Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 330 – Yulia’s Betrayal (3)

[The Freemason asked me to keep you here for a while, so I devised the best method to lure you.]

“The Freemason...?!"

It was an organization Han-Yeol was familiar with. The Freemason had been created by the First Hunter, Chairman Woo Han-Jong, and they had attempted to recruit Han-Yeol as well. This organization harbored ambitions of conquering the Bastro dimension, rooted in a fallacy.

"Is it because I’m obstructing your organization?"

[Yes, that's correct. The wolves at your place are all Bastrolings, aren't they?]

Han-Yeol fell silent, recalling Yulia's ability to glimpse into the Bastro Dimension. She would have immediately recognized Riru and Kandir as Bastrolings, having previously peeked into that realm.

“…”

Han-Yeol did not respond.

[Well, if you choose to remain silent, I suppose there's nothing I can do. But I want you to understand that the Freemasons have marked you, along with the Bastrolings who crossed dimensions before Earth even entered the second dimension, as a threat that needs elimination. Although eliminating a Transcended Master Rank Hunter like you won't be easy.]

Kim Tae-San's personality posed challenges, but his global fame as the fastest man on Earth persisted. However, Han-Yeol's viral video showing him overpowering Kim Tae-San made the Freemasons aware that eliminating him wouldn't be straightforward, given his growth-type ability.

The Freemasons wielded significant global influence, but they were cautious about drawing attention to themselves. They sought to avoid direct confrontation with Han-Yeol, knowing that a battle between Master Rank Hunters would attract excessive attention.

Consequently, their solution was to indirectly address the issue. This elaborate trap to ensnare Han-Yeol was orchestrated by none other than their newest member and Han-Yeol's friend, Yulia.

"Forget all that, what about the hyenas?"

[I'm continuing my research on it. It's safely housed in my new laboratory where my true mind resides, and I've learned quite a lot from it.]

"You've mastered the Bastro Tongue?"

[There's nothing too difficult with my ability, Han-Yeol.]

"Yeah, you're right..." Han-Yeol grumbled, clenching his fist.

He detested the feeling of betrayal from someone he trusted.

It was then.

Beep!

The large wall in front of him flickered to life like a monitor.

‘Hmm?’ He noticed numerous soldiers and police surrounding a place that seemed quite familiar. ‘Hold on. Isn’t that the laboratory complex?’

It was the same place Han-Yeol had forcibly entered.

"What's going on?"

[I’m sorry, Han-Yeol. You'll have to get arrested here and be framed as a terrorist who destroyed the International Hunters’ Association’s laboratory complex and murdered its researchers. I’ve already edited videos of you killing the Smiths on top of the researchers' massacre and sent them to the International Hunters’ Association. You, Han-Yeol, are the alleged culprit behind this incident,] Yulia conveyed remorsefully.

"Hahaha… Hahahaha…" Han-Yeol burst into disbelieving laughter.

The scale of the betrayal he just experienced felt as colossal as several nuclear bombs going off.

[Are you mad…?]

"Are you seriously asking that right now?" Han-Yeol snapped back, consumed by anger.

[I’m sorry.]

"Haa…"

Yulia's audacity now reached its peak, and Han-Yeol no longer saw any reason to restrain his anger.

“Hey, Yulia.”

[Yes?]

“You mentioned you were from Liechtenstein, right?”

[Yes, I was the Master Rank Hunter of Liechtenstein.]

Liechtenstein lay in ruins.

"I'll tell you what caused your country's downfall."

[What did you just say?]

"It fell because they had a fickle, despicable, and a loser of a Master Rank Hunter that even the monsters thought was an easy target. It's good that your country fell, given there's no future for a nation with such a pathetic Master Rank Hunter. Ah… I feel sorry for the thirty-five thousand people that died in that incident… Oh, your entire population was only thirty-six thousand people, right? Does that mean nearly everyone died because of you? Geez…”

[Are you done?]

"Do you want me to continue?"

Yulia was now simmering in anger.

"Besides, I've never liked how arrogant you were for a mere electromagnetic wave," Han-Yeol sneered, noting her lack of a physical body.

[Germany, Switzerland, Italy, and France have each sent one Master Rank Hunter here. You might be a Transcended Master Rank Hunter, but facing four Master Rank Hunters simultaneously won't be easy. Remember, you've just lost all your weapons!]

“Kekeke!” Han-Yeol started snickering.

Yulia switched on the news on the monitor, but Han-Yeol couldn't grasp what was happening as the news broadcasted in an unfamiliar language beyond his translation skills. However, from the footage being aired, he could roughly discern that he was wanted based on an edited video depicting him massacring the researchers instead of the Smiths.

[Just surrender…]

"What?"

[Your abilities are quite amazing, so you won’t be executed. Your sentence will magically disappear if you surrender to the Freemasons and join us. This is the best advice I can give you since we are friends. I hope you will stop being stubborn and just join our ranks.]

“Haa… Yulia,” Han-Yeol let out a sigh and said.

[Hmm?]

“I have a question.”

[As you wish.]

“What was that creature?”

[Creature?]

"You know, the creature I fought on the third basement floor?"

Han-Yeol pretended to consider surrendering as he asked the pressing question that had been on his mind for a while. Yulia, unaware of his ruse, divulged all the information he sought.

[There's a Mad Scientist named Dr. Santino in the Freemasons. He's a biologist from Mexico, and the abilities he awakened are related to biology. Oh, the Mad Scientist isn't just a nickname; he truly is a mad scientist. I've heard he's currently researching how to forcibly awaken ordinary people and turn them into Hunters. The Smiths and the creature you fought were also his failed creations.]

"What?" Han-Yeol questioned what he heard.

'Are they insane?'

Despite the world shifting into the Age of Hunters centered around mana stones, he couldn't fathom how Yulia spoke so casually about conducting such research on live humans. What had happened to morality, ethics, and human rights? Why was she so unabashedly proud of this inhumane experimentation on live subjects?

Ding!

[You've successfully learned of the unidentified creature's origins. That creature was a monster born from the results of abhorrent scientific research. However, the issue persists as the atrocious research is ongoing.]

[You have obtained the reward for solving the mystery.]

[A skill has been created – Hardening.]

[STR has increased by 100.]

This was precisely what Han-Yeol had been seeking.

Obtaining a skill from it was quite fortunate; he hadn't expected that outcome. Moreover, the skill's significant boost to his defense made it even more valuable. Hardening was a purely defensive skill that fortified his body against attacks, eliminating the need for a shield or any additional equipment.

With this newfound skill, Han-Yeol concluded his dealings with Yulia.

"You guys are the worst."

[W-What?] Yulia was caught off guard by his sudden criticism following his feigned allegiance to the Freemasons.

"I've made up my mind. I'll exterminate you Freemasons while I clean up the Bastro Dimension."

[That won't be possible. You are alone while we are an international organization. The United States, China, the European Union, and even Japan are actively cooperating with us, the Freemasons.]

"I don’t care."

They were now locked in a battle of wits.

Yulia was one of the few who understood Han-Yeol's immense power. That's why she genuinely hoped he would join the Freemasons. Additionally, she wanted him on their side because of his superior knowledge about the Bastro Dimension—an understanding that exceeded hers—and he was likely the sole human with any substantial information about it.

“Hoho~ What are you going to do now, master?”

“Kyu?”

Tia and Mavros approached him and finally spoke up.

Until then, they had refrained from interrupting Han-Yeol's serious discussion with Yulia. However, seeing the conversation go nowhere, Tia decided to step in and ask.

"What else? It's time for me to go back to Korea. I'm tired," Han-Yeol replied, leaning on Tia's soft and smooth body of his own volition for the first time.

The beating he had endured from the creature, coupled with Yulia's betrayal, had drained him both physically and mentally. Despite his considerable power, he wasn't immune to such stress, both physical and mental.

Tia embraced Han-Yeol, reminiscent of a mother embracing her young child. "Hoho~ Yes, it's time for us to go home."

"Haa… I don't want to leave Korea ever again…" Han-Yeol murmured, burying his face in Tia's body.

His sincerity was evident. He realized that all of this happened because he meddled in others' affairs—a characteristic that wasn't inherently his. None of this would have occurred if he had quietly traversed to and from the Bastro Dimension, tending to his own affairs.

"Omo~ Don't you think that will be difficult from now on? If you want to confront those Freemasons or whatever they're called, won't you have to leave South Korea?"

“Ugh… I guess that’s unavoidable…”

Yulia abruptly interrupted the pleasant conversation Han-Yeol was having with Tia. [Do you really plan to fight the Freemasons?]

"You still have something to say, traitor?" Han-Yeol continued insulting and provoking Yulia.

[...I didn't betray anyone.]

"Then why did the Hunters and researchers have to die? Who killed them? Did they die willingly?"

[...You killed them.]

"Hahaha!" Han-Yeol burst into laughter, rendered speechless by her response.

'Has she gone mad?'

Her reply shattered any remaining positive feelings he had toward her.

The favorable impression he once held of her was now replaced by a determination to eliminate her to quell his anger.

[Just give up. You will never leave Switzerland alive. Two additional Master Rank Hunters are coming from the United Kingdom, and you will have to face six Master Rank Hunters. Ah, one of them is the Vampire Hunter too.]

“Ah, that might be a bit tricky…”

The Vampire Hunter, a Master Rank Hunter known as the Vampire Lord, had diligently expanded his forces since awakening, commanding more than a thousand vampires—a distinction that made his faction the largest singular force worldwide.

Additionally, wherever he ventured, he was often accompanied by hundreds of Elite Vampires. Facing the Vampire Lord and his horde of vampires alongside the five Master Rank Hunters posed a significant and challenging predicament.

“Let’s get out of here, Tia.”

“Hoho~ Okay, master~”

“Kyu!”

[Are you really going to go with it?!] Yulia seemed to have finally snapped, punctuating her message with an exclamation mark.

"Shut up, you stupid, pathetic, immoral, traitorous bitch."