The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 385

I took a breather and immediately used the Seed Leaf Skill.

[Grade 1 Human Species – Attack-Type Hunter

Current Stat Grade: SS

Stats Available for Awakening: A~S]

SS-Grade. So, an S-Grade Hunter is originally Grade 1? Then what about a naturally born S-Grade? For now, since they’re S-Grade, would they also be the same Grade 1 Human Species?

So, Choi Iram, an S-Grade Hunter who awakened six years after the dungeon outbreaks. I don’t know if that’s his real name. Back then, high-ranking Hunters were very strict about protecting their personal information, and S-Grade Hunters were even more cautious.

‘Director Song… is this after his death?’

The fact that this person is in the Hunter Association means it’s after Director Song Tae-won’s death. After Song Tae-won, who had supported the Association, died, the Hunter Association rapidly weakened, unable to manage S-Grade Hunters and S-Grade Dungeons.

Although it lost most of its practical power, the Hunter Association still had to exist, so large guilds jointly affiliated themselves and sent S-Grade Hunters. Outwardly, they belonged to the Association, but they often ignored the Association President’s orders, causing a lot of controversy. Eventually, it was completely taken over by Haeyeon.

‘Then it’s highly likely that this is after Sung Hyun-jae’s disappearance too.’

Song Tae-won’s death and the disappearance of the Haeyeon Guild Leader weren’t too far apart in time. That’s why Sung Hyun-jae was even more suspected.

But this is a created dungeon. There’s a good chance the timelines are mixed up. Still, Peace and Myungwoo… definitely won’t be here, and Noah, Liete, and Evelyn are unlikely to be here either, since this is set in Seoul. Though they could have entered through a route I don’t know about.

It would be crazy if Liete was here too. One naturally born S-Grade is already tough enough. At least he hasn’t gotten a title yet, but he’s still a tricky opponent.

“Other dungeons weren’t like this.”

I said, first canceling my Stealth Skill. Gotta save mana.

“This is too—”

“Haeyeon Guild Leader’s brother?”

My tongue instantly stiffened. The tips of my fingers trembled slightly. I doubted my ears, but I clearly heard the story I didn’t want to hear.

“It’s blurry, so I didn’t recognize you, but Han Yoojin, right?”

I looked up at Choi Iram. He had a genuinely puzzled expression. Like a normal human, not a monster.

“How is an F-Grade trash like you okay? After taking my attack, no less. And what’s with that Stealth Skill?”

[Fear Resistance skill weakens!]

The Fear Resistance skill message window flickered. Still, my heart pounded painfully. Choi Iram’s eyes turned fierce.

“Is it a monster that copies appearances? But why such a useless human… Or is it a Hunter targeting Haeyeon Guild! Anyway, the Haeyeon Guild Leader.”

The spear was raised. White light gathered on the blade, as if he was activating a skill.

“I abandoned trash like my brother a long time ago!”

That shout pierced my heart like a spear. I couldn’t move. Kaang! The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out. It felt like it was echoing from far away, even though it was right in front of me. Soon, even that sound disappeared.

I was just dazed, like I had a terrible cold and swallowed a bunch of strong medicine. I felt hazy. Only heat flared up in my empty head. No, it was like dozens, hundreds of thoughts were swirling around at once, so mixed up that I couldn’t make sense of them.

Tung—!

“Who are you! I’ve never heard of an S-Grade as young as you!”

“I’m this guy’s guardian for now. First one!”

“If you’re not a monster, then America? India? Or maybe Russia?”

Kagagag, Kwang!

“You damn brat!”

My body was snatched up. Kwang! A loud noise rang out as the wall blocking our path exploded. The surrounding scenery changed in an instant.

A wide-open sky came into view. A reddish sunset was setting. At the edge, I could see a faint purplish-blue light rising. It seemed like we were on the rooftop of a building. The breath that wouldn’t come easily burst out in coughs.

“This, this dungeon, has to be destroyed…”

“I heard it’s like that because it wasn’t properly made.”

I gasped and pounded my chest with my fist. Eun-hye beeped anxiously, unsure whether to block it or not.

“Why, why… Even if the words are, fine, but the memories…”

Why, why. Why do I remember everything? Why does he recognize me? The young Chaos scratched his head a little with his fingertip.

“Originally, all information is erased. It can’t leak out to other worlds, you see. I don’t know the details, but I heard that monsters are based on vanished worlds but newly created. But here.”

The tips of his feet were visible as he lightly stepped onto the rooftop railing. The loose fabric of his clothes fluttered in the breeze.

“It’s a dungeon based on First’s world, created in your world. It seems to be due to a kind of information overload and a hasty, clumsy creation.”

“Please tell the newbie! To destroy this dungeon!”

I had barely calmed down, but my body was still trembling slightly.

“Why was such a dungeon created in the first place! Even if an SS-Grade Demon King popped out, just let us catch it! We could have handled it well enough!”

With the goblins, we could use my kid in addition to the double skills. That would have made it not too difficult to catch an SS-Grade. But why, such a ridiculous dungeon!

Chaos turned his head and looked down at me.

“The Nightmare Weaver was a demon related to the King of Innocence. His name was erased, so it was impossible to identify him through the system, but the King of Innocence recognized the goblins as soon as he saw them.”

…I quickly searched through my past memories. Yoon Yoon’s contact was cut off around the time the King of Innocence appeared in China. And Choi Seok-won, who contracted with the King of Innocence, was also connected to China. He was trying to hand me over and get support from China, for sure.

“The King of Innocence, is this a trap he was involved in?”

The events after her death might be a plan by the Chinese military. But the King of Innocence was behind it all. He couldn’t directly intervene, but he would have told them how to handle Yoon Yoon. The power to draw out the absorbed and vanished Demon King must have been the King of Innocence’s.

My mind slowly cooled down.

“What kind of Demon King is the Nightmare Weaver? If he’s related to the King of Innocence, then the memories… well, nightmares are created from people’s memories.”

“How would I know all those minor monsters? The rabbit told me this too.”

Minor? He’s still an SS-Grade, but he’s treating him like a *jabmob* [Korean slang for ‘fodder’ or ‘insignificant mob’].

“Roughly, the rabbit weakened it into a dungeon because it would be dangerous if left alone. He said that if the conditions are right because the King of Innocence was involved, it would rapidly grow to SSS-Grade or higher.”

…Like with Choi Seok-won. If that was the case, then it couldn’t be helped. But, still.

“Still, here… Wait a minute! Other people are here too! Yoohyun, Yoohyun too!”

My heart sank again. My throat felt painfully dry.

“My brother, he doesn’t know, he doesn’t know anything… Where, where is he? If he went to Haeyeon. No, if he asks other people, monsters, about me…”

It was obvious what kind of stories he would hear. I tried to get up in a hurry but staggered and collapsed. I couldn’t put strength in my legs. They throbbed with pain from forcing them.

I had to find him quickly, this is all the Demon King’s doing, just a nightmare…….

“Worry about yourself instead of your little brother.”

Light footsteps approached me.

“You look like you’re about to kick the bucket.”

“He doesn’t know! Everyone will say my brother abandoned me, like that. Not just abandoned… If he, if he finds out about the things I went through, and, and there was an article framing me as resenting Yoohyun! And, and…….”

Before I awakened, we were just estranged. But not after awakening. The Fear Resistance skill message flickered constantly. I was desperately anxious, but my body wouldn’t move properly.

“Even if your little brother feels guilty for not protecting you properly, that’s something he has to deal with.”

“It’s not Yoohyun’s fault!”

I bit my lower lip and continued.

“It’s because I’m weak, it’s me. It’s because I’m weak that my younger brother had to leave home, to protect me. If I had been stronger, he wouldn’t have left. He wouldn’t have been lonely. He wouldn’t have left me behind.”

It’s not my brother’s fault. He tried.

“Blue, you stay still.”

– Beep?

The young Chaos raised his hand. I reflexively covered my ears, but this time.

“Ack!”

It was my back. It hurts! No, it stings. My whole back felt numb and hot.

“What do you mean weak?”

“I am weak!”

“In my eyes, First and Second are both the same! Rabbit or wolf.”

“They’re completely different? They’re even herbivores and carnivores.”

“To a dragon, they’re both tiny snacks.”

Slap, my back was hit again with a sound. Tears that were already welling up streamed down. My cheeks were soon soaked.

“Being weak can’t be a fault.”

The young Chaos said firmly.

“If being weak is a fault, then everyone but me would be at fault.”

“That’s…….”

“Being lacking or insufficient can’t be a fault. Are you going to blame someone who fell from a high place and died for not being able to fly? Are you going to blame someone who was chased and killed by a beast for not running faster?”

“…No, of course not.”

“Not being able to do something is just that. That’s all. It’s not a sin in itself.”

That’s, but. But.

“But my brother had a hard time because of me.”

“It’s Second’s choice, so it’s Second’s responsibility.”

“You say that so easily!”

“Is your brother someone who can’t handle even that?”

I pressed my lips tightly. The young Chaos raised the corner of his mouth.

“From what I see, it seems like as long as you’re there, First, he’ll be fine no matter what happens.”

“Still, I. I hope my brother isn’t hurt…”

“You can’t cover everything for him.”

I hope he doesn’t have any painful experiences. I hope he doesn’t have any hard times. I hope he can smile, happier than anyone else in the world.

“And Second won’t like it if you’re having a hard time because of him either. Don’t try to carry everything unnecessarily, just hug each other. That’s all he needs.”

I stood up again. Slowly, carefully so I wouldn’t fall.

“He’ll definitely be sorry. So much.”

“It’s okay if there’s someone to accept it.”

“…That’s right. It’s okay if there’s someone to accept it. If there’s someone to tell you it’s okay, it really becomes okay.”

I took a deep breath. My brother might already know. So I had to meet him quickly and tell him it was okay.

“To Haeyeon Guild, so… that way. Please.”

The young Chaos lifted me up. Since he was in the form of a child, the appearance wasn’t great, but he was surprisingly more stable than Yerim. Has he carried a lot of people?

With a light step, the surrounding scenery changed quickly. Jumping between buildings, we quickly got closer to Haeyeon Guild. The all-too-familiar scenery came into view. The young Chaos gently landed on the road. He broke off a branch from a roadside tree, trimmed it with his hand, and handed it to me.

“Look at that.”

One step, two steps. I slowly approached the guild building. But I stopped, blocked by a semi-transparent barrier. Beyond the barrier, I could see a large tree. A sparkling Christmas tree was set up in the building lobby, inside the front glass window.

Colorful lights and various decorations were hung everywhere. The flower beds outside were full of red poinsettias [a flowering plant traditionally associated with Christmas]. The brightly decorated building was surrounded by a round barrier. It was like a snow globe.

I belatedly felt the cold. A cold wind seeped through my clothes.

“My brother’s birthday is on Christmas.”

Yoohyun hated filming commercials. So, I had vaguely guessed from the subway, but… there were no trees, golden bells, or snowflake models anywhere else. It was just a street in ordinary life.

I placed my hand on the semi-transparent barrier. There was no one inside or outside the lobby. It was quiet. Maybe it’s Christmas Eve inside there. It’s still early evening, but they might be having a party soon.

“I’m going to spend this year with him. For the first time in a long time, just the two of us.”

“There should be quite a bit of time left outside. But you’ll be able to spend this year with him.”

“Next year too. And the year after that, and the one after that.”

“You talk a good game.”

“It seems like there’s a boss monster here.”

It’s a format where the boss area opens last after clearing all the other places. I looked around. There was no one but us. Did they go to another place first after seeing that it was blocked? I took out a memo pad from my inventory.

“The Association is relatively easy and the closest from here, so I’ll go to the Seseong Guild first.”

I wrote a message saying I was going to Seseong Guild and stuck it on the barrier. But…….

‘If Sung Hyun-jae is still at Seseong.’

To that Sung Hyun-jae, I would be an F-Grade Hunter with no value or interest. He would look at me with an indifference incomparable to when we first met after the regression. The back of my neck prickled again. I really hate this dungeon. It’s literally a Christmas nightmare. The present and future are mixed up, I wonder if the past will come out too.