Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 20

As Yeon-woo and Baek In-hwa began their descent from a height of about 10 meters, they were greeted by a strangely wobbly silhouette of a person wielding a pickaxe.

“Damn it, who the hell are you!!”

Twisting my body mid-air was painful for every muscle, but in a situation like this, there was no other choice. Like a dance partner, Yeon-woo twisted his waist while pulling Baek In-hwa towards him. Fortunately, even though they rolled on the ground, they managed to dodge getting skewered by the pickaxe.

Since Yeon-woo fell onto his side, a sharp pain jolted through his body. He struggled to keep the air from escaping his lungs, forcing himself to stand.

Fortunately, the one holding the pickaxe, In-young, was only slowly approaching them. A sigh of relief escaped Yeon-woo’s lips.

“Baek In-hwa, are you okay…?”

“Thanks to you.”

With those words, Baek In-hwa stood up. The sight of her calmly pulling out a box and putting on white gloves looked chillingly serious.

Is she angry? It’s known that martial artist girls are strict about contact with the opposite sex, but wouldn’t she understand this situation…?

‘Did I maybe break two ribs?’

Deciding to leave the creature to Baek In-hwa, Yeon-woo leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Twisting in mid-air had prevented him from executing a proper roll. He tried, but effort alone wasn’t enough.

Still, after a week of practice, despite the pain, he felt he could manage.

‘So I’m fine even though I have broken ribs?’

Yeon-woo grinned bitterly as he watched Baek In-hwa fight. No, it was questionable whether this could even be called a fight given how overwhelming she looked.

Every time her slender fingers waved, cold air emanated from them. The moisture in the air hardened, instantaneously transforming into sharp chunks of ice—more like a magician than a martial artist.

The cold air and ice shards sprinkled from her fingertips struck the man’s body. With each hit, the man’s body began to freeze, and soon his limbs were completely encased in ice, immobilizing him.

It could be called a dance of ice. Her movements reminded one of softly falling snow, and rather than scattering chaotic mana, it felt like an elegant command of mastery.

After finishing her light combat, Baek In-hwa stood before the man and said with a displeased expression,

“…Is this a missing person…?”

“Not sure…”

They had the man’s name and appearance figured out from guild information, but right now, the state of this man made Yeon-woo question whether he was even human.

If he had to compare it to something, it was like a moving doll made of tar… a form reminiscent of a mix between liquid and human.

There was nothing where eyes should be, and his nose, mouth, and ears were awkwardly shaped, making it difficult to discern him as human at all.

With a body like that, it was no wonder he moved slowly. A damp smell emanated from the tar, causing discomfort.

“…Hey, Baek In-hwa. Have you seen a creature like this before?”

“…No, I haven’t.”

Baek In-hwa replied to Yeon-woo’s question. She was supposed to be familiar with all the creatures reported in the academic circles of the Ice Palace. Yet, her ignorance of this creature only added to Yeon-woo’s certainty and perplexity.

‘I haven’t heard of any sightings at this time.’

Yeon-woo rubbed his chin, puzzled. Baek In-hwa looked at him with a dubious expression.

But, huh… really?

“Can you trust me without suspicion?”

“…Just tell me first.”

It was a troublesome story to tell. Yeon-woo had no idea how to explain this and how to get Baek In-hwa to believe him.

This tar doll was a servant of some creature. It was like a clone of that creature and, at the same time, a member of its army.

Yeon-woo swallowed hard as he looked at the monster that was once a person. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed and spoke.

“…There’s a creature called a Doppleganger.”

*

Thunk.

The sharp blade penetrated the tar doll’s body smoothly. Sticky liquid gushed out in a wave.

It was a scene difficult to describe. No matter how you looked at it, it was no mere lump of tar. The substance that spilled out was unmistakably blood. The tips of the limbs had frozen and were writhing, but soon they slackened and began to melt away…

Baek In-hwa standing beside him grimaced at the sight.

“…What a thing.”

Yeon-woo decided to tell Baek In-hwa everything he knew about this tar doll.

There was nothing left of what seemed to be a Gate in the ceiling. Who knew the first Gate he had entered after returning would be a closed one. Was it some strange fate? While pondering that, Yeon-woo reminded himself that in order to escape, they needed to conquer it.

Naturally, Baek In-hwa didn’t take Yeon-woo’s words at face value. After all, how could one readily believe someone claiming to know what something was? But what if there was information backing that claim?

“Here, this is the information Shar informed me about. Can you believe it?”

Yeon-woo first brought up the topic of the dragon’s contract. It seemed that unless he did that, she wouldn’t really believe him.

First and foremost, lying to Baek In-hwa about the dragon’s contract wouldn’t be wise. Yeon-woo easily imagined the impact that a lie would have on their friendship, especially knowing how few friends she had.

“…Honestly, it’s hard to believe. It would be more rational to think you’re luring me into a trap.”

And Baek In-hwa replied with that statement.

She had indeed seemed discomforted and was likely harboring such unsettling thoughts. Yeon-woo could fully comprehend that. He had just come here to clean up, and then this happened. Knowing how many incidents and accidents Baek In-hwa had faced as the little master of the Ice Palace only made it all the more understandable.

“…For now, I’ll believe you. If it seems off later, be ready for it.”

“Okay, that’s enough. Until then, let’s focus on getting out of here.”

Area magic was merely a simple application of mana, so no special ceremony was needed. However, when it came to magic that interfered with the physical world, activation phrases became necessary.

Now, the only light image that came to mind was the dim lamp hanging on the cave walls, so Yeon-woo concentrated hard on the lamp and gathered his mana. He commanded the collected mana.

“Stella.”

A faint glow, neither particularly bright nor dim, floated around Yeon-woo’s shoulders. Just like with root magic, the most basic form of dragon magical spells was to create a luminescent orb. This was what he had learned in the class “Composition and Control of Mana Hearts” last Thursday…!

Though it felt a bit meager to say confidently, Baek In-hwa looked quite surprised. Well, that made sense; mana cores and mana hearts are generally not supposed to coexist easily.

“…How are you using magic?”

“Just think of it as a special trait of the contractor.”

Baek In-hwa couldn’t suspect him with this. Feeling a little reassured by the sudden presence of light, or perhaps her trust in him surged up, Baek In-hwa advanced with a slightly relaxed demeanor.

Inside the Gate was a broader corridor than a mine, but structurally it didn’t seem much different. The damp, uneven walls, the musty smell, and the humidity combined with the straight corridor. Occasionally, a tar doll swallowed by a doppleganger appeared, but it was no real threat as Baek In-hwa was more than capable of handling it.

As they proceeded through the cave, Yeon-woo started to explain about the doppleganger. Baek In-hwa seemed to gain enough confidence dealing with the tar dolls, but he couldn’t help but wonder how many times she had encountered humans who had died because of dopplegangers.

Depending on the state of the doppleganger, things could vary, but if fully matured, even Baek In-hwa would find it tough. Fortunately, judging by the state of the dolls they had encountered thus far, it didn’t seem there was anything from the highest tier, so Yeon-woo felt a bit of relief.

“When it comes to dopplegangers… just imagine a spider. They weave webs and catch insects that come into them. The difference is that the prey is left as only a shell.”

“Ah, so you intentionally led me into this. You’ve got your head screwed on straight for a first-timer.”

“I can’t be held back by the dead. I’ve already steeled myself.”

Ultimately, in real situations, the dead are seldom prioritized over the living. But that’s not all. Before returning, there were times when even the living had to be sacrificed.

The living must survive. That was the deeply ingrained perception in the hunter world back then.

Especially when a monster capable of controlling people appears, that notion becomes even stronger. There are indeed times when, no matter how hard you try, you can’t avoid the inevitable. It wasn’t so much that they had steeled themselves as it was that they had no choice.

“It sounds like you’ve been through something yourself, with how you barely ask questions?”

Most first-timers encountering murder tend to make a fuss, no matter the situation—even if they don’t get their hands dirty.

Yeon-woo had no intention of criticizing such behavior, but in this scenario, the presence or absence of experience became readily apparent. And from that perspective, Baek In-hwa seemed to carry an air of someone who had possibly experienced it firsthand.

“…I have something I don’t want to talk about.”

“If you don’t want to, don’t.”

Yeon-woo replied rather coldly to Baek In-hwa, who muttered that. The environment that the Ice Palace was located in, however, was indeed harsh even if they had chosen it. It wasn’t uncommon for a person or two to die every now and then. It was foolish to pry into someone who didn’t want to speak.

“…That’s true.”

Baek In-hwa snorted softly, a smirk on her face. After that, the two walked in silence. The human-shaped tar lump did not appear again. There were four missing persons from the mine. So, were they nearby? Regardless of numbers, a rough judgment had been made.

“This thing is still young.”

“Based on what?”

“You know what a doppleganger is, right? A person who looks just like you is supposedly across the world, and if you meet them, you die.”

Baek In-hwa nodded in response to Yeon-woo’s question. The German superstition, doppleganger. The urban legend claiming that if you encounter someone who looks exactly like you, you will die was widely known.

And among the many monsters that appear in myths and legends across regions, the doppleganger had also yet to reveal itself inside a Gate.

Some said it had already infiltrated human society, while others scoffed, saying it didn’t exist at all. Yet, the name “doppleganger” was still claimed by this creature, albeit in a form slightly different from the legends.

Dopplegangers are beings that can perfectly mimic humans. This attitude holds true for the monster doppleganger as well. In fact, when he encountered the doppleganger in his previous life, the doll had been indistinguishable from a human, making it extremely difficult to identify.

However, the doppleganger in this Gate could only create poorly made dolls that were barely human. Since it had only collected four humans, it lacked experience and could not completely replicate a human being.

“If we can just avoid getting caught, we might be fine.”

“I wish you hadn’t said that.”

Yeon-woo jested as he gazed at the door that appeared before them. Boss room. He didn’t know what the structure inside would be like, but surely a doppleganger was in there.

“Having come this far, I can’t help but ask.”

With a sigh, Baek In-hwa spoke, and Yeon-woo replied.

“How does a doppleganger fight?”

“Exactly. Do you think Shar-sama knows?”

Shar-sama? Yeon-woo couldn’t help but let out a laugh at that. Baek In-hwa looked at him as if something was off.

Fortunately, the two seemed to be communicating quite well. There was a sense that she was speaking actively.

“It’s pretty hard to describe in words, but… um, do you have any idea what it feels like to wield darkness?”

“……Not really.”

She probably hadn’t seen such martial arts before. Baek In-hwa tilted her head in confusion. There was nothing more to say.

“First, once we go in, I’ll extend Stella as much as I can until I hit my limit. That way, shadows will form inside the room, right?”

“That would be the case…?”

“Suddenly, an attack will spring out from those shadows. I’ll do my best to keep it from coming towards you, but stay alert.”

“……Are you intending to confront the doppleganger yourself?”

“Yeah. Right now, I have no means for widespread annihilation. Quickly deal with the dolls and lend me a hand. I’m counting on you.”

Hearing Yeon-woo’s words, Baek In-hwa briefly thought it over and then retorted incredulously.

“You’re quite casually suggesting this.”

“Isn’t it possible? After all, you’re the great Baek In-hwa.”

Though it was a bit of a risky gamble given the injuries, the odds were definitely in their favor. Even if the compatibility was poor, they wouldn’t have trouble holding their ground.

Baek In-hwa smiled faintly at his words.

(To be continued in the next episode.)