Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 467

“Huff, huff….”

Yeon-woo gasped for breath.

It was such a short time. I couldn’t even gauge how much mental strength I had expended just to endure that brief moment.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t fall. It wasn’t just because I hadn’t confirmed what happened to Hwayo—collapsing in a pool of blood just felt too unsatisfactory.

Thinking this, Yeon-woo rolled his eyes. To be honest, I didn’t even have the strength to lift a finger, but I still had just enough energy to glance around cautiously.

What stood before me was something terrifying. I had a good grip, but I couldn’t tell if I had actually taken it down. Therefore, I had to confirm it.

[Dad tends to collapse after everything is over, you know.]

“Exactly! He puts everything into it, and it makes the onlookers nervous.”

As Yeon-woo struggled desperately, two kids that had popped up on either side propped him up.

Thanks to that, I could conserve a bit of energy. I wanted to say thank you, but I couldn’t muster the strength, so I held it in for now.

“…Huff.”

When Yeon-woo raised his gaze, what he saw was Hwayo in a dreadful state. To put it bluntly, it was a sight I didn’t want the kids to see.

There was no right arm, the body was tattered like rags, and nearly half of the head had been sliced off by Yeon-woo’s strike.

It looked as if no blood could come out of the numerous wounds on the body anymore; everything appeared completely dried up.

“…What the hell.”

[…Hah.]

Is that really something I can consider a living being of the same kind? Yeon-woo’s eyes trembled.

There’s nothing more to be done. Kim Hyun-soo was only a few meters away. However, whether he could arrive before Hwayo made a move was uncertain.

[…Well, don’t be tense. Um, yawn.]

However, it seemed Hwayo had no intention of moving any further, as he stuttered with a tremble in his voice.

Can he really do that even with half his brain blown out? No matter who you are, if your brain is smashed, you’d die on the spot.

[Well, I don’t have much to say…. I don’t have the energy to talk much either….]

Yeon-woo quietly listened to that.

In any case, the murderous aura that had consistently come out from him, which seemed like it would kill you, had subsided now. It appeared as if he was restraining his own killing intent to prevent his body from succumbing.

Hwayo’s hazy gaze turned toward Yeon-woo.

[Thanks.]

Then, he slightly turned his head and directed his gaze toward Lucrecia, who was approaching them with an angry face.

[Tell her I’m sorry.]

Then, Hwayo swayed. His gaze turned skyward and then tilted back in a flash.

No more feelings were emanating from that gaze, but he certainly looked very relieved… that was clear.

“…Am I your messenger now?”

Yeon-woo muttered a small curse and frowned. A request… well, it wasn’t something too unreasonable to fulfill.

“…Haa, it’s over….”

“Is it, is it really over…?”

[Really? Can we finally have fun!?]

“Old-fashioned speech is coming out now.”

Yeon-woo chuckled. Yes, it’s over. It seemed that it really was all over.

*

Somehow, it wasn’t Kim Hyun-soo, but I who ended up bringing it to a close. Because of that, Kim Hyun-soo, whose role felt adrift, began to anxiously cover up the pool of blood.

In short, he was starting to fill the pit with the dirt he had dug up around it. It was undoubtedly a necessary task.

This was a pit where countless people had died. There was no way to stop the curse arising from the pit with a half-baked approach.

As he filled the pit, a purification process of its own was needed. And inside…

“Sigh.”

Yeon-woo wiped his mouth pensively. He had regained a bit of strength. It was only after Noel, who had been crying while holding Yuri’s remains, collapsed from exhaustion that Yeon-woo was able to see Yuri.

“I’m glad.”

“…Mhm.”

In response to Yeon-woo’s words, Shar nodded with teary eyes. There was hardly a difference between Hwayo and Yuri. They both wore relieved expressions for some reason.

Following Yuri’s gently smiling face as she looked up at the sky, Yeon-woo also gazed upward. What was she looking at, he wondered.

“…Oh.”

And Yeon-woo let out an exclamation.

It was indeed something to be happy about. It was the realm that cut through the sky that he had seen long ago. It must have surpassed the realm that made one mistake it for slicing the sun at the last moment.

For some reason, it hadn’t been dark for a while. He thought it was because he had caught Moryo and the darkness had retreated, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

“The path of the rising sun is beautifully laid out.”

The sun was rising on a road where the clouds had been scraped away. It looked like a runway.

It was a beautiful scene, as if darkness would no longer exist in the future.

“Oof, thud.”

Yeon-woo hoisted Yuri onto his back. Carrying a corpse felt somewhat strange. Her completely cold body temperature felt very unfamiliar.

But still, she was my mentor, so I couldn’t just leave her here to rest.

Thinking this, Yeon-woo was the last among the party to emerge from the pit.

“A lot has happened.”

“Yeah.”

Shar said in a subdued voice. It must be sad and gloomy. After all, they were the children who had once followed Yuri, calling her grandmother and grandmother.

It would be best to leave them alone for now to find some calm.

*

“Hey kids, are you okay where you’re hurt?”

Yeon-woo, who had brought Yuri’s body and covered it with a cloth, headed first to meet the friends who had been resting. He entered the tent and spoke to the friends gathered together.

The first to respond was Kim Yoo-min. The entire body of Kim Yoo-min was wrapped in bandages, and he barely lifted his head while lying on the bed.

“I’m totally fine!!”

“Oh wow, you don’t look fine at all!”

Of course, Kim Yoo-min abandoned her spot first, but that was primarily because Yoo-min was in the worst condition.

That appearance seemed to affirm that Yeon-woo’s observation was correct.

Well, she had indeed suffered quite a bit. It was understandable that Hyun-soo would be furious. He was a guy who boasted that he was the only one in this world who could bully his little sister.

‘I might have bullied her a bit too often.’

Was that the kind of thing that could be overlooked as a joke between friends? He was glad to think that he had not crossed the line in the usual manner.

“Ah, you’ve come, Choi Yeon-woo. It seems like there are many people walking around without arms today….”

As if tracking Yeon-woo’s movements, Na Yang-ho came in, pulling back the flap of the tent.

So many people walking around without arms? This was truly a terrifying world. It’s as scary as throwing my head for someone to eat.

“Oh, Lucrecia too?”

“Oh my. What can I say? Why don’t you cast some Divine Art? You never know. What didn’t work because of a bone arm might work now.”

Well, just in case, I had picked up Lucrecia’s bone arm. It felt a bit ominous, so I entrusted it to Riley for safekeeping.

Aside from that, Namgung Seong and Noel were seriously injured, and Baek In-hwa seemed to be in relatively lighter condition.

“I’m glad to see everyone safe.”

“Do you think I’d be dying from this level? I can still last half a day more.”

“Pretending to be tough, you fool. He said something like that while coming in, crying out that he felt like dying while getting treated by Miss Yang-ho. You’re lucky if Yeon-woo didn’t hear.”

“Prohibition against spreading fake news. I’ll crack down in the name of the Namgung family.”

The not-quite-real fake news from Kim Yoo-min was strictly being regulated by the Namgung family. In response to that, Kim Yoo-min huffed as if daring them to try.

“Ugh, even if I kill them, they won’t die…. Baek In-hwa, are you okay?”

“I am okay, but, um….”

As Baek In-hwa trailed off, Yeon-woo turned his gaze toward her.

Now that I think about it, she was sitting right next to the bed, looking as if she was caring for someone.

[Ugh….]

A groan came from under the round-shaped blanket. It was a familiar voice.

“…Lime? Why is she lying down?”

“She took a few hits to protect me instead…. She must be in a lot of pain.”

Hah…. It’s a mystery in itself. I would never have thought that the Demon King of Shuyo would be daringly showing off for her owner like this. Back before the regression, she wouldn’t even dare show her face out of fear of Hwayo and Moryo.

“This is the end of the world, the end of the world. A time when slimes lie down on beds.”

That was a bit amusing. I wonder if the blanket won’t get wet. Yeon-woo thought this and chuckled.

“I’ll bring you something good for your health, so be sure to eat well. I’ll be heading home first.”

“I’d prefer something yummy over something healthy.”

Wow, upon Yeon-woo’s words, Kim Yoo-min and Baek In-hwa were overjoyed, while they rubbed their chins at Namgung Seong’s calm remark.

“Now that I think about it, I feel the same.”

“Me too.”

“…Fine, I’ll bring you treats.”

“Please make it something Riley noona made.”

“You guys are demanding a lot for patients. I’ll do it my way.”

As Yeon-woo said that and stepped out of the tent, he could hear them whispering and chatting amongst themselves.

“Even though they say that, they’re really considerate, so they’ll probably send food made by noona Riley?”

“Of course. How long has it been since we’ve had a feast?”

Leaving behind those who treated him like a fool, Yeon-woo prepared to hurry home. There were many things he needed to do.

Counting the number of hunters who were dead or injured, arranging compensation for them, handling aftermath, choosing Yuri’s burial site, and more…

It was filled with sad tasks. However, today was the day humanity triumphed. On such a day, sorrow should rightly come after joy.

“Hey, kids!! Let’s go see mom!!”

“Wow!! It feels like it’s been forever since we saw mom…!!”

[Mom will be surprised, right?]

“I’ll be getting scolded first, though.”

[Ugh.]

In the end, since Yeon-woo was the one who granted permission, they wouldn’t be scolded too much, but it was still a dangerous action.

It’s okay, Tae-oh. After all, I’ll be scolded alongside you.

“It’s a joyful day.”

Yeon-woo murmured like that, to remember the sacrifices and sorrows he had to pay to grasp joy and happiness.

*

“Ugh.”

Yeon-woo unwittingly opened his eyes. Oh no, my back. Sleeping on the couch feels just a bit off, he thought as he lifted his head. Sounds of the TV drifted into his ears.

– It has been half a year since the war with the Demon King, which caused countless casualties, ended….

Has it already been that long? As he rose from the couch, a voice burst through the front door.

“Dad, I’m back!!”

[I’m back!!]

[I’m home.]

It was Dawn, Shar, and Tae-oh. The two children were deemed not to need to enter elementary school and began their school life from middle school.

Tae-oh’s speech returning to normal was related to that.

In a school with various races, if associated with the Demon King’s power, adverse effects could occur, so it was decided to maintain his qualifications while sealing his power.

“Ah, you’re back? Haah….”

I greeted the two children who dashed in and Dawn, who watched from behind, while yawning. After taking a quick nap, I felt sluggish.

Nevertheless, there was no reason to hold back when hugging the children. Yeon-woo lifted all three of them, including Dawn.

Though their bodies had grown somewhat heavier, it was still just child-level.

“Did you have fun at school?”

“Today was fun too!!”

[Noona bumped her head against the central entrance glass, and it went crash!!]

“Ahh!! I told you not to say that!!”

“Uh… Do I need to compensate for that?”

“It’s okay! I fixed it with magic!”

Well, it’s convenient to have a child who can manage by themselves, but as a father, I couldn’t shake off a feeling of disappointment.

Anyway, after letting the kids inside, Yeon-woo scratched his belly.

Fortunately, he had already finished all the household chores in the morning. For a superhuman who had reached the Master level, tidying up was no big deal.

Half a year had passed since the war ended, and during that time, Yeon-woo had been quite reclusive.

Some people had come to make a fuss, speculating that he must have serious injuries, but he didn’t care much.

He just wanted to rest. It was time to regenerate and regain peace.

That didn’t mean he had done nothing. Business still needed to be run. Fortunately, with knowledge of the future, it wasn’t too hard.

“Usually in novels, something happens at this time that unseals the past in a roundabout way…”

As Yeon-woo muttered ominously for a moment, he flopped back down onto the couch. Warm, reddish sunlight streamed through the window into the living room.

Embracing the warmth left by the children and enjoying the sunlight, he smiled softly.

Wasn’t it for this warmth that I had lived through? Now it might be okay to revel in a bit of leisure.

(Continued in the next episode)