Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 462: “Bought Some Time”

Seeing Lucrecia in such a furious state, Yeon-woo let out a sigh of relief. He could finally catch his breath, somehow.

In the chaotic scene where Lucrecia and Hwayo clashed, Yeon-woo and his friends huddled together, wearing expressions that told it all— they were truly witnessing a disaster.

“Are you guys okay?”

“That’s not something you should be saying.”

As Kim Yoo-min retorted lightly to Yeon-woo’s question, the other three nodded in agreement. Well, it wasn’t really a surprise coming from someone who had their left arm bitten off.

“Still, you seem to have quite a bit of stamina left.”

“I guess so. No, you better guess so! What are we working so hard for?”

Namgung Seong chuckled as he said this, and he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Yeon-woo’s friends had indeed sacrificed a lot to buy him time to use the artifact.

Thanks to that, he was able to insert all seven of the artifacts they had prepared. However, Hwayo’s immortality had weakened a bit because of this, but the thought of actually being able to kill him didn’t cross their minds yet.

“I didn’t know immortality was such a rare trait; it’s disgustingly common here.”

“And it doesn’t even have a specific weakness. It’s just maintaining that opening, anyway.”

With Lucrecia’s appearance giving them a brief break, his friends started to voice their complaints.

Honestly, Yeon-woo felt like grumbling himself.

“From now on, I guess I’ll have to deal with the osmotic syringe somehow.”

“Oh right, I was curious about that syringe! What’s inside it even?”

Noel, who seemed a bit out of sync with the mood, directed their attention toward the syringe.

Inside the syringe connected to Yeon-woo’s right wrist doppelganger, a mysterious, indescribable liquid shimmered.

It was definitely linked to Hwayo’s immortality.

Among the somewhat disposable artifacts, the osmotic syringe, despite its seemingly insignificant name, had proven its effectiveness.

Its function was simple. It involved pushing in or pulling out a substance through osmosis.

At first glance, one might think it was just a regular syringe, but there’s a reason why it was called an artifact.

As seen now, this artifact could extract not just substances but also concepts and qualities.

That’s why Yeon-woo was confident it would work on Hwayo. For him, the most concentrated features were immortality and killing intent.

“I don’t think eating it will make you an immortal.”

“No way, I don’t even want to touch that! How could I eat something like that? It’s terrifying!”

[Then can I eat it? Daddy!?]

“Let’s think about that slowly, Tae-oh.”

What could possibly be inside that you’d suggest eating it so casually?

Of course, Tae-oh had successfully digested the Demon King’s aura before.

In reality, there was no time for a slow decision. To use the syringe again, the contents had to be emptied first.

At first, he thought about just throwing it away, but that wasn’t necessary.

‘Riley, are you ready with a container to store it?’

[Yes, I put it in the storage!]

Good. There’s always a need for research.

Mass immortality for all of humanity might be crossing the line, but if he could extend lifespan, wouldn’t he make a fortune?

Besides, even if Nea’s lifespan had drastically shortened, as a dragon, she still had a long life ahead. Yeon-woo, gaining a bit of extended life himself from being a half-dragon, couldn’t compare to Nea.

So naturally, the desire to live a long life was something Yeon-woo couldn’t shake off.

When he looked inside the storage, he found a container he hadn’t seen before. As he extracted it and inserted the syringe, pushing the piston down made the white liquid inside the glass container glisten.

He pondered how to seal it when using ice seemed like the simplest solution.

After withdrawing the syringe, he quickly froze the lid. He then tossed it back into the storage. Even if it looked fragile, it was sturdy enough not to break.

“Perfect.”

“So now we just shove it in, again and again?”

“Exactly. This’ll drive me completely insane.”

Easier said than done, considering just how much effort had been put into striking all seven without mishaps.

Even if Hwayo had to take a hit to react, hitting seven times implied he had taken over six counters.

‘But still, thank goodness Lucrecia arrived on time.’

In that sense, having a powerhouse like Lucrecia on their side was quite comforting.

Given that she was at least equal to or even superior to Yuri before her death, the performance difference would be clear even with Yeon-woo’s current level.

“Okay, since Lucrecia is here, let’s keep that in mind as we fight. Kim Yoo-min, you take a break.”

“Eh? I could fight more!”

“If the professor saw you in that state, my head would be on the chopping block, you know?”

Yeon-woo’s words made Baek In-hwa, Namgung Seong, and Noel nod in unison. They seemed a bit concerned too.

After all, their friend’s complexion was notably bad, and her skin was bruised.

“Geez…. Should I go get my brother?”

“Sure, that would be helpful. Just don’t worry; I’ll watch your back so you can go.”

“Got it! I’ll be right back!”

With a cheerful shout, Kim Yoo-min ran towards the hole. Of course, Hwayo wasn’t going to let her escape that easily and turned his gaze.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

As Lucrecia muttered ominously, she landed a massive blow to Hwayo’s face. With every ounce of strength behind her fist, Hwayo’s head spun around, going beyond what the neck could handle.

It was a position that would clearly lead any human to death, his neck twisted like a pretzel. Yet, as always, Hwayo remained unfazed and readied his counterattack.

The blood pooling at his feet suddenly became still, as if waiting for the next wave. Without a care in the world, his hand, filled with murderous intent, flew towards Lucrecia.

With a strike that seemed poised to repay the injury he’d just received, it was certain that being hit would lead to the same fate.

Even if he had died once already, he didn’t have any desire to die again in such a humiliating way.

As Lucrecia twisted back to avoid the blow, Hwayo’s figure began to fade away.

“Hey, what the hell!! Where are you going!!”

[To be fair, he’s practically my descendant. What a foul mouth….]

“Yo-You madman!! You’re the one who destroyed everything first!!”

That was… true enough.

*

Not everything flows as one wishes. Humans always underestimate or overlook something.

What Yeon-woo overlooked this time was none other than Hwayo’s obsession—his nature, to be precise. Specifically, the fate associated with the star “Cheonsal.”

It was an obsession with bleeding. Having revealed his true nature, it was as if he was declaring that no being could leave this space alive.

“Damn it…!!”

Like a tank sweeping through the battlefield, Hwayo charged at Kim Yoo-min without hesitation. Just that alone made it feel impossible to stop him.

It seemed as if he had never truly exerted himself, merely playing around until now.

Though his recovery speed decreased slightly, it didn’t change the fact that he wouldn’t die anytime soon.

‘What the hell do I do…!!’

Should he really resort to severing the cause? It wasn’t in his nature to leave himself without options, but sometimes, decisive moments come.

Determined, Yeon-woo started to channel his mana. He spun the nearly-depleted mana, raising his overall body temperature.

‘This is cutting it close.’

While he had enough mana, he wasn’t sure if he could complete it in time. Regardless, it was a blade that he had to call a masterpiece. It felt like too much to complete in an instant.

In that sense, it seemed he hadn’t truly reached the same realm as Yuri or Raymond.

Compared to Yuri’s mind blade and Raymond’s swift strikes, his preparations took significantly longer.

With his sword transformed into a thunderous form, Yeon-woo stood still. If he thought about it, the sword also relied somewhat on luck. It was hard to say he had fully attained mastery.

“Ugh, Uwaah!! It’s chasing me!!”

Kim Yoo-min shrieked and bolted away in a panic. Hwayo was hot on her heels as she dashed up the pit.

Even as others rushed in to stop Hwayo, he barely seemed to care. The only reaction he gave was to Lucrecia’s attacks.

Not just simple hits, but also wrestling moves that were far closer to grappling; it was certainly a hassle for Hwayo.

Among them, it was only Lucrecia whose body remained unharmed, and they had to hope for her efforts.

‘But is Lucrecia alright?’

Given that Hwayo’s body wasn’t particularly strong but could damage Kim Yoo-min just with that murderous intent, Lucrecia’s unarmed assault seemed like an act of self-destruction.

Well, he didn’t have the luxury to worry about that. Kim Yoo-min was an extraordinary talent. Losing her here could have future consequences he couldn’t even imagine.

Even if they took down all the Demon Kings, humanity still faced other threats.

As Hwayo advanced towards Kim Yoo-min, desperately gathering mana was Yeon-woo. His friends rushed in fervently to stop Hwayo.

In the midst of it all, an odd mana suddenly surged up. Perhaps only Yeon-woo and Hwayo sensed it.

*

Yuri quietly observed. In that time, she managed to let go of much. She honed her inner blade, discarding the impurities that clung to it.

It was a familiar yet unfamiliar sensation. Back then, she didn’t have nearly this much to hold onto.

What she held in her hand felt less than a handful, as if it would slip through her fingers any moment.

That’s why she could embark on a journey to find her path toward the ultimate state of the blade she had once admired.

However, now it was entirely different. It was filled with precious things too valuable to let go. The thought of discarding them sent a pang of heartache through her.

Yet, she could let go precisely because she sensed their worth.

Because they were precious, she could release them. Because they were dear, she could look away.

It felt contradictory, yet Yuri sensed that this was the answer.

Her physical state was at its worst. If she swung the blade now, she might not even survive the second swing.

‘Well, it should be fine.’

Remarkably, just as she failed to cling to it, she now found the answer in not clinging to it again.

The landscape beyond life and death.

(To be continued in the next part.)