The S-Classes That I Raised

"...I'm pretty sure the skill duration was supposed to be 30 minutes."

Since we were acting so calm, that bastard Shishio looked at us with a suspicious expression and asked. The other Japanese Hunters glanced around nervously. Seeing the ground melted down like that must have made them feel afraid. After all, the power that took down five SS-class monsters so easily—no number of S-class Hunters could compare.

If I now went, "Just kidding~", and made a run for it, things would turn disastrous. That would basically be admitting that the explanation I gave about my skill was a lie. Which would just make my life twice as exhausting. I already have enough people after me; do I really need to add more?

"It's exactly 30 minutes~ I told you everything honestly, without a shred of deceit."

"What? Then what makes you so confident?!"

"My little brother."

They looked at me like I was spouting nonsense. Which was fair—on our side, we only had one S-class Hunter. Sure, Peace was with us, but since he had to protect me, he didn't really count as battle power. On the other hand, those guys had the powerful S-class Hunter Shishio, plus two more S-class Hunters. One of them was the guy who fought Yerim.

Japan has five S-class Hunters total, and three of them were here. On top of that, they had six A-class Hunters with them. Probably supporters and healers, plus defense-types to protect them.

'This reminds me of Choi Seokwon and Yun Kyungsu.'

They also came rushing in like this to catch me. Thankfully, Liette sat that one out, so Seong Hyunjae easily crushed them. But this time, no one's backing off, so it's actually more dangerous than back then. I trust Yuhyun, but that doesn't mean I can be completely worry-free. Even Yuhyun said that bastard Shishio wouldn't be easy. Technically, he said capturing him would be annoying, but still.

"Ahem! Han Yujin. We've prepared fire resistance items, so it would be in your best interest to give up rather than resist. You care deeply about your brother, don't you? If you surrender quietly, I will guarantee both your lives. We'll announce that you and the Flame Horned Lion were killed by an SS-class monster, and the Guild Leader of Haeyeon signs a contract to keep the secret—then we won't need to shed blood!"

"Hmm, sorry. I apologize."

"Apologize? Then—"

"I thought you were a pig, but turns out you're a damn mutt. You bark real well. Woof woof."

"W-What...!"

"Now that I take a better look, that yellowish fur—totally looks like a village mutt. Can't believe I didn't notice sooner. My bad."

Ugh, my eyes have been a bit blurry lately. Maybe I need new glasses. They say people can't spit on a smiling face, so I gave him a big grin, and he started growling like a rabid dog. Guess Japan doesn't have that proverb. What a grim country.

"Ha, fine! I tried to take you nicely, but you've chosen the worst possible outcome!"

That bastard Shishio growled in anger and pulled out his weapon—a massive blade, the Azure Dragon Sword. Maybe I teased him too much.

"Hyung."

Yuhyun stepped forward. He turned to me and smiled softly.

"There were several S-class swords in the Amaterasu Guild, right?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"Can I take some?"

"Of course you can! You're the one who took down almost all the monsters anyway. Take whatever you want."

"Okay. Thanks."

But why all of a sudden... Oh, no way.

'That skill he used in Hong Kong.'

I didn't see it back then since I passed out, but I was curious and asked him what it was like. Is he going to use that? And this time, not with an A-class weapon, but an S-class one?

'...It's over.'

Then they don't stand a chance. Not against Yuhyun—but those Japanese bastards.

"You arrogant brat! Say your farewells to your brother while you can!"

"Wow, the way you say it, you'd think this was a fair one-on-one duel. Says the guy who brought a whole damn pack."

"Sh-Shut it! Once I've got my hands on you, I'll fix that damn mouth of yours!"

"Excuse me, anyone own this dog? It keeps barking way too much. Must be someone's house mutt. All bark, no bite."

Running around in a pack and barking like crazy—it's way too obvious. Shishio looked like he wanted to charge at me instead of Yuhyun. That'd actually be great for me. Peace would obviously get to me first, and while the idiot was distracted, Yuhyun could comfortably take care of the rest.

But I guess a guild leader's still a guild leader—he just grit his teeth. The tip of his Azure Dragon Sword slammed into the ground with a thud, and Shishio activated his skill. A wide circular domain began to unfold.

My hands felt empty. A mic or speaker would've been perfect right now.

"Ahem, please allow me to give a brief announcement. Guild Leader Shishio of Amaterasu has quite the impressive skill. Within a certain radius: increases allies' defense, lowers enemies' speed and defense. And lastly, a trap effect that shakes the ground and grabs at your ankles!"

"Y-You bastard!"

I wracked my brain hard to recall that. He's not even in the top 10 of the overall rankings, so he should be thanking me for remembering him at all.

"What was it called again? Piggy Mud Pit?"

"It's the Lion's Domain!"

"Piggy Mud Pit, also known as Lion Something-or-Other. Tomato, tomahto, right?"

Honestly, I doubt that's the real skill name. Bet he made it up to sound cooler. Every time I jab, it twitches—feels real satisfying.

Meanwhile, a variety of weapons rained down around Yuhyun. Along with the A-class swords—

'...Isn't that way too much of a waste?'

An S-class longsword with a smooth, pale sheen plunged into the ground. Beside it stood a dagger—also S-class. Excluding Yerim's spear since it was custom-made, there were only fifteen S-class weapons produced domestically. That tiny dagger wouldn't even be counted as a practical weapon, more like a support tool, so it wasn't included in that number—but it was still just as rare.

Next, a large, awl-like Rundel Dagger took its place beside the other dagger. That one was S-class too. He once showed it to me, asking if I wanted it for self-defense. I turned it down, thinking it was a waste.

'Honestly, I want to tell him to put the longsword back.'

No, it's fine. We've got plenty of S-class weapons. The Amaterasu Guild's storage is mine now. It's fine.

The weapons stuck in the ground gave a soft hum. The Japanese Hunters, including Shishio, looked toward Yuhyun, trying to figure out what he was planning.

"Laying them all out like that, but you've only got two hands!"

Shishio shouted confidently as the two other Japanese S-class Hunters readied their weapons. Their strategy was obvious—those two would try to herd Yuhyun into Shishio's domain. The domain was fairly large, and if they could force him into it, it would give them a clear advantage.

Yuhyun glanced in my direction once, then lightly flicked his fingers. Flames rose gently, and the swords surrounding him began to melt.

"W-What is he doing?!"

Kagu muttered in alarm. The other Japanese Hunters were also visibly shaken. Priceless high-grade weapons were melting, including S-class ones. If he weren't an enemy, any Hunter would've screamed that he was insane and tried to stop him.

Han Yuhyun's special support skill—Blade Predator.

Just as the name implies, it melts sword-type weapons in flames, devouring them. If the weapon came from his own inventory, it could be melted down regardless of its grade.

At first glance, it seemed useless—no, not just useless, but a skill you should never use.

'A weapon affected by the skill has its grade increased by one level.'

In other words, an A-class weapon becomes S-class, and an S-class weapon becomes SS-class.

Chiiiik! The molten metal sizzled and bubbled repeatedly. The melted weapons writhed in a circular motion around Yuhyun, glowing red-hot with heat and light.

A red line formed from three S-class and six A-class weapons melting together. It wavered and reshaped itself under its master's will. Some of it transformed into the shape of a slender longsword, and a white hand effortlessly gripped the blade that had become so hot, an ordinary person couldn't even approach it.

An SS-class sword. Enhanced by the abilities of the other melted weapons, its effective power exceeded that of a normal SS-class—the strongest weapon in existence.

Yuhyun had said it was a skill he had never properly used before, because using up even A-class weapons as one-time resources was too great a waste, let alone S-class ones. That's probably why I never saw it during the ranking battles before the regression. So even back then, I just skimmed over the skill name and moved on. ...Did Yuhyun use it back then? What weapon did he have in his hand, at the end?

I bit my tongue. Don't get lost in those thoughts now.

Gripping the sword, Yuhyun stomped down with explosive force. Without dodging or retreating, he charged straight into Shishio's skill domain.

"Is he out of his mind?!"

One of them shouted. They were clearly expecting to drag him in by force—no one had imagined he'd walk in on his own. Even Shishio looked flustered, though he quickly assumed a battle stance, showing off his status as Japan's strongest. The ground trembled, likely trying to grab hold of Yuhyun's ankles.

"Blue Willow Leaves."

Would he be dumb enough to get caught by a skill he already knew? Leaves scattered and immediately caught fire. Stepping on the flames, Yuhyun dashed straight toward Shishio in an instant. Even with his speed supposedly reduced, thanks to his equipment, his momentary movements were just as fast as usual. In fact, for close-range combat, there was almost no penalty at all.

"One hit and he'll be done!"

But the defense reduction debuff was still in effect. Shishio swung the Azure Dragon Sword in a wide arc like a windmill. It looked more like a round shield. If Yuhyun touched it carelessly, he'd be sliced or beaten back. It was a fearsome display—but Han Yuhyun added a spin to his charge, stepping on a burning willow leaf with one foot and rotating his entire body powerfully.

KWAGAGAK─!

Shards exploded out. It was the Azure Dragon Sword—shattered into fragments. The blazing red sword added rotational force to its downward strike and smashed through it. When it came to raw power, there wasn't a huge difference. If anything, Shishio may have had the advantage.

But an S-class weapon couldn't withstand the blade of an SS-class—especially one that was top-tier even among SS.

"Guh!"

Yuhyun broke through the flying fragments of the shattered Azure Dragon Sword, spun his body like a dancer, and kicked Shishio square in the torso. Weaponless and briefly defenseless, Shishio was flung backward.

"Shishio-sama!"

Two S-class Hunters lunged at Yuhyun, and the support and healer types in the back began activating their skills. But Han Yuhyun wasn't about to just stand by and watch.

The leftover molten steel from the forged sword moved through the air. Charruk, over a dozen thin needles formed, and Yuhyun quickly gathered them in one hand and flung them without hesitation.

"Block it!"

The defensive-type Hunters who'd been standing by rushed forward. Even if they were only A-class, they could block an S-class Hunter's attack using their skills. Especially if it was just a bunch of thin needles. Two of the Hunters confidently raised their shields and activated their skills—

"Guhk!"

"Ack!"

The flying needles pierced straight through the shields. Or more precisely, they melted them. Though thin, the needles burned and dissolved everything in their path, leaving holes the size of a child's fist. If that was what happened to a shield imbued with skills, there was no way the people behind them could be unharmed.

The defensive-type Hunters collapsed one after another, and the supporters and healers hiding behind them met the same fate.

"Die!"

Right after Yuhyun threw the needles, Kagu launched a sword strike. The attack sliced through the air, but was strongly deflected by Yuhyun's forearm clad in the equipment. Kagu's eyes widened in shock at the sight.

"His defense... it should've been..."

It made sense that his arm should have been deeply wounded, since his defense had been weakened. I was momentarily confused too, until I remembered—

'That damn beetle!'

The explosion smoke from the beetle flashed through my mind. The Thunderbird's equipment had an effect where defense increased in stacks with every hit received. How many times did that thing explode back then? It kept going off, again and again. At this point, the defense stacks on his equipment had to be maxed out.

Duration at max stack: one hour. And each time he's hit again, the duration increases by ten minutes.

In the end, Shishio's mud pit had no real effect on Yuhyun. The trap ground was nullified by Blue Willow Leaves, and the debuffs to speed and defense were all covered by the equipment.

'No wonder he ran straight in.'

Yuhyun charged at Kagu, who had faltered upon realizing his attack had failed. A haze shimmered in the air—maybe he was trying to boil the surroundings with a skill—but of course, it didn't work on Yuhyun. Unlike when Yerim fought him, his skin tone didn't even change. He simply swung his sword deeply and cleanly.

Clang! The blades clashed, and in the next moment, Kagu's sword was sliced clean through. Yuhyun angled his sword slightly and slashed his opponent's arm. The arm holding the halved sword fell to the ground with a thud.

"Uaaaagh!"

"Damn it, Kakuto!"

Another S-class Hunter snarled and threw a punch. With a knuckle-duster equipped, the punch ripped through the air—but Han Yuhyun was already gone. Without even looking back at the Hunter chasing him, he moved toward Shishio, who had just drawn a new spear. Behind Yuhyun, flames flared up. The S-class Hunter reflexively retreated, and in that brief moment, Yuhyun closed the distance and swung his sword at Shishio.

"That sword is—guh! What the hell!"

The spear was cut down again, almost absurdly easily. There was no way to block it—only dodging remained. With such a wide weapon, clashing directly with the blade was a disadvantage. Shishio stepped back, dodging the sword's edge, and grabbed a pair of knives in each hand.

Judging by his movements, Shishio had clearly trained in martial arts for a long time outside his Hunter career. Like a wild beast, he lunged in aggressively, then retreated with practiced skill. But being forced to avoid every attack put him at a disadvantage. Especially since Yuhyun—

"Guh!" This content originates from M1VLEMPYR, My Virtual Library Empire.

Used the longsword as his main, and constantly reshaped the weapon in his other hand. It would become a long spear and stab, then turn into a flexible whip-sword that lashed unpredictably—

Whirr! It transformed into a glowing hot wire, wrapping around Shishio's ankle. Yuhyun grabbed the wire and leapt high into the air. Shishio tried to resist the pulling force and swung his knife at the wire, but once again, it was his weapon that broke.

Still gripping Shishio's ankle, Yuhyun flung his longsword behind him with force. Thud! A loud impact was followed by the sound of flesh and bone being cleaved apart. It was an S-class Hunter trying to attack Yuhyun through the flames. They had tried to block the flying sword with their own weapon, but both the weapon—and their body—were impaled straight through.

"This is absolutely... absurd!"

Shishio cried out in disbelief. The sword that had pierced the Japanese S-class liquefied, slithered back to its master's hand, and reformed into a blade. Staring up at the cold, expressionless eyes above him, Shishio let out a weak chuckle. His face clearly showed he had never imagined defeat.

With the blade facing downward, Yuhyun descended. He stepped lightly on a low-hanging willow leaf just before hitting the ground, melting the earth beneath with flame as he thrust his sword at Shishio. Shishio narrowly dodged the blade and tried to strike back with his knives, but—

"Ugh!"

His ankle, bound by the heated wire, couldn't move. At some point, the other end of the wire had embedded itself deep into the earth. Along with his own heat, Yuhyun's flames had driven the wire down into the ground, anchoring it into something like a rock.

The wire, previously pulling up clumps of earth, stopped moving, and Shishio's momentum faltered as well. Seizing that moment, Yuhyun drove his knee into the man's solar plexus. A muffled groan escaped as the knife Shishio tried to counter with shattered pathetically against the longsword.

"Kuaaagh!"

The hand holding the knife split open to the back of his hand. Yuhyun spun his sword, slammed it down on Shishio's shin, and then stabbed the other leg with a spear.

"Guh, kuhk..."

As Shishio collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, Yuhyun kicked him hard. Then, pressing the sole of his foot firmly onto the man's throat, he said coldly:

"He's my brother."

"Khrr... guh."

"He's my Hyung."

As if to say, how dare you try to take him, he pressed down on Shishio's neck with force.

"Yuhyun, don't kill him! He's got so many debts to pay back."

He's a valuable man who's going to be working hard to gather items and offer them up for a long time. Now then, how should we write up that contract...

—Hyung!

That moment, a small voice came from near the back of my neck.

"Ri—"

—Shh! Yuhyun might hear.

Iryn, who had somehow snuck up beside me, whispered softly.

—Just listen for now, hyung.

...What's going on all of a sudden?