Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Night Dragon
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“…Night Dragon, was it?”
It felt like winter had arrived.
Mogdam thought so.
The temperature around them had suddenly dropped, and even the surroundings seemed a bit darker.
The others felt the same, as Rinar shuddered with a shiver.
“Y-Yes. I couldn’t see it clearly, but it was a massive dragon with black scales. Considering the ominous aura, I can’t imagine it being anything other than the Night Dragon.”
Mogdam reported in a trembling voice, not even thinking to wipe the sweat trickling down his shiny bald head.
“There must not be a shred of falsehood in that.”
Strain’s voice was laced with clear displeasure.
It was impossible to know what had irked him, but caution was essential.
The Shadow Duke’s reputation wasn’t all positive, after all.
“It’s not a lie!”
Rinar shouted.
Strain’s gaze turned to the boy.
“So you have to hurry and help! If the Hero doesn’t go quickly, something terrible will happen…!”
If Amir hadn’t tugged at his clothes from the side to stop him, Rinar would have kept talking.
“Night Dragon…”
Strain fell into brief thought at Rinar’s words, then spoke.
“Then it’s already too late.”
The plan had failed.
That was Strain’s judgment.
It wasn’t wrong.
The Night Dragon was a monster that even the Sword Sage and Shadow Duke would need to fight in a perfectly laid trap in Rimartan to gain the upper hand.
Seo Woojin blocking it alone?
Impossible.
With quite some time having passed, the city was probably destroyed, and Seo Woojin dead.
He had come out for a stroll amid the chaotic atmosphere, never expecting to hear such news.
It was regrettable to lose a seemingly useful Hero, but the plan was a failure.
“Tch, time to head back.”
Strain turned around.
He no longer paid attention to Rinar or Mogdam.
There was no reason or value in doing so.
But Rinar’s voice held his feet in place.
“Are you heading out to provide support right now?”
“Support?”
The unspoken addition to his reply was, ‘Why would I?’
“Yes! If we leave right now, it’ll take about three days on horseback… We can’t delay any longer!”
Nonsense.
If the Shadow Duke willed it, he could reach a city on the empire’s frontier in less than an hour.
But was there any reason to?
Going now would only confirm the ruins of a destroyed city.
The Shadow Duke had no desire to waste time pointlessly.
What needed doing now was returning to the capital with the Sword Sage to devise countermeasures.
With the Night Dragon awakened, it wouldn’t be satisfied with destroying just one city.
They had to assume at least several regions in the empire’s south would be reduced to ashes.
The Apostle Gelir hadn’t appeared, but a minion of the Fourth Demon King had.
Everything was displeasing.
Perhaps that was why.
The voice that emerged from his lips was even colder.
“Your hometown is already destroyed. Even if you go now, all you’ll see are corpses. Do you still want to go?”
“…Corpses?”
“Indeed. The Hero you so admire is probably reduced to a puddle of blood by now.”
It wasn’t wrong.
In fact, Seo Woojin had already died once to the Night Dragon, making it an accurate prediction.
He simply didn’t know that Seo Woojin was a ‘Demon King’ who had awakened the ‘Demon King Transformation’ skill through death.
“No way.”
Rinar shook his head.
His expression showed disbelief.
The Seo Woojin he had seen was confident.
He had knocked out a knight in one blow and dragged away the wastrel Rashid without a hint of resistance.
Such an amazing person couldn’t possibly be dead.
The Hero was Rinar’s dream, so he couldn’t believe it all the more.
Strain approached the boy, whose eyes were welling with tears.
“Do you want to confirm it? If you wish, I’ll take you.”
It wasn’t to provide the support Rinar hoped for.
He simply wanted this naive boy to face reality.
And to realize how fleeting hope was.
“Take my hand. I’ll show you the Hero you’ve longed to see.”
He extended his hand temptingly.
Amir grabbed his younger brother.
Mogdam and Bashir did the same.
If what they had seen was truly the Night Dragon, and Seo Woojin hadn’t been able to stop it…
Returning would only reveal hellish ruins.
The Shadow Duke Strain wouldn’t speak idly, so the chances were high.
In that case, they had to avoid going back home.
The sight would be far too gruesome for a young boy like Rinar.
But the boy shook off Amir’s hand.
And accepted the shadow’s temptation.
“I believe in the Hero.”
His unwavering eyes stared straight at Strain.
“…I hope you’re right.”
Sincerely.
Though it was impossible.
Strain vanished into the shadows with Rinar.
* * *
“Hoo—”
Seo Woojin took a deep breath.
‘Gigantheanon.’
A beast that appeared even in Jayronin’s bestiary.
A giant demonic beast over 8 meters tall.
Unlike the one-eyed Cyclops, it had six compound eyes and four arms.
Extremely rare, it was said to occasionally appear in remote areas like the Demon Realm…
“Why are you showing up here?”
There wasn’t even a Demon Realm nearby.
Seo Woojin gripped ‘Rune Dea’ tightly.
At level 50, it would have been utterly impossible to face.
Even using the ‘Demon King’ skills, it would be an extremely tough fight.
Though he was incomparably stronger now than back then, he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.
‘One such mistake is enough.’
He had let a scroll be stolen, which was torn and endangered the city.
And that wasn’t all.
He had nearly died.
No, he had died once.
All because of carelessness.
He had no excuse blaming Rinar’s ability.
It had happened because he couldn’t even handle kids barely twelve years old.
“Hey, big guy.”
Seo Woojin called out to the Gigantheanon.
Grrooo—
Its six eyes looked down at Seo Woojin.
Not as high as the Night Dragon, but still dizzyingly tall.
“Even if I tell you to just go back, you won’t listen, right?”
Groooaaar—!
As if it were obvious, it roared and began swinging its fists at Seo Woojin.
“Knew it.”
Clicking his tongue, Seo Woojin kicked off the ground.
Like a cannonball launching, Seo Woojin soared into the air.
Kwaaang—!
Below, he saw the four fists upheaving the earth.
But Seo Woojin’s eyes were fixed solely on the Gigantheanon’s neck ahead.
“Twelve Heavenly Swords!”
He used a new skill.
‘Rune Dea’ trembled and slipped from his hand.
Then it flew straight toward the Gigantheanon.
Anyone who had read wuxia novels would have shouted ‘Flying Sword!’
‘Rune Dea’ shot like a beam of light, instantly piercing the Gigantheanon’s neck.
Puk—!
Blood sprayed.
The neck, several times thicker than a large tree, was pierced like tofu.
Grrrooowl—!
A scream like boiling blood and pus echoed.
But the true power of ‘Twelve Heavenly Swords’ began now.
Bzzzzzt—!
Twelve beams of light burst from the hole in its neck.
Like a constellation, the lights found their positions and began rotating slowly.
Kak— Kakak—!
Skin tore, muscles shredded.
Soon, even the bones were gruesomely ground away, severing the head.
Dark red blood surged like a waterfall, splattering the ground.
It looked like a rain of blood.
Seo Woojin, catching ‘Rune Dea’ after a loop in the air, ignited his aura and slashed down.
Chieeeek—!
From the headless neck to the groin.
A straight fissure formed.
‘It can regenerate even if decapitated, right?’
That was recovery power beyond even a troll.
But with the torso split vertically as well, regeneration would be impossible.
‘Just in case, though.’
Extinction Flames.
Seo Woojin summoned flames of an extremely high order to incinerate the Gigantheanon’s fragmented body.
Fwoooosh—!
The black flames spread instantly, burning the 8-meter colossus down to the bones.
“This should do it.”
If it could regenerate from this, it would be a monster on Gerald’s level.
Kuuung—!
But his worries didn’t come to pass.
The Gigantheanon lay on the ground, never to rise again.
Only then did Seo Woojin land.
The entire sequence had unfolded in the span of a single jump.
Seo Woojin swung ‘Rune Dea’ to shake off the blood, then gazed at the blazing Gigantheanon corpse.
“No level up, as expected.”
He had slain nearly 200 demonic beasts so far.
Most didn’t even require drawing his sword, but occasionally strong ones like this mixed in.
‘Shouldn’t this be enough for one level?’
He thought so, but regrettably, leveling up remained distant.
Once he hit the 70s, the required experience was beyond imagination.
“Plenty of time left.”
This was the foundation-building phase.
At least, that’s how it was for the other Heroes.
They built their levels and skills at the academy, with true growth coming after the war began.
When the Demon King descended, foes incomparably stronger than now would pour out…
It would be the perfect setup for leveling.
Of course, Seo Woojin had already surpassed that level long ago.
He even had things that couldn’t be measured by levels, so even if war broke out, he wouldn’t face much crisis.
Unless Reina suddenly leaped out and sank fangs into his neck.
“Burns nicely.”
Its size made the flames last quite a while.
“Doesn’t seem like there’ll be more today.”
His ‘Divine Dragon Eye’ and senses detected no presences.
He could relax for a bit.
“…I just thought that.”
Seo Woojin swallowed dryly at the massive mana flow from not far away.
‘A monster.’
Vastly larger than the Gigantheanon.
‘Night Dragon class?’
Despite his immense growth, his hands trembled.
“Damn, another one like that?”
He hadn’t expected another Night Dragon-level beast nearby.
Fear surged, but he couldn’t flee.
Drawing ‘Rune Dea’ again, he used ‘Swiftness’.
He didn’t know who it was, but he had to stop it before it reached the city.
Squeeeee—!
With ‘Swiftness’, Seo Woojin’s form tore through compressed air toward the mana source.
Kwaaaang—!
A delayed shockwave erupted, shaking the atmosphere.
In less than five seconds, he reached the origin.
And there, he saw it.
A shadow standing still, gazing at the Night Dragon’s corpse.