The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 162

162. Mist Sea Clan (3)

“…Negotiate? You think that’ll work?”

“Of course, it will. If I say I can make a deal with that jellyfish by offering you up, it’ll be overjoyed.”

Choi Seok-won wore a dubious expression.

“You’re worth that much?”

“I can’t be compared to your run-of-the-mill S-ranks. Why do you keep doubting me? Are you planning to die with question marks all over your face?”

You’re awfully relaxed, considering there’s only one day left.

“It’s not like you have anything to lose. Oh, but if you’ve suddenly decided you want to die, I won’t force you. I’ll recommend some good books and music so you can spend your remaining time comfortably.”

“You’re not trying to stall for time, are you?”

“I don’t have the energy to spout nonsense all day. I’ll take you to the jellyfish right now. How about it?”

“Right now? You can summon it here?”

“Not here, of course. We can go anywhere in the dungeon. After I send the signal, entering the dungeon will connect us to where the jellyfish is.”

I deliberately raised my voice so my brother could hear, then realized my mistake. The current Yoohyun doesn’t have any information about the dungeons for the unfilial sons. It’s unlikely his memories have returned by some stroke of luck, right? But I couldn’t think of any other way.

Choi Seok-won is still an Awakened, not a monster. So, he should be able to enter the dungeon.

“What are you trying to do, hyung [older brother]!”

A desperate cry rang out. I wanted to tell him it was okay, that there wouldn’t be any problems. To not worry and treat his wounds while I returned safely.

“How noisy.”

As if grumbling, Choi Seok-won gathered something like mist in his hand, turning it into a long blade. This son of a bitch.

“If anything happens to my brother, you’re dead too.”

“What can an F-rank do to stop me?”

“Don’t you know that contracts have to be accepted willingly? If it were possible by force, that jellyfish wouldn’t have left me alone.”

“Is that so?”

The guy wore a twisted smile. And then.

Whoosh!

The blade was thrown. A suppressed groan could be faintly heard. My insides felt hot and painful, as if my organs had been severed.

“You bastard.”

“I didn’t kill you. I was originally planning to tear you all to shreds.”

Instead of replying, I focused on catching my ragged breath. My bloodshot vision wouldn’t clear easily.

“…Are you just going to waste time like this?”

“I was thinking of dealing with a couple as examples, in case you change your mind halfway through.”

“An F-rank’s body is so weak, you might die just from the frustration. Give it up.”

The guy chuckled.

“Does it matter which dungeon we go to?”

“No.”

It doesn’t matter, so let’s go quickly. A weak, thin voice kept calling out to me. I forcibly ignored that desperate plea. That damn bastard was looking towards Yoohyun with a sneering gaze.

I felt a chill run down my spine, wondering what he would do next. Fortunately, Choi Seok-won grabbed me and turned around. My brother’s scream-like shout faded away quickly behind me.

Kwaaang!

With a light gesture, the dungeon building instantly vanished. The gate below, cleanly swept away like a haystack before a typhoon, shimmered. Choi Seok-won shoved me towards the gate.

“Send the signal.”

I glanced back at the guy and knocked on the gate three times.

“Done. Now just go in.”

“That was too easy.”

“It’s just for my exclusive use. You’ll know once you go in.”

Choi Seok-won grabbed my arm and stepped into the gate. Cold air enveloped my entire body, and snow crunched under my feet. The guy stared at the pure white forest with a slightly surprised expression.

“It really is a different place.”

I was forcibly dragged along by his relentless steps. It was about time for them to appear.

And finally.

“A monster?”

Choi Seok-won reacted first, and then an ice spear flew towards us. As expected of his rank, he easily shattered the spear, unlike when Yoohyun did it, and then released me and leaped forward.

Crackle!

Choi Seok-won accurately grabbed and crushed something invisible. The stealth skill disappeared, and a colorful toy soldier doll, mainly red, appeared. It looked similar to a nutcracker doll from a fairy tale.

The toy soldier instantly broke into pieces and scattered on the snowy field. Choi Seok-won turned his head towards me as if to say, ‘Look at this.’

“You didn’t bring me here trusting in something like that, did you?”

“It’s still an S-rank, so don’t be so harsh. Oh, and it’s a trap.”

I smiled brightly as I said that, feeling sorry if it seemed too weak, even though I had prepared it diligently. The guy smiled back. It was a fierce smile, as if he would chew me up, bones and all.

“You’re more foolish than I thought. You should have said that after the gate closed, at least.”

“A guild leader who doesn’t even have a gate stone? I didn’t know.”

“An F-rank with only a glib tongue. First, I’ll cut off your limbs and make you beg to be killed in front of Han Yoohyun……”

Thump. Choi Seok-won’s hand, reaching towards me, was blocked by an invisible wall.

“Ha, this much of a barrier.”

This time, he clenched his fist and pounded hard on the transparent wall. But it was just a loud noise, and the wall didn’t budge. The guy’s expression twisted. He repeatedly punched the wall. I coldly watched him flailing in frustration. Sensing my gaze, Choi Seok-won’s neck turned red with heat as he unleashed his anger.

“Damn it, you rat! Get out here now!”

[Honey!]

Then, the volleyball appeared. It shouted loudly with a fierce face, considering its appearance.

[Everyone, assemble! Combine!]

“What is that?”

While Choi Seok-won was dumbfounded and staring at the newbie, toy soldiers, big and small, gathered from the forest. Their ranks ranged from B to S. The colorful dolls gathered together and merged. Then, they became a knight doll.

Wearing a fluttering white cloak, golden epaulets, and a sturdy uniform. It wore a splendid red-based uniform and had a sword stylishly at its side. I used my Sprout skill on it.

[Toy Knight Commander ? SSS-rank

Contractor – □□□□□]

Not just a knight, but a commander. The newbie bounced up greatly.

[Go!]

As the command was given, the knight commander drew his sword with an elegant motion. He pointed the glittering tip of the sword at Choi Seok-won. Seeing that, Choi Seok-won confidently straightened his shoulders and raised his sword made of mist.

“What strange things……”

Thwack.

Choi Seok-won’s words were cut short. Before he could even react, the knight commander’s sword pierced his chest. No blood flowed from the wound. Instead, thorn vines stretched out, wrapping around Choi Seok-won’s entire body.

“Kuaaaack!!”

A scream filled with pain erupted. But that was only for a moment. Choi Seok-won’s figure was completely consumed by the thorn vines and disappeared. The thorn vines, which had turned into a large cocoon, gradually shrank to the size of a soccer ball.

‘Even though he was the same SSS-rank.’

He couldn’t even put up a proper resistance; the difference is too great. Well, even when I was SS-rank, I was easy compared to my rank. Maybe his stats were in the lower tier among the same rank.

[Honey, Honey! What happened?]

The newbie came to me and asked.

“He’s the guy who made a contract with the jellyfish. But can you become that strong just by sacrificing your life in a contract?”

There aren’t many S-rank hunters, but there aren’t few either. There are hundreds of them around the world right now, and there will be even more in the future.

It would be troublesome if those numerous S-ranks appeared as SS-ranks or SSS-ranks. How am I supposed to handle all of them?

[It’s not just sacrificing his life, Honey. He’s an S-rank Awakened. Those are people who wouldn’t even try to make a contract that sacrifices their own lives. And that jellyfish used a trick, too.]

“A trick?”

[Yes. The jellyfish is, what did Deer sunbae [senior] say? Ah, yes. They’re the Mist Sea Clan. They’re a race that swallows the memories of other races by spreading mist. It seems the jellyfish made that man one of its own clan and gave him some of the mist. Since it’s the mist given by the King of Innocence, its ability to turn memories into power would have been outstanding.]

Memories. I hurriedly grabbed the volleyball and asked.

“My brother’s memories! That bastard took Yoohyun’s memories too!”

[Calm down, Honey!]

“I have to get them back! Do the memories return to their owner when he dies? They wouldn’t just disappear forever, would they?”

[How long has it been since the memories were taken?]

“Not long. It must be within an hour or two.”

[Then it should still be okay. Knight Commander!]

At the newbie’s command, the knight commander approached, holding the thorn vine cocoon. The top of the cocoon opened, and the contents appeared. Hundreds of tiny beads were packed tightly inside.

[Some might have disappeared, but most of them look fine. If you bring them to the owner’s body, they’ll seep in on their own. The bigger the size, the more memories it contains.]

At those words, a particularly large bead caught my eye. It was Yoohyun, who had inhaled the thickest mist at the closest distance to Choi Seok-won. This bead must be Yoohyun’s memory.

I took out empty bottles and pouches from my inventory and transferred the beads, including my brother’s. A faint light-emitting magic stone was rolling around at the very bottom of the cocoon. When I picked it up, it was an SSS-rank magic stone, but it was small and cloudy for its rank.

“It’s not very useful.”

It’s in an odd state, so it’s hard to sell or give away. Can Myungwoo use it to make a weapon?

[Honey, you can combine it with a monster. It’s weak for its rank, but you can get at least an S-rank.]

“It’s not a Cursed Poison Dragon species magic stone, so it’s impossible.”

[Huh? Why? Honey isn’t the owner of the Cursed Poison Dragon species, but the caretaker. Species doesn’t matter.]

“…What? It doesn’t matter?”

[Of course, it doesn’t matter. You’re raising humans, dragons, griffons, horned lions, and so on right now.]

The volleyball spun around and answered. No, but originally, the skill was to combine the Cursed Poison Dragon species, so does it really not matter? I picked up Choi Seok-won’s magic stone and looked at it.

“Even if it’s possible to combine, this is a bit unsettling.”

It’s a human’s magic stone, not a monster’s. That’s why I was reluctant to use it.

“Do Awakened in our world get magic stones when they reach SSS-rank? Or is it because their species changed?”

[Usually, they start appearing from SS-rank. It means they’ve surpassed the limits of their world’s species. Monsters aren’t Honey’s world species, so they randomly have magic stones regardless of rank. I can’t explain it in detail, but that’s roughly it.]

I took Choi Seok-won’s magic stone for now. The newbie shouted that there wasn’t much time left. Originally, it could be maintained for about 30 minutes, but if you enter consecutively like today, the maintenance time wasn’t reset. It would take about a week to recover the used time, it said.

[Then Honey, be careful!]

No sooner had the newbie finished speaking than the surrounding scenery changed. A desolate field spread out before my eyes. I have to go back quickly because Yoohyun will be worried,

– Grrr.

As soon as I heard the beast’s growl, I ran towards the gate. But just as I took one step, something heavy covered me, pressing down on my back. I’m screwed.

“Ugh, there’s no use asking, ah damn it!”

The teeth biting down on the back of my neck felt vivid. Then, other monsters appeared before my eyes. I futilely flailed and used the Sprout skill.

[2nd Class Terrestrial Wolf Species ? Long-toothed Wolf

Current Stat Rank A

Possible Awakening Stat Rank B~A]

Choi Seok-won, you son of a bitch. I entered an A-rank or S-rank dungeon, you damn bastard. Of course, the fact that the monsters attacked so quickly was probably due to the magic stone in my chest. Still, it’s all Choi Seok-won’s fault. How nice would it have been if it was a C-rank or lower dungeon?

With the shimmering gate just five steps away, I was dragged away. The monsters gnawed at various parts of my body, trying to take out the magic stone. If I set Grace’s Damage Nullification to A-rank, it would last quite a while. I’d have to pretend to be dead and wait for them to give up and leave. It would be nice if they gave up quickly, since gate stones are precious.

Scratches from the occasional weak bite started to turn into wounds one by one. As blood flowed, the monsters became even more excited and rampaged. They showed their teeth and growled at each other without any sign of calming down. Just as I was lamenting that I would have to use a gate stone.

– Clang!

The monster that was pressing down on my body screamed. Then, I smelled burning flesh.

“Yoohyun!”

My brother came to save me. Yoohyun knelt down in front of me, as if collapsing, trying to lift myself up. He reached out his arms and hugged me tightly.

“Hey, you treated all your wounds─”

I couldn’t finish my sentence. Because a small sob blocked my mouth.