The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 412: The Night Has Come (4)

Rosy meat poured onto the well-heated griddle. The sizzling sound filled the air along with a delicious aroma. The lid of the steamer opened, releasing white steam in billowing clouds, and the red-cooked lobster was lifted out with tongs.

A pot full of rice was pressed into bowls, and in no time, about a third of it was gone. It was a commercial rice cooker, so it held about 20 servings, but I was worried it wouldn’t be enough. Just the head count was nine people.

After I had scooped and served all the rice, I was about to serve the seaweed soup when I saw the pre-regression me standing blankly in front of the refrigerator. It was the refrigerator with the cake box.

“What’s wrong?”

I approached and asked, and he glanced at Yuhyun, who was grilling the meat, and then opened his mouth with a voice as small as a mosquito’s.

“The day hasn’t passed yet.”

“The cake, you mean.”

“He said my birthday was far off in the outside time, and besides…”

The pre-regression me bit his lower lip slightly.

“Is he there?”

“I don’t know.”

We both simultaneously remembered the fact that we had been trying to put off. Is Yuhyun inside the Haeyeon Guild, which is still blocked?

“I’m going to go tomorrow. When the day breaks. I think it will open if we just take care of the Association’s side.”

“Right.”

I picked up the ladle, and the other me laid out the soup bowls. When I opened the lid of the soup pot, another cloud of white steam billowed up. The water that had formed on the lid dripped down. I ladled the richly brewed seaweed soup into each bowl. I also added a generous amount of meat. The glossy soup looked so warming just by looking at it.

I put kimchi and other side dishes on plates, and also washed and shook the lettuce wraps. I scooped some ssamjang and added salt to the sesame oil. The savory smell tickled my nose.

“There’s more rice and soup, so let me know if you need more~”

I attached a table to the counter where the griddle was placed and brought over chairs, and seeing them all sitting in a row, I felt a sense of satisfaction for no reason. Seong Hyunjae brought out the steamed lobster and sashimi on separate plates.

“Put kimchi on it too! You don’t know how to grill.”

Yerim chimed in and took the tongs, then put the whole kimchi on the griddle with a thud. Yun Yun was already busy eating. Her cheeks, stuffed with a meat wrap, were chubby.

“You eat too, Mr. Yujin. The other Mr. Yujin too.”

Noah said, politely holding his chopsticks. Seong Hyunjae put on vinyl gloves and began to disassemble the steamed lobster. A plump piece of flesh oozed out from the claw that was lightly cracked with a thud. Young Chaos picked up the flesh that had been extracted with skillful chopsticks and ate it.

“Hyung, hurry up and sit.”

Yuhyun gestured. We brought a chair to the inside of the counter and sat down. My little brother, as if it were a matter of course, seated me on his left and the other me on his right, and then made a satisfied expression.

“Look at Han Yuhyun, he’s dying of happiness. He must be full even without eating. Mister, just starve him.”

Yerim picked up a piece of meat with an “I can’t believe I’m seeing this” look. Chief Song, who was sitting at the very end, quietly but steadily moved his chopsticks. Seeing his full bowl of rice quickly emptying, I felt good too.

“Eat a lot.”

Since it was a bit far, I put the cooked meat on a separate plate and handed it to him. Of course, I didn’t forget the vegetables. And the lobster too.

“Yerim, do you want another bowl?”

“I’m faster.”

“No, I’m faster!”

Yerim and Yun Yun, who had emptied their bowls at a similar speed, disappeared with their bowls in their hands. And then—

“Ack!”

“Ouch!”

They bumped into each other in front of the rice cooker. Oh dear.

“Bring Mr. Song Taewon’s share too.”

In the meantime, Chief Song had also emptied his bowl cleanly. He eats well.

“Yes. Chief Song-ahjussi, throw it!”

At Yerim’s words, Song Taewon hesitated. Throwing a rice bowl is a bit much.

“I’ll go.”

“Give it to me.”

Why are you going back and forth? I took the bowl and handed it to Yerim. Song Taewon looked at me, and then at the other me for a moment. Come to think of it, even though there was another me, Chief Song didn’t say anything. He was calm, as if he had expected it.

“The sun has set, should I go and guard the door?”

At my question, Young Chaos, who had been eating his soup, raised his head.

“He’s not moving now, so it’s fine. But you’ll have to choose one of the two.”

“One of the two?”

“The moon or the dragon.”

I saw the message that a dragon would appear. But the moon. He must be talking about Crescent Moon.

“Fortunately, they don’t come out at the same time. You just have to block one of them.”

“How strong is the dragon?”

His red eyes looked at me quietly.

“Your nightmare, firstborn.”

My nightmare. I took a short breath. Lautitars.

“It’s hard to catch it even if it just comes out, but it must have gotten a dungeon buff. No way.”

How can I catch that? I can’t catch it.

“Is the moon Crescent Moon, by any chance? And he’s a transcendent being…”

Either way, there was no answer.

“Isn’t there a third option? Like quietly hiding in the hotel.”

“If you’re lucky, the hotel might hold out. About a 30% chance.”

“30% is too low!”

In the meantime, all the moving chopsticks had stopped. I should have brought it up after we finished eating. It wasn’t something to say at the dinner table.

“There is a way.”

Young Chaos said that and then drank the rest of his soup. The others also finished their meal quickly.

“Bring me tea.”

“Tea? We didn’t buy any tea.”

“I’ll go get it!”

“Me too!”

Yerim and Yun Yun raised their hands again. Where are they going?

“No! The sun has set.”

“There’s a cafe on the floor right above, not outside.”

“Yeah, I saw it too.”

Ah, right. That’s right.

“I’ll go with you. Please give me your order.”

“Me, well, just a cafe latte. A hot one today.”

The three of them went to the cafe upstairs, and the remaining people started cleaning up. Except for the Old Man, of course.

“Are your legs injured?”

Chief Song asked the pre-regression me in a suggestive tone. The other me nodded, slightly flustered.

“Yes.”

Song Taewon didn’t ask for long and looked at me, and then at me and Yuhyun.

“Hyung, you go and sit down now. You too, Hyung.”

When Yuhyun and I were sent out of the kitchen, Yuhyun and Noah peeled fruit together, and Chief Song gathered the dirty dishes.

“You don’t have to do the dishes! It’s in a dungeon anyway.”

“But we’re still staying here for a day, aren’t we?”

Chief Song put on rubber gloves. I thought he would, but he really is a neat person. I sat at a large table next to the other me, cupped my chin, and looked towards the kitchen. It’s really nice to see Yuhyun and Mr. Noah together. They’re really good at peeling fruit too.

“It’s like looking at the same person, even their expressions are the same.”

Young Chaos said, looking at us.

“I’m taller than this guy. And I have a better body.”

“You’re only about 1 centimeter taller, and you’re acting so high and mighty. It’s like measuring the height of acorns.”

“1 centimeter? How tall are you?”

“178.”

“Why, since you’re lying anyway, why don’t you just say 180?”

Damn it, you annoying bastard. I kicked his leg under the table. He didn’t back down and kicked my leg back. Oh my, I just tapped him, but this bastard put quite a bit of force into it. Of course, I kicked him back harder.

“Secondborn! Look at the firstborns!”

“Hyung!”

Yuhyun lightly jumped over the counter and came to us.

“Use your words, use your words. You’ll get hurt. No, Hyung, you sit here, and you, Hyung, sit there.”

“We’re not fighting.”

“Right. We’re using our words.”

Even though I said it was okay, my little brother lifted me up in my chair. Then he dropped me to the side. Then he brought a chair and sat between us. Yuhyun took my hand and the other me’s hand.

“You have to get along.”

“We get along fine.”

“That’s right, we didn’t take out our weapons.”

“If we were on bad terms, we would have already stabbed him.”

“We’re trying hard not to get into a fight.”

“I’ll win anyway.”

“What did you say, you bastard?”

Chief Song stopped washing the dishes and looked at us. Mr. Noah came over, almost running, with a plate of fruit in both hands.

“Eat. And don’t fight.”

“Thank you, Mr. Noah. We’re not fighting.”

“Thank you.”

Chief Song, who had finished washing the dishes, also came to the table. Not long after, the people who had gone to the cafe also returned.

“Your cafe latte, as ordered.”

Seong Hyunjae placed a coffee in front of me and the other me.

“Grandpa, they say it’s pear and bellflower tea!”

A band of water swayed around Yerim’s body. Drink cups were lined up in the warm band of water. Tea was placed in front of Young Chaos, and drinks were also handed to Chief Song and Mr. Noah.

“Citron tea and Americano! Here, Han Yuhyun. A special flower tea.”

Hey, Yerim, Yuhyun’s teacup is half water and half dried flowers. It was like he was going to chew on grass instead of drinking tea.

“Want some coffee?”

“No, it’s okay.”

The pre-regression me, who had taken a sip of the cafe latte, muttered that it was sweet. Sweet, this is. But it seemed he didn’t dislike it as he put his lips to it again. Yerim and Yun Yun were slurping their ades side by side, and Seong Hyunjae was drinking some kind of green tea.

“So what should we do?”

I asked Young Chaos. Chaos, who was drinking the pear and bellflower tea, answered.

“The Crescent Moon here now is not complete. To be precise, it’s about the afterimage of its power. It has a purpose, but it’s in a state where it’s difficult to carry it out properly, and since it’s constantly weakening, it will try to find a shell.”

“A shell?”

“A body. There are plenty of them here, aren’t there?”

His red eyes swept over us.

“If you go out to where the moonlight reaches, your body will be taken.”

“Then should we just hide? How about going into the basement altogether?”

“If the moonlight can’t find a host and weakens, the dragon that was crouching will start to move. The dragon will aim for the firstborn and the secondborn. Just like the nightmare.”

My hand, which was holding the coffee cup, tensed. In front of me, that again.

“You said there was a way.”

“Give it to me.”

“What?”

“The body. An S-Rank is no good. It will become too strong. But there’s an F-Rank here, isn’t there?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to me, and then to the other me.

“Me?”

“Right. If it’s you, the firstborn, even if Crescent Moon takes over your body, it will end at about an SS-Rank. It might even be at an S-Rank level. Then the guys here can catch you.”

So, my body is so weak that even if Crescent Moon’s power possesses it, it won’t be a big deal. It’s a relief, but a little sad. On the other hand, if an S-Rank’s body is taken, it would probably be about an L-Rank.

“No.”

Yuhyun said flatly.

“I can’t let Hyung do something dangerous.”

“That’s right, Mister’s condition is already not good.”

“It’s not dangerous.”

Young Chaos took a sip of his tea and continued.

“Since it’s a temporary incarnation of Crescent Moon, the original body will be fine. But it will try to kill that guy according to Crescent Moon’s will.”

Young Chaos pointed his chin at Song Taewon. This time, a flurry of gazes gathered on Chief Song. Yerim, Noah, and Yun Yun, who didn’t know the detailed situation, tilted their heads. Yuhyun also looked a little puzzled.

Chief Song put down the citron tea cup he was holding.

“Then if I just leave this place, Crescent Moon won’t attack, right?”

“Why are you trying to go alone again! No.”

“The safest—”

“No, it’s not. If something happens to Chief Song, Crescent Moon, who has achieved its goal, will also disappear. Then the dragon will appear anyway, right?”

I said, looking back at Young Chaos. Chaos nodded.

“Probably so.”

“See.”

I stood up from my seat and continued.

“So it’s right for me to step up. You said it’s safe.”

“Hyung!”

Yuhyun also stood up. Not only Yerim, Noah, and Chief Song, but even Seong Hyunjae had an unwilling expression.

“It’s just a fight. This time, it’s an incarnation, so it’s even safer, so there’s nothing to be afraid of. You don’t like it?”

At my question, Yuhyun’s pupils rolled.

“That’s…”

“In fact, you’re in more danger, Yuhyun. He probably won’t go easy on you and will come at you, right?”

“He won’t go easy?”

My little brother’s mouth trembled slightly. I think he was about to smile. Is my eye mistaken?

“Yuhyun, you look happy.”

“No, that’s… yes. To be honest, I’m excited. After fighting with Hyung, everyone else became boring, and I kept thinking about Hyung…”

“To that extent?”

“Yeah, it was so good. For real.”

He was really happy then too, but to the point where fighting with others became boring. At Yuhyun’s reaction, Yerim’s eyes sparkled.

“I’d like to fight with Mister too. If he’s really not hurt.”

Yerim said, and Noah also added, “If he’s not hurt.” Of course, Yun Yun was disgusted.

“Then let’s get ready. If we get rid of Crescent Moon, do we not have to worry about the dragon?”

“The rabbit guy will block it.”

Since the Rookie is taking care of it, I’m even more anxious.

– CHIRP.

I took off Grace and handed it to the pre-regression me. The blue bird landed on the other me’s shoulder without any resistance. Since it was connected, it seemed to recognize us as the same person.

“You have it. If you have Grace, it will be harder to catch me.”

Then I also entrusted the wildcat jacket to Yuhyun. It would be troublesome if I got a stealth skill buff.

“I’ll take the other equipment as it is.”

If I have nothing, I might end up using my blood-like points. That won’t do.

The pre-regression me, Yun Yun, and Young Chaos decided to stay at the hotel. Young Chaos was also in a situation similar to an incarnation, so if his body touched another incarnation, he might have his body taken away instead. Yun Yun disliked fighting, and the pre-regression me was not a real human, well.

“Then, Old Man, I’ll be counting on you.”

If we fought here and a hole was made in the wall, it would be troublesome, so we decided to move to a place far from the hotel.

“Don’t let another guy touch the moonlight first. A short time is fine, but if you touch it for a little too long, your body will be taken.”

“Yes, I’ll be careful.”

After listening to the detailed precautions, we went out of the hotel. Fortunately, the subway was right in front, so we didn’t have to stay on the ground for long.

The moonlight shone down in patches on the pitch-black street. It moved at a high speed like a surveillance light, searching for something—probably Song Taewon. We stuck close to the wall where the moonlight couldn’t reach and looked at the subway entrance.

“Yerim, please. If he gets caught, teleport him right away.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Is this why he said to go with someone who can use teleportation or spatial movement? Since it would be tiring for Yerim to move everyone, we decided to move one by one to the subway station entrance, and if someone got caught, we would help them.

First, Chief Song ran out without a sound. His back safely disappeared into the subway, and then Seong Hyunjae also stepped out. Fortunately, everyone went down to the subway station without being caught by the moonlight.

A small light flickered in the pitch-black subway station where you couldn’t see an inch in front of you.