Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 206: Asus (2)

Whooooosh…!

A sudden blizzard swept through the Cheolwon hunting ground.

“Ugh…?I-It’s so c-c-cold… a-all of a s… s-sudden…!”

“W-What’s g… g-going on….?”

The Hunters' mana kept them warm no matter how strong the blizzards were, even if the temperature dropped to negative fifty Celsius. However, the members of the Special S raid party started to shiver uncontrollably all of a sudden after the blizzard raged on.

[C-Cold… I th… th-think I might f… freeze to death…!]

[W-W-W-Warm….! Give me s-so… something warm…!]

It was not only the Special S raid party members who were shivering. The Egyptian Hunters, who were not used to the cold, were on the verge of freezing to death.

‘Damn it! What’s going on? Don’t tell me that monster is stronger than the Demon Hunter? This blizzard is definitely not normal! It must be that monster’s skill!’?Han-Yeol immediately got a grasp of the situation.

‘But what should I do now…?’?he thought in confusion.

Both the Egyptian Hunters and the dependable Special S raid party members found themselves completely incapacitated by the cold. Han-Yeol took the first initiative and ordered the Egyptian Hunters to retreat, knowing they were more susceptible to the harsh weather.

The Egyptian Hunters were renowned for their pride as warriors, but this time their pride was utterly trampled as they were forced to withdraw even before the fight had begun.

Despite their inner struggle, they realized that refusing to leave would only hold the rest of the team back. Thus, they gritted their teeth, swallowed their pride, and made their way to where the Porters were waiting.

[Haa… That’s much better…]

[I really thought I was going to die…]

Bam!

One of them punched a tractor truck.

[Damn it! What shameful display is this?!]

[…]

None of them could say anything, and all of them had their gazes down with sullen faces.

Meanwhile…

[Wow… It’s quite cold. I don’t think that boss monster is a normal one if it’s able to make Hunters feel cold, hyung-nim.]

‘Phew… It’s a relief that Mujahid seems fine,’?Han-Yeol thought as he let out a sigh of relief.

It was going to be catastrophic if even Mujahid was incapacitated by the cold as he was the only other Hunter that Han-Yeol fully depended on.

“Kieeeek!”

“Kyaong!”

Fortunately, both Mavros and Furion seemed to be unaffected by the cold, but seemed to be on the edge after sensing the tremendous pressure the boss monster was emitting.

‘There’s nothing we can do about it. I’ll have to ask the others to retreat and take the boss monster on with the four of us,’?Han-Yeol clenched his fist and made his decision.

He knew this was not going to be an easy fight, but they had no choice but to fight. There was no escaping in front of a boss monster.

It was now an all-or-nothing type of scenario.

[Bwahahaha! Long time no see!]

Balrog, being a demon in control of fire, appeared unaffected by the cold, as expected. However, he said something that caused Han-Yeol to tilt his head in confusion.

‘Balrog-nim…?’

[Ah, I was supposed to keep that to myself, but I ended up blurting it out. Bwahaha! Alright, I think it's time to tell you the truth about how things turned out this way. The fact is, I actually know that guy.]

‘Huh…?’?Han-Yeol was taken aback.

The fact that the intermediate demon, Balrog, knew the boss monster meant that it was a demon or a creature related to the demons.

This made Han-Yeol pay close attention to what Balrog was going to say.

[That guy’s name is Asus, and he is also known as the Cursed King or the Corrupted King. He was a king of the humans in another dimension before he turned into a demon.]

‘I see…’

[The humans from that dimension made a dire choice by selling their souls to the demons, seeking power for various reasons. While they gained immense strength during their mortal lives, humans are not immortal beings. Despite trying every trick to achieve immortality, death eventually caught up with them. As a result, their souls were dragged into the demon world, where they were forced to serve other demons.]

‘Then, that means…?’

[Yes, that guy is a servant of the demon Agares. By the way, Agares holds the second-highest rank in the demon world and is the only one capable of standing up against my lord, Baal-nim. That individual you encountered is a demon of ice and corruption, similar to my intermediate rank. However, unlike me, his powers were not sealed upon arriving in the human world, for some inexplicable reason. In other words, that guy can utilize one hundred percent of his abilities, making him incredibly dangerous.]

It was quite strange to see Balrog get all serious when he was usually the carefree type.

‘Oh…’?Han-Yeol never expected the boss monster to be a demon, and it felt like he had been hit at the back of his head by a hammer.

[I find myself frequently crossing paths with that guy on the battlefield since we share the same task. It's quite embarrassing to encounter my rival in this world when most of my strength is sealed! Bwahahaha!]

Balrog had only been serious for a second, not taking long to revert back to his old self.

‘Your abilities might be sealed, but we’re still the ones that will win in the end, Balrog-nim,’?Han-Yeol confidently said.

[Bwahahaha! That is why I’m fine with it!]

Just as Han-Yeol was about to make a move, a strange sensation started to creep into his mind.

Shwiiii…!

‘What’s this…?’?Han-Yeol wondered.

The strange sensation did not feel threatening at all, but it was a foreign feeling that he had never felt before.

It was then…

[Summon me.]

A voice resounded in his head, and he instantly recognized the owner of that voice.

Han-Yeol wasn't particularly adept at remembering people's faces; in fact, his ability in this regard was so lacking that he once wondered in high school if he had some sort of disability hindering his recognition of others. However, he possessed an exceptional talent for remembering people's voices.

‘Arch Lich-nim?!’

[Yes… Summon me…]

A contracted demon was prohibited from appearing in the human world unless summoned by their contractor. The origin of this rule remained a mystery, but it was an absolute decree no demon could defy.

However, there was a concession given to the demons—they were allowed to make their voices heard by their contractors in the human world. This was the reason why the Arch Lich could communicate with Han-Yeol.

The Arch Lich held a high-ranking position among the demons, but he was demoted a rank for not being a true demon. His case differed significantly from Asus, as he didn't become a demon by selling his soul to them. Instead, he willingly transformed himself into an undead and gathered strength to become a demon. This meant he lacked a proper pedigree in the demon world, which resulted in his classification as an intermediate demon despite possessing the powers of a high-ranking one.

Although the Arch Lich could have had the opportunity to elevate his rank by slaying one high-ranking demon or a hundred intermediate demons, he had no interest in such pursuits. His sole passion lay in the study of magic, which earned him the reputation of a recluse hiding in a corner of the demon world, dedicated to his research.

‘Well, I guess it makes sense since I’ll need all the hands I can get…’?Han-Yeol thought.

He then asked the Arch Lich, ‘Please come to this world, Arch Lich-nim.’

[Alright…!]

The Arch Lich's sigil materialized on the ground, and soon after, a pale-white skeleton emerged from its depths. As the Arch Lich made his appearance, the temperature in the vicinity plummeted even further compared to before.

However, unlike earlier encounters, this time the freezing cold that emanated from the Arch Lich did not cause harm or discomfort to those around him. The Egyptian Hunters and Special S raid party members remained unaffected by the bone-chilling cold, thanks to some mysterious change that occurred.

[Oh? You managed to contract that guy?]

‘Yes, I somehow managed to.’

[Bwahaha! Fascinating! Asus gains the ability to use ice magic through a curse from Agares, while an Arch Lich masters magic on their own. It appears that this particular Arch Lich specializes in ice attribute spells... How marvelous!]

‘Pardon me…?’

Han-Yeol could not understand what Balrog meant by that.

Seuk…

It was then that the Arch Lich raised both of his hands and shot out his mana in all directions.

‘Hmm?’

[Frozen Aura.]

Ding!

[Resistance to ice attribute has increased by twenty percent.]

[Resistance to cold has risen.]

‘Oh?’?Han-Yeol was surprised at the messages that appeared in front of him.

Then, he noticed that the temperature around him became slightly warmer and he was less affected by the boss monster’s blizzard.

“Haa… Haa…?It’s gotten easier to breathe.”

“Yeah, me too. I think I feel much better now.”

“Oh? It’s no longer cold?”

“Phew! We made it out alive!”

The Special S raid party members who were shivering a while ago were completely fine now.

‘Is this your doing, Arch Lich-nim?’?Han-Yeol asked.

[Yes… This is nothing… to me… that can control… ice attribute…]

‘Wow, that’s really amazing!’

[…]

The Arch Lich did not bother to respond to Han-Yeol’s praises.

Meanwhile, Asus stared in Han-Yeol’s direction after it noticed that its blizzard was no longer effective.

Whoooooosh!

Then, it infused its mana into the blizzard and made it rage even stronger compared to a while ago.

[Scram!]

The Arch Lich unleashed his mana and nullified the blizzard once again.

A bit of time passed and even the Egyptian Hunters recovered from the incapacitating cold.

[T-That damn boss monster!]

[I’ll grind that bastard to fine dust!]

They were enraged after almost being relegated to the sidelines.

Woooong!

The Egyptian Hunters weren't the only ones infuriated; Asus also became incensed upon realizing that the freezing mana in its blizzard was no longer effective against the Arch Lich's controlled cold. In response, it swiftly altered its tactics, unleashing a potent burst of mana that brimmed with malice and bloodlust.

‘I won’t let you do as you wish!’?Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly before kicking off the ground toward the boss monster.

Tak!

[I will… assist you…]

Fwaaa!

Han-Yeol’s body suddenly heated up as his body surged with power.

Ding!

[The Arch Lich’s support magic ‘Strength’ has been cast on you.]

[Your STR has increased by twenty percent.]

[The Arch Lich’s support magic ‘Haste’ has been cast on you.]

[Your AGI has increased by twenty percent.]

[The Arch Lich’s support magic ‘Stone Skin’ has been cast on you.]

[Your defense has increased by ten percent.]

[Your resistance to debuff has increased by five percent.]

‘Wow… What’s all this?’?Han-Yeol was surprised.

He had believed that the Arch Lich could only wield ice attribute magic, which was why he hadn't bothered summoning him for this hunt. However, it became evident that his assumption was way off the mark, as the Arch Lich possessed far greater capabilities than he had previously imagined.

‘Wow… He’s really using other magic as well?’?

Armed with the Arch Lich's buff, Han-Yeol had become remarkably agile, and his fears had completely dissipated. He now felt invincible, as if he could annihilate anything and anyone standing in his path without a second thought.

‘Eat this!’?

Shwiiiiik!

Han-Yeol threw his hammer attached to his chain at the boss monster. “Chain Smite!”

Chwaaaak!

The hammer was infused with powerful mana as it zipped through the air and flew toward its target.

Any monster that was hit by Han-Yeol’s powerful attack was bound to suffer damage and be flung back, but that was not the case this time.

Clang!

‘What?!’?Han-Yeol was shocked when Asus lightly swung its sword and parried the hammer effortlessly.

"Hmph, looks like you won't be an easy opponent," Han-Yeol remarked with a smirk.

The boss monster displayed astonishing speed and precision as it swung its greatsword, a weapon even larger than a typical two-handed sword. There was not a single moment of hesitation in its movements.

‘It looks like this boss raid won’t be easy…’?he could tell that he was in for a rough ride this time.

Still, he brushed the shock away and stood a distance away from the boss monster.

‘Hmm… The ground is a bit slippery…’?Han-Yeol was not sure if the ground was slippery because it melted and froze again or if the boss monster intentionally made it slippery, but that did not matter to him.

It would have been a different story for normal Hunters, but Han-Yeol was definitely not an ordinary Hunter.

‘That has nothing to do with me,’?he thought with a confident smirk.

His mobility skill, 'Cat Walk,' not only allowed him to move swiftly but also endowed him with an excellent sense of balance, akin to that of a cat. The slippery ground was definitely not going to hinder him anytime soon.