Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 403 – Chairman Woo Han-Jong (6)

[Astaroth will now descend unto the world.]

The message seemed to be about the same thing at first glance, but the last message clearly stated that Astaroth was going to descend. It was only then that Han-Yeol came to his senses.

However, Han-Yeol also had no idea what was happening. He had just been at death's door just a few minutes ago, and what he did was more like an act of desperation rather than a calculated move.

In other words, both Han-Yeol and Woo Han-Jong were clueless as to what transpired within these five minutes.

A crimson-red fog reeking with the stench of blood enveloped their surroundings, and a familiar yet unfamiliar demon possessing powerful mana made her appearance.

Whichever it might be, this was definitely going to have a big impact on this battle.

“Ah, I recovered enough.”

He was unable to recover one hundred percent, but the critical wounds he suffered from Woo Han-Jong’s attack were healed. He could use his mana now, so he used Restore to fully patch himself up.

“Hoho… That’s quite troubling…” Woo Han-Jong muttered. He could not help but feel troubled after seeing Han-Yeol fully heal himself in just a few seconds when he had been inches away from death earlier.

The demonic energy swirling around them was quite disturbing. Woo Han-Jong collected information on Han-Yeol’s demons as well, and the most powerful demon in his possession was a demon called Void Executioner.

Of course, the Void Executioner would be lucky to last a whole minute against Woo Han-Jong, who was a Transcendent Master-Rank Hunter.

However, Woo Han-Jong could not tell how powerful this demon was that Han-Yeol was summoning for the first time.

“Hohoho… Things have become even more troublesome…” Woo Han-Jong muttered.

The snake wrapped around the left arm of the demon hissed at Han-Yeol.

This demon was a beautiful goddess in the past, but her envy caused her to become corrupted. Then, she lost the war against the ancient heroes, and thus she was forced into the demon world.

However, just because she was corrupt did not mean she lost her beauty.

[Hmm? I’m not interested in you at all.]

Astaroth made it clear that she was not interested in Woo Han-Jong. Her only interest in the human world was Han-Yeol and Han-Yeol alone.

Astaroth floated slightly off the ground and glided toward Han-Yeol. Then, she wrapped her arm around him and hugged him tightly.

Her actions were very normal and she was not intentionally doing anything sexual, but something about the way her arm slithered on his body gave off a very sensual and decadent feel.

If this scene was filmed and broadcasted for the world to see, then a good number of the viewers would end up getting aroused from watching her hand move up and down his chest.

Of course, the person on the receiving end of such a gesture was trying his best not to give into it.

“L-Long time no see… A-Astaroth-nim.”

[Hohoho! Yes, it has indeed been a long time, cute little human. Do you know how much I’ve missed you?]

He did not attempt to hide anything from her. He was not brave enough to lie to one of the Seventy-Two Demons of Solomon, and he had never been in a situation where he was forced to heavily rely on Blood Drain as he was now.

Not to mention, he still had no idea how to raise a skill’s level to Master-Rank. No guides or clues were provided, and the only thing he knew was that repetitive use of a skill did not always guarantee it leveling up from A-Rank to Master-Rank.

Of course, that did not mean he had been mindlessly hunting all this while. He did notice that most of his skills leveled up to Master-Rank in three scenarios, and these were when he wanted to become stronger, when he pushed the skill to its limits, or when he used it in a desperate situation.

That was the reason that it was extremely difficult for him to level up Blood Drain to Master-Rank. Blood Drain was a skill that restored his HP and mana by absorbing blood, but he already possessed skills such as Restore and Healing Bullet, which healed his wounds, and numerous skills that replenished his mana.

Thus, it was only now when he nearly died against Woo Han-Jong did he finally get the opportunity to satisfy one of the supposed conditions to level up Blood Drain to Master-Rank.

[Hahaha! I am a being who has lived for millions of years, so a few years is fleeting for me. Still, this my first time being so excited to see a creature once again. Oh my… I guess you have to take responsibility for making me feel this way, human.]

Astaroth caressed his face this time while whispering and breathing seductively in his ear.

“A-Astaroth…nim…?”

[Hmm?]

“I w-was in the middle of a b-battle…”Googlᴇ search NoᴠᴇFɪre.nᴇt

[Oh yes, you were.]

“Y-Yes…” Han-Yeol muttered before glancing at Woo Han-Jong, who stood in the same spot, feeling left out.

It was inevitable for him to feel left out as he did not possess the ability to communicate with demons, so he could not understand what Astaroth was saying right now.

On the other hand, Astaroth seemed like she could not be bothered whether Woo Han-Jong felt left out or not.

[Yes, my cute little human was able to master Blood Drain thanks to that old human. He deserves my gratitude indeed but…]

“But…?”

Astaroth slid her fingers down to Han-Yeol’s chest.

He ended up shrieking yet again when her fingers moved all the way down to where his bare skin was exposed after getting penetrated by the bamboo sword.

“A-Astaroth-nim…!” Han-Yeol moaned while trying to suppress his voice.

Meanwhile, Woo Han-Jong was completely left out once again.

“…”

He was displeased by being treated like a nobody, but he did not dare make a rash move. His instinct honed through decades of training warned him that the demon in front of him was extremely dangerous.

He was starting to feel annoyed at himself for asking the same question so many times now.

[Ah… To think that such an unsightly blemish would be on my little human’s body…]

“H-Huh…?”

There was a mark on Han-Yeol’s chest where Woo Han-Jong’s bamboo sword had stabbed him despite the fact that he fully recovered with the help of Blood Drain and Restore.

[A wound caused by powerful mana is bound to leave a scar even if you heal it. The mana that the old human is using is a good example of what powerful mana can do to your body.]

“Ah…” Han-Yeol finally understood.

Still, he did not really care whether there was an unsightly scar on his body as his body was riddled with them back when he lived as Harkan. Also, he did not plan to become a model or a celebrity which were occupations that heavily relied on their appearance to make a living, so it did not directly affect him in any way.

In fact, he thought having such a big scar on his chest made him look manly and was something he was willing to proudly display for others to see.

[Hmm… This looks unsightly... A scar left by mana can’t be erased unless the God of Medicine touches it,] Astaroth muttered with sadness in her eyes. [Why does my human have to bear this hideous scar…?]

Then, the air around them slowly started to change.

[I shall deal divine punishment to the one who dared to tarnish my beautiful little human!]

Astaroth’s majestic wings spread out.

Astaroth was an extremely jealous being even when she was a goddess, and numerous humans suffered due to this temperament of hers. Her repeated misdeeds due to her jealousy made the humans pick a champion to stand up against her. She lost the battle against the human champion, and that caused her to become corrupted. She turned into a demon and was damned for eternity in the pits of hell.

Han-Yeol tended to forget about this side of her as she was always gentle with him, but he always knew at the back of his mind that she was not to be messed with.

[It is now time for me to reveal my purpose for coming to this world. Here, take this, human.]

Astaroth reached between her breasts, took out a scroll, and gave it to Han-Yeol.

The scroll resembled those found in fantasy s made out of white parchment and tied with a red thread.

“T-This is…?” Han-Yeol muttered as he tilted his head in confusion. He had no idea what this ordinary-looking scroll was, but he accepted it as it was something from Astaroth.

[I really love how you don’t doubt me for a second and take whatever I give you. I would have ripped something off your body if you refused it just because it is a gift from a demon,] Astaroth playfully said as her eyes moved down his body.

Then, she seductively licked her tongue while her eyes were focused on one spot.

He no longer held any prejudice toward demons as he was used to them by now—no, it was more like he did not hold any prejudice to begin with.

There was a time in the past back when his father was ill that he would pray day and night hoping for a miracle to occur. He did not care where the miracle came from as he was willing to sell his soul to the devil if it meant his father’s illness could be cured.

However, there was one reason he easily accepted the scroll, and that was…

“Why would I ever doubt you, Astaroth-nim?”

[…]

Astaroth was rendered speechless by Han-Yeol’s sudden remark.

Han-Yeol was not so narrow-minded to suspect her just because she was a demon when she had already saved his life twice.

[Hohoho… This is why I like you, my little human.]

He was able to freely think without having his mind read thanks to his telepathic skill.

[Why don’t you open it?]

“Yes, Astaroth-nim.”

This was a scroll bestowed by one of the Seventy-Two Demons of Solomon. Han-Yeol’s heart thumped wildly in expectation as such a scroll was bound to be extremely special.

[You have obtained a treasure of the demon world – Blood Scroll.]

[The skill Blood Drain (M) has started to evolve.]

[Blood Drain is trying to find its true form.]

[Blood Drain (M) has disappeared.]

[You may now acquire Blood Attribute skills.]

The string of messages ended.

The white scroll turned red and shined brightly before it slowly started to melt.

The scroll turned into blood, but it did not drip to the ground. Instead, it seeped into Han-Yeol’s hands.