Monarch of Luminescence || Solo-Leveling

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟷𝟺

I served some food to the archangels who were hanging around the living room after Jinwoo headed back into his room to catch up on sleep. 

"Hmm. Speaking of which, isn't there a parent-teacher conference at 5...?" I looked at his bedroom door. It was still early, so there was still time. I guess I'll relax for a while too.

...

Rustling could be heard, and I raised my head from the couch. It was Jinwoo, who had just woken up, hurriedly getting ready for the conference. 

"Oh, sorry. Did I wake you up?" He asked, noticing me watching him from the lounge.

"No, it's fine. There are still 3 hours left, are you leaving so soon?"

"Ah, you knew?"

"...You forgot?"

Jinwoo turned around and rubbed his nape. I chuckled and grabbed a pair of formal-casual clothing. 

"Here, wear this. This is better than your usual trackers, right? You're meeting her teacher, after all."

"Ah, yes..." He took the clothes, and we awkwardly stared at each other for a moment. 

"Haha, sorry, I'll wait for you outside." 

Jinwoo spent a few more minutes in the bathroom before coming outside, and I sat in the driver's seat of my car, inviting him in.

"Is it okay if we go to the bank first? I've got something to do."

"Sure!"

As I twisted the keys, the archangels flew through the window and huffed at me while Jinwoo was startled.

「Did you forget about us? We wanna come along too!」Uriel childishly waved her limbs around, similar to a child throwing a tantrum. 

「Were you just going to leave us there...」The other two looked at me with sad eyes and whined.

Jinwoo didn't know how to respond to these angels that just barged into my car. I didn't bat them an eye and pushed them away, twisting the car keys and starting to drive. 

"If I brought you, you'd be bigger trouble. Uriel, you're acting like a kid... I'll bring you to an amusement park next time, okay? So stop fussing. If you disrupt me as I drive, I will not hesitate to throw you out. If you show me all of you can behave, I'll consider bringing you guys out more." I scolded them, and the three of them quickly shut up. Two sat on my shoulders and one rested on my head.

Jinwoo felt that Hwan was like a mother. He spoke up hesitantly. "Hyung, are these...?"

"Oh, my bad. I didn't introduce them yet, did I? These three are self-proclaimed archangels. The one sitting on my head is Uriel, the one on my left shoulder is Michael and the one on my right shoulder is Raphael."

「Self-proclaimed...」Michael turned gloomy.

「We're real! Our status says so!」Uriel lightly punched the top of my head.

"Yeah yeah, alright."

Jinwoo smiled at the scene. "You seem to get along well. Were they from your Job change quest?" 

"Hmm? Yeah. There are 4 more to come, still. But it's currently too much for me to handle, so I'll have to get stronger." I grinned. He shared the same sentiment as mine. We have to get stronger.

-

The car ride to the bank and school was smooth. When we arrived, Jinah looked suspiciously at her brother.

"Sung... Are you really Sung Jinwoo?"

"What, is it strange?"

"Doesn't he look better?" I popped out from behind him, smiling.

"Oh, Changmin oppa!" She ran up to me and gave me a hug. I patted her on the back and Jinwoo stared at her sister.

"Why do you look happier to see him than your own brother...?"

"Because he's nice and cooks well. Don't you know?"

"That... I won't object." He nods, clearly thinking about today's lunch. 

I chuckle and patted them on their shoulders. "Alright, let's go now."

Having several people gawk at Jinwoo, I told him I'd wait outside, but he refused. He stubbornly told me that I should join the conversation, so I reluctantly accepted.

He opened the door, and a middle-aged lady with a bob cut was seen. "Jinah's brother? Oh, who's that one there?"

"Ah, he's Hwan Changmin. He's helped me look after my sister many times, so I believe he deserves to be here."

"Oh, I see! Nice to meet you both, I'm her teacher. I didn't know Jinah had such cool brothers. Please, take a seat."

We thanked her, and she quickly moved on to the main topic. I was glad to hear she did well in school since Jinah was like a little sister to me too.

"I heard that you both are working as hunters..."

"Yes, that's right. What's the matter?" I questioned since she brought up the topic quite suddenly.

"Perhaps, if Jinah was determined to have abilities... Would you make her do hunter work?"

"Absolutely not!" I leaned forward, huffing at even the mere mention. There was no way I would be sending out her to dangerous dungeons, even if she begged me.

Jinwoo nodded, sharing the same sentiment. "I agree."

"As expected... " She held her tea and sighed. "The reason I am asking these things is that recently, there is a student that is trying to quit school after being determined to have awakened. Now, this student isn't even attending school anymore. If this keeps going, the school will have no choice but to take measures..."

"So, are you saying that we should persuade her to come back to class and stop Hunter work?" I asked.

"Ah, yes, if that's possible... Even if one becomes a hunter, isn't it still good to get graduation papers?"

"What rank did she get?" Jinwoo piped in, and the teacher thought for a while.

"I believe... it was the lowest rank."

Jinwoo and I looked at each other for a second. This student was bound to die sooner or later.

"The student happens to be Jinah's friend. Could you talk to her so that she is at least willing to graduate?"

I nodded okay. "What's her name, miss?"

"She's called Han Songyi..."

"Han Songyi?" Jinwoo asked.

"Yes. Do you know her?"

"Ah... yes."

"Thank you for telling us, Jinah's teacher. we will try our best to convince her." I stood up and bowed, "We'll take our leave. Please call us again if something happens." 

-

As the sun starts setting, a familiar figure appears.

"Korea is small after all," Jinwoo leaned on a wall, seeing her arrive at the appointed area. 

I clapped my hands, "Han Songyi, yes? I knew it." 

"Huh? Misters, what are you doing here? ...Are you the hunters my teacher wanted to introduce me to?"

"Are you friends with her?" Jinwoo pulled up a picture of him and his sister.

"Isn't that Jinah? Are you perhaps her brother? And..." She looked over at me, possibly trying to figure out my identity. "Oh! Are you his boyfriend?"

Jinwoo and I choked. I managed to say "Sorry?", but is that really the first impression we gave?

"It's okay, I don't judge." She shrugged.

"That's not the point?!"

We quickly changed the topic and mentioned some points that an E-rank couldn't possibly do, and that doing hunter work at her level is never a profitable business. The world is ruled by strength, and if she cannot keep up, she'll only be torn ruthlessly at their presence.

"That's enough. No matter what you say, I won't give it up. Isn't Mister also an E-rank?" She looked at Jinwoo, her eyes looking adamant as ever. I peeked over at him, wondering what he had in mind to do now.

"Don't worry," He began. "I wasn't planning on convincing you to quit."

"The what did you come here for...?"

Jinwoo smiled.

"To turn you into a great hunter."