Leveling Up Alone

Chwak!

White Dragon spread out her wings and flew up into the sky.

The high-ranking hyena sorcerers started getting rowdy after they saw Han-Yeol finally making his move.

[H-He’s finally making a move!]

[Damn it, we’re already in a tight spot right now! How are we supposed to stop that human?!]

[So many of us died at his hands already… This is driving me crazy…]

It would be a different story if they were dealing with Han-Yeol alone, but having to deal with him, who killed three high-ranking sorcerers all alone, while facing the Light Faction Bastro Warriors was a completely different thing.

[We have no other choice now. We must stop him at all costs!]

[A-Alright…]

Ziiiing! Whoosh!

An intermediate-ranking hyena sorcerer cast a spell and attacked Han-Yeol. The Contaminated Spear was the start, and the other intermediate-ranking sorcerers followed suit by bombarding him with all sorts of contaminated spells.

Ting! Ting! Ting!

[What?!]

[I-It didn’t do anything?]

Unfortunately, White Dragon’s barrier blocked their spells before they could get near Han-Yeol. White Dragon had grown stronger alongside Han-Yeol, so her defensive skills could now easily block most of the lower-ranking hyena sorcerers’ spells.

[How impudent. They dare attack me with those pathetic spells of theirs?]

“I think this is an insult to all dragons, right?”

White Dragon was already enraged that the hyena sorcerers were casting weak spells at her, but Han-Yeol went on and added oil to the fire.

“Why don’t you show them what a dragon is capable of? What about a full blast of Shining Breath?”

[You said exactly what I was thinking, Human.]

“Let’s go!”

Whiiiing!

Han-Yeol channeled a huge amount of light attribute mana into White Dragon.

Fwaaaaaaah!

[T-That is!]

[Stop it!]

[B-Barrier of Darkness!]

[Contaminated Barrier!]

[Dark Shield!]

Woooong!

The hyena sorcerers combined their mana to form a powerful, multi-layered barrier.

Krwaaang!

White Dragon’s attack, Shining Breath, crashed into the multi-layered barrier. Unfortunately, the moment the two forces collided, it meant bad news for the Dark Faction.

Fwaaaaah!

Shining Breath smashed through the hyena sorcerers’ defensive spells, triggering a massive blast. The aftermath of the breath attack splashed onto the contaminated creatures on the ground, and this was not a force that they could withstand with their bodies.

Gwuuu ooooh!

The cries of the contaminated creatures reverberated in the air as half of the legion was instantly annihilated with just a single Shining Breath. Quite a few of the contaminated creatures caught up in the blast were elite creatures that the hyena sorcerers cherished.

[I-Impossible…!]

[The legion! The legion is gone!]

The hyena sorcerers might have escaped with their lives, but their legion of contaminated creatures had paid a heavy price. They could not believe that half of their legion was gone in an instant with just a single attack from their enemy.

“Hmm? You didn’t kill as many as I thought you would,” Han-Yeol teased.

[H-Human! Arghhh!]

Han-Yeol and White Dragon were busy bickering while the high-ranking hyena sorcerers were gnashing their teeth at them.

[I will kill that human with my own hands no matter what!]

“Tsk… Hey, I can hear you, you know? Also, can’t you guys come up with something original? All of you said the same things to me. I’m sick and tired of hearing it.”

[Arghhhh!]

The hyena sorcerers’ fury was at its limit, and they continued to use all the secret spells in their arsenal. They summoned the elite contaminated creatures they kept hidden as an ace up their sleeve, poured out immense amounts of contaminated mana to channel powerful offensive spells, and did whatever else they could think of to kill Han-Yeol.

Krwaaang!

[Die! Human!]

Numerous bolts of black lightning came crashing down from the sky, and all sorts of contaminated creatures rushed at Han-Yeol.

Thud!

One such contaminated creature was a massive, thirty-meter-tall giant that attempted to smash Han-Yeol, but it could not take on Han-Yeol as an opponent. He was already powerful enough to defeat the high-ranking hyena sorcerers before, and he had gained one hundred levels and two overpowered weapons that could even threaten the life of the Dragon of Destruction.

Even the high-ranking hyena sorcerers, who enjoyed the title of being the strongest in the Bastro Dimension, were no longer capable of bringing Han-Yeol down. In addition, Han-Yeol was not their only opponent, as dozens of others were fighting alongside him.

Bang! Puuuuk!

[Damn it! Again?!]

The intermediate-ranking hyena sorcerers were not the only ones getting sniped down, as even the high-ranking sorcerers were getting shot in the head and killed too. This was an ironic end to the mighty sorcerers who had struck fear in everyone’s hearts the moment they appeared on the battlefield.

[Damn it! Hurry up and kill him!]

[Y-Yes!]

The intermediate-ranking hyena sorcerers raised their hands and called forth their flying contaminated creatures.

[Go and kill him!]

Kieeeek!

Flap! Flap! Flap!

The flying contaminated creatures followed the intermediate-ranking hyena sorcerers’ commands and flew toward Barshell, who had been relentlessly shooting mana bullets at the sorcerers.

Shwiiiik! Crunch!

Kieeek!

Someone of Barshell’s caliber would not be threatened by mere flying contaminated creatures, but he would still have to waste time killing them, which would reduce the number of times he could shoot at the hyena sorcerers.

However, the flying contaminated creatures could not get anywhere near him, as the Hydra snatched them from the air and devoured or melted them with its poison. The Hydra attacked through numerous methods, but the fact that not a single one of the flying contaminated creatures managed to approach Barshell did not change.

Click. Bang!

Kuheok!

One of the intermediate-ranking hyena sorcerers controlling the flying contaminated creature in hopes of killing Barshell was shot and killed.

In the end, not only Han-Yeol but also a large number of his fellow comrades breached the headquarters' gates.

Thud!

The heavy gates fell to the ground, and a loud thud resonated throughout the headquarters that struck fear in the hyena sorcerers’ hearts while increasing the morale of the Light Faction Bastro Warriors.

[The gates have been breached!]

[Attack!]

[Attaaaack!]

Waaaaah!

The Light Faction Bastro Warriors easily overpowered the contaminated creatures after White Dragon’s breath attack decimated half of the legion. Only a few of the contaminated creatures remained, and their numbers were so negligible that the Light Faction Bastro Warriors could just charge into the gate that had just been destroyed.

[Kill the hyenas!]

[Exterminate them!]

The Light Faction’s morale was now through the roof.

[Damn it! How dare they step foot into our headquarters! This is shameful!]

The high-ranking hyena sorcerers were enraged, but they could not stop the incoming Bastro Warriors. Even the sorcerers' numbers were reduced to less than half, and it only seemed to get worse from here on out.

[Will this be our grave?]

[Hahaha… I thought we would finally become the rulers of this dimension…]

[How can it end like this?!]

[It was a nice dream.]

[Kakaka! I will see you all in hell!]

Sukeok! Puuuk!

Kuheok!

The high-ranking hyena sorcerers could not display their true powers due to the continuous spread of Han-Yeol’s light attribute mana, making them powerless against the top-tier warriors of the Light Faction. In the end, even the last remaining hyena sorcerers were mercilessly killed by Riru.

“Phew! I think we have conquered the walls, right?” Han-Yeol asked White Dragon.

[It seems we did, Human.]

“Hmm… We killed all of the high-ranking hyena sorcerers, but I wonder if they have stronger ones inside.”

[I think so. When I first came here, a powerful mana enveloped this place. I thought it was the mana coming from the high-ranking hyena sorcerers, but it seems that’s not the case. The mana is still as powerful even though all of the high-ranking sorcerers are dead—no, it feels even more powerful now compared to when they were all alive.]

“Sigh… Why is there always one problem after another?” Han-Yeol grumbled.

It somehow felt like there was no end to the fighting no matter how much he fought.

‘I really want to take a break…’

He did take a break from time to time, but this time he wanted to go on a one to two-year vacation and just rest to his heart’s content.

‘I want to go back to Atarinia and soak in its hot springs more than anything else.’

Unfortunately, all of this had to come to an end for him to get the vacation he wanted, and the only way to stop that was to kill the source of this whole mess: Char.

“Let’s go, White Dragon.”

[Sure, Human.]

Chwak!

Han-Yeol could feel on his skin that the end was nearing, and only a few obstacles stood in his path.

***

The hyenas’ headquarters was a city designed like a labyrinth.

‘What the hell? There’s not even that many of them, yet they designed such a complicated city?’ Han-Yeol tilted his head in confusion after seeing the hyenas’ city, but it did not take him long to find out the reason behind it.

Wooong! Kwachik!

[Pyuriya!]

One of the Puma Warriors fell into a hole, and four black spears skewered them.

Kuheok!

Pyuriya managed to escape instant death thanks to the innate tenacity of the Bastrolings, but the Puma Warrior was in very bad shape.

‘A trap?’

Ziiing…!

Han-Yeol aimed his Shoulder Cannons at the Puma Warrior to shoot Healing Bullets.

However, their problems were just getting started.

Krwaaang!

Arghhh!

Acck!

[W-What’s happening?!]

[Where am I?!]

The Light Faction Bastro Warriors plunged into absolute chaos. One trap after another was triggered, causing widespread panic and casualties.

“W-What?!”

[Hmm… So the powerful mana I felt has finally started making a move.]

There was no way Han-Yeol would not have sensed what White Dragon sensed, but that was not the issue right now.

“Damn it! I didn’t think the mana would be coming from traps of all things!”

[They have outsmarted us this time.]

“Damn… What should we do?”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Han-Yeol did not waste time and rapidly fired his Healing Bullets to heal the Bastro Warriors, but the sheer number of traps made it difficult for him to keep up. There were so many traps that the Light Faction was in danger of getting annihilated.

Krwaaaang!

“Huh?”

An earthquake was triggered after the traps activated as if they were programmed to do so, and a thick black fog of contaminated mana filled the city.

Anyone could tell that this was the precursor of something bad about to happen.

[Human.]

“Ah, I think we’re not in a position to leisurely consider the traps right now.”

[I agree. That mana is not normal. There’s something very sinister about it.]

“Riru!”

[Yes yes, Han-Yeol?]

Han-Yeol and Riru were far away from each other, but he could easily talk to her thanks to Mariam’s telepathic network.

“I’ll leave this place to you. I think I’ll have to go into their headquarters as quickly as possible.”

[Yes yes, I got it. Just leave everything here to me.]

“Will you be alright?”

[Harkan.]

“Hmm?”

[I hope you’re not underestimating me right now—are you?]

“Of course not! Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”

[Then just trust me and leave this place to me.]

‘Ah, I made a mistake…’ Han-Yeol thought after realizing that he should reflect on what he had said to Riru.

After all, if he could not trust her with the battlefield, then who could he trust?

“Alright, I’ll leave this place to you,” Han-Yeol said.

[Okay okay.]