Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 396 – Survival of The Fittest (5)

Just as Woo Han-Jong raised his bamboo sword to block Han-Yeol’s Jabberwock Sword...

Krwaaaaang!

Shockwaves spread out all over the place as if an explosion had occurred.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Keuk...!”

“W-What the...?!”

The Hunters hunkered down after the mana emitted from the clash tried to sweep away both friend and foe.

That was how powerful Han-Yeol’s mana was.

“Chairman!”

Woo Han-Jong’s retainers were worried for his safety. They believed that Woo Han-Jong was the strongest person in the world, but the force behind Han-Yeol’s attack was so strong that they could not help but worry.

However, they were not aware of one limitation.

“Hoho! Your skill rattled me a bit.”

“Tsk...”

Han-Yeol clicked his tongue and grumbled inwardly, ‘It’s because the skill is still F-Rank...’

He did not have the time to properly practice the skill, and it was still in the testing phase. Yes, it might have exerted quite a destructive force, but it was not enough to deliver the results he wanted.

“Hohoho!”

The reaction of the onlookers was split into two.

“Yes!”

“As expected of the Chairman!”

Woo Han-Jong’s retainers cheered and rejoiced.

“How is this possible...?”

“H-He blocked that?”

Meanwhile, the Hunters despaired at what they witnessed.

How did the old man to emerge unscathed despite getting hit by such an attack? Nobody knew what the old man did, but they all knew that Han-Yeol’s attack had failed.

“A-Ah...”

They believed Han-Yeol was invincible, but seeing him fail to even scratch his opponent made them waver.

However, the Egyptian trio behind Han-Yeol did not seem to be bothered at all.

“Wow! That old geezer looks really strong, noonim.”

“Yeah, he’s unpleasantly strong.”

“I believe he is much stronger than us, but the attack just now was only a greeting. It is ironic how those foolish Hunters think that Han-Yeol-nim risked everything in the attack just now.”

“Haha! That’s why they’re stuck at that level. You should be more understanding of the less fortunate, Mariam.”

“Hmph!”

“Hiing... You’re so mean, Mariam...”

“Please shut it, Your Highness.”

“...”

Mariam was still as cold as ever to Mujahid. Well, she was infamous for looking down on other people except for Han-Yeol and Tayarana, so Mujahid should probably be grateful that she at least addressed him properly.

Tak!

“Tsk...” Han-Yeol clicked his tongue and jumped back. He did not click his tongue because his attack failed. Just like what the trio thought, this attack was nothing more than a greeting.

The only reason he was frustrated was that his skill level was too low to produce the result he wanted.

“Hoho! But your skills are as wild as you are, young one.”

“Sure...”

Woo Han-Jong was right. Han-Yeol’s attack might have failed to deal damage to his target, but the same could not be said for the structures around them. The shockwaves unleashed by Shockwave Slash spread far and wide as it destroyed everything in its path.

“Hmm... This is problematic. Yes, I still plan to kill you, but causing destruction in the middle of the city is indeed a problem.”

“Oh? I was thinking the same thing too, old man.”

“Hohoho! Is that how you talk to your elders? You clearly lack manners, old man.”

Han-Yeol completely ignored Woo Han-Jong’s criticism as he picked his ear with his pinky finger, and he blew at the ear wax to let it fly with the wind.

Then, he retorted with a single word, “Boomer.”

His action and response were the two things grown-ups hated the most, but he did both simultaneously.

“Hohoho! I’m sorry to disappoint you, but a true adult knows how to hold their anger no matter how angry they are,” Woo Han-Jong said with a calm smile.

Han-Yeol shrugged and replied, “I don’t remember asking.”

Their pointless battle of wits continued. Neither side made a move as both of them were reluctant to fight in Seoul.

‘An entire city could get leveled if two Master-Rank Hunters clashed, so it’s a no-brainer the entirety of Seoul would be destroyed if two Transcendent Master-Rank Hunters fought—no, South Korea as a whole could be wiped off the face of the Earth.’ Han-Yeol believed this worst-case scenario was highly plausible.

The scale of destruction would not be simply double that of a clash between Master-Rank Hunters, and describing the resulting damage as cataclysmic would be an understatement.

Neither of them made a move and remained still. Then, an unfamiliar voice suddenly interrupted their staredown.

“Ahem... Ahem... A-E-I-O-U! Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen?”

Both of them instantly looked at where the voice had come from.

“Hmm?”

“And who might you be, young one?”

Neither Han-Yeol or Woo Han-Jong showed any particular reaction, but the uninvited guest definitely surprised them.

‘I didn’t sense anyone approaching.’

‘Hoho! Kids these days need to learn proper manners. Introducing yourself is customary, and yet this kid is going around wearing a mask in front of his elders! Tsk! Tsk!’

Of course, just because they were both taken by surprise did not mean they had the same reaction.

The uninvited guest wore a clown mask and a purple cloak, and there was an air of mystery surrounding that person.

Han-Yeol grimaced, ‘Another strong guy has appeared.’

[Analysis has failed.]

He could not gauge the uninvited guest’s power level, so he tasked Karvis to analyze them with his analysis skill. However, even Karvis could not analyze the target’s strength.

‘Ugh... What’s up with today?’ Han-Yeol grumbled at two surprises he encountered today. He was only human too, so he was bound to dislike unplanned things.

Regardless,Woo Han-Jong was somewhat alright as they already met once, and he had just forgotten about the old man. However, the appearance of this mysterious character he could not even analyze with his skill was definitely an unpleasant surprise.

Woo Han-Jong being as surprised as Han-Yeol by the uninvited guest’s appearance was the only good thing about this surprise.

‘This clown is probably not a member of the Freemasons,’ Han-Yeol thought, and Karvis agreed with him.

[I think so too.]

“Hahaha! Please do not misunderstand as I am not here to fight! I am just here to... Let’s say, prepare a stage for both of you to comfortably fight! Yes, that’s right... You seem to be having a problem with that so I am here to help!”

“Hoho! We Koreans can be quite susceptible to help when we need it. So, why don’t you show us what goods you have?” Woo Han-Jong asked.

‘Does this old man have nine livers?[1] How can he accept so easily? Who knows what that clown is plotting?’

[I agree with you.]

Han-Yeol disagreed with accepting help from strangers, but things would get awkward if he refused when the old man already agreed, so he had no choice but to agree as well.

“Sure, let me see what you have,” he said with a nod.

“An excellent choice, I must say! Receiving my help for free is a rare occurrence for most! Now, let us begin!”

Seuk...

The clown brought out both arms he kept hidden inside his purple cloak and extended them forward.

‘Those are some scrawny arms,’ Han-Yeol thought after seeing the clown’s pale, skinny arms. Those did not look like human arms.

Wooooong!

The clown gathered his mana into his scrawny arms, and the mana slowly expanded throughout their surroundings.

‘What’s that?’

[It seems to be some sort of barrier skill. Ah, so this is what that clown meant by helping us. He plans to set up a stage where both you and that old man can fight without any hindrances.]

‘How’s that possible?’

[...]

Karvis was not a god or all-knowing, so she could not answer the question.

Of course, Han-Yeol was simply asking as he was caught off guard by the strange skill and he was not really expecting an answer from Karvis.

Woooong!

The barrier finally formed after a short while.

“Haha! It’s been a while since I’ve used this skill, so I feel a bit tired after using it!”

“Hohoho! That is quite an amazing skill you have there, young one.”

The clown placed his scrawny right hand on his abdomen and bowed as he said, “Thank you for the compliments, Chairman Woo Han-Jong!”

“Hoho... You’re quite the annoying one, aren’t you? Every single thing about you looks damned.”

“Haha! Oh my, damned is too harsh. I would be grateful if you called me classy instead!”

“Hohoho...”

Woo Han-Jong might be laughing on the outside, but he was visibly disgruntled by the clown. Yes, the clown did solve one big problem he had right now, but there was something fishy about this mysterious individual.

“What’re you going to do now?” Han-Yeol asked the clown. The uninvited guest’s next move was of concern now that the barrier had been placed. Was he going to go back or was he going to interfere in this duel?

“Hahaha! As I have already said, I am not here to fight with either of you, and I will be taking a step back now to enjoy the spectacular show. Oh right, I am certain both of you have already realized it, but if you may allow me to explain... This barrier is called an Illusion Barrier.”

‘An Illusion Barrier?’ Han-Yeol felt like he had heard of this skill before for some odd reason.

“Everything within this barrier is nothing but a farce. It might look like the outside world, but it is nothing but a replica of the real thing. Ah, I have limited access to those in our immediate surroundings only. I figured bringing in more people would only cause unnecessary problems.”

“That’s great.”

“Hahaha! Ah, before I forget! Lastly, the space within this Illusion Barrier is twice the size of Seoul, and you will not be able to leave unless you use all of your strength to destroy this barrier. Anyway, that will be all, and I hope this will allow you to fight to your heart’s content! Hahaha!”

The clown continued laughing after that, and his laughter was not the pleasant type. Then, he simply vanished into thin air just like how he appeared out of nowhere.

He was indeed a mysterious individual who appeared to offer his assistance and vanished immediately after.

‘I should investigate that clown after getting rid of this old man,’ Han-Yeol thought.

[I will do my best when that time comes.]

‘Yeah, sure you will...’ Han-Yeol was not very optimistic despite Karvis’ offer to help. He had a feeling that finding the clown was not going to be easy.

The clown vanished and the stage was set for their showdown.

“Hohoho! This old man has no idea what happened just now, but I suppose we can finally fight without any worries.”

“Yeah, it seems like it.”

Woooong!

Both of them gathered their mana without reservation.

“Damn it! Get back!”

“Hey, the Transcendent Master-Rank Hunters are fighting! Be careful not to get swept up by it!”

Everyone around them braced for the destructive—no, cataclysmic clash between the two Hunters, who were basically walking natural calamities.

A fight between Master-Rank Hunters was still somewhat manageable, but being exposed to the mana emitted by the Transcendent Master-Rank Hunters could prove fatal for low-ranking Hunters.

Shwoosh! Bam! Bam!

Both Han-Yeol and Woo Han-Jong kicked off the ground at speeds a normal Hunter would not be able to follow with their eyes and exchanged their first blow. Then, they suddenly appeared a distance away from their first place of impact and slugged it out.

The low-ranking Hunters had already sought refuge away from them, and only the Master-Rank Hunters were left in front of the Blue House gates.

1. Having a big liver or x number of livers translated to English means... Having big balls or more than two balls. ^^ ?

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