WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 205: Gaze (3)
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Paaang!
With a brisk beat of its wings, a mass of air was swept sharply backward. Literally like a golden arrow, the golden griffon’s body sliced through the sky and pierced the clouds in an instant.
“Blue, you’re the best!”
- Kyaau!
The thrilling speed and abrupt movements were incomparable to any amusement park ride. An ordinary person would not have been able to endure it, but Park Yerim was so excited that she even threw both arms into the air. The rough wind whipping around her arms felt good. It was refreshing.
“Blue, you’d be perfect if you only had Cold Resistance!”
She could hunt monsters well enough with unfrozen water alone, but it was a shame she could not use Sigh. Naturally, she could not use Pale Rain either. Blue’s feathers might freeze and send them plummeting.
“Even if you wear Cold Resistance equipment, a mount is too close, so it has to be around S-Class unless it’s the same attribute.”
- Kyau.
“Equipment for people is rare enough, so of course there won’t be any for mounts. Should I try sweet-talking Myeongu?”
Equipment with S-Class attribute resistance would probably be SS-Class. It would be difficult to make, and she still could not afford the price. It had not even been long since she paid off the debt for her S-Class weapon.
Regretfully, Park Yerim flopped down and wrapped her arms around Blue’s neck.
“They said high-grade Hunters would never have to worry about money.”
Equipment was far too expensive. Her standards being too high was also a big part of it. Even an S-Class Hunter did not start out draped in S-Class equipment immediately after awakening. Until they established themselves, they often used A-Class equipment or lower, and weapons in particular were hard to obtain at S-Class unless they were lucky or had built up a sizable force.
But Park Yerim had gained an S-Class weapon, a shawl, a bracelet, and even SS-Class earrings just three months after awakening. Nothing below S-Class could catch her eye anymore.
“If I’m going to beat Han Yoohyun, I need to finish my equipment set quickly too. Blue, I heard that Guildmaster jerk got an SS-Class coat!”
Park Yerim had bragged as she received the S-Class bracelet Han Yujin had wrung out of a Japanese guild, and Han Yoohyun had quietly taken out the Attire of the Blue Thunder Bird. Remembering her frustration from then, Park Yerim abruptly sat back up.
“My bracelet’s great too, but Haaaan Yooohyun!”
Rhodite’s Bracelet, a silver band set with a red gemstone, jingled around her wrist. It had options centered on mana stats, along with a support skill that improved mana control. It was equipment that greatly helped Park Yerim, whose main strength was wide-area skills.
The Attire of the Blue Thunder Bird, on the other hand, did not suit her, since she already had a teleportation skill and specialized in long-range attacks. She knew that, but it still annoyed her.
“Blue, let’s clear this before that Guildmaster jerk and get out!”
- Kyaak!
“I need to stick close to mister when we go greet him. If I have one more meal alone with mister, I win!”
A group of monsters happened to be passing below them. A long white spear wreathed in bluish chill appeared in Park Yerim’s hand. The gemstone fitted into the decoration below the spearhead gave off a faint glow. Yu Myeongu had adjusted the gem that had once held the Mermaid Queen’s skill and had been forcibly fitted into the spear’s decoration.
The skill contained in the gemstone had disappeared, but the strong power of water remained, helping her control water-attribute power.
Water gathered around the raised tip of her spear. Then Park Yerim jumped from Blue’s back.
“You stay here!”
- Kyaa.
Park Yerim’s body spun lightly halfway through the air as she descended beneath Blue. Meanwhile, the mass of water grew larger and spread wide, pouring downward like torrential rain. The monster group’s movements halted for an instant under the sudden deluge.
Then,
Whoosh.
Freezing mist swept through the area. Normally, it was only enough chill to restrict an enemy’s movements, but it was much more effective against targets soaked in water. Especially water drawn forth by Park Yerim herself, containing the same person’s mana.
With a crack, the monsters froze over in an instant. The weaker ones even split apart and shattered. After confirming there were no monsters left, Park Yerim returned to Blue’s back.
“Did we come too far? I can’t see the others.”
She had gotten overly excited while testing Blue’s flight. Park Yerim took out a signaling item and threw the tiny sparkling object over the frozen monsters.
In an S-Class team, mana stones and other byproducts were collected by team members other than the S-Class Hunter. Once a team became established and grew in size, there could even be dedicated collectors. There was a rule that mana stone collectors could not be more than two dungeon grades below the dungeon, though it was often ignored.
“…Huh?”
Park Yerim, who had been sitting leisurely on Blue’s back while waiting for her team members, tilted her head. She felt something strange. It was as though the air was trembling slightly.
Blue also stopped circling and flapped its wings in place.
“This feels like something similar happened before…”
When the boss changed in the first dungeon she entered. And when the giant toad appeared. It resembled the distortion from then. Park Yerim shouted sharply.
“Move!”
Golden wings spread wide. At the same time as Golden Arrow, a flight support skill, activated, the S-Class skill Ruler of the Wind was also triggered. Wind wrapped around Blue, reducing air resistance. Its powerful wings beat, and Blue and Park Yerim vanished from sight.
It was a terrifying speed, nearly equivalent to teleportation. The two were far away in an instant, and shortly afterward, the empty space warped as though splitting apart.
[Not here this time either.]
Something like a faint voice was heard. Park Yerim’s eyes widened. She had heard dungeon ghost stories like this before.
Amid her confusion, she felt the distortion again. It was everywhere, in the sky and on the ground.
- Krrr.
- Kiiiiik!
Monsters began to appear. At a glance, they were nothing that would appear in a mid-level A-Class dungeon. The pterosaur-like beast that appeared in the sky in particular had the size and oppressive presence of an S-Class dungeon boss.
“…Wow.”
As Park Yerim looked around in alarm, she spotted her team members approaching. She patted Blue’s back.
“Blue, can you handle that thing? Don’t fight it, just draw its attention.”
At her gesture toward the pterosaur, Blue confidently bobbed its beak.
- Kyaa!
“Don’t fight it. Just stall it for a little while.”
She did not know whether it understood. But Blue was also on the level of an S-Class dungeon boss monster. Its skills specialized in flight, so it would not be easily defeated.
Park Yerim patted Blue’s back once more before moving toward the team members. The moment she left, Blue gave a booming cry and shot toward the pterosaur.
“Stop!”
Park Yerim used teleportation repeatedly and arrived before her team members.
“S-Class dungeon-level monsters have appeared ahead!”
“Please describe them.”
Ha Eunha, who had the most dungeon-clearing experience on the team, stepped forward. Park Yerim quickly described the appearances of the monsters she had seen.
“Fortunately, aside from the pterosaur, they are normal monsters from a low-level S-Class dungeon.”
Saying she knew their traits and had faced some before, Ha Eunha explained what they needed to watch out for. However, even she had never heard of the pterosaur.
“I think I need to go to Blue. Will you be all right?”
“Don’t worry. We may not be of much help, but holding out will be easy enough. We are a raid team aiming for S-Class dungeons in the first place.”
“Yes, you don’t need to worry if they’re ordinary monsters.”
Park Yerim smiled brightly at her reliable team members.
“Then I’ll take care of them and return shortly. No, I’ll sort ’em out! But be careful, unnis!”
Park Yerim vanished in an instant, and the remaining team members reformed their lines.
“Blue, unni’s here!”
- Kyaak, kyaak!
Blue circled the pterosaur and flicked its tail. It was several times larger and looked to have much thicker scales, but its flying ability was far inferior to Blue’s. Its enormous beak had already snapped at empty air several times.
Apparently quite enraged, the bump protruding from behind its head glowed red, unlike before. When Park Yerim appeared as well, it took in a huge breath and opened its mouth wide.
- Kiiiiii.
A scorching wind swept through with a deafening shriek. A sharp blast of heat, hot enough to burn, shot toward them like hundreds of arrows. Park Yerim quickly cast Sigh ahead of them, and Blue beat its wings and pulled sharply back.
“Let’s deal with it quickly, since it could catch the unnis in it! Do you remember the little lake we passed earlier? That way. Over there!”
Blue gave a short cry in response and began to fly. It did not use an acceleration skill, moving only fast enough for the pterosaur to follow. The pterosaur, whose attack had failed, chased after them. Its immense shadow nearly reached them, and the occasional sharp clack of its beak could be heard.
Soon, the lake came into view. At Park Yerim’s direction, Blue increased its speed. The griffon descended low enough for its four paws to brush the water’s surface, and Park Yerim spun and entered the water. It was a quiet dive that made almost no sound.
At the same time, just as silently, Shadowless Day spread out as a mana and ice-attribute buff.
The pterosaur followed without knowing anything, swooping low at Blue, who had landed on the opposite shore.
Then,
Splash!!
Dozens of streams of water surged upward. They were enormous beams of water (水梁), enough to empty the lake completely. They battered the pterosaur’s body and wings and wrapped around its neck and legs. Beaten all over, the pterosaur flapped about in disarray.
Just when the attack seemed to lack killing power,
Freezing chill swept through. Every stream of water wrapped around the pterosaur froze, and hard, steel-like ice spikes began to rise. The spikes shattered its frozen scales and dug in, while the cold seeped deep into its body.
In the end, the pterosaur froze completely, tangled in dozens of icy vines. It looked like a strange, massive ice sculpture erected over an empty pit.
“Blue, did you dodge it well?”
- Kyaau!
Blue answered from far away. Park Yerim took out a mana potion and headed toward Blue.
“I hope S-Class monsters didn’t show up anywhere else. I wanted to get out quickly, but this looks like it’ll take a while.”
She could not get out later than Han Yoohyun. Grumbling, Park Yerim gave Blue a mana potion as well, then headed back toward her team members.
“Not here this time either.”
Chatterbox muttered. A bead-like object shattered to pieces in their grasp.
“And I even made a mistake. It really is difficult to look around secretly, even inside a dungeon.”
Had they been discovered by now? Chatterbox looked toward Luga Peya.
“Is it important enough to go this far?”
“I think it might be important~”
Peya smiled broadly and waved a dangling tentacle.
“You didn’t find it in the end. If the White Bird hid it away so thoroughly, there must be a reason. Besides, that White Bird…”
It was a being that had circled while looking only at the Fifth Origin. Strong curiosity gleamed in Luga Peya’s three eyes.
“It’ll be worth the sacrifice. Definitely.”
At her overblown excitement about how very, very much she was looking forward to it, Chatterbox reluctantly took out a new bead.
“Be prepared, because Newbie will definitely interfere. There has even been talk that that kid could become the System Master’s successor.”
“It’s the first time since the Thunder Bird gave up.”
“Fighting.”
Amid Peya’s halfhearted cheer, Chatterbox sighed.
* * *
“They asked for the café to be open 24 hours once it opens.”
Myeongu spoke. It was a request from Seok Hayan’s team. Well, people in that area would need coffee late at night.
We were currently sitting in a small terrace garden around the middle floors of the building. It was narrow, but the flower beds were neatly arranged, and tables and chairs had been placed to suit the space. Staying at home felt somewhat lonely, so unless I was visiting Haeyeon Guild for business or taking care of the baby monsters, I mostly came to the building.
“Minui-hyung said he was bored and wanted to work part-time at the café too.”
Noah spoke. Minui was hyung to him too? Then why was I not?
“He said he liked having nothing to do. Oh, Noah, what happened with the Breaker Guildmaster? If it’s an inconvenient bet, we can help.”
“No, it’s because of my rank in Korea.”
Noah shook his head slightly.
“Foreign Hunters need to lead a raid into a dungeon of the rank they want in order to have it recognized. But I was hesitant to enter an S-Class dungeon. I’d need to find temporary team members, and it would take a long time as well.”
So he had found another method instead.
“They said it would be enough to receive a guarantee of my abilities from at least three Korean S-Class Hunters, including a Guildmaster, so I asked the Breaker Guildmaster.”
“Wouldn’t Haeyeon alone be enough for that? Yoohyun is a Guildmaster, and there are Yerim and Seonghan, so that makes exactly three.”
“They said members of the same guild can’t overlap. And…”
Noah made an expression that looked slightly sulky.
“I don’t particularly want help from Hunter Han Yoohyun.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“…No particular reason.”
Hmm, what was that about? Maybe they were similar in age and had the same rank, so he had some sort of rivalry with him? That was plausible for boys. Cute. Usually, people bickered like that before becoming friends. In any case, Yoohyun seemed to be on Noah’s mind in several ways.
“Then your rank has been recognized?”
“Yes. I passed the evaluation, and they contacted me to say they would send my Hunter ID soon.”
At my congratulations, Noah smiled somewhat shyly. Was he trying to firmly establish himself in Korea? I would be grateful if so.
“Are you staying at my place again tonight?”
Myeongu asked as he watched Bellare circling the table in pursuit of Peep. He seemed curious after hearing that Bellare was a monster that could become a weapon. He had even asked whether he could have one of Bellare’s sheds.
“What should I do? It’s lonely without the kids around. Or do you want to come to my place today? You too, Noah.”
“Me too?”
“It’s fine even if you come in without a Miniaturization skill.”
At my words, Noah firmly shook his head.
“I’ll definitely find it and get permission to enter properly.”
He said he had been making inquiries everywhere he could reach, searching hard. I should watch for now, then help if things didn’t work out. Newbie said he would let me have the skill or item I wanted. If I took Noah along too, could he get the Miniaturization skill?
Around the time we finished our drinks, Haeyeon Guild contacted us. What was it this time?
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