The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 750: Whispers (1)

Park Hayul stumbled away from beneath the dragon head, and the chimera bared its teeth. The freed monster instinctively aimed for the nearest humans, Yuhyun and Yerim. Clack—the sharp claws scraped the ground, and the folded dragon wings unfurled. The dragon head, curved in a great arc, unleashed a gout of fire toward Yuhyun, while the mountain goat head spewed poison toward Yerim.

Whoosh!

The scorching flames engulfed Yuhyun’s body. For a moment they surged with fierce power, then as if drawn by a magnet, they flowed back into his sister’s grasp. Yuhyun’s mastery over fire far surpassed the chimera’s, so the draconic breath coloured steel-blue and transformed into an even hotter blade of flame.

Crack!

In one swift strike it pierced its original wielder.

The poison sprayed by the goat head fared similarly. The viscous toxin was trapped and diluted in the water that Yerim had summoned, never touching her, until—

“I’ll return the favour~.”

Shree—dozens of icy spears, each carrying a chill venom, shot toward the chimera. It tried to evade, but its four legs froze in place.

The overflowing groundwater had already frozen around the monster’s legs. Yerim’s ice shards shattered the goat head instantly, slipped along the dragon wing claws, and Yuhyun’s blade cut through the lion head in a single stroke.

Boom! The chimera’s massive body collapsed onto the cold ground. Meanwhile, Park Hayul summoned a new monster—a flying type, as if trying to flee. But neither Yuhyun nor Yerim let it escape.

“Monsters are fair game to attack, right?”

Shhaa! The towering wall of water solidified, forming a colossal ice barrier in front of the fleeing beast. The flying monster flailed in panic, and the girl riding it—Park Hayul—screamed.

“If you fall you’ll get hurt, so it must be attacking me!”

“I don’t think that’s it.”

[Yerim, if you hesitate, don’t touch it.]

It’s not as simple as treating it like a mere obstacle, so better to be cautious. Though Park Hayul’s use of power was clumsy, she would still surpass an S-Rank with ease. Once she regained focus—

Kraang!

With a single gesture she shattered the ice wall into pieces. It looked like escape was possible, when suddenly—

Ka-gagak, the black blade curved long and slashed the monster’s neck. Park Hayul recoiled in horror. The creature leapt and hovered midair—a clumsy flight. Blue willow leaves scattered in all directions, and Yerim backed away. Droplets of water bubbled around her.

“Han Yuhyun, go!”

The harmless water droplets began flying at Park Hayul from all sides!

“This isn’t an attack! It’s just a prank~.”

At worst, your clothes might get wet. Then I called out:

[Yuhyun, pop all those droplets!]

“Okay.”

Yuhyun replied. He wasn’t trying to hit Park Hayul—he was just following my order. His toes kicked off a willow leaf. Yerim deftly, swiftly guided the droplets, and a jet-black blade followed in pursuit. Swish—the blade cut through the air with precision, aimed at the droplet circling just behind Park Hayul’s head.

“Argh!”

Thunk! Park Hayul hastily formed a shield to block Yuhyun’s sword. The makeshift shield cracked. The droplets, as if provoked, swirled behind her, and Yuhyun’s gaze never left them. Park Hayul herself was just a rock in the way.

She had to be removed—only then could the droplets be burst. Ka-gagak, scraping the shield with a long arc, Yuhyun circled around ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) her. One toe slid on a willow leaf, and the other foot struck harshly into Park Hayul’s waist.

“Ugh! W-why isn’t this an attack?”

With no combat experience, she couldn’t block properly and was sent flying.

[It was just removing an obstruction, right?]

Of course it wasn’t an attack. Would you call pushing aside a boulder “attacking the rock”?

Pop! The droplet hiding behind Park Hayul burst under the blade. Yuhyun never once properly looked at her. She remained mere background scenery—no mark on Yuhyun’s hand. Park Hayul, staggering but avoiding a full fall, glared at Yuhyun in disbelief.

“You and your brother are really weird! How can someone be like this!”

[Ah, having a sibling who listens to you is nice, isn’t it?]

It may not be normal… but who cares if you’re born that way? You can’t call someone weird just because they’re different. In a one-eyed world, two-eyed people would be the odd ones. If everyone were like Yuhyun, he’d be ordinary!

Sploosh, sploosh, sploosh! More droplets sprang up, even more numerous this time. They glittered in the moonlight and poured around Park Hayul.

Flare—flames rose high before Yuhyun. Then, shink—SS-rank swords appeared in his inventory. They weren’t real, but creations of Gyeol’s dreamscape. Yet in dreams, they were as good as real.

Blade Eater. The skill activated, and the SS-rank swords glowed with steel-blue flame as they melted into molten metal. The liquid metal circled Yuhyun, then solidified into dozens of razor-sharp spikes—hot, SSS-rank needle blades, each obeying their master’s touch.

Fzzzz!

They shot toward the droplets—and at Park Hayul beyond them. The air heated instantly; just the searing heat caused the droplets to vaporize. Amid the rising steam, Park Hayul hastily formed a barrier.

Clang! Clack! Kaang!

The barrier cracked. The droplets, as if alive, gathered behind her, hiding not only at her back but before her face and around her arms. The ricocheting spike blades smashed the barrier again and again, yet it held—until the moment Park Hayul relaxed.

Flash!

The mist parted like clouds.

Bang!

The black sword struck the barrier. It paused, then pierced through. Park Hayul’s face drained of color. Shatter—the barrier exploded and Park Hayul barely dodged the black blade. But—

“Argh! It hurts!”

The spike blades remained. They chased the escaping droplets—and Park Hayul was caught between them. Red lines marked her body as the hot blades seared her skin, the wounds multiplying.

“It hurts!”

Park Hayul shrieked and fled, the spikes in pursuit. Her wounds healed quickly—her adaptability was poor but her body was tough. And still…

[Park Hayul.]

“Hyung! You’re too cruel!”

[You could die here.]

Her eyes grew wide.

[In this dream you’re as real as we are. This isn’t a dream. The real you was the dream—you can’t even die in that dream.]

Park Hayul’s surface self was no different from the seed of a Transcendent’s dream—the true self slept. Here, he was real. In this world where dreams become reality, he was master of the dream.

[But now you will die.]

“P-people die in real life!”

Park Hayul shouted, as if stating the obvious—yet his expression showed newfound anxiety. It seemed he finally grasped it.

[And if you lash out at our children and weaken your power, I’ll kill you myself. Keep struggling—that gives you the best chance of survival.]

“Hyung! I really do like you!”

Park Hayul, tumbling on the ground, changed direction and ran toward the rampart where I stood.

“Really! Argh!”

Ping—the spike blade that had pierced the droplets before Park Hayul exploded. The blast of heat spun him over and he tumbled across the ground.

[Be careful.]

I murmured to Yuhyun and Yerim. Though I’d warned them, they might attack if pressed. Driven by “If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well strike back,” he could lash out.

‘But he seems too panicked even to think that.’

He’s not the type to go “you die, me die.” Still, we must keep him off-balance. Park Hayul ran again. Yerim froze the ground, and he slid on it toward her.

[Melt the ice.]

No sooner had I spoken than flames roared toward Park Hayul.

“Aaagh!”

Though hot, given his stats it shouldn’t be too threatening—but Park Hayul screamed and leapt away. Most monsters crowded around the rampart had already been dealt with.

‘What to do.’

He’s the linchpin keeping this world alive—killing him would collapse it. Better to keep threatening him until he swears, “I’ll stay asleep in this dream world for ten years,” via contract. We don’t need this world sustained indefinitely.

“Shouldn’t we stop him getting close to the rampart?”

Boom—Munyeonha vaulted over a fallen monster, landing beside him. Park Hayul screamed in surprise. She gave a sheepish grin.

“Still, he’s stronger than us….”

He is. He just lost sense of reality and seemed unfazed, because he’s closer to a civilian than a hunter. An inexperienced fighter often loses all judgment once panic sets in. Even if you have the advantage, fear can finish you.

Splash—Yuhyun’s foot brushed the head of the fallen Park Hayul and crushed a droplet beneath it. Half-crawling, half-scrambling, Park Hayul finally cried out:

“P-please spare me!”

Then—

[Hayul—]

At the moment I tried to coax him.

Clink.

A droplet chimed. Moonlight hardened to a cold steel as it drove down around Park Hayul. Munyeonha raised her spear to block Yuhyun, but the spike blades rallied in a protective shell around him. Before he could blink, a golden chain shot out across the water surrounding Yerim.

Chaang! Kaang! Silver and gold intermingled as they slammed into Yerim, and Seong Hyunjae snatched her from the fall. Moonlight, silver chains barely brushing his form—

Munyeonha’s spear splintered. Ka-deuk, kwak—hot spike blades cooled and shattered under the moonlight, but the silver struck Yuhyun’s shoulder.

Then, ka-WHAM! Moonlight poured like a waterfall, sweeping away everything around Park Hayul in a savage wave.

“Ugh!”

Yuhyun and Munyeonha were flung to the walls. Yerim and Hyunjae were swept back as well. Kang Soyeong and Comet slammed into the fortress, and other hunters, including Shishio, tumbled across the ground.

“Seongnyeo-nim!”

“Don’t worry, we’ll heal you right away!”

Yerim and Hyunjae, though separated from Park Hayul, were not badly wounded. They calmly removed the silver chains and Emily immediately cast healing. There was no time to confirm before they looked up at the sky.

“Ugh…”

Park Hayul squinted. Through the thick veil of moonlight that enveloped him, a pale hand reached out. A silver silhouette stepped down before him.

“Who…”

Park Hayul sank to his knees and backed away. But he halted almost at once, his gaze riveted on the silhouette and the crescent moon, as if spellbound.

‘…Wait a minute.’

No way. A terrible thought emerged. The crescent moon hadn’t fully dominated Park Hayul before. It influenced him, but he moved as he willed. Now, weakened in both body and mind, could the moon’s silhouette seize complete control? I grabbed the puppeteer’s sleeve and shouted into a megaphone.

“Park Hayul!”

“B-brother…”

Still unable to tear his eyes from the moon, Park Hayul muttered in fear.

“Hey! You’ll be consumed by the moon! Snap out of it!”

“B-but…”

The moon’s form took another step toward him. Park Hayul trembled all over. No one can sleep forever. If the moon claimed him and his power—

“Puppeteer, can’t you stop it?”

“If I cut off mana stabilization now, your group is in danger. You’ll be crushed under the crescent moon’s power.”

Park Hayul managed to turn his head and look at me. If that idiot had known this would happen, he’d have just… Ah.

“Attack anyone! Right now!”

Park Hayul’s eyes widened. He panicked. A dying monster pressed into the corner of the rampart stirred under his control and lunged weakly at Song Taewon. Its head was smashed, and Park Hayul broke his contract.

“Ugh…”

Dizziness overtook me. Half of Park Hayul’s power transferred to me—and half of the moon’s control.

[Han Yujin.]

Into me—the crescent moon whispered. I gripped the puppeteer’s sleeve.

“I already have a master!”

The puppeteer clicked his tongue, supporting my staggering form.

“He’s right.”

His eyes turned to the moon’s silhouette.

“I was first.”