Chapter 29 : A Class Gate – Painting the dragon, dotting the eyes (2)

Yeokrin. Reverse Scale.

It’s said that under a dragon’s throat, there’s a scale growing in the opposite direction, and anyone who touches it will surely be killed by the dragon.

In Han Feizi’s parable, this dragon was used as a metaphor for a ruler. Simply put, it meant to curry favor with superiors.
*(TL Note: Han Feizi was a legalist philosopher in ancient China.)*

So, originally, touching the reverse scale doesn’t kill the dragon. Only the person who touches it dies.

However… that only applies to the dragon in the original story.

If dragons were truly invincible, they wouldn’t appear in hordes inside an A-rank Gate.

“So. If the dragon tries to escape, I’ll hit the reverse scale to draw its aggro. Meaning you can fight without worrying about the surroundings.”

A dragon that can be stabbed by a sword and die is no match for Caspar. It could even be killed with missiles or artillery.

But the important point here is that dragons fly. Meaning, the dragon can’t kill Caspar, but it might be able to escape.

That’s why I came along. If things get difficult, I can just provoke it by hitting the reverse scale.

“Thanks, Agathe. For caring.”

Then, Caspar looked around and let out an exclamation of awe.

“Anyway. Magnificent.”

We were at Geumgangsan, the end of the Taebaek Mountain Range.
*(TL Note: Geumgangsan, or Mount Kumgang, is a scenic mountain in North Korea, part of the Taebaek range.)*

Fog and clouds pouring down from the sky hung on each mountain peak, and the sunset glow dyeing the trees was slowly falling, gently accumulating on the ground.

Indeed, it was a good place for dragons to live.

“Nice. Feels like we’re on vacation. It’s a shame tourism isn’t possible in this area yet because it’s militarily sensitive.”

Smiling, I wrapped my right arm around Caspar’s. Seeing the cloud-draped mountains, I thought it would be nice to have a date here.

“Hmm. That sounds good too. First. Let’s… catch the dragon first.”

Caspar grinned, lightly swinging his sword. Haa. What’s so great about catching monsters?

Anyway. I couldn’t see it yet, but Caspar’s senses must have picked something up. My eyes are better than Caspar’s, but my senses are weaker.

Before the battle truly began, while I tied my flowing hair into a ponytail, Caspar performed combat checks, not letting go of the tension.

Then, after just a few minutes passed. The sky darkened, and finally, the uninvited guest appeared.

A beast with a snake-like body, sharp raptor claws, whiskers tough and long like a whale’s, and large antlers like a deer’s.

The most famous and popular mythical creature in East Asia.

Known as. The sacred animal that controls wind and rain.

The Dragon

“Guwooaaar!!”

The dragon’s roar overturned heaven and earth. Thunder and lightning echoed through the twelve thousand peaks of Geumgangsan. Startled mountain beasts plunged their heads into holes and trembled fiercely.

The dragon is called the king of all water creatures. The madly pouring rain caused landslides and sent rivers flowing like waterfalls.

-Swoooosh.

Rain falls. Rain streaks down as if holes were pierced in the firmament. The visible field of vision was dyed completely black, the only light source being the flashes of lightning.

Truly terrible weather. The most disadvantageous situation for battle, but…

The monster hunter bared his teeth and laughed.

“Ahaha! Now this, this is a hunt worth savoring!”

It wasn’t a forced laugh to vent anxiety. Nor was it the mad laughter upon finding a life-or-death adversary.

Just. Pure laughter upon discovering something fun.

And intense fighting spirit.

Caspar raised his long two-handed sword, steadily sized up the dragon, then leaped to one side.

Crack!

Lightning struck where Caspar had been just moments before, scouring the ground. Residual electricity crackled, sparking.

Fwoosh! Thwack! Thwack!

Caspar’s figure, visible far away, rapidly receded. Though climbing an unfamiliar mountain, one collapsing under torrential rain, the distance between the dragon and Caspar steadily closed.

“Haa… Dangerously.”

Sighing, I followed Caspar. Where the needle goes, the thread must follow. What else could I do?

Well… Still, there seemed no need to worry unduly.

“Hyap!”

With a short jump, Caspar leaped powerfully from the ascended peak. The peak collapsed from the reaction, crumbling away, but having served its purpose as a foothold, it didn’t matter.

Caspar, rushing towards the dragon as if flying through the wind, grabbed onto the dragon’s smooth scales with brute force.

Then, drawing a dagger from his waist, he drove it firmly into the dragon’s body.

-Crunch.

“Kuwaaak!! Keck!”

Chwaaaa. Though floating in the sky, waterways flowed down the dragon’s body as if a river ran through it. The term ‘water scales’ couldn’t fit better.

Using the embedded dagger as a foothold, Caspar maintained exquisite balance on the wildly thrashing dragon’s body and raised his two-handed sword with both hands.

-Thunk! Thwack! Thwack!

As he drove the longsword into the dragon’s body like hammering a nail, the dragon finally went berserk, thrashing wildly. Instead of blood, fierce lightning erupted from the dragon’s body, temporarily paralyzing Caspar.

But only for a moment.

“Puup. Paha!”

Though he swallowed some water, Caspar paid no heed and began tearing the dragon apart alive. Like ripping paper, simply.

It was hard labor, enough that one couldn’t distinguish whether sweat or rain drenched his body, but in other words, it was merely labor.

“Guwoowooar!”

Then, after who knows how long, the finally battered dragon began to fall.

‘…What if he gets hurt doing that.’

Knowing it was needless worry, I still worried. Falling from hundreds of meters, naturally, it looked dangerous.

Thud.

Landing lightly on the ground, Caspar listened to the dragon’s snorting breath and rolled up his wet sleeves. His firmly muscled forearms stood out.

Clang!

Gripping the dagger in a reverse grip, Caspar drove it into the dragon’s head. His trembling hand, tingling, proved how hard the dragon’s skull was.

“Ha! Nothing special, huh.”

A moment later, a deep smile graced his lips after cutting off the dragon’s neck.

Seeing the weather clear up again, I relaxed my guard, ran to Caspar, and wiped his wet body with worried eyes.

It definitely wasn’t because of any ulterior motive of wanting to touch his body.

“…Caspar. Are you okay? Don’t you think you pushed yourself too hard right from the start?”

Admiring the spectacular view of the rainbow-adorned mountain, I draped a towel around his neck. Truly, a perfect physique one never tired of seeing.

“Huh? No, no. It was just flashy, nothing much. Dragons are usually like that.”

…I think that’s the standard for someone who can walk around fine after being struck by lightning. Well, same goes for me.

Caspar, drying his hair and clothes, looked down at the prey he had caught. His frowning expression suggested he wasn’t particularly satisfied.

“More importantly. Essence absorption isn’t working well. The feeling of the soul filling up is lacking.”

The dead dragon reverted into a painting drawn on paper. Though the wounds inflicted by Caspar remained, torn and with its head severed, it was clearly a single painting.

Indeed. Is this what they call Hwaryong ?
*(TL Note: Hwaryong (畫龍) means ‘Painted Dragon’, distinguishing it from Hwaryong (火龍) which means ‘Fire Dragon’.)*

Not a fire-wielding dragon, but a dragon within a painting.

Because of that, it seems it wasn’t treated as a real, living dragon.

“Perhaps it’s treated like an object or a doll?”

Caspar shook his head. Apparently, that didn’t feel right either.

“No. It’s alive, at least. Though calling it ‘real’… is ambiguous. It feels similar to when I caught doppelgangers before. An inferior replica of the real thing. About that level.”

Caspar. No, the ‘Unblessed One’s’ senses, so it must be correct.

Born innately lacking the blessing, he could instead devour the essence of all existence. That’s why he was the ‘protagonist’.

Thanks to that, he’s quite sensitive to such things. Isn’t it annoying when a mob you worked hard to defeat doesn’t give experience points?

Anyway. If it’s a replica…

“As expected. This isn’t the end, is it?”

Right. The name of this gate wasn’t given for nothing.

Another Hunter temporarily assigned must have caught a dragon once, confirmed it turned back into paper, and then the Abnormal Grade Management Department attached the appropriate name.

“Gate, was it? If we go inside there, something will probably come out. Hmm. With how It’s going, maybe a painter will appear?”

Poof.

I hugged Caspar from behind. My chest pressed against him, creating a strange sensation, but I ignored it, lifted my head, and kissed Caspar’s neck.

“…You don’t need to struggle so much alone. If it’s ever hard, tell me anytime. I’ll help you.”

“Then. Shall we try it together this time, using Magic Bullets? Like before.”

My body flinched reflexively at those words. The horrific memory of that day was an indelible brand on my soul.

“It’ll hurt, though. And. It could be dangerous…”

The way to counteract the 7th Magic Bullet’s ability is simple.

Aim at the beloved, but shoot a non-dangerous area beforehand. Like the back of the hand, the calf, or peripheral parts of the body.

Naturally. For the current me, it’s an impossibly distant method.

How dare, how dare I aim a gun at my husband’s body?

Having already failed once.

“It’s okay. We came out here to try this, right? We’ll have to do it eventually when we go to Hell, might as well practice.”
“Still…”

What if my hand trembles and I make a mistake? I know it won’t happen, but anxiety doesn’t leave my mind.

“Hmm. Then maybe it’s okay if I order it? Agathe. Raise your gun. Because I permit it.”

His words were gentle, yet also strict.

…Right. If it’s an order.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and drew my gun.

It was time to use the Magic Bullet.