Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 122: A New Generation (4)

Han-Yeol wanted to check Yoo-Bi’s abilities, but unfortunately, he had to delay it to another time. According to Yoo-Bi, her ability was to craft machinery. However, this was not a suitable environment for her to display it.

Unable to immediately prepare a suitable facility for Yoo-Bi, Han-Yeol decided to send her home for now. She had mentioned that her house was in a mess thanks to the monsters, so he decided it was probably wiser to let her prioritize sorting out her home before anything else.

‘Oh right, I wonder if my house is fine… I hope the monsters didn’t destroy it,’?thought Han-Yeol as he was finally worried about his house on the outskirts of Seoul.

It was going to be a stretch for his Demon Eyes to see all the way to the outskirts of Seoul, so he could not tell what exactly was going on over there. The media was also busy covering up what had really happened, so the only option Han-Yeol had was to personally go and check things out for himself.

“Father.”

“What is it, Han-Yeol?”

Han-Yeol returned to the building where the billiard hall was after sending Yoo-Bi home.

His father was still busy helping out the other people in the building to clear up the mess. He cried with them whenever they found someone they knew dead under the rubble, and he made sure he was there for the rest of them every step of the way.

“I will go home and check how things are over there,” Han-Yeol said.

“Alright, that’s a good idea. You should also get some rest after getting home. You should be tired from dealing with everything that happened. I’ll take care of things here, so head home and rest.”

“Alright.” Han-Yeol bid his father goodbye and drove his van home.

Prrt… Prrft… Prrt…!

“Damn it… What the hell is wrong with my car?” Han-Yeol grumbled after his car suddenly broke down on the way home.

He got out of the car and went to check what was wrong with it. He opened the bonnet and…

Shwaaaa…!

A cloud of gray smoke rose up from the car bonnet.

“Cough! Cough!?Ah… Damn it…”

While smelling the awful cloud of smoke, Han-Yeol could see blue fluid all over the engine. He could immediately tell from a single glance that it was monster blood, and it seemed to have messed up the car engine.

“Tsk… I think this one is a goner…” he clicked his tongue and muttered.

He was not an engineer, but he did not have to be one to tell that his van was beyond repair. He could already see that a portion of its engine was melted.

Han-Yeol shook his head and called the insurance company to come and dispose of the van, and the insurance company immediately made their way toward him. He was paying a ridiculous monthly sum for his Hunter insurance, so it was only right that they would prioritize him even in this kind of situation.

This was the only way for insurance companies selling a premium to survive in this industry, after all.

“Hmm… I guess it’s time for me to get a new vehicle,” Han-Yeol thought.

He had been delaying a vehicle change due to laziness. He did want to upgrade to a luxury sports car like the ones other Hunters drove from time to time, but he simply could not find the time or the energy to go and have a look.

However, he was now forced to go and get a new car after his van broke down, and he decided to get the best one available.

Most people would rent a temporary vehicle in the event their vehicle broke down, but Han-Yeol did not bother doing that for now. He greeted the insurance company staffers who came before giving them some instructions. Then, he kicked off the ground and ran home.

Tak!

His Cat Walk skill was now quite high-leveled, so Han-Yeol was able to run faster than most vehicles. He had been driving around to avoid wasting mana all this time, but this was a faster method for him. After all, he was limited to driving on the roads with a car, but he was free to go wherever he wanted if he ran.

Tak…!

When Han-Yeol arrived at his mansion shortly after, Albert came running. The man asked, “Why are you running instead of driving, Han-Yeol-nim?”

“Ah, my car broke down on the way. Anyway, did any monsters appear here by any chance, Albert?”

“Fortunately, I only heard of them appearing in the vicinity. None of them came here. I believe there was a guild nearby that made quick work of them. The mansion is still safe thanks to them.”

“I see… What about the other people? Is anyone hurt?”

“No one is hurt. We were all fortunate to have been resting inside the mansion at that time. It seems that luck was on our side.”

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

“Hoho, I am moved after hearing that you care about this old one.”

“Of course, I was worried. You and the other helpers are working for me, so it is only right for me to care for you.”

Han-Yeol was usually indifferent to those unrelated to him, but he deeply cared about those to whom he was related to.

It was then.

Ding!

[Twenty-four hours have passed since the summoning scroll has been used. The one thousand demons you have summoned will now be sent back to the demon world.]

‘Haa… That’s done.’?Han-Yeol let out a sigh of relief inwardly.

“Han-Yeol-nim?” Albert called out worriedly after seeing Han-Yeol’s expression.

“Ah, it’s nothing. It’s a relief that nothing happened here,” Han-Yeol replied.

“Hoho, it is indeed.”

Albert could not help but find Han-Yeol’s worried expression to be quite cute, especially since the worry was regarding the helpers. It was quite rare to find a young man, and a Hunter at that, to be so caring of others in this day and age.

“Oh, right, Albert.”

“Yes, Han-Yeol-nim?”

“I’m thinking of using that warehouse to place a vehicle collection. Can you see to it that the warehouse gets the renovations it needs?”

“Wow, Han-Yeol-nim is finally picking up some hobbies like normal Hunters.”

“Huh?”

Han-Yeol thought that Albert was going to try to be an adult and dissuade him once he knew of his plans. When the butler actually looked happy about it, he could not help but be flustered. The butler’s reaction was the complete opposite of what he had expected.

“Hoho, are you aware of how much you earn in a month?” Albert asked.

“N-Not really…?” Han-Yeol replied.

He was not that sharp when it came to finance. It was only obvious that he would not be financially adept as he had spent most of his life struggling to make ends meet and had not had the chance to save any money.

Most Hunters who came from similar backgrounds usually had seniors or friends in the raid parties or guilds they joined to teach them a thing or two.

In Han-Yeol’s case, it did not help that the raid party he had joined was owned by Tayarana, who had a completely different mindset when it came to money.

“You are earning one hundred billion won a month. I cannot help but feel that someone earning as much as you do is spending time collecting game consoles worth three hundred thousand won. Actually, I dare say that you are earning enough to start collecting airplanes instead.”

“A-Airplanes…? Isn’t that a stretch…?” Han-Yeol scratched his head in embarrassment.

He had a hard time believing the fact that he was earning such an astronomical figure every month.

“I’m thinking of collecting luxury supercars from now on,” Han-Yeol said.

“Excellent idea. There are a lot of supercars these days, and all of them have their own unique designs, so it will definitely be worth collecting. I will see to it that the renovations are made immediately.”

“Thank you, Albert.”

“My pleasure.”

Han-Yeol went inside his house after finishing his chat with his butler.

Thud!

He initially thought of going back to the billiard hall after checking that everything was fine at home, but he could not resist the temptation of laying in his bed.

Pak! Pak!

He smacked his cheeks to resist the temptation. He thought firmly, ‘No, I can’t rest right now. I have a lot of things to do.’

He had a bad habit of procrastinating on his tasks whenever he saw his bed. He would lie down on it for a bit, then fall asleep…only to wake up having completely forgotten what he had to do.

He decided that now was not the time for him to procrastinate, so he forced himself to get to work.

But first, he took a cold refreshing shower and changed into comfortable clothes.

Click... Clack!

After that, he headed to the room where he kept his game console collection. The collection room was a well-ventilated room without windows. Its spaciousness was the reason he had decided to turn it into his collection room, aside from the fact that it did not have any windows.

This spacious room was filled with game consoles and game CDs, but there were two other things here.

“Hmm…” Han-Yeol stood in front of a glass cabinet. He muttered, “Are these two things somehow related to each other?”

He had brought back an egg from the lair of the Queen Labyrinth Spider.

[Monster Egg]

Type: Item Combination Material

Description: A common egg used by monsters. It will react to a monster’s mana and hatch, but it is also possible to artificially hatch it. However, it is unknown what creature will come out of it if it is artificially hatched.

Han-Yeol focused on the description, stating that the egg was a combination material.

“I have another similar item, if I am not mistaken, and that is probably this fruit…” he muttered before opening the glass cabinet and taking out the fruit he had obtained at the Volax hunting ground. Then, he used his skill. ‘Item Appraisal.’?

[Nutritious Fruit]

Type: Item Combination Material

Description: A fruit packed with nutrients that monsters love. It may be used as monster feed, but it may also be used to hatch a monster egg thanks to the immense amount of mana it possesses.

“As expected!” Han-Yeol exclaimed.

Tak!

He could not help but jump for joy after his theory was right on the money. The strange-looking fruit he had kept turned out to be the catalyst required to hatch the monster egg, and it was now finally time for him to use it.

However, that did not mean that everything had been accounted for.

“Hmm… But how am I supposed to use this?” he wondered.

He understood from the description that he was going to have to combine them, but how was he supposed to do that when the description did not mention the method to combine them?

Just as Han-Yeol was trying to figure out a solution, he heard a voice in his head.

[I suggest that you try using your Mana Absorption skill.]

‘Oh, Karvis. It’s been a while.’

[Yes, it has been a while, Han-Yeol-nim.]

‘Keke, I didn’t have anything to ask you these days, and you were doing a great job controlling the chain too.’

[I am fine.]

‘Well, if you say so.’

Han-Yeol always felt that Karvis was not human but rather like one of those highly advanced AI systems seen in sci-fi movies. Most fantasy novels would depict a being like Karvis as an ancient hero or a sage who had been trapped by something.

Anyway…

‘Mana Absorption, right?’

[Yes, but it will depend on how you use your skill. It might work if you use your skill not to directly absorb the mana but to pass it to the monster egg. I wish to remind you once again that your abilities are not restricted by anything, and it fully depends on how you use them.]

‘As expected of you. Thanks again.’

[Not at all.]

Karvis had not changed a single bit. She still only said things that she had to say and kept quiet afterward.

Han-Yeol immediately tried implementing Karvis’ advice as he saw no point in delaying it any further. He placed his left hand on the monster egg and his right hand on the fruit. Then, he slowly activated his Mana Absorption skill. He controlled the mana he was absorbing from the fruit and directed it toward the monster egg through his body.

His hands started to feel a prickly sensation after not using his skill for its intended purpose. However, the sensation quickly turned into pain after he cranked it up a notch.

‘Keuk!’?Han-Yeol groaned but gritted his teeth.

There was no way that he was going to ruin this moment just because of the pain he felt.

Woooong…!

‘It’s working!’?Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly after seeing the fruit slowly dissipate and turn into mana, and the mana traveled as intended through his arms and into the monster egg.

When the monster egg started to tremble slightly after receiving the mana from the Nutritious Fruit, Han-Yeol sent even more mana toward it.

‘Oh! It’s working!’?he was filled with anticipation as to what was going to pop out from the monster egg.

Thud…! Thud…! Thud…! Thud…!?

He looked at the monster egg with excitement in his eyes.

The monster egg continued to uncontrollably tremble…before it suddenly stopped.

“Huh…?”

Han-Yeol could not help but be flustered when the monster egg suddenly became motionless.