The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 233

231. Alpha

The man was trembling, an item that suppressed mana recovery clutched in his hand. Urged on by anxious glances, he swallowed hard and shuffled forward. His foot landed on a gate that emitted a faint light – a formation designed to absorb mana, though it had no effect on non-awakened individuals.

In the center of the crudely constructed gate, a young man lay collapsed and unconscious.

Akates’ Alpha. An SS-Class Guard.

He was the city’s strongest, but now even his breathing was shallow. He showed no sign of waking, and his very presence seemed diminished, likely due to the constant mana drain.

Still, the non-awakened man couldn’t shake his fear. He’d heard countless tales of high-level Guards’ power, even witnessed it firsthand on rare occasions. Just days ago, the entire 2nd Commercial District had been incinerated.

‘Not a single building left standing.’

That’s what witnesses said. Fortunately, Alpha’s rampage had occurred in the dead of night. The commercial district had been completely evacuated, so there were no civilian casualties. But literally nothing remained; everything had been reduced to ashes.

Even the special buildings, constructed to withstand attacks from mid-level monsters, were now just charred ruins. If thick stones and metal were so easily destroyed, how long could an ordinary human last in that inferno?

He was affiliated with the Akates City Defense Agency, but as a non-awakened individual, he rarely encountered high-level Guards. Seeing Alpha in person was a first. He cursed his luck and carefully knelt beside the unconscious man.

“Stand by!”

Alpha’s handler barked the order. Using a mana recovery suppression item while the mana absorption formation was active was impossible. The item itself relied on mana, so it wouldn’t function correctly and could even break.

“Attach the item to the base of Alpha’s stigma [a mark or symbol indicating power or status] and activate it on my signal.”

“…Yes, yes.”

The non-awakened man’s trembling hand fumbled at the back of Alpha’s neck. The stigma, emitting a faint red glow as it released mana, came into view. As expected of an SS-Class Guard, a powerful protection stigma was engraved there, but it couldn’t withstand the absorption formation’s pull, which was connected to the mana hole [a source of concentrated mana], and it continued to drain its owner’s energy.

*Click*. With a soft sound, the item settled into place below the stigma. He wanted to activate it immediately and flee, but failure meant certain death, and his family would be in danger.

“5, 4, 3.”

The countdown began, and as the signal came, the absorption formation’s light flickered out. The non-awakened man activated the item and scrambled away on his hands and knees. Almost simultaneously, S-Class Guards rushed toward Alpha.

“Cuff him first! Prevent him from accessing his inventory!”

Someone shouted, and an S-Class Guard untied the rope binding Alpha’s arms behind his back. The rope, made from SS-Class monster byproducts, was incredibly strong, but not enough to restrain an SS-Class Guard.

Another S-Class Guard quickly secured restraints on Alpha that operated with mana. They completely covered both arms and hands, preventing him from using his inventory. Just as the restraints were almost complete and shackles were about to be placed on his ankles.

“All done…”

The S-Class Guard, tightening the last knot on the arm restraints, saw two eyes flicker open in his vision. Beneath disheveled black hair, crimson eyes shifted slightly. At the same moment.

“Cough!”

The S-Class Guard holding Alpha’s ankles was kicked violently. The S-Class Guard tightening the arm restraints immediately reached for his weapon, but Alpha was faster.

His body, which had been limp on the floor, sprang up as if launched, and his long legs wrapped around the neck of the S-Class Guard in front of him. *Snap*. The sound of breaking bones echoed, and the S-Class Guard’s body went limp. Thanks to his S-Class physique and high-level equipment, he was barely alive, but he was completely out of the fight.

“Damn it, don’t let him undo the arm restraints!”

“What about the mana absorption formation?”

“It’s out of range! He can’t use skills, just catch him!”

The mana hole wasn’t far. Even with the mana recovery suppression item, he would quickly recover mana once he was close enough.

The S-Class Guard who had been kicked into the wall drew his weapon. To keep up with the SS-Class Guard’s movements, he used various auxiliary and hit-enhancing skills, firing the assault rifle not at Alpha, but at the exit. The bullets, magic weapons rather than ordinary projectiles, flew silently and struck the floor.

*Thump!*

Sharp fragments exploded upwards. Alpha, who had been heading for the exit, changed direction. Another S-Class Guard, waiting in ambush, lunged at Alpha, who was leaping back. He held a long knife in one hand and a pistol in the other.

The knife was thrown first, emitting a faint light as if imbued with skills, rushing towards him with terrifying speed. Instead of blocking or deflecting it, Alpha lowered his body and slid across the floor. His toes reached the S-Class’s ankles, and the S-Class quickly jumped into the air to avoid the sweep, firing the pistol downwards at Alpha.

The two men’s bodies intersected. The floor caved in with the sound of gunfire. He thought it would be difficult to avoid, but Alpha’s figure had already vanished. At the same time, a bent knee slammed into the side of the airborne S-Class.

“Kugh!”

There was no time for a defense skill. Alpha’s knee strike hit the S-Class Guard, and to completely incapacitate him, his toes were raised high. A direct hit would crush the spine of even an S-Class Guard wearing protective gear.

*Wee-oong—*

Just before Alpha’s heel slammed down on the fallen S-Class, magic bullets tore through the air.

Alpha smoothly retracted his leg, dodging the exploding magic bullets, and moved to the side. He kicked the floor hard and leaped up as if to chase the S-Class Guard who was trying to regain his footing. More magic bullets flew, protecting the S-Class Guard.

But it was a feint. Instead of moving forward, Alpha kicked the wall with one foot and flew backward in the opposite direction – towards the exit. Twisting his body, he ran along the wall as if defying gravity. The magic bullets and the S-Class Guard gave chase, but it seemed difficult to catch him.

Just as Alpha reached the exit.

*Bang!!*

The door exploded. The thick door shattered into pieces, and hot air and powerful pressure engulfed Alpha. The S-Class Guard chasing him swung his blade at Alpha, who was being thrown back.

Seeing the blade imbued with skill, Alpha quickly twisted his body. The S-Class Guard, startled, adjusted his sword as the restraints binding Alpha’s arms were thrust into the sword’s path. The sniper S-Class also shouted a warning.

The S-Class Guard retreated, and Alpha jumped back, looking towards the door. Two new S-Class Guards entered through the broken entrance: a red-haired, large man and a white-haired, tall woman.

“This is getting troublesome. We can’t overwhelm him with firepower indoors.”

“Firepower? You sound like you’re talking about starting a campfire in front of Alpha.”

They were the Guards who had been guarding the mana hole and had been urgently summoned. Now, all the nearby S-Class Guards had gathered. Except for the incapacitated one, there were four of them. The rank difference was significant, but a coordinated group of S-Class Guards could take on an SS-Class monster.

Moreover, the opponent was low on mana, unable to use skills, unarmed, and with his arms tied.

“What’s with the rank, we’re still faltering in front of Alpha in that state.”

The red-haired man stood in front of the broken door and activated a skill. A white, wave-like substance spread from his feet, erecting a transparent barrier that completely blocked the exit.

“You absolutely can’t go out that way, so catch him without worry!”

No matter how strong an SS-Class was, he couldn’t break through an S-Class defense skill that lowered the opponent’s stats within the area with bare hands. They had even blocked the attack skills of an SS-Class monster with the combination of their skills, so the red-haired man shouted confidently.

Buff skills were applied to the white-haired woman and the other S-Class Guards. A sniper and two close-range attackers. The white-haired woman and the close-range S-Class maintained a suitable distance, surrounding Alpha, who was cornered inside. Cold, sunken red eyes stared at them.

“He doesn’t seem to be berserk. Hey, Alpha. If you’ve calmed down—”

Before the white-haired woman could finish, Alpha raised one leg. With the other leg planted firmly on the floor, he swung the raised leg with full force.

*Bang—!!*

The kick struck the wall directly with maximum power. The white-haired woman and the S-Class Guard watched in horror as cracks spread like a spider web from the point of impact.

“Crazy, what kind of wall is that!”

“If he breaks through, it’s a passage connected to the mana hole!”

To stop Alpha, the two S-Class Guards imbued their weapons with skills and swung them. Magic bullets were also fired to limit Alpha’s movements.

Alpha was restricted by mana depletion, the inability to use his inventory, and his bound arms, but the two melee Guards couldn’t attack freely because Alpha was only moving near the cracked wall. They might end up helping him break through.

Moreover, Alpha seemed willing to sacrifice an arm, constantly placing the restraints in the path of the weapons’ attacks. If they stalled like this, it would benefit Alpha. Even with the mana recovery suppression item, it only suppressed, not completely blocked, recovery.

“Don’t we have any more mana absorption items?!”

At the red-haired man’s shout, Alpha’s handlers, huddled in the corner, shook their heads. Absorption items that worked on an SS-Class Guard were rare, and they had all been used during the last rampage. That’s why they had requested Sigma of Sollemnes [likely a powerful individual or organization] to suppress Alpha in case of an emergency.

Moreover, the only Guard with high-level mana absorption skills was incapacitated. At this rate, they might lose Alpha. Just as that sense of crisis deepened.

“Alpha! We’ve captured your brother!”

One of the Alpha handlers, with a low awakening rank, shouted from the corner. He remembered the information in the report on Alpha’s berserk state and blurted it out in desperation.

“……!”

Alpha’s eyes wavered. The cold red eyes momentarily blurred, and his movements slowed. A brief opening.

The experienced S-Class Guards didn’t miss it.

*Thwack!*

A metal arrow shot from the white-haired woman’s fingertips pierced Alpha’s leg. The arrow, imbued with overlapping skills, transformed. The part that pierced his flesh stretched out, splitting into two and wrapping around Alpha’s leg. The white-haired woman pulled hard on the chain dangling from the end of the arrow. At the same time, another S-Class risked his body and targeted Alpha’s other leg.

*Thud*, Alpha fell forward. No matter how strong an SS-Class Awakened was, he couldn’t stand with both legs restrained.

“Ankle restraints! Now!”

The restraints were thrown, and the red-haired man rushed over, deploying a stat-lowering skill centered on the fallen Alpha, maximizing the reduction on him alone.

“Don’t touch me!”

The suppressed Alpha shouted fiercely. The voice, like a beast’s roar, was filled with anxiety and unease.

“Prepare for stigma surgery!”

“Calm down, Alpha. We’re not trying to harm you.”

Alpha’s head was pressed down, and a gag was put in place. Two S-Class Guards held him down, his strength stats lowered. The sound of scissors cutting away part of his top. A skill that weakened defense power was used on a small area above his exposed shoulder, and then a special needle pierced his skin.

All of it was eerily unpleasant.

Small gasps escaped his gagged mouth. It was a humiliation that Alpha, Han Yoohyun, was experiencing for the first time.

Even though he had awakened as an S-Class at a young age, he had never been so miserably trampled on. Moreover, Han Yoohyun was obsessively averse to being touched. After being separated from his brother, that trait had intensified. Seoksimeong had struggled to persuade him regarding coordination, and Yoon Gyeongsoo had suffered a setback for touching the young S-Class without thinking.

After reconciling with Han Yoojin, he had become more lenient, even including Park Yerim in his life, but the touch of strangers was still terrible.

‘…Hyung [older brother].’

Amidst the swirling emotions, a memory that wasn’t his surfaced in Han Yoohyun’s mind. The memory of Alpha, the original owner of the body he had entered.

A corpse was placed in front of Alpha. The corpse of the person who had taken care of him, someone who could be called a caretaker.

It’s not Hyung. The gender is different. Her awakened skill and the title of caretaker were also slightly different. Even though Alpha had awakened as an SS-Class, she had the title of ‘Ordinary Caretaker’ who had raised an A-Class Awakened.

Nevertheless, he was confused, so much so that he had rampaged uncontrollably immediately after arriving.

“We don’t know how long the painkiller will last against Alpha.”

People’s hands moved busily. It was a procedure to slightly modify the protection stigma to allow the effects of the mana stigma to appear for a limited number of people. This would make it easier to drain Alpha’s mana and neutralize him in an emergency.

In the end, the possibility of Alpha being in danger would increase as the effect of the protection stigma decreased, but there was no other way.

Even though a painkiller had been administered, pain spread along his spine. But Han Yoohyun didn’t feel it properly. His mind, already a mess due to the drug’s effects, was filled only with his brother’s safety.

I have to go find him.

Somehow, even if I have to crawl. He tried to move his bound and pinned body, but he couldn’t. His eyes blinked powerlessly, and his eyelashes became wet.

“It’s done!”

“Drain his mana immediately!”

Amidst the shouts, Han Yoohyun’s mana, which had slightly recovered, was once again sucked out through the stigma. Leaving him unconscious, Alpha’s handlers sighed.

“His recovery is too fast.”

“The mana absorption formation was turned off, and he was almost immediately at a level where he could function normally… I think Alpha’s body has adapted to the absorption formation.”

“It’s only been a few days… Should we modify the gate and engrave a new one?”

Still, since the stigma had been modified, it would be easier to suppress him than before. At that moment, a Defense Agency employee entered through the broken entrance.

“We have received a message from Sigma of Sollemnes. He will accept the request to suppress Alpha.”

“…Now?”

They were taken aback, but if Sigma came, it would be easier to assess Alpha’s condition. Alpha’s handler told him to relay their acceptance before Sigma changed his mind.