The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 185

185. Seong Hyunjae’s Birthday (3)

How long would Seong Hyunjae’s pre-regression memories remain blurred? If they started to become clearer, how quickly would he regain them?

It was certain that he was already feeling a strong sense of déjà vu. He seemed bored at the birthday party and showed particular interest in Song Taewon and me. Perhaps helping Yerim in Hong Kong wasn’t solely because of me. Yerim was also quite different compared to before the regression. He might have unconsciously shown favor.

If Seong Hyunjae were to regain all his pre-regression memories.

‘My value would plummet.’

A significant number of hidden, questionable aspects would be revealed, and the reason for the strange sense of incongruity would also become clear. His interest in me would decrease, and the weight of the information he held would become similar to mine. Depending on his relationship with the Crescent Moon [a powerful guild or organization], Seong Hyunjae might even possess more and more advantageous information.

Of course, his skills would remain the same, and since I am currently directly connected to the Filial Disobedience Bastards [a group or faction with rebellious undertones], he wouldn’t immediately shake me off. But there was no harm in being cautious. He was already a formidable and overwhelming person, and regaining his memories would only make him more difficult to handle.

So, I concluded that I should release pre-regression information in advance, extract what I could, and appeal as an ally who had no intention of hiding anything from him, even though the Filial Disobedience Bastards were blocking it. I was planning to give him Seong Hyunjae’s combat skills, which I experienced in the mental world, as a birthday present.

I would have preferred to give it after the S-Rank ranking match… Honestly, I wished he would never know. It’s already unfair that he’s so strong, and I hate to see him get even stronger in many ways.

“Uncle!”

Yerim flew towards me. Her tailcoat was soaked, but the shawl seemed to be waterproof, fluttering around her shoulders.

“…You’re not going to make me pay for this, are you?”

She looked at the gaping hole with belated concern. Our Yerim had just finished paying off her debts, and a large cruise ship like this must be expensive. How much would it cost? Moon Hyun-ah, who had approached unnoticed, chuckled and answered for me.

“He won’t be that petty. Don’t worry.”

“Really? I was going to hold back, but that crazy guy was insulting you! Saying you were keeping an F-rank around because of your skills and that you didn’t know your place! He was acting like he was an S-rank himself, and anyway, he was saying annoying things, so I threw him into the sea!”

“Good job.”

But was I acting like an S-rank? I didn’t do anything special at the banquet. Was it because my F-rank stats didn’t make me feel inferior at all? And Yoohyun… he offered to get food for me instead. Noah did too. It might have seemed offensive.

“When I argued that wasn’t the case, he said I was too young to understand, and no matter how useful I was, the stat difference couldn’t be helped. He even compared me to Myungwoo oppa [an honorific term for older brother or male friend]!”

Yerim was worked up as if she was dying of injustice. But that was the usual way of seeing things. Even if someone only had a lot of wealth or power, commoners would look down on them, but S-Rank Hunters had practical power on top of that. So it was understandable that ordinary people might seem insignificant.

Even though Korea was relatively stable, there were several countries where S-Rank Hunters acted like kings. There were hardly any places that established a system as quickly as our country.

“Aren’t you angry, Uncle?”

I just laughed it off when she brought her face close to mine and asked. That’s nothing. Compared to before the regression, it doesn’t even tickle. I don’t even feel insulted.

“More importantly, why is the Sesung Guild Leader [Seong Hyunjae] standing over there doing that?”

I looked at the birthday party’s host standing beyond the swimming pool, where the floor and surroundings were all cracked and overflowing with water. There were two people collapsed near him.

“When I threw the guy I was fighting into the sea, those guys attacked me. I don’t know if they were friends or just picking a fight. Then the Sesung Guild Leader appeared and took care of them instead. He said he had let them off the leash, but he had to maintain at least a minimum of order.”

Yerim imitated Seong Hyunjae’s tone. It didn’t suit her.

So what was he going to do now? Since the ship was big, I figured there would be other intact banquet halls, so I wondered if there would be an announcement to move. As I looked around, Song Taewon was taking notes nearby. Oh no, could it be.

“Chief Song, is our Yerim perhaps……”

“Yes.”

Song Taewon replied as if there was no need to say more. Ugh, was it confinement like last year at Sesung? Would there be a fine too? S-Rank Hunter fines are no joke. She just finished paying off her debts.

“That guy started the fight first. And he insulted me too. Isn’t an adult provoking a child always worse? How big is the age difference? He looked at least twenty years older.”

“Fifteen years difference.”

“Wow, an adult who’s lived twice as long as Yerim! You really have to take that into consideration. Honestly, it’s 90% his fault. It seems appropriate for Yerim to just spend a day in confinement to learn how to calm down.”

I could feel some bewildered gazes from around me, but I ignored them.

[The broadcasting facilities are still working.]

Then Seong Hyunjae’s voice was heard.

[First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has gathered here.]

He spoke in an elegant tone, like a typical party host. Although the banquet hall was wrecked, some guests had fallen into the sea, and others were lying unconscious, Seong Hyunjae’s attitude was reminiscent of a high-class social gathering.

…When you think about it, the participants are all from the upper class. The problem is that wealth, power, and strength are combined with aggressiveness.

[As the host, I am pleased that you seem to be having a good time… I’ve already said this, haven’t I.]

Suddenly, Seong Hyunjae sighed.

[I guess it wasn’t the swimming pool.]

No one could understand what nonsense he was talking about, except for me. Probably, fights had broken out in the banquet hall several times during the pre-regression ship party as well. Since Yerim wasn’t there then, he would have given that greeting in the banquet hall instead of the deck’s swimming pool.

The prepared greetings and the party’s order of events would be the same. I could feel that Seong Hyunjae’s mood, which had been briefly pleasant thanks to Yerim, had hit rock bottom again. But was it really something to be so dissatisfied about? What’s wrong with having the same party one more time? It’s not like he’s done it hundreds of times.

[Han Yoojin, I wonder if you remember.]

Suddenly, the blame shifted to me.

[There’s a lot of water here. Don’t you think?]

He was stating the obvious in a strangely meaningful way. It’s over the sea, so of course there’s water…….

‘…Wait a minute.’

I wondered if seawater could also be used to create hydrogen through electrolysis. Instantly, a chill ran down my spine, and the fear resistance message popped up.

No way. It couldn’t be. It didn’t seem like he had already remembered everything, but if he did something crazy like that here, it would be hard for Seong Hyunjae to be safe too. On a ship. Everything would explode; it would be complete suicide.

The other people still had expressions that said, “What is this guy talking about out of the blue?” But my insides were growing cold.

‘It doesn’t seem like he remembers everything from before the regression. Only some of the battle in the mental world has come back to him.’

Since that event was something the current Seong Hyunjae experienced, he might have recovered his memory particularly quickly. Even so, he wouldn’t really try to cause an explosion, would he? How strong was the power back then? When he burst the river, it was quite dangerous. Even though he had higher stats than anyone here.

‘Since it’s an explosion with added magic power, there would hardly be anyone among the current S-Rank Hunters who could handle it. Even if Seong Hyunjae’s magic power is lower than it was in the mental world, the amount of water is much greater, and if the ship explodes, the power is likely to be even stronger…….’

If I completely focused on defense, would there be a chance of survival? No, before that, he wouldn’t really think of committing such a crazy act, would he? No matter how bored he is with life, he’s not the type to end it with suicide, is he?

“What on earth are you talking about!”

I asked anyway. I could see Seong Hyunjae faintly smiling.

[I can’t hear you well.]

There’s no way!

[I am very much looking forward to Han Yoojin’s gift. I liked what I received during the day as well.]

With that, he took out a hot pink fur ball from his inventory. It was a rather poorly knitted scarf.

“What should we do? It looks like the Sesung Guild Leader knows how to knit,” Yerim muttered worriedly. I’m sorry, but the gift you prepared has already been submerged. I had put it on the table, so it’s probably being swept away by the water somewhere in the sea.

[Why don’t you come over here to give me the gift and talk.]

I took a short breath. I couldn’t conclude that he was going to blow everything up here just from mentioning memories and water, and I didn’t think he was the kind of person to go that far, but.

‘I have to prepare.’

Fortunately, it wasn’t like there was no way out. After glaring at Seong Hyunjae once, I approached Myungwoo.

“Myungwoo, if you go into the smithy, outside attacks won’t work at all, right?”

“Since the space itself is different, they usually don’t work. Unless it’s at a level where spatial interference is possible. Ismual said there aren’t any ability users like that in this world yet.”

“How many people can go in at once?”

“I have to be in contact with them first, but we can use a rope like when we were moving luggage before… Just a moment.”

Myungwoo disappeared for a moment and then reappeared.

“There’s an energy limit when moving, so about 50 people at a time for people-sized things? That’s the limit.”

Fifty people should be enough to get almost everyone in. I was briefly worried that they might cause a ruckus inside, but the high-level Hunters wouldn’t be that stupid. If Seong Hyunjae used a skill, they would soon guess its power. Spatial movement is instantaneous, and it would be faster than the explosion rising, given the size of the ship, so there would be plenty of time.

I asked Myungwoo to get a rope. I handed the long rope to Yoohyun and Yerim in turn and said,

“If Seong Hyunjae uses a dangerous skill, move immediately.”

Then I used Teacher Skill on Myungwoo and shared Yoohyun’s senses. Yoohyun would sense the danger faster.

“I’m counting on you.”

“What about you, Yoojin?”

Myungwoo’s face hardened as if he noticed I was trying to slip away. Yoohyun also frowned right away.

“Surely you’re not thinking of going alone, hyung [term for older brother]? I’m going with you too.”

Yoohyun grabbed my arm and said. No, you can’t go either.

“I’m better because I can teleport!”

You can’t either, Yerim. Yerim has a high chance of avoiding it, but it’s better to go into the smithy safely if possible. While I was appeasing Noah, who was also worried, Seong Hyunjae urged me on.

[My item is slow. Should I have gone to pick it up myself after all.]

“Come here yourself even now─! No, never mind, just wait quietly!”

It’s better to keep them away from me. What if he attacks Myungwoo if he comes nearby?

“I’m just going to give him the gift I brought and have a conversation, so don’t worry, Yoohyun. We can’t go anywhere else in the middle of the sea. You know Seong Hyunjae doesn’t have a flight skill or anything. Even if he did, Noah would be much faster.”

“What’s with preparing to escape to the smithy?”

“That guy’s been pretty bored lately. I’m just saying he might do something weird, so let’s prepare for the worst. It’s just in case. Low possibility.”

My brother made a dissatisfied expression, but he nodded reluctantly, perhaps because it was in a place that was immediately visible. I wondered if this guy would let go of the rope and run to me if he thought it was dangerous. I had shared my senses, so I had to hope that Myungwoo would do well.

I also briefly explained the situation to Moon Hyun-ah and Song Taewon. It was understandable that they would be taken aback, but both of them knew Seong Hyunjae well, so they didn’t express any particular doubts. When I threw the rope to the other Hunters as well, some received it quietly, but there were also people who expressed dissatisfaction.

“What are you doing without a proper explanation!”

“Just take it quietly if you don’t want to die? You’re making a fuss even when we’re taking care of you.”

“You F-stat!”

Gazes pierced the man who shouted. Since there were more than one or two glaring S-Ranks, the man soon shut his mouth.

I took care of the kids’ safety. I turned around and wanted to go down the stairs… but there was no intact place. As I carefully stepped down among the debris, a golden chain appeared with a clattering sound. Something similar had happened before.

“…Hey, wait a minute!”

If I get dragged away here, it won’t end with cleaning the floor like before, but my clothes will be torn to shreds! Whether I shouted or not, the approaching chain wrapped around my body and lifted me up. …So lifting is possible. He’s strong. But why did he drag me then?

Seong Hyunjae looked up at me as I was delivered. It’s nice that my eye level is higher.

“Please put me down.”

“As you command.”

My feet touched the ground obediently. Alright, then.

“Why are you suddenly talking about there being a lot of water?”

“Didn’t you say you were allergic to seawater? I was worried.”

…Did he still remember that?

“Is there no other meaning?”

“It seems like there is another meaning for Han Yoojin.”

“I’m not good at swimming.”

“I am, so don’t worry.”

Was there really no other meaning? I tried to examine Seong Hyunjae’s expression, but he was just smiling as if he was looking forward to the gift.

‘…Should I tell him or not.’

If Seong Hyunjae hasn’t remembered, wouldn’t it be better to just keep the magic flow of electrolysis buried? There’s the Han River in Seoul too. …But he’s also a person who can commit terrible acts without it if he sets his mind to it.

“Hold out your hand. Don’t resist the skill.”

Like in the morning, Seong Hyunjae obediently held out his hand. I took that hand and used Teacher Skill.

“I don’t have enough magic power to move it properly, so please use it for me instead.”

Then I can guide him through Teacher Skill. I won’t be as skilled as Seong Hyunjae five years from now, and I’ll barely be able to keep up with his toes, but just giving him a hint will be a big help.

Seong Hyunjae drew out his magic power, and immediately after that.

“……!!”

The front of my eyes went black. I thought I heard Yoohyun’s voice. When I regained consciousness, a sweet taste remained in my mouth.

“Are you okay, hyung?”

“…I told you not to come.”

Yoohyun was half-hugging me, supporting me.

“Hunter Yoo Myungwoo lent me a damage nullification item. He said you wouldn’t stay still.”

…Myungwoo, thank you so much. He’s so thoughtful.

“What happened?”

I stood up straight and asked Seong Hyunjae. He held up an empty mana potion bottle.

“It’s a Swiss chocolate-flavored mana potion.”

“That’s not what I’m asking……”

Did I lose consciousness because my mana was completely consumed? Something similar had happened before. When Seong Hyunjae’s magic power was absorbed by the magic stone, my mana was consumed. After recognizing the situation, I felt a slight tingling sensation in my chest.

“So that is related to me after all.”

“…What are you talking about, hyung?”

…I want to ask the Fragment bastard too. This time, the magic power didn’t even come close, but it swallowed it up, so much so that I had a hard time enduring it. Is that bastard really not affecting the magic stone at all?