Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

---

Chapter 383

“Ah, you finally made it! Sit down, sit down!”

Dooko-hyun welcomed Yeon-woo, who had changed clothes. He acted as if he were the host of the place, but I couldn’t exactly point that out.

Who would dare correct Dooko-hyun? He seemed like a man lifted straight from a legendary tale, after all.

Except for Yeon-woo.

“Anyone would think Grandfather is the host.”

“I live as if I’m the owner wherever I go.”

Of course, he would. It was well known that he behaved like he owned the place in any time, any place.

While I thought that, the first to speak to Yeon-woo as she sat down was Gongson-bin.

“It’s been a while, Choi Yeon-woo. We faced each other at the Yongbong Association, but you probably don’t remember?”

“I do remember. I don’t know your name since we were never introduced.”

“Hah, I see. Speaking of which, let me introduce myself. I am Gongson-bin, a junior of the Gongson family.”

“Nice to meet you, Gongson-bin.”

Although Yeon-woo usually used formal speech when meeting someone for the first time, lately, she wondered if that was still necessary. Since he was approaching her casually, couldn’t she do the same in return?

“Coming to a housewarming party without having even been introduced? You really have some nerve!”

“Hahaha, I’ll take that as a compliment, Samiryun-ju.”

“Cough, cough!”

Samiryun-ju, whose face turned bright red, burst into laughter as Gongson-bin expressed his gratitude without a care.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

As Yeon-woo muttered in amazement, Gongson-bin smiled widely. It was probably embarrassing to show up uninvited.

Yeon-woo understood quite well why he made that judgment. There was no other way.

And Albert Lionel would feel the same. The circumstances were similar for both. They must have come to seek assistance regarding the war against the Demon King.

However, as they were currently posing as a cheerful gathering, they wouldn’t openly discuss such matters.

They might create a space for separate conversation later, or perhaps their mere presence would invoke those thoughts.

It was a rather murky way to handle it, but Yeon-woo didn’t mind. After all, it meant leaving the decision up to herself.

One could tell how high Yeon-woo’s reputation had risen just by the fact that she wasn’t being pressured.

“Don’t worry too much. Isn’t this a great place?”

Delain smiled and handed a glass to the pondering Yeon-woo, which she accepted.

Indeed, wasn’t it a nice place? At this point, there was no need to worry too much.

“I’m just grateful for being remembered.”

Albert Lionel nodded along, as if to agree with that sentiment. Gongson-bin followed suit with a shrug of his shoulders, indicating some level of agreement.

Yeon-woo looked back and forth at the two. While their faces smiled, hidden within were unspoken anxieties. Was this the fate of the hero as well?

One of them would not receive the answer they sought. It was unfortunate, but that was the way things were.

Time passed after that.

“Ah.”

Yeon-woo sighed as she slumped onto the sofa. It had been a joyful gathering, yet the array of characters was madness.

Should I say everyone had their own rhythm? Conversations were so complicated that it made her head spin.

“Good job, Yeon-woo.”

“You must have had a tough time hosting too. Are you alright?”

“It’s fine. I joined in halfway through as well.”

Nea appeared, handing Yeon-woo a steaming cup of tea before sitting closely beside her. The warmth from Nea’s body enveloped Yeon-woo’s fatigued form.

As Nea said, she had indeed sat at the table from midway through, chatting and eating together. Thanks to that, Yeon-woo could take a moment to gather her scattered thoughts.

Like a cat, Nea rubbed her head against Yeon-woo’s, who affectionately patted her head.

In fact, there was still one guest left upstairs, but she decided not to think about it. The time spent with Nea felt far too precious to care about Shar.

*

“Ah.”

After several days of dealing with the influx of guests, Yeon-woo lazily collapsed onto the sofa. Nea plopped down on top of her as if to cover her with a lid.

“Ugh.”

“Ugh?”

“No, I didn’t mean you were heavy. Of course, you’re light…”

Nea didn’t miss the sound of air escaping from Yeon-woo’s lungs. With an intense glare, Nea looked at Yeon-woo, who desperately tried to explain herself.

In the corner, In-young casually sipped a beer while watching this unfold, her face wearing an incredulous expression.

“Ugh, could that couple be any more nauseating?”

With an expression of disdain, Lucrecia watched her lovers. Though she had missed joining the battle against Toyo’s Demon King for various reasons, she had run around diligently during that time, wrapping up the remnants scattered around and had come to visit Yeon-woo’s house.

“Thanks for your hard work, Lucrecia.”

“Who doesn’t have it tough? Seriously, how long are we supposed to stay hidden while our Demon King is dead?”

Grumbling, Lucrecia’s complaints continued. It was understandable. She had poured every bit of her time into eliminating Toyo’s remnants from the onset of the graveyard war until it ended.

“Thinking the North Sea looks beautiful can only last for a month or two. After years of it, it gets boring. It feels like a desert covered in snow instead of sand.”

“I understand what you mean. So, how’s your right arm?”

At Yeon-woo’s question, Lucrecia tossed aside the gloves she was wearing. What emerged was a familiar bony hand.

Though she had killed Toyo, the power of the Demon King that had once obscured her hand didn’t seem to disappear.

“Or so I thought.”

With a grin, Lucrecia rolled up her sleeve. Her arm, where flesh met bone, revealed the seams where the two connected.

To be honest, it wasn’t a pretty sight. But upon closer inspection, it seemed like her forearm had slightly, very slightly, regenerated more than what Yeon-woo had seen before.

“Oh?”

“After the Demon King died, it seems I can regenerate. It’ll take some time, but eventually, I’ll be able to take off the glove.”

“Wow, congratulations! Should I ask Dawn for some divine art to assist you?”

“That would be appreciated.”

Saying this, Lucrecia emptied her beer can and opened a new one from the line of cans next to her. Well, while congratulations are nice…

“You’ll be cleaning up what you eat, right?”

“Uh, I was planning to….”

“What are you doing, Yeon-woo?”

Cutting in abruptly, Riley intervened. When Yeon-woo turned her head, she saw Riley’s furious expression. But why was Riley angry?

“I’ll clean up…!! Why are you trying to hand over my work to others…!!”

“Well, that’s fine with me. Haha, works for me.”

Feeling an ache in her temples, Yeon-woo wondered why Riley was so desperately eager to act on others’ behalf when she didn’t seem to care as much about her own tasks.

“Ah, I’m sorry to trouble you so soon after your return, but I’m thinking of going somewhere soon. Would you like to come?”

“Huh? Where to?”

“There’s a lead on the Demon King of Fire from Leviathan. They say it’s at the gate, and I’m considering going to find it.”

“Well, sure. I don’t mind. I’m tired of the North Sea, but not of Earth.”

She accepted surprisingly quickly. Of course, while Yeon-woo could manage the gate exploration alone, she intended to take a peek around for a little leisure.

Afterward, she planned to help out with either Alkeon or the martial arts realm, thus she needed to bring her along.

In other words, you think I’ll rest while you work? You think I’m a black company president? I’m offering you my precious regeneration divine art, you know!!

*

“Ugh, good rest.”

Of course, saying she rested well didn’t mean she was idle the whole time. She hadn’t neglected basic physical training.

Although she hadn’t swung her sword in days since her master level, physical training wouldn’t improve if not done regularly.

Since it was a minor workout that didn’t take much time, she didn’t think too much about it.

She felt it’s much better to at least engage in some exercise rather than do absolutely nothing.

Anyway, the days of rest had come to an end. Now it was time to handle the work that had piled up.

With Alkeon and martial arts both thrown into chaos, wasn’t it a bit selfish for Yeon-woo to be the only one having a good time?

“Ahh, you woke up quickly….”

Lucrecia entered the underground training ground with a sleepy voice. Yeon-woo seized the moment and looked at Lucrecia.

“Are you still not awake? Want to exchange some blows to wake up?”

“You’ve changed a lot, huh?”

In the past, she’d hesitate to engage in such sparring, even in training, but now it was, “Shall we go for it since we’re bored?” It seemed she had changed more than expected despite the short time apart.

However, Lucrecia was also a person with a fiery spirit. There was no reason to refuse her suggestion.

“Fine, let’s see how you’ve improved.”

Lucrecia wore a fierce smile. Her lips curled into a smirk, and Yeon-woo aimed her Doppleganger at her.

Both of them extended their martial arts toward each other. In an instant, dozens of strikes exchanged between them.

Yeon-woo began by restraining Lucrecia’s movements to prevent her from countering her egress. With a gentle twist of her wrist, she pulled Yeon-woo’s sword towards her.

However, Yeon-woo was also no stranger to battles like that.

Spinning around, she kicked Lucrecia in the abdomen. Lucrecia’s body was pushed back as she blocked it with her other arm.

Not losing her focus, Lucrecia’s hand grabbed the Doppleganger’s nose.

In an instant, the Doppleganger softened and slipped from her grasp. Just as if it had been planned, Lucrecia approached to regain her balance after being pushed aside.

Even though it was a Doppleganger, transforming its form once more while shifting shapes was impossible.

Recognizing the thought process from their sparring experience, Lucrecia charged in with a fierce attack.

Bam!! A powerful blow struck Yeon-woo right at her center. She barely managed to block it with her forearm, but the follow-up strikes were where things became troublesome.

Just as she’d expected, Lucrecia’s fists darted out like a flurry.

Even someone like Yeon-woo couldn’t dodge them all. She avoided most of the strikes, narrowly escaping the onslaught.

And at the moment when they were about to strike each other again—

“Ahh! No fighting without me, Daddy and Sister Lucrecia!!”

Shar burst into the underground training ground, spinning her arms. Um, that’s a bit…

Yeon-woo couldn’t bear to punch back at her daughter in front of everyone. So she called for surrender instead and withdrew.

Lucrecia, who had suddenly been forced to spar with Shar, displayed an expression of surprise.

(To be continued in the next episode)