Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 321 – Betrayal and Division (5)

Han-Yeol brought Kandir and Riru to a warehouse located within the mansion grounds. He had constructed the warehouse as a precautionary measure, yet it had remained vacant since its construction because he hadn't found a purpose for it.

He didn't particularly mind having a few empty, unused spaces; having things in excess was preferable to finding himself lacking later on.

Creak…!

The large doors opened, revealing an empty hangar before them.

[Harkan-nim?]

[Harkan?]

Neither of them could comprehend why he was showing them an empty warehouse.

Instead of satisfying their curiosity, Han-Yeol withdrew the mana stone adorned with the insignia of the dimensional gate engraved on it.

[T-That is?]

“Watch and learn. Open sesame!”

Woooong!

The mana stone responded to Han-Yeol's command, generating a dimensional gate.

[What?!]

[W-Wow…]

Kandir and Riru were stunned by what they witnessed. How could he open a dimensional gate that had previously required the sacrifice of three sorcerers' lives so effortlessly?

"Ah," Han-Yeol explained, "the sacrifice of the three sorcerers was necessary to establish the connection of the dimensional gate to this world. Now that it's been established, opening and closing it is quite simple, and we can do so as much as we want."

[T-That’s amazing…]

[A-As expected of Harkan-nim!]

"Hahaha!" Han-Yeol laughed, though he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"The hyenas might catch wind of the dimensional gate if we leave it open, so we'll keep it closed most of the time."

[That makes perfect sense. It was our mistake not to think that far ahead.]

"Well, you can't really call it a mistake when you weren't aware of it."

Observing him, Kandir thought, 'It seems that Harkan-nim's personality has changed a lot.'

The Harkan Kandir knew sometimes had a dense side, but he was always sensitive and on edge. In fact, at that time, Han-Yeol had longed to return to Earth, so he was frequently agitated and emotional.

However, the twenty years he spent in the Bastro Dimension had allowed him to experience a lot and mature as a person, leading to his recent laid back demeanor.

"Alright, I have a few things to take care of on Earth first. Then, we can return to the Bastro Dimension so I can grow stronger!"

[Okay okay~]

[I simply obey your commands, Harkan-nim.]

***

Han-Yeol embarked on this journey alone. Although he had announced Kandir and Riru as his subordinates, having two werewolves accompany him would attract undue attention.

His destination was Egypt, and as he flew there lost in thought, the ice in his iced coffee melted, emitting a clear sound.

'Wow... How could she refuse my invitation to go back to her home?'

The person occupying his thoughts was none other than Tayarana. He had asked if she wanted to join him as he had business in Egypt, but she swiftly declined without a second thought.

'Hmm... Maybe she's still grieving over the Horus raid party?'

That was his assumption, but reality diverged greatly from his thoughts.

[It’s a hassle.]

This was her candid reason for declining his invitation.

Despite being elated about her second awakening and eager to test her newfound abilities, Tayarana foresaw a plethora of troublesome and annoying situations if she accompanied Han-Yeol back to Egypt.

"Kyu! Kyu!"

However, Mavros had returned, accompanying Han-Yeol on this trip, but he wasn't the only one tagging along.

"Hoho~ It's been a while, master."

"Hahaha! So, both of you finally decided to come back to me?"

"Kyu!" Mavros replied enthusiastically.

"Omo~ Were you lonely without me, master~?" Tia playfully teased in response to his question.

"Ahem... I... I wasn't..." Han-Yeol replied, attempting to conceal his 'loneliness.'

Ah, the loneliness Han-Yeol experienced wasn't solely due to Tia's beauty or anything of the sort. Rather, it originated from the sudden absence of his constant companions. He might not have vocalized it, but he cherished the camaraderie of doing things together with his partners.

'I suppose having them by my side is preferable...' he thought.

While prone to feelings of loneliness, Han-Yeol wasn't inclined to open up to just anyone because of it; he was selective about the company he kept.

“Omo~ Master~”

“Hmm?”

"Your expression seems to suggest that you enjoy having me around~"

"You... Can you use telepathy to read people's minds by any chance...?"

“No?”

“T-Then how?”

“Hoho~ You can say it’s just a hunch?”

Tia’s knockout punch!

“Arghhh!”

Han-Yeol went down and was out for the count!

“Am I THAT easy to read?!”

"Hoho~ A bit, but don't be too hard on yourself. Spiders tend to be quite sensitive to their surroundings~"

"Ah... I understand."

What she mentioned somehow eased his discomfort, as he detested the notion of others casually delving into his thoughts. Although there were moments when Mariam would intrude into his mind and read his thoughts, he typically brushed it off since she was one of his comrades.

Ultimately, he was the kind of person who would overlook things if he cared about the individual involved.

“Hoho~ Master is so cute~”

Tak! Tak! Tak! Tak!

“Ack!” Han-Yeol screamed when Tia, the sexiest female creature he knew, suddenly waltzed behind him and hugged him. This was something he could never get used to.

"Oh, right."

"Hmm? What is it, master?"

Kwachik!

"Ack!" Han-Yeol screamed once more as Tia pulled him tightly toward her.

It wasn't because of pain, considering he was already Level 333 after his second awakening. It was more about his discomfort in such situations. His scream was simply a reflex.

"How do you change after having your second awakening?"

"Hmm... Who knows?" Tia pondered, still holding him, unable to provide an answer. "Arachnids are independent creatures, and there aren't many variants of us."

"Huh? Not many?"

"Hoho~ Are you insulting me, master?"

Slurp~

Tia seductively licked her lips before squeezing him tightly in her embrace.

Kwak!

"Arghh!" Han-Yeol screamed again, not due to pain, but the sheer unfamiliarity of the situation. “I surrender! I tap out!”

“Hoho~ Master is quite the actor. Why pretend to be in pain when you’re obviously not? Ah~ Are you trying to give me satisfaction and pleasure by faking it?”

"Hey... Can't you stop tormenting your poor master?"

"But you're so fun to tease. How could I stop?"

"I should just hurry up and die..."

“Oh my~ You shouldn’t say things like that.”

Around Tia and Mavros, Han-Yeol became talkative and relaxed, feeling more comfortable opening up to his monster pets than to other humans. In fact, his behavior around them mirrored how he acted around friends during high school.

'Well, there's no point in reminiscing about the past…'

Han-Yeol had hired people to check on his high school friends. Finding them wasn't difficult as most had graduated and established careers. It appeared they were all doing well, which left him both saddened and relieved that none needed his help.

"..."

Tia stared at him, catching him lost in thought.

Kwachik!

She pinched his cheek.

“Aack!” Han-Yeol screamed for the third time, this time because it hurt a bit.

“Hoho~ Daring to think about something else while in Tia’s embrace?”

Kwachik!

Tia pinched him harder, a vein popping on her forehead.

“Ack! Aaack! I give up! I surrender!”

“Hohoho~ Master’s cheek is so squishable~”

“Ugh…”

Seuk… Seuk… Seuk…

Han-Yeol rubbed his cheek and inquired, “We got sidetracked. So, what did you want to say a while ago?”

“Oh, you’re right! It seems you’ve gotten the wrong idea from your encounters with spider-type monsters. The Arachnids are different from those creatures. We are basically Spider Gods! That's also why nobody knows the total number of Arachnid types. To be honest, even I don't know exactly what I am. I was created from nothing and hatched from the egg by you.”

It was quite unusual to witness Tia suddenly become so serious.

“Huh? So, this is your first life?”

“Hoho~ Yes, and all my first times were with you, master~” Tia tried to maintain her playful tone, but Han-Yeol found something odd about her statement.

“Tia, how do you speak as if you know everything then?”

He had a valid point. If this was indeed Tia’s first life, it didn't make sense for her to possess all the answers. Moreover, how was she so knowledgeable about the Arachnids if she hadn't lived as one before?

“Hoho~ Well, some of us monsters are born with someone else’s memories.”

“Really?” Han-Yeol was surprised and amazed by what he heard.

Most humans were born with a clean slate, spending nearly twenty years learning and experiencing life.

“Oh my! Are you calling me a liar?” Tia glared at him, though she remained stunning.

Weak against beautiful women, Han-Yeol immediately became submissive. “N-No, I was just surprised… That’s all… Hahaha…”

His ‘fun’ moments with Tia continued for a while, but his happiness abruptly halted.

“Hmm?” Han-Yeol sensed something ominous.

“Why? What’s wrong, master?” Tia asked upon noticing his grimacing expression while looking out the window.

“Nothing, I just felt like something passed by us.”

“Maybe it’s a bird?”

“Well, maybe?” Han-Yeol replied with a shrug, but he remained bothered by it.

‘Why does it always feel like something happens whenever I'm on an airplane?’ Han-Yeol wondered, fervently hoping it was just his imagination.

Unfortunately, whenever he was on an airplane, something bad tended to occur, and this time was no exception.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

“Hmm?”

“Haa…”

The emergency bell in the plane's cabin started to ring, a signal that something was amiss without any accompanying announcement from the cockpit. This lack of communication meant a serious emergency was unfolding, requiring immediate action and precluding a passenger announcement.

Just as the bell began its urgent chime...

Shwooong! Shwooong! Shwooong! Shwooong!

Most planes were designed to be soundproof, but Han-Yeol's mana-enhanced ears picked up the commotion outside. He glanced out the window and saw four fighter jets.

‘Hmm? China?’ He immediately recognized the Chinese flag on the fighter jets.

But a sudden question arose in his mind. ‘Why would China suddenly...?’

The plane was currently traversing Chinese airspace with all the necessary permissions in place. So, why the sudden appearance of fighter jets?

Bam!

The cockpit door burst open, and the first officer rushed out, the same one with a Nepali wife.

"H-Han-Yeol Hunter-nim!"

"What is it?"

"T-The Chinese claim our plane is carrying weapons of mass destruction. They're threatening to shoot us down if we don't land immediately!"

"W-What?!"

Han-Yeol slammed his fist on the table in disbelief. 'Are they kidding me?'

The private jet had all the requisite permits to fly in that airspace and lacked the capacity to conceal anything as significant as weapons of mass destruction. Additionally, it was highly probable that they were aware of the passengers aboard. So why would they suddenly accuse the plane of such a thing?

'Are they trying to provoke me?'

Kwachik!

Han-Yeol clenched his fist and gnashed his teeth in anger.