Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 409

When I step back for a moment from the excessively hectic daily life, such thoughts creep in.

“Am I on the right path? Is this what I really thought?”

Yeon-woo wasn’t free from such musings either. Gazing up at the twinkling stars in the dark sky, all sorts of thoughts flooded his mind.

Of course, Yeon-woo had a conviction. Even if he regressed again, he couldn’t do better than this.

Well, it’s only been three years at best. The majorly troubling Demon Kings were still around, but he managed to take down a good portion of them.

Just that alone made the world at least double the peace it used to be. At the very least, he had prevented a future that mimicked his past life.

However, the world was still on the brink of destruction. As long as not all Demon Kings disappeared, that unease would surely persist.

“Especially the Demon Kings Hwayo and Moryo.”

Those two were targets that absolutely needed to be eliminated, no matter the circumstance.

It would be better if the Demon King Alkeion was left as the last one standing. If one of those two remained and he died, it could be said that the path to destruction was secured.

As for Shuyo and Il-yo… Yeon-woo had no noteworthy information about them. They never showed their faces up until the very end even before the regression.

Il-yo was merely known to exist, while Shuyo was only presumed to be something related to water due to the situation.

The fact that they had not revealed themselves meant they were not as powerful as Hwayo and Moryo.

That’s why they must have been opportunistically observing the situation.

Not having strong forces was the exact opposite of Toyo, who was trying to rally more power.

But now the situation had changed. It was due to Yeon-woo erasing the rule that Demon Kings couldn’t inflict harm on each other.

At this point, either Shuyo or Il-yo had likely been killed by Hwayo. Moryo would be enjoying the sight of it.

As Yeon-woo organized his thoughts, he picked up the sword Cheondun that he had set down beside him.

With a sharp sound, Cheondun was drawn, revealing its cold blade.

The secret technique instinctively manifested during the fight with the Heavenly Demon. The very thing Yeon-woo sought as a master: “The sword that cuts the past.”

“It’s kind of funny that I can only use the sword that cuts the past after I’ve become just like the past.”

Back then, Yeon-woo was in a state identical to before the regression—completely drained of mana.

Not only was he out of mana, but his body condition was a mess, just like back in the old days.

Well, it was still an excellent secret technique. It could be said that it was a killing move all its own.

As seen from the fact that Yeon-woo could take down the Heavenly Demon at the cost of losing limbs, his strike had completely stripped the Heavenly Demon of its mana.

Even now, the faint sensation still lingered in his hand. However, the limitation on the environment in which he could use it posed a problem.

“If I don’t know the enemy from before the regression, I can’t use it.”

Of course, it wasn’t explicitly stated, like in a skill window or anything.

But since most of what Yeon-woo knew was limited to Demon Kings, villains, and monsters, such biases naturally arose.

Well, if he really had to use it, he could apply it to Kim Yoo-min or Namgung Seong. Though using it on them would only benefit his opponents.

“I never thought a sword born from the hatred before regression would turn out like this.”

It turned into a weapon that tears away what the opponent had possessed since before the regression.

Determined not to create a world exactly like in the past once more, perhaps due to the amplification of his desires, Yeon-woo seemed to have erased the Heavenly Demon’s magical shield from the world.

It was extremely useful, but using it wasn’t easy. After all, the moment he used it, he would end up battered.

It would have to be used only when he could kill the opponent in a single move.

With that thought, Yeon-woo looked up at the sky again. The night sky was still richly adorned with disgustingly beautiful starlight.

Even with so much time left, those beings looked down upon the world with optimistic faces.

*

“It’s time for me to go.”

A few days later, as Yeon-woo muttered while lying on his bed, Nea, who was beside him, spoke up with a concerned voice.

“Already? Are you really okay?”

“Ah, my mana is fully restored and my wounds are gone. Of course, I’m fine.”

At Yeon-woo’s optimistic words, Nea let out a little groan and rolled over.

Resting her head on Yeon-woo’s big arm, she looked at him, her golden eyes shining as if piercing through him.

“…I see you’re really better now.”

“Right? I told you, I’m okay. Don’t you trust me, sis?”

“I believe you, of course, I do. But thinking about not seeing you for a while… ugh.”

As Nea spoke, she rubbed her face against Yeon-woo’s chest. What’s this? So cute.

Yeon-woo gently patted Nea’s head. The soft touch just naturally brought a smile.

Having completely retired from the front lines, Nea had transitioned entirely into a research role.

While the combat power she had as a dragon had disappeared, her vast knowledge remained intact.

The biggest downside that arose from this was clear. Nea couldn’t be taken to the dangerous battlefield, which meant Yeon-woo had no choice but to leave her behind most of the time.

“It’s so hard for me to endure.”

“…Huh, there’s nothing that can be done. It’s my fault for making you such a busy person, and it’s also my fault for falling in love with such a busy husband…”

“…Wait, what?”

What did she just say? Husband? Did Nea just refer to him as a husband?

Yeon-woo’s head spun in confusion at this expression he had never heard before.

“What’s wrong? Did you hyperventilate or something?”

“Who said anything about hyperventilation!!”

Nea, casually referring to hyperventilation, was suddenly tackled by Yeon-woo.

Startled by the abrupt change in situation, Nea hurriedly tried to regain her balance, but she had no strength to push Yeon-woo away now.

“Wha– What are you doing?”

“It’s your fault…!!”

As Yeon-woo pulled her into a tight embrace, leaving her unable to escape, he uttered some somewhat criminal lines that made Nea’s face turn crimson.

Information from all sorts of senses flooded in.

The two locked gazes, and noticing Yeon-woo’s hesitant demeanor, Nea bashfully nodded.

*

“Hmm!!”

Tae-oh, who was playing with a game console, suddenly shot up from the bed. Shar, who was watching videos on her smartphone beside him, quickly pulled him back down.

“Stay still, Tae-oh.”

“Why!? Mom and Dad are playing! I want to join!”

Dawn, who had been reading a book under the bed, overheard and turned crimson at those two words.

She buried her face in the book she was holding, the title “Basic Physics” standing out.

“Well, let’s suppose. There are times when Tae-oh wants to monopolize Momo, right?”

At Shar’s words, Momo, who had curled up on the bed, perked up her ears and got up. Shar, with a relaxed expression, patted Momo’s head, saying, “I didn’t call you~”.

“I do have those times! But it’s more fun to play with everyone…!!”

“Such a good kid…”

“Hehe.”

For some unknown reason, the warm gazes from Shar and Dawn were directed at Tae-oh, who was making fists with determination.

As the youngest among the little gang of Leviathan, Tae-oh had grown up to be quite a good boy, perhaps thanks to excellent early education.

“Anyway. Didn’t Mom and Dad have times like that too?”

“Uh… I’m not really sure, but since you’re saying that, I suppose so…!!”

Tae-oh, who had been pondering, responded in such a way.

Even if he couldn’t comprehend it fully, it meant he trusted what his parents, Shar, and Dawn said.

Their words had likely become one of the absolute standards for judgment in Tae-oh’s mind.

Having narrowly prevented Tae-oh from barging into the parents’ room, Shar let out a little sigh. In the master bedroom upstairs, history was likely being made.

“There might be a little sibling.”

“Pfft!!”

Dawn almost spat out the cocoa she was sipping at those words. Shar looked at her in disbelief.

Why is she embarrassed? It’s a very proud act.

Shar couldn’t understand why Dawn was blushing of all people.

If you think about it, isn’t she the owner of the world’s most embarrassing power? You know, that horrifically grotesque act of hitting people with flesh.

At that moment, she may have been completely focused on the fight, but later, recalling the thought, there had been all sorts of body parts involved, not just arms and legs.

*

The next morning. The family gathered in the dining room for breakfast.

As Yeon-woo glanced around at the children and Riley seated around the table, he sensed a rather hard-to-describe gaze directed at him from everyone except for the ever-cheerful Tae-oh.

With a frown on his brow, Yeon-woo asked,

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“What did you do to Mom, you monster!!”

Shar suddenly overreacted and shouted.

After briefly surveying the kitchen, Yeon-woo plucked a banana from the wall and peeled it before offering it to Tae-oh.

Tae-oh looked at it as if confused, yet opened his mouth to take a bite of the banana, leaving only the peel in Yeon-woo’s hand.

“Your mom… is this what you’re talking about?”

“Y-You monster….!!”

But the voice filled with rage didn’t belong to Shar. Turning around while holding the banana peel, he found Nea slowly walking down the stairs.

“Are you okay?”

“Who’s the banana peel, who!?”

A fist, clumsy and soft, landed on Yeon-woo’s head. He winced, biting his lip, allowing the blow to land.

Once Nea took her place at the table, Riley brought in the food.

What they would be having for breakfast was entirely up to the chef’s whims. So, if there was something they wanted to eat, they needed to assist Riley in swaying public opinion.

The atmosphere quickly turned lively, but Yeon-woo could easily pick up on the subtle tension lurking beneath the surface.

Leaning toward Nea, Yeon-woo whispered in her ear.

“It seems everyone noticed, huh?”

“Hmph.”

At the sound escaping Nea’s lips, Yeon-woo frowned. The dining room, which had been momentarily quiet, filled with chatter the moment Nea’s cheeks turned red.

“I guess I should put a little more effort into soundproofing next time.”

He decided to be satisfied with finding a point to reflect upon.

As they prepared to head towards Alkeion, their last moments of relaxation passed by just like that.

(Continued in the next episode)