Chapter 99

Let’s run.

Such was the decision that Yu IlHan came to when he met the dragon. He had thought that he could defeat all beings classified as dragonkin, at least in Dareu, but it turned out he was wrong.
That, was arrogance.
[How can a being with such power still remain in a lower world……?] (Erta)
Even Erta was nervous. If they fought, then the results were obvious. She didn’t know how much level difference there was between that and the dragons Yu IlHan had defeated, but its tier was different.
That couldn’t be killed even if one was able to kill all other dragons with a single hit. Perhaps that guy was a 5th class, a higher existence!
If, IF Yu IlHan was in his concealed state right now, then there may be a chance.
If he could raise the level of Blaze, soul enchant the Orochi into the Black giant bone spear, and deal a critical hit at a critical moment at a critical place…
If it was that much, that would be dealt with a fatal strike, and if that happened, Yu IlHan would gain another chance to conceal himself. If he did that 5 times consecutively, he just may be able to kill that.
[Oh? You know of my power? You really are not ordinary.] (???)
However, it wasn’t like that right now. It also knew how dangerous of a human Yu IlHan was. It would never allow Yu IlHan to conceal himself.
If so, then there was no possibility of victory for Yu IlHan. Really, there was absolutely no possibility to the point that it was funny.
Yu IlHan didn’t know whether he would be able to conceal himself in front of this guy or not, but he decided to move first rather than to think about it.
First, he would perform re-leap towards the ground. It would be good if he got the chance to activate the formation, but there was no way that guy would let him, so he just ran, ran like hell.
He looked for opportunities to conceal himself while running, and if he did, he would then run as far as possible using the formation. Following which he would leave for Earth and seal the dungeon somehow before asking for Heaven’s Army’s help.
However, just before he was about to re-leap into the ground after constructing his escape plan using the full power of his brain-CPU…
[This, this guy is done for!] (Lecidna)
Lecidna, who still clung onto life, shouted, in English too.
[He cannot kill Yu IlHan-nim!] (Lecidna)
[You’re speaking unnecessary things!] (???)
That dragon tried to prevent Lecidna’s words by shouting, but strangely, it did not try to stop her physically. Even though it had plenty of strength to do so!
Meanwhile, Lecidna used what little energy she had remaining to polymorph. A gold-feathered bird that appeared from the blinding light flew towards Yu IlHan and shouted while burrowing into his chest. As if it was a very important report!
[He cast away his shell by biting me!] (Lecidna)
[It cast away his shell?] (Erta)
The moment Erta heard that, her pale face suddenly became brighter.
[So it was a higher existence after all! Of course, it just stayed temporarily!] (Erta)

Explanation!

[That guy is a higher existence, Yu IlHan! Like us angels!] (Erta)
What the hell? Why would she rejoice while saying it was a higher existence? He was suspicious before, but was Erta really a pervert?
Of course, Yu IlHan also heard about casting away one’s shell. Just now, that is.
The guy talked about casting away it shell after biting Lecidna instead of Yu IlHan. Yu IlHan didn’t mind about it so much since he was getting shivers before its absolute power, though.
Of course, that line was in dragon-tongue, so Erta wouldn’t have understood, but now that Lecidna reported in English, it was different.
Erta spoke in a clear voice like a detective solving mysteries.
[If it cast away its shell, then it cannot truly hurt you ‘now’. Think about how I cannot use my power on Earth! It’s the same concept!] (Erta)
How could she so confidently say about something so embarrassing? However, she did get her meaning across.
[Shit!] (???)
Was it because of Erta’s explanations? The dragon that was only flapping its wings looked similar to the useless angels.

Tch, I can’t help it.

Now that things were like this, there was no need to run. Yu IlHan forgot about running, and re-leaped towards the sky instead of the ground.

If you’re lying, then I’ll curse you even if I die!

[Why would I lie to you, it’s just glaring at you now too!] (Erta)
[Please, fulfill the promise……] (Lecidna)
Lecidna, who buried her body in Yu IlHan’s embrace breathed heavily. It was a weak breath to the point that it wouldn’t be strange even if she died at any moment.

I just have to kill all the dragonkin belonging to the Destruction Demon Army, right?

[Please!] (Lecidna)
[Damned bitch, you’re the shame of us dragons!] (???)
The dragon kept insulting Lecidna while flapping its wings, but it could not chase Yu IlHan.
Good, it really did look like the useless angels!
Of course, no matter how much Erta guaranteed, he wouldn’t be able to calmly fight with the dragons with that overwhelming aura behind him, so Yu IlHan asked Erta while rushing towards the battlefield.

Then, let me ask back. If that guy is in the same situation as you, then how the hell did it bite Lecidna’s neck?

Yu IlHan’s question was that. He thought that higher existences weren’t able to use their powers on worlds like Earth or Dareu, but that dragon had placed Lecidna near death the moment it appeared.
However, Erta’s answer was still the same.
[That’s the process of casting off one’s shell.] (Erta)

Explain it simply before I strip you of your shell.

Immediately after he said that, Yu IlHan arrived at the battlefield and started fighting against the dragons.
[Critical Hit!]
[Kyaaaaaaaah!]
While he was tied down by Karrows, the situation was turning for the worst – there were only 5 dragons left of those belonging to the Garden of Sunset, and the remaining 31 were all enemies.
[Critical Hit!]
[You have earned 2,819,029,333 experience.]
However, through 3 re-leaps, Yu IlHan charged into the battlefield and succeeded in piercing the neck of one of the 31 dragons.
It was an insta-kill due to Blaze, but as compensation, Yu IlHan had to open another mana potion.
Just in time, Erta also started explaining in simpler terms.
[If I explain this properly, I have to start talking about 5th classes, higher existences, and transcender groups, but I’ll skip things for now.] (Erta)

I love skipping things.

The enemy numbers became 29. Yu IlHan first put away the mana potion and started drinking Breath. Meanwhile, the higher existence dragon was glaring at Yu IlHan from below while flapping its wings.
[That guy is a higher existence belonging to Destruction Demon Army, do you understand that?] (Erta)

Do you take me for an idiot?! Hah!

The enemy now numbered 26. Yu IlHan broke apart the icicle that had pierced through his shield and armor and embedded itself in his stomach, whilst regenerating his abdomen with transcendent regeneration.
[Higher existences are bound by numerous rules to keep their power. That’s why, for a higher existence to use their powers on a lower world, they have to fulfill some absurd conditions, but that guy doesn’t look like that.] (Erta)

So?

There were 21 enemies left now. Yu IlHan alternated between drinking Breath and the mana potions while battling fervently.
Since there were no more dragons on the level of Karrows, if he used concealment whenever the opportunity arrived, killing dragons were easy.
If there was a problem, it was that the allied dragonkin were nearly wiped out. If the ones that distracted the enemies disappeared, then the battle would become harder.
[Then, the answer is simple – It hasn’t been a while since that guy became a higher existence, and it stayed on a lower world in order to cast off its shell before it joined the main army of the Destruction Demon Army!] (Erta)

So what the fuck does it mean by casting off one’s shell!

There 14 enemies left now, and only a single dragon left of those belonging to the Garden of Sunset.
[Use me, human! I cannot hand Dareu over to them even if I die!]

Got it!

Yu IlHan got on the dragon’s back and started rampaging for real. The dragon flew quickly according to Yu IlHan’s intentions while supporting him in attack and shielding him from attacks. Although worse than Lecidna, it was enough to fight against the remaining dragons.
A human that just acquired 3rd class, although, his level was absurdly high to be considered ‘just having acquired’, became a temporary rider of a dragon with high pride! This was an amazing achievement.
Meanwhile, Erta’s explanations continued.
[In the process of becoming a higher existence, all beings acquire a new body, and in this process, residues of the past will definitely remain, and those residues, that are from a lower world, cannot be carried onto the group they belong to. That is called the shell……] (Erta)
At this point, Yu IlHan could also understand things a little.

So that guy used up all that energy in biting Lecidna to death? And that is what it means by ‘casting off one’s shell’?

[Bingo. That guys is a complete higher existence now. SInce it is bound by the rules of transcender groups, it cannot bring out its power in a lower world anymore.] (Erta)
That was some difficult explanation!
[There is one element that always appear in hero stories in all sorts of worlds. The epilogue where the hero shows unprecedented grandeur before disappearing. They are all proofs of higher existences. They cast off their shells and head to a higher world.] (Erta)

So that guy was waiting in order to kill me even after it became a higher existence belonging to Destruction Demon Army?

[Yes, and it failed marvelously too.] (Erta)
Thanks to Lecidna who received the shell with her body. The person in question also agreed enthusiastically with a voice that was near death.
[Fufuu, I… predicted that they were… targeting you.] (Lecidna)
An absurd human who massacred 4th class dragons alone. In the Destruction Demon Army’s view, he couldn’t be more hateful, and as such put a 5th class being without its shell cast off, that dragon, on wait just in case Karrows failed.
Now, there was only one question Yu IlHan had left.

How did you know that there was a higher existence that did not cast off its shell?

[There, was a dragon that acted…….. as a spy.] (Lecidna)
There was a cruel espionage war in the world of dragons!?
[Kroaaaaar!]
[Critical Hit!]
[You have earned, 2,655,817,205 experience.]
Disregarding trivial dragonkin, there were only 7 enemy dragons right now.
All sorts of wounds appeared and disappeared on Yu IlHan’s body. However, the dragon he was riding on was half dead already. Yu IlHan was also trying his best to keep it alive, but it was reaching the limit.
[I have one last request.]
And the birdie-dragon was also just about to die.
[If you finish everything, can you go to my lair?] (Lecidna)

Lair?

[The place where you and I first met.] (Lecidna)

Don’t sound like you have something. I’ll get excited for nothing.

[Pl..ease…….] (Lecidna)
Yu IlHan retorted like a joke, but Lecidna closed her eyes in relief as if she saw that as acceptance. Then, she did not open her eyes again.

……Tch.

Yu IlHan put away Lecidna’s body. Not long after that, the dragon he was riding on also died, and as all dragonkin belonging to the Garden of Sunset died, unfortunately, he would never know of their intentions.
The remaining dragons belonging to the Destruction Demon Army were strong.
However, Yu IlHan was even stronger, and he eventually succeeded in killing all the remaining dragons there.
No, not exactly ‘all’ of them.
[You really are a tenacious guy.] (???)
There was a single higher existence, who Yu IlHan could not harm, still flapping its wings.
Author’s notes
No matter how OP Yu IlHan is, higher existences are still no go! The tier difference is huge!
Higher existences, and transcender groups, and their rules will be slowly explained later. I did put a little in this chapter, but I thought that the story was turning strange so I put them away and said only what was necessary. In any case, Erta was the speedwagon again.
There was a sharp question saying that higher existences should not be able to use their power like Erta or Lita. Has this been an answer for you?
Ayy, the arc is finally over. I also didn’t think that it would be so long. The arc title is ‘I am the drifter of my soul’.
It’s the 100th chapter. I really thank you readers who has been with me until now. And please take care of me in the future too!
Translator’s notes
Rly? 100th chapter? By the time this gets posted, author would have posted his 300th chapter….
PR note: The prologue was counted as chapter 0, so with 99 out its considered 100
Translator: Chamber
Proofreader: Koukouseidesu