Leveling Up Alone

“Thank you very much for your hard work, everyone!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

As the hunt finally ended, the party dispersed into groups of three and five; either they had been already close to each other, or they had gotten acquainted with each other on the hunt.

Han-Yeol did not really want to be acquainted with anyone; thus, he did not mind being left alone, as he felt more comfortable that way. He thought to himself, ‘I don’t really have anything to do, so should I just go and buy a car?’

He took out his smartphone and searched for any car dealerships nearby—of course, he searched for vehicles that were manufactured by crafting-class Hunters. After finding a suitable place, he headed over.

“Welcome!” A man wearing a professional-looking suit ran toward Han-Yeol as soon as he entered the dealership, greeting him enthusiastically while bowing from the waist down.

“I’m looking for a Hunter Vehicle,” Han-Yeol said.

The salesman’s expression brightened. The so-called Hunter Vehicles were called that because most of the people who looked for them were Hunters. Additionally, such cars were exponentially more expensive than normal cars.

‘A jackpot! I have to catch him no matter what…!’ the salesman thought. A huge catch had walked in while the other salesmen were busy, and this was an opportunity he could not afford to lose. He asked, “What kind of Hunter Vehicle are you looking for, customer?”

“Ah, please come this way,” the salesman said.

Unlike most Hunters, who tended to look for design or flashiness, Han-Yeol focused on the practicality of his would-be vehicle.

Sports cars or luxury sedans looked great on the outside, but they were not practical in terms of cargo capacity. He would still be going to the hunting grounds with an RV truck driven by a Porter and most items would be stored there, but still, a sedan would be nowhere near enough to even contain his own personal gear.

“These vans are all Hunter Vehicles,” the salesman said, pointing at a few vans in the showroom. Unfortunately, vans were not particularly popular models among Hunter Vehicles, so there were only a few options available.

Han-Yeol took a look around the showroom a few times before eventually settling on a black luxury van manufactured by C-Company. He asked, “How much is this one?”

“Ah, that is the Tourer model from C-Company. It currently goes for around six hundred ten million won,” the salesman explained.

“…It’s not cheap, huh,” Han-Yeol replied.

“Ah, shall I show you another model if you are looking for a cheaper option?” the salesman hurriedly asked.

“No, you don’t have to do that. Please prepare this model for me,” Han-Yeol replied.

“Yes! I will immediately get to it!” the salesman exclaimed enthusiastically.

In an instant, Han-Yeol had burned his entire share of the money he had received from the sale of the mana stones after the three-day Troll hunt. It would likely be inappropriate to call the money ‘wasted’, but he had spent it all in one go nonetheless.

‘I’ll be receiving my share from the sale of the corpses soon anyway,’ he thought.

Han-Yeol was not the type of person to splurge and squander all of his money, anyway. He still had a lot of money left in his bank account, so he was in no financial trouble whatsoever. Thus, he signed the contract with the salesman and wired over six hundred ten million won on the spot.

‘As expected! These Hunters are on a whole different level!’ the salesman cheered inwardly.

Most people preferred to pay in installments even though they had to bear a small amount of interest, as it allowed them to pay off a large sum in parts. However, the dealership would also incur some costs when customers purchased vehicles through installments. That was why all car dealerships loved the Hunters who paid them up front in full.

As the transaction ended, the salesman bowed ninety degrees toward Han-Yeol. He exclaimed, “Thank you very much, dear customer!”

“Ah… Yeah… Sure,” Han-Yeol responded awkwardly to the salesman’s exaggerated greeting. Afterward, he asked, “When will I be able to receive the van?”

“Ah, yes. As the Tourer model from C-Company is a high-end luxury model, and it is also imported, it will take around ten days to fully outfit it and have it ready,” the salesman replied.

“I see… Please let me know if there will be any changes or delays,” Han-Yeol said.

“Please rest assured! I will make sure that everything is done as we have agreed to in the contract!” the salesman replied enthusiastically.

“Err… Yeah. I’d be grateful if you could do that for me,” Han-Yeol said.

That was how Han-Yeol mustered up the courage to splurge and purchase a luxury van for himself.

***

Han-Yeol might have purchased his own vehicle, but he had yet to receive it, so he had to go home using the bus today as usual.

Beep beep beep beep... Beep!

He entered a four-digit password into the digital door lock on his front door. When it opened, he promptly entered the house.

“Oh, how was your business trip?” his father, whom Han-Yeol had thought would be out at this hour, asked him as soon as he entered the house.

“Ah, father, you were home?” Han-Yeol replied.

“Yes, Han-Yeol. Come here for a minute,” his father told him.

“Yes,” Han-Yeol replied.

His father went over to their single-seat sofa and sat down, while Han-Yeol sat on the three-seat sofa on the other side of the table. As soon as Han-Yeol sat down, his father took out a yellow envelope and slid it across the table toward him. Han-Yeol checked the sender of the envelope, and saw that it had been sent by the Hunters’ Association.

“I didn’t check what was inside, but seeing as the Hunters’ Association sent you something directly. I don’t think you’re working for that private company you told me you were working for. I won’t ask you to tell me the truth, because all I want is for you to do what you want. Don’t mind me,” his father said.

‘Father…’ Han-Yeol thought regretfully. He pretended to be fine on the outside, but he was close to tearing up on the inside. He had always been thankful, as well as apologetic, to his father. His father was someone who had given him so much love that nothing Han-Yeol could do could ever repay him.

“Father…” Han-Yeol muttered.

“Go on,” his father said.

“I was actually a Porter until I awakened not long ago, and I am now working as a Hunter. I would have told you honestly under normal circumstances, but there was an issue with your health… That was why I decided to keep it a secret, because I did not want you to worry about me,” Han-Yeol said, hanging his head.

He had done it for his father. He had done it to repay his father’s kindness and love. However, he could not help but lower his head, as it was also a fact that he had lied to his father about it. He felt truly ashamed of what he had done.

“Hahaha! It’s fine. I was actually skeptical the moment you told me you were working for a company in an office,” his father replied with a laugh.

“Huh?” Han-Yeol replied, perplexed.

“Han-Yeol, did you forget that I used to work as a salaryman for over thirty years? I might have been a nobody working for a small company, but I was still aware of how things worked in other places. Did you really think I wouldn’t know how much a fresh hire with two to four years of experience would make in a month?” his father asked.

“…” Han-Yeol was speechless.

“Besides, there was no way that you, who always found it difficult to socialize after you entered your twenties, would suddenly start working as a salesman,” his father continued.

“…” Han-Yeol remained speechless.

His father was throwing fact after fact at him. He might have lived a very busy life to make ends meet, but there was no way he would not have paid attention to what his son was doing. After all, Han-Yeol was his precious son, and his only remaining family member after his divorce from his wife.

“I thought about it, and I concluded that you were working as a Porter to pay my hospital bills. Then, you became an Awakened recently, which is how you were able to afford to buy this house,” his father said.

“Y-Yes… That is 100% correct. There is really no way I would be able to fool you,” Han-Yeol said.

“Of course! You still have a long way to go if you want to fool me!” his father proudly exclaimed.

“Haha…” Han-Yeol could only let out an awkward laugh. He had always believed that his father was a wise man, which was why he was able to easily accept the fact that he had been caught red-handed.

“Hmm… That’s why, Han-Yeol…” his father began with a hint of nervousness and embarrassment in his voice.

“Yes, father?” Han-Yeol responded.

“This…” His father said as he passed over another yellow envelope, setting it down next to the one from the Hunters’ Association.

Han-Yeol opened the second envelope and checked its contents. What he found inside was a business plan.

[Business Plan for a Pool Hall]

“A pool hall business plan…? Father, are you planning to open one?” Han-Yeol asked.

His father scratched his head in embarrassment before replying, “Yeah. My only joy these days is in playing pool with my friends, but there aren’t many proper pool halls in this neighborhood. I was thinking that I wanted to give running a proper one a shot.”

“Oh… Is that so?” Han-Yeol asked. His interest was piqued by his father’s idea, and he read the business plan his father had provided in detail.

Well, it was not as if Han-Yeol would understand anything just because he read it, but he was still curious as to what his father’s plan was. He went over the business plan again despite not fully comprehending the details. Eventually, he reached the final page, which mentioned how much capital would be required to start the business.

[230,000,000 won.]

‘It’s not a difficult amount,’ Han-Yeol thought. The amount was not an issue for him; he was prepared to provide as much money as his father needed as long as it was within his means.

“Father, give me a minute,” Han-Yeol said.

“Alright,” his father replied.

Han-Yeol got up and went to his room. Then, he took out his bankbook from his drawer, went back to the living room, and passed it to his father.

“What is this?” his father asked before opening up the bankbook.

[309,310,000 won.]

It was a bank account with an astounding three hundred million won in it.

“Han-Yeol?” his father asked, looking at him in surprise.

“I saved up hoping to be able to give it to you one day, but I was actually hiding it because I was scared that you would not like it. But it worked out in the end anyway. So I hope you will be able to use this money to follow your dream and open a pool hall,” Han-Yeol said.

“Ah, no… I just needed a bit of help, that's all. I was planning on getting a business startup loan…” his father said.

His father was aware that his son was a Hunter, but he had never dreamt that his son had become a Hunter who earned a lot of money. Han-Yeol always wore his old worn-out clothes and did not drive around, even after becoming a Hunter.

Most kids his age always purchased nice clothes and a fancy car as soon as they started making money, but Han-Yeol had not done any such thing, so it was understandable that his father would be mistaken about it.

“What are you talking about, father? Your son is earning a lot of money. Why would you take out a loan and be burdened with interest while running a business?” Han-Yeol asked.

“Ahem…Nevermind. Anyway, thank you. I’ll definitely pay this three hundred million won back,” his father said.

“You can pay me back slowly,” Han-Yeol replied.

Things had somehow ended up with Han-Yeol loaning the money to his father instead of giving it to him; it was something people might point fingers at him over. However, he knew better than anyone else that his father, who could not stand the idea of being indebted to someone else, would immediately return the money if Han-Yeol told him that he did not have to pay it back. That was why Han-Yeol had decided to tell him to pay it back slowly instead.

Han-Yeol’s father stared at the bankbook for a while before taking out his smartphone and calling someone. When the person picked up, he said briefly, “Hey, Chan-Su, I have something to tell you. Come out and let’s have a meal. Yeah, yeah, that place. Alright, see you.”

Beep.

“I’ll head out for a while,” his father said.

“Alright, take your time and have fun,” Han-Yeol replied.

“Thanks,” his father said, then tapped Han-Yeol’s shoulder twice and left the house.

Naturally, Han-Yeol had been using Mana Eyes to observe whether his father’s illness had progressed or not. He did not forget to check up on his father’s illness every time he met him.

“Haaa… To think father knew about it…” Han-Yeol muttered with a sigh after his father left the house. He thought, ‘I’m surprised but relieved at the same time.’

It had actually been frustrating for him to keep his occupation as a Hunter a secret from his father. But now, he felt relieved by the fact that he did not have anything to hide any longer.

‘Shall we see what’s on TV?’ he thought as he switched the TV on. He had been so busy these days that he did not have time to watch the news, and he now had no idea what was happening in the world.

‘I wonder what happened to the dimensional hole issue…’ he thought. That was the reason why the Troll hunting ground had been empty.

[In other news…]

[A team of three Hunters, one manager, and one Porter went missing at the Baekgok Reservoir hunting ground near Chungbuk, Jincheon-gun at four in the afternoon. Police have said that they mobilized an emergency Hunter group to look for the party after failing to contact them. Unfortunately, they did not find any remains of the party, as the field is known to be inhabited by Goblins, which are infamous for enjoying human meat. The victims’ families are in shock due to the sudden turn of events, but they are still hanging on to the faint hope that the bodies will find their way back to their families at least.]

[According to the police investigation, the three Hunters recently racked up huge achievements while hunting Mad Dogs, then went to the Goblin Field after becoming overconfident in their own abilities. Experts are now calling for additional measures to rank Hunters according to their abilities and limit their entry to hunting grounds that are out of their league. They are calling for this reform to lower the fatality rate among Hunters. However, the Hunters’ Association is calling this an usurpation of their authority, and this event has sent shockwaves throughout the industry.]