[Dual Leveling!] Solo Leveling X Male Reader

Attack [24]

Choi Jong-In brought his fingers together and let out a low hum. Cha sat on the other side of the desk with a similarly thoughtful expression on her face. Lolikiano had left the room moments prior, leaving the two to sit and think.

After a few minutes, Choi Jong-In spoke up.

"Sung (Y/n) is not a False Ranker. He received a re-evaluation yesterday, and he received the E-Rank, again," Choi sighed. "He may be the most valuable asset out of the three."

Cha softly nodded. "As such, I believe we should cut my pay by 35% and—in addition to the high A-Rank pay that the three will receive—give the split pay to each of them. Sung will receive 15%, while Ichigo and the other man will receive 10%."

Choi looked at Cha Hae-In with perplexed eyes.

"35% will certainly be a big drop in your pay for this month. Are you positive in such an extreme decision?"

Hae-In's gaze gave Choi an answer immediately, even before she began speaking.

"I may be an S-Rank now, but Ichigo is not an S-Rank out of her choice, rather than her skill level. Her physique certainly surpasses my own in several ways, and I am not ashamed to admit that I've only won against her when I was in my best condition, and she wasn't in hers."

Choi opened his mouth, but upon seeing Cha's expression, he closed it.

"I understand that's how fights are. Monsters don't care for our conditions or not, it's the result that matters," Cha shook her head. "Regardless, Ichigo's the one from the trio that I know of most through our past encounters, even if Sung and I knew one another when we were younger. However, we've both seen Sung's power today."

"..." Choi softly nodded.

"Kim Byung-Ho has never been known for his spectacular personality, but he's an incredibly reliable ally in a fight, and when he pumps up his physical abilities, he becomes a threat that neither I nor you can handle easily. Truly, I should be giving (Y/n)—er, Sung—50% of my earnings rather than 15%. If he defeated Byung-Ho in a single blow like we believe, he's far more formidable than either of us imagined."

Choi swallowed.

"Out of respect for him, we absolutely shouldn't badger Sung with offers to join the Hunters Guild," Cha nodded, and her words suddenly sparked a fire within Choi, causing his eyes to shine with sudden inspiration.

After a moment, she continued, sighing softly. "It may not be my place to mention this but Sung isn't the type to say it himself. He takes care of his mother and his sister on his own, with little-to-no help, and he only receives money through Hunting monsters. You may remember that I recommended an E-Rank for the mining group a few years ago, right after I Awakened. That was him. Unfortunately, he never showed up and Byung-Ho was adamant about his poor behavior."

Choi looked away, a complicated expression on his face. "And I didn't believe you back then because I knew Byung-Ho for longer."

Cha nodded, unbothered. "The point is that Sung is a man who's lived a life more difficult than a lot. An E-Rank taking care of his sick mother and younger sister, unable to receive anything more than a few mana crystals every raid and becoming injured in most raids he joined. A Hunter who's well-known for being completely unable to grow stronger."

Cha took a moment to let the words sink in. "That is the man who Sung (Y/n) is."

Choi slowly nodded. "An older brother taking care of his younger sister, huh. And I've only made this man's life harder. It seems that I've forgotten what makes the Hunters Guild like home for so many of our members. My sister certainly wouldn't enjoy my actions."