The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 648: Fragments of the World (2)

“Honey, you’ve heard the explanation, yes?”

I started to sit up and tried to pull off the accessories, then gave up. They were originally snakes. I’d probably get bitten if I messed with them for no reason. No harm in staying on the King of Predation’s good side, anyway.

“I heard it just fine.”

The sarcastic tone slipped out before I could stop it. The Mermaid Queen looked down at me. She wasn’t much bigger than a human, but still a lot bigger than me. Her upper body was loosely wrapped in cloth, but one glance at her arms told you she could throw down. If she could go head–to–head with that snake, who was definitely a battle type, then she’d probably been a combat type originally too.

“I’d really love to just ask all of you to hold hands and leave our world alone. Why exactly do I – do we – have to take part in this ridiculous bet?”

I’d already decided to accept the offer. But just meekly going “yes ma’am” and nodding felt way too unfair.

“That, too, you should have heard. Or did that reptile forget to explain something?”

“Unless his brain is at goldfish level, no.”

The King of Predation bared his fangs and spoke in a low voice. Goldfish… Huh, guess fish are considered stupid on his side too.

“I wondered if a lowly creature that can’t even regulate its own body temperature had gone into hibernation mid–explanation.”

The two Transcendents’ gazes clashed in the air, icy cold. They were both cold–blooded animals, and a snake’s head probably wasn’t that different from a fish head. Yet here they were, spitting in each other’s faces despite being basically the same.

“One of you is a fish and the other is a reptile, but all I’m hearing is barking nonsense. Don’t both of you lack vocal cords, anyway?”

I’d tried to behave, but it was hard to hold back.

“No wonder you bark so well. You’re a mammal.”

The snake replied casually, sounding amused. Right, something as insignificant as a pet yapping insults to its master just turns into, “wow, look at it, it knows tricks.” If a chick the size of my fist went peep peep you son of a bitch and a grown adult seriously got mad and lunged at it, they’d just look pathetic.

“We have no reason to gamble with fragments of our world.”

I looked straight at the Mermaid Queen and drew a hard line.

“We’ve defended it just fine so far, and we’ll keep doing that.”

“Didn’t they offer you a separate reward, Honey?”

“Does the world belong to me?”

If they’d said, “put your own life on the line,” I’d at least feel at peace about it. But this way, countless people living their ordinary lives might lose their home without even knowing why. I didn’t know exactly how they’d take that fragment, but there was no way it wouldn’t have an effect.

“If losing part of the world had absolutely no impact, that’d be one thing.”

“The fragments are designated randomly, by country.”

The Mermaid Queen spoke. Her voice was calm enough to be called cold.

“The chosen country loses the system’s protection. It will be covered with a barrier until Honey’s world reaches its end.”

“…Until it’s destroyed?”

“Whether naturally or by the Origin, it will end someday. It’s difficult to forcefully carve off only a part, so the contract is that the system will be lifted instead.”

So they couldn’t take it right away. But even if they just “covered it,” in the end it’d still be gone.

“And you just decided that on your own–!”

“Honey. The people of your world received help from us.”

The Mermaid Queen continued in a soothing tone.

“If the system hadn’t helped them…”

Her hands, scales showing here and there, spread wide to either side. A wide, rectangular sheet of bluish light unfolded – then suddenly swelled up and

“Ugh!”

came crashing down over me. I reflexively squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them again. Ruined buildings filled my vision.

[Your world would have looked like this, Honey.]

The Mermaid Queen’s voice echoed as if from far away. I hurriedly looked around. The street was a mess, but familiar. English signs, a sliver of park visible between the wreckage. Manhattan, New York. Sunlight wheeled in the sky and crashed down onto the ground, brutally dry. I couldn’t sense any people.

Thud─!

The ground trembled violently. Building scraps shuddered and bounced weakly. Instinctively, I used a stealth skill and backed away.

Krrrrumble!!

Half–collapsed buildings were swept away completely. A massive, fur–covered foot slammed down and crushed everything around it. Its body soared so high I couldn’t even see the head. When its tail flicked once, building debris, cars, trees, everything was flung into the air like they’d been caught in a typhoon. Then they plummeted down – wait!

Clang!

I covered my head with my arms, bracing myself to at least get a bump, but the falling wreckage was smacked aside and shattered. A metallic clatter rang out. A long chain that had stretched out above me like a coiled snake snapped back to its owner.

“…You got dragged into this too?”

Instead of answering, Seong Hyunjae lifted his head and watched the gigantic monster lumber past.

• Krrrk!
• Kiiik!

Around the mountain–sized monster, a flock of smaller ones took to the air. Smaller, but each one was still two or three times the size of a human. The scene wasn’t unfamiliar to me. But an enormous monster strolling through a quiet downtown in broad daylight, completely unimpeded, almost peacefully… that was strangely alien.

No urgent helicopter noise, no sirens screaming for evacuation, no Hunters gearing up for a raid. A world where the luxury of stopping monsters rampaging through a city was gone.

[Without dungeons acting as waiting rooms, the monsters would have poured straight out.]

The scenery flipped. A dark river came into view. That was…

“The Han River.”

Seong Hyunjae took a couple of steps forward. The roads and riverbank that should have been glowing with light were drowned in black. The bridge that used to glitter at night had collapsed, leaving only faint traces.

Boom─

I flinched and looked back. On the road, a wolf–type monster was batting a car around with its front paw like a toy and biting through the wheels. One of them leapt lightly onto an overturned truck and stared at us.

• Grrrr.

No, I was using a stealth skill, so it had to be aiming for Seong Hyunjae. Monsters didn’t recklessly touch a human who could stand there, unbothered, and stare at the Han River. Screee, a tire tore open with a long rip. Low growls blended into the night air, and then–

Snap. All the wolves’ heads turned in the same direction. Sensing something, they surged across the road in an instant. I hesitated for a heartbeat, then followed them, a bad feeling crawling up my spine. Once we left the road, an apartment complex came into view. It was just as dark as everything else, but a faint light flickered inside.

People. A mixed group that seemed to include Hunters was just stepping out of a convenience store in front of the complex.

• Kyaaah!

The monster lunged at them. A man who looked like a Hunter raised a metal rod to block the attack, but it snapped in half almost immediately. Are you kidding me, is that just a regular piece of rebar? They don’t have Hunter–grade weapons?

[They wouldn’t have had access to the kind of finished gear you have now. They would have had to make it themselves from monster corpses.]

“What?”

How was that acceptable! I started to dash out, but Seong Hyunjae grabbed my arm and stopped me.

“It’s not real. Just a lump of mana.”

Krrr–umbling. The scarred apartment buildings collapsed all at once. The illusion vanished. We returned to where we’d originally been, and Seong Hyunjae let go of my arm. My mouth had gone completely dry in the meantime.

No dungeons, no reward items. A high–rank Hunter could probably take down early monsters easily even without equipment. But most low–rank awakeners would have had a hard time surviving in that. And the monsters would just keep getting stronger. How long could the army, the countries, hold out?

“Without the system’s help, in three years your world’s population wouldn’t even be a hundred million.”

A hundred million. That was probably a generous estimate. Even if multiple high–rank Hunters awakened and fought, they’d have to battle in the middle of cities instead of in dungeons. The cities would turn into ruins in no time. With monsters of all sizes popping up everywhere, it’d be impossible to wipe them all out. Nobody would be able to sleep easy the way they do now.

“The people who survived could adapt to the changes, endure the Origin, and live on. They might even flourish again someday. But right now, most of the people in your world are alive because the system protected them.”

“…”

“So there’s no real need to get your consent to wager a few fragments.”

“I’d love to know if the ones who made the system feel the same way.”

My teeth clenched on their own. Yes, I’d admit that thanks to the system a lot of people survived. But in the end…

“You never gave them a choice, even once.”

It was basically, we’re right, so follow us. Nothing more, nothing less. What, were people livestock now? We helped you safely prosper, so we’ll help ourselves to a few of you without asking, that about it?

“What do you think would happen if we gave them a choice now?”

“What do you mean what would happen. They’d say they want to keep being protected.”

They’d choose the side that meant, if we’re all doomed, at least don’t let it be us. And if we won, there’d be basically no downside. Knowing that made me feel even filthier.

‘System creators, I hope you’re watching this crap.’

Come to think of it, it’s not even something they made themselves. The initial system creators supposedly wanted to be nothing more than assistants, but the current administrators are swinging it around however they please. I was seeing that right up close, and there was nothing I could do.

So this is why people raise torches and start revolutions against those in power. Makes me want to grab one myself.

“You don’t have any complaints? With how they treat humans like they’re nothing?”

I grumbled at Seong Hyunjae for no real reason. He rolled his eyes slightly downward to look at me.

“Do I really need to answer that?”

“…Honestly, I feel like whatever you say is just going to make my blood pressure worse.”

He’d treated me like that too, from the beginning. And Seong Hyunjae was someone who could turn into a Transcendent or something beyond whenever he felt like it. In a normal timeline, he probably would’ve become one ages ago.

“The Filial Duty Addicts and the neutrals who’re lending their strength want five fragments. With both sides competing and taking one per victory, even if Honey ultimately loses, you might only lose three or fewer.”

“What a niiiice deal that is.”

“Since it’s random, you might only lose a very small country.”

“Or we could lose the U.S. or Russia.”

Which was bigger again? Russia?

“And if Honey wins in the end, you’ll take back any countries that were lost.”

“Hooray for independence.”

Even with the snark, he didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow, which just made me more unsettled. No matter how much I flailed, it didn’t even tickle.

“The main team members are the awakeners each of you chose.”

“I didn’t know it was first–come, first–served; you stole mine.”

“Honey’s physical abilities are much lower than Chain’s, so they’ll take that into account to some extent. But not for team selection.”

“Can’t I switch out team members?”

“The main team is fixed, but you can add to it. I can use administrator privileges to help.”

A contract appeared in front of both of us. Everything we’d discussed so far was written out in even more detail. If Han Yujin’s team won the majority of matches, all Transcendents involved in the contract would be forbidden from harming Han Yujin’s world and would be bound to protect it.

“How many Transcendents are involved in this?”

“The awake Unfilial Children, some of the Filial Duty Addicts, and some neutrals.”

“What about the people living in our world?”

“We can’t protect every single lifeform, one by one. But we’ll intervene if something could cause massive damage.”

“What if a Transcendent fails to get a fragment and decides to come after me for it?”

“If that interference is judged a threat to your world, we’ll stop them.”

No protection for individuals. So Crescent Moon kidnapping Seong Hyunjae wouldn’t be off–limits. They really meant it – they’d protect the world, and only the world.

Feeling like a dog with a leash around its neck, I signed the contract. What else could I do? There really was no way out.

“It’s your freedom to tell your world or not, but I recommend that you don’t.”

“It’d be chaos. And the interference would get even stronger.”

Even though Transcendents had already meddled plenty, we’d barely managed to patch it up after Gyeol thanks to the King of Harmless’s power.

“We’ll use the people Honey gathered as is for the non–main team members.”

“…Huh?”

“They’re awakeners who trust you enough, after all.”

A screen flickered into existence. It showed Hunters gathered in a lodge at a ski resort in the Alps. Some were eating simple meals, some were chatting. On the wide empty dining table in the middle of the hall, Peace was sprawled out. He looked a little put out at being left alone.

“Twenty–three. And we might add a few more.”

What were they planning to do bringing in more than twenty extra people? At least most of them were S–rank with a few A–ranks, so explaining things wouldn’t be too hard. They knew about my regression, and they’d probably picked up on the Transcendents and the system to some extent.

“Chain’s side is already decided too.”

A new screen appeared. It showed a building with a high–rank Hunter guarding the entrance. That was…

‘That’s where the Prophet’s group is gathered.’

I’d thought it was weird how they were all piling in there. So this was why. I glanced at Seong Hyunjae. So one of the five members on Seong Hyunjae’s team was that Cho Hwawoon punk, huh. Mm… Good luck, Hwawoon. From Hwang Rim to Seong Hyunjae, what cursed luck.

“The sub–team will be led by the one remaining main team member.”

“…Sorry, what? Hold on!”

What kind of bolt–from–the–blue was that! Not a backup, but the sub–team leader? Shishio?

“Change! I’d like to request a change!”

“That’s not possible right now, Honey.”

“No, but–!”

But compared to Shishio, compared to, compared… to…

‘…We’re screwed!’

What the hell, Shishio actually was the better option. Yuhyun was… outstanding in all sorts of ways, a brilliant, naturally–born S–rank Hunter, but “please lead a group of Hunters” was, honestly, not it. Even if he was my little brother, on this one thing… he really, really wasn’t suited. Even as the master of a major guild like Haeyeon, he’d never exactly shined at being a team member.

Yerim could probably become an excellent leader, but that was at least four or five years down the line, and Liette was even worse than Yuhyun in that department. Liette as team leader just screamed disaster before we even started. Out of the four, Noah would do the best, but his age was a problem. Plus, if I remembered right, there were a few British Hunters in that group, and their relationship was supposed to be rocky.

‘Unbelievable… Shishio is actually the best choice…’

Shishio, on the other hand, was basically responsible for an entire country as a guild master. He was moody and reckless, but his guild members apparently liked him a lot. And he said he had frequent exchanges with overseas guilds too.

“Chain’s main team member has already joined his sub–team, so Honey, send a message to your remaining main team member explaining things, and then transfer him over.”

“…Cho Hwawoon?”

“There was a suitable dog available.”

“He already has an owner. He ran away, so how about returning him?”

“You should have put a proper collar on him.”

Live happily with your new master, Cho Hwawoon. Feeling my heart tremble for a variety of reasons, I sent a message to Shishio. A reply accepting it came back almost immediately. Are you really okay with agreeing that fast? I moved Shishio to the Alps using the system. Light flashed on the screen and–

[This great one has arrived!]

Shishio appeared, dramatically whipping his uniform cape around. That… wow. That, yeah. Seong Hyunjae leaned in to peer at my screen.

“Your taste in people has gotten very unique.”

Oh, don’t look. Go away.