The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 137

137. Snowing (1)

‘I should have brought clothes into the bathroom.’

But usually, I don’t bring them in. It’s even the bathroom attached to my bedroom. I’m lucky to have a large towel, but covering up to my chest will still look suspicious. Still, I covered up, damn it.

“…Can you go out so I can get dressed?”

“Why?”

My brother scanned me, looking for the wound. It was a pretty ridiculous thing to say between brothers. Especially since I used to wash him and go to the public bath with him when he was little.

“I’m just not feeling it. Like, a complex?”

It’s true that I look pathetic compared to my overly well-grown brother. It’s not like I’m embarrassingly bad, but the comparison is bad.

“Doesn’t look like it.”

“Anyway, I’m embarrassed, so at least turn around. Yerim, you go over there too.”

Yerim went to Yoohyun, but my brother didn’t budge. He must have felt something suspicious. I had no choice but to rely on the towel and approach the closet. I carefully put on my pajama top, making sure the wound on my chest didn’t touch anything, all while being followed by his persistent gaze. Yerim gave it to me as a gift, but I’ve never worn it before. What’s with the chick embroidery?

“You guys probably didn’t all use the gate stone [a device for teleporting between dungeons and the outside world] together, so did you come out alone? What about Peace and Yerim? It’s even an S-Rank dungeon.”

I asked, turning around after getting dressed. My face naturally frowned as I spoke. What’s the guild leader doing without any sense of responsibility?

“I told Park Yerim to go out after hearing the story. Peace probably felt the same, even if he couldn’t say it. It’s an S-Rank dungeon with two of them and reliable strategy information, and guild members with experience clearing it, so there shouldn’t be any problems. It’s also an environment that suits Park Yerim’s abilities well.”

That was reassuring.

“Did Yerim really tell you to go out willingly? I thought she would have wanted to come out too.”

“We decided peacefully with rock-paper-scissors.”

“That’s good.”

I’m glad they came to an agreement without fighting. But isn’t Yerim at a disadvantage in a game of physical ability? If it’s Yerim, she probably showed her hand movements a lot.

“Anyway, everything went well after you left.”

I said, taking out my old phone from the drawer. I’m glad I had this; I don’t think it’s possible to recover the data on the one I’m using now. I was about to lose all the kids’ photos and videos. I should have backed them up.

“Everything went well?”

“Yeah. The dungeon break was handled safely too.”

Judging by what he’s saying, he hasn’t contacted Sung Hyunjae or anyone else yet. I sent a text to Sung Hyunjae, watching Yoohyun’s reaction.

[Don’t tell Yoohyun.]

The reply came quickly.

[^^]

…What is this? What is he trying to do? It’s just a simple emoticon, but I feel like swearing.

[Do not tell him. Seriously.]

I’ve already asked Noah for help, and Song Taewon’s phone is probably dead like mine. He’s also the type to listen easily if I persuade him later. So, if I could just sew up Sung Hyunjae’s mouth. If I could, I really would sew it shut.

“Who are you texting?”

Yoohyun approached quickly as soon as the reply came from Sung Hyunjae. As soon as I pressed the power button on my phone, Yoohyun snatched it away. Then he said sullenly.

“There’s no way everything went well.”

“Isn’t it enough that I’m okay?”

“You don’t look good.”

“I’m just tired.”

At my words that I wanted to sleep early, Yoohyun nodded but turned on the phone. But it’s pattern locked, so it’s useless…….

“Hey! How did you know my phone pattern!”

“You unlocked it in front of me a few times. I remembered it then.”

“Why would you remember that? And why are you looking at someone else’s phone without permission! Give it back!”

I tried to take it back, but it was no use. Rather, I just lost more energy than I already had. I was panting from exhaustion after moving a little, and Yoohyun’s eyes narrowed as he checked the texts with Sung Hyunjae.

Haha, I’m screwed. A slight chill ran down my spine.

“…Piyak!”

Use your spatial movement skill on Dad. I heard Piyak’s voice from the living room, and Piyak slowly floated over. But before that, my brother grabbed me. I don’t even know if Piyak can teleport me too.

“Hyung.”

“Sung Hyunjae is just doing his usual nonsense.”

“He was asking how your condition is.”

“…Huh?”

“You even have a fever.”

Do I have a fever? I don’t know. Yoohyun checked my temperature by touching my body and sat me on the bed. Piyak, who had flown over, landed on my lap. Piyak, won’t you take Dad somewhere else? But if I disappear from here, it’ll be even more of a mess.

“Hyung’s body is that of a normal person. You’re bound to get sick if you keep overdoing it.”

Yoohyun said, drying my wet hair. It reminds me of the old days. Although our roles have been reversed.

“I haven’t even overdone it that much recently.”

“I saw monsters, so it was at least an A-Rank dungeon. Hyung is someone who should be evacuated, not someone who should jump in and block them. Song Taewon and Noah are more than enough power, so why are you getting involved too?”

“Um… I was short-sighted on that part.”

It’s true that it wasn’t a situation where I needed to step in. But thanks to that, there were no civilian casualties even though flying poisonous insects and tricky monsters that move underground appeared. If it weren’t for me as bait, at least dozens would have escaped outside the barricade. I wouldn’t have been able to catch the wolf cub so easily, and I might have missed it.

‘…Should I play the role of bait if a dungeon breaks in the future?’

I don’t want to, but my conscience hurts if I ignore it. There are more than one or two people whose lives I can save if I step in……. Damn it. I’m lucky that dungeon management is good, so there’s not much chance of it breaking. If Seok Hayan’s team creates a gate location detector, undiscovered dungeon breaks won’t happen either.

Seok Hayan, please hurry. I don’t want to increase my interest any more than this. I’m already exhausted just thinking about it.

“Turn off your poison resistance so you can take your medicine.”

Yoohyun said, taking out two pills from the inventory.

“What kind of medicine is it?”

“A fever reducer and painkiller. It’s mainly used during mana overload, but it’s also effective for general fever.”

“Isn’t it expensive? There’s ordinary emergency medicine in the kitchen too.”

“It’s not much.”

Coming from a guy who doesn’t mind spending ten million won per meal, it’s really not trustworthy. If it’s a mana-related medicine used by an S-Rank hunter, it would cost at least thousands.

I swallowed the medicine with mana potion instead of water. It’s for hunters, so it’s fast-acting, and my whole body quickly felt lighter. I must have really had a fever. My condition is definitely different. And drowsiness washed over me. Quickly, without even having time to turn the poison resistance skill back on.

“Have good dreams, Hyung.”

Yoohyun’s voice was faintly heard, and then my consciousness faded. You damn brother…….

* * *

– Beep beep.

The baby bird sitting on Han Yoojin’s chest chirped softly. Han Yoohyun looked down at his brother, who had fallen into a deep sleep.

One of the two pills was indeed a fever reducer and painkiller. But the other was a type of sleeping pill. It was something that could be obtained from an S-Rank dungeon, and it was used by high-level hunters who had heightened senses after clearing a dungeon to help them sleep.

In addition to the physical relaxation effect, it also had a mental effect, so it was said to help you sleep soundly. However, Han Yoohyun had only bought it and never used it. There was a temptation to take a deep rest, but he was reluctant to have his body out of control.

“You shouldn’t take it so easily.”

He let out a blaming voice, but if he had been wary and refused, he would have been even more displeased. Han Yoohyun pressed the call button on his phone. Not long after, the other party answered the phone.

“What happened?”

[Are you asking me about what happened to Hyung?]

“He fell asleep.”

[You put him to sleep, didn’t you.]

Han Yoohyun asked without any particular rebuttal at the sharp words that seemed to see right through him.

“What happened to Song Taewon?”

[How could Young Master have been in that place?]

A question returned for a question. Han Yoohyun answered nonchalantly.

“I’m asking because he wasn’t there.”

[Could you send me a bunch of S-Rank green onions from the kitchen? I’m curious what they are like.]

“…What nonsense are you talking about out of the blue?”

[I was wondering if there would have been S-Rank green onions if Young Master really wasn’t at the scene.]

Han Yoohyun’s brow furrowed at the incomprehensible nonsense.

“Please tell me about Song Taewon. I need to decide what to do in the future.”

[There’s no need to worry about Song.]

Sung Hyunjae continued leisurely.

[Because he couldn’t protect him. Even against me. Thanks to that, Han Yoojin’s location has been firmly fixed for Song Taewon.]

He must have been quite disturbed to see a sheep playing with a wolf. He must have also suspected that it was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But now that the sheep has been bitten by the wolf, it is a sheep. A target that must be firmly protected as a sheepdog.

[There may be cases where he tries to protect him and ends up hurting him. Even if he pretends to be a sheepdog, a wolf is a wolf.]

Should I send a message of comfort to Director Song, who must be feeling complicated in many ways? Han Yoohyun opened his mouth, letting the low laughter pass by.

“What did Hyung tell you not to tell me?”

[Oh dear, it seems you ended up keeping it a secret from Young Master.]

Han Yoohyun took a shallow breath as if suppressing his anger at the voice openly filled with sympathy. The man on the other side of the phone knows something that he doesn’t. That fact was extremely annoying. The back of his neck prickled.

But Sung Hyunjae was someone who couldn’t be removed, even if it was possible with his abilities. That damn human had already established himself as a significant presence for Han Yoojin. If Sung Hyunjae were to disappear, there was no telling how much more his brother, who was already overdoing it, would push himself.

I can’t deny that Sung Hyunjae is a useful and helpful human being. So, as long as he is cooperative with Han Yoojin, I have no choice but to turn a blind eye, no matter how much of an eyesore he is.

“…Please tell me.”

In response to the question asked again in a deeply sunken voice, a proper answer returned this time.

[The scar on his chest.]

“Scar?”

[It was a scar that even a B-Rank healing skill couldn’t heal.]

If it was a simple external wound, even a healing skill below B-Rank could erase the traces cleanly. In other words, it wasn’t an ordinary wound.

Han Yoohyun unconsciously gritted his teeth and reached out to Han Yoojin.

– Beep!

The baby bird pecked at his fingertips as if telling him not to touch its caretaker, but he lightly pushed it away. Piyak, who had rolled and fallen, stuck close to Han Yoojin’s profile. Then, it chirped in protest.

– Beep! Beep beep!

“Be quiet.”

He wouldn’t wake up easily, but something might happen if it chirped loudly in his ear. Han Yoohyun tapped Piyak’s small beak once and then unbuttoned his brother’s pajama top. As Sung Hyunjae said, there was a scar. A small, knife-like scar near his heart. A scar that he had never seen before, a scar that had recently appeared.

He frowned and took out a high-grade potion, just in case. But even the high-grade potion couldn’t erase that small scar.

“What the hell is this…….”

[It seems that Han Yoojin is up to something interesting again, but he doesn’t seem to be willing to tell me willingly. I don’t know anything except that it’s related to magic stones. If you concentrate, you’ll be able to faintly feel the energy of the magic stone from the scar.]

Han Yoohyun put his fingertips on the scar as he was told and focused his senses. He could definitely feel a faint, foreign magic power.

Suddenly, he remembered that the monsters were only running towards Han Yoojin. Monsters can clearly sense the presence or absence of magic stones compared to humans. Magic stone detectors were created using the abilities of such monsters. In other words, to the monsters, Han Yoojin was.

‘His body is F-Rank, but the magic stone he possesses is high-grade… is he prey?’

The fact that he could feel the energy faintly meant that it was definitely not a low or mid-grade magic stone. Even an S-Rank hunter who can sensitively sense magic power would have a hard time noticing a magic stone inside a monster’s body. Even an S-Rank magic stone would be undetectable if it was buried a little deeper.

So, this level of energy would be at least S-Rank, or even higher…….

‘…What the hell are you trying to do, Hyung.’

He hung up the phone in dismay. The phone fell onto the bed with a thud.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, my vision was filled with white snowflakes falling gently. As soon as I saw it, I was convinced that this was a dream. The endlessly falling snow and the endlessly stretching white branches.

A tree with snow falling on it.

‘It’s about time it came out in a dream.’

Until now, I had hardly ever had dreams related to Yoohyun, that is, my brother before the regression. I thought it was probably related to fear resistance.

But now my fear resistance level is low. It’s too much to come in as soon as I lower my guard. I’m not going to get any sleep for a while. I think the skill duration was about three days. It’s going to be longer than that because of the double effect. I have a lot of work to do, but I’m really screwed. Song Taewon, you’re too much. Can’t you cancel the skill?

‘But it’s not bad here.’

It’s a dream, so it’s different from reality, but I looked around to check in advance. My body didn’t move, but I could move my vision. The snowfield was vast and desolate. It was as if I was standing in the middle of an empty snowfield.

Then, I saw something. A human body that looked too small between the thickly exposed roots of a tree.

It’s not bad, it’s a nightmare. Even as I thought that, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Like a really common nightmare.