Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 152: Run Toward the Firmament (1)

Mariam was saddened. Han-Yeol was precious to her, but there was nothing she could do for him.

[What do you mean by we can’t do anything? Mujahid!]

[Yes, noonim!]

Tayarana called out to Mujahid and they formed a triangle with Han-Yeol.

[Hap!]

[Hiiip!]

They channeled their mana toward Han-Yeol, enveloping him in a thin layer of energy. This action would aid his concentration by isolating him from the surrounding noise and commotion.

‘Thank you, everyone.’?

Han-Yeol was able to concentrate thanks to the barrier Tayarana and Mujahid erected around him.

He did tell Mariam that he could survive the explosion if he absorbed the mana, but he had no idea if that was even possible in the first place. No, he knew that it was not possible.

‘Forget about absorbing the mana or whatnot. I won’t be able to survive an explosion from this much mana. Tsk… I hate the thought of dying, but I can’t just sit and watch Mavros die!’?

If Han-Yeol could find a way to control the rampaging mana, he would be able to save Mavros. He refused to remain idle while his beloved family member was in peril, simply because the situation was dangerous.

The memories he had with Mavros flashed in front of his eyes.

“Kyu…”?Mavros was in a weakened state and he looked up at Han-Yeol.

Han-Yeol was determined to not let his baby black dragon die.

‘Demon Eyes!’

He could not see the flow of mana after activating his skill. Still, he injected his mana into Mavros to try and tame the rampaging mana, but…

“Keuk!”

The mana started rampaging even more after it sensed an external force trying to mess with it.

‘Hoo… Hoo… Focus. You need to focus. The mana will only rampage even more if you try to tame it forcefully. Think of it as catching a starved beast. I need to find a way to catch it without confronting it head-on,’?Han-Yeol told himself.

A beast and mana were completely different things, but they were both similar when it came to the difficulty of handling them.

Han-Yeol gently approached the mana and avoided stirring it up. Then, he slowly tried to tame it without agitating it.

However, the mana immediately lashed at him the moment it noticed that he was trying to pull something.

Wooooong!

“Keuk!”

‘This damn mana dares to!’?

Han-Yeol struggled with the mana for nearly an hour before he was able to miraculously tame it.

‘It’s not over yet.’?

He was aware that it was crucial for the tamed mana to reattach itself to Mavros. If too much mana left his body, Mavros would undoubtedly perish. That's why it was of utmost importance to return the mana as gently as possible.

‘Phew…’?

Han-Yeol spent nearly two hours after that to slowly return the mana into Mavros’ body. Finally relieved, he thought, ‘Alright, his mana capacity is a bit small, but he can manage this much without any issues.’

Mana was an extremely volatile energy that could rampage just like it had done just now, but it was innately a good type of energy that was docile once it found its place.

“Haa… It’s finally over…” Han-Yeol let out a sigh of relief.

Tayarana and Mujahid instinctively knew that the ordeal was over despite Han-Yeol speaking in Korean, and they canceled the barrier surrounding him.

Han-Yeol was patting the unconscious baby black dragon’s head when…

Wooooong!

“W-What?!”

[What’s going on?!]

Mavros started to shine brightly in a blue light.

It went without saying that this surprised Han-Yeol, but more importantly, the other Hunters watching started getting anxious at the sight.

‘It’s not mana rampage. This feels different from that, but what on earth is it then…?’?Han-Yeol could not do anything about it as the mana was simply shining without causing any harm.

The light grew stronger until it became blinding.

“Keuk!”

Han-Yeol exerted his utmost effort to withstand the blinding light, but eventually, it became too overwhelming for him to continue gazing. He shielded his eyes with his arm and cautiously stole a glance at Mavros. To his astonishment, he observed Mavros' silhouette gradually growing larger and larger.

‘What the?!’?

Mavros’ body continued growing for ten minutes before the light shot up toward the sky. Afterward, Mavros finally made his reappearance.

“M-Mavros?!”

“Kreeung!”

“H-How can this be…?”

[T-That is Mavros…?]

[That little pup turned into that…?]

[How is this possible?]

[…]

The Egyptian Hunters were in an uproar after seeing Mavros, and even Tayarana and Mariam had their mouths agape. In fact, Tayarana was so shocked that she drooled a bit, which was uncharacteristic of her.

‘Is this the true appearance of a monster pet…?’

‘How can this be…?’

On the other hand…

‘Wow! Is this what one trillion won is going to get you? I have a feeling the price is going to shoot up from now on…’?Mujahid thought.

He wasn't particularly captivated by the cuteness of Mavros, Candalous, and Pipi, as charming appearances held little value in battle. In all honesty, he considered one trillion won to be squandered on these pets.

However, he now began to regret neglecting his black panther, which he hadn't even bothered to name until this moment.

‘They say that a treasure will show its worth depending on who uses it. I guess I judged the book by its cover,’?he thought.

Then, his instinct as a thirty-four trillion won owner kicked in.

[Those are definitely going to be much more expensive from now on.]

He could foresee a worldwide clamor for monster pets in the future. These rare treasures were destined to command price tags multiple times their original value.

It was evident that Han-Yeol, being the sole individual capable of hatching these pets, had paved the way for their exponential increase in worth.

***

“Krreeung!”

Mavros shot out powerful air from his nostrils.

The adorable little winged lizard had undergone a sudden transformation into a legendary creature—the dragon.

While there were slight variations in the appearance of Eastern and Western dragons, the key distinction lay in their portrayal. Western dragons were often depicted as cunning and malevolent creatures, while Eastern dragons were revered as wise and powerful beings.

However, Han-Yeol was well aware that Mavros was not an evil dragon. Furthermore, Mavros' size was perfect, not too large, allowing Han-Yeol to easily mount and ride him.

“Mavros,” Han-Yeol said as he approached the black dragon.

[D-Don’t tell me…]

[Isn’t it dangerous?]

The Egyptian Hunters around them were concerned that Mavros was going to attack Han-Yeol because of how imposing the baby black dragon had become, but…

“Kireuk!”

[Ehem… Ehem…]

Mavros smiled brightly and rubbed his head against Han-Yeol, which was the exact opposite of what the Egyptian Hunters were worried about.

“Haha! You look really cool now, Mavros!”

“Kireuk?”

Mavros appeared to be asking, "Really?" and then struck a pose with his head held high. It resembled a young child boasting to their parents after receiving a compliment about their appearance.

“Oh right! Let’s check your abilities, Mavros. This is what it’s for, right? Mavros Status Screen.”

[Mavros (Mini Black Dragon)]

Level: 10

Traits: Darkness, Poison.

Innate Ability: Dragon Breath, Mode Change.

Stats:

STR: 100

AGI: 100

VIT: 100

Flying: 100

Flight Speed: 100

Skills: Magic (F), Dragon Buff (F)

[Magic (F)]

Type: Active

Description: A dragon awakens magic the moment they are born, and they are able to wield magic as soon as they awaken. A dragon will instinctively learn new magic as they grow, and only the dragon itself will know their magic’s details.

[Dragon Buff (F)]

Type: Passive

Description: An awakened dragon’s presence alone is more than enough to buff its allies. Anyone that acknowledges the awakened dragon as their ally will receive a ten percent stats buff to all of their abilities. The awakened dragon will instinctively place a permanent five percent stats buff on their owner or rider. The permanent buff will increase as the dragon becomes more powerful.

<Current Buffs to Lee Han-Yeol: 15%>

“Awesome!”

“Kireuk!”

Once again, Han-Yeol exclaimed in amazement upon seeing Mavros' stats and skills. Since there were no notification messages, he had no idea, but Mavros had already reached Level 10 and experienced a massive increase in all his attributes.

Not only that, despite Mavros being unable to use magic, he possessed a valuable buff skill that Han-Yeol had desperately desired. Although it was a shame that the buff skill wasn't Han-Yeol's own, it didn't matter since he had no intention of parting with Mavros. In the end, Han-Yeol's allies became Mavros' allies, and they would all benefit from his buffs.

“I should commission a saddle, no, a dragon saddle to be made for you after this raid. How does that sound?”

“Kireuk!”?Mavros continued rubbing his head on Han-Yeol no matter what he said.

The dangerous situation turned into a surprising one, and the Egyptian Hunters were simply flabbergasted by the whole thing. They were just staring blankly at the mini black dragon rubbing its head on Han-Yeol.

There were only three people in the Horus raid party that could freely approach Han-Yeol whenever they wanted, and these were none other than Tayarana, Mariam, and Mujahid, who Han-Yeol had personal relationships with.

[Han-Yeol, is this child really Mavros?]

[Huh? Why are you asking that when you saw what happened, Tara?]

[B-But that small cute and cuddly baby turned into… H-How did it turn into a dragon in the blink of an eye…?]

Mariam was left speechless. The entire situation was simply too astonishing for her to process. The sudden transformation of the creature she had once regarded as a cute pet into a formidable companion capable of fighting alongside its owner was beyond her wildest imagination. The shock of it all overwhelmed her.

[But hyung-nim. Can you really use Mavros in combat?]

[Of course! I have already assessed his abilities using my skills. He possesses some incredible skills that would make him an excellent combat partner when riding him!]

“Kireuk!”

Han-Yeol and Mavros did not communicate via words, but the mini black dragon knew what Han-Yeol was trying to say. He stood up tall and made an imposing pose to further emphasize his presence to the Tayarana, Mariam, and Mujahid.

[Oh, don’t you feel anything by any chance? Like, do you feel more powerful or do you feel you have more mana?]

Han-Yeol couldn't help but feel like a proud parent, eager to boast about their child. He subtly hinted at them, hoping they would notice Mavros' skill.

[Huh? How did you know? I suddenly felt my mana increase and I feel more powerful now. Also, my body feels lighter.]

[My calculation tells me that I have become ten percent stronger.]

Mariam accurately pinpointed the amount Mavros’ buff gave.

[Wow~ You got it right. How did you know the exact figure?]

[Simple. The area I could use my telepathic abilities has increased by ten percent. My mana and physical ability seemed to have increased as well, but I based my deduction on the area in which my telepathic ability increased.]

[Haha! You’re right. Mavros awakened with a skill this time, and he now possesses a buff skill called ‘Dragon Buff’. Any ally of his is going to have ten percent extra buff from now on.]

Han-Yeol deliberately hid the fact that he got an extra five percent buff from Mavros as he did not see a point in telling them that.

[T-That is truly amazing. A ten percent buff to ten A Rank Hunters is equivalent to gaining another one…]

[Amazing…]

Tayarana seemed to be sincerely amazed.

[Just how far can you go, Han-Yeol…?]

[Beats me. I have no idea myself.]

Han-Yeol simply shrugged in response to Tayarana’s question, and he was being one hundred percent honest about it.

A concept called ‘max level’ that signaled the end of one’s growth existed in most games, but Han-Yeol was not able to check any details about his ability on forums or developer’s announcements like games have. Therefore, he himself had no idea of where his true limits were.

More importantly, even his guide did not seem to know what his limits were.

[I apologize, Han-Yeol-nim.]

‘No need to apologize, Karvis. It doesn’t matter what my limits are,’?Han-Yeol replied.

Karvis, the Ego system, apologized for not knowing anything despite calling herself his ‘guide’.