Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 26: Encountering in the Hallway

While making my way to the training hall, I ran into Yuri in the corridor. With a twinkling smile, she asked in a mock serious voice.

“Ah, disciple! You’ve aged quite a bit since I last saw you!”

“Who do you think is to blame for that?”

“If you didn’t want to be my disciple, you shouldn’t have agreed. Think about it the other way around. Who gets hurt when an old man’s disciple loses to rookies?”

“…It would be you, Master.”

“Well, now you know, so just go ahead and fight.”

This old man, really….

Yeon-woo had a lot to say, but her mouth was sealed shut. It was all true. Even if she lost, it didn’t matter.

Because she was a student. The lowest in the first year. And it was only the third week. Everyone knew this fact.

However, Yuri’s honor was another story. Of course, her opponents were all formidable geniuses.

But none of them could even compare to Yuri.

Yuri was that kind of person. A figure renowned for turning even mere talents into geniuses. For Yeon-woo, it was no issue. It was just a matter of losing one layer of faith in Yuri.

But whether Yuri even cared about such honor was questionable.

Yet, even if it was trivial, the moment a person feels the weight of others’ expectations on their shoulders, they begin to feel the burden.

“I’ll try to make an effort.”

“Good. All the professors will be watching, so behave yourself.”

As she said that, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but feel a mix of admiration and exasperation watching Yuri walk away with an effortless swagger. What a flower blooming in the chaos.

*

“So damn annoying.”

Uha-yeon muttered. Luckily, there was no one around to hear her. Today, she was particularly craving a smoke.

But with only ten minutes left in class, there was hardly enough time to trek up to the back mountains of the dormitory for a quick smoke.

No, she had enough time to go and come back. But ten minutes was far too little to enjoy a cigarette ‘properly.’

“Honestly, it’s just putting it in my mouth and wasting it….”

With her personal creed of not wasting cigarettes, Uha-yeon found the situation intolerable.

As she sighed heavily in front of the training hall, laying on a bench, footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor.

“Did you come?”

“Ah, I’m sorry for being a bother, Professor.”

Choi Yeon-woo approached with her head bowed. Seeing this, Uha-yeon found herself at a loss for words. This was the last shred of conscience she held as a professor. No one would think that way, though.

“…It’s fine. I had a feeling something like this would eventually happen. Let the swearing slide as… just a habit.”

“Um, we all know that Professor Uha-yeon swears like it’s second nature.”

“What the hell?”

As Uha-yeon let out a curse, the two of them burst into laughter.

“Surprisingly cheerful, it makes me feel relieved. Do your best. Whether you win or lose, end it in one go.”

“I just said that a moment ago, um….”

As he scratched the back of his head, Choi Yeon-woo said he would try his hardest, and Uha-yeon patted his shoulder, folding her arms as she stood up.

Creeeak, the door to the training hall opened. It looked like the door to a courtroom meant to test someone.

This was, in a sense, a duel trial.

Two weeks spent under Yuri’s guidance. Certainly not enough time, but also a time where one could still imagine possibilities.

What if Choi Yeon-woo wasn’t the one who entered as Yuri’s disciple, but Albert Lionel? Or Namgung Seong?

If Yeon-woo lost, the watching professors would pounce like hyenas. Look, that kid has no talent. They’d ask to take on another student in his stead. Even if that request weren’t accepted, it wouldn’t matter.

Choi Yeon-woo now faced unwarranted pressure. If that were to happen, perhaps someday another kid could take his place. And when that happens, someone would gain the ‘prestige.’

The prestige and value of the group the new disciple belonged to. One might call it reputation.

The academy was not only a place for cultivating hunters but also a chaotic arena where various factions scrambled to realize their interests.

Simply graduating from the academy would raise one’s value in a market where a background like Yuri, the Demon King, or Kim Hyun-soo would be the absolute best conditions to boost a person’s worth.

‘…But I guess there’s nothing to worry about.’

Uha-yeon tossed a piece of gum into her mouth, popping it as she chewed. Behind her, Choi Yeon-woo followed, either unfazed or perhaps even smiling softly.

‘It doesn’t seem like he would be swayed by such things.’

Yeah, that kid deserves a bit of a break.

*

‘This is so burdensome.’

My stomach felt upset.

Unbeknownst to Uha-yeon, Yeon-woo was deep in thought, his facial muscles tense. He never thought he would be this weak under pressure.

When he thought back, in his past life, no one had expectations of him.

It wasn’t like there weren’t any, but the limitations of what an unsuited person could do were indeed few. It was only natural for expectations of him to be drastically low.

However, now, even as the lowest student in his year, he had held his own against Im Yu-bin and was carrying the title of Yuri’s disciple.

With this in mind, he couldn’t say he was without any record at all. Thankfully, though he might not be aware, if word got out that his good match against Im Yu-bin happened before he had met Yuri, what would happen then?

Just the thought made his stomach churn.

[Dad….]

‘Don’t call me that like I’m pathetic.’

The clock read 3 PM. After noon, as Shhar woke up, Yeon-woo answered back in his mind. He knew he would eventually acclimate to this.

Honestly, that was all he thought. He had to grow accustomed to it. If everything flowed as he hoped, there would come a day when he’d be hailed as a hero.

Thinking this, he stepped into the training hall, where professors and instructors he could barely recall sat in the frontmost seats.

Among them, he spotted Kim Hyun-soo and Park Giant, who waved their hands slightly at him. Yeon-woo nodded his head toward them before moving forward to take his seat.

“Shall we begin the class?”

“You’ve made it just in time. It’s exactly on the hour, so shall we start?”

After exchanging light greetings with Uha-yeon and the class’s overseeing professor, an input sound rang out, and the information ring let out a chime.

Attendance check complete. Simultaneously, two massive figures approached Yeon-woo’s side. Namgung Seong and Je Gal Seong-ryong. A duo he had become quite accustomed to.

“Hey, things just got a bit more interesting.”

“Shut up.”

“Ha, trials always come to those with great masters.”

Yeon-woo felt like saying, So your master climbed the mountain? But the remark seemed a bit impolite to voice aloud. Instead, something suddenly struck him.

Turning to the goofy grinning idiot, Yeon-woo said, “You knew, didn’t you?”

“About what?”

“That time you mentioned someone notable in the industry was keeping an eye on me. That was something Master said, right? Isn’t that right, you brat?”

“Wow, you just realized that?”

As he extended his fist toward Namgung Seong, the guy smoothly caught it with some joint manipulation. A martial arts move? Seriously annoying.

The class rivalry match had a generally light atmosphere.

The fact this match served as a rehearsal for the academy dueling competition that happened every three years should make it serious, but it was still just a rehearsal.

The fact that it was this year left Yeon-woo in a rather convoluted situation.

He analyzed matches as he watched alongside his close friends. Not solely for battle capability but to cultivate insight in correctly judging and perceiving opponents.

At some point, he sensed a chill coming from behind. Without turning around, Yeon-woo spoke.

“Is that you, Baek In-hwa?”

“Yeah.”

In the doppelganger’s pit, they had exchanged quite a few words, but at the academy, she still answered in short replies.

Though she had tried to greet him as softly as possible, he could feel the intense glare from Darius, staring daggers at him. Perhaps it would have been better to greet her boldly instead.

……

At first, it was amusing, but like any true duel instead of the casual sparring of old, it began to grow tedious over time.

Normally, when one could pour everything they had into a fight and wrap it up quickly, having professors watching meant they felt the need to be cautious.

“Yawn.”

As Namgung Seong let out a huge yawn, Yeon-woo intriguedly watched his expression. Wow, this is what a white-tailed eagle’s mouth looks like.

“Oh, since you’re staring so intently at my lips, is that rude?”

“What lips?”

“I don’t know either, so find them for me.”

As Yeon-woo and Namgung Seong continued their banter, chuckling along, Je Gal Seong-ryong looked at them in disbelief when he was beckoned from afar.

Did one need to use a weapon in real life to adapt to smoothly wielding a fan? That thought crossed his mind.

“Now we’ll see something worth watching.”

“Honestly, I found the previous matches interesting too.”

Yeon-woo could have quibbled about how strict the judgment was, but he let it slide, considering it was Namgung Seong. What could he say to someone ranked around 15? Better to keep quiet if one was outside the top 200.

“Oh, this is unique!”

Opposing Je Gal Seong-ryong was Park Seong-in. A magician wanting to enter the Hunter department instead of the Magic department. By ratio, there were maybe two in each class.

It made sense. A wizard could survive just fine by burying themselves in the Magic Tower, so why bother with becoming a Hunter?

But conversely, it meant they had a strong combat tendency.

Normally, Je Gal Seong-ryong would play it safe against Hunter opponents who chose the aura user path and would enjoy the long-range power of the ‘Air Strike.’ What choice would he make in this matchup?

“3.”

The countdown to the start resonated throughout the training hall.

The barrier surrounding the training hall became taut. The relaxed atmosphere shifted to a concentrated tension.

Everyone in the training hall had their eyes on this duel. Park Seong-in was someone Je Gal Seong-ryong would need to overcome to rise higher.

“2.”

Je Gal Seong-ryong casually took his stance.

“1.”

Park Seong-in closed his eyes and patiently awaited the time to pass.

“Duel begin!”

Je Gal Seong-ryong moved the instant the words finished. With a swift motion, he swung his fan through the air.

It was a gentle gesture, almost like scolding a sleeping student, yet the air curved as it passed. The ‘Air Strike’ was released, and following it, Je Gal Seong-ryong charged right in.

Meanwhile, Park Seong-in muttered to himself softly, waving his fingers.

The white-tiled floor of the training hall cracked, and a massive stone resembling a fist shot up. The ‘Air Strike’ collided with the stone, shattering it, as Je Gal Seong-ryong sprang onto the rising stone.

“Did you configure a second-tier spell at that speed?”

“Wow, that’s something else!”

Gasps of surprise rang from the students. The combined few wizards present were even more astonished. Truly remarkable.

‘His mana control is flawless.’

[Indeed. At that level, you could easily qualify for a second root.]

The term ‘root’ referred to a magician’s mastery level.

It indicated the number of mana paths linked to a magician’s core mana heart. It bore a resemblance to the concept of circle magic seen in novels.

However, in reality, while achieving success in circle magic, the root magic system was deemed more efficient, thus it became popularized.

Yet, a first-year with two roots could graduate as high as five roots if they worked hard enough.

On one hand, Yeon-woo felt grateful for not having to fight such a person, while his attention remained fixed on Je Gal Seong-ryong’s moves. How would the young scion of the Je Gal family fare against an excellent magician?

Simultaneously, how would the talented magician counter the ultimate armor, the Dragon Scale, which one could be born with?

Using the rock upper as a jumping board, Je Gal Seong-ryong soared into the air, his school uniform billowing gracefully beneath him.

While he couldn’t fly as freely as a wyvern, the dragonkin race allowed for a fair degree of maneuverability in the air.

And Park Seong-in knew that. But more than anything, the problem posed was none other than the Dragon Scale.

Even using just a single shed scale as a binding, the Dragon Scale was flawless, both physically and magically.

Hovering in the air, shooting lightning bolts would yield results against others, but….

A seasoned magician’s mind operates faster than a calculator. In an instant, Park Seong-in made his judgment, wrapping his mana around his fingers once again.

Short and quick breaths allowed him to unleash multiple strikes. The only option he had left was to widen the gap by repeatedly attacking the Dragon Scale. He would not get the chance to unleash lethal magic strong enough to crush Je Gal Seong-ryong.

As Park Seong-in concentrated, winds began to swirl into the training hall. Countless sharp blades of wind started shooting towards Je Gal Seong-ryong, who was elegantly floating amidst it all.

“You’re choosing a surprisingly crude method.”

“Eh, I honestly couldn’t think of anything else…!!”

After thinking hard, he couldn’t find even one effective strategy. What else could he do but strip it off physically?

Je Gal Seong-ryong casually laughed and slipped through the blades of wind striking down in waves. He brandished his fan to break the winds, and expertly used the Dragon Scale to block the attacks. The edge of his uniform got sliced off, but honestly, he didn’t care. He had plenty more.

“Hmm…!”

The sound of Je Gal Seong-ryong exclaiming in surprise was due to a blade that he let slip past.

That single blade, which had swiftly skimmed past him, curved upward, targeting his majestically raised back as if riding a slope. A stinging pain shot through his spine.

“Impressive. You’re attempting to lift and strip the scales using sheer physical force?”

An absurd level of mental fortitude and delicate control. The moment he sent a barrage of wind blades while managing to precisely control even one revealed his prowess.

“I can’t just sit here and take it…!”

His left hand, resting on his lower back, moved. Like a dragon, his index, middle, and thumb stood upright. He swung his hand at the oncoming storm of blades.

Park Seong-in’s face turned to one of bewilderment.

Crack! His mana-laden index finger bent as if it might break. He was unable to control the wind any longer. The area around him became chaotic, causing the blades to collide and shatter against each other.

Seizing that slight opening, Je Gal Seong-ryong dashed towards the empty space behind him.

“Oh, the Divine Dragon Wind Manipulator.”

“Is that what it is? The one that Lord Wyvern used in the Battle of Red Cliffs.”

“That’s right.”

“Every time I see that motion, I feel like I’m going to cry at the Kunlun Style.”

“Even so, you can’t compare it to the Cloud Dragon’s Wonder.”

Watching the discussion between Yeon-woo and Namgung Seong-ryong, this duel felt like it was reaching its critical point in Yeon-woo’s eyes.

Between the turbulent blades of wind, Park Seong-in’s mana control faltered, and Je Gal Seong-ryong, defying danger, charged through the powerful wind blades toward him.

The space remaining was barely 5 meters, meaning Park Seong-in had just one chance left to execute a maneuver before Je Gal Seong-ryong reached him.

As time began to slow down, Park Seong-in contemplated his last move.

In the end, he could only strip off that very first and last scale successfully. Even with a disadvantageous matchup, this was taking it too far.

Should he give up? He entertained that thought momentarily before biting down so hard his gums bled.

“But I still have my pride!!”

“Alright then, unleash your final strike that might be able to take me down!”

With an unexpected level of concentration, Park Seong-in began to murmur the magical incantation in his mouth.

Unlike the short phrases used for his foray into the Rock Upper, this time, his voice slipped out of his lips. His fingers began to move frantically.

Four fingers, two from each hand, even while blood trickled from his nose, Park Seong-in showed no signs of stopping.

The professors couldn’t help but be amazed by the determination as murmurs erupted outside the training hall.

“What’s that? What did he do to shift the atmosphere like this? Hey, let me know!”

When Namgung Seong poked his side to get his attention, Yeon-woo snapped out of his daze.

“He’s decided to attempt a fourth-tier spell in that situation. He’s not in his right mind.”

“What’s a fourth-tier spell?”

“To put it simply, it means a spell that you should stabilize with at least a four-root mana supply. He’s only two roots.”

“You can’t just say that’s a minor difference!”

The difference of two roots couldn’t simply be brushed off like that.

A second-tier spell meant it could be safely cast with a two-root mana supply.

So what does a fourth-tier spell imply? It meant that Park Seong-in was forcibly trying to supply the mana needed for a four-root spell with only two roots.

“If he messes up, his mana passages might burst and he’ll be out in a heartbeat. And he’s doing this in a duel, not in real combat.”

Yeon-woo couldn’t help but marvel as Je Gal Seong-ryong raised his fan, and at that moment, Park Seong-in managed to complete his fourth-tier spell in about one second, his voice screaming the name of the spell—

“Alright, that’s enough.”

With a foot raised in the training hall and her gum being chewed vigorously, Uha-yeon interrupted like a bucket of cold water thrown over a blazing fire.

Just like that, the heated magical energy in the atmosphere settled. It refracted and cooled.

As if an absolute being existed within the space, gripping all the mana tightly and blocking it. A chill ran down their spines. Uha-yeon’s mere presence overshadowed everything else.

Striding over, Uha-yeon landed a blow on Park Seong-in, whose face dripped blood from every pore.

“Are you trying to die? Seriously, ease up, kid.”

With that remark, Park Seong-in collapsed, the once-smiling face now painted a ghostly white. Je Gal Seong-ryong caught him as he fell.

“You killed him.”

“You actually killed him!”

“They just straight-up killed him, huh?”

“He’s not dead, shut up!!”

As the atmosphere turned tense while gazing alternately between Park Seong-in and Uha-yeon, thankfully, her scream punctured the tension.

(To be continued in the next chapter)