Leveling Up Alone

Han-Yeol raised a brow at Haverus’s words and wondered, ‘Does this guy seriously think he has the upper hand just because his body can recover?’

Han-Yeol was annoyed that Haverus could regenerate, but that did not mean his ability was threatening.

Haverus might be stronger than White Dragon due to her sealed powers, but he was no match against Han-Yeol. Han-Yeol had continued to train even after he became a Transcendent Master-Rank Hunter, and his level was now a whopping 610.

‘It’s different from when I was Harkan. My level at that time might have been higher, but the number of skills I possess and the bonus points I gain every time I level up make all the difference. I might only be Level 610, but I’ve already recouped my powers from when I was Harkan,’ Han-Yeol thought.

He was still incomparably weaker than when he was Harkan in terms of physical capabilities. He knew that Harkan’s physical abilities were a gift from god, and Harkan was more like a monster than a beast because of that. However, Han-Yeol did not rely on his physical capabilities like Harkan. He relied on his skills in battle, and his ability to combine and use his massive arsenal of skills was his true strength.

Han-Yeol also diligently leveled up his existing skills and acquired new ones in the process. Thus, he effectively closed the gap with Harkan despite being almost two hundred levels behind.

‘As expected, my ability to gain skills is much more overpowered than leveling up.’ Han-Yeol felt he was just reaching his true potential.

[Eat this!]

Chwak!

Han-Yeol noticed that Haverus’s mana started rampaging right after his body completely regenerated, causing the high-ranking sorcerer’s body to become explosively stronger.

Boom!

Haverus moved at the speed of sound. Unfortunately, Han-Yeol possessed the skill called Sixth Sense. His opponent could move as fast as they wanted, but they could not escape his senses.

Shwak!

The bone whip flew toward Han-Yeol, but he easily caught it with Sixth Sense.

‘Hmph!’ Han-Yeol scoffed.

Whoosh!

[What?!]

Han-Yeol easily dodged the bone whip by jumping to the side, causing Haverus to be shocked. The high-ranking sorcerer moved quickly, confident that his movement was too fast for the arrogant human to notice. Yet, it felt like the human could read every single one of his movements.

Han-Yeol smirked.

‘That’s why you guys can’t make it,’ Han-Yeol thought.

Ironically, there was no difference between Haverus and Dr. Santinora. Both of them lived their entire lives using their brains and delegated most physical tasks to their underlings, so there was no way they could suddenly become warriors just because they transformed into one.

[Argh!]

‘Explosion!’

Chwak!

Han-Yeol cut Haverus’s waist and used Explosion. Then, he used that split-second opening to appear behind the high-ranking sorcerer.

Bam!

[Arghhhh!]

The massive explosion dealt significant damage to Haverus. However, Haverus’s corrupt mana protected him, so he did not suffer any lethal damage even though there was a gaping hole on his side.

However, he was still in agony. Although the fire attribute was not as powerful as the light attribute, the fire element countered the hyena’s mana.

[Ugh…]

Haverus groaned in agony while clutching his side, but he did not take out a syringe and inject himself with the strange liquid again.

‘Damn it. I only have three injections, so I can’t afford to waste it on something like this!’ Haverus growled inwardly.

The syringes were truly a technological marvel, but they were still consumables. He could not recklessly use them whenever he wanted to, but rather, he had to use one at the most optimal time to maximize its effects.

The side of his body burning didn’t warrant using the precious syringe. He considered the injury not to be grave enough.

‘Hmm… Now I’m certain he has a limited number of injections, and he probably doesn’t have enough to use on that kind of injury,’ Han-Yeol thought.

He purposely held back and dealt just enough damage that was neither lethal nor too weak to test whether the syringes Haverus possessed were limited or not, and it turned out that he had been right all along.

‘Alright. I have no idea where you’re hiding them, but I’ll take whatever you have left.’

If there was something he coveted more than skills, then those were good items. An item capable of restoring a body that had more than a third of it blown away was nothing short of a treasure, and it would be strange for him not to covet such a thing.

‘He probably has around three syringes, right?’

Surprisingly, Han-Yeol’s guess was right on the money.

‘Well, he might have more with him, but they usually only carry three of those elixir-like potions in fantasy novels. I’m not sure if there’s something with the number three…’

Han-Yeol decided to take Haverus’s syringes and use them for himself.

‘Alright, it’s time to stop these games and start getting serious.’

Wooong!

The Light Exorcist Sword appeared in his hand. Fighting against ordinary monsters with his Jabberwock Sword and Jabberwock Chain was more effective, as the Light Exorcist Sword did not have that much attack power.

However, it was a different story when he was facing the hyenas empowered by the Dragon of Destruction. It might have been a pre-planned twist of fate or a pure coincidence, but his light attribute proved lethal against the hyenas.

[Hmph! My mana will easily overpower that sword made of light!]

Haverus had already tasted Han-Yeol’s light attribute, so he was familiar with its strength. However, he was confident he could easily withstand the light attribute after using his secret spell that turned him into a fully-fledged warrior.

Bam!

Gwuuuoooh!

Haverus cried out and went on the offensive.

“Tsk. Why so impatient? Let’s go, White Dragon!”

[You better trust me this time, human!]

Chwak!

White Dragon was still annoyed at Haverus’s arrogance, but she decided to set her feelings aside and focus on flying to support Han-Yeol.

[Haste, Eagle Eye, Light Refraction.]

She used various buffs on herself and flew at speeds that were impossible for anyone to follow with their eyes.

[Thirty degrees to the right.]

‘Okay! Thanks!’

Clang!

Thanks to the buffs, White Dragon and Han-Yeol easily blocked Haverus’s attack.

[What?! How did you?!]

“Hey, I’m just getting started.]

[What?!]

Chwak! Chwak!

[Arghhhh]!

Ten tentacles suddenly shot out from Han-Yeol’s back. Two of the tentacles stabbed Haverus’s chest while the rest constricted his arms, legs, and neck.

[W-What are you doing to me?!]

“You probably don’t know what this is.”

[Damn it!]

Slice!

Han-Yeol decapitated Haverus with the Light Exorcist Sword just in case he had other tricks up his sleeves. The high-ranking sorcerer’s filthy head dropped to the ground and rolled a few meters.

‘It’s over,’ Han-Yeol thought.

However, he knew the hyena sorcerers would not die just because they were decapitated. They could still come back to life as long as they found a new body to attack their heads, but all he had to do was make sure there were no suitable bodies nearby. Otherwise, no other sorcerer would come to his rescue.

In other words, things looked bleak for Haverus.

[Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!] Haverus screamed uncontrollably.

“Haha! So pathetic!” Han-Yeol exclaimed with a laugh.

[Yes, I agree.]

Karvis scoffed at Haverus too.

Han-Yeol’s tentacles suddenly started moving on their own once again.

Kwachik! Kwachik!

‘Hmm?’ Han-Yeol raised a brow when he saw his tentacles devouring Haverus’ headless body.

‘Eh? They’re eating that filthy thing?’

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

The tentacles voraciously munched through the high-ranking sorcerer’s body.

“Huh? Wait a minute…” Han-Yeol muttered. Then, he used Demon Eyes and analyzed the patterns in Haverus’s body.

Surprisingly, Haverus’s body was not filled with filthy mana but with clear, pure mana that belonged to the Kreviks.

“What’s going on here?” Han-Yeol muttered, perplexed at what he was seeing.

[I-I am confused too. How can a contaminated body full of that filthy mana suddenly get purified just because it was decapitated? That mana is closer to the natural mana found in nature rather than the mana possessed by the Kreviks.]

“Huh? Is it that pure?” Han-Yeol asked, slightly surprised by what Karvis said.

The mana he inspected with Demon Eyes was pure and clean, but he was unsure if it was similar to the purest form of mana found in nature.

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim.]

“Whoa…”

Whoosh! Thud!

“What’s wrong, master?”

Tia suddenly landed beside Han-Yeol after making easy work of the contaminated creatures Haverus summoned.

“Ah, t-that is…” Han-Yeol tried to explain what was happening, but even though he was in disbelief, he decided to point at Haverus’s headless body and let the scene explain itself.

“Hmm? What’s that–eh?” Tia muttered a strange sound while tilting her head in confusion.

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

The red tentacles sprouting from Han-Yeol’s back were busy devouring Haverus’s headless body, but they were devouring it quite slowly, unlike their usual speed.

“Master.”

“Yeah?”

“That’s the hyena’s body you were fighting against earlier, right?”

“Yes, I’m one hundred percent sure.”

“Then why is it pure all of a sudden?”

“Beats me. That’s something I was wondering about too,” Han-Yeol replied, scratching the back of his head.

Both were confused about what was happening, but Han-Yeol did not dwell on the matter for too long.

“Ah, forget about it. What’s the point of thinking about it? Yes, it’s fascinating indeed, but that doesn’t mean it’s of any help to me,” Han-Yeol grumbled, sounding frustrated.

“Hmm… I agree with you, master. Oh, right, I forgot to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“Do you remember that strange, contaminated creature?”

“Yeah, but isn’t that thing dead already?”

“Unfortunately, it isn’t.”

“Eh?” Han-Yeol was flustered by Tia’s response.

A contaminated creature was bound to die even if it was not killed after the hyena sorcerer controlling it ran away or died.

“So you’re telling me it ran away?”

“Yeah, it did. It ran really fast, and even that winged human and I couldn’t catch up to it.”

“Whoa? Is that even possible?”

Tayarana and Tia were not ones to lose in a contest of speed.

However, Tia simply nodded to confirm that they indeed had lost.

She wanted nothing more than to capture that creature and carefully study it to see where it got its speed from, but she decided to put it off for later.

“Ah, forget about that too. Hey, tentacles, I have no idea what you guys are doing, but make sure you don’t leave any of the sorcerers behind!”

Wooong!

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

The tentacles were eating slower than usual as Han-Yeol limited the amount of mana he injected into them. He thought he could find something out if the tentacles ate slowly, but he decided to give up on finding anything out this time.

He cranked up the mana supply for the tentacles and let them devour the headless body. The tentacles instantly responded as if they had been waiting for the restriction to be lifted, and they started devouring Haverus’s body like a pack of hungry beasts.

‘So that creature that ran away… I have a bad feeling about this…’ Han-Yeol thought.

He felt an incoming migraine because of the single contaminated creature that got away, but he decided there was nothing he could do about it, so he just let it be for now.

[Human! I’m going to curse you to eternal damnation, human! You will die a horrible death!]

“Geez… So noisy… Why the hell is he so loud when he lost?” Han-Yeol grumbled.

“Hmm, the hyenas seem to be similar in this aspect, master,” Tia added.

“I think they were? Actually, I’m not so sure.”

“Hoho~ Do you want me to kill him for you?”

“No, I’ll kill him myself.”

“Oh~ Master is so greedy!”

“Hey, I’m the one that caught him, remember?”

“Did you?”

“Yeah.”

“Hoho!”

Han-Yeol and Tia chatted leisurely, just like they always did after a battle.