Leveling Up Alone

“Let’s see…”

Han-Yeol was currently in another hotel. The seven-star luxury hotel he stayed in was in shambles thanks to Mavros’ rough landing followed by the aftermath of White Dragon’s appearance.

The hotel had to undergo emergency repairs, as safety experts deemed it could collapse if essential repairs were delayed.

Han-Yeol greatly valued his peace when resting, so there was no way he would put up with the noise pollution from the construction. Thus, he went next door to the competitor of the seven-star luxury hotel, which was also a seven-star luxury hotel, and booked the entire hotel for the duration of his stay.

The hotel was reluctant to lease their premises–no, even accept Han-Yeol as a guest after seeing what happened to their competitor—but they were unable to reject the offer he proposed.

The amount Han-Yeol offered in exchange for booking the entire hotel could only be described as an astronomical sum, but the bigger reason was due to his social status. It was already difficult for them to refuse the booking of a Master-Rank Hunter, but to refuse a Transcendent Master-Rank Hunter, even though he was a foreigner, was not something they could do without fearing repercussions. In the end, the owner had no choice but to lease the entire hotel to Han-Yeol.

‘Please… Please don’t destroy my hotel…’

The owner could only beg inwardly, hoping his hotel would not meet the same fate as the other.

Meanwhile, Han-Yeol was completely oblivious to the worries of the hotel owner while relaxing in his new suite room. He was tinkering with his new class, the Dragon Warrior.

[Yes, it is.]

Han-Yeol was with his trusty assistant, his Ego system, Karvis. She was the first entity that spoke to him when he awakened as a Hunter and guided him through his game-like ability.

‘I wonder what kind of skills a Dragon Warrior has?’

The system already informed him that he had gained three new skills, but he was too busy talking to White Dragon that he did not get the chance to check them. Now, he finally had the time to check his new skills.

[Dragon’s Will (F)]

Type: Passive

Description: Grants the user pain resistance for weak attacks. The user’s body will not be harmed by weak attacks. The effects of this skill will increase the higher its level becomes.

[Dragon’s Heart (F)]

Type: Passive

Description: A dragon’s heart possesses near-infinite mana. The user will be granted a portion of the powers of a dragon’s heart.

Maximum mana capacity will increase by 100% and mana recovery will increase by 30%. The bonus maximum mana capacity and mana recovery granted by this skill will increase the higher this skill’s level becomes.

[Dragon Sword Emperor (F)]

Type: Passive

Description: Allows the user to infuse a dragon’s strength into everything.

All attacks using weapons will have its attack power enhanced by 150% and all attacks using skills will have its attack power enhanced by 50%. The bonus attack power granted by this skill will increase the higher this skill’s level becomes.

‘T-These don’t look that flashy, but these are the most efficient skills I have ever seen!’

Han-Yeol’s jaw dropped after checking the three new skills he obtained after becoming a Dragon Warrior. None of the skills were offensive skills, but that was no reason to be disappointed.

To begin with, Han-Yeol did not need another offensive skill. He already had a wide variety of offensive skills, and he could create new ones according to his needs. Instead, what he needed were passive skills that would grant him buffs and make him more efficient in combat.

He was more than delighted after he saw that he had gained three overpowered passive skills even though none of them were the flashy type, as he always struggled with creating passive skills compared to active ones.

‘This is so awesome!’

[Congratulations, Han-Yeol-nim.]

‘Thanks, Karvis!’

Han-Yeol clenched his fist and he could feel he had become stronger.

‘Yes, I can feel it. I’m stronger now.’

[Pardon?]

‘I’ve become much stronger now…’

He continued to repeat the same sentence over and over again without responding to Karvis, causing her to become slightly nervous.

[Han-Yeol-nim?]

Of course, Han-Yeol did not care whether she was nervous or not, as he felt that he had become stronger.

***

That same evening, Han-Yeol spent most of his time sitting on the sofa, staring at his clenched fist.

Knock! Knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

The one who answered the door was Sahas, Han-Yeol’s personal bodyguard.

The response came, but it was in Chinese.

[Excuse me, there is a guest from the government and the HUN.]

“Hey, part-timer! Come and translate!” Sahas called out.

“Y-Yes, sir!”

The part-timer on shift right now was a college student too.

‘Damn it… I thought this was going to be easy money! Who is it?!’ she grumbled inwardly while walking to the door.

All three part-timers Han-Yeol hired this time were extremely satisfied with their jobs. Yes, the pay was nothing amazing, but it was still more than most similar part-time gigs.

However, the best thing about working for him was the amount of work they had to do.

Han-Yeol rarely went outside and spent most of his days cooped up in his hotel room, and the only translation they had to do for him was when he would talk to the hotel staff.

Also, there was another benefit from this part-time job, and that was getting to experience the seven-star luxury hotel. Han-Yeol provided them with their own deluxe room to use, and none of them would have imagined that they would get to stay in a hotel as expensive as this one.

On top of that, they even got to experience the extremely expensive suite room when it was their shift to translate. Where else could they find a part-time gig like this? They worked in three shifts, were provided their own room, were provided meals, and they did not have to work much!

Unfortunately, the college girl had drawn the short end of the stick, as the government and HUN decided to visit during her shift. As sweet as this part-time gig was, all three of them agreed that translating for the government officials was the most difficult part of it.

“H-He says that Hunters from the government and HUN are here,” she translated.

“What? Are you sure?” Sahas asked in response.

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Sahas grimaced and muttered under his breath, “No wonder I sensed a few unfamiliar mana…”

“Sir?”

“No, it’s nothing,” Sahas brushed her off before turning around and walking away.

‘Tsk. Would it kill you to speak to me properly?’

The girl sulked, as she was secretly interested in him.

Sahas was a mercenary, so taking care of his looks was the least of his priorities. However, awakening as a Hunter coupled with a better working environment slowly improved his skin complexion, turning him into a handsome guy.

Surprisingly, he had always been interested in fashion, so he dressed quite well to complement his improved looks. The only reason he did not dress up before was due to not having time and money, but working for Han-Yeol gave him the time and money he lacked.

Not only that, but he spent most of his free time learning about various beauty and fashion trends, and he was now a beauty expert far more knowledgeable than most so-called experts in the industry.

‘Can’t you give me a chance?’

Unbeknownst to her, Sahas was quite famous among the ladies. Many Korean women were interested in him, and their numbers were growing fast. Also, he was quite famous back in his hometown in Nepal too.

The women back in his hometown were mesmerized by his looks after he awakened as a Hunter, causing them to flock around him whenever he went back.

However, his looks were not the only thing that made him so attractive. Even when he was a soldier, he made sure not only his family but also his extended relatives were taken care of. Now that he was a Hunter, he made sure to take care of as many people as he possibly could.

Funnily enough, Sahas’ house would receive marriage proposals almost daily, and anyone who called his family would try to suggest their daughters at least once.

Unfortunately for all of the hopeful ladies, Sahas was only interested in serving Han-Yeol, beauty, and fashion. In the end, he rarely spared any glances at women, and thus he ended up breaking hearts unintentionally.

Sahas walked to the sofa and saluted before reporting, “You have guests outside, Han-Yeol-nim.”

“Guests?” Han-Yeol replied, seemingly confused.

He was not expecting anyone, so he could not help but be confused at the sudden visit.

“Yes, sir. They claim to be Hunters from the government and the HUN.”

“What? Why would they visit me?”

“I am afraid I do not know their purpose for visiting,” Sahas replied, feeling slightly embarrassed he could not provide all of the information Han-Yeol wanted.

Thankfully, Han-Yeol was not someone who would dwell on petty things like that.

“Hmm… I wonder what they want…” he rubbed his chin and muttered. Then, he looked at Sahas and asked, “Where are they now?”

“They are waiting in the lobby on the ground floor.”

Han-Yeol narrowed his eyes and directed his focus to the ground floor lobby. Then, he found a group of Hunters standing around there.

“Ah, it must be them,” he muttered.

“Yes, I noticed them too,” Sahas replied with a nod.

“Oh? This guy is…?”

It was then that Han-Yeol recognized the mana of one of the Hunters.

‘Was his name Ferdinand?’

“Is something the matter, sir?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Call them up.”

Sahas bowed after Han-Yeol gave the command. He walked back to the door and instructed the college girl to relay the order to the hotel staff.

“Y-Yes, sir!”

A few minutes later, the Hunters waiting in the lobby came up.

Knock! Knock!

They knocked on the door, and Sahas greeted them.

Clack!

Green tea in expensive tea cups were served to them.

“So, what brings you here, Ferdinand?” Han-Yeol asked.

He already noticed even when the Hunters were in the lobby that they were no ordinary Hunters. Every single one of these Hunters were progressive thinkers and members of the Young Faction within the government and HUN.

Han-Yeol also knew from his sources in the government that these young Hunters were currently disgruntled by the decisions made by both the government and the HUN.

Of course, he feigned ignorance and acted completely oblivious.

“I am aware it is impolite of us to abruptly visit you like this. I hope you will accept my sincerest heartfelt apologies, Sir Han-Yeol.”

The way Ferdinand apologized was so elegant that he looked like a modern-day knight. He did not have a hint of cunningness in him and he looked as sincere as a person could be.

‘Tsk, why do I find him annoying all of a sudden?’ Han-Yeol grumbled inwardly.

He had gotten used to fighting monsters and dealing with rough individuals that Ferdinand was the first well-mannered person he had met after a very long time.

“But I had something I must discuss with you, so I had to come today no matter what,” Ferdinand added.

Han-Yeol noticed from those few words that there was something underlying in all of this.

‘No, I’m not getting this feeling because he’s being too polite. There’s definitely something, but I can’t put a finger on it…’ he thought.

There was a nagging feeling that something was afoot, but he could not really work it out. He felt like he was being played right now for some reason, yet he had no way to find out if that was just a feeling or it was real.

It was like he was on a date and the other person was just being polite for the sake of being polite. After all, Han-Yeol did not have much experience going out on dates.

However, his instincts were telling him that there was definitely a reason for him feeling this way, and not knowing what it was annoyed him even more. Besides, there was no way Ferdinand would know how Han-Yeol currently felt.