The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 322: Sibling Fight (2)

With my blurry vision from not wearing glasses, I quickly pulled up the stats my body remembered. Should I start with Yuhyun’s? The surrounding scenery soon became clear. My little brother was smiling faintly. But then—

“…Grace?”

Grace was gone. Not on my wrist, not on my ankle, not around my neck—nowhere. I even checked my legs and waist just in case, but it was the same.

“Hyung? What’s wrong?”

“It’s just… Grace is gone. What the heck.”

Did I mess up when casting the skill? Maybe I ended up blocking Grace too while trying to imitate Diarma’s skill like last time. At my words, Yuhyun furrowed his brows slightly.

“Isn’t that dangerous? If Grace isn’t there, you’ll take my attacks directly. Even if this is mental space, you’ll still feel pain, won’t you?”

“It’s not like I’ll actually get hurt, so it’s fine. Besides, using Grace would be too unfair. Damage nullification is totally broken. I’m just surprised she disappeared.”

That’s what I said, but I had planned to use Grace as a weapon substitute. Since she never breaks and can change form, I figured that alone made her useful, so I hadn’t packed many weapons. For now, I pulled out and put on the wildcat jacket and shoes.

‘This is going to be tough.’

Our stats were similar. But skills and equipment were the issue. I had a wider variety of skills, but of course Yuhyun’s proficiency was way higher. And in terms of equipment… not even close.

‘Fire resistance, electric resistance… he probably brought cold resistance and poison resistance gear too.’

Wait a sec—then Seong Hyunjae’s and Yuhyun’s skills are going to be mostly ineffective, aren’t they? Black Blood Flame could be weaponized and infused with poison, so it might work a bit. I do have fire resistance myself, but it wouldn’t be enough to handle Yuhyun’s current fire skills. Especially not if he buffs himself with Last Gate.

“What about stats? Should we go with when I’m buffed by your Cheer Up? Or just normal?”

“Normal is better.”

“Alright. But why’s the scenery like this? Feels so empty.”

Surely this wasn’t the state of my brother’s unconscious world?

“Want me to change it? You can change it just by thinking about it, right?”

“Yeah. You’re still not used to it, so I’ll do it.”

Where should I pick…? After a brief thought, the scenery shifted. A city with a large lake—Drosia. I lightly tapped the paved road with my heel. The buildings in this town were nice and sturdy. I looked up at the round moon hanging in the night sky.

‘I’ve set things up to make it hard to access the opponent’s consciousness, so my memories shouldn’t be exposed.’

I’ve used this mental-type skill a few times now, but I still hadn’t fully mastered it. That made me slightly anxious, but since Yuhyun didn’t seem particularly gifted with mental skills, I probably had the advantage. He wouldn’t be able to dig through my memories easily.

So for now, there wasn’t much to worry about.

“The lake gives me an edge, but the buildings work in your favor, so this seems balanced, right? I’ve experienced Last Gate, but I’m not confident enough to use it yet.”

It was just once, and for a short time, and given the circumstances, I couldn’t even properly grasp how it felt. Plus, Yuhyun’s flame control was impossible for me to replicate. It wasn’t just a skill—it was enhanced by Iryn, a spirit.

I pulled out a dagger and gripped it. Yuhyun also drew the Ruler’s Sword. Looks like he’s serious—my little brother.

“I mentioned I could use powers I experienced through Teacher’s skill, remember?”

“Yeah, hyung.”

“Basically, if it’s something I’ve experienced directly in that way, I can use most of it here. Whether it’s through my skills or someone else’s. There’ll still be a gap in proficiency, though.”

I added an explanation, doing my best to keep my tone even.

“I also know the you from five years in the future.”

The flame that now lives only in me. I raised the dagger and cut my arm. As blood flowed out, Yuhyun winced for a moment but didn’t react beyond that. Good posture. We’re not really dying or getting hurt, so right now, there’s no need for either of us to hold back or worry.

The blood trailing down my arm darkened, igniting into flame. It became a blazing spear in my hand.

“It’ll be a bit different from your fire.”

“It looks like Black Flame, but you’re using blood as a medium?”

“It’s Black Blood Flame.”

The droplet that rolled off my fingertip hit the ground. The flame that swallowed the blood instantly melted the pavement, leaving behind a sticky black scar.

Fwoosh—flames also rose up around Yuhyun. Unlike the opaque Black Blood Flame that swallowed light, his was a clear, blue-tinted Black Flame.

We didn’t need a signal.

I used a teleportation skill. At the same time, the Ruler’s Sword extended, swirling around Yuhyun. Likely to prevent me from getting close. But instead of rushing at him, I used a stealth skill and planted my foot on the wall of a tall building. Above my brother’s head.

“Hyung?”

Yuhyun called out to me, sounding puzzled. But that was a feint. Just like I knew him well, he knew me just as well. I pulled out a bomb and shoved it into the building wall. Before the cracking sound even finished—

KWAANG!

The chained blade whipped around like a steel whip. The black blade, charged with heat, slashed at the building as if to tear it apart—and at the same moment, the bomb detonated. Chunks of rubble fell with a thud, and dust clouds rose. The explosion obscured the view in an instant, but I calmly raised a gun with one hand.

Velare’s thermal vision. Monster abilities were trickier to get used to, but after relying on it for a few days in place of my eyesight, I could now use it easily.

Bang! I fired a magic bullet at the heat signature and immediately changed positions. A series of shots—bang, bang!—ignited sparks, and the dust grew even thicker. It felt like we were buried in a suffocating fog.

‘Can I use the point shop here too?’

Since I could use my inventory items, the point shop should work the same. I opened it just in case—and sure enough, it appeared before my eyes. I felt a bit guilty toward my brother.

I didn’t hold back, planting another bomb in a building on the opposite side. With a deafening boom, the building tilted and collapsed. I threw in a smoke grenade for good measure. Dust blocking vision from falling debris, loud explosions disrupting hearing—and with stealth activated, even an elite S-Rank Hunter’s senses would inevitably be overwhelmed.

But I could track Yuhyun easily.

Rumble—! The top floor of the building slammed into the ground. I leapt over the wreckage, approaching my brother—

‘Huh?’

Several heat signatures with identical temperatures and shapes appeared. I chuckled. He figured out I was using Velare’s thermal vision! You can’t make fire replicate a person’s body temperature precisely—but you can wrap your own body in flames. Clever kid.

However—

Crackle!

Electricity sparked. I spread a weak current broadly, and while it tangled with the false heat signatures, one spot alone blocked the current entirely—as if it had been absorbed. Electrical resistance—an enchantment. As soon as I identified it, I moved.

Still using stealth, I instantly closed in on Yuhyun. Whoosh—the black blade skimmed past as I lowered my body. At the same time, I lunged with my spear.

Crash!

The tip, aimed at his leg, clashed with the Ruler’s Sword, which bent and twisted like a serpent. Flame-forged spear and Dragon’s sword collided with a resounding blast. The spear burst, and both Yuhyun and I were pushed backward.

Impressively enough, he had already mastered the chained blade. If he could manipulate a weapon of that length so freely, even most skilled fighters would struggle to get close to him. The road beneath my straining foot cracked, and using that as his cue, Yuhyun charged at me like lightning.

“Don’t just rely on your eyes.”

Clang! A newly formed Blood Flame Sword met the Ruler’s Sword. The skill’s high rank allowed it to hold out against an SS-grade weapon—barely.

“Try using different methods! My stealth skill’s boosted by the jacket buff, basically putting it at S-rank. If you can deal with this, stealth skills won’t be a problem for you anymore!”

At my words, blue willow leaves began scattering around Yuhyun. Then, the leaves ignited into flame. Just like how Seong Hyunjae spread currents to detect invisible foes, this was Yuhyun’s method of sensing unseen enemies. Unless my stealth made me totally intangible like a ghost, dodging countless burning leaves was impossible.

As expected, every time a leaf brushed against me—

Clatter—

The Ruler’s Sword surged forward from an unpredictable angle, its tough scales clashing. The flame-wrapped chained blade sliced through the air with intense heat. Clang, clang! Our blades collided over and over. When the Blood Flame Sword could no longer hold and exploded, I batted away the chained blade with my gun barrel and forged a new sword.

At first, his attacks missed wildly, but gradually, they began to home in with precision. Just as it was getting tricky—

Crack-boom!

Scattering sparks, I jumped into the air. Then—

“Blue Willow Leaves.”

Invisible to him, my leaves began mixing with the fiery ones. Yuhyun’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He must have wondered what was going on. He couldn’t see them. I released my stealth skill. Yuhyun, seemingly waiting for that, reverted his blade to sword form and charged at me, shrouded in deep blue flames. As I looked down at my brother leaping off his own willow leaves, I released the invisibility on mine.

“…!”

In an instant, the newly visible leaves danced and clouded his vision. Yuhyun flinched and froze up for a moment. Of anyone, he was surely the most startled. After all, it was his own skill. Without missing the opening, I teleported. Clang! I barely blocked the Ruler’s Sword with a dagger, bent my arm, and drove my elbow into Yuhyun’s chest. My powered blow sent him flying, his back slamming into the exterior wall of a building.

Boom!

A crack formed in the wall, and then it crumbled, the two of us tumbling inside. The interior seemed empty—probably because the finer details hadn’t been imagined. I quickly pinned Yuhyun beneath me, slamming my knee into him and whipping a wire around the Ruler’s Sword to yank it away. Even though it was an S-rank wire I pulled from the point shop, the blade began grinding through it—bit by bit, it frayed and wore down.

“Ugh, hyung! That just now—!”

“When a skill’s rank goes up, it can become invisible. No need to explain how useful that is, right?”

Yuhyun’s eyes widened, then he immediately broke into a bright smile. Only for a moment though—just as the wire snapped completely, the black blade curved and stabbed toward my back. I threw myself backward, spinning in midair to avoid the strike and landed. In that time, Yuhyun kicked off the ground and charged again.

There was no time to forge a new Black Blood Sword. And no other weapon could properly block the Ruler’s Sword. To slow his charge, I scattered cold mist and shards of pure white ice at my feet, then detonated a bomb.

KWA-BOOM!

The floor collapsed beneath me as the building crumbled. Simultaneously, I used stealth and teleported behind Yuhyun. From his perspective, it would’ve looked like I fell straight down. I didn’t miss that brief opening—pulling out a new wire, I looped it around his neck. As I yanked it tight and swung a dagger, Yuhyun twisted his body just in time to narrowly avoid it.

A thin line of blood ran down his pale cheek, and it made my chest clench for a second—but I didn’t hesitate to kick him. The blow landed with a dull thud against his waist, but since I was still holding the wire, Yuhyun didn’t get knocked back. Which meant he absorbed the full brunt of the impact. I saw his clenched jaw, and then he slashed the wire and leapt back to put distance between us.

“Mixing stealth and teleportation—seriously annoying, hyung.”

“Plus I’ve got fire resistance, so you can’t stop me with flames either.”

“The willow leaves are a pain too. I never know when they’ll block my view.”

“You’ll be able to use them yourself soon enough.”

And other skills, too. …I wanted him to experience more. But at that time, I’d only used a few of Yuhyun’s skills. I should’ve tried everything. Some, like the shield, were obtained through special rewards or consumable items, so the current Yuhyun probably didn’t have access to them. I should’ve at least tested and practiced them myself.

I formed another Black Blood Sword and took my stance.

“You and I both still have plenty of unused skills.”

Especially Last Gate, that absurdly broken skill. Yuhyun’s lips curled into a smile. His eyes glowed brighter than usual, brimming with excitement. Anyone could see how much fun he was having. And I was too.

It wasn’t by the lakeside, but I activated Shadowless Day. At the same time, Yuhyun moved his magic. Shadowless Day clashed with that mana.

“Urk!”

Shadowless Day shattered and vanished like it had been destroyed! Wait—he learned to counter it already? No, hold on—

“Yuhyun, you used Last Gate!”

A wave of heat-infused mana burst outward. Both skills hadn’t been destroyed—his skill had absorbed mine and survived!

“Even narrowing it down so only my AoE support skills remain…”

FWOOOSH! Flames spread and began to melt the surrounding buildings.

“It’s doable. Not easy though.”

“You practiced a lot with Yerim, huh.”

But it’s only been a few days! You were busy the whole time—how did you even manage this? I tried to escape the area as his attacks came in, but before I could, a wire came flying toward me. Even with stealth active, it wrapped perfectly around my leg.

Everything was engulfed in flames. The effect of Last Gate melted—buffing fire attribute skill power, weakening other attribute skills, increasing cumulative stats, and lowering defense against metal and minerals.

CRACK!

My weakened S-rank dagger snapped in an instant. The black blade skimmed past my shoulder. I quickly used the blood that spilled to forge a new Black Blood Sword—only then could I properly meet Yuhyun’s attacks. The force of our clashes had clearly gotten stronger. The buildings kept melting, and Yuhyun’s stats were still rising.

This really is broken!

Yuhyun didn’t give me a second to cut the wire around my ankle, swinging his sword again and again. Thankfully, the fire skill boost applied to me too. Every other element was a disaster, though.

‘I need to get out of here somehow.’

But he wasn’t leaving any openings. If I used poison, it’d burn before it even touched him. Elemental skills were useless, and Combat Insight couldn’t help either. His attacks were coming in too fast and too close—it didn’t matter if I saw them coming, I couldn’t create an opening.

Left with no choice, I gritted my teeth and—

“Guh!”

—I caught the Ruler’s Sword not with the Black Blood Sword, but with my arm. Blood splattered, and the pain made my vision spin. Sorry, Yuhyun. I reflected the pain back to him at double intensity.

“…Ugh!”

He staggered briefly, caught off guard by the unexpected agony. I kicked him away and simultaneously used a healing skill on my arm, cutting the wire binding my leg. Yuhyun flew back, slamming into a half-melted wall. He quickly got to his feet and locked eyes with me.

“The pain can be reduced with anesthetics, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Dulls your senses too.”

It worked for Seong Hyunjae because he had Combat Insight—even with dulled senses, he could still fight. I spread my wings and soared out of the Last Gate zone. Willow leaves fluttered as Yuhyun chased after me.

This time, let’s head toward the lake—where things work in my favor.