Chapter 329 – Yulia’s Betrayal (2)

[No, it's not supposed to. Normal magma typically ranges from around 650°C to 1,200°C, while magma located deeper within the Earth's crust can range from 2,400°C to 2,500°C. However, this magma is much hotter than that as it's infused with your mana. As you're aware, magma is hot enough to instantly melt both metals and stones... but I have no idea why it's taking this long…]

Karvis appeared flustered. Based on her knowledge, magma was a terrifying force, and avoiding it seemed the only way to stay safe. However, the creature was currently enduring the magma infused with Han-Yeol’s mana.

“Grr Waaaah!”

Despite this, the creature emitted distressed sounds.

Thud!

“Hmm?”

Pshhhh…!

The magma attack appeared to have ceased, marked by the sound of flesh burning, yet the creature managed to rise to its feet.

“Haaa!”

It exhaled heavily after enduring the magma onslaught.

“W-What the hell? It survived that attack?”

The Volcanic Eruption Slash was a terrifying skill, even in Han-Yeol’s eyes, evident from how the reinforced basement floor was melting.

Bam!

The creature propelled itself off the ground, charging at Han-Yeol once more.

“D-Damn it!” Han-Yeol exclaimed.

He had thought the fight was over, hence his sword was not currently in his hand.

Where was his sword now? The Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword had been destroyed when it turned into magma. Precisely, it had split in half after a significant portion of it melted due to the magma.

“Keuk!”

‘Damn it…!’

Chwaaak!

Han-Yeol employed his chain to defend himself, though even it was in a dire state.

[Han-Yeol-nim…]

‘Hmm?’

[I apologize…]

‘Why?’

Chwak… Tak!

His chain snapped in half and fell to the ground. Despite his repeated attempts to restrain the creature using the chain, its relentless struggle to break free exerted such immense pressure on the chain that it reached its limits and ultimately broke in two.

[…]

Karvis kept silent after that.

‘Karvis?’

[…]

She always responded promptly, but this time, there was no reply—only static noise. Her connection with Han-Yeol had been severed when the chain she was infused into snapped in half.

‘Karvis!’ Han-Yeol called out repeatedly, but there was still no response. ‘This is bad…’

Without his sword, chain, Karvis, and with his shoulder cannons reduced to scraps after the creature’s attacks, Han-Yeol was completely unarmed.

‘Damn it!’

Chwak!

He braced himself for hand-to-hand combat out of necessity, lacking any other option. How could he defeat the creature barehanded when all his weapons had failed earlier?

‘Should I run?’

The thought of fleeing crept into his mind. Yulia was important, but was she as crucial as his own life? Not at all.

“Greuk!”

The creature widened its stance, fists clenched.

“Grwaaaak!” it roared, poised to lunge at Han-Yeol any moment now.

‘Keuk…!’ Han-Yeol groaned, bracing for the impending impact.

“Master!”

“Kyu!”

Tia and Mavros had distanced themselves from Han-Yeol, confident in his impending victory. However, they never anticipated his loss of all his items, and they were as surprised as he was when it occurred. Rushing to his aid, they knew they wouldn’t be of much help against the creature.

Then, something unexpected happened.

“Huh?”

Thud!

The creature, attempting to lunge at Han-Yeol, crashed face-first before reaching him. Following the loud crash came a sound akin to a harbinger of good news.

Ding!

[You have granted eternal rest to the unidentified creature. This unidentified creature was purposefully created, yet its core undoubtedly originated from a human being. Unfortunately, the mana stone from this creature is unusable, and its birth remains a mystery. However, uncovering the mystery behind this creature’s origin may lead to something beneficial.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have gained a level.]

[You have gained a level.]

‘Whoa…’

Han-Yeol gained a remarkable five levels! This achievement surpassed what he'd obtained even after hunting a boss monster at the Bastro Dimension with his double experience point buff active.

‘Figures… It wasn’t an easy opponent,’ he thought, savoring his victory.

He could have easily won the battle if he had summoned his demons, but he underestimated the Smiths as opponents, leading to the critical error of not calling upon them. Consequently, his ‘trinity’ set of weapons—the shoulder cannon, Thousand Armed Bodhisattva Sword, and even the unique-rated chain artifact—ended up destroyed due to his miscalculation.

Nevertheless, emerging victorious in the end counted for something.

“Ah… I won…”

Thud…!

The creature had proven far more challenging than anything he had faced before.

Tak! Tak! Tak!

“Great job, master.”

“Kyuuu…”

Even Tia, who typically maintained an aloof demeanor, grasped the gravity of the situation and appeared genuinely concerned. Meanwhile, Mavros seemed profoundly saddened by his inability to assist Han-Yeol.

“Come here, Mavros.”

“Kyu…”

Flap! Flap! Flap! Flap!

Mavros flapped his wings and approached Han-Yeol after the call, but the mini-dragon still appeared despondent.

Seuk… Seuk…

Han-Yeol wordlessly patted his head.

‘Hoho~ Both of them suit each other,’ Tia thought, observing Han-Yeol and Mavros.

Han-Yeol might have been the one on the ground if the creature hadn’t run out of mana and perished.

“Haha, I seriously almost died just now,” he chuckled.

He could laugh about it now that he had emerged victorious, but the chilling sensation he had experienced when the creature was about to lunge at him for the final time was spine-chilling and nerve-wracking. It was a feeling he hoped never to experience again.

He lay on the floor for about ten minutes.

“Heave-ho!”

Tak! Tak!

He brushed off his clothes and stood up. His attire was already a mess from the battle, so dusting it off didn’t make much of a difference.

“Let’s go, Tia, Mavros.”

“Are you alright, master?”

“Kyu?”

“Why don’t you rest a bit more?”

“Kyu!”

“No, I have a skill that replenishes my mana while I walk, so it’s better for me to walk since I only need to recover my mana now.”

“Hmm… If you say so, master,” Tia said with a shrug.

Meanwhile, Mavros enthusiastically nodded in agreement with Han-Yeol. It was as if he was boasting that his owner was the best person alive as he cried out loudly, “Kyu!”

Following the signboards, they reached the stairs leading down to the fourth basement floor.

Thud… Thud… Thud… Thud…

The entire fourth basement floor resembled Yulia’s personal space. Though she no longer possessed a body, her brainpower surpassed even the most powerful supercomputers. The entire floor served as her ‘data center,’ rumored to have the potential to advance humanity’s civilization by a level if she so desired.

Naturally, the security in such a place was bound to be tight.

“Hmm… What should I do?”

“Why don’t we just break through it, master?”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

“Hoho~ You won’t know unless you try~”

“I guess you’re right.”

Seuk…

Han-Yeol rolled up his tattered sleeves.

“Hap!”

He had already lost his sword, chain, and shoulder cannons, but his body remained. Though he might not wield the same level of power as the creature from before, given time, he could muster a significant amount of strength.

Indeed, the key lay in the duration he had to infuse mana into his fist. The more time he had, the greater his potential to accumulate mana.

In technical terms, Han-Yeol possessed more mana than the creature previously, but his struggle against it stemmed from its extraordinarily resilient skin rather than its mana.

Wooooooong!

The mana gathered in his fist had become quite dense. At that precise moment, just as he was about to throw a punch, something happened…

Ziiing… Thud!

“Huh?”

Click… Clack!

The sturdy door guarding the entrance to the fourth basement floor suddenly released its lock, and then a message appeared in front of Han-Yeol’s eyes.

[Come in, Han-Yeol.]

“Yulia?”

[Yes, it’s me.]

Han-Yeol realized that it was indeed Yulia, the reason he had gone through all that trouble, from the familiar font floating in front of his eyes.

“Ah, so we finally meet again.”

[Come in first.]

“Okay. Let’s go, Mavros, Tia.”

“Okay~”

“Kyu!”

Han-Yeol finally entered what was known as the ‘main area’ of the laboratory, where Yulia was truly located. The fourth basement floor served as the core of the entire laboratory complex, housing Yulia’s preserved brain.

His troubles seemed to have ended, and better times were expected—or were they?

[It has been a while, Han-Yeol.]

“Yeah, long time no see. You seem to be looking good.”

They exchanged a rather ordinary greeting, but Han-Yeol couldn’t honestly say he was content with how things were progressing.

The theory he had entertained earlier became even more convincing once he entered Yulia’s room, specifically after seeing the main door leading to this place.

‘That muscle-bound creature didn't even attempt to break this door down?’

That notion seemed utterly absurd.

Han-Yeol scanned the reinforced door with his Demon Eyes before entering, noting a few observations. While the door was undeniably sturdy, most Hunters would likely struggle to leave even a scratch on it. However, absolutes didn’t exist in this world.

‘As expected, it’s not something I or that hulking creature can’t break,’ he thought.

He sensed a faint mana emanating from the door, composed of reinforced materials that made it nearly impregnable.

‘But that’s only for normal Hunters. Any Master Rank Hunter would be able to break that door down if they used all of their mana. Of course, that won’t be the case if they are non-combatants…’

The creature, which could overpower most Master Rank Hunters, failed to break this door? In fact, it hadn’t even attempted to? This was the same creature that relentlessly attacked even when engulfed in magma.

This appeared to be the most absurd situation Han-Yeol had encountered so far in this place.

[So you noticed it…]

“Yeah, why?”

Han-Yeol was struggling to contain his anger. If there was one thing he detested in this world, it was betrayals.

But why was he restraining his anger now? Because the object of his ire wasn’t present.

[…]

“Also, why go to the lengths of placing a fake brain to lure me here?”

Han-Yeol's theory solidified upon seeing the door, and his conviction grew stronger upon entering. Everything in this place seemed to be a fabrication created by Yulia's mana, evidently designed to draw him in.

Why did she go through such trouble? Because she knew he would have departed for South Korea if he hadn’t sensed her mana.

[I want to apologize first.]

“I need an explanation, not an apology. Why?”