WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 14: Like a Shrimp (1)
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Ugh, I barely got one more thing sorted out. Now I just had to finalize the contract and awaken her.
“It’s embarrassing as hell to say something I don’t usually say. Hurry up and sign it so I can awaken you.”
“Okay. Ah, this is so funny.”
“Don’t laugh.”
“Even your neck is red, Mister!”
“You’re not much better.”
Park Yerim snickered as she signed the contract. Once both signature lines were filled, the paper gave off a faint glow. Then its surface became smooth, as though it had been laminated. Yerim touched the contract in fascination.
“So it can’t be changed now.”
“It shouldn’t be changeable.”
I took back the contract and put it in my Inventory. Preparations were complete.
“Then shall I use the awakening skill?”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
She waved a hand, then sat up straight as though she were about to meditate. She took a deep breath.
“Will I awaken right away?”
“If you’re lucky. It could take up to a week.”
A Promising Sapling would take effect immediately, but I deliberately gave her a timeframe of one week. There was no telling whether I would be able to apply the keyword right away like this when awakening someone else later.
“Okay, go ahead!”
She didn’t need to be that nervous. I used A Promising Sapling’s optimized awakening skill on Park Yerim.
Then, shortly afterward.
“A message window really popped up! Mister! How, how do I check my rank?”
“Try thinking about opening your status window. You can say it aloud too.”
“Status window! Huh? Wow!”
Park Yerim’s mouth fell wide open. It was as if the words utter shock had been stamped across her face.
Yeah, it was worth being surprised over. Her stat grades would be S, and she even had an SS-grade skill. Yerim, brimming with excitement, shouted and braced a hand on the table.
“Mister! I’m an S...!”
- Crackle!
Ugh? Did the table break? No, had her hand sunk into it? The thick tabletop had caved in in the exact shape of her hand. Good lord.
“Uh...”
“D-Don’t move!”
Damn it. Yoohyun had said that people of C-Rank and above couldn’t immediately adjust to their suddenly changed physical abilities. Yerim was S-Rank, so... this was bad.
“Your strength is far greater than it used to be right now. Don’t touch anything, all right?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Good. Let’s leave carefully. Move very slowly. Think of yourself as walking lightly and silently, one step at a time.”
Yerim slowly and carefully rose from her seat. Her movements were precarious, as though she were walking a tightrope. Watching her made me just as anxious as if a child who could fall at any moment stood before me.
At least this restaurant was on the ground floor with no basement. Even if the floor gave way, nobody would get hurt.
“Slowly, one step at a time. That’s it, that’s it.”
“I think I’m getting a little used to it.”
“Still, don’t rush. He said it would take at least a day.”
Without taking my eyes off her, I opened the sliding door. After putting on my shoes, I picked up Yerim’s sneakers. They were pretty worn out. They even looked too big for her feet. Couldn’t that uncle at least buy her new shoes instead of handing down used ones?
“Stick out your foot. I’ll put them on for you.”
“Okay. Um... I’m a little worried about standing on one foot.”
“Then sit down carefully. Slowly...”
Ugh, a faint handprint remained on the floor. Still, unlike the table, it had only left a slight mark. When I put the sneaker on her outstretched foot, she burst into giggles, apparently finding something amusing.
“Doesn’t this make your heart flutter a little?”
“Rather than fluttering, my flesh is trembling.”
Why was romance entering the picture here? After warning her once more not to touch anything, I headed for the register. I needed to pay for the table.
“The bill, please. And the table got a little broken...”
“Ah, a gnat!”
“Don’t!”
- Crackle!
The corner of the dining table crumbled like a biscuit. Yerim smiled sheepishly.
“I used to catch all the bugs at the restaurant, so I guess it became a habit. Hahaha.”
Don’t laugh. The employee behind the counter stared back and forth between the table and Yerim with wide eyes. I was truly sorry about our kid. I handed over my card with an apology.
“Please include the cost of our table and that dining table in the bill.”
Feel free to charge me a lot.
The trip back to Haeyeon Guild went relatively smoothly. The front-seat headrest got smashed, and paving blocks were ground away under Yerim’s feet when she got out, but as long as nobody was hurt, it was fine.
So don’t come near me, Yerim. She kept trying to cling to me. She had every reason to feel anxious after such a sudden change, but if she grabbed me even once, my arm would be crushed. My stats were F.
At Haeyeon Guild, I told only Guildmaster Yoohyun about Park Yerim. It would be troublesome if word got out. The plan was to let everyone learn about the new S-Class when she underwent rank evaluation at the Hunter Association.
Kim Seonghan kept watch around us as we headed toward the elevator so there would be no unfortunate victims. It was a relief that there were few people in the lobby on a weekend evening. Entering any area other than the first through third floors required a security inspection, but we were waved through because Yoohyun had spoken to them beforehand.
“This is kind of exciting.”
As the elevator doors closed, Yerim moved close to me again.
“I told you not to stick to me. There’s nowhere to run in here.”
“I’m not touching you. Do you think I can’t control myself that much?”
“You completely crushed a headrest and you’re saying that? If someone had been sitting in front of you, you’d be a murderer.”
At the word murderer, Yerim’s lips jutted out. Maybe I had gone too far, but considering what lay ahead, it was better to warn her this much. Non-Awakened people and those with S-Rank stats were different enough to be considered separate species.
To prevent accidents, she needed to always keep in mind that she was no longer ordinary.
Only Yoohyun was waiting in the guildmaster’s office. When we entered, he put on a professional smile.
“Welcome, Miss Park Yerim.”
“...Hello.”
Yerim awkwardly bowed. She didn’t seem like someone shy around strangers, so what was this about?
“First, I will show you where you will stay while adapting to your changed abilities. Those with S-Rank stats take an average of one day to adjust. After that, you will be able to resume your usual daily life, so there is no need to worry.”
Yoohyun explained politely. It felt strangely unfamiliar seeing him like that. Still, considering the value of an S-Class Awakened, that was probably the standard approach. Had I been treating Yerim too casually?
“Please follow me.”
Yoohyun led us out of the room. What should I do? It was about time to feed Peace. Could I go?
“Mister, what are you doing? Aren’t you coming?”
Park Yerim beckoned to me as I stood there blankly. She even glared at me, demanding to know why I wasn’t hurrying. Come to think of it, I had agreed to be her guardian. I should follow.
We took a different elevator from the one we had ridden up, one that did not stop on the first through third floors, and went underground. There were training facilities for Awakened below ground.
As we walked down a long corridor, Yoohyun continued explaining.
“The second and third basement floors are for training. However, for full-scale combat training of A-Rank and above, you must go to the training center in Gyeonggi Province for safety reasons. In particular, using skills with lethal force in urban areas is strictly prohibited, so please be careful.”
“...It seems like there is a lot to learn.”
“After registering as an Awakened, you will receive formal training. Until then, just be careful when using your skills.”
“Okay.”
Come to think of it, what did Yerim’s skill do? I was curious.
“This fitness training room is where Miss Park Yerim will stay for the day.”
We arrived at a spacious room filled with various exercise machines. The high ceiling stood out, as did the walls and floor, which appeared to be made from unusual materials.
“The equipment here may be broken without concern. Please use it to get accustomed to your strength. The walls and floor can also withstand the strength of a Level 1 S-Class. Has your Strength stat exceeded 100?”
“No. It’s 61.”
“Then there will be no problem.”
Sixty-one. That was three times my total stats. As for Strength alone, it was fifteen times mine. Having fifteen times the stats didn’t mean she had exactly fifteen times the actual strength, but the gap was certainly far beyond anything I could dare approach.
“There is also a shower room and a sleeping room over there. It is all right if those facilities are damaged as well, but preferably, please use them after you have become somewhat accustomed to your own strength.”
“What if I need something?”
“Request it through the phone in the sleeping room. If you break the phone, press the emergency bell beside the sleeping room door.”
Yoohyun asked if she had any other questions. Park Yerim shook her head.
“Then we will discuss the rest tomorrow, after you have adapted to your abilities.”
With that, Yoohyun turned around. I should go upstairs and feed Peace now. The kid would be waiting.
“Mister, where are you going!”
As I started to turn away, Yerim shouted.
“Home.”
“You’re leaving me here alone? How can you do that? You said you’d take responsibility for me!”
She wasn’t wrong, but the wording sounded a little odd. Yoohyun, who had been about to leave, turned his head and looked at me.
“Take responsibility, hyung?”
“I agreed to be her guardian.”
“Her guardian?”
“She has no parents, and she says she doesn’t get along with the uncle she’s living with. She doesn’t want anything to do with that family.”
There was nothing bad about that, was there? Yet Yoohyun’s expression did not look pleased.
“For a minor Awakened, if the guardian is not a parent, it is usually an Awakened of equal or higher rank. That way, they can keep them under control. If she needs a guardian, I would rather...”
“Mister already agreed to do it.”
Park Yerim cut Yoohyun off. Her expression was so cold for someone her age that she reminded me of the Ice Witch Park Yerim I had seen in both the past and the future. Why was she overreacting again?
“Miss Park Yerim, that is not possible for the guardian’s safety. There have already been several cases in which low-ranked guardians with no safeguard of blood relation were assaulted by their wards while trying to advise them.”
Uh... I hadn’t considered that problem. Well, handling an adolescent going through a turbulent phase who was far stronger than you could never be easy.
Thinking of it that way made me a little afraid. But the contract said Yerim would protect me, so would I be all right?
“I signed a contract saying I would protect Mister. So there is no problem with his safety. I wasn’t planning to hurt him in the first place, either.”
“Even so, that is separate from whether hyung can properly fulfill the role of guardian. And because the rank difference is so extreme, there will be various other issues as well.”
“...I don’t know about that. But.”
Park Yerim glanced at me once before continuing.
“If you won’t let Mister be my guardian, then I won’t join Haeyeon Guild.”
...What? No, wait a second?
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