The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 104

104. The Master of the Cursed Poison Dragons (1)

“What can you do even if you glare at me like that?”

He sneered, a jab that stung like a needle. Shit, he wasn’t wrong. On my own, I’d struggle even in an F-grade dungeon.

“I could at least take down two of your pets. That useless, three-headed, fat lizard—I sliced it up into sashimi. Remember that? And that two-legged lizard from the circus? I skewered it from head to tail and roasted it whole. It should still be there; why don’t you go have a taste?”

Giant lizard jerky and roast, now on sale! If I could have brought it, I would have personally delivered it to this bastard’s mouth, I swear. What a shame.

“You’ve got some nerve.”

“Standing in front of the owner of the lizard that bit my brother to death, this is me being damn calm. So calm it pisses me off.”

Why am I so weak? I’m pathetic, just running my mouth with the bastard who killed my brother right in front of me. No wonder Yoohyun couldn’t say anything to me.

I gritted my teeth. No. Now is not the time to wallow. I’ve scraped the bottom enough over the past few years to make my own grave, so let’s forget it for now.

“Why are you still alive, thinking so much about your brother?”

A hand with sparse scales grabs the wrist of the hand holding his collar. My wrist twists as if it’s about to break, but the pain feels distant. Instead, his voice rings clearly in my ears.

“If you weren’t here, Han Yoohyun could have been free. He would have accepted or rejected our offer based solely on his own interests, without worrying about his weak blood relative.”

Suddenly, Sung Hyunjae came to mind. And Riette too. Compared to those two, Yoohyun… I had to admit he seemed much less free. The look in his eyes when he worried about me. Frustrated, anxious, and uneasy—expressions I couldn’t find in the other two.

…He really knows exactly where it hurts, that son of a bitch.

“Yeah. What else would an F-grade hyung [older brother or close male friend] be? I really screwed up by being alive.”

That’s right, I nodded.

“But you’ve been tripped up twice by this F-grade. Your grade dropped, but you’re still probably around SSS-grade, originally maybe even L-grade? And yet you’re still struggling because of an F-grade. At least my grade is low, but you’re even more useless than your grade suggests, so you’re the one wasting air—”

Thwack! I was kicked. The part of me that hit the floor ached dully. My wrist, which had been twisted, also throbbed. It’s not my real body, but it feels so real.

“You even got scammed by Sung Hyunjae, right?”

I propped myself up from the floor and sneered. The bastard’s face visibly hardened at the mention of Sung Hyunjae’s name. Respect to Hyunjae-ssi [Mr. Hyunjae, a polite title] from before the regression. I don’t know what you did, but you did great.

“You gave him everything, and he just took it and ran. Now that you’ve regressed, you’re hitting him up like a clingy ex at 2 AM, only to get completely fleeced. Aren’t you a total pushover? Why don’t you change your species to ‘Pushover’ instead of Dragon?”

“…Sung Hyunjae was unexpected. For a man who values himself above all else to betray, relying on an uncertain future…”

“Why is it always ‘I didn’t know he’d do that,’ or ‘unexpected’? How many born S-grades are there that you keep getting it wrong? You couldn’t even bring Riette over properly. You’d have a better chance of success flipping a coin.”

“Riette.”

Golden eyes flared sharply. The bastard approached me and bent down to look at me.

“How did you解除시키다 [release/cancel] the command I gave to Dio Valshesis?”

…Clearly, these guys have less information than the system creators. They obviously don’t know my skills or titles.

“And how did you survive against Rauchitas? Did the parricides [those who kill their parents] cooperate?”

“Parricides?”

“The guys who created and manage the system.”

Why are they parricides too? Are they really fighting amongst themselves, with parents who wish for the world’s destruction, just like Sung Hyunjae said? Don’t drag other people’s families into your family feud, you bastards.

“I thought you couldn’t mention each other.”

“Not outside. But this is inside my consciousness. There are no restrictions even on my own thoughts. Or rather, it’s a state where it overlaps with your consciousness.”

So it’s not real after all. Some kind of strong lucid dream. Even knowing it’s a mental skill and my real body is fine, the pain in my wrist doesn’t easily disappear. It’s because I saw it twist with my own eyes and believed I was injured.

Even if I repeat that it’s fake, it’s hard to ignore such vivid sensations.

“You’re answering so readily. Must have been pretty bored all this time.”

“It’s not often that I directly connect with your world, and there are few who I can properly talk to, so it has been dull. Or perhaps it’s mercy for a helpless prey who willingly walked into the trap.”

Mercy my ass. But it’s true that I’m helpless, so I unconsciously sighed.

“Seeing that you know about the creators of the system, you must have some connection. But you’re just an F-grade, what did you receive?”

Received? I received several skills with names that sound like a joke.

“I’m not an automatic answering machine that spits out answers at the push of a button, like someone else. Do you think I’ll tell you?”

“It would be easier for both of us if you answered willingly.”

The bastard spread out his left palm. One of the three scars on his palm opened, and something crawled out. A black, mud-like substance took shape, growled softly, and instantly grew in size.

Thump! What landed on the floor with a heavy thud was a dragon about twice the size of a wolf. A not-so-large Cursed Poison Dragon species with four legs, tough scales, spines, and a long tail. It’s small, but its grade seemed to be around S-grade.

‘Are all those scars filled with Cursed Poison Dragons?’

There are more than ten scars visible. How many scars are hidden on his covered body? The master of the Cursed Poison Dragon King, he’s raising a lot besides Rauchitas. A rich pet owner.

“As I said before, this is inside my consciousness, so it’s possible to tear you apart and extract your memories.”

– Grrr.

The dragon standing next to its master bared its teeth and growled like a guard dog. I stood up and took a couple of steps back, but there was still no solution. I tried to open my inventory, hoping for the best, but it was impossible.

“…Even against an F-grade, you’re taking away all my items. And you’re an L-grade?”

“I know you have a damage nullification ability because I connected my consciousness with Bicus. You didn’t use it from the start, so it must be an item. It would be troublesome if you used such an item, so I restricted items and the inventory when you use skills. But I left you your clothes.”

How very kind of you.

“Did you get that item from the parricides? But damage nullification alone wouldn’t have been enough to kill Rauchitas.”

“Keep thinking about it, you son of a bitch.”

Instead of answering, the dragon moved. Ah, I’m really screwed.

* * *

I’m sick of the smell of blood. Especially since it’s mine.

As the floor was completely stained red, I learned a few more things.

One was that if I received an impact that would instantly kill me, my real body could also die. Thanks to that, my torso, especially my head, was mostly safe. Though it would be difficult to stay safe until the end.

And serious injuries weren’t real, so if I just used self-suggestion, I could quickly recover. Perhaps because I couldn’t feel the reality of losing limbs more than minor injuries, it was easier to recover. I’d close my eyes and think, ‘There’s no way my arm is gone,’ and when I opened my eyes, even my clothes would be back to normal.

Third, it was impossible to selectively pick out the memories I wanted. The first memory that damn lizard bastard pulled out was the memory of when I was first attacked by a monster. And when I was frustrated because the level 10 skill didn’t appear, and when the house I originally lived in felt too big and empty, so I moved, and my first Christmas alone.

Then, I finally managed to get the memory of using the Wish Stone after catching Rauchitas.

“A Wish Stone. And you used it to regress. That could have been troublesome.”

The son of a bitch smiled unpleasantly.

“If you can maintain your current state, you must have temporarily gained something. Is it the intervention of the parricides? Or did Han Yoohyun do something?”

“The fat lizard was tired of following its master’s orders, so it flipped over, bared its belly, and wagged its tail, begging to be killed. Betrayed even by your own pet, is your hobby betrayal, cough!”

The foot pressing down on my back dug in its claws.

“If you even got a Wish Stone, you must have killed Rauchitas directly. And you must have received other rewards as well. A title? A higher title related to the Cursed Poison Dragon species. That must be why Sung Hyunjae was fine even after breaking the contract, in addition to Riette.”

The bastard frowned and clicked his tongue.

“You’re still babbling away, so you must have some mental resistance, and what else?”

“Why do you keep asking when you know I won’t answer? You really like wasting your effort. Or are you stupid? Like master, like pet?”

“It’s a really annoying skill. If you were a normal stat F, I would have dug everything out already.”

“Then you should have blocked skills instead of items.”

Of course, if you had really done that, I would have been in trouble. I’m going to get completely screwed and, well, I’m not going to be let go alive. Damn it. There’s still no answer other than to endure.

“I would have blocked them if I could.”

The bastard said regretfully. He can eliminate items and the inventory, but he can’t touch skills? What’s the difference between the two? Something that directly belongs to me? Something that can’t be taken away from my body?

No, whatever the difference.

‘In the first place, skills and items aren’t real. They’re not real because this is inside my consciousness. If it’s a kind of dream, then if I think it’s there, it’s there, and if I think it’s not there, it’s not there, isn’t that right?’

Just like how if I’m sure my severed arm is there, it comes back.

“How did you block it? If I think you have an item, shouldn’t it appear? It’s all in your head anyway, so why am I still weak?”

“It’s a kind of powerful suggestion. Preventing you from breaking free from the idea that you can’t have items.”

You’re really good at answering.

“Even if you fly in a dream, this is impossible, it’s similar to falling the moment you think about it. Because the sense of reality is strong, you can’t do things that are realistically impossible because you’re bound by your own preconceptions. If you solidify those preconceptions even more, it’s easy to prevent you from using items and the inventory.”

“You’re so great. Does that mean that, to put it the other way around, you can do anything?”

“Theoretically. But it’s impossible to draw out abilities that you’ve never directly experienced in a sense that’s no different from reality. It means it’s impossible for a stat F to suddenly become an S-grade. No matter how great your imagination is, there are limits. More than that.”

The bastard stroked his chin and continued.

“It doesn’t seem like this will end like this, so I’ll have to change direction. For example, Han Yoohyun’s corpse.”

“…Why that?”

Is it coming out now?

“What disappeared while regressing, I know.”

“It would have been like that normally. But as I said before, Han Yoohyun was in a newly contracted state, so even if he died, interference according to the contract was possible.”

I stared blankly at his leisurely tapping fingertips. Contracted, interference possible……?

“No, rather, I should say that I could touch him because he died. If he were alive, he would have merged with the current Han Yoohyun without being cut off from this world, without any room to touch him. But a dead corpse bound by a contract was not difficult to obtain.”

…I couldn’t immediately understand what I was hearing. So, so.

“You’re saying you have my brother…?”

“I was the one who made the contract, but the one who took him was the Star-Counting Bird. She took him because she showed interest for some reason. I’m not interested in corpses.”

The inside, deep inside, hurt more than the back where the claws had dug in. The bastard looked at my reaction with satisfaction.

“This is more effective after all. Shall we talk a little more about Han Yoohyun?”

“…I don’t want to hear it from your mouth.”

My head was a little dazed. I also felt a little floating sensation.

“Even as you say that, your reaction is—”

“Experience, huh.”

Krrrrr!

Light burst out with the reverberation of the sound.

– Kyaak!

The dragon that was trampling on me jumped up, struck by lightning. The dragon’s owner also retreated, avoiding the suddenly raging flash of light.

“This is!”

“I’ve experienced Sung Hyunjae’s skills more than once or twice.”

I said as I stood up. The skills of the terrifying chick class teacher. I had experienced the sensations directly several times. Every single movement of manipulating lightning, the fluctuations of magic power, the power of the skill, and even more subtle parts.

I felt it as if I were using it myself.

“It’s easier to use when my head is hot and I’m a little dizzy.”

Because I just have to entrust myself to the sensations of that time.

– Krrrrr!

The dragon, with nearly half of its body burned, staggered and charged. I jumped up and spread my wings. Golden dragon wings. Noah’s. I had shared sensations countless times while practicing flying as a dragon, with only my wings out. Blue was the instructor.

Pajijijik!

While floating in the air, I scattered electricity again. It was a spreading current without chains or needles, but the effect was excellent. The dragon’s scream rang out.

That’s because.

[Veteran F-Grade]

[Rauchitas’s Nemesis]

Double. And double again.

I smiled and looked at the damn lizard owner.

“Was it SSS-grade? L-grade is fine too.”

Because there’s still one more left. It was only an hour, but the power that dwelled directly in my body so clearly, beyond just sharing sensations.

The blood that had been staining the floor red turned black. Then, it became fiercely burning Black Blood Flame.

– Kyaaaaa!

The dragon, which was still barely alive, instantly turned to ashes and disappeared. Its owner couldn’t withstand it either and hurriedly dodged.

The last reward. Double again.

“Thank you so much for teaching me the method.”