri-san?" (The woman)

Oh? She stopped stuttering... She must've known that I saw through her act

"Of course." (Toneri)

"Then... Toneri-san, can we discuss about this matter real quick?" (The woman)

"Alright." (Toneri)

Then, they closed the car window and started discussing something inside. I just stood beside their car while the KSA agent is waiting for me.

Then, the car window opened again and the woman peeked out

"We contacted our friends that also went here and told them that we're about to enter a gate. They said it was fine, so we accept your invitation, Toneri-san." (The woman)

"That's great! Oh, by the way, what were your names again?" (Toneri)

"Ah! We forgot to introduce ourselves! My name is... Hasegawa Kiyoko! And my friend here is... Sugawara Hisoka! Please take care of us..." (Kiyoko)

Again with that strange speech pattern. It's plainly obvious that they used fake names just now...

They're obviously S-Rank Hunters and Japanese at that... The only one that comes up to my mind is the group of S-Rank Hunters invited by the Korean Hunters Association to help fight the monster ants in Jeju Island.

And the probability of these two being one of those S-Rank hunters is as high as 90%.

'They must be sightseeing Korea before going to KSA...'

I didn't pursue this matter anymore and just decided to keep an eye on them.

"Alright. Thank you for cooperating with me!" (Toneri)

"Yes..." (Kiyoko)

We both shook hands before escorting them out of their car.

- Outside the gate -

"Good afternoon Hunter Toneri, are these perhaps your team?" (Agent)

"Yes. I could assure you that they are quite capable." (Toneri)

"I don't doubt Hunter Toneri's words but we still need to examine your team, please excuse me." (Agent)

After that, they did the necessary measures like examining our state to make sure that we're ready to fight.

"Alright. You're all good to go, Hunter Toneri." (Agent)

"Alright." (Toneri)

The other two people behind me are wearing lightweight armor. Kiyoko had a halberd while Hisoka had a spear.

Seeing their weapons are all long-distances type of weapons, I secretly thought

'I guess they like taking the rear...'

As for me? I was still wearing my waistcoat. The agents nagged me about necessary procedures before entering the gate like priory equipment. So, I just held up a breastplate and told them "There, happy now?" And left

"Alright, let's go in."

And so, the three of us entered the A-Rank gate.

"Hey... Isn't the standard team members allowed for entering A-Rank Gates is typically around 6? Why did Hunter Toneri go in with only 2 members?" (Agent)

"He's an S-Ranker, A-Rank Gates are like playgrounds for him. You don't need to worry about anything. Moreover, Hunter Toneri is famously known for clearing A-Rank Gates by himself." (Female Agent)

"Oh... Alright." (Agent)

- Inside the Gate -

[General POV]

Right after entering the gate, the three-man team consisting of Toneri, Kiyoko, and Hisoka immediately encountered lizardmen. They were all holding a badly-made trident and were charging at them fearlessly.

Of course, Toneri just used Shinra Tensei and crash them all to the wall, making the two behind him admire him a little

Toneri takes on the frontline, Hisoka on the back, and Kiyoko at the rear. With this formation, they were able to decimate all the lizardmen coming towards them.

Toneri also used Bashō Ten'in to collect their corpses and pile them up near the gate exit so he can collect the money later.

While walking, Hisoka who had been silent since they first met, finally spoke

"Umm... Excuse me, Toneri-san? May I ask a question?" (Hisoka)

Hearing the voice he had never heard since they first met, Toneri was first surprised but then immediately calmed down.

"Sure. What would you like to ask?" (Toneri)

"It'd about the power you use... You just hold up your hands and the enemies either get projected away or be pulled to you. What kind of power is it?" (Hisoka)

'Hm? He's curious about the Deva Path's powers... Oh well, I'll just tell some random bullshit and not expose my real power'

"We all awakened our unique powers when we awakened, right? Well, just like everyone else who awakened, I too have a unique power to myself. I can't tell all of them but I can tell this one. I call this the 'Deva Path', it lets me control both attractive and repulsive forces." (Toneri)

"I see..." (Hisoka)

He then looked upwards at the ceiling and mumbled words.

'I guess he's analyzing my power? I think? Or perhaps he's just simply memorizing it.'

When Toneri looked at Hisoka who was looking upwards, he noticed something. He looked at Hisoka's neck and found it... Odd

'Weird... For a guy, his neck is oddly beautiful. No, I don't have a neck fetish, stop that. And no, I'm not homosexual. I'm straight as I can ever be.'

It was true, Hisoka's neck was quite smooth, and very few wrinkles can be seen. Now that Toneri looks at Hisoka closely, his skin seems a bit too shiny. He was quite skinny but not to the point where he would look weak— was it called 'Petite'?

Dark Messy short hair and blue eyes. A slightly feminine face to top it all off giving him a look of a 'Flower boy'.

'Odd... This guy must be a perfectionist to be that clean...'

Toneri continued walking with Hisoka's neck still fresh in his mind.

Kiyoko, who saw this, can't help but look at them with a confused expression.

After that brief talk, they encountered another herd of lizardmen which they all killed swiftly

- Outside the Boss room -

"Alright, here's the boss room. Are you all fine?" (Toneri)

"Yes!" (Kiyoko and Hisoka)

"Alright, let's go."

When they opened the huge door reaching up to 40 meters in height, they were met with a room full of fungus and muddy waters everywhere

'I wonder what kind of boss we'll meet...' Toner secretly thought

"ROAAAAARRRRRR!!!"

Suddenly, an ear-deafening roar came from the darkness of the boss room, and all the torches on the walls lit up

The boss monster revealed itself— it was a Naga. A huge creature with the lower half of a snake and the upper body of a human with a fish as a face. It was holding a giant trident

"Alright, let's finish this quickly. Seeing an aquatic animal made me crave my favorite seafood soup." (Toneri)

Toneri then used the Puppet-Cursing Technique to mold his chakra to what looks like a green orb in his hands

He made several while throwing them all towards the Naga.

Then—

'Explode!'

*BOOM!*

The chakra balls that were launched at the boss detonated on impact making the boss fall back

"Kiyoko! Use your localized wave to attack its feet!" (Toneri)

Kiyoko nodded and went near the Naga Boss. She then held up her hand and a blue wave of mana shot out from her fingertips attacking the Naga Boss

The boss fell down on their knees. Seeing this chance, Toneri used Shinra Tensei to shoot it towards the walls.

*BOOM!*

The boss shattered the walls behind it.

"Hisoka! Use your spear to finish it off!" (Toneri)

"Yes!" (Hisoka!)

Hisoka then charged towards the boss at an incredible speed before lunching up towards the air spinning her spear before landing a hit on the boss' skull

*BOOM!*

"Hah... Hah..." (Hisoka and Kiyoko)

Seeing the lifeless body of the Naga Boss, Toneri smiled and called his team

"It died rather quickly, huh? Now that I think about it, we looked like we were bullying it, weren't we?" (Toneri)

Hearing Toneri's joke, Kiyoko started chuckling while Hisoka just stood there with his indifferent expression

"Well, anyway. We should go out now." (Toneri)

"Alright." (Kiyoko)

They then exited the boss room and started walking back to where they came from.

Toneri held the Naga Boss in his arms. Why? Because monster boss corpses sell for a lot of money, duh.

And carrying a monster with a width of 20 meters and a height of 50 meters was quite easy for him. How? Anime logic, duh.

He also asked the other two to pick up the lizardmen's corpses. They nodded and picked 4 or 5 of them.

- Outside the gate -

An hour after entering the gate, the three-man team finally exited the gate.

When the agents saw Toneri holding the Naga Boss, they immediately called for a porter to help him.

Toneri gave them the Naga Boss corpse and told them to transfer the money to his account.

He then looked at the two people who helped him clear the gate and gave way I'm for the cars on the road

"Thanks for helping. I sincerely appreciate it." (Toneri)

"It's fine, Toneri-san! We actually had fun fighting and going for a body stretcher." (Kiyoko)

"That's great to hear. I hope we can meet again." (Toneri)

Is Toneri giving too much attention? Yes. Why? Because they're strong. Nothing wrong with socializing with fellow strong people, right?

Kiyoko smiled as she eaves her hand signaling farewell to Toneri.

Toner also went into his car to finish his day off. Well, his day got disturbed by a sudden gate appearance, so he'll make the most of this one.

And so, he waited until the traffic cleared and drove off.

- In Kiyoko and Hisoka's Car on a highway -

"It was fun fighting with him, wasn't it?" (Kiyoko)

"I guess..." (Hisoka)

After entering the car and heading towards the Korean Hunters Association main branch, Kiyoko and Hisoka started talking to each other

"I'm surprised you actually came up with a name on the spot like that." (Hisoka)

"Of course! I always have backup names in case situations like these happened." (Kiyoko)

Hisoka looked out that car window in a daze. Kiyoko who saw this asked Hisoka with a smile.

"You still want to see him, don't you?" (Kiyoko)

"..." (Hisoka)

"I guess..." (Hisoka)

"Oh my~ a young maiden in love truly is precious, isn't it? Natsumi-chan?'

Kiyoko teasingly said

"Shut up, Ishida."

Natsumi said with a deadpan expression, though there is a slight blush

"Still, why didn't you admit that you were a woman?" (Ishida)

"..." (Natsumi)

"... None of your business." (Natsumi)

"Geez~ you're so mean sometimes~ Oh well, whatever." (Ishida)

That's right, these two who Toneri met are one other than one of the S-Rank Hunters that came to Korea from Japan. S-Rank Hunters Mari Ishida and Fukui Natsumi— Both females!

===

Chapter end, lmao