Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 258: A Complicated Truth (3)

The boss monster only needed to corrupt Sammy, as the rest of the humans were too weak to warrant its attention.

[Hmm…] The boss monster rubbed its chin while watching Tayarana through the crystal ball.

'She's quite beautiful and strong for a human, and she's much stronger than this piece of trash. She will serve as an excellent test subject.'

The boss monster was patiently waiting for Tayarana. Despite her being a Master Rank Hunter, an exhausted human wouldn't pose a problem.

The boss monster felt no anxiety; it was accustomed to waiting.

[Hehe… Come to me, human!]

***

Ratatatatata!

‘Hmm?’

Han-Yeol had relocated the hostages to a secure area near the entrance of the hunting ground, where there were no monsters. However, he could hear gunfire coming from the city hall.

'Demon Eyes!'

He decided to investigate what was happening, as they had to be extremely cautious from this point onward.

'Huh?'

Surprisingly, what was unfolding at the city hall was entirely different from what he had expected. It was so unexpected that he was unsure whether this was good or bad news, but he knew that the hostages were no longer in immediate danger, at least for now.

[Hyung-nim, what do we do now?]

[You already know the answer to that question. Why are you even asking?]

[Haha! Are you thinking what I’m thinking?] Mujahid asked, flashing a smile with a hint of embarrassment.

There was only one thing left for them to do.

[Let's save Tayarana and get the hell out of here.]

[Yes, hyung-nim!]

Han-Yeol decided that they should prioritize the safety of the hostages before seeking revenge against the terrorists.

Fortunately, the entrance to the underground hunting ground dungeon was indeed a secure area where no monsters could approach as long as they properly sealed the doors.

"Purva," Han-Yeol called out.

"I apologize… Han-Yeol Hunter-nim," Purva replied with his head down.

He was the head of security, but he had not only failed to protect those he was responsible for but had also been abducted along with them. Furthermore, he had lost all nine of his subordinates to the terrorists.

His honor as a warrior refused to yield, but he was compelled to swallow his shame and surrender to the terrorists because someone had to stay alive to protect the women from Mulan.

Tak…

Han-Yeol placed his hand on Purva’s shoulder and said, “Good job. The girls were safe thanks to you.”

“B-But…!”

Purva felt like biting his tongue to end himself right now. He had failed to protect eleven out of the twenty women from Mulan, as there was nothing he, an ordinary person, could do against the awakened beings who were terrorists.

“I understand how you feel. Let’s talk about it once this situation is over,” Han-Yeol said.

He didn't specify what they were going to discuss, but Purva understood the topic.

“Yes, I understand…”

“I’ll leave them in your care again, Purva.”

“Yes, sir. I will dedicate my life to protect them!” Purva replied with a salute as he led the hostages down the stairs.

Han-Yeol's party provided them with flashlights, so they had nothing to worry about on their way down.

‘Those damn terrorists…!’

Han-Yeol despised violence against women more than anything.

How could it make sense for a man to commit unspeakable crimes against women?

‘I'm never going to forgive them once this is over…!’

Nevertheless, rescuing Tayarana was his top priority at the moment. Sending a single message to Phaophator would have immediately resolved this situation, but there was no way to do so unless they had specialized equipment installed within the hunting ground. Therefore, Han-Yeol had to personally find her and meet up with her first.

[Let’s go, Mujahid.]

[Yes, hyung-nim!]

They were currently in the southern part of the hunting ground, while Tayarana had entered from the north. They decided to stay as close to the city hall as possible because they wanted to meet up with her as soon as they could.

They could have gone around the city hall to avoid clashes with the terrorists, but that would have meant facing powerful monsters along the way, which would have definitely caused further delays.

There were fewer monsters near the city hall, so their goal was to move as quickly as possible without being detected. Han-Yeol even asked Mavros to shrink to his baby size to avoid drawing attention.

[Let’s hurry.]

[Yes.]

[Damn it!]

[What’s wrong, hyung-nim?]

[They already found us!]

[What?! Already?!]

Han-Yeol had his Demon Eyes activated the whole time, and he could see the terrorists approaching them. It was then that he suddenly noticed something strange about their movements.

‘Why are they moving in such an unusual manner…?’

He was certain the terrorists were heading in their direction, but it seemed as if they were walking like a group of intoxicated individuals for some reason.

‘What's happening…?’ he wondered, but he knew there was no time to dwell on it.

[Everyone! Prepare for combat!]

Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!

There was no need for Han-Yeol to fight alone from now on, so the rest of the Hunters prepared for combat as well.

[They’re coming!]

It was right after he gave the signal that…

“Gwuoo… Ooooh!”

“Kwuo… Ooooh!”

The terrorists were charging toward them like a horde of zombies. They showed no formation, and their sole intent seemed to be to pursue and kill any living creature.

[W-What the hell?!]

[What's going on?]

The Egyptian Hunters were shocked to see the terrorists acting exactly like the monsters they had encountered in the underground hunting ground dungeon. They were no longer human, and that alone was enough to unsettle the Hunters.

However, it was Mujahid who snapped them out of it.

[Get a grip!]

[Y-Yes, sir!]

The Hunters regained their composure upon hearing Mujahid's shout.

[We don't need to know what they are! Just remember this! They are terrorists who have targeted our motherland and attempted to kill our princess!]

[Yes, sir!]

Mentioning Tayarana had a powerful effect. There was no way these Hunters would forgive the terrorists who had targeted Tayarana, who was essentially a symbol of devotion in her own right.

[Don’t spare a single one of them!]

[Attack!]

[Kill them all!]

***

The corrupted terrorists were able to exert much more power than they originally could, and they managed to push back the Egyptian S Rank Hunters in a contest of strength. However, these S Rank Hunters were not like ordinary ones.

Bam!

[Bwahaha! I will kill every single one of you!]

One of the Hunters, wielding a gigantic ax, burst into laughter after cleanly severing a corrupted terrorist. He was the vanguard of Mujahid’s Goblin raid party, Muhammad Ali.

His father had hoped he would become a champion boxer, so he was named after the legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali. His future career had already been decided even before he was born, which was inevitable as he was born before the Egyptian Revolution of Phaophator took place.

Most of the people from the older generation had a very traditional mindset that demanded submission from their children, and this had been a significant cultural problem in the country for decades.

Muhammad Ali didn't want to become a boxer, so he ran away from home. The place that took him in was none other than the military. While he may have joined the army to escape his home life, he was surprised to find that being a soldier suited him well.

He had been trained in boxing from a young age by his father and had a strong physique, making him exceptionally powerful. This combination allowed him to easily defeat even veteran soldiers in the military, drawing the attention of Mujahid.

What happened next was quite simple. He awakened after following Mujahid, and he became quite active in the Goblin raid party. Moreover, he was able to reconcile with his father, even though he didn't become a champion boxer.

Their reconciliation took place after the Egyptian Revolution, and his father was a staunch supporter of Phaophator. Naturally, he felt extremely proud of his son for being one of Phaophator's close aides, especially given Mujahid's position as second-in-line after the princess to become the president.

Chwak!

“Gwuuu Oooooh!”

Two or three corrupted terrorists would be severed in half whenever he swung his ax.

[Kill them all!]

[Yeah!]

The Egyptian Hunters went on a rampage. They loved to fight as much as Mujahid did, but having to hide behind Han-Yeol throughout the underground hunting ground made them itch for a battle.

Bam!

While the Goblin raid party was busy fighting to their hearts' content, Han-Yeol retreated from the battle to observe the situation.

"…"

There was no reason for him to fight at this moment, as the momentum was completely in their favor.

"Kyu?" Mavros tilted his head in confusion after seeing that Han-Yeol was not joining the battle.

He knew that Han-Yeol loved fighting more than anyone else, so seeing him like this was puzzling.

“Yawn…! It’s so boring~”

Meanwhile, Tia was yawning and complaining that she was bored after Han-Yeol asked her to be on standby.

However, Han-Yeol was much more serious than anyone right now.

‘Corrupted Terrorists?’

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim,] Karvis replied. [They seem to be much more powerful than the Corrupted Bastrolings from earlier, and it appears that they have been corrupted recently, judging by their mana.]

‘Ugh…’

.

Han-Yeol could tell that the situation was slowly becoming more complicated. The beasts from the Bastro Dimension could have come out from a dimensional rift, as he initially suspected. However, what possible explanation could there be for these terrorists who had recently become corrupted?

Zhiiiing!

‘Kuheok!’

It was at that moment that he activated Demon Eyes once again and scanned the area when something flashed from the top of the city hall, blinding him. Han-Yeol groaned and was forced to look away after the sudden flash of light temporarily blinded him.

“Kyu?!”

“Are you alright, master?”

Mavros and Tia rushed to Han-Yeol’s side after seeing him groan and grimace in pain.

“Ah, I’m alright. But I think there’s something over there.”

“Hmm… Yes, you’re right, master,” Tia replied with a nod.

“Do you feel something from there, Tia?”

“Yes, master. I smell something repulsive coming from the top of that building you call city hall or whatever,” Tia replied as she covered her nose and waved her hand around.

‘Oh right, spiders are sensitive to smell, right?’ Han-Yeol suddenly remembered a movie about a monster spider he had seen before.

In the movie, the protagonist was being pursued by a giant spider, and he managed to escape from it with the help of perfume given to him by a knowledgeable child who understood spiders.

Han-Yeol recalled this particular scene from the movie, as he found it fascinating how the man had used perfume to confuse the spider.

‘Hold on... Don't tell me?!’ Han-Yeol suddenly remembered something after the word 'smell' provided a significant clue.

He had gathered a considerable amount of information about the various beast races in the Bastro Dimension after becoming its lord. One of the races that stood out to him was the hyenas.

Hyenas were not inherently unclean, but they were known as rebels who constantly incited trouble with hopes of conquering the Bastro Dimension. Eventually, they resorted to black magic after realizing that their race lacked the strength to conquer the dimension through sheer force.

‘Ugh… This is going to be quite troublesome if we’re dealing with the hyenas…’ Han-Yeol groaned inwardly.

The hyenas were not only repulsive, but they were also extremely despicable and evil.

While most of the beasts caught committing crimes were locked up as punishment, it was different for the hyenas; they were killed on sight.

The Bastrolings might have appeared beastly on the outside, but they were actually a more advanced civilization compared to humans, as their dimension had already progressed to the second stage. This meant that the Bastrolings possessed rights equivalent to what were known as 'human rights' on Earth.