Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 238: A New Monster (4)

The doors swung open, and a group of Egyptian Special Forces soldiers rushed in.

Phaophator had gathered F Rank Hunters with average mana infusion abilities from all over Africa and trained them into hardened soldiers. The result was an elite group capable of firing mana-infused bullets, tasked with defending Cairo from its enemies.

Phaophator divided them into two groups, naming them the Mut Forces and Khonsu Forces, respectively. Both names were derived from the patron deities of Thebes, and the soldiers took great pride in this.

[Are you alright, your highness?]

[W-What's that?]

[A spider?]

The elite soldiers were shocked upon entering the room. Their prince, Mujahid, and the esteemed guest, Lee Han-Yeol, were accompanied by a creature they had not expected. Her lower body resembled that of a gigantic spider, while her upper body possessed an extremely charming womanly appearance. She was so captivating that even these men, accustomed to seeing Tayarana almost daily, couldn't take their eyes off the spider woman.

Of course, this didn't imply that the spider woman was more beautiful than Tayarana, but the creature undeniably exuded a different kind of charm.

Tia easily sensed the emotions of the elite soldiers who had barged into the room unannounced.

"Hohoho, where are your manners, humans? Hmm... I suppose you would make a good snack," Tia remarked while licking her lips.

Tak…

"H-Hey, control yourself. It would be troublesome if you caused a scene here," Han-Yeol said as he pulled the arachnid back.

Han-Yeol knew that the elite soldiers meant no harm, and no harm should befall them if he wanted to maintain his good relationship with Egypt.

"Omo~ Are you already making a move on me, master? I'm so happy~"

“Ugh…”

"Hoho~ I was just joking. I might be a monster, but I won't do anything that master doesn't want me to."

She was telling the truth.

Tia was a monster born from Han-Yeol's mana, so she was subservient to him. Unfortunately, Han-Yeol was weak against charming women, so she ended up toying with him. She would have been quite a docile and charming monster pet if he had managed to control her from the start, but he completely missed his chance, unfortunately.

Of course, dominating her was not going to be an easy task as she possessed the ability to charm people.

[Your highness?]

[Ah, it's nothing. Hyung-nim just hatched another monster pet, that's all.]

[Is it true?!]

[Yeah, so hurry up and scram.]

[Yes, sir!]

Tak!

The elite soldiers from the Khonsu Forces saluted and left the room. They had already been briefed regarding Han-Yeol’s abilities, so they were aware that he could hatch monster eggs.

As they made their way back to their positions, the elite soldiers chatted among themselves.

[Did you see that?]

[Yeah… That was quite the beauty.]

[I was mesmerized even after seeing she was a half-spider.]

[Exactly, she was so beautiful I couldn’t take my eyes off of her…]

[More than Tayarana-nim?]

[Come on, there’s no way that’s possible.]

[Yeah, I guess you’re right.]

Of course, they ranked Tia lower than Tayarana.

Their loyalty toward Tayarana did not allow them to rank anyone else higher than her, but they would probably have ranked them the same way even if they were not loyal to her. After all, Tayarana was a beauty that nobody in the world could match up to.

***

Tia's birth became known not only to the elite soldiers of the Khonsu Forces but also to the servants working in the palace. Han-Yeol and Mujahid didn't really see the need to keep it a secret, so the news of Tia's birth spread like wildfire throughout the palace as the servants gossiped about Han-Yeol obtaining another mysterious monster as a pet.

Han-Yeol continued to stay in the palace for the time being.

"Kyu!"

"Omo! He's so cute! So, this cute little mini-dragon is my senior? Ah~ I wouldn't mind being his junior~"

“Kyu! Kyu!”

‘Phew… It’s a relief they’re getting along…’?Han-Yeol let out a sigh of relief upon seeing that both of them were getting along quite well.

Mavros looked extremely cute as he tried to act like a senior, and Tia smiled and accepted him as her senior. Han-Yeol was able to relax now that they were getting along just fine.

‘Is it because both of them possess dark attributes?’ he wondered.

Whatever the reason might be, what mattered to him right now was that they were getting along.

Clack… Clack… Clack…?

“What are you thinking about right now, master~?”

“Hiiik!”

Tia sneaked up behind Han-Yeol and hugged him. Her hands slithered all over his body in an extremely sensual manner that would have been inappropriate for kids to watch.

“Ah, it’s nothing.”

“Hmm… It doesn’t seem like nothing, but I won’t pry further.”

“T-Thanks…”

“Don’t mention it, master~”

Seuk…

“Hiiik!”

Tia brushed her hand against something inappropriate while releasing Han-Yeol from the hug, making him squeal again.

It might seem ironic that he was overreacting to a simple touch, considering he had already spent numerous hot nights with Scarlett. However, he didn't have much experience with women in general, so he was sensitive to such indiscriminate touching.

‘I can't really tell if she's human or a beast,’?he thought.

However, what mattered to him was that the monster pet that hatched from the demon egg was powerful. Her personality was not a problem since he could get used to it, but what he really wanted to do right now was to test how strong she was. Unfortunately, that would have to wait.

[It’s time to leave for the Master Rank Hunter Test.]

Tayarana came to pick Han-Yeol up.

[Oh, it’s already that time?]

[Yeah.]

It was shocking that Tayarana would go to the trouble of visiting the palace just to remind him of the test. This was not something she would typically do, not even for Mariam, who was her closest confidante. In fact, she rarely visited her own father, the President of Egypt unless explicitly summoned by him.

But who was Tayarana?

She was the goddess of Egypt and the next in line to rule the country after Phaophator. She already held prestige and honor in the country as an Osiris Rank Hunter, but her recent elevation to a Ra Rank Hunter further solidified her status.

The fact that she made the trip for a commoner from another country was something that would have sent shockwaves across Egypt if politicians had found out about it.

"Omo~ Who is this beautiful unni?" Tia asked.

Tia's innate ability to charm others seemed to have piqued her interest in Tayarana after seeing her immense beauty. Unfortunately, they couldn't communicate due to the language barrier.

[Is this the monster you recently hatched, Han-Yeol?]

[Yeah, her name is Tia.]

[Tia…]

Tayarana’s eyes suddenly flashed in a strange way.

‘Huh? What was that?’?Han-Yeol was a bit flustered after seeing her gaze.

However, Han-Yeol decided that he was just imagining things when she didn't react in any particular manner. Besides, was there a reason for Tayarana to be wary of Tia in the first place? Tia might be strong, but that didn't mean she was a match for a Master Rank Hunter.

“Hmm… It’s a shame I can’t communicate with this beautiful unni…”

“Haha…”

Tia was born speaking Han-Yeol’s mother tongue only, so she was not able to speak Arabic.

“Kyu!”

Mavros flew in the air and patted Tia on her shoulder with his paw.

“Omo~ Are you consoling me, senior~?”

“Kyu!”

“You’re a good senior~”

“Kyu! Kyu!”

Mavros held his head high and enjoyed the feeling of being called a senior.

“Hoho~” Tia simply laughed in response at seeing how cute Mavros was.

[She seems to be getting along with Mavros.]

[Thankfully.]

Han-Yeol smiled while looking at Mavros and Tia.

It was then that Tayarana looked at him while raising an eyebrow.

‘Ah… What’s wrong with me…?’?

‘Hmm?’

Only one person in the room noticed what Tayarana was feeling at that moment, and that was none other than the Arachnid, Tia.

‘Oh~ So that's how it is?’ Tia flashed a mischievous smile after realizing what was going on.

Tia was especially sensitive to the emotions of other creatures around her, thanks to her charm ability. Of course, this ability was not common among all Arachnids and was unique to her.

‘Hoho~ This is getting quite interesting,’ she thought after reading Tayarana's emotions.

For now, she didn't plan to do anything aside from watching from the sidelines.

‘I'm sorry, but I still need master's love. I'll help you later once I get enough love from him. Hoho~’

Nobody knew what cunning plan the arachnid had in mind at that moment.

***

Egypt assembled a group to escort Han-Yeol and Tayarana to Switzerland, where the Master Rank Hunter Test would be held. This escort group was not ordinary; it consisted of a large and diverse team.

Initially, Han-Yeol had wanted to go quietly, but Egypt had different plans. Their own princess was taking the test this time, so they intended to showcase their might to the world through the escort group.

Why was it so important for them to attract attention? Because if Tayarana managed to pass the test and become an official Master Rank Hunter, it would mark the first time in history that an S Rank Hunter evolved into a Master Rank Hunter. This unprecedented event was one for the history books, and it even drew the attention of the Guinness Book of World Records, which sent an official observer.

Zurich International Airport was swarming with reporters from all over the world.

[They’re coming!]

A single shout from a reporter sent the crowd into motion.

This was a golden opportunity for the reporters to create news about Tayarana, especially since she was currently outside Egypt. None of them had dared to report on her while she was in Egypt, as the entire country was ruled with an iron fist by Phaophator.

[Please tell us how you feel right now!]

[Do you think you can pass the test?!]

Flash! Flash! Flash! Flash!?

The airport staff were shocked by the huge crowd that had gathered at the airport. Recognizing that it was impossible to control the crowd with just their security staff, airport security requested assistance from the local police.

In the end, the police had to come to the airport to help manage the crowd, but even they struggled to control the situation due to the sheer number of people.

[Please don't push!]

[You can't cross this line!]

Reporters were pushing against the police line in their efforts to get closer to their targets.

[Han-Yeol,] Tayarana called out.

[Hmm?]

[What are they saying right now?]

[Beats me…] Han-Yeol awkwardly scratched his cheek in response.

The international reporters were asking questions in English, while the local Swiss reporters were asking in German. Unfortunately, neither Han-Yeol nor Tayarana knew how to speak either language.

Tayarana was not particularly interested in other countries, while Han-Yeol could only speak Korean and the languages he had acquired through his skill, Nepali and Arabic.

[Let’s just walk past them,] Tayarana said calmly.

[I agree.] Han-Yeol nodded in agreement.

It was then.

[What?!]

[W-What’s that?!]

The airport was turned upside down right after Han-Yeol and Tayarana were about to walk past the reporters.

Clack… Clack… Clack… Clack…?

“Omo~ There are a lot of tasty humans here~”

Slurp!

Tia licked her lips while eyeing the reporters lined up at the airport.

She was a carnivore who wouldn't hesitate to devour humans. Taboos such as cannibalism held no significance for her, as she considered herself an Arachnid rather than a human in the first place.

Of course, she couldn't and wouldn't feast on humans without her master's approval, as she knew he would strongly disapprove. However, this didn't mean she couldn't express her voracious appetite toward them.

[W-What?!]

[D-Did that monster just lick its lips at us?!]

[What in the…]

[Kuheok!]

Some of the reporters grabbed their chest and collapsed.

[S-Someone help! This guy fainted just now!]

The airport had numerous paramedics on standby in case of unforeseen events, and they rushed into the crowd to attend to the reporters who had collapsed and transported them to the hospital.

It seemed quite absurd that they would collapse just because Tia had played a prank on them.

“Omo~ Sorry~ My bad~ Hehe~” Tia said in a mischievous voice before sticking her tongue out.

“Haa… Tia…” Han-Yeol muttered while shaking his head out of frustration.