Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 331 – Yulia’s Betrayal (4)

Han-Yeol escaped from the laboratory with Mavros and Tia.

Whoosh!

He threw a mana stone behind him on the way out.

[LEE HAN-YEOL!]

Yulia's text in capital letters called out to him, but...

‘Mana Explosion.’

Shwooong… Krrwaaang!

Han-Yeol used the expensive mana stone as a grenade in response to Yulia.

He had never used this method in combat, and the reason was quite simple. Mana Explosion was a skill that enhanced the explosiveness of the object being detonated, while a mana stone was not explosive enough to cause significant damage to monsters.

However, just because it couldn't deal significant damage to monsters didn't mean it was incapable of destroying a building.

The mana stone he threw exploded, demolishing the laboratory building.

‘I'll stop here for today, but I'm going to smash your brains next time!’

Crack...!

He had 'won' with words against her, but that didn't suffice to quell his anger. In fact, his anger only intensified the more he dwelled on her.

***

Thuuud!

"Hmm?"

"What was that sound?"

The Hunters waiting outside the walls of the laboratory complex grimaced as they felt a slight tremor, followed by a faint explosion in the distance. They couldn't discern the exact nature of the sound, but the four Master Rank Hunters present instantly pinpointed its origin.

‘That explosion came from the basement.’

‘Lee Han-Yeol, that bastard!’

Mobilizing in anger after watching a video sent anonymously, they had some admiration for Han-Yeol as the first Transcended Master Rank Hunter. However, they never anticipated he'd employ his powers to slaughter ordinary people.

For a Hunter to use their power to massacre ordinary people was among the gravest crimes a Hunter could commit.

Then, they sensed it.

[He’s coming.]

[Be on your toes.]

[Our opponent is a Transcended Master Rank Hunter.]

[Ah…]

All of them hailed from different countries, yet they could communicate seamlessly, courtesy of the special in-ear translation devices they wore. The German and Swiss Master Rank Hunters conversed effortlessly in German, unlike their counterparts from France and Italy.

The convergence of four Master Rank Hunters from diverse nationalities to prepare for combat was already remarkable. What made it even more extraordinary was the presence of their entire raid parties.

The assembly of such a formidable force to confront a single Hunter was unprecedented in world history. It was a sight likely never to be witnessed again. The only comparable gatherings were perhaps the annual Master Rank Hunter Forum held in Washington, United States, or Berlin, Germany, but those events were non-combative in nature.

Even during monster raids, such a sizable force wasn't rallied. This marked the inaugural instance of such a formidable assembly for combat.

Whoosh! Tak!

[He’s here!]

Han-Yeol finally emerged before the Hunters, breaking his way out of the basement.

[You murderer!]

[Time to receive your punishment!]

The four Master Rank Hunters embodied a profound sense of justice, serving as a perfect example of how Hunters ought to conduct themselves. Unlike many other Hunters, they were neither proud nor arrogant, genuinely prioritizing the well-being of ordinary people.

Their commitment to punishing Han-Yeol for the atrocities he committed was a testament to their dedication and sense of responsibility.

[You are a demon! How dare you kill those innocent people!]

[You will not leave this place!]

The Master Rank Hunters screamed at the top of their lungs, unaware of a significant problem looming ahead.

“Tia, what the hell are they saying right now?”

“Hoho~ Who knows?”

“Kyu?”

There was a language barrier between them! Han-Yeol possessed the ability to understand languages, thanks to his skill, but the languages he had acquired so far were Arabic, Nepali, and the Bastro Language. He had no grasp of German, Italian, or French, leaving him unable to comprehend what the Master Rank Hunters were saying.

"I have no idea what they're saying, but it doesn't sound good," Tia added.

"Hmm... I agree, but... Ah... This is too troublesome..." Han-Yeol grumbled.

Mentally exhausted from the recent battle with the creature and Yulia's betrayal, he was already at his limits despite being a Transcended Master Rank Hunter.

‘Hmm…’ Han-Yeol crossed his arms over his chest and pondered.

“What are you thinking of, master?”

“Kyu?”

Snap!

He snapped his fingers, as though struck by a brilliant idea.

“Ah! There was that!”

“…?”

“…?”

Tia and Mavros appeared bewildered as he suddenly shouted seemingly out of nowhere.

“Hehe…”

Seuk… Seuk…

He started rummaging through his dimensional storage.

[W-What?]

The Hunters were flustered when a door suddenly materialized out of nowhere just as they were about to move in for his arrest. His every action heightened their nerves, considering his influential status.

‘That must be his dimensional storage skill.’

‘He must be retrieving a weapon. Damn it... It looks like a fight is inevitable.’

Han-Yeol was hailed as the most powerful Hunter globally, a sentiment even acknowledged by the proud Europeans. However, what he retrieved from his dimensional storage wasn't what they anticipated. Instead, he produced a smartphone and a mana stone, now referred to as the Dimension Stone.

What came next was...

‘Open dimensional gate.’

Woooong!

He unlocked the gateway to the Bastro Dimension, leaving the four Master Rank Hunters stunned by the sudden surge of mana transforming into a dimensional gate.

[W-What?!]

[He’s trying to escape!]

[Stop him!]

Tak!

All four of them launched themselves off the ground to apprehend Han-Yeol. Uncertain about the nature of the gate he opened, they suspected it might be an escape route rather than a dimensional gate.

They moved instantly, nearly as fast as Kim Tae-San, relying on their physical attributes as Master Rank Hunters to react swiftly.

Despite their rapid response, Han-Yeol remained unfazed. He even waved his hand casually and bid them goodbye. Why was he so relaxed when it's clear he'd be caught before crossing into the gate?

“Oh right.”

[…?]

“This is a parting gift.”

‘Volcano.’

The ground before him began to tremble as he activated his skill, and a surge of magma erupted from the ground, hurtling toward the four Master Rank Hunters.

[Fool!]

[Does he think this can stop us?!]

Tak!

The Master Rank Hunters' reaction speed was swift enough to easily evade the magma. Yet, they had misunderstood Han-Yeol's intentions; he had no intention of engaging in a fight with them from the start.

[Huh?]

[W-What?!]

Heh.

Han-Yeol laughed and gestured with his middle finger at them before vanishing into the dimensional gate.

Seuk...!

The gate vanished immediately after his entry.

Tak! Tak!

The Master Rank Hunters landed on the ground, narrowly missing their target by a split second.

The entire sequence occurred almost instantly, resembling a scene from a movie, yet they disregarded such comparisons.

‘D-Did he just mock us?’

Everything unfolded so rapidly, but they distinctly witnessed Han-Yeol's laughter and his gesture toward them. His action left a profound impression, marking the first time they'd been humiliated to such an extent. It was an experience they were unlikely to forget for the rest of their lives.

[Damn it!]

[Arghhh!]

[Lee Han-Yeol!]

[…]

The Master Rank Hunters seethed with anger after narrowly missing their target. Han-Yeol's act of humiliating them before vanishing added insult to injury.

However, the Swiss Master Rank Hunter, who stood as the most neutral among them, heaved a sigh of relief upon Han-Yeol's disappearance. ‘Phew... It's a relief we missed him... What he did was truly atrocious, but if we fought him here then…’

Alex, the Swiss Master Rank Hunter, held the most rational perspective among them. He preferred not to apprehend Han-Yeol on Swiss soil.

Why? A clash between two Master Rank Hunters had the potential to devastate their surroundings entirely. The thought of a confrontation involving the four Master Rank Hunters and a Transcended Master Rank Hunter in Zurich, Switzerland's second-largest city, sent shivers down his spine.

Not to mention, the Hunters would probably have unleashed their most destructive skills to capture Han-Yeol, and he would have retaliated with his most powerful skills too.

‘Just the thought sends chills down my spine…’

The Swiss Hunter believed it was wiser to let Han-Yeol go than to risk wiping Zurich off the map entirely.

[Oh well. Let’s go back, Alex.]

The German Master Rank Hunter, Mark Schultz, called Alex.

[Ah, s-sure…]

[Hmm? Are you also upset we lost that guy?]

Schultz misinterpreted Alex’s silence for anger.

[Y-Yeah, you’re right. Haha…]

Alex simply went along with whatever Schultz said, concealing his true thoughts.

[Ha! It's obvious where he went. He's probably in South Korea or Egypt. We'll catch him in no time!]

[Y-Yeah…]

However, Alex begged to differ. ‘It doesn’t concern me anymore.’

Whatever occurred outside Switzerland was no longer his concern. He was the sole Master Rank Hunter in a country with a population of only around nine million.

What would happen if the only Master Rank Hunter in the country embarked on a perilous mission overseas? The Swiss Government would inevitably face severe criticism and potential backlash from the people.

‘The Interpol will take care of it,’ Alex thought.

The massacre had been a significant tragedy, impacting the lives of numerous researchers and Hunters associated with the International Hunters' Association. However, there hadn’t been many Swiss nationals present in the laboratory complex initially. Most of them were on vacation, and only three out of the twenty-one Swiss individuals working in the complex had lost their lives in the attack.

[Alright, let's thoroughly investigate this!]

[Yes, sir!]

Despite losing track of the criminal responsible for the massacre, their work wasn't finished. Their priority was preserving the crime scene until forensic specialists arrived to collect as much evidence as possible.

Eventually, the forensic specialists arrived and entered the complex to commence their work.

***

Han-Yeol emerged from the dimensional gate, finding himself in none other than the same cave the canines used as their hideout before crossing over to Earth.

Plop...! Plop...! Plop...! Plop...!

The cave was adorned with numerous stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and water, filtered naturally by nature for decades, seeped through, forming droplets that fell to the ground.

"Omo? Where is this?"

"Kyu!"

While it might have been Han-Yeol's second visit, it was the first time for Tia and Mavros.

"Welcome, this is the dimension Earth will be connected to in five months' time."

"Oh?"

"Kyu!"

Tia's interest appeared to have been sparked. She asked, “So this is a second dimension?”

“Yeah, you can tell the mana is different, right?”

“Yes.”

Tak…! Tak…! Tak…! Tak…!

Tia glanced around the cave for a while, but her interest soon waned. She remarked, "Hmm... The mana is quite different indeed, but there's nothing else interesting aside from that."

"Ah... I see..." Han-Yeol felt a bit flustered by the lackluster response.

The lush nature in the Bastro Dimension surpassed Earth's beauty, but it wasn't particularly captivating for someone like Tia, whose nature leaned toward that of a monster. However, her lack of interest didn't imply she had no curiosity about the place at all.

"Hoho~ I love the dense mana in the atmosphere, and I can smell the filthy stench of death from outside the cave!"

"Oh?" Han-Yeol was quite impressed by her observation.

‘Right, she is technically a monster too…’

Tia's lower body might have been that of a spider, but to Han-Yeol, she was a playful and beautiful companion. He didn't feel awkward around her or treat her any differently, considering her upper body was that of a human woman.

Yet, Tia remained a monster—an Arachnid, infamous for its vicious and dangerous nature even among monsters.

One of the distinctive traits of an Arachnid was their fondness for the scent of death above all else in the world.