Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 331

There weren’t any particularly shocking incidents among the second and third years. Of course, various events were happening behind the scenes, but I had no way to influence them.

All I could do was offer some help to those who admired me, albeit in a casual manner.

“Thank you for your guidance today, senior!!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

In the first semester, I was just helping those who asked me for aid, but by the second semester, it became a successful lecture to the point where people suggested I start a separate course.

Among the many changes that occurred in Yeon-woo as he became a master, his versatility with weapons increased.

I suppose one could say my perspective expanded. Looking down from the vantage point of a sword, I could see the scenery of other weapons far below.

Considering that Hyuk Mu-ryeon and Yuri were adept at reverse engineering how to handle different weapons through techniques instead of directly mastering them, this uniqueness could be attributed solely to Yeon-woo.

Perhaps his experience handling numerous weapons before regression was finally shining through.

Thanks to that, Yeon-woo’s lectures became incredibly popular. It felt nice to him as well. Unlike before his regression, when he barely scraped the bottom of the Hunter ranking and had nothing to offer his juniors, now he could contribute something meaningful.

If going through a bit of hardship could bolster humanity’s overall strength, that was truly what he wished for. He could only hope that the juniors he nurtured would become a great help in the future.

While days passed peacefully like that, Namgung Seong approached with a serious face. The cute juniors surrounding Yeon-woo dispersed like a rush of leaves.

Namgung Seong, who used to have a cheerful demeanor until the second year, had transformed quite drastically. His well-groomed feathers now looked wild and unkempt.

What about his characteristic sharp eyes? The eye sockets were sunken, giving off a look of a complete wreck.

Many of the second-year students worried about his transformation, but the freshers were already intimidated, thinking he had always looked like that. Honestly, even to me, the current Namgung Seong seemed a bit scary.

“Hey, relax your face. What kind of face are you walking around with?”

“…Uh, does my appearance really look that bad?”

“Don’t you see everyone running away from you?”

Luckily, his tone was the same as usual, but his already low voice now sounded deeper, which made it scarier.

Yeon-woo smiled bitterly, waving at the juniors who were thinking, ‘Is the senior going to pick a fight?? Should I step in and fight for him…!!’

“It’s fine, I have something to talk about. It might not look like it, but this guy is my friend, you know?”

“…Oh, there were juniors here. Sorry, I had something to discuss.”

After lightly bowing and calmly apologizing, the juniors seemed relieved and dispersed. Only then did Yeon-woo take the initiative to speak.

“Shall we go somewhere quiet?”

“Yeah, ideally somewhere no sound will escape.”

“How about that place we haven’t been to in a while? You lead the way.”

…That doesn’t sound bad, Namgung Seong smiled.

*

“It’s been a while since we’ve come here.”

“Yeah, I guess. You have better places than this, right?”

“That’s my master’s, so it feels awkward to use it.”

“Stop lying.”

What do you mean lying? It’s true! I’ve been mindful about using it. I only use it without hesitation when necessary.

Still, I found myself feeling nostalgic as I gazed upon the Body Training Room’s scenery. Yeon-woo murmured absentmindedly.

“It’s been two years since I came here.”

“I was just in here a moment ago.”

“Spending days holed up in a place where no sunlight shines makes you look grumpy. You should go outside and get some sun.”

“It would have been nice if they had built it to let the sunlight in from the beginning.”

Namgung Seong grumbled about something I couldn’t quite understand. Yet, as he drew his sword from the waist, there was an indescribable look on his face.

Yeon-woo felt the same. He naturally pulled out his Doppleganger, spinning it and loosening his wrist.

From the very beginning, the Doppleganger had been radiating a desire to fight. The overwhelming urge to engage was bubbling over.

Thanks to my guidance, the juniors sensed that and anticipated it. Hmm, I sure trained those kids well.

“Alright, are you the next subject for training?”

“Please show me a move, teacher.”

We exchanged jokes, then corrected our stances. Wings that seemed large enough to cover the sky spread wide. Yeon-woo remained light on his feet.

No signal was necessary. With a sound akin to a rush of air, Namgung Seong’s footsteps lightened. He looked sharp like a raptor descending from the heavens, charging in like an attack-focused technique using his wings.

In a familiar sight, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Ah, this really brings back memories.”

“I doubt it will be exactly the same as back then.”

Namgung Seong executed his favorite trick. Using his gigantic wings, he shifted his grip on the sword under them, causing misjudgment of his direction. Early on in school, Yeon-woo had realized this deception through the resonance of mana.

“I’m different now, though.”

With a sly grin, Yeon-woo’s eyes glowed golden. Enveloped by an overwhelming sense of omniscience, he layered his clairvoyance over it.

Even Yeon-woo’s already keen eyesight was enhanced to a level that could be called the pinnacle of expertise in that field.

Yeon-woo was no longer someone who could be fooled by mere tricks. At this point, he could sense and counter any deceit purely through direct vision.

Between fleeting moments, several exchanges of attacks occurred. The one to make the decision was Namgung Seong.

Forcing through was futile; there were simply no openings. Just as the blades brushed against one another, Namgung Seong stomped down powerfully. The training room shook with a resounding boom.

“Is this what you expected?”

Changong Mu-ae sword, First Form, Raptor Ascension. Named after the divine technique that ascends into the sky, it showcased the fundamental stance of Changong Mu-ae sword.

In the past, a simple downward strike had caused his sword to break, leading to his fainting. But now, it was different.

With his sword raised high above his head, Yeon-woo casually slashed downwards. From within that stroke, Namgung Seong sensed an overwhelming emptiness. It was undeniably different from before.

Unlike that moment when he had felt nothing but death, the current strike conveyed the absence of content without missing anything at all. What in the world had happened for the boy before him to reach such a level?

Yet the raptor escaped this void. In terms of speed, he wouldn’t lose to anyone. If it were the sky, he wouldn’t concede to anyone either.

In the last moment, as the slanted blade was about to engulf him, the darkness that threatened to consume him slipped past.

The thrilling sensation that death had barely missed brushed through Namgung Seong’s body.

He survived. However, the fight was far from over. As he ascended, Yeon-woo watched Namgung Seong with piercing eyes. The pressure felt as if he could topple over at any moment.

However, Namgung Seong hesitated not. Folding his wings, he charged toward Yeon-woo yet again. He understood that rushing at someone stronger than himself wasn’t the best choice.

Nevertheless, Namgung Seong wished to pierce through the fortress-like friend standing before him.

Changong Mu-ae sword, Third Form, Sacred Sky Whirlwind. Spinning his body once in the air, he swung his sword, adding rotational force to the ultimate powerful strike. The technique’s name came from the wings unfurling in the sky, vast as the heavens.

‘Wow, that’s intense.’

Deciding he couldn’t block it with just one hand, Yeon-woo grasped the sword’s hilt with both hands. From the earlier feels, this was an unthinkable level of power for someone at the Expert mid-tier.

He was struggling with everything he had to overcome the wall that was there.

Despite meeting all conditions, he remained oblivious to his own mental state. Regrettably, that was something Yeon-woo couldn’t advise on. It was a realization he had to come to on his own.

“Alright, let’s keep going.”

He pondered on what kind of wall he ought to become. A soaring wall or an impenetrable fortress.

He exerted himself, rebuffing. Namgung Seong used that strength to widen the distance in mid-air. Then he charged again.

Seeing this, Yeon-woo made a firm decision. He would adopt a defensive posture. Taking everything and letting everything slide. If he could become prey that absolutely wouldn’t be hunted, Namgung Seong would devise something to hunt him.

That was the instinct of a carnivore, a posture that the descendant of the divine ought to have. It would instill a feeling that one was trying to hunt a mere shadow.

‘Overcome it.’

A fierce blow smacked against Yeon-woo’s blade. The clang!! Without budging an inch, Yeon-woo absorbed every attack right there. The floor of the training center cracked, crumbling beneath him, yet Yeon-woo stood unwavering.

Despite that, Namgung Seong showed no signs of fatigue. In fact, he looked as though he was having the time of his life, swinging his sword infinitely.

He felt good. Even though he was using techniques, he needed to combine them. This was a sense of pressure he had only felt from his grandfather or father.

He pushed too hard, causing blood to seep from his beak. While countless shockwaves clashed, feathers fell away, and blood dripped from his grasp on the sword.

He felt the reality of life. He was alive because he held a sword, and he didn’t die because he swung it. He felt every fiber of his being recognizing that he was indeed a swordsman.

And yet, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was amiss. What was in his sky? He scanned the empty sky around. There were no clouds. No sun. No moon, and no stars.

What in blazes was his sky? What lay within it? What was lacking that he couldn’t step into the next phase?

In the rush of life and the uncertainty closing in, Namgung Seong spread his wings wide. He clenched his sword tightly. Amidst the sparks generated from the clash of their blades, he spotted Yeon-woo.

“Do not become a sword.”

With that simple statement, Yeon-woo pushed Namgung Seong away once more. Staggering and soaring high, Namgung Seong’s eyes wavered.

Those words were strange. He was not a sword; he was a living being. And yet to be told not to become a sword was perplexing. It felt as if he was being told he was on the verge of becoming one.

‘…Why was I feeling alive only when swords collided with swords?’

Such thoughts suddenly crossed his mind.

(To be continued in the next installment)