The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 312

310. External Negotiation

Chatterbox was definitely a Transcendent who helped Jellyfish, the King of Innocence, and interfered with the dungeon. Is that guy the successor to Jellyfish?

“A proposal? What proposal? If you’re thinking of making a peace treaty now, I want to tell you to shove your good intentions, but I’ll accept it. Tell them that.”

It’s not like my resentment towards those filial piety addicts has disappeared. But it’s our kids who will have a hard time if those bastards interfere. If they propose a truce, I should gratefully accept it. At least I caught and killed Diarma.

“That’s, not it…”

The newbie hesitated and said.

“Chatterbox wants the one who killed the King of Innocence.”

“What?”

I was taken aback. Were they that loyal to each other? They didn’t say anything about Diarma, but the King of Innocence was surprisingly popular? He didn’t seem like that kind of person, or jellyfish.

“Say you don’t know. It’s the truth. There’s no way that great Transcendent would be defeated by a mere F-rank stat. He’s just missing.”

It would be troublesome if they came forward for revenge.

“…Chatterbox, was he close to Jellyfish?”

“The King of Innocence was just a friend…”

So, it was a one-sided crush. I’m screwed.

“I don’t know, just say you don’t know. Logically, the filial piety addicts didn’t help this time. He’s just missing. I don’t know him. He suddenly disappeared.”

If they find out that I killed the King of Innocence, would they just try to catch and kill me? That would be fortunate. But most likely, the people around me would be in danger too. It’s common. ‘I’ll get rid of all your precious people,’ that kind of thing.

…Is it because fear resistance doesn’t work in dreams? My whole body was chilled. It was too obvious who they would target first, which made me even colder. I wanted to get up, but I still didn’t have the strength.

“…Chatterbox doesn’t know the details yet, right? Say yes, please.”

The newbie rolled his bloodshot eyes, not knowing what to do. Damn it. I felt like I had indigestion. Not again. I can’t do it twice, even if I die.

“They don’t know, but, they know that the King of Innocence was after Honey. So they want Honey now.”

I stared blankly at the newbie. Diarma and the King of Innocence—I thought of them as just dungeon bosses. Opponents that would be over once I defeated them. Diarma actually was. I got a reward too. But the King of Innocence, Luga Piaya, was different.

There was someone who cherished her. It was an unexpected situation. Really.

“Self-defense, they wouldn’t even listen if I said that.”

What does it matter if I feel wronged? I would be the same. Even if Yoohyun did something wrong and was killed because of it, I would still hate the killer. I would want to take twisted revenge. Before right and wrong, I can’t help it.

Moreover, to those guys, humans would seem insignificant compared to them. If someone tried to catch a field mouse and died from an infected wound, would they blame the person who was bitten? They would kill the field mouse first. They might even try to exterminate all the field mice in the area.

‘…Chatterbox can even manipulate the system, right?’

He has already interfered with the dungeon. Unlike other Transcendent, he’s not someone to be relieved about just because he has the power to protect the world. Besides, unlike me, most of the people around me go into dungeons often.

My insides were burning. Damn it, how much does Chatterbox know about me? Should I send Yoohyun and Yerim out of the house right now? Pretend that I have nothing to do with them. No, pretend that we’re on bad terms…

‘…This is.’

Suddenly, what happened before regression came to mind, and I lost all strength. Yoohyun, Yerim, and the others wouldn’t listen even if I told them to stay away because there’s a Transcendent after me. But I can’t just push everyone away without saying anything.

My eyes were blurry and stinging, but a laugh escaped me.

“Chatterbox or whatever, just try to touch my kids.”

“…Honey.”

“It’s just, who was it that bothered someone who was just trying to live first, and why are they making a fuss? Do you think I can’t do something twice that I’ve done once?”

I thought everything would be okay when I first regressed. There have been many things since then, but now, I felt more frustrated and helpless than ever.

Diarma and Luga Piaya were both powerful Transcendent that I couldn’t handle. But they both had separate goals. They were opponents that I could at least talk to if I met them. I could argue the necessity of keeping me and the people around me alive. They were people who had room to look for opportunities.

But Chatterbox simply has revenge in mind. An enemy who will be satisfied with nothing less than my head, and it would be fortunate if he was satisfied with just my life. Those who have no other thought than to harass or kill their opponent are the worst.

“We won’t just stand by either!”

The newbie came up to me, squatted down, and said.

“…Will you help?”

“I, I want to…”

“What was the proposal?”

The newbie looked at me cautiously and opened his mouth.

“If you hand over Honey’s world, they won’t interfere and will help for the next hundred years. Chatterbox isn’t the type to step forward, but once he interferes with system management, he’s a really annoying opponent.”

“Of course, it would be a lot of help.”

“That’s, right… By sacrificing one world, you can save many worlds…”

“Did you say you’d hand it over?”

The newbie quickly shook his head at my words. The curly fur on his ears fluttered like pinwheels.

“No! Not yet! I said it shouldn’t be done, and Waterdrop and Tree seniors were against it too.”

“The Mermaid Queen woke up?”

“Yes. Oh, and Crescent Moon too!”

My heart pounded at the word Crescent Moon. Sung Hyunjae, who should be asleep by now, came to mind.

“Crescent Moon woke up too?”

“I just got a call a little while ago. It’s not possible to move yet, but Crescent Moon also said he’s against handing over Honey’s world to Chatterbox.”

The newbie was talking excitedly, but I wasn’t comfortable. Of course, he wouldn’t want to hand it over. Because Sung Hyunjae is here. If Chatterbox, the filial piety addicts, find out about Sung Hyunjae, they would most likely try to get rid of him.

‘Not all filial piety addicts would welcome it.’

There would definitely be filial piety addicts who are worried about raising the power to destroy the source. Especially if the owner of that power is a single Transcendent named Crescent Moon. Some might even feel threatened.

It’s getting worse and worse. Really.

“You wanted to meet Crescent Moon, Honey. Should I pass on a message?”

“No, not now. More importantly, you said you refused to hand over our world, right?”

“Yes. But everyone is thinking about negotiating… Other filial piety addicts besides Chatterbox are also showing interest.”

“I know, but it still feels dirty. Who do they think they are?”

I’m grateful that they’re stepping up to help a world that’s going to be destroyed. But just because they helped doesn’t mean they can use us as betting chips. Aren’t they just deciding whatever they want without considering our opinions? Even worse, no one in our world even knows about it, let alone has a say.

“They’re great Transcendent, huh? We decide, and insignificant humans just have to follow, huh?”

“Um, Honey. That’s…”

“Most of the youngsters these days are the ones who were at the top from the start.”

The young Chaos said. It was a very elder-like statement, unlike his appearance.

“There used to be many Transcendent who weren’t Wonmaekja [Those not of the original lineage].”

I wonder when that ‘used to be’ was.

“I thought all Transcendent were born S-rank.”

“Of course not. Rather, Wonmaekja often can’t exceed a certain limit. There’s no need to try desperately.”

They don’t have to try, so they just stop there? Well, if you can do anything easily, there’s no reason to put in more effort.

“But recently, most of the Transcendent are raised. That’s only possible for Wonmaekja, and Wonmaekja are basically ordinary humans, so they have the idea that they are different from their own kind.”

The young Chaos continued, saying that it was natural to look down on other humans.

“Even if they aren’t from Wonmaekja, they often change after being Transcendent for a long time.”

Do they forget what they were like as tadpoles?

“But the newbie seems less so.”

“M-me…?”

The newbie fiddled with his ears, not knowing what to do under my gaze. Even born S-ranks must have different personalities. There must be personalities like the newbie’s.

“Anyway, Chatterbox isn’t going to attack right away, right? Right?”

“Yes. In the first place, he can’t access Honey’s world yet. So the negotiations will probably take place slowly.”

Whatever the case, it’s clear that I, we, are powerless. I had no choice but to hope that the filial piety addicts would block it well. Or at least help like they did with Diarma. Creating a monster like the Changeling again… is close to impossible. The materials alone are a Transcendent’s mana stone and Sung Hyunjae’s fragment.

“I don’t know what method it will be, but we’ll have to compromise with Chatterbox. If we reject him unconditionally, he’ll try to harm Honey’s world somehow.”

“Yeah, I guess so…”

“I’ll try to make it as beneficial as possible for Honey’s world. I’ll try! Even though I’m a newbie, I can manage the system, so my say is strong.”

“Thank you. I’m counting on you.”

The newbie smiled brightly and jumped up. The petal-like hem of his clothes fluttered. I’ve been nagging him a lot, but he’s still been good to me. The newbie is really the nicest and best guy among the filial piety addicts. Treating Yoohyun and Bbyak like that… he said it from the perspective of a system administrator. Wouldn’t the newbie feel a little different now?

“By the way, newbie, what’s your name?”

“…Huh? My name?”

“You have one, right? Can’t you tell me yet?”

“Uh, yes, my name… No!”

The newbie shook his head in embarrassment. Then he changed the subject.

“It’ll take some time to connect the system. Especially Honey’s country. But you’ll be safe until then, so get some rest!”

“Yeah, I will. How can I tell when the system is connected?”

“Try using the Acorn skill. It’s manual input, so you can’t use it properly until the system is connected. The status window won’t pop up unless it’s a pre-inputted target.”

I thought I’d look for another capable Awakened since there won’t be anything for a while, but that’s a shame. Even if the status window doesn’t pop up, the skill itself exists, so I’ll get a rough idea.

“But why is Elder with the newbie? I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. Thank you sincerely for the sword. My brother liked it very much.”

I bowed politely. I wondered if he came to give me something else. Chaos unfolded his arms, which he had been loosely folded.

“I was worried about a dying child struggling.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look at your state.”

Well, I look fine on the outside.

“You said I’d live for another 20 years.”

“The way you’re acting, you’ll be half-buried by next year.”

“It’s already September, you’re being too harsh.”

The look he gave me was like looking at a dirty stray puppy wandering around the neighborhood.

“Your mana flow is a mess because of what you’ve been doing. Look at this, this.”

The young Chaos, who was standing behind me, slapped the back of my neck with his palm. It hurt even in the dream.

“No, even if you tell me to look…”

“Move your mana as I teach you.”

“You said you can’t affect me in the dream?”

“That’s why I’m just teaching you. Even if it’s a dream, the mana you move yourself will follow your real mana, so shut up and focus.”

A hand touched the back of my neck, and I felt a hot energy. The heat moved slowly, drawing on my back so that I could follow easily. I tried to control the flow of mana in my body according to that movement. It wasn’t easy, but I was able to follow it somehow.

“Remember this as a mana circulation method that helps calm the scattered mana. But it won’t prevent the side effects themselves.”

I definitely felt a little strength returning to my limp body.

“Thank you. Do you need points this time?”

“That time was in the system, and I touched you directly. And…”

The young Chaos scanned me up and down. He frowned as if he was very dissatisfied, then clicked his tongue. Both last time and this time, he looks at me like I’m going to die soon if he leaves me alone.

“Let’s see each other again after the system is connected.”

“Thank you very much for your concern, Elder.”

I guess he’s going to do something for me again. It was like seeing a real family elder since the holidays are just around the corner. In reality, they tried to take away what I had instead of giving me anything.

“Oh, what about the point shop? When will it disappear?”

“The current point shop was connected by the system creator, so I can’t touch it yet.”

“System creator?”

“Yes. He came for a while… something like that happened!”

It seemed difficult to talk about. Anyway, I’m glad if I can keep using the shop.

“Then what about the remaining points?”

“I can’t recover that either. Or the items Honey has now.”

Oh, so the Wildcat items will remain as they are? When I asked, he said I could keep using them. However, the rental-bound status remains the same. The newbie waved his hand and said, ‘See you next time,’ and my vision darkened. In the fading consciousness, a familiar voice was heard.

“Hyung, are you very tired? I’ll take you to your room.”

Yoohyun came. I slowly opened my eyes. But I still couldn’t see anything.