Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 240: Bastro Dimension (1)

“Ugh…?I was completely fooled…” Han-Yeol groaned and grumbled, not taking offense but feeling rather strange after realizing he had been fooled.

"Haha! I apologize for fooling you," said Jung Han-Bin. "You were the first person to take the Master Rank test without any prior knowledge, so I felt slightly mischievous."

[You're too playful to be the deputy of this place.]

"I apologize, Yulia-nim," Jung Han-Bin said, scratching his head out of embarrassment.

[It's fine. Right, Han-Yeol Hunter?]

"Don't you think you're being overly friendly on our first meeting, Ms. Yulia?" Han-Yeol remarked. "Anyone would be offended if someone they met for the first time talked too casually with them."

[Then why don't you try being friendly too?]

"Sure," Han-Yeol replied with a shrug.

[Hihi.]

"So, why did you suddenly decide to appear in front of me? I don't think you're the type to appear in front of every single Hunter who comes here to take the test."

[Omo! You're quite sharp.]

"Yeah, I get that a lot," Han-Yeol nonchalantly replied.

In reality, he had been rather slow and dense, but his Telepathy II skill had recently made him 'sharp.'

The words did not appear for quite a while; it seemed that they were speechless after what Han-Yeol had said. Then, the words finally appeared after a long silence.

[Hoho! You're right. You are the first, Han-Yeol.]

Jung Han-Jin nodded in agreement at those words.

He had been lauded as a genius before joining the International Hunters' Association, but he had failed to become the Head Researcher, as the current head was even more of a genius compared to him. However, he was the one running the day-to-day operations of this place, so he was closer to Yulia than anyone else.

This was the first time he had witnessed Yulia speak to a Hunter who had come to take the Master Rank test. In fact, he was slightly surprised when the words appeared.

‘I wonder what’s so special about Han-Yeol Hunter that Yulia decided to speak to him?’?he wondered.

Frankly speaking, Jung Han-Bin didn't really consider Han-Yeol to be a great Hunter.

Han-Yeol might have been a growth-type Hunter who had managed to become a Master Rank Hunter, but that was about it. There were plenty of other Master Rank Hunters in the world, after all, and most of them were far superior to him in terms of abilities and strength.

‘Well, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions…’?Han-Yeol thought.

He was using Telepathy II to read Jung Han-Bin's mind. He wasn't offended by what Jung Han-Bin was thinking, as he wasn't that fickle in the first place. Besides, Han-Yeol had never officially revealed that he possessed this skill in the first place, so he decided not to say anything about it.

[Hmm… I like men with a lot of secrets~]

Flinch!

Han-Yeol was surprised at the words that popped up in front of him. He was certain that Yulia knew something about him.

“Ahem…?Anyway, what is it you wanted to tell me?”

[Ah, it’s quite simple. It’s something the researchers would’ve told you, but…]

Jung Han-Bin butted in and explained, "That is correct. There is one secret we only divulge to those who successfully become an official Master Rank Hunter."

Han-Yeol tilted his head in confusion because there was something he couldn't understand at the moment.

"But I haven't passed the test yet?" he asked.

He hadn't even started the test, but they were already acting as if he had already passed it.

Ironically, there was someone else taking the test right now.

Bam!?

"Hap!"?

This was the first time Han-Yeol saw Tayarana fight without her suit. She was using a traditional Egyptian sword known as the Khopesh, which was bent twice, to fight against the golem.

Bam!?

She displayed significant destructiveness while looking mesmerizing at the same time.

‘Ah, that’s not what’s important right now…’?Han-Yeol shook his head.

His priority right now was his discussion with Yulia, as he sensed that the conversation between them was not going to be a normal one.

[It's fine. My genius brain has already calculated that you will pass the test with a probability of 99.9%, Han-Yeol.]

"What about the remaining 0.01%?" Han-Yeol inquired.

[That is if you purposely fail the test.]

"Ah, does that mean I'll pass 100% as long as I don't intentionally flunk it?"

[That's right.]

Yulia seemed absolutely sure, and she was not wrong.

Han-Yeol was aware of how powerful he had become after easily defeating two S Rank Hunters. He had no idea how to gauge his strength when fighting monsters, but he realized after facing other Hunters that he was likely among the upper echelons of Master Rank Hunters.

"Fine, that's probably correct if you say so. Anyway, what is it you wanted to tell me then?" he asked.

[Ah, but you will have to promise to keep what I'm about to tell you a secret from ordinary people.]

Han-Yeol shrugged and replied, "Well, it's not like I have a choice if that's what the International Hunters' Association wants."

He was quite tight-lipped anyway, so keeping a secret wouldn't be that difficult for him.

[I knew you would easily agree! You’re such a cool guy! ^_^b]

Yulia added an emoji from out of nowhere.

“E-Emoji?”

[Hihi! I scour chatrooms across the globe whenever I'm free, and I think you Koreans are the funniest!]

"R-Really?" Han-Yeol started to question whether Yulia was really a foreigner or secretly a Korean deep inside.

[Hmm... We keep sidetracking. Let's go back to the main point.]

"Sure."

Yulia began writing down what she wanted to say seriously.

Han-Yeol muttered, "Hmm..."

He slowly started to grimace the more he read her words.

To sum it up, her ability was not limited to recreating things from her imagination; her brain itself was enhanced far beyond the capabilities of a human being. Her brain was not normal but had been enhanced to equal the capabilities of a Master Rank Hunter.

There was a famous theory that a person could use supernatural abilities more as they tapped into their brain power, and that was probably the best theory to describe what was happening with Yulia. Unfortunately, her heart had caught an untreatable disease, and she was forced to let her brain be extracted to continue living.

This was not a decision someone else had made and forced upon her; it was a decision she had made herself. Thus, she was able to miraculously live on after having her brain extracted from her body, thanks to her ability that greatly enhanced her brain. She might have ended up being stuck in a glass container, but she felt even more freedom compared to when she was living in her own body.

Her brain possessed the ability to intercept electromagnetic waves, allowing her to freely surf the internet. Ironically, she could see more of the world now that she was trapped in a glass container, although her version of the world was now composed of zeroes and ones. She might be nothing but a brain now, but she continued to research more about her own abilities.

In fact, she was not alone in her research; she conducted various tests on her abilities with the brightest minds available in the association.

[I was able to transcend into a completely different level three years ago.]

"A completely different level?"

[Yes, I was finally able to travel to another dimension... although it was only my consciousness that traveled there.]

"What?! Really?!"

[Yes... and I was able to see one of the Transdimensional Space Association's dimensions called the Bastro Dimension.]

"What... How is that even possible...?"

[I'm not entirely sure, but I was able to travel by pure coincidence thanks to my ability.]

"Anyway, so why is this important?"

[Because…]

Yulia proceeded to explain once again.

The Bastro Dimension was a completely different world compared to Earth. The beings that lived there used mana, just like the awakened beings on Earth, but that dimension was filled with powerful individuals.

Additionally, Yulia had discovered one crucial piece of information. A door connecting to other dimensions would open up once a dimension officially joined the Transdimensional Space Association. This meant that the world was going to change once again when that happened.

However, Yulia explained that Earth was far too lacking to join the space association at this time.

‘Bastro Dimension…’?Han-Yeol decided to ask if she was able to visit any other dimensions, just in case.

[Unfortunately, it seemed that I was only able to reach the Bastro Dimension since they were the closest to Earth. I tried going to the other dimensions but failed to do so.]

"I see."

Han-Yeol was quite troubled by what he learned this time.

'Other dimensions...'?

He had studied whatever he could find about Hunters, so he knew what the Transdimensional Space Association was. Earth did not face extinction thanks to them, but what he learned from the materials made available was that the Transdimensional Space Association mentioned they were helping Earth secure inter-dimensional trade. That was the reason they provided mankind protection for thirty years.

[The thirty years will be over soon.]

"It should be the end of next year, right?"

[Yes, that's right. We don't have much time remaining.]

"How do you think the world is going to change after the protection period is finished?"

[I can't say for certain. I was able to go to the Bastro Dimension, but I wasn't able to understand their language.]

"Even with your amazing brain?"

[Yeah. Crossing dimensions is quite taxing on my mana, so it was impossible for me to even try and decipher their language.]

"By taxing, you mean you spent most of your mana just going there?"

[Yes.]

"Even if it's the nearest dimension to our planet?"

[Exactly.]

“Ugh…”

Han-Yeol was speechless. This whole thing was simply too complicated for him right now.

Zhiiing!

The light flashed once again, and the testing area returned to normal.

The door opened, and Tayarana walked in.

[Ah, I'm so tired.]

She wiped the sweat off of her forehead with the back of her hand.

[Great work, Tayarana-nim.]

Mariam suddenly popped out of nowhere and handed her a towel.

[Thank you, Mariam.]

[Not at all, Tayarana-nim.]

She wiped her sweat with the towel.

It was quite funny how someone could look so elegant while wiping their sweat.

‘Wow… She’s so gorgeous even when she’s wiping her sweat…’?Han-Yeol thought while fully mesmerized by her.

Then, he shook his head and thought, ‘No, this isn’t the time for this!’

He approached Tayarana.

[Great job. I guess you passed without much trouble.]

[Yes, I heard the test to become a Ra Rank Hunter was quite difficult, but it was a piece of cake for me.]

[Hahaha! Really?]

Tayarana was as honest as ever. Most people would probably try to be humble about what they achieved just now, but she was born a princess, so there was no need for her to be humble.

[It's now our turn, Han-Yeol.]

[Alright.]

A message was broadcast as soon as he replied to her words.

[Mr. Lee Han-Yeol, please enter the training area for your Master Rank Hunter Test.]

The person in charge of the test this time was not Dr. Mohammed, but the Korean, Jung Han-Bin. He might not be as genius as Dr. Mohammed Salah, but he was a renowned genius as well.

The place was teeming with Egyptian executives of the International Hunters' Association when Tayarana took the test, but Jung Han-Bin was the only Korean present when it was Han-Yeol's turn to take the test.

There were quite a few Korean executives at the International Hunters' Association, but none of them attended Han-Yeol's Master Rank Hunter Test. It was their form of protest against him because he was neither close to the Korean Government nor the Korean Hunters' Association.

To be more precise, they had tried to use him for their benefit but failed miserably after he refused to be controlled, and this was their way of getting back at him. Han-Yeol was not foolish enough to be toyed around by the greedy politicians in the Korean government.

Of course, none of this would have been possible if he were alone. He currently had Albert and Jason Kim supporting him from behind the scenes, so he was always able to make the right decision thanks to their advice.

Because of him, the South Korean congress was currently discussing repealing and enacting new laws pertaining to Master Rank Hunters, but it still remained to be seen if it would be passed or not.