The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 409

407. Goal (2)

As always, Baek Yeon-joon took his first step with his left foot. He was a balanced type in terms of power and speed, but he had trouble correcting his habit of leaning his weight to the left.

Whoosh! The blade grazed Song Tae-won’s ear. The sword strike of an A-class Hunter, now close to S-class, tore his collar with just the wind it created. Song Tae-won twisted his body just enough to avoid the attack and grabbed Baek Yeon-joon’s outstretched arm.

A dark shadow flickered on Song Tae-won’s palm, instantly neutralizing the defensive skill imbued in Baek Yeon-joon’s arm. Crack! His fingers dug into flesh and broke bones. Song Tae-won grabbed the arm and pulled it as if tearing it off, rotating his body to the left. It was Baek Yeon-joon’s right.

‘Still the right side.’

Weak. His reaction was faster than Song Tae-won remembered, but still lagged behind his left side. Baek Yeon-joon’s body was pulled in, and Song Tae-won’s knee, with added rotational force, dug into his right side.

Thwack!

A groan escaped Baek Yeon-joon’s clenched teeth. Song Tae-won recalled Baek Yeon-joon, hit with about half the current force, whimpering and surrendering. But now, Baek Yeon-joon swallowed even his screams, gritting his teeth and twisting his body. He pulled his body back, enduring the mangled state of his grabbed arm.

In the short time he bought, the Awakening Management Office Hunters approached the front gate.

“Here!”

Someone threw a potion bottle towards Baek Yeon-joon. Throwing a potion was a faster emergency measure than a healer with low physical stats running over. But before the bottle reached Baek Yeon-joon,

Smash!

A piece of the pavement kicked up by Song Tae-won shattered the potion bottle. The translucent liquid spilled uselessly onto the ground. It was as if he had anticipated the potion being thrown and was waiting for it. No, Song Tae-won actually knew. More than anyone else here.

The Awakening Management Office Hunters here had more experience than the current Song Tae-won. But in terms of simple combat experience, even three years wouldn’t be enough to catch up to Song Tae-won. Even if the quantity was similar, the quality was still different.

Song Tae-won dealt with the potion and followed Baek Yeon-joon, who had retreated to the road. Baek Yeon-joon lowered his body and slid across the sidewalk beyond the road, grabbing the rear of a parked minivan. Thwack! His fingers pierced the car body, and he pushed the minivan towards Song Tae-won like a bowling ball.

Screech—

With the sound of scraping the ground, the car obscured Song Tae-won’s vision as it rolled in. A situation where he couldn’t help but lose sight of Baek Yeon-joon for a moment. But Song Tae-won didn’t panic, and instead of jumping over or destroying the car, he dodged to the right and ran.

“What!”

Terror flickered across Baek Yeon-joon’s face as he dodged to the right, or rather, to his left. But only for a moment, as a thick, hooked hand reached for his neck. Baek Yeon-joon quickly raised his good arm to block.

Song Tae-won’s hand grabbed Baek Yeon-joon’s arm, snapping and pulling it, while his other hand swung a dagger. New blood warmly soaked the still-fresh bloodstains.

Song Tae-won flung the arm with the long gash backward. The dagger flying from his fingertips pierced a support-type Hunter who was standing awkwardly.

‘Support-types must be quicker at assessing situations than close-combat types.’

He had said that once.

‘They must be able to maintain distance and protect themselves so they can use their skills at the right time. They must also be able to calmly evade danger depending on the situation.’

But it wasn’t easy to turn away from a comrade in danger. After all, if they were left alone, it would be impossible to clear the dungeon. He had heard that before too.

Thud.

The corpse fell from Song Tae-won’s hand. Turning around, he saw the defense-types stepping forward. Among the tense faces, only one was familiar. Some of the faces were new to him.

But behind them, there were still more familiar faces.

“When will the support from the Awakening Management Office arrive?!”

“We can’t reach them!”

“What about Seseong and the Association?”

“They’re also…”

After Song Tae-won’s death, no new S-class Hunters had joined the Awakening Management Office. Unlike the Hunter Association, no S-class Awakeners wanted to be completely affiliated with the state. Therefore, their influence had greatly diminished, and in situations they couldn’t handle, they had to request support from large guilds and the Hunter Association.

“Monster or Hunter! If you can talk, identify yourself!”

Song Tae-won didn’t answer. Instead, he took out a metal rod from his inventory. It was a weapon mainly used when dealing with multiple weak monsters. A simple A-class item that was just sturdy without any special skills.

Some recognized it and frowned. But it was too simple and common an item to define a person.

“Buy as much time as possible until we can get in contact!”

The front gate was blocked, mainly by defense-type Hunters. Three shields were set up side by side. Behind them, bows were drawn and the wind swirled.

Peeng!

An arrow was fired along the path of wind created by a magic-type Hunter. It wasn’t just about hitting the target, but an attack imbued with a skill to slow the enemy’s movements. The skill would activate upon touching not only the body but also the shadow.

Song Tae-won lightly jumped back to avoid it and held the metal rod with both hands. The first arrow was for aiming. As soon as the first arrow hit the ground,

Whooong!

The wind spread out roughly, and dozens of arrows began to rain down like a storm! Song Tae-won swung the rod in his hands wildly. Thud, thud, thud, the arrows were blocked by the spinning rod and bounced off, and Song Tae-won’s body charged towards the defense-type Hunters.

“Block him!”

Bang, bang, kwaang! The defense-type Hunters dug their legs into the ground. At the same time, a strong wind fiercely pushed in to slow Song Tae-won’s charge. Bows and melee weapons were aimed upwards, ready to stop Song Tae-won from jumping over the shields.

A formation to deal with ground-type monsters with powerful attack strength. Some new faces had appeared, but it was none other than Song Tae-won who had created it.

‘Clearly, this level of wind can’t stop or even temporarily restrain high-level monsters. But it can definitely reduce the power of the attack. That little bit of help will allow the defense-type Hunters to endure.’

‘It’s easier to block attacks with a support than by standing on bare ground. However, it restricts movement, so don’t use it alone.’

The rod was swung greatly, cutting through the wind.

Thud!

The terrifying force struck the shields, but the defense-type Hunters endured the attack by relying on each other. Song Tae-won’s grip slightly tingled from the powerful recoil. Not missing the gap in his momentary pause, the rain of arrows poured down again. Arrows shot almost straight up towards the sky and then rained down. At the same time, spear blades pierced through the gaps in the shields.

Jiiik, Song Tae-won’s right foot dragged along the ground, stretching out almost in a straight line. His left leg was bent deeply, swinging the rod above his head. Thud, thud, thud, the rod that blocked the arrows collided with the spear blades as it spun vertically.

Bang!

Slamming into the ground. Cracks spread out as if an earthquake had occurred, centered on the point where the rod pierced. Gripping the end of the rod, which was almost half-buried in the ground, with both hands, Song Tae-won put strength and weight into his entire body.

Kugugugung!

“Evade!”

The ground was dug up, split, and rose nearly a meter to both sides. Shaking all the way from the front gate to the inside of the parking lot, the solid cement floor and clods of dirt soared into the air. The defense-types who had been digging their legs into the ground scrambled to dodge. Some of the lower-stat Hunters behind them lost their balance and fell.

Song Tae-won released the tilted rod and kicked off the ground. The wire from his arm soared into the air, unraveling.

Whirlick!

The thrown wire wrapped around the neck of a support-type Hunter. Landing, he stomped on the defense-type right next to him and pulled the wire hard. Snap! The sound of a neck breaking was heard. Song Tae-won kicked up a spear that had fallen to the ground with his toe. Catching the spear in the air, he threw it and quickly moved to kick an archer in the chest.

In the meantime, a Hunter who had regained his senses swung his sword at Song Tae-won. A bare hand casting a shadow gripped the blade.

“That skill!”

Crack! Song Tae-won’s hand broke the blade, and the broken blade tore its owner’s neck. A spear and a sword flew towards Song Tae-won simultaneously. Above and below, a well-coordinated attack that didn’t hinder each other’s movements.

Song Tae-won raised his arm wrapped in wire again to block the spear blade aiming for his neck. At the same time, he stepped on a shield that had fallen to the ground, raising it up. Kaduk, kang! The wire wrapped around his forearm was scratched, and the shield was pushed back, hitting Song Tae-won’s leg. His leg was impacted, but the blade didn’t pierce through.

Those two Hunters still worked well together. The simultaneous stabbing attacks would be difficult to block even for a veteran high-level Hunter.

But Song Tae-won perfectly grasped all of those paths. Even the small habits that inevitably emerged, everything.

Both the upper and lower attacks were blocked. The sword and spear were retracted, and this time they would come in as if enveloping him from both sides. The spearman’s footwork and the swordsman’s pulling arm. The direction and location of the following attacks were vividly drawn in Song Tae-won’s mind.

Both were aimed at the upper body.

Song Tae-won’s body lowered sharply. At the perfect timing, the attacks harmlessly brushed past, and with the added momentum from lowering his body, Song Tae-won bounced towards the two. Weapons that hadn’t been retracted yet, not enough time to defend.

Song Tae-won’s arms spread wide and bent forward. His hands grabbed both of their necks. That was the end.

The corpses piled up. The remaining two defense-types didn’t put up much of a fight. Song Tae-won approached the archer who was lying sprawled out with a caved-in chest. He was still breathing.

“Who, the hell… Chief, Nim [Korean honorific title] ?”

A confused expression and a confused voice.

“I am not.”

The answer popped out unintentionally. The archer’s eyes twitched.

“Just now, you really looked exactly like…”

It became quiet. No sound was heard. A crumpled paper cup rolling on the floor caught Song Tae-won’s eye.

Now, the next thing. The next thing.

It didn’t come to mind. The dungeon raid order didn’t even need to be thought about, but he couldn’t move.

‘First of all……’

Defeat the monsters. No, before that, the team members. He wanted to wipe his face with his hand, but it was covered in blood. Was the water supply working? Just a few steps away was the familiar bathroom. He could wash his hands.

And no one would be there. Because they were dead. Because he killed them.

‘…This is a dungeon.’

Song Tae-won had to clear the dungeon and get out. When he returned to Korea, he would have a lot of work piled up. In the scenery he remembered.

“You look like a ghost.”

Then someone’s voice was heard. Song Tae-won suddenly raised his head.

“You don’t look like you’re about to die, how old are you?”

Walking down the stairs, Moon Hyun-ah said.

“…Hunter Moon Hyun-ah.”

“Did you hear about my death?”

Song Tae-won stared intently at Moon Hyun-ah, who jumped down the remaining stairs in one go. Moon Hyun-ah didn’t enter this dungeon. She didn’t come to China with them either. Her hair was also black, and she had a stronger aura than the real Moon Hyun-ah.

Then was she also a monster here?

“Why didn’t you stop me.”

“Huh?”

“You could have stopped me.”

Moon Hyun-ah scratched the back of her head.

“I wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place.”

The current Moon Hyun-ah wasn’t in Korea.

“I received an offer for the Awakening Management Office Chief position. Song Chief even asked me directly. Why, when the Breaker Guild started to falter. Did you know you were going to die back then? Is that why you recommended me? I don’t recognize your face.”

“…….”

“So it’s definitely strange, but you’re trying to forcibly erase that strange feeling. Just look around, it’s weird. There’s no one.”

Moon Hyun-ah frowned, saying she felt uneasy.

Han Yu-jin, Seong Hyun-jae, and Park Ye-rim had connected main bodies [a unique bond or shared consciousness]. Therefore, it was relatively easier for them to recognize the current suspicious state. But Moon Hyun-ah and Liete, and the other Hunters, were not.

Those with lower ranks would briefly feel the strange situation, but soon the suspicion itself would be erased. Liete clearly felt it but didn’t care. After discovering Noah, she deliberately didn’t pay attention. It was as if becoming aware of a dream would wake you up.

On the other hand, Moon Hyun-ah had a lower level of awareness than Liete, but a greater sense of rejection. She tried hard not to miss the deep sense of alienation.

“So how old are you? Are you similar to me now? Maybe even younger?”

“The current Hunter Moon Hyun-ah is.”

“I’m the one who’s weird, right? Tell me I’m right.”

Song Tae-won hesitated and nodded.

“This is a dungeon, and I am a raider.”

“Then am I a monster? Really?”

“Yes.”

“Huh,” Moon Hyun-ah let out a dumbfounded laugh.

“I don’t think so. But this situation is still strange. It feels disgusting. Anyway, we’re about the same now, so I’ll speak casually.”

“…Didn’t you always speak casually?”

“Tae-won, why are you like this?”

Moon Hyun-ah clicked her tongue and scanned Song Tae-won up and down.

“Why did you die? Did Seong Hyun-jae really kill you?”

“I don’t know. In the first place, it’s just a virtual future created by the dungeon.”

“Looking at you now, it doesn’t seem like much will change. And from my perspective, I’m real. You’re dead, and Seong Hyun-jae left Korea. I happened to run into that human just once after he officially went missing, you know?”

Song Tae-won unconsciously focused on Moon Hyun-ah’s words. Even knowing it wasn’t real, he listened intently.

“Seong Hyun-jae, you know, he lives the way he wants, even with boredom underlying it. He seemed quite happy when he was with you, Tae-won. But that’s all gone.”

“…Gone?”

“He looks the same at first glance, but what should I say, it feels like he’s lived his whole life? He was a bit like that before, but the only thing he seemed interested in was sending postcards to the Hae Yeon Guild Leader’s brother.”

“He’s close to Han Yu-jin.”

“What? Was he? I had no idea.”

Moon Hyun-ah’s eyes widened.

“Even so, he said he didn’t get any replies. Anyway, the Hae Yeon Guild Leader doesn’t care about his brother, so even if I told him to steal them, he wouldn’t listen. He ignored all questions about Song Tae-won. It became boring, so I haven’t met him since.”

The word ‘boring’ didn’t suit Seong Hyun-jae at all. Song Tae-won slowly clenched and unclenched his blood-caked hands.

“Do you want to come in and wash up?”

“…No.”

“You’re still the same. So closed off. I was pretty closed off too, but I was softer compared to Song Tae-won.”

Moon Hyun-ah smiled and moved closer. A subtle tension settled on Song Tae-won’s shoulders.