Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 287 – Shaky Politics (4)

Things were not resolved immediately. As expected, the internet was still on fire, and the involvement of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese netizens only exacerbated the situation.

[Japan: 2CH Community]

[They're pathetic.]

[Haha! Their Master Rank Hunters fought with each other?]

[We should expel these pathetic individuals from our country.]

[This is precisely why they require our rule.]

The right-wing extremists in Japan had grown increasingly frustrated with South Korea constantly making international headlines. However, the news of Korean Master Rank Hunters turning against each other provided significant motivation for them to engage on the internet.

While some might dismiss these comments as the work of mere trolls, the situation was more complex. Each time these right-wing extremists launched into a commenting spree, their numbers and influence grew, further fueling their momentum for their next internet campaign.

[China: C Community]

[America’s dogs!]

[Does it make sense for their Master Rank Hunters to kill each other?]

[Did the dead Hunter turn into a terrorist? I think there was something similar in Egypt, right?]

[As expected, our country needs to step in and help these losers out.]

[Re: You’re right!]

Many of the comments appeared to be mere gibberish, yet it was evident that South Korea's two neighboring countries harbored significant pent-up frustration, considering South Korea's prominent position in recent years.

The rivalry among these three East Asian nations reignited, with South Korea at its epicenter.

***

Han-Yeol was taking a relaxing break today. He sat in his study, engrossed in reading books to enhance his skills. The irony was that he continued his training to become stronger even during his leisure time.

Seuk...

Just as he finished the last page of his book, a notification appeared in front of him.

‘Hmm? What's this about?’

He had become quite accustomed to the system, so he didn't jump in surprise or anything.

[The rank of Healing Bullet has risen from (B) to (A).]

[The rank of Enhance Healing has risen from (B) to (A).]

‘Wow, it finally reached A Rank.’

"Healing Bullet" and "Enhance Healing" had stubbornly refused to advance beyond a B Rank, even though he had employed them frequently in battle. While he might have been considered a Solo-Hunter by others, he had his companions like Mavros by his side, whom he primarily used his healing skills on.

No matter how frequently he had utilized these skills in battle, there had been no signs of them leveling up. Therefore, he had made the decision to occasionally read medical texts, hoping that this would eventually lead to their improvement.

Finally, his perseverance paid off.

‘Ah… That was really annoying…’ he thought while shaking his head.

He had to read close to one thousand medical textbooks just to increase the level of these two skills.

Thud…

He closed the medical textbook after achieving his goal and then stared at the strange skill he had possessed for quite some time.

[Infinite Library (M)]

Type: Passive

Description: A library rumored to contain all the knowledge in the world. Its fame has spread across the globe, although no one has been able to see it yet. This skill enhances the user's ability to absorb knowledge and the proficiency gained by the user in acquiring knowledge related to a skill. You may witness a miracle if this skill levels up and evolves into another skill—although the chances of that are slim to none.

It was his skill, Infinite Library (M).

‘I wonder what secrets this skill holds…’

This skill was already quite useful, enabling him to increase his skill level simply by reading books and acquiring knowledge. He wouldn't have been curious if that were the end of this skill, but...

‘That final sentence is something I can't stop thinking about…’

[You may witness a miracle if this skill levels up and evolves into another skill—although the chances of that are slim to none.]

It was this sentence that led Han-Yeol to frequently check his skill, Infinite Library (M), whenever he had the time.

‘A miracle...? I wonder what that could be…’ He was genuinely curious.

It was at this moment, while he was deep in thought trying to unravel the secrets of his skills, that someone knocked on his door.

Knock! Knock!

“Come in.”

Click… Clack…

The door swung open as one of Han-Yeol's bodyguards, Vidya, entered the room.

Chwak!

Vidya began with a salute, reflecting his deep respect and loyalty to Han-Yeol.

"What is it?"

"Sir! The Hunters' Association has reached out to us."

"The association?"

"Yes, sir!"

‘Hmm… Is it because of the Kim Tae-San murder case?’

Han-Yeol had been emphasizing his innocence and the claim that Kim Tae-San's death had resulted from self-defense, but he understood that he would have to face a trial. Despite him being a Master Rank Hunter, South Korea was still a country governed by the rule of law.

"What did they say?" Han-Yeol inquired.

"The chairman of the Hunters' Association will personally visit here in two hours," Vidya replied.

"Huh? The chairman himself?" Han-Yeol expressed his surprise.

"Yes, sir."

"I suppose they didn't tell us why he's coming, right?"

"Yes, that's correct, sir."

"Figures..." Han-Yeol surmised that the chairman probably wouldn't have made the trip if it was something that could be discussed over the phone. He nodded and said, "Alright, tell Albert to prepare for the guests."

"Yes, sir!"

Chwak!

Vidya saluted once more before exiting the study.

Now, Han-Yeol found himself alone in the study, unable to concentrate on his skill no matter how long he stared at it.

‘Why is the chairman coming all the way here...?’ he pondered.

However, his thoughts only led to more questions without offering any clues.

***

Two hours swiftly passed, and Han-Yeol stood waiting at the entrance of the mansion.

"You don't have to wait outside with me, Tara."

Tayarana stood by Han-Yeol's side, dressed in comfortable everyday clothing, the kind one would typically wear at home. The notable difference this time was that all the brands she wore were locally Korean. This marked a significant contrast to her previous visits, during which she exclusively wore clothes she had brought back from Egypt.

But the most significant change was...

"No, I'm fine. I'm staying with Han-Yeol."

"O-Okay..."

She began to study Korean.

‘I wonder why she changed her mind…’

She had learned from an early age that her Egyptian heritage was superior to others, which had led her to believe she didn't need to learn any language other than Egypt's national language, Arabic. However, this time, she had a change of heart and began learning Korean as soon as she returned.

‘Should I say this is for the better or for the worse...?’ Han-Yeol couldn't quite discern the implications of this change, but he was delighted that she was by his side.

While still mourning the loss of the Horus raid party, she invested her time and emotions into personally training the members of the Gurkha raid party. Han-Yeol unequivocally approved of this, but it was still remarkable that a foreign country's princess was responsible for training members of another nation's raid party.

‘Tsk... She probably feels responsible and guilty for what happened to the Horus raid party…’

Tayarana's trusted assistant, Mariam, worked diligently as well, even harder than Tayarana, as she bore a sense of responsibility for the Horus raid party's fate. Mariam's expertise lay in administration and management, which allowed Han-Yeol to delegate the operation of the Gurkha raid party to her.

Most other raid party matters were handled by Sahas, who had grown even stronger after gaining combat experience as an S Rank Hunter against the Tamra raid party.

Vroom!

The distant sound of an engine roaring could be heard.

“They are coming, Han-Yeol-nim,” Vidya said.

Han-Yeol nodded and replied, “Yeah, I can see them.”

He could see the vehicle approaching his mansion, but his mind was currently preoccupied.

‘Will it really be better if a vehicle runs on mana instead?’ he pondered, focused on the technical aspect.

He had a strong aversion to noisy things, and the sound of the car's engine occasionally annoyed him.

While lost in thought, ten cars parked in front of his mansion gates, and the most luxurious car was undoubtedly the one the chairman was in. It was a premium German automaker known for manufacturing billion-won worth of cars.

The chairman rarely ventured outside, except when visiting the president at the Blue House, making sightings of him quite rare. Surprisingly, there was not a single reporter in sight, even though the chairman was making a rare trip.

One reason for that was Han-Yeol had purchased all the land in this area, as he preferred solitude. It was nearly impossible for outsiders to enter this area.

It's essential to note that the lands here were not like those in other parts of the country. This was where many influential figures and successful business magnates built their vacation homes, and the price of a single parcel of land was astronomical.

In fact, it was nearly impossible to buy land or a house here, even with money, as most were reluctant to sell. The only opportunity people had was to wait for someone to put their mansion or land up for sale.

However, these people were merely "figures" and "merchants" compared to Han-Yeol, and they readily agreed to sell their lands and mansions to him when he asked, fearing retribution.

Han-Yeol's influence in Korea had grown to such an extent that some influential figures personally came to him and offered to sell their lands after hearing that he was buying up the entire area.

At any rate, Han-Yeol was now the owner of the entire area, and his Gurkha soldiers patrolled every nook and cranny of it.

Click…

The front passenger seat door opened first, and a man in a black suit emerged from the car. He then proceeded to open the rear passenger door. However, it would be more accurate to say that both rear passenger doors opened on their own.

Thud…

The first person to step out from the rear compartment emerged from the side opposite to where the man in the black suit was standing.

"Oh! This place has beautiful views despite being so close to Seoul!" exclaimed a young man with a remarkably innocent appearance.

The young man took a moment to survey the surroundings, and he then took a deep breath of fresh air. "Sniff...! Haaa...! So this is what they mean by healing from nature! It's quite different from Seoul, where there aren't many trees, and everything is artificial."

Although the environment had improved significantly with the advent of dimensional gates and mana stones, it didn't mean that fossil fuels were entirely obsolete. The Middle East, marred by political and religious turmoil, required substantial funds for stabilization, leading them to sell all available resources. While mana stones were an excellent energy source, oil and gas still remained important for energy production.

This was why diesel and petrol-engine cars were still present on the streets, even though the majority of vehicles had transitioned to electric vehicles.

‘So he’s the chairman?’ Han-Yeol thought as he inspected the young man.

The young man appeared rather ordinary, making it challenging to envision someone like him leading a vast organization such as the Hunters' Association.

It was at this very moment that Han-Yeol was on the verge of forming his initial impression of the chairman when...

Ziiing!

‘This is…!’ Han-Yeol was taken aback by the sudden aura he sensed.

Finally, the passenger from the other side of the vehicle emerged.

Thud...

‘An old man...?’ Han-Yeol thought as he observed the elderly figure.

In his eyes, the old man appeared to be at least a century old, with wrinkled skin, a hunched back, and a cane for support.

However, Han-Yeol could sense from the old man's aura alone that he was undoubtedly not ordinary.

‘That old man isn't what he appears to be.’

[You are correct, Han-Yeol-nim. That human possesses so much mana that it is impossible to properly gauge.]

'I think he's at least a Master Rank Hunter...?'

[It would not be surprising if that were the case.]

'What the? I thought there were only six Master Rank Hunters in Korea. Kim Tae-San died, but I somewhat replaced him, right?'

[It seems that human is the trump card of the Hunters' Association, or rather, of South Korea.]

'Ugh... Why does everything have to be so complicated...?'

Han-Yeol was not devoid of secrets, yet he couldn't fathom why the government would conceal the existence of such a formidable individual.

"Hoho... What an incredible young man. I believed I had done a good job concealing my identity, but it appears that you discerned it in that brief period of time... Hoho!"

‘As expected, this old man isn’t just an ordinary old man…’