The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 249

247. Real and Fake (1)

After breakfast, I headed to one of the two intact buildings of the Defense Agency with Yoohyun. To think that more than half of the Defense Agency was destroyed overnight; this is why people should live virtuously. If they hadn’t oppressed the combat-type guards and had taken good care of Alpha, would I have even thrown a bomb?

Yoohyun’s rampage was ultimately the fault of those Akates Defense Agency guys. They reaped what they sowed.

“Squad Leader Han!”

Moon Hyuna waved at me with a welcoming smile. I avoided the busy area and went out to the terrace. It faced the direction of the mana hole in the center, so I could see the debris being cleared away. The mana hole in the basement was emitting a faint light. The sunlight was so strong that it looked closer to white than blue.

“I’ve roughly explained your relationship.”

Moon Hyuna said, shaking a bottle of alcohol from broad daylight. She mentioned that some of the alcohol here could even intoxicate SS-class hunters, something about fermenting it with the mana hole. I should have a drink with Yoohyun before we leave.

“Do you know that Alpha’s father is alive in his family?”

“I saw the records.”

“I heard he’s the one who shot Squad Leader Han with a gun.”

Yoohyun’s expression turned cold at those words. A clear intent to kill emanated from him.

“Where is he?”

“Yoohyun, wait a minute. You can’t do that.”

“Why? He’s someone who has nothing to do with me.”

“Whatever the reason, he was someone who was trying to help you. I don’t want you hurting someone who’s showing you kindness because of me. I was the one who made you misunderstand in the first place.”

“I’m not Alpha.”

“Of course not. But let’s just let it go this once. He’s already dead a long time ago, anyway.”

And in this real world, there was a higher chance that he wouldn’t have been able to save Alpha. He succeeded in the rebellion here… A bitter taste filled my mouth.

“I think I need to see Gnosis too. Is he alright?”

“He’s hospitalized due to a shortage of healers, but his life isn’t in danger. There are just so many injured people.”

That’s a relief. Just then, people approached from beyond the glass door of the terrace. Moon Hyuna gestured to them as they loitered, as if asking if they could come in. A man who seemed to be their representative opened his mouth.

“We’re planning to broadcast a message to reassure the citizens of Akates shortly. Would it be possible for Alpha to appear? It would be good for an SS-class hunter to representatively show his face to improve the treatment of combat-type guards.”

“Of course, help them out, Young Master.”

Moon Hyuna assisted the Akates resistance forces, now the new Defense Agency people. Yoohyun looked annoyed, as if asking why he should. It’s not Alpha, and it’s not the real world. There’s no need to help.

“Just help them out for a bit. Honestly, you know more about that kind of thing than those people. You have more experience.”

Our world is far ahead of Akates in terms of image management. This place has a tight grip on hierarchy and systems, so there’s no need to manage it. At my words, Yoohyun reluctantly moved Irin to my shoulder.

“Stay with Hunter Moon Hyuna, hyung [older brother/male friend].”

“Okay. Don’t worry.”

“How much time is left until the broadcast? What about the script?”

“It’s scheduled for 30 minutes from now, but it can be adjusted. The script is here. It’s not long.”

Yoohyun quickly scanned the script and frowned in dissatisfaction.

“What is the exact purpose of the broadcast? The Defense Agency has just been reorganized, but this is just about giving a casual greeting and ending it.”

“Yes? But combat-type guards haven’t appeared externally very often…….”

“Don’t you think the first impression is even more important because of that? Revise it, even if you have to postpone the broadcast time. What about the coordination?”

“Yes?”

Yoohyun looked at the man in front of him with a look of disdain. He clearly didn’t meet his standards. Those people must be flustered. The Alpha they know is just a field combatant who obediently follows orders. But our Yoohyun is a guild leader. He’s been on broadcasts managing his image for more than just a day or two.

Yoohyun and the Akates people rushed out. It became quiet again, and Moon Hyuna took out glasses from her inventory.

“Want a drink, Hyung?”

“It’s still morning.”

“There’s nothing like this when we go back. I wonder if it’ll come out later [referring to the alcohol being produced].”

It will. I missed Moon Hyuna and lightly emptied my glass.

“Sung Hyunjae said he’s watching you, right?”

“Yes. He sends me strange quests when he’s bored.”

“Really?”

Moon Hyuna looked around and then suddenly shouted loudly.

“Hey! Sung Hyunjae! Twenties are definitely cuter and have more supple skin! The Seseong Guild Leader isn’t just pretending to be old, he’s really old! The difference is obvious!”

…It’s not that much of a difference. I felt a little wronged. I’m in my twenties now, but I was originally in my thirties. My skin is different, but that’s mostly because I suffered a lot back then. …Maybe I should take Seok Simyeong’s advice and take care of myself.

“Can’t Sung Hyunjae come out? I want to put them side by side. Can’t we take a picture or video of Sigma? Compared to that giant serpent, he’s definitely fresher. Song, the Director, should have come too!”

“I’m disappointed too.”

I wonder what kind of reaction Director Song would have shown if she had seen it.

“But what’s the relationship between Sigma and Sung Hyunjae? It’s too much of a copy-paste to say there’s no connection.”

“They do look exactly alike, don’t they? Maybe he originally lived in this world and crossed over to our world.”

“That makes sense? Maybe his past is vague because he’s from another world.”

“That’s right, it fits perfectly…….”

A moment of silence fell. Both Moon Hyuna and I shut our mouths. I felt strange. Could it be.

“…Could it be.”

“Could it be.”

“They’re too different in personality to be the same person. You’d have to age him a hundred years more to become Sung Hyunjae.”

“This neighborhood is like virtual reality data, so maybe there was an error and the Seseong Guild Leader’s information got mixed up, or something. Maybe he was supposed to go into Sigma’s body, but he bounced out, leaving only his appearance and skills.”

“Well, Alpha and I have the Young Master’s appearance mixed in too. Lambda’s hair was originally brown.”

Moon Hyuna said, brushing her hair back. Yeah, Sigma originally looked a bit like Sung Hyunjae, but the data merged and made them the same. The skills too.

…They said it was possible to extract SS-classes from a destroyed world, but could it be. Just in case, I opened the quest window, but Sung Hyunjae in the system was quiet. Hmm.

“Give me a drink too.”

I received the glass and drank it in one gulp. Wow, it’s quite strong. But it’s sweet and delicious.

“You said you could guess where Yerim and Noah are? Should we leave tomorrow?”

“I’ll get you a helicopter and a guide to go with the Young Master. The Akates communication equipment is broken and being repaired. You should be able to contact them around tomorrow, so check and then leave.”

“It sounds like Hyuna-ssi isn’t going with us.”

“Akates is in this state, so I can’t leave my post. One Young Master is enough.”

It seemed like she really wasn’t going with us. Of course, the city’s situation is chaotic.

“It’s already a lost world. You don’t have to worry so much. It’s not good to give your heart too much.”

You’ll only have a hard time if you get too attached. Moon Hyuna smiled at my words.

“I know, Hyung. But you don’t have to think about such things when you act.”

“Yes?”

“Even if it’s a destroyed world and just data, I’m here. If I’m seeing it and feeling it, then it’s real.”

“Still… even if you help Akates now, nothing will actually change.”

It’s a story that ended a long time ago. No matter what you do here, nothing will change.

“Sometimes you’re quite rigid, Hyung.”

Moon Hyuna raised her hand and roughly ruffled my hair. It hurts. Don’t press so hard.

“Why won’t anything change? We remember it. We lived in this world for a short time and were influenced and changed. Aren’t you getting anything out of here?”

“That’s, not true, but.”

“And helping like this, it feels good. Seeing the kids happy makes me feel refreshed.”

She laughed heartily.

“Don’t think too complicatedly, just look at it simply. Aren’t you proud too? You destroyed it very fiercely. And you saved your brother.”

“I messed up at the end.”

“You make mistakes in life. The Young Master’s expression was good, though? It’s been good lately. It’s good to see him acting his age. He’s much better than when he’s stiff.”

“That’s true.”

I looked at the mana hole and the people busily moving around it. When Vitera expressed her gratitude, I felt suffocated, but looking back now, it wasn’t so bad. Her face was brightly lit. The others also had expressions of relief.

“Besides, we’re not eternal either. There’s an end someday, and we influence and remain in the memories of the people behind us, that’s all. So I’m treating this world with sincerity. At least it’s real to me. But your thoughts are free. Oh, and!”

Moon Hyuna changed her expression and looked at me with pleading eyes. Why suddenly…….

“Can I monopolize the information from this world? I’ll talk to Yerim and Hunter Noah. The Young Master will listen to you if you ask him. I think I can persuade the Seseong Guild Leader too.”

“Yes? Information?”

“Yes, information! This place is much more advanced in terms of mana, guards, and hunters. It’s not exactly the same as our world, but there’s a lot of useful stuff. If we use it well, it’ll be much easier for Breaker to become independent. Please, Squad Leader Han.”

This world definitely had more accumulated research data. Just counting the years after the appearance of the Awakened, it’s about ten times as much. If we took that information with us, it could be used effectively.

“Anyway, I came in my original body, so I don’t know much. I’ll just cheer for independence.”

“No changing your mind later?”

“Of course not.”

I would welcome it if Breaker could stand on its own.

I helped Moon Hyuna with the cleanup of the Akates Defense Agency. I mostly just watched, though. The Lanchea guards followed Moon Hyuna very well. The original Lambda seemed to be a popular person. When I asked about Lambda’s changes, they said she seemed brighter than before.

“But she’s drinking too much.”

“And she suddenly cherishes her bike and spear. When she’s drunk, she even kisses─”

“Izer!”

“I’m sorry!”

She must have really liked Lambda’s equipment. Well, it was worth it. Geochang is an SS-class, and the bike is a specially made item.

Around lunchtime, the broadcast ended and Yoohyun returned. The atmosphere of the people following behind my brother was similar to that of the Haeyeon Guild. When he left, most of them had been looking down on him, thinking, ‘What would Alpha know?’ But now it had changed completely.

Alpha is also an SS-class Awakened, so if he had the right environment, he would have been more than capable of becoming the center of the Defense Agency.

“Those people are annoying.”

“You won’t be here long. Just bear with it a little.”

I told my brother that I had decided to leave the rest to Moon Hyuna and go find Yerim and Noah. Before that, I had to stop by Lanchea to install the disc. It would be nice if I could persuade Sigma to come with me.

‘I can’t abandon Solemnis, so I’ll just have to be satisfied with a few days of monster hunting.’

How do I coax him?

After lunch, I headed to Sigma’s room at the appointed time. Yoohyun was worried, but I reassured him that I had included a condition that he wouldn’t harm my body. With two SS-class hunters on my side, he can’t do anything reckless.

“Excuse me, Sigma-ssi.”

As I entered the room, Sigma greeted me in light clothing with a somewhat sullen expression. He definitely looked like he was in his late twenties at most. But I had been thinking of him as being in his thirties all along. Prejudice is a scary thing.

“Cheer up a bit. If you’re so stiff, you look over thirty.”

“You C-class just don’t have an eye for it.”

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, hyung.”

I sat down on the sofa, saying I was really sorry for misjudging him, and Sigma raised his eyebrows in displeasure.

“No matter how I look at it, you don’t look thirty-one.”

“You heard it yesterday. I’m five years older than Alpha? I’m just a bit young-looking. Please sit down, Sigma-ssi.”

Still looking unconvinced, Sigma took a seat opposite me. First, I took out the contract and spread it out on the table. Give valuable information and receive three questions. Simple.

“Um… so…….”

Originally, I was just going to say, ‘You’re not real, and this world is just fake, destroyed data.’ But the words didn’t come out easily.

If it were Sung Hyunjae, he would be interested first even if I said, ‘You’re fake.’ But what about Sigma? Twenties… twenty-something. Still older than Alpha, though. When I first met him, he looked really bored, but now his expression has changed a lot.

“…I’ll take the questions first. Ask me anything.”

The golden eyes looked at me and slowly opened his mouth.

“Who is Sung Hyunjae?”

He was worried about it. I felt strange when he asked that question with that face.

“He’s someone who looks exactly like you but is a different person.”

Probably. Sigma demanded a more detailed explanation with a chilling gaze.