The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 268: The Sixth

The crack in the sky was vivid. Day and night stood face to face. It was a surreal sight. In complete silence, daylight continued to shatter. I couldn’t move a muscle, like I was trapped in sleep paralysis, and could only stare.

It felt like a nightmare crawling in during the middle of a bright day. A monster that should’ve only appeared in the dead of night, while sleeping, was now splitting through the sunlight to raise its head—an eerie sensation scraped across my skin.

The thought of needing to respond didn’t even arise. It wasn’t just fear—it was like I’d gone straight to resignation. As the day broke apart, the night grew larger. Fragments of blue sky, white clouds, and sunrays fell away one by one and vanished.

Beyond that, stars twinkled. Amidst the countless lights, the dread of not knowing what lurked within them squeezed my heart. And then—

Clink—

A clear metallic chime rang out. A familiar sound. What shone through was not golden, but silver. Pale moonlight began to pierce down from the sky to the ground. Dozens of silver chains.

“Hyung!”

Yuhyun reached out his arm to shield me. Everyone else—Yerim, Peace, even the SSS-rank monster—could only instinctively protect their own vital spots. But my brother covered me. I was stunned—and at the same time, my mind snapped awake. Not that I could do anything, though.

“Yuhyun—ugh!”

A chain lightly pierced Yuhyun’s arm and slashed diagonally down my leg. Another chain grazed dangerously close to my left arm. Just that left my clothes torn and a deep scratch-like wound behind. The thick stench of blood filled the air. At the same time, the Teacher skill blared danger signals.

No one had received a fatal wound. But not a single person was unscathed. In the blink of an eye, we were all wrecked. At least one limb per person was shredded—I felt like my whole body had been torn apart by chains.

“As long as the chains are embedded, I can’t use healing skills!”

Noah’s voice rang out. Yuhyun swung his sword. Clang! With a loud crash, the broken blade flew upward. The silver chain wasn’t even scratched. Worse, the recoil only deepened the wounds.

Like bugs tangled in a spider’s web, there was no escape. Yuhyun’s eyes trembled, then settled into a heavy stillness.

— Yuhyun!

The damaged sword moved toward the chain-impaled arm. Iryn burst out and gripped the sword. I also grabbed my brother in shock.

“What are you trying to do!”

“You have to run now, Hyung! We can die, but you can’t!”

At Yuhyun’s shout, Yerim spun around in alarm to look at me. Right—I was the real body…

“B-But! Can’t Noah just teleport me out?”

At my words, Noah replied in a panicked voice from behind.

“I can’t use spatial movement! The space here—it’s warped… and the mana hall connection’s been severed!”

“I’ll cut off my arm to remove the chain—please use a healing skill after that.”

“Hey!”

— Yuhyun, I’ll take Hyung!

Iryn swelled up in flames and wrapped around me. Damn it. But even if I escape, then what? Why hasn’t Rookie said anything? More than that—whose chains are these?!

“Iryn, stop! Escaping alone is pointless! If Yuhyun dies, you disappear too!”

Even if I survived for now, how long could I last on my own? Iryn hesitated, and Yuhyun bit his lip. The night spread not only above our heads but far enough to cover the whole city. Sunlight was being driven back, and darkness grew deeper.

After the single message—our little moon—there had been nothing else. It had come after Rookie’s messages, but it couldn’t have been from Rookie. I gritted my teeth and spoke.

“Let’s head to the mana hall.”

Blood splattered again, and healing skills and potions were used. The SSS-rank monster also forcibly tore out the chains embedded in its own flesh and followed us. As soon as we stepped outside the area where the chains had rained down, a chilling clatter rang out as the silver chains were pulled back up into the sky.

“They’ll come again! Dodge as best you can!”

There’s no way to block them. But dodging won’t be easy, either.

“Yerim, pull water up over us! Yuhyun, heat all of it! Don’t evaporate it completely—just enough to turn it into fog!”

I thought about using Cold Sigh, but the mana cost was high, and the range wasn’t wide enough. Yerim drew water from the river. Blue Willow Leaves scattered toward the veil of water rising above. Then the leaves burst into flame, and heat surged through the water in an instant.

Thick white steam billowed up. It looked like an enormous, dense cloud had descended onto the ground.

“Yerim, can you feel it when the chains hit the mist?”

“Yeah, I think so! Since it’s in tiny droplet form!”

Then everyone else could sense it through the Teacher skill—except Sigma. But Sigma had battle instincts, and he’d taken the least damage from the first attack.

— Grrrrng.

The SSS-rank monster following behind let out a low growl. Almost at the same time, Yerim shouted.

“They’re coming!”

I felt it too through the shared sensation. Silver rain sliced through the fog-covered sky and poured down. Yerim, able to teleport, grabbed me off Peace’s back. Crack, crash! Chains embedded themselves into the ground, sending asphalt, dirt, and pavement blocks flying.

This time, we had been prepared, and no one was injured. The attack was terrifyingly fast, but everyone dodged it well.

“That way!”

The Defense Bureau building came into view ahead. Darkness hadn’t reached this area yet. It was still daytime. The contrast sent a chill down my spine.

‘Whether it’s the Unfilial Children or the Filial Duty Addict or a neutral party, they’re definitely a Transcendent.’

Is it even allowed to interfere this directly? There was no mist, and the attack came from silver chains—so it wasn’t the Jellyfish. Was it someone called Chatterbox? Or perhaps a Transcendent native to this world. The Jellyfish had already made contact with the oldest spirit here.

‘Did they join forces with the local Filial Duty Addict?’

Rookie! Say something, will you? How are we supposed to get out of this?

Maybe because the darkness hadn’t reached us yet, there was no third wave of chains. The Medsang Defense Bureau was now just steps away.

“Is there a mana hall under this Defense Bureau too?”

“Yes!”

“Then pardon the intrusion. Hyunah!”

I threw an SS-rank bomb toward Moon Hyunah. Without any further explanation, she swung her weapon like a tennis racket. The bomb shot forward like a bullet, burrowing deep into the building and exploding about three seconds later.

Yerim poured the remaining water down onto the half-destroyed building. It crumbled completely, the debris washing away. Then Moon Hyunah leapt high into the air, plunged her spear down, and carved out a wide crater—revealing the underground mana hall.

Standing in front of the mana hall, Noah shared mana with us. The cloudy veil in the sky cleared, and the approaching darkness came into full view. My throat dried on instinct. I really missed that L-rank Fear Resistance.

“No matter how you look at it, we’re screwed. What do you think?”

Moon Hyunah asked me.

“There’s no way we can win against that thing with our current strength. If we can even hold out, that would be fortunate.”

It sounded pessimistic, but it was the truth. There was no other strategy besides buying time and waiting for help. Even if we doubled our offensive skills and used every skill at max output, the result wouldn’t change.

But just staring at the message window with my neck craned wasn’t the right move either.

That bastard must have some purpose for raising this much hell. Little moon, silver chains, night. The Transcendent who came looking for Seong Hyunjae. What is my partner even doing right now?

“Sigma.”

Sigma, who had been staring up at the slowly advancing night, turned to me.

“That thing seems to have business with you.”

“With me?”

“Our Dal is really popular.”

No kidding. I thought it would end with an SSS-rank monster, but this one’s a massive deal. But this time—

“I don’t think it came just because you’re an anomaly in this world. I think it sent me a message.”

“A message? What did it say?”

“‘Our little moon,’ it said.”

Sigma turned again to the encroaching night.

“…I don’t remember anything.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Do I have some connection to that?”

“Hard to say. Probably.”

“Then what about Seong Hyunjae?”

Was it just a coincidence that they looked alike? That doubt rose up again. Same appearance, same skill, same weapon. Crescent Moon.

“…Crescent Moon.”

The darkness rippled like a curtain. The fragments of day scattered. In the star-filled night sky, the moon was nowhere to be seen. And the moon in this world—was huge.

“Crescent Moon!”

I shouted toward the night that had drawn close.

“There’s no way a high-and-mighty Transcendent like you doesn’t know this world’s already a destroyed past! Hey! In our world, you’re still asleep! You know that, right?!”

Can you hear me? Information about their own future—even if it’s a fake from the past—surely that’d catch their interest.

“Rookie said you screwed up and went to sleep! Even the Mermaid Queen looked at you with pity! The Wolf and the Deer were talking behind your back too!”

Of course, that never happened—but who cares. I just need to make the bastard think I know the Filial Duty Addicts well. Enough to spark a conversation.

[A message appeared.]

[Who are you.]

“It’s basic etiquette to give your own name first if you want to know someone else’s. Or does your world not bother with manners? Sounds like a classless place.”

After a moment of silence, more messages appeared.

[The Moon That Swallowed a Thousand Worlds]

[The Cradle of Transcendents]

[The Scouter]

[The Sixth Fragment of the Crescent Moon]

“…What?”

“You are—”

This time, it wasn’t a message. A voice echoed from the sky.

“The Nurturer. The one the King of Harmless is searching for.”

Rookie’s message came to mind. It had cut off at “the Transcendent of this world,” but clearly, like with the old spirit, it had tried to make contact and ask for cooperation. But the counterpart was Crescent Moon?

“You’re the Unfilial Children! If the King of Harmless is involved, that’s the Filial Duty Addict, right? Don’t tell me you two teamed up—what is this, betrayal?!”

“If our interests align, there is no reason we cannot cooperate.”

“Just call it betrayal already, why are you making it sound noble! And aren’t you not supposed to directly interfere in this world?! What happened to the system, huh? The system!”

“There are restrictions, of course, Nurturer. But this place is both the data of a world long gone and a dungeon.”

A dungeon. A place where external forces could interfere far more easily than in the outside world. Still, this was way too much—even for that. The moment I thought that, pure white light poured down from the night sky.

Through the broken heavens appeared a black hoof. A body covered in pitch-black fur, draped in dazzling robes—a horse. Where the horse’s neck and head should be, there was the upper body of a human. A centaur. The upper body, appearing male, had long black hair flowing behind pointed ears, and half-lidded snow-white eyes.

Around his wrists and body, silver chains swayed like flowing veils. The clinking metallic sound pressed down on us, heavy and suffocating. Not just me—no one could move. The white eyes turned to me. The oppressive force lifted slightly.

“…You’re called Crescent Moon, but I don’t see even a ‘C’ of the moon in you.”

And wasn’t it supposed to be “her,” too? Well, with different races, I can’t really guess the gender just by looks.

“I am the sixth fragment.”

“I know this is a dungeon, but are you really allowed to just waltz in like this? Maybe head back where you came from?”

“My strength is less than half its original state, and I will have to pay a price, but I am nothing more than a fake that will vanish soon. Nurturer, why does the King of Harmless seek you?”

“We had a secret tryst in the middle of the night, and I guess he fell for me. I said I didn’t have time for romance because of all the kids I’m raising, but he just wouldn’t take no for an answer. Just your typical messy love story, so you might want to back off and save yourself the embarrassment. These kinds of things aren’t for outsiders to get involved in. Besides, Jellyfish isn’t even my type. I’ve only got bad memories with tentacles—don’t like them.”

Except for Black.

The sixth fragment of the Crescent Moon looked down at me in silence. The pressure returned, freezing my body again.

Chrrr, the chains slithered like snakes. I was starting to hate chains. Especially the silver ones.

He won’t kill me, right? I clenched my jaw—

— Kyaaaah!

A reddish-brown mass leapt out in front of me. The SSS-rank monster Seong Hyunjae had sent. Wings spread wide, baring its fangs—but with a flick of the sixth fragment’s hand, utterly unfazed, silver chains mercilessly tore through its wings and split its body in two.

The now-lifeless corpse hit the ground with a dull thud. Blood-soaked limbs twitched their final twitches.

Just as I was struck by how meaningless that death seemed, the air trembled. The sixth fragment narrowed his brows and flung his chains at me and Sigma. The tip of the chain came hurtling toward me.

Skreeeak, a scraping sound rang out—and something thin wrapped around the chain, halting it midair.

It was none other than—

“…Hey. Seong Hyunjae.”

Hot pink yarn.

Yes, I’m the sinner who gave him a birthday gift made of yarn.