Level Up Machine

Chapter 22 Boss Monster Hunt (3)

“Ice Boom!”

The battle commenced with Ara’s magic.

After a rather lengthy chant, Ara extended her staff forward.

A sphere composed of tiny ice particles

fell amidst the Lizardmen horde.

*”Crash!”*

“Kieeek!”

The Lizardmen, taking additional damage from the cold attack, screamed in pain, twisting their bodies.

However, unlike the Orcs, none of the Lizardmen died in a single blow.

Following Ara’s magic, Gil-soo charged forward.

“Smash!”

Gil-soo swung his axe fiercely towards a Lizardman

that had been slowed down by the cold.

The Lizardman barely managed to raise its scimitar to block his attack.

*Clang!*

The Lizardman’s body shook violently.

As Gil-soo prepared to swing his axe again for a finishing blow, another Lizardman approached and slashed at him with its scimitar.

Gil-soo reflexively raised his shield to block the Lizardman’s attack.

*Clang!*

“Kieek!”

At that moment, a faint blue light glowed on Gil-soo’s shield, and the Lizardman was repelled backwards.

A clear ringing sounded in Gil-soo’s ear.

*Ting!*

[You have acquired the Counter Skill Lv. 1.]

“Huh…?”

Gil-soo looked at the message window in disbelief.

Obtaining a skill just by blocking a single attack?

For someone who had picked up a shield for the first time today, it was a completely unexpected event.

“Uncle Gil-soo!”

Yeong-sik shouted at Gil-soo, who was distracted by the message window.

Gil-soo urgently turned his body to block the attack of another Lizardman charging at him.

*Clang!*

“Ugh!”

This time, the counter skill didn’t activate, causing Gil-soo to stagger from the force of blocking the Lizardman’s scimitar.

Without hesitation, Yeong-sik rushed towards the Lizardman attacking Gil-soo.

Sliding forward, Yeong-sik thrust his blade into the Lizardman’s ankle.

*Slash!*

“Kieeeee!”

The Lizardman screamed in agony, twisting its body. Gil-soo seized the opportunity and swung his axe again.

“Smash!”

His axe, glowing with a blue light, struck the Lizardman’s neck.

Yeong-sik quickly sprang up from the ground and blocked the path of a Lizardman charging towards Ara.

The Lizardman swung its scimitar down at Yeong-sik.

*Swish!*

Yeong-sik pushed off with his left foot, moving sideways. Mud splashed up, staining his pants.

The Lizardman’s scimitar barely missed him, slicing through the air next to him.

Yeong-sik’s eyes glinted sharply.

*Thud!*

“Kieeeeek!”

Bending his body back, Yeong-sik thrust his blade into the Lizardman’s armpit.

The blade pierced the Lizardman’s vital spot.

The Lizardman’s scream echoed through the swamp.

“Ice Arrow!”

After a brief pause following her use of Ice Boom, Ara’s magic was unleashed again.

An ice arrow shot forward at high speed, embedding itself in the Lizardman’s chest.

Yeong-sik slashed upwards with the blade lodged in the Lizardman’s armpit.

*Slash!*

Dark red blood splattered towards Yeong-sik.

Without stopping, Yeong-sik rushed towards his next target.

“Bulk Up!”

Gil-soo used a buff skill to steadfastly hold his ground against the remaining two Lizardmen.

The tide, which had been slowly turning in the Lizardmen’s favor, quickly shifted as Yeong-sik and Ara joined the fight.

Yeong-sik grabbed Gil-soo’s shoulder with one hand and kicked off the ground forcefully.

His body soared nearly two meters into the air.

Twisting his body in midair, Yeong-sik brought his blade down on the Lizardman’s head.

*Thud!*

“Kieeek…”

The Lizardman, struck in its vital spot, made a crawling sound as it collapsed on the spot.

*Ting!*

[You have defeated 4 Lizardmen.]

[487 experience points and 29 silver have been distributed according to your contribution.]

“Phew.”

Yeong-sik sheathed his blade and caught his breath after the battle.

Turning to Gil-soo, he spoke.

“Using a shield definitely makes hunting more stable.”

“I think you’re right. It’s not as difficult to handle as I thought. Plus, I even gained a skill this time.”

“A skill?”

Yeong-sik looked at Gil-soo with a surprised expression.

He knew that using certain weapons could grant skills, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

“That’s probably because Gil-soo has a talent for handling a shield.”

Bae Han-seong, who had been observing Yeong-sik’s group fight, stepped forward and explained.

“Each person has a different weapon they are talented with, and for Gil-soo, it’s the shield.”

“Hmmm. A shield…”

Gil-soo looked at the round shield in his left hand with a fascinated expression.

“Maybe it reflects Uncle Gil-soo’s personality? You’ve always protected others, ever since the tutorial.”

Ara approached Gil-soo with a gentle smile as she spoke.

Embarrassed, Gil-soo scratched the back of his head.

“Anyway…”

Bae Han-seong turned his head towards Yeong-sik. His gaze, deep and contemplative, was fixed on Yeong-sik.

“Impressive.”

He spoke with genuine admiration after witnessing Yeong-sik’s party in battle.

What had impressed him was Yeong-sik.

A summoner who hadn’t used a single combat skill but still displayed remarkable prowess.

Considering the significant role skills played in this world, it was no small feat.

“Have you learned martial arts before?”

Bae Han-seong asked, though his expression showed some uncertainty.

The weapon Yeong-sik wielded was rarely seen outside of games or movies and was quite unusual in reality.

However, Yeong-sik handled this unique weapon with extraordinary skill.

If he wasn’t already familiar with using such a weapon, it would have been impossible.

“Yes, I’ve trained to some extent.”

“Hmm. What exactly did you do before coming here, Yeong-sik?”

“Haha. I’ll explain that in due time.”

Yeong-sik laughed lightly, skillfully deflecting the question.

Bae Han-seong, not one to pry, nodded and extended his hand towards Gil-soo.

“Exhaust Recovery.”

As he spoke the skill’s name, a bright white light flowed from his outstretched hand towards Gil-soo.

Gil-soo, feeling the light envelop his body, looked astonished.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a fatigue recovery spell. Combat can be incredibly exhausting.”

Bae Han-seong then cast the fatigue recovery spell on Ara and Yeong-sik as well.

Fighting in the muddy swamp had drained Yeong-sik, but he now felt a renewed sense of vigor.

‘A guild is definitely necessary.’

When it was just Yeong-sik, Ara, and Gil-soo hunting, they often felt extreme fatigue after a few battles, sometimes having to stop hunting and return early.

But with support like this, they felt much more secure.

“Then let’s move out immediately. Given your skills, I don’t think you’ll have any trouble in the Lizardmen habitat.”

Bae Han-seong stepped back slightly as he spoke, signaling that he was giving up the lead.

Gil-soo nodded and took his place at the front.

It was then.

“Kieeeeek!”

“Kiiiiiik!”

In the distance, the sounds of Lizardmen echoed.

Yeong-sik’s group moved towards the noise, thinking they had found their next prey.

“What’s this?…”

“Why are there so many Lizardmen…”

Cautiously moving forward, Yeong-sik’s group encountered a horde of more than ten Lizardmen.

Given that Lizardmen usually traveled in groups of 3-4, this was an unusual sight.

“…Let’s fall back.”

Yeong-sik said in a low voice as he stared at the horde of Lizardmen.

Facing more than ten Lizardmen at once with their current party was too risky.

“Yes, this seems difficult.”

Bae Han-seong agreed and turned away from the Lizardmen.

At that moment, the cries of Lizardmen filled the air.

*Slash! Slash!*

“Kieeeeek!”

“Kiiik!”

The sound of flesh being cut and Lizardmen’s screams echoed through the swamp.

Yeong-sik turned his gaze beyond the Lizardmen horde.

There, he saw a familiar young man slaughtering the Lizardmen with overwhelming force.

Cheon Tae-hwang.

A prodigy who had swept worldwide kendo competitions at a young age and a summoner with an astonishing level of 103.

‘Why is Cheon Tae-hwang here?’

Yeong-sik watched him with a puzzled expression.

Even while Yeong-sik was momentarily distracted, Cheon Tae-hwang continued to massacre the Lizardmen at an incredible speed.

His combat style was unique. Cheon Tae-hwang wielded an unusually long sword, and behind him, two more swords floated in the air.

The floating swords moved freely through the air as if they were alive, attacking the Lizardmen.

‘It’s like three people fighting at once.’

Yeong-sik thought as he watched Cheon Tae-hwang’s battle.

Cheon Tae-hwang’s swordsmanship, combined with the two floating swords, perfectly overwhelmed the Lizardmen as if executing a flawless combination attack.

“…That’s the Blue Moon Sword, isn’t it?”

Bae Han-seong looked at Cheon Tae-hwang with an expression of disbelief.

“What is Cheongwolgeom?”

“It’s a rather high-grade rare item. I heard that the Leviathan Guild possesses it, but why does that man have it…”

“Because that man is a member of the Leviathan Guild.”

“Oh, so the newcomer they mentioned must be him.”

Bae Han-seong let out a brief exclamation, as if he had heard rumors about Cheon Tae-hwang, and looked at him.

Bae Han-seong watched Cheon Tae-hwang’s combat with an incredulous expression.

‘Is he really low-level?’

It had been hard enough to believe Yeong-sik’s movements, but Cheon Tae-hwang was beyond that.

A perfect movement that was not insufficiently described as monstrous. And at the same time, an incredible skill that handled two swords as if they were part of his body.

It was understandable why he had gained the hidden class ‘Lord of the Sword’.

‘If someone like him joined our guild…’

Bae Han-seong looked at Cheon Tae-hwang with a regretful expression.

Summoners with the talent to grow into rankers were rare geniuses, sought after even by the top three guilds.

If it were the former Salvator Guild, it would have been a different story, but now, in their fallen state, they were far from able to recruit such talent.

“Good. Your movements have improved significantly.”

At that moment, a woman stepped out from behind a tree. She was a beautiful woman with short black hair that reached her shoulders.

“Bae Han-seong was left speechless as he looked at Baekgeom Kang Ha-rin directly.”

They were summoners who lived in an entirely different world from theirs.

Yeong-sik looked at Cheon Tae-hwang with his lips firmly sealed.

Complex emotions that were hard to express with simple words swirled inside him.

If he had to put a word to it, it would be a sense of defeat.

‘If only I were in a forced liberation state…’

Yeong-sik shook his head at the thought that suddenly crossed his mind.

Cheon Tae-hwang hadn’t shown any explicitly hostile behavior towards him.

He was simply overwhelmingly, painfully ‘superior’ to him.

‘Why am I thinking like this?’

Yeong-sik’s goal was not grand.

It was to gain enough strength to protect his own body and to regain his memories.

He had no other goals beyond that.

But seeing someone so overwhelmingly superior, even though they were summoned in the same round, filled his mind with a strange sense of discomfort.

“Let’s go back.”

Yeong-sik had a feeling that if he continued to watch him, his thoughts would only become more complicated, so he decided to turn away.

At that moment.

“Huh? Who are you guys?”

It seemed that Kang Ha-rin had noticed Yeong-sik’s group and was walking towards them.