---

Chapter 322: A Strange Battle

It was a bizarre fight. Neither side genuinely intended to kill the other. Nea knew that Shar had made a contract, and Yeon-woo understood that it was because she was Nea.

‘It’s hard to say that without hiding my hands, though.’

That was true for both sides. After all, she was a Dragon. You can’t fight a dragon half-heartedly.

If it wasn’t an Aura Weapon, it wouldn’t even deal damage, and only with an Aura Blade could you potentially breach the level of defense needed to inflict wounds.

For Nea, it was simply about wanting to kill the fool who made a reckless contract with her daughter.

However, if she kills them, the outcome of the contract would be uncertain, so her plan was to half-kill them and then heal them back. Yeah, family disputes are terrifying…

The good news was that even if Shar stood alone over there, Nea wasn’t going to target Shar. So it would be better to let Shar act autonomously.

Well, rather, Shar likely wouldn’t want to actively attack Nea anyway, so we could only expect a magic counter-attack at most.

‘That should be enough.’

It’s better that a child doesn’t fight with their parent if they can help it. Often, after such fights, they end up getting along better, but there’s always a chance that they could end up worse off than before.

Though that wasn’t the case here, Yeon-woo felt like it would be hard to regain sanity without blabbering about something, so they muttered softly and soared backwards to escape.

Nea’s tail swept through the spot where Yeon-woo had just been. A massive cloud of dust erupted, and trees were uprooted. With just half a day of fighting like this, they could turn this mountain into a barren wasteland.

[If this continues, Claire unni will get mad!!]

“I need to end this quickly to avoid making my wife angry…”

If it were Claire, she wouldn’t hesitate to scold even if the opponent was a dragon. Being reprimanded immediately after arriving would surely touch upon the dragon’s pride.

Yeon-woo, having reached a majestic level as an Aura Master, wanted to finish this neatly and show off a dazzling appearance, but a dragon was still a dragon.

Their innate abilities as a living creature were on a completely different level. A monster that overwhelmingly surpasses humans in terms of defense, attack power, and mana.

Even if they couldn’t use mana, there would be a chance to exploit weaknesses, but dragons handle mana deftly enough to be called the masters of magic itself.

On the first day of regression, Yeon-woo had exhibited confusion over whether it was possible to create both a Mana Heart and a Mana Core simultaneously. Why would a dragon need to refine mana into aura?

And indeed, that was the case. Dragons were so strong that they simply didn’t need to. Their shrewdness and superior intelligence were proof of their strength.

“Ahahaha! Hey, your mom is using aura too!?”

[────!!]

“Truly, our mom is amazing!!”

Nea’s roar filled the air, filled with rage. Her body was enveloped in a light golden mana.

It wasn’t at a level that could be called an Aura Weapon, but it was clear that her physical abilities were being significantly enhanced. At the same time, she was also wrapping herself in physical enhancement magic. That indicated how cautious she was of Yeon-woo.

Feeling both pleased and somewhat overwhelmed at being regarded with such caution by a dragon was a mixed bag of emotions. If only there was just one ally among them that had a decent matchup against dragons…!!

As Yeon-woo thought that, they grazed Nea’s claws with their blade. Despite the clean cut, their fingertips tingled. Ultimately, in a fight where they didn’t intend to kill, there was little Yeon-woo could do but stall for time against Nea.

Fighting with the mindset of “it’s fine to kill” and one that considers “killing is a no-go” could yield completely different results as well as processes.

‘Should I use poison…? No, I can’t be sure how effective it will be against dragons, and all I have on hand is way too potent!’

What was needed was something precise enough to subdue Nea effectively. But where could such a tool be found in the world? Just as Yeon-woo pondered that, a familiar voice echoed in their ears.

“Oh my, how intriguing.”

A voice that felt aristocratic, elegant, and restrained. But at the same time, it had an inexplicably sticky undertone.

‘Riley!! Get that person to intervene at once!!’

[Got it. I’m handling it.]

Riley calmly responded to Yeon-woo’s hurried shout as they approached the sudden visitor.

It was a girl dressed in a dark green Chinese dress. The heir of the Sichuan Tang Family, Dang Sa-ryeon, and her escort warrior, Dang-myeon, were standing there.

*

Dang Sa-ryeon, who had been wandering to take a break, soon realized she was in Hyang city. That was quite strange.

“Why did I end up here…?”

“Hahaha.”

As her mutterings were silently overheard, Dang-myeon’s expression shifted. The corners of his mouth turned up, and his eyes curved like crescent moons. His cheekbones rose, creating a rather unpleasant look.

“Myeon.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to get hit?”

“What the heck!? Male violence is a no-go!!”

“It’s just that you look like you want to be hit.”

Whack! Dang Sa-ryeon ruthlessly struck Dang-myeon with her fist, while he huddled protectively around his head. Though that was what she said, she didn’t hit hard. Of course, how painful it really was would remain a mystery to the assailant, but he probably didn’t hurt much.

When the violence ended, Dang-myeon raised his head with a face full of grievance. Unlike earlier, he now wore a sulk that didn’t look appealing at all.

‘But why am I in this run-down provincial city…?’

Hyang City. It was a familiar name. Well, it made sense since it was Choi Yeon-woo’s hometown. Yet, it was a city devoid of anything special. There weren’t any significant distinguishing features as a tourist spot or a hunter’s base.

As she thought that and gazed at the city and surrounding mountains, Dang Sa-ryeon’s eyebrows twitched. She sensed something strange. It was hard to explain what it was, but…

“Where are you headed, miss?”

“I think there’s something over there. Follow me, Myeon.”

Saying so, Dang Sa-ryeon began walking without hesitation, with Dang-myeon hurriedly trailing behind.

Whatever was pulling her in… her instincts had always been quite accurate since she began training the Chaos Poison Arts, and even more so since acquiring the Poison Dragon Clan.

Following her couldn’t hurt. After all, as an escort warrior, it was impossible to fall behind. As he surveyed the surroundings, Dang-myeon then suddenly thought.

‘…This direction?’

He recognized it well. Most of the information he collected was known to Dang Sa-ryeon too, but there were some details that only he remembered. One of them was the location of the orphanage where Choi Yeon-woo returned during vacation.

“She figured it out with no information at all.”

“Hmm? What did you just say, Myeon?”

“Nothing. Let’s hurry!”

*

Based on the time before regression, the one with the most ludicrous strength was none other than Dang Sa-ryeon. The Chaos Poison Arts differed greatly from regular poison arts.

If necessary, she could inject poison that helped her own body, or apply a poison that had specific effects on the enemy. All of that was decided by her will.

In other words, in the field of poison, she was an existence that no martial artist or demon could surpass.

Otherwise, no crazed individuals who were obsessed with poison would have returned to their senses after nearly falling into the hands of demons.

Naturally, the ability to produce the desired poison at any moment carried immeasurable strategic value that could hardly be described in words.

Not only that, combining the vision martial arts of her family that she had learned would multiply its destructive power exponentially.

However, what Yeon-woo needed right now was not anything else, but the ability to create the desired poison.

No matter how strong a dragon might be, those poisons focused solely on strength carried no guarantee of backlash or side effects.

If it were Dang Sa-ryeon, she could produce precise subduing poison with no aftereffects or side effects at all.

‘It’s not likely that Dang Sa-ryeon will easily help me…!!’

Still, if Nea could return with two of herself back to one body without any injuries or problems, then Yeon-woo would be more than willing to pay any price. That would be the ideal situation.

So, while Riley and Dang Sa-ryeon conversed outside the barrier, Yeon-woo’s role was to keep Nea occupied.

Fortunately, Nea was so preoccupied with Shar that she didn’t even think about breaking the protective barrier, leaving no chance to disrupt the two’s conversation.

“Okay, for the sake of family peace, I’ll endure it for twelve hours, twenty-four hours…!!”

[What on earth are you rambling about!!]

That was how it would sound to Nea. No other reason could see a stranger referring to her as wife. Thinking this made it seem as if he were a creepy stalker.

“Still, you love me, don’t you?”

[Don’t talk nonsense!!]

Whoosh!!

With a furious shout, a pillar of fire erupted around Nea. Regardless, it was a move to block Yeon-woo, who was attempting to buy time by getting a little closer. The ground was so hot it was melting.

The massive fire pillar reached high enough to touch the ceiling of the protective barrier, completely obstructing Yeon-woo’s aerial approach.

However, Yeon-woo charged forward without hesitation. No matter how much it was the realm of flame, it was an illogical act.

[Are you trying to commit suicide!?]

A light veil of water wrapped around Yeon-woo. As Yeon-woo burst through the fire pillar, the researchers let out shrill screams.

Sizzle!!!

With a sound like sizzling oil or boiling water, Yeon-woo’s body, which had vanished, emerged through the flame.

[Wha-What…!?]

“Sometimes, scientific common sense can also be helpful in battles.”

The Leidenfrost effect. When liquid meets an extreme temperature, steam is produced, forming an insulating layer. It was a phenomenon Yeon-woo remembered, not because they were brilliant, but because the name was cool.

Landing behind the startled Nea as they soared over the fire pillar, Yeon-woo couldn’t help but notice that Nea wasn’t just watching the landing unfold. She was trying to create a violent gust to blow Yeon-woo away, but her dorsal wings flapped, leaving her body uncontrolled as she landed all by herself.

“I didn’t expect to see Nea’s back like this…. How erotic!”

[W-Who is this crazy person…!!]

Nea’s gaze was filled with disgust as she spoke. Uh-oh, maybe that was a bit too pervy?

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

---