Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 236: A New Monster (2)

[Mmm…]

The next morning, Tayarana slowly opened her eyes. However, she felt a sense of fluster as her gaze met an unfamiliar ceiling. This was not the ceiling of her room, yet there was something oddly familiar about it.

‘Where am I…?’?she wondered.

She racked her brain, attempting to figure out where this place could be, but then all sorts of memories suddenly came rushing back to her. It didn't take her long to piece together what had happened, as she was quite smart.

However, that didn't spare her from her face turning bright red with embarrassment.

‘Oh my…!’?

Chwak!

She immediately covered herself with the blanket in embarrassment upon recalling everything she had done to Han-Yeol. This marked the first time in her life that she had revealed such a side of herself to someone else, and she couldn't help but be shocked by her actions.

‘Ah... I'm so embarrassed…’?

Tayarana found it challenging to summon the courage needed to peek out from under the blanket, which was in stark contrast to her valiant self who had bravely battled monsters on the hunting grounds.

“Kyu!”

[Tara?]

Flinch!

Han-Yeol could sense that Tayarana had woken up while he was playing with Mavros on the balcony. He could tell for certain by the way she moved, which seemed rather rough. Moreover, her mana was surprisingly active for someone who had been asleep, leaving no doubt that she was now awake.

[What are you doing? Let’s have breakfast if you’re up.]

"Kyu!" Mavros cried out, seemingly echoing the sentiment of 'let's eat!'

Tayarana slightly lowered the blanket and peeked at them. Han-Yeol found her actions quite cute, but he didn't want to continue staring.

[Nothing happened, right?] Tayarana asked, her voice tinged with nervousness.

Despite being drunk, she remembered everything that had occurred, but she decided to inquire just in case she had missed something. While she trusted that Han-Yeol wouldn't take advantage of her while she was intoxicated, she had been taught all her life not to fully trust men.

[Haha! Don't worry, nothing happened. To be honest, I wanted to do something, but you fell asleep too quickly. Come to think of it, you’re quite susceptible to alcohol when you don’t use your mana to burn it off.]

[Hmph!] Tayarana scoffed as if she were upset, but for some reason, she felt like she had missed out on something.

‘W-What's wrong with me?’ Tayarana was flustered after realizing her feelings.

She should have been relieved that nothing had happened, so why did it seem like she had missed out on something?

‘Why?’ she wondered.

In the end, she chose to bury those emotions deep within her heart. Her head understood what those feelings were, but her heart found them hard to comprehend.

‘I was drunk yesterday, and it's probably because he's the first man I found interesting…’

Of course, she didn't mean she was romantically interested, as she had no plans to go down that path just yet.

***

[…]

[…]

Tayarana and Han-Yeol sat quietly across from each other at a long table, savoring their steaks. There was a slight air of awkwardness between them, but she made an effort to treat him as a guest.

Han-Yeol patiently waited and continued to eat, allowing Tayarana to gradually overcome the awkwardness.

“Kyu!”

Munch! Munch! Munch!?

On the other hand, Mavros was busy munching on raw chicken.

Han-Yeol had made several attempts to teach him how to eat cooked food, hoping to introduce him to delicious cuisine. However, Mavros stubbornly refused to eat anything that had been cooked. Eventually, Han-Yeol decided not to force the issue any longer and continued to feed him raw meat.

“Is it good?”

“Kyu!”

Perhaps it was because he took after his owner, but it was quite evident what he was thinking based solely on his expression. In this instance, his expression undoubtedly conveyed "delicious!"

[Oh right, Tara.]

[Y-Yes?!]

Tayarana flinched when she was called.

[Huh? Why so jumpy?]

[N-Nothing…]

‘Haha! She's nothing like a princess today,’?Han-Yeol thought, laughing inwardly.

The events that transpired last night had made it more than worthwhile for him to come all the way to Egypt. He wouldn't complain if nothing else interesting happened after this.

‘Ah, but I won’t be able to see her anymore after this…’

Han-Yeol couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, but Tayarana had suddenly become a Master Rank Hunter. She used to move about freely, as there were plenty of S Rank Hunters in Egypt, but that was no longer the case now that she was a Master Rank Hunter. She had become a strategic weapon for Egypt.

Master Rank Hunters had replaced nuclear missiles as strategic weapons, now considered the most destructive assets a country could possess in times of war. There were no longer any nuclear missiles left in the world; they had all been disposed of.

This wasn't a choice made by greedy, power-hungry politicians. The first monsters emerging from the dimensional gates had rushed toward anything radioactive, devouring them like candies. Governments worldwide declared a state of emergency to protect their nuclear assets, but to no avail. Every nuclear missile in the world had been devoured by monsters before the Transdimensional Space Association could intervene.

The situation was so chaotic that one country, Iran, decided to launch its nuclear missile at its rival, Saudi Arabia. Fortunately, a flying monster intercepted the missile, devouring it. Ironically, Iran's attempt to cause destruction resulted in a smoke signal that attracted monsters to their country. The monsters that had consumed most of the nuclear missiles began rampaging in search of more radioactive materials to feast upon. Iran shooting the missile attracted all the monsters in the region to their country, leading to its ultimate destruction.

Once a mighty nation, Iran had vanished into the annals of history as a country that met a tragic end. So, could a Master Rank Hunter stay in another country? That wasn't possible.

‘Tsk… Too bad… Well, I guess I should visit more often,’?Han-Yeol clicked his tongue and sulked.

On the other hand, South Korea didn't restrict their Master Rank Hunters as much. Korean Hunters resented having their freedom curtailed. While the government did tend to meddle in the affairs of Master Rank Hunters, considering them valuable assets for the country, it didn't mean they couldn't do as they pleased.

[Oh right, Tara.]

[Yes?]

[How’s Candalus doing?]

“Kyu!”?Mavros cried as if he were asking about Tayarana’s pet too.

Her monster pet wasn't as rare as the mini-dragon, but it was still quite a rare creature. After all, a griffon was a famous monster that appeared in most fantasy s.

However, Han-Yeol hadn't caught sight of it ever since he came to Egypt.

[Candalus is doing well.]

[Really?]

[Yes, Candalus grew significantly after evolving. We built a special nest to accommodate his size.]

[Ah, it seems he can’t control his size…]

[Yes, unfortunately.]

[Haha…]

‘It's quite rare for a monster to adjust their size like Mavros does. Maybe it's something only Mavros could do?’

Mavros might be a mini-dragon, but it seemed that he was a dragon, in the end.

After finishing their meal, Tayarana left the palace first, as she had a busy schedule.

[Hey, Tara.]

[Yes?]

[When will you take the Master Rank Hunter test?]

[Ah, I plan to leave three days later.]

[Really?]

[Yes.]

Han-Yeol had initially found it difficult to adjust to her short replies, but he gradually got used to them the longer he spent with her.

‘Hmm… Should I tour Egypt for now, then?’?

He didn't mind it, as Egypt was quite a popular tourist destination. However, Han-Yeol was more interested in touring the pyramid hunting grounds than the normal tourist attractions that ordinary people would visit.

The secret behind Egypt's rise as a superpower, behind the United States and China, was none other than the hunting grounds within their pyramids.

***

Han-Yeol went in and out of one pyramid for three days. The pyramid he chose was one of the most challenging hunting grounds in the country, inhabited by giant scarabs of various colors. Each giant scarab possessed different attributes based on their colors, but one common factor was their tremendous strength.

Due to this, Han-Yeol found it tough to hunt alone, and he realized that no matter how strong he had become, he needed to hunt with a party. It was quite unusual for someone to attempt these difficult hunting grounds alone, especially on their first try.

“Hyung-nim!”

Mujahid finally arrived and joined Han-Yeol. His schedule had been significantly delayed in Korea, so it took him a few days to get back.

“Good morning, Mujahid.”

“Hahaha! The hunt yesterday was quite fun! As expected, hunting with you is always a blast!”

Mujahid was as lively as ever.

“Oh right, Mujahid.”

“Yes, hyung-nim!”

“I need around five hundred tons of gold right now. Is there a way I can obtain it here?” Han-Yeol asked.

He had completely forgotten about his deal with Delchant, and it was fortunate that he remembered it before leaving Egypt.

Egypt was renowned for being a country of gold, as its citizens loved gold more than anything else. While the Chinese also had a fondness for gold, the Egyptians took it to another level.

“Yes! The gold market might have crashed internationally because of the mana stones, but the only reason it still holds some value is thanks to us and China! Haha!”

“I see…”

“Hoho! I can procure five hundred tons in three hours. Should I instruct them to prepare it at once?”

“Yes, I'll leave it to you then.”

“Yes!”

“I can wire the payment to your account, right?”

“Yes, hyung-nim!”

Although they had become quite close, they still maintained a line when it came to money. Han-Yeol transferred the payment for the five hundred tons of gold and summoned Delchant to facilitate the payment.

[Kihihihihi! I hope to do business with you again, human!]

“Sure.”

Shwaaaa!

Delchant disappeared after that.

‘Hmm… What should I buy next from that guy?’?Han-Yeol wondered.

He felt delighted whenever he faced these kinds of dilemmas because the items from the demon world were truly astonishing. That's why he didn't make an immediate decision to buy something else from the demon merchant.

Delchant appeared slightly disappointed that Han-Yeol hadn't made a purchase this time, but he was more than happy to return with the five hundred tons of gold.

‘Hmm… I have a feeling all of this won't end with just the dimensional rifts. I'm sure something else will surface soon enough. That means… Being a Master Rank Hunter won't be enough. I need to transcend being a Master Rank Hunter if I want to survive whatever challenges the future holds…’

Han-Yeol had a tendency to prepare for things that hadn't happened yet. Since he was young, he had a habit of worrying about things unnecessarily, which had earned him quite a few scoldings. However, this habit had proven useful on numerous occasions, and it was urging him to trust his instincts once again.

‘Now that I think about it… I haven't reached Level 300 yet,’ he thought as he inspected his status screen.

[I believe you will have to wait for your second awakening.]

‘Second awakening?’

[Yes, but I am afraid I do not know anything aside from that.]

‘I’m not surprised anymore. You never seem to have the full details, Karvis.’

[I know it's a fact, but it still hurts, Han-Yeol-nim…]

‘Hahaha! Sorry, my bad~’

Both of them had become quite close in recent days after Karvis had become more expressive, and they had started to exchange banter with each other from time to time.

[But one thing’s for sure, you will need to satisfy a certain condition before being able to have your second awakening. Also, you will most likely obtain new abilities after your second awakening.]

‘Hmm… So I’m going to obtain new abilities instead of becoming stronger?’

[You will become stronger without a doubt, but your new ability will be the main thing.]

‘I wonder what it will be? Ah, I’m really curious now…’

[I am curious too. My instincts tell me that I will also evolve once you have your second awakening.]

‘Well, I’m sure your instinct is right since you’re living inside me and my instinct can be quite spot on.’

Han-Yeol believed that his gut feeling had an accuracy of ninety percent.

[I would like to find out who I am, why I am here, and why I was born within you, Han-Yeol-nim.]

‘Hmm… Yeah, I’m curious too, now that you mention it.’