Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 366 – Craspio vs. Lee Han-Yeol (2)

Did he spare any innocent lives among those he killed? Han-Yeol knew that was highly unlikely, acknowledging the multitude of innocent lives taken back then.

'That’s not funny, even as a joke.'

[Well, I agree with you.]

Chwak!

'Chwiiiik!'

Despite the Black Orcs stubbornly continuing their siege on Nagoya, the city defended by the Bastro Warriors steadfastly refused to fall.

Puuuk!

“Kuheok!”

“Icha!”

Clang!

A Black Orc's glaive pierced through the abdomen of one of the defenders—a human, not a Bastro Warrior. His nearby comrade blocked the Black Orc's follow-up attack and hastily pulled him back.

“Cough!”

“Icha! Are you alright?”

“T-This is nothing... Kuheok!”

It was evident that the weakest link in Han-Yeol’s forces was the Gurkha raid party, suffering numerous casualties against the Black Orcs from time to time.

Unlike ordinary orcs, the Black Orcs were typically intermediate or low-ranking monsters, yet even their weakest members were at least intermediate rank. Their intelligence rendered them formidable opponents in hand-to-hand combat.

Though the Gurkhas had undergone intense training as elite soldiers and had become even stronger after awakening as Hunters, they found themselves unable to overcome the difference in both quality and quantity against the orcs.

Shwooong... Shwaak!

“Kuheok!”

The injured Gurkha was struck by a sudden ball of white mana that seemingly appeared out of thin air, and his wounds were instantaneously healed.

“I-I’m alive!”

“As expected of Han-Yeol-nim!”

Han-Yeol had been healing numerous Gurkhas up to this point, and Icha, the Gurkha currently healed, wasn't the first beneficiary of his abilities.

While some might attribute their surprise to a lack of knowledge or experience as Hunters, the reality was that even the most seasoned among them would be taken aback by such long-range healing skills, as they were exceedingly rare.

Another Hunter capable of performing what Han-Yeol just did was likely the current Pope of Vatican City, a Master Rank Hunter awakened with three healing and buff skills. Known as Marco the Third, he was an exceptionally potent Healer, considered the mightiest pope in Vatican history. He was said to continuously buff and heal all allies within a specific radius around him.

However, this did not place him above Han-Yeol due to a significant difference between them. Pope Marco was a designated Healer, whereas Han-Yeol possessed healing skills without being categorized as a Healer. Moreover, Han-Yeol's ability allowed him to heal distant targets as long as he had a clear line of sight to them.

The Gurkha raid party's morale surged, buoyed by Han-Yeol’s miraculous healing abilities.

“For Han-Yeol-nim!”

“I’ll stake my life for Han-Yeol-nim!”

“Chaaaarge!”

The Gurkha raid party members charged the Black Orcs with their Kukris.

Kaboom!

An explosion erupted in the rear lines of the Black Orcs.

Ding!

[Your level has risen.]

Han-Yeol leveled up to Level 419, gaining several levels while reclaiming and defending Nagoya.

‘Yes!’

While Han-Yeol observed the ongoing war between his forces and the Black Orcs, he was far from idle. Nearly one thousand Black Orcs fell victim to the shelling from his shoulder cannons, causing disruption and disarray among their ranks.

‘Hmm...’

Throughout all of this, Han-Yeol remained nonchalant, his arms casually crossed over his chest, intermittently firing mana shells and Healing Bullets from his shoulder cannons.

The Black Orcs attempted to retaliate with their crossbows, but the three-kilometer distance between them made it impossible for their shots to reach Han-Yeol.

“Krwaaaaah!”

Growing frustrated with Han-Yeol's bombardment, the Black Orcs dispatched flying monsters toward him—around thirty dark-skinned bat-like creatures.

[Kill that arrogant human!]

“Kwaaaaak!”

Each bat-like monster had a Black Orc rider perched upon its back.

Heh.

‘That’s quite an interesting thing you've got there,’ Han-Yeol found the orcs' strategy amusing.

Chwak!

Pointing at the incoming flying monsters, Han-Yeol uttered, “Mavros.”

“Kieeeeeek!”

Responding to Han-Yeol's command, Mavros, resting with a full belly, swiftly ascended into the sky toward the bat-like monsters.

The creatures sent to confront Han-Yeol met their demise at Mavros's hands.

Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik! Kwachik!

“Kwak! Kwak!”

Mavros attacked, biting heads, legs, and wings while launching poison magic spells at those attempting to flee. It was a display of absolute aerial dominance that would evoke pity in anyone witnessing the bat-like creatures' fate.

‘Hmm... It should be over soon,’ Han-Yeol thought, shifting his focus back to the ground.

While numerous Black Orcs remained, their reduced numbers were no longer a significant threat. Given their intelligence, they were likely to retreat upon realizing the extent of their losses.

It was precisely as Han-Yeol was about to relax that...

Thud!

‘...!’

Thud...!

‘N-No way...!’

The distant thunderous tremor reverberated, unmistakably abnormal in nature. Han-Yeol recognized the ominous mana resonating within the tremor.

Moments later, he sensed mana not too far away, an occurrence that shouldn't have been in such proximity to him. 'I-Impossible! I've been monitoring that monster's mana for a while now!'

The source of Han-Yeol’s growing worries and dilemmas, Craspio, had finally emerged. Although Craspio had been in Kyoto just a short while ago, how it managed to approach Nagoya undetected by Han-Yeol puzzled him.

'T-This is absurd!'

This wasn't the time to ponder the Black Orcs.

'Mariam!'

[Yes, I... f-felt that too...]

[Han-Yeol...]

Mariam, Tayarana, and the other Bastro Warriors seemed to have sensed Craspio’s mana, instantly tensing up the atmosphere in Mariam’s telepathic network.

[Grrr...!]

What more evidence did they need when even Kandir, a being from a second dimension, felt uneasy upon sensing Craspio’s mana?

‘Haa...’ Han-Yeol let out a sigh, then instructed Mavros to cease playing with the bat-like monsters and finish them off swiftly.

Mavros, who had been toying with the creatures, immediately ceased, opening his jaws and conjuring a magic circle at Han-Yeol's command. A powerful burst of Poison Storm emanated from the magic circle, decimating all twenty bat-like monsters.

Krrwaaaaang!

“Kwaaaak!”

Despite Mavros possessing exceptional flight and physical prowess, his magical abilities far surpassed both combined. While a mini-dragon constrained to using poison magic, Mavros was, without a doubt, a dragon.

The effects of the Poison Storm didn't halt with the bat-like creatures' demise; it continued forward, crashing into the ground and claiming the lives of hundreds of Black Orcs unfortunate enough to be caught in its path.

Chwiiiiik...!

“Chwik!”

The Black Orcs refrained from approaching the noxious crater formed by Mavros’ magic.

[W-Why is such a monster...?!]

The Black Orc Commander was shocked by what it had witnessed.

‘What are we fighting for...?’

The voices in their heads urged them to kill the humans, yet the commander couldn't help but question if this was the right course of action.

Aware that the formidable creature flying above could obliterate their entire orc horde if it cast the same spell a few more times, the commander pondered their situation. Fortunately, the creature lost interest in them, flying away after causing destruction.

Chwak!

“Kieeeeeek!”

Mavros flapped his wings, returning to Han-Yeol.

[Ah... We survived...]

Surveying the surroundings, the Black Orc Commander noted numerous remaining Black Orcs. However, defeat seemed nearly inevitable at this juncture.

[Hey!]

“Chwik!”

A seemingly foolish Black Orc responded to the commander's call.

Standing atop a boulder, the Black Orc Commander issued orders. [Sound the retreat immediately. Instruct our horde to fall back one thousand five hundred meters, no, even further. We'll regroup and assess the situation.]

“Chwik!”

The Black Orc nodded in acknowledgment and initiated the retreat.

Bwoooooo! Bwoooooo!

The Black Orcs, who had been hurling themselves at the Bastro Warriors, ceased their attacks and retreated upon hearing the blaring sound of the retreat.

Thud...!

[They’re fleeing.]

[I'd love to pursue and eliminate every last one of them, but...]

They desired nothing more than to pursue the fleeing enemies, but they sensed it too.

Thud!

‘That’s an absurd amount of mana...’

They sensed Craspio’s imminent approach.

[All forces! Regroup at your positions and await further orders!]

Kandir’s command resounded through the ranks.

The Bastro Warriors ceased their pursuit of the Black Orcs, promptly returning to their designated positions as ordered.

The thrill of war lay in chasing down fleeing foes and tearing them apart, yet they could not disobey Kandir’s direct command, forfeiting the chase.

Thud!

The tremor persisted, and now they could finally discern its source.

[T-That’s...!]

[That’s a monstrous being...]

[C-Can we prevail against something like that...?]

Gulp...!

Craspio’s imposing presence even unnerved the Bastro Warriors.

Chwak!

“Damn it... I never expected it to come this far.”

“Yeah, this caught us completely off guard...”

Hovering in the air, Han-Yeol and Tayarana observed the approaching monstrosity.

“Haa... I’m feeling anxious.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Han-Yeol would have fled without hesitation if it had been only him and Tayarana, as they were ill-prepared to face a creature like Craspio. Engaging such a monster without adequate preparation posed significant risks.

Yet, fleeing was not an option now.

‘Escaping might be an option, but abandoning over one million lives in this city to massacre?’

Han-Yeol harbored no affection for humanity.

‘I cannot let my honor and reputation be tarnished!’

Using civilians as bait for the monster and seizing the chance to flee? Such despicable tactics were unimaginable for Han-Yeol.

He felt fury watching zombie movies where people sacrificed others to survive, refusing to be similar to them.

“I suppose it’s time for a spectacle, Tara.”

“Yeah, let’s emerge victorious.”

“We must win this.”

Whoosh!

A formidable gust swept past them.

Resolute, they prepared to confront the advancing monster.

However, Craspio abruptly halted and opened its maw.

“Tara!”

“Yes!”

This action was undoubtedly...

Woooooong...!

Mana crackled and amassed within Craspio’s gaping mouth.

Krwaaaaaang!

A surge of mana hurtled toward Han-Yeol and Tayarana.

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