The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 433: Fragments of Fog (2)
The hospital ceiling darkened, stretching endlessly high with a whoosh─ it was a night sky without stars. Moonlight rippled across the pitch-black sky.
Silver strands drifted down like flowing hair. In the center, an eye slowly opened.
Though only a fragment of a memory, a crushing presence weighed down on me, as if submerged in water—or even heavier, in thick viscous liquid. Surely, even this was not the crescent moon fully incarnated.
How could anyone face that? Amid the choking hopelessness, the moonlight shook violently.
[My beloved little moon.]
A faint voice tinged with sympathy, as if utterly certain that it could never escape its touch.
[If you choose to wander the fleeting path of dreams, then so be it.]
With a soothing, almost tender tone, she spoke.
[All paths have an end.]
The darkened moonlight at the end began to fade. Ruga Peya tilted her head and looked up at the silver-scattered sky.
“This must be why the crescent moon suddenly fell asleep—because it intervened to stop the eclipse.”
And she had succeeded. Completing Seong Hyunjae was only delayed briefly, but the sole threat was removed.
Song Taewon.
He blinked slowly. He was no longer human in form.
In the blurry playback of memories, a black shadow melted away, dripping endlessly like tears onto the ground.
He extended what had been his hand.
[…Live on.]
He protected humans. Song Taewon.
Whether Chief Song truly saw Seong Hyunjae as human or if it was a final comfort, I could not say. But somehow, that barely formed figure, his face…
Seemed to wear a faint smile.
[As a human.]
Seong Hyunjae’s form was barely visible. But the Plunder skill, Song Taewon’s last strength granted to him, was confirmed.
[In the end, I was a monster.]
…I wanted to shout no. It was painful that my voice could not reach the past record.
[You must live on.]
“…Li, …ve on?”
Seong Hyunjae spoke, but it was barely audible.
[With that, I… ]
With a soft crackle, the shadow crumbled. Seong Hyunjae’s hand touched the darkness spreading like a puddle.
[…I’m sorry.]
A fragile voice as if about to break at any moment. What was it, even to the end?
[I… was greedy… but again…]
Again.
[…I can… still be human… a few times…]
“Of course, …you can.”
Wrapping his fingertips one last time, the black shadow scattered into white. No corpse remained. Only a single gift was left as his final trace.
The last gift that would allow Seong Hyunjae to live as a human.
Before regression, Song Taewon never fully accepted himself as human. But he continued protecting people and left the path of humanity for the one he once saw as a monster.
…Perhaps, he was somewhat satisfied.
The fog disappeared. Clear skies appeared, and the surroundings transformed back into a forest. An involuntary long sigh escaped my lips.
“…The crescent moon, huh.”
My throat was a bit dry.
“It withdrew more easily than expected.”
“Because the eclipse vanished. It must be satisfied. Though it acts generous in memories, it must be quite troubled now.”
The King of Harmless laughed mischievously.
“Since you rewound time, the eclipse revived as well.”
“But Chief Song will never harm Seong Hyunjae or Little Moon. Not someone who would. The crescent moon must know that too, right?”
“How can you trust a being born from the Origin’s will?”
“Still, that’s not the kind of person.”
Recalling what I saw moments ago, my eyes narrowed.
“I don’t understand it well, but you must know something. About Chief Song’s condition.”
“She was definitely not an ordinary human. The black shadow seemed to have inflicted some damage on the crescent moon too. Even with the crescent moon showing that much power, she survived without being killed. Though she eventually collapsed, unable to overcome her own strength.”
The King of Harmless expressed regret, wishing to summon the eclipse for examination.
“If I’d known, I’d have taken Han «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» Yujin’s side!”
“Me too,” I said.
Even if the purpose was impure, I would have welcomed even one transcendent on my side. If the King of Harmless were alive and on our side, Chatterbox might have followed too… really a tear-inducing loss.
“It’s possible Chief Song could swallow Seong Hyunjae entirely. Then maybe the crescent moon could remove just the bindings on Seong Hyunjae?”
“Impossible.”
Ruga Peya said flatly.
“The threads are woven tightly over a long time. The eclipse’s power can’t just erase the crescent moon’s influence. It requires delicate work, carefully cutting the thin but very tough threads tightly wrapped around the body. The current eclipse, which hasn’t even lived a hundred years, is like swinging a huge blunt weapon, not a scalpel.”
“So it’s not that it can’t do it, but lacks the ability?”
“If it grows for a thousand years, or maybe ten thousand, it might. By then, it would handle its power as precisely as surgical scissors.”
Ten thousand years. So it can’t be done anytime soon.
“Difficult.”
“There’s no way to easily pull out something that a transcendent like the crescent moon painstakingly built. Just managing to damage it this much is impressive~”
Not exactly the word I’d use.
“If someone cut even a single thread out of tens or hundreds tangled together, who knows. Still, it’d be hard due to simple lack of experience.”
Who would cut it? So Chief Song would need to live thousands more years to help Seong Hyunjae safely. Overwhelming.
“Will Chief Song live long?”
“As long as she doesn’t get consumed by her own power. Both Little Moon and she bear powers they cannot control — one acquired, one innate. They carry burdens too great, imposed by external will. And Han Yujin, you—”
The jellyfish circled me once.
“You’re embracing burdens you cannot handle alone. Ignoring broken arms and a torn chest.”
“It’s still bearable for now.”
“Oh, but it’ll be fun ahead.”
Ruga Peya sighed deeply, then looked at me again.
“So, how about the rewards? The you inside the dungeon is treated as the same person, so it counted as you solo-killing the boss monster.”
Oh, right. I looked at Ruga Peya expectantly.
“It’s F-rank killing L-rank alone. Shouldn’t this yield better than a wish stone?”
“Not L-rank, S-rank.”
Tch, not fooled. S-rank was about one or two tiers lower than before regression.
“Anything you want?”
“If I had something to want…”
Of course, there were many things. But asking to save our world was impossible; getting my brother back was…
“…Before rewards, can you help with something?”
“Hm? What?”
“Chatterbox.”
Ruga Peya tilted her head.
“Why him?”
Why indeed.
“He’s grinding his teeth saying he wants revenge on me.”
“Revenge? Why?”
She looked genuinely confused. Could it be that Chatterbox…
“Because Chatterbox loves Ruga Peya, hmm?”
“I see.”
“What’s with that ‘I see’?”
Too indifferent. I felt a tiny bit sorry for that bastard.
“Lots of people loved me. I’m charming.”
Ruga Peya smiled, flicking her tentacles lightly.
“Though I don’t know well due to species differences.”
“But abilities don’t depend on species~ Even when I was a king of a world and a species as a child, many courted me.”
“But still, those tentacles…”
“You’re so prejudiced against tentacles.”
Anyway, the King of Harmless seemed to have no particular feelings toward Chatterbox.
“Setting love aside, weren’t you at least friends?”
“We hung out and had tea time, probably.”
“So try to stop him. Write a will or something. Like, I bear no grudge against Han Yujin, so give up revenge. Or say Han Yujin didn’t kill me, that’s fine too.”
“I can write it, but revenge is self-satisfaction of the living.”
Ruga Peya shrugged.
“If love is truly pure toward another, revenge ends the moment the other disappears. Nothing remains. Not even revenge.”
…Suddenly I thought of Yuhyun. My brother who ignored even himself and only looked at me.
“Love and feelings usually involve interaction. The ‘me’ who loves you is important too. It’s me, not anyone else, who loves you. For normal, universal love and emotional exchange, I must exist before you.”
“That sounds a bit vague.”
“Chatterbox acts for ‘himself who loves Ruga Peya.’ It’s not pure revenge just for me.”
…That made sense. Honestly, what could the dead know of revenge anyway?
“Still, if someone’s truly precious, wanting revenge is natural.”
“Chatterbox’s sorrow is not Ruga Peya’s sorrow, and his anger not hers. Of course, feelings aren’t created alone, so I’m not completely unrelated. The sorrow and anger exist because of me.”
If a person were truly alone, could the heart exist? Surely something or someone else must exist to feel joy or sorrow.
“Still, in the end, it’s for himself. Han Yujin, would you stop if you received a letter saying don’t seek revenge for your precious one?”
“…No.”
Absolutely not. I would never stop until my throat is cut. Still, unlike Chatterbox, I wouldn’t drag others into it.
“There could be backlash. But I’ll leave a message. Even if I don’t see it, it’d be too petty for your story to be blocked by Chatterbox’s revenge.”
“Too petty? It’s because you died. Because you died.”
“Yeah. It’s really petty.”
That jellyfish was hard to understand after all. She took my shoulder with her tentacle like a comforting hug. And Ruga Peya’s face came close—
“Wait, wait!”
“Close your eyes.”
Wha, what? I was startled, but a faint warmth touched my eyelids.
“The rest is luck.”
“I don’t know what that means, but thanks anyway. By the way, do you plan to come to me? You can even create monsters from memory fragments. Like that fairy dragon I saw before.”
“No. That’s not me.”
Ruga Peya flatly refused. Though a fragment had entered, changelings and Seong Hyunjae were very different. They only looked like Seong Hyunjae, but were completely different in ability and personality.
“Time is running out. With your current reward, you could get SSS-rank gear. If skills match your aptitude, that’s possible. But I don’t recommend skills. They’re bad for your body.”
“Is it impossible to get S-rank offensive skills?”
They’d be useful even with double effect. She shook her head.
“Even A-rank is tough.”
“That’s harsh.”
“Your aptitude was only for simple support at first. Now it seems more specialized for nurturing. Aptitude changes with environment and effort.”
“If I trained for five years, shouldn’t I have some combat aptitude?”
“Combat aptitude depends on physical condition. You changed your body.”
That was me before regression, honestly my body was a bit better. Did that mean I had some combat aptitude? I should’ve told that point shop guy to try! Maybe discounts applied!
“My points… all gone because of the crescent moon…”
My body was a bit healthier and mana seals stabilized, but still, it was a pity. Ruga Peya glanced into the air and spoke.
“The point shop looks useful. Want me to convert some points?”
“What? That’s possible?”
“The exchange rate isn’t good. About twenty percent loss.”
“I’d rather take gear than lose that much.”
Better to take care of the others. Mingyu can handle weapons and metals, so give me SSS-rank items that the blacksmith can’t craft.
“Anything you recommend? You know Chatterbox and the crescent moon. We’re bound to face them.”
“Greedy.”
“Or give me info. Any weaknesses?”
“The crescent moon weakens a bit during the day, but you can’t beat it. Chatterbox handles systems well but, like most system managers, isn’t good at fighting. Not his aptitude. Though still far stronger than you.”
Not very helpful. It’s like trying to crack a rock with an egg. Should I just take the gear and move on…?
“Ah, want my drawer?”
“Hm? Drawer?”
A square Rubik’s Cube-like object appeared before Ruga Peya.
“The others can’t use it and will be sealed forever anyway. This is my smallest drawer but contains items better than your reward points.”
“…Can I really have this?”
“It’s a loophole. It’s mine. You can only take three items out. That’s the max.”
Should I accept? Hopefully not a trick. I held out my hand and took the cube.
[King of Harmless’s Drawer No. 71]
It really was a drawer.
“…How do I use it?”
“Go inside and take items out.”
“All at once?”
“No. You can enter multiple times. It’s like the blacksmith’s forge.”
Then the cube itself was valuable enough. Could be an emergency refuge.
“You’re suspiciously kind.”
“You’re more interesting.”
No concern for good or evil, just if she liked you. She was willing to help anyway, so I had no reason to refuse.
“What about the remaining reward points?”
“I’ll convert them to points.”
Better to use points at the shop when needed than get trivial items now. Once fully rewarded, the scenery blurred. Ruga Peya’s form became translucent too. Her tentacles waved slowly as if bidding farewell.
“…Thanks. Take care.”
I had been through so much and now this help. Truly─
“By the way!”
“Yeah?”
Ruga Peya blinked.
“You can’t take anything here without processing it as a reward.”
“That’s obvi─”
“Even clothes.”
Gasp!
“Wait, wait! All my clothes belong here!”
I had changed everything, even underwear!
“I forgot since I can make clothes, but it’s no big deal. Bye~”
It was a big deal! As soon as I hurriedly took out the Sillekia and put it on, darkness fell before my eyes. The desolate island scene appeared.
A familiar cry was heard.
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