WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 17: Head of Human Resources (2)

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The reception room was old-fashioned. The overall interior had an Eastern style, with classic Western furniture arranged in a mismatched yet harmonious way. Knowing Seok Simyeong, every piece of antique furniture here was probably genuine.

Once we sat on the black leather sofa as directed, we were offered drinks. This place looked like it would ask what kind of coffee beans we wanted, too.

“Orange juice, please.”

“Juice for me too.”

Park Yerim, sitting beside me, spoke up.

Seok Simyeong, seated across from us, wore a kindly smile. He had the gentle air of someone who would graciously say, “Haha, I see,” even if I suddenly started swearing at him.

“First, I would like to thank you for choosing Haeyeon Guild as your priority.”

Seok Simyeong spoke in a voice so polite it almost sounded sweet. I had thought this since we first met, but that man’s voice was incredible. With his gentlemanly, pleasant appearance and that good voice, he seemed born to be the king of sales.

Yerim also looked half won over by his voice. But I knew how vicious that man could become, so I wasn’t fooled.

When he stabbed you to the bone with that pleasant voice, it was hard to breathe.

“To be honest, blood ties played a large role.”

I smiled along with Seok Simyeong.

“Before that, though, it was also because Miss Park Yerim trusted me.”

“The most important thing is that you acted in a way that made me trust you, Mister.”

Yerim suddenly clung to my arm. Don’t cling to me while we’re working. This was an important contract for her.

“Miss Park Yerim does not yet possess any attack-type skills, but Shadowless Day and Cold Sigh alone are enough to qualify her as a combat-type Hunter. Her Strength stat falls slightly short of the S-Class average, but she can buff herself, so that should not be a problem.”

Seok Simyeong explained Yerim’s condition quite accurately. He didn’t know it, but the Park Yerim of the past had been a combat mage, so her Strength stat had never mattered much. As long as she gained ice-type attack skills smoothly, she could add buffs to her Magic stat and ice-element skills...

She would be unstoppable. With additional buffs, she’d sweep through monsters like nothing.

And the Shoes of Hermes came with an Agility buff, flight, and teleportation. That was completely broken.

I looked at Yerim again.

“What is it?”

“Nothing. Just...”

An S-Class with optimized skills really had ridiculous combinations. She had been strong even when she used only ice magic, but now she would become a complete monster. She might even rival Yoohyun.

Come to think of it, I should check Yoohyun’s status window too.

There was still a long time left on My Kid’s cooldown, so I hadn’t checked. He might have missed some optimized skills too, so I should look and use the skill accordingly.

“Combat Hunter guild contracts generally focus on dungeon quotas and equipment provision. Each guild has assigned quotas for A-Class dungeons and above.”

A guild’s status depended on how many A-Class and higher dungeons it could manage. Haeyeon Guild currently managed the most dungeons after the Three Great Guilds, if I remembered right.

“Since Miss Park Yerim is still a minor, she may begin clearing B-Class dungeons. If you wish to move on to A-Class dungeons and above more quickly, I would recommend clearing C-Class or D-Class dungeons ten times.”

“I don’t intend to rush into higher-rank dungeon raids.”

I spoke up. Yerim was only fifteen. Rather than recklessly entering A-Class dungeons and above, she would be better off growing accustomed to combat and skill use in mid and lower-rank dungeons.

A combat mage especially needed plenty of practice, since skill application was so important.

“I would like to focus on growth for the next year.”

“That is a good choice.”

Seok Simyeong gave a small nod.

“We would recommend the same. The best course would be for her to gradually gain experience, work alongside various guild members, and then form a new S-Class raid team.”

An S-Class raid team had to include at least one S-Class combat Hunter. An A-Class team could clear lower S-Class dungeons with established strategies, but anything from mid-rank onward was impossible. High-rank dungeons went without saying. Therefore, Haeyeon Guild would benefit much more from Park Yerim gaining experience and building her own team rather than joining Yoohyun’s.

Having two S-Class raid teams meant acquiring the rights to manage several more jointly managed S-Class dungeons.

“However, that would naturally result in a longer contract period. In return, we will spare no support necessary for Miss Park Yerim’s growth.”

“As I understand it, there are not yet any S-Class Hunters exclusively contracted to a specific guild.”

Other than one S-Class affiliated with the government, every domestic S-Class Hunter was a guildmaster. Overseas, I recalled that at this point most were also guildmasters or government-affiliated, while the few remaining ones were all free Hunters.

Free Hunters did not belong anywhere. They cooperated with governments or guilds through short-term contracts when asked.

“Therefore, Haeyeon Guild would already gain considerably simply from having Miss Park Yerim as a member, even if she did not raid dungeons. Extending the contract period under the pretext of supporting her growth is rather greedy, isn’t it?”

A guild with two S-Class Hunters! It would be the first and only one in the world, so even the boost to its reputation would be enormous.

The more I thought about it, the less I understood why that bastard Yoohyun had made such a fuss about the guardian issue yesterday. Was that any way for a guildmaster to act? Rather than merely making me her guardian, he should have signed the contract even if he had to sell his brother.

“You understand the Hunter world far better than I expected.”

Seok Simyeong looked surprised.

I spent five years getting tossed around in that world. I had only scraped the bottom, so I didn’t know every detail of the top Hunters’ world, but was there anyone who knew the overall trends better than me? At this point, no.

Unless they were a prophet, I was the best.

“As you said, Miss Park Yerim joining the guild alone would be a major benefit to us. We tried to take advantage too carelessly and got hit for it.”

Despite his words, Seok Simyeong looked quite pleased. What was this? Had he set another trap somewhere?

“For A-Class Hunters, average contract terms are a basic five-year contract, renewed annually from the second year onward according to performance, with a 200% ceiling. How about a three-year contract, renewed annually from the first year onward according to performance, with no ceiling?”

In the future, S-Class Hunters affiliated with guilds generally used one-year contracts, renewed with revised terms every year.

Still, considering Yerim’s age and Haeyeon Guild’s growth rate, a three-year contract wasn’t bad. She would be exactly eighteen in three years, and she wouldn’t need my help anymore. It was reasonable.

“What do you think?”

When I turned to ask Yerim, she gave a small shake of her head.

“I don’t really understand even when I hear it. Please decide for me, Mister.”

“Simply put, you’ll belong to Haeyeon Guild for the next three years. You can’t go to another guild.”

“Then what about you? Are you signing a contract like that too?”

Huh? Why was I coming into this?

“Well, I’ll just stay as I am, right? Guilds with any reputation don’t take F-Class Hunters.”

Unless it was a neighborhood social club disguised as a guild with a guildmaster ranked D-Class or lower, even a guild with a C-Class guildmaster would not admit an F-Class Hunter. Well, they did employ them for miscellaneous work, just not as Hunters.

“No. You need to sign a three-year contract too.”

Park Yerim spoke firmly. Making me her guardian wasn’t enough, and now she planned to throw me in as a bonus too? What was with this?

“You can include that in the contract terms, right?”

“Of course.”

Yerim and Seok Simyeong exchanged words. Excuse me, could someone please ask for my opinion too?

“What contract? I’m not doing it. I’ll just help you settle in, then take it easy... rest.”

I would give up on Kim Seonghan, occasionally use skills on Yerim, Yu Myeongu, and Yoohyun, and that would be the end of it. I was going to live leisurely while raising monsters instead of people, so why would I join a guild?

If I raised just one high-rank mount a year, I could spend money freely and live well. Why would I go looking for trouble?

At my words, Park Yerim looked like she was about to cry.

“You said you’d take responsibility! Sign for three years, just three years!”

Stop pulling my arm. It hurts.

“Even without a contract, I’ll be your guardian for three years, so don’t worry. If you can’t trust me, I’ll write up another contract for you.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be better if we joined the same guild?”

“My younger brother is this guild’s guildmaster. I haven’t signed an official contract, but I’m basically already half in. So I’m not going anywhere else.”

I was going to enjoy the benefits here, so where else would I go? Yerim nodded, looking slightly relieved.

“Okay. You really won’t go anywhere else?”

“I won’t. No one would take me anyway.”

For now, that was. Once I could raise mounts, any guild would welcome me with open arms. Not that I intended to move.

After reassuring Yerim, we returned to negotiating the contract terms.

An S-Class Hunter’s base salary was around ten million dollars annually. It sounded low, but that was only the base salary. Their real earnings came from dungeons, and for S-Class dungeons, the average distribution ratio was eight to two. The guild covered all costs of preparing for the raid, yet the raid team took eighty percent.

The S-Class Hunter leading the team took between fifty and eighty percent of that team’s earnings, depending on their contribution. Earning ten million dollars from one S-Class dungeon raid was nothing unusual. That was why most Hunters considered the profit distribution ratio more important than their base salary.

“This is your first Hunter contract, isn’t it? Yet you seem more skilled at negotiation than I am.”

Seok Simyeong said this while looking over the long list of conditions.

Of course. You’re in your third year, and I’m in my fifth. Besides, I had kept an eye on the Hunter world because of my younger brother even before I awakened. That meant I had accumulated eight years of information, so I naturally knew more.

I had watched the S-Class Hunter special series on a Hunter-focused channel more than ten times. I had practically memorized contract terms.

“This could serve as the standard contract for an S-Class combat Hunter. Although I do not know when we may have the opportunity to recruit another S-Class Hunter.”

That was exactly what it was, a standard contract. After Awakening Centers were established and S-Class Hunters gradually began to increase, it had probably emerged about two years later after various incidents.

More precisely, it was a standard contract adjusted slightly for Yerim’s circumstances. Standard contracts were based on adult combat Hunters.

“I won’t use the priority purchase and auction rights for S-Class equipment yet. It would be better to decide after checking her level ten skill.”

Level ten would come quickly enough. I hoped she got Pale Rain. Then we could immediately focus on ice-element magic equipment.

“Understood. You are truly thorough in every way. I can see why Miss Park Yerim places such trust in you. You seem like someone who has been active in the Hunter world for years.”

“Haha, I only awakened a few days ago.”

Had I acted like I knew too much? Still, it would be a waste not to use all the knowledge I had built up.

Once we finished negotiating the terms, the contract was printed and signed. We even pressed our fingerprints onto it.

Yerim rubbed the red ink on her finger across the back of my hand. Hey, don’t draw a heart on me.

“You may register as an Awakened tomorrow. I will make the necessary arrangements.”

They would probably notify reporters as well. It was an event that would draw major attention, so they would package it extravagantly.

“And this contains documents regarding the inheritance that should have gone to Miss Park Yerim. I believe you will find them useful.”

Seok Simyeong held out an envelope. Oh, thank you.

“I’ll put it to good use.”

That was roughly everything, right? Just as I started to stand, Seok Simyeong stopped me.

“Please wait a moment.”

“Huh? Is there something else?”

It seemed like we were finished. Seok Simyeong’s eager gaze pierced straight into me.

“I would like to sign a contract with Mr. Han Yujin.”

...Why me again? I said I wasn’t doing it!

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