Leveling Up Alone

Han-Yeol turned and saw the beautiful warrior, Tayarana, showcasing her swordsmanship amongst the group of Banshees.

Whoosh! Sukeok! Sukeok!

Tayarana gracefully wielded her sword, cutting through the Banshees with both grace and viciousness. She relied solely on her brute strength to charge through the monsters, not using a single special skill. It was as if she found the Banshees to be enemies unworthy of her skills.

There were a total of twenty Horus raid party members who had entered the Paradise Field located in Bundang, but only the flashy movements of two individuals were being captured by the camera drones.

When the scene being captured by the camera drones was transmitted to their screens, the viewers’ reactions were simply…

[W-Wow…]

[T-This is not CG right?]

[Is that really the skill of a D-Rank Hunter?]

[On top of that, he is a Healer and a Supporter?]

[Not just an ordinary hunter, but an All-Rounder Hunter...]

[Is that really possible?]

[No way…]

The VIP chat room was in a frenzy as usual.

The viewers had the freedom to choose the camera view of their preference, which allowed them to thoroughly enjoy the battle scenes between Han-Yeol and Tayarana.

It was unfortunate that they were not able to see Tayarana’s face due to the helmet she was wearing, but her fluid and graceful swordsmanship was a stark contrast to the rough and unsophisticated fighting style of the Korean Hunters. This fact made her battles an even more beautiful sight to behold.

[Wow… This is amazing.]

[As expected from the Goddess of Egypt! Her fighting skills are as beautiful as her appearance.]

[Indeed, how happy would I be if I could marry a woman like her?]

[Dream on! Do you really think a Goddess like her would even spare you a glance?]

[If that’s the case then… Did that Hunter Han-Yeol guy save his country in his previous life or what?]

[I’m so damn jealous.]

The chat room was flooded with envy toward the lucky man who had saved his country in his previous life.[1]

The internet was bound to be filled with spiteful and envious comments if an ordinary person went on a date with a celebrity in a reality TV program, but the comments on the channel were on a whole different level. After all, Tayarana was not just a regular celebrity but someone regarded as one of the goddesses of the world.

The spiteful and envious comments continued to flood the chatroom, but Han-Yeol continued to swing his sword and mace whilst remaining oblivious to the online activity.

Puuuk!

“Kieeeek!”

The Banshees were unable to withstand Han-Yeol’s relentless attacks. They fell one by one like dead leaves falling off trees.

Puuuk!

“Kiek!”

The final Banshee fell to the ground as its head was severed by Tayarana’s sword.

Fwaa…

The final Banshee turned into a cloud of smoke as it vanished, leaving behind a spirit stone and an Angel Shard in its place. Of course, the Angel Shard was only visible to Han-Yeol.

‘Hohoho! Great! Excellent!’ Han-Yeol thought excitedly.

Han-Yeol had done his best to attack as many Banshees as possible even if he hadn’t been able to kill them all, and his efforts brought about huge returns. Eleven Angel Shards had been dropped by the eleven Banshees he had attacked and killed.

Han-Yeol quickly glanced around to confirm that nobody was watching him, and then he used his Psychokinesis skill to collect all eleven shards. At that moment, he suddenly wondered, ‘Hmm, I’m not sure how many more I'll need, but I hope I’ll be able to collect all of them by the end of this hunt.’

It was something Han-Yeol had to take seriously. After all, this specific contract was something that involved a devil.

***

‘Hmm, Status Window,’ Han-Yeol called up his stats.

Name: Lee Han-Yeol

Level: 105

Points: 10

STR: 177

VIT: 164

AGI: 151

MAG: 275+71

LCK: 10

Invoke: 150

Skills: Dismember (C), [Sword Mastery (M) : Flash Strike (C), Head Cutter (E)], [Walking (M) : Mana Pouch (E)] Mana Control (A), Mana Mastery (A), Six-Sense (B), Restrain (A), Body Strengthening (A), Stab (A), Dagger Mastery (E), Chain Mastery (M), Infinite Library (M), Shield Bash (A), Fire Attribute (A), Mana Explosion (B), Chain Smite (A), Marksmanship (A), Martial Arts (A), Enchant (B), Sword Breathe (B), Restore (C), Healing Bullet (D), Enhance Healing (D), Summon Demon (D), Telepathy (B), Power Meditation (D), Psychokinesis (D), Force Shield (C), Cat Walk (D), Mana Absorption (C), Demon Eye (D), Mana Strengthening (E), Mana Bullet (E), Enhance (E), Item Appraisal (F), Translation (F).

Han-Yeol carefully looked over his status window. His skills had become so much more complex and diverse compared to when he had first awakened, so he had to carefully study each and every one of his skills to understand and maximize their capabilities.

‘As expected, the leveling speed has really slowed down after I reached Level 100,’ Han-Yeol thought.

The Horus raid party, which had been hunting for nearly twenty-four hours, was now taking a break at the safe zone. This was after they had hunted ten more times and had taken down nearly one hundred monsters.

However, Han-Yeol had only managed to increase his level by two. This could not really be counted as gaining two whole levels, since his experience bar had been almost full and he had leveled up on the third hunt, and the second level up had required almost eighty monsters, which had been around the seventh hunt.

Woooong…!

This hunting ground’s safe zone was a safe zone only by name as the evil aura that affected one’s mental state persisted even within it. Ordinary people like the Mulan film crew and the Porters would have descended into madness and committed suicide a long time ago if it was not for the special earplugs and bracelet Han-Yeol had borrowed from the association.

‘Something feels off about this hunting ground… Why is it emitting such a powerful and evil presence despite being only rated as intermediate to high in difficulty?” Han-Yeol wondered.

It was quite rare for a hunting ground to be filled with such intense and malevolent energy even at the higher levels, and it seemed as if there was an intangible force preventing both the public and Hunters from entering it.

‘The only reason for preventing outsiders from entering this area with such aggression must mean that there is something worth protecting here,’ Han-Yeol concluded after much contemplation. He then thought, ‘I wonder if there is a valuable treasure being guarded somewhere around here…?’

Han-Yeol’s conclusion that there was a force protecting this hunting ground due to the presence of a treasure was quite plausible. There had been precedents of hunting grounds hiding treasures within them being found all over the world and more were still being uncovered to this day.

A prime example of these kinds of fields was found in Egypt, the home country of the Horus raid party that Han-Yeol had recently joined.

Egypt heavily relied on its oil revenue and geographical advantage to boost its GDP before the Dimensional Gates appeared. However, the country rapidly rose among the ranks of countries despite still facing political and religious turmoil. It even surpassed other developed nations after the Dimensional Gates’ appearance thanks to the countless unique items discovered in their hunting grounds.

‘But hasn't this field already been thoroughly searched?’ Han-Yeol thought as he doubted his own conclusion.

The discovery of various treasures from regions where ancient civilizations once thrived such as Egypt, Greece, Babylon, the Inca Empire, and others sparked a worldwide modern-day ‘gold rush’ to uncover hidden riches as people from all over the world were eager to dive into these once ancient lands in pursuit of valuable treasures and riches.

Of course, Korea was not left behind as it also conducted various explorations within its own borders.

‘Well… They did find numerous unique items in places like the Baekje Historic Areas[2] and Gyeongju,’ Han-Yeol thought.

Master Hunter Hee-Yeon, one of Korea’s top Hunters, carried three blades, and one of these blades was known to be a unique item called Chil-Jido, which had been discovered in the Baekje Historic Areas.

Unfortunately, only a small number of treasures had ultimately been discovered in Korea, and the trend eventually fizzled out. This did leave many Korean Hunters disappointed.

‘But could there really be a possibility for such a treasure to be in here?’ Han-Yeol wondered.

Most of the hunting grounds had already been searched as far as he knew, and it was unlikely that any unique items were going to be found in more common areas such as this place. Still, he thought, ‘Well… I’ll have to search alone the next time I pass by this place.’

Of course, it was not going to be feasible for him to conduct a search at the moment.

It was not that Han-Yeol was patriotic and did not want to share the potential treasure with the Egyptian hunters. It was just that he had no justification for requesting their assistance without any information or evidence of a treasure given the potential dangers and risks involved.

Han-Yeol thought it would be wise to wait until he had raised his level a bit more before going on a treasure hunt.

While Han-Yeol was sitting on the rubble of a destroyed building while being lost in his thoughts, Yoo-Bi approached him and asked, “What are you doing here, oppa?”

“Oh, hi Yoo-Bi,” Han-Yeol replied.

Yoo-Bi then poured a hot cup of coffee for Han-Yeol. She said, “Here, take this.”

“Thank you,” Han-Yeol replied as he gratefully accepted the hot cup of coffee.

It was a chilly autumn day, and the strange noises filling the Paradise Field made the place feel even colder than usual. That was why Yoo-Bi had brought the hot coffee in a mana-coated thermos container to keep it warm.

Slurp…

Han-Yeol drank the coffee and exclaimed, “Ahh~ That feels really good.”

Han-Yeol was no longer susceptible to hot or cold temperatures after awakening as a Hunter, since his mana helped regulate his body temperature. Still, he appreciated the warm sensation of the hot coffee as it flowed down his throat and spread warmth throughout his body.

“Thank you very much for your hard work today,” Yoo-Bi said.

“Not at all. You worked harder than me today, Yoo-Bi. You worked as a Porter and as the MC of the broadcast,” Han-Yeol replied as he spared no praise for Yoo-Bi. He then chuckled.

“It is not a big deal, you know… I mean, I had a lot of fun too, thanks to our viewers. A childhood dream of mine was to become a famous architect and a celebrity. I am just glad that it came true even if it is just going to be for a little while,” Yoo-Bi said with a smile as she held onto the hot cup of coffee with both hands.

Han-Yeol might have no problem with the weather, but Yoo-Bi was just an ordinary person who did her best to assist the hunt as one of the Porters. This hunting ground was a vicious and cold place filled with evil spirits, so she was severely affected by the cold chilling atmosphere.

In fact, most of the ordinary people who had come along to assist the Hunters had to sleep with a heater inside their tents. They had to warm themselves at night due to the cold climate of the hunting ground, and this was one of the main reasons why they did not hunt at night and instead took a break at the safe zone. The harsh cold night of the Paradise Field was difficult for ordinary people to endure.

Not only that, but the viciousness of the evil aura also grew much stronger at night compared to during daytime, and the bodies of the Porters and the film crew grew visibly sluggish even with the bracelets’ protection. In fact, some of the weaker ones among the crew had started to display signs of hallucinations because of the amplified evil aura at night.

‘Hmm…’ Han-Yeol thought for a moment before he used his Psychokinesis skill.

Whoosh…! Tak! Tak!

Han-Yeol used his skill to gather dead wood from the surrounding area, then he stacked them on top of each other. He used his Enchant skill to set the stack of firewood ablaze. He did all of this because he noticed Yoo-Bi was shivering from the cold.

“Wow!” Yoo-Bi exclaimed in amazement.

She had only seen Han-Yeol use his skills while hunting, so she was surprised to see him using them in such a practical way up close.

“It’s nothing special. I do this all the time,” Han-Yeol muttered in embarrassment while awkwardly scratching his cheek.

He rarely utilized his Psychokinesis skill in his daily life despite having it as he had not developed the habit of using it. However, he had been trying to practice using it as often as he could in recent days. Some might call him out for being lazy, using his ability to move objects a short distance away without moving an inch himself, but regularly using his skills was one of the fastest ways he could increase their proficiency. In the end, the term lazy was not something that could be used to label Han-Yeol, who constantly faced death during his hunts.

Han-Yeol and Yoo-Bi were able to have a pleasant conversation after a long time thanks to the campfire that not only warmed their bodies but also provided a cozy atmosphere.

“One of your viewers was really envious and asked how you could be with both the princess and me at the same time. They even jokingly said that you must have been General Lee Sun-Shin[3] in your past life to be so lucky,” Yoo-Bi said with a chuckle.

“Oh, really?” Han-Yeol replied in amusement.

“Yes, aside from that, there were numerous absurd and funny comments as well,” Yoo-Bi added.

There were a lot of things that Yoo-Bi wanted to share regarding the various funny comments she had received from the viewers while working as the main MC for Han-Yeol’s channel. In fact, there had been a broadcast where she had failed to hold her laughter in and had ended up bursting into laughter. That was because the viewers had kept posting joke after joke in the chat room.

“Hehe, there were so many funny people watching,” Yoo-Bi said with a giggle.

Han-Yeol was able to keep the conversation alive and interesting. This was thanks to his eccentric sense of humor that came out after he had decided to not pursue his romantic feelings toward Yoo-Bi, and they were able to have a hearty and comfortable relationship because of it. As a result, their relationship deepened even further, but it was the type where anyone who saw it would probably mistake them as close siblings instead.

Thus, the night of the Horus raid party came to an end.

***

The next morning, the Horus raid party started taking down their base camp within the safe zone as soon as dawn broke and the vicious evil spirits had dissipated. There was no time to mess around as they were here to hunt and not play.

[Come on, people! Move it!] Mariam ordered.

[Yes, ma’am!]

Mariam sent mental messages to every single one of the Horus raid party members through telepathy, and her tone was quite aggressive. This time, her telepathy was seemingly striking them right on the head. However, Han-Yeol and his party had been left out of this telepathic ‘attack’.

Mariam was the unofficial second-in-command of the raid, but Han-Yeol was still higher in rank as the official Vice-Commander of the current Horus raid party. Also, there was no longer a need to communicate with him telepathically as he could now speak Arabic, and it was going to be rather rude for Mariam to communicate with him in that manner.

Of course, Mariam had to communicate with him through telepathy during combat as every second counted in those kinds of situations, but she was smart enough to know that she had to be courteous toward someone superior in rank during non-combat situations. And in this case, Han-Yeol was ranked higher than her.

1. The term ‘save one’s country in their previous life’ is a Korean saying to refer to a person who becomes unbelievably lucky. It is believed that good deeds from one’s previous life will build up karma for their next life. ☜

2. Baekje Historic Areas is a cluster found in three cities, and these were the remnants left behind by the ancient kingdom of Baekje. Baekje is one of the three kingdoms of Korea. More information here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baekje_Historic_Areas ☜

3. General Lee is the national hero of South Korea that protected the country against hundreds of enemy fleets with only seven boats. More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yi_Sun-sin ☜