Start at Solo Leveling: Instant Death Touch!

In a dark internet café, Yon-Woo sat with his hood over his face, and the light from several monitors bounced off of it. Slowly, he moved his fingers across the keyboard, looking through Hunter databases, guild ranks, and message boards.

 He chose to find Sung Jin-Woo.

 The name came up while he was quietly gathering information. It was mentioned briefly, hidden in reports about low-level Hunters. At first look, nothing stands out. A Hunter with the rank of E, one of the smallest. But there were some confusing parts. Some prison records where it didn't make sense for him to stay alive. Several eyewitness accounts say that he was standing after getting hurt so badly that he should have been on the ground.

 It wasn't like Yon-Woo to ignore trends.

 He went to the public database of the Korea Hunter Association and looked through the E-rank records. Jin-Woo's name and some general information showed up right away:

 Name: Sung Jin-Woo

Grade: E

Occupation: Not Affiliated

Active Status: Active

Death Rate: 27%

 Rate of survival? 

Yon-Woo's eyes got narrow. Most low-rank Hunters had barely been to a dungeon before they quit, let alone made it through as many as Jin-Woo did. That could only mean one of two things: Jin-Woo was incredibly lucky, or something strange was going on.

 Yon-Woo sat back and tapped his fingers on the desk. The time frame was important.

 Things would get tricky if Jin-Woo had already woken up his system. Yon-Woo had more time if he was still an E-rank. He looked for double dungeon incidents or sudden power spikes by comparing dungeon records. Nothing. For now, that meant Jin-Woo was still weak.

 He needed more. In the outside world, who was Jin-Woo?

 Moving on to secret forums, he looked into Hunters with low ranks' rumors. Even though it wasn't public, whispers can be more reliable than reports.

 "Sung?" That unhappy jerk? "How is he still alive?"

 I've heard that he only hunts because his mom is sick.

 "His sister goes to a very good school." I bet it costs a lot of money.

 "That guy is broke as hell." "Guilds don't even want him."

 Yon-Woo made a face. Family, debt, and being alone.

 Jin-Woo's situation made it clear that he was someone who was so desperate that he kept going into dungeons, no matter what rank he was. It was easy to find him because of that. Easily guessed.

 The fact that Yon-Woo's mother was sick caught his attention. Jin-Woo still needed money if the system hadn't woken up yet. That meant he was probably going to join another raid soon.

 Wonderful.

 Then Yon-Woo shook his head and closed the window. He had enough to work with.

 He only needed to get close now.

Yon-Woo leaned against the fence on top of a quiet building and looked down at the city below. In the distance, the brightly colored signs of Hunter agencies flashed, giving the night sky a fake glow. There were so many ideas going through his mind.

 How should he talk to Sung Jin-Woo?

 Going straight for them was risky. Jin-Woo was still weak and having a hard time. If Yon-Woo pushed himself in too hard, he would make people suspicious. But an easy, slow integration? That might work.

 First choice: helping him in a dungeon. It was the most clear thing to do—helping Jin-Woo out of a tough spot would make him feel grateful right away. But that caused problems. Jin-Woo might start to doubt things if he wakes up his system soon. It was important for Yon-Woo not to get caught in question.

 Choice 2: Meeting him somewhere other than the dungeons, like at school or in everyday life. A less direct method. He knew that Jin-Woo's sister went to a good school. If he could get in touch with her in some way, it might lead to random meetings. But that took extra steps.

 Third choice: a roundabout way to get involved through clubs. This had promise. Jin-Woo wasn't part of any group, but he needed money. Yon-Woo could present himself as a Hunter who was also having a hard time and had contacts but no real skills. If he was smart, he could make them think that they were in the same boat.

 Yon-Woo chose the first step, which was to set up a "coincidental" meeting in a dungeon, after thinking about his other choices.

The raid was a typical low-level dungeon. It was just dangerous enough to make E-rank Hunters sweat, but not so dangerous that high-level players would want to go there. Yon-Woo planned to be here and made sure that his name got added to the right list of applicants.

 Jin-Woo was already there. He looked tired but focused. His gear was used, and he stood in a rough but determined way. For Yon-Woo, that phrase meant that the person had no choice but to keep going.

 As the raid went on, Yon-Woo moved around a bit and positioned himself next to Jin-Woo. He let small moments build by standing next to him during short breaks, nodding when their eyes met, and talking about the monsters ahead in small ways. There was no force. There's nothing fishy.

 Then the time came.

 Too quickly for the others to respond, a lesser orc broke through the line. Jin-Woo turned around and raised his sword, but it was too late—

 Yon-Woo got up and moved.

 He pushed Jin-Woo out of the way just at the right time, and the orc's claw "accidentally" touched his open wrist.

 Death right away.

 The orc fell over. The others thought it looked like it had a heart attack in the middle of the charge. Yon-Woo pretended to be surprised. "Damn, that was close." Are you okay?"

 Jin-Woo looked at him with a mix of shock and thanks in his eyes. "Yeah... Thanks. "That thing almost killed me."

 Yon-Woo smiled and reached out to touch him. "No trouble." My name is Yon-Woo."

 He thought for a moment and then clasped his hand. "Sung Jin-Woo."

 The connection was made.

Yon-Woo sat alone that night and thought for a long time.

 He was the first one to speak. Jin-Woo now saw him as a friend or at least someone who could help him. What did you do next?

 Would it be worth it to show off a part of his power?

 If Jin-Woo was going to get strong, having him on your side would be very helpful. But trust went both ways. It could go wrong if Yon-Woo shared too much. Things could get bad if Jin-Woo ever suspected him.

 He chose to hold back for now. He would hide his power and carefully watch Jin-Woo.

 He would have to make up his mind when the time was right.