Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 328 – Yulia’s Betrayal (1)

Heh.

The creature smirked despite receiving a merciless beating.

“…!”

Han-Yeol realized his mistake. Did he seriously try to kick this monster, whose skin was so tough that even Hard Counter couldn't damage it?

Tak!

‘Keuk…!’

The creature caught Han-Yeol’s leg, grinning with yellow teeth at the thought of finally finishing off the annoying human.

“Kehehehe…”

'You dare laugh at me?!' Han-Yeol felt offended by the creature's laughter.

Whoosh!

“Argh!”

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

It swung Han-Yeol like a bat, slamming him against the wall, floor, ceiling, and anything else possible to crash into. Only after twenty slams did the creature finally release him.

Whoosh! Bam!

“Kuheok!”

Han-Yeol endured excruciating pain, gasping for air.

“Omo? What’s going on with master?” Tia raised a brow, surprised by Han-Yeol's uncharacteristic struggle against the monster.

Only one Smith remained.

“Kyu…”

Meanwhile, Mavros felt guilty for being unable to assist Han-Yeol. This place didn't allow him to shift into combat mode, leaving him helpless.

“Hoho~ Don’t worry, Mavros. Master is going to win just as he always did. He’s probably having a hard time adjusting to a new opponent, that’s all,” Tia reassured Mavros, patting his head like a mother soothing her child.

“Grrr…!”

The creature prepared to finish the fight.

Tak…

It clasped both hands together, fingers interlocked, raising both fists above its head. Then, something shocking occurred.

“DESTRUCTION!”

The creature, known for growls and grunts, suddenly blurted out a proper word. What made it more surprising was that it sounded like it was using a skill.

It employed what was probably its only skill, swinging both fists down at Han-Yeol.

Krwaaang!

The entire third basement floor of the laboratory shook as the creature slammed its fists down, showcasing the strength of its attack. A massive crater marked the impact site, a testament to the creature’s power.

Surprisingly, despite the crater's size, the entire laboratory remained intact, avoiding collapse.

“Kyu!” Mavros cried out, expressing concern.

Conversely, Tia remained composed, keenly observing the situation unlike Mavros, hindered by his inability to utilize his full strength in his non-combat mode.

“Hoho~ As expected of master~” Tia remarked, clearly perceiving the unfolding events.

“Cough! Cough! Bleh! My throat’s been acting up these days, and this dust isn’t helping! Cough! Cough!”

Amidst the chaos, Han-Yeol managed to evade the creature's onslaught, rolling away just in time. Possessing Arachnid-like eyes similar to an infrared camera, Tia navigated through the dust with ease, witnessing everything unhindered.

“Kyu!” Mavros joyfully cried upon hearing Han-Yeol's voice.

“Greuk?”

In contrast, the creature appeared confused by the ongoing situation. It was convinced the fight should have concluded, yet its adversary remained active.

“Hey, big muscle-brain dumbass. It’s time for round three.”

“Grwaaaah!” Roaring furiously, the creature charged at Han-Yeol, determined to end it definitively this time.

Seuk…!

Han-Yeol gripped his Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword with both hands, assuming his sword stance.

This marked his inaugural use of this swordsmanship on Earth—the Harkan Sword Style, Continent Slash. Han-Yeol attempted to recreate the swordsmanship he once employed, now unveiling an upgraded version of the Harkan Sword Style.

‘Sword Breath!’

Fwaaaah!

Sword Breath engulfed his sword.

‘I need to focus my mana… more… more…!’

Woooong!

The flame's temperature surged higher with each infusion of mana.

Kwachik! Kwachik!

Gradually, the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword began to radiate a bright red glow.

“Huh?!” Han-Yeol exclaimed, making an unintelligible sound.

His intention was to employ the Harkan Sword Style, yet in the process, he inadvertently caused his Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword to melt.

“W-Whaaaat?! H-Hold on!” Han-Yeol shouted, utterly disbelieving what had transpired.

Boom! Bam!

However, the creature disregarded his plea, hurling a punch at him. Han-Yeol managed to leap back just in time, evading the attack.

While Han-Yeol might not match the creature in strength, his speed surpassed it significantly. Moreover, his agility allowed nimble movement in various directions, enabling him to easily dodge the creature’s immensely powerful yet straightforward attacks.

In a more spacious location like the laboratory's courtyard above, Han-Yeol would have easily prevailed against this creature. Unfortunately, their encounter transpired in the narrow basement, granting the creature a significant terrain advantage. Compounded by its ridiculously high defense, facing it in such confined space placed Han-Yeol at an overwhelming disadvantage.

After evading the creature’s strike, Han-Yeol immediately inspected his sword. 'D-Don’t tell me, I can’t use my sword now?!'

It was already challenging to breach the creature’s absurdly robust defense; being unable to wield his Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword painted an extremely grim situation for him.

Things appeared so dire that he might consider abandoning the rescue mission for Yulia and retreating in defeat.

'I won’t let that happen!' Han-Yeol clenched his fist, determined to find a solution.

As he gazed at his half-melted sword, a sudden realization struck him…

Ding!

‘Huh?’

A message appeared before his eyes.

[Your flames have reached temperatures high enough to melt incredibly resilient metal.]

[The fusion of flames and metal has spawned a new phenomenon.]

[The skill ‘Fire Attribute’ has evolved to ‘Magma Attribute’.]

Ding! Ding!

Numerous other messages appeared before his eyes, indicating that he had acquired a few additional skills. However, he couldn't read the messages as the creature launched another barrage of punches at him.

Han-Yeol instinctively evaded all of the creature’s attacks, unable to concentrate fully on the battle due to being utterly astounded by the abrupt turn of events.

‘W-What’s going on?’

It was rather amusing how an unexpected skill manifested at such an unforeseen moment.

‘Fire Attribute evolved into Magma Attribute?’

[Congratulations, Han-Yeol-nim.]

Karvis suddenly appeared and congratulated him.

‘T-Thanks?’

[I'll assist you for now since you don't seem to have the time to go through it.]

The creature remained alive and well, leaving Han-Yeol with no time to check the skill details. That's why Karvis stepped in to explain the skill instead.

‘S-Sure, I’ll leave it to you,’ Han-Yeol replied, still seemingly flabbergasted.

His ability was peculiar, generating skills from his actions. However, even in his wildest dreams, he hadn't expected to gain the 'Magma Attribute' through such a method.

‘This is getting absurd!’

The idea of magma as an attribute was perplexing in itself.

[Han-Yeol-nim. Behind you!]

Whoosh!

Thanks to Karvis's warning, Han-Yeol easily dodged the creature's punch.

[The first skill is Magma Sword, an evolved version of Sword Breath. It not only adds fire property to your sword but also transforms it into magma itself. Any enemy struck by your sword in this state will continuously suffer burn damage. But that's not all. You can even attack from a distance by swinging your sword. Enemies hit by this ranged attack will also endure burn damage over time.]

‘Alright, Magma Sword!’

Pshwaaa!

Upon Karvis's explanation, Han-Yeol immediately activated the Magma Sword. As described, his sword indeed transformed into something resembling magma.

Bloop! Bloop!

Bubbles reminiscent of those seen on television rose to the surface of his sword.

‘Wow… This is amazing,’ Han-Yeol thought, admiring his new skill.

Then, turning his attention to the creature, he exclaimed, “Alright! I’m coming at you for real this time!”

Han-Yeol felt incredibly good and happy at that moment.

***

Han-Yeol was certain this was the end. He swung his Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword, now transformed into magma.

Bloop! Bloop! Pshhhhhh!

Magma dripped from the sword, emitting a sound akin to burning whenever it touched the floor. The mere sound instilled confidence in Han-Yeol, signifying the tremendous power of the skill.

‘Yes! Now we’re talking!’

Sword Breath was potent, yet it paled in comparison to Han-Yeol’s newly acquired skill—Magma Sword. His former skill enhanced his sword's power, but it couldn't make it liquefy upon contact.

‘Let’s go, Karvis!’

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim!]

Tak!

The creature charged at Han-Yeol, still enraged. Han-Yeol met the challenge head-on.

“Gwuoooo!”

Shwaaaa!

The creature gathered mana, unleashing a seemingly ordinary punch. However, fueled by vast mana and physical prowess, the punch caused shockwaves to ripple out.

The creature's fist acted as a mana furnace, capable of obliterating anything it touched but at the cost of its life. However, consumed by rage, the creature's sole focus was to eliminate the pesky human it faced.

Han-Yeol remained oblivious to the creature's mental state.

‘I’ll die if I fail this time!’ Han-Yeol realized the gravity of the situation.

Failure against the creature this time meant certain death.

Wooong!

As they were seconds away from clashing, Karvis continued her explanation.

[The second skill is ‘Volcanic Eruption Slash’, an evolved version of Head Cutter. It harnesses magma's power to unleash an explosive attack akin to a catastrophic volcanic eruption. This move cuts and burns enemies, causing unparalleled destruction. Evading is the only means of surviving the ‘Volcanic Eruption Slash’.]

Right after Karvis finished speaking…

‘Volcanic Eruption!’ Han-Yeol immediately used the skill without any hesitation, swinging his sword.

Pshwaaaa!

Then, a torrent of magma surged from Han-Yeol’s sword, engulfing the creature. The molten substance covered the creature entirely, including its eyes, hindering its vision.

“Greuk?”

Whoosh! Tak!

Thud!

This time, they narrowly avoided collision, landing on the floor.

Han-Yeol emerged unscathed, but…

“Gwu Oooook!”

Pshhhh!

The creature wailed in agony upon being struck by the Volcanic Eruption Slash.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Writhing in excruciating pain, it rolled on the ground for a full five minutes.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Even after five minutes elapsed, the creature continued to writhe in agony on the ground.

‘Karvis…’

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim?]

‘Does this attack really last this long…?’