Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 408: The Whispering Waterfall

Choi Yeon-woo and her companions gazed quietly at the Weeping Waterfall and the Blindfold Lake. Surprisingly, Baek In-hwa mentioned she had never been to the Earth Hammer Gorge.

Yeon-woo’s family, who had fond memories of the gorge, were irked by that statement and immediately started preparing a special time for her.

As a result, Baek In-hwa sat wrapped in a blanket on a chair in front of the lake, sipping a steaming cup of coffee.

“…Is it really okay to just sit here?”

“Of course, it is!”

The Earth Serpent hardly cares who is around in its yard. Whether it would tolerate the presence of a Demon King’s aura was another question, though…

Well, as long as she wasn’t doing anything bad, there shouldn’t be a problem.

If it comes down to it, she could just ask for permission directly. It was a method no one else could imitate, but it wasn’t impossible for Yeon-woo.

“Enjoy first before worrying.”

With that, Yeon-woo cast her fishing line into the dimly lit lake.

She had a decent fishing form, but after an hour, it was still empty-handed. She was contemplating diving in to catch the arrogant fish barehanded.

Regardless of how shabby she looked dressed up, Baek In-hwa nodded at that remark. She probably wished to resolve her current state as well.

Even if she couldn’t eliminate whatever was exuding the Demon King’s aura right away, she probably just wanted to live normally until it was gone.

“…Okay. I’ll give it a try.”

As Baek In-hwa said that, the aura of the Demon King fluttered above her, spreading towards the sky.

To be honest, the best way to deal with the shards of the Demon King in her body was for Baek In-hwa to enter the realm of a true master.

It was obvious. Ultimately, the shards embedded by the Demon King could be likened to a mental parasite that keeps whispering in her ear.

The simplest way to overcome that would be for her to reach the mastery level, gaining a mental resilience that the parasite couldn’t penetrate.

And with near-perfect self-control, she would be able to detect where the shards of the Demon King resided.

But the problem was that reaching that mastery level was exceedingly difficult.

Yeon-woo forcibly broke through, Namgung Seong had innate talent, and Kim Yoo-min turned extreme stress into a positive result.

Yet Baek In-hwa felt a bit ambiguous in that regard.

Of course, it wasn’t that she lacked talent. No one could say Baek In-hwa was a mere mediocre who couldn’t reach the realm of master.

However, the biggest issue was that even Yeon-woo was at a loss about how to help her climb over the wall.

The Ice Art was a unique martial art of the Ice Palace. Surely, they had their own methods too. The problem was that it would take time.

Sighing softly, Yeon-woo focused once more on the fishing rod dangling over the lake. There was still plenty of time until dinner.

‘Ah, you’re really suffering!’

[…Have you come again?]

The time to talk with the Earth Serpent seemed sufficient by then.

*

[You really are reckless. The price for waking me up so many times won’t be light….]

“Ah, sorry about that. But I have something to tell you.”

Despite its terrifying presence and aura, Yeon-woo found it much easier to face the Earth Serpent than before.

Perhaps it was because, purely as a god, the Sword Saint was above the Earth Serpent.

It could be said she learned how to face even formidable beings without being intimidated.

Well, she got used to that ever since mixing with the Demon Kings.

[…I will listen.]

The Earth Serpent gazed at her with an expression that suggested displeasure but seemed to acknowledge her boldness in initiating conversation. Yeon-woo felt grateful for that.

“The Demon King is targeting you. I don’t know which one, but it might be good to prepare for a fight.”

[…What an unexpected concern. But, what does it have to do with you?]

The Earth Serpent flicked its tongue in confusion. When its massive mouth opened, a red tongue emerged from the abyss-like darkness, truly a frightening sight.

It reminded Yeon-woo of the playful encounter with Nea, but the Earth Serpent was far larger, exuding even more intimidation.

“Targeting you means they want to take you.”

[…Oh? They want me? Well, I suppose that would be a concern.]

The Earth Serpent’s eyes narrowed. Was it pleased?

The fact that it could find amusement upon hearing that a Demon King was targeting it showed how extraordinary the Earth Serpent truly was.

“So, I wanted to ask for your permission. If we were to get involved in your battle, would that be acceptable?”

[Hmm.]

At Yeon-woo’s words, the Earth Serpent’s voice turned contemplative. It was rare for a natural being like it to exhibit this kind of human-like self-awareness.

Other nature gods merely perform actions without responding, even if you engage them in conversation; the World Tree and Earth Serpent were the exceptions.

Therefore, it was unusual for it to reflect on such things… perhaps because it had devoured the souls of adventurers who returned to nature in this Earth Hammer Gorge.

For Yeon-woo, knowing that the Earth Serpent held the potential nearly equal to a Demon King made her uneasy with the idea of it stepping out of neutrality.

Before the unsettling thought crossed her mind, it would likely be a calamity for humanity.

[…Very well, I permit it. Though I have a strong desire to devour those who target my body, I must be cautious not to scare away the creatures of the gorge in the process.]

“Thank you.”

Phew, what a relief. If it had been rejected here, things might have become troublesome.

Of course, there was also the possibility that the Earth Serpent would take it upon itself to kill the Demon King.

But, isn’t it better to turn an uncertain possibility into certainty by lending a helping hand?

[Then go back. Your family is calling for you. Feel free to do whatever, but don’t litter in the lake.]

In that moment, it would bury everything under the waterway.

With that grim warning, Yeon-woo’s consciousness was expelled from the space. Like rewinding a video, her consciousness was sucked back into her body.

“What are you doing, Dad!!”

“Gah!”

Upon returning to reality, the fishing rod beneath her wriggled. Yeon-woo hurriedly yanked it.

Had she caught quite a big catch? The thrill was immense. Thankfully, the struggle didn’t result in the rod breaking or anything.

The rod—enhanced with aura—was sturdy even if it bent like a bow.

“Whoa!!”

Besides, no fish could defeat the strength of a master powered by mana.

Especially since there were no underwater rocks, the fish finally revealed itself amidst the raging waters.

A huge fish with striking blue eyes. Its sleek scales and beautiful dorsal fin, probably around 1.5 meters long.

Seeing the giant fish, Shar’s eyes sparkled.

“Blue Eye!”

Baek In-hwa calmly named the species while observing the scene. The blue color gave it the name Blue Eye…. What a lackluster name.

“It’s a premium species. Quite large and delicious.”

“Really!? Cook it immediately!?”

“Have you ever tasted it?”

“It’s caught in the North Sea, too. When a big one is caught, people sacrifice it to the Ice Palace as a reward. But I’ve never seen one this big before.”

She certainly embodied the living encyclopedia of creatures. Indeed, that was the real Baek In-hwa.

Yeon-woo grinned as she approached the tent, holding the flopping Blue Eye.

Before she realized it, Nea had disappeared, making her wonder what was happening. Just then, Nea emerged energetically from within the tent, bearing a giant grill.

“Still the same as ever, I see.”

At Yeon-woo’s innocent murmur, Nea’s face turned bright red.

“Is it… is it not delicious!!”

The half-hearted excuse echoed around the lake. Yeon-woo smiled warmly and grilled the Blue Eye for her.

She simply scored it, sprinkled salt, and grilled it, yet it was incredibly tasty. It seemed it was no ordinary premium fish after all.

*

“If this happens again, I might really die next time. Good grief….”

With her dark black hair, Yuri, now starting to shed her boyish look, rubbed her waist.

It was a rather uncharacteristic gesture, but to Noel, it appeared quite natural. She was the only one who truly understood what kind of life her master had lived.

“…Thank you, Master.”

“If you’re grateful, get strong enough to kill the Demon King quickly. You’re still far from it.”

As Yuri shot back, Noel dropped her gaze sullenly. How unfortunate. The hero becoming downcast just because someone gave her a bit of ribbing.

Of course, it was hard to find someone who could say Noel was weak. Only those bearing the names of stars could make such claims. To most, Noel had already reached heights akin to those in the skies.

However, against the Demon King, that brilliance would pale.

Moreover, it wasn’t so much a matter of Noel’s character… but honestly, another disciple was far too special.

By comparison, Noel was excessively straightforward, relying solely on pure strength and finesse in battles, leaving her ability to create unforeseen variables somewhat lacking.

Moreover, even with Yuri participating in a fight against the Demon King, her input would be limited, so for now, the only solution was for Noel to strengthen herself.

“Oh dear, when will that lazy youngest disciple finally show up?”

Every time something like this happened, she couldn’t help but think of that roguish disciple holed up back home, indulging himself with girls.

If only he were there, defeating the Demon King would be manageable.

Though it felt like burdening someone with a heavy load, Yuri believed he thrived on carrying heavy burdens.

“It would be great if we could just split it in half between the two of us.”

“Eek.”

Noel let out a whining noise. Still, even now, she was far more expressive than three years ago when they met again.

Back then, she had been completely lost and troubled.

“Let’s head back for now. The Demon King is probably lurking around that area.”

“Understood…!!”

Noel answered energetically, leading the way forward. The light of the holy sword shimmered beautifully. Her will was still unbroken.

Of course, Yuri had no intention of letting that will be broken.

‘That must be the reason why this old body was given a young form again.’

The boyish old man chuckled, looking at the moon high above. He was always ready to sacrifice his life for the children.

(To be continued in the next episode)