Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 300 – Second Dimension Earth (5)

Han-Yeol went to Gwanghwamun Square after delegating all the tasks related to his companies to the CEOs he had hired. The individuals traveling with him to Gwanghwamun Square were Tayarana, Mariam, Riru, and Kandir. The hundreds of Bastro Warriors did not accompany them.

"Alright, listen up. We're not going to fully establish ourselves in the Bastro Dimension this time. We're just going to scout, so think of it as a visitation," Han-Yeol said.

“Yes, Han-Yeol-nim.”

“Okay, Han-Yeol.”

[Yes, Harkan-nim.]

[Okay okay, Harkan.]

Riru and Tayarana replied in a casual manner, considering themselves on an equal rank with Han-Yeol. In contrast, Kandir and Mariam responded with respect, viewing themselves as subordinates of Han-Yeol.

They were currently standing on top of a building overlooking Gwanghwamun Square.

"Hmm..."

"There are a lot of people."

"It seems the government is going all out to try and stop this dimensional gate."

The area around Gwanghwamun Square had a dense concentration of pure mana being emitted by the dimensional gate. This was due to the dimensional gate's creation involving Harkan's relic and the lives of three Bastro Sorcerers, which explained the powerful mana emission. While Han-Yeol was not alarmed by this, knowing the reason behind its potency, it struck fear in him and those around.

As a result, Han-Yeol's smartphone had been ringing non-stop throughout the day.

‘Well, it's no longer my concern.’

There was nobody in Korea who could compare to Han-Yeol. The government, associations, and even other Hunters dared not challenge him, especially after hearing about the demise of the country's mightiest Hunter, Kim Tae-San, at his hands.

Though he may be a citizen of the country, he had transcended beyond mere humanity. In fact, the businesses he had recently opened were purely for his amusement, and he was not motivated by money.

"Hmm... What should we do?"

"Can't we just go past them?"

Riru mumbled, and Kandir responded with an idea.

Their words were being automatically translated, allowing Han-Yeol to communicate freely with them.

"Well, we could do that, but some people will undoubtedly follow us and enter as well. That's bound to create quite a commotion, and the hyenas will definitely pick up on the disturbance coming from this side."

"Ah...!"

It was just as he had predicted. They couldn't afford to alert the Hyenas to the presence of the dimensional gate leading to Earth.

The Hyena Sorcerers possessed the power to corrupt everyone on Earth through their abilities, as Earth had not yet transitioned into the second dimension, resulting in a significant power imbalance between the two dimensions. Without a doubt, it would lead to biohazard apocalypse scenarios typically seen only in movies.

"We have a way to enter."

"Hmm? Mariam?"

Mariam was typically reserved in these kinds of situations, but she boldly stepped forward and declared, "I will do it."

"You will?"

"Yes, Han-Yeol-nim."

Mariam seldom took action unless it was directly related to Tayarana. The incident in Nepal had been an exception, as she had received direct orders from President Phaophator at that time. It was quite rare for her to make decisions independently, and this was her first instance of taking action without orders from Tayarana.

‘Is she slowly changing?’ Han-Yeol wondered.

"You're trying to test out your abilities after awakening again, right?"

"Oh, you were aware of it?"

"Haha! Of course, don't underestimate a Master Rank Hunter."

"Hmm... I guess you're right."

The fact that a B Rank Hunter could suddenly become an A Rank Hunter was quite surprising, but Mariam was well aware that it was possible to grow stronger just by fighting alongside Han-Yeol. This was why Mariam remained nonchalant about it, even though she was now an A Rank Hunter.

"Hmm? Aren't you supposed to be surprised?"

"What do you mean, Han-Yeol-nim?"

Mariam appeared surprisingly calm, even staring at Han-Yeol as if he were making a fuss over nothing.

"Ah... I-It's nothing..."

‘Her personality has softened a lot, but she's still cold. If Tayarana's charm is... Ah, no, this isn't the time for that,’ Han-Yeol shook the thought out of his head.

This was not the time for his mind to wander.

"So, what's your plan?"

"I obtained a new skill after becoming an A Rank Hunter."

"Oh? What skill is it?"

"Sight Distortion."

"What? Sight Distortion?"

"Yes."

Mariam briefly explained her ability.

Her telepathic ability had previously been divided into two parts. She could read the minds of others and transmit her thoughts to them, and the other part was the ability to control their minds to a certain extent. However, she had obtained a strange skill after awakening as an A Rank Hunter.

"What? You can distort the vision of those weaker than you and make them see something else?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Wow... Isn't this too overpowered?"

Han-Yeol was truly surprised.

Telepathic abilities weren't typically seen as impressive, as they were not very useful in battle, being non-offensive skills. However, the ability to read other people's minds was quite valuable, often leading those with such abilities to lucrative, high-paying positions. Individuals with these abilities usually held low ranks as Hunters but were often wealthier than their peers or even those with higher ranks.

Mariam was undoubtedly the best in the world, as she had been the only B Rank Hunter with telepathic abilities. But now, the best in the world had awakened to become an A Rank Hunter.

"I do not wish to be called overpowered by you, Han-Yeol-nim, of all people," Mariam retorted.

“Ahem… Well, I’m just saying your skill is…” Han-Yeol cleared his throat out of embarrassment.

After all, what she said made perfect sense, as he also had the ability to read other people's minds, and he could become even stronger if he invested his time and effort into it.

In the end, he decided to change the subject.

“Alright, let’s get moving!”

[What’s wrong, Harkan?]

“Ah, it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Han-Yeol's Translation skill activated automatically, allowing him to speak and understand Korean freely. However, the same was not true for Tayarana and Mariam, as they couldn't understand the Bastro Language. The reverse was also true for Riru and Kandir, as they couldn't understand Korean. As a result, Han-Yeol was forced to act as the translator between them.

It might have seemed inconvenient for him to have to translate everything, but he had no choice since Bastrolings and humans did not seem to have intentions of coexisting together.

Regardless, Han-Yeol explained the situation to Riru and Kandir.

[That sounds great, Harkan-nim. Also, that is truly a peculiar skill.]

[Yeah, it's quite convenient since we don't have the time to deal with these Earthlings.]

Both of them seemed to be impressed by Mariam's skill.

‘Phew… That’s a relief…!’ Han-Yeol let out a sigh of relief after seeing that everything was alright.

He had initially been worried that they would not get along with each other, but it appeared that his concerns were unfounded.

‘I will have to work hard to get them used to each other, but that would be impossible if they don't like each other from the get-go. I guess it's easier since they seem to like each other.’ Han-Yeol was relieved that the worst-case scenario did not occur.

“Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

“Yes, Han-Yeol-nim.”

[Okay okay.]

[Yes, Harkan-nim.]

Mariam closed her eyes and focused her mana on her ability, then directed it toward the crowd gathered near the dimensional gate. She altered their vision to hide Han-Yeol's party from their sight.

Fortunately, the only individuals guarding the dimensional gate were soldiers and B Rank Hunters sent by the Hunters' Association. All of them were weaker than Mariam, who was now an A Rank Hunter, making it easy for her to manipulate their vision.

It was worth criticizing the association for sending a group of B Rank Hunters to guard a massive dimensional gate.

‘Well, it's probably safe since the dimensional gate made by Riru is just for transportation purposes compared to a normal dimensional gate that unleashes monsters,’ Han-Yeol thought.

He was correct. The Hunters' Association had hastily mobilized their special forces, composed of S and A Rank Hunters, but after a thorough analysis of the dimensional gate, they realized it was similar to the ones in low-level hunting grounds.

The B Rank Hunters were more than enough to handle any unexpected situations. In fact, B Rank Hunters were somewhat overkill, as even F to D Rank Hunters were more than capable of dealing with monsters from hunting grounds of this level. The association decided that if nothing happened in the next twenty-four hours, they would downgrade the Hunters guarding the gate to C and D Rank Hunters.

Thud... Thud...

Han-Yeol casually walked through the Hunters and soldiers.

[Hmm... These Earthlings seem to be easily deceived by such simple tricks. I know they are still in the first dimension, but aren't they too weak?]

[Haha! It will probably get better once they transition.]

Riru couldn't help but reply with a laugh.

[Ha! I am willing to bet nothing will change!]

On the other hand, Kandir didn't seem as optimistic about the Earthlings. The only things Kandir believed in were power and Harkan. The reason he obeyed Riru's orders was solely because it was Harkan's dying wish for him to obey and help Riru.

Woooong…!

The party was finally standing in front of the dimensional gate. It appeared to have significantly calmed down compared to before, no longer exuding any threatening mana, but the party members couldn't help but feel nervous.

Riru and Kandir were returning home, Tayarana and Mariam were venturing into a new dimension for the first time, and Han-Yeol was heading back to the Bastro Dimension.

Ziiiing!

They entered the dimensional gate.

***

Whoosh!

Han-Yeol's party found themselves deep within a cave where not a single ray of light penetrated. Adjusting to the darkness would have been easy for Harkan, thanks to his racial trait, but now Han-Yeol was human, and it wasn't as straightforward.

However, it was still manageable.

‘Come out.’

Wooong...!

Han-Yeol was able to harness the light attribute, allowing him to conjure light and dispel the darkness. Something like this was quite easy for Han-Yeol, as his mana control was far superior to that of an average Hunter.

Plop…! Plop…! Plop…! Plop…!

The cave was a humid place with stalactites hanging above, but the environment of the cave wasn't a significant concern for them.

"Is this the hideout of the remaining Bastrolings?"

[Yes, yes, that's right.]

Riru had the habit of repeating "yes" or "okay" twice. Kandir proceeded to explain on her behalf.

[There are a few hideouts like this remaining. We call them the Base of Light as we are fighting against the forces of darkness. We are just biding our time to reclaim the dimension from the clutches of the hyenas and restore peace to it.]

"I see..." Han-Yeol muttered with a heavy heart.

The Bastrolings were kind and simple. They had a tendency to excessively worship power, but that obsession didn't stem from evil desires.

However, things took a turn for the worse for the Bastrolings after Han-Yeol had sealed the Dragon of Destruction and disappeared, creating a power vacuum in the dimension. The hyenas exploited this opening to take over the dimension and enslave the Bastrolings. Han-Yeol couldn't help but feel somewhat responsible for it.

[Please do not feel bad, Harkan-nim. It is not your fault. The dimension would have been destroyed by the Dragon of Destruction if Harkan-nim was not around to defend it, and that would be a calamity way beyond what the hyenas could cause.]

"R-Really?" Han-Yeol stuttered, still feeling bad nevertheless.

[Yes. Although the situation might not seem that good right now, the survivors of our Faction of Light still have hope. If Harkan-nim had not sealed the Dragon of Destruction, then not a single Bastroling would be left, and hope would not exist in this place.]

"A-Alright... I got it..."

Kandir gave a slight bow after finishing speaking, as he always did when he finished saying something to Harkan. This was his way of showing respect to his lord and also indicated that he had fully accepted Han-Yeol as Harkan now. They continued chatting until they were able to exit the cave.

“R-Riru…?”

[Yes yes?]

“Is it nighttime now?”

[No, it's not, judging by the black sun up in the sky.]

"Haha... A black sun, you say...?"