WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 130: The Association President (4)

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If words had visible form, they would have been a knife honed to a blue edge. It was an insult sharp enough to carve out old shame, enough to make even a very placid person frown, yet Song Taewon’s expression did not change.

I’d been hoping, just a little, that he might get angry.

‘Then again, someone who has put up with Seong Hyeonje wouldn’t snap at one remark from me.’

He was the one Seong Hyeonje had even said wouldn’t be easy to deal with. He had only come this far because I had touched the Association. If I’d targeted him directly, he wouldn’t have batted an eye.

He was difficult, really. People who sat as though nailed to their places were the most difficult of all.

You couldn’t fill an already full glass. Forcing it empty was difficult when it wasn’t a glass but a huge tank, and even shoving it over wouldn’t be easy. I’d tried kicking at it in my own way, but not a single ripple crossed Song Taewon’s face.

“You seem closer to the Sesung Guildmaster than I expected.”

“No, not at all. We have a very dry relationship with clear purposes.”

He was so useful it was unfair, so I had no choice but to work with him. Please don’t misunderstand.

“So what brings you here? Did the higher-ups cling to Manager Song and ask you to shut me up?”

“Hold out your hand.”

What hand? I held it out, wondering what he meant, and he dropped a square key onto my palm. It was a portal key. Then he placed my front-door key on top of it.

Both keys were stained with fresh blood. They looked like props from a horror movie.

“An Association executive secretly made additional copies. He claimed there are no more, but please remain cautious for a while in case that is untrue.”

So it hadn’t been the key taken from the Hanshin Guild’s Guildmaster. Making spare keys, how cute.

“Is the owner of the key alive?”

“Of course. They had it stored in their inventory, so I merely had to take a few measures.”

A few measures. At least the person had apparently been Awakened.

I lifted my gaze from my palm and looked at Song Taewon. His dark, sunken eyes were still difficult to read. But he had handed the keys over to me.

It meant he had prioritized my safety.

“I’m touched that you prioritized me over the key’s owner. Still, it would’ve been nice if you’d accepted the ball I threw your way as well.”

Instead of handing it over to the Association.

If he was going to play a dog on a leash anyway, couldn’t he give me the leash? I appreciated the keys, but if he was giving something, he could’ve thrown in a little more.

“Mr. Han Yujin.”

Had he noticed the meaning behind my words? The businesslike voice he’d used as though dealing with a petitioner gained a distinct edge. Without Fear Resistance, it would have been quite intimidating.

He took another step closer. A large hand lightly gripped my left shoulder. Peace, who had been tense for some time, bared its teeth.

“It’s okay, Peace.”

Grrrr.

At my reassurance, Peace gave a heavy warning growl, then shut its mouth. Song Taewon watched the Flame-Horned Lion sit obediently on its haunches before turning his eyes back to me.

“I understand why you’re confident. You have more than one tamed beast.”

The hand on my shoulder slowly tightened. It didn’t hurt yet. But if Song Taewon wanted to, he could crush it in an instant.

“However, you are too fragile to serve as a leash.”

“That’s hardly news. Aren’t thin threads that snap with a tug around the fingertip exactly Manager Song’s preference? Or should I introduce you to a sturdy Mr. Chain?”

If he’d wanted a strong restraint that could bind him securely, he wouldn’t be here acting like this. He didn’t have to look far. Seong Hyeonje would have kindly put a leash around him.

But Song Taewon probably, no, certainly wanted to be bound by normalcy. He wanted a thin thread that could steadily wrap around and hold his abnormal self. Such a thing couldn’t exist, but still.

Should I go find Gleipnir for him? Fenrir was canine too.

“Besides, the enclosure Song Taewon has wedged himself into isn’t all that sturdy either. To begin with, no one can lock you up unless you lower your head and crawl in on your own.”

“It may not be sturdy, but it won’t disappear. Even if part of it collapses after being handled poorly, it’ll quickly be restored, like a spiderweb with hundreds of spiders clinging to it.”

That was true. Unless some mad tyrant S-Class appeared who wanted to rule even if it meant killing everyone, the country wouldn’t collapse. And such a tyrant was unlikely to appear. Perhaps it would be different in the Middle Ages, but modern conveniences were too useful and too valuable to sweep away.

Didn’t they say that the modern middle class lived far more abundantly than kings of the past? Rather than go through the trouble of creating a new system, enjoying capitalism with money earned from dungeons was better.

“On the other hand, Mr. Han Yujin, you’d be finished with one bite.”

“Our kids don’t bite.”

“I do.”

Two pairs of eyes simultaneously turned toward my palm.

So that was why he had brought the keys still stained with blood. It was a warning that he had already bitten someone apart. My apologies. I thought you’d even put on a muzzle, but it seemed you only had a leash after all.

“I’ve been through a lot, you know. I don’t mind getting a few bite marks. Besides, Song Taewon, you’ve bitten me before.”

“That’s why this is even more troublesome.”

Song Taewon released my shoulder and stepped back.

Why was that troublesome?

“Be satisfied with replacing part of the Hunter Association.”

His voice had become businesslike again. Had he come to warn me to take a reasonable bite and back off? He really cherished his enclosure.

‘What should I do?’

He had always been a large man, but now he felt as large as a wall. It was fine that I had set fire to the mountain and drawn the tiger out of its cave, but he was trying to crawl back in after telling me not to play with fire too much.

‘The Association will be in better shape after this overhaul than it was before my regression.’

Still, I couldn’t relax. Dungeon difficulty would rise faster than before, and if the response was lukewarm, the Association would continue clinging to the guilds’ ankles. In particular, it had done more than one foolish thing while trying to coordinate the guilds and create a stable competitive structure.

Monopolies were bad, yes, I understood that, but it wasn’t something to shout about when the world was on the verge of ending. If we weren’t going to let it collapse and be swallowed up as it had before my regression, we needed someone at the very top who could move decisively in line with rapidly changing reality.

I let out a sigh and stared at Song Taewon.

An S-Class Awakened who wanted to remain tied to his old place. The sight of him forcing his body into a space that didn’t fit his size was both devoted and selfish.

‘Still, the Association President’s seat is inside our enclosure too, isn’t it?’

It wasn’t as though he held a low position now. Because of his particular role, he was closer to someone who ran around in the field and received orders directly. Perhaps he thought he wouldn’t be able to endure it if he rose fully to a position where he gave orders instead.

I couldn’t know all the contradictions within him.

“Since you came all the way here, have a drink with me. They deliver here too. Draft beer.”

Song Taewon’s brow twitched slightly at my casual suggestion.

“...Is this really the time to say that? I decline.”

“You really don’t want to talk behind Seong Hyeonje’s back?”

There weren’t many people who would join me in criticizing that man. Especially not someone who could match him at an ordinary person’s level. I called the security office and invited him again. Song Taewon frowned, but he didn’t turn and leave.

* * *

“Yeah, nothing’s wrong. I’m just having a drink. You know I have Poison Resistance, so what are you worried about? Don’t worry. And don’t work too late.”

After telling him I was fine, everything was fine, there was no problem, I hung up. It seemed Yoohyun had heard that Song Taewon had come by. Yerim soon asked if I was all right too, and Moon Hyuna sent a message. Seong Hyeonje was raiding a dungeon, so he remained quiet. If he’d contacted me, I would’ve told him we were talking behind his back.

“So someday, when the Sesung Guildmaster and Manager Song are together, wouldn’t it really sting if someone said Manager Song looked like the older brother?”

“I would prefer not to be there.”

“Why? You don’t want to see it?”

“I think my stomach would hurt first.”

Though he spoke bluntly, the corners of his eyes softened slightly. We couldn’t get drunk, but the beer was cold, and the snacks that came with it were decent.

“Still, he isn’t the type to openly retaliate.”

“He does retaliate.”

“I don’t think he’d hold on to something that minor.”

“The problem is that he unexpectedly pays it back when something suddenly reminds him.”

Had he experienced it himself? He must have been involved with Seong Hyeonje much longer and much more often than I had. Yet despite having reason to grit his teeth, he was surprisingly calm. Or perhaps the fact that this man was speaking so freely at all meant that much had accumulated.

Cheep!

Peep, which had been floating round and round us, landed atop Song Taewon’s head.

Not there, Peep.

Even with a baby bird perched on his head, he emptied his glass as though nothing had happened.

Then we continued talking about trivial things. As though we had reached an unspoken agreement, neither of us spoke about ourselves. I subtly probed about the Association President’s position as well, but Song Taewon gently changed the subject.

* * *

The television was reporting on corruption involving one of the Hunter Association’s board members. It was a minor crime compared to the previous smuggling of S-Class items, but the outraged public immediately demanded their removal. There were also calls for a comprehensive investigation. Rumors spread that a special investigation team would be formed to investigate the Hunter Association.

Those affiliated with the Association who had something to hide anxiously wondered when the sparks would reach them. Anyone concealing serious wrongdoing couldn’t even sleep properly at night.

Of course, those who had received warnings from Han Yujin looked the most deathly pale.

“We can’t leave things as they are. We must divert the public’s attention.”

That was true. The reason even matters that would normally have been buried were all being unearthed was because people’s attention was focused on the Association after the kidnapping case.

But how?

“A dating rumor won’t even make a dent.”

There was no issue that could draw more attention than the kidnapping of a magical beast rearer. How could they overcome the sensational story of humans being bought and sold for enormous sums, embellished with every possible detail?

Then one man spoke in a low voice.

“Let’s cause a dungeon break.”

The other two people stiffened in surprise at his words. But their surprise didn’t last long.

“Can we time it?”

“It’s an illegal A-Class dungeon that should have been raided ten days ago. The raid was delayed because of this incident, but it’ll break within two or three days at most.”

“You were deliberately delaying it.”

“Nothing could divert attention better.”

No matter how sensational an article was, could it surpass the threat to people’s lives? An A-Class dungeon was a pity to lose, but the Hunter Association’s position allowed them to siphon off things even more valuable than that.

A high-grade dungeon break for the first time in a while would be enough to take the top spot in public attention.

* * *

Whiiine.

Peace rubbed its head against my chest as though it didn’t want to leave. After acting spoiled for a moment, it glanced at Yoohyun and jumped down from my arms.

“Come back safely, Peace.”

Yip!

After making a sound as though replying, Peace went to stand beside Yoohyun. Then my younger brother looked at me with a hint of concern.

“It won’t take long, so stay home and behave.”

“I’m your older brother.”

Why was he acting like my custodian? It wasn’t as if this had only been happening for a day or two.

“I’m recognizable now anyway, so I have no plans to go out. Unless a dungeon breaks nearby, I’ll stay quietly holed up at home.”

“You really have to behave, mister!”

Yerim spoke worriedly too. These kids, honestly. Mentally, I was twice her age.

“Worry about yourself first, Yerim. This is your first time officially joining an S-Class dungeon raid, right? And not even a lower-rank one.”

Because of what happened in Hong Kong, Han Yoohyun had judged that Park Yerim had grown enough to form an S-Class dungeon raid team. He had said that with enough experience, she could raid even mid-S-Class dungeons in terms of firepower, as long as the dungeon environment suited her.

That was why she was accompanying this S-Class dungeon raid.

Our Yerim had really grown so much. It had only been two months since she Awakened, yet she had grown incredibly quickly. The Mermaid Queen’s help had played a large part, but it was still exceptionally rapid growth.

“Don’t worry! I went toe-to-toe with the Guildmaster. I’m plenty strong.”

“It was three against one.”

Yerim raised her brows at Yoohyun’s words.

“The Sesung Guildmaster only restrained him, and Noah didn’t attack, so I did all the fighting. And I got the Guildmaster’s buff too.”

“You had an elemental buff, Stat Lending, support from Hunter Noah and the Sesung Guildmaster, a fire-resistant coat, and a perfect environment. From the middle on, I didn’t even have the buff because I put Hyung somewhere safe. Even then, it was a draw.”

“I’ve only been Awakened for two months, and you’ve been Awakened for three years! And from then on, the Sesung Guildmaster pulled back to protect mister too. It was two against one! Noah was still only supporting me.”

Hmm, they got along well.

“Don’t fight after you enter the dungeon. I love both Yoohyun and Yerim. Peace too, of course. Don’t rush to clear it, and remember that safety comes first. Yerim, you especially need to watch carefully and learn.”

“Okay.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t fight, really. Always be careful.”

The three of them, including Peace, climbed into the car. I lowered Peep from my head into my arms and watched their retreating figures.

That brat better not run wild by himself again. He needed to let Yerim gain experience too.

‘By the way, there are still not many replies.’

Only four of the Association executives I had politely asked to step down had given positive responses so far. There was one day left before the deadline, but if they held out until the end, would I really have to drag them down by force? I had hoped things would go smoothly.

Unexpected news arrived that evening.

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