Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 50

“Honestly, to put it bluntly, realizing enlightenment when you want it is something only characters in novels or comics could say without a conscience. For an ordinary Hunter, attaining enlightenment even once in their life is tough, and even the martial arts masters who spend their whole lives in reflection and training can count their moments of enlightenment on one hand.

The idea that you suddenly gain strength through some realization is far too inefficient. It’s different if we’re speaking about immense power right before death, but still.

At one point, Yuri had said this about enlightenment:

“Enlightenment is always nearby. If you only look at your sword, you will never find it.”

Easier said than done. Don’t just look at the sword; keep an eye on other things too. But doing that would mean neglecting the sword. Truly infuriating words.

However, if there’s one advantage for Yeon-woo, it’s that they know what the feeling of entering enlightenment is like.

The sensation of deeply immersing oneself into the moment of mastering the lightness technique. The process of gathering clues from everything they’ve seen and felt until now.

So what exactly are the clues needed to manifest the Aura Blade?

It felt like a new spirit was blossoming within their body. Like a tree stretching its branches, even though their arms weren’t moving, they saw their body performing movements different from before.

It was as if six additional arms grew, each wielding a different sword.

Downward slashes, horizontal cuts, thrusts.

Three-Ranked Sword Technique. Yuri had said that “Three Ranks” refers to Heaven, Earth, and Man. Naturally, that raises a question.

If the Three Ranks mean Heaven, Earth, and Man, then what do those three forms represent in the context of downward, horizontal, and thrusting strikes?

Yuri gave no clear answers to that question. She likely intended not to deprive her disciple of their opportunity to think.

‘But as I look at it….’

There was a point in the air, a person.

Horizontally, the earth was marked.

Vertically, sunlight poured down upon them.

The image of human existence being sketched through just three sword forms was an incredibly beautiful sight, and Yeon-woo, helpless, gazed at the trajectories of the many swords drawn by other versions of themselves.

*

“…What is happening there?”

After leaping over the enormous centipede monster with tremendous agility, Dang Sa-ryeon, caught by surprise, murmured as they looked at Yeon-woo, who had closed their eyes for some reason while clinging to its back.

It was indeed odd. Setting aside how they were attached atop a frenzied Heukdong Ogong, the sight of them with closed eyes and relaxed limbs looked more like part of a training session than a hunt.

“What’s going on, miss?”

A member of the Nokpungdae squad, who had his head buried, asked this without knowing what was happening. Dang Sa-ryeon found the situation amusing, thinking it was fun to see such a personality emerge from the family but also realizing that a slight taste of bitterness was necessary to remind them of their duties to their master.

The back of the Heukdong Ogong was already slippery enough. It was unfathomable how one could remain so steady on a creature thrashing about in madness.

‘But with a sword, it might be better to get off instead.’

That armor really felt impenetrable. Unless they could generate a sword’s qi, that was.

However, judging from their physical training, the unidentified student accompanying that young girl didn’t seem like anyone comparable to the lower-tier members of the family.

‘If anything, that girl over there looks stronger than any boy.’

As Dang Sa-ryeon turned their gaze back to the Heukdong Ogong, a somewhat surprising sight unfolded before them.

“…Are they out of their mind?”

“What is happening, miss!? I’m curious!”

Even with their head stuck, the noisy Nokpungdae member lightly placed a foot on top of their head, leaning in to see the unfolding scene.

It was a sight that would have made Yuri burst into laughter.

Instigating enlightenment artificially wasn’t impossible. In fact, it was something Yuri was quite familiar with.

If it was in the area of swords, Yuri could easily grasp what was preventing one from overcoming the wall and where exactly they were stuck. Formulating and conveying that through words was almost a hobby for Yuri.

Yet, creating enlightenment artificially when one truly needs it for themselves is an entirely different matter.

If one were to realize something only after being confronted with danger, no one would bother training. After all, what difference does it make to just solve it when the time comes?

Even so, from Dang Sa-ryeon’s perspective, the boy they were looking at didn’t seem to have reached a level where they could unleash sword qi, yet they were dauntlessly attempting that ridiculous feat right in front of them.

‘What on earth are they up to…?’

The problem was that this ridiculous act seemed to be succeeding.

Overflowing inner energy caused a force. Heat emanated, almost like a mirage, making the area feel intense. To Dang Sa-ryeon, this wasn’t because the boy had mastered a certain technique.

What could only be described as a level below “Inner Energy Method” was unable to purify the area with pure inner energy alone and resorted to manifesting heat as a means to exert power.

In other words, it resembled Sanmai True Fire. Specifically, it was a dim representation of pure inner energy that sparked flames.

However, conversely, producing a Sanmai True Fire in such an imperfect form meant that the immature boy had reached a place that could be more than just a casual understanding of ability.

Given this level, they might truly be able to manifest sword qi.

The fact struck at her heart as a martial artist, but to the girl tired of her closed family, this was an infinitely intriguing subject.

If they had reached such a level at that age, there was no reason not to have expectations. While not as good as the lower-tier members, someone of that caliber would certainly not draw disapproval from the family leaders.

*

At the point where Yeon-woo could execute horizontal cuts and thrusts effortlessly, they once expressed a desire for Yuri to teach them something new.

Having reached a physical state somewhat suitable, they thought maybe it was time to initiate learning beyond the Three-Ranked Sword Technique.

Yet Yuri shook her head at that statement, saying one must solidify their foundation first and that they hadn’t fully grasped it yet.

Until then, she told them to make do with just the Three-Ranked Inner Method and the Three-Ranked Sword Technique.

One could argue that they were certainly holding their foundation firmly, but when would they be able to finally learn proper swordsmanship? Yeon-woo could have pushed back on that, but they didn’t.

They were confident that Yuri couldn’t be wrong when it came to the path of the sword.

Thus, Yeon-woo continued to wield the sword silently after that. They moved, built stamina, paid attention to flexibility, and trained their body.

If this was where it had led them, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but smile.

‘What a crazy old coot.’

Is gaining enlightenment merely a basic-level achievement? Understanding what a sword is might be considered basic, but still.

That’s just insane. While it isn’t entirely sane, those eyes were sharp.

Somewhere in their mind, Yuri must have noticed that for Yeon-woo to truly reach the realm of the Aura Blade, they simply needed a catalyst.

That catalyst? Not wanting to push Shar, who lacked ability, into doing something unnecessary, right? They understood their disciple’s psychology all too well.

Horizontally, vertically, dots of sword strikes erupted over another Yeon-woo, whose height was around the navel.

A shadow of a person descended from the branches. Clumsy and chaotic sword trajectories followed, and the shadow—a little child’s—curiously tilted its head. Yet, it continuously swung its sword, like an endless effort hoping for some reward.

It was a fragment of the past now so distant that the memory felt vague. A portrait of a pure time when they never once thought they lacked talent with a sword.

The period they longed for the heroic warriors wielding swords and magic from the old tales the nun told.

That ten years Yeon-woo had endlessly regretted before the regression, thinking they had lost everything.

Swinging continuously. Swinging, swinging, and swinging until a straight line formed. The shadow found joy in this reality as well as sorrow.

As Yeon-woo quietly observed the scene, they pondered that what Yuri truly wanted might not be for their disciple to reach some enlightenment level after all.

Look with those eyes. Those ten years you might lament as wasted time were shining in ways you never imagined.

It was precisely because of those seemingly worthless years that you—the flower—could bloom like this.

‘Don’t meddle too much, Master.’

Considering everything before regression, that was barely half of twenty years’ worth of practice.

With that thought, Yeon-woo tightened their grip on the sword.

Three-Ranked Sword Technique.

A dot was made. A person stood resolutely in place.

A horizontal line was drawn. The earth firmly supported the place where the person stood.

A vertical line was drawn. Sunlight pouring down from the clouds shone upon the person.

Truly an arrogant sword. Yeon-woo thought again. What could just three cuts possibly represent, or what could define Heaven, Earth, and Man?

But considering that Heaven and Earth only came to be because of humanity, swinging the sword at the sky after ten years somehow made one want to chuckle.

They simply poured all their strength into the downward strike.

*

Something was happening above their back.

An unbearably clean air. Such an atmosphere was emanating from the prey it had leapt onto.

It was an ambiance they always avoided. Those that exuded such a presence were capable of killing themselves, so they had stayed away all this time.

But why? It shouldn’t have been the case.

With the faint rationality given by embodying a monster, Heukdong Ogong thought these things, and to escape the current situation, it moved to devour what was once its prey, growing stronger still.

───That was until its body was vertically cleaved in two.

*

The golden mana surged upward like flames, gradually condensing. The mana, prickling out like a hedgehog’s quills, began to stabilize and shrink.

3 meters. The mana that had been released so excessively that calling it a great sword was an understatement was soon compressed down to the blade’s surface.

The atmosphere shuddered. The immense, solidified mana, compressed to its limit, exerted force throughout the area.

Flowing intensely across the surface, the pure energy seemed to declare its existence to the world. The Aura Blade was such an item. It projected an individual’s will onto the world. Even though it was an imperfect and poorly-controlled Aura Blade, that fact remained unchanged.

An Aura Blade cannot strike against a firmly established self. Thus, not many can defend against this sword strike.

Double shells of a mere bug couldn’t possibly withstand it.

Fwooosh!!

It was more fitting to describe the sound as an explosion than simply a cut, as clear fluid gushed forth.

“Ah.”

Yeon-woo’s cry was but a moment.

It wasn’t that Yeon-woo burst forth. They were completely drenched in the fluid pouring up from the cut-open insides of Heukdong Ogong, and only after that could they move.

And, as previously mentioned, the fluid of Heukdong Ogong was paralyzing. Although its primary weapons, the venomous fangs and claws, never struck effectively, the echoes of death were indeed in effect.

Still not wanting to be sprawled across a centipede’s carcass, Yeon-woo leapt toward Shar, who was relatively far away. The paralysis venom wasn’t too potent, but when covered in that much, they became immobile quickly.

As Yeon-woo struggled to turn their fallen body, before they could even flip over, all sensations dulled throughout. Quickly, they thought to communicate with Shar.

‘Shar, could you magically create some water and pour it on me?’

[Ah, got it…!!]

It seemed Shar didn’t want to touch Yeon-woo, who was drenched in centipede fluid, as a huge orb of water was conjured above their head and slammed down onto Yeon-woo.

“Thanks, gurgle.”

“Ah!? Are you okay, Dad!?”

Shar, having hit harder than intended, quickly panicked.

“You really hate centipedes, don’t you, Shar….”

Well, nobody would want to touch someone drenched in bug fluid, regardless of the type.

‘Looks like I need to be a bit more cautious around Dang Sa-ryeon.’

[Uh… They’re coming, you know?]

What?

(To be continued)