Leveling Up Alone

[Bwahaha! Stop it, Han-Yeol. Don’t intimidate the kids. They’re still doing their best, you know?]

“Hey, how can they even think of bringing out an entire guild at the same time when there could be danger all over the place? I mean, is a Master-Rank Hunter seeking asylum a game to them?”

Han-Yeol did not consider himself a genius, but even he could tell that their plan was nothing short of madness. However, there was something he was not aware of, and that was the fact that the agents were not to blame for this mishap. They insisted it was impossible to exfiltrate the entire guild, but Adal insisted that the whole guild had to be moved or else he would change his mind about seeking asylum in the United States.

Thus, the agents were forced to go ahead with the risky plan and they felt extremely wronged for being blamed for the incident. Of course, Han-Yeol was an outsider, so he had no idea of such a thing happening in the first place.

[Alright, shall we get back to work?]

[Sir! Fortunately, even though our agents were completely annihilated, Adal and a few of his guildmates managed to survive with a few injuries. They are currently hiding in a bunker at the foot of Mount Las Coronas in the Southern Province of Venezuela, Cumana. Your mission, Agent P, is to infiltrate behind enemy lines set up around Las Coronas and rescue Adal.]

[What? That sounds too easy.]

P seemed quite relaxed on the sofa. He had completed countless missions like this, so he was not worried at all. On the other hand, the agent looked quite nervous, as if the end of the world was coming.

[It might sound easy to you, Agent P, but infiltrating behind enemy lines in a country rife with anti-American sentiment and rescuing a group branded as traitors is not an easy task for others.]

The agents briefing P regarding the mission were not that familiar with P’s background. The only thing they knew about P was his codename and that he was a powerful Hunter.

‘But something’s strange... Why does it feel like I could easily win against Agent P if we fought?’

The agent was right. P was a non-combatant, so he was at the same level as an F-Rank Hunter when it came to combat. Most non-combatants like him would not even be at the level of an F-Rank Hunter when it came to combat, but the sheer mana he possessed made him on par or stronger than an F-Rank Hunter.

However, he lacked combat skills, so it was difficult for him to win against an E-Rank Hunter. To put it simply, the agents were not overestimating themselves when they thought that they could win against P. After all, they were at least C-Rank Hunters, which meant that P was no match for them in combat.

Still, someone who possessed the ability to open portals like P was worth at least a hundred—no, a hundred thousand times more to the United States government than a bunch of C-Rank Hunters.

P proceeded to ask the most important question. [When are we departing?]

The agent looked at his watch and replied, [Thirty minutes from now.]

[Whaaat?]

***

Dudududu...

The state-of-the-art silent chopper, the pride of the United States military, flew into Venezuela’s airspace. This chopper was specially designed so that only its passengers and anyone within a five-meter radius around it could hear the sound of its propellers. On top of that, the chopper was painted with camouflage paint to make it hard to detect with the naked eye, and its advanced stealth technology made it invisible to the radar. The stealth functions of the chopper made it an excellent transportation method for clandestine missions.

A Hunter wearing what seemed to be special attire approached and greeted Han-Yeol.

[It is an honor to be on a mission with you, Mr. Lee Han-Yeol. My codename is Red One, and I am the leader of this squad.]

“It is an honor to fight alongside you, Red One. Haha!” Han-Yeol replied quite cheerfully. He was in a good mood after spending more time with P, so he was quite welcoming to those around him.

Han-Yeol and P were not the only ones deployed for this mission. The United States government had also deployed twenty Hunters.

Every single one of these Hunters was unique. They had awakened as Hunters, but unfortunately, the skills they awakened with were not useful in hunting monsters. However, the United States government recognized the value of their skills when it came to other aspects. They recruited them, trained them, and nurtured them into the elite group they were now. These twenty Hunters tasked to support Han-Yeol and P belonged to the Red Cobra, otherwise known as the RC Squad.

The only female among the RC Squad members was a blonde with green eyes, and she suddenly said something strange to him. [But you surprisingly don’t look so nervous, Mr. Han-Yeol.]

”Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

[You were smiling the entire time. We are currently on our way to conduct a mission that could affect the future of the United States, and yet you are smiling. I find that to be quite bothersome.]

The leader of the RC Squad who introduced himself as Red One was a muscular man, and he immediately rebuked Red Two for her actions.

[Hey, Two, you’re being rude to him.]

[I apologize, captain. But I felt this was something that had to be mentioned, sir!]

‘What the hell are these clowns?’ Han-Yeol grumbled inwardly while observing the conversation between Red One and Red Two. Then, he suddenly realized that this was all too familiar with him, thus making him smirk. ‘Ah, so that’s the game you want to play with me?’

It might seem like Red One was criticizing Red Two for being rude, but what was actually happening was that Red One prevented Han-Yeol from retorting against Red Two’s accusations.

In turn, this would make it look like he relied on Red One for help while he wasn’t able to say anything to Red Two. In the eyes of the others, this would make them think that he had lost the battle of wits against Red Two.

However, they were foolish to think that such cheap tricks would work on him. Han-Yeol was a master when it came to situations like this, and he knew the perfect way to deal a blow to both Red One and Red Two without directly retorting to Red Two’s accusation.

”Hahaha! Ah, my bad. All of you looked so serious that I found you guys funny.”

[...?]

[W-What do you mean by that?]

Red Two felt annoyed after seeing Han-Yeol blatantly laugh at them even after the warning she gave. Meanwhile, Red One was quite sharp to notice that they made a big mistake just now, and he realized that Han-Yeol was not someone they could mess around with.

Red One could not believe it. ‘H-How did he read through our intentions? We are elites of the elites who have survived all sorts of life-or-death situations!’

The RC Squad members were called Hunters since awakened, but they were no different from outcasts of the Hunter industry.

A Hunter’s main purpose was to hunt the monsters to protect mankind and supply society with the materials dropped by them.

However, their skills were useless against monsters. The skills they awakened with made them specialize against other Hunters, which made them the subject of ridicule from other Hunters whenever they tried to join a party to hunt monsters.

Most Hunters like the RC Squad loathed Hunters who awakened with skills to hunt monsters out of spite. They learned from experience that most Hunters who specialized in hunting monsters were not that sharp, so they tended to use these kinds of psychological warfare against them to put them in their place early on.

This was also the reason they attempted such tricks on Han-Yeol, but unfortunately, he was not the same as the other Hunters.

‘No way... There’s no way...’ Red One was slightly shaken, but he decided to brush it off as a mere coincidence.

[I am curious, though. What is it that you find so funny, Mr. Han-Yeol? I mean, smiling and laughing on a mission is not bad as it helps alleviate anxiety, so why don’t you share with us what you find so funny?]

Red One decided to put Han-Yeol on the spot by asking what was on his mind. The reason he did this was simple. If Han-Yeol said anything strange or ended up tongue-tied, then he would end up becoming the weird one and lose this battle of wits just as planned.

‘You might be a Transcendent Master-Rank Hunter, but you’re up against us and not monsters. Don’t you dare think you’ll win easily!’ Red One thought, convinced of his victory.

Meanwhile, Han-Yeol could clearly see the fire burning in Red One’s eyes, fueled by envy and his inferiority complex. ‘Eh? What the hell is wrong with them? What’s with the inferiority complex?’

He had no idea that the Red Cobra or RC Squad specialized in combat against other Hunters rather than monsters, so he could not understand why they were acting this way.

”Well, I guess I’ll tell you if you’re curious.”

[Yes, I am very curious indeed.]

Red One flashed a very gentle and warm smile, but he was convinced that this would decide the outcome of this battle of wits, ‘I’m sure you’re going to say some stupid reason. Come! Let’s end this!’

“I’m laughing because... No enemy or trap can ever win against me.”

[I knew it... Wait, what?]

[Huh?]

[What did he say...?]

[He said something only a Transcendent Master-Rank Hunter can say without being ridiculed...]

Red One and Red Two were rendered speechless by Han-Yeol's words, and even the other RC Squad members were stunned by his words. They were expecting him to say something, but they did not expect him to say something like that.

‘What the hell is this guy? Is he crazy?’

’Why is he so... arrogant?’

Red One and Red Two’s minds were filled with words such as crazy, rude, or arrogant, but they did not dare to utter them. Why? Because it was fine for Han-Yeol to be crazy, rude, or arrogant.

[Bwahahaha! They would’ve shot you in the head if someone else said that nonsense, but it definitely suits you! You are crazy! Haha!]

After hearing what Han-Yeol said, P rolled on the floor and laughed without reservation. He had already witnessed firsthand just how absurd Han-Yeol could be, but he did not expect him to be so direct and shut all of them up. Most of the Asians P had met so far were more concerned with the other party's feelings before focusing on themselves, but that was not the case with Han-Yeol.

[Oh!]

[As expected from Mr. Han-Yeol!]

[You’re really cool!]

[Excuse me... Can I get your autograph, please?]

A few of the RC Squad members were completely oblivious to the situation and started making jokes about it. Some even took out pens and papers to ask for Han-Yeol’s autograph.

[Say cheese!]

”Cheese~”

[Thank you! Thank you so much!]

”Don’t mention it.”

Some of them even went as far as to ask for selfies with him.

[Wow~ You’re quite the superstar.]

“Yeah, I tend to be quite famous, in case you didn’t know.”

[Gee~ I’m so jealous!]

P might have sounded like he was sneering, but he was really jealous of Han-Yeol. His ability forced him to remain under the radar and move in secret at all times, so it was impossible for him to become famous.

P slightly grimaced after being reminded that he was a shadow.

[...?]

The RC Squad members were perplexed by P’s expression.

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