Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Time moved faster than Louis expected.
As soon as Duke Smith confirmed the island Louis would rule, Louis set sail, trying to reach it before the one-week limit for clearing the next main stage of the Tower of Multiple Worlds.
But the sea had other plans…
Dark clouds, crashing waves, and screaming winds all worked together to slow him down.
The island he chose was farther than he thought, and the weather was worse than any he had faced before.
He had to challenge the stage… while still stuck on the ship.
As he headed toward the tower's central zone, Louis remembered what Boros had told him about fighting Duke Smith.
It wasn't a real battle—just a short exchange to test the duke's strength.
But according to Boros, the duke was on the defensive from the very beginning.
He kept stepping back, using strange skills to weaken Boros' attacks, as if he was analyzing every strike and absorbing its impact without suffering real damage.
If Louis had not told Boros to avoid going too far, Boros would have continued the fight longer.
Louis smiled slightly as he recalled the description.
This alone was enough to show how strong someone at stage 70 of the Tower must be…
Duke Smith clearly held back many of his trump cards, almost as if he understood the purpose behind the attack.
As for Tatsumaki… she was in a difficult situation.
The duke's mages pressured her nonstop, and with her frustration growing, she ignored Louis' instructions and used her full power to cause massive destruction in the city before retreating.
But doing that drained her completely.
Because of this… Louis gave her a special punishment that night.
Louis sighed as he thought:
"Boros' power can probably match someone at stage 70. But that's not enough. Duke Smith definitely has many hidden trump cards, and he stayed defensive the whole time as if he knew our intention."
"Other than the duke, I didn't sense any great force in the region. That's strange, considering how unstable the sea is."
"Is he hiding his forces as some kind of secret weapon? Someone as cautious as him will surely take action later to find out who attacked him. But he will never imagine that the person he dismissed earlier is the one responsible."
Louis smiled, thinking that his predecessor's reputation as a useless failure gave him the perfect cover to move freely.
While lost in thought, Louis finally reached the central zone of the tower.
At that moment, the familiar system voice echoed in his mind:
[ Player L.K, do you need any assistance? ]
Louis answered without hesitation:
"I want to challenge the next main stage."
[ Please place your hand on the interface… ]
A glowing panel appeared. Louis placed his hand on it.
A roulette wheel began spinning—fast at first, then slower—until it stopped.
[ The world "Solo Leveling" has been chosen as your second stage ]
[ Good luck ]
Silence followed… and then a calm smile appeared on his face.
After being transported to the familiar waiting area, the first thing Louis saw was a guide book for the world "Solo Leveling"—the next stage in the Tower of Multiple Worlds.
He looked around, and this time he was not alone.
A group of players had already formed. They seemed to be discussing a strategy based on what they knew about this world.
They glanced at Louis, whispering among themselves about whether they should invite him or not—
Then they ignored him completely.
Even if they offered, Louis had no intention of joining them, so he didn't care.
Seeing that he still had a few minutes left, he opened the system's guide and compared it with what he already knew.
[ World: Solo Leveling
This world is more technologically advanced than your real world.
But a few years ago, mysterious Gates appeared, connecting this world to realms full of monsters. When the Gates appeared, a new power also awakened in some humans—people called Hunters.
These Hunters have special physical or magical abilities. Their powers range from great physical strength, magic control, super speed, all the way to destructive abilities beyond logic.
Both Gates and Hunters are ranked from lowest to highest:
E – D – C – B – A – S
This world is in a constant struggle between rising threats and the growth of human power.
It mixes intense battles with cosmic secrets about the true nature of the Gates, the source of power, and the conflict between higher beings who control the world from behind the scenes.]
[ You may choose one skill and one item to use, but each comes with usage limits.
The stronger the item, the stronger the limits. ]
[ All players start equally. The system seals everyone's powers and places them at the same starting point. ]
[ Main Missions:
Mission 1: Become a Hunter.
You have one year to gather as many Achievement Points as possible to awaken as a real Hunter in this world.
After awakening, you will receive an extra chance to choose one skill or item without limits.
Mission 2: Defeat or control this world's savior.
Mission 3: ??? ??? ]