Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 343 – Seven Jewels and One Sword (5)

Bam! Bam! Bam!

[Bwahahaha! Bring it on!]

Splat! Splat! Splat!

Balrog was excelling in his role as expected of the demon that served as the vanguard in Baal’s army. He charged forward with his shield, plowing through the slimes like a bulldozer.

Splat! Splat! Splat!

Two golems actively supported him, trailing right behind. The Ice Skeleton Golem used its six long arms to sweep the surrounding slimes, while Han-Yeol’s Lava Golem disintegrated those attempting to regenerate.

Following close behind them was Han-Yeol.

‘Volcano!’

He skillfully created a river of magma to secure their rear as they advanced, fully protecting the party from being surrounded.

[Kieeeek!]

Despite some slimes braving the river of magma to approach the party, they met an unfortunate end at the hands of the demon with commanding area-of-effect magic spells.

The genius magician, Arch Lich!

He was truly a genius who had awakened as a lich and evolved into an Arch Lich without any outside help. Although his powers were currently sealed after being summoned by Han-Yeol, he hadn’t lost his intelligence.

[Ice Storm!]

Whoosh! Krrwaaang!

His magic engulfed the surroundings, freezing every single slime nearby. What made this even more impressive was the fact that he was seated on a throne made of ice, hovering thirty centimeters above the ground. The way he cast the spell only added to his astonishing appearance.

[I will freeze everything here! Kwahaha!]

The Arch Lich smiled and let out a sinister laugh, spreading his mana repeatedly.

Han-Yeol could have vaporized the frozen slimes, as he did a while ago, but he didn’t waste his time on them. Dealing with small fry wasn’t his priority; he aimed to defeat the boss monster swiftly.

Wooong!

Infusing his mana into his eyes, he scouted ahead with Demon Eyes.

‘We’re almost there.’

In the distance, one particular, notably stronger slime confirmed his suspicions—it was the dungeon's boss.

[So it’s over there.]

“Yes, I think so too,” Han-Yeol replied to the Arch Lich.

Then, turning forward, he shouted, “Balrog-nim!”

[Bwahaha! Leave it to me!]

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Balrog accelerated, wielding both shield and spear, obliterating the surrounding slimes in his charge.

Plop! Plop!

The slimes abruptly halted, seemingly aware of Han-Yeol's plan, or rather, controlled by an external force since they lacked independent thinking.

[No you don’t! Ice Bolt!]

Shwoong! Shwoong! Shwoong!

The Arch Lich summoned hundreds of icicles, piercing through every obstructing slime.

[Kieeeek!]

The icicles didn't just pierce the slimes; they struck their cores with pinpoint accuracy.

‘Wow… The Arch Lich’s mastery of magic is astounding…’ Han-Yeol marveled at the display.

[Focus.]

“Yes, Arch Lich-nim.”

Han-Yeol refocused, reprimanded for his distraction.

Nevertheless, the party pressed on, thanks to Han-Yeol’s demons, and reached the boss room.

Plop…! Plop…! Plop…!

The boss monster was…

‘Hmm?’

It was a colossal slime. Despite not being made of magma, the boss monster’s body boiled, signaling its danger to Han-Yeol with just a glance.

‘Analytic Eyes!’

Karvis’ absence forced Han-Yeol to manually activate the skill this time.

Wooong!

His Demon Eyes responded, scanning the boss monster and presenting its information before him.

[King Slime]

[Type: Boss Monster]

[Mana Capacity: 451,000]

[Attribute: Extreme Acid]

[Description: The ultimate form of a slime. It is a creature born from the fusion of thousands of slimes, cursed with insatiable hunger and an intense anger toward all living beings. This monster dissolves everything in its path before absorbing it into its body.]

‘Extreme Acid?’ Han-Yeol muttered inwardly.

Acid was truly a challenging attribute to contend with. Any attribute wielded by a boss monster posed its own challenges, but acid proved to be among the most troublesome for Han-Yeol.

Despite the tricky opponent, he remained resolute.

“Arch Lich-nim!” he shouted, and the Arch Lich swiftly responded, as if their actions had been prearranged.

[Ice Wall!]

C-Crack!

A thick wall of ice surged from the ground, obstructing the path into the boss room. The slimes outside were barred from entering due to it. Although not all the slimes were prevented—some instantly reacted by leaping into the boss room, while a few seeped through the wall's crevices—this didn’t halt the Arch Lich’s actions.

[Frozen Wall!] he cast another spell, freezing the entire wall within the boss room.

Now, the boss room was completely sealed. However, a slight issue arose.

[I am unable to participate in this battle as I must maintain the spell encompassing this entire area.]

“Yes, I understand, Arch Lich-nim,” Han-Yeol replied with a nod.

He was already aware that the Arch Lich wouldn't be able to join the boss raid after employing Ice Wall and Frozen Wall, crucial to ward off interference from the outside slimes.

The slimes attempted to breach the magical barrier, relentlessly knocking against it. Yet, the Arch Lich remained unwavering, continuously reinforcing his spell.

[I can’t sustain this spell for long. Hurry up and eliminate that creature.]

The Arch Lich could only access infinite mana under specific conditions, impossible to fulfill within this place.

“Okay,” Han-Yeol replied with a nod.

Then, he shouted, “Balrog-nim!”

[Leave it to me!]

Fwaaaah!

Balrog responded, his shield burning brighter and expanding to an even larger size. The King Slime finally sensed the impending battle, sluggishly moving its colossal body.

‘Hmm? This thing is really slow,’ Han-Yeol thought, observing the boss monster's slow movement that resembled a snail's pace.

He had anticipated more significant strides due to its size, not this sluggish dragging across the ground.

‘Is that it?’

Despite the King Slime's highly corrosive acid and tough body, Han-Yeol believed that dispatching it would be an easy task if it remained this slow.

He sensed that this boss raid might be one of the easiest he'd encountered in a long time. ‘Ah, is it because the slimes rely on their numbers?’ If that were the case, swiftly concluding this raid seemed the right strategy.

Chwak!

Swinging both swords and infusing them with mana, the Magma Longsword boiled while the Ice Blade reinforced itself, freezing even colder.

‘I’ll end this in a single blow!’

With a swift kick off the ground, Han-Yeol propelled himself toward the boss monster.

Locating the boss monster's core wasn't easy even with Demon Eyes, but his experience hunting thousands of slimes provided the necessary insight to find it within a slime's body. All he had to do was destroy that core to end this raid.

Or so he thought.

Shwaaa! Shwaaaa! Chwaak!

The King Slime proved to be a formidable opponent, suddenly unleashing tentacles from all over its body.

‘W-What?!’

The speed at which the tentacles shot out was incredibly fast, making it challenging for Han-Yeol even with Sixth Sense activated.

‘Keuk!’

Mid-air, avoiding all the tentacles proved impossible.

But Han-Yeol wasn't an ordinary Hunter; he possessed a diverse array of skills.

‘Wings of Light!’

Chwak!

Wings sprouted from his back, aiding him in twisting mid-air. Yet, the King Slime continued its assault, launching more tentacles. Han-Yeol focused intensely, maneuvering to evade each one.

Chwak!

‘Keuk…!’

While he managed to dodge some, not all. Tentacles grazed his arms, legs, and cheeks, drawing blood, heralding the start of his problems.

Tss…!

“Argh!”

The King Slime's corrosive acid seeped into Han-Yeol’s body through the grazed wound, gradually widening it while emitting the foul stench of burning flesh. Yet, Han-Yeol calmly placed his hand over the wound.

‘Restore.’

Woooong!

He possessed a skill capable of detoxifying potent poisons, purging corruption, and healing injuries as long as he remained alive. A radiant white light emanated from his hand, completely purifying the wound of the King Slime’s acidic residue.

Flap! Flap!

Hovering above the ground, Han-Yeol utilized his wings. While others might have been impressed by his evasion of the boss monster's attack and neutralization of its toxic acid, Han-Yeol didn't smile.

‘That was quite potent…’

In just a few seconds, he sensed the King Slime’s acid eating away at his skin and muscles. Without the ability of 'Restore,' those moments would have inflicted mortal wounds, leading to his demise shortly after.

‘This is going to be annoying…’

A mere graze and a few drops of acid caused substantial damage. How could he reach the King Slime’s core, almost at the center of its colossal body?

[Bwahaha! Where do you think you’re looking? Fire Charging!]

Fwaaaa! Bam!

Balrog propelled himself from the ground, initiating his move while Han-Yeol and the King Slime faced off.

Fire Charging employed his flaming shield to slam the enemy, the impact scattering flames and rattling the King Slime’s body.

[Bwahaha! How do you like the taste of my attack?!]

Balrog grew increasingly enthusiastic.

“Hahaha… You might want to be careful, Balrog-nim…” Han-Yeol warned, awkward laughter accompanying his words.

[Hmm?]

Shwiing… Bam!

[Argh!]

The King Slime didn't succumb to stun from such impact; instead, it promptly retaliated, launching its tentacles at Balrog.

Unfortunately, Balrog, engrossed in laughter and savoring his attack, failed to notice the incoming tentacles.

Bam!

Hurtled into the distance, he collided with the wall, prompting an angry shout from the Arch Lich.

[You’re going to break my magic, fool!]

Balrog’s substantial size and weight posed a threat; his crash risked shattering the magical spell cast by the Arch Lich.

[Bwahaha! My bad!]

It was hard to entirely blame Balrog, who displayed his easy going nature by apologizing and brushing it off with laughter.

Both demons were of similar stature, yet their personalities starkly contrasted, mirroring the attributes they embodied perfectly.