The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 270

The crack in the sky was distinct. Night and day stood face to face, a surreal tableau. Without a sound, the daylight began to shatter. I could only watch, paralyzed as if trapped in a nightmare.

It felt like a nightmare crawling into broad daylight, with my eyes wide open. A chilling sensation scraped my skin, as if a monster that belonged only in the dead of night, in dreams, was now tearing through the sunlight and raising its head.

The thought of doing anything, anything at all, didn’t even cross my mind. It was as if I had skipped straight from simple fear to utter resignation. Night grew larger, devouring the day. Fragments of blue sky, white clouds, and sunlight fell and disappeared, one by one.

Beyond the encroaching darkness, stars twinkled. Fear clenched my heart – the fear of the unknown that lurked within those countless sparkles. And then…

Charrr─

A clear, metallic sound rang out. It was a familiar tone. But what shone wasn’t gold; it was silver. Pale moonlight began to plunge from the sky to the ground, followed by dozens of silver chains.

“Hyung!”

Yoohyun reached out, blocking me from the chains. Everyone else, including Yerim and Peace, even the SSS-class monsters, were instinctively protecting their vital points, but my brother shielded me. I was dumbfounded, but at the same time, it snapped me awake – not that I could do anything about it.

“Yoohyun, ugh!”

The chain lightly pierced Yoohyun’s arm and diagonally tore through my leg. Another chain narrowly grazed my left arm, but even that was enough to tear my clothes and leave a deep, scratched wound. The stench of blood filled the air. At the same time, my Teacher Skill blared a danger signal.

No fatal injuries, but no one was unscathed. In a very short time, everyone was battered and bruised. With at least one limb mangled, I felt as if all my limbs had been torn apart by the chains.

“With the chains embedded, I can’t use healing skills!” Noah cried out.

Yoohyun swung his sword. Ka-gang! A broken blade bounced away with a deafening noise. The silver chain didn’t even have a scratch. Rather, the recoil only worsened his wounds.

Like a bug caught in a tight spiderweb, there was no way out. Yoohyun’s eyes wavered before sinking with grim determination.

– Yoohyun-ah!

The chipped sword aimed for the arm pierced by the chain. Irin jumped forward, grabbing the sword, and I, also surprised, grabbed my brother.

“What are you trying to do!”

“Hyung has to escape right now! We can die, but not Hyung!”

Yerim also turned to me, startled by Yoohyun’s shout. Because I’m the real body…

“S, still! Noah can just teleport us!”

At my words, Noah answered from behind, flustered. “I can’t use teleportation skills! The space here is distorted… The connection to the mana hole [a portal or gate to another dimension or source of mana] is also severed!”

“I’ll cut off my arm to remove the chain; please use your healing skill.”

“Hey!”

– Yoohyun-ah, Irin will take Hyung away!

Irin flared up, growing in size and enveloping me. Damn it, but even if I escape here, what’s next? Why isn’t the newbie [referring to the system administrator or guide] saying anything? More than that, who the hell is the owner of these chains!

“Irin, stop! It’s no use if I’m the only one who gets out! If Yoohyun dies, you’ll disappear too!”

Even if I save my life right now, how long can I last alone? Irin hesitated, and Yoohyun bit his lip. The night was spreading, covering not only above our heads but the entire city. As the sunlight retreated, the darkness deepened.

Our little moon – there hasn’t been a single message since that one phrase. It came after the newbie’s message, but it wouldn’t be the newbie. I gritted my teeth and spoke.

“Let’s go to the mana hole for now.”

Blood splattered again, and healing skills and potions were used. The SSS-class monster, having forcibly torn off the chain piercing its flesh, followed us. As soon as we escaped the range where the chains were pouring down, the silver chains were pulled up into the sky with a chilling clanging sound.

“It’s coming again! Avoid it as much as possible!”

Blocking it is impossible, but avoiding it won’t be easy either.

“Yerim, draw water above us! Yoohyun, heat it all up! Don’t evaporate it completely, just enough to spread it out!”

I could have used ‘Lament,’ but the mana consumption was too high, and the range wasn’t as wide as I wanted. Yerim drew water from the river. Blue willow leaves scattered towards the water screen spread out above. Then, the leaves turned into fire, instantly boiling the water.

A thick, hazy steam rose, as if a giant, dense cloud had descended low to the ground.

“Yerim, can you feel the chains touching that?”

“Uh, yes! I think I can! Because it’s in a fine droplet state.”

Then everyone else can feel it through Teacher Skill. Except for Sigma. Sigma had the least damage from the first attack because of his combat precognition.

– Krrr.

The SSS-class monster following behind growled lowly. Almost simultaneously, Yerim shouted, “It’s coming!”

I also felt it through the transmitted sensation. Silver rain cuts through the hazy sky and pours down. Yerim, who can teleport, snatched me and Peace from above. Kwadeuk, Kwak! The chains slammed into the ground, sending asphalt fragments, dirt, and paving stones flying.

This time, we were prepared, so no one was injured. It was a terrifyingly fast attack, but everyone dodged it well.

“That way!”

The Defense Agency building was visible ahead. Darkness hadn’t descended here yet. It’s daytime. The difference felt eerily close.

‘Whether he’s a rebellious child, a filial piety addict [someone excessively devoted to family], neutral, or a transcendent [being that surpasses normal limitations], he’s definitely a transcendent.’

Is it okay to intervene this directly? There was no fog, and it was silver chains that attacked, so it wasn’t a jellyfish. Is it Chatterbox? Or maybe it’s a transcendent from this world. The jellyfish has already contacted the oldest spirit.

‘Did he join hands with the filial piety addict here?’

Newbie! Send me a message! How can we get out of here?

Perhaps because the night hadn’t reached it, there was no third attack. The Madeus Defense Agency was right in front of us.

“Is there a mana hole in the basement of the Defense Agency here too?”

“Yes!”

“Then excuse me, Hyunah-ssi!”

I threw an S-class bomb at Moon Hyunah. Without detailed explanation, Moon Hyunah swung the Geochang [a type of spear] like a tennis racket. The bomb, launched like a bullet, dug deep into the building, and about 3 seconds later, it exploded with a roar.

Yerim poured the remaining water mass towards the half-destroyed building. The building collapsed completely, and the debris was swept away. Then, Moon Hyunah jumped high into the air and plunged her spear straight down, creating a wide crater and revealing the underground mana hole.

Noah, standing in front of the mana hole, gave us mana. The cloud covering the sky was also disappearing, and the approaching darkness was visible. The inside of my throat dried up involuntarily. I missed L-class fear resistance.

“No matter how I look at it, there’s no answer; what do you think?” Moon Hyunah asked me.

“We can’t face the opponent with our current strength. We’d be lucky if we could even hold out.”

It was a pessimistic sound, but it was the truth. Waiting for help while buying time was the only method I could think of. Even if we doubled our attack skills and used our skills to the maximum, the result would be the same.

That being said, just staring at the message window with my neck stretched out is still not the answer.

That guy must have a purpose for causing such a fuss. Little Moon, silver chains, night. The transcendent who came to find Sung Hyunjae. What is my partner doing?

“Sigma-ssi.”

Sigma, who was looking up at the slowly approaching night, turned his gaze to me.

“That seems to have business with Sigma-ssi.”

“With me?”

“Our moon is really too popular.”

I agree. I thought it would end with an SSS-class monster, but that’s too big of a deal. But this time…

“It doesn’t seem like he came just because Sigma-ssi has become an alien existence in this world. He probably sent me a message.”

“Message? What did he send?”

“‘Our little moon,’ he said.”

Sigma looked again at the night that had come close.

“…I, I don’t remember anything.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Am I related to that?”

“Well, maybe.”

“Then Sung Hyunjae, that guy…”

Did they just look alike? That question came up again. Same appearance, same skill, and weapon. Crescent moon.

“…Crescent moon.”

The darkness flutters like a curtain. Fragments of the day scatter. The moon was not visible in the starry night sky. This neighborhood’s moon was huge.

“Crescent Moon!” I shouted towards the night that had come right in front of me. “The well-to-do transcendent wouldn’t not know that this world is already a destroyed past, hey! You’re asleep in our world right now! Aren’t you?”

Can you hear me! Information about his own future, even if it’s a fake from the past, wouldn’t be uninteresting.

“The newbie messed up and fell asleep! Even the Mermaid Queen is looking at you with pity? The wolf and the deer were gossiping about you behind your back!”

Of course, that never happened, but what does he know? I just need to give that guy the impression that I know the rebellious children well, to make him want to have a conversation.

[Who are you.] A message popped up.

“If you want to hear my name, it’s basic etiquette for you to reveal yours first. Or do you just go around talking nonsense in your neighborhood? Looks like a rootless neighborhood.”

After a moment of silence, the message appeared again.

[The Moon that swallowed a thousand worlds]

[Cradle of Transcendent]

[Scouter]

[The Sixth Fragment of the Crescent Moon]

“…What?”

“You are…” A voice that echoed from the sky, not a message, was heard. “That nurturer. The nurturer that the Harmless King is looking for.”

The newbie’s message came to mind. Information about the transcendent here, and… but it was cut off, so he probably contacted and sought cooperation like with the old spirit. But the other party is the Crescent Moon.

“You’re a rebellious child! If the Harmless King is a filial piety addict? You’re not holding hands, are you? Is it betrayal!”

“If our interests align, there’s nothing we can’t cooperate on.”

“You’re just a traitor; why are you talking so long! And you’re not supposed to directly influence this world, are you? What about the system, the system!”

“There are definitely restrictions, but, nurturer, this place is a dungeon as well as information from a past, vanished world.”

Dungeon. A place where external forces can interfere much more easily than the outside world. Even so, I thought this was too much, and at that moment, pure white light poured down from the night sky.

From beyond the shattered sky, black hooves appeared. The body of black fur was a horse wrapped in brilliant clothes. Where the horse’s neck and head should have been, a human torso was attached – a centaur. The upper body, which appeared to be male, had long black hair hanging behind pointed ears and half-closed pure white eyes.

Silver chains rippled and swayed around both wrists. The clanging metallic sound heavily pressed down on my whole body. Not just me, but no one could move. White eyes looked at me. At the same time, the pressure lessened considerably.

“…Crescent Moon, there’s not even a ‘digeut’ [Korean letter] of the moon.”

Besides, I thought it was definitely a she. Since they’re a different race, I can’t guess their gender just by their appearance.

“I am the Sixth Fragment.”

“Even if this is a dungeon, is it okay to come out like this? Please go back in?”

“My power has fallen to less than half of its original, and I have to pay a price, but I am just a fake that will soon disappear. Nurturer, why does the Harmless King want you?”

“I had a little tryst at someone else’s house in the middle of the night, and he fell for me. He said he didn’t have time to date because he had one or two kids to raise, but he was trying to take me away by force. It’s just a common love affair, so it’s better to step back appropriately to save face. Originally, others shouldn’t interfere in such matters. Honestly, the jellyfish isn’t my type either. I only have bad memories with tentacles, so I don’t like them.”

Except for the black one. Crescent Moon’s Sixth Fragment stared down at me. The pressure surged again, and my body stiffened. Charrr, the chains moved like snakes. I think I’m going to hate chains too, especially silver ones.

He won’t kill me, will he? At that moment, when I was clenching my teeth…

– Kyaaaa!

A reddish-brown mass shot out in front of me. It was the SSS-class monster that Sung Hyunjae had sent. The Sixth Fragment gestured without emotion towards the monster spreading its wings and baring its teeth. The silver chains mercilessly tore the monster’s wings and split its body. The corpse, which had lost its vitality in an instant, fell to the floor with a thud. The monster’s limbs, dyed bright red, twitched finely in their last convulsions.

The moment I thought that appearance was futile, the air trembled. The Sixth Fragment narrowed its brow and extended its chains towards me and Sigma. Just before the end of the fiercely flying chain reached me…

Kigigik, with a scratching sound, something thin wrapped around the chain and stopped it. It was none other than…

“…Hey, Sung Hyunjae.”

I’m guilty of showering you with yarn for your birthday, yes. It was hot pink yarn.