The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 430: A Nightmare in the Midday Sun (3)

I pulled the spear back. Rauchtas tensed more. I put strength into my toes, again. I didn’t rush out, but Han Yujin pushed off the ground — no, the ceiling.

“I’ll make you the same!”

We kicked off simultaneously, and I shouted to muffle the sound. Thanks to stealth skill, Rauchtas didn’t notice our heavy landing.

Han Yujin’s body dropped sharply. Just before his spear tip touched the scales, his acceleration skill activated.

His whole body became a single sharp spear and drove straight down.

Kwakkwang!

Thick scales shattered into pieces. The spear tip, unable to withstand the force, melted and crushed. The warped spear shaft and Han Yujin’s body pierced the dragon’s head. A huge hole opened under the jaw, and his body fell to the ground.

I dashed forward, throwing a wire toward Han Yujin. As if waiting, he grabbed the wire’s end, and I pulled hard. No sooner had I pulled him out than Rauchtas went berserk again. Its right head, almost severed, cracked and tumbled on the floor.

The cursed poisonous dragon went half-crazy, charging at us. Bang! Its huge claws left deep marks on the floor. I quickly used stealth skill, but with our stats, it was hard to dodge the rampaging dragon. I tripped over claws, got stomped on, and pinned by its tail. Without Eunhye, we’d have died several times.

‘Calm down now, damn it!’

‘I thought it’d be hard until the last head!’

‘Any flying or teleportation items?’

‘Didn’t buy them, and even if I had, no use.’

Flying can’t keep up with speed, and teleporting would just make us slip off while it rampages. With our stats, we could only attack while stationary. So we needed a way to fixate the last head.

‘Damn, it’s heading for Yuhyun!’

We both broke stealth simultaneously. Rauchtas, trying to find us, turned.

“Right here, lizard, ugh!”

A sharp claw pressed down on me. Lucky that brat didn’t think to choke me. I stabbed its claw with the spear. Crack! The claw broke off, and Rauchtas growled fiercely and retreated. But claws heal instantly.

“Nibbling won’t cut it.”

Han Yujin said, holding a new A-rank spear.

“No more A-rank spears! Use them sparingly!”

“Gah, ugh!”

He disappeared beneath Rauchtas’s foot. Damn.

“Rauchtas!”

I shouted fiercely, thrusting my hand forward. Electricity sparked at my fingertips. Rauchtas, wary of my new skill, jumped back. Han Yujin, half buried in the floor, groaned and raised his body.

“That worked.”

“A frightened heart is easily startled.”

How could that bastard know we only had a tiny amount of support elemental power? We used stealth skill again simultaneously, and Rauchtas, unwilling to let hidden enemies approach, started rampaging once more.

The heads were still there, though two of the three were gone. Since it was heading toward Yuhyun, we had to break stealth fast again.

The last dragon head exhaled roughly, glaring at us. It paused, but would freak out and attack if suspicious.

“Rauchtas falls asleep every five hours, but it won’t now in this state.”

Like just before regression, it wouldn’t sleep without causing us fatal wounds.

“We both have to be visible.”

“So it can relax.”

“Even if it doesn’t sleep, it’ll try to heal. If we get a chance.”

Its injuries were severe, and regeneration skill rank dropped. We had attack power but slow movement. Rauchtas must have realized it by now. Without stealth skill, we could easily block those little attacks.

The head was too high, and strikes from below couldn’t be fatal.

If we kept distance, it would rest safely.

“Who’s going?”

The question ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ was brief. Pre-regression me asked.

“I can’t risk leaving Eunhye alone, so I’ll go.”

Eunhye’s hardness wasn’t a skill, so sharing was impossible. Preparations done, I shouted loudly.

“Yuhyun, don’t worry, it’s really not a big deal!”

No need to scare him. Holding the weapon tightly, we both charged Rauchtas. We stomped hard, but to an S-rank monster, our speed was yawn-worthy. Neither of us even had fully functional legs.

Rauchtas spun its body with a growl.

Kakagak!

Its spiked tail scratched sharply against the cave wall. Rocks flew at us. Damage was negated, but the weight was too much, and Han Yujin fell to the ground first.

The lizard brat sneered, knowing carefulness meant no fatal wounds and relaxing slightly. Yeah, be complacent all you want.

Crash! A rock about three times my size slammed down, throwing dust. I staggered but stabbed the floor with my spear tip.

Thanks to skill, it pierced deeply, raising part of the ground. Another rock flew, and then—

“Han Yujin!”

He shouted. Han Yujin hugged the fallen body and stepped back. Rauchtas narrowed its eyes, watching us.

“Damn it, get a grip!”

Han Yujin put the limp body half behind him.

“You called it a death flag! Then why did you die!”

Though it didn’t understand words, Rauchtas seemed to get the mood and growled happily, never taking its eyes off us. Han Yujin took out a potion but dropped it due to trembling hands. The bottle rolled away.

“You damn lizard brat!”

Han Yujin shouted but didn’t move. Rauchtas crouched slightly, apparently to heal wounds.

The last head loomed below me. I tightened my grip on the spear.

Doppelganger doll. Against an S-rank, it would be suspicious even from afar, but as a semi-corpse, it was different. No life force made it more convincing.

If someone reacted to it, even better.

Rauchtas still only watched Han Yujin and that doll. Han Yujin shouted fiercely and kicked the ceiling hard. If we cut the last head—

Kyaruk!

But the trick had already been used twice. Rauchtas quickly pulled its head back. As expected. When avoiding head attacks, it moves backward. So I deliberately jumped behind the center of the head.

“Ugh!”

The violent movement made the spear tip slip! Maybe it used a defense skill. Not an optimization skill but a skill gained later.

Scritch!

The translucent spear blade scratched the scales longwise, and I quickly drew a dagger with the other hand and swung. I could at least stab. The dagger, empowered by skill, pierced the scales.

Rauchtas thrashed to shake me off. Try all you want! I stepped on the dagger handle, drew another knife, and stabbed its face. An eyeball the size of my torso rolled nearby.

“Block the front paws!”

I shouted, and Han Yujin plunged his spear into Rauchtas’s forefoot. The lizard howled as it lifted the paw to shake me off. The cave wall rushed to my nose.

Bang!

“Ugh!”

It rubbed its face roughly against the wall. Hanging onto Eunhye, I somehow held on. Meanwhile, Han Yujin drew his spear and stabbed Rauchtas’s front leg repeatedly. His hard-won C-rank spear snapped instantly. Thanks to skills, he slashed at the torn scales with D- and E-rank daggers and knives.

Weapons kept breaking and blood splattered.

Bleeding profusely, Han Yujin tumbled on the forefoot. He dropped his weapon but grabbed a rock. Kaang! The rock hit the long curved claw repeatedly, breaking it. Holding the broken claw as a weapon, he charged again.

I wasn’t idle either. As soon as the head rubbing against the wall was heard, I stabbed a new knife in. Rauchtas’s blood soaked my body, and I transformed Eunhye into chains to wrap around the dragon’s head.

Climbing to its eye, I stabbed.

Pwooh!

Deeply, reaching beyond the forearm to the shoulder, I gouged the lizard’s eyeball.

I unleashed all the electricity stored in my ring. The eyeball exploded completely, and Rauchtas growled mournfully. It couldn’t raise its forefoot because Han Yujin was thrashing below. If it lost the use of its legs, protecting its head would be meaningless. But no way to shake me off.

If it had two or three heads left, it could bite me off. But now it had only one, no wings. Its tail swung wildly but I could withstand the strikes.

I climbed over its eye and eyelid. One side of its face was ruined. Where skill struck properly, white bone was exposed.

Kwaduk! I tore into the crown and inserted my feet. Using cold magic, I froze them solid. No matter how it struggled, I wouldn’t let my body fall off. I withdrew Eunhye’s chains and turned her back into a spear, raised it high, and—

Thrust.

Kwang!

Again, twice, and for the third and final time!

Kugugugung! The massive dragon body collapsed forward. Blood overflowed, forming a thick pool like a swamp. From the half-destroyed head, a wire flew toward me. Grabbing its end, I pulled him out.

Both of us were panting heavily. Out of luck with stats — F-rank. No, now it was E. We collapsed on the ground.

The dragon’s breath stopped completely.

The surroundings became quiet. Only our heavy breathing filled the air.

[Nightmare has fallen asleep.]

The system message popped up. Did we really catch it? Was it over? Yeah?

“…Yuhyun.”

I forced myself up despite no strength. Rauchtas was dead. So Yuhyun must be safe. He had to be.

“Yuhyun!”

We shouted simultaneously. His legs seemed to ache. I hurried to where he was half sitting up. He was fine. Though not fully able to move, he was breathing and his face was brighter. Only worry lingered.

“Hyung!”

“You okay? No injuries?”

“No poison or curse touched you?”

The pre-regression me knelt and hugged my brother. I wanted to reach out too, but couldn’t. Yuhyun gave a relieved smile.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Fine! Just look how I’m messed up, no scratches!”

That shouldn’t be. He must have bruises from rolling around. I smiled, and he gave a small smile back.

[Boss monster defeated. Dungeon gate opens.]

The message window kindly informed us.

“Hey, let’s get out.”

Before anything else happens. Holding my brother, I looked at myself.

“I’m not going.”

He said firmly.