Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 376 – D-Day 10 (5)

Disclaimer: The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this novel are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.

Ding!

[Black Orc – The rank of Plunder has increased.]

[Your level has risen.]

‘They’re working hard,’ Han-Yeol thought with a satisfied nod.

The Black Orcs refrained from participating in the raid, considering their limited utility and the potential hindrance they might pose. While the force of eighty thousand seemed substantial, it amounted to little more than ants scurrying in the face of Craspio's overwhelming power.

Han-Yeol, pragmatic in his approach, would have readily used the Black Orcs as bait had they proven beneficial. However, Craspio's capacity for widespread destruction through earthquakes rendered the numerical strength inconsequential. Whether it was eighty thousand or even more, all would end up buried alive after a few earthquakes.

'But that doesn’t mean they’re idle.'

Han-Yeol didn't employ the Black Orcs solely for leveling up. Attaining a hundred levels held no significance, given the immense gap between him and Craspio from the outset.

[Harkan-nim.]

Tak!

“Oh! Kandir!”

Han-Yeol was lost in thought when Kandir suddenly landed beside him. However, the question lingered: why was Han-Yeol so delighted to see Kandir when they had been almost inseparable in the past few days?

“What happened to the task I gave you?” Han-Yeol inquired.

[We have found the hideouts of the survivors and managed to convince them to come here. It took a lot of effort as they were quite stubborn, but we managed somehow in the end,] Kandir reported.

“Oh!” Han-Yeol exclaimed, his eyes widening in response.

He appeared noticeably pleased by the news, for some unknown reason.

“How many are there?” Han-Yeol asked.

[There were three hundred warriors and five hundred civilians.]

“Wow, good job! Did you find any top-tier warriors?” Han-Yeol inquired.

[Yes, we were fortunate enough to find one among them,] Kandir confirmed.

“Good! Good!” Han-Yeol exclaimed, breaking into a smile.

Meanwhile, news of Han-Yeol's failure to kill Craspio and resorting to sealing the monster for ten days as an emergency measure spread worldwide. The swift dissemination of this information raised questions about how news from Japan traveled so rapidly across the globe. The answer lay in the lax security of the South Korean Navy. Some officers leaked the news to journalists they were close to, leading to widespread coverage.

While the leak didn't matter much to most countries, first-world nations and those neighboring Japan paid attention. The Japanese and Chinese Governments, in particular, reacted strongly to the news.

Bam!

[Damn it! If Lee Han-Yeol, the Hunter, failed, then...!]

Prime Minister Kamikatsu[1] was the current Interim Prime Minister of Japan, voted into power by the congress after the previous prime minister was ousted.

The future looked bleak for Japan, but they somewhat pinned their hopes on the Transcendent Master Rank Hunter, Lee Han-Yeol. However, all hope vanished when Han-Yeol failed to kill Craspio, leaving the Japanese Government with only one decision to make.

[Katsuo!] Prime Minister Kamikatsu called.

Katsuo, the current prime minister’s aide and a young soldier, responded with a salute. [Yes, sir!]

[Commence the full emergency evacuation plan we have prepared at once!] ordered Prime Minister Kamikatsu.

[Yes, sir!] replied Katsuo.

[Damn it!]

Prime Minister Kamikatsu hoped he wouldn't be forced to use this final option, but with Lee Han-Yeol's failure, there seemed to be no other choice. The impending threat meant every person in Japan would face massacre once Craspio broke free from its seal. Consequently, the Japanese, with tears in their eyes, joined others who had already gone ahead to Australia and Canada.

The full emergency evacuation not only involved evacuating civilians but also included the government moving money, historical art pieces, and treasures to Australia and Canada. The Japanese Government earnestly prayed they wouldn't be compelled to implement this plan, which involved splitting their country in half and resettling people in the vacant lands of Australia and Canada.

The Japanese were not immigrating as citizens of either country; instead, they planned to establish an autonomous prefecture while paying taxes to their host countries. This arrangement benefited Australia or Canada, as they received taxes in exchange for what they considered useless land. The support provided by these host countries was minimal, involving only sending ships to assist in the evacuation from Japan.

***

The entirety of Japan was in an uproar over the emergency evacuation. However, another country that would be greatly affected in the event of Japan’s downfall was also in an uproar, and this country was none other than China.

Bam!

[What?! Lee Han-Yeol failed?!]

[Yes, sir. We have hacked and analyzed the video, and we have come to the conclusion that Lee Han-Yeol is not a match against Craspio. Furthermore, we have analyzed the seal he has placed with our mana analysis devices. The seal will not hold for long, and it is only a matter of a few days before it completely runs out of mana and unseals the monster. It seems that the rumors from the South Korean Navy were true.]

The government did not completely believe the rumors from the South Korean naval officers. The naval officers were ordinary people, so it only made sense that they would not be completely aware of what was going on. Thus, the government conducted their own study on the matter and surprisingly found the rumors to be true.

[Things have taken from bad to worse! We haven’t even gotten rid of that damned Qin Shi Huang!]

Tap! Tap! Tap!

The current leader tapped his finger on his desk while deep in thought.

The dimensional rift that manifested in the country surpassed any other rift in the world in sheer magnitude. While Craspio stood out as the deadliest individual monster emerging from this rift, another formidable entity, Qin Shi Huang, derived its name from the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. Qin Shi Huang summoned the Terracotta Army and was currently wreaking havoc across the country, causing unprecedented destruction.

The government mobilized its formidable military and an extensive Hunter reserve to confront Qin Shi Huang. Despite their efforts, the monstrous entity persisted in summoning additional Terracotta Soldiers, consistently pushing back the country’s forces. According to reports from field surveyors, the number of Terracotta Soldiers summoned by Qin Shi Huang had already surpassed one million, with projections indicating a potential escalation to over ten million if the country failed to subjugate the monster.

In essence, while Craspio currently held the title of the deadliest single monster, Qin Shi Huang surpassed it in sheer numbers. This circumstance hindered the government from dispatching reinforcements to the repeated pleas from the Manchurian Region. Their primary focus remained on subduing Qin Shi Huang before the proliferation of Terracotta Soldiers spiraled out of control.

However, if Craspio managed to breach the country's borders, the situation would escalate into a dire scenario, with the nation caught between the onslaught of the two deadliest monsters ever witnessed.

[Hmm... That’s quite the headache. Do we need to send more Hunters to our western front?]

[I believe we should, sir. Too much time has passed, and those in the west have probably realized how important our government is to them.]

[Ha! Fools! They keep whining about independence every chance they get, but they’re asking for our help now that they’re about to be wiped out?]

[That is why they are ungrateful barbarians, and the only reason they are alive is thanks to our benevolence. What can we do? We, the true owners of the world should show them mercy and grace once again.]

[Haha! That’s a good point. By the way, I heard more than a million have died so far, is that correct?]

[Yes, but that was an unfortunate accident completely unrelated to us, sir.]

[Hahaha!]

The subjugation of Qin Shi Huang didn't extend for a whole month not because the government lacked the firepower to defeat it. Instead, the government tactically blocked Qin Shi Huang’s army, channeling them through the western regions inhabited by minorities who had been vocal about their desire for independence. Consequently, the Terracotta Army led by Qin Shi Huang ravaged the western regions, resulting in the massacre of minority groups within that span.

Despite over a million minorities losing their lives within a month, the incident remained unnoticed in international news. This was partly due to the global turmoil caused by numerous dimensional rifts, but more significantly, it was a consequence of the country's stringent censorship policy. The tragedy was conveniently labeled as just another ‘accident’ caused by monsters, a common occurrence since the emergence of dimensional rifts.

[Hmm... I would love to capitalize on this situation, but we must quickly stabilize things in case Craspio decides to invade our lands.]

[I agree, sir. Based on our analysis, we'll need at least seventy of our best Hunters to defeat Craspio. While we may be the most powerful country globally, pulling out seventy of our top Hunters against Qin Shi Huang is undeniably burdensome.]

The leader grimaced at his adjutant's words, well aware of the formidable strength possessed by their best Hunters. Amassing seventy of them in one location would undoubtedly create a force to be reckoned with. The leader was uneasy about the fact that a monster could warrant such a substantial response, and he questioned the true power of Craspio.

[Craspio... Is that monster genuinely that powerful?]

[Yes, sir.]

[Haa... Well, I suppose we have no other choice. Let's abandon our plan to raze the western region and deploy our best Hunters next week to confront that monster and his pitiful army.]

[Yes, sir!]

The adjutant bowed before leaving the office, signaling the beginning of preparations for a decisive confrontation with Craspio and its formidable forces.

“Hmm...”

The leader now found himself alone. He walked over to the map on the wall and observed it.

“Our country has been small for the longest time...”

He was dissatisfied with the country’s geography. This place was home to more than one billion people, boasting the highest population in the world. However, it ranked only as the fourth largest globally, behind Russia, Canada, and the United States. The inequality irked him.

How unjust was the situation? Those three countries combined only had five hundred million people, yet they possessed more land than his own country. This was not something he could simply overlook.

“Let’s begin with North Korea...”

As per reports, North Korea teetered on the edge of destruction. The Minotaur and Centaurs wreaked havoc across the country, skillfully evading the Hunters. While North Korea might not have incurred significant losses in terms of Hunters, it suffered considerable damage in civilian lives, food supplies, and critical infrastructure. Even if they managed to somehow defeat the Minotaurs and Centaurs, it could no longer function as a proper country.

Annexing North Korea to his country seemed like the logical step.

“Well, those irksome South Koreans are going to complain about it, but what can they do?”

In the past, they exerted immense pressure on South Korea during a dispute over missile placements, leading to consequences for both countries. However, times have changed, and the country has evolved accordingly. The population now stood at 1.3 billion based on the official census and 1.6 billion based on unofficial estimates. It had emerged as one of the world's powerhouses in terms of possessing Hunters and boasted some of the most advanced technologies globally.

This was no longer the same country that lagged behind in technology as it did in the past.

South Korea could voice their complaints, but the Korean Government would undoubtedly yield the moment twenty of the country’s best Hunters were deployed to their borders.

1. I swear on my carrots; this was what the author wrote. ?

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