WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 107: Cracked Mana Stone (1)

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The dungeon’s second floor also had a castle and a lake, like the first. But the castle was already half collapsed, and the lake had become shallow and muddy like a swamp. The difference between night and day gave it a different feel, but the thick overgrowth of aquatic plants made it look downright ominous.

What appeared above it was a water dragon with fins that seemed to have mutated into wings. Was the setting, along with the boss monster, an evolved version of the first floor? In any case, it was only A-Class even if it was a dragon species. Nothing special.

Not that someone with F-Class combat ability should say that.

“How about you take it on alone, Noah? Don’t use poison or any other skills. Just use beast transformation. It’s a flying dragon species, so I think it’ll be useful experience in many ways.”

It seemed a waste to let the other two handle it when I had My Kid applied to him. Noah nodded, transformed into a dragon, and flew up. I expected Seong Hyeonje to say something about how I had wanted to get out quickly, but surprisingly, he stayed quiet.

Noah’s hunt for the boss monster took quite some time. Even if he had grown used to beast transformation, he relied mainly on flight, and close combat was not his style to begin with. Still, seeing him safely finish off the water dragon made me proud.

“What time do you think it is outside?”

“Dawn should be breaking about now.”

It had taken less than twenty-four hours. That really was fast. It was all thanks to Noah and Riette being able to transform into dragons. Normally, traveling across the first and second floors alone would have taken over a day.

When the boss monster died, a gate appeared. Once we were out, I should stop by a nearby clothing store and buy something to wear first. If I returned to the rearing facility, where there were so many people watching, dressed like this, it would definitely reach Yoohyun’s ears. The shirt was one thing, but the torn, blood-soaked pants practically advertised that I had been attacked. I had to hide them.

“…What’s that now?”

I was praising Noah for doing well when Riette, who had vanished for a moment, came back dragging something behind her.

It was a string of people tied together like dried fish. Choi Seokwon and Yoon Gyeongsu were among them, both in terrible shape.

“Didn’t you kill them all?”

“Waste not, want not.”

Was that something a person who spent hundreds of millions on a watch that was not even a dungeon item should say? Still, they were all high-rank Hunters, so it was true that simply killing them would be a waste.

Even more so if you were in a position to seize their weaknesses and keep them in line.

Especially since two of them were S-Class.

“The last part of sightseeing is shopping, after all. I’ll buy one too.”

“You’re the sort of tourist whose mind changes every other second after saying you wouldn’t buy anything.”

“If a customer changes their mind, you should be grateful to make a sale, Mister Guide. The service here is terrible.”

“Even after the heartfelt offering of an eye and an arm, you call it terrible. In that case, I suppose I have no choice but to offer the whole thing...”

“I decline.”

I didn’t need that. If he wanted to give me something, he could hand over skills instead. Riette was also gazing fondly at the string of people, as though she was expecting to receive something. Sudam was large, but MKC probably had more to offer.

‘Once we’re out, I’ll check Yoohyun’s contract first...’

I should calmly sort through Diarma’s memories. Maybe because I had pulled them directly out of Diarma’s consciousness, they remained vivid despite their sheer volume.

As I passed through the gate, a slightly warm wind brushed against me. Then I saw the brightening sky. A faintly violet sky where darkness and light were mixed together.

…Why could I see it? This had been indoors.

But we were outside.

The fairly large dungeon building had vanished without a trace. No, traces remained. It was an isolated area, and since it was beside an A-Class dungeon, the surrounding buildings had been unoccupied anyway...

Now there were no buildings at all. In their place stood barricades, people, and...

“…Yoohyun?”

Yoohyun was sitting on a chair placed directly in front of the gate. It was an ordinary plastic chair, yet he looked like an emperor seated on a throne. In other words, he felt imposing. His expression was cold, as was the force rolling off him.

He was even holding a long sword.

Wasn’t he forbidden from taking out weapons?

Peace was beside him, slightly bigger than its subadult form. Peace didn’t look pleased either. At least Peep, perched on Peace’s head...

- Peep!

I didn’t know why Peep had come along, but unlike those two posing dramatically, Peep happily lifted a wing in greeting. Song Taewon stood a short distance away, his face tired.

“So they found out. Well, there was no way the young master, who had been keeping his eyes peeled, would fail to notice. Two S-Class Hunters were involved, along with other high-rank Hunters.”

Seong Hyeonje spoke as though it had nothing to do with him. No, if he had guessed, he could have warned me. At least I could have prepared myself. Unlike the utterly relaxed Seong Hyeonje, Noah looked slightly tense.

“Hyung.”

Yoohyun rose from his chair. His gaze slowly traveled from my head to my toes, stopping on my torn pants.

Well, I had been caught.

“I’m not hurt anywhere except this.”

My actual body, anyway. What had happened with that dragon bastard wasn’t real to begin with. The dragon bastard had really died, but still.

…It would be better to hide it forever. Let’s say Waterdrop caught and killed the dragon bastard.

“Isn’t that shirt the Sesung Guildmaster’s?”

It was a dungeon item, but it looked ordinary on the surface. He really did have sharp eyes.

“Ah, well...”

I started to explain, then my words caught. The situation was a little... difficult to explain honestly in front of my little brother. Should I just say I had gotten dirty and borrowed it? It was ridiculous for a Hunter to change clothes in a dungeon just because they got dirty, but still.

Then the string of people began flying out of the gate one by one. We naturally stepped aside, and Riette jumped out on top of the piled-up people.

“I got them all out. Huh? Did a dungeon break nearby or something?”

No. My little brother was about to explode instead.

When Riette appeared after the string of people, a red tinge entered Yoohyun’s already fierce eyes.

For a moment, I wanted to shout that I had known nothing and Seong Hyeonje had used me as bait. If I really did that, though, it felt like we would be holding the first Ranking Match, so I held back.

“…What happened?”

Yoohyun asked Seong Hyeonje with the expression of someone gathering every scrap of patience they possessed and forcing it down.

“I rescued a princess who was being kidnapped and attacked by a dragon, then danced with the princess. Ah, I did not receive a kiss. The princess was rather heartless.”

Was he insane? Why would we kiss?

At that fucking insane answer, cracks appeared in Yoohyun’s cold expression. Unable to hide his bewilderment, my little brother turned to me as if asking what the hell that meant.

“Uh... It’s nonsense, but it’s also true...”

Even as I said it myself, it was absurd. All of that had actually happened.

…No, seriously, how had things ended up like that? It was all Seong Hyeonje and Riette’s fault. This was what happened with only two natural-born S-Classes around. There were still two more left. The back of my neck was already tightening.

Surely we wouldn’t end up acting out an even worse train wreck of a drama than this time.

“I was the dragon!”

Riette cut in, shooting one hand into the air. Song Taewon walked up to her and held out handcuffs.

“Illegal sales of contract documents, illegal entry into the country, and...”

Song Taewon looked at me and asked,

“Was there perhaps a sexual offense involved?”

“Ah, no! What are you suddenly talking about...?”

He was disgustingly quick to pick up on things. Song Taewon wore an unnecessarily understanding expression.

“If you change your mind, please contact us at any time. A Hunter’s stat rank comes before gender, so...”

“Yes, I understand. Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine.”

At least say that somewhere my little brother couldn’t hear it. Swallowing a sigh, I turned toward Riette, whose eyes were sharply narrowed.

“Riette.”

“Yeah, honey. Could you step aside for a moment?”

What was she planning? Of course, she had no intention of quietly letting herself be handcuffed.

“Breaking the law is still breaking the law, so come along quietly.”

“Why should I?”

“If you cause trouble here, you might really be banned from entering the country forever. You want to leave your monster child with me, right? Then take your punishment properly. I won’t accept one through an illegal route, so bring it to me officially with clean hands. You’re an S-Class Hunter anyway. It’s not like you’ll serve prison time.”

“Hmmmm, fine.”

She puffed out her cheeks in displeasure, but obediently held out both hands. What kind of monster was she planning to leave with me? It couldn’t be an ordinary magical beast.

Having successfully arrested Riette, Song Taewon looked at me with faint emotion in his eyes. He probably never expected to take Riette in this easily. Noah’s eyes were sparkling too.

Now then.

“Yoohyun.”

“Seong Hyeonje could not have failed to know he would be attacked. Did you know too, Hyung?”

“Roughly.”

I heard a small exhale.

“Go home first.”

What was he planning to do after sending me away? The way Yoohyun stared at the string of people and Seong Hyeonje was alarming. This was absolutely not an atmosphere for talking things out. And there was no chance that Seong Hyeonje would avoid him. Look at him now. His eyes were smiling.

What should I do? Should I insist that I wasn’t leaving?

…A future where I was carried out within three minutes came to mind.

“...Let’s go together.”

“What?”

“There are things I need to tell you separately, and also...”

And also...

“...I’m worried.”

I was a victim. I had been kidnapped by a dragon, my leg had been injured, and my tour guide had turned out to be a complete fraud. I passed Yoohyun and picked Peep up from Peace’s head. As I stroked Peace, who pressed against me with a low rumble, I continued.

“I may look fine, but I’m not really fine.”

I silently signaled that I was only barely holding on thanks to Fear Resistance. It was half true, too. In many ways, these were not things someone with F-Class stats could handle.

“So, could you come with me? There are other people too, but you’re still the person I trust most, Yoohyun.”

I couldn’t bring myself to look at his face as I said it, so I met Peep’s eyes instead. Our Peep was adorable no matter when I looked.

“…Okay.”

He had given in. My little brother really was kind.

“This doesn’t mean it is over.”

Yoohyun put his weapon into his inventory and glared fiercely at Seong Hyeonje.

“I would be disappointed if it were. Calm your brother down and contact me. Or you may come together. The two of you are welcome anytime.”

Don’t fan the flames, you bastard. Fortunately, Yoohyun said nothing more and turned away.

“Noah, you can get back on your own, right?”

“…Yes.”

For some reason, his reply was dejected. He had seemed happy until his older sister got handcuffed. Why was he gloomy again? We got into the car with Peace, now smaller again.

Our destination was Yoohyun’s home, not mine. Since Myeongu could pop out at any time, Yoohyun’s home was a more comfortable place to talk about the Filial Piety Addicts. I should tell Myeongu to designate a specific place to appear. It was usually the living room, but sometimes he popped out somewhere ridiculous.

“Hey, you...”

After washing and changing clothes, I came out to find the fire lizard slowly chewing through the hem of the shirt. It was Seong Hyeonje’s shirt, the one I had worn for a while.

“I need to return that.”

Still, I didn’t feel like stopping it. The lizard had already swallowed half of it.

It sure was eating well.

“Come sit here.”

I called Yoohyun over as I went to the sofa. Peace climbed into my lap as though it belonged there, and Peep settled on top of Peace.

“Why did you bring Peep along?”

“Peep followed me.”

Yoohyun sat beside me. The lizard, having finished the shirt, crawled onto my little brother’s body.

“Check whether the contract you made with the Filial Piety Addicts is still in effect.”

Yoohyun’s eyes widened at my words.

“How does Hyung know? Don’t tell me that bastard Seong Hyeonje...!”

“I asked, and he answered. And I know the system, so how could I have been completely unaware?”

They hadn’t properly told me from their side, though. When I urged him again to check the contract, he took the contract document from his inventory. It was a black slab similar to Seong Hyeonje’s.

It had not been voided even though the lizard bastard was dead.

“I’ll break it now.”

“But your Curse Resistance is L-Class, Hyung.”

“Against the master of the Cursed Poison Dragon King, this skill’s effect is doubled. I tested it on Seong Hyeonje too. His arm and eye had been staked, but it broke without a problem.”

“That’s a little disappointing.”

“What did you stake?”

“…Both eyes.”

…This damned bastard.

“Hey! Han Yoohyun!”

“Wait, Hyung! You’ll hurt yourself!”

The hand I used to smack his back really did sting. My wrist ached a little too. Yoohyun held out a potion and watched me cautiously.

“I was young then, and the conditions were not that difficult. Seong Hyeonje staked an arm and an eye too.”

“I don’t care if that bastard stakes all four limbs. You, seriously...!”

“Hyung also hid it from me, went into a dungeon, and got hurt.”

“It was just a little stab wound in my leg. Is that the same as your eyes? Both of them too! Hey, you!”

When I stomped my foot in anger, Peace growled at Yoohyun. Peep chirped too. Then Yoohyun’s lizard hissed back at them.

That calmed me down a little.

“Let’s break the contract first. Come here.”

I reached out and pulled Yoohyun’s head into an embrace. But when it came time to make him break the contract, the words wouldn’t leave my mouth easily.

It would be fine. Seong Hyeonje had been fine too.

Why did that damned lizard bastard have to stake both eyes? What had it done to a child who wasn’t even an adult yet? Should I have threatened it into breaking the contract before killing it somehow?

“Hyung?”

“Right, I’m ready. Say it.”

“I know about the Filial Piety Addicts.”

Crackle.

The contract document already taken out broke apart. I hurriedly grabbed Yoohyun’s face and looked into his eyes.

“You’re fine, right?”

“I can see perfectly.”

“Never do something that crazy again.”

“Okay.”

At least that was one worry off my mind.

Now, how much should I explain, and where should I begin?

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