Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 255: Terror Crisis (6)

[Name: Corrupted Hugbear]

[Mana: 12,102]

[Description: A Hugbear whose mana has been corrupted by a sinister force, it employs its powerful front paws to smash anything in its path and releases poisonous gas upon its demise.]

[Image: (Attached)]

The skill not only provided him with a brief description of the monster but also went as far as to supply an image of it, along with information about its mana capacity.

‘It’s possible to get this kind of information too?’

[Yes, of course.]

‘Isn’t this overpowered…?’

[I agree with you, Han-Yeol-nim.]

‘Wow…’

It was truly surprising how overpowered the skill was. Han-Yeol had initially believed that the skill called Analytic Eyes would only offer him basic information, but the results exceeded his expectations. He received far more information than he had anticipated and found it difficult to believe it was only an E Rank skill.

[Are you satisfied, Han-Yeol-nim?]

‘Well, I don’t think satisfied is the right word for this…’

Han-Yeol suddenly felt something strange while talking to Karvis.

‘Hey, Karvis.’

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim?]

‘Have I… seen that monster before…?’

[Hmm… The answer to your question is a NO.]

‘As expected…’

Han-Yeol was about to dismiss the issue when his ego system suddenly chimed in.

[However…]

‘Hmm?’

[There is one similar monster that is stored in my memories.]

‘What is it?’

Han-Yeol wondered if Karvis' memories had finally returned because there had never been an instance in his life where he had fought against a bear monster.

[It’s the… Black Bear Tribe.]

“Ah!” Han-Yeol suddenly exclaimed what he was supposed to keep to himself in his mind, saying it out loud.

[What’s wrong, hyung-nim?] Mujahid immediately checked on him.

There were times when Han-Yeol acted rather strangely, and Mujahid found him to be peculiar from time to time.

"Ah, it's nothing," Han-Yeol replied.

He was so flustered by his mistake that he ended up speaking in Korean instead of Arabic. Although he could speak foreign languages thanks to his skill, he instinctively reverted to his mother tongue due to his current flustered state.

"Ah, alright then…" Mujahid replied and backed off.

It was only after Han-Yeol had moved a distance away from Mujahid that he continued his conversation with Karvis.

‘H-How is this possible?’

Of course, he wasn't asking this because he thought Karvis had all the answers but simply because he was too dumbfounded by what she had said. However, Karvis went on to provide him with a lengthy response.

[I have no idea, to be honest. It might be ironic for an emotionless ego system like me to say this, but... I was surprised when I saw the Corrupted Hugbear the first time because it looked exactly like the Black Bear Tribe back at the Bastro Dimension.]

The Corrupted Hugbear did appear slightly different from the Black Bear Tribe, but those changes were likely the result of its mana corruption. However, it was safe to conclude that the Corrupted Hugbear was essentially a Black Bear, given its numerous similarities. In fact, even the hunched back of the Corrupted Hugbear was at the exact same angle as that of the Black Bear Tribe.

‘B-But how is this possible?! This can’t be…!’

Earth had not yet reached the second dimension, so how was it possible for a creature that existed in the second dimension to be here?

‘Ugh… My head hurts…’

[Are you alright, Han-Yeol-nim?]

‘No, I’m not alright.’

There was no way he was going to be alright when he felt so confused at this moment. He yearned to find a place to sit down and take a break, as two decades' worth of memories suddenly flooded his mind once more.

Actually, he wanted to take a nap right away, hoping that it would make all of it feel like a fleeting dream, but he couldn't afford to do so.

He lacked the luxury of time to lounge around, as time was crucial in this rescue operation. For every second he wasted, the ten people who had been abducted were likely suffering in fear at the hands of the terrorists.

“Haa…”

[Let’s go, Mujahid.]

[Okay, hyung-nim.]

Mujahid thought of Han-Yeol as a complex puzzle, and the more time he spent with him, the more intricate he appeared. It had been a year since they first met, but it seemed that Han-Yeol never failed to come up with something entertaining.

Mujahid's once mundane life had been turned upside down, and he had been having a lot of fun recently, all thanks to Han-Yeol. This was the reason why there was no way Mujahid would ever leave Han-Yeol's side.

‘Hyung-nim… I'm never going to leave your side! Till death do us part! Mwahahaha!’ Mujahid steeled his resolve to stick by him like gum.

The other Hunters naturally followed Han-Yeol as he and Mujahid resumed walking.

“Mavros.”

“Kyuu!”

“Combat Mode!”

“Kyuuu!”

Zhiiiiing!

Mavros' body began to shine brightly as his silhouette grew larger and larger.

“Kieeeeeek!”

A ferocious-looking mini-dragon emerged once the light subsided.

[Oh!]

[Is that the famous Mavros, the only living dragon in the world?]

[He’s truly amazing!]

[He looks so cool!]

Some of the Egyptian Hunters who were seeing Mavros for the first time couldn't conceal their admiration for the dragon. While technically Mavros was a mini-dragon, he was still regarded as a dragon by the Hunters. It was impossible for them not to be captivated by his appearance, as he looked far more grand and majestic than the numerous monsters they had encountered.

Han-Yeol ordered, "Mavros, fly up and keep the monsters flying here at bay. You don't have to kill them, so try to conserve your strength and just prevent them from coming here."

“Kieeek!” Mavros let out a shriek and nodded to show that he understood the order.

Chwak!

Then, he spread his wings and shot up into the air, creating a powerful gust that slightly pushed back the Hunters as he ascended.

"Hmm… I can't help but covet that mini-dragon," Tia muttered.

"Hey!" Han-Yeol snapped.

"Hoho~ I'm just kidding, master~"

"Your jokes never sound like jokes, you know?"

"Hoho~" Tia covered her mouth with the back of her hand and simply laughed in response.

Han-Yeol grimaced as he found his own pet monster to be quite difficult to understand.

It was then that a ferocious cry filled the air.

“Gwu Ooooooh!”

"Hmm?" Han-Yeol muttered, turning his gaze toward the direction from which the cry had come.

[It’s a monster!]

[Has it finally noticed us?]

The Egyptian Hunters immediately reacted to the ferocious cry and raised their weapons.

‘Ah, so it finally made its move,’ Han-Yeol thought as he used Demon Eyes.

One, two—there were a total of two Corrupted Hugbears, and they began advancing toward the group.

Initially, these beast-type monsters had shown no signs of movement, leading Han-Yeol to think it was likely due to their corruption or some other factor. However, they immediately sprang into action as soon as they sensed prey nearby. Surprisingly, their movements were quite fast as they charged toward the party with great speed.

[Mujahid.]

[Yes, hyung-nim?]

[The monsters are coming.]

[Alright!] Mujahid exclaimed excitedly and immediately gave the command to prepare for battle to his Hunters.

On the other hand, Tia gazed at Han-Yeol with eyes filled with curiosity and asked, "Hmm... Is it those eyes?"

"Huh?" Han-Yeol couldn't initially grasp the meaning behind her question.

Then, it finally clicked five seconds later, and he understood what she was trying to ask.

"Ah, you're right. These eyes have three modes, but the one I use the most is the ability to see all traces of mana in a ten-kilometer radius around me. I don't really use the other two modes, so I can't say much about them."

"Hmm... Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"Those are quite the interesting set of eyes..."

"But don't you dare think about plucking them out while I'm asleep."

“Tsk…” Tia clicked her tongue.

“Hey, I was just joking! Were you really thinking of plucking my eyes out?!” Han-Yeol exclaimed in horror.

“Hoho~ I was just kidding~”

“Ugh…”

Han-Yeol was having a hard time dealing with Tia because it was difficult to tell if she was genuinely kidding or not at times.

‘Are all spiders like this...?’ he wondered.

He had no knowledge about spiders, as he had never been interested in arachnids. To be honest, who would be able to adjust if a spider suddenly transformed into a half-humanoid? Well, there were probably those otakus who love to watch animation who could, but Han-Yeol was definitely not one of them.

[They’re coming.]

[The monsters are coming! Get ready!]

[Yes, sir!]

The Egyptian Hunters readied their weapons as the sound of the monsters’ charge grew louder and louder.

Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik!

“Gwu Oooooh!”

Three bears emerged from behind the vegetation, and it felt quite different seeing them up close instead of just their mana silhouettes.

‘Is Goldilocks here somewhere?’ Han-Yeol grumbled inwardly.

It was quite ironic that their first hunt in this hunting ground would involve three bears.

Chwaaak!

Han-Yeol materialized his chain, but he didn't plan to waste his mana using Cold Chain.

It was then…

Seuk…!

“Master.”

“Hmm?”

Tia suddenly positioned herself in front of him, assuming the appearance of a proud and tall knight protecting a distressed princess from her enemies. She gazed at Han-Yeol and said, "Hoho~ I haven't had a proper fight ever since I was born, master~"

Slurp~!

She licked her lips, and her eyes projected a killing intent that was completely at odds with her previously calm and playful voice.

“You want to fight then, Tia?”

“Hoho~ If it’s alright with you, master~”

She was seeking his approval, but it appeared as if she was ready to go berserk if he didn't allow her to engage the monsters.

Of course, Han-Yeol felt no threat from her at all. He had seen those eyes of hers before, the same ones she had displayed when playfully teasing him, not letting him sleep all night long.

Tia was born from Han-Yeol's mana, so she was inherently subservient to him. Moreover, despite Tia's playful demeanor at times, she held unwavering loyalty toward Han-Yeol and had no intention of rebelling against him.

Whoooosh! Kaboom!

In the distance, Mavros seemed to have unleashed his poison breath, as his mana could be sensed.

“I’ll leave it to you then, Tia.”

“Hoho~ Leave it to me, master~”

“Gwu Oooooh!”

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

The three Corrupted Hugbears stomped their way toward Tia.

“Allow me to send you filthy, foolish, and corrupted creatures back where you belong… in hell!” Tia exclaimed as she shot out spider webs from her hand.

Chwak!

This was the first time Han-Yeol had seen her in a fight.

‘Hmm... That looks like the attack of that spider person from the movies,’ he thought.

The sight of her shooting spider webs from her hands was reminiscent of a certain superhero from the movies.

‘I'm a bit worried about copyright, but it should be fine, I guess?’ Han-Yeol remained as nonchalant as ever.

Chwak!

“Gwuo?”

The Corrupted Hugbears, resembling zombies, struggled to advance, their bodies completely immobilized by the spider webs entangling them.

It appeared that these monsters had no signs of sentience; they moved about purely on instinct, akin to animated corpses. They didn't even consider tearing the spider webs away before attempting to move; instead, they simply flailed their arms and legs in an effort to progress.

Slurp...!

Tia licked her lips once again, this time in a more seductive manner, evoking images that might belong in an adult movie, at least for the upper half of her body...

“Hoho~ Restrain!”

Chwak!

She waved her hands and released an even larger spider web, resembling a fishing net, that completely ensnared the Corrupted Hugbears.

“Hoho~ Farewell, children~”

Squirm…! Squirm…!

Tia muttered a spell under her breath, causing her lower body to squirm. Then, three small, shining spiders popped out from her rear end and scurried toward the three Corrupted Hugbears.

Tatak! Tatak! Tatak!

‘Hmm? Don't tell me?!’ Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly after witnessing the small spiders attach themselves to the Corrupted Hugbears.

However, the Corrupted Hugbears were still flailing their arms in midair and did not attack the small spiders.

"Boom~" Tia muttered in a playful voice.

Kaboom!

However, the ensuing sound was extremely loud. The three small spiders that had attached themselves to the Corrupted Hugbears simultaneously exploded, a skill that Han-Yeol was quite familiar with.

‘T-This... So it's this kind of skill...?’

The explosion was truly tremendous, and its effectiveness seemed to be amplified by the fact that Tia had first immobilized her enemies.

"Hmm… It might sync quite well with my Crowd Restrain skill," Han-Yeol muttered.

Crowd Restrain was more of an auxiliary skill for him at this point. While it was beneficial for restraining multiple monsters simultaneously with his chain, its duration was too short to be fully effective, and any sufficiently strong monster could break free from it.

However, what if he used Crowd Restrain to support Tia when she used her Spider Bomb skill? It would undoubtedly be an excellent combination.