Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 303 – Strange Adventure in the Bastro Dimension (3)

Wooong...

‘Finally!’

Mariam was quite nervous, but that wasn't the case for Tayarana. She felt quite thrilled that the boring battles were finally over, and it was now time to engage in serious combat. She could tell that the soldier ants were quite strong.

‘Bring it on!’

Chwak!

"Finally!" Mariam exclaimed upon seeing Tayarana much more serious than she had been when she first drew her sword a while ago.

Tayarana opened her wings, signifying that her mana recovery speed would now exponentially increase. In other words, she could now engage in more aggressive combat.

Chwak!

Tayarana initiated the attack with her sword. Though it might have seemed like a mere sword swing, it unleashed a powerful attack that released a surge of mana.

[You dare!]

Whoosh!

Three of the soldier ants simultaneously reacted and concentrated their mana at the tips of their spears before firing it.

Baaam!

Tayarana's sword mana clashed with the mana from the three soldier ants.

Krwaaaa!

A storm erupted in the tunnel.

[Ha!]

The soldier ants made a move.

Chwiiik!

Han-Yeol prepared to use his chain.

‘It’s been a while… Truly, it’s been a long time…’ he thought while caressing his chain.

Heh.

Badump! Badump!

His heart began to beat wildly with excitement.

He had always loved fighting more than others, but after living as Harkan for twenty years, he had developed an insatiable passion for combat. He had become the type who couldn't sit still unless he got to stretch his body at least once a day.

However, the thing that stirred his instincts the most was none other than the fact that he was back in the Bastro Dimension.

"Hahaha... Ah, I’ve really missed this atmosphere."

Sseuuuuung...!

His mana began to rise around him like a smoky aura.

It was then.

Ding!

“Hmm?”

A message appeared in front of his eyes just as he was getting into the fighting spirit.

[The skill ‘Berserk’ has reacted to your emotions.]

[The skill ‘Berserk’ has evolved.]

[A new skill has been created – Rage Mode (F)]

‘Huh?’ Han-Yeol was flustered by the sudden message he received.

"Berserk" was an 'okay' skill he possessed, but it was a passive skill with tricky activation conditions, so he couldn't use it frequently. However, it appeared that the Berserk skill itself had grown frustrated with its underuse and had decided to evolve on its own.

‘I should check this skill,’ he thought as he checked the skill’s details.

[Rage Mode (F)]

[Type: Active]

[Description: An evolved form of Berserk. Using this skill consumes mana from the user's heart in exchange for a 15% increase in physical abilities. However, prolonged use can lead to muscle cell deterioration and potential injuries, so caution is advised. The skill's efficiency will increase by 1% with each level up.]

‘Oh? This isn’t bad at all?’

The skill was essentially a high-risk, high-return type of skill. It boosted his physical capabilities by fifteen percent, but it came at the cost of consuming his mana and causing muscle cell deterioration. Ironically, the risks weren't significant for Han-Yeol, as he could easily replenish his mana and heal his damaged muscles using Restore.

‘I should strike while the iron is hot, right? Rage Mode!’

Woooong!

Crimson mana began to surge around Han-Yeol's body.

‘Ah, so Rage Mode is associated with red,’ he noted with admiration.

He adjusted his grip on his chain.

Chwak…

‘Alright, should I go have some fun as well?’

Bam!

Han-Yeol, armed with an array of buffs and his newfound strength, charged at the soldier ants.

[Enemy incoming!]

[That's the strongest one!]

[Focus your attacks on that one!]

The soldier ants, being intelligent creatures, recognized that Han-Yeol was the most formidable of the three invaders and made a strategic choice to eliminate him first.

‘Ha! Bring it on! Cold Chain! Frozen Field! Chain Smite!’

Chwaaak!

[It’s cold…!]

[That one is using some strange spell!]

[Is it a sorcerer?!]

The soldier ants were taken aback by the sudden wave of coldness enveloping their bodies. Ants were particularly vulnerable to the cold, and while it might not be highly effective against the soldier ants, it was enough to slow them down.

'The Bastrolings are weak against magic and sorcery after all,' Han-Yeol understood their weakness better than anyone.

The Bastrolings had primarily evolved their physical abilities, with the exception of the hyenas, relying solely on their physical prowess. While there were some sorcerers among them, they were relatively scarce. In fact, among the hundreds of survivors led by Riru and Kandir, there were only three sorcerers, and those three had perished while opening the dimensional gate to Earth, making them practically extinct.

The few Bastrolings who used magic specialized in providing support in combat or performing rituals, so the creatures in the Bastro Dimension had limited exposure to magic.

Han-Yeol wasn't finished yet.

'So you guys are adapting to my chain? What about this?'

A battle was always evolving, so Han-Yeol decided to change things up this time. He extended his hand toward the soldier ants and employed another skill, 'Fire Ball!'

Fwaaaaah!

The fire he conjured shot toward the soldier ants. Unfortunately, Fire Ball wasn't a particularly powerful attacking skill. It was considered weak magic even in fantasy novels and was typically used by second-circle magicians. However, it was a different story when a Master Rank Hunter like Han-Yeol wielded it.

[Ha! That is insulting, intruder!]

Bam!

The soldier ant swung its spear and effortlessly deflected the fireball.

"Oh? You blocked that?"

[Ha!]

The soldier ant scoffed and arrogantly smirked.

But Han-Yeol was just getting started.

"What about this?"

[Hmph! Do you think your petty tricks will work on us?!]

'Ah, even the monsters are hardened warriors who look down on sorcerers, right?'

Hunters on Earth ventured into hunting grounds to eliminate the monsters that threatened the planet's existence, but things were a bit different in the Bastro Dimension. While the monsters there posed a threat to the Bastrolings, both the Bastrolings and the monsters were proud warriors engaged in a constant battle for supremacy in the dimension.

This was the reason the soldier ants looked down on Han-Yeol for being a ranged magician, which they considered cowardly.

"But what about fireballs of this size?" Han-Yeol smirked and inquired.

[Hmm?]

The soldier ants grimaced as they could not understand what the intruder was talking about.

Heh.

Han-Yeol raised his hand up and cast, ‘Fire Ball.’

Fwaaaaaah!

A fireball appeared in his palm after he used his skill.

[Fool!]

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

The soldier ants opened their wings and soared toward Han-Yeol.

"Then what about this?" Han-Yeol questioned.

Wooong! Wooong! Wooong! Wooong! Wooong!

He infused more mana into his hand, conjuring dozens of additional fireballs. In the blink of an eye, their numbers increased to hundreds.

[W-What?!]

The soldier ants finally realized the dire situation they were in when they saw the hundreds of fireballs blazing before their eyes.

[Damn it! Hurry up and kill the sorcerer!]

[We can't allow it to keep creating fireballs!]

Buuuuzzz!

It was a fundamental combat strategy to eliminate the sorcerer or magician first, as they could become major threats later on, and the soldier ants, being experienced warriors, were well aware of this.

All of them, except for four, directed their attacks toward Han-Yeol.

[You four, handle those two!]

[Yes, sir!]

They wisely avoided the mistake of concentrating all their forces on a single target and reserved just enough to deal with the other intruders.

[Die! Intruder!]

Buuuzz!

The soldier ants moved in perfect harmony, just like well-trained soldiers, and their coordination was flawless.

'As expected, this is really taking me back to all those years,' Han-Yeol thought, recalling the days when he used to hunt here as Harkan.

Back then, he had to eliminate these soldier ants using only his physical abilities, but things were different now.

'I have a multitude of skills at my disposal now! Go!'

Fwaaaaaaah!

The hundreds of fireballs blazed brightly and flew toward the enemies as soon as Han-Yeol gave the signal.

[Damn it! Defensive formation!]

[Yes, sir!]

The soldier ant, acting as the leader, issued the command, and the rest of the soldier ants immediately responded by forming a defensive formation. They huddled together to shield themselves against the rain of fireballs cast by Han-Yeol.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

[Ha! How pitiful! You can’t even hit us from this range!]

The soldier ant was correct. Despite being in close proximity to the soldier ants, half of the fireballs summoned by Han-Yeol failed to hit their targets, with most of them striking the ground instead. The half that did manage to hit the soldier ants failed to inflict any significant damage, as the ants easily defended against them.

The failed attack immediately boosted the morale of the soldier ants, but Kandir seemed to view the situation differently.

[It's over.]

[Yes, indeed. Harkan seems to have grown wiser since becoming a human.]

[No, Harkan-nim has always been the cleverest among all of us warriors.]

[Well, I suppose you're right. Haha!]

Riru chuckled as she recalled how Kandir had struggled after Harkan's death. While she might have loved him more than anyone, Kandir was undeniably the most loyal to him.

[W-Why are you laughing, Riru-nim?]

[Nothing, don’t mind me.]

[Ugh…]

Kandir could not help but simply groan later on.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

A thick smoke engulfed the tunnel after hundreds of fireballs exploded, seriously impeding visibility.

[C-Captain! We can't see anything!]

[Remain calm! Our enemy is a sorcerer. We just need to maintain our defensive formation and wait for the smoke to clear.]

[Yes, sir!]

The soldier ants stayed vigilant and continued to defend as per their captain's orders.

[...]

Then, the soldier ant at the rear suddenly felt a sharp pain around its neck and sensed its consciousness fading.

‘C-Captain…’

The soldier ant instinctively realized it had been ambushed by the enemy and needed to alert its captain. However, it lost consciousness faster than it wanted to, and in the end, its desperate screams never escaped its mouth.

Seuk...

The dead soldier ant was quietly dragged away.

[Hmm?]

The soldier ant, standing in front of the deceased soldier ant, noticed that the area behind it had grown strangely quiet, prompting it to turn around.

Whoosh!

[Heop!]

Sukeok!

[Kwaaaak!]

Then, a dagger flew from within the thick black smoke and pierced its heart.

[W-What?!]

[F-From our rear, captain!]

[Damn it! When did he get behind us?!]

Fortunately for the ants, the dying scream of the soldier ant alerted them to the presence of the enemy behind them.

'Tsk… I only managed to kill one, and they already found me?' Han-Yeol couldn't help but click his tongue in frustration.

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