The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 534

532. Going to America (1)

A glaive [a pole weapon with a single-edged blade] with a golden blade was held by a man who seemed older than time itself. The tip of the blade traced a semicircle before piercing the man’s own hand. He dragged the blade across his palm as if tearing it away, and blood and flesh splattered onto the floor. The patterns engraved on the golden blade absorbed the blood, emitting a faint light. A newcomer, observing this, cautiously inquired,

“…Is that dangerous?”

“It was a close call this time.”

The young Chaos replied, his tone nonchalant despite the gruesome act.

“Too many threads are tangled together. Except for one, they’re all young. In the end, the oldest one is the root of the problem.”

The young Chaos plunged Haeju’s sword, now slick with his blood, into the blood-reddened floor and continued,

“If we could just extract that one, it would solve half the problem.”

“Can’t you just take him by force?”

“He says he wants to live. Here.”

Even without his memories, he must feel the weight of accumulated time. That’s why the oldest sword understood and sympathized. Sung Hyunjae had also asked him if he knew. He subtly tried to elicit sympathy from others, even though he couldn’t pity himself. The young Chaos’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Why is the first one’s fate like that? If he was going to get involved like this, he should at least have a strong body. It’s amazing that he’s managing with just the second one, but he’s dragging in this one and that one, eyes wide open, saying he has to take care of them all.”

“Yoojin is, well, a guardian, after all.”

“A rabbit raised perfectly among rabbits is crazy to take in a wolf. It’s one thing with the second one since he raised him, but what about the others? Anyway, the first one is the biggest problem, a real headache.”

The newcomer perked up his ears, a gesture like shrugging his shoulders. He was used to Chaos’s grumbling, having heard it for a while now, so he casually nodded and let it pass. Meanwhile, the blade turned black. The young Chaos drew the sword and sheathed it.

He had countless restrictions tangled within him, as many as the long years he had lived, memories he couldn’t even recall. There were countless minor curses and several major ones. In particular, the resentment left by a powerful transcender [beings who have surpassed the limitations of their original world] as he died had been binding him for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.

Therefore, if he intervened excessively with those involved with several transcenders like today, the tangled curses would rear their heads like vipers.

“Transcenders who pour out their last resentment often use loneliness as a curse. I wonder if those guys were lonely for a long time too.”

Transcenders sometimes associate with each other. However, many could not forget the fact that they had left their world, their past. Parents, siblings, friends, children. Even if they became accustomed to letting long periods of time pass and their emotions became numb, the root was still human.

A faint smile formed on the young Chaos’s lips.

“I still like those who live.”

Even though he had seen all sorts of things, perhaps even more so because of it.

“But you said it gets harder if you pay attention to people individually.”

“Affection is a scary thing. Even transcenders often get swayed by emotions unless they cut out their hearts. Still, it’s not bad. That’s living.”

“We shouldn’t be like that, ow!”

Chaos flicked his finger and tapped the newcomer’s head.

“You guys are also human. You just live a bit longer and are stronger. Because you’re strong, you need to maintain your center well, but that doesn’t mean you should delude yourselves into thinking you’re gods. Whether you’re good or bad, you’re still human. The good ones don’t need to take responsibility for the lives of the bad ones, let alone lead them. Kindness that crosses the line is rudeness and tyranny.”

“Still… we save the world more if we help.”

“Young ones are so self-confident.”

“That’s what Chaos-nim is too─”

“I have the ability to do so.”

The newcomer muttered under his breath.

“Rabbit. People lived even in the days when there were no systems or transcenders. The system may have been created and more people may be able to live, but the world still turns without you guys.”

The system and the transcenders belonging to it are just helpers, assistants. That was definitely how it started. The newcomer rolled his eyes, which had no whites. Then, a round bead appeared.

“Ah, I’ll be right back. It’s a call from a senior.”

After getting permission from Chaos, the newcomer quickly moved away and lowered his voice as he spoke into the bead.

“What’s wrong, Senior Tree?”

[Newbie, is the Honey title skill adjustment still not done yet?]

“Ah, yes. It’s not an easy task, you know!”

Even though his face couldn’t be seen, the newcomer made a troubled expression as he replied.

“It’s registered as L-grade, but it’s a type that’s difficult for the system to accurately grasp. It’s bound to take a long time. That’s why the initial period we set was five years.”

[Wasn’t that the maximum we set? I thought you said it could be as fast as half a year.]

“These kinds of things always fill the deadline, Senior.”

[But the timing is perfect right now. Chatterbox has stepped up like that, so Honey is less likely to refuse. Why don’t you at least talk to Yoojin about it?]

“No way!”

The newcomer shook his head and shouted loudly.

“The preparations aren’t even finished yet. He’s already suspicious, and if I mess up, he might never come to me again.”

[If Yoojin falls into Chatterbox’s hands, that would be a bigger problem, wouldn’t it?]

“It’s our job to prevent that. So please keep a close eye on it.”

The sound of Tree sighing softly could be heard. The newcomer twitched the tip of his ear anxiously.

[Conversely, it would be troublesome even if Chatterbox fails. If the Filial Piety Addicts withdraw from this world, it will end like this. The humans in Yoojin’s world, around Yoojin, have become strong enough and are growing rapidly. According to the current figures, they will be able to protect their world if there is no intervention from the Filial Piety Addicts.]

It was a standard way to protect the world: to continuously attack the dungeons and make the source, which had consumed a certain amount of power, withdraw.

[Then Yoojin will be satisfied with that. He won’t help us.]

“That’s, but. Anyway, saving one world isn’t a bad thing, is it? It’s a success.”

[Newbie, there are as many worlds as there are stars. We must not miss the opportunity to save more worlds.]

“…Yes, I know.”

To save more worlds. The newcomer had learned that way. The king trapped in the tower had lived that way. He had imprisoned himself to protect the prosperity of countless people and devoured his own world to save more worlds.

“Still, the preparations have to be finished… It’s safer that way too…”

[Alright. Why do you sound so dejected? It’s okay. If the Filial Piety Addicts withdraw and there’s no excuse, then we can step in. When the preparations are finished in a few years, we can just pretend that a new Filial Piety Addict has appeared.]

“Yes……”

Tree’s voice disappeared along with the bead, saying to take care. The newcomer let out a long sigh.

“Yoojin and……”

Numerous worlds. It should have been an issue that didn’t even need to be considered. But the newcomer’s expression was dark. Suddenly, the young Chaos’s words came to mind.

Just because I want to.

“…I used to like saving the world too……”

But now, he didn’t want to. If the young Chaos knew this fact, what would he say? Surely, he would answer to do as his heart desires. The newcomer fiddled with the end of his long ear. It wasn’t that he disliked his seniors either. They had known each other for a long time.

However… he couldn’t deny that he had been enjoying the recent days. He looked forward to when people would come to the dungeons. The various gazes directed at him felt good. It was like going back to a distant past, a childhood before being imprisoned, a memory that had faded.

“Yoojin will hate me. I won’t be able to meet the others again. The blacksmith will hate me too.”

Complex mana lines connected around the newcomer. Unlike what he had told Tree, the adjustment of Han Yoojin’s title skill was almost finished. To be exact, he had been continuously postponing the final stage. If the adjustment was finished now and he made the offer, he could easily predict what Han Yoojin’s reaction would be.

The newcomer closed his eyes tightly. He couldn’t decide yet.

* * *

“Piyak, don’t cause trouble and stay put.”

– Piyak!

“Bellare, you can’t follow Piyak either. You can’t teleport.”

– Squeak.

“Tiger, it’s dangerous, so there’s no choice. You can’t come with me. Be good, Peace will be back soon.”

The baby fox buried its head between the cushions and thumped its tail on the floor in dissatisfaction. As always, leaving the kids at home felt like a heavy stone was placed on his chest. He hoped it wouldn’t take too long.

“Even if Sorok grows bigger than he is now, please keep him in Dodam if possible. With Song.”

Perhaps because he had been suppressing his growth, Sorok was growing little by little even when I wasn’t taking care of him. It was much slower than when applying the skill, but he told them just in case.

“Did I pack everything? The refrigerator is empty, and all unnecessary cords are unplugged.”

He left the kids at the breeding ground and checked the house one last time. Chatterbox had told him that the party period was a week. But he also added that it could change depending on the situation. Judging by the number of people, it would probably be longer than a week. The ranking battle finals also took quite a bit of time. Well, if they dropped a lot of early losers with rock-paper-scissors or something, a week would be enough.

“Hyung, here. Take this just in case.”

Yoohyun handed him a simple meal that could be stored in the inventory, which he had made from time to time. Yerim also secretly took a few. Of course, it wasn’t that Yoohyun didn’t notice, he was just letting it slide.

“Did you pack enough of Peace’s food too?”

“Yeah. But raw meat is bulky.”

“If Chatterbox tries to make Peace starve, appeal on the broadcast. Show Peace in his spirit form. There will be a lot of complaints. Especially in the US, there are a lot of people who strongly protect animal rights.”

When he said he was taking Peace, the Haeyeon Guild’s PR team gave him various advice. They said young animals were the best. He and Yerim, as well as Yoohyun, received separate broadcast-related training. He and Yerim might sob, saying their child was pitiful, but he didn’t know if Yoohyun would do well. Should he teach Peace how to pretend to be hungry?

“Hodu, take good care of the house.”

He said goodbye to Hodu, picked up his luggage, and left the house. Of course, the kids didn’t let him carry more than a small bag. Guys, how many times have I told you, I’m in my twenties. Even thirty is still young.

“Are we only participating in the party? Can’t we go to Las Vegas or something?”

“It’s okay to go sightseeing if you have time, but no gambling.”

“It’s just famous there.”

It was a tourist destination that people often thought of when they thought of America. Other than that… Hollywood? Anyway, it was better not to gamble.

“How about famous overseas people? Yerim, you’re an S-grade. You might be able to meet them if you want.”

“These days, S-grade hunters are the most famous. And I’m not really interested in celebrities.”

“I was more interested in hunters than celebrities too.”

…If it had been a while ago, he might have been excited about meeting Chloe when he said he was going to America. Yoohyun opened the car door and asked him.

“Who?”

“I’ve already seen one. Other than that, well……”

“Ahjussi, I think you would have liked the civil servant ahjussi [term of endearment for an older man] the most in Korea. Or Hyunah unni [term of endearment for an older woman].”

“Well… but I like both of them better now, now.”

“What about Sesung ahjussi?”

“I wasn’t interested.”

“Hey, I don’t think that’s true.”

“He was unlucky too. He still is a bit.”

He had gotten to know him by chance, but he still had no memories. In the end, he… couldn’t do anything. Sung Hyunjae, Chief Song, and his brother. But it was because it ended that way that he had what he had now.

“…Me?”

Yoohyun asked softly as he got into the driver’s seat.

“You, well, of course, I’ve always watched over you.”

If he really hated him, he wouldn’t have even looked at him. He could have just taken the money he raised and gone down to the countryside to live quietly, and his mind and body would have been comfortable. He stroked Peace, who was sitting on his lap. But if he had done that, he wouldn’t have our house now.

As they left the parking lot, reporters flocked to them. Yoohyun and Yerim frowned at the same time. The two were making quite similar expressions.

“It’s always a mess every time we come out.”

“Don’t worry about it, Hyung.”

“It’s okay. The atmosphere has changed a lot now. Besides, they say that when you go abroad, you end up cheering for Koreans anyway.”

Being Korean was more important than the grade. So, unless he really screwed up, the domestic atmosphere would remain good. Overseas, they still wanted a Korean S-grade to go out rather than an F-grade from another country. The Korean government had even subtly asked about transferring the invitation. Of course, the Korean government refused.

When they arrived at the airport, his heart beat a little faster. Not just because of the party, but because it was America. So far, the only place he had officially left the country for was Japan, and the kidnappings hadn’t gone beyond East Asia. It was a leisurely thought, but he was still a little excited. Even if he couldn’t afford to go sightseeing, he should buy souvenirs for the staff. What is America famous for?