Level Up Machine

Chapter 23 Boss Monster (4)

“Haha. You probably wouldn’t know us even if I told you. We’re just a minor guild helping the 61st round of new recruits right now.”

Bae Han-seong stepped forward naturally, as if he had rehearsed his lines.

Kang Ha-rin narrowed her eyes and looked Bae Han-seong up and down.

“Hmm. But your face looks familiar.”

“I’ve seen you from a distance a few times, but this is the first time we’ve actually talked.”

Bae Han-seong, with a nonchalant expression, hid the fact that he was a member of the Salvator Guild.

Kang Ha-rin nodded at his words.

“You seem quite strong.”

She scrutinized Bae Han-seong with a sharp gaze.

Bae Han-seong’s level was 86. It was too high for someone claiming to be in an unknown minor guild.

“Haha. I’m nothing compared to you, Ms. Kang Ha-rin.”

“Well, everyone has their circumstances.”

Kang Ha-rin nodded and shifted her gaze away from Bae Han-seong.

“Are the three behind you the new guild members?”

She looked at Yeong-sik and his group and asked. Bae Han-seong nodded in response. She examined the three with a sharp, probing gaze.

Her eyes stopped at Ara.

“Hoo.”

She seemed to sense something special about Ara, and looked at her with sparkling eyes, an intrigued expression on her face.

Ara took a cautious step back, her gaze wary.

“No matter which guild you’re from, you sure caught a big fish this time, didn’t you?”

She chuckled softly and spoke to Bae Han-seong.

Bae Han-seong answered with a friendly smile.

“Hahaha. I was lucky. They’re all very talented.”

“Hmm… The two men are a bit ambiguous, especially that guy.”

Kang Ha-rin pointed directly at Yeong-sik.

Yeong-sik didn’t bother to respond, keeping his mouth firmly shut.

It was true that, ‘at this moment,’ he had the lowest level among his party members.

“He’s also a talented summoner.”

Bae Han-seong smiled brightly and answered her.

Kang Ha-rin shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Is that so?”

She thought Bae Han-seong was just being prideful.

“Anyway, congratulations on finding talented summoners.”

She said, looking at Ara who was hiding behind Yeong-sik.

“Well, compared to Tae-hwang, it’s nothing.”

She turned her gaze to Cheon Tae-hwang with eyes full of pride.

Cheon Tae-hwang, who had just slaughtered the Lizardmen, waited for her to finish speaking, his sword sheathed on his back.

He was one of the most talented summoners among those who had arrived in this world over the past ten years.

Moreover, it wasn’t just his high level cap.

He had a stronger obsession with ‘becoming stronger’ than anyone else.

“Tae-hwang will surpass me someday.”

Kang Ha-rin looked at Cheon Tae-hwang with eyes slightly filled with heat.

Every time she saw him, she felt a strange sensation as if her heart was racing.

Kang Ha-rin turned away from Bae Han-seong, as if she had lost interest in him.

“Alright. Just don’t come too close to us. We’re in the middle of a group hunt.”

“Yes, understood.”

Bae Han-seong bowed deeply and quickly moved away from her.

Yeong-sik and his party followed him, distancing themselves from Cheon Tae-hwang and Kang Ha-rin.

“…Is that person a ranker?”

Ara asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

Bae Han-seong nodded in response to her question.

“Yes, she is a powerful summoner known by the nickname ‘White Sword’.”

“Hmm. I don’t like her. Not one bit.”

Ara said in a displeased voice, recalling how she had openly ignored Yeong-sik.

Bae Han-seong chuckled at her words.

“She certainly doesn’t care much for manners or formalities. But what can we do? She is a top-ranking executive of one of the three major guilds and a summoner over level 100.”

She possessed not only immense power but also substantial influence.

For someone like her, being courteous might even seem out of place.

Ara sighed, unable to argue with his point.

“Well, let’s forget about that and focus on our task.”

Yeong-sik stepped forward, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

Gil-soo and Ara nodded in agreement.

The hunt resumed.

Perhaps because Cheon Tae-hwang was leading a group hunt, the number of Lizardmen wasn’t overwhelming, but Yeong-sik’s party continued their hunt relentlessly with Bae Han-seong’s support.

*Ding.*

[Your level has increased to 8.]

After hunting for a while, a welcome message appeared before Yeong-sik’s party.

Yeong-sik smiled contentedly as he looked at the message.

“Support really makes a difference in speed.”

Though it wasn’t to the extent of what was commonly called a ‘boost’ in games, just having potions to resist the swamp’s suffocating humidity and magic to recover from fatigue significantly increased their hunting speed.

‘Now level 8.’

Yeong-sik opened his status window to check his current abilities.

[Summoner Information]

Name: Yeong-sik
Level:8/25
Class:Mechanical Engineer (Hidden)
Health: 211
Mana: 138

[Stats]

Strength: 17
Agility: 21
Endurance: 14
Dexterity: 24
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 12
Luck:** 14
Charisma: 16

[Skills]

[Structural Analysis: Lv 1]
[Dismantling: Lv 1]
[Extraction: Lv 1]
[Manufacturing: Lv 1]

‘My agility stat has increased a lot.’

His fighting style, which involved agile movements targeting opponents’ weak points, seemed to have naturally increased his agility stat.

It was almost on par with his dexterity.

‘I haven’t used my manufacturing skills lately.’

The dexterity stat increased when manufacturing-related skills were used.

However, since Yeong-sik had been focusing on leveling up, he hadn’t made any mechanical items recently, resulting in a slower stat increase.

‘It’s a bit disappointing.’

Yeong-sik gazed at his status window, lost in thought.

As someone without combat-related skills, he needed more strength for greater attack power.

However, since his combat style didn’t rely on strength, the stat hadn’t increased satisfactorily.

‘I guess I’ll have to attack recklessly on purpose.’

With that in mind, Yeong-sik turned to look at the other party members.

Ara and Gil-soo were also checking their status windows after leveling up.

“Anything particularly different?” Yeong-sik asked Ara, who was intently staring at her status window.

“I got a new skill called Ice Spear, and the skill level of Ice Arrow has increased.”

“Oh. Your skill level has already increased? Usually, it doesn’t rise much before level 15, even with frequent use. That’s fast.”

Bae Han-seong, who had been listening to her, looked at Ara with a surprised expression.

Ara responded to him in a calm voice.

“Due to my job’s traits, it seems my proficiency with ice-based magic increases quickly.”

“Haha. That’s good news.”

Bae Han-seong looked at Ara with eyes full of anticipation.

Her growth rate was fast, even by Salvator Guild’s standards.

“Hmm…?”

While Han-seong and Ara were talking, Yeong-sik, who had been scanning the surroundings, spotted something through the distant vines. It appeared to be a crudely built tent.

As Yeong-sik squinted and focused on the area, it zoomed in like a camera adjusting its lens.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a Lizardman village.”

Bae Han-seong, following Yeong-sik’s gaze, narrowed his eyes and spoke.

Hearing the term ‘Lizardman village,’ Yeong-sik swallowed nervously.

“Do you think we can take down the village with our current numbers?”

“No. If it’s a large village with hundreds of Lizardmen, it could be dangerous even for me.”

Bae Han-seong spoke in a low voice.

No matter how high-level a summoner was, facing over a hundred Lizardmen could be life-threatening. Moreover, he wasn’t a combat class.

There was no reason to risk their lives to destroy the village.

“This place is dangerous. Let’s move to another area.”

Bae Han-seong turned to leave.

At that moment, Yeong-sik noticed a uniquely shaped Lizardman walking out of the village.

“What’s that? Is it a boss monster?”

Yeong-sik asked, thinking it might be a boss monster.

Bae Han-seong looked at the Lizardman with an intrigued expression and replied, “No, it’s not a boss monster. It seems to be an elite Lizardman.”

“Hmm.”

“Do you want to try taking it down? The rewards won’t be bad even if it’s not a boss monster.”

Bae Han-seong asked, looking at the Lizardman, which was clad in full armor and larger than the other Lizardmen.

Yeong-sik nodded.

“Yes, let’s go for it.”

What Yeong-sik aimed for was the full armor the Lizardman was wearing.

Even though it was likely made of low-quality metal, it would still provide far more mechanical parts than the scimitars they usually used.

Yeong-sik’s group followed the elite Lizardman, who was accompanied by four other Lizardmen, presumably its subordinates.

Once they were at a safe distance from the village, Bae Han-seong spoke up.

“I’ll handle the four other Lizardmen. Yeong-sik, focus solely on the elite one.”

Yeong-sik’s group nodded in agreement.

Yeong-sik turned to signal Ara.

Ara prepared the newly acquired Ice Spear spell.

*Shoo!*

Blue mana emanated from her body, gathering in the air.

A spear of ice, radiating cold air, formed.

“Ice Spear!”

Ara swung her staff towards the elite Lizardman.

The two-meter-long ice spear shot towards the elite Lizardman at high speed.

*Crash!*

“Kieeek!”

With remarkable reaction speed, the elite Lizardman twisted its body and blocked Ara’s ice spear with its scimitar.

However, it couldn’t prevent the shattered ice fragments from pelting it.

A scream of pain erupted from the elite Lizardman’s mouth.

“Holy Strike!”

Bae Han-seong, watching the scene, extended his hand and cast a spell.

A fist-sized ball of light flew towards the Lizardman guarding the elite Lizardman.

*Thud!*

“Kii?”

With a simple spell, Bae Han-seong blew the Lizardman’s head apart.

He continued to cast spells, eliminating the four Lizardmen guarding the elite one in the short time it took Gil-soo to rush towards the elite Lizardman.

“Bulk Up!”

Gil-soo, using a buff skill, charged at the elite Lizardman, who was still reeling from the ice fragments’ wounds.

He struck the elite Lizardman with his shield, causing its body to stagger significantly.

“Hup!”

Yeong-sik didn’t miss the opening and slashed his blade at the elite Lizardman’s side.

*Clang!*

However, the armor the elite Lizardman wore was sturdier than expected, and Yeong-sik’s blade failed to penetrate it.

In that moment, the elite Lizardman regained its composure and let out a savage scream, swinging its scimitar at Yeong-sik.

*Clang!*

“Ugh!”

Seeing the attack aimed at Yeong-sik, Gil-soo quickly raised his shield to block it.

But the elite Lizardman’s strength was formidable, causing Gil-soo to stagger heavily.

“Kieeek!”

*Swoosh!*

“Ugh!”

The elite Lizardman let out a fierce scream and swung its scimitar upward.

Caught off balance, Gil-soo failed to block the attack with his shield, resulting in a deep cut across his chest.

Blood flowed down his chest.

“Ice Arrow!”

Ara’s supportive fire began.

The elite Lizardman, about to swing its scimitar at Gil-soo again, had to step back due to her magic.

Yeong-sik watched the elite Lizardman’s movements with sharp eyes.

‘I’ll need to hit a vital spot.’

Knowing his blade couldn’t penetrate the armor, it was pointless to aim for non-vital areas.

Yeong-sik took a deep breath and carefully observed the Lizardman’s movements.

“Kiiiieee!”

The elite Lizardman roared, glaring at Ara.

Ara flinched, her body momentarily freezing under its savage gaze.

Taking advantage of the break in her magical assault, the elite Lizardman charged towards her.

‘Now.’

Yeong-sik dashed behind the elite Lizardman, who was completely focused on Ara.

Leaping high, he clung onto the Lizardman’s back, stabbing his blade into the back of its neck where there was no armor.

*Thunk!*

“Kieeeek!”

Blood spurted from the unprotected neck, and the elite Lizardman twisted in agony.

Seizing this opportunity, Gil-soo rushed in.

“Smash!”

*Thud!*

With all his might, Gil-soo swung his axe, which was glowing with a blue light, and struck the elite Lizardman’s head accurately.

The elite Lizardman died instantly, unable to even scream.

*Ding!*

**[You have slain an elite Lizardman.]**

**[872 experience points and 35 silver have been distributed based on your contribution.]**

“Ugh…”

Confirming the elite Lizardman’s death, Gil-soo clutched his chest where the scimitar had cut him, grimacing.

Yeong-sik approached him.

“Are you alright, sir?”

“Don’t worry. It’s just a scratch.”

Gil-soo forced a smile, holding his bleeding chest.

“That’s not just a scratch. Let me see.”

Bae Han-seong, who arrived late, reached out towards Gil-soo’s chest.

“Recovery!”

A pure white light emanated from his hand, seeping into Gil-soo’s wound.

The bleeding wound on Gil-soo’s chest began to heal rapidly.

“It will take some time for a full recovery, so please stay still for a while.”

“Understood.”

Gil-soo nodded at Bae Han-seong’s instructions. Yeong-sik and Ara both sighed in relief seeing this.

While Gil-soo was resting, Yeong-sik approached the dead elite Lizardman’s body and used his Extraction skill.

“Extract.”

?Ding.

[You have obtained 16 metal screws, 11 metal parts, and 3 metal plates.]

“Good.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Yeong-sik’s lips as he checked the message window that popped up in front of him.

It was quite a lot of materials for having dealt with just one creature.

“Hmm…?”

Yeong-sik’s eyes caught a wooden plaque about the size of two palms while he was about to use extraction on the body of the elite Lizardman whose armor had disappeared.

He picked up the wooden plaque.

[According to the command of the new leader, Luderick, move to the designated location at sunset.]

The plaque had these words along with a simple map of the marsh area.

“Luderick…?”

Yeong-sik frowned as he looked at the name.

It was a name he had never heard before.

At that moment,

?Ding.

[You have obtained ‘Lizardman Chieftain, Luderick’.]

With the clear sound of a bell, a blue message window appeared in front of Yeong-sik.

Quest

The party had come up.