Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 245: Dragon of Destruction (1)

Han-Yeol and Riru had faced numerous battles together, and they had naturally become the best partners on the battlefield, always watching each other's backs. This was the reason Han-Yeol felt even worse for her.

"Hey, Harkan."

"Yeah?"

"Hmm… Never mind."

"A-Alright…"

Han-Yeol knew exactly what Riru wanted to say, but he pretended to be ignorant until the end. However, he couldn't help but feel even guiltier when he saw the sadness in her eyes, which tugged at his heartstrings.

‘I’m sorry, Riru… I want to accept your feelings, but I’m not Harkan…’?

Han-Yeol stayed in the Bastro Dimension for ten years, and she was with him throughout that time. After spending such a long time together, it was impossible for her not to become important to him. However, he kept all his feelings deep inside, solely because he didn't want to hurt her later on.

***

A decade passed once again. Han-Yeol finally reached Level 800, and nothing in the Bastro Dimension could stand up against him. He had become the most powerful being in the dimension, ascending to the position of its lord.

Around the time he reached Level 800, a new danger visited the dimension, and this threat was none other than the Dragon of Destruction.

"Ah... So the dragon from the legends has finally descended."

"Elder-nim?"

Han-Yeol was currently atop the holy mountain of the canine beast people, accompanied by one of the elders. The leaders of the canine beast people would come to this mountain seeking guidance whenever disaster befell them.

Han-Yeol was the pride of the canine beast people, being the first to attain lordship and great warrior status. He was also the first canine beastman to rule over the dimension.

"There is a legend only passed down to the elders. The Dragon of Destruction was prophesied to descend upon our dimension and devour it whole," the elder explained.

"But this is the first time I've heard about this!" Han-Yeol exclaimed.

One of the privileges Han-Yeol gained after becoming the Lord of the Bastro Dimension was the ability to 'peek' at other dimensions. The Bastro Dimensions engaged in trade with other dimensions, and he had learned many things from them. However, this was the first time he had encountered the legend of the Dragon of Destruction.

"Hmm... That's only normal, as the Dragon of Destruction's name is regarded as taboo," the elder replied.

"But why would that dragon suddenly...?"

"I'm afraid I don't have an answer to that. Legends say that the Dragon of Destruction breathes fire that burns down fields and mountains, and dimensions are devoured by the dragon's flames."

“Ugh…”?Han-Yeol grimaced after getting a headache.

Then, he contemplated for a moment before saying, “I will subjugate the Dragon of Destruction.”

“Harkan!” the elder retorted.

“I will personally subjugate the dragon no matter what you say, elder-nim.”

“Alright… Then I will use my position to mobilize all of the Bastrolings for war.”

“Thank you, elder-nim.”

An emergency mobilization order was issued throughout the Bastro Dimension under the name of Harkan. The order stated that the Dragon of Destruction was headed toward the Bastro Dimension, and it summoned the valiant warriors of the dimension to defend their homeland against the dragon.

Warriors emerged from every corner of the dimension and assembled under Harkan's banner. None of the beast races treated the mobilization order lightly, as all the elders were well aware of the legend surrounding the Dragon of Destruction.

“We can’t have our home taken away by the Dragon of Destruction!”

“Let’s subjugate the dragon!”

“Waaaaah!”

A huge number of warriors gathered under Harkan’s banner.

“Kraspo!”

“Ah! My friend, Harkan!”

Tak!

Han-Yeol embraced the tall, slender bear warrior whom he hadn't seen for quite some time.

"Have you been well?" he inquired.

"Hahaha! Of course! Our Black Bear Tribe won't easily succumb to anyone!" the bear warrior responded.

"Is that all? You should obliterate everything in your path instead!"

"You're right!"

"Hahaha!"

Han-Yeol had rescued these black bears, marked with crescents on their bodies, from the brink of extinction at the hands of monsters. That's how he had forged a strong friendship with their greatest warrior, Kraspo.

***

While Han-Yeol was engrossed in catching up with Kraspo, a familiar face approached him to deliver a report.

"My lord, all of the lords have gathered," said the familiar face, who happened to be none other than Kandir.

Kandir had been the first beast to show hostility toward him, attempting to use Han-Yeol to claim Riru for himself. However, his plan had failed miserably, leading to public humiliation. Despite his initial denial, Kandir eventually had to accept the truth, which had wounded his pride.

In time, he had salvaged his remaining pride by keeping his promise to become Han-Yeol's subordinate. Initially resistant to Han-Yeol's commands, he had gradually started to open up and watch him closely. Now, he had become Han-Yeol's most loyal subordinate, willing to carry out any command.

If Riru had been the one who had helped Han-Yeol the most, then Kandir was the one who had carried out most of his orders.

‘I wasn’t that fond of him initially, but I wouldn’t have become the lord this quickly if it wasn’t for this guy,’?Han-Yeol thought.

He felt grateful for Kandir, and any lingering bitterness from the past had long dissipated.

"Yeah, good job, Kandir," Han-Yeol responded.

"Not at all, I'm here to carry out your orders, Harkan-nim," Kandir replied with a salute.

"Haha..." Han-Yeol laughed and gave him two friendly taps on the shoulder.

Tak! Tak!?

***

The subjugation that would determine the future of the Bastro Dimension commenced. Unfortunately, not all Bastrolings participated in the subjugation, as Han-Yeol had not managed to gain control over every single beast race.

It had been impossible to assert dominion over the entire dimension from the beginning, as some beast races were disgruntled by the fact that the dimension's lord did not belong to their race. These specific beast races were labeled as Dark Bastrolings.

The Dark Bastrolings did not take much action and simply bided their time for an opportunity to arise. In other words, they represented an underlying threat that remained hidden on the surface.

Apart from them, all other Bastrolings formed a coalition and gathered at Dragon Mountain.

“Krwaaaaah!”

“It’s the monsters!”

“Prepare for battle!”

Dragon Mountain did not allow the coalition forces to easily confront the Dragon of Destruction. It continuously unleashed waves of monsters that were incomparably stronger than those found on Earth, and their mana density alone was more than sufficient to outclass every monster on Earth.

Chwak! Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!?

“Charge!”

“Waaaaah!”

The coalition forces could not be stopped with Harkan at the vanguard. They were overpowering the monsters, and this was all thanks to Harkan’s ridiculously powerful abilities.

‘Coup de Grace!’

Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!

“Kieeeeek!”?

None of the mighty monsters could withstand Harkan's 'Coup de Grace' skill. He had acquired this skill while battling on the path to becoming the Lord of the Bastro Dimension and absorbing all of its mana.

'Coup de Grace' was an overpowered skill that inflicted true damage equal to fifty percent of his mana on the enemy. Regardless of the enemy's defense level, the skill completely ignored it.

“As expected of Lord Harkan!”

“Follow Lord Harkan!”

Innread.com".

“Waaaaah!”

The coalition forces' morale soared as they followed behind Harkan, who was massacring the monsters. None of them doubted that they would emerge victorious in this conquest.

The battle at Dragon Mountain raged on for four days, and only then did they reach the lair of the Dragon of Destruction, where the dragon awaited them.

[Foolish Bastrolings. You would have met your demise a little later if you had simply waited, but it appears you have rushed to your own demise.]

The dragon was colossal, exuding an overwhelming aura that struck fear into the hearts of the coalition forces.

Gulp!

Every single beast froze and held their breaths while the Dragon of Destruction gazed down at them.

The Dragon of Destruction’s aura was simply far too overwhelming, but it was not enough to faze Han-Yeol.

‘Hmm… He’s much bigger than Mavros, but they kind of look the same,’?he thought.

This was the reason that he was unfazed.

Chwak!

He drew his sword and aimed it at the Dragon of Destruction.

"Are you the cursed being born to sow discord in our dimension, Dragon of Destruction?!" Han-Yeol's voice reverberated throughout the lair.

He had used Roar before shouting because the dragon was so colossal that he likely wouldn't have been heard if he had shouted normally.

[You must be the lord of these foolish beasts. You dare to utter my name with your insignificant lips?]

The Dragon of Destruction did not visibly display any emotions, but its rage emanated clearly from its words alone.

The Bastrolings could feel the dragon's anger deep in the pits of their stomachs, and fear gripped them, making them tremble.

‘H-Harkan-nim…!’

The beasts hoped that Han-Yeol would speak courteously to the dragon, so as not to incur its wrath, even though they were there to subjugate it.

The Dragon of Destruction's aura was so overwhelmingly powerful that the coalition forces had completely forgotten their initial purpose for coming to the lair.

“What the hell are you talking about, stupid lizard?!”

[You are insolent!]

Gwuooooooh!

The Dragon of Destruction’s expression changed for the first time as it displayed its anger.

‘As expected, dragons are quite sensitive to being called a lizard,’?Han-Yeol thought.

It was expected that they would take offense, as calling a dragon a lizard was equivalent to calling a human a monkey. Dragons considered themselves a superior species to humans, so it was only natural that they would be enraged by such a comparison.

‘Wow… Its name isn’t just for show,’?Han-Yeol thought as he could feel the mana the dragon was emitting.

Han-Yeol appeared quite relaxed in the way he addressed the dragon, but he couldn't ignore the immense power of the dragon's mana.

The dragon's mana was simultaneously potent, malevolent, and repugnant, making Han-Yeol eager to cleanse himself of it as soon as possible. He couldn't help but feel the need for a bath.

The Bastrolings were known for their hygiene and aversion to getting dirty. They would typically bathe in a lake or river at least once a day, no matter how busy they were. While they did have bathrooms at home, their civilization was quite advanced despite being beastly. Nevertheless, their instincts still drew them to nature, and that's why they preferred bathing in natural settings.

"Shut up, you damn lizard! You're going to destroy our dimension anyway, right? Why should we sit around and wait for you to do that? And what do you mean by 'insolent' when we're about to fight to the death? Ha! I thought dragons were smart, but it seems you lizards have noodles for brains!" Han-Yeol taunted the dragon.

[YOUUUUU!]

The Dragon of Destruction was now completely enraged after hearing Han-Yeol’s provocations, and its relaxed demeanor from a while ago was nowhere to be seen now.

[You insignificant creature dares to provoke me?! I was thinking of gracing you insignificant creatures with a little more time before your demise, but I have changed my mind! I shall devour this dimension right this instant!]

“Tsk…?Don’t talk as if there’s any difference in doing it now or later. Quit yapping and bring it on. I hate talkative lizards like you!”

Flinch!

Kandir suddenly flinched upon hearing that, appearing as if Han-Yeol's words had stung him.

Chwak!