The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 264

262. Water Spirit (1)

By the time I finished organizing, my possession points were close to ten million. About a third of that was thanks to Ye-rim picking up scraps, and the rest was thanks to Sigma. If any of the monsters Sigma caught had even a scratch from the bombs, I could claim all the points.

“Of course, I’ve passed 100 million!”

Ye-rim said proudly. With double points applied, she received over a million points per SS-class monster, so reaching 100 million wouldn’t have been difficult. S-class monsters were worth around a hundred thousand points, but even that would be ten million for a hundred of them, and hundreds appeared in droves.

I didn’t realize there were so many monsters in the sea. I’m a little worried about my neighborhood, too.

It seemed there were no particular problems outside the water either. Above all, Noah, who could provide mana replenishment, support, healing, and even instant teleportation skills, was a great help. Because I went deep into the sea, Teacher’s skill went out of range and was canceled, but only SS-class and lower monsters remained, so solo combat was sufficient. It would have been easier if we could have cooperated.

“So, what happened?”

At Ye-rim’s question, I reflexively looked at Sigma. I barely had the thought that it would be difficult to tell everything in front of Sigma before Moon Hyun-yi stepped forward.

“I’ll check around with our Dal [pet name for Sigma]. That bait range is wide, right? There might be monsters that haven’t arrived yet.”

“You’re coming with me, right, Dal?” Moon Hyun-ah wrapped her arm around Sigma’s neck. He could have avoided it, but I guess he didn’t mind being dragged along. Well, when else would he get treated like this? He might be finding it fun.

“Ye-rim, I actually came here with my real body.”

“…Yes?”

Ye-rim looked at me, surprised.

“Your rank definitely seems higher, though? Is that really your original body, Uncle?”

“Yeah, instead of bringing Grace here, my rank-”

“Uncle!”

I flinched at her angry shout.

“My fear resistance is S-class now, Ye-rim.”

“So, without Grace, you came to this dangerous place with your real body, saying you were okay!”

“But I have five lives. And it’s much safer to be next to you guys, even on a battlefield, than to be separated.”

Ye-rim frowned at my words but nodded.

“Of course, that’s true. Still, it’s a relief that Han Yu-hyun is here. He wouldn’t have put Uncle in danger.”

“Oh, yeah. He didn’t.”

It’s better not to talk about what happened in Akates. Yu-hyun was already having a hard time, and I don’t want to bring that up again, and Ye-rim might worry unnecessarily. …How do I explain that I only have three lives left? I should have just said three instead of five.

“Sigma is from another world, and when I, who came with my real body, acknowledged Sigma as real, it seems like a system error occurred.”

I explained as much as I knew, saying I didn’t know the details. I also mentioned that Sung Hyun-jae was at the system’s side.

“So, there are two disks left to install, and Uncle has five lives left, right?”

“Th-”

“Three.”

Yu-hyun interjected.

“Three? What are you talking about?”

“Yu-hyun.”

“Park Ye-rim deserves to know.”

With those words, Yu-hyun turned his gaze to Ye-rim.

“I died once trying to save me, Hyung [term of respect for an older brother or male friend].”

“Uncle did?”

“No, honestly, it was my carelessness, and Yu-hyun-”

“Uncle always blames himself for everything involving us.”

“It’s true this time!”

I tried to appeal, but Ye-rim didn’t believe me. She wouldn’t believe me on this part, no matter what, and urged Yu-hyun to explain. Yu-hyun briefly told Ye-rim about what happened in Akates.

He was imprisoned because he went berserk due to Alpha’s memories, and I came to save him. And I got shot while saving him.

“I couldn’t protect Hyung.”

Yu-hyun was calm, and I was the one who watched Ye-rim’s reaction. She wouldn’t blame Yu-hyun, would she? But they’re both a bit competitive about protecting me, so… I expected a few harsh words. Ye-rim stared at Yu-hyun intently before letting out a deep sigh.

“Ah, seriously.”

Her voice clearly showed her displeasure.

“Hey, Ye-rim.”

“This time, it really is Uncle’s fault.”

“Th, that’s… right?”

“Hyung didn’t do anything wrong.”

“What do you mean I didn’t do anything wrong! Why did you go there alone? Wasn’t Hyun-ah’s sister’s place in the city next door? Noah would have helped if he had been contacted, right?”

“Of course.”

Noah nodded. Ye-rim pointed to herself, adding, “Me too!” Yeah, I really have nothing to say about that.

“…Sorry.”

“You should apologize to Han Yu-hyun, not me.”

“Sorry, Yu-hyun.”

“It’s okay, Hyung. You already apologized to me, Park Ye-rim.”

“Hey, Han Yu-hyun.”

Ye-rim continued with a serious face.

“It must have been hard.”

“…….”

“It must have hurt a lot too.”

“…It hurt.”

“I kind of know that feeling, it’s suffocating.”

Yu-hyun hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I also…….”

“Uncle, should I cover your ears?”

“…I couldn’t breathe. It felt like I was going to die.”

“I don’t even know where it hurts, but everything hurts, and my head is blank. Right?”

Yu-hyun nodded, and Ye-rim smiled.

“You’ve been through a lot, Han Yu-hyun. I’ll give you a hug.”

Wow, our Ye-rim is hugging Yu-hyun…….

“What are you doing, Uncle? Aren’t you going to hug your brother?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Of course. If I hug him, is that comfort? It’s a punishment game. For both of us.”

Is that how it is? Yu-hyun, as well as Noah, looked like they agreed. The atmosphere was good just now. It was the perfect timing for the two of them to hug.

“Okay, Yu-hyun. Come here.”

It’s not like I can’t hug him. After hugging and patting my brother, I gestured to Ye-rim.

“Ye-rim, you come here too.”

Ye-rim approached eagerly, as if she had been waiting. She’s really grown a lot, even if it’s not real. In a few years, she’ll actually grow this much.

“Our Ye-rim has been through a lot too.”

“I’ve been doing well, though.”

She smiles, saying she’ll show me around the city. This time, I turned to look at Noah, who was standing a little apart. He avoided my gaze when our eyes met.

“Noah.”

“Yes.”

“Come here quickly.”

I can’t let him be left out. Our Noah has been through a lot too. He’s done a lot of work.

Just then, Moon Hyun-ah and Sigma returned. There had been a battle, and I could see fresh monster blood splattered on their clothes.

“Should I hug Hyun-ah too?”

“Huh? Are we doing free hugs? Here, Team Leader Han!”

Moon Hyun-ah spread her arms wide. She really is tall.

“Hyun-ah, you’ve worked hard too.”

“I’ll have to work hard in the future too. I like being able to do a lot of things.”

She smiled, saying it wasn’t much of a hardship. Then, she looked at Sigma. Moon Hyun-ah and I simultaneously smiled and reached out our arms.

“Our Moon.”

“Dal, come here.”

“…I don’t know why you’re suddenly doing this, but.”

“Sigma, you’ve been through a lot too.”

“He’s cuter than any sly fox! Compared to Sung Hyun-jae, isn’t he really cute?”

Certainly, compared to Sung Hyun-jae, he felt particularly young. I hugged Sigma, who had an unconvinced expression.

“By the way, Uncle, if you came in your original body, then you’re twenty-five years old now?”

Ye-rim looked at Yu-hyun with an expectant expression.

“Han Yu-hyun, how old are you?”

“And you, Park Ye-rim.”

“Me? I’m a whole year older than Uncle!”

She’s twenty-six. Ye-rim raised the corners of her mouth with a ‘how about that?’ expression.

“Older than Uncle, that is, older than you, Han Yu-hyun!”

“I’m twenty-six too.”

“What? Ah, why do we have to be the same age! Still, my birthday is earlier than yours. Mine is April 11th, yours is December 25th, there’s more than half a year difference, so I’m older!”

Ye-rim, who was shouting to call her ‘Noona’ [term of respect for an older sister or female friend], was cleanly ignored by Yu-hyun. Then, the arrow was aimed at me this time.

“Uncle, I’m older than you now.”

“Ye-rim, I’m Yu-hyun’s Hyung. So, if you think about it, I’m thirty-one, five years older than my brother-”

“That doesn’t matter, you’re twenty-five years old. Uncle is Han Yu-hyun’s younger brother now.”

“That’s right, Team Leader Han’s calculations are strange. Since it’s your body, of course, you’re twenty-five years old.”

“Hyun-ah, you were on my side last time!”

“I just kept my mouth shut because it was fun then, I never took your side?”

Beyond Moon Hyun-ah, who was laughing, saying, “Team Leader Han is the youngest!”, Sigma stared at me intently.

“You were deceiving me, C-class.”

“No, that’s. More than that, Noah is here too, so why am I the youngest!”

Noah looks young too. Even if he’s not a teenager like his original body, he doesn’t seem much different from me. As the attention suddenly focused on him, Noah widened his eyes and said.

“I, Mu, am thirty-five years old, Yu-jin.”

…Oh my goodness. He was as youthful as Sung Hyun-jae.

* * *

I was worried that the same thing as Akates would happen again if Sigma entered the city, but Ye-rim assured me it would be okay. Above all, Drosia’s mana hole was in the sea. Since monsters would come out anyway, it was easier to deal with them in the sea, so we headed to Drosia City.

“It’s warm inside the city. The spirits help maintain the temperature.”

As she said, the air changed as soon as we passed the barrier. The temperature and humidity were just right for living. If there are many spirits, you can do things like this.

-Rin can do it too when she grows up!

Irin said, hiding half her body under Yu-hyun’s sleeve.

“Since you’re a fire spirit, can’t you only raise the temperature?”

-Hyung, when Rin grows up, she can control the heat itself. If she takes away the heat from the surroundings, she can make it cold too!

Does it work like that? Well, the water and ice spirits here absorb the cold coming from outside to raise the internal temperature.

-It’s a real fire spirit!

-Take her out, take her out.

-I saw her turn big earlier!

-I want to see too!

As the water and ice spirits chattered, circling around, Rin hid in Yu-hyun’s clothes. Ye-rim waved her hand at the gathered spirits.

“Don’t bother her, go away.”

-We’re not bothering her!

-We’re just curious.

-We want to make a contract too!

This time, they were noisy, envying the fire spirit. It would be nice if Ye-rim could make a contract with a spirit and take it outside, but I don’t know if that’s possible.

I took off my hat, scarf, gloves, and cardigan and put them all in my inventory. The others also took off their coats. Yu-hyun wouldn’t feel the heat, but it wouldn’t be good to wear winter clothes among people dressed for spring.

The scenery of Drosia City was like a southern resort. Outside, a frozen land with a cold wave was spreading, but the city was colorful and bright. Pretty houses with clear blue roofs lined both sides of a large river, and flowers were in full bloom.

“Monsters appear less often here.”

Since they appear more often on the sea side, they pay more attention to landscaping compared to other cities. If they were damaged every night, they wouldn’t feel like decorating their houses and surroundings with care.

After driving along the main street for a while, the Drosia Defense Agency finally appeared.

“…It’s a lake.”

“The waterfall is amazing.”

Could that be called a waterfall? Water was pouring down in the middle of a large lake. From the air. Spirits were sliding down the waterfall pouring down from the air, and the Defense Agency building was located behind it. Unlike other places, it had many windows and was a nature-friendly appearance that was open everywhere.

-Bridge!

-Bridge!

The spirits shouted, and an ice bridge was created across the lake to the entrance of the Defense Agency. There’s a normal bridge over there too. As we crossed the ice bridge, the Drosia guards and the Medesang and Lanchea guards who had arrived earlier greeted us.

Eat well, rest well, and then the next morning.

“Peace!”

-Kkiang!

Peace flew in from the sky. Oh, my baby, I was wondering how to find you, but you came on your own like this. How admirable! Flapping his wings and tail vigorously, Peace snuggled into my arms.

“Our Peace, you even have wings! Did you go into a monster with wings? Are you hurt anywhere?”

-Kkyaung! Kkiang!

“Yes, yes. You’ve been through a lot. I’m sorry Dad couldn’t find you.”

With this, we found all the party members, but one person was still left. I know the news, but I haven’t actually met him. Not even once so far.

‘Does the Seseong Guild Leader have to stay on the system side?’

Besides, no quests have come since yesterday. I hope he’s okay. I stroked Peace and looked back at the party members.

“Let’s go install the disks.”

There are two left, and if we install these, we might be able to hear more details from the newbie or Sung Hyun-jae. Then, Ye-rim raised her hand with a troubled face.

“Uncle, it might be a little difficult for me to follow.”