Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 16: What is the Name of a Star?

In the realm of martial arts, one might liken it to the term “Sword Saint” (劍聖). Sure, there’s a minor difference in using the character for “star” (星) instead of “holy” (聖), but fundamentally, they’re not so different.

It’s a title granted to ten individuals across various fields who have reached an untouchable realm or are destined to.

That is the name of a star.

Despite the existence of a Hunter Ranking that solely reflects achievements, the nebulous and uncertain evaluation of potential for the future is astonishingly accepted.

This is due to the entity responsible for selecting the name of the star being the omniscient god Grimnir, and also because those individuals have consistently proven their skills, which grants the name of the star a type of authority.

The clearest example is the “Star Breaker,” Kim Hyun-soo. On his twentieth birthday, he received the name of a star from Grimnir and within just two years, he claimed the 57th spot on the national hunter ranking of Korea, known for its strong hunters. At that point, Kim Hyun-soo’s name could be considered legendary.

Breaking an adamantium-like shell of the “Radiant Turtle” or single-handedly pressing through a B-grade gate—he maintained an attitude like he was just doing his job while engaging in reckless acts akin to using up a life’s remaining chance as collateral.

His exploits rendered other hunters, who had previously been envious of nameless hunters, speechless. Even the previously silent omniscient god Grimnir, upon witnessing the man stirring things up everywhere, uttered just one prophecy.

“It’s a decision made considering future potential.”

It’s no wonder Grimnir’s followers began to multiply.

So what relation does the name of this star have with the current situation? Quite a considerable one.

Ultimately, the name of a star can be likened to a special brand or a guarantee issued by the omniscient god. Interestingly, they supposedly obtain permission to reveal the names of individuals under the guise of anonymity each time.

Due to such anonymity, half of the names of the Sword Saints remain concealed. Except for the top, second, sixth, and tenth places, all have their identities hidden.

The names of the Shield Stars are mostly revealed. Kim Hyun-soo ranks ninth. Although it’s towards the back, that doesn’t mean he’s the weakest among the Shield Stars. Discussions of strength in martial power only pertain to the top three, while those from fourth to tenth operate on a separate criterion.

The names of the Fist Stars are the most severe. In third place, we have the Demon King, Hyuk Mu-ryeon. No one aside from that man, a teacher at Harmony Academy, has revealed their name.

There are other stars, such as the Spear Saint and various weapon masters, but there’s no need to elaborate on those as they aren’t present.

Two teachers bear the name of the stars. Yet, there’s one teacher with a rank higher than those two. What’s more, he wasn’t originally in that position—three people entered together.

Yes, that would be Man Sword Yuri.

This elder, appearing as a boy, is one of the ten Sword Saints. The seventh sword, to be precise. It was the same in his past life as it is now.

Yuri’s revelation of his hidden identity as a Sword Saint will take about five years.

A young man, seemingly just graduated from the academy, starts to wreak havoc all over.

A certain man, upset that his clan fell apart, caught the youth. Naturally, fearing the one-man wrecking crew who destroyed the clan, he questioned him as politely as possible. Later, the man divulged the reason behind the young man’s chaos to a reporter.

[Human trafficking. If you’re involved, I’ll kill you, too. Choose wisely which group you associate with.]

Ultimately, every place or group that he dismantled was revealed to be committing such anti-human crimes, and finally, the name of the Sword Saint, hidden in Grimnir’s temple, was disclosed.

That’s the member of the Ten Sword Stars, the Seven Sword, Yuri.

As mentioned before, he had surpassed the realm of Chaotic Return for over a hundred years and lived as an old monster.

This man has collected swordsmanship throughout his life.

Whether in the Alkeion continent or now slipping into another world.

He was genuinely delighted when he heard that the dimension he had named martial arts had migrated. They were excellent martial artists, so their swordsmanship was truly worth exploring.

Of course, knowing that those who had established their schools in swordsmanship often don’t want to export their art, he adapted his approach accordingly.

Regardless, his aim was to clash swords. As such, even the prideful martial artists eventually faced Yuri to cross blades.

He defeated the Sword Demon, battled against the Namgung Clan leader, the Azure Sky Sword King. When asked to teach the clan leader’s son, Namgung Mu, he fought him as well. He even tasted the clan’s secret techniques. Now, he has challenged the great knight commander of the fairy kingdom, far from his homeland.

While all were of different kinds, each was superb swordsmanship.

Ten Thousand Swords.

The man finally attained mastery over ten thousand swords. Dagger, short sword, medium sword, long sword, great sword, rapier, you name it.

Completing mastery over everything that could be called a sword, he achieved the goal of collecting every style within the range of his imagination. However, upon reaching such a grand ambition, he sometimes found himself engulfed in boredom.

During such times, he accepted disciples. By nurturing a disciple, he gained new inspiration. This was why he accepted the academy’s proposal. He thought perhaps there was a talent worth cultivating in such a place.

The serendipitous encounter made Yuri’s lips curl into a smile.

4 AM.

Even the rooster had gotten up, checked his smartphone, and returned to sleep, thinking it wasn’t time to crow yet.

Yeon-woo rubbed his sleepy eyes and got out of bed. Surely he’d have enough time for a shower before class. He packed away his school uniform and put on the martial arts outfit provided by the academy.

Ah, this was indeed a tracksuit.

The destination was the back mountain. Thinking about it, considering the dorms were in the mountains, it should be referred to as the adjacent mountain. The exact location was the place he visited on the day of admission.

Panting as he climbed the front yard and back hill, he spotted a black-haired delinquent puffing away on a cigarette.

Gasp! No matter how immature I might appear, I couldn’t simply overlook such a scene. Seeing that he even looked barely more than twelve years old made it all the more troubling!

“Are you offering me some?”

“You’ve come.”

“Professor, you’re smoking.”

“Indeed. Want some?”

“Are you serious? If you give it to me, I’ll totally accept it.”

“Back off, kid. Doing things like this lowers training efficiency. Maybe when you reach… something like a Sword Master, then you can do whatever you want without anyone saying a word.”

“Damn it.”

I thought I might get a cigarette, but here he was telling me not to do it. I realized that adding my past lives made me around forty… but Yuri had definitely lived at least three times longer than that.

“So, about why an old man like me told you to become a disciple. I thought you might lose focus if I didn’t share that with you.”

“That’s right.”

Yeon-woo barged into the Department Head’s Office, presenting his conditions. In truth, it wasn’t even a condition. Convincing himself why he needed to be a disciple was also a teacher’s role.

It was just a matter of speaking the truth, but at the very least, I didn’t think that this man would lie about swordsmanship.

“The reason is…”

“The reason is…?”

Swallow. Yeon-woo unconsciously gulped. Tension filled the vacant space. At last, Yuri opened his mouth.

“Because you have absolutely disgusting talent.”

“……Pardon?”

“Oh, don’t misunderstand. The talent I speak of is solely with the sword. I don’t care about talent in other areas, so perhaps you might be a genius somewhere else.”

“I-I see…”

Is that a comfort? No, it sounds more like I’ll waste my life on talentless swordsmanship…

Feeling a bit anxious, Yeon-woo looked back at the past. Is this truly the right path, Choi Yeon-woo!?

“Your face reflects confusion, rookie.”

“…Yes, that’s correct. Especially your point about possibly having talent in other fields… But somehow, you seem particularly convinced that I will wield a sword?”

To be honest, with Yuri’s teasing smile, Yeon-woo opened up honestly. Having heard such things, he wished to be informed why he should bet his life on swordsmanship. The face that seemed to know everything irked him somehow.

“It’s because this is the fastest way to become strong.”

“…….”

Yeon-woo quietly gazed at the boyish elder. In response to his gaze, Yuri played dumb.

“You’re hiding something and know something. The lady from the Ice Palace might not know, but that doesn’t mean you can fool this old man’s eyes. I won’t ask what you’re hiding, but such a chance might never come again.”

Somehow, he felt as though he had perfectly behaved and yet was oblivious to where he had been caught. It’s no problem to be suspected, but what exactly was the issue?

“You seem to be pondering what the problem is.”

“Uh, yes. What was the problem?”

It came out honestly, but what of it? If someone’s bound to find out someday, being caught by a strong person isn’t so bad.

“It’s intuition, rookie. You hit the nail on the head.”

“…Are you out of your mind?”

Is this guy a fraud?

Though I wanted to say that, I actually understood. The boy before me had reached the realm of Chaotic Return. The instinct of a master sometimes sees what is invisible and disregards even the world’s principles.

“…Well, what does it matter? Just teach me swordsmanship.”

“Sure, but keep one thing in mind.”

With that said, the elder grasped a sword.

When did he…?

It wasn’t merely faster draw speed or something. Yeon-woo clearly witnessed the man slowly withdrawing the sword. Even reflecting on the memory confirmed it.

Yet, that movement was somehow not registered by his brain as the act of drawing a sword.

…What on Earth?

“What’s most important on the path of swords?” The old man questioned countless times. Talent, good teachers, rising swordsmanship. A multitude of answers would return when I counter-questioned.

Yuri’s presence felt different.

It was not just the story of a colorless and transparent mana swirling around him. There was a sense as if one were gazing through a transparent veil at beings from another world.

“Sword Saints are all such kids. Children blessed in all respects. As if they were chosen by the God of Sword, they live atop the sword as if it were the most natural thing in the world.”

Yeon-woo gazed momentarily at Yuri, who seemed to long for the unmentioned Sword Saints.

It was only natural. Yuri is a man who has collected all swordsmanship in the world. Thus, it’s plausible that among those techniques, there must be swordsmanship belonging to other Sword Saints. In fact, one might argue that without the sword techniques of Sword Saints, he couldn’t assert that he’s collected all.

This man knows all the Sword Saints. Even those Yeon-woo had picked up bits and pieces about but couldn’t truly know.

“However, just because you’ve no talent doesn’t mean you must abandon the sword. I don’t think that way. Even a talentless fellow like you can walk the path of the sword. Anyone should have access to the way of the sword. Even if one has no arms.”

For some reason, he felt breathless. It was as if the air around was thinning.

What’s happening…?

Yuri had drawn forth a dark-hued sword, holding it lightly so the tip barely brushed the ground. Despite wielding a blade, it triggered an overwhelming sense of incongruity rather than inducing fear.

“Have persistence. Setting all else aside, I see that talent within you. A talent capable of risking death and striving. The talent to walk toward death itself. So long as you don’t lose that talent.”

Swish.

At first, I thought it was merely the sound of wind. The sound of Yuri swinging the sword was almost weightless.

What unfurled was nothing short of beautiful and destructive.

There, in the far reaches, beyond the horizon of the universe, the sun that emerged was cleaved apart.

The world grew dark.

For a moment, the earth seemed to extinguish.

Unaware of what was happening, I blinked.

The sun roared back into existence, as if asking when it had vanished from view. I thought, “It’s gone.” The moment the sword cleaved the sun felt like an undeniable truth. But it wasn’t. Just simple spirit— or perhaps—

‘Heart Sword (心劍)…’

“Did you think I had cleaved it? For me or even with a sword, that would be impossible. It’s merely….”

Yuri gestured towards the sky. Yeon-woo lifted his gaze. Above, clouds split in a straight line, resembling pulled cotton candy.

“I’ll let you cleave the sky, at least.”

With a playful smile that suggested wisdom beyond his years, the boy spoke.

(To be continued in the next episode)