Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 336 – Ten Days In The Bastro Dimension (3)

Chwaaak! Whoosh!

The Ox Warrior’s chain wielded an ax on both ends, swinging alternately at Han-Yeol.

Bam!

Han-Yeol swiftly dodged, narrowly avoiding the ax by a hair’s breadth.

‘Tsk!’ he clicked his tongue in frustration.

He preferred avoiding conflict with the Bastrolings if possible, but standing idly while being attacked wasn’t his style. Moreover, the Bastroling attacking him wasn’t someone he knew, and his association with the Ox Warriors was limited.

‘I suppose I’ll have to adapt.’

Tak!

Landing on the ground, he immediately employed two skills he recently acquired in the cave.

‘Magma Longsword! Ice Blade![1]’

Chwaaak! Craaack!

The Magma Longsword and Ice Blade materialized in each of Han-Yeol's hands, emitting boiling and freezing sounds.

Unsatisfied with fighting using only one sword, Han-Yeol conjured another, the Ice Blade. He had initially considered his Light Exorcist Sword but abandoned the idea, fearing it might reveal his location. After all, hyenas instinctively detested the light attribute, making them likely sensitive to it.

[Ha! As expected of a filthy hyena! You might have all sorts of tricks up your sleeve, but they're useless!]

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Ox Warrior swung his chain, then hurled one end toward Han-Yeol.

He appeared to manipulate the chain's trajectory by tugging it, much like Karvis did. This demonstrated the Ox Warrior's considerable skill.

‘Heup!’ Han-Yeol gasped, leaping to the side to evade the Ox Warrior’s chain.

Bam!

[You little rat!]

Chwak! Chwak!

The Ox Warrior retrieved his chain and lunged at Han-Yeol.

Tak!

‘A duel between dual-wielders…’ Han-Yeol pondered, realizing it had been a while since he last faced someone with a similar fighting style.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Han-Yeol, much smaller than the Ox Warrior, refused to yield an inch.

Whoosh!

The Ox Warrior put his full weight into each attack, swinging forcefully from top to bottom.

Claaang!

‘Keuk…! Oh, this guy’s quite strong,’ Han-Yeol thought, feeling a slight numbness in his hand after blocking an attack.

However, he remained relaxed; his recent increase in STR stat by one hundred prevented him from being easily pushed back.

Meanwhile, the Ox Warrior appeared slightly flustered. ‘He blocked my attack?’

Among creatures capable of contesting the Ox Warriors' strength, only the Bear Warriors stood a chance.

‘Wait, he doesn’t seem like a corrupted soldier, but why is he engaging in close combat?’

The Ox Warrior, not dense but discerning, could differentiate between corrupted and uncorrupted creatures. The Hyena Sorcerers typically fought alongside corrupted soldiers or cast curses from a distance due to their extreme vulnerability in close combat. Yet, the hyena currently facing him exhibited remarkable skill in close-quarter fighting.

[What? Are you done already?]

[What did you say?!]

That marked the end of the Ox Warrior’s train of thought.

Han-Yeol's provocation hit the mark; the Bastro Warriors were easily riled.

Huff! Huff!

The Ox Warrior snorted, and in that moment, Han-Yeol realized his mistake. ‘Oh, that was a blunder…’

His focus on the duel led him to provoke the Ox Warrior more than necessary.

“Mooooo!” bellowed the Ox Warrior, expelling air from its nostrils.

[Die! Hyena!]

Bam! Bam!

The Ox Warrior emanated an aura as imposing as his size, launching a barrage of attacks at Han-Yeol. Their weapons clashed, but the sounds weren't of sharpened steel; rather, they resembled large blunt hammers striking each other.

‘Tsk… I suppose I must get serious,’ Han-Yeol decided, channeling his strength.

Wooong…!

Concentrating mana in his right hand, he clenched the Magma Longsword, causing it to boil like genuine magma.

Whoosh! Tak!

Han-Yeol rolled back to evade the Ox Warrior’s assault and swiftly swung his sword as he regained his footing.

‘Eat this!’

Chwaaak!

The Magma Longsword spewed out magma.

“Moooo!”

Bam!

However, the Ox Warrior completely disregarded the magma and charged straight at Han-Yeol. Though the magma touched his skin, it failed to inflict any damage or pain due to his exceptionally high defense.

‘Tsk… These individuals boast an exceedingly high defense.’ Han-Yeol clicked his tongue, observing the ineffective magma.

In his former guise as Harkan, winning against the Ox Warriors wasn't overly challenging, but he distinctly recalled the struggles in subjugating and enlisting them. Their low intelligence was one hurdle, but their formidable defense made physical domination challenging. Moreover, they remained conscious no matter how much they were beaten, taking two relentless months of punishment before submitting to his rule.

“Moooo!”

The sound just emitted by the Ox Warrior seemed like a warning to clear its path.

‘Very well, let’s battle to the end!’

Tak!

Han-Yeol crossed his Magma Longsword and Ice Blade, readying for the clash with the oncoming ox.

“Mooo!”

The weapon in the Ox Warrior’s hands wasn't its sole asset. They were known to employ not only their robust bodies but also their razor-sharp horns and powerful legs as weapons.

The Ox Warrior ruthlessly charged at Han-Yeol.

‘Hap!’ Han-Yeol strained every muscle to hold his ground against the impending strength contest.

Bam!

‘Keuk!’

The impact reverberated through Han-Yeol's body as he barely halted the charge.

A creature smaller than the Ox Warrior shouldn't have been able to halt such a charge without sustaining severe injuries.

C-Creak…!

However, the charge wasn't the end; the Ox Warrior persisted, pushing Han-Yeol back.

Chwak!

Han-Yeol dug his feet into the ground, resisting the force, but he still slid backward. He exerted every effort to stand firm, yet the Ox Warrior proved overwhelmingly stronger.

‘Keuk…!’

Despite gaining a hundred STR after defeating the laboratory creature, Han-Yeol conceded that his strength wasn’t enough against the Ox Warrior.

‘In that case…!’

If strength alone wouldn't suffice, he had to rely on his skills.

Chwak! Whoosh!

The Ox Warrior attempted to gore him with its horns, but Han-Yeol maneuvered his body, narrowly evading the attack.

“Huff!”

‘Damn it, why do I have to face two muscle heads in a row?’ Han-Yeol couldn't help but grumble about his predicament.

Chwaaak!

“…!”

It was while Han-Yeol was busy grumbling that he suddenly sensed a chain coming from behind him. He dropped his guard for a second after being reminded of how much he suffered against the creature and forgot that his current opponent was not the same kind of muscle brain that only knew how to depend on his strength but was a seasoned warrior.

‘Damn it!’

Puuuk!

‘Argh!’

A sharp pain surged from his back the instant he felt a cold, piercing object penetrate it. It was the Ox Warrior’s ax, thrust into his back.

[Keke! I've got you, you stinking, filthy rat!] The Ox Warrior smirked, then retracted his chain toward himself.

Kwachik!

“Argh!” Han-Yeol screamed in agony.

‘I can't handle a Bastro Warrior one-on-one yet.’

Han-Yeol hadn't fully developed after his second awakening, making it a stretch for him to face a Bastro Warrior while avoiding attracting the hyenas' attention.

‘He's not as strong as Kandir, but I have to admit he’s quite formidable… Damn it… Do I need to fight at full strength?’ he hesitantly pondered.

Gathering Bastro Warriors to his side for the impending war against the hyenas was crucial, which restrained him despite the initial attack from the Ox Warrior.

However, the situation changed once the Ox Warrior crossed a certain line.

Tak!

‘Damn it! I have to give it my all!’

The Bastro Dimension held importance to Han-Yeol, but his life outweighed any connection he had to this dimension in the first place.

“Die!”

[Ha! What can a mere hyena do?]

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Their ferocious exchange of blows resumed.

Despite the ax still lodged in his back, it didn't impede Han-Yeol’s movement since the ax lacked any special effects that could restrict his mobility. It would have posed a significant issue if the ax had an effect causing ongoing damage, but fortunately, that wasn't the case.

Han-Yeol mercilessly swung both swords, compelling the Ox Warrior to defend using only an ax, the other still embedded in Han-Yeol’s back.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

[Not bad for a hyena!]

“Shut up!”

Clang! C-Chwaak…!

Han-Yeol’s Ice Blade clashed with the Ox Warrior’s ax.

‘Deep Freeze!’ He activated the Ice Blade's special skill, which sapped the heat from anything it touched and froze it.

[Your tricks won’t work on me!]

Whoosh!

Sensing the unusual coldness from his opponent's spell, the Ox Warrior swiftly swung his ax and delivered a kick to Han-Yeol's abdomen.

Bam!

“Argh!” Han-Yeol staggered backward from the force of the kick.

Whoosh!

‘Hiiik!’

Balancing precariously on the edge of a cliff, Han-Yeol flailed his arms wildly as he realized he stood on the brink of falling into the abyss.

Tak…!

Despite his efforts to regain balance, he ultimately failed and tumbled backward.

[Ha! It’s over for you!]

The code among Bastro Warriors dictated the crushing of any hyena's skull in combat. However, the cliff where Han-Yeol stood was an inescapable pit for those lacking the ability to fly.

Chwaaak! Tak!

Retrieving his ax and securing it at his waist, the Ox Warrior regretted not being able to personally end the hyena's life. Nonetheless, he found solace in sending one to a certain demise.

[Ha… I wonder when I’ll have my revenge against those hyenas…]

While relishing hunting them, the Ox Warrior desired a proper confrontation and vengeance against the hyenas. Slaying them individually would hardly dent their numbers, akin to endless multiplying cockroaches.

‘But this hyena was different… He fought like a warrior without resorting to strange spells.’

The Ox Warrior only now realized something peculiar about his opponent.

‘Hmm… but didn't that hyena have two companions?’

Several oddities struck him about his recent adversary, yet he concluded him to be a hyena.

‘Doesn't matter now that he's dead.’

About to head back to his hideout, he paused...

Whoosh! Chwaaak!

[W-What?!]

A black smoke materialized out of nowhere, snaking through the air like a serpent before coiling itself around him.

Kekekeke! Kikikiki!

Laughter echoed from an unseen source.

1. The creation of this skill was not mentioned in earlier chapters. ☜