The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 660: Sweet Reward (2)

“Playing system admin – even as a temp – there really is a lot to learn. It’s pretty great.”

I smiled at the Mermaid Queen.

“It’s almost a shame the classes are already over. I really wanted to try naming skills myself and writing their descriptions. There’s a skill description window I seriously don’t like. What’s with ‘Chick Class,’ anyway.”

I wondered if the Mermaid Queen also knew that keywords had been applied to some of the crops and that I’d received stacked Final Recompense from them. The Mermaid Queen slowly smiled. Her eyes curved loosely around me, and for a moment they almost felt gentle. It was a softness like something carefully painted on.

“I’m glad you’re showing such active interest, Honey. I do think you have talent for it.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but I have no plans to go full–time. More than anything–”

Fifty keyword targets, stacked Final Recompense. If they planned to abuse that…

“I can’t bring myself to leave the kids behind on my own. You know what happened before the regression too, Ms. Droplet. I can’t live alone.”

She’d answer something to that. I waved a hand, continuing.

“To be honest, I didn’t plan on living back then either. Things just kinda turned out this way, but if something like that happened again, there’s no way I’d withstand it.”

I was saying it to test her, but I meant every word. My jaw clenched on its own.

“I’m never letting them be taken again. If I lose them even once more, that’ll be the end of me too.”

“Because you’re very affectionate, Honey.”

The Mermaid Queen spoke blandly.

“We also want to protect the people around you as much as possible.”

“…That’s so kind of you.”

Even as she said it, I didn’t believe her. If they killed everyone with keywords on them… and stacked the Final Recompense, I absolutely would not move according to their plans. The Unfilial Children had to know that much.

‘…Do they have some other way to handle me?’

Like setting up a contract in advance, or something worse. …And I didn’t even know if, after receiving all that recompense, I’d still be myself. If dozens of people’s memories poured in at once, how would I even endure it? Surely that wasn’t what they were aiming for. Surely.

“So we prepared a special crop reward just for you, Honey.”

The Mermaid Queen smiled. Even at the words special reward, I couldn’t feel happy. If I could, I’d have loved to grab her and demand what the hell they were planning to do with me. But the chances of the Mermaid Queen giving me a straight answer were basically zero. They’d been deceiving me one–sidedly up to now. Going forward, they’d keep hiding information and using me however they liked.

“Extra lives.”

“…Excuse me?”

“The safety of participants other than system admin Honey and the Chain is not guaranteed.”

What kind of bullshit was that. I instinctively took a step forward and yelled.

“Isn’t safety supposed to be guaranteed by default?!”

“Honey, practice time is over. This bet is no different from a dungeon raid now.”

The Mermaid Queen continued calmly.

“It’s a defensive battle to protect your world. There are no dungeons where safety is guaranteed, are there?”

“That’s… true, but still…!”

I’d assumed it’d be similar to the Chatterbox party. That was such a naive thought. Of course it wouldn’t be.

“Depending on the crops’ grade and quantity, the Chain will receive two, and Honey will receive four. You can use them all on a single person, or not use them at all.”

“Song Taewon, Moon Hyunah.”

Seong Hyunjae spoke without hesitation.

“…You decide that awfully easily.”

If I were in his place, I’d probably make the same choice, but I’d still hesitate a little because of the other two. Seong Hyunjae turned his head slightly and looked at me.

“It’s not taking away – it’s giving. That makes it easier.”

“Even so, it’s extra lives we’re talking about. Ms. Mari and Samir also worked the fields.”

“If we’re going by contribution, I should take both, so there’s no problem either way.”

Shameless yet utterly dignified. And not wrong. He’d probably handled everything from fertilizer to temperature to water control. Aside from planting and harvesting, he’d taken care of it all.

“You’re the same, Mr. Han Yujin.”

“Everyone else helped out a ton too, you know?”

“Of the four, three will belong entirely to you.”

…If I hadn’t given them growth buffs, I’d maybe have gotten one. So yeah, he wasn’t wrong.

“Even so, the sub team came along because they trusted me.”

“What you offered them was the Chatterbox vault’s items. Did you also promise to guarantee their safety?”

“…No, but.”

I’d actually had them sign a contract saying the opposite – that I couldn’t guarantee it.

“You don’t need to take full responsibility for something they chose and accepted.”

“Even so, I want the people I brought to come back safe.”

“Do your best.”

“Huh?”

Shadows fell deep across those golden eyes looking down at me. His half–closed gaze looked even deeper than usual.

“No matter how great, no leader can protect everyone perfectly and forever.”

Said the ruler who wouldn’t lose to anyone – a man who had lost countless things. This was a Seong Hyunjae who had even lost Song Taewon and his own death.

“But the effort not to lose them is never pointless. Even if you fail.”

…Maybe that was why he was here now, standing in this place he didn’t have to be involved in. I clenched and unclenched my fists. A happy ending where no one dies is nearly impossible in reality. People die even in everyday life. In war, it’s not even up for debate. I knew that, and yet I couldn’t just nod and say you’re right.

“The withering of life is a natural thing.”

“Gasp!”

Cold scales slid against my body. At some point a snake’s body had come up behind me, gleaming with gorgeous sheen as it coiled around me from head to toe. The eerie sensation made me yelp without meaning to. The opponent being who he was, even my fear resistance felt weakened, and my heart pounded.

“You know that well yourself, going in and out of dungeons.”

The voice fell from above my head. My mouth went dry. I felt like prey wrapped up tight, about to be swallowed by a snake.

“Of course I do. I’ve lost people more than once.”

More than a few times. I’d felt the risks of dungeon runs even more harshly than most high–rank Hunters.

“That’s exactly why I hate it.”

“Aren’t you a regressor. It’s common for regressors to lose their sense of reality. Since they recover everything they lost and turn it into something that never happened, they give up more easily than normal people. Because they can just start over again.”

Maybe his head dipped closer, because the snake’s voice came in low, right by my ear.

“But you can’t bring yourself to give up even more.”

“…Because it didn’t become something that never happened.”

If Yuhyun had gone fully back to the past, maybe I’d feel lighter too. Knowing regression existed as a last resort, that I could start over.

But I had left my little brother behind. All those events were still connected to the present, and regression was not a cure–all.

“Stubborn little thing. Though it does look better that way.”

“Could you maybe let me go now.”

“The smell of grass is nice too.”

The King of Predation murmured in a satisfied tone. He clearly had no intention of letting me go.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a carnivore?”

Why cling to me over plant smell. The description clearly said herbivores would like it!

“The place I lived when I was young was a grassland. And where the grass is lush, prey is plentiful.”

“Oh, sure. Guess I’ve become a really good air freshener.”

The Mermaid Queen, a child of the sea, didn’t show any interest at all. I struggled in the snake body, trying to wriggle free, and looked at the Mermaid Queen. She didn’t look like she planned to help. Seong Hyunjae was just watching, amused.

“How are you planning to use yours, Honey?”

“…Give one each to Yuhyun, Yerim, and Mr. Noah.”

Like Seong Hyunjae said, I couldn’t justify not using them when I wasn’t taking anything away. Those three were basically set in stone. But the last one – I couldn’t spit that out so easily.

‘Peace is here too.’

Even if Peace was smart, he was still a monster. Common sense said I should pick one of Liette or Shishio instead. From anyone else’s point of view, I’d be choosing between humans and an animal. But I couldn’t help hesitating.

Peace didn’t fully understand human language, so he might be in more danger than Hunters. Peace had come simply because I called him, without knowing the situation.

“Yujin, put yourself first.”

When I stayed silent, Myungwoo spoke.

“You’re the team leader right now, and if anything happens to you, it’ll be an automatic loss. So protect the ones you don’t want to lose.”

“…That’s…”

I let out a long breath. He was right. For the team’s sake too, I couldn’t afford to fall.

“The last one, I’ll give to Peace.”

Because of Final Recompense, if nothing else. Compared to the other two, losing Peace would hit me much harder. Even if people said it’s humans vs. a monster, there was nothing I could do about it. Peace had been with me much longer, and he was family.

“Understood, Honey. Extra lives only apply to deaths related to the bet.”

“Since you’re giving them anyway, can’t you let us use them outside too?”

“No.”

So stingy. I sighed again, louder. My insides were a mess, but the reward itself was good. It was enough to make all the hard work in the fields worth it. Still, if I’d known it’d turn out like this, I would’ve pushed myself to the point of collapsing and taken even better care of the crops.

The King of Predation slithered away first. The Mermaid Queen’s figure also began to fade. And the moment she vanished completely—

[Are you not going to make her accept the Heir title.]

A whisper brushed past my ear. She meant Yerim’s title. What exactly was I supposed to trust them on and send the kid over.

[You come as well, Honey.]

The Mermaid Queen’s lingering presence scattered. Come too, she said – for what. But I couldn’t just leave the title alone either.

“As you heard, I can’t guarantee safety anymore.”

Myungwoo spoke to the two of us.

“You two will be fine, though.”

“Since they’ve still got a use for you.”

He started to say more and closed his mouth. A heavy, short silence settled.

“Rest. There’s only a few hours left.”

Then Myungwoo vanished as well, and only Seong Hyunjae and I remained.

“I think a forfeit loss from you would be fine too, Guild Leader Seong. What do you think?”

“Someone else would just take my place.”

“They’d still be easier than you.”

“And you would lose, Mr. Han Yujin.”

“Aren’t you underestimating me a bit too much?”

“Regardless of who the opponent is.”

He spoke like the result was already decided. He headed back to his room first. Left alone in the empty space, I stared down at the floor.

The Mermaid Queen, the Unfilial Children – they didn’t want me to win. I felt almost certain of it.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

The King of Predation actually felt more like he was on my side. At least he seemed like he’d be fair about the match itself. Feeling like I was standing before a sheer cliff, I went back to my room.

Thud! With a sharp blow to the back of the neck, the Hunter’s body crumpled forward. Hwang Rim reached out, caught the falling Hunter, and laid him gently on the floor.

“Little Jin, this is something Jin’s adorable son asked for, you know.”

You can’t get mad at me, he joked, chattering away. Behind him stood Gyeol, his face puffed up in a sulk.

“Gyeol’s the team leader, but he’s the one who wanted to come. These are his uncle’s guild Hunters. Be careful.”

“Yes, yes, Young Master.”

“Now take the pictures.”

“Yes, sir.”

At Gyeol’s order, Seong Hyunjae grabbed a phone and lifted off the ground. A pair of fairy–like wings sprouted from his back – something Gyeol had made, taking advantage of the fact that this current Seong Hyunjae belonged to him.

Sticking close to the ceiling, Seong Hyunjae moved along it and approached the security camera. He sent a faint electric current into the camera. The moment the feed froze, he used the phone to take a photo identical to the current frame. Hwang Rim then used a portable printer to spit out the picture.

Once he rejoined the other two and got the print, Seong Hyunjae repeated the process, then taped the photo in front of the camera lens. Since the security cameras were fixed in place, it would be hard to notice anything was off.

“For a treasure vault, the guards are pretty weak.”

“No one but Dad’s allowed into the vault. And my uncle’s guild Hunters are strong!”

“Of course they are. Haeyeon’s got four S–ranks.”

“Three.”

“If we leave one out, Peace might tear all my hair out.”

At Hwang Rim’s words, Gyeol nodded.

“Peace is strong too.”

The three of them were at a hotel in Manhattan, New York – formerly owned by Chatterbox, currently owned by Dodam. In the basement of this hotel was Chatterbox’s vault. It was a vault that could neither be ripped open by force nor infiltrated, so the only security was a few Hunters sent from Haeyeon and a network of security cameras.

The Hunter stationed in front of the vault room was quickly subdued as well. Using the stolen key, Hwang Rim opened the door.

“There’s a camera there. Go, Fairy Dad!”

“Don’t call me that!”

Gyeol scowled and kicked at Hwang Rim’s leg. Seong Hyunjae spun up into the air with the phone, doing a needless twirl.

“Our Young Master really takes after his dad. I mean Jin’s dad – Jin, Jin.”

Dodging the kicks, Hwang Rim waved a hand.

“That cute personality is a perfect copy.”

At the words that he resembled Han Yujin, Gyeol huffed, but his expression relaxed a little. After dealing with the camera, Seong Hyunjae went inside, and Gyeol and Hwang Rim followed. One wall was taken up by a huge vault door. Aside from the handle, there was no keyhole, no fingerprint scanner, nothing – no visible security systems at all.

“…Can I really go inside this thing?”

The entire dark metal door was thick with mana. At his muttered doubt, Seong Hyunjae landed on his shoulder.

“If you want to, Mr. Gyeol.”

“But they said no one but the owner could go in.”

“Think about your trait. The power to become anything.”

“…I can’t literally become anything.”

“But you’re Mr. Han Yujin’s child. Strongly connected to him.”

Even if he’d become an independent being, Gyeol was a Changeling – a fairy dragonkin – born through Han Yujin. Seong Hyunjae flew to the vault and put a small hand on the handle.

“With Chatterbox’s death, the vault’s power itself is weakened. Even so, it still holds mana that even S–rank Hunters couldn’t touch, but if it’s you, Mr. Gyeol, you can probably fool it for a moment.”

Gyeol stepped up to the vault. Seong Hyunjae looked back at the boy.

“You’ve felt Mr. Han Yujin’s power more directly and more often than anyone.”

“Yeah.”

He’d accepted Han Yujin’s skills even when he’d turned into a kitten. Gyeol’s hand closed over the vault handle.

“Pretend you’re Dad.”

A Changeling that could become anything. The one who had held him close, whose presence he’d felt the most, right at his side. And then—

“…Ah!”

Gyeol’s body was suddenly inside the vault. His round eyes took in shelves neatly stacked with all kinds of items. He stared blankly for a second, then hurriedly started shoving the items into his own inventory.