Solo Leveling (Only I Level Up): The Red Player

Xavier lay on his back, gasping for air, his chest rising and falling in heavy, uneven breaths. His entire body ached, a lingering reminder of the battle he had just barely survived. His vision blurred momentarily before he blinked it away, allowing himself a second to absorb what had just happened.

He had leveled up twice from defeating the Ravenous Ghoul, and thankfully, that meant his wounds had healed enough for him to keep moving. But despite that, exhaustion clung to him like a weight pressing down on his limbs. With a groan, he rolled onto his side, then slowly sat up, taking in the sight of the broken and battered ghoul's corpse.

"Damn," he muttered, rubbing his face. "That thing really didn't wanna die, huh?"

He chuckled weakly, shaking his head. He couldn't even blame the creature. If someone had caved his skull in, he'd probably be pretty pissed off too.

However, his brief moment of victory was short-lived as the system window flickered into view before him. His eyes scanned the text, and his stomach sank.

[ Personal Dungeon Objectives: ]

[Find a 'Return Stone']

[Defeat the Boss]

Xavier shuddered inwardly. He had barely made it out of his fight with the Ravenous Ghoul alive, and now he had to fight something even stronger? What could possibly be worse than that thing?

He exhaled deeply, leaning back on his hands, staring at the eerie, fog-covered sky of the personal dungeon. As much as he hated to admit it, fighting the boss now would be suicide. He needed to level up more before even considering that option. If he hunted weaker monsters, he might even find a Return Stone along the way.

Dragging himself to his feet, Xavier dusted off his tattered clothing and glanced one last time at the ghoul's corpse. A grimace twisted his face. Just what kind of monsters were lurking in this dungeon? And more importantly, what kind of abomination was waiting for him as the boss?

With a sigh, he shook off his thoughts and began walking in a new direction, determined to prepare himself for whatever was coming next.

——

Outside the dungeon, in the real world, Xavier's landlord moved through the dimly lit alley beside the apartment complex, hauling bags of trash toward the large dumpster. As he tossed them in with a grunt, his gaze flickered toward Xavier's apartment window, noticing that the lights were still off. He frowned.

"That kid's out late again," he muttered to himself.

Despite being known for his tough attitude with his tenants, the landlord found himself particularly hard on Xavier. He still remembered the first time the kid had moved in—barely scraping by with enough money to afford rent, let alone food. Back then, he had assumed that Xavier, being a Hunter, would eventually start bringing in more money.

But when he found out Xavier was only an E-Rank Hunter, his expectations shifted. Even so, over time, he had watched the kid return from his jobs, over and over again, his clothes torn, his body exhausted, yet his determination never faltering.

There was something endearing about it, something that made the landlord, against his better judgment, go easy on him. When Xavier was late on rent, he gave him extra time to scrape together the money. He never admitted it aloud, but he had grown fond of the kid.

"Just don't get yourself killed out there, kid," he muttered under his breath, turning back toward the complex.

Xavier had a rough road ahead, but the landlord could only hope that somehow, someway, he'd make it through.