The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 714: Acceptance.

“Even relying on Combat Anticipation and the Lingering Blade’s continuous-strike enchantment, it would be impossible for me to deal Seong Hyunjae a fatal wound with my own abilities. Therefore, I had to force Seong Hyunjae to come in twice, close enough each time.”

I first shifted into Delouze form and fled. Seong Hyunjae confirmed he couldn’t catch me by speed alone, and he approached to steal Eunhae. Close enough for me to hold him. Thus he became poisoned and, slowed, had to approach me again—so that I could prevent him from detoxifying on his own.

Preparation complete. A close enough distance, poisoning unavoidable.

“Your claws are quite sharp.”

The black blade skewered Seong Hyunjae’s flank and protruded through his back. It must have pierced into his organs—severe wounds.

“I suspected a weapon, but I never expected you’d summon a pet.”

Seong Hyunjae’s gaze flicked to my shoulder. Little Seong Hyunjae idly flexed the tip of his crossed legs.

“A pet, you say? Tell them they’re a kindly creature’s companion.”

He produced an umbrella from his fingertip and spun it open. At this rate, he’d change his mind and cancel helping me. Despite my state, I was someone trying to live diligently.

“They tire quickly if drawn to their master’s side, so they cannot stay long.”

Little Seong Hyunjae whispered into my ear. In the momentary gap I toggled Poison Resistance on and off.

“Do not touch the hilt of that blade carelessly. You might lose your hand.”

It grows fierce unless held by its master. As Seong Hyunjae reached for it instead of the blade itself, the metal heated with a sizzle—searing flesh sound. When he gripped, the blade bit into his palm. Yet he drew it free without a flinch.

Snick! With the drawn blade came a rush of blood. The Lingering Blade clattered to the ground. Seong Hyunjae staggered slightly, then sprang forward at me.

“Potions won’t work!”

Combat Anticipation still in effect. I ducked low, slid to pick up the Lingering Blade, and swung it around. Poison plus hemorrhage. Yet Seong Hyunjae evaded. Chains rattled, lightning crackled.

“?!”

Dodging every burst of electricity was impossible—even with anticipation. He shrugged off the major arcs and absorbed the minor shocks with his body. Maybe I was wrong to refuse Yuhyun’s offer of his gear. But Yuhyun’s {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} extra life was gone; I had to be cautious.

Clang! Chains and blade clashed. The screech of metal grated on my ears.

“If you aim for another’s leg, be prepared to forfeit your own!”

“I lack the skill to act as a cat.”

“That’s not needed—”

“A cat?”

Little Seong Hyunjae, hidden in my pocket, peered out as if to ask what that meant. Don’t mind him. Thwak—Seong Hyunjae swung the chains violently. Still fearsome strength, but I could handle it now. He still had one environment alteration left. When opportunity came, I had to decisively subdue him.

Crack, zap! Electricity lashed my body like a whip. New wounds appeared continuously. Bracing against the wave of light, I thrust the blade forward. Four strands of chain bound my limbs, and the blade’s tip—

Thunk—

Embedded in Seong Hyunjae’s shoulder. So easily. I was momentarily stunned. Why? Even bound by chain, right now it barely mattered—

“What!”

Suddenly, I was yanked violently backward. The blade pulled free and I flew several meters, smacking into—

“Oof!”

A metal pillar. Chains on my wrists and ankles snapped taut against the metal column. What is this…?

“Magnetism, is it.”

Little Seong Hyunjae in my pocket called out, leaning forward. Magnetism? Wait—environment alteration? No matter how much force I applied, my limbs couldn’t budge. Instead, the chains pulled so hard they bruised my wrists. I didn’t understand the exact mechanism, but as soon as the chains bound my limbs, he’d created a giant magnet that latched onto them. Other metals didn’t adhere, so it must conduct electricity to the chains alone, giving them opposite polarity.

“…I never imagined one could use environment alteration this way.”

Though I’d seen magnetism employed before, I hadn’t anticipated it. I should’ve warned little Seong Hyunjae about environment alteration. He’d have noticed sooner, being the same person. While I groaned in frustration, Seong Hyunjae calmly drew a potion and healed his wounds. His shoulder mended almost instantly, leaving only a slight trace, but his waist remained unhealed. Still, his bleeding stopped and his complexion improved considerably.

“Were you deliberately attacked?”

“My shoulder was expected… but my waist was a surprise.”

“You could’ve bound me from the start—were you toying with me?”

“No.”

Seong Hyunjae took a step closer.

“You still had one environment alteration left, Yujin. If you’d used them together, you might’ve escaped. Claiming you’d break my leg was mere threat. To prevent potion use, I’d have to damage your arms too—but thinking ahead, I couldn’t bring myself to injure all your limbs.”

So he’d merely spoken to bait me into using my last environment change. I should’ve forced him to use his first—but there was no other way.

“Though I had to offer my shoulder in exchange for binding your limbs.”

Seong Hyunjae smiled as he stood before me.

“Well done.”

His hand drifted to stroke my head. I shook my head, but couldn’t brush it away. His foot pressed onto my right knee. Golden eyes, smaller, looked down at little Seong Hyunjae in my pocket.

“But this time, you’ll be the first one to go.”

The smaller golden iris looked up at him. Seong Hyunjae raised his gaze to meet mine. He pressed harder on my leg. I felt bone creak.

“I won’t take responsibility.”

“…Master Seong’s life is his own. I was never responsible.”

I’m a grown adult—why should I be responsible? I willed the chains to rattle, but they wouldn’t budge. Even Delouze form wouldn’t shrink faster than the magnetic pull.

“I just want you to live as you wish. After all, we’re friends.”

Though magnetism was at play, it was still created by mana. From my bag I retrieved the newly crafted mana-control bead that Myungwoo had given during our three-day rest. Seong Hyunjae’s eyes flicked to the bead, but he didn’t suspect its true nature. Since teleportation items couldn’t be used anyway, he likely assumed there was no escape.

‘Myungwoo, since I’m S-rank now, it should hold.’

I released the mana sealing the bead and poured my own mana into the chains binding my limbs. It was Seong Hyunjae’s bonded weapon—naturally it resisted strongly—but now it was affixed to my body, not his. With the precision of a needle balanced on a thread through mana sensing, plus Combat Anticipation—

Clink.

The chains’ magnetism vanished and they dropped away. Seong Hyunjae immediately stamped down on my knee. Crack—the sound of bone breaking. With my intact leg, I kicked the metal pillar and charged at him. I plunged my spear into his still-healing shoulder. Squelch—the blade’s tip drove deeply through shoulder into asphalt.

“You should’ve just shattered all my limbs instead of toying with me.”

I laughed as I pinned him beneath me. Seong Hyunjae’s eyes curved into a gentle arc.

“You surpassed my expectations, Yujin.”

“Your environment changes are gone, and you can’t detoxify. You’re at a disadvantage. Follow me, quietly.”

I limped to my feet. Potions… I’d only use what I needed to move. Once the game ends, whether it’s the Mermaid Queen or the King of Devourers, they’ll heal me. Seong Hyunjae didn’t pull out the spear—he remained on the ground and looked up at me.

“Tough, aren’t I? So trust in me.”

No answer came. I turned and ran toward the finish line.

“You can leave now. You look a bit faded—dangerous.”

Seong Hyunjae, curled up on my shoulder, nodded. But he did not disappear.

“Yujin, you’ll be the first one to go.”

“…What choice do I have? You will live far longer.”

Even if released from the Crescent Moon, the power you accumulate doesn’t vanish. Barring any accidents, you’ll likely outlive us all.

“If I die, will you at least weep?”

“Perhaps. Yet I’d feel hollow. And still, sometimes I’d recall you and smile.”

Seong Hyunjae continued in a sigh.

“If I, as myself, continue to live.”

Without losing memory. Continuing the life ahead.

“Don’t forget that. You’re prone to forgetting.”

Seong Hyunjae smiled and vanished. I resumed running. Past the empty road lined by buildings.

At the finish line, a raised platform with a slot for the baton came into view. Without hesitation, I dashed through the line. At the same moment, my legs faltered.

“…Huh?”

My strength drained from every muscle.

“Ugh!”

Pain surged through my legs and every part of my body. Damn—could it be?

“Damn it, Mermaid Queen!”

The moment I crossed the finish line, my stats reverted. F- and S-rank bodies differ so greatly that it might as well be different species. S-ranks have far higher pain tolerance, and F-ranks can keep fighting through mortal wounds. In other words, the same injury feels completely different as F-rank.

With a thud, I collapsed to the ground, breath ragged. My stamina was utterly depleted—couldn’t even move a finger. My S-rank buff applied only within my zone, huh! That returning to F-rank upon finishing was obvious in hindsight, but this…!

“No wonder it felt too quiet.”

There was no way I’d lose the final wager like this. I gritted my teeth and scraped the ground with my fingertips, struggling to rise. It was barely ten meters away—impossible to reach.

“This sucks.”

Footsteps approached. Seong Hyunjae loomed over me, his displeasure unmistakable.

“To end like this.”

A conclusion imposed from outside. Even a whispered promise of victory felt bitter. Seong Hyunjae knelt beside me, lowering himself to meet my gaze.

“That stubbornness remains.”

His voice was so gentle it almost sounded caring.

“You must be prepared for even harsher fates.”

“…How novel.”

I’ve fallen and crawled before many times.

“If you’d give up at just this, you never should’ve started.”

“Even if I collapse at the very last moment—”

“I’ll retry. I won’t accept defeat. By now, you should know that.”

Instead of replying, Seong Hyunjae freed Eunhae from his wrist and fastened it on mine.

“Then watch closely.”

His voice faded. Baton in hand, Seong Hyunjae strode to the platform. I watched his departing form. His shoe tip stopped before the slot. The hand holding the baton moved gracefully in a circular groove.

“For you, Yujin. With luck.”

“For my request—”

“I shall surely grant it.”

The red baton slid into the slot.

[Team Seong Hyunjae Victory!]

“Cooperation, not request.”

The wager ended. Darkness claimed my vision. When sight returned, the pains pounding through my body were gone. I stood and saw the Mermaid Queen. A gentle rage shimmered in her eyes.

“I didn’t expect you to pull that trick.”

“Honey.”

“Reverting stats after the finish line—I can accept that. But you should’ve warned me.”

Then I could have used potions properly, drank a stamina potion too. It was barely ten meters; even as F-rank, I could’ve reached the line before Seong Hyunjae caught up.

“A mere apology won’t suffice.”

“At least make it a draw, then apologize.”

But there would be no concession. Seong Hyunjae met the Mermaid Queen’s cold gaze. She said nothing further. One determined to press on needs no excuses.

“Honey, I will take two world-fragments.”

“Since the wager’s over, at least explain why. I suspect that’s why the King of Devourers never appeared.”

“The designated fragments are the United States and Korea.”

I couldn’t help a bitter laugh.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be random?”

“Let’s say it was random. Monsters will appear simultaneously across regions in both countries. Even the Goblin King’s portal won’t save them all.”

“The largest influence nation, and my home? How predictable.”

“But, Honey. If you sacrifice yourself, you can stop them. A sacrifice of your coming to us.”

“Spare me the nonsense.”

I smiled brightly. The Mermaid Queen’s calm eyes chilled further.

White laboratory in the Dodam Building. Complex formulas scrolled across a huge monitor. Since the London incident, Team Seokhayan and dungeons & hunter researchers worldwide pulled all-nighters over a torrent of new data.

A second monster rush without dungeon gates, plus London sealed by an unknown barrier. With direct interference from dungeons and otherworldly beings, chaos was inevitable.

“So the mana density exceeded dungeon gate levels?”

“If you artificially compress mana beyond a threshold, monsters emerge?”

“During dungeon clears, we’ve seen out-of-grade monsters appear after spatial distortions.”

Seokhayan flipped through London’s final mana measurements and scratched his head with a pen. Then his phone vibrated wildly on the desk. He sighed and answered.

“Yes, Seokhayan—”

[Mana overload!]

A panicked voice shouted from the other end.

[Just like in London, mana is pooling again!]

“Where? I’ll notify the ministries and Hunter Association—”

[Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, Daegu…]

Seokhayan froze. Nationwide. Another researcher on call shouted,

“Overload in every U.S. state too!”

What to do? Seokhayan blinked. For the first time since reading my cousin’s textbooks in elementary school, my mind went blank. Should I pack? Then the lab door burst open.

“Evacuate!”

It was Shishio, who’d come from Japan to deal with urgent matters and was rebuffed by Yujin’s foster father.

“Just bring the essentials and prepare!”

“Sir? Is it really dangerous?”

“No.”

Seokhayan’s eyes widened. Shishio nodded reassuringly.

“Director Han said it’s fine, so it will be fine.”

“…Excuse me?”

A message window hovered before Shishio.

[It’s fine.]

At the same time, every Hunter who’d been with Han Yujin received the same message. It’s fine. It will be fine.

“Can we really trust this? Monsters flooding the entire U.S.?!”

“What choice do we have? No one can evacuate all Americans—panic would only worsen.”

An American Hunter from Han Yujin’s team reclined on the Association sofa.

“Let’s wait. They said the Saintess urged everyone to trust.”

Messages telling everyone to calm down spread rapidly. High-rank Hunters prepped gear just in case and some officials quietly began evacuation prep—but ordinary people remained oblivious. Only those sensitive to mana felt something amiss.

Yet whispers leaked out. Unease spread gradually from beneath the surface until, shortly after governments in Korea and the U.S. began emergency broadcasts—

“Mana overload has stopped!”

Mana, which had swirled in like a vortex, halted in an instant.

I glanced at the message window that had hovered through the wager.

[Yujin! Please join Team Seong Hyunjae~☆ Your beloved partner has chosen you! Take your partner’s hand, Yujin! (?□?)]

I looked at Seong Hyunjae. I accepted the message. Seong Hyunjae accepted the teammate switch.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by readnovel.co