Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 427: Onward, To The United States! (2)

China's defensive lines did not easily fall to Qin Shi Huang, and they were able to slow down the advance of the Disaster-Rank Monsters army.

The war came to a near-stalemate, and the New Year came.

Ah Im in my thirties now! Im thirty years old! Noooo! Han-Yeol grabbed his hair and screamed while looking at the calendar.

It seems you are now an ajusshi too, Han-Yeol-nim.

Who are you calling an ajusshi?!

Han-Yeol kneeled in defeat after getting hit by Stewarts Ajusshi Attack.

The demon was definitely much older than Han-Yeol, as he had probably lived for decades or even centuries in the demon world. However, Stewart looked like a short, handsome, and young boy, so Han-Yeol could not help but be affected by the personal attack.

Also, the fact that someone handsome was calling him old only added insult to injury. Han-Yeol himself was handsome, but he was not as handsome as the top celebrities who often appeared on TV.

Still, he was more handsome than average, and his looks were enough to make heads turn whenever he walked on the street. Well, it was more like he was the perfect case of how fame could make someone look more attractive, but this was something he refused to acknowledge.

You might have aged a year, but at least you were able to escape from the Blue House.

Haa Thats the only reason I havent gone insane yet. I really would have gone mad if I had to spend the New Year under that blue roofno, I might have wiped the Korean Peninsula off of the face of this world.

Do you mean South Korea?

This entire damn peninsula!

Wow, that sounds quite ambitious.

A man is nothing without ambition!

Bam! Bam!

Han-Yeol banged his chest out of frustration.

***

In the end, Han-Yeol got what he wanted by reforming South Korea and hosting a snap presidential and congressional election. He set stringent ethical and moral standards for those who wanted to run for Congress and president, and he completely removed all benefits they received from being in that position.

Also, he enacted a new law where the president or any member of Congress involved in any crimes would get ten times the sentence a normal person would receive, and they would have their entire asset seized if they were found to have received bribes or committed corruption.

Regarding the 1,008 elites he threatened, 582 of them attempted to run away but were unfortunately caught and executed by Barshell and his subordinates. The remaining 426 voluntarily surrendered to the prosecutors office and were sentenced for the crimes they committed.

The S Group tried to defend itself by gathering the Master-Rank Hunters, but their plan failed miserably due to a clever move Han-Yeol made.

The HY Groups intelligence department obtained a very important piece of information, and that was the fact that Master Hee-Yun strongly desired to become the chairman of the Hunters Association.

Han-Yeol used this information to his advantage by offering the position of chairman to Master Hee-Yun. In the end, she chose the prestigious position over her own father, and she also separated the Knight Guild from the S Group.

Ji Geo-Guk appeared in front of the prosecutors office in a wheelchair after his daughter betrayed him. He was sentenced to life after numerous charges were filed against him, and his court proceedings for his other crimes were still being held.

The Ji family was brought to its knees after the arrest and imprisonment of Ji Geo-Guk. These families, called chaebols, consolidated their power by maintaining just enough shares in their companies and used the company resources for their own benefit.

However, the numerous arrests of the key individuals holding shares in the S Groups numerous subsidiaries caused this power structure to crumble.

Han-Yeol made sure that the investors gained more say in how a group should be run instead of the owners family running the show. One of the first changes brought about by the investors was the termination of anyone who merely obtained their position by being relatives of the Ji family and replacing them with people who were qualified to hold such positions.

The fall of the Ji family caused a cascading effect on the numerous other chaebolsin the country.

Surprisingly, Han-Yeols plans were still far from over.

***

Ah~ It feels good to be home~ Home, sweet home!

Kyu!

Kyuing!

Yeah, I like being with you guys too.

Han-Yeol could not pay attention to Mavros and the White Dragon because he had to stay at the Blue House, so he made sure to spend as much time as possible with them to make up for his absence.

Mavross relationship with the White Dragon seemed to have improved, as she no longer outright ignored him.

Hoho~ Its time for me to punish you in bed for making me feel lonely for so long, master~

Hiik! Im sorry!

Tia seemed happy after Han-Yeol returned from the Blue House, but she also seemed set on getting her revenge for leaving her at the mansion.

Hmm I can sense Albert and Master Hee-Yun coming here, Stewart said.

Master Hee-Yun?

Yes.

Why is she here?

Han-Yeol could not help but be baffled as to why Master Hee-Yun would be visiting him. She was probably the busiest person in the country right now, as she had to oversee the reformation of the Hunters Association as well as the Knight Guild becoming independent from the S Group. On top of that, she had to attend numerous New Year events as the new chairman of the association.

Did I place a lazy bum as the associations chairman? Han-Yeol muttered in disbelief.

I guess you will have to take responsibility and work at the association.

What? W-Why me?

It was your idea, was it not?

Damn it!

Bam!

The door swung open.

Master Hee-Yun barged in, screaming, I am not here to play!

Han-Yeol and Stewarts voices were so loud that she could hear their conversation from the corridor. It would be impossible for a normal human to hear their voices, but she could since she was a Master-Rank Hunter.

She initially wanted to ignore whatever they were saying, but calling her a lazy bum was the last straw that forced her to barge into the room without even knocking.

Hey~ Chairman Ji~ Welcome! Han-Yeol greeted playfully.

On the other hand, Stewart simply nodded to greet her.

Haa Why does my blood pressure shoot up whenever I visit your mansion? Master Hee-Yun sighed.

Oh? I have some blood pressure medicine directly imported from the United States. Do you want some?

No.

Han-Yeol spoke informally to Master Hee-Yun not because he had appointed her chairman of the Hunters Association but because he had recently found out that she was younger than him.

I shall go and prepare tea and snacks, Albert said with a bow.

Ah, thank you, Albert, Han-Yeol replied.

It is my pleasure, Albert said before he left the room.

The old butler had visibly aged a lot, but he did not have any health complications as Han-Yeol used Restore on him whenever they met. Restore was quite a handy skill that could keep people healthy, but the skill could not reverse the aging of human cells.

Serious question now. Why are you here during the busiest time of the year?

We have received this invitation from the United States.

An invitation?

Master Hee-Yun placed a letter coated with mana on the coffee table.

The United States created a technology that rendered it impossible for anyone other than the recipient to read the letter. The mana coating on the letter would break the moment it was opened, and it was impossible to recoat the letter after it had been coated once.

Hmm Im not really interested Han-Yeol grumbled before he used Psychokinesis and threw the letter in one corner of his study.

H-Han-Yeol-nim! Master Hee-Yun exclaimed and hurriedly picked up the invitation letter.

She was capable of using Psychokinesis herself, but she felt embarrassed using it in front of someone more adept than her, so she chose to stand up and pick up the letter.

Huh? Whats up with you?

I might not be aware of the content of this letter, but I have a feeling I know what it's for.

You do?

Yes, there is only one reason the United States would send a letter of invitation at this time of the year.

And that is?

The International Hunter Firework Festival.

Huh? Theres such a thing?

This was Han-Yeols first time hearing something like that.

There is, but it is not something known to outsiders. The United States invites the top one percent of Hunters annually, but they have never invited a South Korean Hunter ever since they first created this event.

A question popped up in Han-Yeols head. Hmm Then what about you? How did you find out about this?

My family arranged for me to meet a potential suitor, and he mentioned that he was attending the International Hunter Firework Festival held in the United States. I briefly dated him for two years, and I distinctly remember him attending the event around this time of the year.

Ah I see. Hahaha Han-Yeol laughed awkwardly in response. Then, he added to change the topic, I think it sounds fun! Haha!

They call it a festival, but it is a very tense gathering of the top Hunters in the world.

Han-Yeols interest in the festival suddenly dissipated after hearing what Master Hee-Yun said.

What? Thats boring

H-Huh?

That means a bunch of Master-Rank Hunters will be chirping together, right? You cant possibly expect me to play with a bunch of kids! Imagine how they would feel if a Transcendent Master-Rank Hunter like myself suddenly appeared at an event where theyre trying to muscle each other for dominance?

Han-Yeol decided to refuse the invitation due to this reason.

However, Stewart suddenly interrupted them.

Han-Yeol-nim.

Yeah?

I can feel the presence of a Hunter approaching us.

So what?

This presence is unfamiliar to me.

Han-Yeol focused his senses on picking up the mana of the Hunter the demon was talking about. It might sound easy, but there were more than one thousand people in the mansion.

However, he was able to instantly identify the person Stewart was talking about with ease.

Ah, yeah this will be your first time meeting her. That person is

Creak

Hi~

Hey, Scarlett.

Long time no see!

Haha! Yeah, its really been a long time. Have you been well, Scarlett? Han-Yeol got up and welcomed her with a hug.

Then, Scarlett turned to Master Hee-Yun and greeted her, Hello, Ms. Ji. My name is Scarlett, and I work for the Special Hunter Unit of the United States. It might be a bit late, but congratulations on becoming the chairman of the Hunters Association.

Ah, thank you.

Master Hee-Yun had no idea what was going on, but she decided to shake hands with her anyway.

The three of them sat down after exchanging greetings.

What brings you here, Scarlett? Is it because of the International Hunter Firework Festival?

Hoho! Youve become sharper than when I first met you, Han-Yeol.

Huh? Ive always been sharp. What are you talking about?

Oh? I only remember you being a beast the first time we met.

Ahem! Han-Yeol coughed out of embarrassment.

On the other hand, Master Hee-Yun was perplexed by their whole exchange. W-Whats going on?

Anyway, the one who invited you to the festival is our VVIP.

What?

Really?

Han-Yeol and Master Hee-Yun were shocked by what they heard.

The VVIP was the codename the Secret Service of the United Services used to refer to the president.

Han-Yeol was not unfamiliar with such titles. He became president himself after overthrowing the previous administration and was also quite close with President Phaophator.

However, the United States was the most powerful country in the world, and the invitation of the leader of such a country would truly shock anyone.

Hmm

Of course, Han-Yeol did not immediately agree to go.

Why?

Because he knew he now held a far more prestigious position than the President of the United States.

Lee Han-Yeol was the only Transcendent Master-Rank Hunter in the world.

Tokki's Thoughts

Tokki: I think the Secret Service calls the president the VIP, but I just went along with what the author wrote.