Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 403

Digging deeper, even deeper. As if to prevent Yeon-woo’s approach, a manifestation of magic burst forth right before their eyes.

With a swish, as the sphere of magic appeared, Cheon-dun split it in two. The magic sliced into two contaminated the surrounding air.

Yeon-woo could sense it too; the battlefield was being tainted by an overwhelming amount of magic.

Shar was adjusting it little by little, but it was clear that Cheon-ma wasn’t the only one spewing out magic.

There was simply too much fine dust to filter. What needed to be done was to eliminate the source of this fine dust, but that was no easy task.

While hiding behind Gongson-bin, Yeon-woo struck with their sword. Cheon-dun smoothly penetrated the magic barrier that Gongson-bin had shattered.

It wasn’t a severe wound, but they succeeded once again in injuring Cheon-ma.

However, that was precisely where it stopped.

Gongson-bin’s mana was a great help in continuously eradicating the magic within Cheon-ma’s body, breaking down its defenses.

Yet, even then, Yeon-woo was unable to inflict a fatal blow on Cheon-ma.

The reason was simple. Magic itself was an energy that tainted the body just by being present.

While they had countermeasures, the sheer power of the magic was something that even Yeon-woo couldn’t ignore.

Even a person who was merely an ordinary aura user became incredibly strong the moment they turned into a demon.

That was why humanity was flustered when facing demons.

Then, what about Cheon-ma? In terms of pure mana, Yeon-woo was considered one of the best in the world.

But how strong could Cheon-ma possibly be, having several times more magic than Yeon-woo?

The answer was right here. Beneath the white skin that had never seen any training lay a strong body that could hardly be measured by Cheon-dun.

Not only did they possess innate qualities, but the excessively condensed magic had already transformed them beyond the limits of the human body.

Even if they succeeded in slicing the skin, there was a tactile sensation as if there was metal beneath it.

The hand trembled, and the sword often came out without being able to cut through.

‘I’m inflicting so many wounds, but I’m not achieving any real results…!’

Cheon-ma’s body appeared to have no intact areas. There were injuries all over, and blood was oozing out, at least on the surface.

The problem was that only the outer skin was damaged. Furthermore, Gongson-bin too was accumulating wounds.

Though Gongson-bin’s blue mana seemed to effectively block the magic’s invasion, preventing contamination, he was still human.

If the accumulation of wounds continued like this, there would come a point when he couldn’t maintain combat power.

If that happened, the fight would become difficult.

“Huuh, huuh…!!”

[Hmm, are you tired? I’m perfectly fine.]

At first, Cheon-ma was disconcerted by the growing wounds on their body, but at some point, they regained their composure, realizing that they weren’t receiving any further injuries.

Gongson-bin and Yeon-woo stepped back to catch their breath.

The remaining reinforcements, including Jin Baek-cheon and the Poison King, began to confront the other three of Oma, who had banded together.

They were all madmen living recklessly, but their level was so high that once they started cooperating, it became difficult to break through.

Of course, there was indeed a very simple method to pierce through Cheon-ma’s body. Yeon-woo could slice through the magic barrier, and Gongson-bin could directly hit his body.

The magic packed inside would melt away with Gongson-bin’s mana, and at that moment, the robustness of the flesh would be diminished.

But the only problem with that operation was that Gongson-bin would have to insert his hand directly into Cheon-ma’s defensive energy.

Yeon-woo could slice through with a sword, but honestly, asking someone to stick their hand inside felt like utter madness.

From the moment they inserted their hand, they could only accept it if their wrist were to be severed without a word.

Gongson-bin’s mana could effectively block attacks due to magic, but Cheon-ma could sever a human wrist even without magic.

‘…There’s no helping it.’

Even if they fought with a primarily defensive focus, putting their life on the line, that was only within the range they could manage.

They could dodge by a hair’s breadth, so they had been able to strike a bit more aggressively. However, beyond this point, they couldn’t make such assurances.

“I’m going in, Gongson-bin.”

“Phew, got it.”

Despite how burdensome it might be, Gongson-bin responded cheerfully. He was aware of what he was getting into, no doubt.

So, with that determination, Yeon-woo placed a hand on him. Let him know that he wouldn’t be sacrificing himself alone.

Like stars shining in the sky, countless spheres of magic appeared before Yeon-woo’s eyes. If they tried to slice through them all, they’d take a fatal blow from Cheon-ma’s counterattack.

So, Yeon-woo decided to slice through only the spheres that were directly in their path.

“Coming from the right!!”

At Yeon-woo’s shout, Gongson-bin positioned himself closely to the left of the path Yeon-woo had forged.

Boom!! A thick pillar of energy barely grazed Yeon-woo’s right arm. The distorted body, previously warped by energy, returned to its original form.

In the place he reached after breaking through the barrier of spheres, Yeon-woo swung the sword. His mind was cold, while his body was on fire. He took a deep breath and made a large downward slash.

The aura blade extended and enveloped Cheon-dun.

As Yeon-woo lifted the sword above his head, it was only natural that his body had to bend significantly.

Cheon-ma clenched his fists tightly and threw a punch straight into his empty abdomen.

Boom, as Yeon-woo’s form scattered like mist, Cheon-ma’s gaze distorted.

In that moment, the magic spheres laid out behind him wildly burst forth. As Cheon-ma slowly turned his body, cracks appeared in the barrier surrounding him.

Crash!!

“Gongson-bin, not yet!!”

From between the long-sliced magic barrier, that voice echoed.

Not yet? Why say that after slicing it open?

As Cheon-ma began to reconstruct the barrier using magic, he thought something was off. It didn’t take long to complete the restoration, and at that moment, he sensed the existence of something inside the barrier.

A spherical object the size of a baby’s fist rolling around at Cheon-ma’s feet.

As the immense magic began to swell within, Cheon-ma hurriedly slammed the wall with magic, but—

‘Too late─…!!’

Before his thought could finish, a deafening explosion erupted.

Encasing himself within the sphere of magic was unquestionably safe, but conversely, that meant the inside had become a sealed space.

“Since ancient times, throwing a bomb into a sealed space is common sense.”

[Graaaahh─!!]

Yeon-woo paused for a moment, watching the scene. If he were to slice through the current barrier, the blast would splash back onto Gongson-bin.

The prototype bomb being developed by Sullivan was no joke; it contained the culmination of his research along with successful miniaturization.

“That, there’s such a thing as blast magic?”

Gongson-bin, knowing nothing but their own bombs, seemed shocked enough to say that.

These days, the power of martial arts bombs was indeed staggering, but they ultimately couldn’t catch up to Earth’s.

Moreover, Yeon-woo not only paid Sullivan a salary but also provided extra funds for him to conduct the research he desired.

Sullivan, who had always liked bombs, was now conducting his studies without being constrained by money, leaving no chances of surpassing his inventions in this world.

Endless pained screams from Cheon-ma echoed from within.

It was only natural. After all, his skin was already wounded, and the high-temperature explosion had erupted. The inside must have been like hell.

Smoke rose thickly as if he had burned the flesh. Now was the time. Though the heat remained inside, it was time to act.

Yeon-woo swung the Cheon-dun down long. Perhaps it was because Cheon-ma’s mind was clouded, but it was much easier to slice through the barrier than before.

An immense heat flowed out through the gap where the barrier had been severed. It was heat so intense that Yeon-woo instinctively took a few steps back.

Cheon-ma’s body was nowhere to be seen. Only black smoke filled the area.

At some point, even Cheon-ma’s pained screams faded away. Then, a long something began to extend out. It was a melted, mangled human arm.

The arm that shot out at an incredible speed tried to grasp Yeon-woo’s wrist.

Yeon-woo and Gongson-bin reacted instantaneously. Gongson-bin’s hand grabbed Cheon-ma’s arm.

Sssss, the sound of protein cooking twisted Gongson-bin’s face, but his blue mana wrapped around Cheon-ma’s arm.

Yeon-woo didn’t hesitate either. The moment Gongson-bin’s mana enveloped Cheon-ma’s arm, Cheon-dun dropped like lightning.

The sensation was different from before, a rough texture now transmitted to Yeon-woo’s hand.

Having severed Cheon-ma’s arm, Yeon-woo spun the sword and stabbed it in. Considering the direction of his thumb, the heart was likely in this area.

Unlike Yeon-woo, Cheon-ma didn’t generate magic from the heart. Thus, if he aimed for the area where the heart should be, there was a chance he might hit it.

Whether that expectation was correct or whether something had changed in the high heat, he could feel Cheon-dun puncturing something.

At the end of that something, Yeon-woo could sense it through Cheon-dun. The tip of his sword touched something pulsating.

The life response on the other side of the sword began to fade little by little. Because Yeon-woo had reached a realm where he could feel it as if it were his own hand.

[…I kill.]

In the instant that followed, were it not for the whirlwind of magic that burst forth, Yeon-woo would have thought he was done for.

“Ghaah…!?”

“Did I fail…!?”

Yeon-woo found the situation incomprehensible.

Cheon-ma’s trait was not regeneration. He wielded overwhelming strength through powerful magic.

Yet, even though he had pierced Cheon-ma’s heart with the dagger, he didn’t die? It was an incomprehensible matter.

Cheon-ma was simply human. Unless one possessed the ability to regenerate at extraordinary speed, humans were supposed to die when a dagger pierced their heart.

But what if they were the master of magic, or seen as magic itself?

That answer was appearing right before him.

Magic surged forth from the severed limb. The manifested magic began to shimmer, replacing Cheon-ma’s severed arm. It looked like a monstrous arm, sharp and jagged like that of a demonic species.

If magic could substitute for an arm, it stood to reason that Cheon-ma had somehow managed to repair his heart, which had been split in two, using magic.

In that case, the answer was clear. If Gongson-bin could somehow lay his hands on Cheon-ma’s chest and flow mana into him, that would be when he truly dies.

[Graahhh!!!]

A roar, filled with fury, erupted. The barrier surrounding him, the smoke, everything scattered under the pressure of the roar.

What revealed itself was a grotesquely deformed figure, far from what one would believe to be a beautiful man with white skin, with melted skin.

[I will kill you, I will kill you!! I will kill that corpse and even violate its soul!!]

(To be continued in the next episode)