Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 49: Simple Components

The contents were simple. Wrapping dry twigs in a fire crystal, shaping them into a round form with mud or whatever crumbly material, then wrapping it in appropriate cloth.

With a pop, the explosive shattered as it collided near the centipede’s mouth.

Boom!!

『───!!』

With a thunderous noise, the explosion shot up into the sky. The Dang Sa-ryeon, who had been distracted, certainly noticed this. All I could do was hope the minor monsters wouldn’t swarm us after this.

This fire crystal didn’t require special materials or crafting methods, yet its power was strong enough to change the paradigm of terrorism. Since it exploded only when mana was activated, its safety was also quite remarkable. Because of that, purchasing it without a Hunter certification became impossible.

“Shar, can you fight that thing!?”

“Ugh, ugh, uh…!! I-I’ll try!!”

“Is that all?”

If she hesitated three times, I just needed to ask Shar for a little support. After lightly patting the shoulder of Shar, who seemed unable to bear looking, Yeon-woo dashed forward.

Honestly, I wanted to hurl bombs from a distance and finish it off, but unfortunately, that was impossible. Due to its compromise in portability and firepower, it wasn’t extremely powerful. I hadn’t brought many bombs since I wasn’t planning for a prolonged battle.

Nevertheless, I only brought one pouch because I trusted Shar. If Shar was here, handling the Heukdong Ogong would be no big deal. So now, as Shar expressed her inability to fight, I felt a tad troubled.

But was it entirely impossible to do alone? If you ask that, then no, it wasn’t. Nature’s law states that as strengths emerge, weaknesses are also evident.

Just then, the Heukdong Ogong twisted its body, shaking off the explosion. With a sharp wind pressure, its imposing form revealed itself.

Its segments, as large as a person, waved alongside legs as long as human arms in a regular rhythm. The sleek, deep red shell shimmered under the sunlight.

The sight of countless lengths stretching endlessly evoked a bizarre urge to skateboard down it once.

‘Yikes.’

Strange impulse, stop!!

While Yeon-woo was caught in a tumult of thoughts, the creature lifted its upper body like a meerkat. The white shell inside was exposed. The target Yeon-woo needed to aim for wasn’t the outer shell on its back, but the shell within.

It was a natural instinct that, in order to concentrate mana, one would focus on the back rather than the belly resting on the ground.

“It’s not easy to target unless you’re a wizard, but keep that in mind, Shar.”

“Are you saying if I punch in there, I’d be bathing in centipede blood!?”

Yeon-woo didn’t want to say such things, but it wouldn’t make sense to a nervous Shar, who was already terrified of what lay ahead. Seems she truly disliked bugs. Good to know that in advance.

“Though the visuals of those creatures are quite unpleasant. You just watch from there. Dad needs to show off some cool moves, too.”

“I’m sorry……”

Saying that, Shar hid behind a rock some distance away. A perfect one-on-one manly showdown. In exchange, I asked her to set up a barrier to keep the nearby minor monsters away. Because from here on out, it was certain things would get loud.

Ultimately, the important thing was that shell. They said it’s not easy for anyone but a wizard to target.

“But I am a wizard, aren’t I?”

The Heukdong Ogong tilted its massive form towards Yeon-woo. It intended to crush with its weight. Quickly, Yeon-woo placed a hand on the ground and rolled to the side. Rolling over the jagged rocky ground, Yeon-woo began to visualize a plan.

There was no need to use shadows as material. Magic formed from shadows might excel in speed and stealth, but lacked physical power.

If targeting the belly, it was easier to form a base with the earth, setting up for the ensuing battle.

The mana seeping through Yeon-woo’s palm responded to his intent. The energy of the dragon resonated with nature. It stirred to fulfill the wish of the Conductor.

Crack!!

The earth erupted in a cylindrical shape. The earth’s pillar that was supposed to slam into the Heukdong Ogong’s abdomen got caught by its numerous legs.

In truth, the flexible Heukdong Ogong merely had to bend and hold onto it. It didn’t inflict any meaningful damage.

Though I didn’t achieve my complete goal, the outcome was satisfactory enough for Yeon-woo. After all, by capturing the oddly bulging ground, it slightly exposed the creature’s belly.

With a silver mana enveloping his body, Yeon-woo launched into the air. The scenery flowed past him like a continuous shot. He didn’t lose focus. What he had to see was that massive centipede alone.

In a straight leap, if he soared into the air, and considering that speed, the centipede likely couldn’t change its direction at all. Its sharp legs stretched out, piercing toward Yeon-woo like javelins from behind a shield.

But he wasn’t flustered. After all, those legs had limited range of motion, and thus their attack methods could be restricted. It could either swing or stab. Yeon-woo had purposefully dashed in straight to provoke a stabbing action.

Silver mana exploded. Yeon-woo stepped off of nothing. The sharp leg tips stopped right before him. The power of 은경공 made him free in the air. It seemed even the Heukdong Ogong was flustered, with its massive head turning towards Yeon-woo first.

The legs grazed precariously close, missing by mere sheets of paper, but as they struggled to move, they weren’t fast enough due to its bulk.

『!?』

He pulled a bomb from his empty left hand and tossed it, while the doppelganger in his right transformed into a whip.

Swish!!

The shadow beneath his feet was struck by the swirling whip.

Just like that, the whip leaped upwards from beneath the Heukdong Ogong, transforming like a tennis racket. Of course, the belly shell was weak, and the whip could strike whenever from below. With enough time, cooking it wouldn’t be too hard. But Yeon-woo had no intention of doing that.

The crimson bomb soared toward the whip that transformed like a tennis racket. The whip, coated in mana, smashed toward the bomb.

Boom!!

『───!!!!』

Once again, the explosion and roar assaulted the gorge. It detonated right below the abdomen, so it must’ve suffered significant damage.

Still, even before returning, Yeon-woo wouldn’t call himself a pure martial artist. Given the circumstances, it was challenging to be as thoroughly and perfectly prepared as he was in his past life, but when it came to hunting based on the information he possessed, he felt confident he wouldn’t lose to anyone in the Academy.

“Indeed, having many means is the best.”

As he transformed the doppelganger back into the shape of a sword, Yeon-woo smiled.

*

Essentially, spirit beings are bound to conduct overwhelming battles physically by their nature. Consider this Heukdong Ogong; the black centipede, which was originally as large as a human, explains why it would fight in such a way.

Furthermore, it became a spirit, causing one of its segments to grow to a human size. Naturally, it would be odd not to utilize that physicality.

Honestly, I think Shar should learn this kind of fighting style instead of the Demon King’s. Considering how scared Shar was when she saw the Heukdong Ogong, she wouldn’t want to learn its fighting style.

Boom-!!

With the Heukdong Ogong landing from a jump several meters high, intense vibrations surged. It rushed toward Yeon-woo as if it didn’t feel the impact at all. Meanwhile, Yeon-woo was thrown off balance by the quaking ground.

To stabilize himself, Yeon-woo pushed his mana down into the soil. A small rock protruded beneath his right foot, restoring his stance. He leaped off the elevated ground like stepping on a staircase, rolling his body.

A sound like a mighty river torrent echoed, and soon debris was scattered toward Yeon-woo as he regained his balance.

“Eww.”

Spitting out the dirt that entered his mouth, Yeon-woo steadied himself once more.

The situation wasn’t particularly favorable. Due to its peculiar vitality, it had likely healed up since it didn’t seem to be spilling any more fluids, but it appeared enraged by the bomb that had punctured its side.

It was now racing wildly like a centipede, rampaging through its own territory.

I couldn’t even halt its movements with magic that limited output as before, and raising the output was troublesome due to the insufficient amount of mana I had.

Moreover, it was now wary of the bombs. Every time Yeon-woo threw one, it would leap away instinctively, becoming quite a nuisance.

“Should I have fought it inside the cave?”

Fighting inside would’ve favored the Heukdong Ogong, so I certainly exerted effort to lure it out, but this was becoming troublesome.

“And, there’s an even bigger problem.”

From afar, bending its body like a spring while attempting to drift, the Heukdong Ogong was visible. Looking overhead, Yeon-woo murmured.

“It’s drawing aggro.”

Squawk, squawk, it had been loud and chaotic since earlier.

The raven squawking loudly was being preyed upon by an Arlong, and some distant creatures were occasionally appearing, preparing to ambush the Heukdong Ogong.

It was clear that all the monsters in this vicinity were aware of the ruckus.

Considering this was the same Heukdong Ogong that had lived for years undisturbed, it was almost laughable.

‘Shar, are you keeping those monsters at bay?’

[I’m trying, but that bug keeps going outside!!]

Oh dear. As Shar seemed irritated, Yeon-woo sent her some sympathy. Being an Enforcer wasn’t an easy job, to say the least.

And then the second problem.

From a distance, or more specifically, just at the edge of Shar’s barrier, a woman in a dark green dress was watching us with her arms crossed.

Dang Sa-ryeon.

…And beside her, a Nokpungdae member seemed to be banging his head. His face was flushed; I wondered if he was alright.

Watching that ridiculous sight, it seemed she had no intention of intervening immediately.

Yeon-woo considered the possibility. If he were to team up with Shar against the Dang Sa-ryeon and the unidentified Nokpungdae member in a 2:2, could they win? Well, it didn’t seem impossible.

Yeon-woo soon turned his gaze back to the centipede. What mattered most was defeating the Heukdong Ogong. If this dragged on, he could find himself worn out and become prey. If he had to take a gamble, it was better to do it now, when he had some stamina left.

Thud thud thud!

The enormous head of the Heukdong Ogong drew close, accompanied by a sound like a nomadic tribe galloping across a plain. Its big head was truly pitiful. It was even horrendously ugly.

“Here goes!!”

With perfect timing, just as Yeon-woo barely avoided it, he focused mana in his legs and jumped up. The silver mana wrapping around him didn’t only serve to dash through the air.

It also drastically increased the distance, height, and speed of his first leap. Though it wasn’t a commonly used ability in battle, at times like this, it proved to be immensely helpful.

As he leaped up, he suddenly sensed a chilling presence and hastily lifted his legs.

Crunch!!

With a sound like scissors cutting, the Heukdong Ogong’s mouth gnawed where his knee had just been.

Feeling a bone-chilling realization at the narrow escape, Yeon-woo managed to land safely on its back thanks to his mana.

Due to its structure, the Heukdong Ogong had no means to strike a creature riding on its back. It could only squirm on the ground beneath it.

Naturally, realizing something was on its back, the Heukdong Ogong began to writhe with rage. It could dodge, but riding atop its back would mean attempting a rodeo on its hard but slippery surface.

Of course, Yeon-woo quickly bent down and activated a spell as it flailed.

It was a spell he developed while watching the spy action show on TV, essentially wrapping his limbs in a sticky mana.

Honestly, until then, it had been a half-joking spell, not particularly useful, but after deciding to go after the Heukdong Ogong, he requested Shar to improve it.

Yet, the problem was that there was no way to inflict damage on the Heukdong Ogong from here. Sure, drilling against its shell could work, but at that point, the Heukdong Ogong would roll on the ground, exposing its belly.

That left only two possible methods. To call Shar, who disliked fighting, and ask her to smash it.

The second was for Yeon-woo to awaken the use of his sword technique, Aura Blade.

‘Honestly, that’s a ridiculous statement.’

In practicality, the former was the way to go. If it were Shar, the one who had absorbed lessons from the Demon King and came down here, she’d definitely be able to break that shell.

If Shar joined the fight, it was obvious that the battle would become much simpler.

However, even so, he only wanted her to provide a bit of supportive magic and didn’t want her to participate in the fight because of the paternal feelings he held.

Feeling a bit guilty, yet also believing Shar’s reluctance to fight stemmed from her trust in him as her father.

If that’s the case, Yeon-woo wanted to repay that feeling. He wished to remain as the best father his daughter envisioned in her mind. Even if one day, he would end up with a belly and lose his hair, becoming less presentable.

Still, every father desires to be their child’s superhero, doesn’t he?

‘Let’s give it a shot. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll cleanly give up and ask Shar for help.’

That much should be fine. Making his decision, Yeon-woo relaxed his body and closed his eyes. He gripped the sword extended in front of him lightly.

(To be continued in the next chapter)