The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 401: Sunset (5)

I pushed the cart through the lavishly decorated hotel lobby, my eyes immediately finding the other me sitting in one of the plush chairs arranged in the corner of the spacious room. Naturally, he’d taken off his padded jacket once inside, but—wait, why was he taking off his pants?

My little brother knelt on one knee before him, his body bent forward as he examined the other me, who wore a troubled, awkward, and bewildered expression. What Yuhyun was carefully inspecting was my leg—specifically, the injured one.

“Hey, Yuhyun. I’m here, and so is the Sesung Guild Leader.”

The other me finally noticed us and tapped Yuhyun on the shoulder, embarrassed. At least the padded jacket covered down to his thighs. Yuhyun stood and looked back at me.

“Why didn’t you get angry at me even once?”

“…Huh?”

The other me on the sofa shook his head as if he hadn’t said anything. Well, there was no way I would have said anything unnecessary to twenty-year-old Yuhyun. I studied my little brother’s slightly stiff expression.

“Why would I get angry at you? Nothing has happened yet.”

Sure, my little brother had suddenly run away from home, which caused me plenty of heartache, but other than that, there wasn’t much to speak of. Just guys chasing after nonexistent crumbs and scammers latching onto me.

“It’s something you don’t even remember, and it’s not like you actually did it.”

How much had he figured out? There’s no way I would have told him that he’d coldly chased me away when I went to him to fix my leg. It was probably just—why did you leave me injured like that?

“Still, to you, hyung, it would have felt like it was me, right?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah.”

I nodded reflexively, but my mouth felt dry. It’s my little brother—both of them. Both are Yuhyun, but still.

“I’ll heal you as soon as possible.”

Yuhyun said this while looking back at the pre-regression me, at my leg. I could clearly see the difference between the injured and healthy leg. A long scar wrapped around the relatively thin limb.

It wasn’t that I couldn’t use that side, but it would inevitably grow weaker over time. That was actually much better than before. When I’d just injured my leg and couldn’t use it properly, the muscles had simply wasted away. But at that point, it was at a normal level. The healthy side moved more diligently and with greater force, making it sturdier.

“…What are you staring at so intently? It’s your own leg.”

The pre-regression me said gruffly. I hated showing my injured leg to others.

“The scar could be erased now if you used a good potion, couldn’t it?”

“Forget it. What’s the point of being fine on the outside? Especially in a dungeon.”

“You sit down too, hyung.”

Yuhyun said to me.

“No, I’m fine—”

Ugh. My little brother didn’t even listen and grabbed me, pushing me down into a chair. The me in the chair beside me gave me an “I told you so” look.

“Hey, wait a minute! You can just roll it up—just roll it up. Or you could cut it!”

“Take it off.”

The bastard that was me said. That damn bastard! It feels strange telling myself to go to hell.

“It looks to be at least a year old.”

Just then, Seong Hyunjae approached me as I clutched the bundle of padded jackets. I flinched and sent a wary glance his way. Regardless, Seong Hyunjae slowly bent his upper body.

“May I have a look?”

“What?”

“Your leg.”

The pre-regression me, pressed against the back of the chair, narrowed his eyes.

“You’ve seen it before, so why again… huh?”

Huh? A bewildered sound escaped my lips too. He’d seen it before? Could it be?

“Do you remember something?”

“No, that’s—what am I saying?”

I shook my head, flustered. But it was definitely the reaction of someone who had met Seong Hyunjae before the regression. What had happened? Since the pre-regression Seong Hyunjae and the current one were the same yet different beings, had that affected something? I didn’t know the details, but—

“Mr. Seong Hyunjae, please feel free to have a look.”

“What? Hey!”

“I give my permission. Therefore, it’s mutual consent.”

Anyway, I am me. The other me glared at me fiercely like a cornered beast. The healthy leg tried to kick Seong Hyunjae without fear, but he caught it lightly with a thud. Oh my, the savory smell was already wafting before the seaweed was even stir-fried.

The only problem was that I found myself in a similar situation. Did being two of me mean double the embarrassment? Yuhyun examined my leg with a serious expression.

“The bone…”

“It doesn’t hurt now—aaack!”

“It doesn’t hurt?”

“It hurts when you press it! When you press it!”

“I only pressed lightly. At this rate, doesn’t it hurt every time you walk?”

“No, it doesn’t. Walking is fine.”

Without crutches or a cane, I did feel some pain, but it wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t walk. Yuhyun ground his teeth.

“I cut it too cleanly. I should have slowly crushed it.”

“If you run into him again, stomp on him.”

Since he’s still alive—he is alive, right? Meanwhile, Mr. Seong Hyunjae seemed to be having a good time. He rested his elbow on the armrest and cupped his chin, watching the me who was about to die of embarrassment under the Sesung Guild Leader’s scrutiny.

“Do you remember anything else?”

“Nothing! Wait a minute, why are you taking off my socks!”

“It’s to see the extent of the reaction.”

Hahaha, serves you right. No, wait a minute.

“Yuhyun, that leg is fine—hey, hey.”

“It’s bruised. There’s a scar on the knee too. I’m upset, hyung.”

“You can get a little bumped and fall sometimes in life. What’s the big deal? It’s fine, it’s fine.”

So please give me my pants back now. Thank goodness the cardigan is long.

“Mr. Seong Hyunjae, shouldn’t you take a look at that side too?”

As Yuhyun stood up, I said through clenched teeth.

“Of course I should.”

“What do you mean, of course! My little brother looked at it just fine!”

“Everyone looks differently, so wouldn’t it be better if several people checked?”

“No, thank you.”

He said bluntly and quickly grabbed his pants. I could feel Seong Hyunjae’s gaze fixed on my leg. He seemed unhappy with my condition—not at all pleased. He wore a slightly sullen expression, then, as expected, turned his attention to the pre-regression me putting on his pants.

“With surgical treatment and a high-rank healer, it can be treated without difficulty.”

“I refuse.”

I said with my head slightly lowered. I let out a short breath with a downcast expression, then looked up at Seong Hyunjae.

“A high-rank healer won’t move for loose change. I don’t have the ability to repay you.”

“It can be handled as guild member welfare benefits. It depends on the grade and contract terms, and there’s the problem of it being a pre-registration injury, but I am the guild leader, am I not?”

“You’re more of a jerk than I saw on TV.”

Though it trembled slightly, the voice was blunt. Really, my guts are completely outside my stomach. He must have figured out the situation and realized he couldn’t do anything to him, but still—an F-Rank with no fear resistance facing a born S-Rank.

“I’ll heal you, hyung, so don’t worry. Both of you.”

Even though these would have been words he’d longed for, the pre-regression me quietly averted his gaze. Yuhyun’s face also clouded as he looked at me. T-that, um, ugh.

“Uh, let’s get ready for the night! Are all the curtains drawn? Is it enough to just draw the ones in the rooms we’ll be staying in?”

“On my way here, I saw that curtains in three places were open.”

“You have good eyes. Then I’ll ask Mr. Seong Hyunjae to handle that.”

Just in case, it would be best to have as many curtains drawn as possible. Seong Hyunjae nodded and walked to the elevator, heading up.

“Yuhyun, is there a kitchen here?”

“Yeah. It was on the first floor.”

“Then can you organize the things we bought from the supermarket? It would be great if you could get ready to cook too.”

Yuhyun said he would and pushed the shopping cart toward the restaurant next to the lobby. Then we—

“Let’s tear off that decorative cloth over there and cover the glass walls and doors.”

It probably meant “don’t let people see inside from the outside” rather than just “draw the curtains.” I went into the lounge, which was set apart from the restaurant, with the other me. The pre-regression me took out a wire with a hook from his inventory. The hook, with its sharp edge, was thrown at the cloth hanging from the ceiling. And RIP—it cut through the cloth in one go.

I stopped collecting the bundle of fallen cloth and took off my cardigan, putting it in my inventory. The heating was on, making it somewhat hot.

“You really…”

“No, this is an item—equipment.”

Of course, the sight of me wearing a Chinese-style outfit, a jacket, and a cardigan probably looked ridiculous! But my fashion sense isn’t that bad. It’s on the normal side.

“You said the cardigan was an item too. Can they be layered?”

“The effect type and grade difference are quite large, so it’s fine, but I just wore it for warmth. This is magic beast wool. It’s warm just as clothing.”

Even though I made an excuse, the me-like guy had a very suspicious look in his eyes. Why don’t you believe me?

“The padded jacket didn’t go into the inventory.”

“Well, of course—wait. Since this is a dungeon, are regular clothes also dungeon items?”

Considering that, I suppose so. I picked up a small vase on the table and tried to put it in my inventory.

[Error! Cannot put in inventory!]

Yes, an error. This dungeon was a complete mess. It seemed that only items that were originally dungeon items, like the grappling wire I’d just used, could go into the inventory.

“To be honest.”

I said, glancing toward the restaurant where Yuhyun had gone. Even an S-Rank Hunter wouldn’t be able to hear from this distance, so it should be fine.

“I can’t promise that I can take you outside.”

“Right.”

A calm reply came back, as if he’d been expecting it.

“But if possible, I’ll find a way to get you out somehow.”

“Why?”

The other me looked at me. His downcast eyes were heavy.

“There’s nothing good in it for you. I’m not very useful.”

Those words were true. The me in front of me only had the Perfect Nurturer title. And since he was younger than the me just before regression, the total amount of future knowledge he possessed was also less. Of course, there were things I could do, but it wasn’t enough to go through the trouble of taking him out, frankly speaking.

It would be better to take out other S-Ranks instead. Yerim might be there too.

But—

“This is a secret from Yuhyun, but I know you’ll keep it.”

I continued, rolling up the second bundle of cloth.

“I probably won’t live long.”

“What?”

“My physical condition isn’t good. I don’t plan to give up easily, and I’ll try to live longer, but I think there’s a limit.”

“Aren’t you and I the same body? Did you regress because you had an incurable disease or something?”

“It’s different. The current me has several high-grade skills I can’t handle. I have two L-Rank titles and five L-Rank skills attached to them.”

The other me gave me a suspicious look. It must be hard to believe.

“Besides that, there are other problems, so my body can’t handle it. Since my body is still F-Rank.”

“If you don’t use the skills?”

“I’m not in a position to avoid using them. I can’t die right now just to extend my lifespan a little.”

I never dreamed that the first person I would confess this to would be myself. Because I knew better than anyone what kind of guy I was, because I could trust him, my mind was at ease and the words flowed smoothly. If you think about it, isn’t it like talking to myself?

“So I want you to be there. For our little brother. I think you can live a long time if you take good care of your health from now on. If I ask an elder I know, I think it might be possible to raise your grade.”

Though you’ll have to work hard. If you’re just mid-rank, you can probably live past a hundred easily. It’s hard to become a transcendent being like Young Chaos, but since the teacher is good, you never know—maybe even S-Rank.

“Yuhyun—if I’m not there, he probably won’t be able to live. After about a hundred years, he would have lived as long as a normal human, so it might be okay, but ten or twenty years isn’t okay. It could be even shorter.”

There’s a mountain of things to do, so I can’t make any promises. It’s not just because of my physical condition—there’s always the possibility of other problems arising.

“But you are me, so if you are there—ugh!”

My collar was grabbed roughly, as if I’d been snatched. The other me growled low.

“What kind of bullshit are you talking about, you damn bastard?”

“Bullshit, you say—”

“Shit, you really—”

My body was pushed. I staggered and fell onto the long sofa. The pre-regression me bent his knees and pressed down on my abdomen without hesitation.

“Keuk—hey!”

It hurt! Wait a minute—Grace? Grace? Don’t tell me you didn’t nullify the damage because that’s me? Or do you also think I said something that deserved a beating?

“You are different from me.”

His cold, angry eyes looked down at me. They also seemed sad.

“You already feel it, don’t you? That’s why you’re spewing bullshit about being a substitute.”

The corners of my mouth, my eyes, contorted.

“Because I’m just an F-Rank and you’re not. Damn it, I’ve been called a lump of inferiority complex plenty of times, but I never thought I’d do this to myself.”

“The thing we were jealous of was being by our brother’s side, right?”

“Right. You—I’m so happy for you. To be acknowledged enough to enter a dungeon like this together.”

My hand grabbed my neck. The expression said he wanted to just squeeze it.

“I tried hard not to think about it. I’m a monster, and Yuhyun—yeah, he looked good. But to pull me out and fill your empty seat. You cheap bastard. If I were better than you, would I have spouted that bullshit? You’re doing that because you’re confident you won’t lose your place while you’re still alive.”

“Honestly—ugh, you’re right.”

I knew very well that I was doing something cheap.

“But you are me. You’ll accept it, won’t you?”

Even if the roles were reversed. I’m not the kind of bastard who would let Yuhyun die. Ugh, I could hear the faint sound of teeth grinding.

“Crazy bastard. No matter what—still. Are you really me? I do care about my brother, I really do, but—”

“Yuhyun died.”

I froze.

“Because of me. While trying to save me. That’s why I regressed—”

THWACK. One side of my face went numb. My lip might have split.

“What are you talking about? That’s—”

“It’s crazy, right? Then—would I be in my right mind?”

“Why did Yuhyun die!”

Another fist flew. This time, I was ready and dodged it narrowly, then kicked his leg—the injured side. Ugh, as he staggered, I rolled my body off the sofa. My body hit the floor, but I didn’t stop and rolled once more. As expected—

THUD!

A knife was stuck in the floor. Shit, you murderous bastard. Still, it’s me.

“And you call yourself a hyung! Wait a minute—you, the title, could it be…?”

“That’s right.”

“Y-you son of a bitch!”

Seeing me pull out the knife, I quickly rolled under the table. Since one leg was uncomfortable, it was harder to attack when the opponent was in a low position. So the other me took out a spear instead of a knife. Instead of bending his body, he brought both knees to the floor as if sliding and thrust the spear low.

“Just die! Shit!”

“I was trying to!”

I took out the shield that had been sitting in my inventory and blocked the spear. THUD! With the sound, my body was pushed back. I guess my grade really had gone up. It was too strong to be just a level difference. He grabbed the heavy table leg and spun his body, sending a low kick that seemed to sweep the floor. At the same time, he threw the spear into the air.

The special effect of that spear flashed in my mind. Are you really trying to kill me! If I got pushed back by the kick, I’d be exactly at the spear’s landing point. And it was a spearhead that would come down vertically and hard. I quickly took out a dagger and stuck it in the floor to keep from being pushed back.

“But why are you still alive! Perfectly fine!”

“That’s what I’d like to know!”

I cursed at myself again. It was a relief, in a way. Who else would get this angry for my sake? Yuhyun had also said he was glad he was the one who died.

“Hyung!”

Perhaps because of the loud commotion, Yuhyun came running. He quickly grabbed the me who was attacking me and examined me with worried eyes.

“Are you okay? What on earth happened? Hyung?”

For some reason, tears started to flow. The other me was crying too.