The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 455: I’m Hospitalized, But (2)

“When I hear ‘cult,’ all I can think of is people on the street asking ‘do you know the Way’ or ‘your qi looks clear.’”

Yerim, who was on guard duty for me today, tore open a burger wrapper as she spoke. On the table were cola, fries, and wing–drums. Sadly, I had to fast. S–class would take turns at the hospital — Noah tonight, Yuhyun tomorrow, Moon Hyunah tomorrow night, and Seong Hyunjae the last night. If schedules slipped, Kim Seonghan and Evelyn were on standby.

A truly luxurious security roster.

“Before regression — should we eat in the next room?”

“No, it’s fine. Eat here.”

I must’ve stared without thinking.

“I was just wondering if that’s enough for a meal. You could order hospital food.”

“Burgers are secretly a complete meal. And tasty. Also pricier than they look.”

“Even so. How much?”

“Twelve thousand five hundred won for the set.”

What the. Prices went up after the dungeons, but that’s steep. A tidy bossam set with stew is only ten thousand. Twelve–five used to be two bowls of gukbap.

“I don’t really eat out, so… pricey. I thought it was cheap. It’s fast food.”

Convenience store burgers were three–four thousand, right? Fries and cola maybe four? Then the burger alone is eight thousand. It does look bigger than the convenience store ones. Yerim took a big bite.

– Is it good, Auntie?

“Want to try?”

After a moment’s thought, Gyeol hopped down onto the table. She picked up a fry.

– Can I eat this?

“Yeah, you can.”

With her being tiny, the fry looked like a huge baguette in her hands. She opened her mouth and nibbled the end.

– Salty!

“Want ketchup?”

– It might be okay as is.

Yerim squeezed some ketchup, but after trying a dip, Gyeol didn’t like it and just munched the fry plain, settling in and pulling out a second one like she’d taken a liking to it.

If we’re counting birthday, she’s still way too young — is fast food okay already? You’re supposed to be careful with babies. She’s not human, though.

“I don’t know much about dungeon–worship religions. Before, there were lots of little sects. From ‘dungeon breaks are right’ to ‘monster rights,’ lots of doomsday types too. And plenty promised salvation.”

“Aren’t today’s cults just the same old ones with dungeon–flavored doctrine? ‘End times’ and ‘salvation’ are still around. Some people believe in aliens instead of monsters.”

“Back then they were weak, so maybe it was similar. They did commit terror, though.”

The problem now is that S–class Hunters are involved. And the “god” they believe in is real enough to meddle directly. Not a true god, but it would feel like one.

“There are so many weird people. Of all things, dungeon breaks hurt people — why would they want that?”

“Because their faith matters more than lives. Even outside zealots like that, wars have been fought for less.”

There are plenty who harm others for profit — and plenty who risk their lives for others.

“Anyway, the issue is the blind ordinary followers. S–class will likely be tied to the Filial Duty Addicts crowd, so they’ll behave for a while. At worst, it’ll be like the gunshot the other day.”

“That’s not exactly ‘behaving.’”

“They can’t do anything life–threatening. But believers without direct ties to the Transcendents won’t have restraints.”

Thinking about it gave me a headache. At least in Korea, importing firearms is hard; overseas, we might have had machine–gun sprays and a few bombs at the Facility already. Even if only buildings were damaged, that’d be better — but there are non–awakened at both the Facility and the building. The thought made me frown.

“We did issue ballistic vests and low–grade barrier items.”

Plenty of mid–high–grade Hunters were stationed at the Facility and the building. For Team Seok Hayan, obvious targets, we assigned at least one A–grade Hunter full–time. Still, I worried.

“I thought blocking dungeons would be enough. What is all this.”

“Stop borrowing trouble. Your surgery’s tomorrow, Mister.”

– Chirp!

Chirp answered and floated onto the table. He went right up to Changeling and stared. Gyeol tilted her head.

– Want some?

– Chirp.

– Here.

She pulled out another fry and held it to Chirp. He stretched his little wings to grab it…

– Prii.

…flapped and fumbled, but of course couldn’t grab it.

– Chirp–chirp!

Indignant, he fluttered. Chirp… birds use beaks and feet instead of hands. You usually do too.

“It is inconvenient without fingers.”

Yerim finished her burger. As Chirp kept peeping, Belare slithered up onto the table too.

– Sss.

– Pyaak!

Those two get along so well.

Then the bell chimed. I opened the door with the remote, and Mr. Hoyeon, in a white coat, stepped in. Behind him was a middle–aged man who looked like a doctor.

“Hello, sir.”

“Oh — hello.”

…Huh? What he just said.

“You can speak Korean?”

“A little. Awkward.”

He mixed in Chinese as he answered, saying he’d learned it before.

“This is Dr. Kang Gyeongho, head of Orthopedics.”

“An honor to meet you, Director Han.”

The doctor bowed politely, making me feel bad. I bowed back and shook his hand.

“Please take good care of me. Are you awakened?”

“Yes. Mostly support skills rather than direct healing.”

He had skills useful for surgery. Turned out there were quite a few practicing doctors like that. Abroad, there are even people with CT–like scan skills. If they had time, they’d go out and scan passersby, find illnesses, and inform them — a hobby, he said. A fine hobby.

“If we want to minimize potion and healing skill use, Dr. Kang is the man.”

“You flatter me.”

“…That sounded like Chinese — do you speak it too?”

“I can understand it.”

Talented folks. And they looked close, though they couldn’t have known each other long.

“Since awakenings, many have taken an interest in Eastern medicine. Qi seems akin to mana, perhaps.”

I could see that. Mr. Hoyeon had talked about my pulse and meridians too.

“I’ll handle anesthesia; Dr. Kang will do the surgery. I’ll assist. We’ll use a bit of healing skill inside but suture the outside normally, so you’ll need crutches for a bit.”

“There’ll be scars,” Mr. Hoyeon added. Scars, whatever. I don’t care anymore. Bone would be fixed immediately, so there shouldn’t be sequelae. Skills really are amazing; in the past, perfectly fixing damage down to the bone would’ve been impossible.

They told me tomorrow’s schedule and left. When I said there’d be scars, Yerim looked pained.

“Mister really can’t keep using potions?”

“My mana engraving’s stabilized, so it’s better than before. Still, less is better. A few scars — so what. Before dungeons, that was normal.”

“Still.”

– Right, Dad. I’m upset too.

Jeez. I should avoid getting hurt, but that’s not always up to me.

In the evening, Mr. Noah came with Mingyu. Mingyu had dark circles.

“I’m the one hospitalized — why do you look worse.”

“In that last dungeon — yawn — a lot happened.”

No wonder I hadn’t seen him; he’d been holed up in the forge pulling all–nighters.

“I think I’m getting a feel for the dungeon maker’s domain. I want to fully make the forge my domain, but it’s not easy.”

“Uh–huh. Yeah.”

“I’m the owner, but someone else made it. First I have to completely understand the space, but I’m stuck there… so I’ve been disassembling and restoring bit by bit. It’ll take a while.”

So… not just tearing down a building, but the space itself — something like that.

“Still, thanks to a newbie’s help, my grip over the forge space grew a bit, so the Icewood Spear should upgrade to high–tier SS–grade.”

“Really?”

We’d aimed for SS–grade since we used an SSS–grade magic stone, but he’d warned it might end up mid or even low SS. High–tier SS?

“Yerim will be thrilled!”

“Don’t tell her yet, just in case. With the SS–grade stones from Japan, we might even make non–weapon items at SS.”

Wow. So that’s why master–apprentice training matters, even if Mingyu suffered for it…

“Your surgery’s tomorrow, right? I hope you recover smoothly,” Mr. Noah said, worried.

“It’s a non–vital area. Don’t worry.”

“You sound really hungry…”

Oh — did my stomach growl? Mingyu looked sorry too.

“I thought you weren’t doing anesthesia. Can’t you eat?”

“I’m not sure, but it has anesthetic–like effects. And — what was it — something about mana flow, so it’s better to fast a day.”

“Mm, the flow does differ a bit fed vs. fasted.”

Because acupuncture’s basically a skill? Still hungry.

“By the way, this is Changeling — the fairy dragon, Hangyeol.”

Mingyu hadn’t met her, I think. Playing mute, she sat up at my words and bowed.

– Hello, Uncle Mingyu. I’m Hangyeol. Please take care of me, Uncle Noah.

“Hello.”

“Nice to meet you too, Hangyeol.”

“She’s… like Grace, I guess. A beast I sort of created.”

“Then two more will be born.”

He knows too much. Somehow I’m about to be a father of three without ever dating.

Mr. Noah stayed to guard me, and Mingyu headed back first. I told him to sleep properly, but he only grinned — which worried me. He nags me to be careful and rest, and then…

The next morning, Yuhyun visited.

“Hyung…”

His eyes were pure pity for my fasting since yesterday.

“Once the surgery’s done, eat whatever you want for a day.”

“Thanks.”

“And then let’s work out. Please.”

He held my wrist, saying I looked even skinnier in a day. No difference at all.

“Base fitness matters. You have to manage from your twenties.”

“I was fine up to thirty.”

“You have to live a long time with me.”

– That’s right, hyung! Live long with Yuhyun! Iryn doesn’t ask for much, just a thousand years!

Iryn crawled onto the back of my hand, spun once, then stopped and looked at Changeling sitting primly at my side. Gyeol blinked, then raised a hand and waved.

– Hi.

– I’m not your uncle!

…What? Iryn calls me hyung, sure, but. Gyeol slicked her ears back and wrinkled her nose.

– I don’t think you’re my uncle either. I only have one uncle.

– But if Yuhyun’s an uncle, then Iryn is too!

– Not the same. Dummy.

– It is!

– It isn’t. And you’re a kid.

– If you count the egg, I’m super old!

– If you count magic stones, I’m way older.

Between a spirit’s egg and Diarma — the dragon probably lived longer. That dragonkin wasn’t young, and counting the past, Seong Hyunjae’s no spring chicken either. Huffing, Iryn stomped off to Yuhyun. Gyeol glanced at him for a reaction; when he didn’t give one, she lifted her head proudly again.

– Dad, that lizard’s noisy. Right?

Well… a little.

I fed my brother lunch — he’d wanted to fast in solidarity — and not long after, Mr. Hoyeon and Dr. Kang came to the room.

“Please take good care of him.”

Yuhyun bowed as politely as humanly possible. Gyeol, though she couldn’t speak in front of others, bowed along. You’d think we were doing life–or–death surgery. It’s just a leg.

“I thought all S–class Hunters were stiff–necked,” Mr. Hoyeon said, looking at Yuhyun.

“Even high–ranks — they’d beg for family treatment like they had steel rods in their necks. Your little brother’s very good.”

“Right? My little brother really is a sweetie. He was so admirable since he was tiny.”

“Close your eyes for a moment and it’ll be over. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried.”

I said it, but my heart thumped a bit. Without Fear Resistance, maybe I’d be scared. Even if it’s anesthesia–like, surgery without anesthesia is… mm, squeamish thought.

Soon I was moved to the OR, and per Mr. Hoyeon, I closed my eyes. My consciousness dipped for a moment — and when I opened them, I was back in the room. Wow. For real.