Returned With Horns

* * *

Kuoooo-!

While we were running for a while, I let out a sigh at the huge sound that reached us. Are we too late? A roar that made my horns tingle was reverberating through this small world.

The hunters were staggering, and those with weak constitutions were collapsing.

It was because the Fear that gives a massive mental shock to lower-ranking individuals just by revealing its presence had manifested. Oh Sungwon had already been unconscious for a while, and the others were also enduring the pain with deeply furrowed brows.

The situation is worse than I was worried about. Can they fight in this state?

As I drew the sword from my waist, I looked ahead. In the distance, a huge dragon was flying towards us. At least S-rank or above?

"Huff..."

Even Kang Chaehoon, the strongest among them, was gasping for breath, seemingly quite terrified.

The dragon, scanning us with its slit pupils, started approaching us while slowing down. Seeing this, I tightened my grip on the sword hilt.

There's no word more beautiful than "first strike wins". Thinking that, I gathered my magical power.

"First dance, Shooting the Sun."

A thrust so fast that even sound was slow aimed for the dragon's chest. But the dragon layered shields by just twitching its claws.

Ah, so that's it. A dragon species that uses magic. Dragon. Judging by its pitch-black color, is it a Black Dragon?

There were dragons on the Granterasia continent too. Although their numbers were very few, and unfortunately, they sided with the Demon King, so I cut them all down to extinction. It wasn't strange for this newly born dragon to use magic, as dragons awaken to mana and magic as soon as they're born.

"Is it magic?"

"Yeah."

"It's a dragon, huh. I thought something was off when it used Fear."

This dragon is a much stronger monster than the fire dragon I saw when I first returned to Earth. I'm saying this aside from whether we can call that individual a monster or not. That's why despair was etched on the hunters' faces. They seemed to think that even I couldn't take down a dragon.

The one fortunate thing was that this arrogant dragon came alone without commanding other monsters. If it had brought other monsters along, it would have been difficult to guarantee the lives of the hunters rolling on the ground behind me.

The dragon, too, was just looking down at us with a leisurely face, not launching any proper attacks. It was natural since the eleven behind me looked weak at a glance, and I didn't look that strong either due to the effect of mana concealment.

Smirking, I stroked my face that was involuntarily smiling and quietly muttered.

"It's been a while since I hunted a lizard. This is kind of fun."

"You're talking as if you've hunted them before."

"I've hunted them quite a few times. And not just hatchlings like this, but Ancient-class dragons."

Of course, Ancient-class dragons were quite strong. Even I had to take some injuries. But a hatchling is different.

The dragon heart embedded in my heart starts pumping roughly. The organ that's unrivaled in supplying magical power moves fiercely, supplying mana throughout my body.

With that, I take the thrusting stance again. Seeing this, the dragon snorted and started layering shields again. Just shields, it was laughable.

"First dance. Shooting the Sun."

Again this time, the sound is heard slower than the sword strike.

However, a strike with power on a different dimension from before flew towards the dragon's heart. Like piercing the sun, a blue sword energy shot into the air lightly tore through the layered shields.

Seeing this, the dragon seemed flustered and stretched out its short legs.

"You think that's enough?"

I can't see my own expression right now, but it probably looks quite crooked. I thought I had vented all my anger earlier, but it seems I was wrong. I convert the emotions boiling inside me directly into sword strikes and pour them out. Consecutive thrusts start to puncture the dragon's sturdy body.

Shooting the Sun is basically a swordsmanship of multiple thrusts. In fact, since Soul Dance itself is a swordsmanship that unfolds seven sword techniques tied into one form, this was natural in a way.

I continued Shooting the Sun dance as if dancing.

Grrrr-!

The dragon's scream-like roar comes down on me as an intangible energy wave. But I continue swinging my sword regardless.

Feeling like I might laugh, I don't hold back and burst into laughter.

"Ha, hahaha! Ahahahahaha!"

The dragon, bleeding profusely and dying, started to puff up its cheeks as if making a last struggle. It was the prelude to a breath attack.

Seeing this, I brought my sword to my waist. A 'cutting' stance with full power. Along with that, the breath started pouring out.

"Second dance..."

Soul Slash. With a low mutter, a snow-white sword light dyes the sky. The black breath shooting towards me turns white and disappears. Along with that, the dragon crashes to the ground.

Boom-! With a huge impact shaking the ground, I twirled around. Then I saw the hunters and Oh Sungwon looking at me with blank eyes.

"Aren't you glad you trusted and followed me?"

As I said that with a smirk, the hunters nodded with blank eyes.

* * *

We may have taken down the dragon, but that didn't mean the gate was closing. Our main goal was still the core, after all. But we had to stay around here for one more day.

"We should collect the dragon's byproducts."

"What a hassle."

"Dragons are monsters with no parts to waste. There have been less than five recorded discoveries so far."

Said Lee Sunghoon, the only hunter among the ten with a monster dissection work qualification, while dissecting the dragon.

Actually, by dissection, I was just cutting the hide hidden between scales according to Sunghoon's instructions.

Following Sunghoon's instructions to cut the dragon, we were able to instantly obtain the toughest scales among the dragon's scales, the hide, and various byproducts. To be honest, I didn't know which parts had how much value.

"If you entrust it to our Oh Sung Group, we'll give you a good price."

"You're not going to eat it all up?"

"We wouldn't do that to the benefactor of the young master."

So you would do it if it wasn't the young master's benefactor? I looked at Lee Sunghoon incredulously, and he subtly turned his head away. What's with this guy? The other hunters also seemed to have heard this conversation and started to giggle.

"Well, it would be more strange if there weren't any rotten parts in a large corporation, so I don't have much to say... but you know what will happen if you cause unnecessary trouble, right?"

"Yes. We're not bold enough to pick a fight with Korea's only EX-rank hunter in the first place."

"Senior Sunghoon, by the way, don't we have that too?"

"What?"

"The artifact that recently came out from the company. I think it would suit our Miss Seohyun well."

"Who's 'our Miss Seohyun', you bastard."

"Uhahah."

As Lee Sunghoon put his junior hunter who spoke to him in a headlock, the junior laughed out loud. I tilted my head at them.

"Artifact?"

"Ah, yes. Our Oh Sung also develops hunter equipment."

The one who spoke, setting aside the two arguing people, was Kang Chaehoon. He smiled a business smile while half-bowing with his hands clasped tightly, like a salesman meeting a customer. He looked quite accustomed to this kind of situation.

"The new one that just came out is a watch, and it's a product tailored for Hunter Association employees."

Tailored for Hunter Association employees, huh? This might be worth hearing about.

"How is it tailored?"

"Originally, Hunter Association employees memorize information about the gate before entering, right? Because electronics don't work inside, and if you bring them in, they all get destroyed by magical power."

"Well, that's right."

"But this watch is different. It's made of materials that aren't damaged by magical power, so it doesn't break easily, and it can instantly analyze and deliver information about the gate that Hunter Association members need using AI technology."

"...So, you're saying you'll give that to me? It looks quite expensive."

"Ah, of course, it's a bit... you know, to just give it away for free. Right?"

"Are you thinking of taking money from our life savior, Captain?"

"That's right. It's only proper to give something like that for free."

As Lee Sunghoon and the junior hunter, who had been listening quietly, said that, Kang Chaehoon whipped his head around to glare at them and opened his mouth.

"Shut up, you guys. Do we dig the ground to do business? We'll repay the life debt separately later."

"Boo. Trash."

"Trash~"

Ignoring the hunters' jeers, Kang Chaehoon turned his head towards me and put on that characteristic smile again. It was so robot-like that it was fascinating.

"What do you think?"

"Well, let's talk about it later. We need to see the actual product to have a conversation, right?"

"Hmm, well, that's true."

Kang Chaehoon nodded and sat down, rummaging through his things. Although there were still monsters around, they were going to sleep with ease because they had seen me mercilessly slaughter the dragon.

"Are you planning to stand night watch alone again today?"

"Yeah."

"...Then, excuse my shamelessness."

After seeing Oh Sungwon, the last one, enter his tent, I quietly looked at the fire while hugging my knees.