Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 254: Terror Crisis (5)

They cut their chat short and boarded the vehicle convoy that Mujahid had prepared. The vehicle convoy looked like ordinary passenger vehicles one would see on the streets, but the vehicles were heavily modified on the inside.

Silence ensued within the vehicles as everyone was thinking the same thing. They were not going on a picnic; this was a dangerous mission where everything could go wrong in the blink of an eye.

“Mujahid.”

].

It was Han-Yeol who first broke the silence.

“Yes, hyung-nim?”

“Do terrorist attacks commonly occur in Egypt?”

“Ah… I want to apologize for this mess first…”

Mujahid was sincerely apologetic for what was happening, as he was a prince of this country.

“Nah, it’s not your fault in the first place. You shouldn’t have to apologize.”

“No, I have to apologize.”

“Hmm?”

Han-Yeol found what Mujahid had just said to be quite strange. He might be a prince, but there was no reason for him to apologize for the terrorist attack in the first place. Well, he could be feeling guilty for pestering Han-Yeol to come to Egypt, but Han-Yeol had made the decision to come to Egypt of his own volition.

“No, hyung-nim… I’m not apologizing because I feel guilty for this happening in Egypt… It’s something different.”

“What is it?”

“Actually, there are numerous terrorist organizations in Egypt. These organizations mushroomed up when Africa rallied around Egypt’s declaration to modernize and convert to secularism, which did not sit well with the fanatics.”

“Well, it’s understandable since religion has always been a tool to control the masses and give more power to those in position, and those fanatics can get really extreme sometimes.”

“Yes, but Father could have exterminated these terrorists… However, he chose not to do that.”

“Huh? Why not?”

Han-Yeol found it difficult to understand why these criminals, who were no different from cancer cells to society, were left alone when they could have been exterminated.

“Father has always been interested in oriental culture, particularly Northeast Asia, and he realized something while studying Japan’s history.”

“Ugh…” Han-Yeol groaned as he knew what he meant.

Japan was famous for isolating a single person to unite the rest of the people into a group, and this mentality didn't only occur on a national or political level; it was even present in schools.

The infamous 'Ijime'[1] was one of the social cultures born from this mentality, and this problematic culture has driven numerous people to suicide.

However, the Japanese didn't make any effort to eradicate this wicked mentality. No, it was more like they couldn't get rid of it, as this mentality had already taken deep root in their cultural identity.

“So he intentionally did not exterminate the terrorists?”

“Yes, you're right.”

Mujahid was always aloof and nonchalant, but Han-Yeol could tell that he was being extremely serious right now just from the look on his face.

“Haa…” Han-Yeol let out a sigh as he developed a slight headache.

He was furious because of what he had just heard, but he didn't plan to vent his anger or anything like that. After all, the water had already been spilled, and there was no point in getting mad at Mujahid right now. Besides, Mujahid was already sincerely and earnestly apologizing for it, so he decided to let it go for now.

Of course...

“I can’t say I’m one hundred percent alright after hearing that…”

“I understand, hyung-nim.”

“So let’s do our best to rescue the hostages.”

“Yes, hyung-nim! Let’s do that!”

‘Hmm… Is this why Mujahid seemed to be more proactive this time compared to others?’ Han-Yeol finally understood the prince's motivation for wanting to join the rescue operation.

Thud!

“…”

The vehicle went over a speed bump, and silence fell over it once again.

***

They finally arrived at a quiet place in the outskirts north of Faiyum.

Luckily, the entrance to the underground dungeon was located beneath a lake called Cairn Lake in the northern district of Faiyum. The entire district was a desert covered in sand, with not a single human in sight.

Thud…!

“We’re almost there, hyung-nim.”

“Okay.”

All of them disembarked from their vehicles when they were almost at their destination.

It went without saying that there were no Porters tagging along this time. The party consisted of Han-Yeol, Mavros, Tia, Mujahid, and thirty other Hunters under the prince’s command. This was enough firepower to conquer a high-ranking hunting ground, even without Han-Yeol’s help.

In other words, all of them were more than capable of carrying their own weight and would not hold Han-Yeol back.

[I’ll speak in Arabic from here on out, hyung-nim.]

[Yeah, that sounds better since we need to communicate with others too.]

[Alright, we’re now going to have a short briefing, so listen up!]

[Yes, sir!]

The atmosphere was quite different from the usual times they went into a hunting ground to hunt monsters. The national prestige of Egypt was on the line in this hostage rescue operation, making the Hunters even more intent on making this a success without any casualties.

Not all of the Hunters in Egypt were patriotic, though. They were no different from Hunters in other countries who prioritized their own benefits before their country. However, most of the Hunters under Mujahid were military veterans with patriotism ingrained in them even before they awakened.

Egypt had a unique method of cultivating Hunters. They selected soldiers with good personalities and high patriotism every quarter and strategically trained them to awaken as Hunters. This allowed the country to have Hunters who prioritized their motherland first, and this was the source of Egypt’s strength that allowed them to become a powerhouse in the world.

Additionally, most of the Hunters under the employment of Mujahid were previously members of his royal guards tasked with protecting him, and these Hunters were prepared to lay down their lives for their prince at any given moment. Their priority was their prince first, before their country.

[We need to be discreet yet quick in this operation. Remember this: my sister, Tayarana, will be in danger if we make any mistakes and cause delays in our operation.]

Gulp…!

These Hunters might prioritize Mujahid above everything else, but they secretly held Tayarana almost in the same regard as him, with him just being slightly, very slightly, ahead. Hearing that any mistake from their side could put Tayarana in jeopardy was more than enough to burden them and make them nervous.

[Kill them all on sight. They are ruthless criminals using their religion as an excuse to sow discord in our motherland, and these fanatics will not stop until they fully conquer our lands and take away our freedom.]

‘Those bastards!’

‘I’m going to kill them all!’

Mujahid’s speech stirred up the Hunters.

[We are not here to show them mercy. We have shown them enough mercy over the years, but they have repaid our sincere efforts with knives and bullets. Do you understand?]

[Yes, sir!]

[Good.] Mujahid nodded with a satisfied smile before passing the issue to Han-Yeol. [I think we’re ready, hyung-nim.]

[Alright, let’s move out!]

[Move out!]

The party immediately started moving, with Han-Yeol, the strongest in the group, leading the way. They swept the sand off of the spot marked on the map, and a trap door handle revealed itself. Han-Yeol grabbed the handle and pulled it, and a creaking sound occurred as the stone rolled open.

[I guess this is it,] Han-Yeol muttered as he observed the opening.

[No need to be so nervous; it’s a hunting ground that Osiris Hunters can hunt in, and we have a Ra Rank Hunter with us!] Mujahid tried his best to boost the party's morale before entering, but...

[Huh? Nobody is scared. Are you sure you are not the one who is scared, captain?]

[Hahaha!]

[Who?! Me?!]

[Hahaha!]

The atmosphere remained lively, and morale seemed to be high within the party. However, none of them let down their guard, even though this was a hunting ground they could easily handle with their current levels.

This was their first time entering it, and their real goal was not this hunting ground, which S Rank Hunters could tackle, but the hunting ground above it that only Master Rank Hunters could face. It was only natural for them to be nervous, no matter how seasoned veterans they were, as they had to traverse through two hunting grounds, eliminate the terrorists, and rescue the hostages within the time limit.

[Make sure whoever enters last closes the door.]

[Yes, sir!]

Han-Yeol descended the stairs first.

Thud… Thud… Thud…

Fortunately, the staircase was not too dark, thanks to the glowing stones embedded in the walls. One of the weaknesses of Demon Eyes was that it did not provide night vision, but that was not an issue here, as the stones provided dim lighting.

Around ten minutes passed since they made their way down the stairs when a steel door appeared.

Creak…! Creak…! Creak…! Creak…!

The steel door resembled a submarine bulk door with a rotating handle known as a ‘dog’ attached to it. Han-Yeol spun, or rather, 'dogged' the door to open it.

Thud!

The door let out a loud sound before swinging open.

“Wow…” Han-Yeol muttered in amazement after seeing the sight beyond the door.

[W-Wow…]

[Something like this was hidden here all this time…?]

[Amazing.]

[It feels like I’m in another world…]

Egypt had many hunting grounds in enclosed spaces, mainly within pyramids, but this came at the cost of requiring raid parties to carry torches and flashlights for illumination. It was imperative for the raid parties to bring lighting equipment, as almost all of these hunting grounds lacked access to natural light. Most of the monsters inhabiting them hid in the darkness before attacking their prey.

This demand for lighting equipment during hunts forced Egypt to develop the most advanced lighting equipment using mana stones.

However, this underground hunting ground was far from being an enclosed hunting ground, also known as a dungeon.

Shwaaa…!

[Wow… I know quite a lot of amazing and mysterious things happened after the emergence of mana, but who would have known such a place existed underground…?]

[It’s amazing…]

[Awesome…]

Most of the Hunters under Mujahid were still in their twenties, so they were astonished at what they were seeing. They had spent most of their lives hunting in the pyramids and hadn't had the chance to hunt elsewhere. Seeing such a different scenery in a hunting ground was quite a surprise for them.

Despite being underground, the whole place was brilliantly lit up, resembling the surface, with lush vegetation and twinkling lights on the ceiling, giving the impression of a sky. Surprisingly, there was even sunlight, despite the absence of any sun-like source.

It was truly a mysterious place, one that even surprised the Master Rank Hunter, Han-Yeol.

‘How is this even possible…?’ Han-Yeol looked around his surroundings and suddenly felt strange. ‘Déjà vu…?’

The place felt oddly familiar to him for some reason, but there was no way he would be familiar with it as this was his first time in Egypt. Still, he could not help but feel that this was déjà vu, but he could not really put his finger on why he felt that way.

[Stop standing around and keep moving!]

[Yes, sir!]

It was only after Mujahid shouted that the entire party, including Han-Yeol, snapped out of it.

[The raid party that gave us information regarding this place mentioned that there is a trail they used to move around. We just have to follow that trail to reach the center of Faiyum. However, they were not able to venture further into Faiyum, as they were only Osiris Ranked at best.]

[Alright, keep moving!]

[Yes, sir!]

Rustle… Rustle…

This was their first time entering this hunting ground, but there was no hesitation in their movements. While they would have proceeded with caution in case there were any monsters lurking in wait, they did not have the luxury of proceeding slowly right now.

Fortunately, they did not have to worry about potential threats in hiding, as Han-Yeol was with them.

‘Demon Eyes!’

Woooong!

His eyes turned red as he scouted the ten-kilometer radius around them.

‘I can see them… They look like beasts…’ he thought after spotting the monsters.

He couldn't see the monsters clearly and had to judge from their silhouettes, but this was where the new skill he had recently obtained was going to come into play.

‘It’s your turn, Karvis! Activate Analytic Eyes!’

[Activating Analytic Eyes…]

Karvis immediately responded after Han-Yeol used the skill that allowed his ego system to analyze the things he saw but failed to recognize.

[Analysis has been completed. Please check the information.]

‘Excellent!’

1. Ijime means bullying in Japanese, and it occurs not only in schools but also in workplaces. ????