Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 371

Yeon-woo’s body was enveloped in a golden-hued mana. It signified that the dragon’s transformation was ready.

However, it wasn’t used immediately.

The dragon’s transformation was the most distinctive of Yeon-woo’s abilities. There was no technique that could enhance physical abilities to this degree, but it also meant an enormous cost in mana consumption.

Using the transformation was akin to a time attack; if the battle wasn’t decided after its use, Yeon-woo would find himself at a severe disadvantage.

“Alright, Shar. Just hold on a little longer.”

[Ugh, got it…! Hurry up…!!]

Having to align their minds meant that Shar had to continuously force herself to think just like Yeon-woo.

It was akin to a monk in meditation, needing to clear her mind and focus.

This would be incredibly hard for children who loved to play and were incredibly curious.

Still, the current situation was relatively okay. Baek In-hwa and the War Leader were dodging the approaching hole while defending against the Demon King’s attacks, and Yeon-woo just hadn’t found a way to land a hit on the Demon King.

So far, things didn’t seem too bad.

‘The problem is finding a method to land that hit.’

In the end, battles come down to either killing or obliterating one’s opponent to the point they wish to give up. Of course, the Demon King wouldn’t surrender just because he was half-killed, so finding a way to finish him off was essential.

Although Yeon-woo continued to slash at the Demon King’s body, each time, the Demon King showed no sign of pain or reaction, merely inflating itself as if nothing had happened.

It was no longer something that could be described as human. One could only envision a massive alien monster assembled from human body parts.

[Is that all? Huh?]

Yeon-woo glared at the smirking Demon King. This was seriously annoying.

Was there a separate main body? If not, did that mean everything in this space wasn’t the main body to begin with? What should be done then?

A myriad of thoughts raced through Yeon-woo’s complicated mind. Yet, it was extremely troubling that he couldn’t come up with a definite answer.

‘Maybe I should consider blowing this entire space apart.’

That seemed increasingly likely. After all, with the dragon’s transformation available, using breath magic in conjunction could yield results.

Still, he couldn’t stop thinking. The Demon King wasn’t at full strength. Perhaps he was unable to unleash his full power.

This implied that the fight could become a stalemate, where neither side could kill the other due to their perfect balance.

In such a scenario, the advantage would lie with the one who kept their thoughts flowing. All fights operated that way.

[…Hmm?]

As Yeon-woo firmly gripped his sword, Tae-oh spoke up softly with a hint of confusion.

If one assumed the Demon King couldn’t unleash his full power, why could that be?

*

Just as Yeon-woo initially predicted, a prolonged battle ensued. Externally, it appeared to be an intense fight, but in truth, both sides were enduring to gauge each other’s moves.

Of course, this kind of deadlock favored the Demon King. He didn’t tire and didn’t die; he continued to detach pieces of himself to create doppelgangers.

The strength of the doppelgangers varied greatly. Some were very strong, while others not so much.

However, regardless of the doppelganger’s strength, they generally fell short when compared to an absolute individual like Yeon-woo or the War Leader. The constant headache with each appearance was annoying, nonetheless.

Yeon-woo glanced back. Beyond the wall made of flesh, Kargos and Baek In-hwa were visible.

The two were working together to navigate the situation, but before anything else, it seemed Baek In-hwa’s condition wasn’t great.

Alongside her mana depletion, the subtle headache from the doppelgangers was likely growing more intense. As the master, Yeon-woo was not affected much, but it would be different for the experts.

That prediction was accurate. At some point, Baek In-hwa staggered. Consequently, her slow advance in freezing the Demon King’s form came to a halt.

The Demon King wouldn’t miss such an opening. In an instant, tendrils erupted, shooting towards Baek In-hwa like spears.

“Ugh—!!”

Kargos swung his twin axes, severing all the incoming tendrils. He simply endured the ones he couldn’t cut.

It was an absurd way of fighting if one considered how he was still standing at this point.

“Are you okay, cold girl!!”

“I’m fine…. I can still go…!”

Baek In-hwa gritted her teeth, as if trying to reassure herself, but she already knew it was pushing her limits. Kargos likely knew it too.

However, since they had decided to fight together, he had to be tough. They had no choice but to fight until death.

Eventually, the moment of decision had arrived. Yeon-woo had to make a choice. Both paths were uncertain.

Even continuing to fight didn’t guarantee discovering any effective means of attack. Yet there was no assurance that blowing up this entire space would kill the Demon King either.

‘Still, that’s better than withering away like this.’

Yeon-woo solidified his resolve. Shar’s mana enveloped him. Courage intertwined with the dragon’s mana, beginning to transform Yeon-woo’s body.

Real wings erupted from the ice wings that had sprouted from his back. With a crunch, the ice shattered, reflecting light. Beautiful wings, cloaked in invisible scales, settled onto his back.

“Still, it feels a bit familiar doing this for the second time.”

[Haha, what’s that supposed to mean? Anyway, watching carbon-based lifeforms is just delightful!!]

Did that mean she wasn’t carbon-based? No wonder aliens were difficult to understand. If anything, she probably wasn’t a living being at all.

It would be most accurate to describe her as something based on dark matter, free of carbon and silicon.

“Alright, this time for sure.”

[I can’t count how many times I’ve heard that.]

Ignoring the Demon King’s voice, Yeon-woo ignited flames above his palm.

At first glance, the flames appeared unremarkable, but dragons couldn’t create suns, but when it came to flame temperatures, they could reach the surface temperature of the sun. Of course, he had never tried that. He was too scared.

Yeon-woo wrapped the ultra-hot flames around the doppelganger before scattering them all over. Seeing the Demon King frozen by Baek In-hwa, there was no way it wouldn’t ignite.

With a whoosh, the flames surged across the ground. Of course, if left unchecked, it would engulf Kargos and Baek In-hwa as well, so he entrusted that part to Shar.

Amidst it all, the Demon King briefly glanced at Yeon-woo with a serious expression. Perhaps this could be part of the solution, he thought as he charged towards the Demon King.

Dark matter surged upwards like a fire extinguisher, engulfing the flames. It was inevitable that the fire would snuff out. However, it was impossible to prevent the flames that ignited with every swing of his sword.

Yeon-woo was delighting in a game of fires on a random night when, out of nowhere, Tae-oh struck up a conversation. Perhaps it related to something he had expressed doubt about earlier?

[Dad, Dad. Doesn’t something seem weird?]

‘Huh? What seems weird?’

To be honest, Yeon-woo had no clue. What was weird? Which part was it? Was it since he had theorized the Demon King might not be able to unleash his full power?

‘Doesn’t seem that strange, right…?’

Tae-oh shook his head vigorously in disagreement.

[That Demon King has no reason to be wary of flames. Yet, from the moment the fire ignited, his expression changed for the worse. If it was In-hwa’s ice, it might be a different story, but there’s no need for him to be cautious about fire.]

‘…That’s true.’

It wasn’t an incorrect statement. It was evident from previous events that Baek In-hwa’s chill had an effect on the Demon King.

However, flames would only spread uncontrollably and cause massive destruction. He could just extinguish them using dark matter, right?

[It could be an act, or it might not, but it seems worthwhile to give it a thought. Destroying this entire space is a good idea, but it’s also best to leave a smidgen of energy left to make a move afterwards.]

Hearing Tae-oh speak so much for the first time left Yeon-woo dumbfounded, but his words were indeed persuasive.

Of course, Yeon-woo wasn’t thinking of outright destroying the Demon King’s space without keeping any reserves, so he planned to leave some energy.

However, after hearing Tae-oh, Yeon-woo felt the need to leave a bit more energy than initially planned. It seemed prudent to devise a last sub-plan.

‘Alright, Tae-oh. I think you’re right.’

[Tae-oh, a genius? How can you think of that from where you are?]

[Ahem. Tae-o’s just that able.]

With a puffed chest, Tae-oh’s words made Yeon-woo chuckle. Regardless, it was necessary to obliterate this entire space.

When there are two hypotheses, one must prove at least one to find answers.

With that in mind, Yeon-woo took a deep breath. Below his throat, in the vicinity of his lungs, a virtual mana organ inhaled the mana.

Yeon-woo brought a finger to his lips, igniting flames. Then, in one breath, he exhaled.

“─────!!”

The flames wrapped around the breath that spewed forth. Reducing the output of Shar’s breath while expanding its range created this form.

Instead of being crushed by air pressure, it released a storm that swept everything visible in front of him.

Flames carried away by the storm began to ignite here and there.

The Demon King waved his hand. In response, dark matter swirled up and down. It was devoted to extinguishing the flames.

[Ha ha, you really think that kind of flame could kill me?]

Yeon-woo did not respond. Gripping his sword tightly, he inhaled deeply. After all, he was undoubtedly thinking with a human-shaped body. If he could break the command tower, a gap would show itself, even if for a moment.

A single strike. A flash of light flashed. Along with the teleportation, he swung his sword. It appeared as a single line, yet it was not.

Swoosh!! Dozens, hundreds of sword energies suddenly shredded through the Demon King’s body.

[Ugh, wow-, hot.]

Given the strange dying words of the Demon King, Yeon-woo planted his sword into the ground. As he spread his arms, countless shadowy limbs sprouted from his back.

“Alright, kids, today’s a day for fireworks!!”

[Hooray!!]

[Leave the control to me!!]

With the voices of the excited two children, flames erupted. Just with Yeon-woo’s body, dozens of flames were created.

Sometimes, playing with fire isn’t a bad thing. Especially not at times like this.

(Continued in the next episode)