Leveling Up Alone

Chapter 244: Bastro Dimension (5)

Han-Yeol mounted Kandir and delivered a punch for every word he uttered.

Harkan was undeniably weaker than Kandir, even though they were the same age. Kandir's strength didn't matter, as Harkan also hailed from a warrior lineage and was a beastman himself.

“Grr…?Krraang Mir Jami…!” Kandir roared.

“I can’t understand you,” Han-Yeol nonchalantly said before throwing punches.

Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!?

Han-Yeol appeared quite intimidating as he relentlessly focused his strikes solely on Kandir's face.

"Stop!" The adult beastman suddenly intervened.

Han-Yeol immediately halted, almost as though he had been awaiting the signal, before turning his gaze toward the beastman and inquiring, "Did I win?"

"A resounding victory," the adult beastman replied.

He then approached Han-Yeol, raised his hand, and shouted, "The victor! Harkan!"

“...”

“...”

“...”

The crowd fell into stunned silence at the outcome of the match, making one individual's voice stand out even more.

“Kyah!?You’re the best! Harkan!” Riru gleefully shouted before rushing over and wrapping her arms around Han-Yeol’s neck.

She was slightly taller than him, so he found himself in her embrace instead.

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"Hahaha… I won," Han-Yeol awkwardly exclaimed.

"Yes! You're the best, Harkan!"

Rub… Rub…?

“Hahaha…”

Riru began rubbing her face against Han-Yeol's, but he had no clue that this was a customary gesture among the beast people in romantic relationships.

Riru, acting on pure impulse, rubbed her face against Han-Yeol’s, even though they weren't currently dating.

Ironically, he merely stood there, allowing her to proceed, as he remained oblivious to its significance. He believed that this might be a customary way for beast people to greet each other or something...

Seuk... Seuk...

Han-Yeol patted her back in return, reciprocating her display of affection.

‘Hiiik!’

It was only at that moment that Riru realized what she had done, and her face turned red.

‘H-Harkan…! This is what lovers do, right?’?she thought.

She was delighted that he was finally reciprocating her feelings after rejecting her advances for so long.

Han-Yeol patted her back for a moment before gently pulling her away.

"Harkan?"

"Give me a minute, Riru," he said.

He patted her head once before heading toward Kandir.

"W-What do you want?" Kandir growled, still retaining his temper despite his significant loss to Han-Yeol.

"I hope you haven't forgotten your promise."

"W-What promise?"

"What did you say you'd do if I managed to win even once?"

"W-What are you talking about…?!" Kandir lashed out before finally recalling the wager.

He had promised to become Harkan's subordinate if Harkan won even once.

"T-That was…!"

"Huh? How can an honorable warrior go back on his own word?"

“Argh…!”

Unbeknownst to Han-Yeol, in the world of the beastmen, a warrior never reneged on their promises, and they held even greater significance on commitments made among their kind. A warrior who broke their word was considered unworthy of the title—a fundamental principle of the beast people's way of life.

“So?”

“Keuh…!”

Kandir gritted his teeth and began to enter a state of denial. ‘Am I dreaming right now?’

Indeed, there was no way this could be reality. It all must be a terrible dream; that was the only plausible explanation for what was unfolding.

‘Yes! This is just a dream!’?Kandir decided before standing up.

In a desperate attempt, he bolted into the forest, hoping to buy some time until he could awaken from this dreadful nightmare.“Grwaaaaah!”

“Hmm? Heh, serves you right,” Han-Yeol said with a smirk.

“Hmph!?Look at him,” Riru scoffed.

She had numerous reasons stacked against Kandir.

How could it possibly make sense that he desired her when he was weaker than she was?

"I'll have to fight in the next round too, right?" Han-Yeol asked.

"Yes, Harkan!" Riru enthusiastically replied, her tail wagging.

Han-Yeol awkwardly scratched his cheek at the sight of the beautiful beastwoman wagging her tail at him.

***

Things became quite straightforward after that.

Kandir was the favorite to win this placement exam tournament, yet Harkan effortlessly eliminated him in the first round.

The other beastmen Han-Yeol faced later on were confident that Kandir had lost the match simply because he had dropped his guard, so they attempted to defeat Harkan swiftly. However, Han-Yeol easily bested them without breaking a sweat and won the placement exam tournament without losing a single match.

"The winner! Harkan!"

Chwak!

Han-Yeol’s arm was raised and he basked in the glory of emerging the victor.

‘This is fun,’?he thought.

He really had fun participating in the tournament as it was quite a refreshing experience.

“Oh!”

“You’re the best, Harkan!”

“Harkan the Coward is no more!”

“Hahahaha!”

The beastmen who had been mocking him just a while ago had a complete change in their attitude toward him.

This was the way of the beast people.

They lived in a martial society that revered the strong while looking down upon the weak. Harkan had once been considered a weakling and a coward, the target of everyone's jests. However, all of that had changed today. He now stood tall as the victor of the placement exam, recognized as an outstanding warrior by the beastmen.

The old Harkan was gone, replaced by a warrior acknowledged by his peers.

Tak…

“Harkan was quite impressive today.”

“Yeah, did you watch all of his matches?”

The beastmen were now gathering around Harkan one by one, drawn by his newfound fame as he had become recognized as a formidable warrior.

However, there was one individual who was not pleased with how things had unfolded.

"Hmph! You all looked down on him until now, and now you're trying to be nice?"

“S-Sorry… We just…”

“Just what?”

“…”

The beastmen were silenced by Riru’s sharp criticism.

It was true that they had looked down on Harkan and treated him with contempt, and that fact would never change.

Han-Yeol observed what was going on and wondered, ‘Hmm… Riru probably became a warrior earlier than this guy. Is she older than him?’

Unfortunately, it was challenging for him to discern who was older, as the beast people typically conversed quite informally with each other.

Han-Yeol had to be mindful of numerous details in order to maintain his impersonation of Harkan, and having to consider even the smallest details was giving him a headache.

***

Han-Yeol went through numerous challenges after the placement exam, but no matter what he endured, he still failed to return to Earth.

‘What do I have to do to return to Earth…?’?he wondered.

A considerable amount of time had elapsed, but he still hadn't forgotten about Earth. How long has it been? Ten years.

Han-Yeol had fought his way to the top, becoming the mightiest warrior among the beast people. It was only after achieving this status that he recognized he was in the Bastro Dimension, the place Yulia had mentioned.

How did he come to this realization?

He spent time poring over the records in the library, a place accessible only to the strongest warrior.

‘So this is the Bastro Dimension?’?

[This is quite surprising. I never expected this place to be the other dimension Ms. Yulia mentioned… The beast people’s individual prowess is quite impressive.]

‘Yeah, I agree.’

The Master Rank Hunters were Earth's most formidable assets, but the Bastro Dimension boasted a substantial number of warriors who were equivalent to Master Rank Hunters. They had as many Master Rank Hunter equivalent warriors as Earth had S Rank Hunters.

However, these Master Rank Hunter equivalent warriors were not the most powerful force in this dimension.

An even higher echelon existed here, known as 'Special Rank Warriors,' and Han-Yeol had achieved this status after a decade of effort.

For a regular beastman warrior, reaching this rank in just ten years would have been impossible. However, it was achievable for Harkan, as Han-Yeol currently inhabited his body.

Name: Lee Han-Yeol

Level: 516

Race: Beastman (Canine)

Titles: Strongest Beastman Warrior, Lord of Bastro Dimension

Stats:

STR: 3030+303

VIT: 5020+502

AGI: 4815

MAG: 10,030+5015

LUK: 1220

Instinct: 10,050

Skill: Blood Hard Counter (M), Mass Howling (M), Teleportation (M), Coup de Grace (M), Scent Tracker (M), Crown Laser (M), Bite (M), Death Inferno (M), Blood Vengeance (M), Roar (M), Assemble Army (M), Revive (M), Blood Regeneration (M), Indomitable Will (M), Vicious Vendetta (M), Fatal Strike (M)

*This beast race gains +10% STR and VIT.

*This beast race gains Scent Tracker (M).

*Title ‘Strongest Beastman Warrior’ allows you to command all beast people.

*Title Lord of Bastro Dimension grants you +50% MAG.

His growth could only be described as extraordinary. Harkan, or rather, Han-Yeol, was hailed as a genius among the warriors, and the elders had already decided to appoint him as the next leader of the beast people.

However, reaching this point was far from easy.

The Bastro Dimension was ruled by Harkan's race, the canine beast people, but that didn't mean there were no other beast races residing within it. In fact, the dimension was teeming with various beast races, and they did not get along with each other.

A prime example of this was the animosity between the canine beast people and the feline beast people. Despite having a common enemy in the monsters, they frequently waged war against each other, and Han-Yeol had participated in these conflicts a few times.

Of course, he emerged victorious and survived. Moreover, he instilled such fear in the hearts of the feline beast people that none of them would dare to attack the canine beast people as long as Harkan was present.

"Wake up, Harkan! It's already morning!"

Chwak!

“Ugh…”

There was one thing Han-Yeol cherished about inhabiting Harkan's body: the ability to sleep to his heart's content, unlike his own human body. His original human form had a rapid recovery rate after awakening as a Hunter, preventing him from indulging in extended periods of rest.

However, Harkan's body allowed him to sleep for an entire day if he wished, and every minute of slumber was precious to Han-Yeol.

Riru entered the room where he was sleeping and woke him up.

"Just five more minutes..." he groaned.

This was something he would never have said in his own body, but it had become his catchphrase since taking over Harkan's form.

“Wake up, you sleepyhead!”

“Ack!”

Han-Yeol would only rise from bed when Riru grew irritated and seemed ready to forcibly wake him.

"Geez... When will you ever grow up?" she grumbled.

"Hehe... I don't see any issues though," he replied sheepishly.

Han-Yeol had a strong affinity for sleep.

"Hmph! Just come and eat."

"What's on the menu today?"

"What else? Venison."

"Oh! You're truly the best, Riru!"

For some reason, Harkan's taste buds had an affinity for venison, and Han-Yeol had naturally developed a liking for it as well.

By the way, Harkan and Riru were still not dating, and they both lived in their separate houses. Riru made the effort to visit every morning to wake him up and cook breakfast, but they did not cohabit or anything of the sort.

Han-Yeol was appreciative of her dedication each morning, as he would have likely skipped breakfast if she hadn't prepared it, but he also felt guilty about it.

‘Is it alright for me to accept her feelings?’?he wondered.

Han-Yeol currently inhabited Harkan's body, but he was technically not Harkan. This was why he couldn't easily accept Riru's feelings.

To Han-Yeol, Riru was undeniably beautiful, even in his human eyes.

The beast people in this dimension differed significantly from the ones often depicted in Japanese animations. They were not like humans with furry ears and tails; instead, they resembled Earth's animals with slight variations among them. Furthermore, they didn't call themselves 'beast people'; the accurate term for them was 'Bastroling.' However, the term 'beast people' had stuck in Han-Yeol's mind the moment he saw them.

Nonetheless, Riru was exceptionally beautiful in Han-Yeol's eyes.

However, he grappled with the notion of accepting her feelings deeply.

‘What if I go back to Earth and Harkan returns to this body… and he doesn’t want to be with Riru…?’?

To be honest, Han-Yeol couldn't care less about what Harkan thought; he was more concerned about the possibility of Riru getting hurt.

He felt a great deal of gratitude toward her because she had assisted him in various ways on his path to becoming the strongest warrior.

Along the way, Han-Yeol had discovered that Riru was not an ordinary beast warrior. She belonged to the Lycanthrope Race, which had the ability to walk on two legs or shapeshift to move on all fours. Moreover, she was a pure-blood with the finest lineage in that race.

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