Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 301 – Strange Adventure in the Bastro Dimension (1)

Han-Yeol was stunned after seeing the Bastro Dimension.

A black sun?

The Bastro Dimension he lived in as Harkan was remarkably beautiful. It epitomized beauty itself, unlike Earth.

Although Earth's nature had significantly recovered thanks to technological advancements and the adoption of mana stones as energy sources, pollution and the destruction of nature were still ongoing.

"T-There's no color here...?"

[Yes, the Hyena Sorcerers have stolen the colors of everything in the dimension, and the places void of colors are now the territory of the hyenas.]

"Haha… These hyena scoundrels haven't changed one bit. Their abilities are as crazy as ever," Han-Yeol remarked.

[Hahaha! You are right, Harkan-nim!] Kandir replied with a laugh, as Han-Yeol sounded just like Harkan.

Talking to Han-Yeol brought back memories of the old days.

[But Harkan-nim is back now, so it won't be long before those hyenas pay dearly for what they did!] Kandir added with determination.

“Hahaha…” Han-Yeol awkwardly laughed in response.

He couldn't help but stifle the words he was about to say, ‘Don't rely on me too much... It's burdensome…’

“Tara, Mariam.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, Han-Yeol-nim?”

Han-Yeol proceeded to explain what was happening to them before anything else. He, Riru, and Kandir were familiar with the Bastro Dimension, but it was their first time here, so he had to brief them on the current situation.

It was around the time Han-Yeol finished explaining that both of them looked a bit unusual.

"Ah… Han-Yeol..."

"H-Han-Yeol-nim..."

"Hmm?" Han-Yeol inquired.

"My chest feels warm."

"My heart feels hot, Han-Yeol-nim."

"What?!" Han-Yeol was shocked by what he heard.

He immediately used Demon Eyes to check them.

‘As expected!’ He could see that Tayarana and Mariam's hearts had a very dense concentration of mana within them.

"Riru! Kandir!" Han-Yeol called out.

[Yes yes!]

[Yes, Harkan-nim!]

Both Riru and Kandir appeared to have noticed it as well, and they hurriedly carried Tayarana and Mariam back to the cave.

Whoosh!

Han-Yeol took out a large blanket and spread it on the cold, damp cave floor before gently laying Tayarana and Mariam on it.

“Haa… Haa…”

“Ugh…!”

Tayarana and Mariam began to feel out of breath as their hearts raced, and they started breaking out into cold sweats. It was evident that they were rapidly progressing through the transformation.

[These two humans are truly gifted. I didn't imagine they would awaken so quickly.]

[Yes yes, I agree.]

The atmosphere was surprisingly relaxed. While Tayarana and Mariam's situation was dire, as they might not survive if left in the hands of someone who had no idea what to do, they were now under the care of the three strongest warriors in the Bastro Dimension. So, there was nothing to be worried about.

‘Hmm... As expected, both of them are quite talented,’ Han-Yeol thought.

"Okay, it's been a while since we did 'that.' Shall we proceed?"

[Yes yes.]

[Yes, Harkan-nim!]

Han-Yeol, Riru, and Kandir formed a triangular shape with Tayarana and Mariam at the center. They would have stood at four corners and formed a square around them if they had one more person, but that wasn't important at the moment.

“Let’s go.”

[Okay okay.]

[Yes, Harkan-nim!]

The three of them held hands and channeled their mana.

Woooong!

Then, their mana began to harmoniously intertwine before flowing into Tayarana and Mariam.

Wooong!

“Hoo…”

‘Haha… I can say that Riru and Kandir are undoubtedly stronger than me now,’ Han-Yeol thought.

This wasn't the first time he had done this, as he had done it before as Harkan. He had to suppress his mana at that time to avoid disrupting the harmony of their mana, as he was much stronger than them back then.

However, the roles had now reversed, with Riru and Kandir needing to control their mana output. It was evident that he would be weaker than them, despite possessing the ability to level up, as both of them were the strongest warriors of a second dimension.

‘Well, I did pay a lot of attention to Riru and Kandir when I was Harkan,’ he thought.

It was fair for him to take credit for nurturing them into the warriors they were today.

[Harkan-nim.]

[Focus, Harkan.]

“Ah, my bad.”

Han-Yeol channeled his mana once again.

Woooong!

“Haaa…”

It did not take long before their breathing stabilized again.

‘Alright!’

***

Wooong!

There was nothing particularly remarkable about what Han-Yeol was doing with Riru and Kandir, but it proved to be highly effective. The mana pyramid successfully prevented Tayarana and Mariam's mana from running wild.

Haa... Haa...

Just a while ago, they had been struggling to breathe, as if they were sick, but their breathing stabilized after the formation of the mana pyramid.

[They are truly remarkable women. According to our historical records, it wasn't common for our warriors to awaken this quickly when our world transitioned into the second dimension,] Kandir admitted.

They might be weaker than him at the moment, but they definitely possessed the talent to become strong in the future.

"Well, I'm keeping them with me because of their talent," Han-Yeol replied with a shrug.

[I guess…] Kandir easily understood what Han-Yeol meant.

Harkan was known for surrounding himself with talented individuals, so it was no surprise that those around him were gifted in their own ways.

[I seem to have forgotten about that, Harkan-nim.]

"Haha, you've gotten old, Kandir," Han-Yeol teased.

[Haha! I'm still quite young, Harkan-nim!] Kandir responded, playing along with the joke.

This was one of the reasons Han-Yeol enjoyed making fun of Kandir, as he was always a good sport. On the other hand, there was another person he hoped not to get involved with in situations like this.

[Harkan.]

“Yes, Riru?”

[These two females… Are they your concubines?]

“Cough! Cough! W-What?!”

It was none other than Riru.

She was exceptionally beautiful by Bastroling standards and was the object of admiration for numerous Bastrolings due to her beauty. Moreover, she received a multitude of marriage proposals from males of different races, as Bastrolings could cross-breed with other races.

However, she declined all of these advances.

‘It was probably because of me,’ Han-Yeol thought.

Perhaps that was the reason, but Riru took every opportunity she could to tease Harkan.

“I-It’s not like that!”

[Hmm~ Really~]

“Yes!”

[So, Harkan still has no intention of marrying me?]

"Cough! Cough!"

One-two hit K.O.!

“…” Han-Yeol was rendered absolutely speechless.

[Hahahaha!] Kandir burst into laughter after witnessing Han-Yeol's predicament.

The reason Kandir continued to serve Riru was solely due to Han-Yeol's request. Their shared childhood memories also played a significant role in this decision.

As the three of them chatted about their good times...

Woooong!

“Hmm? Finally?”

[They are ready.]

[Yes yes. They’re ready.]

Thanks to the assistance of all three of them, their mana was able to stabilize.

The second awakening process was relatively straightforward. Their mana would circulate dozens or even hundreds of times within their bodies to awaken the dormant power within them.

"Ugh..."

The first to open her eyes after all of that was Tayarana.

“W-Where am I…?”

“Tara, can you hear me?”

"Ah, Han-Yeol… I can't feel my body," Tayarana replied with slightly unfocused eyes.

She wanted to get up, but she couldn't muster the strength to even move a single finger. This was quite normal. She had used up all of her strength as her monstrous mana capacity, typical of a Master Rank Hunter, repeatedly circulated throughout her body numerous times.

"Rest up. You can recover your mana in no time, right?" Han-Yeol suggested.

"Okay, I'll close my eyes for a bit," Tayarana agreed.

"Sure," Han-Yeol replied, and she fell asleep as soon as she finished speaking.

A bit later, Mariam woke up and expressed similar feelings before also falling asleep.

Kandir observed them and commented, [Hmm... These Earthlings are quite gifted, but their bodies are too weak.]

"Hahaha... There's nothing they can do about that. Humans have their brains more evolved than their bodies, after all," Han-Yeol replied.

[Ha!]

[Yes yes, that’s why humans are fun.]

“Hahaha…”

***

“Ahhhh! I slept really well!”

“I… am jealous…”

Tayarana woke up first, thanks to her innate gift of fast mana recovery. It was only three hours later that Mariam woke up. They felt some tightness and soreness here and there, but they were certain that their bodies felt lighter than ever.

Tayarana was enjoying her newfound powers, while Mariam was embarrassed about sleeping so defenselessly in the presence of a man.

‘D-Did I snore...? M-Maybe I gritted my teeth while sleeping...?’

She was stronger and colder than most people, but that was only a façade she put up, feeling obligated to protect Tayarana. In reality, she was a very feminine and gentle person.

"Tara."

"Yes, Han-Yeol?"

"How does it feel to have a stronger body?"

"It's amazing. I can feel that I didn't become exponentially stronger, but I'm certain that I did become stronger."

"Yes, you've just awakened after entering the second dimension, and how strong you'll become will depend on how hard you work from now on."

'Of course, it will be a little slow...' Han-Yeol thought but decided not to mention this.

"Really?!" Tayarana exclaimed at his words, which was quite unlike her to begin with.

She was surprised at the idea of becoming stronger through training, something unimaginable back on Earth.

"Yes, that's why awakening in the second dimension is beneficial."

"Wow...!" Her eyes sparkled at his words once again.

People might have expected a woman with titles like "Princess of Egypt" or "Goddess of Africa" to be well-mannered and meek, but in reality, she was the complete opposite—a warrior. She only cared about battle and nothing else back then, and the most recent addition to her interests was Han-Yeol.

But now, the prospect of becoming stronger through training excited her, and she was willing to train as much as her body could handle. She had heard that it was possible to become stronger through training in the second dimension before entering the Bastro Dimension, but it felt entirely different now that she was experiencing it with her own body.

[Harkan-nim.]

“Hmm?”

[What do you plan to do now?]

“Of course…”

[…?]

“Hunt.”

Heh.

[…?] Kandir tilted his head in confusion at Han-Yeol’s response.

The surroundings of the cave still retained their color, as the hyenas' influence had not yet reached this area. It was more like they were not interested in this place rather than being unable to conquer it.

The hyenas might be the rulers of the Bastro Dimension now, but it wasn't possible for them to dominate one hundred percent of this vast dimension on their own. According to Han-Yeol's understanding, the Bastro Dimension was much larger than Earth.

"Kandir."

[Yes, Harkan-nim?]

"Are there any good hunting grounds around here?"

[Yes, there are. This place is known for its dungeons due to the number of monsters that reside in caves or tunnels underground.]

"Alright, lead the way."

[Yes, Harkan-nim!]

Kandir couldn't comprehend why Han-Yeol suddenly wanted to go hunting, but he somewhat understood his intentions, as he had witnessed Harkan becoming stronger quite rapidly after every hunt.

Also...

'Well, I'm always up for a fight anyway. Besides, the sooner Harkan-nim becomes stronger, the sooner the Bastro Dimension will be liberated from those darn hyenas,' Kandir thought.

Crack...!

He then clenched his fists and gritted his teeth after remembering the hyenas once again. The fire of vengeance within him, which had been burning brightly, started to burn even brighter.