The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 698: What Was Stolen, What Was Gained (2)

[Rank-1 Chimera Species – Deranix (SSS)

The ruler of the Ware Beasts, a chimera created by □□□ mixing dragon and leopard]

The system window spilled its data.

Above the black leopard’s head, metallic horns curled upward. A blade-like mane ran along its back down to its tail. Bronze scales intermingled with the black fur, and the tail was wholly that of a dragon.

Tadak-tadak— the erected mane clashed, sending a grating sound through the air. Its sharply slit eyes swept leisurely over the surroundings. There was no being here stronger than itself. That confident gaze fell upon Yuhyun. Though not comparable to SSS-rank, there was a premonition that getting hit would nevertheless hurt. With a low growl, Deranix’s claws lightly scraped the ground.

A gesture announcing the hunt’s beginning. The premonition of battle flowing from Seong Hyunjae sent thrilling chills down my spine.

“It’s coming.”

I spoke tersely. At the same moment, Yuhyun struck the ground. A burst of acceleration from his gear plus the power in his kick sent him hurtling backward in an instant. Yet still—

Swoosh—

The tip of his fluttering hair brushed against the claw— thud! Yuhyun flew past, stabbing into the hardening stone. The rock shattered like grains of sand. Maintaining that incredible speed, he lunged again toward the tiny human, his fangs cleaving the air as a forepaw gouged a long furrow in the earth.

Kwa-gwa-gwang—!

Along its path, dozens of meters of ground were wiped clean. Flames flickered and earth and debris flew. Through dust and smoke, the leopard’s red tongue lolled. A blue willow leaf drifted before it. Perched on the slender leaf, my brother gazed down at Deranix.

“Definitely fast.”

Even with my Child Skill, Noah’s buffs, and the melted gate, Yuhyun’s stats fell short of SSS-rank. Yet he didn’t succumb easily. Molten metal spiraled slowly around him—the SSS-grade weapon forged by the Blade Devourer. Along it flickered a dark blue flame.

Deranix braced all four legs, then— tat! a surprisingly small sound for its size—

“Cyarrrk!”

A razor-sharp claw came just inches from Yuhyun, its movement almost teleportation. But just a fraction sooner, Yuhyun slid downward. Thump, his falling form landed on a willow leaf. Not vertically, but propelled horizontally, he kicked off and shot beneath the leopard’s body.

Big quadrupeds have vulnerable bellies. When vaulted into the air thus, they’re defenseless. Yuhyun flipped himself upward. At the same time, the melted weapons’ blades swung toward Deranix’s abdomen.

Giiiing!

With a strange sensation, the space around Deranix warped! The red-hot blade bent oddly. It sliced not through the beast’s belly but the air, missing entirely as Yuhyun’s body was flung aside.

Chaaak— nimbly regaining his stance, Yuhyun slid down dragging one foot. Behind him, the leopard landed and glowered fiercely.

“Spatial Distortion. As long as it uses that, landing an attack is tough.”

It twists and deflects any attack. Not full control of space, but enough to warp the area around itself. Kurrrung— a ruinous building left standing by the dungeon’s influence was swallowed by flame and collapsed. Deranix charged again, more cautiously this time.

With every swing of its claws and lash of its tail, the ground overturned. Kwaang! Buildings stacked like rotten logs shattered, and dungeon-grown foliage scattered like a storm-driven tempest.

Amid that colossal destruction, Yuhyun’s form glided smoothly through the air. One slip—if a claw cut even shallowly, it would be over. Even layered defenses couldn’t withstand it. Yet his expression remained calm.

Sharrrk— the spreading flames surged higher. A forepaw that had missed by a hair triggered gusts that sent Yuhyun soaring. The fire followed him—red, black, bluish.

Deranix swallowed the uprooted foliage, wood, and debris into a vortex column. Under normal mana constraints, such a feat was impossible. But now every ember fed Yuhyun’s mana and returned to him.

“Krkk!”

Double effect on offensive skills. The power of the SS-grade Black Flame skill doubled. Plus the buff from the melted gate. Faced with the overwhelming inferno, Deranix faltered. Simultaneously, Yuhyun’s mana burst free.

Kwaaaang—!

A wave of fire engulfed Deranix. It’s not easy to warp away all incoming flames—another sheet of fire holds its ground where space should twist.

“Kyaaaa!”

The leopard pushed back the fire and stumbled away. Some of its mane charred, but no real wounds. The raging flames subsided, dying out in an instant, and Deranix’s drooping mane rose again. It seemed out of energy, yet—

Flare— the fire rekindled. Not gone but transmuted to mana, reclaimed by its wielder, then reborn as fresh flame, dancing red, black—

Kwaduk! Deranix stamped the ground. Its head, forelegs, and torso twisted grotesquely. No matter how powerful the fire, if it can’t reach, it’s useless. The drawn-up flames fell upon its face, bending wildly to split behind its skull. Burning a few tufts it couldn’t dodge, its fangs flashed.

Kagak! White teeth and black blade clashed fiercely. Marked by a long gash on his fang, Yuhyun was flung upward. The gathered flames trembled precariously. Seizing the opening, Deranix accelerated, pursuing Yuhyun relentlessly.

Moves too swift for S-rank, even a buffed SS-rank to track, cleaving the air. Amid screams of splitting air, a flap of Yuhyun’s cloak tore long. A giant claw grazed his face, nicking his cheek faintly.

Noah’s orbs of light kept striking Yuhyun’s body, but Forced Blessing couldn’t be used—any moment’s disturbance was fatal, so even a veteran support couldn’t intervene.

“Grrr.”

Deranix snarled in frustration at the elusive prey. Seizing that small gap— boom! A concentrated burst of fire erupted right before Deranix. With all four paws off the ground, the giant leopard was shoved back at once. Yuhyun, too, was hurled high into the sky. The instant distance opened, Yuhyun summoned flame again.

Gathering into a sphere the size of a person’s head, the Devourer’s Blade swung at it. Imbuing the wreathed fire with attribute power, then thwack! The fire bomb hurled at Deranix exploded.

Bang! Kwaang! Pong!

A barrage of heat and light. The leopard recoiled and lunged toward the river. Yuhyun’s flames slithered like dozens of serpents across the ground toward the water. Devouring everything they touched, they grew until splash— the head plunged into the river.

Chiiik— steam billowed, then was swallowed by flame. Fire that even burned the river’s water poured forth relentlessly. Natural water and mana-drawn fire—an SSS-rank would exhaust its mana long before achieving that. Yet the river’s surroundings brimmed with fuel. All that fire was Yuhyun’s mana.

The flowing water was dammed, the riverbed dried. Flames flowed over where water had been. Distorting space to avoid the fire river, Deranix leapt up and roared ferociously at Yuhyun.

Annoying and vexing, but Yuhyun’s attacks didn’t inflict fatal wounds. No matter the strength of the fire, unless it could burn through Spatial Distortion itself, it was useless. Just a little more—if a bit faster, he could catch this prey wreathed in menacing flame. Yet Deranix could not quicken further, not in this form.

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

Deranix roared again, then ceased its assault.

“Yuhyun.”

Calling to my brother, I opened my closed pouch. All surrounding flames were driven back as powerful Spatial Distortion enveloped Deranix—targeting not the foe but myself.

Ware Beast. A monster species that shifts to bipedal form. The massive leopard’s body compressed and compressed, shrinking to barely three meters. Unlike normal transformations, its original bulk’s stats were likewise compressed, making its speed and strength nearly double those of its true form.

Yuhyun had been narrowly evading Deranix’s assaults. At +100 % here, even with battle premonition he couldn’t dodge.

Deranix’s body was fully compressed. It vanished in the blink of an eye. With speed impossible to match and strength unstoppable, its talons shot at Yuhyun like blades.

Kang!

—Grrk!

They collided with my arm. The Mini-Mini Cookie effect ended, and I popped out before Yuhyun, smiling at his startled eyes.

“It’s L-rank.”

And then Yuhyun—

Kwaduk, his warped Devourer’s Blade and the molten steel pierced Deranix. The Primordial Flame Fragment buff. The melted gate buff—SSS-rank. The Black Flame, SSS-rank, double skill effect.

“Spatial Distortion disabled.”

Applying it within his own body, he could no longer use it defensively. Flames coursing across both swords burned the monster’s flesh.

“Kyaaak!”

“Compressed bodies need over thirty minutes to revert.”

Yuhyun caught me, leapt back onto a willow leaf, forcing Deranix’s form small enough to prevent Spatial Distortion. Though his near-miss dodges were real.

Without Spatial Distortion, Yuhyun’s attacks hit true. But without my Grace, Deranix’s attacks could not be blocked.

“Thanks to the Flame Fragment, this was easier.”

Otherwise, killing it outright in one go would’ve been nearly impossible. Rin snorted in agreement. Consumed by fire from within, Deranix finally collapsed. The trailing flames quickly died. The river’s water returned to the parched bed, flowing again.

“Amazing! So cool! I watched half-blind!”

Yun-yun ran up shouting. Yuhyun set me down. I turned and looked up at my brother.

“You did well.”

“Nah. No wounds.”

“Hey, you were using Teacher’s Skill. You got a cheek nick and your mana circuit overloaded. Even if you refill mana, who wastes it like that? You didn’t need to dry up the river.”

“It was faster that way. I wanted to test it.”

That brother of mine—strong enough already, and with the Flame Fragment too, he was something else. Limited to thirty minutes, though.

“You two okay? I can’t help the mana issue…”

“You’ll recover with rest.”

Probably. Just then the system window appeared.

[Congratulations! You have defeated all monsters!]

I knew, ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) but I gasped. Countless A-ranks, S-ranks, SS-ranks, and the final SSS-rank—all down.

[One hour until London’s sealing. Please evacuate the area quickly!]

Having slain every monster, the dungeonification resumed. Even distant buildings were reverting to ruined relics. Noah transformed back into a dragon.

—Let’s go.

“Chief Kim, here!”

Yun-yun pulled Seong Hyunjae from her sleeve. Still tied by the cord, he smiled brightly. Should I take care of him?

“If it’s a hassle, hand him to the goblins.”

Yuhyun said calmly. Well, that…

“For now, he’s Gyeol’s… I mean.”

Gyeol would hate it, but anyway. If we discarded him carelessly, it’d be bad for his upbringing. Though normally he’d eat and live well on his own, not in this form.

“Best to stay hidden. Many already know, but still.”

“I’m a bit tired anyway—need a nap.”

Seong Hyunjae yawned and vanished. The necklace orb gleamed. Together with my brother, I climbed onto Noah’s back.

“Let’s head home.”

Home at last—though a few tasks remained first.

“Dad!”

“Mister!”

—Kyaaang!

As soon as we passed through the Goblin Gate, Gyeol, Yerim, and Peace ran up. I told Yun-yun to close the gate and looked around.

We’d emerged near Gyeonggi Province’s Advanced Hunter Training Center and Mount Riding Beast Breeding Grounds. In the distance, a line of buses waited. Outside central London, overland travel was recommended—monsters had mostly appeared downtown, and time was ample. More had fled by land, but those by Goblin Gate numbered nearly a million. An astounding figure.

Even with all buses deployed, masses remained gathered. In the game’s finale, one could reclaim London. If dungeonification was canceled, most central buildings would likely be restored—or at least the Transcendents would provide such service.

‘The King of Devourers granted a wish, too.’

They forbade excess, but restoring the city seemed fair. Yet for now, many had lost their homes.

“Japan will accept refugees too.”

Sisi-O approached and said.

“Over a hundred thousand easily. The U.S. and Europe agreed as well.”

“They’re cooperative.”

“Because it could happen to us.”

I expected “it’s justice,” but her tone was unexpectedly pragmatic. After all, Sisi-O is head of Japan’s largest guild and dominates the hunter world there. Even if assistants handle tasks, she knew the world well enough.

“With S-rank hunters funding it, no problem. Nothing to worry about.”

Spoken confidently, Sisi-O departed to prepare refugee transfers. Other elite hunters who came to Korea were busy coordinating. Hunter Association staff hovered, perhaps hoping to recruit them to Korea. London may be gone, but Britain remains.

“Brother, let’s go home and rest.”

“Yeah, Mister! You look unwell.”

“Dad, are you tired?”

Even Peace growled and circled my feet. I longed to go home too, but glanced at Yun-yun with the goblins. Then I spoke to the Association staff.

“The broadcast is ready, right?”

Now was the only chance. A little more work, then home.

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