Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 56

Seeing Yuri showering Shar with chocolate, Yeon-woo was horrified.

“Master, didn’t you say not to give too many snacks to Shar?!”

“Hey, you brat! Shar is skin and bones, so we should feed her something! At least give her some proper meals!!”

“She’s eating more than I am, though!?”

“Eat more, Shar! Get her share too!”

Amidst munching on a piece of chocolate, Shar replied.

“I-I’ll do my best…!!”

Damn it, no one’s on my side here.

For Yeon-woo, it was a sad situation. Every time he brought Shar along, most of the attention would be directed at him, clearly showing that this world was still engulfed by the bias of appearance obsession.

“Don’t forget to brush your teeth, Shar…!!”

“I-I’ll do it twice as much!!”

That’s actually bad for your teeth, so stop…!! I’m curious if a fragile toothbrush can even damage a dragon’s teeth…!!

Shar sat in Yuri’s arms, surrounded by piles of chocolate stacked like a desk. It almost looked like Shar could decide all important matters for the Hunters’ Division if things went awry.

“So, did you bring it?”

“Ah, whose disciple am I? Of course I brought it.”

Yeon-woo rummaged through the pouch at his waist, pulling out a long wrapped item and a round one. Of course, it was the Heukdong Ogong’s inner elixir and the Dongja Sam. He placed the inner elixir on the desk.

“Good job bringing it. We’ll procure the inner elixir on an academic basis, but are you going to consume the Mandrake now?”

“Yes, I plan to. You’ll help me absorb it, right?”

“I should be playing with Shar, do we have to do this?”

“Damn, you’re joking, right?”

“Tch.”

With an expression that screamed “this is such a hassle,” Yuri hugged the chocolate-munching Shar and headed towards an oddly positioned door on the wall. It led to Yuri’s personal training room, something he got from the Academy instead of becoming a professor.

It was absurd for a professor to want a naked Gate as a training space, but the Academy was even more out of their minds for granting it.

Fortunately, it seemed Yuri wasn’t planning to lug this around for life, as he had a contract stating he would leave it behind in the Department Head’s Office once he was done. For a commoner like Yeon-woo, that contract was nothing short of ludicrous.

Through the open door was just a dark void. As Yuri stepped inside with Shar, it seemed like they were swallowed by the darkness, vanishing without a trace. Yeon-woo followed suit.

What unfolded was a green meadow. A somewhat shabby wooden cabin stood on the grass, and a forest loomed in the distance. A tiny spring bubbled beside the cabin.

It was truly a pastoral sight, though ironically, it was all created at Yuri’s request. Perhaps it was akin to how martial artists envision training areas with waterfalls or training halls.

“Sit tight and prepare yourself. I’ll get a chair for Shar.”

“Okay.”

Leaving Yuri to enter the cabin, Yeon-woo sat cross-legged on the ground. To consume the Dongja Sam, he first needed to release Shar’s magic, so he had to delay the consumption for a bit.

While pondering what to do during the brief wait, Yeon-woo decided to seek feedback on the Aura Blade.

Although he hadn’t manifested it since, he could still remember the sensations.

First, he focused on activating his spatial awareness. According to what he had checked in the Body Training Room today, upon concentrating, he could naturally extend his reach about a half-step into the area of spatial awareness, but it was really more appropriate to use magic right now.

They often say, “The muscles are an extension of the limbs,” but honestly, it’s not something easy to feel. Wielding a weapon isn’t as free as moving your arms and legs.

However, when he activated the Aura Blade, the sensation Yeon-woo felt most strongly was that the sword was incredibly free.

It could move anywhere. It could do anything.

It felt as though the sword had merged with his arm, giving him an omnipotent feeling as if he could cleave through anything.

…He felt that sensation before. When he focused all his attention on his sword and swung it during his first encounter with Yuri.

It was the sensation of breathing through the sword, not distinguishing himself from it.

In a distant position, he could glimpse the landscape of the unification of body and sword.

When he opened his eyes, the sword was enveloped by a gentle golden light of mana, as if it had been ignited.

“……Is it a bit clumsy?”

Through the Aura leaking from his fingertips, he gauged his skill level. The flow of aura was much faster than his previously mediocre aura reinforcement, which wasn’t very good to begin with.

He wondered if it could only be maintained for a minute or so before he hurriedly dispersed the Aura Blade. Yuri came out holding a chair and said:

“Wow, you’ve learned the Aura Blade. It’s a bit clumsy, but… well, for a month’s work on the Aura Blade, that’s pretty impressive.”

“It really is clumsy, isn’t it?”

“If I could advise, it might be better to avoid having the aura manifest in a burning form. Like this.”

Setting the chair down and placing Shar in it, Yuri casually drew his sword from its sheath. Seeing that, Yeon-woo, who was confused about what about his Aura Blade had manifested, suddenly frowned.

“Can it be that thin?”

“This is the real Aura Blade, you little brat. Among them, this one is particularly skillful.”

The aura was compressed to its extreme around the sword sheath. Yuri’s colorless mana was hard to recognize. When peering through the aura like heat haze, it could only be recognized by slight refraction.

That characteristic naturally displayed itself in the Aura Blade and Aura Weapons, which would be distinguishable even by those ordinarily unsuitable for mana or others.

‘It’s fundamentally an issue of being colorless in the first place.’

The Aura Blade was compressed to such a degree that it seemed almost touching the atomic level, and naturally, it was impossible to see it with the naked eye.

“Coming out like it’s burning significantly drops aura efficiency. Since you’re the disciple of an experienced person, you should be able to reach this level, right?”

“Hey, didn’t you say I don’t have any aptitude for swordsmanship?”

What do you want from me, seriously?

Yeon-woo sighed softly, regretting becoming Yuri’s disciple more sincerely than ever before.

Regardless of whatever else, it was now time to consume the Mandrake. Yeon-woo first requested Shar, who now had chocolate smeared all over her mouth, to retrieve the freshness-preserving magic inscribed within the Mandrake.

“…But why is this Mandrake bleeding from its ears? Isn’t it usually the opposite?”

“No, Master. Do you expect us to come to the Mandrake wounded? I’m terribly disappointed. We have Shar here….”

“What a ridiculous little thing. Judging by Shar’s expression, you must have done something strange again.”

With a lost expression, Shar hesitated. Yeon-woo thought to train Shar to maintain a poker face one day, then spoke the truth.

“Yeah, I had a little singing contest. Did no harm, right?”

“Well, of course. In fact, if it’s only this much, the Mandrake is undamaged, and its preservation state is excellent.”

“So, there’s no need for special processing then?”

“Right. Consuming natural potions as-is is the best. Now, place your clothes neatly beside you. Chew well and swallow.”

After receiving the Mandrake from Shar, Yeon-woo took a deep breath.

He had no worries about taste. Most potions, for whatever reason, contained a form of nature’s essence that made it almost impossible for them to taste bad.

What concerned him was the Mandrake’s effects.

Most people think of potions as substances that enhance the amount of aura or mana, making it easier to break through boundaries.

However, even human-made potions have their differences; it would be naïve to assume that natural potions would be any different.

Before regression, there was a person who researched natural potions with such a mindset. And that person, even while financially strapped, managed to gather enough potions, leading to some formulated research results.

One of them was the Mandrake Yeon-woo held, a kind of human-shaped ginseng.

Actually, ordinary ginseng made one want to question why it took a human form. But the ginseng that had transformed into a potion took a form that could only be seen as human.

In fact, apart from having root-like tips, the Mandrake Yeon-woo held had limbs, a face, back, abdomen, and chest that possessed the necessary and sufficient conditions to be considered human.

Perhaps the only thing missing was hair?

In primitive beliefs, the act of consuming the innards of other living beings was thought to heal one’s own ailments or to vitalize that specific area.

Of course, nutritionally, it’s entirely unfounded, but ironically, potions were not things that could be defined as such.

As if that kind of belief had shaped reality, the Mandrake bore potency that was not much different from that belief.

The difference might be that unlike specific areas, the Mandrake had effects that impacted the entire body.

Consuming the Mandrake was akin to giving your body a thorough internal cleansing. It expelled the waste and filth trapped within your body and disinfected it with the pure energy of the potion. During that process, the energies remaining within the blood vessels naturally absorbed into the mana core, increasing the amount of aura as well.

The problematic point was that the mana, as energy, felt progressively warmer with higher purity. And the purity of the mana contained within this natural Mandrake was of mid-grade.

Even if it’s called mid-grade, considering it’s a potion, it’s just the top 1% of high-end products on Earth.

When Yeon-woo described it as a cleaning and disinfecting job, it was not for no reason. That expression fit best in terms of the degree of pain involved.

“Support your useless dad, Shar…!!”

“F-Fighting!!”

With a firm little hand clenched tight, and eyes squeezed shut, Shar cheered earnestly from Yeon-woo. He, with frugality in his demeanor, shoved the Mandrake into his mouth. He chewed. He swallowed.

The pieces of Mandrake slid down his throat and settled in his stomach. That was when it began. It felt as though the path the Mandrake took lit up in flames, heating up just like he was drinking highly concentrated alcohol.

“Suffering brings blessings.”

“Ugh…!!”

This was Shar’s chance to show him a wonderful sight; he couldn’t miss it…!!

*

“Uugh…!!”

“Focus, will ya.”

Yuri placed a hand on Yeon-woo’s back and lightly tapped the back of his head with the sword sheath as he howled in agony.

‘I’m focused, I swear…!!’

It hurt. His veins throbbed. For some reason, the throbbing spread throughout his body, causing him pain everywhere. However, the source of the pain was different from what he initially anticipated.

The pure aura that began radiating from around his danjeon was being guided by Yuri’s powerful aura. The problem was that it was Yuri’s strong aura rather than the Mandrake that was cleaning through the blood vessels, muscles, and surfaces of bones.

Naturally, if it were the effects of the Mandrake alone, the total amount of aura that the mana core could harvest in the end would not be a handful. That was because the purifying and substantial energy would tire out quickly.

But inversely, if he didn’t end up consuming the Mandrake’s purified energy while cleaning, it meant that he could absorb all of the natural energies contained within the Mandrake.

Yeon-woo was realizing that through tremendous agony.

Have you heard of a high-pressure cleaner that cleaning businesses use? That feels exactly like having it blown into your insides. The subsequent disinfecting from the Mandrake felt closer to being given a painkiller.

However, that excruciating pain held certain advantages as well.

“It hurts so much I can’t let go of my sanity, Master!!”

“Hey! What the hell does ‘hurt so much’ mean in front of a child?!”

Once more, the dark sheath lightly tapped Yeon-woo’s head. Somehow, it felt like a chill ran down his skull.

“Ah, d-dad, does it hurt that much…? ”

“Don’t you kids ever you do this…!!”

“Y-You, you guys? Dad, are you seeing hallucinations?! Pull yourself together!!”

Yeon-woo’s attempt to throw some humor to ease Shar’s worries seemed to have the opposite effect of inciting concern. No, honey, that’s not what’s happening. Yeon-woo shook his head, drenched in dark sweat.

Waste was pouring from his body without pause through every pore. It flowed out like dough being squeezed through a noodle machine, reeking of a faintly sour and coppery scent.

While Shar frowned at the sight, she commanded the surrounding wind to circulate.

Before long, from the center of his body downward, the energy of the Mandrake leisurely strolled through Yuri’s aura as if on a sightseeing bus. Usually, no matter how skilled you were, it would take at least an hour for this task, but Yuri finished it in barely thirty minutes.

Of course, what remained afterward was the work of absorbing the Mandrake’s energies into his aura, which was entirely Yeon-woo’s responsibility.

But although it hurt like hell, such pain could easily be seen as a trade-off…?

“I was thinking of opening your meridians, but we’ll save that for next time. Dig a hole for the waste that comes out of your body and bury it. Rest after melting it down slowly.”

“Ah, yes, understood….”

Having said that, Yuri withdrew his hand. Through his palm, Yuri’s aura exited, leaving the remaining Mandrake’s energy hovering in the empty space.

Apparently, Yuri was planning to leave the Gate as it was. In that case, what Yeon-woo needed to do was make the most of the opportunity Yuri had provided.

“What will Shar do? If it’s uncomfortable here, you can wait in the Department Head’s Office.”

“Nope, I’ll stay here.”

“Then so be it. I’ll leave some snacks behind, so eat when you’re hungry.”

With a knowing smile that didn’t quite fit a child’s face, Yuri exited through the Gate.

All that remained were Shar and Yeon-woo. Yeon-woo’s body seemed to have no more waste to expel, as he was now shedding clear droplets of sweat.

(To be continued in the next chapter)