The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 737: Attack (3)

“Jjaeng— jjaeng—” The sharp clang of the bell echoed as the clouds split apart. I swallowed hard at what appeared between the swept-away clouds.

It was a colossal moon—an argent disk haloed in pale gold. Though the shape must have been a deeply waning crescent, all I could see was endless silver light. Its surface was mirror-smooth yet reflected nothing, filling the sky. I took an involuntary step back. Every corner of space brimmed with moonlight. The silver glow banished the darkness. Though the moon belongs to the night, it drove the night away and claimed its place.

“How ostentatious.”

Just as everyone fell silent, entranced, a light, rueful voice spoke. It snapped me to attention. Seong Hyunjae sneezed softly.

“Not to my taste. I suppose it’s for show.”

“Take some cold medicine,” I snapped, tossing him a bottle. Then I offered one to Director Song.

“Just in case. You might’ve caught something while coughing.”

“Jjaaaeng—” The sky boomed again. I felt the world’s scattered mana tremble. The Crescent Moon was piercing the dream world.

“Peace, guard Yerim’s side.”

– Grrruuunn.

“I’m still stronger than any non-awakened person!”

“I’m just worried. This is a riot shield—I’m sure Director Song knows how to use it?”

On one side of the rooftop lay the gear I’d asked Gyeol to prepare. Director Song nodded.

“Yes. I heard it was specially made for monster combat.”

“It was crafted before dungeon byproduct use was enabled, so its performance remains unchanged even after Gyeol awakened. I used one back in the military.”

Good memories. Even low-rank monsters move far faster than humans. At close range, few soldiers could raise a gun before being bitten. Yet their simple attacks could be blocked surprisingly easily with a shield.

“We need to warn Noah and Rin outside to take cover…”

“If we send Morse code with gunshots, they’ll get it. There are standard retreat signals.”

Hwangrim pressed his pistol’s muzzle against a hole in the wall. Yerim pulled out her phone.

“I’ll leave a message on your SNS, unnie.”

“Here are spare bulletproof vests and combat boots. Yuhyun and Yerim know their sizes—everyone else I guessed. That’s why I’ve brought several.”

I worried the boots might not fit, but luckily they more or less did. To my surprise, Hwangrim’s feet were largest; Hyunjae’s and Director Song’s were the same. Given his height, maybe Hyunjae’s feet were a bit small.

“Uncle, the boots are too tight.”

“Hyung, mine too.”

“What? You’ve grown again?”

How long had it been? Items auto-adjusted, so I hadn’t noticed. Yuhyun found a spare pair that fit, but Yerim had to wear her original shoes. We’d need to replace the kids’ clothes and shoes once we returned home.

Grrruuunn— The air reverberated like a huge drum. Through the thinning moonlight, a thick beam of silver formed. It encircled the nursery like a barrier.

“Hyung, please help Yerim—Hyunjae’s still under the weather. Director Song, Hwangrim… you know best, I’m counting on you.”

Yuhyun and I grabbed our weapons and sprinted into position, placing them by the embrasures around the rounded rooftop wall. Director Song and Hwangrim installed a couple of machine guns for immediate firing.

“I’ll keep extra rounds by the center.”

Seong Hyunjae said. The rooftop was spacious, so restocking mid-battle would cost time. That task fell to Peace and the others—they could respond quickly to dangerous points.

– Keiiik!

Amid our preparations, we heard monster screeches through the moonlit barrier. Dozens of wyverns burst through the silvery veil. On the ground, dark beasts crawled upward.

– Grrrrrr.

– Guaaaang.

Claws scraped the floor; teeth chattered and nostrils snorted. Though interference was now possible, the world’s mana was still disturbed. All were low-rank monsters—but their numbers posed a lethal threat.

– Kyak!

Thud! The first wyvern charged and slammed into the curved glass ceiling. Without hesitation, we opened fire.

– Kiiik!

– Kiiiii!

Through the gunfire came successive cracks as bullets pounded the glass. Crrrack—wyvern claws scraped the panes, then were shot away, sending bodies plummeting. Thud! Grounded beasts leaped onto the falling carcasses, claws rending and beaks trying to gouge the walls. Some even used other monsters as steps to climb. Fortunately, the glass only bore scratch marks.

Bang, bang, bang! Director Song fired single, precise shots, dropping three monsters in quick succession. Hwangrim, meanwhile, ripped off rapid fire into the sky. As slaughtered beasts fell, fresh ones replaced them. The already-dark ceiling was swarmed—flying monsters clinging like moths to summer lights.

Screech, screeech— claws scraped relentlessly, a sound that made your skin crawl.

– Kyak!

“Northeast!”

Seong Hyunjae called out as he shot a flying monster attempting to shove its beak through an embrasure. Having overused potions in his weakened state, he could not run but guided us away from the most dangerous zones.

“Uncle!”

Yerim tossed me a crate of ammunition strapped to Peace. Hyunjae had instructed us on which rounds to use. Half the flyers clung to the glass; the rest clawed at the openings. We aimed at the protruding talons and beaks. Clatter—monster after monster fell. Beneath the wall, a near-vertical heap of creatures formed, living and dead piled into a writhing wave.

They still struggled to reach the rooftop, but if left unchecked the wall might not bear their weight.

“We need to clear below, too!”

With that, he lit and lobbed an explosive through a breach. It rolled to a spot of minimal structural impact and exploded—flames surged, engulfing the beasts. Yuhyun, Director Song, and Hwangrim each dropped bombs from different sides. One after another, explosions rocked the rooftop, smoke billowing skyward.

“Phew.”

Sweat slid down my cheek, through my collar. The sky was blindingly white. Moonlight poured relentlessly, and monsters kept coming. No matter how many bullets we fired or bombs we set off, the gaps filled almost instantly.

There was no end. The outcome was inevitable—the first to tire would lose.

“…Hyung!”

Yuhyun, moving to reposition, abruptly stopped and called to me near the elevator.

“Listen!”

“What?”

I hurried over and heard it too.

Crrrack, crack, thud, keiiiik.

Something was scratching and hammering at the wall through the elevator shaft. This was insane.

“Is there a breach in the wall?!”

“No! Jina, why?”

“They’ve tunneled up to the first floor!”

How had they managed that? Thankfully, only the elevator remained; all staircases had been destroyed. Director Song, reloading, frowned.

“They’ve dug up through the ground.”

“Oh!”

The basement. I hadn’t considered that.

“Keep setting fires around the wall so they can’t dig more!”

If that horde excavated the foundation en masse, the building might collapse. Fortunately, they weren’t so clever. I left the wall defense to Director Song and Hwangrim, and with Yuhyun inspected the elevator doors. He tapped them lightly.

“They’re weak. One good kick and they’ll fall.”

“Elevator doors are always like that.”

Don’t expect much. From below came more keiiiik—monsters climbing the shaft.

“Open them.”

No sooner said than done—Yuhyun swung his leg and kicked the doors off. Crash! They tumbled into the elevator car. He threw a small bomb at the ceiling and rolled clear.

Boom!

The elevator roof burst open—

Screech, thud!

—the car plunged. Debris shattered in the shaft. I peered down into the gaping void, catching a gleam of eyes staring up. I didn’t hesitate and fired.

“The ceiling’s getting dangerous too.”

Seong Hyunjae remarked coolly. Above the curved glass, monsters clung and piled on one another. Creak— the glass strained. I glanced at Hwangrim, tense, and Director Song, wiping sweat from his brow. More than half our rounds lay spent on the rooftop.

Kriiiik… creak. The glass groaned its distress. Time crawled and raced all at once. An hour, perhaps. Maybe more, maybe less.

“Hwangrim! Is that helicopter sturdy?”

“It’s bulletproof, I’m sure.”

“Let’s move to the chopper!”

The glass roof wouldn’t last long. We all took weapons and fell back. Director Song turned to me.

“It’s too risky to move by air.”

“Lots of flyers, yes. We have to hold the rooftop. Yuhyun, where’s the helicopter key?”

“It’s inside.”

“Bring the chopper Yuhyun arrived in to the back wall.”

We started the large helicopter and repositioned it. Once the door was secured, we boarded a military chopper. The groaning glass finally gave way—

Crack!

—under monster weight and attacks, a hole opened. # Nоvеlight # We dove into the cabin as shards rained down. Monsters surged in behind us—

– Kiiik!

– Kyaat! Kick!

The broken glass roof continued to cascade in a relentless collapse. Flying beasts battered into the helicopter from all sides. Then—

– Grrroooar!

—a deep roar cut through the frantic flapping. It was Peace. As an apex predator, his roar froze the flyers mid-air—they recoiled en masse. Though his stats were reduced, his massive form still dominated.

– Grrrrrr.

Peace growled low. The flyers beat their wings, fleeing outside the shattered ceiling—but only briefly.

“Good job, Peace.”

We regrouped inside, raising shields and drawing spears and swords. Kiiit— the retreating monsters began reentering the rooftop. The taut tension coiled tighter until one beast spread its wings wide.

Bang!

A rifle shot rang out. The monster’s head was pierced; it collapsed onto the rooftop. The others charged!

Crunch! Peace snapped a charging wyvern’s neck in one bite. Shots cracked out as Yuhyun seized a dagger.

“Yerim, Hyunjae—aim for the ceiling breach!”

I thrust my spear forward. A monster slammed into my shield, and I stabbed it through. Thwack! Yuhyun drove his dagger into another’s skull. Director Song, wielding a bulletproof vest like padding, shoved its beak aside and slit its throat.

“We can’t hold long at this rate.”

Contrary to his words, Hwangrim kicked monsters aside with ease. Though stat-weakened, their combat experience let them excel in close quarters. Still, exhaustion was mounting.

– Krrngh!

Under Peace’s claws, a monster was shredded. The rest avoided Peace and turned their beaks and claws on us. Creeek— one landed on the helicopter’s rotor housing. From the elevator shaft came scraping sounds of more climbers.

“They’re not here to kill us, surely!”

I shouted as I pushed away a beaked attacker, expecting they’d try to capture us. Perhaps some Transcendent even delighted in this. But I still couldn’t guess the Crescent Moon’s aims—abducting us so brazenly, to what end?

‘If Hyunjae dies here, we’re doomed.’

Thunk— Yuhyun’s shield tumbled a monster’s head to the floor. Another came lunging; his blade sliced it in two, its head spinning in the air. Bang, bang, bang— each shot from behind felled another. Director Song’s spear impaled two beasts at once, but new ones surged through the hole before he could withdraw it.

Gasping, I looked up. On the shattered ledge sat wolves—no, birds of prey—observing us with sleek, unblinking eyes. Moonlight rippled above them. Click— the dry pull of a trigger echoed. Yerim flinched; she’d run out of ammunition.

I held my breath. If they captured us now—

Kiiing—

A screech split the air. Then—

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!

Amid the cacophony, monsters began dropping like stones. I tilted my head up. Fighter jets streaked past at impossible speed, unleashing a hail of gunfire.

“Hyung! You alive?!”

A familiar voice blared through a megaphone. Armed helicopters followed—more than one.

“I’m breaching the nursery wall!”

At that shout, boom! The barriers crashed down in succession, revealing armored barrels through the smoke. An armored vehicle rolled in, its machine guns unleashing a torrent on the gathered monsters.

Monsters still poured out, but our firepower had multiplied. Each jet pass washed the rooftop clean of beasts. Armed choppers hovered and disgorged soldiers. Moon Hyunah leapt down, and another face peeked out.

“Director! Are you safe?!”

She was a hunter from the Awakened Management Office. Voices echoed from other choppers:

“Guildmaster!”

“Han Soojaaang!”

“Director!”

“Did you really catch a cold?”

Amid gunfire and explosions, Moon Hyunah laughed. I stared, stunned. I’d asked Gyeol for help from our world—figuring ten lucid dreamers could bring a couple of tanks and let us escape. But this many?

“How… how did you manage this…?”

“The princess helped us.”

The princess? One by one, the helicopters landed on the rooftop or dropped rope ladders. From one descended a familiar figure.

“Han Yujin-nim!”

It was Marisa. She flung her arms wide and shouted:

“I’m Park Ha-yul!”

“…What?”

“I’m the one who took the center of this world in his stead—Park Ha-yul!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by readnovel.co