Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 309 – Light Faction Survivors (4)

Han-Yeol and the others were guided through a complex, winding mountain trail that only those familiar with it could navigate. They arrived at a moderately-sized cave, tightly guarded by Feline Warriors.

‘Wow, they've concealed themselves quite effectively,’ Han-Yeol thought, recalling that felines were unparalleled experts in hiding, even during his time as Harkan.

Chwak!

[Reaness, who are they?]

[Ah, they are the canines from our Light Faction and their guests.]

[I suppose they aren't under the hyenas' influence?]

[No, I've already checked them thoroughly.]

[Alright, you may pass.]

It was the same for most of the Bastrolings; they tended to fully trust those from their own race. This was the reason the guards didn't question or check Han-Yeol and his party further.

‘This can be both a good and a bad thing,’ Han-Yeol mused.

It was beneficial that they trusted each other, but this trust could prove fatal if even one of them decided to betray their entire race. If Han-Yeol were a hyena, he would undoubtedly exploit this weakness.

‘Ah, I should pay special attention to this point if the Bastrolings start getting in touch with us humans.’

Of course, betraying their own race wasn't easy for a Bastroling, as they valued honor as much as their desire for strength.

‘But there’s no such thing as a guarantee in this universe. There is always bound to be one odd one from the bunch.’

It was no different for humankind, as betrayals were the biggest problem on Earth.

Then, he suddenly thought, ‘Ah… Why does it feel like I’ll have to choose between these two worlds later on…?’

He realized he was comparing the two dimensions without even realizing it.

‘No, I’m a human, and I was just sent to the Bastro Dimension to help them against the Dragon of Destruction.’

This was something he should never forget.

Thud… Thud…

They continued walking into the cave until they reached a corridor illuminated by mana stones embedded in the walls. The entire corridor was surprisingly bright despite its depth within the cave.

‘What?!’ Han-Yeol recognized the Bastroling waiting for them at the end of the corridor.

[Welcome to our humble abode. This is the first time we have received guests since settling here. Hoho!]

‘T-Taichin?!’

The leader of the felines, Taichin, was a Tigress Warrior, smaller than Tiger Warriors. This earned her the moniker 'Little Tiger,' but the title wasn't just due to her size. She surpassed other Tiger Warriors not only in speed but also in strength.

Taichin held the title of Feline Lord, and Han-Yeol had once fought against her when he was Harkan.

‘I did win, but it was not an easy battle.’

The gap between them widened significantly as Han-Yeol became exponentially stronger in a short period.

Still, Taichin remained the strongest among the felines, playing a crucial role in the subjugation of the Dragon of Destruction.

‘So you survived…’ Han-Yeol thought, smiling.

Taichin first greeted Kandir and Riru since she was acquainted with them, then turned toward Han-Yeol and the others. [Omo~ This is my first time seeing these creatures. Hmm… They don’t seem to be dolls of the hyenas judging by their mana, but it doesn’t seem they are Bastrolings too. Are they perhaps guests from another dimension?]

‘And the scariest thing about her is how sharp she is…’ Han-Yeol mused.

Harkan was unquestionably stronger than Taichin in terms of physical strength, and the canines consistently emerged victorious in their clashes with the felines. Nevertheless, it was Taichin's resourcefulness, administrative skills, and quick judgment that prevented them from falling behind their rivals, despite the repeated defeats. In fact, her leadership was instrumental in the felines swiftly reclaiming new lands after losing most of their territories to the canines.

The reason Han-Yeol avoided clashing against the felines back when he was Harkan had been because of Taichin.

[As expected, you immediately realized, Taichin.]

[Hoho! It’s not that difficult to notice if you pay a bit of attention. Hmm? You seem like one of us while looking like a guest from another dimension as well? That’s quite strange…]

“Nyang~ Nyang~” Pipi meowed and wagged her tail in response.

Though she couldn't understand Taichin's words, she could roughly tell from Taichin's appearance and the way she smiled while talking.

After all, a cat was quite sharp when it came to noticing things around them.

‘Ah, Taichin was weak against cute things, right? But who knew things would turn out like this…?’ Han-Yeol thought, finding the coincidence quite interesting.

"Hello, my name is Lee Han-Yeol, and I come from a dimension called Earth, which is still in the first dimension."

[Oh? You’re quite fluent in our language… Hmm… Come to think of it, I think the way you speak and your pronunciation are quite familiar…]

‘D-Damn it! She’s as sharp as ever…!’

[Hmm… Well, I guess that’s not important… Anyway, how did a creature from the first dimension cross over to the second dimension?]

Kandir was about to answer Taichin’s question, but there was no need for that.

[Ah, it must be because of the artifacts Harkan left behind. Kandir, Riru, and the remaining Canine Sorcerers must have used forbidden magic to open a gate to the first dimension. Well, it must have come at the cost of the sorcerers’ lives.]

[Yes… They volunteered to sacrifice themselves for the future of us canines.]

[Ah, I’m not judging you or anything. After all, it’s not my place to judge you in the first place. No, in fact, I’m actually jealous of you canines. Harkan must possess the ability to see the future or something, judging by how he nurtured a lot of sorcerers… I wanted to do the same after seeing what he was doing, but my own race wouldn’t listen to me.]

Han-Yeol instinctively nodded in response and thought, ‘Well, it only worked for me since I was the Dimension Lord… It was quite tough convincing them…’

He remembered how frustrating it had been to change the mindset of the Bastrolings, and one of the reasons he rushed to become the Dimension Lord was to make it easier for him to order around his subordinates.

[But shouldn’t you be busy conquering the first dimension if you managed to cross there before it matured? Isn’t that why you opened the gate in the first place?]

[Ah, yes…]

That was indeed what Kandir and Riru were planning, but they were forced to change their plans after meeting Han-Yeol as soon as they stepped out of the gate.

[We had our reason so…]

[Hoho~ What reason might that be?]

[That is… This esteemed being here will explain.] Kandir pointed at Han-Yeol.

‘Esteemed being?’

Taichin was slightly taken aback by how casually Kandir said those words that she almost missed it. ‘That musclebrain Kandir is addressing someone else that way? Then that means…’

While Taichin wasn't particularly close with Kandir, she was interested in the master he served. She had always been curious about the Dimension Lord, so she observed Harkan whenever she had the opportunity. Of course, observing Harkan automatically meant that she was going to observe both Kandir and Riru as well.

‘Hmm… Kandir and Riru seemed ready to jump out and protect that creature from another dimension at any given moment… I’m certain there’s something going on…’ She suspected something was up but did not immediately come to the conclusion that the creature was Harkan.

It was only logical that she would not suspect Han-Yeol was Harkan, as he had sacrificed himself to seal the Dragon of Destruction. Unfortunately, the Bastrolings failed to locate the remains of their Dimension Lord. Now, their former Dimension Lord was a puppet controlled by the hyenas, and the hyenas were on the verge of ruling over the entire dimension. The Bastrolings were probably being punished by the heavens for not paying their tribute to their fallen Dimension Lord.

Anyway, Harkan was dead, so Taichin did not bother linking the creature from another dimension to him.

‘I should probably look into this…’

She might be in an unfortunate position right now, but that did not stop her from researching things that piqued her curiosity. Her passion for knowledge was the reason she did not achieve her full physical potential, but that did not mean she was weak, as she never lost her position as the Feline Lord.

‘Hohoho!’

‘W-What’s she thinking…?’

Han-Yeol was slightly flustered after seeing the way Taichin was looking at him. The way her eyes were ogling him felt uncomfortable, so he hurriedly changed the subject.

“I have a proposal.”

[A proposal?]

What the creature said caught Taichin by surprise as she wondered, ‘Is there anything this creature from the first dimension could offer us?’

She pondered about it for a second, but she could not think of anything of value she might want.

‘That creature’s mana is quite lacking too…’

Han-Yeol’s mana was equivalent to the mana of an intermediate-ranking warrior among the felines, but the problem was that it was just him alone. The felines needed all the help they could get, but that did not mean he was in a position to make a proposal to her.

“I would like to invite all of the felines here to my world.”

[…!]

The creature’s proposal was so stunning that even the smart and cunning Taichin completely did not expect it.

‘It’s a good idea for them to rest and recuperate alongside the canines back on Earth as long as the hyenas don’t find the dimensional gate.’

The Feline Warriors were still fine, as they were able to survive thanks to their grit and discipline, but it was completely different for the civilians that were starting to lose hope. Being on the run, starvation, and the poor living conditions they were subjected to were starting to take a toll on them.

Most of the warriors either fell in battle or were corrupted by the hyenas, but most civilian casualties were from dying from starvation, disease, or suicide. The civilians were not helpful in combat, but they were extremely important too. They were crucial to the restoration of the Bastro Dimension if the Light Faction managed to defeat the hyenas and regain ownership of the dimension.

[T-That is…]

“But I have a condition.”

[A condition?]

“You are not to cause any harm to the dimension I am inviting your people to. Of course, you are free to retaliate if someone attacks you first, but you are forbidden from attacking first,” Han-Yeol said.

Thud!

Kandir took a step forward and threateningly growled right after Han-Yeol finished speaking. [If you break this condition, then we, the canines, will never forgive you.]

[You dare!]

The Feline Warriors brandished their claws and lashed out after Kandir threatened their leader, and these warriors were at least three meters tall, unlike the small Taichin.

[Everyone, stand down.] Taichin immediately stopped the Feline Warriors, and they were forced to back down at her command.

[Just you wait, you dogs…]

[Ha!]

On the other hand, Han-Yeol was having a migraine from seeing the whole spectacle. ‘Aigoo… My head…’

He knew that the canines and felines were at odds with each other, but seeing them trying to start a fight with each other despite their current situation completely flabbergasted him. Nobody knew if they stood a chance against the hyenas even if they cooperated, but fighting against each other was definitely not going to resolve anything.

‘Well, even I wasn’t able to stop them from fighting when I was Harkan, so I’m sure it’s probably worse now,’ he thought while shaking his head.

Han-Yeol had revolutionized various aspects of the canines’ way of life after he ascended as the Dimension Lord, but one thing he failed to change was their rivalry with the felines.

[Allow me to confirm your statement. Are you extending an invitation to us for a place called Earth, a first dimension?]

“Yes, that is correct.”

[And your stipulation is to refrain from causing harm to your citizens?]

“Exactly.”

[Hmm…]

Taichin pretended to deliberate for a moment. ‘Hoho! It’s not a bad proposal, but I’ll look too easy if I accept it right away.’

The felines were in dire need of an improvement in their current situation, longing for a place to rest without fearing for their safety. The first dimension appeared to be the perfect refuge for them, shielded from the threat of the hyenas.

[Alright, it is only polite for us to accept such an invitation, is it not? Taiga! Taimon!]

[Yes, lord!]

[Gather all of the felines and prepare to accompany our guests. Tell them to make haste as we have noticed more and more hyenas in the vicinity these days.]

[Yes, lord!]

Chwak! Chwak!

Taichin’s subordinates immediately moved as she commanded, mobilizing the warriors under them to carry out their lord’s instructions.

[Prepare to move out!]