Leveling Up Alone

The wave of mana shot out by Craspio caused both Tayarana and Han-Yeol to groan and be thrown back.

The sudden attack from Craspio caught both of them completely off guard. Fortunately, they managed to avoid it just in time, but that wasn't their primary concern at the moment.

Han-Yeol had completely misunderstood Craspio’s power, assuming it could only trigger earthquakes at will. As it turned out, the earthquake was merely a consequence of the monster's ability to manipulate vibrations with its absurdly potent mana.

Craspio's capacity to cause earthquakes with a single stomp was already overwhelming, but what if the earthquakes weren't caused by the force of its stomp, but rather by its ability to control vibrations?

“Tara! That thing’s on the move!”

“Okay!”

Tayarana gathered mana into her sword and aimed it at Craspio. With no clue about the monster’s next move, she had to concentrate solely on the monster itself.

Craspio appeared to be planning something, as it hesitated to immediately attack Han-Yeol and Tayarana, who were hovering in the sky. Instead, it raised its foot, poised to trigger yet another earthquake.

Han-Yeol swiftly comprehended the monster's intentions.

"Mariam! It’s about to cause another earthquake! Prepare yourselves!"

Upon Han-Yeol's warning, Mariam swiftly gathered her mana, telepathically broadcasting a message to everyone around her to beware of the impending earthquake. With over a million people still in Nagoya, the potential consequences of the earthquake could be catastrophic.

Thankfully, Mariam's telepathic ability managed to transmit the warning message to every individual in the city.

Japanese civilians hurriedly moved away from potential hazards such as cabinets, billboards, and vending machines. They swiftly dropped to the ground, covering their heads with bags to shield themselves. Thanks to their training from a young age on earthquake preparedness, they reacted almost instantaneously.

[E-Earthquake!]

[It’s starting!]

[Heeelp!]

Regrettably, despite the swift response of the civilians, there were still casualties.

The Japanese wouldn't fear earthquakes as much if preparation alone guaranteed their safety. However, the earthquake triggered by Craspio registered a massive 7.5 on the Richter Scale.

Some of the buildings where civilians sought refuge had collapsed. Typically, people nearby would spring into action to rescue those trapped under debris, but these survivors didn't have the luxury to assist others at the moment.

Fortunately, that marked the end of the immediate danger, and no further casualties were reported. It seemed they had survived Craspio’s initial attack with minimal damage.

Though several people had perished in the earthquake, Han-Yeol didn't find himself emotionally distressed. He had grown accustomed to witnessing deaths during his time as Harkan, yet he couldn't shake off a slight discomfort. Witnessing civilians' deaths was far from pleasant. In wars, it should be soldiers, not civilians, who died. In monster raids, it should be Hunters, not civilians or soldiers.

Despite his numbed emotions, Han-Yeol couldn't help but feel uneasy about innocent lives lost in the attack. This unease didn't stem from his innate goodness but rather from the societal teaching ingrained in humans from a young age to mourn the deaths of those around them.

He didn't lose his composure but rather fortified his defenses against Craspio, resolved to avenge the innocent lives lost.

“Mavros.”

“It appears…we need to use your second form this time.”

Having undergone his second awakening, Mavros could transform into his second form, yet Han-Yeol hadn't given the command. Feeling a hint of frustration at not being able to experience his new form, Mavros, despite being a monster, possessed intellect and curiosity.

Though tempted to test his second form in secret, he wasn't the type to act without Han-Yeol’s orders. Finally, Han-Yeol issued the long-awaited command, signaling it was time for Mavros to transform.

“We're uncertain what will happen when you transform, so I'll keep my distance for now, okay?”

Mavros wished to convey that it was unnecessary, but Han-Yeol had already unfurled his wings and flown a considerable distance away.

“Mavros!”

“Transform!” Han-Yeol gave the command.

The brilliance of the light was astonishing, but the unleashed mana from Mavros was equally impressive. His body began to expand, growing from ten meters to twenty meters, while his wingspan increased from twenty meters to thirty. Simultaneously, his lizard-like appearance shifted as his limbs and horns extended, making him resemble a genuine dragon rather than a mere imitation.

Mavros extended his wings.

He let out a roar distinct from his usual cry, exuding both majesty and charisma as he hovered in the sky.

“Oh! You look incredibly cool, Mavros!” Han-Yeol exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up.

Seeing how impressive Mavros appeared, Han-Yeol grinned from ear to ear and swiftly flew over to him.ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ɴo(v)elꜰɪre.ɴet

It was then.

Mavros flew toward Han-Yeol and greeted him with a clear voice that resembled that of a young boy's.

"I-Is that truly your voice, Mavros?" Han-Yeol stuttered, astounded by Mavros's ability to speak.

Although Mavros wasn't speaking through his mouth at the moment, but rather through telepathy.

"Oh... Well, I suppose it's not unusual for a dragon to possess language. Your kind has existed far longer than humans... but it's still surprising since you haven't uttered a word until now..."

Mavros had grown in size and acquired the ability to speak, yet his actions and mannerisms remained unchanged from when he was smaller. While his expression seemed more defined, his eyes still held the innocence of a puppy. Furthermore, he wagged his tail affectionately toward Han-Yeol.

Despite his claims of surpassing humans, to Han-Yeol, Mavros remained the same endearing creature.

"Haha! Yes, you have! Yes, you have!" Han-Yeol smiled and affectionately patted Mavros' head.

It was quite an unusual sight— a dragon far larger than a human, yet purring contentedly like a cat as the human patted its head.

Craspio resumed its movements, interrupting the heartwarming moment between the two.

"Oh, right. We don’t have time to relax," Han-Yeol remarked, returning to reality.

He swiftly flew over to Tayarana, who appeared disgruntled for some reason.

“Are you finished?”

“Hahaha…” Han-Yeol awkwardly laughed, scratching the back of his head. “My bad, my bad, I’ll focus now.”

“Yes, but…” Tayarana muttered as she inspected Mavros from head to tail.

Mavros undeniably appeared more impressive after transforming into his second form, especially with his scales resembling thorned armor.

Han-Yeol smirked and asked, “Doesn’t he look cool?”

“Hmph!” Tayarana scoffed, turning her head.

She could be quite the tsundere, avoiding conversations she didn’t wish to engage in. Nonetheless, she couldn't help stealing glances at Mavros, captivated by his appearance.

Despite exuding majesty and charisma like a true dragon, Mavros hadn’t lost his endearing features. The juxtaposition made him incredibly elegant and beautiful.

Tayarana had a penchant for elegance, and Mavros perfectly epitomized her tastes.

“Alright, alright, let’s fight,” Han-Yeol confidently said with a smirk.

He knew his strength had increased with Mavros in his second form, but he understood it might not suffice to defeat Craspio. After all, Craspio’s sheer mana made it more dragon-like than Mavros.

“Let’s go! Tara! Mavros!”

“Okay.”

The two humans and the dragon soared in three different directions.

“Mavros! You're free to act as you wish, but remember to follow the commands I'll give occasionally!”

His voice remained as endearing as ever despite his current immense size.

The first to attack Craspio among the three was the overly excited Mavros.

As the battle commenced, Mavros unleashed his most potent skill at Craspio, creating a massive storm of poison directed at the monster.

Craspio made no effort to block or evade Mavros’ Poison Breath; instead, the monster absorbed the entire attack with its entire body.

Craspio retaliated by releasing a burst of vibration waves toward Mavros.

Caught in the midst of his breath attack, Mavros couldn’t evade the incoming vibration waves and was flung backward upon impact.

He crashed into ten of the still-standing tall buildings in Nagoya before plummeting to the ground.