Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 36

Kai stood in place, adjusting his wrist. Despite the surprise attack, the defense was quite strong. Considering he was still young by human standards, he deserved a passing score.

The wall, covered in dust, had cracks where the boy had crashed into it. A twinge of guilt towards his ancestor flickered in his mind, but it didn’t bother him too much.

Kai had a lot on his mind. And so did that boy who had been ambushed.

‘Let’s hope not.’

Understand the intention, think about what I am. I am ■■■, and that kid is human. A being called a monster by humanity. The relationship between the two species is such that taking action can yield greater effects than a mere word.

As he watched the boy rise, spitting out the blood pooling in his mouth, Kai smiled. An offspring of another race, all I hoped for from you was this.

“Kai Hros. Warrior of ■■■. Here I come.”

The shadows stretched out like a sword deeper than the abyss. Kai proudly pronounced the name of a clan that he could no longer speak coherently.

*

He thought a lot… a lot.

Why isn’t he pursuing me?

Why just watching?

No matter how you look at it, in this dungeon… inside the royal palace, he was alone. So, how did he get himself into this place?

I think I have a few answers. Maybe it’s because that kid hit me and bled my head out.

The magic surged within him. Ignoring the efficiency of mana, he unleashed all his power. His head throbbed painfully, but it had to be this way to have any chance of countering that kid, even a little.

Various pieces of information flooded his mind. The dust concentration in the air, how hard one must hit to break the pillars, and though it seemed completely useless, these details surely had their uses somewhere.

‘…But this is puzzling.’

Shadow monsters and dopplegangers may seem similar at first glance, but they belong to completely different species. Yet, the creature before him was clearly targeting the identity of the doppleganger in his hands.

Even with its smooth, egg-like face where the eyes and nose were unidentifiable, he could feel its gaze.

That was the question. Why did that Shadow Warrior choose to interfere with the gate while targeting the identity of the doppleganger?

‘Is it a monster that can interfere with the gate…’

Not a being he wished to think of too much, but if he had regressed and because of that, they, the ‘Demon Kings,’ began to act more swiftly than in the previous life…

‘There’s no time to relax.’

“Kai Hros. Great warrior of ■■■. Here I come.”

In his hand was the familiar leather-gripped sword. Before him stood a powerful foe whose win rate couldn’t even exceed 10%. Behind his eyelids lay a dark and ominous future.

“…Yeah, Hunter Choi Yeon-woo. Bring it on.”

Yeon-woo answered casually, gripping the sword tightly with both hands. He honestly didn’t understand what was happening. But if all of this was happening because of him, then he had to take responsibility.

And that first challenge was the shadow approaching with its arm swinging.

Martial arts empty-handed. If one were to describe the shadow that called itself Kai Hros, there would be no better word. Yet, with legs and arms extending like blades, it was hard to say he was unarmed.

Though he was barehanded, it felt as if his whole body was armed as a weapon. When the sword clashed against iron, it produced a metallic sound, and where the foot struck, it seemed to have been sliced off like sharp steel.

That… didn’t seem like the characteristics of a monster. Originally, shadow warriors were not the kind of monsters that engaged in straightforward brawls like this.

They used their unique agility and stealth to delve among hunters to assassinate and create chaos from within, that was their specialty.

Thus, this was clearly a unique trait of this Kai Hros. A monster that was “trained” to the extreme.

“Damn it.”

He swallowed his curse. No matter how much they waved their weapons as an extension of their limbs, they ultimately couldn’t surpass the freedom of real arms and legs.

Weapons are stronger, sharper, and longer than limbs. But if limbs become as strong and sharp as weapons, what’s left is merely length and the inconvenience derived from it.

He swung his sword horizontally, infusing it with magic. A powerful strike that shot forth like a storm, but it struck the right arm he had held vertically, creating a metal clang.

His left half, pulled back, was immediately met with a thrust towards Yeon-woo’s neck. A finger thrust in a beautifully straight line. It was evident that it would create a large hole in his head if it hit.

Ridiculous, but despite the impact of the sword and hand colliding, it was Yeon-woo who was losing out. He hurriedly pulled his waist back and tilted his neck to the side.

Swish, the fingers brushed against his cheek, and droplets of blood burst forth. Even if he dodged, it wasn’t over.

Deep blue mana shifted. At some point, Kai raised his right leg into a crane stance, shooting a kick from an incredibly bizarre posture.

“Ugh!!”

His position might be unstable, but with maximum output, he managed to stabilize himself. He poured his power into the downward slash. He took a moment to take the shaking lower half and infused it with magic to endure.

Clang!! Another metallic sound erupted from the clash of shins. The rebound of the sword, he suppressed with his grip and twisted it.

As a result, power flowed from his leg that met the sword. Was he pushed back? No, he wasn’t weak enough to be easily shoved back. In some sense, it was as expected, or perhaps it surpassed expectations and rewarded that belief.

The heavily pushed leg moved around, enabling him to take flight. Consequently, the creature spun in mid-air and came down on Yeon-woo with a heel kick.

The reaction was instantaneous. However, because he had infused too much force into his sword, he couldn’t move in time. The impending hit was certain to crush his skull, and instead of facing death, Yeon-woo thrust himself forward to deflect the heel with his shoulder.

“Oho…!”

The creature gasped in surprise. Was it because of the power he exerted? It spun around and was sent flying backward.

Tch, Yeon-woo clicked his tongue. Even with the protective barrier he had set close to the tip of his nest, his left shoulder was completely smashed. Intense pain slammed into his body.

Holding the sword with both hands felt fine, but at this rate, it was worse than swinging it with just one arm. He adjusted the sword’s grip, discarding the part his left hand grasped.

His left arm hung limply, blood gushing out.

Nothing was going according to plan.

Gasping, he glanced forward and saw the shadow slowly approaching.

It was smooth and pitch-black, like an egg ghost. He could vaguely tell from its silhouette that it was muscular, but other than that, he could discern no hints of gender, standing at roughly 2 meters tall. That’s how these things were.

“Interesting.”

The being spoke, twisting its neck. An overwhelming surge of emotion filled Yeon-woo.

Interesting? What’s so interesting? If you could share that with me, that would be great.

He wanted to spit cursing back immediately, but that would only soothe his current mood; it wouldn’t help the situation at all.

Endure, persevere, withstand…. Ironically, the pain radiating from his left shoulder fueled Yeon-woo’s resolve.

“Training, well done. That level of skill at that age, you must’ve shed blood and sweat. Satisfactory. What more do you possess? What can you show me? Show me all, and I may spare your life.”

“You bastard.”

So, this is how it’s going to be? Unable to hold his curses any longer, Yeon-woo took a deep breath.

His left shoulder shattered, and his body was drenched in blood due to that unknown martial art.

Still, the fight was far from over.

The world viewed from within the egg was narrow.

He could fly using mana, but that was about it.

While he could lift simple objects, he couldn’t say he could achieve much with that.

What he could ultimately do was because of his father. He relied on his dad for nearly everything that he did, and had his father been absent, he didn’t know what to do.

…Lately, Shar had been sleeping quite soundly. Although she said she would sleep for several days leading up to hatching, she didn’t remain completely asleep. When she was awake, she retained vague memories of what she saw and heard.

Ah, today Dad said it was gate training….

It wasn’t that she wasn’t worried. But the thought of Dad being in danger due to some ridiculous gate didn’t cross her mind either. Dad was an extraordinary guy. He was strong.

……However, the fleeting glimpse in her half-open eyes was the opposite of what she had imagined.

His uniform, completely soaked in blood, was torn beyond recognition, barely passing as clothing. Unlike usual, his left arm drooped lifelessly, the shoulder sagging completely.

Blood oozed from numerous superficial wounds, and his thighs and sides looked like they had been bitten by a beast and shredded to pieces.

Huh, what?

Dad is definitely not weak. He had a tendency to misuse his body, but he never allowed himself to suffer serious injuries.

He typically allowed for small wounds but managed to come out victorious without issues. Be it against humans or monsters.

……But that didn’t mean Yeon-woo wouldn’t lose.

The world is absurd, and it’s not rare for some monster to pop up and swallow someone whole.

Watching Yeon-woo, leaning against the wall, gasping heavily, Shar reached out her hand.

No, don’t.

Her hand touched the hard shell. She knocked on it. Bumped into it. Kicked it and even tried to strike it with magic from the outside. But it wouldn’t break.

No, don’t!

Her hand couldn’t reach. The hand that always gently stroked the egg when it was time to sleep, the warm hand that felt so far away.

The shadow drew closer to Yeon-woo. There were wounds on the body of the shadow too. Yet, no matter how it was compared to Yeon-woo’s, it was heaven and earth.

The shadow of death slowly draped over Yeon-woo, and it was none other than Shar who felt it in her heart.

(Continued in the next installment)