Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 65: A Thorough Deal (1)

Han-Yeol turned toward where the voice came from and saw a man wearing a tuxedo briskly walking toward where they were at. He wondered, ‘Do they have a policy of not being able to run inside or what?’

The man seemed to be in a hurry as he had an urgent look, but he also looked quite awkward; he was trying hard not to run at the same time. Then, he asked Han-Yeol, “Phew… Thank you for waiting for me. Pardon me, but are you Lee Han-Yeol Hunter-nim by any chance?”

‘What is going on?’?Han-Yeol thought. He was confused about what was going on, and he could not help but wonder, ‘And how the hell does?he know my name all of a sudden?’

“Yes, I am Lee Han-Yeol Hunter, and who might you be?” Han-Yeol asked in response.

“Ha! That’s a relief. Hello, I am this restaurant’s manager Lee Tae-min,” the man introduced himself.

The manager named Lee Tae-Min introduced himself as he held out his hand, and Han-Yeol also reached out and shook hands with him. Tae-Min then asked, “Lee Han-Yeol Hunter-nim may not remember me, but do you remember the crayfish-like monster from the dimensional gate earlier this year?”

“Oh, you mean that monster? Of course, I remember that thing,” Han-Yeol replied.

.

He could never forget that incident. It had been a hectic day where he had almost died because of a monster, who had been pissed off because of some irresponsible Hunters, and he had even been taken in by the Hunter’s Association for an interrogation regarding that incident.

However, the reason why Manager Lee Tae-Min introduced himself to Han-Yeol was not only because he recognized him because of the incident.

“The truth is, you saved me in the middle of all that chaos. Before I could express my gratitude, you immediately disappeared because you were being chased by that crayfish monster.? When I heard that you, Lee Han-Yeol Hunter-nim, were the one who saved my life back then, and I have always wanted to personally repay you for saving my life. It seems like I have gotten my chance today. Please come in, there is a room that I can give you to enjoy your meal,” said the restaurant manager.

‘Oh, jackpot!’ Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly as his face brightened.

He was worried about having to return empty-handed and endure humiliation in front of Yoo-Bi, so it was a huge relief that he no longer had to thanks to some random encounter from the past. In fact, today’s events did the exact opposite of what Han-Yeol was worried about. After what just happened, he now probably seemed much cooler in front of Yoo-Bi’s eyes.

Han-Yeol stole a glance at Yoo-Bi from the corner of his eyes. He saw that her eyes were sparkling with admiration toward him. Feeling satisfied by Yoo-Bi’s expression, he thought, ‘Cool, this is more than enough for today.’

He intended to take things slow, one step at a time, so she wouldn’t be scared away.

“Wow…” the two of them muttered in awe the moment they were in the hotel restaurant.

“Is it all right for you to give us such a room?” Han-Yeol asked.

The room where Tae-Min, the restaurant manager, had guided Han-Yeol and Yoo-Bi to was a room with a tall and wide glass window that showcased a clear view of the Han River. This was a view that most people would only be able to see on TV.

‘Well, not bad for my first time at a hotel restaurant,’?Han-Yeol thought.

“How do you like the room?” Tae-Min asked.

“I-Is it okay alright for you to treat us so nicely?” Yoo-Bi asked while looking at the restaurant manager.

Yoo-Bi was initially too busy to think about anything as she was dazzled and mesmerized by the luxurious atmosphere. Still, she soon started to feel burdened by the VIP room upon realizing what was going on.

However, Tae-Min, the restaurant manager, simply smiled and replied, “Of course, it is not like you are going to eat for free, right? I am just doing the best that I can to accommodate you and Han-Yeol Hunter-nim.”

“I guess you are right in that case. Thank you. If it wasn’t for you, we would have no choice but to turn around and leave,” Han-Yeol said.

“I am ashamed to admit that this is as much as I can do for you since I do not have much power, and I am only a manager at this place. It is truly a regret that I can only do this much for someone who saved my life,” Tae-Min said regretfully.

Tae-Min’s salary was not that big even though he was a luxurious hotel restaurant’s manager. His salary was just a drop of water in an ocean when compared to Han-Yeol’s vast wealth.

“Not at all! This is more than enough for us. Thanks to you, Manager Tae-Min, we will now have good memories of this restaurant,” Han-Yeol replied. He was now thinking of coming to this restaurant more often from now on, if it meant that it would help Tae-Min in his career.

“Thank you for your understanding. Shall I take your order now?” Tae-Min asked as he extended the menu to both of them.

“Hmm, is there a chef’s recommendation?” Han-Yeol asked.

“Yes, there is,” Tae-Min replied.

“We will have that, then,” Han-Yeol said.

“I understand,” Tae-Min replied before leaving with their orders.

The wait staff came in to set up their table and prepared their meal. The menu they ordered was a course meal, so the food came out in sequence.

Han-Yeol and Yoo-Bi found the food to be very delicious, and they were able to have a dinner that both of them thoroughly enjoyed.

After some time had passed, Han-Yeol said to the staffers, “Thank you for your hard work, here are your tips.”

“Thank you very much,” the staffers replied.

Tipping was still an awkward culture in Korea, but Han-Yeol thought tipping looked cool from all the western shows he had watched, so he took out a few hundred thousand won checks from his wallet and distributed it to the restaurant staffers.

‘I’m at a hotel, so I might as?well flex?a little bit,’?Han-Yeol proudly thought to himself.

Some would say that he was wasting money just to flex, but he just got a call from Sung-Jin Factory a while ago informing him that the five ton of Dokkaebi body parts had fetched a price of 1.28 billion won.

He had just earned 1.28 billion won from selling monster corpses and this excluded the money from selling the mana stones. Therefore, calling what he did just now of distributing a few hundred thousand won checks a flex was an understatement.

“Ah, I almost forgot. Yoo-Bi, I haven’t paid your wage for today, right?” Han-Yeol asked.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot about it too,” Yoo-Bi replied.

“Hold on for a moment,” Han-Yeol said as he pulled out his smartphone.

“Okay,” Yoo-Bi replied.

Han-Yeol tapped on his smartphone and calculated Yoo-Bi’s daily wage for the day, then sent it to her account. Yoo-Bi was due nine hundred thousand won an hour, which was a total of 7.2 million won from eight hours of work.

Yoo-Bi could be considered as earning one of the highest wages among the Porters, since a porter’s average daily wage was only 1.4 million won, but it was not a burdensome amount to Han-Yeol at all. After all, it was an amount that would not even make a dent in his bank account.

While Han-Yeol and Yoo-Bi were enjoying their desert, the people around them started to murmur noisily.

Murmur… Murmur…?

Han-Yeol could hear some commotion going on outside. He wondered, ‘What is going on?’

Just as Han-Yeol was wondering, the restaurant manager, Tae-Min, opened the door and came inside. He bowed his head apologetically and said, “I am very sorry. We have a valuable guest who just arrived, so I would like to ask for your kind understanding even if it is going to be noisy for a while.”

“Well, I don't really mind, but who is this special guest?” Han-Yeol asked.

“All I know is that they are businessmen from Egypt, but I do not know their identities. Only the general manager knows the VVIP guests’ identities,” Tae-Min replied.

“Oh, is that so?” Han-Yeol said.

“Yes, come to think of it, you seem to have finished your meal. If you have any complaints, please let me know without any hesitation. I will do my best to make sure that it will not happen the next time you dine in our establishment,” Tae-Min said.

Han-Yeol thought that Tae-Min was a very service-minded person who paid very close attention to detail, but he could not help but wonder if this was common for every upscale restaurant manager or if it was just this guy being very attentive.

“To be honest, I don’t usually come to a fancy hotel like this, but I feel the service today was perfect,” Han-Yeol replied.

Han-Yeol needed to know something to point out if something was wrong or not. He in fact thought that he had received too much service to the extent that he felt uncomfortable accepting some of the services today, even though he was paying for whatever he received.

“Thank you. Please enjoy your time and let me know if you need anything,” Tae-Min said before he respectfully bowed once more.

“Yes, I understand manager-nim,” Han-Yeol said in response.

The restaurant manager smiled, closed the door, and left.

‘Businessmen from Egypt, you say…’ Han-Yeol thought.

Today’s event bothered him for some reason.

“I had fun today thanks to you, oppa,” Yoo-Bi said.

A date would usually end with the man accompanying the woman home, but that was not the case with these two.

Han-Yeol used his mana to purify the alcohol in his system, which was a perk of being a Hunter, while Yoo-Bi was not a drinker so she could drive herself home without any problems. He did not have to take Yoo-Bi home, since both of them had their cars and could drive themselves home.

A law that allowed Porters who were over the age of sixteen to obtain their driver’s license was passed just a few years ago. There had initially been a lot of backlash before this law was passed, and there had even been a lot of heated discussions about whether minors should be allowed to work as a Porter or not in the first place.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family was the fiercest opposition to the law. They argued that allowing minors to work as porters should be banned by law as it is a violation of the Child and Youth Protection Act. However, the Hunter’s Association and the teenagers themselves fiercely opposed the ban and demanded the decision to be made by themselves.

The court was too busy walking on eggshells to not get on the bad side of the Hunters’ Association, so they ruled that not allowing teenagers to work as porters violates the right to freedom and the right to choose their career.

However, a clause was added that minors were to receive eight weeks of education as opposed to the regular four weeks for adults. They were to receive regular refresher education and special care until they reached adulthood.?It was also specified that you needed to be at least 15 years old and above to apply as a Porter officially.

Numerous teenagers whose dream was to become a Hunter or those who simply came from a poor background started to apply as Porters as soon as the law was passed, and that was how more and more kids started to jump into the Hunters’ world where they could either obtain fame or lose their life in return.

There were some teenagers who were able to awaken earlier in life and receive a rank higher than most adults, so the nurturing of teenagers into Hunters attracted the attention of some experts and investors as a lucrative business.

Han-Yeol had something to say to Yoo-Bi before they separated.

“Hey, Yoo-Bi,” Han-Yeol called out.

“Yes?” Yoo-Bi responded.

“Is it possible for you to go hunting again tomorrow?” Han-Yeol asked. He planned to go hunting once again tomorrow, because he thought of summoning the demon that could help him absorb the demon’s eyes just as Kajikar had said while hunting at the same time.

“Oh, I’m sorry oppa, I already made plans with my mother tomorrow,” Yoo-Bi replied apologetically.

Although she rejected Han-Yeol, Yoo-Bi did want to go as well. This was because she could earn a lot of money and have a higher chance to awaken if she went hunting, especially with Han-Yeol, but her mother was her life’s priority.

She had been lost and rebellious when she had gone through difficult times at a young age, but she soon understood after growing up just how difficult life was for her mother, who worked day and night just to make ends meet. That was why she wanted to make up for the suffering her mother had gone through just to provide for her now that she was able to earn a lot of money.

“Oh really? Well, I guess there is no helping it if it’s because of your mother,” Han-Yeol said. He was assuring Yoo-Bi that he had no hard feelings at all and understood her reason, just in case she would feel anxious about rejecting him.

Of course, Han-Yeol perfectly understood Yoo-Bi’s situation as he had been just like her. He would also choose to spend time with his father and delay the hunting schedule for another time if he was in her shoes.

‘My father also comes first,’?Han-Yeol thought.

‘Hmm… Then should I hire another porter for tomorrow?’ Han-Yeol thought about it before he shrugged and decided to think about the details later.

“Take care and see you next time,” Han-Yeol said.

“I-If there is another hunt planned other than tomorrow, please let me know,” Yoo-Bi said nervously.

“All right, I’ll let you know,” Han-Yeol replied reassuringly.

That was how the two parted ways in front of the Hunters’ Association and headed home.

Actually, Han-Yeol stood there a little longer and watched Yoo-Bi drive away in her car, and it was only after she was completely out of view that he got in his van and went on his way home.

Beep… Beep… Beep…

“I’m home,” Han-Yeol said as he entered his house.

It was already past ten in the evening, and Han-Yeol could hear his father sleeping inside the room.

‘He must have been tired,’ Han-Yeol thought.

His father seemed to be much more invigorated these days compared to when he had been younger when it came to running his billiard business. Oddly enough, his father ran the place with an eccentric concept that focused on different kinds of services, events, and tournaments that attracted a huge crowd. On top of that, there was a sudden increase in billiard-related TV programs that revived the popularity of billiards once again, which made his father’s business exponentially grow. He even recently told Han-Yeol that he had to recently hire another staff to help out.

Han-Yeol could feel a corner of his heart warm up whenever he saw his father working so hard while enjoying what he was doing.

‘I shouldn’t laze around as a son when my father is working so hard. I will have to work harder tomorrow,’?Han-Yeol thought as he switched on his computer. He accessed the demon encyclopedia website, which was now saved as a favorite, and browsed through it. He wondered as he scrolled, ‘Let’s see… which demon would be suitable for me right now…?’

What Han-Yeol needed right now was a demon that could help him, who was a human, to absorb the Demon’s Eyes.

‘I’m certain that a normal demon would not know the method to help me absorb it,’?Han-Yeol thought with confidence.

He was searching for a method that even Kajikar was not aware of, even though Kajikar was an intermediate demon and the drill sergeant of the Demon Army, and he was also a demon who had access to a variety of knowledge in the demon world.

‘In that case, what if I look for a demon that is in charge of knowledge?’?After thinking that, Han-Yeol searched the keyword ‘knowledge’ in the search bar, and he saw some of the seventy-two demons appear at the top of the search result.

One of the demons that caught his eye was Astaroth, but Han-Yeol immediately scrolled down the search results.

‘I must be crazy to even think that I am going to summon one of the?seventy-two?demons with my current power,’ Han-Yeol thought while feeling stupid. Then, he scrolled down and passed the high-ranking demons as well.

Kajikar was only an intermediate-ranking demon, but he was already much stronger than Han-Yeol, so it was a laughable thought if Han-Yeol even dreamt of summoning a high-ranking demon itself. It was obvious that he would be lucky if he was not immediately devoured by the demon he summoned in the first place.

One demon stood out when Han-Yeol scrolled down the high-ranking demons and reached the list of intermediate demons.

[The merchant of the demon world that deals with everything and anything, Dellchant.]

‘Merchant? Could it be possible that this demon also trades knowledge?’?Han-Yeol wondered.

Han-Yeol was intrigued by the concept of a demon merchant, so he continued to read the demon’s description.

[Dellchant is a demon merchant who deals with everything and anything in the darkness. However, he is well known to set the price of whatever he sells under his terms and does not permit any haggling to be done. One must be certain to pay the price the demon merchant requests or else be prepared to pay an even bigger price as the demon merchant is known to take the soul of his customers should they fail to pay up. It is known that no human has been able to pay the price that Dellchant has requested, and ended up losing their souls to the demon merchant.]

‘Wow…?What a ruthless guy…’?Han-Yeol thought.

The demon merchant would give the item that the person desired first and then ask for the payment later judging from the explanation, but the description also clearly mentioned that the demon was going to take away his customer’s soul if they failed to pay the price that the demon had set.

‘This guy should be able to do the job then,’?Han-Yeol thought with a smirk.

1. People do not usually tip in Korea except for places where people drink. It is actually considered rude to tip in Korea and there were cases of people getting scolded by restaurant owners because of it.

2. The legal age for someone to drive in Korea is when they turn nineteen as opposed to most western countries where teens can drive as soon as they turn sixteen, that was why the author was pointing out that there was a debate whether sixteen is a young age or not for someone to drive in Korea.