Hunter Academy’s Battle God

Crupeos lowered her head toward YuSung for the sake of her main body, Sardonyx.

"Please… Please save Sardonyx."

Monsters without intelligence often simply invaded and attacked humans, but most boss monsters fought for a reason.

In Crupeos’s case, she wanted to free Sardonyx from her curse.

"It's something only you can do…"

After she met YuSung, Crupeos seemed to have lost her will to fight. She simply bowed to him.

Slide.

YuSung slowly walked toward her. He'd fought countless monsters, but it was his first time seeing one he didn't want to fight.

"I'm sorry… but I'm not the person you're searching for," YuSung calmly said.

Even if he looked like Taru, YuSung had no such memory, so Sardonyx was still just a boss monster to him.

"It doesn't matter." Crupeos was already aware of that. "Even if you don't know her, even if you aren't the real Taru… that doesn't matter."

The strength of Soul Language came from the dragon in question, and the problem was that Sardonyx felt guilty for not being able to fulfill her promise.

"You look like Taru, and your soul is pure like his was. It won't be hard for Sardonyx to think of Taru when she sees you."

Crupeos walked toward YuSung.

"Just by meeting you… I know she can be saved."

She reached for YuSung's hands.

Swoosh-

As she grabbed his hands, her desperate emotions flowed into YuSung, and YuSung let it happen.

'Maybe this could be a new way to complete the subjugation…'

Crupeos's hands shone like a river at first, then her hair slowly became like the night sea.

"As a dragon and a part of her… I swear I'll give you all of my remaining strength… so please…"

Swoosh!

Fireflies shining with blue or violet lights danced in a dark, dream-like world.

The light spreading from the palms of her hands surrounded the entire world and began scattering like cherry blossoms.

"Please, save her."

Paf-

Crupeos herself began morphing into a blue light.

Feeling a sudden pain, YuSung looked at the palms of his hands. A pattern he didn't recognize appeared and then slowly started to vanish.

"This…"

YuSung was surprised by the unexpected development of things, but it was too early for that.

[You've absorbed Sardonyx's Fragment - (Incarnation Crupeos).]

An explanation emerged from his Pocket’s hologram. The pattern that had just appeared belonged to a fragment of Sardonyx and contained the strength of a rank 7 named boss.

'To think I'd obtain the strength of her fragment…'

[The power stored inside Sardonyx's Fragment is becoming aware of the power of its awakener.]

[Calculating Synchronization Rate…]

That wasn't the end.

If the synchronization rate didn't pass 50%, the fragment wouldn't accept the person as its owner.

* * *

* * *

Synchronization rate was based on five things…

[The synchronization rate between the red dragon Sardonyx and Shin YuSung are as follows:]

[1 - The information cannot be displayed]

As YuSung's synchronization rate with Sardonyx began displaying, his expression stiffened. There was no way they'd have anything in common.

[2 - Basic personality and behaviors]

[Your synchronization rate will lower by 25% based on the second category.]

Their personalities were, of course, complete opposites.

[3 - Ability]

[Your synchronization rate will lower by 25% based on the third category.]

Sardonyx used magic, and YuSung used his concentration and body, so there was no way their abilities would be similar.

[4 - Mana]

[Your synchronization rate will decrease by 25% based on the fourth category.]

A dragon had a huge amount of mana, so comparing it to a human’s mana was funny.

[5 - Physique and appearance]

[Your synchronization rate will decrease by 25% based on the fifth category.]

Not only that, but while in human form, Sardonyx took the shape of a woman. YuSung was a human male, so there was no way they would have something in common there.

[Final synchronization rate 0%]

[You have been determined as incompatible.]

In the end, it seemed impossible for him to absorb Sardonyx's fragment, but then YuSung's hand began to shine with a blue color.

[1 - Crupeos is setting new parameters using the strength of Soul Language]

To think that she'd overwrite the parameters of the fragment. That was something that required an unthinkable amount of mana. Despite knowing that doing so would extinguish her, Crupeos did it anyway.

[From now on, synchronization with the fragment will be based on Knight of Reversal Taru instead of Red Dragon Sardonyx.]

It was Crupeos’s promise. Instead of finding an heir that resembled Sardonyx, she wanted to save her, which was why she'd given her strength to someone who could save Sardonyx rather than someone who resembled her.

How desperate was the situation for her to sacrifice herself?

YuSung looked at the palms of his hands.

It didn't seem bad to let the fragment determine how much he resembled Taru.

[2 - Basic personality and behaviors]

[Your synchronization rate will increase by 20% based on the second category.]

The synchronization rate increased by 20% from the start.

Taru and YuSung were both righteous. Not only that, but they were also similar in that, no matter the situation, they would push forward.

[3 - Ability]

[Your synchronization rate will decrease by 10% based on the third category.]

Their abilities were completely different. Taru was a normal person who’d obtained huge achievements in war thanks to a dragon’s promise, but YuSung was a hunter.

[4 - Mana]

[Your synchronization rate will increase by 10% based on the fourth category.]

Taru and YuSung being similar in mana was surprising. Although they were both humans, there was no way they had a similar amount of mana.

What the fragment probably considered similar were the characteristics of their mana, which was something that, just like one's personality, varied from person to person. It was as strange as finding two people with the same fingerprints.

[5 - Physique and appearance]

[Your synchronization rate will increase by 25% based on the fifth category.]

[Final Synchronization Rate 93%]

[You have been determined as compatible.]

[You have obtained Sardonyx's Fragment - (Incarnation Crupeos).]

[Due to the strength within Sardonyx's Fragment, your mana will increase and your body’s capabilities will be fortified.]

Many pieces of information appeared before YuSung through his Pocket's hologram, but despite what it said, he didn’t feel any changes in his mana or in his body.

'That's probably because I haven’t fulfilled the promise yet…'

Soul's Language’s strength would probably activate once he kept the promise. If he wanted to use the strength of Sardonyx's Fragment, YuSung had to save her.

WHOOM!

The world around him began to crumble, and the fireflies drifting in the darkness surrounded YuSung.

* * * *

Once Crupeos's subjugation ended, HimChan and YuSung were teleported out of the crystal cave.

"Ahh! Wh-where are we?!" HimChan was breathing heavily for some reason.

"Student YuSung, did you also go through the same thing I did?!"

"Maybe?"

"I was swimming through a black sea for nearly an hour… Then a horned dolphin appeared and suddenly a big white bearded whale…" As HimChan began explaining and making a confused expression, YuSung just nodded.

"Crupeos's subjugation is over."

"Did you deal with the Incarnation alone while I was trapped in the illusion? How could an active hunter be so useless?!"

Ju HimChan checked his Pocket.

"No wonder it was so big. It seems like China, Japan, Italy, and the USA are already done."

YuSung had wandered around the crystal cave and listened to Crupeos's explanation instead of immediately fighting, so it was an obvious result.

"But even if they encountered the strongest Incarnation, it’s weird that the two rank 7 hunters haven't finished yet. Is the Incarnation strong enough to cause them trouble…?"

Just as HimChan said, the Incarnation shouldn't have been a challenge for Rosa and Aventino, but they still hadn't succeeded yet.

"Let's join the other hunters in the temporary shelter."

If Rosa and Aventino asked for support, that would be one thing, but trying to assist while the subjugation was ongoing would be suicidal.

They had no choice but to wait for their report. HimChan went to the shelter with YuSung.

* * * *

The temporary shelter was created by the Association for the subjugation.

Cameras were installed at the dungeon's entrance so that they could monitor the situation. Not only that, but if something happened, they could ask for help and support.

"To think Italy would build a place like this for one subjugation! How surprising."

Just as Wei Lin said, the installation seemed to be a bit too much for having been built for just one subjugation.

"That's how impressive a rank 7 raid is. Just hunting the Incarnations took so much time," Colt said while posing and adjusting his hat.

Wei Lin frowned and let out a sigh. 'What's up with that long, dirty beard…? Is he really a student?’

When YuSung entered after finishing his subjugation, Wei Lin's eyes began shining.

"Oh~ It seems like you're done! Did you get some artifacts?"

YuSung silently walked toward a seat in the waiting room.

'That’s not where you should be going…'

Colt and Isshin were next to her, but Adela was alone because the groups had been divided into those who'd passed Tower Records’s test and those who hadn't been able to.

Wei Lin pushed Colt aside and called for YuSung. "Come here and give us details on the subjugation~ I’m curious as to how strong Crupeos was. Let's share information as hunters~"

Both she and YuSung were in the Sardonyx subjugation group, so she believed he should sit next to her.

Adela looked at Wei Lin and made an annoyed expression. She thought she was the one with the right to sit beside YuSung.

Slide.

Adela, who'd been sitting with an emotionless expression, stood up. Then she walked toward YuSung to ensure that her rival wasn’t taken from her and grabbed his sleeve.

"Adela…?" YuSung gave her a confused look, and she pointed to a chair.

"That's where you should sit…"

It was something no one would be able to imagine from another person.

Adela reclaimed her prize as a partner who had passed the test with YuSung and as his rival.