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Chapter 348: Breathing Fire

“Huff, huff…”

Rough breaths escaped my lips. My lungs felt as if they were on fire. Swatting at the buzzing insects in my ears, I realized it was just tinnitus.

A loud scream erupted from the back. The struggle for survival was turning the battlefield into a whirlwind of death.

“Ugh, bleh…”

Kim Yoo-min retched, expelling hot breaths. I thought I shouldn’t be like this, but I couldn’t help it. Was it because the situation was too horrific? Or was the pressure of war too much to bear?

…No, it was because I felt utterly useless—too untalented to even catch my breath.

“…Are you okay?”

A serene voice filled the air, accompanied by a chilling aura. Baek In-hwa, having halted Kim Yoo-min’s panicking, summoned her power and froze the area around them. The advancing undead slipped and fell on the icy ground.

“S-sorry. I’ll get up quickly.”

“It’s fine. Take your time.”

After checking on Kim Yoo-min, Baek In-hwa turned sharply and wielded the gathered cold energy toward the sky. The massive ice formed above her hands crashed down, shattering the airborne undead to pieces.

“Seolpungdae, this way!”

At Baek In-hwa’s command, the white-clad fighters, who had been scattered and fighting, converged around her.

“Please keep an eye on her for a moment.”

“No, it’s too much…”

“Accept the kindness while you can.”

Baek In-hwa brushed aside Kim Yoo-min’s insistence and leaped into the battlefield again. After all, there was no time to take care of herself in the thick of battle. Just calling the group back was more than enough kindness.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine, I’m fine…”

The members of Seolpungdae caught Kim Yoo-min’s arm as she struggled to rise. They knew she wasn’t okay.

I felt like a burden, as if everything I did was in the way. Watching Namgung Seong displaying his might in the skies, and Baek In-hwa skillfully commanding the battle with her troops.

Seeing Choi Yeon-woo back there, locked in a one-on-one fight with a formidable enemy, one who could no longer resist me.

I couldn’t say I was stronger than anyone, but I believed I could hold my own. After all, I was Kim Hyun-soo’s sibling. My brother had even claimed I had some talent, even if reluctantly.

So why…

“Hey, what are you doing lying down?”

Something tapped my shoulder. A familiar voice echoed in this hot and chaotic battlefield; it was cool, almost refreshing.

Hearing that voice, which reminded me of calm academy days, made me forget this was a war zone.

“What are you…?”

“Eh? Oh, that guy? Your brother asked me to look after you, so I came to check.”

“My brother…?”

“He was super angry. Our pig can only be bullied by me.”

“What?”

“Geez, why are you shooting daggers at me? I’m just passing on what I heard!”

Yeon-woo chuckled as he stepped forward, dodging Kim Yoo-min’s piercing gaze. How can he joke like this in a place like this? How is he still smiling?

As he stepped back while looking at Kim Yoo-min, Choi Yeon-woo spoke up.

“Well, sometimes that happens in life. It’s okay. You’re doing just fine. If it gets too much, you can quit. Not all jobs are about being a hunter, right?”

“…Huh?”

I knew it was a joke meant to lighten the mood. But upon hearing it, an indescribable emotion gripped my heart.

It was pure rage. This magma-like, sticky, burning feeling was nothing but anger.

But who was I angry at? Was it Choi Yeon-woo for suggesting I quit? Or was it my brother for calling me a pig? Or maybe…

No, that’s not it. There was no reason to be angry with them.

“Damn it!”

The only person I should be mad at right now was myself.

*

“Why is she acting like this all of a sudden…?”

Kim Yoo-min had turned aggressive. It was hard to believe she, who usually avoided vulgar language, had just said something like that. What was going on when the gaming cafe wasn’t even shut down?

It was sudden, but at least it looked like her spirit was rising. Cracking her neck and standing up might be seen as a sign of strength, although she looked like a boss monster from a game.

The truth was simple. War came with a heap of stress. Even simply exploring a gate was filled with immense pressure; how much more was it in a battle where every moment was uncertain?

She had improved since then, but for someone like Kim Yoo-min, who couldn’t even imagine killing, the brutal reality of war must have been an extreme stressor.

Yet, the stress from battle couldn’t solely be labeled as negative. For a hunter’s growth, stress was inevitable.

Stress from lack of progress. Stress from the possibility of dying. Even the stress from witnessing others die.

All of it could be nutrition for a hunter’s growth. Transforming that shock into a stepping stone was solely up to the individual.

“I’m counting on you, captain.”

Yeon-woo spoke to Kim Yoo-min, who stood precariously, and then moved forward. In his previous life, he had constantly followed behind, but this time, he wouldn’t let anyone else lead. She could catch up, so hurry!

‘Shar, take care of Kim Yoo-min.’

[Got it!]

Then, shall we go see the Demon King’s face after a long time? Maybe I hadn’t seen it for a couple of days, but it felt a bit lonely. Imagining how to smash that face was part of the fun.

“Phew.”

As Yeon-woo exhaled, a starlike light began to shimmer. The mana bursting forth enveloped him. The Demon King wasn’t too far. Perhaps a kilometer away at most.

Considering the undead littering the area like a red carpet, it would normally take a while to get through.

“Right, normally it would…”

“What are you snickering about?”

As Yeon-woo chuckled ominously, Namgung Seong landed beside him. Was it really that sinister? Imagining the Demon King’s face twisting in dismay always made me smile brightly.

“I brought the sister along. We’re breaking through, right?”

“Thanks, Seong-ah.”

“Thank you for using our services again today.”

Nea, who had been clinging to Namgung Seong’s back, was with him too. Her presence was vital for paving the way to the Demon King. It made sense she was angry about being carried…

“What’s with the glare, punk? If you’re mad, then you could carry me too.”

If I had to fly, I could just make wings of ice. If I flew with those wings, people would surely fear me. Still, it would have sufficed…

“Damn it, if only that Christopher guy hadn’t shown up.”

If Christopher hadn’t interrupted, maybe I would’ve managed it. Seriously, why did that lunatic appear out of nowhere to cause trouble!?

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. This isn’t the time for pouting over such things.”

Nea approached, patting Yeon-woo’s head as if to soothe his small grievances. Suddenly feeling empowered, I wondered if this was what they meant by a mother’s gentle touch?

“Then I’ll leave it to you, sister.”

“Leave it to me.”

With the two stepping back, Nea’s form shimmered golden. Her body, coated in golden mana, slowly extended and transformed into a massive dragon in an instant.

[─────!!]

Nea’s silent roar echoed across the battlefield. Just being by her side felt like the air itself was being purified.

This scene directly boosted the morale of humanity’s side. The dragon, her contractor, and Namgung Seong—the late bloomers—were charging forward to take down the Demon King. How could that not boost morale?

To stage this scene required the collaboration of numerous masters, like Kim Hyun-soo and Claire, but it seemed to be yielding favorable results.

[Come to think of it, this was the first time I’ve dashed across such a vast meadow with all my might.]

“This isn’t really the time for such thoughts.”

[I’ve never had the chance to trample over pesky little things so thoroughly before.]

“Pesky little things….”

At that, Yeon-woo rubbed his neck. While you could call the undead that, with trolls, giants, and war elephants roaming around, Nea would be the only one able to be called such!

‘If I’m big enough to crush large undead…’

Well, it would likely take that level of size to break through this extraordinary situation.

“Beginning the Close Combat Tank Operation…!!”

[The name really isn’t that great.]

Even while grumbling, Nea took her steps. The ground shook hard enough to rattle everything around.

[Did I gain weight…?]

Amidst that tremor, only Yeon-woo might have heard that doubtful musing.

*

[Hoo, so that’s a dragon….]

“If only we could just get our hands on its remains.”

An imposing figure that could easily be described as a mountain. Among the countless undead under the Demon King’s command, this being stood out vastly. Purely in terms of size, nothing but Apophis could contend with it.

‘If only I had the skull of Usir…!!’

Clenching his jaw in anger, the Demon King fumed. If only he had the skull, Apophis wouldn’t have been that weak. Then even if a dragon appeared, it wouldn’t have posed any issue.

The remnants of the sniveling bug had already been dealt with, and there was no longer anywhere to vent that fury. The uncomfortable Demon King gripped his throne as a necromancer hurried over.

“D-Demon King, urgent report…!!”

[…What now?]

“From the side, the Violence Cult is charging in…!!”

[…Tuesday, that damnable scoundrel…!!]

Crash! The Demon King’s hand shattered the throne. At the same moment, the necromancer standing beside him crumbled, his body exploding under the sheer weight of the Demon King’s fury.

[Where’s the Demon King? Is his position confirmed?]

“The location of the Demon King is unknown. However, considering his disposition…”

[He’s probably nearby. True, I thought he’d show interest during a war, but why is he here himself…!!]

The tide of battle was shifting. It was something that should rather be called a natural disaster. When one spoke of pure combat power, the Demon King of Fire was unmatched in this world.

Strangely enough, a three-way battle had erupted between the two Demon Kings and humanity.

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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