Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 46: High Schooler (4)

The demon had replied through telepathy, just as it always did.

‘Shadow Demon, I offer you monsters. Those four?Volaxes?are yours,’?Han-Yeol said while pointing at the four hideous monsters frantically charging toward them and avoiding the bullets Yoo-Bi and Sung-Hwan were firing at them.

[I shall grant your request.]

‘Huh?’?Han-Yeol was confused.

The Shadow Demon's telepathic connection between it and Han-Yeol made it hard for him to fully understand what it was trying to say, but he could clearly hear what the demon was saying this time.

“Halt! Cease fire!” Han-Yeol shouted a command.

The two Porters’ accuracy had drastically fallen the moment they were surprised after seeing Han-Yeol summoning the Shadow Demon. Sung-Hwan immediately stopped shooting once the Shadow Demon started walking toward the Volaxes.

Shiiing!

The Shadow Demon raised its sharp nails on both hands and walked toward the Volaxes, which opened their mouths while charging at it.

Shwaaa…!

“Huh?”

“What the?”

Yoo-Bi and Sung-Hwan were taken aback by what they saw.

‘They just went through it?’?Han-Yeol thought.

The Volaxes were about to collide with the Shadow Demon before they simply passed through it. That was the moment that completely confused the monsters as to what had just happened.

Shakak!

The Shadow Demon turned around and swiped its nails at one of the Volaxes, leaving four huge lines on its back.

“Kekeng!”?The Volax that got scratched squirmed and winced in pain.

‘The Shadow Demon’s attack works, but the Volaxes simply passed through it?’?Han-Yeol thought, and then he wondered, ‘Is it because of its shadow trait? Does that mean?it's?immune against physical attacks…?’

It was certainly interesting if that was the case, since this meant that only magic attacks could ever damage the Shadow Demon. This meant that the Shadow Demon was a nightmare for low-tier monsters. There were a lot of mid-tier monsters that used mana to attack their enemies, but the only monster capable of using mana to attack among the low-tier monsters was the hunting ground’s boss monsters.

‘This is good. I don’t think it’s going to be difficult to grow the Shadow Demon,”?Han-Yeol thought.

The fact that the Shadow Demon was immune to physical attacks meant that it had the ability to one-sidedly sweep through this entire hunting ground.

The Volaxes were fully occupied by the Shadow Demon, and they did not think about anything else aside from trying to get a bite out of the demon. However, there was no way that these monsters, which only knew how to do physical attacks, could ever win against the Shadow Demon that was immune to it.

The Shadow Demon seemed to be relaxed while fighting against the Volaxes as it swiped its nails at the monsters and easily dispatched three of them. Then…

Puek!

“Kekeng…!”?

The remaining Volax continued to stubbornly try and bite the Shadow Demon, only to be punched by the demon’s large fist. It cried in pain when it was flung back by the force and hit a tree.

The Shadow Demon slowly walked toward the incapacitated Volax, then wrapped its hands around the Volax’s neck and slowly started to choke it.

“Keeek!?Keeek!”?The Volax squirmed and resisted for dear life.

However, the Shadow Demon tightened its grip even further the more the Volax resisted against it.

Crack… Snap…!

The Shadow Demon dispatched the Volax by snapping its neck off, just like a serial killer from any horror movie.

[Hehehe…]

The Shadow Demon that dispatched four Volaxes on its own laughed in an eerily sinister manner before it picked up a Volax’s corpse and proceeded to devour it whole. It was just like how a fisherman would swallow its small game after fishing it out.

A red mouth suddenly appeared on the Shadow Demon’s face, which was originally void of anything.

Munch… Crack… Munch… Munch… Munch…

The monsters the Shadow Demon ate were already dead, but the sight of it voraciously eating the corpses could only be described as grotesque and stomach-turning.

Nom… Nom… Nom… Tsk…

The Shadow Demon clicked its tongue after feasting on a Volax, as if to show that it was not satisfied, and it spat out a mana stone just like how someone would spit out the bones of the fish they were eating.

“Make sure you collect the mana stones. You won’t be dismembering any monsters as long as that guy is around,” Han-Yeol said.

“Huh? Ah, yes, Hunter-nim,” Sung-Hwan replied before slowly approaching the Shadow Demon. He was nervous at the fact that he was approaching the grotesque-looking demon that had just picked up another dead Volax. He immediately picked up the mana stone on the ground as fast as he could while the Shadow Demon was busy munching on another fresh corpse.

The mana stones from the Volaxes seemed to be not so valuable at a single glance. This was unsurprising, since the monsters were widely known to give out mana stones low in purity.

‘Let’s make a short round before going to the next stage,’?Han-Yeol thought.

It was the Shadow Demon’s first hunt, but it was not bad at all.

Munch… Crack… Munch… Munch… Munch…

The Shadow Demon finished devouring the four Volaxes like a hungry person eating chicken legs.

‘Shadow Demon, are you satisfied?’?Han-Yeol asked

[Not enough… I need more… Monster corpses… I’m still hungry…]

‘I wonder how many offerings a more powerful demon would demand if you are already so gluttonous,’?Han-Yeol thought.

The Shadow Demon just ate four Volaxes, but it was still complaining about hunger.

Han-Yeol took Yoo-Bi and Sung-Hwan deeper into the hunting ground, to a spot where the Volaxes usually appeared in large numbers.

Sniff… Sniff… Sniff…!

A massive number of twenty Volaxes picked up the scent of Han-Yeol and his party, and they proceeded to ferociously charge toward them.

“Let it rip, you two!” Han-Yeol shouted.

“Yes, Hunter-nim!” the two Porters replied before they let loose.

Ratatatatata!

There was no such thing as aiming for the Volaxes right now. All the Porters had to do was to shoot whatever that came into view, and this surprisingly worked very well. Almost all of their bullets hit a target because of the sheer numbers of the monsters coming in.

‘Shadow Demon, these are offerings for you,’?Han-Yeol said through telepathy.

[I will take… them… all…]

Shwaaa…!

The Shadow Demon glided through the air toward the monsters, as soon as Han-Yeol pointed at them, just like it did a while ago.

The twenty Volaxes and the Shadow Demon were about to collide any minute now!

However, the Volaxes’ attacks did not work on the Shadow Demon, just as expected.

Grrr…!

The Shadow Demon was alone and not nimble, and the Volaxes came in droves. That was why the demon could not attract the aggro of all of the Volaxes, and some of them came charging toward Han-Yeol and his party.

‘Chain Smite,’?Han-Yeol thought as he threw his chain.

Shwwiiiiik!

Han-Yeol mercilessly unleashed his Chain Smite at the incoming Volaxes.

Bam!

“Kekeng!”

Puek!

“Kekeng!”

Han-Yeol looked like a circus ringmaster, whipping the beasts that were charging at him. It only took a single hit for the Volaxes to die from his chain.

Volaxes were the first monsters Han-Yeol had hunted when he was Level 1, but he was now Level 50. It was rather obvious that these low-tier monsters were not going to be able to withstand the sheer difference in level, coupled with the fact that Han-Yeol was using one of his strongest skills against them.

Baaam!

The five Volaxes, who ignored the Shadow Demon and charged at Han-Yeol and his party, did not even manage to reach them before laying dead on the ground. Their corpses were severely crushed.

“Listen up, you two. Go and retrieve the five Volaxes I killed just now and try dismembering them,” Han-Yeol said.

“Yes, Hunter-nim!” the two enthusiastically replied.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Yoo-Bi and Sung-Hwan immediately got into action and ran as fast as they could to retrieve the five monster corpses. Then, they started to quietly dismember the monster corpses just in case the Shadow Demon was going to shift its attention toward them.

Whiiiiiing!

Of course, there was no way that they could quietly dismember the monster corpses since they had to use power tools to do it.

Shwaa! Shwaa! Shwaa!

The Volaxes tried their best to attack the Shadow Demon. They charged into the demon, bit it, and even kicked it with their short legs, but the only thing they hit was the smoke that the Shadow Demon was made up of.

“Grrr…!”

“Grrr…!”

A monster with a certain amount of intellect would have already noticed that something was wrong, but the sole purpose of the Volaxes’ heads was to support their massive mouth that split into four. These low-intelligence creatures only got more agitated when they discovered that their attacks did not do anything against their target.

Peok! Peok! Peok!

The Shadow Demon used all sorts of methods to execute the Volaxes, and it proceeded to devour them by taking a huge bite out of their flesh. The demon ate its prey in different ways, as if experimenting on the tastiest way it could eat them. Also, the more Volaxes it ate, the more visible its body became.

‘Am I seeing things…?’?Han-Yeol thought.

Ding!

[The Shadow Demon’s level has risen.]

[The Shadow Demon has created a new skill: Shadow Taunt.]

‘What? The Shadow Demon leveled up?’?Han-Yeol thought in surprise at the message.

[Shadow Demon]

Level: 2

Rating: Lowest

Experience: 1/118

Skill: Devour, Shadow Taunt.

‘I can also see the Shadow Demon’s status window…?’?Han-Yeol thought. He originally thought that his game character-like abilities only applied to himself, so he was amazed to discover that his ability could be used toward his summoned creature too.

‘Shadow Taunt?’?Han-Yeol tilted his head in confusion when he read the demon’s new skill. He could not help but be curious about how effective this skill was going to be.

“Sung-Hwan, are there any other packs of Volaxes in the area?” Han-Yeol asked.

“Ah, please give me a moment. I will immediately check for any signs of them,” Sung-Hwan replied. He did not even have time to take a breather after dismembering the monster corpses, because he immediately had to locate another pack of Volaxes under Han-Yeol’s orders. Soon, he reported, “There is a pack of Volaxes about 1.5km north of here.”

“Alright, let’s go there. There’s not much, but load up the Volaxes you have dismembered,” Han-Yeol said.

“Yes, Hunter-nim!” the two enthusiastically replied.

They were running on a very tight schedule, and other Porters would have already started grumbling after being dragged around by Han-Yeol in such a manner. That was because Han-Yeol was not hunting with the widely used format of resting an hour after every monster encounter that the others were using.

However, Yoo-Bi and Sung-Hwan were fresh graduates from the Porter Academy. The only experience they had was from the practical test they had done back at the academy, and this was their first experience out on the field. That was why they had no choice but to move according to how Han-Yeol was moving, and this was the main reason that Han-Yeol had accepted them as his Porters despite them being complete newbies.

They boarded the truck and moved north to where Sung-Hwan had spotted the pack of Volaxes.

Bzzt…!

[Hunter-nim, the Volaxes 3km east of us, not the Volaxes 1.5km north of us, are fast approaching us. We will be making contact with them in ten minutes.]

The Volaxes were not good at suddenly speeding up, but they were able to reach top speed if they continuously ran for a distance. Three kilometers was a distance that would take them less than ten minutes to cover.

“Their numbers?” Han-Yeol asked.

Bzzt…!

[Around fifty, judging by their size, Hunter-nim.]

‘Hmm… Fifty…’?Han-Yeol thought.

It was not a bad number at all. No, in fact, it was the perfect number for Han-Yeol to deal with so that he did not have to trouble himself by going here and there to hunt them down. This was something that made Han-Yeol thankful for these Volaxes charging toward them right now.

Bzzt…!

[Hunter-nim! There is an emergency! The thirty Volaxes 1.5km north of us have changed directions and are now coming toward us!]

Sung-Hwan’s urgent voice conveyed the dire situation they were going to be in. The eighty Volaxes charging toward them was more than enough to strike fear in his heart.

Bzzt…!

[O-Oppa… What should we do…?]

It was Yoo-Bi’s fear-stricken voice that could be heard this time.

Eighty was a massive number enough to be of a threat, even though they were made up of only Volaxes, which was one of the weakest monsters out there. Their sheer number made the two Porters doubt if they could make it out of this alive, and running away was an option that they wanted to take right now.

However, Han-Yeol was not fazed at all. He calmly thought, ‘They’re just Volaxes in the end, even if there are eighty of them.’

He brought the walkie-talkie to his lips and said, “We stop here and face the Volaxes.”

Bzzt…!

[Eh…? I understand, Hunter-nim.]

Sung-Hwan was taken aback by Han-Yeol’s response. He expected Han-Yeol to give the order to retreat, but he had no choice but to comply since it was an order given by a Hunter.

Bzzt…!

[Oppa…]

Yoo-Bi’s worried voice came from the walkie-talkie, whether it was a mistake or on purpose.

Thud…!

Han-Yeol came down from his van, and Yoo-Bi and Sung-Hwan emerged from the truck.

“The two of you will position yourselves on top of the truck. The Volaxes might be fast on the ground, but they are bad at climbing up trees or higher places,” Han-Yeol said.

“Yes, Hunter-nim,” Sung-Hwan replied.

“Alright, oppa,” Yoo-Bi replied.

The two climbed on top of the truck as fast as they could once Han-Yeol gave the order.

Grr…! Grr…!

Soon, the Volaxes could be seen in the distance. They kicked up quite a dust storm, one fitting of a fifty-strong pack.

‘Summon Demon,’?Han-Yeol thought as he dropped his blood on the back of his hand.

Shwaaa…

A cloud of dark smoke rose up and covered the ground before it gathered and rose up.

‘You can stay here and eat the monsters that come here,’?Han-Yeol said.

[Alright…]?

The Shadow Demon stood still and waited for the pack of Volaxes to arrive.

The monsters lived up to their reputation for being fast as they instantly appeared in front of the trio in no time.

Grr…! Woof…! Woof…!

A whopping fifty Volaxes appeared and exuded tremendous pressure despite being low-tier monsters.

However, the Shadow Demon simply raised both of its hands before it shouted.

[Shadow Taunt!]

The Shadow Demon used its newly created skill. Its shadows spread all over the place, and the Volaxes absorbed the shadow into their bodies.

Woof! Woof!

Then, the fifty Volaxes only charged at the Shadow Demon without even sparing a glance at Han-Yeol and his party. In fact, the monsters were lining up behind the other monsters, waiting to have a go at the Shadow Demon.

The remaining Volaxes did not charge at Han-Yeol and his party like the five Volaxes had in their previous combat, and all fifty of them were solely focused on the Shadow Demon alone.

‘T-This is quite amazing…’?Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly.