Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 455 - Wake Up, Queen (5)

This spectacular crowd control skill that stunned the opponent for ten seconds was a bit tricky to land, but when activated, it was like a trump card.

“Han-Yeol-nim!”

“Hehe, easy win.”

Han-Yeol had already prepared for this moment.

He even used the Vibration Booster and rushed to finish everything within the ten seconds that the skill was in effect.

Swoosh!

[Aghhh!]

The eight high priests had prepared thoroughly based on the information they obtained beforehand, and they were ready to take on Han-Yeol’s group.

However, one crowd control effect from Seung-Hoon’s clone wasted all their efforts, and Han-Yeol beheaded them with his sword. This was why a Hunter’s control over the crowd control skill was so important.

In this situation, control was key, but Han-Yeol’s Healing Shot, which supported that control, made it have a bigger impact.

“Game Over!”

Slice! Splat!

Green blood spurted out everywhere, ending the lives of the high priests.

Ting!

[Your level has increased.]

‘Nice!’

[Level 543. Congratulations. It seems that despite the fact that it’s harder to level up than when you lived in Harkan, you’re leveling up faster.]

‘Hmm, oh yeah, you’re right.’

[Yes.]

‘Well, it was a fake leveling up ability back when I lived in Harkan, but now, it’s real.’

[True.]

‘Oh right, and today’s the day that the Arachnid cocoon will finally hatch, right?’

[That’s right. If it takes exactly 30 days, the Arachnid cocoon will hatch in one hour, 15 minutes, and 13 seconds from now.]

‘Nice, then I’ll start resting now.’

[Alright, I think that would be best.]

“Uhhh!”

Crack!

Han-Yeol stretched aggressively, loosening his tense body in a rough manner, and instructed Scarlett to rest.

At any other time, it would’ve been the captain who instructed them. However, the captain, Ye-Rim, and Seung-Hoon were sealed in Stewart’s magic circle at the moment.

Ito, who was supposed to be a Master-Rank, was spacing out, so Scarlett was the only person he trusted.

‘Ugh, I’m so unlucky. Karvis, wouldn’t it be nice if you weren’t an Ego, but a physical subordinate?’

[Yeah. I would’ve been more helpful to you, Han-Yeol-nim, if I weren’t an Ego but an actual being. What a shame.]

‘Haha, thanks for feeling the same way.’

[Thank you, Han-Yeol-nim.]

The group took a break under Scarlett’s command.

“Agh!”

“Ugh!”

As soon as it was time to take a break, Stewart also released the three crew Master-Rank Hunters he had sealed within the magic circle.

They were finally set free from the magic circle.

“Huff, huff!”

“W-What the...”

With a confused look on their faces, they checked every inch of their bodies for any injuries.

As far as they could tell, there was nothing wrong with them.

It was partly because Stewart had taken special care of them, but also because Han-Yeol had minimized their injuries by constantly using Restore and Healing Shots. However, this wasn’t because he particularly had affection for them.

‘They’re Master-Rank, so I don’t want them to blame me for anything if they get into trouble in the future. That would be annoying.’

The deaths of the ordinary crew members were accidents caused by monsters. However, if Stewart’s skill had killed or seriously injured them, things would be different.

It wouldn’t matter too much for Han-Yeol, a Transcendent Master-Rank, but he didn’t want to be bothered by something that could’ve been prevented.

“It was Stewart’s magic skill. You can recall his battle experience, right?”

“Ah!”

Everyone was startled by suddenly gaining consciousness, but at Han-Yeol’s words, they could feel the memories flooding back into their heads.

“T-This is!”

“No way!”

They couldn't believe that they could fight like this. They felt like they were watching a well-made action movie, even though it was clearly them fighting.

But they knew one thing for sure. They felt a surge of confidence that they could fight exactly like this if they were given the opportunity right now.

“Getting the knowledge from a genius is not an experience that just anyone can have.”

“Ah, yes, Hunter Han-Yeol-nim!” the three Crew Hunters answered in unison with high spirits.

After lifting their spirits, Han-Yeol approached the Arachnid cocoon that was being tightly guarded by double the amount of Lava Golems.

‘Karvis?’

[There’s 34 minutes and 13 seconds left.]

‘We’re really close now.’

[That’s right.]

‘...Tia.’

As the time approached, Han-Yeol’s heart beat harder and faster, indicating how nervous he was. But he couldn't tell whether it was due to anticipation over what would emerge from the cocoon or if he was worried about losing Tia and encountering another new creature.

‘I’ll leave it up to fate.’

[I’ll always be with you.]

‘Haha, thanks, Karvis.’

[No worries.]

Tick tock tick tock.

There were no clocks around Han-Yeol, but the clock in his head was ticking away.

Half an hour was a short amount of time that passed quickly.

Thump!

“Here it comes!”

Gulp!

Finally, the Arachnid cocoon started to react differently. The cocoon, which had been pounding regularly like a heartbeat, broke its rhythm and started to beat wildly.

The movement became faster.

Thump thump thump thump! Shhhh!

With a horrifying sound like flesh being torn, the cocoon ripped open and black smoke came out.

“Agh, t-this is!”

Han-Yeol quickly covered his nose and mouth with his hands.

He then urgently ordered Scarlett and the Crew Master-Rank Hunters to evacuate the ordinary people. At the overwhelming charisma that seemed to say that he wasn’t accepting any questions, they quickly moved away from the black smoke.

“Oh?”

Stewart was completely unaffected by the smoke. He possessed a power comparable to the aura emanating from this ominous black smoke, a power that could be considered the very essence of the demon world itself.

There was no way that Stewart, one of the absolute lords of the demon world, could be affected by this smoke, except for maybe a slight change in emotion.

He was admiring it.

‘This much black mana indicates that it's also a lord.’

Of course, it was impossible for a hundred percent of a lord’s mana to cross over to this dimension. This world operated on the principle of strict balance, and absolute power was subject to moderate restraint.

But even so, such a vast amount of black mana like this, even if it was nerfed, was the force of a being that was far stronger than Stewart. Stewart’s feelings of simple admiration soon turned into shock because the energy from the cocoon was growing stronger.

‘What in the world is this cocoon?’

Shakk!

Finally, the cocoon was completely torn open, and eight spider legs emerged from it.

“Tia!”

“Ha, I’ve finally resurrected in this place.”

“Huh?”

Han-Yeol was about to run over to the familiar spider legs as they emerged from the cocoon, but what emerged was not the Tia he knew before, everything from her voice to her overall appearance.

‘She looks similar to Tia...’

But the aura and energy she gave off were different. The biggest difference was that unlike Tia, whose lower half was a spider, the creature that emerged from the cocoon still had a different structure from humans, but she was bipedal.

Tap tap.

She wasn’t wearing heels, but her legs were pointy like heels, making distinctive sounds with each step.

Her eyes locked with Han-Yeol’s and she walked right up to him. Her lower half had changed from spider legs to two legs, but she was still taller than him. She looked to be at least two meters tall.

‘This is humiliating...’

Although they were different species, Han-Yeol felt an instinctive sense of humiliation at being shorter than a female. He hadn’t felt this way at all before when she had spider legs, but now that he was facing a bipedal creature, he felt humiliated.

“Haha, Master, are you not happy to see me?”

“T-Tia?”

Her voice, her tone, and the slightly echoey feel of her voice itself were distinctly different from Tia. But the master she was referring to felt the same as when Tia used to call him master in the past. Only then could Han-Yeol sense that she was still Tia of the Arachnid race, with her old memories intact.

Tia’s eyes bent like crescent moons.

“Haha, of course I’m Tia. Did you think I was a different creature?”

“Tia!”

Han-Yeol threw himself at Tia, who was only around twenty centimeters taller than him.

He wasn’t crying, but it was as if he was about to.

“Haha, I can’t believe you are showing affection for me like this. I guess it’s not too bad to be in a cocoon from time to time.”

Han-Yeol was known as the strongest and merciless killer in the world, but he was also the type of person to give up his friends and privacy to protect his father, and he even put his life on the line for those who deeply cared about.

Tia was someone he deeply cared about, so he couldn’t help but tear up when she came back to his side after he almost lost her.

His pride of being a Transcendent Master-Rank kept him from crying, but he was on the verge of doing so.

“If you go on a rampage one more time, I’m going to hit you even harder...”

“Hahaha, Master, I’m really sorry about that. But you could’ve helped me in a more calm manner. You’re not a Transcendent Master-Rank Hunter that’s weak enough to be distracted by those little brats.”

Han-Yeol felt embarrassed by Tia’s sharp point.

He wanted to let that part go since it was embarrassing, but he was so happy to see Tia that he had mentioned something he was trying to hide.

“Haha...”

“And they were using divine power. I’m just an ordinary Master-Rank demon, and they were borderline Master-Rank clerics. Hmm, the more I think about it, the more it was your fault, Master.”

“T-Tia, that’s u-um...”

Step.

Han-Yeol instinctively took a step back at Tia’s increasingly murderous aura, but he shouldn’t have.

“Haha, Master, where are you going?”

Shaaa.

She disappeared into smoke and immediately appeared right next to Han-Yeol.

Tia currently resembled a human, but upon closer look, she was much different. It looked like she was wearing clothes, but she was actually covered in a hard, navy-black shell, like a spider’s skin.