Leveling Up Alone

[Gasp!]

Karvis gasped after seeing Han-Yeol get worked up.

He was usually the one doing the taunting, but that did not mean he was the King of Taunting just because he was good at it. A true King of Taunting should have the mental fortitude and inner peace just like the Buddha whenever the opponent tried to provoke him.

However, the youngest hyena sorcerer used a word that Han-Yeol loathed more than anything.

‘What did you say? Pathetic? Poor?’ Han-Yeol gnashed his teeth in anger.

The factory manager at the factory he used to work part-time often used these two words whenever he wanted to bully Han-Yeol. He was just a boy wanting to make ends meet and pay for his father’s hospital bills, but the factory manager seemed to love picking on him at that time.

He eventually got his revenge after awakening as a Hunter, but those two words had always stuck with him even until now. Thus, no matter how immune he was to whatever provocation, being called pathetic and poor were two words he would never let slide, and using these two words together at him was tantamount to lighting a fire from a barrel full of gunpowder.

[H-He’s a goner…!]

Karvis knew this fact about Han-Yeol very well, so she was mortified by what she heard.

Krwaaaaang!

Han-Yeol was adept in combining skills now that it only took him a few seconds to create a combination that triggered powerful explosions all over the place, flinging the corrupted creatures away from him due to the explosion.

The youngest hyena sorcerer provoked Han-Yeol and even started clutching his belly while snickering.

[Kekeke! Are you dumb or stupid? My beloved slaves are immune to your attacks! Kuhahaha! As expected, you are a pathetic and poor human!]

Indeed, Han-Yeol was aware these corrupted creatures would not die from these kinds of attacks. The purpose of the skill he used just now was to get the creatures away from him—it was not his intention to kill them.

However, that was not important right now. The youngest hyena sorcerer said the forbidden words Han-Yeol loathed once again, causing his temper to flare even hotter.

Kwachik! Kwachik!

Still, he was not some fool who would charge with reckless abandon just because he was upset. Instead, he exhaled and calmed himself down.

‘Haa…’

He looked so calm that it seemed as if he had never gotten worked up in the first place.

[Oh no… He’s screwed…]

On the other hand, Karvis felt scared after seeing how calm Han-Yeol was. He was not the type of person who would raise his voice and hurl curses when he was really angry. One thing he did when he was really pissed off was quietly gather his mana without saying a word.

[T-That crazy dog is really asking for it! He should have just fought if he came for a battle! Why did he have to mess with Han-Yeol-nim’s temper?!]

Karvis knew the consequences whenever Han-Yeol became really angry, and she was already getting worried thinking of the mess he was going to cause.

[Ugh… I guess this country being so vast and the fact that we are in the middle of nowhere is a silver lining…]

Still, that did not mean the aftermath would be manageable. The mana of a Transcendent Master-Rank Hunter was not going to be limited by the concept of space and distance, and its destructive power would reach far and wide if unleashed with reckless abandon.

[Hmm? Kekeke! Are you scared? This is why you humans are pathetic and poor!]

Kwachik!

The youngest hyena sorcerer continued hurling provocation after provocation after Han-Yeol did not show any particular reaction. He sincerely thought Han-Yeol was scared of him right now, which was a gross misjudgment on his end.

Needless to say, his provocation struck a nerve in Han-Yeol once again.

[T-That stupid dog!]

Karvis wanted to rip the hyena sorcerer’s mouth open right now just so he would stop angering Han-Yeol.

Woooong!

Han-Yeol started unleashing a black mana far more sinister and evil than the one used by the hyena sorcerers.

[Ah, it’s too late. I’m not gonna get involved in this…]

Karvis was Han-Yeol’s Ego system created solely to assist him, and she rarely showed any emotions just like a computer. Initially, she did not show any emotions at all, but Han-Yeol’s growth slowly changed her as well, and she started showing her emotions more often recently.

She was very sensitive to Han-Yeol’s mood, and she could sense just how angry he was right now.

[Huh? What’s wrong with him? Why is his mana black?!] the youngest hyena sorcerer cried out after noticing the black mana surrounding Han-Yeol.

This was truly strange, as he was using blue mana just until a while ago, but the color of his mana suddenly changed to black.

The hyena sorcerer was about to panic at the sudden unexpected change, but fortunately, he had his elder brothers there to help him stay composed.

[Have you forgotten that humans are capable of entering into contracts with demons?]

[Ah… That’s right. I completely forgot about that.]

‘Sigh… Fool…’

The eldest brother shook his head. He could not help but feel upset whenever he saw such a talented hyena sorcerer act like a fool from time to time.

The youngest hyena sorcerer was able to compose himself thanks to his elder brother.

[Keke! So you entered a contract with those demons? You call yourself the most powerful human in your world and yet it seems like you just borrowed your powers from those demons! Ah… So you were just a nobody? Kekeke!]

No sorcerers were capable of summoning demons in the Bastro Dimension. It was after the dimension transitioned into a second dimension that they first came into contact with the demons, and this was only after they joined the Transdimensional Space Association, came in contact with other dimensions, learned about the different dimensions, and then learned about the demon world.

They only learned about the black mana used by those who entered a contract with the demons after they came to Earth.

“...”

Han-Yeol did not respond to the youngest hyena sorcerer’s provocations and just continued breathing in and out.

Change was happening within him. The sinister mana he was channeling turned his eyes far more crimson red than when he used Demon Eyes, and there was a voice only he could hear whispering into his ears.

[Hohoho! So you can finally hear my voice.]

‘Who the hell are you?’

[I am one of the origins of the universe. My name is Darkness.]

‘Darkness?’

[Hohoho! I have been keeping an eye on you ever since you obtained the Demonic Aura from that demon, Lucifer.]

‘Me? You have been keeping an eye on me?’

[Yes, I have been watching you. Accept me for I am neither a demon, an angel, or a spirit! Then, a new path of darkness will open before you.]

‘A new path?’

[Yes!]

Ding!

[A mysterious being who claims to be ‘Darkness’ is requesting you to accept it. It is impossible to tell what kind of being this is. Your life might be in danger if this is a parasitic creature aiming to take over your body or worse–your life.]

[Do you wish to accept Darkness?]

‘Darkness…’

Most people would be suspicious of accepting someone who could potentially endanger their lives and not take the risk, but it was different for Han-Yeol.

‘Hmm… Sure, I’ll accept you.’

[Hahaha! Kwahaha!]

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

[The mysterious being who existed before the dawn of time, Darkness, is delighted by your confident response.]

[Darkness guarantees you will not regret this decision.]

There were only two system messages and yet the alarm started ringing like crazy, which was a precursor to something amazing about to happen.

Shwaaa!

‘Hmm?’

[You may finally see me now that you have accepted me.]

A black smoke rose in front of Han-Yeol and formed a figure. It looked like ordinary smoke, but Han-Yeol could instinctively tell that it was far from ordinary.

[Hohoho! I thought humans were the suspicious bunch yet you are far from one. Yes, I like it… I would’ve killed you if you dared to suspect me!]

Gulp!

Han-Yeol nervously swallowed a hard lump in his throat after sensing the immense bloodlust emanating from Darkness. His instincts were screaming at him, telling him this was a being he could not win against.

[Hohoho! You’re still lacking in many ways. So lacking you wouldn’t be able to use even a tiny fraction of my strength. However, even that tiny fraction is a step toward becoming an extremely powerful individual. Think of it as a reward for believing in me, who had existed before anything anything else.]

‘T-Thank you…’

[Hahahaha!]

Shwaaaa…!

The black smoke surrounded Han-Yeol’s body and seeped into him.

Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

[You are now one with the being who existed before time.]

[Your level is too low to utilize the being’s power.]

[A fraction of Darkness’ powers has been granted to you.]

[A new skill has been created – Darkness Attribute (F)]

[A new skill has been created – Dark Moon (F)]

[A new skill has been created – Darkness Form (F)]

[A new skill has been created – Darkness Avenger (F)]

[The skill level of Demonic Aura has increased.]

[A new stat has been created – Darkness]

[1,000 points have been allocated to your Darkness stats due to your Darkness Attribute.]

[You have been selected by Darkness. Your Darkness Attribute will be set to 100%.]

[Your dominion over darkness has explosively increased.]

[Your dominion over demons has explosively increased.]

[You may now command low-ranking demons without entering into a contract with them.]

[The intermediate-ranking demons will now fear you.]

[The high-ranking demons will now respect you.]

[The top-ranking demons will be careful around you.]

[The demon lords will acknowledge you.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

[Your level has risen.]

…

[Your level has risen.]

‘A-Ahh! It has been so long since I’ve felt this…!’ Han-Yeol thought while quivering, enjoying the ecstatic feeling rushing throughout his body.

This was not his first time having these kinds of encounters, so he was able to make the right choice.

The result of that was obtaining a new stat, which had not happened for a very long time. As a bonus, his new stat instantly gained one thousand points, filling his entire body with a dark aura he could not put into words.

Thus, the feeling of gaining one thousand stat points combined with gaining multiple levels gave him a high he had not felt for a very long time.

Ding!

[Dimensional Moderator: Sigh…]

The Dimensional Moderator was now speechless.

Ding!

[You will now be in even greater danger. Please be careful.]

Then, a system message asking him to be more careful popped up.

‘Tsk… Bad things are bound to happen after good things…’ Han-Yeol clicked his tongue and grumbled.

Still, he was happy with his choice. He would gladly face any kind of danger if it meant he could gain a new skill, level up a skill, or gain a level, as all of these served as stepping stones to becoming a more powerful person.

Chwak!

[Die! Human!]

‘Eh? Oh right, I completely forgot I was in a battle with these guys.’ Han-Yeol came to his senses after noticing the bloodlust aimed at him.

His encounter with Darkness happened so abruptly that he completely forgot what he was doing prior to that.

“...”

One entity was keeping a very close eye on Han-Yeol.