WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 31: Found You! (1)
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After parting ways with Goblin, I headed for the infirmary where Seok Hayan was. On the way, I stopped by the convenience store on the first floor and bought coffee that supposedly had less sugar.
A get-well gift, or maybe a bribe.
She was going to become a bottomless treasure chest pouring out gold, so I had to treat her well.
“Is Ms. Seok Hayan here?”
At my question, the infirmary doctor pointed to one of the rooms. After signing the visitor log, I went in and found Seok Hayan lying in bed. She still wasn't awake. I pulled a chair over to the window and sat down.
The weather was nice again today. Before long, it would get properly hot. This year, I could run the air conditioner without worrying about the electric bill. Nothing beats having the company pay it.
‘Summer, five years ago.’
Despite everything that had happened, it had not even been a week since I returned to the past. I'd been incredibly busy. It was all because Yoohyun had suddenly tried to imprison me...
No, it was because of the title.
‘Once the training is over, I'll really take it easy.’
I'd regressed planning to quietly live off my amazing little brother, so how had things turned out like this?
Still, when a trophy fish was swimming right in front of me, I couldn't exactly leave my fishing rod alone. Especially when the tool was so good that I had around a 90 percent chance of catching it. How could I just stand by and watch?
Seeing something makes you want it. Until I cast off material desire and achieve enlightenment, it was impossible.
Still, I needed to keep my greed in check.
‘Let's see, there's hands-on training within the guild tomorrow, right? Are they really going to use monsters here?’
The Association's training used people dressed up as monsters. Naturally, they didn't give out real weapons either. But at Haeyeon, they would probably train with real monsters and real weapons, then even enter a dungeon.
‘My first dungeon raid since regressing.’
Of course, it would be a low-rank F- or E-Class dungeon with reliable guards attached, so there would not be much for me to do. Kim Jiyeon, the A-Class Hunter assigned as Yerim's senior for Hunter training, would probably accompany us.
‘I’ll finally be able to use my skills on Yerim and Myeongu.’
I'd put it off because using them before entering a dungeon would be most effective. The issue was that the skills only lasted three days.
Yerim would keep running dungeons under guild support for a while and raise her level, so that was fine. But what about Myeongu? It would be a waste to lose two days, and one low-rank dungeon probably would not provide enough experience to gain a skill.
‘I’d like to have them run at least one more dungeon before the three days are up... Should I find one myself? If I ask Kim Seonghan for help with the raid, he might assist me.’
It was Grandfather's wish, so please grant it just once.
While I was thinking about this and that, Seok Hayan woke up.
“Are you all right?”
“...Han Yujin?”
Seok Hayan sat up and looked at me through squinting eyes. Why was she squinting... Ah.
“Here are your glasses.”
She put on the glasses I handed her and gave me a small smile.
“Thank you. You got caught up in Goblin's prank because of me.”
“No, it was Goblin's fault.”
“I even prepared some Woocheonghwangsim pills, but I didn't expect Goblin to appear so quickly. And Goblin was scarier than I expected.”
Seok Hayan's shoulders trembled slightly. It had certainly been startling. I handed her the coffee. Her eyes curved into a smile behind her lenses.
“Goblin has gone back.”
Probably. Goblin might actually be nearby.
Seok Hayan looked startled at my words.
“Already?”
“Goblin, your fashion sense is awful. Blue clothes and a red mask? What are you, a five-year-old's coloring book?”
“...E-Excuse me?”
“Since it's quiet, Goblin must really be gone.”
If Goblin were here, that temper would never let an insult like that pass without a retort. At the very least, I would have a hole in the back of my head.
“Don't ever tell Goblin what I just said.”
When I spoke seriously, Seok Hayan snorted with laughter.
“What a shame. There were so many things I wanted to ask. Hunters don't tend to disclose their skills, especially special skills. A case like Goblin's is rare.”
That was true. I was hiding mine too.
“Instead, may I make you another proposal?”
“A proposal?”
She looked at me expectantly.
“Would you join my laboratory? Or perhaps work with me?”
“It would be closer to a partnership. Though it would not be a partnership between laboratories. What I can provide you is information.”
“Information about dungeons?”
“Yes.”
Seok Hayan looked as though she had expected that.
“As I thought, you have a special route for obtaining information. You knew far too much for it to be the result of personal research.”
“You could say that.”
More precisely, I would have one.
“As we discussed in the training room, what we lack most right now is data on dungeons. I will provide that to you, Ms. Seok Hayan.”
“Sounds good. I was wondering whether I should go overseas.”
“Let's split the shares in the results fifty-fifty. Do you need investment as well?”
Even if I was poor at the moment.
“No, not yet. More than anything, collecting data is what costs the most money. My heart is already racing just thinking about what to research first.”
She spoke with obvious excitement. What to research first, indeed.
“Why don't you start by researching the laws of dungeon creation?”
“The laws of dungeon creation?”
“Yes. It is a field I've looked into a little myself. It seems there are certain rules governing dungeon formation. Based mainly on their emergence time, surrounding environment, and location, it is possible to learn some information about a dungeon's interior as well.”
Seok Hayan's gaze became more serious than ever.
“If that's true, we could work backwards to predict when and where dungeons will appear.”
“Excuse me? Um, probably?”
Even five years later, they had not been able to predict emergence locations or times.
Wait, had they really been unable to? Or had they chosen not to?
Seok Hayan's words made me suspicious.
Three years from now, Dungeon Persons, the American organization Seok Hayan belonged to, would discover the laws of dungeon creation and earn enormous royalty profits. After that, the laws became more accurate, but they did not produce any new research results.
Looking only at that, it could have been because they could not do it.
‘Four years from now, the White House and major facilities moved locations.’
It was right around the time when the number of dungeons increased, their ranks rose, and their saturation rates accelerated, causing greater damage. Of course, moving somewhere safe at a time like that was not strange.
But if I remembered correctly, major American facilities had not suffered damage from dungeon breaks even five years later.
‘It wasn't that they couldn't do it, or that they chose not to... Did they hide it?’
No way. Surely not.
But if they had truly hidden it, then announced that dungeon emergence could be predicted only after other countries' governments, especially America's main rivals, had been driven into a corner...
They would gain far more than if they had announced it during peacetime.
‘...I want to think they wouldn't do something that insane. But profiting from war and ignoring dungeon damage are basically the same thing.’
If they had waited another year, no, another six months, they could have carved up China to some extent. Russia was not doing especially well either. They probably had a great time playing world police again after promising to protect everyone from dungeons.
“Ms. Seok Hayan.”
“Yes?”
“I'll help you as much as possible, so please succeed with this research here in Korea.”
“I would be happy to, if I can.”
Would Seok Hayan alone be enough? Maybe I should lure in a few more researchers. Who was famous in dungeonology? Preferably someone with a strong sense of justice or morality. Or someone who would be satisfied as long as they could research.
“Then I'll contact you again next week. We can discuss the details then. Could you give me your number?”
“Ah, yes. Please give me yours too.”
After exchanging contact information with her, I left the room.
An unexpected possibility had made my thoughts a little complicated, but it had not happened yet. I could change it.
With Seok Hayan and Goblin, preparations were almost complete, so there was not much more for me to do.
‘Should I give up on royalties?’
It was not as though I absolutely needed that money. I could do something good for people instead.
Those stingy American bastards irritated me enough that I might just give it away for free.
...No, I should only charge royalties to the developed countries that acted like assholes. Especially Japan. I could charge them double and still have a clear conscience.
* * *
Grruk!
The Fanged Moles caught in an F-Class dungeon growled from inside their cages. As expected, Haeyeon Guild's rookie Hunter training used real monsters.
“Wow, do we have to catch those?”
Yerim looked curious at the sight of the monsters baring their vicious teeth, while Myeongu shrank back. As for me, F-Class monsters were not scary even without Fear Resistance.
Even to an F-Class Hunter with more than a year or two of experience, those things were a piece of cake. Still, I pretended to be a little scared. Right now, I was a newly Awakened rookie Hunter.
“...But why are you here?”
I looked at the Haeyeon Guildmaster standing conspicuously beside me. My little brother smiled calmly.
“Safety inspection.”
“Aren't you a little too free?”
“Want to have lunch together?”
At Yoohyun's words, Yerim immediately shouted.
“I already have plans!”
I did not remember any such plans. Yerim glared at Yoohyun, and he raised one eyebrow slightly. Why did they dislike each other so much? Was it because of their attributes?
“The training is ready, but...”
The staff member spoke while watching Yoohyun's reaction.
“Indoor training for rookie Hunters is intended to lessen their fear of monsters. When they encounter monsters for the first time in a dungeon, most low- and mid-rank Hunters become terrified.”
By the higher ranks, their mental strength was high enough that it rarely happened. Still, there was a difference between having experienced hunting monsters before and having never done so.
The explanation of dungeon raids and monster hunting continued, and Yerim stepped forward first.
“The combat box is sturdily constructed using dungeon byproducts, but since Hunter Park Yerim is S-Class, please be careful.”
“Yes! I'll finish quickly.”
Yerim entered the combat box, an enclosed space surrounded by special glass. She awkwardly spun the spear in her hand before smiling brightly at me.
Right. Do well.
Then a Fanged Mole was pushed into the combat box.
Grruk!
The mole charged Yerim quite viciously. It was even fairly fast. But Yerim stepped to the side, lightly evaded its attack with a dancer's spin, and turned gracefully.
The spear in Yerim's hand swung wide with her body and thrust forward.
Crunch!
It pierced the mole in one strike.
“Ah! I should've tried Sigh! Can I do it one more time?”
She was an S-Class, but she was still a kid. She caught it without any hesitation. It was much better for her not to have an aversion to hunting monsters.
The staff member sent in another monster. This time, white mist filled the box. There was no need to even stab it with her spear. The mole froze solid.
“Huh? It's already over?”
“It's an F-Class monster. Sigh alone is enough.”
Yerim nodded and used a mana stone detector at the staff member's instruction. The lower a monster's rank, the lower the chance that it would have a mana stone. Neither of the two she had just caught had one.
“All right, Myeongu. Your turn.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Myeongu swallowed hard and gripped the spear tightly. Would they be all right? Fortunately, the staff member seemed to notice Myeongu's condition and instructed someone to release the weakest monster among them.
“Fanged Moles have poor eyesight and only move in straight lines. You can easily catch one by simply thrusting your spear forward.”
“...Okay.”
Myeongu nodded with a half-dazed expression. They were wearing armor too, so even a mistake would not result in a serious injury. Still, I was worried.
The combat box door opened, and Myeongu staggered inside like a cow being led to slaughter. A moment later, when the Fanged Mole was released, Myeongu went pale.
“Myeongu, just thrust your spear forward!”
“Aah! I really can't do this!”
Grrrurk!
Myeongu leaped away from the charging monster. Oh dear.
Kyaroook!
“Someone save me!”
Completely panicked, Myeongu threw away the spear and crouched on the floor. Myeongu really did not have even a speck of aptitude for combat.
In a way, that was a normal person's reaction.
In the end, the staff member rescued Myeongu and dealt with the Fanged Mole. Well, it was fine. Myeongu would not be raiding dungeons anyway.
“Y-Yujin...”
“Of course monsters are scary. I'm scared too. But let's not drop our weapons, okay?”
“O-Okay.”
After comforting the thoroughly intimidated Myeongu, I headed for the combat box last. Since I was also an F-Class who had only just Awakened, I needed to act scared.
Ah, what a terrifying monster. I made a show of swallowing hard. I held my spear awkwardly too.
‘It would look suspicious if I caught it properly.’
More importantly, my experienced S-Class Hunter brother was here. With his sharp eye, he would easily notice whether my movements belonged to a beginner or not.
Then should I just get scared and crouch down like Myeongu? It would keep my experience from being discovered, and Myeongu's confidence would take less of a hit. Killing two birds with one stone.
Perfect.
“Get ready. The monster is being released!”
The cage door opened, and the Fanged Mole crawled out. I might be F-Class, but something like you was nothing to me.
“Ugh...”
I stepped backward as though frightened. Yerim cheered, “Mister, hang in there!” Sorry, but I was going to fail this time.
Grruk, krrruk!
The Fanged Mole began charging at me with its incisors clacking together. And now.
“I-I can't do it!”
Ah, so scary. Clutching my spear tightly, I crouched dow-
Shhk.
Something was sliced cleanly. Immediately after that, the Fanged Mole that had charged right up to me...
Kieeek!
Whoosh.
It burst into flames. In an instant, only ash remained, scattering across the floor with a pungent smell. Wh-What was that?
“Hyung, are you hurt?”
Yoohyun, who had appeared beside me without my noticing, helped up my half-crouched body as he spoke. No, you burned it before it could even touch me.
When I turned my head, one wall of the glass box had been cut away as cleanly as a sheet of paper. That was an incredibly neat cut.
“I could've been faster!”
Yerim said regretfully. No, you should not destroy guild facilities. The staff member was completely out of it.
“I mean, I'm fine.”
“Should we stop here and excuse you from the practical training? Were you badly startled?”
My little brother's gentle concern was unbearably awkward. Put that away and give me some time to adjust. I had not even regressed that long ago.
“Uh, I still have to enter a dungeon. It's better to get some experience. I'm fine.”
“Tell me anytime if it's too hard.”
“R-Right. Let's go have lunch!”
Seeking a way to reduce my little brother's overprotectiveness. It seemed to be getting worse by the day.
* * *
Then came the final day of rookie Hunter training.
Goblin had not come looking for me yet, but we were finally going to enter a dungeon. Early in the morning, we headed to the raid equipment room.
“You must return rented equipment after the dungeon raid and compensate the guild for any loss or damage. However, Hunter Park Yerim is not obligated to provide compensation.”
The equipment room staff member spoke. At the word compensation, Yu Myeongu flinched and pulled their hand away from the displayed weapons. That timid personality really needed to be fixed. Still, once Myeongu obtained an SS-Class skill, they would quickly grow confident. Like how your shoulders naturally straighten when you get behind the wheel of a sports car.
‘Should I try using My Kid Is the Best now?’
I used Single-Skill Growth Focus on Yerim, who was swinging a battle axe from a display prepared especially for the S-Class Hunter. A message window appeared...
Appeared...
Why was it not appearing?
‘...Did the system have an error?’
What was going on? I was about to try again when the window finally appeared.
[My Kid Is the Best (L): Single-Skill Growth Focus has been applied to target Park Yerim!
Unacquired Optimized Skills
Pale Rain (S)
Frozen Earth (S)
Cold Resistance (A)
Mana Up (B)
Other Recommended Skills
Ice Attribute Enhancement (A)
Fire Resistance (A)
Mana Up (A)
Agility Up (A)
Highly Effective Cold Compress (B)
Omitted below
Other ranom random skill selection available]
...Excuse me, whoever made the system? There is a typo here. Shouldn't that be “random,” not “ranom”? And it is duplicated with “random,” too.
‘It isn't writing the skill description windows in real time, is it?’
If that were the case, the lack of explanation would make sense, but surely not. Still, it had taken time to appear, and there was even a typo, which made me feel strange. Was it truly a god? Or something else?
Even if I knew, nothing would change. Before, and for five years after, countless people earnestly considered and researched what the system was, but they uncovered very little. It was a terrifying existence that had completely transformed this world, so it would not be strange if humanity could not find even a single hair of it.
Still, seeing a typo meant it was not omnipotent, at least. I wanted to tell that to the cultists who insisted dungeons and Awakened had been bestowed by their god.
‘Let's finish using the skills.’
There were four optimized skills to start with. I did not know how they differed from initial optimized skills, but since two were S-Class, I did not need to deliberate long.
Pale Rain. That would be best. I had a feeling Frozen Earth would be better acquired after Cold Resistance. Since I could not even see the descriptions, I should play it safe for the first one.
When I selected Pale Rain, another message window appeared.
[Conditions for target Park Yerim to acquire Pale Rain (S)
Reach Level 10 (Progress: 1/10)]
It seemed the skill could be acquired once the conditions were met. The condition was really easy.
Normally, people gained a new skill every ten levels, so it was basically just the standard condition.
Then I used the skill on Myeongu as well. All sorts of miscellaneous skills appeared, but there was only one SS-Class skill, so there was nothing to consider.
The moment I selected Master of the Golden Forge, a message window containing the conditions appeared.
[Conditions for target Yu Myeongu to acquire Master of the Golden Forge (SS)
Reach Level 10 (Progress: 1/10)
Sharpen 10,000 blades (Progress: 17/10,000)]
...After the grind, let there be light. You can do it, Myeongu.
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