....
Regal's plane touched down just after dawn.
He had just returned from Malaysia that morning, the sea air still clinging faintly to his nose.
Now, the wheels of motion had begun again.
According to Keanu's doctors, his leg was healing faster than expected. Barring complications, he would be walking, really walking, within three weeks. It was the kind of recovery that gave Regal quiet hope.
However, until then there were other things that required his focus.
Things related to Everleaf Press new ventures under him.
In exactly a week their official entry into the comic world will begin.
Volu One of [Solo Leveling] the comic version - will be hitting bookstore shelves across the country.
The launch was planned quietly, deliberately making sure there isn't overhype.
They had chosen the book-format model over monthly singles.
Western comics typically drip-fed stories in thin, 22-to-30 page issues.
But Regal had insisted on the second path, 120 to 180-page graphic volus, full arcs bound in spine and substance.
If he wanted to get noticed in this era and withstand the competition he needed to offer sothing others can't for the readers.
And that would be the imrsion, not crumbs.
If Regal were to explain more clearly: Volu 1 covered Chapters 1 to 6 of the original Manhwa.
It included the dungeon intro, the brutal Red Gate incident, Jin-Woo's near-death, and the first eerie signs of his awakening.
A tightly wound narrative arc. It ended where it should - on the edge of transformation, where the reader couldn't help but turn the page, only to find none left.
It was, in Regal's own words, 'the perfect cliff'.
Not for endings - but beginnings.
And he had another beginning in mind.
Animation.
Obviously - Not a full series.
Just a spark, which is more like a slide of a few panels making it look like animation, which should be unnoticeable in this era.
And the project? [Solo Leveling].
It made perfect sense to him. The story was sharp, accessible, and emotionally clear. It would resonate - not just with fans, but with younger audiences too.
So, he had found an opportunity. A way to test the waters without diving headfirst.
The plan was simple: take the already-drawn and colored comic panels, add minimal motion between them, a few in-between fras, and stitch it all together with real sound design and original music.
It wouldn't be full animation. But it would feel alive.
A stylized motion comic trailer.
Enough to turn heads. Enough to start sothing bigger.
The production plan was already mapped out before too.
But now a new voice has been added.
Nanami.
He wasn't part of the original team - but after Malaysia, that changed.
The voice, the presence, the calm weight behind each word... Regal knew he had found sothing.
There was just one complication: English wasn't Nanami's first language.
Not that it mattered.
At least, not to Regal.
Actually Nanami wasn't able to make a decision on his career yet... He was still unsure, hesitant.
So Regal offered a compromise.
"Co to New York with ." He told him. "Stay for a week, let's do a few test sessions. If it feels wrong you can walk away any ti. No hard feelings."
Nanami considered it, and eventually nodded. The offer was generous, too generous, maybe, but he could tell Regal was being genuine.
There was one condition, though.
Before the trip, Regal handed him a folded slip of paper.
"Just two lines." He said. "In English. Practice them. That's it."
Nanami unfolded the paper.
The sentences were short, and written in Japanese, which only makes sense in English. Still he was also provided with a translation, and despite being simple, he felt there was weight behind them. Cold. asured. Each word had to carry unease ....the kind that hangs in the air long after it's spoken.
Especially the second line. It felt like a final breath before sothing irreversible.
Nanami closed the paper and slipped it into his coat pocket.
"...I will try." He murmured in Japanese.
....
New York, JFK Airport - Arrival
"Who did you pick up this ti, boyfriend?" Gwendolyn's voice cut through the crowd, teasing as always.
Regal gave her a quick, tight hug. She was talking about Nanami, obviously.
Samantha stood beside her.
Trailing behind were the others: Keanu, still limping slightly but grinning.
Andrew, slinging his duffel bag over one shoulder.
Zach Galifianakis, Paul Rudd, Ben Azelart - and finally, Rock, sunglasses on even indoors and carrying a gym bag like it was made of feathers.
Andrew caught Keanu scanning the crowd, eyes darting left and right.
"You looking for soone?" He asked, amused.
Keanu didn't answer, but the way his head kept swiveling said enough.
"Ohhh." Gwendolyn teased. "Brother-in-law... Sorry, my sister-in-law is not coming."
Keanu flinched slightly, caught off guard. "I— I wasn't looking for her."
Gwendolyn smirked. "Relax. She is waiting outside."
She bumped him lightly with her elbow.
"Don't ss with him too much." Regal said, slinging an arm around Keanu's shoulder. "He still needs to heal up before I throw him in front of the cara."
The gang burst into laughter.
Nanami, walking a few steps behind, didn't understand a word.
But he didn't need to.
The laughter, the teasing, the warmth - it was unmistakable.
And without aning to, a quiet smile crept onto his face. The kind that ca not from humor, but from a strange and sudden sense of belonging.
....
Regal, Gwendolyn, Rock, and Nanami broke off from the group, heading toward a matte-black SUV parked just outside.
The rest of the crew had a different destination - lunch and hotel check-ins.
This ride, though, was headed straight to the dubbing studio after a quick freshen-up.
Samantha waved them off - she would join later after offloading the others.
Nanami took the front seat beside the driver, looking stiff but composed.
Rock was behind the wheel, eyes hidden behind dark shades.
Regal lounged in the back with Gwen tucked comfortably against his shoulder, scrolling through sothing on her phone.
About ten minutes in, Regal leaned forward and switched to Japanese.
"Don't mind the gorilla driving." He said, keeping his tone light. "He looks like a hitman from a B-movie, but inside? He's a complete softy. All biceps, no brain cells."
Nanami chuckled nervously.
And then ca the deadpan reply, from the front seat, in absolutely flawless Japanese:
"ボス,聞こえてるぞ.俺,ちゃんと脳みそある.試してみる?" (Boss, I can hear you. I got a brain. Want to prove it?)
Regal's face froze mid-smirk.
Gwendolyn blinked, then cracked up laughing, even though she didn't understand a word. "Wait, was that Japanese? Rock?! You speak Japanese?!"
Rock just gave her a respectful nod. "Yes, Madam."
And that was it. Ga over.
Regal leaned back in his seat, arms folded, lips pursed in mock defeat. "Why didn't you tell you speak Japanese, Rocky?"
"You never asked." Rock replied, as if that cleared the matter completely.
Gwendolyn was now in full giggle mode.
Regal sighed.
Now, most people in his situation would probably be alard. Big, stone-faced bodyguard turns out to be a multilingual mystery man with combat stats that looked like sothing out of a Call of Duty cheat nu?
Yeah. Red flags everywhere.
But Regal wasn't like most people.
He had already seen the system panel, and the system didn't lie.
"Okay... but seriously, why do you even know it?" Regal asked.
"I had to live in Japan for a while." Rock said, keeping his gaze locked on the road.
Regal opened his mouth to press further... But then closed it again.
There were still a lot of things he didn't know about Rock.
A lot.
But he wasn't worried.
He trusted him.
Or, more accurately - he trusted what he saw on the system panel.
•----•
[Na:] Rock
[Skills:]
» Gun Handling (Rank - S)
» Hand-to-Hand Combat (Rank - A)
» Tactical Awareness (Rank - B)
[Traits:] Composed, Guileless, Straightforward, Devoted
[Unique Skill:] Adrenaline Cage
–When health drops below 50%, Rock enters a controlled berserker state for 3 minutes. Strength, reflexes, and perception spike. Pain is suppressed. Decision-making is instinctive.
•----•
....
Sotis, Regal wondered how the hell Rock ended up working for him.
Then he would rember that cold night in New York, a winters back - Gwen in the passenger seat, Regal behind the wheel, cruising down a near-empty street - and bam, Rock stumbled out in front of their moving car like a drunk moose on a dare.
Regal braked just in ti. No impact.
Gwendolyn opened her door before the car even stopped fully.
"We are helping him." She said.
Regal didn't argue. He sighed, helped drag the guy to a bench, gave him water, and shoved so cash into his pocket.
And that should have been the end of it.
Then... the stacking incident happened.
At least this ti Regal thought it was an end for real...
But apparently not.
A few days later, Regal opened the door to find that sa giant from the street - cleaned up, duffel bag in hand, posture military-straight - and he delivered a line Regal would never forget:
"I owe her. But a man shouldn't follow a lady."
Regal blinked. "Okay...?"
"So I will protect you instead. Since you seem important to the lady."
And that was it. Rock just stayed. Like an emotionally confused Labrador who thought bodyguarding was the human equivalent of chasing tennis balls.
Regal hadn't known whether to laugh or start locking his doors. The man was sincere. Too sincere.
To this day, Regal wasn't sure if Rock even rembered that Gwen had barely done anything that night. Regal had been the one doing all the heavy lifting - literally and figuratively. Gwen had just... gestured. But apparently, that was enough to qualify as a heroic deed in Rock's oddly rigid personal code.
Regal had never felt both so protected and so second hand in his own story.
"I swear to god." He had muttered at the ti. "This man is built like a tank and thinks like a toaster."
Still, he hadn't turned Rock away.
Why would he?
Anyone that loyal, that reliable, and that dumb in exactly the right way... was a rare asset. Plus, the system's verdict had been clear. 'Loyal' was basically glowing.
....
Regal leaned back in his seat, eyes on the back of Rock's head.
Yeah. He didn't know who exactly Rock used to be.
But whatever he was now... He was on Regal's side.
And that was enough.
.
....
[To be continued...]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
Author Note:
Visit Patreon to instantly access 1 Chapter for free, available to Free mbers as well.
For additional content, please do support and gain access to 10 more Chapters.
–> /OrgoWriters
User Comments
0 comments from readers