Transferred to an SSS-rank Production Class

I pulled my hood down low. The rain kept lashing at my face. The darkness and rain made it difficult to see clearly. But thanks to this, our traces and silhouettes were also obscured.

We crossed the dark forest, guided by the low-intensity will-o’-wisps created by Cha Taeyang.

I brought up the rear, looking after the children who lagged behind and keeping an eye out for pursuers, while Uwin and Cha Taeyang led the group from the front.

“Close? Yeah, right…”

The “close” must have been by Yun Su-ho’s standards. We’d been running for quite some time on ground that had quickly turned muddy, but there was no sign of the sea. Only the vast forest and darkness continued endlessly.

The branches of tall conifers shook violently in the wind, showering us with water.

“Player, we’re almost there.”

Uwin, running at the front with Cha Taeyang, turned back and shouted.

I had been worried about the children having to move at such speed in this wind and rain, but it was an unnecessary concern.

Their blue eyes shone brightly like well-watered flowers. Their faces were much more vibrant than when they were in the coffins. Though soaked from head to toe, they showed no signs of discomfort.

“Levi, can you tell where the pursuit team is?”

Levi shook their head. They said the rain made it difficult to hear footsteps. I clicked my tongue in frustration.

As I adjusted my hold on the children, I reviewed the plan ahead.

After reuniting with Yun Su-ho, we’d enter the sea with the children, holding scales in our mouths. If we could just manage this much, we’d be almost home free.

Even young sea people can move freely underwater, so once we’re in the water, things should become much easier.

Once everyone is in the water, the sea spirit is supposed to come meet us.

“Atera must be waiting to use the conch shell.”

The sea spirit had agreed to help us, even breaking the rule about not emptying the Cradle.

‘I must have been too rigid before. Media will forgive this. She always prioritized the children over her own well-being.’

Akis had also agreed to come with him. Unlike his somewhat clumsy demeanor, Akis is apparently an excellent sorcerer and alchemist.

I should talk to him more when there’s time. As Badadkkot’s sorcerer, he must know a lot about Kalia.

“Hunter Cha Taeyang?”

Cha Taeyang, who had been leading the group from the front, suddenly stopped. At the same time, a large figure emerged from the dense darkness.

“Oh, it’s you? I thought it was someone else.”

“You were taking too long, so I came to check.”

It was Yun Su-ho.

The moment I saw his impassive face, my tension dissipated. This kind of worry was welcome.

He let out a short sigh and bent down to pick up some children.

Wait a minute. If he’s here now, that means…

“Don’t tell me you left Atera alone?”

“I did.”

Before I could scold him, Yun Su-ho, who had effortlessly picked up four children, two in each thick arm, disappeared without warning. Then he returned instantly, empty-handed.

“It’s right nearby. That’s why I just came.”

“The sea is nearby?”

“Yeah.”

Yun Su-ho nodded in the direction he had come from.

“It’s about a 10-minute walk even at your pace.”

“Then I’ll go too!”

While I moved towards the sea at the children’s pace, Cha Taeyang and Yun Su-ho went back and forth between the sea and the forest, transporting the children.

“That’s the last of them.”

Only about 5 minutes had passed, but now only I and the children in my arms remained.

Cha Taeyang took the children I was holding, and Yun Su-ho lifted me with one arm. Their movements were as natural as if they had rehearsed it.

“Hey, why am I…”

“This is faster.”

“Mister, I’ll go ahead!”

“Listen, Yun Su-ho. I’m a ranger, you know.”

Ignoring my words as if they weren’t worth responding to, Yun Su-ho ran towards the sea. Despite his presumably lower agility stat, his speed was incredible.

‘S-rank is S-rank after all.’

True to his word about being nearby, we seemed to have barely taken a few steps when I suddenly heard the children’s voices.

“Wow, Atera, your hair isn’t blue!”

“That’s… because I’m mixed-blood.”

“It’s pretty! Just like Media!”

“Atera, how old are you?”

“Sixteen…”

“What? You’re just a baby!”

“Levi, she’s younger than you.”

The children were sitting in a circle around Atera, who was standing awkwardly next to a lantern.

And behind them stretched…

“We’re going down there?”

I could see the sea. Below a sheer cliff, that is.

Though not as tall as the cliff with the coastal cave, it wasn’t a place suitable for descending with children.

Climbing down the cliff was obviously out of the question. With this wind, it was risky to use my skill that relied on a single rope. The poor visibility would make it difficult for Cha Taeyang to use her skills as well.

“You can’t carry them all down yourself either.”

“Look over there.”

Yun Su-ho pointed to a corner. I squinted, as the rain made it hard to see. Seeing this, Cha Taeyang floated a will-o’-wisp near the spot Yun Su-ho had indicated.

There was a small path leading downwards. It looked barely wide enough for one person to pass through.

“You mean we should go down that way?”

“Yeah.”

“Unni, can’t we just jump from here?”

“Absolutely not. There are many reefs in the sea around here. If we jump recklessly, the children could get hurt.”

Cha Taeyang’s shoulders drooped, her expression gloomy.

Yun Su-ho picked up Atera and another child sitting next to her.

“I’ll go down first. Bring the children down after me.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yun Su-ho descended the narrow path. Though the path was narrow and the waves crashed fiercely as we went lower, slowing him down a bit, his skill was almost artistic.

In case any children fell, we decided that Cha Taeyang and I would lead the group from the front and back, just like before. Sure enough, we had barely started down the path when Cha Taeyang barely managed to catch a child who was blown off balance by the wind.

“Everyone needs to be extra careful coming down!”

“Got it! You be careful too, Taeyang!”

Even for me, descending the narrow path in the midst of a storm was challenging. Having to bring the children down as well made progress painfully slow.

Bang!

As we were making our way down, with no time to look back, a bullet whizzed past.

The bullet, which narrowly missed me, hit the ground at my feet and exploded with a loud bang. Rock fragments from the explosion grazed my cheek.

“So they really did come this way.”

“I was skeptical when Roman told us, but…”

The sound of the rain had masked their approach. Armed men with guns and swords sneered at us. The pursuit team had us in their sights once again.

‘How did they find our location?’

We hadn’t encountered them at all in the forest, yet they arrived almost simultaneously with us.

“They must have known a shortcut.”

Cha Taeyang leaped over the children’s heads and approached me.

“Unni, I’ll take care of this.”

“There are too many of them. And those guns aren’t ordinary firearms, they’re magical tools.”

“It’s okay. Leave it to me! I’ll take care of it quickly.”

Cha Taeyang, with her usual bright expression, pounded her chest with her fist.

“Mr. Kim, don’t you trust our Taeyang?”

I didn’t want to let her go.

But there was no other choice. We were lucky the bullet missed this time, but who knows what might happen next.

I exhaled a sigh-like word of permission.

“I’ll cover you.”

Cha Taeyang grinned broadly and climbed up to the top of the cliff.

Realizing the situation, Yun Su-ho began moving the children down even faster. He must be entrusting this to Cha Taeyang.

Cha Taeyang, who had instantly approached the pursuit team, swung her fist. A blue trajectory was drawn across the dark cliff. The pursuit team, numbering well over twenty, rushed in to extinguish her flames.

“Gaho, look over there.”

Yun Su-ho suddenly approached as I was firing arrows to cover Cha Taeyang.

“Damn, there’s a limit to how badly things can go wrong.”

Several massive warships were approaching. As if to intimidate us, they had their cannons aimed at us.

“They’ve completely read our moves.”

“Looks like they were certain we’d come this way.”

Just a little more, just a little further and we’d be there.

I couldn’t tell if it was rain or cold sweat running down my back. I bit my lip hard. At this rate, we couldn’t guarantee the children’s safety even after they entered the water.

So we had to stop them here.

“Yun Su-ho. Take me over there.”

“What?”

“I’ll try to distract those people from the ship.”

As expected, Yun Su-ho irritably refused my request.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“We don’t have time for this. Hurry.”

“Absolutely not. You want to go there, alone?”

“I know it’s reckless.”

Though I proposed it calmly, as if it were nothing, I knew better than anyone how unreasonable this was. If one of my party members had suggested such a thing, I would have talked them out of it.

Hearing my words, Yun Su-ho glared at me, his lips pressed tightly together. He must be wondering why I’m doing this if I know it’s reckless.

“I’m scared too. I know it’s reckless. But right now, this is the safest path. If it were just us, it might be different, but we have too much to protect.”

“Then I should…”

“You need to protect the children. Act responsibly. That’s your specialty, isn’t it?”

You know too, don’t you? That this is our only option.

Yun Su-ho furrowed his brow, noticing the unspoken words.

Though he had gained a flight skill, Yun Su-ho isn’t a hunter suited for hit-and-run tactics. In a situation where he can’t touch the ground, he can’t use his area-of-effect skills either.

Moreover, in a situation where cannon fire could come at any moment, Yun Su-ho needed to stay near the children.

On the other hand, the ship’s deck isn’t a bad environment for me with my ranger skills to maneuver. I can move vertically, and with this darkness, I should be able to take care of myself.

If I do well, I might be able to finish this without getting hurt.

“If I stop you here, would that be interference too?”

“You won’t do that.”

Yun Su-ho sighed at my roundabout answer. Then, red wings spread from his back.

“You really are…”

“Someone with ambiguous abilities and too much meddling?”

“I’m glad you’re aware of it.”

In an instant, Yun Su-ho flew me near the ships and set me down on a suitable crow’s nest.

“Finish up quickly and come back here.”

“Sure, I’ll be waiting.”

I removed my cumbersome hood and glanced at the top of the cliff. It looked like Cha Taeyang still needed some time. So from here on, I had to manage somehow on my own.

“It’s the thieves who stole the mermaids! Shoot to kill!”

“Who’s calling who a thief?”

With a sardonic smile, I activated Bow Assistant.

The poor visibility made targeting more difficult than usual. I aimed at the enemies relying on the triangular markers created by the system.

Behind them, I caught a glimpse of children entering the dark sea.

“Stack Scatter on slot 2. Release!”

[Skill ‘Enchant (S)’ activates.

– Slot 2: Scatter (Remaining uses 2)]

A rain of arrows fell through the thick raindrops.

The sailors, unable to look up due to the arrows, fired blind shots.

I easily dodged them and moved to the mast at the center of the ship.

“Ten minutes, let’s try to hold out for just ten minutes.”