Chapter 34: Level 10 Unleashed

Lee Chulhun’s lips twisted when he saw Roy in danger.

He was still facing off against a Black Bat himself, but since two of them had gone after Roy, his own situation was relatively manageable.

Not once did he think about helping Roy.

All he felt was the hope that the annoying guy would get a nice scratch across the face from the Black Bat.

“Just die already!”

“Screeeee!”

Lee Chulhun shouted in frustration and swung his weapon.

The Black Bat slashed its claws while letting out a piercing ultrasonic scream, but Chulhun wasn’t without combat instincts.

Besides, among Hunter classes, he was a swordsman—a class known for its strong offensive power.

Even if there was a large level gap, he still had the advantage of natural talent.

Roy spat out the dirt that had gotten into his mouth and pushed himself up.

The only reason he had enough time to move with a claw inches from his face was thanks to Ber.

Ber had latched onto the face of one of the two Black Bats.

Though the monster had a massive body, its face was small—small enough that Ber’s body could completely cover it.

Black Bats were monsters with degenerated eyesight, so having their vision blocked didn’t hinder them too much.

“Screee!”

But Ber kept jabbing his beak into the monster’s eyes, forcing it to flail its arms reflexively.

It tried to claw at the bird on its face, but every time it did, Ber slipped away like a loach.

As a result, the Black Bat ended up scratching its own face with its claws, and its chest swelled so violently it looked like it might burst.

Thanks to Ber’s distraction, Roy managed to regain his footing.

The Black Bat he had been hammering earlier was disoriented from its injuries and couldn’t find its direction.

When the other Black Bat rushed at Roy, it seemed to have pinpointed him from its companion’s cry.

Now, it hovered in the air like a drunkard, barely managing to stay aloft.

“I need to level up fast.”

After arriving in this other world, his powers had been sealed.

But if he had to name one advantage he still had, it would be the leveling system.

Whenever he leveled up, his body would recover as if by magic.

“Ber, just hang in there a bit longer.”

“Screee-!”

Hearing Ber’s reliable response, Roy took a deep breath.

He gripped his familiar hammer and crept toward the staggering Black Bat from behind.

“Screeeee…!”

Sensing the incoming danger, the Black Bat twisted its body and began swinging its claws.

It tried to unleash another ultrasonic attack, but the energy behind its cry was so weak it had little effect.

Thwack!

“Scree…”

The hammer struck precisely where it had already been wounded.

The Black Bat let out a final scream before disintegrating into ash.

[Level increased by 1.]

[Level increased by 1.]

“Getting to level 10 isn’t easy.”

Roy had hoped to level up by at least 3, but he had only gained 2 levels.

It seemed the higher his level, the more experience points he needed to progress.

He scanned the area where the Black Bat had turned to ash, but there were no dropped items.

Glancing at the hammer in his hand, Roy frowned.

It was holding up for now, but it looked like it could break at any moment.

“Screee…”

Ber signaled that it was time to help him out for a change.

Feathers fluttered through the air—Ber’s feathers.

There weren’t any visible injuries, so it didn’t seem like he was hurt.

The claws of the Black Bat must have just barely clipped him, pulling out some feathers in the process.

Ber puffed up his cheeks, and the feathers on his forehead stood on end.

His irritation was obvious in the sharpness of his claws.

“Screeeee…!”

The Black Bat was just as frustrated.

With a tiny creature clinging to its face and interfering, its movements were restricted.

“Screee…”

“Ber!”

But the Black Bat wasn’t stupid.

It waited for the right moment, then snatched Ber into its mouth in a flash.

Hearing Ber’s pitiful cry, Roy clenched his teeth.

He swung his hammer and struck the Black Bat’s head with all his strength.

As the blow landed on the back of its skull, the monster instinctively clenched its jaw tighter.

“Ber, go inside its belly. You know what I mean, right?”

Things were only going to get worse if it continued like this.

Ber gave a small nod.

This time, Roy aimed not for the head, but for the middle of the Black Bat’s back.

As its jaw loosened from the impact, Ber slipped down its throat and into its stomach.

The Black Bat reflexively swallowed, and Ber, now inside, began drawing on Roy’s mana.

“Screeeeeee!”

The monster screamed in agony.

The ultrasonic wave struck Roy, who was mid-swing, and he staggered.

Even though leveling up had refreshed his stamina, he was already growing exhausted again.

Normally, Spirit Kings are difficult to summon at first, but once summoned, they gather mana from the atmosphere on their own so the contractor isn’t burdened.

But this was not the As Continent.

In this world, its laws didn’t apply.

Just like how Ber had lost his original form and become a small bird, he now needed to draw from Roy’s mana to use his powers.

“Just a little more…”

His arms and legs felt like they were weighed down with iron.

His vision swam, and even standing upright was a struggle.

Roy held on because he trusted Ber.

Right now, the Black Bat’s insides were engulfed in flames.

Even if Ber’s powers had weakened, a Spirit King of fire didn’t need full strength to burn something from the inside.

“Just one more level…!”

Earlier, when he took down a Black Bat, he gained two levels.

With this one being a joint effort with Ber, it was guaranteed to at least give him one more level.

“Keugh…”

Roy’s eyes snapped open from the pain radiating from his back.

When he turned his head, he saw Lee Chulhun sneering at him.

Lee Chulhun had shoved the Black Bat he was fighting in Roy’s direction.

“Sorry!”

Roy bit his lip to keep a curse from slipping out.

He was already struggling just to stay alive while aiming for a level-up.

Behind Lee Chulhun, a camera was clearly visible.

His apology was completely insincere, but from the camera’s perspective, it would look like Lee Chulhun had no choice but to push the monster toward Roy during the battle.

“It’s okay!”

Roy forced a gentle smile and rolled to the side.

***

The ground where he’d just been lying was now deeply gouged out.

“Screeeech…!”

The Black Bat that had swallowed Ber started thrashing violently.

It clawed at its own belly with its talons.

Blood stained its claws, but it seemed the pain from its burning insides was far worse than the gashes.

Even if Roy didn’t finish the job, the Black Bat would likely die soon thanks to Ber.

“Screeech!”

The real problem was the other Black Bat—the one Lee Chulhun had driven toward Roy.

Although it looked like it had been hit by one of Lee Chulhun’s attacks, it didn’t bear any life-threatening wounds.

Just the sight of its blood-red, frenzied eyes made it clear—it still had plenty of strength left.

“Gasp… Huff… I want to help, but I’m just… so out of breath right now…”

Lee Chulhun stood behind Roy, hands on his knees, pretending to be exhausted.

Roy blocked the monster’s claws with his hammer.

Lee Chulhun clearly still had energy left, and his fake fatigue irritated Roy to no end.

CRACK.

The tree Roy had been leaning against was torn apart by the Black Bat’s claws.

A sharp pain shot through the back of Roy’s neck.

He reached up and wiped it.

His palm came away stained with blood—the same color as the Black Bat’s eyes.

He had dodged the claws, but a flying shard from the shredded tree had nicked him.

“Screeeeech—!”

The scent of blood drove the Black Bat into an even greater frenzy.

Roy swung his hammer to block the next set of claws.

THUD.

“One hardship after another, huh…”

The hammerhead, which had barely held up until now, finally detached from its handle.

Roy was left holding a stick in one hand and the hammerhead in the other.

He also worried about Ber’s condition.

From how weak his own body felt, it seemed Ber was drawing on his strength again.

And there was no way the inside of a monster’s stomach was a good environment.

If Ber were at full strength, Roy wouldn’t be this worried.

But just like Roy, Ber had also lost his powers.

They had only just reunited after so long.

Back in the continent of As, even if Ber had been forcefully unsummoned, Roy could have simply summoned him again.

But here? With the system behaving differently, Roy couldn’t be sure of anything.

‘If he lost Ber here, there might be no way to meet him again.’

***

THWACK!

That thought pushed Roy into action.

He couldn’t just keep dodging.

He gathered the last of his strength and slammed the hammerhead into the Black Bat’s skull.

As the monster staggered, Roy quickly closed the distance to the one already writhing on the ground.

“Screeech! Scree—!”

Taking advantage of its open mouth, Roy shoved the hammer handle inside and then smashed it down with the hammerhead.

“Scree…”

[You have gained 10 levels.]

[You have reached Level 10! You can now activate one trait!]

{Congratulations, Hero! You’ve finally reached Level 10!}

A bright, flashing message appeared in front of Roy.

He had leveled up before, but this felt different.

It reminded him of the moment he summoned the Spirit Kings for the first time—when he could finally use his real powers.

A wave of energy surged through his body.

If this continued, he felt like he could take down not just one, but ten King Medheads.

“Piieee…!”

Where the Black Bat had vanished, Ber appeared—his fur matted and dirty.

The little spirit flapped his tiny wings and stumbled toward Roy.

Even though he was shaky on his feet, he didn’t slow down.

Roy bent to his knees and caught Ber in his arms, letting out a long breath of relief.

Even Earth—who hadn’t spoken in what felt like ages—received a greeting.

‘So reaching Level 10 lets me activate a trait?’

[Yes! Level 10 is like a turning point—when you graduate from being a beginner to becoming a full-fledged Hunter. It’s also when each class can start using its core abilities. You summoned Ber even before reaching Level 10, which was impressive!]

‘What do I need to know about traits?’

{Just say “Traits.”}

“Traits.”

A different interface appeared—separate from his abilities window.

[You may choose one of the following traits:]

– Spirit Evolution (Eligible target: Water Sprite Ber)

– Flame Rain

– Wings of Fire

The names were straightforward enough that it wasn’t hard to guess what they did.

Roy paused for a moment, then chose the very first trait on the list.