Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 58

Walking out of the commercial district, Yeon-woo and Shar had bags stuffed full of somewhat suspicious items, looking like a bank robber. Upon reflection, it seemed far better to buy unappraised equipment found in the dungeon if they had to purchase inexpensive goods anyway.

And naturally, that judgment was spot on.

Of course, they hadn’t suddenly stumbled upon some incredible item no one could identify like a common novel cliché—simply put, they had no means of appraisal. But didn’t Yeon-woo and Shar see mana with their own eyes? All they had to do was buy the antiques that radiated it, and they were golden.

In other words, whatever was stuffed into Yeon-woo’s bag was assuredly imbued with mana or inscribed with magic. Whether the shopkeeper didn’t have time to appraise it or if it was closer to stolen goods remained a mystery, but for Yeon-woo, it felt like hitting the jackpot.

“We’re holding a magic artifact appraisal party in the dorm…!!”

“Hehe, I hope there’s a lot of good stuff!”

“To be honest, I wouldn’t even mind if it’s not great! We saved a ton of money!”

“Waaah!”

If luck was on their side, they wouldn’t just be decked out in cheap gear, but high-performance equipment that wouldn’t usually be considered “cheap.” The thrill of scratching a lottery ticket always felt the most exhilarating before the reveal. Even if there were cursed items among them, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

“Choi Yeon-woo, this is the chance of a lifetime…!!”

“What’s ‘chance’?”

“A bad civilization.”

That much Yeon-woo declared solemnly.

Appraisal functionality was incredibly rare. Just looking at the prices for mid-range magical tools specifically designed for appraising low-value items showed that it was tough even to consider.

If appraisal magic were to be developed one day, the situation might flip. But oddly enough, there were no signs of it developing at this moment. While any wizard could use their magic with good effects up to a point, safety was entirely lacking.

No one would want to use magic that had a 50% chance of killing the caster.

Let alone, no one had survived to experience the side effects, so they could only guess why it was lethal. People would just suddenly bleed out of every orifice and die. If they didn’t know the cause, how could they improve it?

Ultimately, for Yeon-woo and Shar, it meant they had to take on a bit of risk, lacking any appraisal abilities.

At least as the saying goes, “With great power comes great responsibility,” it was fortunate that curses on useless items were equally useless.

Being able to engage in such absurdity certainly owed a big debt to the academy. How they had recruited her under what conditions remained unknown, but Na Yang-ho’s nickname as the smiling saint was no joke.

Indeed, Na Yang-ho was a saint belonging to the Sunflower Sect. She was such a powerful user of divine arts, that even minor curses would get purified just by being in her presence.

“Oh my, what’s the matter, Yeon-woo? You don’t seem hurt…?”

“Can I borrow some stuff in the infirmary for a bit?”

“What’s going on? What’s all that luggage behind you?”

“I won’t bother you, Teacher. I just need you to stay in the room.”

“What do you mean…? Wait, don’t tell me.”

Had she caught on with just that brief exchange? Yeon-woo felt a bit flustered. Perhaps something was sticking out of the bag?

Rubbing her temples as if pondering something, Na Yang-ho let out a soft sigh.

“Come in. But instead of not bothering me, if anything happens, let me know right away, okay?”

“Uh, yes, understood…?”

Yeon-woo had expected to be dissuaded, but was granted permission more easily than she thought. Still shocked, she stepped into the infirmary as Na Yang-ho made way.

Thud! Yeon-woo set the bag, which was bulging nearly double in size, down on the floor. She had to enhance her body with aura while carrying it, so her shoulders ached, and her lower abdomen felt empty.

“Ugh, that was heavy.”

“E-excuse me….”

Chasing after Yeon-woo, Shar trudged in. Leaning against the metal column of the partition that separated the infirmary bed, Na Yang-ho spoke.

“Make yourself at home. Uh, Shar, do you want to stay with your sister? It might be a hindrance to what Yeon-woo is doing.”

“Is that… so?”

Shar glanced back at Yeon-woo, who nodded in response to her words.

“Well, it’s not necessary to be glued to each other. Not all curses only affect the wearer.”

“Where did you hear that being next to a divine arts user weakens curses? Only Sol and I know that in our sect.”

“Let’s say it’s knowledge from a dragon.”

When Yeon-woo said this awkwardly, Shar reached out to Na Yang-ho. It seemed a request to be hugged. Probably because Yeon-woo often indulged her like that, it became a habit. For a moment Na Yang-ho lingered, but then realization hit, and Shar hurriedly withdrew her hand.

However, like a flash, Na Yang-ho’s arm grabbed Shar and embraced her.

“Ugh, no! I didn’t mean it like that!”

Na Yang-ho hugged Shar tightly, lifting her small chin slightly to smile.

“Yep~ It was obviously a request for a hug~ I wonder how spoiled you must be to say that now? Seriously, thank you, Yeon-woo.”

“What’s the saying? You get back what you give? Feel free to shower her with affection.”

Shar squirmed in Na Yang-ho’s embrace. If she struggled earnestly, even Na Yang-ho wouldn’t manage to hold her. But it seemed more like Shar was only employing the right amount of force while practicing control over her strength.

Having spent a week recuperating together, their relationship was decidedly good. It was also possible that Shar was just being embarrassed and playful.

While Yeon-woo watched the heartwarming scene and turned away, she murmured, “Now, shall we get started?”

Opening the bag from which an endless flow of countless colors spilled out, it was like a rainbow had appeared.

In the background, faint shouts of “Hang in there, Dad!” could be heard.

“Ouch, ouch.”

So, this curse inflicted painful pricks like being poked with needles. Of all places, it was notably bothersome on the shoulder.

Ah, shoulder pain, I know that all too well.

But soon, the air enveloping the infirmary—a power of sensation distinct from mana—began to seep into her shoulder, and the pain disappeared in no time.

What a remarkably effective air it must be. Was it a purification device better than a typical air purifier?

Yet, if someone asked why she wouldn’t simply purify the equipment itself, it was partly because it felt a bit much to request that of her teacher.

Strangely enough, being continuously afflicted by curses can increase one’s immunity to them.

Shockingly, she had personally verified this with her own body before her return. The Demon King’s cult had particularly thrived with curse users, and inevitably, one would be subject to a multitude of curses while fighting them—yet, curiously, their strength seemed to diminish over time.

Was the Demon King’s cult really facing a shortage of talent, as rumors suggested? She thought while fighting, then encountered curse users shouting why their curses weren’t working.

Well, it probably didn’t matter how much one’s resistance could build up against such weak curses, but given the Demon King’s cult’s appearance nearby, it certainly remained a concern.

One by one, she transferred the curses nestled within the gear, whether they were there or not, off of her body. Coming to the point where hardly any cursed gear remained in the bag, Yeon-woo took out a knuckle with a serious face.

More a gauntlet than a protective knuckle emphasizing the knuckles, it was quite a flashy item. However, she hadn’t purchased it for herself but rather for Shar.

Of course, wearing dragon scales on her hands already had the effect of donning gauntlets, but this particular gauntlet was likely a magical artifact, thus she decided on this choice.

Even by merely swinging it, a magical artifact can exert extraordinary influence in battle. One could hardly imagine the sort of power it would unleash in the hands of a dragon, who could construct magic merely by thought.

“I truly hope there’s no curse on it….”

The ominous dark red mana swirling around the gauntlet gazed at her menacingly. With her draconic eyes activated, she could barely see the subtle curse laden upon it.

Unfortunately, just looking at it made deciphering its nature impossible, meaning one could only find out through trying it on.

“Phew….”

“That’s not going to be okay, is it?”

“Oh, how did you know?”

“Curses are, strictly speaking, similar to divine arts. I can feel it a little.”

“I-if that’s the case, how about we not use it…? Do we really have to push it this far…?”

“It’d be a waste not to use it. I don’t think it’s such a strong curse… right?”

“What do you know about curses as a student? That level is still going to hurt somewhat, right?”

“Well, I could definitely endure it.”

After all, how many curses had she endured before her return? She could manage that much. As she confidently began to wear the gauntlet, a sudden thought crossed her mind, causing her to hesitate.

“…What if it’s a curse that makes one sick?”

“I’ll fix you up.”

But even if she said that… what if it was something like baldness or erectile dysfunction? She couldn’t handle that, especially not for Nea’s sake.

For a moment, grim thoughts flashed through Yeon-woo’s mind, but she resolved to trust in the gate from which this item was excavated.

Surely they wouldn’t place such malice into a curse. There had to be a modicum of humanity remaining.

“Here I go!!”

She gathered her resolve and slid her hand inside. The fit wasn’t bad at all. True, she was wearing dragon scales, and since this was meant for Shar, the size was slightly smaller than Yeon-woo’s.

The dark red mana began to contract around the gauntlet. In an instant, the cursed mana was absorbed, invading her hand.

For a moment, nothing happened. But soon, a reaction occurred. Though she felt no sensations in her arm, her right arm suddenly began to act independently.

“I guess it doesn’t hurt.”

“No, are you really going to take it so easy?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s something that resolves itself with time. If this were shoes or armor, it would be useless curses galore, but of all things, it’s my hand.”

The right arm, now strange and animated, was moving to strangle Yeon-woo by her neck.

After all, whether it was shoes or armor, it would still try to kill the wearer in any case. Perhaps it was better that it was something obvious like the hand.

Yeon-woo didn’t actively try to resist. If a ghostly hand could be blocked by a remaining arm, there wouldn’t be urban legends about haunted arms. When the moment comes to lose an entire arm, twisting the body won’t help one dodge.

“What kind of face is that, thinking time will solve everything!?”

“Whoa, how did you know? I figured if I held my breath for about a minute, it’d clear up.”

“D-Do you really mean it?!”

Shar rushed in from nowhere, breaking free from Na Yang-ho’s embrace and clung onto Yeon-woo’s right arm.

Even as a baby dragon, Shar’s strength was impressive. Despite weighing nearly 70 kg, Yeon-woo was effortlessly lifted by Shar, who weighed less than half that.

Of course, if they were to arm wrestle, Yeon-woo would lose to Shar without question──.

“Ughhh!!!”

“Oh? With this, could I win an arm wrestling match against Shar?”

“Are you kidding right now?”

Na Yang-ho looked at Yeon-woo as if in disbelief. But what could she do? It wasn’t as if Yeon-woo had a way to weaken an arm empowered by curses…… was there?

“I’m coming to help, Shar!!!!”

“Please don’t yell right next to my face!”

She had a way to help. After all, while it was a curse that enhanced her strength, the underlying principles remained comparatively similar to mana enhancement. The difference lay in the effects operating outside the body for curses and divine arts, while mana acted internally.

If the dark elemental mana, which was enhancing her right arm, could somehow be transferred back to its original unenhanced state, how would that work out?

“Let’s just give it a shot!”

The dark magic dwelling near her heart surged into her right arm. In terms of resistance against the curse overtaking the arm, there was absolutely nothing to behold. That was the problem.

Crack.

“?”

“?”

“?”

Three question marks hovered over Yeon-woo’s head. One belonged to Yeon-woo, one to Na Yang-ho, and one to Shar, who was hanging onto Yeon-woo’s strangely bent right arm.

(To Be Continued in the Next Episode)