The S-Classes That I Raised

Crunch. With a chilling sound, the spear was pulled out from Shishio's leg. Then, as if it had fulfilled its duty, it melted away and vanished.

"If only I could keep it in weapon form."

The spear that had just disappeared was an SS-grade weapon. If it stayed in weapon form, it would definitely be an overpowered skill. "Combine a couple of S-grade swords and a few A-grade ones to create an SS-grade weapon,"—if something like that were possible, S-grade Hunters from all over the world would come running, scraping together every weapon they could find. It would even mean you could combine A-grade weapons to make an S-grade one.

The balance made sense with the time limit, but it still felt like a waste.

'If the skill level goes up, maybe it'll become more efficient.'

The skill's nature made it tricky to raise in the first place. The basis of skill growth is usually frequent use and becoming accustomed to it. Even with a buff from My Kid Is The Best, you can't grow a skill without using it. Maybe I should buff it and try melting down a bunch of mid to low-grade weapons.

"Grr, I won't retreat like this!"

Shishio growled like a third-rate villain as he poured a potion over his leg.

"That's just too obvious, childish, and honestly a little pathetic."

"...What?"

"If you're the self-proclaimed best Hunter in Japan and the Lion King, then you should act like it. It'd look way cooler if you just accepted it gracefully and laughed it off."

Shishio staggered to his feet with a dumbfounded expression.

"How can I laugh this off!"

"Such a sore loser. At the very least, pretend you're fine. That way people go, 'Wow, even after getting shredded like that, he's still composed. He must have some hidden power. Amaterasu really is amazing~.' Don't you think?"

"I mean, that's..."

"Smi~le. Come on. Be cool and bold! Say it with me. 'Something like this doesn't bother me at all! I am the great Guild Leader of Amaterasu!' Try it."

"...What the hell are you making me do!"

What do you mean, what am I making you do? Morale has to be high for people to work efficiently. If you grind through dungeons properly, I've got more to gain. Instead of thinking, Even if I make money, it's all gonna be taken anyway, it's better to think, It's fine if a bit gets taken! That mindset makes it way easier to exploit people.

"Don't sulk, pull yourself together and clean up. Go on a broadcast and boldly declare you saved Japan from a crisis. I'll overlook a bit of fabrication in the story. It's not like that's anything new."

As I consoled him, thinking Here comes the 'Hooray for Lord Shishio' chant, he moved off with an annoyed expression to take care of his guild members. Better to keep a contracted guy locked into place than have some rando rise to dominate Japan's Hunter scene. So do your best.

Not long after, the helicopter that had evacuated us returned, now that Shishio's group had been left behind. The newly dispatched healers treated the wounded. They offered to send us a chopper too, but since we had Peace, we told them we'd handle it ourselves. It'd be a little awkward to sit face-to-face right now anyway.

"Bit surprising that Guild Leader Seoseong didn't block them. He couldn't not have known. Did he let it happen on purpose?"

I had openly shared how long our kid's skill would last, so it's not like he couldn't have predicted they'd attack after 30 minutes. Still, I figured he'd at least block it to some extent, especially with four S-grade Hunters on our side. Otherwise, I'd have been stuck clinging to Yuhyun to extend the attack skills' duration.

"It worked out in our favor in the end, so I guess it's fine we let them go. But Yuhyun, make sure to grab as many S-grade swords as you can. You don't have a single one right now, right?"

"Yeah. Feels a little empty."

Yuhyun replied a bit dejectedly. S-grade weapons weren't common, and that one had been with him ever since he first got it, so of course he'd feel attached. Maybe I can use my points to get him an SS-grade sword. I want him to carry multiple S-grade or higher weapons just in case. It's a problem if he ends up empty-handed every time he uses that skill.

"Oh right, did your level go up? You took down five SS-grade monsters. Didn't get any titles or anything?"

"My level did go up, but nothing else."

No way. I'll have to squeeze something out of the newcomers later. Sure, he had a buff from an S-grade Hunter, but still—he took down five SS-grade monsters alone, and got nothing? That's ridiculous. At least one SSS-grade title should've popped!

"I'll make sure to take care of everything for you."

And Blue Flame, too. Iryn said it was dangerous, but that's only because he doesn't know about my skill. He doesn't understand that I can directly handle and experience power within the mental realm. In the real world, I can't even lift a finger against Yuhyun, but in the mental world, it's a different story. No matter how amazing my little brother is, he's not going to swallow me whole that easily.

But if I want to show that side, I'll have to tell him first. About what happened before the regression.

'...No way I can ever tell him about the Final Recompense skill though.'

That one, seriously, must never reach Yuhyun's ears. If he finds out he has to die for me to... obtain that kind of power—it's impossible to say what kind of choice he'd make next time something like that with Choi Seokwon happens again.

I have no intention of getting caught, but if, by the slightest chance, he starts to suspect, I'll just reveal the keyword and nullify the skill. Losing the growth buff would be unfortunate, but I absolutely cannot let Yuhyun gain the means to protect me at the cost of his own life.

'I should start organizing what I can say... and how much.'

Suddenly, my throat went dry. How much, how detailed should I go... Wouldn't it be enough to just say I regressed? But I had to tell Yuhyun that he protected me, and that he still... I had to say it. But I didn't want to.

I felt my Fear Resistance skill activate.

"Hyung. Shouldn't we get going too?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

When I came to and looked up, most of the injured had already been moved into the helicopters.

"Let's just grab the remaining SS-grade magic stones and go."

I said that as I pulled out the magic stone detector and started walking. There were three left, right?

"Hyung! Are you hurt?"

Yuhyun suddenly grabbed me. At his shout, Peace also approached in alarm.

"No way. I'm fine." To report errors, please visit the original post on M|VLEMPYR.

"But you were just limping!"

"...What?"

My mind went completely blank for a moment. Limping? No way.

"You must've seen wrong. Look. I'm totally fine."

I deliberately took a few steps to show him. Of course, I was fine. Yuhyun tilted his head in doubt.

"...You're not hiding that you're in pain, are you?"

"Nope. Why would I hide it? If I were hurt, I'd just use a potion. Maybe you mistook me losing strength from fatigue. With F-grade stats, my legs would start to give out by now. Ah, now that I've said it, I feel even more tired."

"I'm going to make you rest, even if I have to force you. Peace."

At Yuhyun's call, Peace, who had been in ethereal form, enlarged his body again. He let out a rumble and nudged me gently with his snout. I climbed on.

"Hyung, give me the detector too. I'll find the rest."

I nodded and handed the item to my little brother.

– ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Kkuooong

"I'm not in pain, Peace."

I really wasn't. I looked down at my right leg. There was no need to check—it was completely fine, not a single wound. But contrary to my excuse, the odds of Yuhyun seeing wrong were very low.

My jaw clenched without thinking. My molars locked tight.

'Is it because I accepted that it actually happened?'

Since my body was fine, the issue must be mental. In a way, it wasn't strange. It wouldn't be weird for limping to have become a habit. What was strange was that I had been walking without showing a single sign of it up until now. It felt like I was being forced to remember a pain I had completely forgotten. My eyes narrowed slightly.

If I turned off Fear Resistance now, I'd no doubt be overwhelmed with terror. The memory of what that jellyfish bastard showed me started to creep in, and my insides stung. I wanted to pretend none of it happened, like always.

'Take it slow, slow.'

There's no one around me who'd blame me for being in bad shape. And if anyone tried, there are people who'd quietly deal with them.

Still, my leg has no wounds, and technically the injury never happened in this timeline, so it's hard to explain. If I stay conscious of it, I won't limp.

Yuhyun returned after collecting the remaining three SS-grade magic stones. In the meantime, Shishio's group was withdrawing. The helicopter roared as it took off into the sky.

"Hyung, here."

Yuhyun handed over all the stones, then climbed up behind me. Peace stretched out his wings wide.

"You're really not greedy, huh."

"You said you'd take good care of me."

Well, yeah, I did say that.

We headed straight toward the evacuation area where the others would be. Even without using a speed skill, Peace's flight was incredibly fast. We reached the shelter slightly ahead of Shishio's helicopter.

"They're gone."

Only traces of what had once been a shelter remained. The building was gone, and a Japanese Hunter was standing in the muddy ground, left behind after the floodwaters had swept through. When he saw us, he trembled and shouted.

"Y-Your companions went to Tokyo!"

Tokyo? Don't tell me something happened to Myungwoo.

"What the hell happened?!"

Shishio, who arrived a moment later, yelled. A Hunter with a bruise on his face quickly responded.

"The Korean Hunters realized belatedly that you had left with the others, Lord Shishio, and said it was unacceptable. They took control of the shelter, seized the hostages, and headed to the Amaterasu Guild headquarters in Tokyo!"

Belatedly, my ass. I felt a sliver of pity for Shishio. By now, the Amaterasu Guild building's probably been stripped clean.

"Eek! Depart immediately!"

The helicopters scrambled to take off again, not even bothering to land properly. As the lights from the choppers faded, and we prepared to depart as well, a Japanese Hunter called out to me.

"Um, Hunter Han Yujin, sir, they said you must be tired, so you can take your time."

"Who said that?"

"Guild Leader Seoseong. He said he'd take care of everything. There's a perfectly intact hotel nearby."

He must have foreseen how things would go. If it's Seong Hyunjae saying he'll handle it, then it's probably fine.

"No, I'll head over right away."

"Ah, in that case, please go to the nearby airport. He said he's arranged a private jet for you."

Already? It hadn't even been two hours since the monsters were drawn in. If it's around here, then it's within the monster migration zone, so there's no way Japanese planes are usable. He must've contacted Korea.

I was about to say it was fine, but Yuhyun insisted flying would be more comfortable, and changed direction toward the place the Hunter had indicated. True, we'd need that plane to get home anyway. Might as well move it to Tokyo now.

"Whew, really now."

And the Amaterasu Guild headquarters building we arrived at—half of it had been blown away. The central structure, built like a Japanese castle, had completely vanished, and the rear buildings hadn't come out unscathed either. In the empty lot where the main building once stood, Amaterasu guild members were lined up, looking around nervously. It seemed Shishio's group hadn't arrived yet.

"Mister! We didn't touch the item storage room!"

Yerim flew over to us and shouted brightly.

"Good job."

Noah and Hyunah, of course, didn't seem to have a scratch on them. Seong Hyunjae was also, naturally, unscathed.

"Thanks to you, we got here nice and easy."

"It's late at night, you should've taken a break."

"You arranged for a plane in anticipation we'd come right away, and now you're saying that like it's new."

Just then, the sound of a helicopter came. Followed by a thud—someone had jumped down in a hurry. No need to guess who.

"What the hell is this!"

It was Mr. Shishio. He was so furious that not just his face, but even his neck was flushed red with rage.

"My Lion Palace!"

...Uh, well, yeah.

"My golden lion statue!"

I think I'd heard it was made entirely of gold. Thanks to rare minerals from dungeons, the value of other gemstones had dropped a fair bit, but gold prices were still holding strong. That must've been expensive.

"Guild Leader Han Yuhyun, why is that guy totally fine?"

Yerim glanced sideways at Shishio and asked. He'd been treated, that's why. All his limbs hadn't been intact before.

"Hyung said to keep him alive."

"Mister, seriously, you don't need to go soft on guys like that."

That's not it, Yerim. Farming and raising livestock is more profitable than hunting and gathering. And this guy? He'll grow on his own and offer up his harvest.

"To do something like this and still be—!"

"Looks like you've already forgotten what I told you."

Shishio's shout was cut off by Seong Hyunjae's calm voice. Shishio flinched and closed his mouth. Definitely seems like there was some history between them. I don't know the details, but whatever it was, it probably wasn't a happy one for the Lion King.

"Go easy on him. If you crush him too hard, there won't be anything left to eat."

"There were other Japanese guilds involved in this matter as well."

"Oh, that—"

"I'll give you the list tomorrow. After you've had some rest."

And here he'd already dug that up again. Now I was curious. They must be some sizable guilds, right? Leaving the seething Shishio behind, we headed toward the hotel.