Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 393 – Survival of The Fittest (2)

The other Hunters could not understand what Se-Na was trying to say.

They felt bad for the ordinary people, but South Korea was a very good country for Hunters. They were forgiven for most mistakes they committed simply due to the fact they were Hunters, and ordinary people suffered harsher punishment for the same crime if the other party was a Hunter.

“We are one-sidedly treated too well just because we are Hunters,” Se-Na said.

“So what about it?”

“He’s right. We’re Hunters. We risk our lives fighting monsters to protect our country, so isn’t it only right we get preferential treatment?”

‘We’re protecting you lot so you have to respect us!’

This entitled mentality was prevalent among the South Korean Hunters, and it was quite ironic how they were earning sums ordinary people would never dream of making while also enjoying all sorts of benefits.

“I disagree... There’s a huge divide between the Hunters and ordinary people,” Se-Na said.

“And why’s that a problem?”

“Just as you said, we get preferential treatment. We rule over the commoners, and we are threatening them, extorting them, and doing whatever we want to them...”

“H-Hey, Se-Na... What are you talking about right now? We’re not that bad, okay?”

The Hunters were flustered at Se-Na’s unfiltered accusations. They sincerely believed they were entitled to the benefits they enjoyed, but the words she used just now painted them as horrible human beings.

Well, the word entitled was a tricky word that could have two very contrasting connotations depending on how it was used.

Se-Na looked at them and asked, “Do you guys really think our society will continue to function as it is?”

“...”

Nobody could reply to her serious question.

“We, Hunters, continue to exploit the commoners, and in turn, they loathe us for the things we’ve done. Well, they might not show it, but I read a news article saying that there’s an Anti-Hunter Forum with millions of registered users.”

“...”

“Do you sincerely believe society can function like this?”

“...”

Their expressions slowly darkened as she continued with her criticism.

They were also aware of societal problems since they had once been commoners before they awakened as Hunters. They were exactly the same as the others complaining about the Hunters, and the only difference was that they had mustered the courage to risk their lives as Porters instead of sitting around and continuing to complain.

Thus, they were the lucky ones who managed to awaken after going through hell, and it was this sense of entitlement that made them turn a blind eye to the problems of society and enjoy the benefits it had to offer.

Of course, they weren’t so entitled from the get-go as they were clearly aware of the problems. However, they slowly became indifferent and soon became one of the very people they used to detest.

Se-Na stood up.

“Se-Na?”

“Get up. We’re going to help Lee Han-Yeol change this rotten country of ours. I heard there are numerous developed countries where Hunters coexist peacefully with the commoners, and the Hunters are well-respected and loved over there.”

“...”

“Don’t you wish for the same in our country?”

“We...”

The Hunters looked troubled after hearing Se-Na’s last question.

***

South Korea’s future was now uncertain.

“Haha! That young fella is quite cunning.”

“I-I apologize!”

At a secret laboratory—or rather a secret training facility—of the Hunters’ Association,the First Hunter and actual chairman of the Hunters’ Association, Woo Han-Jong, was training at this place.

“Is that why you disobeyed my commands to stay away from this place for a year and came running?”

“I sincerely apologize for this, grandfather...” Woo Jin-Cheon replied with his head down.

He might be the Chairman of the Hunters’ Association and a powerful man to others, but he was nothing but a spoiled grandson to Woo Han-Jong. If he had not been born as Woo Han-Jong’s grandson, then he would have been nothing more than an insect on the side of the road to him.

“Hoho... I see... That brat is probably too much for you to handle, and the same goes for this useless administration,” Woo Han-Jong said with a smirk and cracked his neck.

Crack! Crack!

Then, a powerful mana filled with bloodlust emanated from the old man’s body.

“Heup!” Woo Jin-Cheon gasped.

This was the power of a man who trained in this secret facility for decades until he was forgotten by the outside world.

“Hmm... I wanted to train properly after this world transitioned into the second dimension, but it seems that brat is messing with my plans again. I guess it’s time for me to settle things with him once and for all.”

‘Yes!’ Woo Jin-Cheon rejoiced. While his head was still down, there was now a grin on his face. ‘All that’s left is for that fool Lee Han-Yeol to disappear!’

He believed that nobody would challenge his authority in South Korea once Han-Yeol was eliminated, as even that arrogant Kim Tae-San was gone. Well, there was still Master Hee-Yun, who was quite powerful and influential, but her family was closely connected to the government and Association in more than one ways, so it would be easy for him to keep her in check.

“Hoho... This old man has to step up once again because of my incompetent grandson...”

“I... I have no excuses, grandfather...”

“Hoho!” Woo Han-Jong laughed before walking out of the training facility with his cane.

Thud... Thud...

Creak...!

The door opened and the old man took a step outside.

A group of people bowed ninety degrees and exclaimed, “We greet the chairman!”

The vassals of Woo Han-Jong were lined up outside. Every single one of them rushed here after hearing Woo Jin-Cheon had entered the secret training facility, just in case their leader came out.

“Hoho! I’m sorry for troubling you young ones all the way here,” Woo Han-Jong said with a laugh, but his eyes showed he was delighted by their greetings.

A large dark-skinned man approached.

“Hello, chairman.”

He towered over the old man; he was at least two meters tall and his entire face was covered by tattoos, so it was difficult to tell what his face actually looked like.

“Oh? It’s been a while, Kabareth,” Woo Han-Jong said with a smile.

The dark-skinned man replied with a bow this time.

“Hoho! I’ve no worries having such a dependable man like you by my side.”

Thud...! Thud...!

The old man continued walking with Kabareth leading the way, and each of his vassals greeted him before lining up behind him as they walked.

The First Hunter, Woo Han-Jong, was finally on the move.

***

Han-Yeol could no longer afford to dilly-dally like he used to now that he had picked a fight against both the government and the Association.

The HY Group’s intelligence team he created for these kinds of scenarios was tasked with keeping the media on their side.

Meanwhile, both commoners and Hunters gathered together as they marched toward the Blue House in protest, and the one leading the march was none other than Han-Yeol.

“The administration should resign!”

“Resign!”

“We don’t need a corrupt government!”

“We don’t need you!”

“Return our country to the people!”

“Return our country!”

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The crowd was so massive that it looked like every single person in Seoul was there, and protests of a similar scale were taking place all across the country too. The protests spread all over the country in an instant, and even soldiers could be seen taking part in some of the protests held in the provinces.

Most of the soldiers were conscripts serving their mandatory national service for two years, so they were just temporary soldiers and were no different from civilians.

However, all eyes were on Seoul as the protests occurring in the provinces were not as important. Han-Yeol had to occupy the Blue House to seize the power to effectively reform the country.

‘This is why I’m working with all of these people even though I could’ve done it alone,’ he thought.

He had already proven his strength during the Craspio Raid, so why had he gone through the trouble of convincing the people and soldiers to side with him when he could have just ousted the government with his own hands?

Such a massive reform had to be done with the help of the people. It was impossible to change a country without what historical shows would call public sentiment or what political shows would call justification.

However, Han-Yeol had a different reason for doing so, and others might accuse him of being a coward if they heard about it. That reason was none other than the diffusion of responsibilities.

He alone would get all the credit for reforming the country if he brought change alone, but that would also mean he would shoulder all the blame if things went awry later on. On the contrary, it would be a different story if reform came through the people’s revolution—any blame or responsibility would be shared by every single person who participated in the revolution.

‘Hehe... I’m not going to take all the blame, you know?’ Han-Yeol thought and flashed an evil smirk.

“Han-Yeol... You look evil...”

“I think so too.”

“Hmm... Hyung-nim is a good guy most of the time, but he can be quite the villain sometimes...”

“Shut it, you three! Just wear your masks properly!” Han-Yeol snapped back at the accusations.

The mask-wearing trio behind him were Tayarana, Mariam, and Mujahid.

Han-Yeol initially opposed the idea of them tagging along.

Yes, this was a protest to reform the country for the better, but it was still a coup d’état no matter what the justification was.

But what if three influential figures from Egypt took part in this coup?

That would lead to a whole political shitshow.

It would not matter whether the new government formed from this coup had the right justifications as it would not escape from suspicions of being Egypt’s puppet government and its legitimacy was going to be under scrutiny all the time.

Therefore, the trio did not wear ordinary masks but special disguise masks created by Yoo-Bi. These masks did not simply alter their appearance; they were capable of erasing their presence once Mariam infused her mana into them. They were still somewhat visible to the people around them, but they did not stand out at all.

Something like a mask was not going to cover Tayarana’s dazzling beauty, but it did its job of erasing her presence enough that nobody paid attention to her.[1]

Besides, more than half of the protestors wore masks, so she perfectly blended in.

However, Han-Yeol could not help but be on his toes even though he knew the trio’s identities were perfectly hidden. The consequences of them being caught would be steep.

On the other hand, the trio continued to joke around despite seeing him stressed out.

“See? Han-Yeol’s got that evil smile again.”

“Yes, I agree. He does look evil.”

“Geez... Hyung-nim...”

“Ugh...!” Han-Yeol could only groan. He could barely win one-on-one in an argument, so his defeat was guaranteed now that all three of them were ganging up on him. The only thing he could do was beg them over and over again to be discreet and careful.

Despite his worries, he knew that these three were the most dependable people he knew, so they were definitely not going to cause a blunder that would be detrimental to his plans.

Boom! Boom!

“The government should resign!”

“Resign!”

“Leave peacefully!”

“Leave!”

The protestors continued to march and demanded the government’s resignation.

‘The same thing’s going to happen if things get resolved peacefully this time.’

Surprisingly, Han-Yeol actually hoped things would not end peacefully.

The South Korea he was trying to create was one where every single one of the elites was dragged down from their high horses. To achieve that, blood had to be spilled, and the government giving the justification to spill the required blood was going to be the best-case scenario for him.

‘I’m starting to get bored...’ Han-Yeol grumbled as he waited impatiently.

1. I have no idea how this works, but it is what author-nim wrote. ?

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