Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 24: The First Party (1)

It has only been half a day since the two Porters steeled their resolve with the thought, ‘I shouldn’t waste this opportunity!’

“Euuhh…?I’m tired…”

“M-My body has no energy…”

It was the first time Sung-Beom and Ah-Ri had met; but perhaps because they were both working as Porters, or because they were the same age, they got along with each other very quickly. They had both been excited to find out that they were the same age and that they could keep each other company when boredom struck.

However, Han-Yeol did not give them a moment to even feel bored. They had been hunting like crazy.

Normal hunts usually had around an hour of rest in between moving and hunting. However, Han-Yeol knew the place very well due to having already hunted there countless times before. Because of that, he had been able to hunt at a ferocious speed, while Sung-Beom and Ah-Ri stayed behind him dismembering monster corpses and loading them into the truck.

The way they hunted would normally have been quite dangerous, as the Porters were left behind on their own; but this place was composed of a single passage, so there were no potential dangers coming from the places Han-Yeol had already hunted in.

They did that over and over again for twelve hours.

Click… Clack…

‘Alright,’?Han-Yeol thought, feeling satisfied as he looked at his mana stone bag that was full to the brim.

The reason why they had stopped hunting at that moment was due to the fact that the RV truck was already full of Giant Ant corpses. They had cut off the useless parts and kept only the essential, valuable ones, but the 1.5-ton RV truck’s compartment was so full that not even a single ant leg could fit in anymore after the twelve-hour hunting marathon.

Han-Yeol had also gained a level, and a few of his skills had ranked up as well during the hunt.

Name: Lee Han-Yeol

Level: 17

Points: 10

STR: 51

VIT: 49

AGI: 41

MAG: 45

LCK: 10

Skills:?Dismember (E), Sword Mastery (D), Walking (D), Mana Control (E), Mana Mastery (F), Power Strike (D), Mana Shield (E), Sixth Sense (E), Restrain (D), Body Strengthening (F), Mana Eyes (F), Heal (A), Jumping (E), Stab (E), Dagger Mastery (F), Chain Mastery (D), Infinite Library (M), Shield Bash (E), Fire Attribute (F), Mana Explosion (E), Chain Smite (E), Marksmanship (F).

Sword Mastery, Walking, Power Strike, Jumping, Stab, Chain Mastery, Mana Explosion, and Chain Smite had all gained a level this time.

‘Ah, I have to distribute my bonus stat points,’? thought, remembering that he still had ten points to distribute. He could not decide how to divide the bonus stat points, as all four of his stats, except the LCK stat, was important to him.

He pondered for a while, then eventually?decided to invest four points into MAG, and two points into the other stats to balance?things?out. He had no choice but to invest more points into MAG; he could increase the other stats by training his body, but at that moment, he had no way?to naturally increase his MAG stat by training.

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‘Ah, but why the hell won’t that Heal skill level up?’?Han-Yeol?thought in frustration.

He was quite content with how things were going—except for the stagnant Heal skill. The reason he?had been risking his life hunting was to level up his Heal skill. He?had been doing his best hoping to remove?the black lump of mana causing his father’s illness, but his Heal skill had?been?dormant for quite a while.

Clap! Clap!

“Attention, everyone!”?Han-Yeol called out?with two claps.

His mana-infused claps?boomed loudly and startled the two Porters. They?quickly?jumped up in surprise and ran toward him. They did not really have to run, but?Han-Yeol?was not really bothered by it, as that?was something?he had gone?through as well when he was a Porter. He felt that he was already being nice enough by not talking down?to?them.

“Since the RV truck is full already, this is the end of the hunt. Shall we go back and sell these first?” Han-Yeol suggested.

“Yes, Hunter-nim!” the two replied enthusiastically.

The two Porters were delighted by Han-Yeol’s declaration that the hunt was over. They were usually always eager to go out on hunts, but this was the first time they had hunted for so many hours without any breaks in between, and it was definitely not the type of hunt they were eager to go out on.

Han-Yeol had spared a few Giant Ants, incapacitating them and passing them on to the Porters. He had tried to help them awaken by letting them deal the final blow, but they had not felt any excitement from it, as all they had wanted to do at that moment in time was to rest and rest alone.

“We’ll sell the Giant Ants’ corpses, freshen up at the sauna, get some shut-eye, and come back here,” Han-Yeol said.

“Eh?” The two Porters tilted their heads in confusion.

“We’ll go at it again after resting for about five hours,” Han-Yeol said.

“…”

For some odd reason, the dark circles under Sung-Beom and Ah-Ri’s eyes grew twice as large when they heard Han-Yeol’s words.

***

Han-Yeol and his Porters decided to make some amendments to the contract they had signed a few days prior, amending the wages they were getting paid from daily to hourly wages. A normal Porter would be paid around 175,000 won an hour, but based on the new contract, Sung-Beom and Ah-Ri would receive a little bit over five times that amount at 900,000 won an hour. It was a shocking offer that would probably never happen again in the industry.

Han-Yeol hunted like a madman for ten days straight. He continued to hunt even after his Porters had already collapsed from exhaustion, taking over their duties while they were unable to move. It did slow down his hunting speed, but he felt that it was still better than sitting around and doing nothing.

‘Eugh… Ants… I feel sick… I’m sick and tired of these ants… Eugh….’ Han-Yeol’s mental state had become unstable. However, he had been able to gain a whopping five levels during the time he had spent hunting until he was sick and tired of the Giant Ants, and some of his skills had ranked up as well.

Name: Lee Han-Yeol

Level: 22

Points: 0

STR: 58

VIT: 56

AGI: 48

MAG: 59

LCK: 10

Skills: Dismember (D), Sword Mastery (C), Walking (C), Mana Control (D), Mana Mastery (E), Power Strike (C), Mana Shield (D), Sixth Sense (D), Restrain (D), Body Strengthening (E), Mana Eyes (E), Heal (A), Jumping (D), Stab (D), Dagger Mastery (F), Chain Mastery (C), Infinite Library (M), Shield Bash (D), Fire Attribute (E), Mana Explosion (D), Chain Smite (D), Marksmanship (E).

Most of his skills had reached a useful level. However, the biggest reward he had reaped during his crazy hunting trip was none other than…

[3,090,000,000.]

Three billion and ninety million won.

That was the amount he had earned after hunting like a madman for fifteen days straight. He had been left with a staggering three billion won in his bank account even after paying off his Porters’ wages and other miscellaneous costs.

‘T-This… It’s not a dream… Is it…?’?he thought.

Three billion won was an astronomical figure that some, including him, would never have dared to dream of. However, that was only possible because he was monopolizing everything—alone.

It would take quite a long time for a normal party of three to five Hunters hunting twice a week, eight hours a day, to amass three billion won. Of course, that was based on the assumption that they were hunting Giant Ants as well.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Sung-Beom said with a bow.

“Thank you for your hard work as well, Hunter-nim,” Ah-Ri said with a bow.

The two Porters approached Han-Yeol and bowed while he was still in a euphoric state after checking out his bank account. He had already told them that the hunt was officially over.

‘My level isn’t increasing anymore,’?he thought. He had hunted the Giant Ants for quite a long time, and his level no longer budged from where it was. That was why he decided to end the hunt on the fifteenth day.

“Ah, yes. Thank you for your hard work, you two,” Han-Yeol replied. He added, “It’s a shame you guys didn’t get to Awaken this time.”

“Well, there is nothing we can do about it.”

“This is not the only chance we will get.”

Both Porters replied.

“I’m sure you’ll definitely Awaken next time!” Han-Yeol said encouragingly, even though they were nothing but empty words.

He actually liked the two a lot. He had spent around 540 million won on their wages alone, but he did not feel that it was wasted at all, as they diligently fulfilled their responsibilities until the very end. He felt that the two were doing far better work than he had back when he was a Porter like them.

‘The youngsters these days work much harder than expected,’?he thought, sounding like an old man.

That might have seemed like the case, but in truth, Han-Yeol’s work as a Porter was only a means of making money back then. He had had no choice but to do it, as it was the only way he could have been able to afford to pay for his father’s hospital bills and make ends meet.

However, it was a different story for Sung-Beom and Ahri; the two were currently working as Porters as a stepping stone to achieving their dreams of becoming Hunters one day, and every single action they took was filled with their hopes and dreams. That was the main difference between Han-Yeol’s life as a Porter and theirs.

The difference between someone doing something because they were forced to do it and someone doing it because they wanted to do it was as wide as heaven and earth.

“I’ll give you a call if we ever need to go out and hunt again,” Han-Yeol said.

“Yes, Hunter-nim,” the two replied with bitter smiles on their faces. They normally liked going out on hunts, but the hunts with Han-Yeol were excruciatingly tiring.

That was how the trio ended their fifteen-day hunting trip and separated in front of the Hunter’s Association.

Sung-Beom and Ah-Ri staggered away, while Han-Yeol sat leisurely on a plaza bench while deep in thought. ‘What should I do now? Should I keep hunting alone like this? Or should I create a party and start from there?’

It would be much more helpful and safer for him to go around massacring low-tier monsters the way he had this time around if he wanted a lucrative source of income. However, Han-Yeol’s current goal was not to become rich and live a comfortable life.

‘I can earn money anytime from now on, but what I need right now is to increase my Heal skill’s level…’?he thought.

He suddenly felt the need to hunt with others the next time, deciding, ‘I can challenge stronger monsters if I’m not alone, and I can raise my level faster that way.’

He had to be prepared to give something up if he wanted to gain something in return, after all.

‘First, I have to go buy a new chain,’?he thought.

The chain he was currently using had been made by a crafting-class Hunter, but it was a miscellaneous item crafted for the purpose of binding, not to be used as a weapon. Some cracks had already started to appear after it sustained fifteen days of abuse from him.

‘Hmm… I have to give the custom-made ones a try and not get one from the Hunter Mall this time around,’?he decided before heading home.

***

“Let us go eat out, father,” Han-Yeol said when he arrived home.

“Sure,” his father replied.

Han-Yeol intended to treat his father at the same barbecue place as before, because he felt sorry for having left his father alone for the past fifteen days. Thus, they both went to the restaurant and placed their orders.

Psssshhh…

As tasty-looking slices of beef sizzled on the tabletop grill, they ate quietly without exchanging many words with each other.

“Han-Yeol,” his father began. He was the first one to break the silence.

“Yes, father?” Han-Yeol asked.

“I think I should go and do some work now as well,” his father said.

“Father? You have not fully recovered yet; what kind of work are you planning to do in your current state?” Han-Yeol asked.

Han-Yeol had continuously used Heal on his father every time he left on or returned from a hunt; that was the reason why his father was healthy, as Heal’s effect was suppressing his illness. However, his father still had the black lump of mana attached to his body, and it was still situated near his heart, of all places.

“No, I’m fine. My body is doing really well and my condition is great. Rather, I feel as if I’m going to go nuts just staying at home like a freeloader when my body is in such great condition,” his father argued.

“No, what work are you talking about? What am I here for? I suggest that you consider traveling for a while like others. You know, go play golf, seduce some ladies, and get remarried,” Han-Yeol said, trying to talk his father out of it.

Han-Yeol would prefer for his father not to work at all if possible. His father had already given up his entire youth to raise him, so it was now Han-Yeol’s turn to let him relax and enjoy life for a change. However, his father seemed to have no plans of doing that.

“What remarriage? Not a chance. Besides, I’m so healthy I could fly at any moment now. How can I just stay at home? People are going to badmouth me if all I do is go out and play around. All of my friends are still working their butts off, so who will I even go traveling with? I don’t want to go traveling alone, so forget it,” his father said, adamantly refusing.

‘That does make sense… I can’t force him to travel alone…’?Han-Yeol was somehow convinced. He eventually decided to give in a little bit to his father’s desire and asked, “Then, what kind of work are you thinking of doing?”

“Hmm… I haven’t really thought about it, but I was thinking of working as apartment security. It’s a job that doesn’t really require any qualifications to do, and the work is really easy too,” his father replied.

His father was right. He had worked at a small company as an ordinary employee until before he got sick, and the only job he could probably get at his current age was as a security guard. However…

“No, father! Never, I will neveeeer agree to that!” Han-Yeol adamantly turned down his father’s idea of working as a security guard.

“Why not?” his father asked.

“Have you not seen the news these days? There have been numerous security guards committing suicide after being bullied by the tenants. Frankly speaking, will you be able to handle the amount of insults you will receive working as one?” Han-Yeol asked.

“…” His father merely expressed his agreement silently.

His father was quite a proud man, and he would definitely be unable to handle the assorted insults and abuse the tenants would throw at him. He was definitely not well suited to a job that was exposed to those kinds of abuse. Of course, that would not be the case all the time, but there was still a chance that he would end up working at an apartment with unruly tenants.

The idea of his father working in such a stressful environment was stressful to Han-Yeol as well, and there was no way in hell he would agree to that.

1. ’Sauna’ here actually refers to a public bathhouse.