Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 342

“Huff… huff…”

I thought I did my best. I did everything I could. I gained practical experience, focused on cultivation and training. Maybe it wasn’t enough. After all, I still didn’t reach my goal.

Yet, Baek In-hwa thought, breathing heavily, that it was certainly not lacking.

Toyo’s Demon King. How could one take that chilling name lightly? Emotions are such tiny and delicate things; they might seem washed away by rain at first glance, but they are like the dirt lying at the bottom of a river.

The moment someone steps in, that clear river is ready to be muddied in an instant.

No matter what anyone says, it was that guy who killed her brother. It’s utterly unforgivable. No, she must not forgive. As the heir of the Ice Palace. At the same time, as someone’s family.

That’s why Baek In-hwa was immersed in breaking through her realm. The Aura Expert stage was not something to be underestimated. However, it was true that she felt uneasy about going among those headed to fight the Demon King.

The best way to dispel that unease was to surpass the wall. Once she reached a level where she didn’t feel anxious, there would be no problems at all.

“…In the end, I couldn’t do it.”

But a wall is a wall. There’s a reason why only a handful of skilled practitioners among the Archaion and martial arts can surpass the level that has been grappled with for a long time.

“…Do I lack talent?”

No, it couldn’t be that. Everyone calls her the greatest genius of the Ice Palace. She didn’t think it was just flattery.

Objectively, she was indeed a genius. It was just that the wall of the realm was so high that even she found it hard to surpass.

She didn’t know the way. How to get over this huge wall blocking her path. She needed strength to kill the Demon King. She had to get over it now, even if just a little.

A girl has her pride. She wants to be on equal footing, not bending to anyone. Especially because they are friends, and she likes him even more.

If that balance were to break, it was evident that a catastrophe would eventually come to their relationship.

“…I don’t know what to do.”

No matter how much she thought about it, no answer came.

*

“Baek In-hwa is acting strange?”

“Uh-huh.”

Namgung Seong, sprawled on the sofa munching on snacks, lazily replied as if he had gathered all the insights he gained climbing the realm. He hadn’t been around lately; what could he be up to to earn such a remark?

“There’s probably a reason. She’s not the type to act weird without one. She’s not foolish like you.”

“Ah, it was a very healthy sense of rivalry, you know?”

Recently, Namgung Seong was regaining his previous reputation. He kept his feathers clean and wore a neat uniform instead of a tattered one.

His neatly placed black sword at his side was threatening, but at the same time, it provided a sense of relief to his juniors.

As long as that person was in front of him, nothing quite dangerous would happen, creating a feeling of security. That sensation was proof that Namgung Seong had reached his own sky.

“I’ve heard from the juniors that she’s been wandering around with a blank expression. Must be the same face she makes during her morning classes. If strangers saw her, they’d be surprised…”

“The problem is her being seen like that in the afternoon. Is she suffering from low blood pressure and staying like that all day?”

“Well, then she should see a doctor.”

That was a valid point. No matter what happened, Baek In-hwa was generally diligent about her self-care; if she felt unwell, she would’ve visited a clinic already. It was highly likely that it wasn’t an illness.

“How about having a chat after a long time? After all, you’re the one in charge of Baek In-hwa.”

“…Me? Since when?”

“Since two years ago? Who doesn’t know you’ve been doting on her almost like her mother since the beginning of school?”

That left him speechless. Dragging the low-blood-pressure girl to class, waking her when needed, lending her notes… Looking back, it seemed he hadn’t needed to go that far. Well, since they had become friends, he did look after her.

The only person who could replace him, Je Gal Seong-ryong, was busy taking care of his duties both as the student council president and as the heir of his family, so it felt a bit much to ask him to check on her for this trivial matter.

“Right, I should go… letting you deal with this won’t solve anything.”

“True, true. I’ll keep the sofa warm in your absence.”

“Isn’t this just your home?”

“Lately, it feels more comfortable than my house.”

Leaving the playful Namgung Seong behind, Yeon-woo stood in front of the door. It was a personal space arranged in a corner of Relin’s Archive. It was a convenient place to coordinate plans related to the Demon King’s subjugation, so she had been holed up there lately.

“If anyone comes with your business, just listen and sort it out.”

“Of course, I should treat the room owner with that much respect.”

As long as she didn’t say anything, it wouldn’t be annoying. With that, she left the sunlight streaming into the outside world.

Finding Baek In-hwa wasn’t difficult. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the information within the academy was already in Yeon-woo’s hands.

That being said, it wasn’t anything illegal. It was rather fair to say they were in a good cooperative state with the academy.

Even if that weren’t the case, asking Tae-oh would easily locate someone. The children’s abilities were growing quickly, matching their physical growth.

Shar didn’t particularly stand out since he was already somewhat complete, but Tae-oh’s growth was remarkable.

Given that a shadow is inseparable from a light source, it was natural for the range to be wide, but perhaps due to quickly adapting to the phenomenon of shadows, his speed was on another level.

He could cover a city the size of Harmony City in no more than five minutes.

“Tae-oh is impressive… always growing.”

“Ahem!”

Although he was registered as a Korean, the kids enjoyed roaming around with Yeon-woo more than going to school, and before they knew it, they had grown so much that they were only a head and a half smaller than her.

Because of that, when they held hands while walking around, people thought they looked like a close brother-sister pair.

He was a promising young boy, but now, he had gone from being somewhat cute to capturing the world’s attention as a dashing desert prince. Saying that might make it seem like he hadn’t changed much.

“In-hwa noona, she’s over there!”

Still, the fundamental part hadn’t changed. He was still a cute kid. It was just that because his inner self hadn’t changed, a dangerous gaze often felt directed at him…

Following Tae-oh’s guidance, Yeon-woo caught sight of Baek In-hwa shuffling around like a zombie. Hmm, her zombie impersonation was quite convincing.

But from her prior experiences until now, Yeon-woo, who was well-versed in the movements of the undead as a necromancer, could see that there were many shortcomings.

“A bit more like this, giving that impression of lacking muscles…”

“…What?”

“Nothing, nothing. Hello, Baek In-hwa?”

As Yeon-woo greeted her cheerfully, Baek In-hwa nodded. “Don’t just nod your head, say hello properly! Why are you in such a daze? It’s not morning, you know?” she thought, but quickly realized that was why she had come looking for her.

“Hey, hey, I’ve been hearing from the juniors that you’re in a weird state these days. Is something wrong?”

“…….”

At Yeon-woo’s words, Baek In-hwa clenched her lips tightly. That was an unusual reaction. They had grown friendly enough to open up to one another, but was this something hard for her to share even with her?

The atmosphere between the two became awkward for a moment due to the sudden distance. It was Baek In-hwa who spoke first, playing with her fingers and saying seriously.

“…When is the Demon King attacking?”

“Uh? Well, I think it’ll be soon. Probably within 1-2 weeks? Can’t confirm, though. If the Demon King shows up in between, I’ll have to go catch him again.”

It was the season of catching moles, utterly nonsensical and not befitting the name of the Demon King.

As soon as it saw her face, without a shred of shame, it would run away— it was repeating guerrilla warfare. Still, it was impressive that the morale of the church members hadn’t dropped.

No matter what, it seemed the Demon King hadn’t been this cautious before her return to this time. That was likely due to the existence of the hero. Thanks to that, the graveyard wars had taken on a more complicated aspect.

The necromancers were systematically collapsing their branches, but the ones who lost their branches seemed to take it as a chance to gather troops and began wandering the surface.

Consequently, the damage to civilians and hunters was slightly increasing. Compared to their experiences before her return, it was still nothing, but it still stung Yeon-woo.

“Even if it takes two weeks… during that time…”

Listening to Yeon-woo’s answer, Baek In-hwa had a complicated expression. Did she appear to be losing confidence? Tae-oh, looking up at her, threw a worried glance.

“Hey, hey, I don’t know what the problem is, but be careful.”

“…Uh, okay. Then I’ll head out first.”

“No, it’s not that I’m saying to keep your expression in check; you have to go too. You need to take care of yourself until then.”

“…Head out? Where to?”

“…To hunt the Demon King, of course.”

Baek In-hwa, confused, asked back, but what she really wanted to ask was Yeon-woo. Had she eaten something funky? It was obvious that she’d be making a fuss about wanting to go along; there was no reason for Yeon-woo not to take her, so she had simply assumed she’d be going. Did she not intend to go?

“Can, can I really go?”

“If you don’t go, who will? You are the princess of the Ice Palace, are you not? Revenge on your brother is important, but if I don’t take your family, then who will?”

“That’s true, but…”

Baek In-hwa mumbled with an expression that seemed somewhat lacking in clarity. What was this kid saying at such a crucial time?

Just as she was about to retort, Relin’s Warehouse shook violently. Riley’s signal sounded, urging her to hurry to the laboratory without wasting time.

“Ugh, did that cockroach show up again!? Hey, I’m off! I don’t know what’s going on, but if you’re not going, you should at least tell Riley! But if possible, just go along!”

If she didn’t crush the Demon King and put its head back in, she wouldn’t be able to proceed to the next stage. Inevitably, Yeon-woo would be the one suffering the most in this plan.

With Tae-oh scooped up in one hand, Yeon-woo hurriedly dashed in the opposite direction. As Baek In-hwa stood there dumbfounded, Tae-oh waved his arms from her embrace.

“In-hwa noona, hope to see you next time!”

“Uh, uh, okay.”

So, it’s really okay to go… What was she worrying about so unnecessarily, shame washed over Baek In-hwa as she grasped her face and slumped down.

Seeing that, it was clear that some strange rumors would arise… well, it was just self-inflicted.

(Continue in the next episode)