The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 297

295. Outside (2)

“Oh, what to do.”

The Newbie looked around. He was alone in this space. The system had been restored. He couldn’t contact Han Yu-jin’s world yet, but it would be reconnected soon. So, the immediate urgent task was over. He could take a short break without worry, but.

“…System.”

The reason for creating the system. The initial system creators. He couldn’t ignore her words. He could clearly feel his heart wavering. But it was hard to accept that he was wrong right away. The Newbie shook his head. He couldn’t throw away those long, long years in an instant.

But.

The Newbie, who had been spinning around in the snowfield, suddenly stood up and raised his hand. The fluttering, fin-like sleeve slipped down, and his exposed fingertips stirred in the air. A round, hole-like thing appeared in the void.

[I thought you’d be busy for a while, what’s going on? Is the system recovery finished?]

“…No.”

The Newbie inadvertently lied to the Tree’s question. He covered his face with his wide sleeve and continued.

“You said the worlds of the First Source don’t need to be managed.”

[That’s right. There are no parricides or filial piety addicts there. The basic system exists, but it operates automatically without the administrator’s intervention.]

The Newbie had certainly heard that as well. That it was a world that didn’t need to be involved in.

“What about Chaos?”

[Chaos?]

“Yes. I heard it’s on the First Source side.”

[Ah, Young Chaos. That’s right. I don’t know the details, but Young Chaos is there. They say he’s the only transcendent who manages the worlds belonging to the First Source. The oldest sword. The master of the Nine Stars. The Myth Hunter. The Twilight of the First Source. There seem to have been various rumors, but it was so long ago.]

“How long ago was it?”

[It was so long ago that there are few transcendents who have seen him directly. Around the age of the Crescent Moon, the White Bird, or the Gardener? The Mermaid Queen might have seen him in her newbie days.]

The Tree beyond the hole waved its hand.

[He’s not someone you need to worry about anyway. You won’t encounter him unless you set foot in the world of the First Source. But why suddenly?]

“While restoring the system, I saw related data. It was a name I’d never seen before, so I wondered who it was.”

[Is that so? He might have known the initial system creators too. Ah, something else must have happened. Then keep up the good work, Newbie! It would be nice if there were more people who could tamper with the system. I wonder if that blacksmith has potential.]

Basic management and operation of the system were possible for others as well. But very few transcendents had the ability to examine, delve into, and restore the interior. The Newbie smiled with his face half-covered and waved his hand to erase the hole.

“…What to do.”

He seemed to be a more amazing person than he thought. The Newbie hesitated and then moved the system. Since the system existed even in the world of the First Source, connecting was not difficult.

Following the complex guidance of magic, a passage was created, and the paths of the systems were connected. The Newbie looked around again with slightly nervous eyes. If he contacted him directly from here, other transcendents would likely notice.

‘Creating a separate virtual space… it would make it vulnerable to external attacks, though.’

The Newbie created a virtual space near Han Yu-jin’s world, which had been disconnected from the system and out of everyone’s attention. It was a kind of fake dungeon. The dungeon form was the most convenient for connecting to the system and crossing over. The Newbie took a deep breath and created a clone to enter the dungeon.

It was a small forest. The summer sunlight sparkled along the stream.

“…Young Chaos-nim?”

There was no reply. He had connected to the system on the First Source side and sent a message, so he should be able to cross over here. The Newbie waited for a moment and then checked the passage.

“Hello?”

Tap, tap. There was a knocking sound. The Newbie sent a message as if dealing with ordinary awakeners, not fellow transcendents.

[Young Chaos-nim? Is that you?]

[It is.]

[Then why aren’t you coming over?]

[I can’t do such tricks. You have to help me.]

[Tricks, you say!]

The Newbie grumbled and helped him cross over here. A boy with red eyes appeared in front of the Newbie.

“Yes, yes. Little Rabbit.”

“…You look like Honey’s younger brother?”

“Because that’s how I’m recognized.”

The Newbie looked at Chaos with a curious expression. Unlike what he had heard, he seemed like an ordinary human.

“Why did you ask me to contact you?”

“I can’t do tricks, unlike you, Little Rabbit. So, I asked for your contact information because I needed help.”

“What kind of help? You should be able to do basic system operations, and I can secretly do more than that…….”

“I can barely do the basics.”

The Newbie’s eyes widened.

“Really? It’s easy. Shall I teach you?”

“What can you do when even the initial system creators gave up? I have no intention of learning.”

“How do you manage the worlds of the First Source if you can’t handle the system?”

At the Newbie’s question, full of wonder, Chaos smiled.

“By breaking in.”

“Pardon?”

“If it seems like it’s going to be eaten by the Source, I break in, sweep it clean, and come out. There are no other transcendents there besides me, and even if they are born, I kick them out, so it’s okay if the power protecting each world is a little broken.”

“…That’s possible?”

“It is.”

It was a light answer. The Newbie covered his mouth with his sleeve in embarrassment. It was a completely unexpected method. No, in the first place, it was a reckless act that even a transcendent couldn’t easily attempt. Even the King of Innocence was weakened by forcibly entering a world he didn’t belong to.

“Then, you could protect the worlds belonging to other Sources in that way.”

“You shouldn’t. If protection disappears, it becomes a battlefield for transcendents. My method is possible because there’s a place to escape. If you cut off all the heads of the attacking wolves, you’ll only watch the defenseless sheep and not approach them, but if you turn an entire mountain, not just one area, into pasture and all the other prey disappears, they’ll desperately bare their teeth.”

Unless you intend to annihilate them, you must leave a path for escape.

“It’s also annoying if transcendents join forces. Besides, it’s something I only do at the very end, so it’s better to manage it with the system. If you follow the principles, that is.”

The red eyes stared straight at the Newbie. There was no particular emotion in them, but somehow it felt like a rebuke, and the Newbie raised his sleeve even higher to half-cover his face. Two pairs of red eyes, similar only in color, met each other.

The Newbie avoided his gaze and changed the subject.

“What did you want me to help you with…….”

“The original promise was to lend you one of my swords.”

Chaos frowned slightly, displeased.

“I knew this would happen, so I made it a condition to hand over the sword directly. Future-seeing species, I still don’t like them.”

“Future-seeing species?”

“That doesn’t mean I’ll hesitate to do what I want to do. Little Rabbit, help me contact a kid named Han Yu-jin.”

The Newbie shook his head in confusion.

“I can’t do it now! But you gave Honey your sword?”

“Yes. It probably went to that kid’s younger brother.”

“How, when? You said you can’t handle the system, but if you gave him the sword, you could have delivered the message yourself.”

“Another administrator helped me then. I can’t do it now, huh. It won’t cause immediate problems, though.”

Young Chaos raised his head. A sword was held in his fingertips. It was a completely white, single-edged long sword from the hilt to the tip.

“An uninvited guest.”

Immediately after the words were spoken, the Newbie also felt it. And.

Kwaaaang─!

The space shook. Black lines spread out jaggedly across the sky. Something like sharp claws tore through the clouds and fell to the edge of the forest. An angry growl leaked through the gap.

[Where is he, where is he!]

“Chatterbox!”

The Newbie jumped up and slightly revealed his hidden fangs.

[The King of Innocence, my lovely Mist!]

“G-go back! He’s not here!”

[Give him to me! The caretaker, all the caretaker’s children! You were watching, weren’t you. Did you help? There’s no way those non-transcendents could have imprisoned and killed her. You!]

The sky cracked even more. Thick poison seeped in, and with a loud rumble, a pale red curtain unfolded with a fierce momentum. Young Chaos held out his white sword towards the curtain falling heavily from the sky.

Without a single tremor, the tip of the sword cut through the void. A light breeze stirred along the straight line drawn. As it was, the curtain began to be pushed back. It was torn, crumpled, and chased to the end of the sky as if it had met a huge wave.

“Noisy.”

Chaos lowered his sword.

[…You are.]

“Young Chaos. I’m quite embarrassed to be called young at this age, but due to various circumstances, you know.”

[Why, here. You clearly don’t leave the First Source.]

Young Chaos raised the corners of his lips at the stuttering voice, as if he was quite surprised.

“It’s a walk. Are you going to attack?”

A brief silence flowed. A low growl mixed with rough breathing. But Chatterbox obediently retreated. Chatterbox’s momentum completely disappeared, and the cracked sky slowly began to recover. The Newbie, who had been staring blankly at it, shouted at Chaos.

“You could have just gotten rid of him! It’s dangerous! He’s targeting Honey!”

“Can’t do it.”

“What? Are you weaker than Chatterbox?”

“This rabbit.”

The Newbie’s forehead was flicked hard. The Newbie made a tearful face and rubbed his reddened forehead with his hand.

“Do young ones not know? Back in the day, I used to catch and kill any transcendent who seemed worth fighting, let alone other transcendents. After experiencing various things and reflecting, I swore not to attack anyone who shows hostility to me first or who sets foot in a world belonging to the First Source without permission.”

“Chatterbox attacked first.”

“The target was you.”

The pure white sword disappeared from Chaos’s grasp. The boy casually gathered up the flowing hem of his clothes and sat down on a tree stump.

“Since I’m free, I’ll wait here until you’re ready.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Give me some tea.”

“…Can’t you make it?”

“I can’t. I can’t do such tricks. All I can make are swords.”

“It’s not a trick!”

The Newbie shouted, but he created a table and tea set and politely poured tea.

* * *

‘It might be an unnecessary worry, but I thought it would be good to be careful. Take care, Chief Song.’

Song Tae-won looked at the airfield, recalling Moon Hyun-ah’s words. The call was short. It was just a simple message that the Seseong Guild Leader’s condition wasn’t good. If the caller was an ordinary person, it could be ignored. But Moon Hyun-ah, the Breaker Guild Leader, had contacted him directly.

Among the early awakeners, she was one of the few who could be considered relatively close to Seong Hyun-jae. As an S-Class Hunter and a Guild Leader, they had clashed many times. Since Moon Hyun-ah had deliberately conveyed this advice, it could not be taken lightly.

Song Tae-won immediately cleared the airport where Seong Hyun-jae was scheduled to arrive. Fortunately, all flights had been suspended due to a sudden monster appearance, so he only needed to send out the few employees who were guarding the airport.

“Are you really going to be okay alone?”

Kang So-young asked worriedly. Beside her, the Thorn Winged Dark Dragon, Comet, was crouching. She had been temporarily detained for rampaging with Riet, but in a situation where monsters might still be present, they couldn’t afford to let a flyable dragon species idle. Thanks to this, she was released immediately after promising to only patrol in the air.

“I’m more comfortable alone.”

“…Are you perhaps angry because of me? I don’t think you’d get angry about something like that, but just in case. If it’s because of me, please contact me. I’ll take refuge in Breaker.”

“That’s not it.”

“I guess not? Still, please contact me, Chief Song! Please! If you help me, I won’t speed for a while!”

Kang So-young repeatedly asked and climbed onto Comet’s back. The black dragon, which hadn’t fully grown yet but was still slightly larger than the griffin Blue, spread its long wings wide. It lightly soared into the air and quickly disappeared into the distance.

Song Tae-won looked at the back of the dark dragon and then turned his gaze forward again. The plane’s scheduled arrival time was near. He tightened the belt of the gloves that covered his wrists and took a short breath. A tension completely different from when entering a dungeon brushed against the back of his neck. On the outside, he was as unwavering as a statue, but on the inside, he was writhing with a complex mix of emotions.

Soon, the plane appeared with a loud noise and lowered its altitude. Since flights had been suspended worldwide, there was no need to separately confirm who was on board.

The lowered landing gear touched the runway. With a roar, the black tires spun rapidly. The aircraft, which had been running along the runway, gradually came to a stop.

Song Tae-won stood firmly in place, as if guarding it, and looked at the man getting off the plane.

“It’s been a while. I didn’t expect you to come all the way to greet me.”

‘Should I be moved?’ The tone in which he said that was not heavy. But Song Tae-won felt the tension in his body intensify.

“Why did you come back alone first?”

There was no answer. Instead, golden eyes smiled lightly.

“It hasn’t been long enough to say it’s been a while. If there’s a problem, please tell me in this spot.”

‘I can’t let a dangerous being in.’ At those words, Seong Hyun-jae’s smile deepened.