Leveling Up Alone

[Let me explain the basics to you. The combat style that I recommend to you is for you to have a sword in one hand and your chain’s claw on the other, so that you can use your restraining skill in close combat. This will allow you to get out of most sticky situations, and it can end up saving your life. Your left hand will be in charge of defending you and keeping your enemies at bay while using your right hand to attack. A chain is a very versatile weapon that you can use to immobilize the enemy or take their weapons away from them,] Kajikar said.

The demon drill sergeant had a way of saying things in a very nonchalant way, but his knowledge regarding combat was top-notch.

Kajikar finished explaining how Han-Yeol should fight from now on.

Han-Yeol immediately prepared for combat as soon as the demon drill sergeant’s instructions were over. He steeled his resolve before he looked at a Dokkaebi.

Swooosh…

“Sniff… Sniff… Kueeeek!”

Han-Yeol and Yoo-Bi were looking down at the Dokkaebis from atop a hill. However, a breeze blew from behind them, carrying their scent toward the Dokkaebis. Catching a whiff of their scent, the Dokkaebis started to react one by one.

“Oppa, the Dokkaebis are coming,” Yoo-Bi said.

“Alright, I see them too. Let it rip,” Han-Yeol replied and gave the command for Yoo-Bi to shoot.

Ratatatatata!

The most basic combat strategy was for the Porters to shoot first before the monsters could approach so that the Hunters could get a grasp of how strong and fast the monsters were. This was a crucial step when it came to hunting monsters, since the Porters could awaken just by shooting at the monsters.

“Kueeeeek!” The Dokkaebis screeched as they were unfazed by the bullets. Then, they rushed toward Han-Yeol and Yoo-Bi.

[Remember, you will defend with your chain’s claw and attack with your sword. That will be your basic foundation from now on,] Kajikar said.

“Yes, Kajikar-nim,” Han-Yeol replied before he used his skill, ‘Jumping.’

Tak!

Han-Yeol recklessly jumped toward the incoming Dokkaebis despite Yoo-Bi still firing at them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

However, there was nothing to worry about, since Han-Yeol could accurately grasp the bullets flying toward him from behind and avoid them.

This feat was only possible since his Sixth Sense had leveled up to B Rank. Perhaps it was because of Sixth Sense’s effectiveness, but Han-Yeol only just managed to level it up to B Rank despite him using this skill in every single battle.

However, difficult things were usually worth the effort as the now B Rank Sixth Sense not only slowed everything down for Han-Yeol, but the skill also made it possible for him to feel the trajectory of any ranged attack coming his way.

‘This is really good… I love it,’ Han-Yeol thought while feeling greatly satisfied at his skill’s new effect. With it, he managed to avoid all of the bullets in mid-air before running toward the Dokkaebis while shifting his body once in a while when he sensed a bullet flying toward him.

“Kueeeek!” the Dokkaebis aggressively screeched at Han-Yeol.

Whooosh!

Han-Yeol and the Dokkaebis came into contact in no time, since both of them were running at full speed. The Dokkaebi at the vanguard raised its mace before swinging the weapon at Han-Yeol.

[Lock your chain’s claw on the mace handle,] Kajikar instructed.

‘Heup!’ Han-Yeol threw his chain. He focused so hard that he could feel the sensation coming from every single one of his pores, and then his chain’s claw locked onto the Dokkaebi’s mace.

[Now, use the shield technique you have been training to parry the mace!] Kajikar exclaimed.

Han-Yeol did exactly as he was told. He used the shield technique that was ingrained into him. He used the Dokkaebi’s strength against it by pulling his chain’s claw and flicking the mace out of the Dokkaebi’s hand in one fluid motion.

“Kireuk?” The Dokkaebi was perplexed when the human easily managed to take its weapon away, and the cost of it being perplexed was expensive.

Sukeok!

Han-Yeol slashed his sword at the Dokkaebi’s chest.

“Kiek!” The Dokkaebi cried out in agony as it sustained heavy damage, but it did not die.

A Dokkaebi possessed thick skin, and it was being protected by the barrier that all monsters innately possessed. However, it was going to take time to recover from the damage. After all, the monster had been caught off guard by Han-Yeol, who did not give it any time to shift into a defensive posture.

Two Dokkaebis immediately rushed out and swung their maces. They were trying to cover for the injured Dokkaebi.

[You will always be at a disadvantage when facing more than one enemy in close combat. Try to make it into a one-on-one situation if possible,] Kajikar said.

‘That is my specialty,’ Han-Yeol confidently replied through his mind. He was especially confident about this, since his combat style consisted of him doing hit and runs to isolate enemies and fight them one on one.

He did possess an AoE skill which was Mana Explosion, but it was a severely limited skill in terms of usage. That was because he needed an explosive material as a catalyst to activate the skill. This was why he preferred to fight one on one instead, and he was also used to isolating enemies and forcing fights to become one on one battles.

‘Both of them are right-handed… If that’s the case, then…’ Han-Yeol thought. He kicked off the ground and moved quickly to his right side.

One of the two Dokkaebis suddenly became confused and was at a loss at the human’s sudden movement, but the other Dokkaebi managed to react in time as it swung its mace at Han-Yeol.

Whoosh!

The monster swung its mace as hard as it could. It moved without an ounce of hesitation.

‘Jumping!’ Han-Yeol immediately used his skill and kicked off the ground. His movement sped up even more after he used Jumping to propel himself. Then, before throwing his chain’s claw, he cast, ‘Enchant, Fire.’

Shwiiiiik!

The chain’s claw, which was enchanted with fire, smacked into the Dokkaebi’s chin.

The chain that Han-Yeol currently used was not an ordinary weapon, but an expensive one that cost nearly three billion won. The chain was fashioned with a claw at the tip, and the claw was meticulously crafted, so the Dokkaebi received quite a lot of damage from it.

Puk!

Han-Yeol’s chain smashed the Dokkaebi’s lower jaw.

“Kueeeeek!” the Dokkaebi cried out in agony when its lower jaw was crushed. It was excruciatingly painful for the sturdy Dokkaebi to experience such bad damage to one of its body parts, especially since it was a pain that it had never experienced before in its life.

[Not bad, but you need to move faster. Also, try to aim more accurately and kill the enemy in one shot,] Kajikar commented.

The demon drill sergeant was stingy with his praises while benevolent with his criticism, and the demon continued to criticize Han-Yeol’s movements while teaching him at the same time.

‘Is he teaching me or just nagging at me…?’ Han-Yeol thought, feeling his usual sense of confusion.

[Don’t let your mind wander! Focus!] Kajikar scolded.

‘Yes, yes,’ Han-Yeol nonchalantly replied, just like a kid who was tired of being scolded.

The three Dokkaebis in front of Han-Yeol were still alive, and they all glared at him with a hint of rage in their eyes. One of them roared in anger, “Kaaaooooo!”

The two Dokkaebis that Han-Yeol had injured quickly retreated behind the still able-bodied Dokkaebi, and this Dokkaebi was currently in an enraged state. After all, its pride was hurt by the fact that they were being toyed around by an insignificant weak human.

“Bring it on, Dokkaebi! I’ll be the one to attack if you don’t feel like it,” Han-Yeol confidently said, taunting the monster.

Boom!

The Dokkaebi angrily stomped its foot and left a footprint on the ground, as if it understood what Han-Yeol was saying. Then, it charged toward Han-Yeol. However, its movement was so fast that it was hard to believe that a creature three meters tall could move so quickly.

[Now, it’s a real one-on-one situation. Finish it off in a single blow! Remember this, you can execute the perfect offense and defense if you combine your sword and chain,] Kajikar said.

A chilling gaze suddenly flashed across Han-Yeol’s eyes as he looked at the incoming monster.

***

The Dokkaebi swung its mace.

Whoosh!

[Finish it in one blow!] Kajikar exclaimed.

Han-Yeol reflexively reacted to Kajikar’s words as he locked his chain’s claw around the Dokkaebi’s mace and followed it up with Sword Breath to cut the monster’s neck. He could feel his muscles twitch after demonstrating such explosive power.

Thud… Roll…

The Dokkaebi’s head fell to the ground and rolled to Han-Yeol’s feet. At the same time, the now headless monster flailed its arms around while spurting blood all over the place before losing its balance and fell to the ground.

“Kueeeeek!” The two remaining Dokkaebis cried out in excitement when the scent of blood filled the air.

The Dokkaebis did not really have strong camaraderie, so they did not really mind the fact that one of them was killed just now. The only reason they were starting to get both excited and enraged was purely because of the scent of blood that filled the air. Now, they wanted to see more blood.

[These guys have a very basic movement pattern, and that is because they possess low intellect. Observe their movements before you make any decisions. You need to train yourself to do that, so that you can start acting instinctively before you even think from now on,] Kajikar said.

‘Jumping,’ Han-Yeol used his mobility skill and kicked off the ground as soon as the demon drill sergeant finished speaking in his mind.

Tak!

He jumped toward one of the remaining Dokkaebis, and his jump was so high that he was now looking down at the three-meter-tall Dokkaebi.

The Dokkaebi tried to swat Han-Yeol away, but Han-Yeol kicked the Dokkaebi on the neck before the monster could raise its weapon. Then, he used the monster’s chest as a foothold and kicked off of it before spinning in mid-air and landing on the other Dokkaebi’s neck.

Whoosh!

The Dokkaebi immediately reacted by swinging its mace at Han-Yeol.

Tak!

When the Dokkaebi was about to swing its mace toward Han-Yeol, he switched the weapons in his hands. He used the chain’s claw, which was now on his right hand, to restrain the Dokkaebi’s mace before he stabbed it on the head with his sword, which was now on his left hand.

Puk!

“Kieeek!” the Dokkaebi shrieked in agony when Han-Yeol’s sword penetrated all the way down to its jaw. Then, it died on the spot.

Han-Yeol landed on the ground and dashed toward the remaining Dokkaebi. He severed its head in one fell swoop.

He successfully took care of three Dokkaebis at the same time!

Ding!

[Your level has risen.]

[The rank of ‘Jumping’ has risen from (A) to (M).]

[‘Jump’ has reached Master Rank.]

[There is a possibility of the skill evolving if certain conditions are met.]

[You have successfully fulfilled the requirements to evolve the skill ‘Jumping’.]

[The skill has started to evolve.]

[Jumping (M) has disappeared.]

[A new skill has been created – Cat Walk (F).]

‘Cat Walk…?’ Han-Yeol was confused by the skill’s name before he decided to read its description.

[Cat Walk (F)]

Type: Passive

Description: The next level of the skill ‘Jumping’. This passive skill makes the user move more agilely and discreetly. The user will be more adept at hiding their presence and they will be able to suffer reduced damage when falling from high places. The user may also track the sound of footsteps while they are in the dark.

‘Oh, this is a jackpot,’ Han-Yeol thought before he nodded with satisfaction.

He recently had a lot of stress because of his level and skills not having any changes in recent days, but he was very happy and satisfied when one of his skills evolved and turned into a very useful skill. The evolution of each of his skills was bound to compound and snowball in the future, which would allow him to reach a different level of power.

Han-Yeol received all of Kajikar’s criticism and devoted himself to his harsh training with renewed vigor.

The demon drill sergeant did not let Han-Yeol sit around and rest during his break time. He taught him the body-strengthening method used by the demons. Thanks to that, Han-Yeol experienced a massive stat boost after his STR rose by 15, AGI rose by 5, and VIT rose by 20.

***

“Hoo… Hoo… Hoo…” Han-Yeol exhaled deeply while he was drenched in sweat. There were more than twenty Dokkaebis dead around him, and they were all killed in various ways.

Han-Yeol was now strong enough to take on twenty Dokkaebis at once. Recognizing that, he wondered, ‘Is this how it feels to be powerful…?’

Han-Yeol did not really feel that he was getting stronger all this while when he used to train alone since he just thought of himself as a game character that leveled up and grew stronger, and he could not be blamed for thinking that way since everything seemed surreal to him.

However, it was different from now on.

‘I can feel every cell in my body react to my movements,’ Han-Yeol thought. He was on cloud nine at the thought of growing stronger.

[You still have a long way to go, so you can save your arrogance for later,] Kajikar reprimanded Han-Yeol.

‘Yes, yes,’ Han-Yeol replied.

Just when Han-Yeol was distracted by relishing in his newfound strength, a shadow suddenly rose up from the ground.

Fwaaa…

A Shadow Demon appeared by itself.

[I have come…to collect my share…] the Shadow Demon said.

Han-Yeol could now clearly understand the demons as their telepathy grew stronger, and this was thanks to him spending a lot of time together with Kajikar and having his Telepathy skill level up in the process.

“You can take your share, Shadow Demon,” Han-Yeol replied.

[I shall take it then…] the Shadow Demon said.

Fwaaa…

The Shadow Demon took five Dokkaebi corpses, and there were now only fifteen Dokkaebi corpses left.

Then, just as Yoo-Bi took out her equipment and was about to dismember the monster corpses, Kajikar suddenly blocked her path.

Seuk…

“?” Yoo-Bi tilted her head in confusion.

“What is the matter, Kajikar-nim?” Han-Yeol asked.

[Let me ask a favor this time, human,] Kajikar replied.

“What is the favor you want to ask?” Han-Yeol asked.

The demon drill sergeant had never asked for any favors during the time he was with Han-Yeol, and that made Han-Yeol all the more curious as to what the demon’s favor was, since he learned that the demons did not really deviate from how they usually acted.

[There is a big demand for monster corpses in the demon world. I want you to provide me with as many monster corpses as you can. In return, I will give you a gift after you have satisfied my needs,] Kajikar said.

“A gift?” Han-Yeol muttered in confusion.

[Yes, it is a gift that will certainly be of big help to you,] Kajikar added.

“Alright,” Han-Yeol said as he agreed to the deal.

[Thank you,] Kajikar replied.

Han-Yeol and Kajikar made a simple contract regarding the demon’s favor.

“…”

“So that’s what happened,” Han-Yeol said as he explained the situation to Yoo-Bi.

“Really? Awesome! Then I do not have much to do then, right?” Yoo-Bi asked.

“Y-Yeah, that’s right. The demons take the entire corpses anyway,” Han-Yeol said.

“Heehee,” Yoo-Bi giggled while smiling brightly.

“Aren’t you making it too obvious?” Han-Yeol grumbled.

“Hey, come on oppa. When did I make it so obvious?” Yoo-Bi cheekily said.

“You are a fox, I tell you, a nine-tailed fox,” Han-Yeol said.

“Hihi,” Yoo-Bi giggled in response to his banter.

[Then, I shall take these now,] Kajikar said.

“Please, go ahead,” Han-Yeol replied.

That was how the demon drill sergeant, who did not really want anything aside from alcohol, ended up taking five Dokkaebi corpses as his share of the loot.

Han-Yeol continued to diligently hunt after that, since he had to make up for the unexpected ‘taxes’ he had to pay to the demons.