WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 123: As Expected, Cleaning Is Best Done with Water (3)

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Hong Kong’s night view was beautiful. The stars on the ground had been violently raked apart several times, yet innumerable lights remained. Noah’s eyes looked down on that sea of light.

The breeze carried a strong scent of the sea. Though the sun had set, the air was still muggy. At the same time, the air conditioning brushed coolly against my skin.

Feeling those completely different temperatures at once, I looked over the gathered crowd.

“I hope you will not be too surprised that the merchandise can speak. After all, I am human, just like all of you.”

Though they might be the sort to assign ranks to human beings themselves. Why is some bottom-rung peasant talking in front of me, and all that.

Still, there were few genuine top figures here. The powerful people who were too important to come in person had sent their close aides instead. Those aides were influential figures in their own right, of course.

“There is no point in dragging out the product description. If you have forgotten, please lift your gaze slightly above my head.”

“Cheep!”

When I pointed at Peep, they fluttered their wings and chirped. A few people smiled despite themselves. Our Peep really was adorable.

I spun the microphone around my fingertips. It was not the usual clunky shape, but one with smooth, slender curves like an ornament. A glass containing a mana potion sat on the table prepared for me.

Most countries made their own potions. Perhaps that was why they tasted different depending on the country. I had heard China had all kinds of tea flavors, Britain had black tea, and Russia even had vodka potions. Why did Korea only have apple and orange? Import some other flavors already. Not that they would.

I took a few sips of the mango-flavored potion among the various glasses and set Peep down beside me. Stay still.

“You have likely already received the information regarding today’s auction.”

The gazes following me with every step felt unpleasant. I had never particularly liked being the center of attention in the first place.

I lightly closed my eyes. Beneath my feet, the whole world glittered. This was certainly a refreshing change.

“You all know how an auction works. Unlike an ordinary auction, however, the merchandise is given three vetoes. I may use all three, or I may not use a single one.”

Please think of them as a hurdle for merchandise that is obedient and cooperative. I continued explaining, adding a few casual remarks.

“I may use a veto on a successful bidder I dislike, but I may also use one for a bidder I like who placed second through fourth. So, everyone, please make at least a little effort to catch the merchandise’s eye for the first and last time.”

It was not as if any of you had ever needed to do this before. If it went well, it was a decent opportunity too.

“However, since most of you here will not be my true master, I will judge you by your items. In this day and age, high-performance items are the very symbol of wealth. A miniportal instead of an elevator, a defensive-skill jacket instead of a bulletproof vest. Above all, can one not glimpse a prospective master’s generosity by how good the items are that they grant to people like you, who serve as their hands and feet?”

I don’t like tightfisted people.

“So, everyone, I would appreciate it if you generously offered up items you are confident in.”

Though you will not get them back. Well, if you somehow survive today and regain your freedom afterward, feel free to contact me and ask for them back.

A murmur ran through the crowd. As they exchanged looks, no one stepped forward first. They were probably uneasy about handing over valuable items even temporarily, and some might have decided it was better not to begin competing over the vetoes at all.

What was needed at a time like this?

“You are awfully insolent.”

A shill, of course. But why was his line like that?

As Seong Hyeonje stepped forward, the people split apart like a school of fish meeting a shark. It was not as if there were no other S-Class Hunters, but he was on another level. I had not planned to ask that man in the first place, but apparently he was bored and volunteered to do it...

“Oh, I...”

Clink.

Damn it, I was really going to lose my mind. With an ominous sound, a thin golden chain coiled around my neck like a snake. Holding the other end lightly between his fingertips, he arrogantly curled up one corner of his mouth.

“Merchandise should behave more politely.”

His gaze and tone looked down contemptuously at someone beneath his feet. I wondered what kind of ridiculous concept this was, but then.

‘...Wow, everyone loves it.’

The guests seemed thoroughly pleased with Seong Hyeonje’s acting. Maybe they found the merchandise’s attitude irritating but could not intervene directly because of the vetoes, so this was giving them a satisfying release.

With a metallic sound, the chain that had hung loosely between Seong Hyeonje and me pulled taut. Since the response was good, I had to play along. I shrank back slightly, not too much. It would be best if I did not seem completely cowed, but became even more defiant instead.

“We are not strangers. Isn’t this too much, when you could at least cooperate with me?”

“You were ignorant of your place and insolent from our first meeting. It seems that habit has not been easily corrected, even after coming all this way.”

“If it could be corrected in only a few days, it would not be a habit.”

“Isn’t that why I’m helping you? Since we are not strangers.”

The smile in his narrowed eyes was fierce. In response, I averted my gaze as though frightened. The chain jerked hard, as if to drive the point home, and just as I was about to be dragged away.

“That is enough.”

A hand caught the chain and stopped it. At the same time, a brief contest of strength followed. The hand’s owner was Yoohyun, who had appeared beside me before I knew it. To everyone else, he would have a different face.

But Yoohyun, why were you getting involved too? There was only so much ad-libbing one could do. It would be a problem if an unplanned role showed up.

“This is surprising. I had not heard that Mr. Ian Holton was a high-grade Hunter. Were you not a non-Awakened person to begin with?”

“Awakening can happen overnight, and there is no reason at all for me to inform Mr. Seong Hyeonje.”

Their gazes clashed sharply.

I could not feel it well, but it seemed that more than words and looks were being exchanged. The people around us kept backing away. Some faces were trying desperately to hide their fear.

I asked for a shill, and they were trying to overturn the whole stall. This would ruin the business.

“Are you all right, Mr. Han Yujin?”

“Y-yes...”

My little brother’s formal speech was awkward. This was all Seong Hyeonje’s fault. He should have simply said, I’ll go first, tossed down a suitable item, and left.

“Thank you, Mr. Holton. You are very kind.”

“Isn’t it too easy to give in before even taking out an item?”

“It is because the Sesung Guildmaster is being too violent. I hope you remember that I have the veto right.”

At the look in my eyes asking him to leave already, Seong Hyeonje released the chain he had been holding. The end of the chain, suddenly shortened, swung against my chest.

“I’ll leave that behind and withdraw.”

Even before the ranking matches began, everyone who mattered knew that famous weapon. Small exclamations rose here and there as he handed it over. Weapons were especially valuable among S-Class items. There was likely nothing among the possessions of the people gathered here more valuable than the Seeker’s Chain.

So, if we were only looking at the items, the game was over.

‘After putting on that little show, they’ll naturally assume Seong Hyeonje will receive one veto.’

In other words, one strong competitor had been removed, while an incomparably valuable item had appeared. That would ease their reluctance to offer up their own items. Amid the murmuring crowd, Yoohyun also took a bracelet from his inventory.

“I was not properly prepared, so I have nothing worth offering.”

More precisely, he did not have an S-Class item he could reveal without giving away his identity. Yoohyun’s name did not yet carry as much weight as Seong Hyeonje’s, but since he was my brother, the people here would have investigated him in detail at the very least.

“Even if it is A-Class, I prefer this one.”

Mr. Holton, who had scored points with me, offered only an A-Class bracelet. Now, it was truly worth trying, wasn’t it? Right after I accepted the bracelet.

Flutter.

A long length of blue fabric fell over my head.

“An S-Class Magos Shawl of Waves! Keyira Gray, remember that!”

An S-Class shawl! A fabric item Myeongu could not make! Yerim, I got you a piece of S-Class equipment. I quickly accepted the shawl and beamed with wholehearted sincerity.

“Keyira Gray, you are truly decisive. Please record it quickly.”

An assistant holding a tablet added the item and its owner to the list. Not that recording them meant anyone would get their items back. Next, a Chinese man held out a bracelet, emphasizing that it was S-Class, not A-Class. Wow, perhaps important people really did have plenty of S-Class items. There were even some non-Awakened people here, but since items could apply to anyone, equipment that even Hunters could not get enough of kept appearing.

This was why mid- and low-ranking Hunters suffered from equipment inflation, pouring everything they earned into acquiring gear.

“Ah, this is a robe cardigan. Items that can be used in everyday life are the best. I will benefit from it too, after all.”

They did not offer many weapons, but we had Myeongu, so we did not need them. It was far better for him to focus on weapons than spend time making other equipment that was relatively easy to acquire.

“You may compete through quantity as well. I prefer several A-Class items to a single S-Class item.”

We would need plenty of A-Class equipment to build Yerim’s team. Mr. Kim Seonghan had not properly assembled a team yet either. S-Class was best, but it was impossible for the time being to outfit even team members entirely in S-Class gear.

So A-Class items were welcome too!

“That makes five earrings already. I cannot help but admire the impressive people gathered here today.”

As I finished a glass of oolong tea-flavored mana potion, I set a silver hoop earring on top of the pile of items on the table. Peep stared intently at the mountain of items.

The items gathered here might be worth more than I was. How much was the Seeker’s Chain alone? I could not keep that one, though.

As the atmosphere reached its peak, Seong Hyeonje left. Since I had used the teacher skill on him earlier, I could see where he was headed.

“Thank you once again for your generosity. In particular, Marcel Bardo, Sergey Arshavin...”

I did not forget to specially mention the people who spent generously. It was difficult to memorize names and faces, but that much effort was nothing when they were handing out high-grade items.

In the meantime, I saw the black sky. Seong Hyeonje was standing atop the hotel roof. At the same time, Noah’s eyes looked down at him. The tails of his dress-code tailcoat fluttered in the wind.

‘Let’s begin.’

It would not reach him, but I murmured it inwardly. As though he had heard, he began to move. Light scattered around him. Following the lightly swung fingertips of his hand, lightning surged upward from below. Almost simultaneously, Noah threw an item resembling the ribs of an opened umbrella into the air and dodged away.

Krrrroooom!!

“Thunder?”

“They did not say it would rain.”

The roar shook the banquet hall once. A stir rose up, but I let it pass by one ear.

What gripped my eyes and ears now was the current spreading with terrifying force.

The light wrapped around the item Noah had thrown and shot in every direction like arrows. Lightning rods had been erected on buildings within several kilometers of the hotel to guide it. However, there were no grounding wires.

In the blink of an eye, the current struck each target, every building above a certain height. Then it sprang back up and spread. Not only the buildings struck directly, but even the large and small structures around them. At its master’s command, it rapidly sank its targets into darkness one after another.

The lights were going out.

Perhaps because of his attire, the man guiding the darkness felt like a conductor.

Then, at last, the surroundings became pitch-black, leaving only a single light.

“Everyone, now.”

The hotel rose tall and proud. Before sending the regular staff away for the auction, I had asked Gregson to turn on every light in the hotel rooms and draw back the curtains. When I said I wanted a performance that made the entire hotel shine, the slave trader had readily agreed. It was nothing difficult.

Thus, the hotel shone brilliantly alone. Toward the sea, in a form that would be terribly alluring to someone.

“It is time to begin the real game.”

I spoke as I approached the table piled with items. Everyone’s eyes turned toward me at once. My gaze went beyond them, to the front windows sunk in darkness, and farther beyond.

It was fixed on the rising sea.

Black water crawled upward. Like an inverted waterfall. A smile naturally formed on my lips.

“What was the starting bid for the auction again? One billion dollars?”

That was not much. It was cheaper than a nuclear submarine.

I handed the microphone to the professional auctioneer. I finished another glass of mana potion, picked up Peep, and Noah flew down along the hotel wall.

Crash!

The glass wall shattered, I swept every item from the table into my inventory, and Yoohyun snatched me up almost simultaneously.

Toxic energy rose from the dragon’s body, concealed by the Stealth skill.

“Cough!”

“Poison! Get away!”

Han Yoohyun jumped without hesitation into the spreading poisonous fumes. While still carrying me, of course. The moment Yoohyun climbed onto Noah’s back, Noah’s claws scraped across the floor. Noah rapidly changed direction, then flew beyond the shattered glass wall.

The moment we escaped the building, a wall of water appeared right before us. Noah’s wings beat hard as we began a steep vertical ascent. Unable to fully avoid the edge of the enormous wave, we passed through it with our entire bodies and shot high into the sky.

Rumble.

The hotel, which had shone like a beacon, was swallowed by a mountain of black water. Even the final light of the night view vanished, and complete darkness settled over everything.

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