Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 484: China, here I come! (3)

All of the broadcasters and newspaper outlets with their cameras were lined up along the route to capture this spectacle. Whether it was live video, screen recording, or photography, they were all focused on capturing this moment. Not only reporters but also BJs, streamers, and even ordinary people were capturing it all in videos and photos for the memories.

‘When will we ever get the chance to see something like this again?’

There were many localized battles and massacres between monsters and Hunters, but very few wars or battles were really heartwarming.

Hunters usually only hunted monsters at a level where they could be hunted. For monsters that were difficult to hunt, they used the cowardly tactic of clawing away at the monster’s stamina bit by bit as much as possible. However, no one would blame them for doing so. There was nothing more precious in the world than one’s own life, and that was the best way to protect it.

However, after a while, the general public no longer liked ordinary Hunters and didn’t cheer or rave about them. Then, a Hunter named Han-Yeol emerged in the media, challenging the impossible alone and facing monsters head-on instead of attacking them bit by bit. His courageous approach earned him cheers and acclaim, rapidly boosting his popularity.

Yet, his rise to stardom wasn’t solely due to his strength. In addition, the threat of a large-scale war, a conflict lost in modern times, was about to be repeated under Han-Yeol’s leadership.

A hundred thousand-strong Black Orc army! While a hundred thousand may not seem that significant, the formation stretched into an incredibly long line when organized into ten-row columns.

“Kheee!”

Arrogantly surveying the Black Orc Horde from midair, Han-Yeol perched atop Mavros' neck. Mavros had undergone a two-step transformation, and he was growing into a giant.

Of course, this was all staged for the reporters’ cameras. Next to him was the real vampire lord, his face covered in bruises with a tissue stuffed up his nostrils.

[Isn’t using violence right away like that a bit much?]

He was the vampire lord leading the Kasha family in the demon world. Lord Kasha was normally very charismatic. He grumbled as he took the raw egg Han-Yeol handed him and rubbed the bruises on his face with it. Han-Yeol beat him so badly that the majestic charisma he displayed upon his arrival completely disappeared.

Han-Yeol shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, if I hadn't beaten you, you would’ve acted all cocky, calling me your race’s enemy. Am I wrong?”

[...]

Lord Kasha was incredibly frustrated since Han-Yeol was right about everything he’d said.

In fact, the violence Han-Yeol inflicted on Lord Kasha was incredibly brutal. This was because Han-Yeol had grown to love fighting after living as Harkan. He also had given up his battle with Count Dracula to Tia, so he took out his remaining anger on Lord Kasha.

Of course, Lord Kasha didn’t simply let this happen. Like Count Dracula, he tried to use all of his vampire skills to counteract Han-Yeol’s attacks as much as he could. But obviously, when Lord Kasha crossed over to the human world from the demon world, a great deal of his powers were sealed away. Han-Yeol, on the other hand, had learned all about vampire fighting styles based on the fight between Tia and Count Dracula.

In addition, since Han-Yeol also possessed the blood attribute, Lord Kasha couldn’t utilize the unique benefits of the blood attribute on him.

The biggest problem was that the basic effect of Demonic Aura, a skill Lucifer had given him, boosted his own abilities against demons and lowered those of his opponents. With this crazy combination of skills, Lord Kasha was well recognized in the demon world, but he couldn’t do anything to Han-Yeol. He had to take whatever attacks were thrown at him as they were.

“This made it very easy for me to subdue you.”

[...Ugh.]

Lord Kasha had nothing to say about that part.

At the time, he was in so much pain and worried that he might turn into dust that he even gave Han-Yeol his blood allegiance.

What was a blood allegiance? If liches had life force vessels, then vampires had blood allegiance.

When a vampire gave their blood allegiance to another being, it was a pledge of loyalty. Most vampires gave their blood allegiance to Lucifer, but the Kasha family hadn’t yet decided on their master. Yet, he had somehow succumbed to violence and taken a mere mortal, not even a Great Demon, as his master.

‘If this was the demon world!’

Grrr!

Lord Kasha gritted his teeth, but he did it discreetly, afraid of getting beaten again.

“Kasha, there’s no way I’m going to the demon world, so give up.”

[Ah, y-yes!]

Lord Kasha had been fuming at Han-Yeol's words, but he was forced to become a gentle lamb once again. Instead, he pouted and expressed his dissatisfaction as quietly as he could.

***

Just like that, Han-Yeol led an army of a hundred thousand Black Orcs toward the north.

The problem was that China wasn’t directly in the north. But, there was one country before China.

North Korea.

The North Korean government went ballistic as Han Yeol approached the border with his hundred thousand Black Orc Horde. Normally, they would have mobilized all their armies and Hunters to stop him from crossing the border.

What kind of crazy country would turn a blind eye to another country's Hunters mobilizing a hundred thousand troops to trample on its border?

However, the current situation in North Korea wasn’t so good.

Kwangg!

“What the hell are you guys doing? The most troublesome of all reactionaries in the south, Lee Han-Yeol, is trying to cross the sacred borders of our republic!”

“I-I apologize, chairman…”

Beyond the three-generation succession, North Korea's fifth-generation chairman of the People's Assembly, Kim Ja-Pyeong, slammed the desk and scolded the party leadership and bureaucrats harshly, but that didn't mean a solution would suddenly emerge out of nowhere.

North Korea’s biggest problem right now was the lack of Master-Rank Hunters.

Other establishments could be resorted to somehow, even if it was difficult, but the loss of a Master-Rank Hunter to the Minocentaurs’ combination was tantamount to the loss of the country’s own driving force.

“Haa.”

Plop.

Chairman Kim Ja-Pyeong sank back into his seat. He no longer had the energy to even remain angry.

Honestly, the reason he was still sitting as the supreme leader of North Korea was that there was no strength left in the North Koreans or the North Korean army to revolutionize. There had to be some sort of hope or sense of purpose to revolutionize, but without a leader who could inspire such a sense of purpose, the North Koreans were simply living because they couldn’t die.

However, the problem was that now the command system of the North Korean leadership no longer extended throughout the entirety of North Korea. Some big cities were under control, but there were more and more lawless areas.

“Is there really no way…”

“To be honest, even if there were two generals of the People's Army (Marshal of the People's Army = North Korean Master-Rank) Kang Dong-ji (Kang Dong-ji = North Korean Hunter), they could not stop the southern reactionary, Lee Han-Yeol. They could only give way to him in one way or another.”

“Ugh!”

Kim Ja-Pyeong’s face was filled with humiliation.

In the past, he had been taught that the republic had suffered many humiliations for failing to become self-sufficient. But in the Mana Stone Age, self-sufficiency was possible, and the republic could survive without relying on other nations.

However, it was infuriating that the republic had to engage in such humiliating diplomacy because it couldn't undo the harm that monsters like the Minocentaurs had caused.

Just then, the conference room door slammed open.

Bang!

A young soldier in a yellow military uniform rushed in.

“Chairman, we’re in trouble!”

“What is it?”

His instructions were to report anything that happened immediately, so no one said anything when he burst through the door in the middle of the meeting.

“Reactionary Lee Han-Yeol just crossed the armistice line.”

“What!”

Thud!

Chairman Kim Ja-Pyeong jumped to his feet in surprise at his subordinate’s report, knocking his chair over in the process. His body was shaking with rage.

“D-Damn it…”

The other party officers in the room couldn’t hide their shock either.

“I didn’t think Lee Han-Yeol would act so shamelessly…”

“How could he cross the border of another country without warning or prior notice like this…”

“Huh!”

The party officers were all busy cursing and clicking their tongues at Han-Yeol, but no one was willing to step forward to stop him because they were all scared to lose their lives.

However, it also didn’t make sense to criticize them because when Chairman Kim Ja-Pyeong selected the party officers, he only picked those who knew their lives were precious to prevent betrayal in the first place.

“Ugh! So how did the border guards react to the people around them?”

The water had already been spilled, so Kim Ja-Pyeong decided to focus on minimizing the aftermath as much as possible.

“T-That’s…”

The young soldier couldn't answer Chairman Kim’s question easily.

“Did you not hear my question?”

“I-I apologize! I was hesitant to report this because it’s not a very good report.”

“What?”

Chairman Kim looked confused for a moment at the young soldier’s response.

After a moment, the young soldier finally spoke, and after hearing all of it, Chairman Kim eventually collapsed while grabbing the back of his neck.

***

The young soldier reported that wherever Han-Yeol marched, the public and the People's Army would come out to welcome and praise him. This was because Han-Yeol had prepared food and other necessities in advance and handed them out to the North Koreans.

In the Oil Age, they received aid from international organizations, but in the Mana Stone Age, there was none because they were self-sufficient. The North Korean government had given up as well, so for the North Koreans who were on the verge of death, Han-Yeol's help was like a shower of blessings.

As a result, Han-Yeol was like a god to the North Koreans.

“Haha, taking over a country in a total disaster like this is a piece of cake.”

The old Han-Yeol would have never made such a decision.

It was only possible because he had lived as Harkan and lived through a war of conquest.