WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 12: The Second S-Class (1)
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Yesterday was a little hotter. With an ice pop in my mouth, I searched around Myeongdong Station.
A barbecue restaurant near Myeongdong Station.
That was the only information I had on the Ice Witch, Park Yerim's current residence.
“Excuse me, does a student named Park Yerim live here?”
“No, nobody by that name lives here.”
Another miss. I marked an X on my phone's map. I'd checked all the places on this street. Should I try the other side? There were surprisingly many barbecue restaurants.
As I bit into the last of my ice pop and glanced behind me, I saw Kim Seonghan following at a short distance, looking like he was dying from the heat. Did high-ranking Hunters not feel hot? I wanted to make that guy an S-Class, but I couldn't bring myself to try.
Yu Myeongu had been a lucky case. But what excuse could I use to tell that guy I loved him? Should I arrange a drinking session?
‘Could I claim that confessing love to everyone is just how I act when I'm drunk?’
Of course, simply saying the keyword wasn't enough. Kim Seonghan needed to feel something, so getting close came first. How was I supposed to get close? Was drinking the answer again? Did he even like alcohol?
I crossed the street and headed for an XX Charcoal-Grilled Galbi restaurant tucked away in a corner. Thinking about alcohol, then smelling grilling meat, made my mouth water. The menu posted on the wall showed they served intestines and tripe too.
Intestines were great. Fat-sizzling intestines puffed up like cotton candy, followed by a cold beer that washed cleanly down your throat! Pork belly and soju were good too, but intestines were definitely my thing. I liked intestines. I wanted intestines. It was still early, but it was about time for dinner. Should I eat first, then continue searching?
With the ice pop stick still in my mouth, I approached the restaurant entrance.
“Everything is my fault, is that it?!”
The glass door flew open with a sharp cry. The little bell hanging from it jingled wildly, as if it were about to break.
“It was all that bastard Park Sucheon's doing!”
“Where does that bitch get off screaming like that?! Get back here!”
A girl in a tracksuit stormed out, glaring into the restaurant as though she wanted to kill someone inside. Her face, full of anger and resentment, was unmistakably familiar. That was Park Yerim, right?
“Excuse me...”
“Just die, all of you!”
Park Yerim shouted, then turned and ran. Where was she going? Wait a second!
I ran after the girl as she rapidly pulled away. She was a middle school student, while I was an adult who had awakened, even if only as an F-Class. I should have caught up right away...
Why was she so fast?
‘Had she awakened already? Ah, a car!’
The distance I'd narrowed opened up again while I hesitated because of traffic. I should've worn my gloves and belt. If I hadn't taken them off because of the heat, I could've caught her right away. Still, I'd clearly seen which way she went.
After the car passed, I crossed the road and ran in the direction Park Yerim had gone.
Before long, I came upon a wooded hill. Through the trees at the edge of Namsan, I saw the girl's back as she sat haphazardly on the ground.
‘I'll check first.’
It could've been someone else. When I used my Sprout skill, a status window appeared despite the considerable distance.
[Non-Awakened - Park Yerim
Potential Awakening Stat Grade: A to S
Optimized Initial Skills
Shadowless Day (SS)
Shoes of Hermes (S)
White Corpse (S)]
I'd somewhat expected her maximum potential Awakening stat grade to be S. But I was a little surprised that she had an optimized initial skill rated as high as SS.
More than that, though.
‘There isn't even anything ice-related!’
Her optimized initial skills, for someone famous as the Ice Witch, were all things I'd never heard of. That was the most shocking part.
She had become that famous using skills that didn't even suit her? Just how talented was she? I was jealous.
‘But I have no idea what kind of skills these are.’
Shoes of Hermes was probably related to flight or agility, but I couldn't even guess at the traits of Shadowless Day or White Corpse. It was a shame that Sprout couldn't reveal skill descriptions.
They'd better not be support skills. Still, her stats were S-Class, so...
“Mr. Han Yujin.”
Damn, that startled me! Kim Seonghan suddenly appeared beside me. He had an expression that asked what I was doing.
“I sense a powerful presence from that student, so I plan to approach her. Please wait here.”
Saying I sensed a powerful presence made me feel like some kind of cultist. Kim Seonghan glanced at Park Yerim, then silently nodded.
Now then, how should I approach her? Thinking hard, I slowly walked toward Park Yerim.
The young girl was sitting with her back to me, so I couldn't see her expression. But deep sorrow hung over her back. Her slender shoulders were tightly hunched, making her look pitiful.
“Excuse me, miss. Could we talk for a moment?”
I spoke in the gentlest voice I could manage. I am harmless. Please trust me.
Park Yerim turned to look at me. She wasn't crying, but her eyes were red. There were marks on her lower lip from biting it.
“Hi. I'm...”
“I don't do compensated dating.”
“Neither do I!”
What did she take me for?!
The fragile, icy atmosphere shattered in an instant. Why would she say something like that here?!
“You're Park Yerim, right?”
At my words, she slowly got to her feet. Then she looked at me with open suspicion.
“...A stalker?”
“No!”
Compensated dating wasn't enough, now I was a stalker too? This was seriously unfair. I swear I'd been clean in that regard even before returning to the past. In other ways, I was filthy, but still.
“I'm, well, someone your parents helped a long time ago.”
I decided to use the old, We are actually connected even though you don't know it, routine again. Her guard was far too high for me to simply say I'd come to recruit her.
“My parents?”
“That's right. I'm not suspicious.”
“You look incredibly suspicious, mister.”
Mister! Well, yes. To a middle schooler, I was old enough to seem like one. I was already thirty... No, I'd returned to the past! I was still in my twenties!
“...I'm only in my mid-twenties.”
“Did you do military service?”
“...Yeah.”
“Then you are a mister.”
...It was unfair enough that I'd served because I failed to awaken. This was too much. Thinking that I'd entrust my protection to this girl already made my stomach hurt. Her personality had been something else even when she was young.
“Anyway, I want to sponsor you.”
“So it is compensated dating! Officer!”
“No! It isn't! Here, my Hunter license and temporary guild ID!”
I hurriedly pulled out my wallet and showed her the license and ID. Park Yerim raised an eyebrow when she saw them.
“What? You're only F-Class. Forget sponsoring someone, it looks like it'd be hard enough for you to survive, mister.”
...She really picked only the most painful things to say.
“Look at the guild ID too.”
“Haeyeon Guild? That's a famous place.”
“Yeah. You know Han Yoohyun, the Haeyeon Guildmaster? The S-Class Hunter. He's my younger brother.”
Park Yerim looked me over again, surprised.
“That handsome guy? You don't look much alike.”
“...He gets to be oppa?”
“He hasn't done military service.”
“S-Classes are exempt anyway.”
“Then I'll revise it. He's a capable oppa.”
...It hurt more because she was right. Still, perhaps feeling a little sorry, Park Yerim lightly added that we did look somewhat alike when she looked closely.
“Having a capable younger brother is a capability too. Don't look so pathetic, mister.”
“When did I?”
“You look like a disaster survivor who spent about five years rolling around in mud before crawling out.”
What? Did she have some sort of ability to read memories?
“Enough nonsense. I can make you an Awakened.”
“An Awakened?”
Park Yerim's eyes filled with interest. Being an Awakened was a popular profession among kids these days. Of course, only if you were C-Class or higher. Like any profession, the bottom ranks practically didn't count.
“Yeah. That's what my skill does. It makes other people into Awakened. And since I have the guildmaster backing me, I can help you get settled too.”
“It won't be much use if I'm F-Class.”
“Don't worry. Your rank will be at least B-Class.”
She tilted her head at my confident words.
“You can tell that too?”
“I can. It's a secret from everyone else.”
“What if I don't keep the secret? You're just telling me that? You're careless, mister.”
“That's what contracts are for. I'll make you an Awakened after we write one. If you give up awakening and blab the secret everywhere, though, who would believe you? You have no proof.”
The internet was full of every imaginable rumor claiming, This is how you become an Awakened! So even if she went around saying there was a skill that could awaken people, it wouldn't attract much attention. There were already several scammers saying similar things, so people would only be suspicious.
Park Yerim, who had narrowed her brow slightly as she thought, spoke.
“If I become an Awakened, can I live independently? I don't want to live at my uncle's house.”
“You can. After several minors awakened during the first Dungeon Shock, a special law was passed. From age fourteen, Hunters have the same rights as adults, except that they can only enter dungeons two grades below their own rank. In other words, you can join a guild without your guardian's permission. Haeyeon Guild has dormitories, so once you register as a Hunter, you can leave home immediately.”
There was still much debate over whether minors should be allowed into dungeons. It was clearly an ethically problematic law, but when dungeons first appeared in the world, there were few Awakened. Dungeons kept erupting one after another, so people had needed even the hands of children.
Still, the restriction that they could only enter dungeons two grades below their own rank kept the fatality rate among minor Hunters low. The restriction was lifted after ten dungeon clears without an accident, or upon turning eighteen.
‘After Awakening Centers were established, they gradually began raising the minimum age for dungeon entry because there were too many Awakened.’
That was the right thing to do. But the special law hadn't been revised yet, so Park Yerim would have no problem becoming independent.
“Still, there'll be plenty of inconveniences if you don't have a guardian. You're still young, after all...”
“It's fine. Having no guardian would be much better. At this rate, I wouldn't last much longer before running away anyway.”
Park Yerim spoke sulkily. Running away from home, was it? I thought I'd seen that mentioned in an interview.
“Does your uncle treat you badly?”
“Outside of school, he makes me work without giving me a penny for spending money. He took all the property my parents left behind using me as an excuse! He opened that restaurant by selling our apartment. Then he goes around pretending to be a kindhearted person taking care of a kid with nowhere else to go!”
Tears mixed into her raised voice at the end. There were plenty of people in this world who would throw away even family when money was involved. Still, if he had inherited a fortune, he could at least have taken proper care of her. That was too much.
“If you want, I can help you get legal assistance too.”
Any decent guild employed several lawyers. Haeyeon Guild surely did as well, and if it involved an S-Class Awakened belonging to the guild, they would eagerly step in.
“No. I just don't want to get involved with him ever again.”
“Fine, do as you wish. It feels a little odd to keep talking while standing here. It's early, but should we go have dinner?”
I needed to talk with her more before I could use my skill.
“You probably don't like intestines... Is there anything you want to eat?”
“No, I like them. My uncle's restaurant makes them badly, though. There's a famous place right nearby, so follow me. It's okay even if it's a little expensive, right?”
“Of course it is. Eat whatever you want!”
I had Haeyeon Guild's corporate card. I'd brought it along because they told me to use it for entertainment expenses if I found anyone A-Class or higher. So go ahead and spend freely. Even if you burned through it all, it was fine!
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