The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 473: Inside the Drawer

“Yu….”

No, my brother couldn’t be here. Yet beyond the mansion gates stood someone who looked exactly like Yuhyun—in the very outfit he’d worn at yesterday’s banquet.

“Hello, Master.”

“W-What are you saying?!”

And in that form! The voice was identical, too! Something that looked like my brother smiled.

“I am Number 71.”

“Is this some kind of management system? More importantly, why are you dressed like that?”

“The default appearance is set to the Master’s favorite.”

Of course I like my brother—but… wait.

‘The current Yuhyun, that is.’

My favorite version—neither the child I remembered nor the older teen, but this one. It made sense. Yuhyun has changed so much: laughing, showing affection, rarely anxious, and, above all, he said he finally liked himself.

Han Yuhyun is unlike anyone else. Even though I accepted that, I still worried—he lives in human society, after all.

But denying himself, forcing himself to hide who he is—that was cruel. As long as he didn’t harm others, why should he conform? And if we shape ourselves to live together, both sides must compromise.

So I preferred the current Yuhyun. He’ll only get better, even if he stumbles sometimes. And that outfit really suited him.

Anyway.

“Change into someone else. I mean…”

Yerim wouldn’t do. Nor Myeongwoo or Noah. Hyunah speaking so politely would feel odd. Director Song is formal but “Master” would be too much… How about Hamin? Or—

“Can you transform into Seong Hyeonje?”

After all, he called himself “Master” just yesterday—let’s put the Sesung Guild Leader to work. 71 looked troubled.

“Currently, Master’s power cannot change the setting.”

“…What? You call me Master, yet that’s not possible?”

“Its settings require very high spatial affinity and control.”

“How high?”

“Below 0.01 percent.”

…Master? This is worse than renting. I stepped inside the gate. The garden was spacious, filled with unfamiliar flowering trees—but not a bird or bee in sight. And this 71 wasn’t alive.

“Then at least call me something else. Just use my name.”

“Master’s spatial understanding—”

“Okay, that’s not happening.”

I almost put a mask on its face.

“What exactly are you?”

“I am a Number 71 Drawer-Management Doll.”

“Not alive, then?”

“Based on an artificial spirit, but hardly a living being.”

Artificial spirit?

“Is there anything dangerous inside? Base it on an F-rank.”

“If not touched first, it is safe.”

So the jellyfish drawer has been well maintained. I felt a little guilty doubting it. In retrospect, it was quite reliable—far more civilized than a hatchling lizard. Only the chatterbox is troublesome.

About ten minutes must have passed. A little late wouldn’t hurt—let’s explore for thirty minutes.

“Tell me once thirty minutes have passed. Deal?”

“Yes, I can.”

“And time flows the same here as outside, right?”

“No. Changing time flow requires over eighty percent spatial control.”

That’s possible? The Newcomer dungeon shifted time flow too. Ugh, my socks are still wet. Gross. 71 silently followed, leading me up the front steps and opening the door. It was so eerily like Yuhyun that I almost said thanks to “Yuhyun.” The movements and tone differed slightly, though.

I opened the right door of a long corridor to reveal a large living room. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the garden. The marble-like floor gleamed, and glowing spheres of various sizes floated like lanterns in lieu of lights.

“There don’t seem to be any items here.”

“This is a rest area. The sofas and chairs restore stamina, and the lighting provides comfort. Food on the table stays fresh and at temperature for three days.”

Nice. I considered sitting on the sofa but decided against it—it was too damp. The stamina boost is useful, but I wouldn’t remove such a feature.

“So I can only take three items with me?”

“Yes. That is the setting.”

“What if my spatial control increases?”

“If you become the drawer’s perfect master, all restrictions vanish.”

No limits? Then I could take anything. My heart raced.

“How do I become the perfect master?”

“By fully understanding and freely reconstructing, dismantling, and creating the space.”

In other words, become a transcendental being. How could I do that? Myeongwoo said he could sense the mana structure, but I only saw trees and sky. Maybe I should ask him.

I left the living room and entered another room—an expansive library. Checking safety with 71, I grabbed a book and opened it.

“Hmm… must be good stuff.”

What language is this?

“In the library, focus is enhanced. Reading here improves retention.”

I want to bring Yerim here! If students could use this whole library, they’d line up.

“I can only take three items, but can I use more here?”

“Yes. But items that absorb into your body count toward the three.”

“…I drank the lake water earlier.”

“The lake water is not an item.”

So I could bring the kids here—though the Newcomer said without a mana source, only thirty uses for one person. If I brought Yuhyun and Yerim, only ten uses.

What a waste. I thought it a mere emergency shelter. It’s so much more!

“How do I replenish mana here?”

“From the Master. But the connection is currently severed.”

“…To reconnect, I need that spatial control?”

“Yes. Simple mana replenishment requires at least five percent control. One charge equals ten SSS-grade mana stones.”

That’s huge. Luckily I have the Mana Spring. Without it, I’d be drained like a mummy and barely refill one percent.

I crossed the corridor to the last door. Beyond it lay brilliant blue water. A three-story-high wall of seamless transparent glass revealed a terrace over the lake.

“Feels like a resort.”

“Number 71 Drawer is more of a rest area, recently remodeled to Master’s world standards.”

71 answered. So it really is a retreat. They remodeled it before handing it to me—how thoughtful. No wonder the layout felt familiar. Given the King of Nihility’s physique, a wine-glass–style seat is more comfortable than a normal chair. Likely tentacle-friendly décor too—though what that means, I have no clue.

“So item grades here and the drawer’s grade are relatively low.”

I’d thought it SSS-grade—but it feels like L-grade. I could trade any L-skill I have… though nothing worthwhile remains. I grudgingly surrendered my resistance skills once but they proved # Nоvеlight # indispensable: curse, poison, fear resistance, even my Baby Skill. Only the Last Boon…

‘Maybe I don’t need that.’

Better forget it forever. I could still avenge him. I’ve used it once and gained much, but never want it applied again.

“…Resort items might not be very useful.”

Probably picnic baskets, beach robes, sunglasses, float rings—not weapons or armor.

“Does higher grade mean larger space?”

“Yes. Space expands and item grade capacity rises; detection, tracking, and destruction become harder.”

“You can find and destroy it?”

“An SSS-grade detection being could.”

Then it’s no safe haven against transcendent foes—pity. Still, there are no SS-ranks here. Only occasional SS monsters. I wonder the forge’s level—Newcomer said it’s comparable to the forge, so at least L to Mythical grade.

Compared to the Golden Forge’s specialty, this is just a villa and warehouse.

“What’s on the first floor?”

“A dining hall, café, and bath.”

“Second floor?”

“A living room, three bedrooms, three baths.”

“Third floor?”

“A pool, lounge, game room, plus an attic and basement.”

Floors one through three seem ordinary; the highlight is the basement.

“Let’s go to the basement.”

I resolved to learn enough spatial control to hit five percent. This portable villa is too valuable to use only once. Could I let others use it? A perfect rest area for our dungeon trips. Transcendents whip these up at will—lucky them.

Ah, excluding the Elder. The Mermaid Queen doesn’t fit the Newcomer or jellyfish researcher type. The deer and wolf don’t either. Trees seem more… this kind.

‘Newcomer’s siding with me more now—what about the other scoundrels?’

The more allies, the better. Next time I meet the Newcomer, I’ll ask about the Mermaid Queen. She’s our most connected. He gave Yerim a skill, and he calls her “little droplet.”

Inside, there were no internal stairs—only decorative ones. Instead, a portal.

“With higher spatial control, you can travel anywhere instantly.”

71 said. Through the portal, we descended to the basement. Rather than a lab, it was bright, cheerful, with display cabinets holding cube artifacts.

“Those are items, right?”

They all looked identical, yet each contained a different item. I suppressed a grin and asked; 71 nodded. That likeness to Yuhyun made it even more delightful! Why only three? Still, wonderful.

“Is there a catalog? Random removal could be dangerous.”

“In cube form, they’re safe.”

“Really?”

I opened the nearest cabinet. Small nameplates adorned the shelves, but I couldn’t read them. When I lifted a cube, its contents’ info flowed into my mind.

‘A-rank: Rainbow Turtle Shell.’

A crafting material. There must be many materials. I could practice with Myeongwoo—just return the crafted items. Next cube:

‘S-rank: Philool Tree Fruit.’

All materials? I opened the opposite cabinet.

“SS-rank boots!”

Equipment! But no detailed stats. Should I try them on? I set them down and grabbed the next.

“Also SS-rank! But a spoon…?”

A spoon? Maybe it enhances food taste. There were equipment and bizarre miscellaneous items. Truly an unimportant junk storage. There are bags too—I liked the one from Solemnis.

I checked further cabinets.

“Skills!”

Skill cubes from A to SS rank. Skill! And there—

‘Stats? Raises base stats?’

Seriously? Permanent one-digit increases rank as S—but still!

“Only three—why only three? Jellyfish! King of Nihility! Unfair!”

A feast of temptation! My feet stomped involuntarily—and dread struck. If the King of Nihility and other transcendents can craft these…

‘…If the chatterbox empowers Awakened Hunters with items like this…’

They’d catch up to us fast. Though limited, I mustn’t underestimate them.

How to choose here? So many.

“Any recommendations? Or bring the kids… Wait, hasn’t thirty minutes passed?”

Time had flown—I felt I’d been here ages. I turned to 71, but it shook its head.

“Twenty-seven minutes, forty-five seconds remain.”

“…What? Hang on!”

It couldn’t be just two minutes fifteen seconds! Getting out of the water alone took ten minutes!

“You said time flows the same here. Only two minutes passed?”

“Precisely two minutes, sixteen seconds.”

“…Didn’t ten seconds just pass while you spoke? Only two minutes sixteen seconds? In this world, that is!”

71 was silent, then spoke.

“Two minutes, sixteen seconds is the King of Nihility’s time unit. In Master’s world time, one hour, twenty-seven minutes, nineteen seconds have elapsed.”

Of course much more time passed! Their time unit differs from ours. But an hour and a half isn’t terrible. Reluctantly, I returned the cubes and hurried outside.

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