Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 49: Solo Raid (2)

“Now, please have a seat and relax. We will bring all of the documents to you,” the lawyer said.

“Thank you,” Yoo-Bi replied.

“Would you like some coffee?” the lawyer asked.

“That would be great,” Yoo-Bi replied.

“Alright, please wait a moment.” The lawyer stood up and went somewhere before returning with two cups of coffee, which were not those instant mix coffee usually given in other places. Rather, it was an aromatic coffee hand-dripped by a professional barista.

Slurp…

“So, I just have to legalize the exclusive contract you will be entering, am I correct?” the lawyer asked.

“Yes, the contract term will be for two years…”

Before Han-Yeol could offer a full reply, Yoo-Bi suddenly cut him off and said with a serious look, “No, please make it five years.”

Yoo-Bi wanted the contract to be binding for five years instead of two.

“Yoo-Bi?” Han-Yeol said in surprise. He obviously thought that the contract term was going to be for only two years, so he was taken aback when Yoo-Bi suddenly asked for it to become five years instead.

“Hoo… Five years… The law stipulates that the term shall be for two years, but it is possible to change it since the exclusive contract is not a real estate contract or anything. However, are you certain that you want it to be for five years?” the lawyer asked.

“Yes, please make those changes accordingly,” Yoo-Bi replied.

“Alright then, consider it done,” the lawyer replied with a confident smile before he motioned to his assistant to go and amend the documents. He thought that Yoo-Bi was a strong person with convictions, and he could not help but look at her in admiration.

‘Being young is the time to take risks and take on challenges.’

He did not know what relationship the two had, but he thought that they did not look bad together at all.

That was how Yoo-Bi and Han-Yeol both ended up signing a win-win exclusive contract at the lawyer’s office, and they were now in the car on the way back after signing it.

“Yoo-Bi,” Han-Yeol called out.

“Yes?” Yoo-Bi responded.

“Why did you make the contract five years when two years was more than enough?” Han-Yeol asked.

“Five years is the obvious choice. Did you think I will fulfill two years and run away after that, after all you have done for me?” Yoo-Bi replied as she flaunted her innocent yet confident charm, which was one of the reasons why Han-Yeol liked her.

“Well, I trust you after all, but you have to realize that a contract will be the only thing that can help you if things go south and take a turn for the worst,” Han-Yeol said.

“Hehe. It’s alright. I will become the best Porter beside you, and I will awaken one day as well. Then, I will become a Hunter who can proudly stand beside you,” Yoo-Bi said.

“Yoo-Bi…” Han-Yeol muttered while seemingly touched by Yoo-Bi’s words.

***

Han-Yeol and Yoo-Bi already knew each other, but they were not that close and there was still some awkwardness between them. However, that lasted only until they signed the contract at the lawyer’s office. Perhaps the signing of the contract signaled a new start in their relationship as they somehow found themselves a lot closer than before.

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They already spoke to each other in a comfortable manner, but the thin wall that separated them was strangely gone now too. They were able to progress from being a dongsaeng and oppa who met for work to something even closer than that.

***

It was the sweet break they got after hunting like crazy for a whole month.

Slurp…!

They were enjoying their break at a global hamburger brand, M Donald. They each ordered their favorite burger set and ate while chatting with each other. Han-Yeol enjoyed the sensation of his vanilla shake flowing down his throat and hitting his stomach.

“So, have you looked around for houses?” Han-Yeol asked.

“Hmm… I wasn’t able to find a house that I liked. I went around and saw around four houses, but they did not really interest me,” Yoo-Bi replied.

“Well, I guess it’s not going to be easy to find the perfect house in the current housing market. Hmm… Do you want to go out to the hunting ground and work for fifteen days more? You will be able to earn around a hundred million won, so don’t you think that your choices will increase with the additional funds?” Han-Yeol asked.

It was important for them to work hard, but it was also equally important for them to take proper breaks as well. This was especially true for Hunters and Porters, since their line of work required them to put their lives on the line, and they would be able to think with a level head the more rested they were. It was quite difficult to find Hunters and Porters that continuously rushed to hunt whenever they got the time like Han-Yeol, who could be considered a workaholic.

Yoo-Bi stuck out her tongue at Han-Yeol half-jokingly before she said, “Forget about it. I would rather just wait and buy a house later. We did not even rest properly yet. I do not want to go.”

“I was just kidding. We have to rest properly?when we get the chance. Your bones might get holes if you don’t, you know?” Han-Yeol said.

“It does not matter since I am young, but oppa will be thirty soon, right? I think you are the one who has to be careful,” Yoo-Bi retorted.

“Euk!?That’s cheating. You can’t roast me with facts like that! Don’t be a coward and face me with anything else aside from facts!” Han-Yeol exclaimed.

“Ah… Can you stop it?” Yoo-Bi grumbled.

“Haha, sorry,” Han-Yeol laughed it off.

Han-Yeol and Yoo-Bi frequently met after they signed the contract. They did not really do anything important together, but they frequently met up to have a cup of coffee or to eat.

“Ah, right. Have you heard of that news, oppa?” Yoo-Bi asked.

“Which news?” Han-Yeol asked in response before taking a big sip from his vanilla milkshake.

Slurp…!

‘As expected… The vanilla milkshake is the best,’?Han-Yeol distractedly thought.

“The H20 International Summit will be held in Seoul this time and the Strike Guild will be attending as the United States’ representative,” Yoo-Bi said.

“Huh? What happened? Wasn’t the Avengers Guild the usual representative for the United States?” Han-Yeol asked.

The Hunters’ Association of the United States of America had a strange system of managing their guilds. They gave points to their guilds and ranked them according to their points, and the Avengers Guild maintained their spot as the representative of the United States for ten years in a row at the H20 summit, which was a gathering of the top twenty countries with the strongest Hunters.

However, the guild that would be accompanying the Hunters’ Association’s chairman of the United States of America was going to be the Strike Guild instead of the Avengers Guild, based on the information collected by Yoo-Bi.

“The rumors say that the Strike Guild, which always stayed on the twentieth spot on the guild rankings, suddenly managed to secure the top spot in the rankings,” Yoo-Bi explained.

“No wonder it’s a guild I have never heard of… But a guild on the twentieth spot suddenly managed to become number one in the rankings?” Han-Yeol asked.

“Yes,” Yoo-Bi replied before she passed a tablet PC to Han-Yeol and showed him a news article, which spoke about the Strike Guild.

Well, the writing was hopeless and comparable to a tabloid piece, but it made quite a lot of assumptions as it analyzed how the twentieth guild in the ranking suddenly managed to become the number one.

Whaaaang! Whaaaang! Whaaaang!

The police cars’ sirens blasted outside.

“I guess the H20 is really something amazing. Those police cars have been patrolling the streets the entire day,” Yoo-Bi said.

“Well, it makes sense since the top leaders of the Hunters’ Association from the twenty strongest countries will gather here and discuss the past year. Then, they will decide on the plan for the following year in this event. Imagine that a terrorist attack occurs in Seoul when such a major event is happening and the whole world’s attention is focused here. There would be no greater shame than that,” Han-Yeol explained.

The discussion between the twenty-eight-year-old and the eighteen-year-old seemed to be quite mature and unlike something their peers would talk about.

Both of them came from poor backgrounds, so they did not have the luxury to enjoy things that other kids their age enjoyed such as music, fashion, movies, and other hobbies. That was why it was understandable that this topic was more interesting and seemed more natural for both Han-Yeol and Yoo-Bi.

“Oh right, Yoo-Bi. I saw on the internet that a new action movie is going to premiere today. Do you want to go and watch it together?” Han-Yeol asked.

“Shall we?” Yoo-Bi replied.

Han-Yeol’s suggestion was a welcomed one, since they were feeling bored and did not know what to do for the day anyway. To be honest, Yoo-Bi was physically exhausted so she preferred to rest, but she thought that it was not a bad idea to enjoy once in a while since she spent most of her life without being able to enjoy these luxuries.

The thought had never crossed Yoo-Bi’s mind when she had been immature and young, but she had started to distance herself from these hobbies and luxuries when she grew up and matured to the point where she understood her family’s financial situation.

That was how Han-Yeol took Yoo-Bi to the movies and had dinner afterward before sending her home.

‘Hmm…’

Han-Yeol strangely felt empty after dropping off Yoo-Bi and returning home.

‘Status window,’?Han-Yeol inwardly summoned.

Name: Lee Han-Yeol

Level: 51

Points: 5

STR: 105

VIT: 101

AGI: 99

MAG: 150

LCK: 10

Invoke: 10

Skills: Dismember (D), Sword Mastery (A), Walking (B), Mana Control (B), Mana Mastery (C), Power Strike (B), Mana Shield (B), Sixth Sense (C), Restrain (B), Body Strengthening (C), Mana Eyes (C), Jumping (B), Stab (C), Dagger Mastery (F), Chain Mastery (B), Infinite Library (M), Shield Bash (C), Fire Attribute (D), Mana Explosion (B), Chain Smite (B), Marksmanship (C), Martial Arts (D), Enchant (E), Sword Breath (D), Restore (E), Healing Bullet (E), Enhance Healing (E), Summon Demon (E), Telepathy (D), Power Meditation (E), Psychokinesis (E).

Han-Yeol was not able to grow since he was focusing on the Shadow Demon’s growth these days.

‘Still… I only gained a level after hunting for a month? I guess there will be a difference in the experience points I gain whenever I level up… I only managed to level up Telepathy since that was the only skill I used, and that was out of necessity to communicate with the Shadow Demon…’?Han-Yeol thought.

Still, Han-Yeol could not pinpoint the source of his frustration and unease. He thought that he would be able to shake off the feeling if he did something to occupy him, so he switched on his computer and surfed the Hunters’ Association website.

Click… Click… Tap… Tap…

A certain title caught his eye while he was absent-mindedly surfing the website.

[Blue Hunter has successfully become the first D Rank Hunter to solo raid a D Rank raid monster.]

‘A D Rank Hunter solo raided a D Rank raid monster?’?Han-Yeol thought. He immediately clicked the new article as soon as he read the title.

[The D Rank Hunter, the Blue Hunter or also known as the Lonesome Hunter, Heo Jun brought back the remains and mana stone of a D Rank raid monster, the Death Frog, at 6:30 pm today. His achievements on solo raiding a D Rank raid monster have stirred up quite a news in the community.

The D Rank Hunter, Heo Jun, earned his additional nickname the Lonesome Hunter aside from the Blue Hunter after being seen hunting alone by several people.

The officials are currently checking to verify the authenticity of his achievement, but people are expecting that there will be no problems with his achievement being recognized as the first D Rank Hunter to successfully solo raid a D Rank raid monster.]

‘Ah solo raid…’?Han-Yeol thought as the idea piqued his interest.

It was exhausting for him to go back out to the hunting ground, where he would have to roam around and hunt for multiple creatures, since he should be resting right now. Also, that made raiding sound even more attractive for him, since he only had to go and solo raid one monster.

Han-Yeol started to research raid monsters after the news article piqued his interest, since he had no knowledge whatsoever related to raid monsters. After all, he never had the opportunity to join one in his Porter days.

[Raid Monster: A monster with the same mana density as the other monsters of the same rank, but possessed far greater amounts of mana and far more valuable body parts compared to them. A raid monster is a special kind of monster that you will only find one at a time at the raid field. A raid monster is very powerful despite possessing the same mana density, so it is considered to be impossible to hunt alone and will require the cooperation of numerous Hunters to hunt.]

‘A solo raid? That doesn’t sound bad at all,’?Han-Yeol thought. His competitive spirit was ignited. Then, he scoured the internet to search for the easiest raid monster out there.

‘An F Rank monster will be too easy no matter how dangerous they say they are… I should probably choose an E Rank monster for starters,’?Han-Yeol decided as he searched all over the Hunters’ Association website.

Then, one specific raid monster caught his eye.

[E Rank Raid Monster, Donkey Kong.]

The gigantic gorilla was named Donkey Kong, since it looked quite similar to the giant gorilla shown in the movies or video games. Its fists were covered in black scales, and its main attack of gathering mana in its fists before slamming it down on its target was a powerful one.

The information written regarding Donkey Kong was that it was a monster highly inclined toward exerting destructive physical attack power, and it did not have any special abilities or high defense and health compared to other raid monsters. The information also mentioned that it was slow despite possessing destructive strength, and this meant that this raid monster was the perfect one for Han-Yeol to hunt.

‘Alright, Donkey Kong… I choose you!’?Han-Yeol muttered inwardly. He then went to the video gallery to see if there were any videos of Donkey Kong that he might watch.

‘Oh! There is! Ah…’?Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly before his enthusiasm was doused by a pay wall that required him to pay up to watch the video. His poor childhood made him instinctively tense up when the word ‘pay’ appeared on the screen.

‘No… I’m already rich. I can’t shrink back at this amount. It sounds funny and stupid if I do,’?Han-Yeol thought as he steeled his resolve and decided that it was now time for him to break free from his old mindset. He no longer had to live with the miser mindset he had when he had been working like a dog to earn 5.6 million won only to spend 5 million on hospital fees.

‘A person who earns a lot needs to spend money for it to circulate and support the economy,’?Han-Yeol thought before he bravely paid online and viewed the pay-per-view video.

1. This is a joke/expression in Korean for overworking.