Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 361 – Siege of Nagoya (3)

The monsters fought to keep Nagoya for themselves, but they were unable to stop Han-Yeol and his forces.

Sniff! Sniff!

Three Canine Warriors sniffed around a school that had been destroyed to the ground.

[It’s here.]

A fishy stench caught their sensitive noses.

Bam!

“Kieeek!”

A White Troll, a variant of the typical troll, lunged out from a pile of debris as soon as it realized the Canine Warriors had noticed its presence. The White Troll was confident that its ambush was going to work, but...

[Heh.]

Chwak!

“Keeek!”

The White Troll was split in half right down the middle after one of the Canine Warriors swung his scythe.

With olfactory glands two thousand times more sensitive than the average human, the canines found it extremely difficult to fall victim to ambushes. However, the White Troll's mistake was targeting Harkan's least famous subordinate, Barshell.

Although Barshell was the least famous among the three, it didn't mean he was weaker than them. With a resounding thud, both halves of the White Troll fell to the ground as Barshell casually rested his scythe on his shoulder.

[A weakling like you wanted to ambush me? Don't make me laugh.]

Ptooey!

Splat!

He spat on the face of the still-twitching White Troll.

Barshell was the most ill-tempered among the three, yet nobody dared to look down on him. Despite potentially being the weakest among them, he had earned the nickname 'Young Genius Commander' at an early age due to his remarkable talents, securing him a spot beside Harkan.

Han-Yeol recognized Barshell's abilities and had taken him in as a disciple even before he reached adulthood. Unlike Riru or Kandir, who relied solely on their strength, Han-Yeol imparted various tactics and strategies upon him.

Undoubtedly the most talented of the three, Barshell had yet to fully blossom due to his age and lack of experience. Additionally, he carried another nickname besides 'Young Genius Commander'—he was also known as the 'Hooligan Genius Commander'.

Sniff! Sniff!

[It seems there aren't any more monsters in the vicinity, sir.]

[Okay, send the signal to the humans.]

[Yes, sir.]

One of the Canine Warriors howled upon Barshell's command.

Awoooooo!

Footsteps approached swiftly after the howl, and soon, the Gurkha raid party members emerged. Barshell's subordinate gestured toward the school.

The Gurkha members bowed in gratitude and hurried into the school basement. Retrieving their infrared cameras, they uncovered numerous survivors trapped underneath.

They had waited until the Canine Warriors eliminated all the monsters in the area. The infrared cameras couldn't detect monsters due to the mana barrier covering their bodies. Despite the common use of mana detection devices, they were useless amidst the ongoing mana explosions.

A loud noise echoed.

Krwaaang...!

[H-Hiiik!]

The trapped survivors shrieked in horror as the debris separating them from the monsters started to clear.

[M-Mommy!]

[No!]

They knew this was the end for them, seeing no hope once the debris cleared and the monsters loomed closer. But...

[We are here to rescue. Is everyone okay?]

Sahas had learned some basic Japanese phrases before embarking on this rescue operation.

[Rescue?!]

[Really?!]

The survivors were initially skeptical. Why? They knew the Japanese Government had abandoned the city and its inhabitants. There was no expectation for the government to return for a rescue when the city was entirely overrun by monsters.

[We're a rescue team from Korea. Don't worry.]

[Lee Han-Yeol Hunter-nim is leading this rescue.]

Dropping the name of a famous figure was the quickest way to persuade others in such dire situations. Han-Yeol was a Transcendent Master Rank Hunter, arguably the most renowned Hunter in the world.

As expected, Sahas' method worked splendidly.

[Yes!]

[We're saved!]

[I'm alive... I'm alive...]

Survivors who had resigned themselves to the lack of rescue erupted into cheers and celebration. The relief they felt was indescribable.

[Please come out. We need to go.]

Sahas wished to say more, but his memorized phrases from a few hours ago were limited. Nonetheless, it was more than enough.

[Yes!]

The survivors immediately followed their rescuers, fearful of angering them and being left behind.

The Gurkha raid party members escorted the survivors from the school all the way to the port, but their journey was far from smooth.

"Kieeek!"

[Kyaaaah!]

[M-Monster!]

The monsters, having hidden after their defeat by the Bastro Warriors, reappeared upon detecting the scent of humans on the streets. They intercepted the group of survivors en route to the port.

"Giant Mantis."

"Prepare for battle!"

The Gurkha raid party members drew their Kukris, gearing up for combat.

"Attack!"

"Haaap!"

Tak! Tak!

Though the Gurkha raid party members had different awakened classes, their primary weapon, the Kukri, remained a symbol and soul of the Gurkhas.

"Summon Clones!"

Shwak!

Sahas' deputy possessed the ability to summon clones and created ten copies to simultaneously attack the Giant Mantis. This ability proved crucial, providing a numerical advantage when protecting hostages.

Chwak!

"Kieeeek!"

While the Giant Mantis was recognized as a powerful monster among Hunters, the Gurkhas had undergone intense, hellish training even before awakening as Hunters. Each swing of the clones' Kukris chipped away at the monster's body.

"Kieeeek!"

Thirty other Giant Mantises joined the assault on the survivors, yet thanks to the Gurkha raid party members, not a single survivor was harmed.

Whoosh! Tak!

Barshell leaped from a building, landing right after the demise of the last Giant Mantis.

[Huh? It's already over?]

Following the scent of the monsters, he found them already dead.

Though Sahas couldn't understand Barshell's words, he grasped the message from his expression. In response, Sahas awkwardly smiled and scratched the back of his head. It seemed he had picked up Han-Yeol's habit of doing so whenever flustered or embarrassed.

[Hmph! Let's go.]

[Yes, sir!]

Tak!

Barshell and his subordinates departed to hunt for other monsters.

***

Shwaaaaa!

The downpour continued over Nagoya. The survivors exposed to the elements trembled from the cold, but none of them lost the fire of hope in their eyes, no matter how cold it became. They were prepared to endure any hardship if it meant surviving this ordeal.

The Gurkha raid party distributed their raincoats to the children, just in case any of them succumbed to hypothermia. The Gurkhas themselves no longer needed raincoats, as their mana naturally regulated their body temperature after awakening as Hunters.

Carrying raincoats was deemed redundant for them, a task better suited for the Porters than the Hunters. Despite being elite soldiers, the Gurkhas refused to act like ordinary Hunters, even though the raid party had Porters to carry their miscellaneous items.

Though there were numerous monster ambushes, their numbers were not significant, as the Bastro Warriors had already killed most of them in the vicinity. The group of survivors encountered only one or two monsters fleeing from the Bastro Warriors, and that was it.

"Wow... The Bastrolings are really amazing."

"Yeah, they're not a combative race for nothing."

Finally able to relax, the Gurkha raid party members chatted while walking.

Splash!

The raid party member at the front stepped on a puddle formed by the rain.

"Oh, we're almost there."

They stood in front of a building, their destination.

[We are here.]

[R-Really?]

[Y-Yessss!]

The building happened to be the entrance to the port, where the rescue vessels were docked. However, in a short span, the port had undergone a significant transformation. Machine guns and floodlights were now fixtures on the walls, while the previously damaged sections had been patched up with thick metal plates. It now resembled more of a fortified structure than a typical port.

"Oh! You've brought back survivors!" A sailor armed with a K2C-A1 rifle, stationed at the entrance, shouted despite the short distance separating them.

Shwaaaaa!

The heavy downpour drowned their voices, necessitating loud communication.

"Yes!" Shahas shouted in response, vigorously waving his hands to ensure he was heard.

"Please wait a moment! We'll open the gates now!"

"Thank you!"

Psshhht!

The sailor radioed a command, and the gates, reinforced with metal plates, began to open.

[Please come in!]

[Oh!]

The survivors, fatigued and cold, found strength in the prospect of safety. They were ushered to tents set up within the port, where provisions such as water, food, heat packs (small pouches that generate heat when shaken, often used during winter), and blankets were provided to satiate hunger and stave off the cold.

The sailors also went around distributing bottles of Bacchus[1] to alleviate their fatigue.

***

The downpour finally ceased after Kandir severed the two heads of the last remaining Twin Head Ogre.

Thud...! Boom!

As long as a Twin Head Ogre retained one head, it remained alive, but its demise became inevitable once both heads were lost. The only chance for their survival lay in the hands of a necromancer who could reanimate them as undead creatures.

Shwak!

[That was a good warm-up.] Kandir licked the Twin Head Ogres' blood from his hands, praising the fallen monsters.

Though first-dimensional creatures, these monsters had put up a formidable fight against Kandir, one of the strongest beings in the Bastro Dimension. They had managed to stir his blood, a sensation he hadn't experienced in a long while.

For quite some time, Kandir had felt pent-up and frustrated. Most of his recent engagements involved fighting corrupted soldiers or sparring with others. Combatting the Twin Head Ogres finally granted him the satisfaction he had been seeking.

1. An energy drink similar to Red Bull but less potent. ?

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