Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 162: The Reason for Leaders of Society (1)

Han-Yeol suddenly found it difficult to trust the charity organizations now that he had decided to donate his money.

‘The only one I can trust is UNICEF, but I want my donation to stay in the country if possible…’?he thought.

Quite a few international organizations were disbanded after the dimensional gates appeared, but important ones like the United Nations remained. One such organization was UNICEF, which was also a part of the United Nations. UNICEF was an organization helping children all over the world, so there was no need for it to be disbanded.

Most countries made a fortune after the emergence of dimensional gates, thanks to the mana stones they harvested from them. However, there were still many people living in poverty.

It was the same in the past. The industrial revolution and the twenty-first century signaled the start of the "affluent era" of the world, but poverty remained due to the concentration of wealth. This was no different after the emergence of mana stones, and that was the reason UNICEF remained one of the most important organizations in the world to this day.

Han-Yeol would have donated to UNICEF without a thought, but he wanted to help his country this time. He saw a lot of things and learned a lot of things while working as a Hunter, and he realized that South Korea might appear to be all well on the outside, but there were severe underlying issues hidden from the public's eye.

‘The issue with Porters is a huge one that needs to change.’?He personally experienced the severity of the problem after Yoo-Bi awakened and graduated from being his Porter. Moreover, there were numerous discussions on community forums where people complained about the increasing difficulty, if not the impossibility, of finding Porters these days.

This was the reason Han-Yeol wanted to use his donation to address social problems rather than simply giving them to a charitable organization.

“I’m thinking of establishing a private school.”

[What?! A private school?!]

Lawyer Han Min was taken aback by Han-Yeol's words. He had anticipated that Han-Yeol would donate a substantial sum to assist underprivileged children, but he never imagined that Han-Yeol would propose something like this.

"I don't intend to establish an ordinary private school," Han-Yeol stated. "I want to establish a private school specifically for Hunters and Porters—a place where children can receive comprehensive elementary, middle, and high school education, and ultimately graduate as professionals in this industry."

[Haha... The way you think is on a whole different level. I thought you were going to donate a few hundred million to impoverished children, but I never imagined that you would think of something like this.]

“Ah, I do plan to donate around one billion won to impoverished children and elderly living in poverty.”

[As expected…]

Lawyer Han Min nodded in agreement after Han-Yeol mentioned the donation he had initially expected to hear from him.

Truth be told, Han-Yeol would have normally stopped after donating a few billion to help the poor. However, the problem was that he spent too much time with Tayarana and Mariam, which changed his way of thinking. The addition of Mujahid further accelerated that process. The group he associated with consisted mainly of societal leaders, and he was naturally beginning to be shaped into one himself.

"Oh, I don't plan to donate that money to an existing foundation."

[Then…?]

“I need you to establish a welfare foundation for me.”

[Hmm... With all due respect, it is unnecessary to open a foundation just to donate one billion won. Ah, there are many foundations in the country that pose as charitable organizations, but they were primarily established for the purpose of money laundering and embezzlement. However, I am aware of a foundation that maintains integrity, so you may donate your money there.]

“Huh? What do you mean?”

[Pardon me…?]

“I meant I was planning to donate one billion won every month.”

[K-Kuheok!?A m-monthly donation of one billion won?!]

“Yes,” Han-Yeol nonchalantly replied while wondering why his lawyer was so shocked.

[T-Then, you are absolutely right that we need a foundation to manage all of that. Even a foundation with integrity is run by people, after all, so it will be hard for them to resist dipping their fingers in twelve billion won every year. It will be very difficult for most people not to embezzle that much money…]

"Yes, that is the reason why I want to establish my own. I cannot stand the thought of those people using my money for themselves. There is also the issue of opening a private school, so I think we can solve both problems with this."

Lawyer Han Min was tongue-tied after seeing how Han-Yeol wanted to spend his money. He was flustered for a while, but he soon composed himself and sprung into action.

This was the main reason Han-Yeol invested a huge sum in him. He was extremely good at doing the things Han-Yeol requested, and he was discerning enough not to stab Han-Yeol in the back for quick bucks. After all, he was not foolish enough to slaughter the goose that laid golden eggs.

[Yes, I understand. I will immediately start establishing the foundation, but you will have to decide on its name to speed things up. Of course, I can name it whatever I want if you want me to, but a foundation holds valuable meaning, so...]

“Hmm… You’re right… Then, please name it Mavros Welfare Foundation.”

“Kyu?”?Mavros looked up at Han-Yeol and tilted his head in confusion upon hearing his name mentioned.

Seuk… Seuk…?

“Kyu~”

Han-Yeol patted Mavros while still on the phone. Then, the black dragon let out a satisfied cry as it went back to sleep.

The black dragon was much more valiant and stronger than most creatures when it grew big, but it was quite cute in its small form.

[Yes, I understand. It will be difficult to finish it right away, as establishing a foundation that will run a private school is quite tricky. However, I will ensure that it gets done as soon as possible. I will send you a report once it has been established.]

“Yes, I’ll leave it to you then.”

[Then, I wish you a pleasant day, Han-Yeol Hunter-nim.]

“Yes, you too, lawyer-nim.”

[Goodbye.]

Beep.

Han-Yeol ended the call first. He was fifteen years younger than Lawyer Han Min, but he was more senior when it came to their social standing, so Lawyer Han Min had to wait for Han-Yeol to end the call first.

After ending the call, Han-Yeol lay down on the sofa. He was not going out on hunts to rest, but that did not mean he was not busy.

A Hunter's schedule usually consisted of going out on hunts, but Han-Yeol had a lot of things he started, so he had to manage all of those. On top of that, he had been getting a lot of visitors in recent days thanks to his peculiar abilities.

Ding dong! Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep!

A neatly dressed man pressed the doorbell instead of knocking before entering and entering the passcode to Han-Yeol's house. It was the secretary whom Han-Yeol hired to kick-start his social activities.

"What's the matter, Secretary Kim?" Han-Yeol asked.

"It is almost time for you to meet the delegation from the United States, Han-Yeol-nim.”

"Oh, is it that time already?"

"Yes.”

Han-Yeol personally picked Secretary Kim from a pool of candidates. He posted a notice on South Korea's largest job site, stating that he was hiring a personal assistant with an annual salary of three hundred million won, along with bonuses and incentives. More than twelve thousand people applied for the position.

The man standing before Han-Yeol, Jason Kim, emerged as the victor in the fierce competition of 1:12,000. He graduated from Harvard with an MBA, making him an elite among elites. Numerous multinational corporations in the United States sought to employ him, but he chose to return to his birth country.

However, South Korea did not prove to be as promising as he had anticipated. Jason found it extremely challenging to adapt to the rigid and toxic workplace culture of the country. Although it was now too late for him to return to the United States, he was left without a job.

Then, Han-Yeol's post appeared like a ray of salvation, prompting Jason to immediately apply for the position.

He was confident that his credentials would secure him the job, but his spirits quickly dwindled upon arriving for the interview and witnessing the presence of numerous exceptionally attractive women.

‘He is hiring a secretary, so even I would prefer a young, beautiful woman instead of a man... I mean, there must be something wrong with him if he chose a man, right...?’?he lamented inside.

However, he was soon surprised and overjoyed when he heard that he had been hired.

He did not expect the work to be easy, as there was no way someone would offer a salary of three hundred million won if the work were easy in the first place. But he was resolved to do whatever it took to keep his new job.

Fortunately, his new employer was not as rigid as the people in Korean offices, which allowed him to easily adapt to his new workplace.

"Okay, shall we get going?"

"I will prepare the car."

"Alright, thanks."

Secretary Kim bowed before going to arrange Han-Yeol’s car and driver.

Han-Yeol did not really like the idea of having someone chauffeur him around, but he was not going on a personal matter but a business matter, so he decided to hire one so that he could spend the time reviewing documents while on the way to the meeting.

Frankly speaking, he did not hire a driver but paid an additional salary to one of the Gurkhas to be his personal chauffeur.

Purva suggested having one of the Gurkhas become his driver since that would reduce their risk from hiring an outsider. He explained that the Gurkhas were trained bodyguards who were quite skilled behind the wheel, which easily convinced Han-Yeol.

However, Purva refused Han-Yeol’s offer to pay an extra salary to the Gurkha, saying that this was also part of their job. But Han-Yeol insisted on paying them more. In the end, his stubbornness to give more money further increased the loyalty these warriors had for him.

After all, there was no way an employee was going to refuse more money from their employer, right?

Han-Yeol got into the backseat of the car, and Secretary Kim got into the front passenger seat.

“How long will the drive be?” Han-Yeol asked.

“It will be around one hour and thirty minutes.”

“Tsk…?We could have met in Seoul… Why did they insist on meeting all the way at Pyeongtaek…?”

“Haha… I wonder myself…”

“Do they get a kick out of bothering people…?”

“Haha…”

The guests were referred to as guests from the United States, but they were actually members of the secret Hunter organization that Han-Yeol was well acquainted with. He kept in touch with Scarlett after their last meeting, so he knew that she was not going to be present this time as she was currently busy on Jeju Island for another mission.

‘Tsk… Too bad…’?

It was not the first time he had engaged in sexual intercourse, but it was the first time he had ever felt his entire body melting into hers. Then, he realized that it was the first time in his life he had experienced 'real sex'.

‘Ah… I want to spend the night with her again…’?

Han-Yeol felt a bit awkward whenever he had these kinds of thoughts. He knew that Scarlett was an attractive woman, and he knew that she was way out of his league if he had never awakened as a Hunter. However, the only feelings he had toward her were of sexual lust, and he did not particularly feel like being romantically involved with her.

‘It’s really strange… Scarlett is beautiful enough that I should be begging her to date me, but… I don’t really feel like dating her. Hmm…?Is this perhaps a side-effect of my ability…?’?he wondered.

However, he immediately shook his head and thought, ‘No, there is no way. I gave up on Yoo-Bi, but I had feelings for her back then, so that is not possible.’

In the end, he decided to give up on thinking about it.

‘Well, what gives?’ he thought. ‘I'm not going to get married now, and I still have a lot of time on my hands. Let's just go with the flow for now.’

It was revealed that a Hunter could live up to two hundred years old. Han-Yeol was only thirty years old, so he still had one hundred seventy years remaining to worry about being in a relationship.

“Kyu~”

“Yes yes.”

Time passed quickly as he patted Mavros while the latter clamored for his affection.

‘Ah… I would’ve reached Pyeongtaek in a heartbeat if I flew with Mavros…’?He suddenly thought of inquiring with the government about the possibility of obtaining a flying permit for Mavros.

In the meantime, he used the time in the car to open his laptop and envision his plans for the future.

‘I’ll put my business with Yoo-Bi at the top of the list… Selling monster pets is quite a lucrative business, but I’m dealing with living creatures here… I can’t abuse it for the sake of money…’?

Han-Yeol was an animal lover, despite not looking like one. Of course, he believed that it was only right to kill all of the wild monsters since they attacked people. However, the monsters that he hatched from the eggs were no different from pets, which made him cautious about turning it into a business. He regarded it as sending pets to a forever home after selling them for one trillion won to his close associates. However, turning this into a business was going to require strict rules.

‘Well, Yoo-Bi is growing quickly, so I should try making a proper business model for her,’?he thought.

Han-Yeol had never considered starting a business before, as he was satisfied with the income he earned as a Hunter. However, everything changed after he joined the Horus raid party and encountered Tayarana and Mariam.

Through them, he discovered the pleasure of spending money and also the pleasure of making money. Subsequently, he quickly grasped the concept of making money work for him, fueling his desire to initiate a business venture.

‘Besides, I have to strive to be the best if I start a business, right?’?

Han-Yeol retained the same mindset he had when he first became a Hunter. He possessed a determined nature, always striving to excel in any endeavor he pursued, be it academics, games, or even hobbies. However, it should be noted that he was not naturally talented in his studies, games, or even in having a hobby before his awakening as a Hunter.

Tap… Tap… Tap… Tap…?

Time passed quite quickly after he started typing on his laptop.

“Han-Yeol-nim.”

“Yes?”

“We have arrived.”

“Alright.”

Han-Yeol found himself in a noiseless electric sedan, a stark contrast to his usual preference for loud combustion engine sports cars. They were currently situated in a tranquil area of Pyeongtaek, characterized by a dense concentration of residential buildings.

“…”

Tak… Tak… Tak… Tak… Tak…?

Even after the car came to a stop, Han-Yeol remained engrossed in typing on his laptop. Secretary Kim and the driver refrained from interrupting him, well aware that whenever the sound of his typing grew louder, it meant that Han-Yeol was in the midst of conceiving a brilliant idea.

‘Ah, I completely forgot about it. It would be awesome if we could create a self-sufficient mana vehicle. The current mana vehicles on the market require the Hunters to inject their mana into them from time to time, and that means the ultra-wealthy people who haven't awakened can't use them unless they hire a Hunter.’

There were vehicles running on mana, but those vehicles were extremely inconvenient to use. Not all Hunters possessed the ability to control their mana, so the number of people who could actually use them was quite limited. Additionally, their fuel efficiency was really bad, making their purpose more about showing off than actually using them as a mode of transportation.

‘The vehicle has the potential to be extremely efficient if we design it properly, and this sounds like something that I should discuss with Yoo-Bi.’

Tak!

Han-Yeol finally closed his laptop after typing down all of his ideas.