The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 388

Clang, jingle—

It sounded like hundreds of tiny bells ringing. Silver spread beneath the sunset sky, still too early for night.

I couldn’t move. A message window for the fear resistance skill popped up before my eyes, and my whole body froze with a chill. As I stood there blankly, I heard the low voice of the young Chaos in my ear.

“…Crescent Moon!”

That one word snapped me awake. The explanation window for the elegant seeker’s chains that I had seen before flashed through my mind.

[Chains forged from the darkest moonlight of the crescent moon. They appear to be metal, but their essence is light.]

The darkest moonlight.

Clang, clang, clang!

A deafening sound echoed. The moonlight that poured down on the young Chaos transformed into silver chains. The chains touched the trajectory of the swung greatsword, shattering and melting. But the difference in power was clear. The ceaseless barrage of moonlight finally pierced through the gaps in the greatsword.

“Elder!”

Thwack. And then, the sound of flesh and bone being pierced struck my ears. The smell of fresh blood mixed anew with the already damp air. The young Chaos spat out blood.

“This is a power that shouldn’t be here, cough, shouldn’t be.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Wait quietly, First One.”

His figure slowly began to blur. Red eyes looked up at the sky where the moonlight flickered.

“They don’t seem to have any intention of harming you right now, so don’t do anything foolish and wait.”

“Y-yes…”

Clang, the chains fell to the floor. Only the overflowing bloodstains remained. My head still dull, I turned my head. My eyes widened.

“Seong Hyeonjae…?”

There were hundreds of strands of moonlight. Some had turned into chains, and some remained as beams of light. They were touching Seong Hyeonjae’s body.

Like, like puppet strings.

“The seeker’s, chains…”

Seong Hyeonjae took a step. The moonlight moved with his steps. He looked like a butterfly caught in the middle of a spiderweb.

It was hard to speak easily. What happened? What happened with the Crescent Moon? Questions filled my head, but it was hard to ask directly.

Entangled in the swaying moonlight, Seong Hyeonjae reached me. Silver chains stretched out and wrapped around my body, lifting me up lightly like a piece of meat hanging from the ceiling.

“I apologize in advance for the poor hospitality.”

Seong Hyeonjae began to walk back towards the building.

“The inside is a mess, but the garden might be somewhat better.”

With a metallic sound, the chains supported him beneath his feet. He walked leisurely towards the rooftop garden, as if climbing stairs.

The rooftop garden wasn’t in good condition either. Debris was scattered everywhere due to the aftermath of the collapse of the tall buildings on both sides. Still, it was better than the blood-soaked inside of the building. Luckily, there were benches and tables that had avoided the debris.

It didn’t feel like Christmas, but it was winter here too, giving it a more desolate feel than the gardens I had seen. The flowers had withered, and the grass was dry.

Seong Hyeonjae, who had righted a chair that had fallen next to the table and sat down, looked up at me.

“Don’t you have a signal flare or something?”

“No. I ended up entering the dungeon suddenly in the first place.”

I answered, catching my breath. *Why* would I use a signal flare *for you*? If I rashly gathered my companions, we would be annihilated. It was best to buy time by trusting the young Chaos and the newbie.

“Then don’t you have anything you’re curious about? A lot has changed from your memories.”

“You have a look that says you’re much more curious about me.”

“Well, yeah.”

A lot. It was hard to prioritize what to ask first. But would he answer easily if I asked directly? It would be better to slowly circle around the topic.

“If I had to pick the thing I’m most curious about, it’s always my brother. I couldn’t get close to him before the regression, so.”

Even though it was an unimportant, roundabout question, it was actually what I wanted to ask the most. Even if the person in front of me wasn’t Seong Hyeonjae. Seong Hyeonjae casually rested one leg on the other. It was a pose he often took. It was exactly the same, as expected of the person himself.

“The last time I met the Haeyeon Guild Leader was two, almost three years ago, so I won’t be of much help. Soyoung has been acting as the Guild Leader’s proxy for three years, so she’ll know more about Han Yoohyun. However…”

Seong Hyeonjae’s gaze briefly touched the floor below, which could be said to be the ceiling of the building.

“He’s in a state where communication is impossible.”

…My mouth felt a little dry. I tried to erase the imagined scene from my mind. *It’s not real, it’s a monster. It’s just something the dungeon created,* but my chest felt tight.

“Then, if it’s been three years, it seems like Chief Song has been gone for a long time…”

“A little over a year and a half. Not quite two years yet.”

Seong Hyeonjae after he went missing. I expected that he wouldn’t be dead since he had information from before the regression, but he seemed more fine than I thought. I thought he might have been asleep the whole time because his condition was bad.

“After being reported missing, you didn’t come into the country at all? Your whereabouts were unknown even overseas. Did you change your appearance and move around? What have you been doing all this time?”

“I raised sheep in the Alps.”

“…Stop joking.”

What nonsense all of a sudden. When I frowned, Seong Hyeonjae slightly raised the corner of his lips.

“I even sent you a postcard.”

A postcard? Did something like that ever come?

“You don’t remember?”

“No, I don’t really check the mail. I use automatic transfers for utility bills and receive contacts on my phone… well, most of it is junk. Still, sheep? That doesn’t make sense.”

“As you can see, I couldn’t enter Korea in this state. If the Crescent Moon woke up, they would try to retrieve me.”

Seong Hyeonjae raised one arm. Several strands of moonlight surrounded his arm. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed impossible to adapt to that. It might look pretty at first glance, but it really felt unpleasant.

“…What happened? A year and a half ago.”

What happened that caused Song Taewon to die and the Crescent Moon to fall asleep? Seong Hyeonjae lowered his arm and tilted his head slightly. Golden eyes, like a slender moon, captured me.

“Even if we leave Chief Song aside, what’s with saying it’s because of me? You should at least tell me that, shouldn’t you? It’s unfair to be blamed without knowing anything.”

“It’s not uncommon for a higher being to cherish a lower being.”

A leisurely voice flowed out.

“Even when I found out that Han Yoohyun was actually protecting his brother, I thought it was possible. Riet also cherished his younger sibling in his own way.”

Riet’s ‘in his own way’ might have sounded plausible, but Noah would have been furious if he heard that.

“It was the same for me. So I still wasn’t sure. How long Haeyeon Guild would last.”

“Because you thought they wouldn’t last as long as you and would leave quickly?”

“Moon Hyuna refused, and I thought about raising Soyoung, but it was impossible for me to obtain an S-Class dragon species.”

Seong Hyeonjae smiled, saying Soyoung must have been very happy. I nodded, feeling even more bitter at the smile. I replied that she was taking good care of it.

“So I decided to check on Han Yoojin directly.”

I swallowed hard. It felt like I was entering an interview room. I wouldn’t have been anything special back then. When exactly was it?

“How… was I?”

“A useful F-Class Hunter.”

“Useful, was I?”

“A low-level Hunter is valuable enough just for consistently attacking dungeons for more than two years, especially if they do it alone without belonging to a guild or having any background.”

*That’s what I think too.* Usually, they would join even a small guild. But I, myself, I don’t know.

“Ah, but even so, I wouldn’t even look at a large guild like Seseong.”

“A chronic problem.”

It’s your guild, but you’re talking like it’s someone else’s problem.

“And Han Yoojin…”

My Adam’s apple rose and fell again.

“Was in love with Han Yoohyun. Very much so.”

“…You must have cursed.”

“Are you talking about the kind of cursing where you get angry when someone else agrees?”

“Well, that’s how it is. I’m the one who suffered, so why are they cursing someone else’s brother?”

“If you really like and cherish someone, you’re bound to get angry even if what others say is true.”

No, well, it’s not exactly true either. In the end……. Anyway, if anyone is to blame, it’s me. I even got hit on the back of the head by people close to me because of this. Still.

“That was amazing. The fact that an F-Class who knows a lot about Hunters and has been through a lot still loves an S-Class.”

“Because he’s my brother that I raised.”

“Even a brother that his parents would have shunned?”

“What, he was cute! He was really so pretty and lovely. That last part was nonsense that came out because I was flustered; my brother was really an angel. Don’t say anything if you haven’t seen him! He was even asked a lot on the street if he had any thoughts of becoming a model. He refused because it was too hard. I should have taken at least one picture.”

Thinking about it now, it was a bit of a shame. It would have remained as a photo or maybe a video.

“Even if you didn’t know anything when you were young-”

“I knew! My brother is the kindest in the world!”

Seong Hyeonjae stared at me blankly, as if he was a little dumbfounded.

“It’s gotten worse than before.”

“I’ve always been like this.”

“It’s severe.”

What do you know. Well, the kindest in the world, well, I even said Seong Hyeonjae was kind, so this is mild. Compared to that, he is the kindest in the world.

“It’s almost impossible for a rabbit who knows everything to love a wolf. Moreover, to protect and shield a fully grown wolf, you’d have to be pretty crazy to do that.”

Are you indirectly cursing me by saying I’m crazy right now?

“So I took some more time to check. Thanks to that, Song Taewon had a hard time.”

“Chief Song?”

“Around that time, I had promised to tell him in detail about my activities in the country. And I promised to tell him in advance if Song Taewon would be dragged out overseas.”

“…What kind of huge accident did you cause?”

If he made such a promise, Chief Song must have suffered quite a bit. What did you do, Seong Hyeonjae?

“The opponent happened to be an F-Class Hunter who was not much different from a non-awakened person. The three of us even met together.”

Seong Hyeonjae’s face looked quite cheerful as he said that.

“It was interesting. Surprisingly. It was also new.”

New. That word suddenly came to mind. Overload. Seong Hyeonjae, who was full and struggling to support himself.

So that’s why. Song Taewon also said it was new. He had been involved with him for a long time and gradually filled up, and I became the last drop.

“So you went into the dungeon—to use Chief Song’s plunder—taking a vacation.”

“That part is not Han Yoojin’s story.”

Seong Hyeonjae closed his mouth. Damn it, then what? Are you saying I have to bring Chief Song to get you to tell me? Before the current Seong Hyeonjae comes, will you, well, deal with him?

“Wouldn’t you tell me even about the Crescent Moon or other Transcendents? You said it was fun. Tell me a little bit for the sake of the affection we had back then.”

“The problem is me, so you don’t need to worry about it…”

Seong Hyeonjae’s words stopped abruptly. He looked into my face. At the same time, I felt it too.

“Uh…”

Tears fell in drops. My cheeks were instantly wet, and my insides ached as if they were twisted.

“Wh-what.”

I felt very sad and happy at the same time. What is this?

“…Yoohyun?”

* * *

Strangely, I felt comfortable. So Han Yoohyun couldn’t open his eyes right away. Even though he felt something moving around him, he didn’t feel the need to get up and check. It felt like it would be okay. Without any problems…….

‘…Hyung [older brother]!’

Belatedly, the last image of Han Yoojin that he saw came to mind. Han Yoohyun hurriedly got up. At the same time, something scurried into the corner.

“Hyung!”

The goblin, Yoon Yoon, pushed Han Yoojin away, and a dangerous aura flowed from his body. In the moment when the surroundings were covered in thick smoke, a dark red stream of smoke pierced Han Yoojin’s leg. That was the last sight Han Yoohyun saw.

Han Yoohyun hurriedly checked the back of his hand. There were no wounds. A sigh of relief escaped. At least Han Yoojin was safe. Then, where is this?

‘Where is this.’

It was indoors. It was a studio apartment, and the narrow entrance and kitchen came into view at a glance. It was a place that Han Yoohyun didn’t remember. Turning his head a little more.

“……!”

Han Yoojin was there—leaning against the wall and cautiously examining Han Yoohyun while sitting awkwardly. Han Yoohyun slowly got up from his seat and stood up. He looked like his brother, but he was a little different. He looked older, more tired, and exhausted.

*Is it a fake?* The moment he thought that, a system message window appeared.

[New Dungeon, ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’]