WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 29: Goblin (1)

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After washing up, changing clothes, and having breakfast and lunch, my head had calmed down somewhat.

Though my heart still felt like it was pounding harder than usual.

Had my hangover not gone away after all? It felt as though my Mental Strength stat had been chipped away.

‘Finding out about that unexpected skill effect from yesterday would do that to me, I guess.’

Still, it was strange.

First, I needed to sort things out.

1. Never tell anyone, absolutely anyone, about the Keyword’s effects.

There weren’t many people in the world worth trusting with your life. Unless I could read minds, how could I know what they truly thought?

Unless they had gone as far as risking their life to save me, like Yoohyun had, I couldn’t just trust them.

My stats were F-Rank.

I had to remember that and stay cautious. I might have Legendary skills, but with this fragile body, one casual hit from a passing S-Rank would send me straight to the afterlife.

2. Be as careful as possible when using the Keyword.

There were only four people so far, but if I kept using the same Keyword, someone might notice eventually. Above all, I could never use it in a crowded place like yesterday.

If getting caught only meant I could no longer apply the growth skill, I could deal with that. But if its mental brainwashing effect was exposed, all hell would break loose.

So whenever I used the Keyword, I needed to do it one-on-one whenever possible, mixing in plenty of other words to make it safer.

3. Focus on monsters rather than people, and get S-Rank magical beasts capable of protecting me as quickly as possible.

Even five years later, no monsters that could communicate with humans had appeared. That meant I would not have to worry about the skill’s effect disappearing from Peace or the monsters I acquired later.

With just two S-Rank monsters by my side, I would be able to feel sufficiently secure about my safety.

4. Finally, do not underestimate that damned system. I had no idea what other traps might be hidden in it, so be careful. Then be even more careful.

‘If my stats were S-Rank, I wouldn’t have to worry this much.’

This was too much. Ah, there I went, getting mentally weak again. What was wrong with me today? It felt like I had taken off the armor I had been wearing.

…Was it because I had pushed my liver too hard?

‘Let’s go get educated.’

I would feel better after resting for a day or two. As expected, drinking too much was bad for the body.

* * *

“Uncle!”

When I stepped outside, Yerim, who had come out first and was waiting for me, greeted me happily. Maybe she had a professional stylist now, because today’s outfit was fresh and cute too.

“I heard you got really drunk. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief. Don’t drink too much. It’s bad for you.”

I was already feeling exactly how bad it was in real time. See? My heart was pounding again.

I needed to ask before Yu Myeongu came out.

“Yerim, hypothetically…”

After hesitating, I asked directly since nobody else was listening.

“Is there anyone you think of when you see me?”

“Someone, someone I think of?”

Yerim’s eyes darted around in alarm. Bingo. There was someone.

“W-Well… I tried not to make it obvious…”

“It’s okay. Tell me.”

As long as it was not her mother.

“When I was little… when we lived in a house, there was a man next door who looked after me.”

A man! Hurray! Thank you, unnamed next-door neighbor of Yerim’s family!

“He was younger than you, Uncle, but I was even younger back then. My mom called him the student next door, but he looked like a fully grown adult to me, so I just called him Uncle. You don’t look alike, but he was sickly. Even I could see that he looked worrying.”

Yerim’s gaze was directed at me, but it seemed to rest somewhere in the distant past. Recalling old memories, she continued.

“My family was well-off too, but the house next door was bigger and nicer. It had a pretty yard. There was a white swing bench, and a huge dog too. He was frail, so he did not go outside much. Instead, he played with me almost every day.”

“You must have liked him a lot.”

Yerim nodded vigorously.

“Yes. I really, really liked him. I spent more time with him than with my mom or dad back then. Dad was busy, and since I played well with him, Mom went to do church volunteer work with the lady next door.”

So that man, that student, had become the Caregiver with the greatest influence on her. Things might have been different if Yerim’s parents had stayed alive, but they had passed away too early.

Or maybe the harsh reality that had suddenly crashed down on her after they died had made her cling more tightly to that peaceful time from her childhood. She was too young to endure the pain of holding onto her memories of her parents.

“And I thought that when I grew up, I would become stronger than him and protect him…”

Her voice trailed off.

I could guess the rest without hearing it. They must have been separated. Moving away would have been fortunate. Since she had said he was sickly, his condition might have worsened instead.

Yerim swallowed a deep sigh and looked up at me with anxious eyes.

“You’re bothered by it, right? That I think of someone else when I look at you… Most people wouldn’t like that.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s not like he was some criminal. You said he was a good person. If anything, I’m happy you see me that way.”

Of course, plenty of people would be bothered by it, but I had brought this on myself. A sickly but kind male student from a wealthy family? I should have been grateful.

At my words, Yerim relaxed and broke into a bright smile.

“Really? I knew you were a really good person too, Uncle. I thought you seemed kind from the first time I met you!”

…Even though I had shouted that I did not do compensated dating.

“Do you remember when you first thought of that man when you saw me?”

“Yes. At the barbecue restaurant, after you started rambling. I think it was because you looked similarly easy to push around.”

After I started rambling meant right after I used the Keyword and said I loved her.

So the effect caused by keyword influence was definitely real.

“I’ll definitely protect you, Uncle!”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

Yerim clung to me as usual, but unlike usual, one side of my chest felt cold. Thinking that it was all because of a skill made me feel not just uncomfortable, but a little afraid.

…There would be no problem if I was careful. So why was I worrying ahead of time like this? Was it really my liver? Had it gone bad overnight? Or was there another reason?

Bang!

“Have you been waiting long?”

Yu Myeongu came out through the door.

“Not really. Let’s go. We’ll be late.”

Today was theoretical training, so I would listen half-heartedly, come back early, and rest.

* * *

The theoretical training room for rookie Hunters was smaller than expected. Unlike the Hunter Association facilities, which could hold around a hundred people, this room had only five desks.

Well, it would be surprising if Haeyeon, which selected recruits so strictly by rank and ability, brought in more than five rookies at once. Even now, Yerim was the only actual newcomer.

‘The chairs are comfortable.’

They must be expensive.

Not long after we took our seats, the person in charge of theoretical training appeared. The woman who entered wore light sandals and a tropical long dress, and she looked to be in her early twenties.

She looked ready to leave for a vacation at any moment. Was she really the instructor? Her round glasses made her face look vaguely familiar.

“Hello.”

The woman standing before the lectern set down the materials she was carrying.

“My name is Seok Hayan. I’ll be in charge of your theoretical training today.”

Seok Hayan! Hearing her name brought it back to me. The authority on dungeon studies, Doctor White.

Originally a statistics major, she had studied dungeons and Awakened people in Korea before moving to the United States. She was a young genius who played a major role in uncovering the laws governing dungeon generation.

She looked much younger than she did on TV, so I had not recognized her immediately. I remembered her being older than me, but the makeup and clothes made her look unbelievably young.

Why was someone so remarkable here? It was still before she left Korea, but this was not the level of work she should be doing. Training rookies?

“First, I’ll teach you the basic knowledge you need about dungeons.”

Seok Hayan placed a handout on each desk. Then she stopped right in front of mine.

Her round eyes behind her round lenses stared directly down at me.

What was this?

“…Did you have something to say?”

“You’re Han Yujin, right?”

She spoke as though she had been waiting for me to ask.

“Yes, I am.”

“I’ve heard a great deal about you from my uncle, I mean, Haeyeon’s Head of Human Resources.”

…The Head of Human Resources? Her uncle? Come to think of it, they had the same surname. No, before that, what had she heard a great deal about? Seok Simyeong had promised he would guard this information as tightly as the guildmaster’s personal details, and yet he had already run his mouth? Before we had even cleared a dungeon and verified anything?

He was not the sort of person to do that.

“I do not know what you heard, but Head Seok thinks too highly of me.”

“You’re modest. He isn’t the sort of person who overestimates people. Do you know how picky he is?”

Seok Hayan said with a bright smile. That man was picky, all right. Still, he was definitely mistaken about me.

“That isn’t modesty. More importantly, may I ask what he told you about me?”

“I heard that you are astonishingly knowledgeable about Awakened people and dungeons.”

So he had not told her that I could know dungeon types in advance. Good. I had not misjudged him.

Relaxing, I answered with a smile.

“That is still far too much praise. If you came here specifically after hearing Head Seok’s words, I’ll feel sorry for you.”

“I came to Haeyeon today to meet Goblin. Of course, I took charge of this class because of you, Mr. Han Yujin.”

“Not a real goblin, I presume. You mean the Hunter?”

“Yes. The Hunter famous for special skills.”

I knew Goblin well too.

No, I could not say that I knew them well.

True to the alias, this unusual Hunter wore a goblin mask and an outfit that looked like it belonged in traditional folk theater. Even five years later, their name, age, and gender remained unknown.

The reason this Hunter, who was not even registered with the Association, was famous was because of their special skills.

Mid-range spatial movement and Stealth.

Unlike teleportation, which could not cross a blocked path, spatial movement allowed its user to enter and leave anywhere. Combined with Stealth, it made Goblin as elusive as their name suggested.

‘They were good at handling people, too.’

The ability to secretly enter anywhere was an extremely threatening power. Revealing it carelessly could have made them a target of everyone.

But Goblin had openly announced their abilities to the world.

‘My bundle contains every kind of secret, but so long as I remain safe, it will never be opened.’

They were already an exceedingly difficult Hunter to capture due to their skills. Now, rather than attack them, people had to protect them.

After all, no person, especially no organization, was without secrets.

Thanks to that, Goblin worked freely without belonging anywhere. They rarely cleared dungeons, instead mainly serving as a courier for important items and letters.

Because Goblin could uncover every secret, they were paradoxically someone everyone could trust more than anyone else.

‘And a few years later, it would be revealed that they could create ultra-long-range travel portals too.’

People had made a great fuss, saying Goblin should be called the Goblin King or a god instead. They received countless offers because their ability was so useful, but Goblin never used it except for rescue work.

They saved countless people during dungeon breaks and all kinds of natural disasters, and their fame and support rose sky-high.

They were a bit strange, but they were a kind and incredible person.

“I didn’t know Goblin was at Haeyeon. I’d like to meet them too.”

“There’s no reason you can’t. If you’ll chat with me until the appointment time, that is.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be teaching, Instructor?”

“You really do talk like a professor.”

Seok Hayan gave me a slight glare before going up to the lectern.

The lecture that followed was excellent. She understood both dungeons and Awakened people very well, and she explained things simply and pleasantly enough that the information sank right in. She was skilled at using audiovisual materials too.

Even though I already knew it all, I found myself listening intently.

Still, there were a few things she had wrong. No matter how diligently she had researched, she only had three years of data. It could not compare to eight years’ worth.

“That concludes the theoretical training for rookie Hunters. Thank you, Professor, for listening to my inadequate lecture.”

…Why was I a professor again? I had never even set foot in college.

“It was not inadequate at all. You are a very skilled lecturer. It was easy to listen to and easy to understand.”

Since she called me Professor, I gave her an evaluation. Seok Hayan gave me another sideways glare.

“Thank you for the compliment, but you kept making faces like, ‘That is not right.’ Your look was exactly like my major professor’s. I felt like I was an undergraduate again.”

Had I done that?

“The first time was when I explained Awakening. ‘Awakening usually occurs when one feels their life is threatened, and initial skills act to protect the Awakened.’ That part.”

She was perceptive and had a good memory. Well, she was a genius after all.

I gave an embarrassed smile.

“That is not entirely wrong. It is mostly right. However, initial Awakening skills are generally…”

“Generally?”

Seok Hayan’s eyes widened. Her expression urged me to continue.

Was it really okay to tell her this so readily? It was not particularly important information, though.

“I think they are divided between aptitude and environment. There are many skills that cannot be used in battle right away, so it is difficult to say they exist to protect the Awakened.”

“But aren’t most of them combat or combat-support skills?”

“Most, not all. And the environments where Awakening occurred were generally ones where that would be expected. If you look into it, I think the proportion of Awakened with skills unrelated to combat will have risen recently.”

Of course, an “I’m Gonna Die at This Rate!” situation was the easiest way to Awaken, so combat skills would still make up the majority. Still, with dungeon breaks rarely occurring now, the proportion of people Awakening during their ordinary lives could not help increasing.

Not long ago, the Hunter Association had even found people with Sea Fishing and Call Earthworms.

Seok Hayan fell silent for a moment, her brow furrowing, then nodded.

“All right. Let’s look into it. And the second time you gave that little laugh was…”

“Wait a minute. You’re going to check every single one?”

“I do not have much time, but I can make time. And Mr. Han Yujin, you have plenty of time left, do you not?”

“My free time is not being saved up for you, Ms. Seok Hayan.”

Seok Hayan looked troubled.

“…Is there something you want? Would research funding work?”

“I just want to rest.”

“I’ll get you a room at a five-star hotel. A suite with a great view.”

Why was a hotel suddenly involved? My room had a great view and was comfortable too.

‘What should I do?’

There was no harm in building a relationship with her. Though she would go to the United States later…

Wait. If I gave her hints, could she discover the laws of dungeon generation while staying in Korea? Hmm… There were not enough dungeons here.

The number of dungeons was proportional to population and land area. That was why Seok Hayan had no choice but to go overseas to continue her research into dungeon generation laws, which required enormous amounts of data. Almost nowhere allowed foreigners to investigate their dungeons.

The royalties had been no joke. What a waste. Was there no way to have her conduct her research in Korea?

“I do want to meet Goblin, so I’ll keep you company for a little while. But I cannot answer everything.”

“Really? Thank you!”

Seok Hayan brightened and even clapped. Was she that happy?

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