Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 9

On that day, the leader of the martial arts world, Jin Baek-cheon, spoke.

“Through martial prowess, we act as righteous heroes. Indeed, we have been engaging in such things.”

It was a small book brought by beings from another realm. They called it a martial arts novel, claiming that the world within its pages was similar to yours.

“Then, as the first ambassador of the martial world and the reigning leader, I declare.”

We are no longer mere thugs wielding swords in Dosan Sword Forest.

“We shall truly become righteous heroes who act with martial prowess in this world.”

As he spoke, the leader smiled brightly, like a child who had found a beautiful glass bead.

*

The clear aura emanating from that guy was unmistakably directed at Yeon-woo. It didn’t seem like he was just probing to see if they consumed the dragon’s inner elixir. The moment the topic arose, his aura had been flickering.

This meant that regardless of what Yeon-woo was, he must have challenged him to a duel.

Even considering Namgung Seong’s inherent personality, it seemed a bit strange. For him, Yeon-woo was hardly more than a bug.

A competitive spirit usually flares up against opponents of equal or greater strength.

“Well, now that I’ve come this far, just standing around feels off.”

“Ah, this is Namgung’s pride—the Body Training Room. I wouldn’t say you’ll lose out.”

His sharp golden eyes sparkled. While people from the martial world are known for their combativeness, Namgung Seong stood out even among them.

Well, that’s a positive. Even if his eyes were a bit intimidating, I would surely gain something from this.

[Are you a dragon pecking at a bird?]

I could almost hear Shar’s sarcastic cheer in my head…. Just as that thought crossed my mind! Yeon-woo, narrowing his eyes as fiercely as that guy, maintained a calm demeanor and approached the weapons hanging on the wall.

“I didn’t bring one. Can I borrow it?”

“Take one. It’s my wish to have a duel, but there’s nothing I can outright give you. I can lend you that much.”

“Really? If I’m to return what I get, I’ll have to fight with all I’ve got.”

“Don’t go overboard.”

At that, Namgung Seong smirked and picked up a dagger from the opposite side. It was adorned with splendid engravings, probably designated for him.

Watching him, Yeon-woo lifted a wooden sword. Although he would later end up using a spear due to his limitations, until this point, Yeon-woo’s focus has been swordsmanship.

If asked which he was more proficient in, it would be the spear, but handling a spear as violently as in his previous life was no longer feasible with his current physique.

Given the limits of covering his physical condition with mana, it made sense to use a sword with which he was more familiar.

“A sword….”

Namgung Seong chuckled as he watched Yeon-woo pick it up. It was a smile as if he knew something.

Namgung comes from a renowned school of swordsmanship, but to think someone would take him on with a sword seemed ridiculous, not because he looked down on Yeon-woo—he wasn’t that arrogant.

Namgung’s eyes, blazing with intensity, fixated on Yeon-woo. It was the gaze of a bird of prey watching a rabbit skitter across the ground.

Is this what a prey feels? Though less acute than a dragon’s pressure, an unfamiliar tension gripped my entire being. It clearly indicated that I was in a defensive stance.

‘This is electrifying.’

At that age, he wasn’t showing his emotions but was radiating that kind of energy. If that energy was merely pure competitive spirit, devoid of anger or malice, then even more so, it was something not typical for a fifteen-year-old.

[Dad is behaving weird….]

Wait, what did that come from all of a sudden?

I was about to ask, but then realized my body was trembling. Thinking it was a valid observation, I shrugged my shoulders.

Not from fear, but because the prospect of fighting Namgung Seong exhilarated me. In my past life, even if Namgung fought without mana, I would have surely lost. But now, how about it? At least it was an improvement over when I first returned.

“Hahaha.”

“If you’re laughing like that, it’s me who’s got a problem?”

It felt like a tactical attempt to solidify a gap in the difference in skills, but I let it slide. Complaining about it, yet he smiled as if he expected nothing less.

“It’ll be just right for both of us to loosen up, then!!”

My school uniform wasn’t a hindrance. Who knew when a gate or a monster might appear? It was designed with some degree of protection and support spells.

Namgung Seong’s body surged forward almost like he was lying flat. His right hand, raised to waist level, was obscured by his outstretched wings, launching his enormous figure like a bullet.

Yeon-woo felt an indescribable awe at that sight. The posture driven by sheer force towards progress. A bird of prey descending to earth with hidden talons.

If one were to mimic that in human form, that’s what it would look like. One could argue that it was a technique enabled by the existence of wings.

However, he would not escape from Yeon-woo’s eyes. The sky-blue hue flickered beneath him. Right, no, left. Was it a shift from beneath the wing? He quickly moved the sword he had used defensively to the left.

[Twang!]

With a clear sound, the wooden blades collided and bounced off each other. Yeon-woo was the one who slid back, pulling his feet. But Namgung Seong seemed equally startled.

A flicker of surprise danced in Namgung Seong’s eyes. He blocked that? The elders of the Sega often got caught by that first hidden move. Such a familiar trick that he had used countless times.

The only individuals who could easily see through and block it at first glance might be his father or grandfather. He was testing the waters by not using his swordsmanship, yet he was thrown off by this turn of events.

‘More surprising than I expected.’

Of course, he never thought he would lose. The gap in basic abilities, in other words, size differences, was enormous. He shifted his weight by circulating his internal energy through his halted body. A forward charge with no delay. He propelled his body like a bowstring being released.

If the Vision’s martial arts could reproduce an ecosystem, there were realms even beyond the ecosystem itself. Though not frequently displayed, showing off the family’s secret techniques was also acceptable!

What kind of response would he provide this time? With that anticipation, Namgung Seong stared straight ahead when, unexpectedly, something surged forward.

The sword tip, pointed straight outward. It was aimed directly at his head, without hesitation.

“…Are you out of your mind, you brat!”

A mutual demise… no, a method of sacrificing flesh to seize bone. While with a full effort swing, he could break one or two of Yeon-woo’s ribs, maintaining such a stance at that speed would surely result in him impaling his own head and meeting his demise.

If it were real combat, even Yeon-woo couldn’t escape death; it was a move only possible in a duel.

Just two moves after starting. An excessively aggressive move for just two, yet it seemed reasonable as a high-stakes game based on absolute values of damage. It seemed Namgung Seong’s statement about fighting with all his might wasn’t a lie as he let out a wry smile.

A fleeting thought of dishonor crossed his mind, but he shook his head to dismiss it. A killer becomes exceptionally deadly in the hands of a strong, leaving the weak with a potent weapon. To deem such a situation as unfair would raise questions about how to avoid the poisons of the Tang Clan.

*

A pair of enormous wings unfurled, each as large as Namgung Seong himself. With a smooth motion erasing the inertia from running, his body soared into the air.

“…Hah, you expected this, huh!? Did you fight with a birdman or something!!”

While managing to catch his breath, Yeon-woo dashed toward Namgung Seong. Although he was airborne, he used his wings to stabilize himself. He couldn’t soar any higher than this, nor would he. Therefore, he was well within reach of Yeon-woo’s sword.

“You can’t fly away any higher now!!”

Namgung Seong’s eyes beamed triumphantly. With both hands gripping the sword tightly above his head, he folded his wings in an instant. His enormous body appeared heavy as a rock. An unmistakable surge of sky-blue mana rushed to his lower body.

‘Sky Demon Drop…!’

The weight of a bird-man is relatively lighter compared to a human of similar height. Lighter, but not entirely hollow-boned like actual birds.

Therefore, he moved in for a decisive strike. If he swung down normally, he could surely deflect it without any issues, or so he thought.

However, it was improbable that a mere kid could handle a technique as proficiently as the Sky Demon Drop at such an age, making it unavoidable for Yeon-woo.

He defied inertia and rejected the path while getting dragged down. The wooden sword with glancing force whooshed past him, carrying enough potency to knock someone unconscious in one hit.

With all the mishaps occurring during hunter training, the academy was equipped with unparalleled medical facilities, but what could heal a wound potent enough to make someone pee their pants?

The essence of the Sky Demon Drop revealed significant flaws in Namgung Seong’s posture. He barely had a second to spare.

To swing down in the same position he was used to felt slightly lacking. There was enough time to recompose after landing, switching to defense.

“Hup.”

In turn, Yeon-woo steadied his breath.

Namgung Seong, puzzled by that sound, wondered if he had frightened him by dodging his strike moments ago. Such a thing could never be. It was peculiar to commend, but this fellow was gifted, incredibly adept at stepping into peril.

In this game of life and death, traversing between life and death in a dangerous manner, it would be unimaginable for someone like him to flinch from a blow that he could dodge.

‘Then what was that sound of breathing?’

Namgung Seong’s doubts deepened, and as Choi Yeon-woo inhaled in that moment, he already began to swing his sword downward.

…What he had just inhaled was the beginning of the routine.

It was the trajectory of a sword grasped and wielded by a five-year-old that had carried up to this age.

Though the memories might be distant, his body recalled it. Had he not swung it thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of times?

One inhale, one swing, and one exhale.

During ten years of training, he had toiled with thoughts running through his mind.

‘Until I can strike the heavens.’

Incredibly, such thoughts had crossed his mind. All distractions and thoughts fell away from his sword. The blade turned pristine white. The purest single-mindedness filled its path.

An extraordinarily clean trajectory fell upon Namgung Seong’s head. For him, it felt like the scythe of the guillotine or the judgment from the heavens.

Not too slow, nor too fast.

Neither heavy nor light.

What fell wasn’t a mere first style of revered swordsmanship.

It was simply the fundamental basics hammered out over a long time. An area that someone without talent could reach. There wasn’t even mana infused within it. Returning to the days devoid of mana, he unconsciously fell into that arc.

A chilling sensation struck the minds of the beasts of prey. Bells rang within his head. He couldn’t afford to get hit. Whatever part registered that path would never allow him to escape unscathed…!!

‘Skyless Blade ──!!’

With a conviction he promised himself not to evoke, the ultimate ancestral technique of the Namgung clan, soaring like the divine eagle, naturally sprung forth. Even in an unstable position, his body made a full rotation. The internal energy supported that ascent.

‘Originally, I should cut and ascend, yet to clash with such an indirect attack and still get airborne…!!’

No, why was he faltering now!! The Skyless Blade personifies the great Namgung’s forefather, the divine eagle. Nothing could hinder Namgung’s ascent. Even if something did, he could break through it head-on and fly free!!

[Thud!]

The impact comparable to battling Namgung’s master coursed through the sword. Gritting his beak, he simmered, steeling himself. The firstborn of the Namgung clan and the master of the strong sword—would he falter in the sword exchange? Rather than severing his gut, he just endured it with all his might.

Consequently, it led to an all too obvious outcome.

[Twist.]

With a wrench, crunching sound…

The wooden sword, unable to withstand the force, shattered completely against the fierce pressure of the dove-like ascension, sending Yeon-woo’s chin flying back.

“Ah.”

*

Zhe Gal Seong-ryong, who had been watching the entire sequence from the side, unconsciously leaped up.

Though Namgung Seong’s actions might have seemed somewhat casual, there was no doubt he was a rare talent—a true monster. Even after mastering all forms of martial arts, Zhe Gal felt overwhelmed in duels with him.

Of course, killing and losing weren’t guaranteed in such matches; otherwise, it would merely concern him.

This was only stated because he found himself on equal footing as a member of the five leading families—having similar levels of education and support at their core meant this boy was no easy opponent. He had every reason to state that determining victory was an uncertain endeavor.

If not, he would have lost. Namgung Seong possessed strength regardless of being from the Namgung lineage.

‘This time, I have all the information on the incoming students.’

And among them, the information on Choi Yeon-woo was so scant that it was almost embarrassing to be classified as such.

Zhe Gal Seong-ryong unfurled his folding fan, covering his mouth.

That foolish prince would probably respond with, ‘Are you finding it amusing that I’m cornered?’ However, he had no inclination to meddle with the curve of that mouth.

‘This is going to be fun.’

Zhe Gal Seong-ryong felt assured regarding the unnamed youth’s abilities.

*

[Dad, are you okay!? Dad, get up! Dad…!! Dad!! Get up, Dad……!!]

Gasp…!!

I thought I’d just fallen asleep. Why are you calling like that, Shar? PTSD is coming back to haunt me.

“Are you alright…?”

What? Oh no, a bird is talking!!? Oh… it’s Namgung Seong. Right. We were dueling… the wooden sword broke…

Given the pain in my chin, I must have knocked out when it barely grazed me. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like my jaw was shattered. It hurts like hell, though.

[What do you mean, ‘thankfully’!? If I hadn’t hurried to put up a barrier, you’d be in pieces right now!]

Wait, was that how it was? Oh my, our Shar. Thanks to her, I needn’t worry about getting hurt going forward. Oh dear, our Shar, isn’t she great.

[When you use up all your mana, I can’t do anything either!? The Body Training Room has abundant mana… Hmph!]

Now isn’t the right time for jokes. Looks like she was really crying. I should comfort her a bit when I get back to the room. Thinking so, I rose to my feet.

“I called the medical team, but are you alright? I’m really sorry; I didn’t expect the wooden sword to break.”

“Seriously, you idiot. How hard were you swinging for the sword to shatter? And a maker’s product at that. Ugh….”

As I rubbed my sore chin and stood up, Namgung’s face, previously anxious, seemed to turn yet more serious.

After all, there was a risk this could escalate into a serious matter of “assault during a martial arts duel” rather than just a playful spar among the five leading families. It was on the verge of being publicized, but there was no intention of bringing it to light.

With a serious face, Namgung spoke.

“I lost, Choi Yeon-woo.”

What kind of nonsense is this kid saying?

“Hey, chill out. If a sword breaks, it’s the one that snapped that loses, right? If you’re feeling sorry, just get me another wooden sword in return.”

“But, but I used a technique.”

“And what’s wrong with that? After practicing for several years, when it’s time to duel, if you don’t use what you’ve learned, when will you? Just get me another sword as a gift and send something tasty to Room 303. I want to try the food from your family.”

Having fought my first duel in this body, which was mentally grown but physically still a child, might’ve made me a bit more aggressive than necessary.

I surely would deal with severe muscle cramps tomorrow, so it seemed wise to return to the dorm early.

Having swung a sword for nearly a decade without any real combat experience, of course, it would be.

Just before pulling the door handle to leave, something struck me, and I turned to ask Namgung.

“By the way, why did you want to spar with me? Isn’t Seong-ryong there?”

“I heard a fairly famous figure in our circle is paying attention to you. That’s all.”

As Namgung shrugged, it seemed like he thought answering might be a way to repay a debt.

I can never understand how those martial artists think. What does ‘the circle’ even mean? Is this kid genuinely affiliated with a gang?

I waved once to Namgung, whose face turned rigid, and then stepped out of the Body Training Room.

*

“Hey, how do you feel, Seong?”

“Totally uneasy.”

It might be a cute expression to say he was sulking, but considering Zhe Gal Seong-ryong’s fearsome appearance, that expression suited him best. Namgung Seong frowned, swiping his fingers through his soft feathers.

“Kugh, the esteemed Namgung Seong’s reputation is on the line here.”

“Not that serious.”

After staring at his beak for a moment, Namgung mumbled.

“I believe I understand why the Seven Swords looked at that kid with interest.”

“Certainly. He seems to be worth being a friend.”

“Ugh, what a gloomy fellow. Friend? Worth?”

Namgung flinched at Zhe Gal’s words, shaking his hand dismissively.

“Then you should take your leave as well. I have to train.”

With that, Zhe Gal Seong-ryong exited the Body Training Room, leaving Namgung Seong swinging the sword behind him.

‘Has the fire ignited?’

Well, it seems I can’t afford to relax now. With that thought, Seong-ryong walked towards the dormitory.

(To be continued in the next installment)