Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 90: Angel Shard (2)

[Is this for real? Is that really the Egyptian Goddess?]

[Are you telling me that I can see her if I buy the V-Ticket?!]

[Aaaah! Should I buy it or not?!]

[This is driving me crazy!]

[What is money when I can actually see the goddess?! It’s definitely worth it! It’s a no-brainer!]

The general chat room was heating up.

Yoo-Bi was the only one shown on the regular viewers’ main screen, but those who had purchased the V-ticket were able to enjoy various camera angles and could change their screen views at will. Not only that, but the biggest merit of purchasing the V-Ticket was also the fact that they were going to be able to see the Goddess of Egypt.

Then, one of the screens began showing a scene that was definitely going to cause an upheaval in the chat room shortly.

“Tayarana-nim is very satisfied with your performance, Han-Yeol Hunter-nim. Although there are still a lot of shortcomings, we believe that, with practice and hard work, you will definitely reach your fullest potential,” Mariam said.

“Hahaha! Thank you for the compliment,” Han-Yeol replied while letting out a laugh.

Suddenly, Tayarana approached Han-Yeol and held out her hand without waiting for Mariam to translate for her. She said, [Let’s do our best together from now on, you are the best.]

Of course, Han-Yeol did not understand what Tayarana had said due to the language barrier. However, he understood her intentions. Shaking her hand, he replied with a smile, “I look forward to working with you too.”

Then…

Ding!

‘Huh?’?Han-Yeol flinched at the sudden notification that popped up.

[Your repeated actions have created a skill.]

[A new skill has been created: Translate.]

‘W-What?’?Han-Yeol was completely dumbfounded by the skill that had suddenly been created. He thought to himself, ‘T-Translate?’

[Translate (F)]

Type: Passive

Description: Ability to directly comprehend and speak various languages. The number of languages that can be interpreted will automatically increase by one each time the skill level increases.

[Current Interpretable Language (1): Arabic.]

‘N-No way,’??Han-Yeol thought.

The new skill he had just obtained was not an active combat skill, passive combat support skill, or a skill that allowed him to buff or support his allies. However, this simple skill that could only improve his quality of life was the skill that he needed the most in his current situation.

Han-Yeol was delighted at the skill, but slightly taken aback at the same time. He could not help but wonder if it was alright for such a skill to even exist in the first place.

Gulp!

Han-Yeol nervously gulped before slowly trying to speak. Arabic words suddenly started to appear in his head as he was about to speak. The skill worked in quite a straightforward manner as whatever word he thought of in Korean would suddenly pop up in his mind in Arabic, even though he had never learned the language.

[Y-You look beautiful as always, Tayarana,] Han-Yeol said.

[!]

[Huh? You knew how to speak in Arabic all along?] Tayarana asked.

Mariam, who stood next to Tayarana and was about to translate for her, was surprised by the fluent Arabic coming out of Han-Yeol’s mouth.?Tayarana was also surprised, but for a different reason entirely. If Mariam was completely taken aback by the sudden turn of events, then Tayarana was just genuinely surprised and interested by this entire situation.

[H-How are you suddenly able to speak Arabic?] Mariam asked.

[T-That is because of one of my skills. It is kind of like telepathy, but it also translates languages. It took me a while to analyze the Arabic language…] Han-Yeol lied.

[Oh…]

Both of them seemed to be convinced by Han-Yeol’s explanation. It was easy to convince them as long as he mentioned that it was a skill, since the appearance of superhumans called Hunters and the unpredictable nature of mana made it seem like there was nothing impossible in the world anymore.

[Allow me to introduce myself to you once again. My name is Lee Han-Yeol. Nice to meet you, Tayarana.]

[Hmm… You don’t have to address me so formally, you can just talk to me more casually. I heard that we are of the same age, am I right?] Tayarana replied.

[B-But you have a much higher social status than I do,] Han-Yeol said.

He was not just referring to the social hierarchy that commonly differentiated the nobles from the common folks in Egypt. After all, he knew that Tayarana was the daughter of Egypt’s president, and she was also the first lady of Egypt after her mother had passed away when she had still been a child. Therefore, how could he speak so casually and nonchalantly to a person like her?

However, Tayarana shook her head in response and said, [Han-Yeol, you need to learn how to cherish yourself first. Although I was born a noble, you possess the power that can rival a noble. You are an equal being to me and I respect you as such, so I hope you can speak to me more comfortably from now on.]

[T-That…] Han-Yeol was conflicted.

Meanwhile, the scene of them tightly holding each other’s hands was being captured by a camera drone and broadcasted live to the viewers who had purchased the V-Ticket.

[T-T-That bastard!]

[H-He is holding hands with the Goddess!]

[Unbelievable!]

[Huh? There are other foreigners too. Look over there!]

[That’s not what’s important right now!]

[H-How can he do this?]

[This is blasphemy!]

The scene of them holding hands was the final trigger that made the chat room explode into a flurry of messages. However, the person at the receiving end of all of their hate seemed to be completely oblivious to what was going on.

Han-Yeol was only interested in the results gained from the livestream, and he was not really interested in the production process or what was going on in the chat during the livestream.

[Sigh…?I understand. I will speak more casually with you if you insist, Tayarana,] Han-Yeol said after letting out a sigh.

[Tara,] Tayarana said in response.

[Pardon me?] Han-yeol tilted his head in confusion.

[Call me Tara. You are allowed to call me by my nickname from now on. You have earned the right,] Tayarana replied.

‘Hmm… This relationship is progressing a bit too fast…’?Han-Yeol thought while at a loss for words.

To be frank, he was feeling a bit uncomfortable with how things were progressing as this had only been their third in-person meeting.

‘There is a saying that it can be considered as fate if a coincidence repeats itself three times.’?

Han-Yeol had such nonsensical thoughts, but he figured that it worked out for the better since it was not a bad thing to be acquainted with the princess of Egypt and expand his social circle.

In the end, Han-Yeol and Tayarana, who he now called Tara, were able to become closer than before. This was all thanks to him suddenly being able to communicate in the same language.

They continued chatting for a while before Han-Yeol excused himself by saying that he had something to do. Then, he went back to his group.

[That Hunter is both amazing and suspicious at the same time. It seems that his skills are not limited to only three like us,] Mariam said while seemingly amazed by Han-Yeol.

[Do you think so as well, Mariam?] Tayarana asked in response.

[Yes, I believe that is the case with him,] Mariam replied.

[He would be of great help if he was to come with us to Egypt… He is far too desirable…] Tayarana said.

Tayarana did not grow up like a pretty flower inside a greenhouse just because she was the princess of Egypt. In fact, she was probably the most patriotic person in Egypt and had contributed the most in building her country to its current glory. A lot of people had mistaken her as some sort of princess in distress at times due to her beauty, but almost all of them had ended up regretting looking down at her sooner or later.

[You will get your chance sooner or later, Tayarana-nim,] Mariam said.

[Yes, I definitely will,] Tayarana agreed.

Meanwhile, the battle of the Horus raid party was just starting.

Ratatatatata!

The Porters were unleashing a barrage of bullets at the Banshees, who still relentlessly used Blink to close the gap between them and the raid party.

The Banshees’ fighting style revolved around blinking behind their enemies and causing mayhem with their hacksaws. Their element of surprise was one of the reasons that normal raid parties found them difficult to handle, because the commonly used strategy of Tanks tanking at the front while the DPS, Healers, and Support stayed safely behind the Tanks was rendered useless by their Blink ability.

However, the raid party that the Banshees were up against this time was not a normal raid party, but rather, one of Egypt’s most renowned raid parties.

[All forces! Attack! Wipe them out!] Mariam commanded.

[Yes, ma’am!] the raid party members shouted in unison.

The Hunters of the Horus raid party were composed of mostly All-Rounder members, and their hunting speed was not that fast. After all, they were not the ones who possessed special or outstanding skills. However, they were capable of adapting to any situation and hunting safely without putting themselves in danger.

Besides, the Banshees were on a much lower level compared to the monsters that the Horus raid party usually hunted.

[Lightning Storm!]

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!?

[Sand Storm!]

Whooosh!

The two magic-wielding Egyptian Hunters who were equipped with mana-enchanted equipment quickly showed off their AoE magic skills.

“Kieeeeek!”

“Kieeeeek!”

The six Banshees shrieked in agony.

‘Now’s my chance,’?Han-Yeol thought as he dashed toward the Banshees who were momentarily in disarray after being hit by the Egyptian Hunters’ AoE skills.

Tak!

He successfully covered a huge distance in a split second without even using Jump by injecting mana in his lower body. Then, he activated his skill and set his sword ablaze. ‘Sword Breath!’?

He did not simply stop at showcasing Sword Breath, but he took out his newly obtained unique chain as well, wielding both weapons at the same time.

‘Shall we join in on the fun?’?Han-Yeol thought while getting riled up.

He initially planned to take things easy and not show every card he had hidden up his sleeves as he could not fully trust the Horus raid party, but he soon changed his mind after seeing Tayarana’s sincerity toward him. He was convinced that he was not going to be treated as a mere disposable pawn.

Besides, he felt that he had nothing to lose but everything to gain under the current circumstance if he showed his full capability.

Han-Yeol proceeded to mercilessly cut up a Banshee. ‘Chain Smite!’?

Han-Yeol was able to move without reservation as he had already gauged how strong the Banshees were during the first hunt. Not only that, but the Horus raid party Hunters also possessed outstanding skills, which reassured him to entrust his back to them. In addition, he was now able to directly communicate with them in case of any emergency thanks to his newly acquired Translate skill breaking down the language barrier that initially existed between them.

Shwiiiik… Puk! Puk!?

The unique item Enkidu could change the shape of its head at will with the mana infused into it, so Han-Yeol morphed the end of it from a hook that was specialized in binding down enemies into a spherical mace with spikes that specialized in dealing blunt damage.

‘This is awesome!’?Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly in delight.

He had been using his chain up until now to restrain monsters and keep them in check, since it was not so efficient to use Chain Smite with it. It was possible to increase the efficiency of Chain Smite by using a chain with a blunt-shaped tip, but it was far more logical to use a hook-shaped end to restrain enemies than deal damage with it.

However, the unique item Enkidu’s ability made it possible for him to unleash his true potential with the chain as he was now able to interchangeably use Restrain and Chain Smite to their full potential without having to switch chains.

Shwiiiik… Pukeok!

“Kieeeeek!”

‘This feels great!’?Han-Yeol exclaimed inwardly as he listened to the Banshees’ shrieks of agony. The feeling of the mace-like spiked ball striking his target whenever he swung it gave him a surge of adrenaline that made him feel ecstatic.

Han-Yeol usually limited himself to being a Supporter by only using Heal and Restrain whenever he had joined a party as he had wanted to keep his abilities under wraps, but he finally lifted the restriction he had imposed on himself after finding a raid party that completely trusted him.

However, this did not mean that he completely abandoned his role as a Healer.

The Banshees might be weaker than the monsters that the Horus raid party usually hunted, but it did not change the fact that monsters of any kind were still stronger than humans. The Banshees’ Blink ability that allowed them to freely traverse across the battlefield and cut down their enemies from behind every thirty seconds also caused casualties to pile up on the Horus raid party’s side.

The Egyptian Hunters might be experienced veterans, but they were only human in the end. It was unavoidable for humans to make a mistake or have an error in judgment during a prolonged battle.

Puuuk!

“Kuheok!”

When one of the Hunters was struck in the back by the hacksaw, he fell down to the ground while splattering blood all over the place.

‘Healing Bullet!’?Han-Yeol, who was somehow aware of the situation, shot the wounded Egyptian Hunter accurately with his Healing Bullet skill.

This was Han-Yeol’s first time using the skill in a real battle.

“Huh?” the wounded Egyptian Hunter was surprised by how he had healed instantly.

‘This skill is pretty useful,’?Han-Yeol thought in surprise as he was satisfied with the ability’s effectiveness during real combat.

The Egyptian Hunter who had been mercilessly hacked down by the Banshee was able to quickly retreat and avoid suffering any fatal damage thanks to Han-Yeol’s quick action.

‘Phew… That was a close call…’?the Egyptian Hunter let out a sigh of relief after realizing that he had almost died just now. Then, he could not help but wonder, ‘Just who the hell is that Hunter?’?

Most of the Egyptian Hunters, including the Hunter just now, had not been so fond of the news that a Korean Hunter was going to join them in their hunt. They were not discriminating against Korean Hunters because of their race or anything, but paying 2.8 times the original loot distribution to a foreigner was simply insane; even after taking into consideration the fact that they had no Healers or Supporters with them, due to the Egyptian Law forbidding them from having Healers and Supporters accompany them to Korea.

Not only that, but they had even gifted Han-Yeol a rare and priceless unique item on top of the already ridiculous condition, and this unique item was something that most of them had not even once laid their eyes on despite having been a part of the raid party for years.

All of the Egyptian Hunters in the raid party had been talking and cursing the upstart Korean Hunter behind his back because of how crazy and absurd everything sounded.

However, this particular Egyptian Hunter’s life had just been saved by the same Korean Hunter who he had cursed so much.

‘I should probably apologize to him later…’?the Egyptian Hunter thought as he bitterly bit his lip.

Mustafa was an Egyptian Warrior and Hunter who was not the petty type, and he was someone who knew that credit should be given to those that deserve it.

‘I need to acknowledge someone?who?deserves to be acknowledged,’?Mustafa thought.

He observed Han-Yeol closely from the sidelines after having had his life saved by him, and he noticed that the Korean Hunter not only used healing and supporting skills but he was also a great fighter. In fact, he could dare say that the Korean Hunter was probably stronger than him, and he knew very well that he himself was not a weak Hunter by any means.

Then, Mustafa shook his head and laughed in disbelief. He thought, ‘It looks like we got ourselves another monster besides the princess…’