The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 235

233. My Brother is Here (2)

I almost grabbed the guard by the collar on impulse. Clenching my fists, I calmed myself. I was guessing based on the Skill trait; there was a chance Alpha wasn’t my brother. Even if it was Yoohyun, it might not be a big deal. Maybe he was just disoriented from suddenly being dropped in an unfamiliar place and got into some trouble.

They said he was safely subdued and well managed… Damn it. Anyway, that meant he was safe. In the first place, nothing should happen to Yoohyun here. It’s okay.

…Even as I repeated that it was okay, my mind raced, thinking about the items I had, the remaining points, and the point shop list. No, I shouldn’t be hasty. First, I need to confirm if Alpha is really Yoohyun. Let’s calm down.

“Thank you for escorting me. If you don’t mind, could I ask for one more favor? I want to sell an A-Rank item, but since this is my first time in Arkates, I’m worried about getting scammed. I’ll give you a commission, so I was hoping you could sell it for me.”

Saying that he, as a guard, would know well, the B-Rank guard’s face lit up at the mention of giving him a whopping 5%. I handed over one of the A-Rank daggers I had prepared, and he made a call somewhere and quickly took care of it. When I said I didn’t have a card, he even created a new cash card for me. 3 million L after fees. The currency was the same. The B-Rank guard, who pocketed 150,000 L, close to two million won [approximately $1,500 USD], as a commission, grinned and told me about good hotels and restaurants.

“By the way, I have a special support-type Skill. Could I work at the Defense Force?”

“A support-type guard from Medes is welcome anywhere. If you apply for a transfer to the Defense Force, they’ll schedule a mana imprint change date for you.”

The B-Rank guard gave me his contact information, saying to contact him anytime if I had more items to sell or needed other help, and then left.

Even though it was said to be a downtown area not far from the Defense Force, Arkates felt more modest compared to Solemnis. Still, as a bustling area, the buildings were tall and there were many people. I rode the scooter along the road. I was tired, sleepy, and hungry, but I headed to the Solemnis Defense Force first. I also refueled the scooter along the way.

I arrived at the Defense Force’s public service center and took a number. It wasn’t long before it was my turn.

“Hello, I’m a special support-type guard from Medes.”

As I introduced myself and handed over my ID, the staff member looked slightly surprised.

“I’m thinking of transferring to the Arkates City Defense Force.”

“Ah, yes. I’ll connect you to the higher-ups right away. Please wait a moment.”

So far, so good. Soon, a man in a suit appeared. He was a D-Rank Awakened, and his mana level was average. Was he excellent at support Skills, or had he failed at mana imprinting?

“Hello, Mr. Han Yoojin. I’m Dasple, in charge of support-type guards at the Arkates City Defense Force.”

“Hello.”

“Please come inside.”

Dasple, who was in charge of support-type guards, led me inside the public service center. I sat on the sofa in the reception room, and tea was brought out. Dasple, sitting across from me, wore a friendly smile.

“We are well aware of the rumors that the treatment of guards in Arkates City is not good.”

…What? I felt a pain in the back of my neck for a moment. If he was admitting it so readily, how bad were the rumors? My lips trembled faintly as I tried to maintain a smile on my face that was about to contort.

“Rumors are always exaggerated.”

“That’s true. Besides, support-type guards are different from combat-type guards, aren’t they? Frankly speaking, there are many dangerous elements among combat-type guards. Recently, an Alpha went berserk and an entire commercial district was burned down.”

“The damage must have been significant. I heard about it roughly.”

“Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the property damage was enormous. As a result, the period for which Alpha will be restrained has been extended.”

Restrained, huh. This time, a smile naturally formed on my face. From just a short conversation, I could roughly guess how they put a leash on combat-type guards.

‘They’re making the guards pay for all the damage during combat, huh?’

It was common to exploit guards and Hunters by saddling them with debt, even when facing monsters normally, not just during rampages. I had experienced it myself. Equipment rental fees, repair costs, potion costs, dungeon usage fees, and so on. Debt could be easily increased.

They’ll probably do something similar here. There might be other leashes as well. Family, perhaps. Or mana imprints.

“Support-types never have such problems, so it’s a relief.”

I smiled brightly. Dasple smiled along.

“Of course. The restrictions are also much lighter. Combat-types are the kind of people who might cause an accident at any time, even if you tie them up hand and foot. They have great power, so they must bear the responsibility that comes with it. That’s the duty of a human being.”

They’re being protected by that power, yet they’re acting like this. I understand being afraid of high-level Awakened. In fact, that’s normal. Even a regular person with a big build and a scowling face can make you feel intimidated, so it’s only natural to be afraid of someone who can demolish buildings with their bare hands. That’s why we worked hard to improve the image of Hunters in our neighborhood from the beginning.

But apart from that, if you want to be protected and defended by Awakened, you should treat them accordingly. Isn’t that the real duty of a human being? They didn’t choose to be born that way, but just because they’re stronger than others, they have to take responsibility and serve? What a crazy bastard.

“Our Arkates City prioritizes the safety of its citizens above all else. In this day and age, the most important thing is safety, isn’t it? That’s why there are a few more restrictions compared to other cities, but frankly, freedom is a luxury that you can only enjoy if you’re alive.”

He was rattling on, probably thinking I knew all the details.

“Combat-type guards might have reason to be dissatisfied. But I’m confident that the satisfaction of support-type and healing-type guards is second to none. I think Mr. Han Yoojin probably knows that and came all the way here.”

“I’ve heard the stories. That’s why I came to the Defense Force as soon as I arrived in the city.”

“Haha, yes. Besides, Mr. Han Yoojin is from Medes, isn’t he? It’s widely known that Ms. Muse of Medes cherishes her affiliated guards, so we can’t treat you carelessly.”

The more I heard, the more curious I became about Medes. It seemed to be a place that focused on support and healers and treated guards exceptionally well. …That newbie, shouldn’t he have put all the kids in Medes? I hope Yerim and Noah didn’t end up in a place with bad treatment. I had no idea how Peace was doing. I wasn’t too worried about the adults, Sung Hyunjae and Moon Hyuna.

Especially Sung Hyunjae, he’s the kind of person who can thrive anywhere.

Unlike my complicated thoughts, the atmosphere was friendly. We briefly discussed the contract terms.

“I’ll let you know about my Skills after I’ve made a firm decision. I’ll just say that it’s a Skill that allowed me to come to Arkates City alone with C-Rank stats.”

“This is getting me excited about the rank. Even if it’s not SS-Rank, you must have encountered S-Rank monsters a few times.”

“I’ve seen them many times.”

Dasple made an exaggeratedly surprised expression. He praised me, saying that I was indeed from Medes.

“We’ll prepare the mana imprint change procedure as quickly as possible.”

“Ah, before that.”

I swallowed hard once. I tried to calm my emotions as much as possible and continued speaking.

“Could I check on Alpha’s condition? To be honest, I was worried when I heard the news of the rampage. I even thought about turning to another city. I heard on the way that he was being well managed, but I’d still like to see it with my own eyes.”

“I fully understand that feeling. I sometimes feel uneasy too.”

He nodded his head emphatically.

“I need to get permission from above first, but I think it’s possible. If I knew the rank of Mr. Han Yoojin’s Skill, it would be easier to get permission.”

“I’ll tell you about one of my relatively low-ranked Skills. Mr. Dasple’s rank is D-Rank, and his mana level is average. Is that correct?”

Dasple’s eyes widened.

“A special Skill that can determine the rank and mana level of the opponent?”

“Yes. I can check mana and life force up to S-Rank, and rank up to SS-Rank. It’s a useful Skill in many ways. During combat and in everyday life.”

“If that’s a relatively low-ranked Skill… I understand. I think permission will be granted one hundred percent.”

“When can I check?”

“Since Mr. Han Yoojin is still an outsider, you’ll only be able to enter this building after sunset.”

After hearing that I should visit around sunset, I left the reception room. I felt a little nauseous. The fatigue that had already been building up felt even heavier, as if it had absorbed water. I thought that it might not be my brother, but I had a bad feeling.

There was still a long time before sunset. I tried to soothe my mind and learned more about Alpha. Unlike Sigma, there was quite a bit of information available here.

’26 years old, received the Blessing and Awakened 4 years ago. All family members except for his father are deceased.’

It felt a little strange that his father was alive. There was also a photo in the data. His black hair was the same as Yoohyun’s, but both of his eyes were red. It seemed that he had red eyes from the beginning, not due to Irin’s influence.

‘…Come to think of it, what happened to Irin?’

Are there spirits in this world too? I don’t know if she came in with me.

Alpha was also a handsome young man, but he looked quite different from Yoohyun. He was definitely a different person, so there was no room for confusion. Seeing that, I felt a little relieved.

‘In the first place, it’s a different world and a different person, so it’s unusual that Sigma looked so similar.’

That Sigma wasn’t Sung Hyunjae either. Yeah, it might not be Yoohyun.

I left the Defense Force and headed to a nearby hotel. I went into the hotel restaurant and ordered food, but I had no appetite. I was hungry, but I didn’t feel like eating, so I just stirred the salad with my fork. Suddenly, a sub-quest popped up.

[You need to take care of your meals

You need to eat well and heartily to stay healthy! Eat more than half of the food prepared deliciously.

Reward: 2 high-grade chocolate-flavored mana potions]

What is this quest? I unconsciously chuckled. Mana potions were expensive, and it was giving me two high-grade ones, so the reward was too good for the quest. I had no choice but to eat.

‘But why chocolate flavor?’

It reminded me of that person. It was delicious though. Once the food went into my mouth, it went down easily. Thanks to that, I ate it all clean and received the potions. I was full and sleepy, and there was nothing else to do until sunset. I went up to the hotel room, washed up, and lay down. Soon, sleep came over me.

“Sir, sir! Please wake up!”

I opened my eyes to the sound of someone shaking me awake. A hotel employee was standing next to the bed. Is it okay to just come in like this without permission?

“The sun will be setting soon. Please move to the hotel shelter.”

Hotel shelter? Does the hotel have a separate shelter? Well, if it was a hotel that couldn’t be used at night, it wouldn’t do well. The hotel shelter was probably larger and better decorated than the public shelters. The accommodation fee was expensive compared to the cost of living, so was it a shelter fee?

I told him that I had to go to the Defense Force and left the hotel. The streets, which had become dim, were deserted. There were hardly any people walking around, and the bus had a sign flashing that it was the last run.

I rode the scooter to the Defense Force. The public service center was already closed. I was guided inside by the security guard, and a familiar face appeared with another Awakened.

“Welcome, Mr. Han Yoojin. This is Mindiva, the Alpha management officer.”

Dasple introduced the man next to him. Just like in Solemnis, the people in this town seemed to have names with three characters and no separate surnames. Mindiva took the lead, saying that he was looking forward to working with me.

“Even SS-Rank Awakened will lose consciousness if their mana is depleted. Currently, Alpha is in a mana absorption field connected to the mana hole [a source of concentrated mana]. Unless we turn off the absorption field, there is virtually no chance of him waking up.”

It’s very safe. Saying that, he got on the elevator, pressed the lowest floor, and swiped his card key. Was it impossible to even get to the floor with the mana hole without a card key? It was probably underground, and there was likely no staircase.

I could buy a new master key, but I kept an eye on the card key for now.

“It is very safe at the moment, but we cannot continue to keep the precious Alpha asleep like this. So, we performed a mana imprint modification procedure.”

“…Modification?”

“Yes. It was a procedure to connect each other’s imprints so that a few specific people could forcibly extract Alpha’s mana. This is so that we can suppress Alpha at any time if he goes berserk again. However, in that case, the effectiveness of the protection imprint is significantly reduced, which increases the risk when facing monsters with mana absorption Skills, but it couldn’t be helped.”

He said that they would restore it to its original state once Alpha had completely calmed down.

“Of course, the procedure will be performed after a sufficient amount of high-grade mana absorption items have been prepared in preparation for another rampage. We can’t let our guard down.”

…In other words, Alpha can be easily suppressed at any time in his current state. If, if Alpha is Yoohyun, then simply rescuing him will not solve the situation. He could be in danger even when facing monsters.

The elevator stopped and the door opened. There were several security checks similar to those in Solemnis.

“Currently, the biggest problem is that Alpha is showing signs of mental confusion. There was no older brother among Alpha’s family members.”

“…Older brother?”

“Yes. Of course, we can’t be sure if they’re biological siblings, but there’s no one called ‘older brother’ among the relationships that he would desperately look for. There’s a possibility that it’s someone he’s hiding so that it doesn’t become a weakness, but we’re guessing that the mental problem is the most likely cause, given the sudden rampage.”

…It was hard to suppress the anger that was about to burst out. He found his older brother. He was looking for his older brother. I couldn’t deny it anymore. The inside of my stomach turned cold and ached. It felt like my stomach was twisting. My jaw ached from clenching my teeth tightly.

Let’s calm down. Causing trouble here will only make things more difficult. It won’t be easy to simply rescue him, and there’s also the mana imprint issue. I shouldn’t make them more wary. I need to pretend to cooperate as much as possible and observe the situation.

“This way. After the mana imprint procedure, the isolation room is even stronger, and the mana absorption field is also closer to the mana hole, making it more powerful. The walls here have received the grace of the mana hole, making it difficult for even SS-Rank Awakened to break them. The closer you are to the mana hole, the higher the strength, so even if Alpha were to fully awaken in this isolation room, it would be impossible for him to escape.”

…They’re disgustingly thorough. It seemed that even a Dragon Breath Bomb would be useless. The isolation room was double-layered. I had to go inside and open the door again. Opening the inner door required not only a card key but also facial recognition and another operation.

Finally, the door opened and I stepped inside. I could see the mana circles spread out widely in the center of the room. In the center of that faintly glowing absorption field, there was a young man who had lost consciousness.

His arms were tied behind his back, and his legs were also firmly bound. He was gagged and his eyes were covered. A line connected to a IV stand next to him was inserted into his neck. An unknown drug was constantly being injected into Alpha.

Mindiva grabbed me as I unconsciously tried to approach.

“You can’t get close to the mana absorption field. You’ll have your mana absorbed in an instant and pass out. The items you’re wearing might also be damaged.”

…Awakened can’t even get close, and they can’t use items either? Furthermore, it’s impossible to destroy the room itself.

In my anxiety, I took a closer look at the fallen Alpha. His eyes were covered, but still.

‘…Yoohyun.’

He was different from the Alpha in the photo. He wasn’t exactly the same as my brother either, but he looked more like him. He definitely looked more like Yoohyun than Alpha. I had been watching my brother since he was born, my whole life. There was no way I could be mistaken.

“…Alpha’s appearance seems a bit different from the photo.”

“Really? You might feel that way because it’s a photo. He looks the same to me.”

How could he look the same? Even his physique is different. It seemed that Yoohyun looked like the original Alpha to the people here. I took a long breath. The inside of my throat felt like it was burning. I wanted to run to him right away.

Damn it, why are they treating him like this? I, how did I raise him? Even if it’s not his original body. Like that.

“…You said Alpha had symptoms of mental confusion?”

“Yes. That’s why we’re currently using drug treatment in conjunction. We’re also trying to find a guard with high-level mental Skills from other cities.”

“One of my Skills is in the mental field.”

“Yes?”

“It’s just enough to calm the opponent, but it works even on SS-Ranks. That’s why I was able to avoid monsters easily when I came here.”

I turned to look at Mindiva. I wanted to punch his surprised face. It wasn’t difficult to stab a knife into his neck right now, it was hard to hold back.

“I think I can be of help, would it be okay if I tried it on Alpha?”

“Uh, right now?”

“Yes. If I prove that it works, the contract terms will change significantly.”

I smiled. He smiled too.

“He won’t be able to move much because of the drugs right now, but it could be dangerous for you.”

“If I was that worried about my safety, I wouldn’t have come here alone.”

He said that was true and said he would prepare it right away. Soon, more people came in. There were even two S-Rank guards mixed in.

“I’ll turn off the mana absorption field. Please stand by.”

After a complicated operation, the light disappeared from the circle on the floor. At the same time, I was about to approach Alpha when his limp body twitched. Anyone could see that he was struggling violently, his whole body twisting.

“It’s okay!”

I shouted quickly. At the same time, Alpha’s, Yoohyun’s, movements stopped. There was a sound of admiration, saying that it really worked. I quickly approached Yoohyun, bent my knees, and lowered my body to the floor.

“…It’s okay.”

A slightly trembling body and a rough breath that seemed excited. I was careful not to startle him with the sudden touch and untied the blindfold. His closed eyes opened. Red eyes turned to me. His eyes, blurred by the drugs, instantly welled up with tears.

I reached out my arms. I pulled my brother into my embrace.