The S-Classes That I Raised-Chapter 634: Children (3)

The Christmas-decorated room vanished, replaced by the dungeon. Yerim swooped over a narrow river, waving her hand grandly. A column of water shot skyward, hardened into ice arrows and raining down, while Noah and Director Song advanced at the front.

“If we choose the opposite element, water? Han-Mul, Han-Su, Han-River, Han-Sea...”

All sounded fine. Picking one this way made naming easier.

“Or ice: Han-Ice, Han-Cold... that’s awkward. Han-Frost, Han-Chill, Han-Midwinter could work. Too close to Gyeol’s name?”

If you shorten Han-Midwinter it’s Han-Gyeol, after all.

“Dad, you can take your time,”

Gyeol said, dangling a forepaw from my shoulder. “Slowly.”

“Now that Black Dragon is Korean, Han-River has meaning, right? Or Dong-Yi is cute. What do you think, Yuhyun? You’re the one whose sword is its form, so your opinion matters.”

“I like any name you pick.”

“Uncle!”

“Yuhyun!”

Irin, quiet until now, finally spoke.

“But it’s Yuhyun’s sword!”

“That’s right, uncle. And uncle’s choice... would be better.”

Gyeol glanced at me nervously. These overreactions—besides, Yuhyun seemed annoyed. He probably thought it wasn’t his concern. Spirit names must be given by their master, but not a dragon.

“I think Han-River is fine.”

Yuhyun shrugged.

“Hmm, still, maybe you should propose one you came up with, too.”

Yielding to their insistence, I asked my brother. Yuhyun paused, then said,

“For a contrasting element, how about snow? Han-Snow.”

His quiet voice made my heart clatter. Of all names, snow—cold and solitary—echoed my brother’s nature. Born of fire but left alone in the cold.

“Is it too strange?”

When I froze, Yuhyun asked gently. I shook my head quickly.

“No. Snow is cold, but there’s something wistful about it.”

“Really? For me...”

Yuhyun closed his eyes as if recalling, then met my gaze again.

“There were more times we weren’t lonely than times we were. Winter was both our birthdays. Except when we were apart, it was always warm. You liked snowfall. Since childhood you wished for snow on my birthday.” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

“...You did.”

Because it was Christmas. Snowfall felt like a gift celebrating Yuhyun’s birthday. Cold but never unwelcome.

“That’s right. Your birthday a few days ago wasn’t cold either.”

Though the night air in the mountains bit at your skin, the drifting snow felt warm. We weren’t alone. And Black Dragon wasn’t lonely anymore.

“Han-Snow is a good name.”

Black Dragon had already found someone who loved him and whom he could love. So even with a chilly name, he’d never feel cold or alone. He could clasp warm hands in the snowdrift. Warmth feels most tender under winter snow rather than midsummer sun.

I recalled the other night: sky and earth merging into a black void, willow leaves dancing in flames, white snowflakes sparkling between them, countless stars seeming to pour down...

“For the youngest, a star: Han-Star.”

A twinkling, beautiful star. Black Dragon had watched over the little one. Snow crystals are varied yet like stars—stars descended from the night sky.

“Han-River, Han-Snow, Han-Star.”

They sounded like three siblings. I should consider Han-River or Han-Sea as backups—though the little one would accept his name, Black Dragon might hesitate.

“First floor’s clear!”

From afar, Yerim called, commanding the flowing water like a retainer. Peace shifted into his dragon form and nudged me to climb aboard. The French Hunter Association had allotted us an A-rank dungeon. Judging by their reluctance, it was low-profit and unusually hazardous for its rank, so it remained under the association’s control.

Having granted it twice before, our reciprocal favor was light.

“The entire second floor is swamp.”

Noah flew up. “Without a flight skill, it’s brutal terrain.”

“Swamps are truly unpleasant.”

After underwater zones, swamps were the most avoided. Hunters on foot would sink with every step; crossing one took ages. High-rank hunters could use items, but...

“Are there toxins?”

“Yes. Director Song, you’d best stick with me.”

Higher-rank dungeons often featured poisonous bogs. And monsters hiding in the muck eluded even S-Rank senses.

“Before the reset, I hated the E-rank moss swamp near Seoulland. Still haven’t seen it here?”

Because of my status, they gave me unpopular dungeons. That swamp held plant-type monsters that grabbed legs and flung you in. No toxin, but you drank muddy water. Tiny monsters would swarm from hidden spots... ugh. Low risk but maddeningly annoying.

“I’ll burn it all away. Don’t dismount, Brother Peace.”

“I can dry it out completely too!”

He was reassuring. We cleared the first floor then rose to the second. As we passed the gate, a briny, bitter scent hit us. Noah became a dragon, bearing Director Song; Yuhyun armed himself with a flaming willow leaf. Beyond the wide swamp, untold monsters splashed and croaked.

“Rise higher. Yerim, you too.”

Yuhyun urged them onward, stepping on his forged leaf. Flames flared around «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» him. One monster leapt from the bog but was cleaved instantly by his swung sword.

Sizzle—

From Yuhyun at the swamp’s center, indigo flames spread. The hiss of evaporating steam ceased as the fire consumed it. The bog boiled then withered into ash. Drifting cinders and rising smoke.

True to an A-Rank, the swamp’s breadth was immense, yet the flames never waned, relentlessly expanding as if to engulf the entire dungeon.

“Yuhyun’s range keeps growing.”

He couldn’t finely control it yet, but his burning was boundless. Unlike other elements, fire feeds on what it consumes, fueling itself until all is ash.

Of course, burning everything would destroy the fire too—so we mustn’t let that happen.

Around Peace, the fire licked and receded. Thanks to his flame resistance, I felt only mild warmth. Only scorched traces remained as Yuhyun faded into the distance. Yerim and Noah followed him aloft, and Peace drifted along the blackened path.

The endless ashen wasteland felt awe-inspiring. No monsters, no moisture—not a drop remained. Even seeing it with my own eyes, it was hard to believe this was once a swamp.

“To keep awakeners, the dungeon must remain,” I thought.

An individual wielding such power—without the external threat of dungeon and monsters—would soon be ostracized. Survival instinct compels people to fear a being far stronger than themselves. No matter how gentle or eloquent, most would wish to disarm a lion or tiger living next door.

That happens now, too. Hence the image management.

“...Well, whether the world ends is more urgent.”

Still, preparation couldn’t hurt. I’d need that school—and what else?

“Gyeol, you don’t mind kindergarten, do you?”

Gyeol turned from atop Peace’s head. His golden eyes were delicate and beautiful.

“Yes, Dad. I’d like us all to go together. I’ll look after my siblings.”

“No need to be perfect. A little squabble now and then is fine—it’s how you grow.”

“But I’m the eldest.”

“Oldest, middle, or youngest—a child is still a child. It’s natural to tell them to treat smaller or weaker ones kindly. Even small animals like puppies.”

“But Gyeol, you don’t have to bear responsibility yet. Caring for siblings is for grown-ups.”

That was true. Ideally. Children barely manage themselves. No regrets, but it wasn’t always easy.

Gyeol nodded, then hesitated.

“But Dad, I want to take care of my siblings.”

“That’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Of course. If you want to.”

“Yes. I do.”

Gyeol nodded firmly, looking up at me. Suddenly he had siblings, yet he made no fuss.

“Gyeol, if you ever feel left out by your siblings, tell me anytime.”

“No. I wasn’t alone. Uncle and Aunt and others are different from me.”

His pink tail curled round as a tiny paw grasped it.

“They’re kind to me, but Gyeol was born for you, Dad.”

“Gyeol.”

“And... I’m sorry to Uncle and Aunt, but it feels like I’ve found a real family.”

Gyeol whispered in a small, secretive voice.

“My siblings are like me. Dad’s... they’re not like me. But my siblings are. Even if they dislike me, I won’t be alone.”

“...You won’t be alone, of course. The little one already likes you.”

I gently cradled the fairy dragon. He’d felt that way—that loneliness of being a different species. Any being, lacking another like them in the world, would feel that ache.

Gyeol wasn’t fully monster like Peace or Ppiyak or Bellare, nor purely human. I hadn’t realized how that in-between place must feel lonely.

“And even if Dad lives long, not longer than you.”

“...No.”

“Gyeol knows that too. It scared him a little.”

“I’m sorry, Gyeol.”

“It’s okay. In kindergarten you’ll make friends, even as a fairy dragon.”

“You will. You’ll be popular.”

Gyeol would live like other people in this world—and so would the other two. Not as my created monsters, but as Han-Gyeol, himself. Even if I leave first, they’ll continue on.

I smiled at Gyeol, and he beamed back.

“Want more siblings?”

“Hmm, let’s see how we get along! And Uncle would hate it, Dad.”

“He’d definitely get angry.”

And I couldn’t be sure more humanlike monsters would be born like these three. The little one, without Black Dragon’s influence, might be even more monster than child—unable to speak or shift.

“Uncle can’t live without you, you know.”

“You’re more mature than me in that sense.”

If I died, I’d worry more about Yuhyun than the children. Right now, Gyeol seemed more likely to thrive. Black Dragon especially. The little one was a concern—could he grasp death?

“But because Uncle depends on you, Dad’s still safe.”

Gyeol crossed his tiny arms, scolding me.

“If not, Dad would’ve done something way more dangerous!”

“...I’m sorry.”

Gyeol was right; Yuhyun said he’d die without me. Mere hesitation before charging into peril was something.

“Think of your siblings—that’s why you shouldn’t.”

“Alright, I was wrong. I’ll be more careful.”

I must live until the kids grow up. ...It won’t take two or three centuries to mature, hopefully?

“Brother!”

Yuhyun landed before me on his flaming leaf.

“We’re done.”

“Already? But it was A-rank!”

“It wasn’t huge compared to the A-rank average—we’re not hurt, right?”

“Why would we be? Of course we’re fine.”

Any association would crave someone like Yuhyun—outside water zones he’d clear any dungeon instantly. S-Ranks are popular, but he’d stand out. With Peace, he could even finish an S-Rank in no time.

Within hours we emerged. The awaiting association staff gaped in astonishment. Even with multiple S-Rank hunters, we’d moved impossibly fast. In truth, Yuhyun had cleared the second floor alone.

We returned to the nearby association to prepare for the prophet’s faction when a visitor arrived.