Level Up Monster

Chapter 31

At the low Mid Tier hunting grounds of the Monster field.

Kim Sae-Jin and Yu Sae-Jung are hunting together in a rather pleasant atmosphere.

It had been more than an hour, but the Expanded Pocket was almost full of the remains of a Monster.

"Ah. Lately there has been an increase in the number of Monsters rampaging in the cities."

As if he had suddenly remembered it earlier, Yu Sae-Jung opened his mouth as they continued to search for the next prey.

"Is that true?"

"Yes. So, the Knight Order has begun a deep investigation into the matter, but many things must be sensitive in nature. Everything has been labeled very secret."

"Hm. Thats odd. Oh, the other Ebony Wolves are hiding there."

He pointed at the bush and spoke. Since it was Ebony Wolf, she felt empathy towards him, but well, there was nothing she could do about it now. The strong rules of prey on the weak were heartless and cruel, after all.

"alright. I'm right there."

It was a shocking thing for a human to find Ebony Wolf but, Yu Sae-Jung was now more or less used to it – he simply replied calmly and collected Mana into his sword. From the expensive sword in his hand, a raging Amukan rose up, quickly forming a delicate blade.

Where is it, compared to when Sae-Jin first met him, each facet has taken a qualitative leap of – its density, its richness of color, etc. When she asks how she did it, Yu Sae-Jung explains that she also has a trait that allows her to grow so fast. Of course, she also chose not to tell him the details of her Trait as well.

"Huh-aht !!"

With a loud shout, he kicked the ground and rushed forward. The target was the Ebony Wolf hiding in the bushes.

* SFX for air slicing blades *

The smooth horizontal swing sliced through the tall grasses, and the wolf hiding within it let out a short whimper before it soon expired. Sae-Jin looks down to mourn her death without even realizing it.

"Mush. What are you doing?"

After stuffing the remains of the Ebony Wolf into the Expanding Pocket, he approached her while leaking a smile.

"Oh, ah, it's nothing."

He hurriedly made excuses. Yu Sae-Jung tilts her head in a bit of confusion, before pulling out her phone in a hurry to check the time.

"I think I should go."

"mm? But this is only an hour?"

"I have to go to Eden tomorrow for the promotion test."

"Ah, is that true?"

Eden is the name given to the tallest building in Gangwon province which is dominated by skyscrapers. Often referred to as the holy land of the Knights, it was a place where administrative work regarding all things related to Knights took place, such as the above-mentioned promotion exam, as well, as well as the education and training of the young, the upper and the coming Knights.

"Well, since there's still a little time left before my driver comes, why don't we have coffee while we wait?"

Sae-Jung smiles and gives advice.

He thought about this for a moment. Right now, it's 3:30 in the afternoon. It was still late afternoon, and since he was planning to hunt alone later, there seemed to be no reason to pay attention to the time limit here.

"Yes. Come on."

So, he nodded.

"Then, let's go. I heard there's a new coffee shop inside Rest Stop called 'Dawn In Coffee'." (TL: the name of the coffee shop is written in English in raw language.)

"I'm fine with anything. Somehow with things like that."

"Well, then, you just have to follow me, then."

They turned around and returned to the Rest.

*

As soon as they arrive, Yu Sae-Jung drags Sae-Jin and enters the coffee shop. Ordering and paying is Yu Sae-Jung's job. He expertly booked at the counter and walked back to their table.

"When is the driver coming?"

At her request, Yu Sae-Jung delays answering and checks her phone first.

"30 minutes. About 30 minutes."

His eyes did not leave the liquid crystal screen as he replied. And then, he fell silent. Judging from the way he kept wetting, he looked a bit tense.

Yu Sae-Jung will be going to the training camp for a week starting today in The Eden, the Holy Land of the Knights. Although it was almost impossible for an 18-year-old to become a full Mid Tier Knight, he still had to continue attending these few tests just for his inevitable promotion in the future.

"Mm... Are you nervous?"

He immediately shook his head at his question. However, her strangely quick answer only served to reinforce the idea of her tense self.

"No. Not at all. I mean, I wasn't even expecting anything. My achievements and skills are still very far from being at the Mid Tier level."

"… If you say so."

However, as he implied, his initial nervousness subsided with the passage of time.

It seemed, as they drank coffee and conversed, he could feel that his mind was slowly becoming calm.

"You really have ... a good aroma."

And 20 minutes have passed. The coffee was already cold, and the topic of conversation had already dried up. As Sae-Jin wordlessly checks her phone, Yu Sae-Jung suddenly mutters as if passing by.

"Oh, thank you. But I don't use perfume."

"I knew. I've never heard of such a perfume."

Yu Sae-Jung looked at her and lightly grinned.

different about your scent . When I'm next to you, my mind is inexplicably calms down . Honestly, until a short while ago, I was really nervous, you know? But when I keep on breathing in your scent.." "But there's something different about your scent. When I was next to you, my mind somehow calmed down. Honestly, until a while ago, I was really nervous, you know? But when I keep inhaling your scent …"

He stopped his words and carefully breathed in the air. His attitude was practiced and careful, as if to instill a feeling that even the act of breathing air could be an act of elegance itself.

"Really, it helped me to calm my mind. However, I'm sure you didn't notice it? Usually, one should not know the smell itself, so …"

"Oh ... yeah? Is correct. I don't know."

Honestly speaking, of course he already knew. It was all because of his Passive Skill that was born from his Trait. The Scent of a Wolf is said to have a special effect on. It is likely that Yu Sae-Jung is being subjected to this effect at this time.

"But still, it's a bit faint, so if this isn't a closed space like this, it's not easy to smell it properly. Especially in the woods. The smell of blood rank and monsters was too strong there."

"Is that the reason why you wanted to come here?"

"…. Yep. That's one of the reasons."

As he spoke here and smiled, the phone placed on the table shook and let out a ring.

"Ah, it seems like he has arrived. I have to go now."

Yu Sae-Jung gets up from his seat, and Sae-Jin follows him.

"Md. Do your best."

"Yes, thank you. By the way ... later when I need your help again, can I bother you for quick help?"

At her cutely made request, Sae-Jin nods her head with a smile.

At the same time, a warning sounded.

►The Skill Level of the Wolf Scent has increased from C-to C.

– Strong wolf smell. Depending on the sex, race, tastes and characteristics of the individual, various positive effects will be applied.

– These skills will also remain active during the Human Form.

"Well, I'll go first. And ... please don't say hello to me out. My father ... also came today."

Yu Sae-Jung spoke in an apologetic tone. But Sae-Jin nods in agreement, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world.

And right after seeing him leave with his own two eyes, he turned towards the Monster field.

The real hunt is about to begin.

*

But, as always, the problem lies in evolution. He just couldn't evolve no matter what.

hadn't had found it yet . No, he hasn't found it yet.

'… A Goblin Witch. '(TL: the author uses the word Hanja for magic and writes "a Goblin magic." Obviously that didn't sound right when TLed was literally, so I turned it into a Witchdoctor.)

Kim Sae-Jin in the form of a wolf beast silently observed the distant Goblin village while lying hidden in the bushes. He coincidentally discovered a vast village located on this side of the mountain. And it is quite easy to distinguish the types of Goblins that live in this village. He only needed to look at the wooden poles like Sotdae that they were carrying.

(TL: a Sotdae is .. uh, according to Wikipedia: a tall wooden pole or stone pillar with carved birds on it, built for the purpose of folk belief in Korea. It was usually erected near the village entrance to ward off evil spirits as well as to represent the villagers' desire for prosperity and well-being.)

Those who carried the pole and were able to use magic, the Goblin Witches.

Although outwardly they looked like a bunch of weaklings, all of them weak and small in stature, their fame was high enough to pierce through the heavens.

Their bad reputation is not solely due to their love of lethal magic practice. The problem is, people will find pretty much no loot in their village after challenging all the dangerous curses and conquering them. There was at least the possibility of obtaining potions when raiding a Goblin village that specialized in medicine but, there was no point in attacking a village full of Witchdoctors because such actions pretty much signified the old adage "High Risk, Low Return. "

However – it applies to those who see Monsters only in monetary value.

'Back then, I evolved after killing Goblins. '

In all honesty, it is rather difficult to call it an evolution for its Goblin Form. It was more like he was absorbing knowledge and experiencing a kind awakening.

* SFX for swallowing saliva *

Sae-Jin involuntarily gulps her saliva. A Goblin Witch. It was a difficult opponent he was facing right now. Of course, if it was a one-on-one situation, it wouldn't be a problem but unfortunately, life didn't pay so much attention to his feelings.

'I need to kill the Elite, or something stronger. '

He understood that killing an ordinary Goblin was a waste of time. Just like back then, he needed to kill the Elite Goblin, who had many tattoos on his body.

Using the Wolf's eyes, his gaze penetrated further and deeper into the village.

The previously limited scope of vision expanded gradually. A vision that did not know the meaning of physical limitations continued to develop until he finally found a suitable Goblin.

It was located in the deepest part of the village; and it was visible because it was performing some sort of ritual. He also wore a head covering that signified his position as Chieftain, his body hosting many tattoos.

Therehewas.

 the barbaric wolf for battle spread from his evil heart and made his body tremble slightly.

He thought for a moment about how to kill that Goblin. But yeah, it's actually pretty simple, really.

He dashed past the side of the mountain, biting the Goblin Chieftain to death, and urged him out of there.

From his current position to where the Goblin was, using the absolute speed of this beast form, it only took 10 seconds.

However, he thought there was something lacking with this plan. The Goblin's speed in firing magic magic was seemingly extremely fast. If he wanted to avoid the curse to death, then he should be faster.

He accessed the small pouch hanging on his wrist and took out a small bottle of potion. It was a low Mid Tier rank herb called 'A Goblin's Courage, which was able to temporarily increase his physical stats.

The bottle was as small as the dust on the beast's huge palm, which made it difficult to open the lid. So, he simply swallowed the entire bottle down his throat.

The effect of the potion appeared quickly. His muscles expanded and his body felt hot.

Sae-Jin crouches down and takes the initial pose of a sprinter.

doping procedure . And finally, he activated the last part of the doping procedure .

[Skill 'Reversal Warrior' has been activated. All Stats riding temporarily. ]

Normally, the Warrior of Reversal skill was aided by endurance and strength, as well as resistance to pain; it had nothing to do with increasing speed. But for him, he needed an increase in endurance and pain at the moment.

Wolf liver – wild beast – can freely control blood circulation. If he could temporarily increase the rate of blood flow, then he would be able to display a significant burst of overwhelming strength.

*SFX for beast growing* ""*SFX for grunts of wild animals * "

The blood in his body quickly circulated like boiling liquid. When the sensation of his body was ready to explode from the heat that spread throughout his body, he felt an inexplicable feeling from the time it felt slowed to a crawl.

He could clearly see the wind blowing, and this wind was shaking the blade of grass.

All preparations are now complete.

Soon, he kicked the ground, hard.

The illusion of a twisted world occurs. At the tremendous pressure created by his speed, the atmosphere was violently compressed, and every time he took a step, the ground beneath him collapsed violently.

And when he gained enough speed, he then activated Dash Whirlwind.

His speed pierced the speed of sound.

Moving so fast that it did not even leave behind an afterimage, the beast was like a dangerous ground lightning attack.

"- !!"

In the blink of an eye that did not even last two seconds, Sae-Jin arrived in front of the Goblin Chieftain. And before the expression on the Goblin's face had time to change, the wolf's ferocious fang shot into his neck.

Kwajeeck's.

Sae-Jin starts running again, with the Goblin stuck between her jaws. He obviously did not want to be cursed with lingering there.

\=\=\=\=

► [Complete: Goblin Tradition, Heritage of Memories. ]

– Host has absorbed the blood of Witchdoctor Goblin (leader type). Now, the host can use 'Goblin Chieftain's Witchcraft'. (Magic that can be used will depend on Stat, Magic Power.)

►'Spiritualisation '[Skill Skills Level: F]

– The material can be converted into spirit form and stored inside the host body.

– When an object is stored in the host body as a spirit, 30% of the original characteristics of the material will be given to the host.

► 'Curse Binding. '[Skill Skill Level: F]

– At the expense of his own blood, the host can withstand the target.

►'Magic Tattoos '[Skill Skill Skill Level: F]

– The host can use the liquid from the potion, the blood of others or even the melted Mana to write down the Magic Tattoo on his body.

– The Magic Tattoos will show different effects depending on the base material used.

\=\=\=\=

These messages appear. Kim Sae-Jin ran and ran while carrying a thick smile on her face.

Spiritualization – amazing skills he got just now. No, should it be called magic, right?

Whatever the case, he was more than satisfied. To turn an object into a spirit and store it in his body which in turn would give him a statistical increase of – doesn't that mean a new way to use his equipment from now on has appeared?

In addition, Magic Tattoos also seem to have no restrictions on how the tattoo can be used in the future.

*SFX for a beast growing* ".. * SFX for grunts of wild animals * "

Sae-Jin quickly arrives at the riverbank with little human activity and takes down the dead Goblin in search of loot.

However, his left arm did not move.

"…?"

Confused, he looked at his left arm.

And from his arms, a black aura rose like steam. It was a curse.

'…. Oh, ** * *. '

The goblins still managed to curse him in such a short amount of time.

"KWOOAAAAAARR !!"

Today, he had to carve it into his bones why countless Knights and Hunters did their best to avoid facing the Goblin Witch.