Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 231: Savior of Nepal (2)

The monsters that were rushing at Han-Yeol a while ago hesitated after sensing the chilling aura around him.

Woooong! Puk! Puk!

“Kiek!”

Han-Yeol used his shoulder cannons to shoot the hesitating monster.

“Kieeeeek!”

The monsters screeched in anger.

Han-Yeol was truly a formidable opponent for them, surrounded by a strange, chilling aura that made him unapproachable. However, there were also cannons that would fire at them if they maintained their distance from him.

What if they braved the chill and attacked him? His hammer would crush their heads into a bloody pulp. The monsters were caught between a rock and a hard place against Han-Yeol.

“Kieeeek!”

“Kieeek!”

Hundreds of monsters met their demise at Han-Yeol’s hands, and the screams of these creatures reverberated across the hills.

“Hmm?” Han-Yeol muttered upon noticing the presence of mana in the air.

The monsters were not simply screeching out of agony; their voices carried mana within them, as if they were using it to amplify their cries.

“Don’t tell me... Are they calling something here...?” Han-Yeol wondered, sensing it.

He wasn't certain, but it felt as though they were summoning something, realizing they couldn't defeat him.

The monsters could hold him off for now, but that wouldn't be the case for long. The human continued to emit mana from his shoulders, which killed dozens of them every time it erupted.

However, Han-Yeol didn't care whether they were summoning reinforcements or not.

‘I’ll have to fight them eventually, so it’s better to take care of them earlier,’?he thought.

The battle had only just begun, and he didn't mind if things became a bit more challenging.

Rumble… Rumble… Rumble… Rumble…?

The ground started to shake.

‘Is it coming?’?Han-Yeol thought as he activated Demon Eyes.

Then, he sensed a powerful surge of mana rapidly approaching, but it wasn't emanating from aboveground.

‘Underground? Geez, is it a sandworm or something?’?Han-Yeol thought after seeing the creature slithering underground like a worm.

He recalled a movie he had watched back in high school, where a creature slithered underground, sensing its prey through vibrations before emerging to devour them. However, this monster was far from a simple predator like the one in the movie. No, this monster was undoubtedly a high-ranking creature and would prove to be a formidable adversary.

Krrwaaang!?

The monster burst forth from beneath Han-Yeol's feet.

“Kiiiiiiik!”

Tak!

Han-Yeol immediately leaped up, anticipating the monster's attack. His combat sense had developed sufficiently to predict the enemy's movements, and Sixth Sense activating just before the monster surfaced made it exceptionally easy for him to evade it.

Time seemed to slow down, courtesy of Sixth Sense, and Han-Yeol jumped to avoid the monster's ambush.

‘Huh? What’s this thing?’?Han-Yeol tilted his head in confusion after seeing the monster.

It was indeed a worm, but it looked different than the sandworm he was imagining. However, he recognized that the monster bore a resemblance to something he had seen on TV before.

‘Ah… It’s that Mongolian Death Worm.’

The Mongolian Death Worm was a creature rumored to inhabit the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. It would hide beneath the sand, seeking prey aboveground and then drag it underground. Its range of activity was confined to the desert, as the Mongolian Death Worm lacked the ability to burrow through hard, rocky soil.

However, the situation was different now that this creature had transformed into a monster. It had appeared here, far from the Gobi Desert, in the mountainous terrain of Nepal, where the ground primarily consisted of hard boulders.

‘Well, I guess it's not that surprising since it came out of the dimensional rift.’

“Kiiiiiiiiik!”

Bzzzt!

The Mongolian Death Worm was rumored to eject acidic poison at its prey, but that wasn't the primary reason why Mongolians dreaded this creature. It was feared precisely because of the electric current emanating from its body, an ability that had harmed numerous nomads wandering the Gobi Desert.

Of course, it remained uncertain whether the Mongolian Death Worm truly possessed this ability. Nevertheless, after the emergence of dimensional gates and the monsters they brought, nothing seemed impossible. Moreover, Mongolia had been classified as one of the most perilous countries, primarily due to its highly unpredictable dimensional gates.

“Kieeeeek!”

The monster made a grand entrance that created an impression of immense power, but to Han-Yeol, it was just another monster.

‘You’re just another high-ranking monster to me! Restrain!’

[Roger!]

Han-Yeol employed his skill, and Karvis responded instantly.

“Kieeeeek!”

Bzzzt!

The monster unleashed its electric currents once it was bound by the chain.

It was an exceptionally wise choice that deserved praise, but Han-Yeol's reaction suggested that he had anticipated such a response from the monster. He smirked and activated another skill, 'Mana Absorption!'

Chwak!?

The electric current released by the monster traveled up the chain toward Han-Yeol. However, it failed to harm him as he effortlessly absorbed it with his skill.

‘Keke! This skill is really awesome!’?Han-Yeol exclaimed while enjoying the tingling sensation spreading across his body.

He absorbed the electricity discharged by the Monster Mongolian Death Worm without a scratch.

It might seem peculiar that Han-Yeol deliberately allowed himself to be hit by the electric current, but he had a very good reason for doing so.

‘Fire, ice, and next is electricity.’

He wanted to acquire another attribute to master.

Some might wonder if two attributes weren't sufficient, but the answer was a resounding no! Han-Yeol aimed to control not just fire, ice, and electricity but every element he could absorb.

Unfortunately, gaining an attribute was no walk in the park. While he might have lucked out with the Fire Attribute initially, merely subjecting himself to that attribute wouldn't necessarily make it easier to acquire the skill.

He had experimented with exposing himself to different attributes, but simply zapping himself with electricity didn't seem to yield results. His game-like ability wasn't so easy to manipulate, and the attribute he absorbed had to be from mana.

Then, the sudden appearance of the Monster Mongolian Death Worm sparked an idea in his mind, prompting him to exclaim, "Eureka!"

‘I might be able to obtain the Lightning Attribute if I absorb it from the Monster Mongolian Death Worm!’?Han-Yeol regarded the monster’s appearance as a blessing from the heavens.

“Kieeeeek!”

Han-Yeol could feel his mana replenishing, even though the message confirming the creation of a skill hadn't appeared yet.

Nevertheless, he was able to restore his mana by absorbing the electric current, so he had gained something from his actions, one way or another.

Shwooosh!

“Kiiiiik!”

Han-Yeol launched a counter-offensive by simultaneously using Cold Chain and Frozen Hand, causing the Monster Mongolian Death Worm to become frozen solid, unable to break free from the chain.

From that point on, dealing with the monster was a breeze.

Sukeok! Clang!

Han-Yeol shattered the monster, which was now a block of ice, with Sword Breath. The creature couldn't even emit a screech as it was annihilated into pieces.

Ding!

[Your level has risen.]

“Keke! Awesome!” Han-Yeol was elated after seeing the level-up message.

Leveling up was one of Han-Yeol's primary motivations for hunting monsters. He relished facing monster waves more than anything else in this world because it was essential for him to eliminate monsters and earn experience points to level up.

This was the primary reason he had intervened to assist Nepal, even though it wasn't directly related to his concerns.

Dududududu!

The sound of helicopters echoed behind him.

‘I guess they've finally arrived,’?Han-Yeol thought, observing the helicopters approaching the airport.

Now, it was time for the true hunt to commence.

Why?

“Kiiiiiiik!”

The low-ranking monsters didn't just summon one Monster Mongolian Death Worm; they summoned multiple Monster Mongolian Death Worms, and these creatures emerged from the ground in dozens.

However, Han-Yeol simply smiled and remarked, "Well, I might just get lucky and acquire the Lightning Attribute today."

[There is a fifty-six percent chance of that happening, Han-Yeol-nim.]

Karvis appeared to be getting more attuned to Han-Yeol's thoughts as she grew more active. Initially, she would only respond when he posed a question, but now she began to anticipate his thoughts and reply before he even asked.

“Alright, let’s go!”

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim!]

Tak!

Han-Yeol kicked off the ground and jumped into the air.

“Haaaaap!”

***

Thick black smoke enveloped the entire mountain.

[T-This... I don't think we need to get involved...]

[How does this even make sense?! I know he's a Master Rank Hunter, but...!]

[What are we witnessing right now...?]

These were the soldiers the Nepalese Government had sent to assist Han-Yeol, but there was nothing they could do to help. After all, they were ordinary people who wouldn't be of any assistance against the monster.

The soldiers simply stood and watched in awe as Han-Yeol put on a magnificent display, wreaking havoc against the monster wave.

Thud!

“Kiiiiik!”

The Monster Mongolian Death Worms were not the end of it; even more formidable monsters began to emerge from the dimensional rift.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…?It would’ve been extremely tiring if not for Mana Absorption…” Han-Yeol grumbled after he killed a Monster Mongolian Death Worm and stretched.

Crack! Crack!?

Fifteen hours had elapsed since he first started battling the monster wave, but there were still a significant number of monsters left.

“Kiiiiik!”

Han-Yeol still had a considerable amount of mana left, courtesy of Mana Absorption, but he refrained from rushing to dispatch the monsters.

He understood that he would become exhausted if he hurried, so he maintained his pace, prepared to fight until the end.

'I know this country doesn't have much to offer, but... Are they really not going to offer any assistance?' Han-Yeol found it puzzling that no one had come to the country's aid, regardless of its poverty.

Nepal shared a direct border with China to the north, and there were neighboring countries such as Bhutan and Bangladesh as well.

‘Are they abandoned…? Hmm… if that’s the case, then China must be behind this…’

International politics could be quite ruthless at times, and Han-Yeol believed it was highly likely in this case. The powerful nations in the world hadn't changed, whether before or after the emergence of the dimensional gates, and China was no exception.

China possessed the third-largest landmass globally, but their appetite for conquering more territory had only grown stronger.

"Tsk... Those guys are still at it..." Han-Yeol grumbled.

He had thought that Nepal had good relations with China, but it seemed the latter had decided to abandon the former, letting the monster wave do its work before potentially seizing the land.

‘Those bastards are probably planning to wait until Nepal becomes a wasteland teeming with monsters before taking it for themselves…’

China's control over their Hunters was on an unparalleled scale globally, with a system where Master Rank Hunters held immense power and privileges.

The current 'premier' of China was a Master Rank Hunter, making it exceptionally easy for them to keep their Hunters in line. In fact, they could conscript their Hunters as if they were regular soldiers, which would allow them to rapidly eliminate all the monsters in Nepal once it turned into a wasteland.

‘Well, I’m sorry to say that I’ve ruined their plans! Keke!’

While some might accuse him of jumping to conclusions, logic supported his suspicions. China shared a direct border with Nepal, and it had been twenty hours since the dimensional rift first appeared. This meant they had ample time to prepare and send their Hunters to aid their neighbor.

However, not a single Chinese Hunter could be seen in Nepal at the moment, suggesting that they had abandoned their neighbor.

‘Tsk... They have no one but themselves to blame for trusting China…’?Han-Yeol inwardly clicked his tongue.

Han-Yeol had a strong belief that China was a country that could not be trusted.

It was precisely at that moment, when he was mentally cursing China, that the insect-type monsters finally stirred and rushed at him once again.

“Kieeeeeek!”

“Hap!”

Sukeok!

“Kweeek!”

However, they couldn't lay a single finger on Han-Yeol, as they were either cut down or struck down by Asus before getting anywhere near him.

And even the high-ranking monsters were no match for Asus.

Asus was already quite strong, but he became even stronger with the buffs from both the Arch Lich and Han-Yeol.

In other words, the monsters were powerless against Asus, who stood like an insurmountable wall.

‘Hmm... I've realized something this time.’?Han-Yeol noticed that his personal growth was important, but the growth of his demons and monster pets was equally significant.

A person alone could be extremely strong, but having a powerful group behind him would make him virtually invulnerable.

Initially, Han-Yeol had disapproved of the idea of creating his own raid party composed of humans and hunting alongside them, as he believed that 'betrayal' was always a possibility with humans.

‘There’s an age-old saying that humans can’t be trusted anyway,’?he thought with a shrug.

[Hmm… I’m tired…]

Han-Yeol’s thought was suddenly interrupted by Balrog’s grumbling.

It was the first time the intermediate demon had ever complained of being tired of fighting, which made it quite surprising for Han-Yeol.

‘Please hang in there, Balrog-nim. There are still a lot of monsters left,’?he said.

[Bwahaha! Don’t worry about me! But I think I’ve gotten old now. I used to fight for four consecutive days without getting tired back in the day! Kekekeke!]

Balrog chuckled even more, attempting to conceal his embarrassment for grumbling.