Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 274: Cold Love (2)

A Ra Rank Hunter possessed completely different powers compared to Osiris Rank Hunters, and there had been no precedent where a Master Rank Hunter was sent by their government to live in another country.

Han-Yeol had stayed and fought for Egypt in the past few weeks, but it wasn't a personal short-term trip; instead, it was the South Korean government that had sent him.

[Father.]

[T-Tara…? Can you take back what you said…?]

President Phaophator was on his last legs as he knew he had no choice but to agree.

[My heart bleeds and is torn into a thousand pieces whenever I think of the Horus children.]

[I… I know, but…]

President Phaophator had no excuses when it came to the Horus raid party, as all of them had been sacrificed to stabilize the country.

.

[I wish to go to Korea with Han-Yeol and heal these wounds. I believe I will be able to overcome my sorrows if I am with Han-Yeol in Korea.]

Tayarana's words left no room for compromise.

[Ahh…]

President Phaophator was reluctant to let his daughter go. However, he knew he had no other choice but to allow her to leave.

[O… Okay…]

He had to allow his daughter to leave home once again, no matter how much he didn't want to. Of course, he didn't forget to call Han-Yeol aside and gently threaten him before permitting Tayarana to go.

Thus, Han-Yeol made his way back to South Korea with Tayarana and Mariam accompanying him. It went without saying that they all traveled on the same plane.

"..."

Han-Yeol glared at Tayarana and Mariam without uttering a word.

[...]

[...]

Both Tayarana and Mariam avoided his gaze as if they knew they had done something wrong. To be honest, both of them looked quite pitiful right now.

"Haa…"

Both of them flinched after hearing Han-Yeol let out a sigh.

Han-Yeol forced out a smile after seeing them walking on eggshells. He then said, [I guess it's really like you to cause such a big problem like it's nothing, Tara.]

[Is… Is it…?] Tayarana awkwardly scratched her cheek.

[I… I apologize, Han-Yeol-nim…] Mariam apologized with her head down.

[Geez, what's wrong with you two? I'm not used to you guys acting this way.]

Han-Yeol couldn't help but feel that he had done something wrong after seeing both of them being cautious around him. Did he seem like a tyrant abusing two beautiful women or something similar to that?

[Ah, alright, alright! Stop moping around and at least smile!]

[Do you…forgive me?]

[Are you forgiving us, Han-Yeol-nim?]

'Ah… These two have a special talent for driving people crazy…!'

Han-Yeol decided to change the mood, feeling like the bad guy right now. He quickly replied, [Of course, Tara! All my anger disappeared the moment you left your room.]

[That's a relief…]

[That is indeed a relief…] Mariam let out a sigh of relief when Han-Yeol forgave Tayarana.

'Huh? What's wrong with her?' Han-Yeol couldn't help but wonder after seeing Mariam.

Then, Mariam suddenly replied through telepathy, [I am doing what I want, so please let me be.]

'Hahaha! Are you back to the old you?'

[Hmph!]

Han-Yeol couldn't help but think that this was her biggest charm.

***

Life returned to normal after he came back from Egypt. Han-Yeol gave the hyena's head to Yulia and the researchers in Switzerland for study before proceeding to South Korea. He was greeted by a massive crowd at the airport after word got out about his arrival, but he was used to it by now, so it didn't really bother him. Instead, he chose to take a break by going on a hunt.

His destination was a high-level dungeon in Jeju Island. The entire Mount Hallasan, one of the major mountains in the country, had turned into one giant hunting ground.

Han-Yeol entered the hunting ground.

'Cold Chain! Frozen Field!'

Chwaaaak!

He used his new ice-type skills to create an icy hell around him.

The entire area froze solid, immobilizing the monsters. Those who tried to evade were either frozen stiff or greatly slowed when caught by Han-Yeol's chain.

"Dol! Dol! Dol!”

Ironically, the monster that inhabited this hunting ground was none other than the famous Dolhareubang[1] native to Jeju Island.

The variety of Dolhareubang ranged from those that were three meters tall all the way up to eight meters, and they emitted a strange sound when they cried out.

‘Geez… I know this is Jeju Island, but couldn't they have put in some effort here…?’ Han-Yeol couldn't help but grumble about whoever designed the Mount Halla hunting ground.

One common characteristic among these monsters, regardless of their size, was their hard stone composition, rendering them immune to damage from sharp weapons. However, they were vulnerable to blunt trauma due to their bodies being made of volcanic rocks.

Chwaaaak! Bam!

"Dooool!"

A Dolhareubang had its head smashed to pieces by the hammer attached to the chain Han-Yeol threw. Thanks to the monster being frozen solid and Han-Yeol's monstrous strength, it was possible for him to kill it in one hit.

"Get out of the way!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Bam! Bam!

"Dooool!"

Han-Yeol was able to reach Baeknokdam almost instantaneously. It was no longer difficult for him to hunt in these kinds of dangerous hunting grounds all alone after reaching Level 299.

"Kieeeeeek!"

"I know, it's all thanks to you, Mavros."

Seuk… Seuk…

Of course, he was technically not alone but with Mavros as well.

The Dolhareubangs tried to shoot down Mavros with their ranged attacks, but the only way they could attack an enemy at a distance was to throw volcanic rocks. Unfortunately, there was no way the slow rocks they threw were going to hit Mavros, who was extremely agile and clever.

It was evident that the monsters were no match against the combination of Han-Yeol attacking from the ground and Mavros attacking from the air. It didn't take long for the dynamic duo to reach Baeknokdam, where they currently were, and where the boss monster resided.

"Phew…! So, is this Baeknokdam?"

Baeknokdam wasn't that beautiful of a place. If Mount Baekdu's crater and surroundings were renowned for their beauty, Mount Halla was known for not having much to offer. It was not only smaller compared to Mount Baekdu, but its crater didn't hold enough water to make it a sight worth the trek.

However, Baeknokdam was not a tourist spot right now.

Druuu…! Druuu…!

Baeknokdam started trembling.

"Ah, it's exactly as the information stated."

“Kieeek!”

Han-Yeol had studied this hunting ground before coming here. But before that, it's important to note that he had smuggled himself into Jeju Island. The reason for that was that despite the island still being a part of Korean territory, it was no different from being Kim Tae-San’s personal domicile.

Kim Tae-San was born and raised in Jeju Island, but he moved to Seoul after becoming an adult. Still, the people of Jeju Island welcomed him as their king after he had awakened as a Master Rank Hunter and became the strongest Hunter in South Korea.

There was quite a backlash from the Korean government after Kim Tae-San started acting like he ruled Jeju Island, but there was nothing the government could do against him. He was not only the strongest Hunter in the country, but he also had extremely strong backing. His guild was one of the top in the country, and he had two other Master Rank Hunters in the country following him like their pseudo-leader.

In the end, Kim Tae-San became the unofficial de facto King of Jeju Island. Han-Yeol knew that things were going to become quite a hassle if he officially entered Jeju Island, so he had chosen to smuggle himself instead.

Kwaaang!

The dry grounds of Baeknokdam split open as magma started flowing out from it.

“Hmm?”

[You have activated Analytic Eyes.]

Ding!

[Magma Giant]

[Type: Top-Tier Boss Monster]

[Mana Capacity: 231,300]

[Description: A large boss monster born from the magma collected within Mount Halla. It can freely control magma and possesses immense destructive power. Despite its magma composition, it is not vulnerable to water. Only those who have attained true power will be able to defeat it.]

[Illustration: (Attached]]

The illustration wasn't important since Han-Yeol was already looking at the boss monster, and he could tell it was indeed the magma boss monster based on how the air around him suddenly heated up when it appeared.

'Made of magma, eh…'

The difference between seeing the boss monster in the illustration and in person was like night and day.

"Kwuooooh!"

The boss monster let out a roar that reverberated into the heavens and made the entire Mount Halla tremble.

'Wow… I'm lucky the Tamra raid party isn't hunting here today. They would've come here immediately if they were somewhere nearby.'

Han-Yeol wasn't scared of them or anything, as only Kim Tae-San could threaten him. Still, he hated the idea of things becoming troublesome simply because some small fries showed up. All he had to do now was to hunt this boss monster to somehow achieve his second awakening, but it would be really annoying if some low-ranking Hunters tried to stop him.

Chwaaak!

Han-Yeol took out his chain and used Cold Chain once again.

“Mavros.”

“Kiek?”

“Shall we go have some fun?”

“Kieeeek!”

Mavros was happy as long as he could fight alongside his owner.

Tak! Chwak!

Han-Yeol didn't usually mount Mavros unless the enemy was extremely powerful, as he could inflict more damage while on the ground.

Chwaaaak!

‘Chain Smite!’

Bam!

“Gwuu Oohh!”

‘Ah, is one hit not enough?’ Han-Yeol thought after seeing the boss monster not taking damage even after being hit on its leg.

Then, the boss monster looked at Han-Yeol for a while before it raised its fist, and...

Fwaaaaaah!

“Hiiiik?!”

A magma-made fist was hurtling toward Han-Yeol.

"Ack!"

Han-Yeol immediately rolled out of the way.

Bam! Pssshhh!

The magma fist exploded the moment it made contact with the ground, melting everything it touched.

'Ah… No wonder there were a lot of fist-shaped craters around here… I guess they lured that thing over there and fought it.'

The surrounding areas of Baeknokdam were quite clean and well-preserved, but there were quite a lot of large fist-shaped craters in some areas. Han-Yeol initially wondered if the Dolhareubangs could make such a crater in the first place, but it turned out that those craters had been formed by the boss monster of this hunting ground.

'This is going to be fun,' Han-Yeol thought with a smirk.

The Magma Giant was weaker than the giant blob of evil mana the Hyena Sorcerer had transformed into, but that did not mean he could underestimate it. He had fought against the Hyena Sorcerer alongside Mujahid and Tayarana, but he was currently alone, with only Mavros by his side.

“Gwuu Oooh!”

Bam! Bam! Bam!

"Hey! Stop shooting, you crazy bastard!" Han-Yeol shouted in anger after the boss monster hurled a flurry of magma fists at him.

The Magma Giant seemed a lot more aggressive than the Hyena Sorcerer. The Hyena Sorcerer would leisurely use its whip or fist at the attackers while allowing them to attack it. On the other hand, the Magma Giant continued to hurl flurries of magma fists at Han-Yeol after being hit once by his chain imbued with Cold Chain.

“Mavros!”

“Kieeeek!”

Swhiiik! Chwaaa!

Of course, there was no way Mavros was going to miss such an opening.

Mavros flew up into the air, spreading its wings to create a large green magic circle, and a torrent of Poison Arrows shot out from it toward the Magma Giant's back.

“Gwuuu Ooooh!”

1. A stone statue known as something like a guardian deity in Jeju Island ????