Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 346 – Instigated Confusion (2)

Seuk...

Han-Yeol wrapped one hand around Mavros’ tiny body and brought him in front of his face. They looked into each other's eyes, a pure display of affection between them.

A smile graced Han-Yeol's face, his eyes forming crescents as he gazed at Mavros. Just seeing Mavros’ adorable face reinvigorated him; it felt like he could conquer anything in that moment.

Hunting monsters might appear simple when Han-Yeol does it, but this was reality, not a game with a login, click, kill, and log out sequence. It involved risking their lives, enduring constant pressure, fatigue, and the looming threat of the monster's bloodlust.

Hence, most Hunters opted to hunt only once or twice a month, a frequency recommended by the Hunters’ Association for safety reasons.

“Hahaha... Hey, I’m tired, Mavros.”

“Kyu!”

Slurp!

Mavros licked Han-Yeol’s nose this time.

“Haha! Thanks to you, Mavros, I don’t feel tired anymore,” Han-Yeol said with a chuckle.

At this moment, Han-Yeol couldn't help but find Mavros utterly adorable. They were enjoying their pet-master bonding time, a rarity lately, until Tia interrupted.

“Are we heading back to Earth now, master?”

“Oh, yes, we have to return. There's something we need to check on Earth,” Han-Yeol replied.

Though the Bastro Dimension felt more comfortable to Han-Yeol, responsibilities and the need to protect people on Earth urged him to depart.

‘Staying too long might alert the hyenas,’ he thought.

Having already caused quite a stir during his stay, he knew it was time to leave.

“Ugh...” Han-Yeol groaned as he sat up, holding onto Mavros. Then, he asked, “Shall we go home, Mavros?”

“Kyu!” Mavros replied enthusiastically.

Han-Yeol sent the demons back to the demon world and, with Tia, Mavros, and Camelot, carefully exited the dungeon. Fortunately, they hadn't encountered any hyenas in the past ten days, but this colorless place was the hyenas’ territory, and a previous battle made it more conspicuous.

Though it was unlikely the hyenas would suspect enemies to stay where a battle occurred, Han-Yeol remained cautious.

As they rested, Han-Yeol recovered some mana to use Demon Eyes before leaving the dungeon. He habitually used Demon Eyes for added safety, and his vigilance paid off when he immediately spotted the hyenas.

“Damn it... It’s the hyenas...”

Camelot, naturally, reacted strongly to Han-Yeol’s words.

“Huff!”

He snorted like an agitated bull ready to charge a Matador.

While the hyenas were Han-Yeol’s adversaries for multiple reasons, they didn't directly affect him. However, for Camelot, it was an entirely different story. He had lost his hometown, family, and friends to the hyenas. If anyone could be deemed his mortal nemesis, it was unquestionably the hyenas.

At the mere mention of the hyenas being nearby, Camelot emitted an overwhelming sense of bloodlust, sending Han-Yeol into a panic.

“Camelot!”

Though the hyenas remained a fair distance away from their current position, they were already outside the dungeon. And Camelot was emanating such intense bloodlust outside?

Camelot seemed to be inviting trouble with the hyenas, practically asking to be caught. It was undeniably a reckless move.

[I... I apologize...]

He swiftly realized his mistake and promptly apologized, an uncharacteristic act for him.

He was known as the notorious Invisible Assassin, mercilessly dispatching dozens of hyenas. He always operated discreetly under the shroud of darkness to evade detection.

However, the recent intense battles fought alongside Han-Yeol over the past ten days had reignited his instincts as an Ox Warrior. This resurgence caused him to lose his composure, leading to such an error.

“Damn it!”

Wooong!

Han-Yeol infused mana into his eyes to monitor the hyenas' movements.

‘Damn... This is bad...’

It appeared that they had sensed Camelot’s bloodlust, altering their course toward Han-Yeol’s party's current location. Though Demon Eyes didn't offer a crystal-clear 1080p view, Han-Yeol discerned enough from their silhouettes turning and converging in that direction.

Recognizing the danger, Han-Yeol knew they had to relocate swiftly from their current spot. He said, “We need to hurry.”

“Kyu.”

“Okay, master.”

Tak!

The only silver lining at present was that the cave, which Han-Yeol had used as a dimensional gate and also served as the canines' hideout, lay in a direction opposite to where the advancing hyenas were coming from.

It would have been disastrous had the hyenas approached from the same direction as the hideout, akin to the previous encounter. Back then, Han-Yeol had managed to secure victory due to the presence of the Elite Feline Warriors, Kandir, and Riru. However, they were absent this time. Moreover, the current hyena force seemed larger than before, making direct confrontation a non-viable option.

‘Tsk... Why are there so many of them?’

Through Demon Eyes, Han-Yeol discerned the presence of two intermediate-rank Hyena Sorcerers and fifteen low-rank Hyena Sorcerers within the hyena army. As expected of the Hyena Sorcerers, they appeared to lead around ten thousand corrupted soldiers, with several hundred colossal corrupted soldiers interspersed among them.

This formidable army was one Han-Yeol couldn't possibly defeat, even if he summoned every single demon and expended his mana to the last drop.

‘That’s insane!’

“We need to move quickly! We’re dead if they catch us!”

“Kyu!”

[Damn it! Those damned hyenas!]

Camelot gritted his teeth, striving hard to contain his anger and bloodlust, preventing them from bursting out this time.

Tak! Wooong!

Han-Yeol maintained a constant use of Demon Eyes, monitoring the movements of the hyena army while on the move.

‘Phew... It seems they haven't identified us as foes.’

Han-Yeol finally sighed in relief, observing that despite redirecting their path toward their location, the hyenas weren't aggressively charging toward them.

It appeared they altered their route merely to investigate the source of the sensation they'd sensed earlier, without entertaining the idea of an impending threat.

‘Well, that's typical of hyenas.’

Han-Yeol couldn't help but feel grateful for the hyenas' lack of urgency.

“Let’s move faster.”

“Kyu!”

“As you wish, master.”

[...]

Meanwhile, Camelot remained unresponsive, still simmering with anger.

It took them a while to distance themselves from the approaching hyena army without utilizing mana, yet they managed to evade detection safely.

Then, it happened.

Dudududu...!

“W-What?!”

“Hmm? Is this an earthquake?”

The ground suddenly trembled, and Han-Yeol sensed it wasn't an ordinary seismic event.

‘We’re in trouble...!’

Krwaaaang!

“Gwuuu Oooh!”

A colossal serpent erupted from beneath the ground. This wasn't just any serpent; it resembled the dragons depicted in Asian culture, although only in shape, as the rest of its appearance diverged significantly.

“Krwaaaaah!”

Despite its grand entrance, the creature's appearance was far from magnificent. It remained a corrupted creature emanating a repugnant stench of decaying flesh, its deteriorating insides visible through its torn scales.

However, the significance of the serpent's 'appearance' was overshadowed by the fact that it appeared at all.

‘Damn it! They already knew about us!’

Evidently, the hyenas weren't naive; they had laid a trap for Han-Yeol’s party.

Wooong!

Reacting swiftly, Han-Yeol spun around and employed Demon Eyes to survey the colossal hyena army.

Fortunately, despite the corrupted serpent under the sorcerer’s control likely alerting them, the army continued to move sluggishly.

‘They're underestimating us.’

This seemed the only reason for the hyena army's slow pace.

‘This might be our only chance...’

The hideout and the dimensional gate faced the risk of discovery if this continued. Han-Yeol couldn't relocate the dimensional gate once it was placed in the Bastro Dimension. Although he technically could, it would mean sacrificing the lives of three Bastro Sorcerers.

“Camelot!”

[Leave it to me, boss!]

The Ox Warrior responded to Han-Yeol’s shout, channeling an intense amount of mana into his chain. As he spun it, it was evident he was channeling the pent-up anger he had been restraining into his weapon.

Plop! Plop! Chwiiik! Chwaaak!

Meanwhile, Han-Yeol summoned two blades and propelled himself off the ground. Despite having acquired these skills merely ten days ago, he had practiced them extensively, elevating both to Rank D within that brief period.

“We’ll take it down in one strike!” Han-Yeol exclaimed, gathering every ounce of his strength in preparation.

‘Light Exorcist Sword!’

Ziiing!

Blades forged from light materialized and surged toward the corrupted serpent.

Puuuk! Puuuk! Puuuk!

[Die, monster!]

Camelot unleashed a frenzy of strikes upon the corrupted serpent with his chain, while Han-Yeol unloaded his entire arsenal.

‘Eruption Slash! Ice Crusher Shockwave!’

The Ice Crusher Shockwave was a skill he acquired subsequent to developing the Ice Blade skill. It unleashed a revolving shockwave capable of pulverizing adversaries, inflicting substantial damage when focused on a specific body part. Han-Yeol was fortunate to attain this skill after creating the Ice Blade.

Moreover, the skill's efficacy doubled when used in tandem with Eruption Slash.

Shwiik! Sukeok!

[Krwaah! Krwaaaah!]

[Ox Roundhouse Kick!]

Bam!

The ‘hapless’ corrupted serpent faced swift retribution from Han-Yeol’s party the moment it emerged from the ground.

‘Head Cutter!’

With this final strike, Han-Yeol wielded both swords, severing the corrupted serpent's head.

Chwak!

[Krr... wuu...!]

Thud!

The dragon-like corrupted serpent collapsed, its head detached from its body.

‘Phew... That was a close one...’

The party's fortune lay in successfully vanquishing the obstruction in their path through a single coordinated attack.

This success was largely owed to Han-Yeol's thirty-level increase and his absorption of every mana stone encountered, boosting his MAG by two hundred. This augmentation in his MAG stat significantly enhanced his skill potency with denser mana.

“Phew...”

Could it have been an outcome of exerting too much mana and strength simultaneously?

Badump! Badump! Badump! Badump!

He sensed his muscles pulsating, accompanied by sharp pains. However, he couldn't afford the luxury of rest at that moment.

“Move out!”

[Okay.]

Tak!

They had to hurry back to Earth.