Leveling Up Alone

[But I’m certain of one thing now!]

“What is that ‘one’ thing?”

[You’re special!]

“R-Really?”

[Yes! Do you have any idea how many Hunters I’ve tested in the decades I’ve been here?]

“P-Probably a lot?”

[Do you think there was someone like you back then?]

"Probably not...?"

His trip to the Bastro Dimension was still surreal for him, but there was no room for doubt, as his system message had already confirmed its reality.

However, how was he supposed to believe something as illogical as dimensional travel occurring? Not only that, his body remained in place, and barely ten seconds passed in this world, while more than two decades had elapsed in the other world.

Han-Yeol felt like he was going to go insane trying to process everything that was happening.

[Hmm… This needs to be studied.]

“I’m not a fan of becoming a lab rat…”

[Hmph! I can do it on my own! ⸨◺_◿⸩ ]

Yulia did not forget to add an annoyed emoji at the end of her message.

“Hahaha…” Han-Yeol could only awkwardly laugh in response.

***

Han-Yeol couldn't complete the remainder of the Master Rank Hunter Test. In fact, he didn't even have the opportunity to begin the test because he was unexpectedly transported to another dimension.

Due to this, he was concerned he might need to retake the test, but to his delight, Yulia decided to pass him.

Yulia stated that she couldn't be bothered to use her abilities since he was undoubtedly a Master Rank Hunter. However, Han-Yeol knew that she was concealing something else.

‘She’s probably worried that I’ll be sent to another dimension by accident.’

He managed to return alive from his journey to the Bastro Dimension, but there was no assurance that luck would be on his side the next time. In reality, there were numerous instances where he came dangerously close to death in the Bastro Dimension.

Although he would likely just wake up back on Earth if he were to die in another dimension, Han-Yeol preferred to err on the side of caution and avoid such risks rather than finding out what would happen if he died.

[Ah, I don’t know! I’ll accept Han-Yeol as a Master Rank Hunter! End of discussion!]

[B-But, Yulia-nim!]

Some of the executives attempted to persuade her otherwise, but there was no chance it was going to succeed.

[Are you trying to make me angry?]

[N-No…]

Yulia held the ultimate authority in this realm, and no one dared to defy her.

The executives who had been observing Han-Yeol's Master Rank Hunter Test returned with defeated expressions.

Finally, Han-Yeol had achieved the status of a Master Rank Hunter. Some might consider it unfair that he had attained this rank in a test lasting only ten seconds, especially since he had also fainted during it. However, for Han-Yeol, it had been a long and grueling journey that had spanned more than twenty years.

‘Haha... I guess I just time-traveled back by twenty years, huh?’ Han-Yeol thought with a touch of humor.

He didn't feel joy as much as emptiness about becoming a Master Rank Hunter. The two decades' worth of memories had vanished in an instant, yet they remained vivid in his mind. Han-Yeol had struggled to preserve his sanity.

A normal person would have experienced a mental breakdown if twenty years of memories flooded into their consciousness. That's how potent memories could be.

***

Thud!

“Kyu!”

Han-Yeol opened the door to the guest room he had been provided and found Mavros already inside. Naturally, the latest addition to his party, the new monster pet, Tia, was also present in the room with Mavros.

"Omo~ You're here, master~"

"Ah, yeah... I'm feeling tired."

Tia could discern Han-Yeol's exhaustion from his expression. Despite her playful and mischievous nature, she understood that this was not the time to jest.

Clack! Clack!

She walked over to Han-Yeol and offered her support as he walked.

"Take a nap if you're tired, and don't push yourself, master~"

"Haha... Thanks..."

Han-Yeol felt the need to rest his overloaded mind. He had managed to endure the flood of twenty years' worth of memories into his brain, but that didn't mean it hadn't taken a toll on him.

Thud!

He crashed on the bed.

“Rest well, master~”

“Thanks, Tia.”

“Hoho! You have to be healthy for me to tease you, master~”

“Hahaha…”

Han-Yeol seemed to have gotten used to Tia’s antics as he simply laughed it off.

‘It’s still a bit awkward, but she’s quite funny in her own way,’ he thought.

“Then, sleep tight~”

“Kyu!”

Mavros left the room together with Tia.

Clack…!

The door closed, and Han-Yeol found himself all alone. He had made many friends recently, so it had been challenging for him to find some solitude. However, thanks to Tia's sensitivity to human emotions, he was finally able to enjoy some alone time.

‘Ah, I’m quite grateful to her…’ he thought.

Han-Yeol covered his eyes with his forearm, and tears began to stream down his face.

The memories from the Bastro Dimension might have felt like a dream, but the two decades he had spent there were far from a dream to him. He had pushed himself to his limits every day, just in case he couldn't return to Earth, living each day as if it were his last.

The only thing he regretted was not doing more for Riru and hurting her until the very end. He felt an overwhelming sense of guilt when it came to her, and he sincerely wanted to apologize if he ever had the chance to see her again. However, that chance was probably never going to come.

‘I'm no longer Harkan. I'm back to being Han-Yeol again,’ he thought.

Everything he had done for the past twenty years was not the doing of Harkan the Coward but rather that of the Master Rank Hunter, Lee Han-Yeol. Now that he was back on Earth, there was nothing he could do, and he had no idea if he could ever return to see them. The flow of time itself was so twisted that they would probably all be long gone by the time he managed to return to the Bastro Dimension.

‘I'm sorry... Riru, Kandir, and everyone,’ he whispered in his thoughts.

He truly wanted to see them again and apologize.

Han-Yeol continued to cry until he finally managed to fall asleep, dreaming of the time when Harkan, Riru, and Kandir trained together in their youth. It was a happy dream. He might never be able to return to that dimension, but it was still a joyful memory.

Thanks to that dream, Han-Yeol was able to sleep peacefully. What he needed most at this moment was nothing other than a good night's rest.

***

Han-Yeol woke up and took a cold shower to clear his head. Then, he looked into the mirror and strengthened his resolve. ‘Your life there is over already. Get a grip, Han-Yeol.’

The most important thing to him right now was the original world he lived in, Earth, so he decided not to dwell on the Bastro Dimension any longer. After all, thinking about his life over there was no longer going to benefit him in any way.

“Haa… Let’s get a grip…”

Chwak! Chwak!

Han-Yeol attempted to maintain his focus by controlling the droplets of water gushing out from the showerhead with Psychokinesis. He discovered that utilizing his mana to manipulate delicate objects somehow aided his concentration.

Ding!

[The rank of Psychokinesis has risen from (B) to (A).]

‘Oh!’

The skill finally reached A Rank. It had been a skill with its growth stunted for quite a while, so witnessing it level up made him feel quite excited.

It was at that moment.

Clack...! Clack…!

“Omo~ You were taking a shower, master?”

“H-Hiiik! T-Tia!”

Tia barged into the bathroom while Han-Yeol was completely defenseless.

Initially, Han-Yeol thought that Tia had come in by mistake, as this place only had one bathroom compared to the dozens of bathrooms available in the guest palace in Cairo. However, Tia was sharper and much more sensitive than most human beings, so she wouldn't make such a silly mistake.

Clack…! Clack…!

"Hmm~ Should we wash together, master?" Tia asked.

Her lower body might be that of a spider, but her upper body was that of a beautiful woman. Anyone seduced by her in this manner was definitely not capable of rejecting her advances, except for those with arachnophobia.

"Hmm… Sure, why not," Han-Yeol nonchalantly replied.

"Omo! Your reaction is too plain, master…" Tia was surprised by Han-Yeol's response and sulked when she didn't get the reaction she expected.

Han-Yeol was not too bothered by Tia's presence, as he was surprised by her sudden appearance. However, he clarified that he wasn't seduced by her or anything. He was used to bathing with women around him, as he had already experienced it with the servants who bathed him last time.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

“No, nothing…” Tia muttered,

‘Tsk… He’s no fun…’ She thought to herself, feeling slightly disappointed not to see Han-Yeol’s cute reaction this time.

***

Han-Yeol wiped down Tia before heading to the lounge, where he sat on a sofa to gather his thoughts. He was no longer preoccupied with the Bastro Dimension, as those memories were now tucked away in a corner of his mind. After all, his real life was on Earth, and he had more pressing and realistic matters to contemplate.

‘Hmm… Dragon of Destruction… Will something like a Dragon of Destruction appear when Earth reaches the next level?’

Clashing against the Dragon of Destruction had been a harrowing experience, even with Harkan's overpowered body. He would have lost the battle if he hadn't acquired the skill to seal it at the last minute. The Dragon of Destruction hadn't been defeated but rather sealed by Harkan's skill.

‘I won't be able to lift a finger against the Dragon of Destruction with my current level…’

He was currently at Level 299. While he had discovered the secret to leveling up to Level 300, he was still lacking. Harkan belonged to a race that specialized in combat, but even his body couldn't withstand the Dragon of Destruction's attacks despite being at Level 800.

‘What if I had to face the Dragon of Destruction in my human body, which is a race weaker than the beast people?’ he mused. ‘I think I'll need to be at least Level 1,000…’

It was while he was lost in thought that he was suddenly interrupted.

“Kyu!”

Plop!

Mavros jumped onto his lap and rubbed his face against Han-Yeol's body, as if asking him to play.

"Haha! That tickles, Mavros!" Han-Yeol laughed and patted the baby black dragon in response.

It was quite amusing how a dragon enjoyed getting pats from a human, and Han-Yeol still couldn't get used to it. Nevertheless, he didn't mind at all, as Mavros was as cute as ever.

While he was busy patting Mavros' head, Han-Yeol suddenly realized something.

‘I have something Harkan didn't have!’

Harkan had been an excellent and powerful warrior, but that didn't mean he didn't have any weaknesses. His primary weakness was none other than his skills themselves. Despite being Level 800, he didn't possess nearly as many skills as Han-Yeol did.

Han-Yeol wasn't sure if it was because he was in Harkan's body or not, but Harkan had the same game-like system for leveling up as Han-Yeol. However, he lacked the ability to generate skills through action.

But that wasn't the only advantage Han-Yeol had over Harkan. Han-Yeol had already experienced fighting against the Dragon of Destruction, which was vastly different from Harkan's situation, where he had to face the dragon without any prior information.

‘All right, I should make full preparations to face the Dragon of Destruction from now on!’

It was akin to an uphill battle, but he was confident he could overcome it as long as he made thorough preparations for the climb.

“Let’s do our best, Mavros.”

“Kyu!”

Lastly, he did not forget that he had his trusty companion by his side.

“Omo~ Don’t forget about me, master~”

“H-Hiiik!”

It was quite rare for Han-Yeol to experience jump scares after awakening, as his senses had become extremely sensitive. However, Tia was exceptionally skilled at concealing her presence, and he didn't sense her approaching while his skills were deactivated.

"T-Tia!"

"Hoho! You're so fun to tease, master!" Tia said with a smile, licking her lips.

"Please stop that!" Han-Yeol's desperate pleas echoed through the corridor once again.

***

Han-Yeol, Tayarana, and the others went back to Egypt the next day.

Bam bam bam baaaam! Bam bam bam baaaam!

The sound of trumpets and a massive crowd had gathered at the airport to welcome them back. It was expected that such a grand welcome would be arranged, as the beloved princess of Africa had successfully achieved the status of a Ra Rank Hunter. She was the first in history to evolve from an Osiris Rank Hunter to a Ra Rank Hunter, making the occasion even more exceptional.

Han-Yeol was in a similar situation to her, but he was technically not counted, as he was already known as a growth-type Hunter.

[Welcome!]

[Hurray for our princess!]

[I love you! Princess!]

Tayarana had a huge following among the local Egyptians, and the welcoming crowd was proof of that.