Panicking, Jinwoo tried to get a grasp of the situation; suddenly, he heard the sound of sand shifting .

    ssssssss

    The sand on the ground next to him was sinking into the ground .

    “Uh, uh oh!”

    Using all his strength, Jinwoo struggled to not be sucked into the whirlpool . As the sunken area became wider, Jinwoo barely escaped the sinkhole using his two hands .

    “Pant, pant, pant”

    As he sat panting, he looked down into the newly created depression on the ground . The sand at the lowest point of the hole was boiling strangely . Jinwoo shuddered as he realized a single misstep would’ve resulted in him falling down into that hole .

    “Wait…”

    His eyes narrowed .

    “It’s not boiling . ”

    Taking a closer look, he realized something big was wriggling beneath the sand at the bottom of the depression . Jinwoo stood up instinctively . Something did not feel right .

    Confirming his suspicions, a pillar of sand shot up from the hole as he was walking backwards .

    Shaaaah!

    Sounding like a waterfall, the sand fell all around him, revealing what had appeared from the hole . Jinwoo’s eyes widened .

    “A-a bug?”

    A giant centipede had risen out of the sand .

    Screeeech!

    The fully revealed form of the monster stood taller than a 5-story building .

    Jinwoo gulped .

    ‘This is impossible…’

    And like so, it was an impossibly large existence . He had never heard of a centipede of this size before . But it wasn’t just the size of the centipede that shocked Jinwoo .

    “Why… why is there a name floating above that thing’s head?”

    Was he dreaming?

    He closed his eyes and opened them again . Nothing had changed . The centipede’s name floated above its head in red letters . Like a video game monster .

    ‘Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede[1]’

    Alongside its uncanny and dangerous looking figure, it had a name that screamed at him to run . Especially the “poison-fanged” part . Two fangs the size of a child caught Jinwoo’s eye . It was very clear from its name what would happen if he was pierced by them .

    Jinwoo saw the centipede’s mouth open and close repeatedly without rest .

    “Looks like it’s hungry . ”

    At that time, a sound rang through his head .

    ring~

    Penalty Quest: Survive

    Goal: Survive for the required time .

    Required time: 4 Hours

    Remaining time: 4 Hours 0 Min 0 Sec

    ‘You’re kidding, right…?’

    But the second the remaining time decreased to 3 Hours 59 Min 59 Sec, the centipede started moving across the sand as if it was waiting .

    sliiiiiide

    “Wait, what?!”

    Jinwoo quickly turned and started running .

    Tripping, he fell and rolled on the ground and quickly shook the sand off his head . His eyes widened looking at the sight before him . There were more pillars of sand appearing in front of him .

    shaaaah

    shaaaaaaah

    Before he realized it, seven centipede heads had risen from the ground and were staring down at him .

    Screech!

    Screeeeech!

    Jinwoo’s face paled as he heard their terrifying shrieks .

    “Shit…”

    Exactly 4 hours later, he reappeared in the hospital room .

    collapse-

    Lying on the floor of his room, he coughed in agony .

    *cough* *cough* *spit* *spit*

    The inside of his mouth was dry . His eyes stung from the sand . Jinwoo sprawled out on the ground, moaning . He did not have the strength to even move a finger .

    “Hah… hah… what… was… that…?”

    A new message appeared before the panting Jinwoo .

    ring~

    You’ve completed the “Penalty Quest” .

    His brows furrowed .

    Penalty Quest?

    Did he do something to deserve punishment?

    Searching his memories, he remembered the [Daily Quest] that he half-heartedly gave up on .

    ‘It can’t be…’

    He recalled the part of the quest that talked about receiving a penalty if he did not complete it .

    “Hah… hah… you mean… that wasn’t . . . a hallucination . . . ?”

    Indeed .

    It was not a hallucination .

    Nor a dream .

    There was no need to check by pinching his cheeks . The pain of running until his breath ran out; the pain of being scratched by the centipede’s legs; he felt them all even right now .

    It was all real . He had almost met his death back there .

    “This… is… too… much… hah… hah…”

    To think that something like a penalty would throw him into the jaws of death . At the same time, a foreboding dread washed over him . If what just happened now was due to the daily quest, it meant that all of this was not over yet .

    As if on cue, the electronic sound rang .

    ring~

    Startled at first, he relaxed as he realized it was not another quest .

    The reward for completing the Penalty Quest has arrived .

    Would you like to verify? (Y/N)

    ‘Reward…?’

    The word “reward” briefly caught his attention . Unfortunately, Jinwoo lacked the strength to care about anything at the moment . It was a testament to how tough the Penalty Quest had been .

    ‘Reward or whatever… I just want to rest for now…’

    And with that, he fell into a deep slumber .

    “Oh no! Why is he on the ground?!”

    Next morning, his assigned nurse was greeted with a shocking scene when she entered the room . The patient was lying on the floor, and there was sand scattered about the ground . Even the patient’s clothes were filled with sand . The nurse threw the treatment chart onto the bed and pressed the call button .

    “Someone come help!”

    Soon, Dr . Joo Chiui arrived .

    “What’s the ma- why is Mr . Sung on the ground?!”

    “I’m not sure! He was fine until last night! I found him like this just now . . . ”

    “Let’s first get him on to the bed . One . Two!”

    The two put Jinwoo onto the bed . In the rough movement, the medical chart that was thrown on the bed made a small papercut on the back of Jinwoo’s hand, but no one noticed .

    “Now, let’s check him . ”

    Joo Chiui went over Jinwoo’s condition, but found no abnormalities .

    “What’s this? He’s just sleeping . ”

    He sighed in relief . The Hunter Association had requested special care for this patient . He had been nervous in fear that something had happened to him .

    “Let’s just let him rest . He seems to be in deep sleep . ”

    After he spoke, Joo Chiui began to leave when he noticed the sand in the room .

    “Er… Looks like we should clean-up this room a little . Ms . Yura, I’ll leave it to you . ”

    “Understood, doctor . ”

    As the doctor left the room, nurse Choi Yura also relaxed in relief . It was a good thing nothing bad had happened . After all, there were no doctors or nurses who wished ill upon their patients . The hospital she worked at was specially dedicated to the treatment of Hunters . Having seen the unfortunate end of many Hunters before, she did not want to see yet another Hunter be hurt under her care .

    “Phew-”

    Calmed down, she began to figure out how to clean the room when she noticed something on the ground . It was a drop of blood .

    “Oh my . ”

    The drop of blood had fallen from the patient’s hand that stretched out from the bed over the ground . Surprised, she looked for a wound on Jinwoo’s hand and held it in inspection . Turning over to the back of his hand,

    “ . . . This is…?”

    She saw traces of fresh blood, but no scar . Wiping away the blood, the hand was completely clean .

    ‘Did… did his cut heal in an instant?’

    With concern, Yura looked over to Jinwoo’s face .

    He appeared to be sleeping without a care in the world .

    -7 . Daily Quest-

    ring~

    [The Daily Quest has arrived . ]

    Jinwoo’s eyes shot open . Sitting straight up from the bed, the first thing Jinwoo did was to check the time; it was a little past 4:30 in the afternoon . There was roughly 7 hours and 30 minutes of breathing room until midnight .

    ‘Good . ’

    He opened the message box .

    ring~

    Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful

    Do 100 Push-ups:

    (Incomplete) (0/100)

    Do 100 Sit-ups:

    (Incomplete) (0/100)

    Do 100 Squats:

    (Incomplete) (0/100)

    Run 10 kilometers:

    (Incomplete) (0/10)

    *Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest .

    “Same thing?” He uttered reflexively . No, perhaps this was a good thing . Compared to a possibly difficult quest, this was much better . Even if it strained his body, it was at least something that could be completed with time .

    He went on the floor and began the push-ups .

    “One . ”

    He couldn’t afford to be dragged to some strange place and be forced to run from death again .

    “Two . ”

    He got lucky last night . He didn’t feel like he would get lucky again .

    “Three . ”

    He paused to look up at the quest creen; the numbers were rising accordingly with each push-up .

    ring~

    You’ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up .

    Do 100 Push-ups:

    (Incomplete) (7/100)

    ring~

    You’ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up .

    Do 100 Push-ups:

    (Incomplete) (8/100)

    As if testing the System, he performed a half-hearted push-up, going only part way down, but it did not register on the screen . He understood why his weak attempts last night did nothing .

    ‘Sigh… really?’

    Although exasperated, he did not let-up the strength in his arms . 50 push-ups remaining . After that would be sit-ups .

    Then squats . . .

    Then running… . . .

    3 hours later .

    Do 100 Push-ups:

    (Complete) (100/100)

    Do 100 Sit-ups:

    (Complete) (100/100)

    Do 100 Squats:

    (Complete) (100/100)

    Run 10 kilometers:

    (Incomplete) (9/10)

    “Pant, pant, pant, pant,”

    Having run a lap around the area outside, Jinwoo bowed over huffing . His heart felt like it was about to explode, but he knew he could not stop here .

    ‘If I think about the effort up until now…’

    He entered the hospital gates and completed the last stretch of his run .

    ring~

    Distance ran: 10km .

    You’ve succeeded in running 10km .

    It was finally over .

    “Pant… pant…”

    He fell to his knees . His lungs were on fire . His forehead and back were soaked .

    “Pant… pant…”

    Sweating profusely, he attempted to control his breathing when a familiar message arrived .

    ring~

    You’ve completed the ‘Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful’

    The reward for completing the quest has arrived .

    Would you like to verify? (Y/N)

    He almost wanted to forget about it like yesterday but changed his mind . He wanted to confirm just what this damn reward was .

    “Yes . ”

    ring~

    You’ve received the below rewards .

    Reward 1 . Status Recovery

    Reward 2 . Stat points +3

    Reward 3 . Random Box x 1

    Accept all?

    ‘Why is there so many?’

    Was his first thought after looking at the reward screen . But after thinking about it, he noticed some useful rewards and rewards he was curious about .

    Feeling like he was about to pass out any moment from now, the first reward caught his eyes . Having experienced the penalty involved in failure, he knew there was a good chance that its rewards were just as real .

    ‘It couldn’t hurt . Probably won’t throw me in the Penalty Zone after offering me a reward . ’

    “Accept . ”

    Translator’s Notes:

    [1]: “Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede”: The name translation is almost word for word literal .

    Sponsored Content

    I Alone Level-up: Chapter 10.

    .

    Panicking, Jinwoo tried to get a grasp of the situation; suddenly, he heard the sound of sand shifting . .

    .

    ssssssss.

    .

    The sand on the ground next to him was sinking into the ground . .

    .

    “Uh, uh oh!”.

    .

    Using all his strength, Jinwoo struggled to not be sucked into the whirlpool . As the sunken area became wider, Jinwoo barely escaped the sinkhole using his two hands . .

    .

    “Pant, pant, pant”.

    .

    As he sat panting, he looked down into the newly created depression on the ground . The sand at the lowest point of the hole was boiling strangely . Jinwoo shuddered as he realized a single misstep would’ve resulted in him falling down into that hole . .

    .

    “Wait…”.

    .

    His eyes narrowed . .

    .

    “It’s not boiling . ”.

    .

    Taking a closer look, he realized something big was wriggling beneath the sand at the bottom of the depression . Jinwoo stood up instinctively . Something did not feel right . .

    .

    Confirming his suspicions, a pillar of sand shot up from the hole as he was walking backwards . .

    .

    Shaaaah!.

    .

    Sounding like a waterfall, the sand fell all around him, revealing what had appeared from the hole . Jinwoo’s eyes widened . .

    .

    “A-a bug?”.

    .

    A giant centipede had risen out of the sand . .

    .

    Screeeech!.

    .

    The fully revealed form of the monster stood taller than a 5-story building . .

    .

    Jinwoo gulped . .

    .

    ‘This is impossible…’.

    .

    And like so, it was an impossibly large existence . He had never heard of a centipede of this size before . But it wasn’t just the size of the centipede that shocked Jinwoo . .

    .

    “Why… why is there a name floating above that thing’s head?”.

    .

    Was he dreaming?.

    .

    He closed his eyes and opened them again . Nothing had changed . The centipede’s name floated above its head in red letters . Like a video game monster . .

    .

    ‘Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede[1]’.

    .

    Alongside its uncanny and dangerous looking figure, it had a name that screamed at him to run . Especially the “poison-fanged” part . Two fangs the size of a child caught Jinwoo’s eye . It was very clear from its name what would happen if he was pierced by them . .

    .

    Jinwoo saw the centipede’s mouth open and close repeatedly without rest . .

    .

    “Looks like it’s hungry . ”.

    .

    At that time, a sound rang through his head . .

    .

    ring~.

    .

    Penalty Quest: Survive.

    Goal: Survive for the required time . .

    Required time: 4 Hours.

    Remaining time: 4 Hours 0 Min 0 Sec.

    .

    ‘You’re kidding, right…?’.

    .

    But the second the remaining time decreased to 3 Hours 59 Min 59 Sec, the centipede started moving across the sand as if it was waiting . .

    .

    sliiiiiide.

    .

    “Wait, what?!”.

    .

    Jinwoo quickly turned and started running . .

    .

    Tripping, he fell and rolled on the ground and quickly shook the sand off his head . His eyes widened looking at the sight before him . There were more pillars of sand appearing in front of him . .

    .

    shaaaah.

    .

    shaaaaaaah.

    .

    Before he realized it, seven centipede heads had risen from the ground and were staring down at him . .

    .

    Screech!.

    .

    Screeeeech!.

    .

    Jinwoo’s face paled as he heard their terrifying shrieks . .

    .

    “Shit…”.

    .

    .

    .

    Exactly 4 hours later, he reappeared in the hospital room . .

    .

    collapse-.

    .

    Lying on the floor of his room, he coughed in agony . .

    .

    *cough* *cough* *spit* *spit*.

    .

    The inside of his mouth was dry . His eyes stung from the sand . Jinwoo sprawled out on the ground, moaning . He did not have the strength to even move a finger . .

    .

    “Hah… hah… what… was… that…?”.

    .

    A new message appeared before the panting Jinwoo . .

    .

    ring~.

    .

    You’ve completed the “Penalty Quest” . .

    .

    His brows furrowed . .

    .

    Penalty Quest?.

    .

    Did he do something to deserve punishment?.

    .

    Searching his memories, he remembered the [Daily Quest] that he half-heartedly gave up on . .

    .

    ‘It can’t be…’.

    .

    He recalled the part of the quest that talked about receiving a penalty if he did not complete it . .

    .

    “Hah… hah… you mean… that wasn’t . a hallucination . ?”.

    .

    Indeed . .

    .

    It was not a hallucination . .

    .

    Nor a dream . .

    .

    There was no need to check by pinching his cheeks . The pain of running until his breath ran out; the pain of being scratched by the centipede’s legs; he felt them all even right now . .

    .

    It was all real . He had almost met his death back there . .

    .

    “This… is… too… much… hah… hah…”.

    .

    To think that something like a penalty would throw him into the jaws of death . At the same time, a foreboding dread washed over him . If what just happened now was due to the daily quest, it meant that all of this was not over yet . .

    .

    As if on cue, the electronic sound rang . .

    .

    ring~.

    .

    Startled at first, he relaxed as he realized it was not another quest . .

    . .

    The reward for completing the Penalty Quest has arrived . .

    Would you like to verify? (Y/N).

    .

    ‘Reward…?’.

    .

    The word “reward” briefly caught his attention . Unfortunately, Jinwoo lacked the strength to care about anything at the moment . It was a testament to how tough the Penalty Quest had been . .

    .

    ‘Reward or whatever… I just want to rest for now…’.

    .

    And with that, he fell into a deep slumber . .

    .

    .

    .

    “Oh no! Why is he on the ground?!”.

    .

    Next morning, his assigned nurse was greeted with a shocking scene when she entered the room . The patient was lying on the floor, and there was sand scattered about the ground . Even the patient’s clothes were filled with sand . The nurse threw the treatment chart onto the bed and pressed the call button . .

    .

    “Someone come help!”.

    .

    Soon, Dr . Joo Chiui arrived . .

    .

    “What’s the ma- why is Mr . Sung on the ground?!”.

    .

    “I’m not sure! He was fine until last night! I found him like this just now . ”.

    .

    “Let’s first get him on to the bed . One . Two!”.

    .

    The two put Jinwoo onto the bed . In the rough movement, the medical chart that was thrown on the bed made a small papercut on the back of Jinwoo’s hand, but no one noticed . .

    .

    “Now, let’s check him . ”.

    .

    Joo Chiui went over Jinwoo’s condition, but found no abnormalities . .

    .

    “What’s this? He’s just sleeping . ”.

    .

    He sighed in relief . The Hunter Association had requested special care for this patient . He had been nervous in fear that something had happened to him . .

    .

    “Let’s just let him rest . He seems to be in deep sleep . ”.

    .

    After he spoke, Joo Chiui began to leave when he noticed the sand in the room . .

    .

    “Er… Looks like we should clean-up this room a little . Ms . Yura, I’ll leave it to you . ”.

    .

    “Understood, doctor . ”.

    .

    As the doctor left the room, nurse Choi Yura also relaxed in relief . It was a good thing nothing bad had happened . After all, there were no doctors or nurses who wished ill upon their patients . The hospital she worked at was specially dedicated to the treatment of Hunters . Having seen the unfortunate end of many Hunters before, she did not want to see yet another Hunter be hurt under her care . .

    .

    “Phew-”.

    .

    Calmed down, she began to figure out how to clean the room when she noticed something on the ground . It was a drop of blood . .

    .

    “Oh my . ”.

    .

    The drop of blood had fallen from the patient’s hand that stretched out from the bed over the ground . Surprised, she looked for a wound on Jinwoo’s hand and held it in inspection . Turning over to the back of his hand,.

    .

    “ . This is…?”.

    .

    She saw traces of fresh blood, but no scar . Wiping away the blood, the hand was completely clean . .

    .

    ‘Did… did his cut heal in an instant?’.

    .

    With concern, Yura looked over to Jinwoo’s face . .

    .

    He appeared to be sleeping without a care in the world . .

    .

    -7 . Daily Quest-.

    .

    ring~.

    .

    [The Daily Quest has arrived . ].

    .

    Jinwoo’s eyes shot open . Sitting straight up from the bed, the first thing Jinwoo did was to check the time; it was a little past 4:30 in the afternoon . There was roughly 7 hours and 30 minutes of breathing room until midnight . .

    .

    ‘Good . ’.

    .

    He opened the message box . .

    .

    ring~.

    .

    Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful.

    Do 100 Push-ups:.

    (Incomplete) (0/100).

    Do 100 Sit-ups:.

    (Incomplete) (0/100). .

    Do 100 Squats:.

    (Incomplete) (0/100).

    Run 10 kilometers:.

    (Incomplete) (0/10).

    *Warning: Failing to complete the Daily Quest will result in a Penalty Quest . .

    .

    “Same thing?” He uttered reflexively . No, perhaps this was a good thing . Compared to a possibly difficult quest, this was much better . Even if it strained his body, it was at least something that could be completed with time . .

    .

    He went on the floor and began the push-ups . .

    .

    “One . ”.

    .

    He couldn’t afford to be dragged to some strange place and be forced to run from death again . .

    .

    “Two . ”.

    .

    He got lucky last night . He didn’t feel like he would get lucky again . .

    .

    “Three . ”.

    .

    He paused to look up at the quest creen; the numbers were rising accordingly with each push-up . .

    .

    ring~.

    .

    You’ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . .

    Do 100 Push-ups:.

    (Incomplete) (7/100).

    .

    ring~.

    .

    You’ve succeeded in doing 1 push-up . .

    Do 100 Push-ups:.

    (Incomplete) (8/100).

    .

    As if testing the System, he performed a half-hearted push-up, going only part way down, but it did not register on the screen . He understood why his weak attempts last night did nothing . .

    .

    ‘Sigh… really?’.

    .

    Although exasperated, he did not let-up the strength in his arms . 50 push-ups remaining . After that would be sit-ups . .

    .

    Then squats . .

    .

    Then running… . .

    . .

    .

    .

    3 hours later . .

    .

    Do 100 Push-ups:.

    (Complete) (100/100).

    Do 100 Sit-ups:.

    (Complete) (100/100). .

    Do 100 Squats:.

    (Complete) (100/100).

    Run 10 kilometers:.

    (Incomplete) (9/10).

    .

    “Pant, pant, pant, pant,”.

    .

    Having run a lap around the area outside, Jinwoo bowed over huffing . His heart felt like it was about to explode, but he knew he could not stop here . .

    .

    ‘If I think about the effort up until now…’.

    .

    He entered the hospital gates and completed the last stretch of his run . .

    .

    ring~.

    .

    Distance ran: 10km . .

    You’ve succeeded in running 10km . .

    .

    It was finally over . .

    .

    “Pant… pant…”.

    .

    He fell to his knees . His lungs were on fire . His forehead and back were soaked . .

    .

    “Pant… pant…”.

    .

    Sweating profusely, he attempted to control his breathing when a familiar message arrived . .

    .

    ring~.

    .

    You’ve completed the ‘Daily Quest: The Preparation To Become Powerful’.

    The reward for completing the quest has arrived . .

    Would you like to verify? (Y/N).

    .

    He almost wanted to forget about it like yesterday but changed his mind . He wanted to confirm just what this damn reward was . .

    .

    “Yes . ”.

    .

    ring~.

    .

    You’ve received the below rewards . .

    Reward 1 . Status Recovery.

    Reward 2 . Stat points +3.

    Reward 3 . Random Box x 1.

    Accept all?.

    .

    ‘Why is there so many?’.

    .

    Was his first thought after looking at the reward screen . But after thinking about it, he noticed some useful rewards and rewards he was curious about . .

    .

    Feeling like he was about to pass out any moment from now, the first reward caught his eyes . Having experienced the penalty involved in failure, he knew there was a good chance that its rewards were just as real . .

    .

    ‘It couldn’t hurt . Probably won’t throw me in the Penalty Zone after offering me a reward . ’.

    .

    “Accept . ”.

    .

    Translator’s Notes:.

    [1]: “Poison-fanged Giant Sand Centipede”: The name translation is almost word for word literal . .