Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 196: The Phenomenal Hunter (2)

Chwik…!

Han-Yeol conjured his chain and decided to use something he had not used for quite a while now—the claw. He held his chain in his left hand and his Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword in his right hand, which was set ablaze with Sword Breath.

Tak!?

He kicked off the ground and lunged at the monsters at lightning speed.

"Kwaaaaak!"?

Blinded by their bloodlust for humans, the monsters bared their fangs at Han-Yeol after sensing him, and all of them growled in preparation to devour the incoming prey.

"Crowd Restraint!" Han-Yeol shouted and threw his chain.

Chwaaaak!

The chain was divided into ten pieces and bound up ten of the monsters.

‘Huh? Ten?’? Han-Yeol was surprised when his chain, which originally split into five, suddenly split into ten. ‘Is it because the skill leveled up?’

He realized that this was the first time he was using the skill after it leveled up to E Rank. His skills were highly volatile, so it was no longer strange that such a thing could happen simply because the skill went up a rank.

‘Hmm... Does this mean the skill duration increased as well?’

Han-Yeol aimed at the frontmost Yeti and slashed it across its chest with Sword Breath.

Sukeok! Sukeok!

"Kueeeeek!" The Yeti cried in agony after an X-shaped wound appeared on its chest.

‘For the finale... Head Cutter!’

Sukeok! Thud...!

Han-Yeol cut off the Yeti's head in one fell swoop, and its head fell with a thud on the ground.

The three-step combo Han-Yeol had just used was quite a difficult skill to execute, serving as proof of how much his control over his body and mana had improved recently.

The Yeti was a tough and tenacious monster, making it extremely difficult to kill in one fell swoop. However, the X-shaped wound on its chest disoriented it for a moment and forced it to concentrate all of its mana to defend that area.

Han-Yeol seized that opening in the monster's defense and swiftly employed Head Cutter to sever its defenseless neck.

Thud!

The Yeti's headless body fell to the ground, a mere three seconds after facing the human.

"Kwuoooook!" The other Yetis roared in anger, witnessing the demise of one of their own right before their eyes.

It was as if they were issuing a threat to Han-Yeol, indicating that they would not spare him for what he had done to their kin.

However, their anger only served to blind them from their surroundings. Their entire focus became fixated on Han-Yeol alone, causing them to forget that he was not their only enemy in this fight.

“Hap!”

Chwak!

Mujahid swung his Psy Blades and stabbed them into a Yeti’s chest.

“Kwuooook!”

Whoosh!

The Yeti roared in pain after being stabbed and immediately swung its fist in anger. However, it failed to hit the battle-crazed maniac as he nimbly evaded the punch.

This only served to further enrage the Yeti, fueling its determination to attack the puny human once again. It seemed resolute in its intent to squash the human this time.

But…

“Kyaong!”

“Kiek?!”

A black panther suddenly popped out from nowhere and bit the Yeti’s neck before twisting its entire body like a screw.

Kwachik!

“Kie…eeek…!”

The black panther's attack, carrying its full weight, could only be described as gruesome. Its powerful fangs and jaws clamped onto the Yeti's neck, refusing to let go even as it spiraled around its prey. This twisted not only the monster's neck but also its body.

"Kwuoook!"

But the fight was far from over.

This time, an Ice Troll joined the fray, targeting Mujahid. Unlike the normal Trolls with green skin, the Ice Troll possessed light blue skin. It wielded a spear in its right hand and a blunt weapon adorned with human skulls in its left.

If the Yeti was the monster that welcomed the Hunters to the Cheolwon hunting ground, then the Ice Troll was the primary threat.

Ice Trolls shared the regenerative innate ability of normal Trolls but also had an ice attribute that nullified striking damages against them. This was a distinct contrast to the Yeti and Snowman, which had high defense and near-immunity to striking damages. The Ice Troll, on the other hand, was completely immune to striking damages due to its unique trait.

If the Ice Trolls were not present, Mujahid wouldn't have had to alter his combat style for the Cheolwon hunting ground. He could have simply pummeled the other monsters, considering them nothing more than a group of highly durable sandbags.

[Ah, so you’re the bastard who forced me to change my combat style.]

“Kyaooong!”

The Ice Troll was a remarkably intelligent monster, although it had no capability to speak or comprehend human language. The reason it roared back at Mujahid was simply because it was preparing to kill its prey and planned to decorate its club with the human's skull.

With a swift motion, the Ice Troll swung its spear at Mujahid.

Shwoosh! Shwoosh! Shwoosh!

Despite towering over three meters tall, the monster's movements were surprisingly quick and agile, a stark contrast to its imposing size.

[Oh? You’re quite skilled with the spear. I thought you were just a dumb troll! Haha!]

“Kyao!”?The Ice Troll roared in frustration when its prey continued to avoid its attacks.

Meanwhile, Mujahid gave a hand signal to Furion, and the both of them immediately went to their positions to launch another joint attack they had practiced together.

[Let’s fight for real now! Troll bastard!]

“Kyao!”

On the other hand, Han-Yeol was slicing through the Yetis like a hot knife cutting through butter.

Sukeok!

“Kieeeeek!”

Sukeok!”

“Kwuooook!”

Of course, he couldn't always sever their heads in one swift motion, but that didn't bother him much. He wasn't in a hurry to finish them off.

There were numerous rumors circulating that Han-Yeol was actually a swordsman, judging by the grace and flair of his sword movements. However, he never once considered himself a swordsman.

‘I only care about winning or losing. It doesn't matter what kind of Hunter I am.’

Han-Yeol never viewed himself as a swordsman because he didn't consider the sword to be his primary weapon. He had used a chain before the sword, so to him, the sword was merely a secondary weapon supporting his primary weapon—the chain.

“Restrain!”

Shwiiiiik!

Han-Yeol’s main weapon simultaneously bound two Yetis’ legs.

“Kiek?”

Thud!

Both Yetis fell to the ground after having their legs tied up while running at full speed.

Han-Yeol was not one to miss such an opportunity as…

‘Flash Strike! Flash Strike!’?

He instantly appeared before the Yetis and viciously stabbed the back of their necks with his sword, and the sword penetrated through their necks and snuffed out their lives.

Whoosh!

However, there were still many Yetis remaining, and they gave him no time to recover as they charged at him. Han-Yeol paid no attention to the closest Yeti and simply raised his left hand, opening it toward the oncoming monster.

“Kireuk?”?The Yeti was confused while running toward the human.

Then, a fireball shot out from the human’s palm that was aimed straight at the Yeti.

“Kiek?!”

The Yeti flinched in surprise upon seeing the fireball hurtling straight toward it. It desperately attempted to halt its momentum, hoping to avoid the incoming fireball. However, running at full speed made it impossible to alter its course, resulting in a direct hit from the fireball.

Kaboom!

Upon contact with the Yeti, the fireball unleashed a powerful explosion, engulfing the monster's entire body in flames. While not as potent as Han-Yeol's Mana Explosion skill, it still surpassed the explosive capabilities of other Hunters' skills.

Han-Yeol's Fire Attribute was not a mere skill that conjured flames. Most of the explosions triggered by his other skills borrowed the fiery nature of this attribute, making them significantly more powerful.

Fwaaaa…!

“Kwuook!”

Han-Yeol's Fire Ball skill was only ranked as D, so its lethality against monsters was limited. However, the Fire Ball's attribute exploited the weakness of Ice-Type monsters, allowing it to inflict significant damage despite its lower level.

Tak! Sukeok!

The explosion left the Yeti incapacitated, and Han-Yeol wasted no time in delivering the final blow to the monster.

‘Ex…plosion!’?

Kaboom!

Han-Yeol unleashed his most powerful melee attack skill, which had already reached a formidable B Rank. Its immense destructive force was more than enough to send the monsters to the afterlife.

Single-handedly, he swiftly dealt with the eleven Yetis, leaving no survivors. Without hesitation, he immediately rushed to aid Mavros, who was currently engaged in a battle against two Snowmen.

"Gwuooooh!"

The Snowman was one of the primary monsters in the Cheolwon hunting ground, alongside the Ice Troll. These monsters were incomparably stronger than the Yeti, rendering any comparison an insult. Mavros couldn't display the same level of dominance he had demonstrated earlier against the Snowmen.

However, it didn't mean that Mavros was losing against the two Snowmen.

“Kiek!”

Pukeok!

Mavros forcefully smashed his tail into the body of one of the Snowmen, causing the snow and ice creature to be flung a considerable distance.

Unfortunately, the tail strike failed to inflict any damage on the resilient monster.

“Gwuooooh!”?The Snowman stood up and roared before brandishing its claws, and then it charged at Mavros once again.

However, Mavros was no longer fighting alone.

“Fire Ball!”

Shwoosh… Kaboom!

“Ugwaaaaah!”

The Snowman was taken completely by surprise as the fireball struck its body directly, engulfing it in flames. Although the Fire Ball skill was not highly leveled, it proved to be almost fatal to the Snowman, composed as it was of snow and ice.

"Gwuooooh!"

Having been hit by the fireball, the Snowman shifted its focus from Mavros to Han-Yeol. It seemed to have determined that the human posed a greater threat due to his utilization of fire attribute skills, which happened to be the absolute weakness of the monster.

Gliding swiftly through the snow, the monster charged toward Han-Yeol and swiped its claws at him.

Whoosh!

The attack occurred in an instant, but Han-Yeol possessed the cheat skill, Sixth Sense, which allowed him to easily evade the attack. Despite the Snowman being a high-tier monster, it was no match for the top-tier monsters that Master Rank Hunters hunted, making it impossible for Han-Yeol to lose against it.

Clang!

Han-Yeol skillfully blocked the claws with his Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword, still engulfed in the fiery aura of Sword Breath.

Then, with a determined step forward, he positioned himself right in front of the Snowman's face.

"Gwuoooh!"

The Snowman became flustered as the human it expected to retreat suddenly advanced toward it. Frantically, it swung its claws at Han-Yeol, unaware of the fact that the human was far stronger than itself and held the advantage in this encounter.

Fwaaaah! Sukeok!

The flames surrounding the Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword burned brighter as Han-Yeol swung it.

Of course, he did not swing it normally.

‘Vicious Strike!’?

A powerful surge of mana swept across the Snowman.

“Gwuoh?”

Thud…!

The immensely heavy arm of the Snowman was lost, causing the monster to lose balance and tilt sideways before eventually falling.

Han-Yeol seized the opportunity without hesitation. Using his skill once again, he cleanly severed the Snowman's other remaining arm.