Leveling Up Alone

‘There’s no one,’ Han-Yeol thought, relieved.

Of course, it was an odd hour, so there was nobody else coming to visit the ICU aside from Han-Yeol and the nurses. Most of the patients had just taken their lunch, so they were probably asleep as well. Han-Yeol looked back at his father after checking to ensure there were no witnesses.

He had no problem with anyone seeing that he was an Awakened, but he was still worried that someone might annoy his father because of the fact that he had become an Awakened.

‘Mana Eyes.’ Han-Yeol infused mana into his eyes and used the skill that allowed him to see the mana within the target. He checked his father’s body with Mana Eyes and saw a faint blue light within him.

‘I can see it!’ He rejoiced.

Han-Yeol’s father was not an Awakened, so he only had a minuscule amount of mana flowing in him. However, Han-Yeol also saw that there was a lump of black mana clinging to his father’s heart.

‘That’s the thing causing all of this!’ Han-Yeol thought, gritting his teeth in anger.

He was enraged at the black lump, having realized that it would have killed his father by now; the only reason his father was still alive was that Han-Yeol had awakened and infused mana into him. It was a lump of evil that had not only stolen away his father’s life, but would also have taken away his father, someone who meant everything to Han-Yeol.

Han-Yeol’s anger slowly turned into rage, and he started to emit killing intent toward the black lump.

[Increased anger will only make it more difficult for you to control your mana.]

[Your unstable mana may affect the ordinary people in this place and could lead to their deaths.]

[This place has a lot of weakened people who are vulnerable to mana.]

[Han-Yeol-nim’s future will be in ruins if you cause an incident here.]

Karvis’ tone was completely different from her usual monotone. She was speaking in a soft, gentle voice while trying to convince him to let go of his anger, and her advice soothed Han-Yeol’s raging emotions.

‘Hooo… Thank you, Karvis.’ Han-Yeol expressed his gratitude toward his Ego System.

[Please do not mention it.]

[I was just doing my job to support Han-Yeol-nim.]

‘It’s reassuring to have you by my side,’ Han-Yeol said inwardly.

He then calmed down and observed the black lump of mana. He steeled his resolve, thinking, ‘Father, I promise that I will cure you of this fucking thing. I will cure you myself.’

Han-Yeol had been denied any insurance claims because the doctors could not come up with a proper diagnosis for the illness. However, he could now clearly see the black lump of mana that was slowly sucking his father’s life force away through his Mana Eyes. The black lump of mana greatly resembled a parasite that was eating away at its host.

‘No wonder the doctors couldn’t figure out anything about this,’ Han-Yeol thought, clicking his tongue.

The doctors had been unable to find out the cause of the illness despite using almost every single device available to modern medicine. That was because they had never thought of using a mana detection device; such devices had never been considered medical instruments in the first place.

‘Well, it’s not as if they would have been able to treat it just because they saw it.’ Han-Yeol sighed. Of course, even he had no idea what the cure for the parasite-like thing was. His ‘Heal’ skill had been able to preserve his father’s life, but it had not been able to get rid of the black lump of mana.

‘Karvis, is it possible to cure my father and get rid of that thing?’ Han-Yeol asked his Ego System.

[I cannot tell for sure, but it should be possible to cure him.]

[The limit of the ability Han-Yeol-nim has been bestowed is almost infinite and cannot be measured.]

[You might be able to get rid of that black lump of mana if you grow stronger.]

‘Yeah… That’s right. I definitely should grow stronger.’ Han-Yeol steeled his resolve once again.

Grip…!

Han-Yeol balled his hands into fists and clenched them extremely hard.

“Mr. Lee Han-Yeol, visiting hours have ended,” the nurse informed him.

“Ah, I will take my leave now then,” Han-Yeol responded to the nurse with a smile. He stroked his father’s hand a few times before leaving the ICU.

Shiiiiik…

Han-Yeol stood alongside several nurses in a disinfection room, which was located in the corridor in and out of the ICU. The ICU contained a lot of critical patients, so the disinfection room was something all visitors and staff members had to pass through on the way.

Han-Yeol was going through the disinfection process when one of the nurses suddenly spoke to him. She remarked, “Han-Yeol, you seem to be visiting quite often these days.”

She was a nurse who seemed to be around Han-Yeol’s age, and at one point he had even been interested in her. Normally, she did not even pay any attention to him, but this time, she suddenly spoke to him first. Of course, he had no idea what her name was.

“Huh? Ah, yes. I am a bit freer these days,” Han-Yeol replied awkwardly.

He was close to the older nurses, but this was the first time that a younger nurse, who was around his age, had spoken to him about personal matters. Han-Yeol was taken aback by the sudden conversation, but he pretended to maintain his composure and replied as calmly as he could.

“Hehe, did something good happen?” the nurse asked.

“Not at all. I am really busy just trying to make ends meet,” Han-Yeol replied.

“Oh, is that so?” the nurse replied, putting on a cute expression.

‘What the hell is this woman planning…?’ Han-Yeol thought, perplexed.

He might have been busy trying to make ends meet, but he was not detached from the world. He knew everything there was to know about current affairs, as the internet was the only pastime he had. He had also found out everything there was to know about S-Hospital, the place where his father had been admitted, through the internet.

The fees charged by S-Hospital were on the expensive side, but the facilities and staff were the best one could find in the country. Even the nurses received a hefty salary that was easily double what they would earn in other hospitals, and they were well known for being proud and haughty.

That was why the younger nurses had never even given Han-Yeol a second glance; he had always come to the hospital sweaty and smelly because he had to rush over from work. In fact, they had even been worried that Han-Yeol would show interest in trying to strike up a conversation with them. In the event that they had to speak to him because of work, they would usually speak to him in a very stiff, official way and leave as soon as they said everything they had to say. In other words, they usually tried to wrap up conversations with him as soon as possible, not wanting him to bother them.

‘Is she interested in me? Nah, no way.’ Han-Yeol snapped out of it before any delusional thoughts took over.

He had started to wash up before coming to visit, but he was still poorly dressed. However, this young nurse had talked to him first. Most young men would get the wrong idea that she was interested in them. Of course, in most cases, those men were simply delusional.

‘She is pretty, though…’ Han-Yeol thought as he stole a glance at her.

Interestingly, there had been some rumors flying around that S-Hospital picked their nurses based on both looks and qualifications. That was said to be the reason why all of their nurses were so beautiful.

‘But what the hell is she planning?’ Han-Yeol thought skeptically. He had never received the interest of women after his family became poor when he was in his 20s. As such, his first reaction was to be suspicious of the nurse’s motives. He finished disinfecting before turning and giving a slight bow to the nurse, then hurriedly walked away from her.

“Ah…!” the nurse exclaimed. She had wanted to talk to him more, but Han-Yeol had quickly moved away from her, leaving her all alone. She looked in the direction he had walked toward with longing, and suddenly, something changed.

Her innocent expression suddenly turned into that of a predator as she thought, ‘Tsk… What a waste. He seemed as if he might be good prey. Oh well, this isn’t the only chance I’ll get. Hoho.’

Slurp…

She slowly licked her lips, like a carnivore anticipating its prey. It was an expression that would give anyone goosebumps all over their body.

Then...

“Oh, Nurse Kang! There you are!” a man suddenly called out.

“Yes, doctor!” Nurse Kang enthusiastically replied.

“Haha! I was looking all over for you,” the doctor who had called for her said.

“Ah, how may I help you, doctor?” Nurse Kang asked.

“There is something Nurse Kang has to help me out with,” the old doctor said as he moved closer to her and motioned inappropriately with his hand.

‘Tsk… That guy’s way better than an old fart like this,’ Nurse Kang thought while thinking of Han-Yeol. She smirked while thinking, ‘I’ll definitely reel him in next time, hehe.’

“Nurse Kang?” the doctor called out again.

“Yes, doctor!” Nurse Kang replied. The predatory look disappeared from her face, and her expression shifted into the innocent look she normally had at work.

“Are you busy tonight? I made a reservation at a fancy restaurant,” the doctor said.

“Omo! Are you treating me to a nice meal tonight?” Nurse Kang asked with a smile.

“Of course! Nurse Kang has been so good to me lately,” the doctor replied with a hearty laugh.

“Hohoho, of course I am free for that!” Nurse Kang replied, letting out a sly laugh.

The gaze of a predator shone for a second before reverting to innocence once again.

***

Han-Yeol checked the time after escaping from the suspicious nurse and leaving the hospital.

[14:02]

‘I still have three hours left,’ Han-Yeol thought. His appointment was at five in the afternoon, so there was no need for him to rush at all.

‘Hmmm…’ Han-Yeol pondered for a moment before taking out his phone. He opened a map app created by N-Company and looked up the distance between the hospital and the Hunter Association building.

‘It should take around two and a half hours if I walk from here. That’s not bad at all,’ he thought. He still had his scrupulous mindset, even though he had just made a lot of money from selling the mana stones.

He flung his bag onto his back and followed the path the map app showed him. Han-Yeol was not particularly smart, but he was very skilled at finding his way using a map, and he would never forget directions after walking along a path once.

‘Ah… How long has it been since I was so free?’ Han-Yeol thought.

It had been ages since he was last able to walk leisurely without thinking of anything. It had even been so long that he had forgotten that doing so felt therapeutic in a sense. He felt an unfamiliar bliss upon realizing that he did not have to think about his next work schedule, and that made it seem as if he had found true happiness.

However, peace was bound to be disturbed at any moment.

Crack… Booom…!

“W-What?!”

“Kyaaaaaaaah!”

“Euak! Help me!”

A large boom rang out from the opposite side of the street where Han-Yeol was, and the ground there suddenly sank. Three people standing in that spot were swallowed by the hole that had opened up.

“W-What the hell?!”

“It’s a sinkhole!”

“Omo! Omo! What should we do?”

The onlookers were shocked, their mouths hanging wide due to the sudden turn of events. Some of the passers-by stopped, took out their phones, and started to take pictures or videos. The cars that had been busily moving around also stopped in their tracks when the sinkhole suddenly appeared.

‘Huh? Wait a minute…’ Han-Yeol suddenly felt an ominous sensation.

‘Mana Eyes!’ He infused his mana into his eyes and observed the sinkhole. His instincts never failed him; the moment he used the skill on the sinkhole he was shocked.

‘Damn it!’ He cursed inwardly and ran away as fast as he could. He shouted at the top of his lungs, “Everyone, run away! That’s not a sinkhole! That’s a dimension gate!”

“What the hell is he talking about?”

“Dimension gate?”

“Is he crazy?”

Han-Yeol tried his best to evacuate the civilians from the area, but nobody believed him. In fact, some of them even looked at him with disgust, treating him like a lunatic.

It was understandable, as no dimension gates had popped up ever since the aliens came and helped the humans out thirty years prior, and people had become complacent about the possibility. However, it was an unwritten rule that such complacency was bound to bring forth a disaster.

Boom!

“Shit!” Han-Yeol cursed and stopped in his tracks when he saw a tremendous source of mana suddenly emerge from the sinkhole. A large monster that resembled a giant lobster rose out from the sinkhole, confirming it to be a dimension gate.

“Huh? Eh? Aaaaaaaah…!”

The bystanders all froze in place as the monster suddenly emerged from the sinkhole. The monster had large pincers, and there were strange-looking mushrooms on its back.

Of course, the first person to snap out of their shock was Han-Yeol. He once again shouted, “Everyone! Run away!”

“Kyaaaah!”

“Euuuuuuaaak!”

The streets had been turned upside down, and chaos ensued. People started screaming wildly and running in all directions, and cars bumped into each other. Some people even abandoned their vehicles and ran away on foot.

‘Damn it,’ Han-Yeol cursed.

Ziiip…!

He hesitated for a moment before opening his bag, but the situation left him with no choice. He seemed to be the only Awakened in the vicinity, from the looks of it.

‘Oh well, I was on the way to get my Hunter License anyway. They won’t treat me as an illegal Awakened later on, though… Will they…?’ Han-Yeol wondered.

It was illegal for Awakened to hunt monsters without a Hunter License. After all, there was no reason for anyone not to get a Hunter License, as there were a lot of benefits that came with having one—of course, there were still some who decided to become illegal Hunters just to avoid taxes.

However, now was not the time to think about such things.

Han-Yeol took out his slingshot and his chain from his bag, wrapping the chain around his right arm. He cursed, ‘Fuck… It looks pathetic now compared to that monster.’

The monster that had emerged from the sinkhole was as large as a two-story building, and the thought of Han-Yeol attacking it with a steel bullet as small as his own fingernail seemed pathetic and disheartening.

Shwiiik…

Han-Yeol stretched the slingshot band to the limit. ‘Fuck… There’s no other way, right? Power Strike!’ He let his shot fly while muttering curses under his breath.

Fshwoooh… Pukeok!

“Kiiekik?” The monster, which had been looking down at the people running away from it, suddenly looked around when it felt something tap it.

‘Fuck… Damn it… I knew it wouldn’t work,’ Han-Yeol cursed.

The size of a monster was usually proportional to how strong it was. The one in front of Han-Yeol now was too strong an opponent for someone like him, who had only been hunting Volaxes a few days before.

“Kierik…?” The monster looked at Han-Yeol and his surroundings. Then, it started doing something with its pincers, seemingly gathering energy.

‘What the hell is that thing doing…?’ Han-Yeol thought in confusion. He possessed a lot of knowledge about monsters, but even he could not help but be perplexed by the actions of the monster he had never before seen in his life.

The mushrooms on the monster’s back suddenly started to squirm after the monster performed the strange motion with its pincers.

‘D-Don’t tell me…?’ Han-Yeol imagined the worst-case scenario.

That worst-case scenario was…