The S-Classes That I Raised

What could he possibly do now?

To put it bluntly, Noah could never defeat Liette. Even though they were both S-Rank, the gap between their abilities was crystal clear. Liette boasted overwhelming power even among combat-type S-Ranks, while Noah was a support-type who didn't even possess decent offensive skills.

To anyone watching, the outcome was painfully obvious.

"So then, Faible. What are you going to do now?"

Liette casually took several steps back. Her posture screamed "come at me if you dare." Noah slowly rose to his feet.

"...Please let me go."

"Why should I?"

Her bluish-black eyes sparkled with vitality. Revealing sharp fangs, Liette laughed soundlessly.

"If you won't come to me..."

Noah drew a sharp breath and flung himself sideways. At the same instant—

BOOM!

The spot where he'd been standing was gouged into a deep crater. Sidewalk fragments flew in all directions, and the glass walls and shop signs shattered into countless pieces. Noah didn't stop running. A series of explosions followed in his wake.

CRASH, CRASH—display windows shattered one after another, their contents scattered as if caught in a whirlwind. THUD! A piano crashed directly behind Noah, producing a discordant farewell tune.

"Fa~ible!"

Her voice rang out so cheerfully it was almost bright. Noah gasped for air. Dust coated his body, and paint from some destroyed shop stained his clothes. His appearance was already a complete mess, but to Liette, this was nothing more than harmless play.

It had always been this way.

Liette would just poke at him playfully, but Noah—Faible—would have a terrible time of it.

Her control over her strength was so precise it never crossed into life-threatening territory. Liette would get excited all by herself, then declare "Ah, that was fun," and it would be over.

RUMBLE—a building shook violently after taking a direct hit from Liette's sword strike. Then, with the impact of hitting the building's side, the structure began collapsing toward Noah. Noah quickly spread his wings and shot upward, dodging the falling chunks of concrete.

"No running away!"

Liette leaped up, using the collapsing debris as stepping stones, and spun through the air. WHIRL—her heel, completing a perfect somersault, descended precisely toward Noah's back. If that connected, even pouring healing skills on himself wouldn't let him move for at least ten minutes!

Noah folded his wings and dropped straight down. His descent was just slightly faster than her heel's approach. THUD! Noah, who'd fallen into the building's wreckage, dismissed his wings and quickly rolled aside. Liette landed on the exact spot Noah had vacated by a hair's breadth. As if a meteor had struck, BOOM—a deep crater was carved into the ground.

"If you don't get close to the barrier, I'll go a little easier on you~"

Liette said cheerfully. As always, Liette had no intention of actually bullying Noah. To her, this was trivial entertainment. Even if Noah had been stronger and their positions reversed, it wouldn't have mattered.

If Liette had been in Noah's place, she would have charged repeatedly at the stronger opponent who wasn't trying to kill her, never giving up, filled with excitement.

Noah understood this too. That's what made it even more overwhelming and despairing. Noah tried to understand Liette, and he did grasp her nature to some extent, but Liette was different. What she possessed was a terribly one-sided form of protection and interest.

"Stop it!"

"Why?"

"I don't like you doing this, Noonim!"

Liette tilted her head curiously.

"Didn't you want to be acknowledged? Come at me with the same spirit as before, Faible."

"I know perfectly well that I can't beat Noonim!" This сhаptеr wаs mаdе pоssiblе by thе МV_LЕМРYR соmmunity.

"But it doesn't matter, right? I won't kill you."

What a wonderful sparring partner she made. Noah stared back at his sister's calm, composed face. Years of torment had become habitual, and he wanted to bow his head and cower, but he kept his neck as rigid as possible. Because he had won once.

Even if it was only once, even if it wasn't through his own strength alone. Still, that single victory was keeping Noah's back straight.

"But Noonim's little brother is dead."

Liette's eyebrows furrowed slightly. Her lips formed a small pout.

"It's because he was weak."

"No. No, it doesn't matter that he's dead. So what about me? I would have remained Faible until the end, wouldn't I?"

Pressed down by Liette, bound by her constraints. Noah took a deep breath and shouted.

"I hate that kind of Noonim! It's infuriating!"

"What?"

"I hate you! For real! You're selfish and violent! And I did all the housework too!"

"You complained that it was tasteless and you couldn't eat it!"

"It was so hard just to say that much!"

Noah's hand seized a half-broken streetlight. CRUNCH—he tore it completely free and hurled it at Liette. Liette casually swatted the streetlight aside ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ like shooing away a fly. The streetlight—CRUNCH—embedded itself in a convenience store sign.

"There was a time when I actually respected you, Noonim! Because you're genuinely strong!"

It was impossible not to find her amazing. Liette was powerful. She was someone more incompatible with the word "weak" than anyone else Noah knew. It had been the same even before her awakening. No matter what happened, she always remained confident. Even when she failed, she'd brush it off lightly and bounce back. No matter what anyone said, she never once bowed her head.

"But as a sister, you're the absolute worst!"

At Noah's declaration, Liette's brow furrowed deeply.

"I didn't kill you!"

"That's a given! Because I'm your little brother!"

"Why? You're a competitor trying to take what's mine."

"...What?"

Liette began walking forward, her expression still troubled. Noah's shoulders tensed with nervousness. He jumped back to maintain distance from her.

"Mom and Dad had you as soon as I started school. They were trying to start a new family, as if I didn't exist. So naturally I had to kill you. I was still young then."

She held no affection for their parents, but she still required their protection. Liette had reached this cold conclusion and waited quietly, pretending disinterest. A newborn baby was small and weak—it wouldn't be difficult to eliminate it secretly.

"When I showed no interest, Mom and Dad were relieved. They figured that once I grew up a little more, they could send me to boarding school and become a normal family. They let their guard down and showed you to me."

"This is your little brother." Hearing those words, Liette decided not to kill her little brother. That thing belonged to her, and it was surprisingly pretty. It just wriggled around uselessly, but it wasn't unpleasant. And she had a feeling it would be slightly stronger than their parents.

"So in the end, Mom and Dad abandoned you too~ thinking that if they took you with them, I would follow. But I didn't kill you, and I raised you not to die. Because you're my little brother."

"...Noonim, you're really..."

Noah let out a hollow laugh, taking in Liette's "what's wrong with that?" expression.

It was insane and maddening, but Liette genuinely cared for her little brother. Her standards simply weren't normal, but she did look after him. Even if it was the kind of care that would have been better replaced by abandonment, Noah had come to understand his sister to some extent, and so he couldn't completely hate her.

He'd tried to shake free and separate from her, but in the end, it proved impossible to truly end things with just one fight.

She was his protector and his guardian.

"But I am not Noonim. I can't become like Noonim, and I can't follow Noonim's standards."

"Faible."

"It's true that Noonim raised me. And I tried too. There was a time when I wanted to become like Noonim."

That's how he'd grown to S-Rank. Even if Liette had dragged him along forcibly and violently, such growth would have been impossible if Noah had refused completely, if he hadn't made an effort. He'd also wanted to become strong. Even now, that regret lingered deep within him.

Noah examined his own status window.

[Mad Dragonkin (SSS) — Not applied]

A title purchased with points earned in the Japanese dungeon. It suited Noah's aptitude, and despite being SSS-Rank—not even an item or skill, but the highest-value title—it had been discounted enough to afford. However...

[Light attribute Dragonization skill. Permanently applied upon skill acquisition. User's state changes to be specialized in support and healing.]

The final part of the brief description window, the section about his state changing to specialize in support and healing, troubled him. Dio Valsesis's Twin, the Venom and Curse Dragonkin, at least possessed combat-type characteristics. But if he applied that title, wouldn't the Venom and Curse Dragonkin's traits become diluted?

That's why he'd been hesitating all this time.

Noah had respected Liette. He'd envied Han Yuhyun. He wanted to become a powerful Hunter who could stand independently, not a support-type who propped up others.

When he'd become Medsang's Mu, he'd thought even a support-type could grow strong enough. But reality was harsh and cold. Could he really do it? Did he truly want to remain support-type? If he accepted the Mad Dragonkin title, wouldn't he become even more ambiguous?

"Noonim and I are different."

Noah touched the Mad Dragonkin title with his fingertip. He might regret this decision. But it was acceptable to fail once or twice. He was at an age where getting lost and wandering was permitted. And there were people around Noah who would help him even if he collapsed.

Even that violent sister standing before him. If Noah wished for it, she would help him.

[The 'Mad Dragonkin' title is applied!

The 'Dio Valsesis's Twin' title reacts with the 'Mad Dragonkin' title.

The younger of Dio Valsesis's twins has strongly inherited the blood of his paternal line, the Light Dragon (光龍). The two interconnected titles will slowly merge!

Expected synthesized title grade — SSS~L]

"The twin is..."

Noah's eyes widened in shock. Dio Valsesis's twins had definitely appeared too different to be called twins. But to think it was because another dragonkin bloodline was mixed in. And if the titles synthesized, it could grow up to L-Rank. Even if it remained SSS-Rank, there was a high probability it would be high-tier.

[Mad Dragonkin (SSS)

A high-rank dragonkin of the support and healing type.

Title Bonus Skills:Nest where the light descends (SSS)Dragonization (SSS)Conductor of Mana (SS)]

[The S-Rank title skill of the Mad Dragonkin and the S-Rank title skill of Dio Valsesis's Twin are merging!

Forced Blessing (SS)]

"What are you doing, Faible?"

Liette asked, observing the blankly standing Noah. Noah quickly raised his head.

"It really was different. I didn't know it would be this different."

"Huh?"

"But we're still twins."

Wings unfurled behind Noah's back. The golden feathers swayed with reddish hues under the sunset light.

"Oh? Your wings..."

"I am a support-type! Of course I can't beat Noonim on my own!"

It was natural since he was support-type. It wasn't because Noah was weak, but because his characteristics were different. Simply different. He wasn't combat-type. His path and Liette's were separate.

"Are you trying to run away again?"

"I'll be back."

"Where are you going, Faible!"

Liette leaped toward the airborne Noah. With a terrifying sound of rending air, wind raged violently. Noah's wing feathers fluttered wildly. Noah, who'd narrowly dodged the attack, swept past the buildings and used a skill on Liette.

Forced Blessing.

"...Huh?"

Liette, who'd been about to charge at Noah again, couldn't change her trajectory and slammed into a building. BOOM! The structure's lower section collapsed inward, and the building tilted with a grinding screech.

"What? What is this? My body..."

For a moment, she couldn't control it. Noah's Forced Blessing combined support and curse skills. Normally, support skills could only be applied with the recipient's acceptance, and control was automatically adjusted so they could immediately adapt to suddenly increased stats.

But Forced Blessing was applied without the target's permission. And it could make adaptation to the stat changes impossible. Since support skill buffs were usually proportional increases based on the recipient's existing stats, the higher those stats—like Liette's—the harder it became to control one's own body.

Even a naturally gifted S-Rank with excellent adaptability couldn't help but be defenseless against sudden stat fluctuations.

"Interesting."

Liette, who'd burst from the collapsed building, swept back her disheveled hair.

"But that's not nearly enough!"

Even with momentary interruptions, it couldn't bridge the fundamental gap between Noah and Liette. This time, instead of moving physically, Liette sent out a sword strike. The sharp blade energy brushed past Noah's head and struck a building's upper section. RUMBLE—with a thunderous roar, the building rained debris. The upper portions of other buildings exploded in succession.

She intended to block Noah's vision and prevent him from using his skills properly. Simultaneously, concealing herself within the falling debris, Liette rapidly approached Noah.

"Show me some more tricks!"

The blade's tip traced a long line across Noah's wing. No blood spurted, but feathers were severed and scattered. Noah, who'd momentarily lost his balance—

"Wow, an angel!"

Someone caught him. And then they teleported.