The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 305: It Was Your Home (2)

“Is that really okay?”

A voice came from behind me.

“Is that something you should be saying?!”

I shouted furiously while keeping my eyes on Song Taewon. The pressure coming from behind was no joke. And this was supposedly just a tiny fraction of what was leaking out. Still, since Seong Hyunjae wasn’t pushing me away, he must have been able to hold on for now.

What do I do now? My mouth had gone completely dry. My head was a mess, but I had a gut feeling that I had to stop the two of them from clashing no matter what. Think. I had to think.

Thankfully, Song Taewon didn’t charge in right away. He was calmly watching the gun in my hand with a composed expression. I had fired in a rush, so it hadn’t fully charged, but the attack power was still at least B-rank. That kind of power coming from an F-rank weapon was unbelievable, so of course he’d be wary. On top of that, the bomb wasn’t even the kind he was familiar with. It wasn’t gunpowder usable by F-ranks—it was a magic-based S-rank bomb.

…I hope I’m not about to end up in prison. Poisonous bullets require declaration, and if you use them outside of a dungeon, it’s an instant sentence.

“You smuggled Grace in, huh. It’s unfortunate I couldn’t gain my partner’s trust—”

“Ugh, could you just shut up?! Is this really the time for that kind of talk?!”

Okay, I was off in my own world too, sure.

Seong Hyunjae had passed through many worlds, losing his memories each time. No—more accurately, his memories had been overwritten. All those long years and experiences had built up, and then a thin layer was laid over them—You were born in this world, you belong to this world—before he was dropped into a new one.

I still didn’t know how exactly he had been planted in our world. Was it when he was a child? An adult? Or had he been swapped with the Seong Hyunjae that originally existed here?

“…Do you remember your childhood at all? Dari said her memories were fuzzy. When do your clear memories start? What were you doing?”

A scarf wrapped around my legs, hiding the place where Grace was stored. Grace’s nullification effect applied partially to my clothes as well. But since the bomb was tucked inside my clothes, the area around it wasn’t protected, and my pants were torn in a circular shape, like something had taken a bite out of them. The lower part had fallen off, and the top now looked like shorts. Kind of funny, honestly.

“This way, even if I lose my mind, I won’t be able to snatch it in one go.”

“…Hard to calmly untie or slowly cut something when you’re insane. Makes me think of that time at the airport, when I was tying everyone’s neckties. It felt a bit lonely that you weren’t there. I did it for everyone else.”

“What a shame to have missed such an occasion.”

“Not like you don’t have people to tie your tie for you anyway, so it’s hardly a loss.”

You probably have a personal stylist. He’s the type who fits right in being served by multiple people. Wouldn’t be surprising if he’d been a king or emperor in another world.

“That’s true. I’ve never tied one myself. Not a scarf either.”

“Truly an honor, Your Majesty.”

So what were your childhood memories like? If Chief Song starts moving, I won’t be able to catch up. Using the Teacher skill on either Song Taewon or Seong Hyunjae is out of the question. When I asked again, Seong Hyunjae finally gave me an answer.

“I do have them, but they’re vague. At this point, I can’t even tell if they’re real. The memories become clear around… maybe age twenty-four?”

“Then it’s more likely you were transferred when you were already an adult. Or more precisely, when your physical growth had finished.”

So childhood wasn’t necessary, huh. Transplanting someone from another world isn’t a simple task, but Crescent Moon, who commands her many shards, is a Transcendent. And since it wasn’t just a transplant but a swap, there must’ve been some special method involved.

“Ten years or so in each world, maybe twenty at most. And you were probably at least S-rank each time.”

He might have even grown into SS-rank or beyond. No, he probably hit SS-rank easily. And that power kept accumulating. A naturally S-rank individual with outstanding talent, growing endlessly, sharpening himself again and again, experiencing multiple worlds.

Just how much power must have built up over time?

‘…Could it be this is what Crescent Moon was after all along?’

At first, she probably just wanted Seong Hyunjae to consume a world and become a Transcendent. But he refused. And after repeating that process a few times, unable to let him go, she must’ve realized it.

That she could try a new method—cramming countless worlds into a single human being.

And that after enduring and enduring, the exceptional vessel known as Seong Hyunjae would eventually overflow, wearing down body and soul alike—until something new was born from it.

‘Maybe it’s not just about sealing away the source. Maybe she was aiming to destroy it completely.’

A chill ran down my spine. Crescent Moon—the cradle of countless Transcendents—wouldn’t obsess over a single human for no reason. If Seong Hyunjae were no different from any other Transcendent, she would’ve been better off finding and nurturing a new candidate instead of wasting her time.

But if he was a being capable of completely erasing the source itself—

“…Hey, Seong Hyunjae. If everything that’s built up inside you were to burst out… what do you think would happen to you?”

“Well, I’m not sure. But considering I’m already struggling to stay sane with just what’s leaking out right now—if it all bursts out completely, I doubt I’ll be able to hold myself together.”

That’s right. No matter what, he is human. Once what had been suppressed bursts out and he absorbs all that power, he’ll no longer be human. He’ll change into something entirely different from the Seong Hyunjae we’ve known so far. He might become something close to a source above even the Transcendents—but he could also end up as nothing more than a mass of power with no reason left.

Crescent Moon likely has layers of contracts binding Seong Hyunjae, so either way, she’ll be able to control him and destroy the Source.

And if the Source is destroyed, well, that’s great. But before that happens, our world will likely vanish cleanly as well. And so will Seong Hyunjae. The man standing behind me will be gone. No more café lattes, no more egg tarts, no more scarves.

“Let’s just wait for a second, both of you. There’s no need to take such a dangerous route. And Seong Hyunjae, don’t go risking your life so carelessly—so unlike you.”

“I never said I was going to die. I’ll admit it’s greed, not wanting to lose anything. But it’s not like there’s zero chance of success.”

No, it’ll fail. My theory says so—it already failed once!

Seong Hyunjae received the Plunder skill as a gift from Song Taewon. And then Song Taewon died. I hadn’t been able to understand why until now, but now I think I do.

They must have tried it back then, too. To use Plunder to relieve the weight of Seong Hyunjae’s accumulated past.

But Song Taewon died, handed over Plunder to Seong Hyunjae, and then Seong Hyunjae disappeared. I still don’t know the full details. What’s certain is that the attempt failed.

‘And Chief Song’s skill proficiency is even lower now than it was then.’

If I’d known this was coming, I should’ve gone crazy and applied a keyword to him, raised his skill growth! Though, even then, catching up to several years of difference wouldn’t have been easy.

Anyway, the odds of failure were very, extremely, overwhelmingly high.

“Is there another way?”

Song Taewon said, body tensed as if ready to pounce at any moment. His voice was calm, like he was handling a complaint. There probably weren’t many people who could raise their voice in front of him.

“…I’m still thinking. But the method Seong Hyunjae’s suggesting right now is seriously dangerous. If things go wrong, even you could get hurt. You might die!”

“That’s fine.”

Ah, yes. I expected you to say that. Spoken like a man with an eight-year history of self-destruction. Let’s learn to love ourselves a little, huh? At the very least, keep your life intact.

‘Before regression, he lasted a few more years, so the biggest issue really must be me.’

Without the anomaly that is me, there wouldn’t have been any new experiences to push him.

“You said killing me would stabilize things, right?”

“Even so, it would only be a temporary measure. Sooner or later, the same problem would arise again.”

Still, buying time is something. Would the mere act of killing be enough to help? If so, maybe I could dive into his mental world and offer my neck as a temporary fix. The problem is whether I could handle his current state.

If I come face to face with everything that’s been building up in his mind—then it’s over.

“Don’t get any ideas. Just leave.”

“I’m thinking, so don’t interrupt me.”

“You’ve got to make it back safely, if only for your dear brother. We can’t let the young master lose the only person he loves.”

“I never said I was going to die either. If it’s greed not to want to lose anything, then aren’t you being a bit hypocritical?”

Trying to use Yuhyun to sway me? I’m not risking my life just because of that. I’m not—damn it. My frustration built quickly, but no solid ideas came to mind. No, there has to be something. There has to be. A way to relieve the pressure…

Before regression, Seong Hyunjae received Plunder. It would’ve been a high-grade version, and he must have known how to use it well. If only he could use it now, too—then the real issue would be that I’d have to enter his mental world.

“Han Yujin.”

If I learned Plunder through the Teacher skill and used it in the real world… But with my ability, there’s no way I could use it proficiently right away. Time was the problem, again.

“Please step aside.”

The moment I heard that voice, heat rushed up inside me. Song Taewon was about to move. I could feel it. I gave up on trying to see it with my eyes. I trusted in everything I’d experienced and predicted until now. Trusting that, I pulled the trigger.

Piit—!

What shot out from the barrel was a magic bullet shaped like a slender arrow. Myungwoo, who had inspected the white lynx gun, told me the mana-formed bullets could take on a variety of forms. It was possible to integrate skills depending on the user’s ability—but I didn’t have any suitable skills. Still, I could change the bullet’s shape.

I fired the arrow bullet, then immediately shifted my aim slightly and fired again with almost no delay. This time to the right.

I hadn’t confirmed Song Taewon’s movement with my eyes. If I waited to see, it would be too late. I was anticipating it.

Unlike the first shot, this magic bullet was fully charged with mana—S-rank level. If blocked with an S-rank sword, it would still cause impact to the weapon. Plunder weakens both the weapon and the target’s attacks, so knowing Song Taewon’s personality, he would likely choose to dodge rather than block.

It’s a borrowed weapon, after all. Yuhyun might say it’s fine to use it rough, but that’s not the kind of person Song Taewon is—especially not when he’s facing me, not Seong Hyunjae. He wouldn’t waste weapon durability on me. And hitting it with his bare hands wouldn’t be smart either—it’s an unfamiliar magic weapon, after all. Not knowing what effect it might have, he would almost certainly dodge. And if he does, it’ll be to the right.

Thwack! The first magic bullet hit the wall. Since the first one hit harmlessly, he must’ve let his guard down. Then he’d deflect the second. I fired the third bullet in the same direction as the second. Right after, tunk—the second magic bullet was deflected. Just as expected. A head-on charge, meeting force with force. But the third one—

Gwoooong—!

It exploded with maximum power, sweeping through the area in a wide radius. Seong Hyunjae caught my body as I was pushed back by the recoil. The spreading light made it hard to see anything in front of me.

“The last one.”

With Seong Hyunjae’s voice, he guided my hand holding the gun to aim. At the same time, I pulled the trigger.

As the light faded, I could see the floor, cracked and torn up like dried farmland. It must’ve been reinforced with dungeon byproducts—it was holding up surprisingly well. Beyond that, Song Taewon stood. One leg of his pants was torn open in a long gash.

‘Wow, it grazed him.’

I owed it to Seong Hyunjae’s help, but still, nailing the prediction like that was incredibly satisfying. I took a deep breath and looked at Song Taewon.

“Just wait a little longer. I’ll find a way—”

“You’ve done enough.”

The reply came from behind me, not in front. Now I wanted to shoot him in the back. Did you help me just to say that? I did my part, now be satisfied and get lost? Song Taewon pulled out a wire this time. Looked like he was serious about subduing me. Of course it had to be something Yuhyun gave him—meaning high performance.

“If there’s no other way, then please step aside.”

“Oh, for crying out loud, both of you shut up! No one’s dying this time!”

Yeah, yeah—I know not sacrificing anything is a pipe dream. I know that way too well. But I still don’t want it. Even if it’s inevitable? Screw that. If it could be ended with one word, I wouldn’t have suffered for eight years, wouldn’t be grinding my teeth right now.

Even if I do learn the Plunder skill, I’d have to wake the Changeling for it to work in the real world… Changeling.

‘A beast born from a fragment of Seong Hyunjae, transferred into a magic stone.’

Then maybe we could do the same thing again… The problem is, I don’t know how. But if it’s possible, it’s definitely safer than carving Seong Hyunjae apart with Plunder.

“Changeling! Wake up, even just for a moment! Or at least talk to me!”

You’ve been asleep for days, right? Just wake up for a second and go back to sleep again!

“Yes, Daddy.”

A familiar voice rang out. A child with silvery-pink hair was suddenly standing next to me.

“What… is that child.”

Song Taewon asked, clearly flustered.

“So it was born.”

Seong Hyunjae quickly caught on to Changeling’s identity. He leaned down slightly, looking at the child who resembled him.

“Ah, don’t look! You said you were already about to explode from information overload!”

“Even if I die, I can’t miss something like this. You said it was just a small part, but it doesn’t look that way at all.”

“She can take different forms too, okay?! That’s not the point right now. Changeling, can you do what you did before—transfer a piece of Seong Hyunjae into a magic stone?”

“Yes.”

Changeling stared straight at Seong Hyunjae as she answered. Then she frowned. Her scrunched-up nose was kind of adorable.

“If I don’t… it might be dangerous. But if I do, Daddy’s going to have a hard time. That’s annoying.”

“But he did help you be born, at least a little. Let’s help him just this once.”

When I coaxed her, Changeling let out a big sigh—Ehh—and shook her head like she had no choice. Like a little kid mimicking grown-ups. Well, she is a little kid.

Anyway, thank god we had a way.