Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

---

Chapter 21

“Enemies will emerge from the shadows, so dodge well and strike hard.”

Yeon-woo thought to himself that anyone who would give such outdated advice might as well be dead. This wasn’t some high-level RPG from the ancient past!

However, ironically, it was he who had just brought it up.

It seemed it was time to change his long-held opinion.

Dodge well and strike hard. That was indeed the most straightforward strategy for a Hunter facing monsters….

“…That applies to me, but what about you? Your sensing ability isn’t that great, you know.”

“Not true! I can at least not let you down.”

Though the doppelganger’s primary power was only three dolls, they had no way of knowing how many other minor dolls were out there. As mentioned earlier, Baek In-hwa had to be directed there since she was fit for large-scale annihilation. If he tried to take them down one by one, it would take an eternity.

“Well, I don’t know how much damage can be done to the doppelganger before you join in.”

“…Right, elemental mana… I don’t know why I can’t do it as a contractor, but I shouldn’t be playing with my life like this.”

In the end, that guy’s characteristics were what tied him down. His body was made up of a type of elemental mana. Somewhere in the darkness was the core, the true body, and unless that core was directly struck, it couldn’t be damaged by pure physical force.

The issue was that Yeon-woo hadn’t yet managed to categorize his mana. While he could envelop his sword with mana, that merely reinforced the sword’s durability; to hit a formless entity, he had to at least wield an Aura Weapon or use elemental mana, which was a higher mastery level.

If he were a magician, he could attack a doppelganger just with basic attack spells, but Yeon-woo had not learned any attack spells and couldn’t afford the mana needed to cast them. Even if his Information Ring showed a value of 1, that was still below average. It was clear he wouldn’t even reach half of Baek In-hwa’s level.

The immediate task was to hold out until Baek In-hwa could take down the rest. If he could just endure until then, Baek In-hwa, who could use elemental mana, would handle the rest somehow.

Baek In-hwa, checking her condition by moving her fingers, nodded her head. That must have been a signal that all preparations were complete.

“Let’s go.”

The moment Baek In-hwa nodded, Yeon-woo pushed open the heavy door with all his might. The unpleasant sound of creaking filled the space, and faint light slowly seeped into the dark cavern.

Yeon-woo immediately began to rotate the mana in his heart. Unlike human magic determined by formulas, theory, and a strong ego, dragon magic emphasized imagery. Given the lamp-level brightness, illuminating the entire boss room was impossible.

‘If only it were as bright as the sun…’

However, creating a sun using dragon magic was nearly impossible because the image conjured by the word “sun” was too strong, causing the mana costs to skyrocket. Unless he were inside a lair where the dragon could reign like a god, that was out of the question.

In situations like this… there was no choice. Throughout history, if quality fails, then press with quantity; he remembered the lantern festival he saw on the news. If he released dozens of lamps, it would solve the problem even at that brightness. Rapidly, his heart’s mana surged out of his body.

Light swirled around Yeon-woo, like a river, and was sucked into the darkness beyond the door. As the swallowed light began to brighten the interior, the mana rumbled. His instincts were shouting something.

Sometimes, the body moves before the mind can think. Yeon-woo shoved Baek In-hwa aside and hurled himself into the opposite direction.

What emerged squirming through the door was an arm—an arm resembling that of a human, about 3 meters in diameter. If it had been allowed to strike, it surely wouldn’t have ended well. After all, they say seeing is better than hearing; sometimes, experiencing something firsthand is quicker.

“This feels insane!!”

“…It’s perplexing.”

Shouting this, Yeon-woo sprinted after the lights flowing in, needing to locate the position of the doppelganger above all else. On either side, Baek In-hwa had begun to split off, diving deeper into the cavern.

He gazed up at the ceiling of the gigantic cave. Wow, it seems to be about the size of a training ground. It was larger than he thought, and now he was doubtful if that level of light could illuminate it properly.

Fortunately, perhaps because he had honed his ability to perceive objects by their area, he could instinctively sense the position of the lamps around him. Time to adjust their placements as needed.

…

“Ha!!”

With a shout, he swung upward. The dark arm he had sliced began to melt away as soon as it touched the ground, vanishing entirely. He was reclaiming the darkness that had lost its control by being separated from the true body.

He felt the finely carved darkness whiplash from the edges of his vision. Normally, it would have been an unavoidable blow, but if he was in the realm of spatial magic, it could be dodged.

The realm—a state where one’s existence is etched into the world, allowing for no hindrances to one’s actions. As one reaches the peak of martial awareness, they become capable of knowing the unknowable and seeing the unseen.

With his head lowered, Yeon-woo propelled his body forward in an instant. Directly in front of him was a mass of darkness created by adjusting the positions of the lamps.

An onslaught of unknown debris could pour out at any moment. The reason the doppelganger created a space so favorable for its activities was because Baek In-hwa was deeper down than him.

Creating a comfortable zone for that guy meant he would likely stay there.

In any case, he would be the main support, thoroughly ensuring that Baek In-hwa wasn’t hindered in her actions. His primary role was to act as a defender, fully blocking the enemy.

Suddenly, a mass surged and burst forth. From black spears and swords to arrows and rocks, everything he could throw was now raining down on Yeon-woo.

He couldn’t dodge everything; he couldn’t block everything. So, he would go over what he could and slash away what he could. Leaning closer to one of the lamps, he drew in a breath. A small stone melted away. Just then, an arrow shot toward him. He slashed it. Bowing to dodge a spear, he tilted his sword to deflect a flying sword.

Strike away, slash, dodge, spill, and push. The physical abilities enhanced by the mana, backed by extreme focus, made it all possible. The weapons that were supposed to pile up behind him melted away in the light or slithered like snakes back to that guy.

Pretending to charge at the doppelganger, a beast claw erupted from the mass to intercept him. Of course, Yeon-woo had anticipated that the doppelganger would come out like this.

How many doppelgangers had he caught before his regression? Waiting was indeed trying.

*

‘Curious.’

Baek In-hwa leisurely observed Choi Yeon-woo, who was wildly swinging his sword. As dozens, if not hundreds, of weapons flew in, Yeon-woo maneuvered his sword and body in perfect synchronization to defend against them.

Was this what they called the Thousand Flowers in the Sky? No, surely the ceremony only those who had defeated the faction could witness wouldn’t be that disorderly. However, the chaos that could lead to gain was not something to dismiss lightly. Yet, even so, Yeon-woo handled it all flawlessly.

Since she had found it strange in the mine, Yeon-woo had suddenly entered the realm, and now he was managing it perfectly.

‘…With that level of skill, why was there no information on him?’

While she might have been a bit… just a bit clueless about the world, there was no doubting the strength of the Seolpung Team.

What stood out more was the fact that Yeon-woo accurately grasped the doppelganger’s information. In the Ice Palace, what was considered most important wasn’t learning footwork or defensive formations or even channeling internal energy into evil spirits.

It was studying the monsters—those hostile living beings that threaten humanity. No other group lived among the monsters quite like the Ice Palace, so they placed the most emphasis on knowledge regarding them.

And Baek In-hwa was a contemporary genius who had received permission to leave the Ice Palace. It was incredibly rare for someone from the Ice Palace to enroll in the Academy, simply because their age and qualifications at a mid-teen age wouldn’t meet the requirements needed to go outside.

In that regard, it was absurd for a classmate—especially one regarded as an inferior student—to already know about a monster that Baek In-hwa didn’t.

He was memorizing all the monsters that had been reported to academia, after all.

‘…Did he really contract with a dragon?’

Being able to handle both internal energy and magic meant holding both the lower dantians and the mana heart. It was absurd to attempt something that could normally result in a heart explosion, but even so, simply having contracted with a dragon seemed more plausible.

In a way, this was the final test.

‘Show me the skills befitting a contractor. So I can believe in you.’

With a clanging sound, the goblin-like mass of tar froze mid-attack and shattered.

The area’s dominance was already established. It wouldn’t take too many movements to finish off the dolls, but Baek In-hwa had no intention to waste her observation time here.

Thus, she watched as one of the dolls presumed to be a missing Hunter approached. Though one had been blocked, she felt it was inappropriate to let both pass.

‘…But why are there only two? Wasn’t there supposed to be three missing?’

*

‘Baek In-hwa is fine~!!’

It was a doll that had somewhat taken shape. At the very least, it wasn’t a complete mess like the one she had first encountered, where limbs were flowing away. Still, it was mostly dark, making it impossible to determine where anything was.

The problem was that it was approaching her, attacking with surprisingly agile moves, like a true awakened one. If Baek In-hwa had decided to resolve this, it could have been taken care of long ago, yet one had come over here—either Baek In-hwa wasn’t as competent as she thought, or she was simply observing Yeon-woo.

It was probably the latter! Yeon-woo screamed in his mind.

It indicated that she intended to observe him and thoroughly erase any suspicions. Although, if that were the case, it felt as if he were being undervalued somehow.

Still, having enemies on both sides was troublesome. With foes in front and behind, he couldn’t defend himself or do anything. Yeon-woo packed mana into his legs and leapt backward. After exhausting himself to the point of fainting, he had finally acquired enough skill to use Shadow Movement in actual combat.

Like a car speeding down a road, he swiftly pulled away from the doppelgangers. As if a single point were extruding out from a triangle, both the dolls and doppelganger entered his sight.

Like a whale leaping into the starry skies, the distance between Yeon-woo and the doppelganger dramatically widened with a single jump, nearly 10 meters apart.

He regulated his breathing and posture. 5 meters in front was the doll. About 3 meters past it, the doppelganger. That the missing one was here indicated that he wasn’t particularly skilled at this mine. Furthermore, having become a doll meant he lost most of his skills, allowing Yeon-woo a clear path to erupt forward.

The doll slowly drew out its shield and spear. Quite the sturdy one. If it was behind, he assumed the doppelganger would attack. That wasn’t a good situation… but!!

Packing mana into his feet, he leaned his body forward and launched himself like a sling. During that time, Yeon-woo had taken ample time with Shar to understand what phenomena arose through his unique movement.

As a result, he and Shar had identified several characteristics of Shadow Movement….

The doll thrust forward with its spear, bracing itself with the shield as Yeon-woo charged head-on.

While it could not form a phalanx as an individual, the doll’s judgment to block a rushing enemy head-on wasn’t bad.

Moreover, Shadow Movement leaped into the air. When one is suspended mid-air, there is no way to change direction. This is a fact known clearly.

However, mana has the power to turn impossibilities into realities. And coincidentally, his movement technique was of that category.

As the spear tip edged closer, Yeon-woo blasted the silvery mana that dwelled in his legs downwards like a jet.

Originally, mana could not induce physical phenomena unless one entered the categorization stage, yet by maintaining the momentum of his body shooting forward, he propelled himself into the air.

Aligning his body with the forthcoming spear, Yeon-woo naturally shifted his center of gravity forward. His rounded body spun gracefully as he tumbled downward over the spear’s tip with a flourish.

The startled doll hastily lifted its spear upward to counter, yet it was far too slow to catch up with how fast he was moving.

Entrusting his body to the freedom of flying in the air, Yeon-woo dramatically thrust his raised sword down toward the doll. The dark shield attempted to block the sword’s path.

With momentum and rotation infused into his grand slash, his blade cleaved cleanly through the doll’s body and shield in one stroke.

Split in half, it collapsed with a puff of dust on either side. The sword enshrouded in mana bore no trace of darkness….

‘…Why was it a one-shot kill??’

What in the world is happening…?

(To be continued in the next chapter)