Solo Leveling.
Yes, this was the world where Min-jun had been reincarnated. At first, waking up as a kid in South Korea had been a massive shock, but he was used to it by now.
To the readers of fantasy novels, living in a world filled with magic, dungeons, and superpowered Hunters sounded like an absolute dream. But in reality? Living in this world was incredibly tough.
He knew it was a bit depressing to think like this, especially when he lived in a reality where humanity's wildest fantasies had come true. But honestly, he barely had time to daydream about fighting dragons. He spent all his time studying and hustling. Because if he didn't work his life away, he would starve. The constant terror of bills, taxes, and securing a decent future was a lot scarier than a goblin.
And no, he wasn't an Awakened Hunter.
If he had superpowers, he obviously wouldn't be stressing over college entrance exams. He would be out exploring dungeons and making millions like every teenage boy dreamed of. But sadly, even though he had reincarnated into a magical RPG-like world, he was just a completely normal human.
He didn't have any special abilities. He didn't magically wake up with a game system, a cheat code, or a legendary sword. In a hyper-competitive country like South Korea—where kids are expected to grind from the moment they are born—he knew his only path to independence was studying until his brain melted.
Fortunately, all that brutal hard work paid off. He was accepted into the psychology department at the most prestigious school in the country: Seoul National University (SNU).
Did he actually like psychology?
Honestly, no. He didn't particularly care what his major was, as long as it had the SNU name attached to it. A degree from that school meant his life would be stable. Based on his research, the psychology department was slightly easier to get into compared to ultra-competitive fields like medicine, business, or engineering. It wasn't the absolute highest-paying field, but it was safe.
Besides, even as a normal human, a psychology degree had massive value in a world full of monsters.
Hunters might look like invincible superheroes on TV, but deep down, they suffered from intense PTSD, stress, and severe trauma from constantly facing death in the dungeons. Who was going to provide therapy for the most dangerous people on the planet? A specialized psychologist.
Even if he didn't want to deal with traumatized Hunters, he could easily slide into a corporate job doing market research or human resources. His game plan was simple: graduate, make as much money as possible, and eventually retire somewhere cheap and quiet.
However, his path wasn't easy. Like a walking cliché from a manga, he was an orphan. His parents had passed away when he was young, and he was raised by his grandmother, who passed away right after he graduated high school. It was incredibly lonely, but life didn't pause for grief. He threw all his focus into his work to keep himself moving forward.
But wait, he was a full-time university student. What kind of work was he doing? Flipping burgers? Working at a convenience store?
No. Part-time jobs paid terrible wages and ate up too much valuable study time. If his grades dropped, his entire life plan would collapse.
So, he chose a much more efficient path: he became an influencer.
He wasn't doing silly dances, playing video games, or eating massive amounts of food on camera. He ran a minimalist "Study With Me" livestream.
It might sound boring, but the reality of his financial situation demanded it. SNU tuition was expensive—around 5 million KRW (roughly $3,700 USD) a year. Fortunately, his top-tier grades earned him a full-ride government scholarship, meaning his classes were totally free.
But there was still the terrifying issue of "living expenses."
This is where normal students drown in debt. Even if school is free, you still need food, water, electricity, and a roof over your head. Seoul was already ridiculously expensive, but the constant threat of dungeon breaks causing supply chain issues made food and electricity prices spike constantly.
"Thank god for Grandma..." Min-jun muttered to himself.
Using his parents' insurance money, his grandmother had smartly purchased a modest apartment for them years ago. It wasn't a luxury penthouse, but in a city where an average house cost nearly a million dollars, owning a place outright was a miracle. He only had to worry about property taxes, groceries, and utility bills, which cost him about 500,000 KRW a month.
If he hadn't had that apartment, he calculated he would have been at least $9,000 in debt by graduation just from trying to survive.
"Let's just survive today and live well tomorrow," Min-jun sighed softly.
And right at that exact moment of quiet reflection, his brain violently throbbed.
Suddenly, a flood of memories from alternate universes crashed into his mind. He gained a telepathic connection to the other versions of himself. He downloaded martial arts, ninja physics, and corporate strategies. And finally, a hyper-intelligent AI called the "Manager" successfully booted up inside his consciousness.
He had finally received his cheat power. His life was about to change forever.
So, after unlocking this god-like multiversal ability, what did Min-jun do? Did he rush out to fight monsters? Did he laugh like a maniac?
"...."
No. He didn't do anything weird. He just adjusted his glasses, picked his pen back up, and kept his "24-Hour Exam Cram Study With Me" livestream going.
After all, he still had four hours left on the timer, and he wasn't about to lose his viewers just because he became a superhuman.