The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 423: Good Night

‘The back of his hand is fine.’

I checked Yuhyun’s hand under the bright light. Clean. No marks at all. That meant the contract was still intact. Seong Hyunjae had mentioned his breath stopping for a moment, but maybe that was just a side effect of the mana imprinting rather than some kind of attack.

Relief washed over me, though part of me had hoped the contract would break from all this chaos.

“Just so you know, even if I look dead, don’t give up right away. It might not be real death. There could be a way to bring me back.”

“Like in the Japanese dungeon?”

“Exactly. There’s all kinds of weird stuff in the world now.”

“I get it. But I won’t be able to hold out for long.”

“Right, not much. Just a day—”

“About an hour?”

“…Hey.”

That’s way too short. What good is an hour? I’d already cut it down drastically by saying a day.

“If Park Yerim and Peace aren’t around, I’ll need time to contact them. Maybe I could manage a bit longer then.”

“R-right. Good of you to think of letting them know.”

Well, better than nothing I guess. Should I warn Yerim and Peace about this ahead of time? It’d be fine if I just stayed alive. I need to live a long time for Yerim’s sake… and I have no idea how to explain any of this to Peace.

Better to just live a long life. Unless someone’s an enemy, every goodbye hurts. At least I want to reach the point where we can part with less pain.

I moved to the next room and woke Mr. Noah the same way I’d woken Yuhyun. He bolted upright, eyes widening when he saw my eye color. Then his face broke into a relieved smile.

“Mr. Yujin, right?”

“Yeah. You’ve been through hell.”

“I’m just glad you made it back safely.”

“You must have been in so much pain. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. We were in the middle of a battle.”

Noah spoke like this kind of thing happened every day. He’s an experienced Hunter, sure, but Liette’s influence probably plays a big part in that attitude.

The me-lookalike showed up with some clothes—Yerim must have gotten back.

“…Hyung is still Hyung though, right?”

The pre-regression me glanced at the back of my neck.

“You shouldn’t be doing that as a little brother. Especially since that guy’s so fragile.”

Are you defending me or insulting me?

“Sorry, Hyung.”

“It’s okay. Just give me Grace.”

– CHIRP.

The blue bird fluttered over to me. I took Grace from my other self and settled her on my arm. After a quick wash and change of clothes, I headed downstairs to find Yerim, Yun Yun, and Young Chaos sitting at a table near the lobby. Thank god none of them looked hurt.

But what was that stuff on the table?

“…Is that alcohol?”

“I think this stuff actually works on Hunters! I figured it’d be hard to find clothes that fit, so I stopped by a Hunter supply shop on the way to the hotel!”

Yerim laughed, waving around an expensive-looking bottle. Right, they had those kinds of stores around this time. They did, but why bring it here?

“Yerim.”

I had to say something. At my serious tone, Yerim’s eyes went wide and she tilted her head. Cute, but I couldn’t let this slide.

“This is a dungeon.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I know you’re strong. I know you’re not in much danger with your teleportation skill. But a dungeon is still a dungeon.”

“Uh… is it because I went out without telling you?”

Yerim straightened up, looking a little nervous.

“That’s not the only issue. Yeah, leaving without telling me is a problem, but more than that, I’m worried you’re taking dungeon clearing too lightly. Before sunset it was safe, so that was fine. But bringing unnecessary stuff after hearing you need to be careful after dark? That’s careless.”

“…I just saw it on the way.”

“Right. But that moment of distraction can cause major accidents in dungeons. This isn’t advice from your guardian—this is from a fellow Hunter.”

“As a Hunter?”

“Yeah. It happens all the time. High-rank Hunters who shoot to success right after awakening, backed by good guilds without facing much hardship—they go through a period where their guard drops. There’s even a term for it: Hunter Spring.”

Yerim muttered “Hunter Spring” and nodded.

“I understand! I’ll be more careful!”

Her response sounded sincere, but it didn’t seem like she was taking it that seriously. Of course not. Even adults with plenty of life experience tend to brush off warnings that are just words. And that’s when their lives are on the line. Back when dungeons first appeared, there were countless accidents from people ignoring safety protocols.

No choice but for me to be more careful and prepared. Just then, Yun Yun spoke up with a pouty look.

“Boss Kim Seo-bang is such a nag.”

“…What?”

Ah, well. If it was nagging, then it was nagging. And this kid’s looking at me like I’m some stuffy guy in his forties or fifties. Hey, this body is twenty-five.

“And the alcohol too! It’s amazing! I brought it thinking Boss Kim Seo-bang would be happy, so I told him to drink it!”

“…Really?”

“Yeah!”

While Yun Yun probably wanted to drink it herself 90% of the time, it seemed Yerim had been thinking of me. I turned to look at her, feeling a bit guilty, and Yerim shrugged dramatically.

“You’re right though, Mister. So do you remember everything?”

“Ugh, yeah? No…”

“You remember.”

“Uh, um, a little. It’s been ages since I had Hunter alcohol!”

“You drank some in the Japanese dungeon too.”

How embarrassing. At least I was relieved I hadn’t said anything too weird to Yerim.

This wasn’t exactly the time to get drunk, but I sat down at an empty table anyway. Yuhyun immediately took his spot on one side of me while my other self sat on the other side, wearing a satisfied expression. His mood had definitely improved. Soon after, Seong Hyunjae and Song Taewon came downstairs. Both looked neat in light clothing. And both had barely dried their hair.

“A light drink should be fine, right?”

I got up and grabbed the liquor bottle. The label was completely worn off, but judging by the design, it was meant for mid-rank Hunters. Wouldn’t even hit like beer for the people here. Alcohol for mid-rank and above Hunters was basically just about taste. Since they couldn’t get drunk easily, it was at least supposed to please their tongues.

Before I could say anything, Yerim and Yun Yun vanished in a flash and returned with glasses. Everything from mugs to proper glass cups.

“Alright everyone, you’ve all worked incredibly hard. We’ve cleared one hurdle, so…”

I looked at Young Chaos, who nodded.

“Now that the moon’s gone, the dungeon itself should be weaker. Your nightmare will weaken too, firstborn.”

“And it’ll get even weaker when the sun comes up?”

“Because it’s a nightmare.”

So when dawn breaks, we catch the dragon, deal with what’s left of the Association area… and then we can head to Haeyeon, right? I stopped Yuhyun from getting up to help and filled his glass myself. Chief Song started to rise too, but I waved him back down.

“I said I’d pour for everyone.”

Even though his was a delicate teacup. Then I filled Seong Hyunjae’s coffee cup with alcohol too.

“This won’t match your refined palate, but have a drink.”

“How could anything offered by my partner not taste sweet? Even unripe barley wine in a humble cottage would be nectar.”

“Ah yes. Please enjoy the moon and flowers.”

“With a friend at my side.”

“Take care, Chief Song.”

Song Taewon’s fingertip twitched. I felt a little bad for subtly pushing Chief Song into being Seong Hyunjae’s friend.

“Mister, me too!”

“You get juice.”

“You said it’s for mid-rank! Then I won’t get drunk!”

“Even if you don’t get drunk, no. And no regular alcohol either.”

“Boss Kim Seo-bang, I’m over a hundred years old!”

“Three years old is pushing it, so I’ll be generous and count it as ten, making you thirteen.”

Both of you come back when you’re adults.

After serving Mr. Noah, I poured a drink for the pre-regression me too. Never imagined I’d be serving alcohol to myself. Finally, Yuhyun filled my glass. The drink was sweet with a slight spicy kick—quite delicious. Of course, I didn’t get drunk.

“You said you need two guards. What time should we switch shifts?”

“No switching.”

Young Chaos looked at Seong Hyunjae.

“You, come. The rest of you, go sleep.”

“What? But Old Man, my conscience is bothering me a bit if we don’t even rotate.”

Plus, they were the two oldest. Also the strongest, but I felt reluctant making the eldest stay up all night.

“I’ll take a shift, Old Man.”

Chief Song stood up. Despite being in the form of a teenage boy, he spoke politely to the transcendent being, having apparently decided to treat him as an elder.

“What are you doing with those dark circles? Go sleep.”

“I’m fine.”

“This firstborn always brings someone just like himself. Go on now.”

Chaos spoke firmly, raising his eyebrows. Song Taewon hesitated but finally answered, “Yes.” He looked reluctant, but Chief Song really needed rest.

I glanced back at Seong Hyunjae, who was draining his glass—well, coffee cup—without offering any particular response.

“Mr. Seong Hyunjae, won’t you be tired?”

“The way I’m feeling right now, I don’t think I could sleep anyway. Unless Han Yujin plans to put me to sleep?”

“I’ll pass. My skill probably wouldn’t work on you anyway.”

Well, it hadn’t been long since all that chaos, so his nerves were probably still on edge. Especially since this was the first time Seong Hyunjae had fought blood relatives with actual bloodshed. That wouldn’t settle down easily.

I told Young Chaos and Seong Hyunjae to take care, then headed toward the guest room elevator.

“Little Kim Seo-bang! Let’s have a pillow fight! I’ve always wanted to try one!”

Yun Yun said excitedly. This kid seemed to think she was on a school trip instead of in a dungeon. Understandable given the environment.

“You might break a wall or window.”

“I can control my strength perfectly!”

Yun Yun answered confidently, arms crossed. Yerim looked drawn to the idea too. She didn’t speak up first, probably because of what I’d said earlier. Right, we were in a hotel, and a little playing before bed should be fine.

“Don’t play too long. Just a bit, then go to sleep, okay?”

“Okay!”

“Oh, do you want to play too, Mister?”

“No. Your hyung needs to go to bed early.”

“Angel-nim should play too!”

“What?”

Yun Yun grabbed Noah’s arm. He looked flustered but didn’t seem to dislike the idea. Right, if Mr. Noah was with them, I could relax a bit more. But would it be okay?

“I’ll keep watch. If it’s in the inner room of the largest suite, it should be fine even if something breaks.”

Chief Song offered. I was about to tell him to rest, but I felt more gratitude than annoyance, so I just thanked him. With Chief Song’s personality, he’d have trouble resting comfortably here anyway. Besides, he’d be like a teacher supervising kids having a pillow fight.

‘He’d be good at that.’

Before awakening, he would have made a good police officer, but I also thought he’d be perfect as a teacher. A position where he could protect, guide, and educate children. He would have been very popular. If Chief Song hadn’t had such negative feelings about himself, I wondered if he might have turned toward teaching.

“Play reasonably and then go to bed. It’s not very dangerous, but don’t be too loud.”

“Should I freeze the window for soundproofing?”

“No need. Freeze the curtains instead of the window. That way the glass stays safe even if a pillow goes flying by mistake. If it breaks, grab Mr. Noah and Chief Song and get out quickly.”

Hotel windows were often entire walls after all. I wanted to just tell them to sleep quietly, but this was time to play. Especially for Yerim—after awakening, she probably couldn’t play like this with her non-Awakened friends. Even controlling her strength, it would make teachers and parents anxious.

Yun Yun was still a child when you thought about it. She’d scared people, but this dungeon might be the first time she’d ever played with a friend.

The pillow fight group, armed with plenty of snacks, headed for the largest suite. My little brother and I, along with the me-lookalike, found a large guest room on a middle floor.

“There was a time when there was a movement against disposable products.”

I squeezed toothpaste onto the provided toothbrush. The me-lookalike nodded in agreement.

“Now we just dump all the trash in dungeons.”

Environmental problems had been so serious they were considered dangerous, but now they’d completely disappeared. Ironic that dungeons, created for destruction, were also playing a role in saving the world.

“It’s weird looking in a mirror side by side.”

The pre-regression me commented. We were brushing our teeth the same way with the same hand, like we’d practiced. If this situation continued, honestly, it wouldn’t be pleasant. Was this why most doppelganger stories were negative?

To be completely honest, even though I’d suggested it first, I really didn’t want my place taken by another me. Right, I hated it.

“I want to hit you once.”

“You’re talking about yourself.”

“Hyung, let’s go to bed quickly.”

Yuhyun grabbed both our arms and pulled us along as we rinsed our mouths simultaneously, then glared at each other simultaneously. I was only putting up with this and going to bed for my little brother’s sake. That guy was probably thinking the same thing.

This really felt like shit.