The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 532: Going to America (1)

A crescent-bladed polearm with a golden edge was gripped in the hand of a man older than anyone else. The blade’s tip traced a half-circle and pierced through its master’s palm. Drawing the blade lengthwise as if tearing through flesh, blood and bits of tissue pattered down to the floor. The patterns engraved on the golden blade absorbed the blood and emitted a faint light. Watching this, Rookie cautiously asked.

“…It’s not dangerous, is it?”

“This time it was a bit close.”

Young Chaos answered. Despite the content of his words, his tone was carefree.

“They’re all tangled up with so many things. Except for one, they’re all young. In the end, the oldest one is the root cause.”

Young Chaos continued speaking as he planted Haejoo’s sword, now thoroughly soaked with his own blood, into the crimson-stained floor.

“If we could just extract that one, it would be half-solved.”

“Can’t you forcibly take him away?”

“He wants to live. Here, in this place.”

Even without memories, he must be feeling the layers upon layers of accumulated time. That’s why the oldest sword understood and empathized. Seong Hyunjae had also asked him if he knew. Though he didn’t even know to pity himself, he cunningly drew out others’ sympathy. Young Chaos’s eyebrows furrowed crookedly.

“Why does the first one have such terrible luck? If he’s going to get entangled like this, he should at least have a sturdy body. It’s already impressive that he’s managing with just the second one, but he drags in one person after another, and with wide eyes insists on taking care of them all, whining on and on.”

“Well, Honey is a Caregiver, at least.”

“If a rabbit raised perfectly fine among other rabbits is harboring wolves, that’s insane. The second one is understandable since he raised him himself, but what about the others? Anyway, the first one is the biggest problem, the problem.”

Rookie’s ears perked up—a gesture similar to shrugging one’s shoulders. Having heard Chaos’s grumbling for more than just a day or two, they breezily went along with it, nodding. Meanwhile, the blade had turned pitch black. Young Chaos pulled out and sheathed the sword.

He was entangled with all sorts of restrictions he couldn’t even remember, as numerous as the long years he had lived. Minor curses were countless, and there were many substantial ones as well. Particularly, the resentment left by powerful transcendents as they died had bound him for thousands, even tens of thousands of years.

That’s why, when he intervened excessively with those connected to multiple transcendents like today, the tangled curses raised their heads like vipers.

“Transcendents pouring out their final resentment particularly favor loneliness as a curse. I wonder if they too felt lonely through those long years.”

Sometimes transcendents associated with each other. But most couldn’t forget the fact that they had left their worlds, their pasts behind. Parents, siblings, friends, children. Even if they grew accustomed to letting long stretches of time pass and their emotions became numb, their origin was ultimately human.

A faint smile formed on Young Chaos’s lips.

“As expected, I do love those who live.”

Despite having seen all manner of things, or rather, precisely because of that.

“But you said it becomes difficult if you take interest in individual people.”

“Affection is a frightening thing. Even transcendents are often swayed by emotions unless they carve out their hearts. Still, that’s not a bad thing. That’s what living is.”

“But we shouldn’t do that— Ow!”

Chaos bent his index finger and tapped Rookie’s head.

“You lot are human too. You just live a bit longer and are a bit stronger, that’s all. Being strong means you need to keep your center well, but that doesn’t mean you should delude yourself into thinking you’re gods. Whether excellent or inadequate, you’re human. The excellent have neither the need nor the qualification to take responsibility for, let alone lead, the inadequate’s lives. Even goodwill becomes rude and tyrannical when it crosses the line.”

“But still… we need to help to save more of the world, don’t we?”

“How confident the young ones are.”

“That’s also true of you, Chaos—”

“I have the ability to do so.”

Rookie grumbled under their breath.

“Listen, Rabbit. Even in times when there was no System or transcendents, people lived on. More people may have been able to live after the System came into being. But even without you lot, the world turns.”

The System and the transcendents within it were merely helpers, assistants. That was certainly how it began. Rookie rolled their eyes, which had no whites. Just then, something like a round bead appeared with a flash.

“Ah, just a moment, I’ll be right back. It’s a message from a senior.”

After seeking Chaos’s permission, Rookie moved locations and spoke into the bead in a deliberately lowered voice.

“What’s the matter, Tree senior?”

[Rookie, is Honey’s title skill adjustment not done yet?]

“Ah, yes. It’s not an easy task, after all!”

Even though their face wasn’t visible, Rookie answered while making a thoroughly troubled expression.

“It’s registered as L-rank, but it’s the type that’s difficult for the System to accurately grasp. It’s bound to take a long time. That’s why the initial timeframe was set at five years.”

[Wasn’t that the maximum estimate? I think you said it could be as fast as half a year.]

“This kind of work always takes the full deadline, senior.”

[But the timing is perfect right now. Since Chatterbox has stepped up like this, the possibility of Honey refusing is low. What about at least talking to Honey about it?]

“No!”

Rookie even shook their head while shouting loudly.

“The preparations aren’t finished yet. He’s already suspicious, and if we mess up, he might never come to me again.”

[But if, on the off chance, Honey falls into Chatterbox’s hands, wouldn’t that be a bigger problem?]

“Preventing that is our job. So please watch carefully.”

The sound of Tree sighing softly could be heard. Rookie’s ear tips twitched anxiously.

[Conversely, it would be troublesome if Chatterbox fails. If the Filial Duty Addicts withdraw from this world, it’ll end just like that. The humans in Honey’s world, around Honey, have become strong enough and are growing rapidly. According to current measurements, if there’s no intervention from Filial Duty Addicts, they should be able to protect their own world.]

It was the orthodox way of protecting a world—continuously conquering dungeons to make the exhausted Origin withdraw once it had consumed a certain amount of power.

[Then Honey will be satisfied with that. There’s no way he’ll help us.]

“That may be true, but… it’s still saving one world, so it’s not bad, right? It’s a success.”

[Rookie, there are worlds as numerous as stars. We can’t miss the opportunity to save more worlds.]

“…Yes, I know.”

To save more worlds. That’s what Rookie had been taught. That’s how the King trapped in the tower had lived. He had confined himself to protect the prosperity of countless people and devoured his own world to save more worlds.

“But the preparations need to be finished… It’s safer that way too…”

[Alright. Why do you sound so deflated? It’s okay. If the Filial Duty Addicts withdraw and we lose our excuse, then we can step up ourselves. Once preparations are finished in a few years, we can deceive them appropriately by saying new Filial Duty Addicts appeared.]

“Yes…”

Tree’s voice disappeared along with the bead, telling Rookie to work hard. Rookie let out a long sigh.

“One person, Honey…”

And countless worlds. It should have been an issue that required no deliberation. But Rookie’s expression was dark. Young Chaos’s words suddenly came to mind.

Simply because I want to.

“…Before, I also liked saving worlds…”

But now, they didn’t want to. If Young Chaos learned of this fact, what would he say? Surely, he would answer to do as their heart desired. Rookie fidgeted with the tip of their long ears. They didn’t dislike their seniors either. They had known each other for a long time.

However… they couldn’t deny that recent days had been enjoyable. They looked forward to when people would visit the dungeon. They felt good about the diverse gazes directed at them. It felt like returning to their distant childhood—so hazy in memory—before being confined.

“Honey will come to hate me. I won’t be able to meet the other people again. The blacksmith will come to hate me too.”

Complex lines of mana connected around Rookie. Unlike what they had told Tree, Han Yujin’s title skill adjustment was almost complete. To be precise, they had been continuously postponing the final stage. If they finished the adjustment now and made the proposal, they could easily predict how Han Yujin would react.

Rookie squeezed their eyes shut. They couldn’t decide yet.

“Chirp, you have to behave and not cause any trouble.”

– Chirp!

“Belare, you can’t follow Chirp around either. You can’t teleport.”

– Hiss.

“Horang, it’s dangerous, so there’s no choice. You can’t come. Be good, Peace will be back soon.”

The fox cub buried its head between cushions and irritably thumped its tail against the floor. As always, leaving the kids behind when leaving home felt like a heavy stone placed on my chest. I hoped it wouldn’t take too long.

“Even if Sorok grows bigger than now, please keep him at Dodam if possible. Together with Little Song.”

Perhaps because his growth had been suppressed, Sorok was growing little by little even when I wasn’t taking care of him. It was much slower than when applying the skill, but I gave the reminder just in case.

“Nothing left behind, right? Emptied the fridge, unplugged all unnecessary cords.”

After leaving the kids at the Breeding Facility, I did a final check of the house. Chatterbox had informed us the party duration would be one week. However, they also added that it could vary depending on the situation. Just looking at the number of participants, wouldn’t it take longer than a week? The tournament finals took quite a while too. Well, if they drop early losers in droves with something like rock-paper-scissors, a week would be sufficient.

“Hyung, here. Just in case, take these.”

Yuhyun handed me ready-to-eat meals that could be stored in inventory, which he had made in his spare time. Yerim also sneakily grabbed a few. Of course, there was no way Yuhyun didn’t notice—he was just letting it slide.

“You packed plenty of food for Peace too, right?”

“Yeah. But raw meat takes up a lot of space.”

“If Chatterbox’s side creates a situation where Peace has to go hungry, appeal to the broadcast. While showing Peace in incorporeal form. There’ll be tons of complaints, right? Especially since there are many people in America who strongly advocate for animal rights.”

When I said I was taking Peace along, Haeyeon Guild’s PR team gave me various advice. They said young animals were the best. Beyond that, Yuhyun, Yerim, and I all received separate training related to broadcasting. Yerim and I might be able to tearfully say our baby is pitiful, but I’m not sure if Yuhyun will do well. Should I teach Peace how to act hungry?

“Hodu, take care of the house.”

I greeted Hodu and left the house with our luggage. Of course, the kids didn’t let me carry anything heavier than a small bag. Kids, I’ve said this many times, but I’m in my twenties. Even at thirty, I’d be in my prime.

“Are we only participating in the party? Can’t we go somewhere like Las Vegas?”

“If there’s time, sightseeing would be nice, but no gambling.”

“It’s just famous there.”

It is a tourist spot that comes to mind readily when thinking of America. Besides that… Hollywood? Anyway, gambling is best avoided.

“What about famous foreigners? Yerim, you’re S-rank. If you want to meet them, you probably could.”

“These days, S-rank Hunters are the most famous. And I’m not really interested in celebrities.”

“I was also more interested in Hunters than celebrities.”

…If it had been a while ago, I might have been excited about the possibility of meeting Chloe when we said we were going to America. Yuhyun opened the car door and asked me.

“Who?”

“You’ve already met one. Besides that, well…”

“Mister, in Korea you probably liked the civil servant mister the most. Or Hyunah unni.”

“Well… but I like them both more now, now.”

“What about Seonghan mister?”

“I wasn’t interested.”

“Eh, I don’t think that’s true.”

“He was also unpleasant. Still is a bit now.”

I said we somehow knew each other, but I still had no memories. In the end, I… couldn’t do anything. Seong Hyunjae, Chief Song, and my brother too. But because it ended that way, we have the present.

“…What about me?”

Yuhyun asked quietly as he got into the driver’s seat.

“You? Well, of course I always watched over you.”

If I really hated it, I wouldn’t have looked. I could have just taken money as payment for raising him and quietly gone to live in some countryside—it would have been easier on both mind and body. I stroked Peace, who had climbed onto my lap. But then we wouldn’t have our family now.

As we left the parking lot, reporters swarmed in a rush. Both Yuhyun and Yerim frowned simultaneously. They’re making quite similar expressions.

“It’s chaos every time we go out.”

“Don’t mind them, hyung.”

“It’s fine. The atmosphere has changed a lot now. Plus, they say Koreans will cheer for us when we go abroad anyway.”

Being Korean takes priority over rank, apparently. So unless I really mess up badly, the domestic atmosphere will stay good like this, they said. Overseas, of course, they’d still prefer our country’s S-ranks over another country’s F-rank. Apparently even the government subtly inquired about transferring the invitation at the national level. The Korean government naturally refused.

When we arrived at the airport, my heart beat a little faster. Not just because of the party, but because it’s America. Until now, the only place I’d officially left the country for was Japan, and even my kidnappings hadn’t left East Asia. It was an idle thought, but I was indeed slightly excited. Even if we weren’t in a position to sightsee, I should at least buy souvenirs for the staff. What’s America famous for anyway?