Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 374

Yeon-woo wasn’t completely unconscious. It was a bit embarrassing to admit to Baek In-hwa, who had come to protect her, that she thought she had lost consciousness, but she still had one task left to complete.

Though the Dragon Heart couldn’t absorb mana due to the thin mana in the air, thankfully, when the world shattered, Yeon-woo and her group could return to the barren land before entering the Demon King’s Space.

In a hurry, Yeon-woo was regenerating her body. She wished she could let go of her consciousness, but she hadn’t forgotten the small battles amidst the exhaustion of a great fight. No, she couldn’t afford to forget.

The Demon King was overly dangerous, but that didn’t mean the Demon King’s Great Warrior would suddenly become harmless. Even if they were once comrades, she couldn’t forget the promise they made.

‘The War Leader hates breaking promises more than anything.’

It was just a moment of not keeping the promise, but the repercussions could be unimaginable. There was a high chance he would appear everywhere, swinging his double axe wildly.

If that happened, Yeon-woo wouldn’t be able to concentrate on what she needed to do, and there was nothing more to explain.

Yeon-woo slowly raised her body. Blood gushed from her punctured abdomen as she moved.

Tremendous pain assaulted her body. Even Yeon-woo felt dizzy from the agony, nearly losing consciousness.

“Why are you getting up…!”

Baek In-hwa, startled by the sight, rushed to support Yeon-woo. Oh, thanks. I almost fainted.

“I still have… something left to do. Just this, then I’ll faint.”

“Really… you must….”

Baek In-hwa opened her mouth as if to ask about the necessity, then fell silent. She must have known herself. It had to be done.

Yeon-woo took a slow breath, realizing it was something only she could accomplish.

Not because she was a hero. But because, before being a hero, she was a comrade who fought the Demon King, and it was her duty to take his life.

“…Kuh, kah, are you awake…? You’ve woken up….”

The voice that seemed to bubble with blood came from beyond her blurred vision. It was painful yet seemed oddly joyful.

That made sense. That man, the War Leader, had danced across the battlefield in pursuit of death.

“I can’t fight for long… just kill me cleanly in one go…!!”

“Khak, of course…. Of course.”

In the strained voice, Yeon-woo was convinced. The War Leader was dying.

It could be from the Demon King’s poison, or perhaps he was merely too severely injured. What was certain was that he was staring death in the face.

If Yeon-woo had collapsed and broken her promise, he would have done whatever it took to survive. Thus, he would have become an embodiment of vengeance against her.

Yet, Yeon-woo regained her wits about her. That’s why his voice sounded so joyous.

“Shar… I’ll rely on you for the signal…!”

“Ah, understood…!!”

Consuming the remaining mana, Shar jumped out. Picking up some metal from the surroundings, Shar threw it high into the air. The moment that fell to the ground, the two of them would clash.

Whoosh…

An empty wind swept across the wasteland. The tension of uncertainty wrapped around Yeon-woo’s body, knowing she had no idea when it would drop.

Her senses were dulled. Usually, even without sight, her heightened sensitivity would let her know if the War Leader’s muscles were tense or not, but it was all too blurry now.

Clang, a dull metallic sound rang out between them. Responding not a moment too soon, Yeon-woo advanced into the foggy space that felt like a haze.

Where is it? Is it charging at her? Or is it waiting? With her mind dizzy from lack of blood, various thoughts swirled chaotically.

It felt like riding a motorcycle down a dark road without a single light.

Faint sensations finally located something that was breathing roughly. Without hesitation, Yeon-woo swung her sword.

Mercy and compassion don’t always provide salvation. The War Leader was just that kind of person.

A shudder ran through her fingertips as she felt something get sliced. Skin, muscle, bone. The chilling sensation of completely severing a life made Yeon-woo solemnly close her eyes.

“Thank you─.”

The indomitable Demon and Great Warrior, the War Leader, died. What was left there was just the corpse of a man who was keeping himself alive, missing his chance to die.

*

“Whoa, that shocked me.”

“Dad, you’re awake!”

I thought I’d just closed my eyes for a moment, but I was met with the familiar white ceiling. I was in a hospital.

Considering the hospital in Harmony City, I could hardly imagine how many days had passed during that brief moment of unconsciousness.

“…Shar, how many days have passed since I fainted?”

“A week has passed! A week!! You couldn’t wake up for a whole week!!”

Shar rushed at the bewildered Yeon-woo, staring blankly at the sky. Maybe because of that voice, Tae-oh jumped out and clung to Yeon-woo.

“Yeah, yeah…. You must have been bored?”

“Not bored, really.”

“Hmm, I played with the grandmas and grandpas in the other ward.”

I see…. That response felt like realizing the children were gradually becoming independent from her arms. Even with complete strangers, they were interacting with ease.

“And Nea?”

“She’s probably in the lab. She has to work.”

That’s true. So, for now, it seemed there wouldn’t be any visitors. Since it’s come to this, I decided to take a good rest for a while. Hadn’t I spent way too much intense time just to kill the Demon King?

“Oh, you cute little rascals. So, everything was fine, right?”

“Yes, everything was fine. The most was that the Demon Army from Alkeon was moving, and the martial arts Demon Cultists were trying to cross over here?”

“That’s quite a sizable issue. What on earth is going on?”

Cold sweat trickled down Yeon-woo’s back at Shar’s nonchalant explanation. What really was happening? In just a week’s time.

“Sister Riley said it seems those two factions are trying to stir up chaos while war breaks out. At least the Alkeon Alliance and the Martial Arts League are managing to deal with it.”

“I see….”

Either side has been prepared to face their own nemeses. No matter how much of an alliance is formed, nobody wants to push the troubles of their world onto another.

Our Earth is a… bit of a quirky case. With seven of them, what could we do? No matter how hard we try, one of them is bound to touch other worlds.

“Elder In-hwa is hospitalized in another ward, and it seemed all the other friends were doing just fine.”

“I’m glad everyone seems okay.”

“Sure, it’s a relief. Thanks to Dad risking his life to kill the Demon King, the damage was contained from spiraling out of control.”

“I’m really glad to have you, Shar….”

Without Shar, what would I have done, worrying about the outside world? Yeon-woo smiled warmly as she ruffled Shar’s hair. Shar purred happily, feeling delighted.

“Can I tell a story too!?”

“Yeah, Tae-oh, do you have something to say? Go ahead, spill it out.”

“The Demon King Toyo has a separate main body but seems too far away in another universe to come! He sent a doppelganger through that jewel, but since it got killed, he won’t be able to come for a while!!”

Seeing Tae-oh’s proud smile after his big announcement made Yeon-woo laugh.

“…Did you eat?”

“…I just tasted it.”

“Doesn’t that mean you ate it, you little rascal! Didn’t Dad tell you not to eat weird things you found?”

“Ugh, ahhh! I messed up, I messed up!! But really, I only tasted it!! I left most of it untouched!!”

Yeon-woo sighed in relief at Tae-oh’s panicked outburst. What if he had eaten it all?

The Demon King’s main body obtained from Shuyo had been under research all this time, and even with Nea’s help, they hadn’t seen any tangible results.

But to consume the Demon King’s energy, enough to be usable as a heart? That could lead to unpredictable consequences.

If things went wrong, Tae-oh could very well be devoured by the Demon King.

“Even after that fierce battle, it’s still not dead… So how long is ‘a while’ exactly?”

“I think it may take at least several hundred years.”

“That’s quite a long time. Is it a lazy creature?”

Hearing that was good news amidst everything, so Yeon-woo let out a sigh of relief. Several hundred years… several hundred years. The thought that it would come back in a few hundred years was unsettling, but then, the heroes of that time would take care of it.

It was hard enough to survive now; there was no obligation to worry about a few hundred years down the line. Ideally, I would like to sever all ties with such burdens.

“Anyway, it’s good that things aren’t turning out badly. I can rest a bit now.”

“Hmm, Dad, you need to really take a good rest. You’ve been living too busily. You need to play with us too.”

“Right, right! You need to relax for a while!”

Those rascals, do they think of me as a biological toy? Well, I’ll definitely play with them. Once I’m back on my feet, that is.

With a smile, Yeon-woo petted the heads of the two kids. A long-awaited, blissfully peaceful calm settled in.

*

“Hello.”

“Oh, Baek In-hwa. How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Thanks for worrying about me.”

First, Yeon-woo threw a punch. Baek In-hwa responded lightly, as though accustomed to it by now.

Since she had been worried too often, it had become bothersome, so she brushed it off.

“Did you hear the news?”

“Roughly. It seems like all sorts of chaos is happening here and there.”

“It’s quite a mess. It seems like your father is busy too.”

“That’s only to be expected. The princess is also of martial arts descent. I believe there isn’t much time left in the Ice Palace.”

Baek In-hwa nodded casually. It had been quite some time since the martial arts people crossed over. In other words, very few people remembered the martial arts continent.

The Ice Palace was particularly affected. Most of the highly skilled warriors who engaged in a struggle against the Demon King Toyo had died off, leaving the average age pretty high.

“You must be worried. Anyone would be.”

The sense of loss and longing for their lost homeland. Even the Ice Palace Lord, known for their cold temperament, would find it hard to throw all that away.

“Yeah. So they left. They went to join the Martial Arts League.”

“…Huh? How long has it been since we fought the Demon King, and already…?”

“Exactly. I told them not to go, but they insisted they had to.”

Yeon-woo shrugged her shoulders as if there was nothing she could do about it, and Baek In-hwa muttered softly.

“So they said they’d see each other later. They want to talk about marriage properly.”

“…Did that conversation come up, ah….”

Damn it, where on earth do I start fixing this…?

(To be continued in the next episode)