Second Life of a Dragon Raising Hunter

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Chapter 426

At first glance, it might seem like someone just went and killed people in the Hunter Guild without a care, but with the revelation that the target was a Doppleganger, Yeon-woo had no chance of being criticized.

After all, they had just caught a Doppleganger hiding among the Hunters, so it was actually something to be thanked for, even if it was a rather unpleasant sight.

Anyway, after all these events and wrapping up a fan meeting, Jung Yu-jin spoke to Yeon-woo.

“Truly founder-like. We investigated thoroughly, yet we didn’t even notice…”

“Just because you investigate doesn’t guarantee you’ll find out.”

Dopplegangers are entities like that. The Tae-oh of the times Yeon-woo met hadn’t fully absorbed humanity, but the real Dopplegangers boast a perfect ability to disguise that can’t be judged merely by simple external information.

However, the true fear of a Doppleganger doesn’t arise from daily life. The real problem begins the moment a party sets out on an expedition with even a single Doppleganger included.

A party could be wiped out by a Doppleganger, which after consuming enough humans, would emerge.

At that moment, the situation spirals out of control.

From that point on, it’s not the ability to disguise that becomes an issue, but the combat ability of the Doppleganger rapidly increases.

That’s why the Human Alliance is on edge—trying to reduce even a little the number of hidden Dopplegangers.

“So where is it?”

“A rural village. There are only about a hundred residents in total. Out of the blue, a disappearance case has occurred in that quiet place.”

“What are the odds of there being a Doppleganger?”

“Um, I’m almost certain.”

Certain, huh? That was a rare case indeed.

It may seem like the Clairvoyants have it easy, but everyone knew they were a meticulous group, deserving of their reputation.

Yet for them to express certainty is anything but common.

In most cases, when they find something suspicious, they dig until the truth comes out.

“Doesn’t that narrow it down? Is there really a need to mobilize Synesthetes?”

“Well, kinda. But this issue is a bit more unique. It’s far from typical.”

“What exactly is going on here?”

Well, I planned to get the details on the spot. Regardless, it was time to hurry up and get going.

It wasn’t too far a distance, but we needed to hustle if we were going to finish in a single day. The reason for wrapping it up in a day was that I didn’t want to be apart from Nea.

Despite Jung Yu-jin looking at Yeon-woo as if he were mischievous, Yeon-woo neatly ignored him.

If it bothers him that much, he should get a lover too.

*

Hunting a Doppleganger might feel like an impulsive choice at first glance, but the underlying thought wasn’t merely about not wanting to fall behind Namgung Seong.

It was a method I’d been considering for a while, and now just felt like the best timing to implement it.

The so-called Tae-oh Enhancement Plan.

What elixir best suits the martial arts of the Guardian of the Ice Palace? Without a doubt, it’s the Ice Essence, which is also a specialty of the Ice Palace.

An elixir that matches the characteristics of one’s martial arts. That’s what a good match is.

In the midst of all this, the right elixir for Tae-oh was now available.

It wouldn’t do to capture a Doppleganger during a war, so now seemed like the right time to gather these resources.

In truth, I had hesitated to try because I wasn’t sure how Tae-oh would feel about it, but when I asked him in the morning, he nodded without much thought.

Tae-oh had already become the eldest son of the Choi clan, a being of darkness, no longer just a Doppleganger.

Thinking back, it was hard to believe that such a creature, which had even licked the Demon King’s items, would be so concerned about something trivial like this.

Anyway, that was the case. The growth Tae-oh gains from consuming a Doppleganger isn’t solely his; it also contributes to Yeon-woo’s growth, since they’re connected.

Even saying that it was an attempt to reap some indirect benefit through Tae-oh wouldn’t be incorrect. But since Tae-oh was both a son and a contracted spirit, wouldn’t it be foolish not to utilize him?

With such thoughts, I arrived at a rural village that could not be described as anything but a backwater.

It was a sight that made me think, “So there are still places like this left in Korea.”

It was a village whose existence was solely maintained by primary industries, a form often seen in Alkeion.

Perhaps it was the very first settlement established by immigrants from Alkeion.

“The scenery is not bad. Peaceful.”

“Right? They say it’s one of the few clean gate zones in our country.”

A truly rare place. Clean Gate Zone—strictly speaking, it doesn’t mean no gates appear at all, but it refers to areas where only low-grade gates that even basic Hunters can handle show up.

It seems that only gates manageable by the village people had appeared.

If not, this village wouldn’t be able to survive in this day and age.

“So what’s the issue with this village? Is it just finding the Doppleganger?”

“Well, usually, the appearance of a Doppleganger starts with someone going missing.”

“Most of the time, yeah.”

Doppleganger incidents generally begin with someone being swallowed by a Doppleganger.

Otherwise, there are many cases where they go unnoticed entirely.

Unfortunately, it’s always the case that resolving an incident can only be done after it occurs. That much was something even Yeon-woo couldn’t alter.

“But in this village, someone has certainly gone missing, yet nobody knows who it is.”

“…Is that even possible?”

“Surprisingly, yes.”

Jung Yu-jin shook his head in disbelief as he pulled out a bundle of documents from his arms. Yeon-woo stood still as he quickly scanned through them.

It was a copy of the census from the village chief’s house. The total number of residents was one hundred and one, and it hadn’t changed for several years as no one had moved in.

However, when the Clairvoyants conducted an investigation of the village households following the Doppleganger incident, it was confirmed that the village’s population was still precisely one hundred. One person had vanished.

The problem was that nobody had moved in or died, nor had anyone left for the city. Every household claimed that they hadn’t experienced any changes in their members.

The ignorance of that reaction felt even creepier, known only to those who understood the series of facts.

“Definitely strange.”

“Doesn’t it seem that way to you? The situation isn’t normal.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already come to a rough conclusion in my mind.”

“What? Already?”

Truthfully, there was no need to think hard about it. Even before the regression, Doppleganger incidents manifested in various forms—numerous cases were documented.

Although there were far too many for Yeon-woo to memorize entirely, he remembered a few similar cases.

“First off, there’s the possibility the entire village was swallowed by the Doppleganger.”

“Well, that seems like a low probability hypothesis. If that were the case, our informant would have also gone missing during preliminary investigations.”

“Could have held back, but… well, let’s set that aside for now.”

For the moment, he intended to meet the villagers. If he could find the Doppleganger among them, it would really simplify things.

*

“Well, it could be one of two things: either the missing person among the one hundred and one was swallowed by the Doppleganger, or that missing person was a Doppleganger from the start.”

“It seems that’s quite likely. That’s why I brought you along to confirm it.”

While listening to Yu-jin, Yeon-woo clenched and unclenched his fist.

As they got close to the village, Yeon-woo was already fully aware of the situation. This became clearer the more they approached the center.

[Daddy…. This is….]

“Well, it seems my prediction was right.”

“…Is that really so?”

Upon Yeon-woo’s mumble, Yu-jin retreated a step, surprised. After all, Yeon-woo had an uncanny ability to pick up on such things.

A creeping, ominous energy was recklessly nudging Yeon-woo’s instincts, ringing alarm bells.

Responding to Yeon-woo’s declaration, the village residents walked out as if entranced.

It must have been influenced by the aura Yeon-woo had released while unraveling the situation.

“By the way, I heard when the Clairvoyant’s informants visited, there weren’t any problems. Quite a patient Doppleganger it seems. They must have verified there was no one missing?”

“Do you think they wouldn’t have done that?”

As Yu-jin pulled out a magic gun from his waist, Yeon-woo drew his sword. While the scale had increased somewhat, it wasn’t too problematic.

The shadow under Yeon-woo instantly spread in every direction.

Like a massive bird soaring through the sky, a giant shadow loomed over the vicinity.

Unfortunately, this covered not just the villagers but seemingly engulfed the entire village, as far as pure area went, even Tae-oh couldn’t keep up.

The only formation that could establish itself was Tae-oh being within the nest of the Doppleganger.

Nevertheless, it wouldn’t mean Yeon-woo’s area would get swallowed up by the Doppleganger’s nest.

As long as he was being supported by Tae-oh, it was almost impossible to be overpowered in terms of control.

“Rest easy, everyone.”

I hoped my words would reach the villagers who had already been swallowed by the Doppleganger as Yeon-woo charged ahead.

*

This is obvious, but Yeon-woo didn’t have the time to be delayed by even one or two Dopplegangers now.

Of course, it didn’t mean there was any point in slashing at people who had been swallowed by the Doppleganger.

So after shaking them off momentarily, Yeon-woo shoved the Aura Blade he had drawn out deeply into what he speculated was the core of the Doppleganger in the village center.

As a result, a scream horrifying enough to chill the bones erupted, sounding as if dozens or hundreds of people were screaming simultaneously.

For Yeon-woo, this was no big deal. The undead created by Toyo had been far worse.

Soon, the villagers surrounding them began to flow down to the ground like bubbles popping.

Hmm, this might turn out to be a bit of a hassle. Since the main body was beneath the ground, it seemed they were flowing into that direction.

“Tae-oh, let’s do our best!”

[Uh-huh, got it!]

But I hoped they wouldn’t blame me for stabbing the main body without dealing with such issues.

A Hunter must be prepared to deal with all conceivable situations.

That being the case, Yeon-woo’s decision was simple. Leaving the part that can intervene beneath the ground to Tae-oh, who was closer to gaining an upper hand over the Doppleganger, was the way to go.

There’s a saying, “Let no one who doesn’t work eat.” Well, it was something along those lines.

‘But I wonder how big this core actually is…’

If only I knew that, I’d have no wishes left.

(To Be Continued in Next Episode)