WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 117: Even When Told to Rest (3)
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After lunch, Kang Soyoung joined us at the cafe we had been dragged into. Mango bingsu layered with mango, fluffy pancakes, waffles topped with fruit and ice cream, cheesecake, tiramisu, and all sorts of other things filled the table.
Could we even finish all this?
“Mr. Noah, could I ride you just once?”
Kang Soyoung asked with sparkling eyes. Noah held a spoon in his mouth, looking uncomfortable as he glanced sideways at me. He seemed burdened by Kang Soyoung. Though, the two did look good together.
...Wait, then what about Yoohyun? Kang Soyoung was not interested in Noah romantically, but once she had taken a liking to him, who knew where it might lead. Should I interfere? Well, Noah did seem uncomfortable around Kang Soyoung.
“Mr. Noah is not a mount. Please stop that.”
Kang Soyoung slightly bowed her head and apologized.
“I know I shouldn't, especially when I have Comet, but I can't get him out of my mind.”
“I want to see him myself, too. Honestly, I want to ride him too...”
“Just eat your bingsu. Mr. Noah, try this. It's good.”
“Yes.”
Perhaps because the two people kept looking at him with such heated eyes, Noah seemed a little intimidated. Take it easy, people.
“Ms. Kang Soyoung, do you happen to remember when the Sesung Guildmaster's way of speaking changed?”
I asked Kang Soyoung to confirm it precisely. Moon Hyuna did not see Seong Hyeonje often, so it could turn out that he had changed the way he spoke over two months ago. Kang Soyoung tilted her head at my question.
“Ah, now that you mention it, it did change. When was it? About a month and a half ago? Maybe just under two months ago... I think it was a few days before Yerim was recognized as S-Class.”
...That was exactly when I had regressed. Of course, it could be a coincidence.
“Were there any other changes? Did you hear why he suddenly changed the way he spoke?”
“Why? Would there be any particular reason? It felt very natural. Other changes, hmm...”
Kang Soyoung drew out the last word as she stared at me.
“I think the Guildmaster has taken quite an interest in Mr. Han Yujin, so I'm worried.”
“Me?”
“The Guildmaster seems to be having fun, but that kind of interest rarely ends well. Honestly, our Guildmaster doesn't have the best personality. But he's incredibly generous with Mr. Han Yujin. I was pretty surprised yesterday, too. You might come because an unusual dungeon appeared, but he even ran errands to get you clothes. And the two of you seemed so close...”
“We aren't close. No, we're only pretending to be close for one week.”
There were six days left now. Kang Soyoung fiddled with her fork, her eyes drooping.
“This time, he's especially obvious about how much fun he's having... Please be careful, if only for Comet's sake.”
“That's true. Your little brother is one thing, but casually dealing with Seong Hyeonje is dangerous. Yerim seemed worried too. Be careful, if only for our Blue's sake.”
Our Blue already? Moon Hyuna, followed by Noah, nodded.
“That's right. I also think you need to be careful around the Sesung Guildmaster.”
I knew they were worried, but what could I do even if they told me to be careful?
‘I need to approach him first, after all.’
Personally, I wanted to see that man's face only on TV. The bingsu was delicious. The milk ice was so soft.
Rainwater streamed down the cafe's large windows. Amid the soft sound of rain, various conversations and laughter passed back and forth. Noah and I mostly listened, but it was not bad. Moon Hyuna and Kang Soyoung were both living happily. I was glad Yerim had people like them around her.
Yoohyun probably had one or two friends too, right? ...Did he not? Noah was about the same age, so should I ask whether he wanted to be friends with my little brother? It was good that the kid was successful, but honestly, shouldn't a twenty-year-old be enjoying campus life? Why was he commuting to dungeons?
“Mr. Noah, have you ever thought about going to school?”
“School?”
Noah tilted his head, and Kang Soyoung cried out.
“I'm supposed to enter university through special admission next year. Would you like to attend with me? We probably wouldn't go to classes much, though. What about you, Mr. Han Yujin? You're B-Class, but your skills have a lot of influence, so you should be eligible.”
University at this point? Besides, only a few universities allowed special admissions for high-grade Hunters, so I might end up becoming my little brother's junior. I had never seen Yoohyun attend school, so we probably would not run into each other, but still. I shook my head to say no, yet even Moon Hyuna urged me on.
“Anyway, you can skip every class and replace them with dungeon raids, then still get your degree. Just go. Having a college degree won't hurt. No, with your position, it would be much more convenient to have one.”
The fact that I would not need to attend class tempted me a little. There was still plenty of time until next year, so maybe I should think about it. If I went, I would choose a different university from Yoohyun's.
Beeeeep.
My phone suddenly rang. Not just ours, every phone in the cafe emitted a sharp sound. It was a dungeon-related disaster alert.
“Did something break out somewhere?”
Moon Hyuna stood and pulled out her phone. I checked mine as well. It was a message warning of restricted traffic and cautioning against approaching certain areas due to a high-grade Hunter going on a rampage.
It was something that occasionally happened after dungeon raids, but this felt suspicious. When I checked a portal site just in case, a breaking-news alert was up.
“...Those crazy bastards.”
Moon Hyuna wore an expression that said she agreed with my unconscious mutter.
“The Haeyeon Guildmaster destroyed part of the new Hunter Association building due to friction with the Association, huh? The Association came out swinging harder than expected.”
“They must be going all out. I think I need to go there first.”
“You said you were on vacation. Besides, Hyung, your brother might not even be there.”
Moon Hyuna spoke meaningfully. She was right. The photos showed a fire in part of the collapsed building, but it was the sort of scene anyone could easily create, not just Yoohyun. It would be different if lightning had struck out of a clear sky. Fire was common.
“If he's being framed, I can't leave him alone even more. And going to see my little brother isn't work.”
“Want me to come with you?”
“Instead, please contact Yoohyun. I can't get through to him. Mr. Noah, would you help me?”
“Yes. Of course I will.”
Traffic was restricted, so flying would be faster. With Noah beside me, the chance of danger would be lower too. If he spread poison, few people would be able to approach easily.
I sent a text and stepped outside the cafe. Noah then transformed into a dragon. Pedestrians recoiled in terror, and some dropped their umbrellas as they ran away. I felt bad. A few people, however, were not frightened and pulled out their phones to film.
When I climbed onto Noah's back, he flapped his long wings and rose into the air. His scales were slicker than usual from the rain, making it unstable. Still, I felt reluctant to put a saddle on a person. He would catch me if I fell. I had Eunhye, too.
As we passed the buildings, I made a call. A voice I had wanted to avoid hearing for at least a day answered before I could ask.
[Even I do not know where the young master is.]
“Really?”
[I appreciate the high regard, but even I cannot know everything while sitting in one place. More importantly, it seems you are being reckless again.]
“If you're worried, why not come in person? That helicopter of yours looks nice.”
[It pains me that Han Yujin thinks so lightly of me. If you want help, come and ask me politely in person.]
“Did you find an item better than me already?”
[If I had, Han Yujin would already be standing before me. There would be no need to respect a second one.]
“Thank goodness I'm the best.”
I said it like a joke, but it probably was not one. Noah must have heard the call, because he looked back at me worriedly. I reassured him that it was fine. If there was another person in the world as strange as me, strange enough to make a skill window appear, I would have to complain to God.
‘He doesn't seem willing to step in, but he won't pretend not to know until the end.’
If I owed him any more, I might have to figure out how to run without paying him back. I considered contacting Do Hamin, but then remembered Yoohyun had smashed his phone. He had said he lost his wallet while clearing a dungeon with Peace, so he must have gotten a new Hunter ID and driver's license too.
- That's the place, right?
At Noah's words, I put away my phone and looked up. Smoke rose from a building in the distance. It was the new Association building beside the Awakening Center. Perhaps they had thought it wasteful to wreck the main building, because only part of the attached two-story annex had collapsed. The ongoing rain had nearly extinguished the fire, leaving only smoke rising.
‘How petty.’
If Yoohyun had really gone on a rampage, even the main building would have collapsed completely. They had taken those breaking-news photos ridiculously well. Feeling anger rise belatedly, I sent a text. He was not far from here, so he would arrive soon.
[Could you destroy the Awakening Center? The round building. I'll take responsibility.]
A helicopter approached then. An armed man who looked like a Hunter gestured for us to go down, but I ignored him and took photos and videos to send to Seok Simyeong.
- Can I destroy the helicopter?
“Not yet. Let's land first.”
We landed in front of the collapsed building, and I took a photo that clearly showed my face. I also filmed a video saying that my little brother did not appear to be here. I could not send it to Haeyeon Guild, perhaps because they were interfering with communications, but as long as the phone was safe, that was enough.
“Mr. Han Yujin.”
A man in a black suit approached, but froze when he met Noah's fierce gaze after Noah released his full dragon transformation.
“I came to see my beloved little brother's face. Do you know where he is?”
I could not see the kid. There had definitely been an article saying he was here. I asked with a smile, but the response I received was cold. How cruel.
More people surrounded us in the meantime. So they would not sense my suspicion, I quickly checked their ranks. Three A-Classes, while the rest were B-Class or lower.
“You cannot remain here. Please come with us.”
“I have a question. Is anyone inside that building?”
“Everyone has evacuated. As reported in the breaking news, the Haeyeon Guildmaster, Hunter Han Yoohyun...”
“So where is my little brother?”
There was no way he would have stopped after merely breaking a wall. Do not spout such ridiculous nonsense.
“He is fleeing.”
“Are you seriously insane?”
“We understand that it may be difficult for you to accept, since he is your biological brother. Please move elsewhere first, and we will explain the details.”
“The details? From what I can see, every building here seems like it is about to collapse.”
“Excuse me?”
“Of course, it was not my little brother's doing. A dungeon they failed to detect nearby has broken out.”
The faces turned toward me looked baffled, as if asking what I was talking about.
“It looks like you can't see it yet. The huge black dragon.”
Instead of those idiots, Noah flinched and looked around. The fools still looked utterly confused.
“You petty bastards, if you're going to put out an article saying the Haeyeon Guildmaster went on a rampage...”
Booom!!
A deafening blast rang out. As though I had been waiting for it, I continued without even twitching an eyebrow.
“You need to cause this much of a mess.”
Even without turning my head, I could guess what they were seeing from their stunned expressions alone. The sounds of buildings breaking and stones collapsing followed one after another. Then,
- Grrrrr.
A terrifying growl shook the air.
“Damn it! It's a dungeon break!”
“A dragon species! At least an A-Class dungeon!”
“Mr. Noah, could you knock them unconscious for safety's sake?”
An S-Class dragon species had appeared. It would be dangerous if those small fry ran around. Noah launched himself at the fleeing Hunters. His movements were so fast that to my low-stat eyes, he looked like a wave of gold.
After asking him to make sure there was no one else around, I turned back. The black cursed poison dragon sitting atop the ruins of the Awakening Center stretched her head toward me.
Since the Awakening Center building was gone, I could extend my vacation a little longer.
- Honey, I'm having fun, but is this really okay?
“Of course it is. You handled a dungeon break, so won't the Association thank you?”
The report that the Haeyeon Guildmaster had gone on a rampage was false. The unconscious fools and the traces left by the huge dragon would serve as evidence. Those who knew about Riette might be suspicious, but I just had to deny it. Where was the dungeon gate that had broken? One had disappeared just yesterday, so another could disappear today.
“Since there are no people around, please finish off the building next door too, wicked dragon. Nice and clean.”
- As much as you want, Princess! This counts as payment for raising the kid for me!
“I will take care of him with all my heart.”
With a hearty laugh, the dragon rose onto her hind legs. Her tail struck the ground, and the scales on both hind legs shuddered together.
Creeeak. The ground groaned under the immense pressure.
Booom!!
With a short, heavy roar, the dragon's body slammed into the building. Every window burst at once. Before I could admire the glittering shards scattering through the air, the towering building split apart with a crack. A building of strong steel frames and concrete crumbled as lightly as a sugar sculpture.
“Be careful.”
Noah, who had come up beside me without my noticing, pulled me back and knocked aside a flying piece of debris with his arm. Riette stomped on the remaining chunks with her large feet, crushing them flat. Well done. It was incredibly satisfying.
“Dungeon breaks really are dangerous. Thank goodness S-Class Hunter Noah happened to be here.”
Noah blinked a few times, then smiled slightly, as though something had occurred to him.
* * *
The rain continued. Just as I began worrying that we might catch cold despite it being summer, cars arrived. Several of them. Ambulances were mixed in too. Yoohyun was among those who got out. My little brother approached and held an umbrella over me.
“Why are you getting rained on?”
“Look at this place. There is nowhere to take shelter.”
“You should have at least brought an umbrella.”
While we chatted about things entirely unsuited to our surroundings, people bustled around tending to the unconscious Hunters. I felt a gaze fixed on me and turned my head. It was Song Taewon. He did not have an umbrella either. I smiled as if pleased to see him, and his rain-soaked face hardened.
I was on vacation, but it did not seem like the sort of situation where he could avoid making time for me. When was I supposed to rest?
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