Leveling Up Alone

Noras was still puzzled by Han-Yeol’s actions, but this was none other than an absolute order from the great prophesied being, and Noras was merely following his orders.

‘I wonder why the Great One wants to keep this a secret…’

The Mountain Range of Beginnings bordered the elephant race’s territory, so their assistance would be a great help in many ways.

‘I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.’

Noras’s respect for Han-Yeol was akin to revering a god after discovering that he was the hero foretold in the prophecy. He praised Han-Yeol to the point that he thought even his smallest actions had meaning behind them.

[We’ve arrived. This is the place we’re currently using as a shelter,] Elkan said.

[Wow, you somehow made it after all?]

Noras marveled as he looked around the shelter.

The area was fairly remote, but the land was in far better shape than the canyons and caves where the dog and cat Bastrolings lived in their shelters.

[Ah, these are our roe deer sorcerers and mercenaries they hired from a different dimension. They have come here to help us, the Light Faction.]

[Oh, aren’t they righteous!]

[Yes. They’re honored guests. Treat them with respect.]

[Yes, lord!]

Han-Yeol and his group were then assigned an area of the elephant race's shelter and were able to get some rest. They would meet the prophet early tomorrow morning.

‘I don’t really need to rest.’

If Han-Yeol hadn’t been suspicious of the elephant race, he would’ve continued on their way to the Mountain Range of Beginnings. However, his keen senses told him that something was going on with the elephant race, and he couldn't just let it slide.

‘There’s nothing more foolish than making things complicated in the future.’

If he was wrong, it was a good thing, but if Han-Yeol’s suspicions were correct, they could face dire consequences.

His group rested quietly in their assigned tents, filling their stomachs with the rations Han-Yeol provided.

“Um, Master?”

“Yeah, Tia.”

“I thought we were going to the Mounta…”

As soon as Tia was about to say the Mountain Range of Beginnings, Han-Yeol brought his index finger to his mouth and silenced her. Tia quickly understood and replaced the word with something more vague.

“I mean, that place?”

“Oh, I’m just suddenly a little tired.”

[A characteristic of the elephant race is their highly developed hearing. They can hear a typhoon thirty kilometers away and avoid it.]

‘Oh wow, that’s quite impressive.’

[I can’t trust them, and that’s why I can’t let them know where we’re headed.]

‘Hmm, but you said that Bastrolings from the Light Faction are stupidly naive.’

[But there are always exceptions.]

‘Ah ha.’

Tia had spent many years in the demon world and shared memories with the first Arachnid, so she quickly understood Han-Yeol.

‘So, are they traitors?’

[I think there’s a fifty-one percent chance. They’re really fishy.]

‘I see. Then what are you planning to do now?’

[I’ll have to confirm if I’m right.]

‘And if you are?’

[I’ll have to get rid of them, of course.]

‘Haha, I like that.’

Battle and blood had always been Tia’s favorite things.

[Mariam.]

[Yes, Han-Yeol-nim.]

[Network, please.]

[...Alright.]

His order was somewhat vague, but trusting Han-Yeol, Mariam nodded and connected the network to everyone’s brains.

[Ahh! What is this?! It feels uncomfortable!]

[Be quiet, Kasha, if you don’t want to get hit.]

[Tsk.]

Lord Kasha’s face was filled with discontent, but Han-Yeol didn’t care. Han-Yeol didn’t think it was necessary to show affection to a subordinate who still had a rebellious attitude.

‘I give those who follow my instructions affection, but if they don’t, then I'll just use them as chess pieces in a game.’

Han-Yeol’s circumstances weren’t nice enough to allow him to take the initiative and earn his subordinate’s trust. In addition, he had already earned Lord Kasha’s blood allegiance, so even if Han-Yeol didn’t earn his trust, Lord Kasha had to obey him whether he liked it or not.

***

Han-Yeol’s group stayed very quiet as time passed, and soon it was night.

“...”

Everyone pretended to be asleep, even controlling their breath.

‘I wonder why the Great Being is acting like this?’

Even though the roe deer sorcerers were doing as they were told, they couldn’t understand Han-Yeol. Actually, they were too smart not to realize the meaning behind Han-Yeol’s actions.

‘I can’t believe he’s doubting Elkan…’

If Han-Yeol hadn’t been the great being, Noras would’ve furiously confronted him, even if he was the reincarnation of Harkan. Although the Bastrolings respected the Dimension Lord, they weren’t loyal.

‘He’ll soon realize that Elkan is innocent.’

Noras believed in Elkan, so he expected everything to work out.

Rustle.

‘Hm?!’

Step, step!

There was a stealthy movement around Han-Yeol and his group's tent.

Drrr.

Noras’s tent was filled with the sound of snoring.

[Focus, everyone. It’s a sleeping incense.]

[I’ll use my brain waves to track the sleep.]

[I’m counting on you, Mariam.]

[Yes!]

Pang!

‘Hmph!’

As Mariam spread waves that stimulated the part of the brain that controlled sleep, the roe deer sorcerers, who were sleeping due to the sleeping incense, and Mavros, who was fighting off the sleepiness that was pouring in, were able to shake off the drowsiness.

‘Khuuu!’

Mavros was furious that he had almost fallen asleep.

‘T-This can’t be. H-How can Elkan—!’

Aside from that, Noras was shocked and hurt. He had trusted Elkan more than anyone, but as he watched the events unfold around him, he had to admit that no matter the reason, Elkan was undeniably a traitor.

‘M-Maybe he has a reason for doing this?’

After a moment of denying reality, Noras shook his head.

‘That’s not possible. Damn it!’

Noras was really annoyed by the situation. He was incredibly angry at Elkan, and disappointed in himself for being so stupid. If Han-Yeol hadn’t realized that Elkan was a traitor beforehand, the sleep incense would’ve killed them all.

[Great One, what do we do now?]

[What do you mean, what do we do now? Have you forgotten the ironclad rule for us Bastrolings?]

[...Traitors must be killed.]

[That’s right. The answer is obvious. Why are you asking?]

[I-It’s nothing, Great One…]

‘Ha, damn it!’

The last thing Noras wanted was the betraying and killing of his own kind while the hyena sorcerers were chasing them.

The Light Faction was always short in number, so much so that they wanted to borrow a hand from the cat race. But this time, even as the lord of the roe deer race, he had no choice.

Step, step!

Half an hour after the smoke from the sleeping incense spread, the elephant race warriors also became busy.

They formed the elephant race’s specialty mass charge formation and surrounded Han-Yeol and his group’s tents, probably to kill them all at once.

[Listen up, everyone. The elephant race is not an easy opponent. Although they are herbivorous Bastrolings, their combat power is stronger than carnivorous Bastrolings. Their characteristics are their overwhelming strength, evasion using their excellent hearing, and disturbing your ability to judge the situation with their unique sound waves.]

Herbivorous Bastrolings were generally less physically capable than carnivorous Bastrolings, so they had a variety of unique skills to compensate. The elephant race however, basically had fraudulent abilities as they were physically more capable than their carnivorous Bastrolings but also possessed skills unique to herbivores. No wonder they were called the thugs of the grassland.

[Pay special attention to their first attack as they all charge at once and aim for their weaknesses, which are their nose and lower body.]

The roe deer sorcerers answered powerfully.

[Yes, Great One!]

Tia lightly teased Han-Yeol’s explanation.

[Haha, there’s no need to tell them all that.]

[...Anyway, the moment they make their first move, the battle begins.]

Han-Yeol was a little angry, but he held back for now since he wasn’t confident he could win a debate with Tia.

Drrr!

[Start!]

As soon as the elephant race began to move, Han-Yeol gave the signal, and everyone sprang into action.

[Eliminate all the enemies…?]

Elkan had been leisurely giving out orders, but he was startled when Noras and his group burst through the tent at once. They were supposed to be fast asleep under the influence of the sleep incense.

[W-What the!?]

But Elkan soon regained his composure.

[Damn it! Just kill them all!]

Puuuu!

The elephants let out a distinctive sound and charged.

“To the traitors!”

Han-Yeol shouted the chant he had used when he was Harkan.

[Strike of justice and fury!]

Since it was a similar chant, the roe deer race sorcerers replied in unison.

‘Let’s see, this will be my second battle with the elephant race. The first time, I killed the lord, even though it was by mistake, but this time, I’ll have to annihilate them. What kind of ill-fated relationship is this?’

Nevertheless, Han-Yeol did not pity them. He disliked them from the start, and now that they had betrayed the group, he wanted to crush them to pieces and kill them because he despised traitors.

Shaa!

‘Chain Smite!’

Boom!

[Ahhhh!]

Han-Yeol’s powerful chain, filled with coldness from the effects of his Cold Chain skill, swung through the elephant race.

‘Multiple Bonds!’

Chaaa!

[Ugh, what is it now?]

The elephant race warriors were bewildered by the chains wrapped around them. Not only that, but the cold skill applied to the chains made them feel as if their bodies had slowed down slightly.

Ding!

[The skill Multiple Bonds has leveled up.]

[The skill Multiple Bonds has reached the Master (M) Rank.]

[The skill Chain Duplication (F) has been obtained.]

‘Huh?’

After the Telepathy skill, the chain mastery series skills had not been very useful and couldn’t be trained alone. Thus the skill did not level up easily, but Han-Yeol finally obtained a new skill.

‘But what is Chain Duplication?

[Chain Duplication (F)]

Type: Active

Description: You can duplicate an existing chain and use it, but you can only use fifty percent of the chain’s abilities. This will increase by ten percent each time your skill level increases.

‘Oh?’

It wasn’t a bad skill. In fact, Han-Yeol liked it quite a lot since he could now use two chains at the same time.

[Oh wow, two chains. That’s a good skill.]

‘I know, right?’

[Yes.]

Karvis knew about everything in the system, and she also seemed to like this new skill. Even Karvis believed that Han-Yeol could fight more effectively with two chains.

[Han-Yeol-nim, you aren’t a swordsman, and you use a variety of skills to fight, so there’s no need to stick to one sword in one hand and one chain in the other.]

‘That’s true.’

Han-Yeol nodded and agreed with Karvis.

‘Chain Duplication!’

Shaa!

Once he activated the skill, the chain that was only on his left had also appeared on his right.

‘The cold feel of the chains in both hands is quite nice.’

Han-Yeol liked it.

‘Now, shall we play a little?’

[I will assist.]

‘Hehe, okay!’

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