Level Up Machine

Chapter 47 Explosive Level-up (5)

*Ding.*

[You have defeated 10 trolls.]

[33,710 experience points and 15 gold have been distributed according to your contribution.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

33,710 experience points.

15 gold.

Yeong-sik grinned as he looked at the message window that appeared before him. The experience points he had gained from killing four Rakan were 1,000. In an instant, he had earned more than 30 times that amount.

“I leveled up four times at once.”

With a satisfied smile, Yeong-sik

checked his status window. His current level was 33. He had regained the levels he had lost when the level cap was lowered, all in this single hunt.

“And this amount of gold…

Yeong-sik nodded as he looked at the 15 gold coins.

Recently, he had blown through 1,000 gold too easily, so it didn’t seem like a huge amount. However, considering it slowly, earning 1,500,000 won in a single hunt was an impressive feat.

“And this isn’t the end for the trolls.”

Yeong-sik’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at the troll corpses strewn on the ground.

Troll blood was a valuable item used as a base for healing potions and was also in high demand for various magical materials.

“Incredible…

“I leveled up twice at once.”

Gil-soo murmured a brief exclamation as he stared at the message window that appeared before him.

Compared to Yeong-sik’s contribution in battle, Gil-soo and Ara’s contributions were relatively low, so they didn’t receive as much experience or gold. Nevertheless, it was still an impressive amount.

“Then let’s start collecting the troll blood. Each one of these is worth money.”

“Got it.”

Yeong-sik inserted the blood collection tool he had prepared into the troll’s body.

As the magical device activated, light flickered, and blood began to flow into a transparent flask.

“Uh, but there doesn’t seem to be much coming out.”

Ara, who had been squeezing her eyes shut and collecting blood despite her slight aversion, spoke up.

Yeong-sik swallowed and answered her.

“There’s too much blood spilled on the ground.”

The troll corpses, hit by attacks from the Mine or the Gatling Gun during Yeong-sik’s onslaught, were in such a severe state that calling them rags wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

He felt it was a pity regarding this matter, but it couldn’t be helped. To capture monsters with the intention of collecting more blood while controlling his power was an unthinkable task.

“Now we need to dig a pit and bury the bodies.”

“Bury the bodies?”

Yeong-sik nodded at Ara’s puzzled question.

“If we don’t dispose of the bodies, we won’t be able to use the same method again.”

“Oh?”

Ara let out a short exclamation at his words. The reason their troll baiting hunt was successful was entirely because of Yeong-sik’s surprise attack with the mines he had set up, followed by a barrage of area attacks.

However, if they left the troll bodies at the baiting site, the trolls might become wary.

In that case, Yeong-sik and his party would be the ones in danger.

To prevent that, Yeong-sik dug a pit and placed the blood-drained troll bodies inside.

“Now we just need to burn them.”

Gil-soo wiped the sweat from his forehead as he muttered.

“Let’s see. The flint should be around here somewhere…”

Gil-soo rummaged through his inventory to find the flint.

“No need for the flint.”

Yeong-sik stepped forward as he spoke. A red glow began to emanate from his eyes.

*Ziiing.*

“No way…”

Ara, who had seen Yeong-sik’s eyes glow red before, looked at him with a doubtful expression.

Yeong-sik adjusted the power of his laser just enough to ignite the bodies.

*Pew!*

*Whoosh!*

The troll bodies began to burn as the laser shot from his eyes.

Yeong-sik was satisfied with how smoothly he had controlled his power, even though it was his first time using the laser.

Gil-soo and Ara watched him with complicated expressions.

Starting a fire with lasers from his eyes? It was a bizarre act beyond their common sense.

“Did you get a new weapon?”

Yeong-sik nodded and explained how he had gained great power from the black cube he obtained from Han Cheol-ho’s warehouse.

“…That’s incredible.”

“So that’s why Yeong-sik has been much stronger than usual.”

Gil-soo recalled Yeong-sik’s attacks that took down the trolls in one strike, noting that it was natural considering Yeong-sik’s stats, which were now close to level 50.

“Then let’s wait until the smell dissipates before we start hunting again.”

“Ugh… Are we going to keep repeating this?”

Ara grimaced slightly as she recalled the ferocity shown by the ten trolls.

Yeong-sik nodded.

“We don’t have much time left.”

“But at this rate, we could reach the level cap in less than a month, not just three months!”

Ara looked at her level, which had reached 35 after a single hunt, and spoke.

“No, this method won’t work as we go into higher-level monster zones.”

Yeong-sik, with a resolute expression, agreed. As they moved into higher levels, the number of monsters decreased, but each one possessed immense power.

“And the faster we level up, the more time we have to do other things. So even if it’s a bit tough now, we’ll continue with group hunting to quickly raise our levels.”

At Yeong-sik’s calm words, Gil-soo and Ara nodded.

“Although my level cap is 45, I’ll do my best for Yeong-sik and Ara.”

Gil-soo said this with a slightly bitter smile. Unlike Yeong-sik and Ara, Gil-soo’s level cap was not that high.

He felt a peculiar anxiety about this fact. It seemed like the two people he had been with since the tutorial were moving beyond his reach.

“Mr. Gil-soo, don’t give up just because your level cap is low. There have been cases where the level cap increased.”

“Haha, I understand.”

At Yeong-sik’s words, Gil-soo nodded with a good-natured smile.

“And level isn’t everything. Level is just a measure of physique. Even a lower-level summoner can defeat a higher-level one.”

In battles with summoners or monsters, victory wasn’t simply determined by level. Skill proficiency, items, techniques, and strategies were also crucial factors.

He had heard from Bae Han-seong about a summoner who had won a one-on-one battle despite a level difference of over 20.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

With a determined look in his eyes, Gil-soo nodded. Yeong-sik also nodded and stood up.

“Let’s start hunting again.”

At Yeong-sik’s words, Gil-soo and Ara nodded energetically.

—

To minimize the time spent on hunting, Yeong-sik’s group even packed camping gear and continued hunting in the troll habitat.

After five days of continuous hunting without rest, Yeong-sik’s group all reached level 45.

A rise of 15 levels in less than a week. If other summoners heard this, they would shake their heads in disbelief.

“Energy Blast.”

*Woooong!*

The blue energy bullet gathered in Yeong-sik’s left hand aimed at the troll’s head. The rapidly fired energy bullet burst the troll’s head.

*Krrrrr…*

*Ding.*

[You have defeated 14 trolls.]

[17,920 experience points and 19 gold have been distributed according to your contribution.]

Yeong-sik frowned slightly as he looked at the message window that appeared before him.

‘The experience points gained have decreased too much.’

Although he hadn’t reached the point where he couldn’t gain any experience from trolls, the amount of experience he was receiving was significantly less compared to when he hunted trolls at level 30. Yeong-sik rubbed his chin with a slightly disappointed expression.

‘Should we move to a different location soon?’

In reality, just by hunting trolls, Yeong-sik was gaining far more experience than other summoners of the same level.

The only way anyone could keep up with his leveling speed was by clearing dungeons filled with elite monsters under the protection of one of the top three guilds.

However, having once tasted the rapid leveling, Yeong-sik found this slower pace frustrating.

‘Where would be a good next hunting ground…’

Yeong-sik pondered if there were any other monsters, like the trolls, that could be easily hunted using drones. Information about various monsters he had heard from Bae Han-seong began to surface in his mind.

Then, it happened.

“Hmm…?”

A video feed from the drone appeared in Yeong-sik’s right eye.

The drone, which had been left hovering to monitor the surroundings, had captured something.

‘Ogre!’

What appeared through the drone’s camera was the ogre, the forest’s overlord known to appear in troll habitats.

Upon confirming the ogre’s presence, Yeong-sik quickly spoke up.

“We need to pack up and evacuate immediately.”

“Huh? Why?”

“There’s no time to explain.”

Seeing Yeong-sik’s tense expression, Gil-soo, sensing something serious, stopped collecting troll blood without further questioning.

‘We need to escape before the ogre gets here.’

With that thought, Yeong-sik started leading his team to safety.

Just as Yeong-sik was about to guide his team to a place without the ogre, he hesitated. The ogre was an elite level 70 monster.

Thinking about the massive benefits they could gain from defeating it made him reluctant to flee.

When a lower-level summoner hunted a high-level monster, they could gain an enormous amount of additional experience.

Yeong-sik, who had gained substantial experience from hunting trolls at level 30, knew this very well.

‘This is madness.’

Yeong-sik shook his head at the temptation that had sprung up in his mind. An ogre was a monster that even a party of level 70 summoners could barely manage to hunt.

It was not a monster that Yeong-sik’s party, who were only level 45, could dare to take on.

Yeong-sik was meticulous about hunting in situations where their lives were at risk, only acting when the odds were in their favor. He couldn’t gamble on something that could wipe out his party just for immediate gains.

“Wait a minute.”

At that moment, a thought flashed in Yeong-sik’s mind.

‘If that’s possible…’

Yeong-sik’s eyes gleamed sharply. If what he was thinking could actually be done, hunting the ogre wouldn’t be impossible.

‘It’s definitely worth a try.’

With this thought, Yeong-sik looked up at the drone hovering in the air.

The drone had been fully charged before this hunt, so it could remain airborne for at least four more hours.

“Everyone, gather at the top of the ravine.”

Yeong-sik spoke as he moved toward the top of the ravine. Gil-soo and Ara, looking puzzled, followed him.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yes, something happened. An ogre appeared nearby.”

“An ogre?”

“Shouldn’t we run away quickly?”

At the mention of an ogre, Ara and Gil-soo’s faces stiffened.

Yeong-sik slowly shook his head and responded.

“No. Instead of running, let’s think of another way.”

“Another way…?”

Ara’s expression hardened with a sense of foreboding at Yeong-sik’s words. Yeong-sik continued with a calm and nonchalant expression.

“We’re going to catch the ogre.”

“Are you crazy?! You said ogres are monsters that even five level 70 summoners can barely defeat! How are we supposed to catch an ogre now?”

Ara shouted in a frantic voice. Her argument was valid. The geographical advantage of the ravine was meaningless in front of an ogre.

The ravine they were in was only about ten meters deep—a height the ogre could climb in the blink of an eye.

“I have a good plan.”

Yeong-sik said this as he observed the ogre through his right eye.

“A good plan…?”

Ara trailed off, her face full of worry.

A broad smile spread across Yeong-sik’s lips.

“Here it is.”