Leveling Up Alone

Suddenly, the ground shook, and a dark and sinister mana enveloped the entire village ambushed by the Light Faction.

However, Barshell did not seem surprised despite the appearance of the sinister mana. In fact, he looked happy, as if he was meeting his lover after a very long time.

[So they’re finally here.]

The sinister mana carried a heavy trace of the contamination attribute, and it reanimated the Dark Faction warriors killed in the ambush one by one.

“Gwuu…”

“Gwuuu ooooh…!”

“Krwaaaah!”

The Dark Faction warriors came back to life as something similar to undead monsters. They looked like they had been rotting underground for at least a month despite dying just a few minutes ago.

[Hohoho! These losers dare to try and reclaim their lands back from us?]

[Bahaha! Let’s kill them all and turn them into our puppets!]

The high-ranking sorcerers might have left to pursue Han-Yeol, but that did not mean they left their bases unattended. The intermediate-ranking sorcerers stayed behind just in case the Light Faction decided to raid their bases.

The hyenas did not care whether the Dark Faction warriors died—they simply watched the battle from afar and appeared at their own convenience. They did not consider the Dark Faction Bastrolings as their comrades. They were nothing more than slaves to them.

Thus, they did not care whether their slaves died, as they would serve their purpose in the end by becoming contaminated soldiers and bolstering the hyenas’ legion.

[So three intermediate-ranking sorcerers are guarding this place? That’s too easy.]

[Yes, I agree. How do they plan to stop us with just three intermediate-ranking sorcerers? I believe they are mistaking us for the same ignorant warriors we once were in the past.]

They might be in the same place, but they were no longer the same stubborn and clueless warriors.

[What should we do?]

[Proceed according to the strategy we learned from Harkan-nim.]

The Bastro Warriors spread out the moment Barshell gave the command.

[Yes, Barshell-nim!]

Whoosh! Whoosh!

This was the start of hell for the hyenas.

[Fire!]

The Light Faction warriors appeared in droves and fired their mana firearms, sending a rain of mana bullets at their enemies.

Hundreds of mana bullets rained down in the contaminated legion.

Kireuk!

Gwuu!

Thud!

The contaminated soldiers were similar to zombies portrayed in mainstream media. They would not die unless their heads were destroyed, as the hyena sorcerers could make them regenerate as long as their heads were intact.

[W-What?!]

However, the intermediate-ranking hyena sorcerers were shocked to see their contaminated creatures dropping dead like flies after the mana bullets rained down on them.

The stubborn Bastro Warriors usually never fought that way. Normally, the ignorant warriors stubbornly chose to clash head-on against their enemies regardless of whether they won or not. The hyena sorcerers could produce an almost infinite number of contaminated creatures due to the ignorance of the Bastro Warriors who only knew how to fight.

Therefore, seeing the ignorant warriors suddenly change their fighting style and use strange ranged weapons shocked them.

[T-This isn’t how things are supposed to be…]

The intermediate-ranking sorcerers were at a loss for what to do in the unexpected scenario.

[Argh, we have no other choice but to attack. Kill all the Light Faction Bastrolings in the village first!]

[Good idea! Attack!]

“Gwuu ooooh!”

It was nighttime, so the hyena sorcerers could only see the blue light firing from the village. Thus, they decided to go after those in the village first, as they were closer, rather than those far away.

The contaminated creatures dragged their rotting bodies into the village.

[They’re here.]

[The enemy is here.]

[Spread out!]

[Let’s go!]

However, the Bastro Warriors seemed to have learned and prepared yet another strategy.

[W-What is that?!]

The intermediate-ranking hyena sorcerers were shocked once again. They expected the Bastro Warriors to rush at the contaminated creatures the moment they entered the village, but the warriors instead spread out and hid from the creatures.

The hyena sorcerers were at a loss for what to do at this point. They needed a visual on their target to control their creatures, but that was no longer possible when the Bastro Warriors went into hiding.

They did not need a clear line of sight at their target, as they could just let their contaminated creatures roam freely and attack whatever they found, but there was a clear difference between the creatures fighting on their own and the hyena sorcerers controlling them.

[Damn it. Let’s split up too.]

[Sure.]

[Oh? Should we have a bet on who gets the most kills?]

[That’s a great idea!]

[Okay, that sounds fun.]

The hyena sorcerers had yet to realize the predicament they were in. They even went as far as to start a bet among themselves on killing the most Bastro Warriors.

‘Fools,’ Barshell thought and shook his head.

He could not help but feel ashamed that they had lost the entire dimension to those fools.

‘It might be too late, but allow me to give back the shame of defeat you made us feel,’ Barshell thought as he took out his mana rifle.

He placed his eye behind the scope and calmed his breathing.

“Hoo…”

He carefully aimed at his target and—

Bang!

[Hmm?]

Puuuuk!

One of the hyena sorcerers turned after sensing something coming toward him, but it was too late as the mana bullet pierced right through between his eyes. The mana bullet went through his skull and brain before exiting out the back of his head.

The hyena sorcerer desperately flailed his arms, trying to live, but it soon stopped moving and remained motionless on the ground.

Thud!

Surprisingly, there were no changes to the hyena’s legion even after their commander was assassinated. The contaminated creatures could move even though the sorcerer controlling them died as long as there was contaminated mana around them.

Of course, their combat abilities would drastically reduce once their controlling sorcerer died.

[Nice shot, Barshell-nim.]

The subordinates beside him clapped in awe of his marksmanship once again.

Not many warriors could kill an intermediate-ranking sorcerer in a single shot, and the fact that he could do something like that despite not being a marksman made the marksmen feel ashamed of themselves.

[We will go kill the rest. Let’s go.]

[Yes, Barshell-nim!]

That evening, the three intermediate-ranking sorcerers guarding the village in the western region lost to the Bastro Warriors they looked down on without even putting up a proper fight. The intermediate-ranking sorcerers were powerful enough to make even the best of the Bastro Warriors suffer, but they could not display the same prowess this time as they were helplessly sniped down.

Not a single Bastro Warrior fell in this battle, and this was all thanks to the weapons and strategies that Han-Yeol bestowed upon the Bastrolings.

Barshell’s forces were not the only ones using these weapons and strategies. Even the other Light Faction warriors spread throughout the western region were employing the exact same thing Barshell used in their battle against the Dark Faction.

The intermediate-ranking sorcerers had yet to face a threat from long-range, so they were unable to defend themselves properly from the mana bullets.

The Light Faction Bastro Warriors won a string of easy victories thanks to assassinating the sorcerers from afar, but this was only possible due to the absence of the high-ranking sorcerers. Catching the high-ranking sorcerers off guard and sniping them down with the mana bullets was extremely difficult as they possessed excellent control over their mana.

Four days had passed since the raid on the villages started, and the Light Faction liberated the entire western region from the control of the Dark Faction.

[We will reach the Tree of Beginnings if we proceed further from here.]

[A lot of our warriors are still alive over there. Their numbers plus the survivors on our side will be enough to rebuild our dimension once we get rid of the hyenas. We must make haste before the Tree of Beginnings withers.]

[Yes.]

They targeted the western region first solely to reclaim the areas around the Tree of Beginnings, and things were proceeding smoothly according to plan.

‘This is all thanks to Harkan-nim…’

Every single one of the Bastrolings who went to Earth was aware that the reason they could reclaim the western region was solely due to Han-Yeol.

***

Chaos engulfed the western region, but the only thing in the minds of the high-ranking sorcerers was Han-Yeol, Han-Yeol, and Han-Yeol. They focused on heading to the eastern region just to catch him, as they were confident they could reclaim the lands they lost to the Light Faction without much difficulty.

On the other hand, their lives were in danger if they failed to find and kill Han-Yeol, as they would incur the wrath of Char. Choosing to chase down Han-Yeol was a no-brainer for the high-ranking sorcerers.

Gwuuu oooh!

Kwaaah!

[I’m sleepy…]

[I’m hungry, bro.]

[What? Didn’t we have lunch just a while ago?]

[I’m still hungry.]

The two brothers, Haves and Haruni, were scouting the northern part of the eastern region of the Bastro Dimension.

Both of them were quite capable sorcerers, but they lacked a few things. No one questioned their talents as sorcerers, but they often made foolish choices, causing them to be at the bottom of the hierarchy among the hyenas. However, they did not care whether they were at the top or the bottom of the ladder, as they did not have much desire when it came to things like power or authority.

[I guess we have no choice. Let’s rest and eat here.]

[Alright! Sounds like a good idea!]

Others often questioned how they could become high-ranking sorcerers with their level of intelligence.

The brothers sent their contaminated creatures to scout the perimeters while their Dark Faction slaves served them food and drinks while they relaxed.

Munch! Munch! Munch!

The way they ate looked nothing short of disgusting.

[Brother.]

[Yeah?]

[Do you really think that human is here somewhere?]

[Why are you asking that all of a sudden?]

[I mean, we’ve been searching for four days now, but we’ve found nothing. Even our creatures specializing in tracking targets down have been quiet the entire time. Don’t you think that human has already fled somewhere far?]

[Hmm… That’s a possibility, but what can we do? Besides, even our tracking spells won’t work if he has already left the region, so how can we find him?]

[You’re right, but…]

Munch!

The younger brother, Haruni, continued to munch despite the importance of their conversation. The biggest joy in his life was eating, which was the one thing he would never give up.

Wooong! Wooong! Wooong!

[Hmm? Brother?]

[Why?]

[What’s wrong with that?]

[Huh?]

Haves looked where Haruni was pointing and saw one of their mana detection creatures standing.

The reason Haruni pointed at the creature was simple. The creature was standing still until a while ago, but it started shaking uncontrollably all of a sudden.

[What?! T-That means!]

Haves hurriedly rushed over after realizing that the target they were desperately searching for had finally made his appearance.

Shwiiish!

[Hmm?]

Krwaaaang!

Argh!

Ack!

Unfortunately, the mana-detection contaminated creature reacted a step too late, as hundreds of projectiles rained down upon their position.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Boooom!

Aaargh!

Gwuuu oooh!

Whenever a projectile exploded, dozens of contaminated creatures were obliterated, and the entire area around them was no different from hell.

[W-Where is it coming from?!]

[I have no idea, brother! Where are they shooting us from?!]

[How should I know?!]

Baaam!

Aaaaaack!

Despite being high-ranking sorcerers, they could not spot where the shots were coming from.

Unbeknownst to them, their trial was only getting started.