Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 155: Run Toward the Firmament (4)

Tayarana drew the sword on her waist.

Han-Yeol was stunned for a moment before he asked, [Tara! What are you doing?!]

[I have to weaken him, even by a little bit, to ensure the safety of the kids later.]

[It’s dangerous!]

[Yeah, I know, but we don’t know anything about him. Those kids will be in greater danger than me because they're not even Osiris Ranked.]

[Y-You’re right, but…]

Han-Yeol wanted to say something but Tayarana appeared quite resolute.

Tayarana was not sure if she could win against Han-Yeol with one hundred percent certainty, despite him having a lower rank than her. This was because of his numerous abilities, which made it easier for him to survive certain perilous situations.

In short, it would be much easier for her to test the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva if he assisted her.

[Ugh…?I guess I don’t have a choice…]

Han-Yeol took out his chain and cast his skill ‘Force Shield’.

It had been a long time since he had last used this skill.

The main objective of this skirmish was not to defeat the boss monster, but rather to inflict some damage and gather information about its abilities. They were already aware that the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva possessed remarkably fast arm movements, but obtaining additional information would greatly benefit the Horus raid party.

Tayarana smiled after hearing Han-Yeol’s response. She said, [As expected, you are the best partner for me, Han-Yeol.]

However, she muttered those words so softly under her breath that Han-Yeol failed to hear them.

Simply wearing her helmet and gripping her sword, Tayarana then said, [Han-Yeol, I leave my back to you.]

[Don’t worry about that. Let’s go, Mavros!]

Han-Yeol was confident in his ability to support Tayarana.

“Kieeeeek!”?Mavros let out a cry and started flying toward the boss monster.

‘I’ll have to attract that monster and buy her some time,’?Han-Yeol thought.

Kwachik!

Han-Yeol unsparingly took out a mana stone and crushed it, ‘Enhance!’

Ding!

[The rank of ‘Enhance’ has increased from (B) to (A).]

‘Jackpot!’?Han-Yeol exclaimed after reading the message.

He had been using Enhance quite often these days, and it had reached A Rank, which meant that he would be able to absorb one hundred percent of the mana stone from now on.

Han-Yeol pulled the trigger of his machine gun as soon as the mana stone was shattered.

Ratatatatatata!

He used his mana to fire bullets instead of regular ones, and a ray of blue light flew toward the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!?

The bullets directly hit the boss monster in the face thanks to the assistance of ‘Homing Bullet’.

“Alright! Eating all thirty enhanced bullets is definitely going to deal some… Huh?”

Thud!

Han-Yeol did not have many expectations in the first place. While his mana bullets were powerful, he couldn't help but be surprised when he saw the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva casually continuing to walk without even flinching.

However, what surprised him the most was the fact that there wasn't a single scratch on the boss monster's face.

“How is this possible…?” Han-Yeol muttered in disbelief.

Shwoooo!

“Kieeeeek!”?Mavros immediately twisted his body when a yellow energy wave the shape of a gigantic hand flew toward them.

Whoosh!

Fortunately, Mavros was able to evade it in time, and the gigantic hand-shaped energy hit the mountain below them instead.

Boooom!

“Heok!”?Han-Yeol gasped in horror upon witnessing the hand-shaped crater left behind on the mountain, a testament to the sheer power of the boss monster's single attack. The force was so immense that it had created a significant indentation in the ground.

Feeling cold sweat dripping down his back, he muttered, “We’re dead if that hits us…”

It appeared that the energy wave was emitted from one of the ten hands located in the front of the boss monster, rather than from the numerous hands on its back.

‘The boss monster's attack pattern is not limited to swinging all one thousand arms. Its front hands are also capable of executing ranged attacks. This information is crucial, but unfortunately, it is not favorable news at all,’?Han-Yeol grumbled inwardly.

He discovered that the boss monster possessed the ability to perform ranged attacks. However, it would be extremely challenging for the other Hunters to evade these attacks while simultaneously dealing with the other nine hundred ninety-nine hands.

‘It’s still better than being clueless later on…’?he clicked his tongue and found solace in the fact that they got a heads up before the actual battle.

The scene would have been transmitted to the Horus raid party through the camera mounted on Mavros, indicating that Mariam was likely occupied with devising a new strategy to confront the boss monster.

Just as the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva and Han-Yeol were engaged in a skirmish, Tayarana suddenly popped up from behind the boss monster. She flew at almost supersonic speed and stabbed the boss monster in its back.

Shwaaaa… Chwaaak!

Then, she raised the gun in her right hand and shot mana bullets at the boss monster.

Bang! Bang! Bang!?

The Thousand Armed Bodhisattva turned around and the arms on its back flew toward Tayarana.

[Watch out, Tara!]

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!?

Tayarana continued flying while narrowly avoiding the hands.

Chwak!

Just as Tayarana cut down the hands that she found difficult to avoid, Han-Yeol noticed something at that moment.

‘The hands don’t grow back?’

Most monsters with multiple arms or heads had the ability to regenerate them if they were severed while the monster was still alive. However, it appeared that this was not the case for the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva.

‘That means the bastard isn’t invincible,’?he came to this conclusion.

However, this did not imply that dealing with the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva became any easier.

Whoosh!

‘Keuk!’

“Kieeeek!”

The Thousand Armed Bodhisattva directed its attention toward Tayarana, occasionally throwing a hand at Han-Yeol to keep him at a distance.

Han-Yeol reached the conclusion that the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva was too formidable for just the two of them to handle. He desired to retreat and regroup with the Horus raid party if it was feasible.

However, Tayarana persisted in circling the boss monster at supersonic speed, determined to weaken its power even by the smallest measure if she could.

“Tsk…?I guess we have no choice. Mavros!”

“Kwaaaaak!”?Mavros let out a cry before flying even faster.

Boom! Boom! Boom!?

Mavros accelerated threefold, leaving shockwaves in his wake. Han-Yeol clung on for dear life, unable to focus on anything else. The fear of falling off the black dragon overwhelmed him, forcing him to tightly grip both hands to maintain his balance.

It wasn't a matter of lacking strength, but rather the concern of unintentionally harming Mavros if he held on too tightly.

In the midst of this intense struggle, Han-Yeol heard a voice addressing him, breaking through the chaos.

[Han-Yeol-nim. Mavros has magic abilities. What do you think of using his abilities if you are not able to fight right now?]

It was his loyal Ego system, Karvis.

‘Oh, you’re right,’?Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly.

Then he gave the command, “Mavros! Attack that monster with magic!”

“Kieeeek!”?Mavros protested as if asking ‘why are you only saying that now?’ before he channeled his mana.

“Wow!” Han-Yeol held on to the black dragon and watched him use his mana.

‘Wait a minute!’?Suddenly coming up with an excellent idea, he took out a mana stone from his pocket and crushed it, ‘Enhance!’

The mana from the mana stone seeped into Mavros.

“Kwuooooh!”?

Then, the mana surrounding Mavros became even denser before turning into green arrows that shot in all directions.

[Mavros has used the spell ‘Poison Arrow’.]

A message materialized in front of Han-Yeol's eyes, elucidating the magical technique employed by the black dragon moments ago.

“Bring them down, Mavros!”

“Kieeeeek!”?Mavros let out a cry at the signal and directed all of the poison arrows toward the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva.

The Thousand Armed Bodhisattva was busy focusing on Tayarana when it suddenly flinched. It had felt Mavros’ dense mana before turning toward him…

Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik!?

“Yes!”

“Kieeeek!”

The boss monster, caught off guard by the attack, was unable to react in time to the incoming arrows. The arrows pierced its body, triggering a powerful explosion.

However, the ordeal was far from over.

Chiiiiik!

The explosion released a toxic mist that inflicted ongoing damage to the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva.

Although the boss monster did not exhibit an immediate response to the harm, Han-Yeol was confident that they had successfully inflicted some damage on it.

Whoooosh! Pukeok!

Tayarana did not miss the opening and resumed her attack once again.

Then, they received a telepathic message all of a sudden.

[Tayarana-nim, Han-Yeol-nim, that is more than enough. We have collected enough information and we have prepared strategies against it. We need to fight with the Horus raid party from now on.]

It was Mariam who transmitted the message. Despite being at a considerable distance from Han-Yeol and Tayarana, she demonstrated her reputation as one of the world's leading telepathy users. By expending a portion of her mana, she managed to send a message spanning several kilometers.

[Okay! Tara!]

Whooosh!

[Alright.]

As Tayarana sulked and flew beside him, Han-Yeol asked, [Are you still dissatisfied? What’s wrong?]

[It was just starting to get fun, but Mariam interrupted it.]

Tayarana initially anticipated that Han-Yeol would struggle to endure against the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva for only ten minutes. However, to her pleasant surprise, Han-Yeol exceeded her expectations and demonstrated remarkable resilience. Additionally, Mavros proved to be highly capable in the battle.

Together, they successfully engaged the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva for over thirty minutes, effectively inflicting substantial damage. Moreover, capturing a clear video of the boss monster's attack patterns was the most significant gain from this skirmish.

With thirty minutes' worth of detailed footage, they were confident that Mariam would be able to devise various strategies and formulate a well-informed plan. After all, such a lengthy video provided ample material for analysis and strategic development.

[Let’s go back, Tara.]

[Okay.]

Shwoooosh!

Tayarana swiftly returned to Seokguram Grotto, while Han-Yeol unleashed a barrage of approximately two hundred bullets to deter the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva from pursuing them before he made his retreat. The brief yet intense clash finally concluded.

Han-Yeol safely touched down at Seokguram Grotto, only to find himself encircled by the entire Horus raid party, who had anxiously awaited his return.

“Oppa!”

“Hey, Yoo-Bi.”

Yoo-Bi had been awaiting Han-Yeol’s return.

[Welcome back, Tayarana-nim.]

[Thank you, Mariam.]

Mariam awaited Tayarana's arrival, fully expecting to scold her for acting impulsively. It had become a common occurrence for Mariam to nag and reprimand Tayarana, not because of her role as the raid party leader, Princess of Egypt, or Africa's Goddess, but simply due to their established dynamic.

However, contrary to Mariam's usual behavior, this time she withheld her scolding.

‘Tayarana-nim…’?

Having heard Tayarana's words through the camera on Mavros' neck, Mariam found it difficult to be harsh with her. Tayarana's actions, driven by the desire to minimize potential casualties for the raid party in future encounters, touched Mariam deeply. This newfound understanding made it challenging for Mariam to reprimand Tayarana as she had done in the past.

[Mariam?]

Mariam was blankly staring at Tayarana without saying anything, and that made Tayarana wonder what was wrong with her.

[Ah, I apologize. I was thinking about something else for a second. All forces! Prepare for battle!]

After regaining her composure, Mariam took charge and issued instructions to the Horus raid party, preparing them for the upcoming battle. She meticulously inspected each member of the party, ensuring everything was in order.

However, the primary concern remained the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva’s overwhelming power. Unlike other Korean raid parties, the Horus raid party lacked a Master Rank Hunter, making it challenging to predict with certainty that nothing catastrophic would occur in the future. The absence of such a high-ranking Hunter posed a significant obstacle to their success.

Boom! Boom!

The Thousand Armed Bodhisattva’s footsteps reverberated in the air and shook the ground as it made its appearance on the horizon.

[All Porters and non-combatants are to leave the battlefield! Get away as far as possible!]

[Yes, ma’am!]

There was nothing else the Porters and non-combatants could do. Them leaving the battlefield before the fight broke out was the best thing to do.

After all, who knew what kind of hell was going to be unleashed by the incoming boss monster?