WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 202: Box (2)
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Moon Hyuna’s movements were almost impossible for me to see. The moment I registered that she had entered the bathroom, Song Taewon was already blocking her fist with his forearm.
Crack.
It wasn’t a particularly loud sound. But whether she had charged or used some other skill, Song Taewon couldn’t withstand the force and was pushed back. The sink broke apart as though a round hollow had been gouged out of it. Even then, Song Taewon shielded me with his body.
Crunch! The tiles shattered, and Song Taewon stamped his left foot down hard enough to dent the floor by about a finger joint, bracing himself. Then his right leg bent and drove toward Moon Hyuna’s waist.
They were extremely close. I thought she wouldn’t be able to dodge, and I did hear the sound of impact. But before my eyes could properly grasp the situation, Moon Hyuna sprang backward with a light tap of her feet.
She didn’t appear injured at all. As expected, it was impossible to follow an S-Class Hunter’s movements without the Teacher Skill. How had they even exchanged blows?
“What are you trying to do?”
Moon Hyuna looked at me, still enclosed in Song Taewon’s arms, and spoke as if baffled. Part of the sink fell to the floor with a clatter.
“Why are you protecting him again, Manager Song?”
“I have no intention of harming Mr. Han Yujin.”
“After acting murderous enough to be felt outside?”
Instead of answering, Song Taewon furrowed his brow. Moon Hyuna shrugged as she watched him.
“Could it be that you don’t have a clear grasp of your own condition? Have you been overworking lately? How about taking some leave?”
“...I’m fine.”
“I mean it, Manager Song. You look awful too. I can cover for you for about a week. The Sesung Guildmaster and Haeyeon are both heading into dungeons one after another anyway, so take this chance to rest.”
Moon Hyuna spoke with one hand on her hip, wearing an expression of concern. But Song Taewon did not budge.
“I appreciate the consideration, but I must decline. There could be many legal issues.”
“And following Director Han around and threatening him isn’t a problem?”
“As I said, I had no intention of harming him. There was simply something I wanted to confirm.”
Song Taewon spoke in a level, calm voice, as though dealing with a civil complainant. He had no intention of harming me. At those repeated words, both Moon Hyuna and I made slightly strange expressions.
“You bared your teeth and growled right in front of him. Director Han looks completely dumbfounded too.”
“...Well, my body is unharmed, at least.”
Right. He hadn’t laid a hand on me. He had even caught me when I collapsed. But my heart was still pounding, and my spine still tingled. Everything had been too heavy and too sharp to dismiss as a misunderstanding. Moon Hyuna had felt it too, which was why she had burst in.
“There’s a mirror right behind you. Why don’t you take a look at what your expression is like right now?”
“I’ve seen enough.”
The moment I heard Song Taewon’s answer, goosebumps spread across my skin.
I hadn’t realized it, but of course. He must have seen everything. I had stood in front of the sink the whole time, and the mirror was large enough, like any other bathroom mirror. It was clean and well maintained. From beginning to end, it must have reflected everything clearly.
Could what he wanted to confirm have been his own attitude toward me? Had he spoken so little because he had been observing himself in the mirror?
“...Part of me wants to ask how that felt, and part of me doesn’t. So how was it, Manager Song?”
There was no answer. Instead, the arm around me loosened. Song Taewon stepped back.
“I have been very rude, Mr. Han Yujin.”
That polite apology only made my mind churn darker. He had watched all of it. In the mirror. I couldn’t even imagine how he must have felt.
On top of that, I had turned off Fear Resistance and been terrified, just like someone with ordinary F-Class stats. The textbook example of a weak person standing before an S-Class Hunter who was threatening him.
That was probably the sight Song Taewon least wanted to see of himself.
...Was he actually insane? No, why go that far? He had personally witnessed every bit of how my words shook him. With his personality, he wouldn’t have looked away. He had probably taken every detail in, as though engraving it in his mind.
It was truly insane. There had to be limits to self-harm.
‘...In the end, I was never in danger.’
Seong Hyeonje had said that a place with many non-Awakened people would be safe. In such a place, Song Taewon would find it easier to restrain himself.
But the mirror must have had an even greater effect. Looking directly at himself with his teeth bared, he was not someone who could harm me. Song Taewon would sooner kill the monster reflected in the mirror.
My chest ached with frustration. Seriously, what kind of person was he?
“...Manager Song Taewon.”
Perhaps because Fear Resistance was off, he was frighteningly intense. Was he trying to force himself into a box that didn’t fit him, even if he had to cut off his own limbs to make himself fit it rather than throw the box away? That thought even crossed my mind.
...Come to think of it, a wolf that ate grass couldn’t possibly live long. It was suicide.
“I think you’re a good person, Manager Song. And naturally, you’re someone the world needs.”
“There will be no occasion for me to harm Mr. Han Yujin again.”
Song Taewon spoke softly. His voice was gentle.
“I acknowledge that I felt threatened by Mr. Han Yujin. Perhaps I’m afraid of you. Even now, I want to strangle you. But it will be all right now.”
...That crazy bastard.
“Before I harm Mr. Han Yujin, I will die first.”
Would he remember the monster in the mirror clearly, then think of it before strangling me and stab his own throat instead?
“Manager Song, I want you to live longer.”
“I won’t die so easily.”
“...Can’t you loosen up a little? We were doing fairly well together.”
“We are fine even now. Mr. Han Yujin will be safe from now on. I apologize for not answering your calls. That won’t happen again.”
“I’m worried about you, Song Taewon.”
I didn’t think he would survive this time either. Not because of Seong Hyeonje this time, but because he might die because of me. I had that ominous feeling.
Song Taewon tilted his head slightly as he looked down at me.
“Are you still keeping your skill lowered?”
“Yes.”
“Mr. Han Yujin is a good person. I know that well too.”
His tone almost seemed to be comforting me.
“It could be dangerous, so restore it to normal.”
“Manager Song. Song Taewon.”
“It’s all right.”
It wasn’t all right, damn it. I didn’t know what to say and could only pace in place inside my mind when Song Taewon turned his gaze to Moon Hyuna.
“The Awakened Management Office will cover the damage to the sink...”
“Oh, no. No, I was the one who attacked first. Bill Breaker Guild. We can say I got startled after walking into the wrong bathroom and made a mistake. I’ll feel better that way too.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
Song Taewon dipped his head lightly, then turned and left the bathroom. As I watched his retreating back, Moon Hyuna approached and whispered.
“I don’t know what happened, but did Director Han just get dumped?”
“...If you put it that way, I suppose so.”
“You picked an awfully difficult target. He’s someone who has been festering for three years. To change, it needs to burst first, but if you’re not careful, it could get worse and kill him instead of healing him.”
“But he won’t be able to live long if we leave him alone either.”
“That’s true. I don’t know why he lives like that. It’s amazing. He’d be fine if he compromised a little.”
At Moon Hyuna’s words, I smiled bitterly without thinking. I hadn’t been able to compromise for eight years either. I couldn’t give up, and even now, I still couldn’t.
I was hardly in a position to talk.
That was why I hoped Song Taewon’s ending would change even more. But I became anxious, as though my actions had only tightened the noose around his neck.
“Don’t worry too much.”
Moon Hyuna said, patting my shoulder.
“He’s an S-Class, after all. Unless something happens, he’ll probably live far longer and healthier than you, Director Han. You should take care of your own health first. You have to start looking after it from your twenties.”
Saying we should head back now that our business was done, she walked ahead. I glanced at the broken sink, then followed after her.
* * *
Rattle.
The chains shook. Tiny golden arcs leaped between every link.
Grrr.
The beast growled low. It was a tiger-like monster with a sharp, thorny mane. It was three or four times the size of an ordinary tiger.
Its claws scraped the ground, and its thorny mane bristled. A cold wind swirled around its white-mottled body. With a scrrrape, the wind coiling around the monster reduced a boulder to powder in an instant. Carelessly approaching it would be like jumping into a blender.
“How strange.”
The man standing before the monster clad in threatening skills spoke quietly. His gaze slowly swept the surroundings. But there was nothing to see.
Raaah!
The monster leaped, baring its blade-like fangs. The wind grew fiercer, and dust rose from the gouged ground. His vision was obscured, but Seong Hyeonje casually moved his fingertips.
The chains winding around their master like snakes shot upward. Clatter. Wind and metal collided, and small flashes of lightning flickered in rapid succession. The wind could shatter solid stone, but the chains did not receive so much as a scratch. They broke through the wind shield and shot toward the monster like arrows.
Crunch!
The chains pierced the monster’s head and emerged beneath its jaw. The monster, skewered on the chains like meat hanging in a slaughterhouse, began to struggle. But only briefly. Golden light spread brilliantly along the chains.
There was no scream. Its enormous head had been shattered in an instant. Even as the headless body fell with a thud, Seong Hyeonje remained lost in thought. After surveying the area once more, he delicately moved his mana.
Fine electric currents spread in every direction. Across the ground, underground, and through the air. Seong Hyeonje searched the area broadly, as though feeling it out, then suddenly looked toward one spot.
Kra-boom!
Lightning struck. Powerful mana poured down mercilessly, and something caught by Seong Hyeonje’s senses disappeared. He had dealt with what had bothered him. But...
“What could it be this time?”
Even he could not identify its nature. Still, he suspected it might be connected to Han Yujin. As always.
“I should obtain a mount soon.”
Seong Hyeonje muttered as he watched raid team members fighting ordinary monsters from a distance. A mount would be useful, but it was not urgent. Clearing dungeons was not difficult for him, nor was there any particular reason to finish them quickly.
So he had not intended to hurry in finding one for himself. He planned to take his time finding a monster that suited him in every respect, including its affinity.
But he became curious about what was happening outside the dungeon. His partner surely hadn’t been quietly behaving again. What had that bothersome gaze from earlier been? Curiosity stirred, and he was not the sort to suppress such feelings. Therefore, he had no choice but to find a way to clear the dungeon quickly.
Seong Hyeonje looked once more at the spot where something had disappeared, then headed toward the swarm of monsters.
* * *
“Will you really be okay?”
I looked at Yoohyun and Peace with a gaze full of worry. I had tried hard to stop him, but in the end, my younger brother had decided to enter an S-Class dungeon with Peace alone. He said it wasn’t dangerous and that they could clear it faster, but how could I help worrying?
“It’s shorter than the last one. There are more monster packs than in wider places, but it’s easier without teammates.”
“You made sure to bring the orb Myeongu gave you, right? Yoohyun can protect you if Peace uses Juvenile Transformation. And you have two Gate Stones?”
“I have everything.”
He smiled brightly and told me not to worry. He had been smiling more these days, which made him look younger and made me feel even worse. But I couldn’t stop him from going into dungeons. He needed to grow stronger.
“You need to be careful too, Peace.”
Kyaaang.
Still in juvenile form, Peace cried as though answering and rubbed against my leg. They spun around once, then grew larger. I used My Kid on Peace to grow Fire Resistance. Yoohyun needed Fire Resistance to reach S-Class quickly so that he could use fire skills more easily.
I buried my hands in Peace’s thick mane in adult form and petted them.
Grrr.
“Both of you, make sure you eat properly too. This is dried fruit. I made it after learning from Myeongu, so take it with you. It came from a dungeon, so it can go into your inventory.”
I handed Yoohyun a jar of dried fruit.
“Then I’ll be going. You shouldn’t work too much either, hyung. Stay at the rearing facility whenever possible.”
“You didn’t attach Rin to me again, did you? Where’s Rin? Let me see.”
A red lizard popped out over Yoohyun’s right shoulder. It gently swayed its tail as though greeting me.
“Don’t fuss so much, mister. They’ll come back without a scratch.”
Yerim, who had come along as my guard, grumbled. That was true, but still.
“Have a safe trip, Guildmaster. Peace too.”
After Yerim’s farewell, Yoohyun entered the Gate first, followed by Peace. They would be fine, right?
“I’m telling you, they’ll be fine. Han Yoohyun is strong, you know.”
Yerim grabbed my arm and tugged me along, telling me to hurry outside. Tomorrow, Yerim’s team would be making its first dungeon raid. To practice working together, it was not an S-Class dungeon but one around the middle of A-Class.
“This time, let’s eat out with just the two of us!”
She still hadn’t forgotten what happened last time. I told her all right and looked back at the Gate. It felt empty sending all the kids away. The house would be completely empty for a while.
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