WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ My Girlfriend Returned as a Dragon ◈

Chapter 35: Is There Anything You’re Hiding?

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<What if I could use complete Dragon Speech like dragons do, instead of half-formed Dragon Speech?>

No one here could understand it, but I could clearly make out every word the Emperor spoke in the recording magic.

Without knowing what he was saying, the others watched the footage as though they were enjoying an entertaining silent film.

But I was different.

‘Dragon Speech?’

The day I first met Rokan, he told me that if I wanted to see Sia without restrictions, I needed to fully master a dragon’s power.

And that it began with “perfect command of Dragon Speech.”

But now...

That man in the recording magic was muttering that he had not been able to use complete Dragon Speech.

The dragon’s power was terrifying enough to turn an illegitimate son, scorned by his brothers because he could not even properly wield a sword, into an Emperor who united the continent.

That was why I had naturally assumed he had mastered the dragon’s power within the sword and used it to unite the continent.

But he had not.

The moment I realized that, goosebumps rose all over my body.

I recalled what I knew about Dragon Speech.

Rokan had said it would be very difficult because it was his first time teaching Dragon Speech to a human.

But he had not told me much beyond that.

How many people in all of human history had even managed to imitate Dragon Speech?

‘He conquered the continent without even mastering Dragon Speech...’

What if I could use it perfectly?

‘No, that’s still a long way off.’

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Anyway.

Whether it was fortunate or surprising, I could now understand every language stored in the recording magic.

Still, whether I was confused or not, the recording magic continued playing.

The history of a continent I knew nothing about, along with tales of the Emperor’s accomplishments that would not mean much to an outsider, passed by quickly.

Then, just as I was beginning to lose interest and the recorded footage was nearing its end...

<If you are watching this, then you must know how to wield a dragon’s power as well.>

The Emperor, lying in bed, murmured as though he were speaking to someone.

His voice was weak and slurred, but I heard it clearly.

It was as though the Emperor knew.

As though he had foreseen this entire situation.

Even me watching the record he had left behind.

<Let me see how you and I differ.>

With those words, the recording magic ended.

Rumble-rumble-rumble.

The stone wall covered in writing began to move, revealing a path that had been hidden within it.

Along with monsters, of course.

“Monsters!”

“Skeletons?”

“No. They’re different!”

At a glance, they looked like skeletons, D-rank monsters commonly found in dungeons like this.

But a closer look made it obvious that they were not ordinary skeletons.

Unlike normal skeletons, their bodies glowed with strangely colored light.

How should I describe that color?

It looked like vivid rainbow hues and the gloomy black of the Sword’s Lingering Will had been carelessly mixed together on a canvas...

“Everyone, be careful. We don’t know what could happen.”

Taeseong shouted.

Facing an enemy with no information was always a burden.

Besides, the original purpose of entering this dungeon was to train low-rank Hunters, so most of the raid party consisted of inexperienced Hunters.

Things could not have been worse.

If there was one fortunate thing, it was that they were pouring out from only one direction rather than attacking from all sides.

Screeeeeech!

With an ear-splitting cry, the skeletons’ eyes flashed as they charged at us.

By ordinary logic, they should have been easier opponents than ghost-type monsters like the Sword’s Lingering Will we had faced earlier.

As long as they were not ghost-type monsters, physical attacks from swords or blunt weapons should still work on them.

But this was a place where such basic logic might not apply.

It was an EX-rank dungeon, after all.

So for now, I needed to forget the strategies I thought were standard.

Like when I faced the Sword’s Lingering Will, I changed the mana structure within my sword and charged in.

Their colors and forms were different, but there had to be some connection between the aura surrounding the Sword’s Lingering Will and the skeletons.

So it was best to use a similar strategy.

Without hesitation, I moved to the front line and began swinging my sword at the skeletons.

I had worried I might struggle against them, but my sword cut through them faster than ever.

After changing the mana in my sword from an emission type to an absorption type, the auras surrounding the skeletons’ bodies began to be drawn into my sword.

I wondered if my sword might fly out of my control again like before, but...

Fortunately, there had been no problems so far.

At least, not for me.

“Argh!”

But when I looked around the battlefield beyond myself...

It was chaos.

While I was taking down the skeletons as easily as monsters of the same rank, the other Hunters were facing hell.

“Heal! Give me a heal!”

“How are they this strong?”

“Aaaah! Someone help me!”

“We have injured people here!”

Despite being called Hunters, they could barely fight back against the skeletons.

Most of them were D-rank or above, so under normal circumstances, they would have dealt with these monsters without much trouble.

But...

Their strongest attacks did not make a dent in the skeletons, while every skeleton attack landed on the Hunters like a critical blow.

‘Why?’

I might have special powers and potential, but that was only potential.

Even when everything was added together, I could not say I was the strongest one here at this point.

Taeseong alone was an experienced B-rank Hunter.

So why?

“Why is Minjun fine over there?”

“Minjun!”

“Minjun! Please help us!”

Before I could think any further, Hunters all around me began crying out for help.

They had realized it too.

For some reason, only my attacks worked on these skeletons.

Hearing their desperate cries, I understood.

I would have to deal with all these skeletons practically by myself.

Still.

‘It’s not impossible.’

I turned toward the skeletons behind us and brought my sword down in a deep slash.

Before, I only had to focus on the skeletons ahead. From now on, I had to fight those in front and behind me.

It would take several times more concentration.

Once the party members realized that I was the only key to resolving this situation, they began directing every kind of buff at me.

In a way, everyone’s fate rested on me.

So I could not let anyone die because of me.

‘The rear first.’

Considering my position, it would have been safer to deal with the front first.

The skeletons behind us were currently focused on the other Hunters, while those in front were not.

The moment I turned toward the rear, my back would be completely exposed to the enemy vanguard.

But...

With the other Hunters in danger of dying at any moment, shouldn’t I put out the immediate fire first?

Besides, I had the terrifying artifacts Sia had given me.

With their power, even if I took a skeleton’s attack, I would not suffer a fatal wound.

As I ran toward the Hunters in the rear, I swung my sword like mad.

Maybe my sword had gained momentum, or maybe it was because of the buffs.

Just as when I faced the Sword’s Lingering Will, the skeletons began falling at a visibly faster pace.

Fortunately, the number of skeletons coming out from between the walls also gradually decreased over time.

And then, at last.

The battle that had felt as though it would never end came to a difficult close.

“Phew.”

Perhaps because the tension had finally left me, my legs gave out and I collapsed on the spot.

The injured Hunters received treatment from the healers and gulped down potions, while others gathered up the piles of skeleton bones.

Meanwhile, I reviewed the battle from earlier.

Why had only my attacks worked properly against these skeletons?

Other Hunters’ attacks had definitely worked against the Sword’s Lingering Will.

But here, everyone except me had been unable to properly show their abilities.

‘Is it because of the dragon’s power within this sword?’

Or perhaps...

Was it the Emperor’s will, refusing to permit anyone but another dragon sword user to enter this tomb?

As I was deep in thought, Taeseong approached me.

“No matter how I think about it, this is strange. Don’t you feel the same way, Minjun?”

Ever since my sword flew into the statue and became lodged there, everything had been unfolding strangely.

And since I had always been at the center of it, there was no way the others had not noticed something was off.

“Minjun, what exactly is your connection to this dungeon?”

“Connection? This is my first time here too, so what connection could I possibly have...?”

“Man, I have no idea what’s going on... Minjun, you aren’t hiding something from us, are you?”

Hiding something.

A chill ran down my spine.

How was I supposed to explain this?

That I had a girlfriend who had reincarnated as a dragon, that the sword in my hand was a Dragon Bone Sword like the one wielded by the Emperor who owned this tomb, and that I, too, possessed a dragon’s power?

I could not tell them all of that.

‘They probably wouldn’t believe me, but it would be a problem if they did...’

I did my best to act as though I knew nothing.

“I’m confused too. This situation is putting pressure on me as well.”

“...Right. You must be just as confused, Minjun. Once we leave the Gate, let’s investigate what happened in detail. For now...”

Taeseong took my hand.

“Your strength is needed.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Fortunately, Taeseong did not press me any further.

The other Hunters did not mention it again either.

After getting enough rest, we set out once more toward the lowest level of the tomb, with me leading the way.

Dungeons were places where unexpected variables could arise at any time, but this place was especially dangerous, so no one let down their guard.

And as expected.

With every step we took, skeletons and other undead monsters attacked us.

They too were surrounded by strange light that looked like rainbow colors mixed with black energy.

Like before, the Hunters other than me could not deal them meaningful damage. And as before, everyone focused their support on me while I hunted them alone.

We advanced toward the lowest level of the dungeon, breaking through each area along the way.

Then, at last.

The stairs that seemed as though they would never end finally did, revealing what appeared to be the lowest level.

Until now, we had only passed through repeating corridors and stairways. But this place felt like one enormous cavern.

The walls were decorated with various patterns that appeared to be from that era, but aside from that, the place was strangely empty.

“It’s creepier because there’s nothing here.”

“Still better than having monsters around.”

“That’s true, but... what was this place used for?”

Nothing was visible for now, but monsters could attack us from anywhere at any moment.

So I stayed at the very front, walking while keeping watch over our surroundings.

Then, at some point...

Thud.

Something struck hard behind me.

When I turned around, the Hunters following me were standing some distance away from me as a group.

‘What...?’

I looked at them, wondering what was going on, but they also seemed bewildered and unable to grasp the situation.

Then.

“What’s wrong?”

“Minjun.”

Taeseong called to me, then knocked on empty air as though knocking on a door.

Thud. Thud.

The sound was like someone knocking on a wall.

“How did you get through?”

“Huh?”

“This place is blocked by a magic barrier.”

Then Juwon, who was standing beside Taeseong, lightly kicked forward.

His foot also struck something like an invisible wall with a thud.

It seemed that everyone except me could not pass through that invisible wall.

“Why can only Minjun pass through it without any trouble...?”

At that moment.

I felt a strange sense of unease.

‘Could it be...?’

This time, I headed toward where they were.

I tried to pass back through the wall I had unknowingly crossed earlier and return to the others.

But...

Thud.

This time, the wall stopped me.

“Wait...?”

Before I could even figure out what this meant, the magic barrier, which had been completely transparent until moments ago, gradually became opaque.

At the same time, the ground inside the barrier began trembling faintly.

“...!”

Then I felt the shaking ground begin to sink.

The other Hunters seemed unaffected by the tremors outside the barrier, and they gradually moved farther from my sight.

“Minjun!”

Taeseong called my name urgently.

But no matter what they did, the barrier would not break.

And even then, the ground beneath my feet continued sinking.

‘What happens now...?’

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