Leveling Up Alone

A person should be quick-witted, especially if they were considered foolish, but there was no way these individuals, who had never socialized in their lives, would know that. Despite their lack of social skills, these Otakus continued to insult Han-Yeol, assuming he wouldn't understand.

In response, Han-Yeol kicked them in the chest.

“Hey, you remnants of a country about to be destroyed. You still haven’t come to your senses, have you? What did you just call me? Chon?”

They were free to say whatever they wanted in private, but it was brazen to call a Korean who came to rescue them 'Chon.' Who would have expected such audacity?

Han-Yeol applied pressure on the foot resting on one of the Otakus’ chests, but he refrained from using his mana to inflict harm.

[P-Please, spare us…!]

The Otakus' faces were a mix of snot and tears as they begged for their lives. Han-Yeol looked down at them and said in a cold, emotionless voice, “I can see why even the Japanese treat you like trash.”

Hesitation to commit murder? Love for humanity? Forgiveness? These emotions had long vanished from Han-Yeol. His twenty years as Harkan, steeped in blood and battles, had erased them completely.

“You people are hopeless. Others risk their lives against the monsters to protect your country, yet you run away and dream of furries?”

[P-Please… Spare… Mercy…]

The Otakus were too consumed by fear and their pleas for mercy to hear a word of Han-Yeol's scathing remarks.

Their actions triggered an impulse in Han-Yeol to kill them then and there. Currently, there were no witnesses nearby, and the closest potential witnesses were all Han-Yeol’s subordinates. Nobody would raise an objection even if he disposed of these ten individuals.

Japan teetered on the brink of destruction, with tens of thousands massacred by monsters. Given his role in saving one hundred thousand people already and the potential to rescue over a million more, nobody would question or accuse Han-Yeol of murder for dealing with these ten Otakus.

Contemplating his next move, Han-Yeol was interrupted by Karvis.

It posed a dilemma for Han-Yeol. Killing them would be distasteful, yet letting them live was equally undesirable.

Though only they could hear each other, Karvis began whispering as if others were present.

Karvis' audacity left Han-Yeol momentarily speechless, but he ultimately chuckled, finding this version of Karvis not as bad.

Han-Yeol shrugged and retrieved a glass bottle from his Dimensional Storage.

With contempt in his eyes, Han-Yeol glared at the Otakus before hurling the glass bottle directly at their midst.

The glass bottle shattered, splattering its red contents all over the place. Some of the liquid landed on the Otakus, who shrieked in terror, assuming it was a poisonous substance. However, despite the passage of a considerable amount of time, nothing harmful occurred.

“Tsk tsk… You guys are worse than insects.”

Han-Yeol clicked his tongue and leaped back up the buildings.

[W-We survived…]

[I-It hurts…]

[Haha! That Chon didn’t have the guts to kill us! Coward!]

[Hehehehe!]

[But what’s this liquid that Chon sprayed on us? Ugh… It’s disgusting…]

They grumbled while attempting to wipe off the sticky red liquid. Annoyed, they found the liquid emitted a strong stench that would likely linger, exacerbating their aversion to showering.

“This is disgusting… Anyway, let’s go see Fate-chan now!”

[Oh!]

The Otakus completely forgot their recent near-death experience, hastily rushing to fulfill their fantasy. Though they could have survived had they reflected on their mistakes and returned to Nagoya, their selfish nature prevented self-reflection, having lived solely to satisfy their own desires, disregarding others.

[Ah… This is so annoying! It’s so hot!]

Despite not having walked far, the typical hot and humid Japanese climate quickly exhausted these individuals, who had never exercised in their lives.

[I’m tired…!]

[How long have we walked?]

[I think… ten hours?]

Their estimations were delusional; less than thirty minutes had actually passed since they started walking.

“This is so annoying! What the hell is this?!”

These recluses were quick to grumble and complain, mirroring their hasty surrender to their previous predicament.

[I followed because you guys said I can see Fate-chan to my heart’s content! But what the hell is this?!]

[It’s hot, and I’m hungry!]

[Let’s eat the food we brought from Nagoya.]

[Yeah…]

Each person only had three rations, as the Korean soldier distributing rations was strict, permitting only one ration per person at mealtime. The Otakus managed to retain just three rations each over seven days. Although a normal person could save seven rations over a week, these individuals struggled to control their appetite.

“Forget about it… I just want to watch anime in an air-conditioned room…”

[Me too…]

Known for taking their parents' love and care for granted, these individuals were considered the worst kind of children in Japan.

It was at that moment they opened their rations…

The bushes rustled, catching the attention of just one of the Otakus. This particular Otaku was a devoted fan of mystery detective s and decided to investigate.

[I’m going for a toilet break.]

[Do what you want.]

Although they moved as a group, there was no real camaraderie among them. They stuck together for safety, yet anyone truly committed to their goals would have likely abandoned this pathetic group long ago.

The Detective Otaku ventured into the bush that had rustled moments before. After walking a few meters, he encountered a squirrel, and the excitement he felt initially dissipated upon seeing it.

The Otakus often yearned for supernatural occurrences akin to those in anime, only to be continually disappointed by the harsh realities.

The Detective Otaku sought a suitable spot for relieving himself. Having found one, he unbuttoned his pants, exposing his fat, sweaty belly.

Just after emptying his bladder, the bushes rustled again, but this wasn't the sound a mere squirrel could produce.

The Otaku anticipated something beyond a squirrel. Could it be a creature from an anime or perhaps a beautiful being?

The Detective Otaku hastily zipped up his pants and turned around, but...

Sharp pain shot through his chest, and his body ceased to obey him.

***

An hour passed, yet the Detective Otaku showed no signs of returning.

[Where did he go? Why isn’t he coming back?]

The nine remaining Otakus finished eating and lounged around, digesting their food while awaiting the Detective Otaku's return. However, despite the considerable time that had elapsed, there was no trace of him.

[Where’s that moron?! Did he run away on his own?!]

[That pig!]

It was ironic how they would use such terms to insult others, considering their own behavior.

Regardless, they gave up on waiting for the Detective Otaku and decided to prepare to resume walking. They knew they needed to find shelter before dark to rest for the night.

[Hmm… If one of us disappeared at this time, it’s usually around this time in anime that an extra would die from their stupidity.]

[Haha! Hey, I know you’re an Otaku, but can’t you differentiate between anime and reality?]

They chose not to wait for the Detective Otaku and resumed walking through the forest.

To cut a long story short, their regret surfaced quickly. The red liquid splashed by Han-Yeol turned out to be Troll’s blood—a favorite among monsters. While known to be used for potions, in its raw form, it was a delicacy to monsters due to its scent and sweetness.

With their lack of concern for washing the liquid away, the monsters, possessing highly developed senses of smell, easily detected the tempting scent of the Troll’s blood. Just two hours after they resumed walking, the Otakus were caught by Black Orcs, subjected to gruesome torture, and eventually boiled alive to become food for the orcs.

Although orcs typically consumed their meat raw, the repulsive fishy stench emanating from the Otakus made even these creatures, considered filthy by human standards, opt to boil them first to rid the meat of the unpleasant odor.

The Otakus’ extreme uncleanliness left an impression even on the orcs, known for their tolerance of filth by human standards, making them feel squeamish due to the stench emitted by their captives.

***

Han-Yeol sensed the movement of the Black Orcs’ mana, tracking from the west of Nagoya to the east. There was only one reason they would travel that far, especially when there was practically nothing of significance in that direction.

He spoke the truth, having killed hundreds of thousands, no, more than a million during his time as Harkan.

Tokki's Thoughts

Tokki: Glad that’s over… I kinda felt bad =