The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 273: Even When I Retrace (1)

It was a strange sight. Overall, it resembled a human form. The body draped in a loosely flowing, seam-free robe so pristine it bordered on obsessive cleanliness, along with the head, were clearly humanoid.

Where hands should have been, thin tendrils were gently wrapped in translucent fins, rounded like a calla lily bloom. The robe spread wide as it went down, ending around the knees, and beneath it, thick mist swayed. The long fluttering hair, the tendrils, and the mist that served as feet—all of them were slowly changing in color.

Like artificial jellyfish under the elongated LED lighting of an aquarium.

Alongside a primal sense of repulsion, there was also a strange sense of beauty. Jellyfish in tanks were pretty, after all. Slightly dreamy, ethereal even. But still.

“…Why is it always tentacles.”

Is it some kind of trend? At my mutter, the jellyfish waved its hand… no, one of its tendrils, and smiled.

“This is so convenient. For precise work, nothing beats tentacles.”

Even Rookie said something like that. Myungwoo, don’t end up like that. Don’t fall for the temptation.

I let out a long sigh. Bright thoughts, bright thoughts. This guy deals with other people’s memories. I need to pull myself together.

“With this much, even the dullest judge would approve a restraining order, you stalker.”

At my words, asking what the hell it was doing, the King of Harmless smiled again.

“It means I value you that highly. I even carved out a ‘path’ just to extract you in one piece~”

“And in doing so, you’ve wrecked my world?”

“Don’t cling to it too much. It was a world unlikely to stay safe anyway. Once they learn more about you, even the Unfilial Children will pull off something similar. Even the one Crescent Moon has been investing in, he was on your side, wasn’t he? I thought something was odd, and turns out that human was the Little Moon.”

So they had once worked with Crescent Moon—did that mean they also knew about Seong Hyunjae?

“You say the Unfilial Children would do something similar. That’s a bold claim. Aren’t they on the side trying to protect the world?”

“Their motto is to endure minor sacrifices~ If sacrificing one world means saving countless others, they think it’s worth it. If you’re unlucky, you become the sacrifice; if you’re lucky, you’re the one saved.”

Luck-based salvation—what a joke. I hadn’t completely missed that the Unfilial Children leaned that way. Even Rookie, who had felt the most human among them, was indifferent when it came to Yuhyun and Chirp.

The jellyfish neatly folded its tendrils over its chest.

“I don’t want to damage you. Wouldn’t you rather come quietly? You have no hope left anyway. I only opened a ‘path’ to extract you, but once the hole is made, it’ll only grow. This world will soon become a battlefield.”

“…A battlefield?”

“Yes. A world that’s lost its power to repel external invasion will attract countless transcendents. There’ll be conflict to claim as much of this world’s fragments as possible before it gets devoured by the Source. Most of us have already lost our own worlds. We’ve made do by residing in the gaps between worlds, but that’s no match for natural-born, no, Source-born worlds. They’re much smaller, simpler, and unless you’re one of the main system creators, they’re shabby.”

That’s why worlds that could be tampered with were popular—so explained the King of Harmless.

The changeling perched on my shoulder glanced at me. Was it okay to talk a bit more? What was going on outside? I had only blinked, yet the silver dragon caught on to my inner thoughts and gave a small nod.

“Are main system creators really that amazing?”

“Oh, absolutely! No question about it. I know you’re trying to buy time, but I just can’t resist talking.”

“You don’t have to hold back. Rookie’s not giving off any signs anyway. And who knows, if you tell an interesting story, I might even feel like following.”

“Empty words. Rookie’s got talent, sure. But Chatterbox has lived far longer—there’s no competing with experience. Besides, the Unfilial Children’s side currently has no one in the main creator position. Of course, they’re struggling to deal with this situation. If Rookie grows up safely, they’ll probably become the 11th main creator.”

So there had been as many as ten main system creators up till now? It didn’t seem like their lifespans were short. Just how long ago was the system made? I wanted to dig in more, but the jellyfish cut off its chatter about the system.

“I’ll tell you more at my place. Still hesitating? Should I go grab one, just one? Sadly, we haven’t found your brother’s corpse yet. But bringing the living brother works too. Yes, let’s do that!”

The damn jellyfish clapped—intertwined its tentacles brightly.

“That would be a great subject. He’s your sibling and the one you cared for the longest, so we could run all sorts of experiments.”

“Don’t you dare touch my brother.”

“Why not? Don’t you want to be with him? If you cooperate, I won’t do anything too harsh to him. But since my power will weaken, I’ll have to train him a bit. What a scary face you’ve got there. Shall I—”

“Changeling.”

Quietly, the very air shifted.

The King of Harmless, who had remained composed all along, suddenly froze. Then immediately tried to flee. Guess it had lived a long time—it could assess a situation fast.

Mist spread, and the jellyfish’s body began to blur—

“…Ugh!”

He was flung back to his original position, as if repelled. His previously blurred form sharpened again. It was a satisfying sight to see him staggering like that. When was the last time that bastard had been reduced to such a state? Ten thousand years ago?

-The path is blocked.

The Changeling spoke. The King of Harmless, who had been spreading mist in all directions, glared at us with feral eyes. Like a wounded beast, he stayed on high alert, unable to muster the will to strike first.

“What the hell is that dragon? Blocking a path that’s already been opened—impossible. Once a hole is made, it only grows. It can never be closed!”

-So I made a new barrier. You can’t leave now. You’re trapped. I made sure to seal off this entire area. This is my domain.

“You made a new one?”

-Yup.

As if seeking praise, the Changeling rubbed its small, round, horned head against my shoulder. The King of Harmless trembled. After a moment of flustered, troubled expression, he growled coldly.

“I expended much power creating the path, but I am by no means weak, Nurturer. I’ll offer my congratulations for delaying your world’s destruction. But turning me into your enemy here benefits no one—”

“Shut up.”

I gently stroked the silver dragon’s head with my fingertips. The Changeling’s eyes sparkled as it whispered softly that everything was fine. Its tail swayed.

It spoke in a voice only I could hear.

[I don’t have combat capabilities, but I can turn illusions into reality. If I manifest Dad’s mental stats into reality, we can win. I still have some strength left even after setting up the barrier, so I can maintain it for over an hour.]

Right.

“Hand over my brother’s memory. Right now.”

If he didn’t cough it up, I’d rip those damn tentacles into microscopic pieces, 0.1 millimeter at a time, and dig them apart. At my words, the King of Harmless slowly backed away, narrowing his eyes.

“It was just about the watch, at most.”

“So you do have it.”

“It’s still safe. But I could dissolve and consume it at any moment. That petty, tiny memory of your brother—how precious is it, really?”

Between the King of Harmless’s tentacles, a small orb appeared. A pearl-white orb, about half the size of a thumbnail. The damn jellyfish smiled sweetly, as if it had caught onto a weakness.

“It’s the first properly prepared gift he ever gave to the older brother he loved so very much. He even wrapped it himself. So cute. Before that, he was still too young to give anything decent. You wouldn’t even let him get a part-time job. He was excited. Nervous, even.”

“…Give it here, you spineless jelly bastard.”

My teeth ground together on their own. I couldn’t rush him carelessly, but that didn’t mean I had even the slightest intention of letting that bastard go.

“Let’s make a contract not to harm each other. How about it? You don’t touch me, and I won’t touch your brother. As soon as I’m released from here, I’ll ask Chatterbox to get me out quietly.”

It seemed that while it was difficult for someone not of a world to enter it, extracting someone out was less complicated. Then again, it had been said that S-Ranks close to SS-Rank could be extracted. Still, the fact that he had to ask implied he couldn’t leave on his own. Like someone trapped in a well needing help from above to get pulled out.

“Why should I?”

“If you want your precious brother’s memory back, accept the contract.”

“I’ll get it back, obviously. But I have no intention of letting you go. A contract not to harm each other? What a joke. If you were going to give up so easily, you wouldn’t have risked all this in the first place. I can already see you trying to entice other transcendents the moment you get out.”

More than anything, I couldn’t allow that bastard to go around talking about me. Rookie hadn’t been able to properly look into the fake world, but the King of Harmless was different. He had even made a direct contract with the horse head, so he must have received far more detailed information.

If word spread that my value was worth this level of risk, not only I, but everyone around me would be in danger. That’s why I couldn’t possibly let the King of Harmless go.

“…So you’re giving up on your brother? How cold-hearted.”

“Look at the thief blaming the victim. I was wondering if you were just spineless, but it turns out you probably dropped your brain somewhere too. Ah, so that’s why you steal other people’s memories—because you’ve got nothing in your own head.”

“Nurturer, you’re starting to get on my nerves.”

The silver dragon lowered its body slightly and spread its wings wide. Even with the mana imprint sealed, I could faintly feel the stirring of magic. The King of Harmless backed off further, but he couldn’t escape this place.

“Keeping my brother’s memory safe to the end will be slightly more advantageous to you. You wouldn’t be able to destroy it with your own hands. So cling to it and squirm all you want. But even if I don’t get it back—”

Still.

“The future matters more. If the world survives, I can give my brother more memories. Better ones. Happier ones.”

I didn’t want to lose Yuhyun’s memory. But I couldn’t throw away the present or the future for it. I would give him a watch. Even if he never received it, we would continue to share many other things.

The King of Harmless gave a thin smile.

“Pretending to be fine.”

“I’m not pretending. I am fine.”

“Really? From what I see, you’re a complete mess. Then, just as you said, let’s see you struggle!”

Mist surged outward in a powerful wave. Grace was already in use. The Changeling’s magic wrapped around me, and I felt my previously plummeting stats spike sharply.

The “Lautitars’ Natural Enemy” didn’t apply, but I had double my brother’s pre-return stats, along with Alpha, Delta, Mu, and Lambda’s skills—and even Veteran F-Rank. What was surprising was—

‘So Yuhyun’s stats before regression were actually a bit higher than an SS-Class guard.’

Those were his pure stats, not affected by the doubling. They said S-Class was the max potential for any race in any world, so even if we looked human on the surface, maybe the people from our world were more capable overall.

When it came to attack skill effects, they easily surpassed SSS-Class. Perhaps due to the stat boost, my mana imprint broke free from paralysis, and I could clearly feel the magic flowing around me. My senses, dulled compared to when I was F-Class, experienced no side effects now.

The mist disrupted both sight and senses, so I couldn’t get a proper read on that jellyfish bastard—but just as the Changeling had said, I had the upper hand. Still, I wasn’t in a rush to move.

I needed to retrieve my brother’s memory. That bastard couldn’t escape anyway, so I could afford to postpone finishing him until the very end.

‘If I could just use Mu’s spatial movement skill properly, taking it back wouldn’t be hard.’

But the spatial movement skill was far trickier than Yerim’s teleportation. If I dedicated the full hour I had to mastering it… With that in mind, I flicked my fingertips. The mist caught fire, burning with crimson-black flames.

“Let go of me, I said! Hey!”

“Is it really a monster? Not a cat? There are no dungeon break reports in that area, but you’ll need to contact the Dungeon Emergency Response Headquarters, not the police station.”

“We can’t assist you here. Please call the temporary Hunter Association number—Hello?”

Despite it being the middle of the night, a noisy police substation came into view. Dungeon Emergency Response Headquarters. Temporary Hunter Association. It had been less than six months since dungeons started appearing. Even in a world where monsters showed up, drunks still wandered around and got dragged in, yelling. Past them, a pale-faced young man pushed through the glass door.

It was me.

Full of anxiety, I grabbed hold of a police officer and started speaking. My voice was dry, trembling.

“My little brother hasn’t come home yet.”

This had never happened before. When I said it was late and there’d been no word, the officer asked for more details. The moment I mentioned a male high school student, his expression turned indifferent. When I said our parents weren’t around, he lost interest completely.

“It hasn’t even been a full day. Just wait a little longer and file a missing person report if needed. Bring your family registry.”

“He didn’t run away! Yuhyun has never come home late without a word!”

“It happens all the time. Maybe he got involved with the wrong crowd. Try contacting the school once it’s morning.”

Faced with a look that said, “Isn’t this a troubled household?” I shrank. When they asked if I had any contact info for his friends, I slouched even more.

“S-Still, what if he ran into a monster…”

“These days, we handle incidents right away and contact people immediately. If there’s been no notice, it means he’s safe.”

They flatly told me to check the unidentified victims list on the Dungeon Response HQ website if I was really concerned. That said it all: they saw no reason to deal with me further. I hesitated, then turned away, defeated. Muttering to myself.

No… Yuhyun wouldn’t do something like that…

“…What is this.”

A dry laugh slipped out.

“I thought you said you couldn’t mess with my memories.”

-This is a scene you’re creating, Dad. Normally, with your current power, you’d be able to get out easily. But my strength is boosting the other guy’s skill, so it’s gotten stronger.

The Changeling said it was a bad compatibility match. The King of Harmless’s mist, which showed people painful memories, had mixed with my ability to manifest illusions into reality. Even so, I couldn’t just withdraw the Changeling’s power.

I tried expanding the flames, summoning lightning, sweeping it all away with water—none of it worked. The illusion didn’t disappear.

“Cut this crap and come out here, now!”

[Why should I?]

The jellyfish bastard’s voice came from far away, faint.

[Don’t worry. The skill won’t last that long. If you resist, it’ll end even faster. So how about we make a deal? If you quietly endure it, I’ll give your brother’s memory back. Without a single scratch.]

The part where he admitted he couldn’t beat me with brute force made me nod. If this were right after my regression—or even just a month ago—it would’ve been too much to handle, revisiting the past like this. Even now, it was hard. But I was confident I could endure it.

I signed the contract that appeared.

And the scenery changed.

“Hyung.”

A young Yuhyun—even younger than now—looked up at me. A face still immature, freshly awakened.