Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 362 – Siege of Nagoya (4)

Kandir spared no praise for the Twin Head Ogres that satisfied him, but these accolades meant nothing to the deceased monsters.

“Kieeeek!”

Chwak!

Han-Yeol and Tayarana landed in front of Kandir.

“Hey, Kandir. Looks like you really let loose this time.”

[Not as much as you did, Harkan-nim.]

“Hahaha!”

Han-Yeol was currently a mess. His hair was disheveled, and his blood-stained clothes were in tatters. The only reason he lacked visible wounds was due to Restore healing them up.

His trusty pet, Mavros, wasn't in a better state, with his once-smooth, shiny scales now ripped here and there.

“I wasn’t expecting a flock of Wyverns and Drakes to appear all of a sudden.”

“Kiek!”

Han-Yeol scratched the back of his head after hopping off Mavros, who let out a disgruntled cry.

Ziiing!

“Haa... I’m tired...”

The fight against the Drakes and Wyverns was so intense that even Tayarana, who rarely complained, chimed in.

These top-tier elite monsters didn't exist in South Korea; they only appeared in a few countries worldwide. They were extremely powerful, but their habit of not forming flocks made them possible to hunt.

However, Han-Yeol and Tayarana ran into a massive flock of twelve hundred Drakes and Wyverns combined (Karvis counted them), and the sheer number of these potent monsters made the battle quite challenging.

“We might’ve lost if we hadn’t experienced our second awakening yet...”

“Yeah, I agree.”

“Ahh... I’m tired...”

Crack! Crack!

“Me too...”

Han-Yeol cracked his neck and stretched his arms.

Riru approached and wrapped her arms around his. She said, [Good job, Harkan.]

“Ah, thank you, Riru.”

The cute pink-haired furry, second only to Harkan among the Canine Warriors, often showed her affection in this manner. She didn't stop expressing her fondness, even though he was a different species and no longer the same Canine Warrior who was the Dimension Lord.

‘Hmm? Humans shouldn’t be that appealing to the Bastrolings, right?’ Han-Yeol pondered.

Humans were like bald chickens compared to the fur-covered Bastrolings, and they were much smaller in size. Yet, despite their differences, Riru continued to shower Han-Yeol with affection.

Meanwhile, Tayarana's brow twitched at seeing Riru's actions, but Han-Yeol was too engrossed to notice.

Tak! Tak! Tak!

Han-Yeol's party stood atop the tallest remaining building in the heart of Nagoya, surveying the destruction around them. Fires caused by mana continued to burn despite the downpour, ravaging the city.

Nagoya was unrecognizable after the battles of the past twenty-four hours. Most high-rises were in ruins, and every tree was charred.

However, Nagoya Port remained a safe zone, unhindered for rescue operations.

“Oh right, Tara.”

“Yes?”

Han-Yeol addressed Tayarana while Riru still clung to his arm.

“We need to check the result of our bet.”

“Ah, I forgot to keep count...”

Tayarana had counted the Gargoyles she killed but forgot amidst the intense battle against the Drakes and Wyverns.

“Haha! I knew it! It’s alright, I kept counting just in case.”

“You did?”

Tayarana tilted her head, skeptical that he had tracked every monster she killed. She knew he could be focused, but she'd often slain creatures far from his view.

‘Hmm... I guess he’s set on winning this at all costs... Well, it’s my fault for losing count...’

It was somewhat obvious to her what he was trying to pull, but she had no other choice than to prepare herself to accept whatever result he said as this was clearly her mistake.

She waited for Han-Yeol to announce the result.

“Whaaaat?!” Han-Yeol suddenly screamed.

‘Huh? What’s wrong with him?’ Tayarana couldn’t understand his sudden outburst.

Han-Yeol let out a sigh after screaming and seemed disgruntled. “I’ll reveal it now...”

“Okay.”

She had already accepted her defeat, but the result he announced was unexpected.

“I killed... 13,114 and you killed... 13,115... You won.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yeah... Sigh...” Han-Yeol replied with a long sigh, then frantically scratched the back of his head.

‘Aaaah! Why did I lose?!’

Despite Tayarana’s talent and gifts, Han-Yeol knew he was much stronger. He took it easy, unaware that his carefree attitude would cost him the wager. He couldn’t believe his loss.

Was he throwing a tantrum just because he lost to Tayarana, who was weaker? Nope! He had another reason for being so upset.

‘My WISHES!’

With two wishes on the line, he had already planned various things to ask Tayarana. Now, all those plans were obsolete. He felt like crying.

“So the two wishes are mine since I won?”

“Yeah... So, what are your wishes?”

Han-Yeol anticipated Tayarana’s desire, considering she initiated this idea.

“Hmm... Next time.”

Unexpectedly, she postponed making her wish until later.

‘What the? Didn’t she start this because she wanted something?’

He had numerous skills, and he had expected her to ask for something specific. For instance...

‘Summon Demon...’

Han-Yeol wasn’t the only Hunter capable of summoning and contracting with demons. Another Hunter in South Korea and a few in Europe shared the ability. However, Han-Yeol was unique in summoning powerful demons and potentially summoning one for Tayarana to contract with.

Of course, the demon would need to favor Tayarana to materialize the contract. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ (ꜰ)ir(e).nᴇt

He had assumed she might wish for something like that. So why the sudden delay? He couldn't fathom her thoughts.

‘Well, I guess I’ll find out next time.’

He wished to peek into her mind but knew his Telepathy wasn’t potent enough to access someone who had their second awakening.

“Tayaranaaa-nim!”

Mariam arrived with her Queen’s Guards.

While the Guards could fly, they couldn't reach high altitudes. Hence, Mariam fought on the ground with others. Her newfound powers rendered her unstoppable against monsters, proving her significant role in the battle.

***

It took a while, but Han-Yeol’s forces managed to clean up Nagoya.

News of this reached the Japanese Government, prompting them to broadcast repeatedly through numerous radio channels: ‘Go to Nagoya. You will be rescued in Nagoya.’

Japan lay in ruins after being overrun by monsters, but not every region had been hit by their attacks. Some areas remained safe zones as the monsters didn't move efficiently or strategically enough to cover the entirety of Japan.

Survivors hiding in the countryside heard the message over the radio and began making their way to Nagoya, one by one. However, unfortunately, those far away from Nagoya despaired at the glimmer of hope that was too distant for them to reach.

“Haaap!

Chwak!

“Kiieeeeek!”

Han-Yeol successfully occupied Nagoya, but he didn't idle around after completing his part. He ventured to nearby areas and hunted down the monsters.

[Aaaaack!]

[H-Help mee!]

Han-Yeol saved numerous survivors while hunting on the outskirts of Nagoya.

Most of these survivors hadn't heard the radio message. They stayed hidden as long as possible but were forced to emerge when they ran out of food. Attempting to forage in the wild, they ended up being chased by rat-like monsters.

“Tsk... Mavros.”

“Kieeeek!”

Chwak! Kwachik!

“Squeeeek!”

Han-Yeol didn't feel the need to intervene against these rat-like monsters since Mavros' jaws could easily dispatch them in a single bite. His primary reason for being in Japan was to battle numerous powerful monsters to test his new weapons, so he didn't want to trouble himself with weak creatures like these.

‘Good... Excellent...’

Han-Yeol was already formidable, but his new trifecta of weapons amplified his strength further.

Whooosh!

Though the dark aura surrounding his weapons concerned him a bit, he chose to ignore it since it didn't seem harmful to him.

Chwak!

Tak!

“Squeeeek!”

Another rat-like monster became ensnared in spider webs this time.

“Hoho~ What a tasty-looking rat~”

“Oh, hey, Tia.”

She had been absent the entire time, but upon reaching the city outskirts with only Han-Yeol and Mavros, she finally began to go on a rampage.

“Hoho~ I hate being around a lot of people~ Ah~! I finally feel alive!”

“Hahaha! You’re quite the introvert, aren’t you?”

“I’m not introverted, master,” Tia retorted, looking away, but her cheeks blushed slightly.

Nagoya, Han-Yeol's assigned city, quickly stabilized. While officially he alone was tasked with reclaiming Nagoya, he had a formidable army of Gurkhas and Bastrolings behind him. This force not only conquered the Korean Peninsula but also advanced northward, seizing control of China.

Han-Yeol’s power was unmatched on Earth; not even an entire country could hope to challenge him and win. Yet, this immense power felt insignificant to him after his travels to the Bastro Dimension, where he witnessed the vastness of the universe.

“Hmm...”

Han-Yeol and Tayarana flew to the outskirts of Kyoto, driven by one of the two reasons for his presence in Japan: to witness a mighty creature with his own eyes.

Creaaaaak... Boom!

They hovered thousands of kilometers away from the monster, a distance even Demon Eyes couldn't cover. They relied on specialized binoculars to observe Craspio, the most powerful monster ever known.

As expected, the monster didn't disappoint Han-Yeol.