The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 309: Sleeping Moon, Awakened Moon

Since the sun hadn’t set yet, I had Comet fly high. There was no point in bringing Seong Hyunjae out myself if someone witnessed it. The place Seong Hyunjae had told me about was a penthouse.

“It’s close to the Breeding Facility. He didn’t tell me this place just so I’d have to nurse him too, did he?”

“Just make sure… I’m still alive.”

“I’ll at least check for that.”

Leaving an unconscious person alone is safer in a high-rise apartment with security than in a private house. It wasn’t far from Sesung Guild, so I arrived quickly. Since I couldn’t have Comet descend, I sent her back to the Breeding Facility, activated my stealth skill, and jumped down.

The wind whipped harshly past my ears. Thanks to Grace, I’d survive the fall, but the ground wouldn’t. I could accidentally crash into a passerby. When the details of the apartment complex below came into focus, I used a lightweight feather item I’d bought in advance. Just as the name suggests, it made my body as light as a feather—one-time use.

“This one’s going on my tab too.”

It cost a whopping 2,660 points. And I only have 80 million points left!

As soon as I activated the feather, my fall slowed dramatically. Because of momentum, I didn’t immediately float down like a feather, but I still landed gently at a decent speed.

A place like this definitely has cameras in the elevators. I hoped they’d chalk it up to ghostly activity, but just in case, I climbed up the outer wall of the building. With the Golden Lynx Shoes, it felt like walking on flat ground, but since it was so tall, it still took a while. Seong Hyunjae, flopped in my hat, started to feel extra annoying.

‘…I’m starting to get tired.’

I’d used the power of S-ranks quite a few times. Skills alone—two teleports, one lightning strike, Sigh, Shadowless Day, and Pale Rain. Except for Sigh, all of them were S to SS-rank. The backlash might hit hard. Last time my vision got blurry, so I should be prepared for something similar. As long as it’s temporary, though, I’ll manage.

I stepped onto the penthouse terrace. Naturally, the terrace door was locked.

“Is there a security system here?”

“For the terrace door, probably.”

“Annoying. There aren’t any windows, right?”

I moved to the wall and climbed in through a window. It wasn’t locked. Who would break into a place like this, anyway? A mid-level or higher Hunter could, but unless they had a kleptomaniac streak, it’s more profitable to raid a dungeon than rob an empty house. Plenty of legit jobs too.

Felt a bit bad entering with my shoes on—not for Seong Hyunjae, but for whoever had to clean up. I asked if anyone managed the place. Apparently, someone comes on the 5th and 20th of every month.

“Can you stand up? Where’s the bedroom? Are there any spare clothes here?”

The house was needlessly large. I found the bedroom and pulled Seong Hyunjae out of the hat. That tiny body still felt bizarre. He staggered a bit but managed to stand on his own. Then I canceled the cookie effect, and he returned to his original size. He was about to crawl straight into bed, so I quickly grabbed him.

“You’re really gonna sleep like that? Go shower. I’ll find you something to wear.”

“…No.”

“You’re covered in dirt and bloodstains—you’re a mess. Unless you’re about to die from sleepiness, go wash up. The bathroom’s right there.”

“…Just let me sleep.”

“You’re not sleeping for five minutes here. Just hang on a bit longer.”

I pushed the mumbling Seong Hyunjae into the bathroom. He wasn’t going to drown face-first while washing his face, right? After rummaging around, I found some clothes. I placed them and a towel outside the bathroom and headed for the kitchen. My insides were burning. My vision swam a bit. I grabbed a bottle of water, drank it, and leaned against the table.

‘I don’t know if I can make it home safely.’

It’s a good thing it’s close. If I collapse on the way, it’ll be a disaster. I drank a potion, treated my wounds, and even pulled out a stamina fruit to eat. After sitting for a bit, I returned to the bedroom. Thankfully, Seong Hyunjae hadn’t passed out in the bathroom and had changed his clothes properly.

“Well then, sleep tight.”

Never thought I’d be taking care of the Sesung Guild Leader like this. Normally, he’d just be someone I saw on TV, at most. Lying in bed, Seong Hyunjae looked at me through drowsy eyes.

“At first… you were just a usable item.”

“I thought of your skill as something I really wanted, too.”

He was an outstanding guild leader with no real connection to me. Felt like someone from a completely different world. Which was basically true.

Objectively speaking, the Seong Hyunjae I know now is far less human than the one I didn’t. He’s been through multiple worlds, holds unimaginable power, and caught the attention of Crescent Moon—a transcendental being of an even higher class.

He might no longer be considered human at all.

And yet, ironically, the current Seong Hyunjae felt more like a regular person to me than the one from the beginning. He’s still disgustingly talented, exceptional, and impossible to catch up to, inside or out, but now I get to say, “Wow, you really are something,” face to face. Maybe that’s the difference.

‘I wonder what Seong Hyunjae thinks about it all.’

Judging from the way he talks, I must’ve changed a lot in his eyes too. More than anything, I was someone who posed a threat to his existence. Even for Seong Hyunjae, it wouldn’t be easy to treat me the same as before after feeling something like that.

“Oh, there’s something I should tell you. You probably can’t really listen right now, huh?”

“…Probably not. Even if I hear it, I might not remember.”

“Still, at least remember who stabbed you in the chest. You’ve been through a lot.”

It’d be a damn shame if he forgot. Should I really just leave him sleeping like this and go? Maybe I should get one of those surveillance cameras and hook it up to my phone. Would that be a security risk? He’s not going to randomly stop breathing in his sleep, right?

I was about to head to the Breeding Facility, but I opened my inventory instead. Dreamcatcher. If he’s going to sleep for days, might as well make it comfortable. Help him process everything properly. I hung the round decoration, made of pale pink yarn and feathers, near the headboard of the bed. Chirp had chewed on it a bit, so the feathers were a little crumpled.

“Did I give you this yarn too, by any chance? The color’s a bit paler, but…”

Was this something I made myself? Since it was in the inventory, it wasn’t a mass-produced product. No answer came. The eyes barely focused on me were already dazed. Yeah, sleep, sleep.

“Good night.”

He closed his eyes.

She opened hers.

In a space filled with flowing light, her silver lashes parted slowly, and her eyes began to focus. Her closed lips parted, and a soft sigh slipped out.

“My beloved little moon.”

The moon that had gradually been filling over a long, long time—almost perfect—waned once more just before becoming full. Someone had interfered with her again.

For the second time.

A cold fury swelled in her chest, but Crescent Moon could not move. She had awoken early after sensing the anomaly, but her recovery was not yet complete.

Was it that human again? The black shadow that violently rejected foreign beings.

But the time of the little moon’s world had been turned back. That should have been impossible at this point in the timeline. It should have failed.

If so.

Crescent Moon summoned one of her fragments. With a soft rustle, snowflakes began to fall. The fourteenth fragment landed before her.

— Yes, my cradle.

The snow that had gathered smiled. A vivid chill shimmered like heat haze.

“Tell me what happened while I slept.”

In the world where the little moon resided. The snow that had fallen answered.

— A peculiar being appeared in the world that was rewound. The Unfilial Children responsible for that world have kept their mouths shut, but it seems to be a human with abilities worth paying attention to.

Had that human interfered with her moon again this time? The snow continued.

— Also, the master of the Venom and Curse Dragon King and the King of Harmless have disappeared from that world.

“The King of Harmless?”

Crescent Moon asked, puzzled. The Dragon King’s master was still rather young. But the King of Harmless was different. Not quite at her level, but still one of the older transcendents. Though they spent more time feeding their curiosity than honing their abilities, they were not someone who should vanish so easily.

— Yes. Right after the King of Harmless died, the system started to experience abnormalities. According to Chatterbox, the Young Chaos has begun to stir.

Snow whispered on as it continued to fall. And then—

— The silent white bird has disappeared.

Some of the other transcendents had tried to track her down, but none had succeeded. Crescent Moon quietly lowered her gaze. The white bird who loved the snow-covered tree.

— Chatterbox wants revenge. Even willing to cooperate with the Unfilial Children. It’s said they’re making some kind of proposal.

The snow, which had been chattering away, faded softly with Crescent Moon’s wave. She lay down once more. Not even her fragments knew the true extent of the little moon’s power. They simply believed that he kept being moved because he refused to let the worlds be consumed. Some even wondered why Crescent Moon could not give up on him.

But the white bird—one of the future-seeing races who loved the Source—might have sensed it, if only faintly. That something capable of consuming and erasing the tree under the snowfall was nearing completion.

Was the interference just before the moon could become full really a coincidence?

“…Even so.”

Even if it was briefly marred, the moon would have no choice but to fill again. In the end, it would be reborn as a perfect and beautiful full moon, and stand once more by her side.

…I barely managed to make it to the Breeding Facility. My stomach churned like I had motion sickness, and my head spun. As I stepped into the house, Peace ran up to me.

— Kkiang!

“…Yeah, Peace.”

— Kkuwoong.

Sensing that I wasn’t doing well, instead of asking to be held, Peace hovered around me anxiously, then grew to the size of a juvenile beast and leaned in like he was telling me to rest on him. Chirp and Belare also seemed to pick up on the mood and didn’t cling to me.

Good kids, really.

“I’m just a little tired.”

Honestly, I was really tired. My whole body felt like it was sinking, not just into the floor, but through it. I stumbled out of my shoes and made my way inside. I needed to shower too.

‘…I’m gonna die.’

I’ll rest a little first, then clean up. Leaning on Peace, I headed to the living room. The moment my butt hit the couch, I just wanted to lie down. No, I already was lying down. As soon as my head hit the cushion, my eyes shut on their own. Maybe I had a fever—because the couch felt cool to the touch.

— Kkiyaang.

“Just a little nap, okay?”

— Ppiyak!

— Shiiiik!

“Yeah, you two behaved yourselves while I was gone.”

“Peace, just keep an eye on the kids a little longer.”

My insides were burning, but the mana mark on my back was icy cold. My throat felt swollen, and even breathing was a bit tough. After coughing a few times, Peace, now in a spirit form, paced nervously—jumping up and down from the table.

— Kkeung, kyauwung…

“…I’m really okay. This is how it always… goes. I’ll be fine after I catch a bit of sleep. Sorry for making you worry, Peace.”

I took a deep breath. Peace whimpered softly. Even that sound began to fade fast. My consciousness grew fuzzy, and soon I completely fell asleep—

“You goddamn lump of soggy hay.”

My scruff was suddenly yanked up. Huh?

“You’re a mess again.”

The hand holding my neck dropped me back down onto the floor. My blurry vision sharpened, and the sight of a forest came into focus. Then a familiar face appeared—red-eyed, young Han Yuhyun.

“…Young Chaos?”

“I’m here too!”

Beside him, something that looked like a Cocker Spaniel beamed brightly. The newbie. Their dog-like ears perked as they waved a hand at me.

“You, newbie!”

I shot up, only to collapse again. Even though this wasn’t reality, I had no strength. I managed to raise a hand and point accusingly at the newbie.

“Hey, because of you… I even searched dungeons and couldn’t find you!”

“I-I’m sorry, Honey!”

“Don’t be too harsh. The bunny tried, too.”

Young Chaos shielded the newbie. Bunny? Looks more like a dog to me. Do they think it’s a rabbit just because of the long ears?

“Tried, huh. Then what happened. And what even is this place?”

“You’re not fully connected to your world’s system yet, Honey. Especially your country—it’s going to take even longer. So meeting in dungeons won’t be easy for a while.”

So that’s why? Changeling used a lot of power in Korea, maybe that’s why.

“The system itself runs automatically, but we can’t manage it directly. Information already registered in the system gets displayed randomly. That’s why rare or new skills might not come with proper descriptions!”

“It’s always been like that—your system’s full of bugs.”

The newbie’s face crumpled into a pout.

“Dungeon rewards are automatic, too, so getting special rewards is hard.”

“What the hell, hurry up and connect it then! Is that why my brother only got magic stones after taking down a bunch of SS-ranks?!”

“No, that was outside the dungeon, so…”

“Still, give us the rewards! The rewards! He soloed five SS-ranks—five of them!”

“Y-you’ll get them when the system’s connected and you enter a dungeon again…”

I yelled without thinking and instantly regretted it. Jellyfish told me to charm the newbie, not scare them. I cleared my throat and forced a softer expression.

“Right, I’m counting on you.”

“…Huh?”

“I know you’ve been working hard. But, well, I’ve been through a lot lately too, you know?”

“I’m sorry, Honey.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. You did your best, right? I’ll count on you moving forward.”

“Yes!”

The newbie’s face brightened immediately. Their smile was pretty adorable.

“You’re dreaming right now, Honey.”

“A dream?”

“Yes. Just a simple dream that doesn’t affect you at all. Even connecting like this wasn’t easy. But since you’re so weakened and we have a deep connection, I was able to enter.”

We met a lot, didn’t we? They added with another big, silly grin.

“If it was so hard, then why’d you come see me? Something happen?”

“Well, uh… Chatterbox made a proposal to our side!”

Chatterbox?