The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 672: The World of the Moon (2)

I pulled Ppiyak inside my windbreaker and glanced around. As I clutched him, the system alone began loading dungeon information.

“Wait! Hey!”

A whirlwind of complex mana surged—summoning past-world data to generate a dungeon. Of course I couldn’t follow it; I didn’t dare even move a finger.

[□□□ Era □□□□□□□□□ Confirmed]

The system’s mana wrapped around me. I hid Ppiyak in my jacket and looked around. In an instant, the scenery flipped—all things connected to me.

[Our Yuhyun’s all grown up~]

Though noise-obscured, it was recognizable: my younger brother in his newly tailored middle-school uniform, smiling at me. His cheeks were still round, but he’d grown tall even then.

[Now you can go out with hyung.]

[Only one stop apart—until I graduate, though.]

[…I should’ve been born a little earlier.]

Yuhyun sounded sullen. But our walking to school together had ended long before that.

[I’m doing this to make life easier for our family, but it’s okay to look away a little, right?]

In another world-direction, Hyung Keun handed me canned coffee. Pre-regression me silently turned away.

[You did nothing wrong.]

Present me also fell silent. Even if it wasn’t my fault, he was my brother. I’d never shake the guilt of leaving him in danger. No matter how strong he grew, I was his guardian.

The blurry past-images cycled, growing clearer, then abruptly—

[I need to buy some new clothes.]

A new scene appeared: Yuhyun helping me pack, speaking calmly. It was shortly after regression; compared to now, we both looked awkward. His voice was even, my eyes wandered.

[Especially suits… they probably won’t fit well.]

[Uh… I haven’t really had to wear one. After the military, whatever. Leave it be. Not much useful stuff anyway.]

I stood up first; I didn’t want him to see how carelessly I’d been living. So I’d left my things half-unpacked, piled up.

In another direction, the rooftop garden appeared.

“Uncle! Over here!”

Yerim bounced over as Peace ran off then returned to me. Ppiyak flitted around above us.

“One day a week you should come work with me.”

Dohamin, wearing an apron, spoke—it was at a café.

“That brings more customers. Many hunters want to see the Breeding Farm Director.”

“And there’s no rent, so just wing it.”

“If you’re going to do it, do it properly! Let’s get uniforms—yours and your siblings’ too.”

“Are you crazy, you bastard wants to exploit the kids too.”

Dohamin had urged Soyeong and even Hyunjae himself once. I’d stopped—he was hopelessly earnest. I wonder what he’s up to now. Hopefully he made it back to Korea.

“Ahhh—almost done here.”

I stretched, surveying a desk covered with laptop, documents, and files. Director Song, buried in paperwork as always, looked up and nodded.

“Good work.”

It was during an A-Rank tournament. Since I’d organized it and alone knew the pre-regression data, I’d helped the Hunter Association. A mountain of flower wreaths stood in one corner—of course Hyunjae had sent them. He really outdid himself then.

“How did it get so late? Let’s go—I’ll buy dinner~”

“I can’t.”

“It’s the same as among colleagues. Just right on budget and cheap! I’m craving something spicy. With soju. It’s been ages since I could bring the kids; this is adult time.”

The blurry scene of me dragging Director Song outside faded. Then a flurry of post-regression glimpses.

“Hyung, Blue ate the shampoo.”

“—Kyaow!”

Blue, covered in shampoo, wagged his tail excitedly while Yuhyun held him. We ran into the bathroom to wash him. Crash! Something shattered.

“Uncle! I got my first fine!”

Yerim waved the first penalty notice in wonder.

“I swear we did the same, why does yours taste different.”

“Why, Yujin’s is tasty too.”

“Our little Soroq’s dad! Welcome back!”

“Hyunah! Don’t call me that! There are others here!”

“I haven’t been to places like this much, but I know roughly how it works. No need to ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) teach me.”

“Team Leader Seok? Or young master?”

“I learned from Yuhyun, but since he learned from Seok Si-myeong, citation goes to the latter.”

“Sometimes I even fly to the East Sea. The feeling until you see the ocean—wonderful.”

“Seoul’s night view is great too. Oh, look—a plane.”

“Director Song, keep lunch-box ingredients under 3,000 won! Avoid extras!”

“Captain Kim the Husband! What? What’re you eating? Give me some!”

“Peace, let’s run away and live with dad!”

“—Kiiang!”

“Hyung! I did it for you—”

“It’s all Han Yuhyun’s fault!”

Yuhyun and Yerim each grabbed an arm. I held back an angry smile; even present me couldn’t help but grin. There’d been tough times but plenty of joy too. I shook my head to clear it.

“This isn’t the time.”

They said within a thousand years was okay, but it’s all my past—at most thirty years, now thirty-one. I’m about to squander any chance to gather info.

‘And it’s almost all Korea.’

I’d only traveled abroad post-regression; hardly any foreign scenes appeared. Whatever I choose seems the same. Maybe I should wait for Myeong-woo’s message instead of picking now—there was no stated time limit.

“…Huh?”

Then: a strange scene not of Korea or my world. A fox with three horns dashed through a forest of unfamiliar trees. White, fluffy creatures with dragonfly wings fluttered in swarms.

Was it inside a dungeon? None I’d encountered looked like this. A completely new landscape—yet it should only show things tied to me. Why was this—

“…Could it be?”

A thought struck me: no way. Yet if I was right—

ZZZTT

The strange scene began flickering, the forest warping and vanishing in patches.

“Wait!”

I reached out. Related to me—the one entity so deeply entwined that the system might mistake me for them:

‘Only two people!’

The Harmless King, and the Crescent Moon. I once became the Harmless King, and twice I accepted the Crescent Moon. In other words, for a moment Han Yujin was both—so the system could confuse me for either. Both transcendents were ancient. The Harmless King was said to have been with the Crescent Moon once. If I could reach their world…

“…Ugh!”

Ppiyak!

Touching the vanishing forest unleashed tremendous mana. Under a weight crushing my whole body, my vision went black. Like swept by a fierce tide, I couldn’t move as my form was dragged somewhere.

Then—whoosh—

“Gah!”

A sky of vivid blue hit my sight. Squinting against the glare—

“Wait—”

I began to plummet. Damn. With Blessing’s help I’d only bruise, but—

Ppiyak! Ppiyak!

“…I’m okay, dad.”

Ppiyak clung to my clothes with both feet, flapping his wings valiantly. Ppiyak, those aren’t your wings that are flying—Blessing’s item power is. Don’t overload the item. Still, thanks to Ppiyak we fell more slowly. I turned my head to look down: the forest rushed up beneath us. Wearing the Lynx Set, I twisted as branches approached.

Crack!

My boots landed on a branch, which snapped under the impact—but my speed slowed significantly. I stepped to another branch and leapt down. Leaves rustled and birds burst away in alarm.

“Ugh, my ankle.”

Pain shot from my foot to my head. But it wasn’t broken or sprained—maybe a little swelling.

Ppiyakp!

Ppiyak proudly spread his wings in front of me.

“Thanks, Ppiyak.”

Ppiyak!

But where was I? Did I arrive properly? I tried opening the system, but nothing responded.

“…Broken down?”

No core I could knock on to test—someone will come rescue me once they see something’s wrong, whether Myeong-woo or a newcomer.

“I might’ve jumped in too recklessly.”

Ppiya.

“It’s a glitch-born opportunity. I can’t let it slip. If other transcendents find out, they’ll block it.”

Ppiyakp!

“But what do I do, Ppiyak? The world’s huge if I wander aimlessly.”

Even a small country-sized area, yet it’s dungeon-summoned data, so maybe narrower. I stepped forward to survey my surroundings.

Thud!

Ppiyak?

“My foot’s not that loud, Ppiyak.” I held my breath, then—

Thud!

A heavy thud echoed. Right—this is another world, and a dungeon, so monsters should exist. Goddamn.

‘Please be A-Rank or below!’

I tucked Ppiyak in and used Stealth. A greater flock of birds scattered overhead. Then a branch-crushing sound. Whatever it was, it was large. I identified the direction and began running quietly.

A small one might not notice me, but a big one—even Blessing couldn’t save me if I got stomped or swallowed. So I ran as far as I could—

Thwang!

“Ah!”

Something caught my ankle. I stumbled forward, tangled in countless threads that hoisted me up like a cocoon to a tree.

“What—what is this?”

Suspended in the net, I drew my dagger to cut it, but the layered fine threads wouldn’t budge. I felt mana in each strand—this was a high-grade trap.

“…Why is it so tough?”

Ppiyak!

“This is maddening. Is anyone here—”

I bit my tongue. The ground-rumbling from the monster stopped, but I couldn’t be sure. …I can’t hang here all night. Maybe shoot it with magi-bullets? S-Rank mana rounds might shred it, but the noise… I’d wait a bit—

“They’ve set another net, huh.”

Then a human voice from below, and suddenly I dropped with the net. I quickly righted myself and looked up.

“Sorry. No injuries, I hope?”

What struck me first was the lush pink hair—silvery, like soft candy-floss. The two eyes peering down, smiling, lacked visible whites: deep violet like a clear night sky, with a slender silver moon within.

“I’m fine, though—”

Ppiyakp!

“Ppiyak!”

Ppiyak hopped onto the pink hair and settled. Oh, Ppiyak! I bowed hurriedly.

“My apologies!”

“It’s okay. But don’t you plan to heal that arm?”

“Uh, of course I want to.”

“It’s best to restore lost body parts swiftly. The longer they’re gone, the more they become the new norm, making treatment harder.”

“It’s… tricky for me to use healing skills or items freely right now…”

“I see.”

The Crescent Moon’s eyes regarded me. Then, as if my arm had never vanished, it returned perfectly, with no side effects.

“I took the backlash. It’s nothing to me.”

“Th-thank you.”

“A forest-warder’s reward. Seeing those empty eyes, you’re not native here.”

She stroked Ppiyak with one hand.

“I am called the Crescent Moon.”

As expected, this was the Crescent Moon’s world. Yet I felt a fresh tension tighten my throat. The Crescent Moon I knew looked entirely different—but before me stood a gentle smile.

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