The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 325: Sibling Fight (5)

“What the hell are you doing!”

I tried to run up and grab him, but even staggering, he avoided my reach. Forcing out nonexistent moisture with mana, I used Cold Sigh. As I closed in on the now-sluggish Yuhyun, fierce flames surged violently, as if to keep me away. I couldn’t withstand the force and was pushed back. The Sigh vanished in an instant.

‘Damn it, in that state, Lullaby won’t work.’

Yuhyun’s focus was slightly hazy. It wasn’t a fatal wound—at least not for an S-Class Hunter. But for an ordinary person, it would’ve been life-threatening. Which meant dragging this out could get dangerous.

“Get a grip! Han Yuhyun!”

He didn’t seem to be in his right mind anymore. It looked like he was striking back out of pure instinct to defend himself. I hurriedly drank a mana potion and activated my teleportation skill. When I approached from behind, he thrust a dagger without hesitation. I caught it with my arm and used my other hand to pat his back.

“Calm down. It’s me—your brother.”

“…”

Yuhyun’s mouth moved as if to say something, but then his body went limp and collapsed. I caught him quickly. Thank god the skill worked.

“You little…! I told you—if you suffer a fatal shock even here, it’s dangerous!”

If both parties are S-Class Awakened, even in a fight, unless there’s a massive difference in stats, it’s not easy to kill each other. S-Class Hunters have a notoriously low death rate for a reason. Unless your head gets blown off in one hit, you can pour on potions and healing skills to keep them alive. That’s why there were ranking matches even for those precious few S-Class Hunters.

Unless you intended to kill your opponent outright, the ones around S-Class Hunters were in more danger than the Hunters themselves. Besides, I had Hunter Noah’s healing skill and brought plenty of potions, so I’d counted on being able to keep things safe.

“First, I have to pull the sword out to heal you…”

“…Hyung.”

His voice came out with blood, likely from damaged organs. Good thing this was just a mental world. If it were reality, I would’ve gone absolutely mad. Even now, just watching this mess made my stomach churn.

“Shut up and bite down.”

With the bleeding that heavy, it was better for him to damage his teeth than risk biting his tongue. I gripped the hilt of the Ruler’s Sword. The burning heat transferred to my palm. I took a short breath and pulled the sword out in one swift motion. CRACK—his clenched teeth made a harsh sound. I threw the blood-soaked sword behind me and immediately activated a healing skill while pulling out a potion.

“Spit out the pooled blood. Are your lungs okay? You’re not having trouble breathing, are you?”

An A-Class healing skill wasn’t enough to instantly recover from a serious injury. And potions, especially ones not from a dungeon mountain, were even worse. I really should’ve secured at least one elixir.

Still, the overflowing blood soon stopped. Yuhyun coughed harshly, vomiting up blood, then drank the potion I handed him. His focus returned to normal. I also replenished my mana and sat down, holding my brother in my arms. I soothed him by gently patting his back as he leaned against me.

Maybe because his master had lost control, the surrounding flames also began to subside. With nothing left to burn, the heat quickly dropped. My brother, resting his head on my shoulder, exhaled deeply.

“…Sorry.”

“You don’t owe me an apology. You should be apologizing to yourself.”

At my words, Yuhyun replied in a lowered voice, sounding a bit sulky.

“I told you I didn’t like it.”

“Huh?”

“That I was trying to swallow you whole.”

Ah… I remembered what we talked about in the Forest of the Black Ox dungeon. He had said that if he didn’t restrain himself, he would burn everything. That it was his nature.

“But you had fun. And more importantly, you stopped. On your own.”

Even I, just watching, had been tempted to let him do whatever he wanted—it had looked that satisfying. And yet, he stopped. After a brief silence, Yuhyun spoke.

“I like the me you raised and made.”

“…I don’t know if I’d go as far as to say I made you. I did raise you, though.”

“You did. Who I am now—you made me that way. Without you, I would’ve turned out completely different.”

Even as he said it, I found it hard to imagine. A Han Yuhyun who grew up without me. He would be different from Seong Hyunjae or Liette. Sure, they were all born S-Class, but every one of them was completely distinct. If there was a common thread, it was that they all stood in the predator’s position. Like putting a lion, an eagle, and a shark into the same category—it didn’t quite fit.

“Hmm, maybe you wouldn’t have made a guild. Maybe you’d be even more distant from people… They did say you might not have lived very long.”

“Maybe I’d have been a criminal even before awakening?”

My brother said lightly.

“Come on, not that far.”

“If you weren’t around, I wouldn’t have understood why I should hold back with people who annoyed me. Maybe I would’ve kept a low profile out of survival instinct while I was still unawakened—but after awakening? I’d have been a disaster.”

“…Yeah, modern society probably wouldn’t have suited you.”

In the old days, maybe he’d have founded his own nation. In a world where being strong alone attracted followers. Or maybe he’d be more like a hunter in a world overrun by monsters. The kind of dangerous Hunter people knew better than to mess with.

“I don’t just like who you are now—I can’t even imagine you being any different.”

“You never thought I was weird when I was little?”

“I was a kid too, what would I have known? I just thought you were acting that way because you were a child. Anyway, you were cute.”

To anyone, you looked like an adorable kid—people who only met you briefly often said you were pretty more than anything. Which made it even harder to understand our parents. Maybe I was the strange one. I did gain the Perfect Nurturer title for raising Yuhyun, but perhaps I’d already had that kind of aptitude all along. Like how some people are born without fear or are naturally affectionate—maybe I just didn’t feel the S-Class nature of a child to be alien.

“But Yuhyun.”

“I don’t want to.”

The moment I tried to bring it up, he immediately cut me off.

“I know what you’re trying to say. I don’t exactly enjoy living with restraint either. But it’s not all bad, is it? You too, Hyung—you said it yourself. You gave up a lot. I know that.”

“Well, I mean…”

I didn’t really have anything to say back. But even thinking it over, there wasn’t anything I particularly regretted not doing. Everything I did before dungeons appeared and Yuhyun awakened had been my own choice, and I didn’t regret it.

I definitely gave up a lot, but if you’re asking if it was a sacrifice… I don’t know. It was hard—but I was happy.

“Because what I gained from giving things up was far more valuable to me.”

“I feel the same.”

Yuhyun’s gaze rested on the flames still flickering nearby—blue fire with traces of black.

“Do I really… have to be perfect?”

“…No.”

I answered again.

“Just like you told me before—I love you no matter what kind of person you are. That’s why I didn’t want you to force yourself to hold back because of me. And besides, what person is ever perfect?”

At best, we just try to be a little better. If you’re already perfect, that’s the end. You stop, with no need to try harder or reason to change. Can you really call that kind of stagnation perfect?

“I make mistakes, and so do you. Hey, even Seong Hyunjae is a picky eater. For all his greatness, he still needed my help.”

“I like everything you give me, though.”

That’s still picky in its own way, though. I gave his hair a rough ruffle.

“Yeah, Yuhyun. Anyway, um. Good job. You held back well.”

Instead of asking why he held back, I praised him—and he smiled happily.

“I really liked fighting with you, Hyung. Seriously, it was the best.”

“Didn’t have to say it—I could tell.”

“Do you think we can do it again sometime?”

“Not often, but of course we can go another round. It’s good for you too. As long as you can stop when you need to. Next time, we do it safely.”

Suppressing everything completely isn’t right either. But letting go of it all isn’t okay, either. I could still see Yuhyun wildly unleashed in my mind, and though there was a tinge of regret, what mattered most was Yuhyun’s own will.

“About the color of your flames… do you think it’ll stay that way once we’re out?”

At my question, Yuhyun tilted his head.

“I don’t know. This place is kind of special. Besides, I think it was affected by the fire you used too.”

“Black Blood Flame?”

“Yeah. You said it was the flame you use five years from now, right? Maybe that’s why—it’s definitely stronger than what I use now. The skills have changed a lot, but the core’s still the same, so by clashing over and over, like it’s being forged? I think my skill leveled up too.”

Yuhyun added that fighting freely with me probably had a big effect as well.

“You can’t help me from outside, so I guess I’ll have to come back in here again.”

“The dungeon’s stable now, so once the guild cleanup’s done, I’ll have plenty of time, Hyung.”

“Hey, you’re a guild leader.”

“They can manage the dungeon without me, right?”

He said it in a bratty tone, as if asking for permission. Honestly, he probably didn’t want to leave this place.

“I think I could go another round after a short break.”

“Sun’s already up though. Look over there, it’s rising.”

“Want to change locations? One that favors you, then one that favors me—take turns.”

Yuhyun’s eyes sparkled—not just with excitement, but literally shimmered. He said one more time, so how did it become two?

Creak—ka-click.

That’s when it happened. A strange sound came from behind us.

“That sound just now…”

There shouldn’t be anyone here but us. Alarmed, I turned around. Yuhyun also raised his upper body from where he was leaning on me. Again—ka-ka-klak—the sound of scales grinding against scales. The Ruler’s Sword, corrupted. The black blade, soaked in blood, was trembling slightly.

The sword.

Suddenly, the words of Young Chaos came to mind. Though it was asleep now, it apparently still talked in its sleep now and then. Even if it was asleep, that meant the sword—the Black Dragon—still had its consciousness.

“…Shit!”

“Hyung?”

Goosebumps prickled all over my body. This was a mental world. A place where you could use even the powers you no longer had, as long as you remembered them. Which meant that monster, once L-Class, had entered this space.

If it woke up—or even just muttered in its sleep—

I immediately grabbed Yuhyun and used teleportation, moving as far from the Ruler’s Sword as possible, then ran without stopping.

“Hyung! Why—”

“Damn it, Yuhyun! Try to exit—can you get out?”

Yuhyun paused for a second, then shook his head. No, of course not. And right after—

From behind us, a crushing pressure exploded.

“…Tch.”

My legs nearly gave out. A fear resistance skill message popped up in front of my eyes. Yuhyun’s body also stiffened completely. Gritting my teeth, I teleported again. The moment we barely escaped the pit that used to be the lake—

RUMBLE!

The ground—no, the entire area—trembled violently. Unable to endure any longer, I collapsed to the ground, holding Yuhyun in my arms. His face was pale not just from blood loss, but from sheer terror. He stubbornly tried to move, but with our rank difference, all he could manage was to clutch at my arm.

“…Hyung, this…”

His voice, thin and breathless between gasps. Why hadn’t I predicted this? A wave of self-reproach surged up, but I forced it back down. This wasn’t the time to sit around regretting. I had to figure something out. Could it understand speech? If it was L-Class, it probably wasn’t just a mindless beast.

I clenched my fist. The deformed claws digging into my palm sent a pain that helped dull the pressure even fear resistance couldn’t fully block. Drawing a deep, ragged breath, I was just about to turn around when—

[Would you like to summon Young Chaos?]

A message window appeared. Was that even a question? Of course it’s yes! I gave my answer and turned my head. The already vast pit had expanded, now so large it seemed endless. Toward the sea—or perhaps it had connected to the sea entirely, as water began to flood in.

There, a massive black figure stood.

Instinctively, I held Yuhyun tighter in my arms. SSSHHHHH! The seawater around the black form constantly evaporated and rose again, over and over. Heat and steam swirled, creating a mirage-like haze that made it nearly impossible to get a clear look.

My heart pounded violently, and chills ran all over my body. Just turning my head to look—those few seconds felt like an eternity. The early morning light shone like a twilight at the brink of collapse. I didn’t even consider fighting. If it weren’t for the warmth in my arms, I would’ve given up everything and waited for the end.

But I forced myself to exhale the breath I’d been holding.

“Just a little more. Hang in there, Yuhyun.”

It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. As I struggled to steady my mind—

SCREEEEEEECH—!

A piercing sound ripped through the air, as if it would tear my ears apart. I couldn’t resist—my eyes shut tight from sheer instinct. The earth trembled again, and a monstrous roar followed. When the scream ended, silence fell over the area. The crushing pressure that had pinned my whole body also eased slightly.

Trying to shield my brother with my entire body, I managed to barely crack open my eyes. Through the haze, I saw a figure’s back. A familiar robe—but not loose, it fit snugly to the body. Long black hair, tied in a single strand, whipped in the strong wind.

“Been a while, Lizard.”

He greeted lightly.

The dragon growled ferociously once more.