Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 174: Hunter Assembly And (5)

Thud… Thud… Thud… Thud…?

The brothers, Soo-Hyun and Woo-Hyun, walked through the path opened by the reporters and entered the main building. They were invited to the event as well.

Clack! Clack! Clack!?

A few reporters discreetly took photos despite the tense atmosphere. While a juicy fight may not have occurred, these kinds of standoffs still made for captivating headlines.

‘It's fortunate that I came here when I would normally have refused. I have the opportunity to witness Hunters I wouldn't even dream of seeing, and I experienced such intense tension between them! This is going to be an exceptional scoop!’?

More than a dozen reporters were thinking along the same lines, as most of their scoop senses were tingling.

"I should probably start by thanking you for stopping me from getting into a fight on the first day," Han-Yeol said confidently.

After all, he was not the type to suppress himself just because he was talking to a Master Rank Hunter.

"Hoho, I simply didn't want anyone causing a disturbance on this festive day. By the way, those two have quite the temper, so you might want to be careful out there..." Master Hydra said before he returned to the main building.

Han-Yeol stared at Master Hydra's back for a while before leading Purva and the Mulan film crew into the main building.

The reporters, of course, were capturing pictures and videos of everything that unfolded, but they were a step behind.

[Wow! That was intense!]

[I-Is he going to engage in a confrontation with high-ranking Hunters...?]

[They didn't physically fight, but it felt as though I was witnessing a fierce battle! The intensity was overwhelming!]

[Yeah, we were watching it online, but I got chills all over my body when I saw Master Hydra's eyes, as if he was glaring right at me!]

[T-That was really amazing…]

[But Han-Yeol-nim didn’t even flinch in front of Master Hydra!]

[He might not be a Master Rank Hunter yet, but he is eventually going to become one!]

[Then he’s not going to lose to anyone!]

[Yeah!]

[Yes, he won’t lose!]

[He will never die!]

[Never!]

The Mulan film crew was already broadcasting everything live, while the reporters were busy contemplating which picture to use and what to write in the article about the intense standoff that had just occurred.

"Let's go, Purva."

"Yes, sir!"

Purva, like Han-Yeol, also looked at Master Hydra's back. However, there was a notable difference between them. Purva glared at Master Hydra. He couldn't accept that Master Hydra had directed such intense eyes toward his employer, regardless of whether he was a Master Rank Hunter or not.

His anger was not solely for Han-Yeol's sake but rather stemmed from the innate character of Nepalese people. When people thought of Nepalese individuals, bravery and hard work came to mind first. However, their greatest strength was not in their bravery or work ethic, but in their loyalty and resilience.

Before the dimensional gates emerged, Nepal had been invaded by the British. The Nepalese people had fought with their lives on the line to drive back the invaders from their lands. Their tenacity had impressed the British, leading them to hire these warriors as mercenaries to fight under the British flag.

The Nepalese had also fought as mercenaries during most of the Second World War and earned significant merits. This prompted the British to establish an entire regiment for them, and many Gurkha warriors brought their families to the United Kingdom, becoming naturalized British citizens.

As a result, their loyalty shifted from Nepal to the United Kingdom. The Gurkhas' unwavering loyalty was always toward their family and their own people, but not necessarily toward their country, Nepal, due to certain internal political issues.

A significant number of Gurkha warriors remained in the employment by the British government even after the dimensional gate incident, where soldiers were no longer in high demand. Additionally, some affluent individuals hired discharged Gurkhas as their personal mercenaries.

Purva regarded Han-Yeol as his employer, and thus, he wholeheartedly dedicated his unwavering loyalty to him. This was the reason why he couldn't simply stand by and watch someone threaten his employer.

‘I could’ve fought for Han-Yeol-nim if I was a Hunter…’?Purva thought while cursing the poor infrastructure of his country in developing Hunters.

The reporters sensed a potential scoop lurking around Han-Yeol, but they hesitated to approach him recklessly, suspecting that he might be agitated by what had transpired with the brothers.

Not a single reporter dared to obstruct Han-Yeol's path as he made his way toward the main building. They could only heave a sigh of relief once Han-Yeol, Purva, and the rest of the Mulan film crew had finally entered the building.

“Phew…”

"It's great to get an exclusive story, but this place is too nerve-wracking for me..."

"Yeah, logically, we know we won't get killed here, but the mana these Hunters exude is just overwhelmingly intense..."

"That's why they're hiring F Rank Hunters as reporters nowadays."

"Hey! Why are you bringing that up now?!"

"Because it's frustrating!"

An F Rank Hunter was practically ineffective in battle. They had the strength to easily subdue an average person but struggled against even the weakest monsters like the Volax.

However, that didn't change the fact that they were awakened beings, which allowed them to easily find jobs that paid hundreds of millions every year. Although they couldn't become professional athletes like football players or mixed martial artists, they were in high demand in industries such as medicine, construction, journalism, and more.

The media had become one of the hottest destinations for F Rank Hunters, as numerous news outlets competed to secure the best scoops. It was widely known that a single F Rank Hunter could accomplish the work of ten ordinary reporters.

One of the main reasons why F Rank Hunters stood out was evident during this event. Only awakened beings were granted access to the main building, and that explained the absence of awakened reporters waiting outside the building.

Some might say that this was discrimination, but none of the media outlets dared to make an enemy out of the Hunter Assembly, so the reporters were left beating their chests out of frustration.

***

"Wow... This is truly amazing," Han-Yeol muttered as he took in the interior of the building.

From the outside, it appeared like an ordinary building, but the inside was adorned with lavish decorations and equipped with state-of-the-art technologies.

"Wow! Let's go and capture a full shot from that side!"

"Yes, unni."

Even the Mulan film crew felt their spirits lifted upon witnessing the grandeur of the building's interior.

While there were numerous guards stationed outside the building, the absence of people inside made it convenient for the Mulan film crew to carry out their work.

It was during Han-Yeol's walk that he suddenly sensed the presence of someone nearby.

‘Who’s that?’

Wooong…

‘This person is strong…’

Han-Yeol detected the person's mana. It didn't appear as though the person was intentionally emanating their mana, but rather, Han-Yeol sensed it as a natural overflow from their body. Even this mere natural overflow was enough to make Han-Yeol feel nervous.

‘The only person that can have this kind of powerful mana is… Don’t tell me…’?Han-Yeol thought of the one person who he wished he would not meet if he came here.

And that person was none other than…

“Oh~ Isn’t it the rising superstar Lee Han-Yeol Hunter?”

‘Ah… Damn it…’?Han-Yeol grumbled inwardly after seeing the man smiling brightly at him.

This man was none other than the Hunter from Jeju Island, who was also known as the most powerful Hunter of South Korea—Kim Tae-San.

‘This is the one person I was hoping not to meet…’?Han-Yeol clicked his tongue inwardly.

The burden of being the most powerful Hunter in South Korea weighed heavily on Han-Yeol. However, what burdened him even more was the widespread rumors of his rejection by Tayarana. It was inevitable that Kim Tae-San would be upset when Tayarana turned him down, only to spend time with someone like Lee Han-Yeol.

Regardless, Kim Tae-San warmly welcomed Han-Yeol, despite his apprehensions.

"Haha! It's great to finally meet our up-and-coming superstar! My name is Kim Tae-San, but people call me the Hallasan Monster. Well, I find that nickname a bit embarrassing, but oh well."

"M-My name is Lee Han-Yeol. It's nice to meet you too," Han-Yeol replied.

During their first official meeting, Kim Tae-San treated Han-Yeol with great kindness, which only served to deepen Han-Yeol's suspicion regarding the Hallasan Monster's intentions.

‘I haven't personally met this guy, but according to the rumors, he isn't known to be a good person... It might be best for me to adopt a demeanor that makes him feel uncomfortable, given his character, right?’?Han-Yeol could not help but feel uncomfortable once again.

Still, Kim Tae-San treated Han-Yeol quite warmly despite him having sensed that he was not comfortable.

“Let’s go now. The event is about to start,” Kim Tae-San said.

“Ah, y-yes…”

Han-Yeol accompanied Kim Tae-San to the main area where the event was taking place, as it was his intended destination.

Throughout the journey, Kim Tae-San persistently pestered Han-Yeol, mentioning how he had seen him on TV, commenting on how well he appeared alongside Tayarana, and bringing up other topics that only served to increase Han-Yeol's discomfort. As a result, Han-Yeol became more convinced that Kim Tae-San was merely putting on a facade at the moment.

‘I shouldn’t let my guard down,’?Han-Yeol steeled his resolve.

"Ah, it's a pity, but we must part ways for now. You're a regular Hunter, whereas I'm an executive of this assembly, you see. Bwahaha!"

"Ah, alright. It was an honor to meet you."

Han-Yeol and Tae-San bid each other farewell in front of the staircase leading upstairs. The assembly's executives occupied the VIP area, while Han-Yeol had to ascend to the second floor and find a seat in a secluded corner.

As he glanced downward, he noticed something peculiar on the floor below. There was an open space that seemed strangely familiar.

‘I hope it’s not what I think it is…’?Han-Yeol nervously thought.

A few moments later, the event started with a speech by Kim Tae-San.

“Yawn…”

The event proceeded as usual, with numerous speeches recounting the events of the year, presenting awards and acknowledgments to different Hunters, and discussing the plans for the upcoming year's assembly. As a result, the viewers of Level Up TV started to leave in large numbers.

[I don’t want to waste my time watching something so boring.]

[Pibim-nim has left the chat.]

[Ah… So boring…]

[Bloody Magnet-nim has left the chat.]

[Ciao~]

[Quilting Day-nim has left the chat.]

[Three boos for the assembly!]

[Boo Assembly-nim has left the chat.]

‘Ugh… Damn it…!’?

Su-In's stress level escalated each time a viewer left the channel. Despite the prior announcement that today's broadcast would not feature any action or fighting, Su-In anticipated that the majority of the viewers would be Han-Yeol's true fans.

Initially, there were one hundred thousand viewers tuned in to the broadcast. However, they gradually started leaving one by one due to the monotonous speeches delivered by the assembly. As a result, only thirty-one thousand viewers remained on the channel. It was likely that not all of them were actively watching, as they might have been engaged in other activities while the broadcast played in the background.

Su-In could discern this from the relatively empty chatroom, despite the presence of over thirty-one thousand viewers. Most of the conversations happening in the chat were unrelated to Han-Yeol, focusing on random topics like shopping experiences at the latest mall in Pyeongtaek.

"Have you tried shopping at the latest mall in Pyeongtaek? They say they have all sorts of things there!"

[Me.]

[Wow, that's incredible! I've heard that the place is suitable for both men and women, with over fifty activities specifically designed for men, making it quite enjoyable. And to top it off, they even have a car showroom featuring racing models.]

[Wow, that’s amazing. I should probably go see it for myself.]

[Yeah, go give it a try. It’s really nice there.]

[Anyone wants to go together?]

[Are you a girl?]

[Nope.]

[Fuck off.]

Since there wasn't much to watch during the event, the viewers resorted to chatting amongst themselves for the time being. While airing a single dull episode wouldn't bankrupt Level Up TV, Su-In couldn't help but feel apologetic towards their V Ticket holders who had paid a significant amount of money for the channel.

‘I’m starting to hate these bastards even more!’?Su-In gritted her teeth at the Hunter Assembly.

She was the responsible type, so the current situation was more than enough to elevate her stress and anxiety levels to new heights.

On the other hand, Lee Han-Yeol, the owner of Level Up TV, was doing his best to 'appear' attentive to the speeches while his mind wandered elsewhere. It was more accurate to say that he was distracted by various thoughts.

‘It’s a waste to just let Purva stay like that... I will need to expedite my plans once I finish with the auction… Oh, why don’t I try starting that…? Ah, should I try to make the auction as extravagant as possible just for the sake of it…? Wow… I keep thinking of places to spend money that I’m starting to feel scared of making money…’?

Of course, Han-Yeol was on cloud nine these days after making so much money.

Anyway, he was very distracted right now as listening to boring speeches was definitely not his strongest suite.