WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 36: Magical Beast Breeder (1)

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“Peace~”

After taking the pain-relief patches Goblin had bought and sending them away, I headed to the living room. Peace bounced from side to side inside the pen to greet me. Cute no matter how many times I saw them.

As always, I picked Peace up and stroked the back of their neck. Their purring was nice to hear.

There wouldn’t be many days left when I could carry them around like this. Once they started growing, they’d become bigger than me in no time. It was a little sad.

“Just because you grow up doesn’t mean you can pretend you don’t know your dad.”

Did monsters have something like adolescence? If Peace said, “I hate Dad,” and swung a front paw at me, I’d be hospitalized at minimum. Peace was a good kid, so that wouldn’t happen.

I set Peace down and used My Kid. A message window soon appeared before me.

[The growth effect of My Kid Is the Best (L) will be applied to target Peace for 3 days!

Class-2 Unicorn Subspecies, Flame-Horned Lion Peace: Time required to mature into an adult (365:00), effect duration (72:00)

Dun, the Caregiver can train the target to reach maturity,

Cutting down

On the total time required,

Without a long wait.]

...Normally, it would have ended with the effect duration of seventy-two hours, but there was an explanation attached. And there was a typo too.

‘They made that typo on purpose.’

It was obviously an acrostic. It was supposed to say “But,” but it had pretended to mistype it as “Dun.” Read vertically, it said:

Come to the dungeon.

Now they were even giving me orders through description windows. Wow, impressive. I seriously wanted to know who they were.

‘Why are they telling me to come to a dungeon again?’

Going this far made it seem like they could only open a chat window and speak while inside a dungeon, like when I entered that D-Rank dungeon. There was probably some restriction outside dungeons. That was why they had resorted to an acrostic in the description window.

‘Even inside a dungeon, directly sending a message seems to cause bugs, like that little bird bastard appearing.’

Whoever they were, they did not seem omnipotent.

‘They couldn’t even find me before I entered a dungeon, so they probably can’t do much outside dungeons, in this world. Is that why they want me to come to one?’

But why would I trust them enough to go? What if they made another mistake and an S-Rank boss monster popped out this time?

Sorry, but my trust in whoever made this system, whether it was one person or several, had hit rock bottom long ago. If I had entered with an ordinary A-Rank training supervisor instead of Yoohyun, I might have already crossed the River Styx.

So I should pretend I hadn’t seen it. Surely nothing would happen just because I ignored a message.

‘...The problem is, it feels like something will happen.’

Fuck, what were the odds that someone, or some god, had enough free time to make an acrostic for no reason? With all those S-Ranks available, why me? Was it because I had regressed? Should I have used the Wish Stone to wish for those damned dungeons and Awakened to disappear?

Kkiang?

As I stood there blankly, lost in thought, Peace gave a small cry as though asking what was wrong.

“It’s nothing. Just...”

It seemed this dad had gotten tangled up with a strange, crazy bastard. I hugged Peace again and swallowed a sigh.

Why couldn’t they let someone live comfortably? I only wanted to loaf around and eat. That wasn’t such a huge desire.

“Haah, not like thinking about it longer will do any good.”

There were only two choices anyway. Ignore it, or obediently enter a dungeon. It wasn’t like I had anyone I could consult by saying, “The system sent me this message.” Even five years later, nobody had figured out the first thing about the system, so it would be even worse now.

What was I supposed to do with the fact that an F-Rank high-school equivalency graduate knew more about Awakened and dungeon systems than anyone else in the world? Seriously, what was I supposed to do?

‘For now, I should make Peace grow.’

The fact that training would speed up Peace’s growth was at least welcome news. I could think about entering a dungeon after Peace matured. If it was urgent, they’d find some way to contact me.

“But do I have to train Peace myself?”

It seemed that way, since it said the Caregiver had to do it. How was I supposed to train them? Fetch? Throwing a frisbee? First, I should rent a training room.

I had planned to reveal the magical beast rearing thing anyway, so I should tell Yoohyun first. Since I had reached Level 10, it would sound natural if I said I got a rearing skill while playing with Peace.

I could get help from Haeyeon Guild, then dump the negotiations with the major guilds on Seok Simyeong. They had used me for free, so it was time for me to use them a little.

[Do you have time tonight?]

I sent Yoohyun a text. His reply was a little late, probably because he was busy handling the aftermath at the Association.

[Yeah]

[I have something to tell you. See you at home.]

I had written at your house, then changed it. This brat seemed to think of his house as our house.

His second reply came even later.

After I put on a pain-relief patch, only for Peace to throw a fit until I removed it again, Yu Myeongu returned after handing in the equipment. We talked about sharpening ten thousand blades, and I was throwing a ball for Peace to test the training effect when a text came in.

[I believe you, hyung.]

Well, look at that. It seemed he was still bothered about having told me I had become strange in the dungeon. Did he think I wanted to meet because I was going to make excuses for how suspicious I had been?

[I’ll bring alcohol.]

Your fridge is way too wholesome. Come to think of it, I hadn’t drunk with my little brother yet. By the time Yoohyun was old enough to drink, our relationship had already fallen apart. There had been times when I got drunk alone and crawled home, though.

Surely he wasn’t still inexperienced with alcohol. Even if it was his first time drinking, his S-Rank stats would keep him from getting drunk easily. I couldn’t get drunk either. What kind of nonsense was that?

Someday, I’d be able to relax and turn off my skills.

* * *

With Peace in one arm and a bag full of bottles and snacks in the other, I headed to my little brother’s place. I hadn’t bought the alcohol. When I asked the building management office, they had prepared it for me.

Fancy things whose names I didn’t even know.

I had only wanted some slightly expensive beer.

The liquor specialist the management office called had smiled brightly, saying even someone with B-Rank stats couldn’t get drunk from that stuff, then listed one absurdly high-proof drink after another. They had mixed in wine for cleansing the palate too. They called it something Grand Cru, but I didn’t care. It was definitely expensive enough that I felt guilty carrying it around in a plastic bag.

It was charged to Yoohyun anyway, so it didn’t matter.

The house was as quiet as it had been the first time I came. It was still far too big for one person. Marriage might be too early, but he should at least date someone.

“You’re here?”

After I arranged the bottles and snacks on the table and sat on the sofa, Yoohyun appeared before long. His hair was wet, as though he had just showered. That little bird’s blood had splattered on him quite a bit.

“The Association must have kept you there for a while.”

“It was an unusual situation. I took care of some other things too.”

Yoohyun brought glasses and sat in a separate armchair. He looked at the bottles on the table and frowned slightly.

“Isn’t that too strong?”

He recognized it. So it wasn’t his first time. I felt disappointed for no reason. Or had he just seen the tiny alcohol percentage label already?

“You were carried in just a few days ago.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll drink moderately today. Besides, we’re at home.”

What was wrong with becoming a dog at home? Not that I could get drunk.

“Come to think of it, Goblin would have trouble getting in here too, right?”

Portal movement required a key, and the location was hidden, so spatial movement would probably be difficult too.

“It wouldn’t be impossible.”

Yoohyun spoke as he opened a bottle.

“There are windows. If Goblin checked every one from outside through spatial movement, they would eventually find it.”

Goblin didn’t seem like the type to do something that bothersome. To avoid Goblin, I would need something like a darkroom with its location cleverly hidden, on top of portal movement.

“You don’t need to worry about Goblin. For their own safety, they’ll keep secrets properly. If you can overlook the unsettling parts, they’re also extremely useful.”

“For secret contact and things like that?”

“That too, but Goblin can also verify both sides’ safety when people who don’t trust each other need to arrange a meeting. That’s why they’re popular among high-ranking non-Awakened. They seek Goblin out more often than Awakened do.”

So Goblin provided that kind of service too. For Goblin’s sake and mine, it seemed best to keep our contract secret. Even if the contract had a clause saying they wouldn’t reveal other people’s secrets, important people would definitely feel uneasy.

“By the way, doesn’t Goblin seem kind of young when you look at how they act?”

“Hm? They do have an unusual personality. But they handle work accurately and thoroughly. Rather than young, it might be more of a concept. There are Hunters who build characters suited to their abilities and act them out.”

Was that it? When we wrote the contract, Goblin had been too thorough about adding all sorts of conditions to be a child.

Like Yoohyun said, perhaps Goblin wasn’t really young, but simply deeply committed to playing the character of Goblin. The way they acted was exactly like a Goblin from a folktale. They loved pranks and teasing people, and they were both versatile and had a naive side at the same time.

Would they keep paying me back every single day if I lent them money?

I soothed Peace, who wanted to touch the sparkling glass bottles, and took the drink Yoohyun had poured for me. Hmm... was that about twenty milliliters? Hey, little brother. The alcohol was barely wetting the bottom of the glass.

“This is a bit much. It’s not even one sip.”

“I told you it was strong. Drink one sip at a time.”

Yet he filled his own glass more than halfway.

“My tolerance isn’t that low, you know.”

I had drunk for five years longer than him. No, ten. Grumbling, I drained the glass in a sip and picked up another bottle. What? What are you going to do if you glare at me? Take it away?

“You only said it was strong. I can’t even feel it in my liver.”

I seriously couldn’t feel anything. All I knew was that it smelled nice, had a sharp kick, and was fairly drinkable. Was it because it was expensive? It wasn’t bad even without getting drunk.

“Quit making that face and let me pour you a drink too. It’s our first time, right?”

After hesitating briefly, Yoohyun emptied his glass in one go and held it out. The sight made me feel strange.

Before I regressed, I never imagined we would trade drinks like this. No, before the world changed, I had naturally thought that someday, I would drink with my little brother.

After he finished the college entrance exam, I had thought I would pour him a drink like this and teach him how to drink. It would have been cheap liquor, of course.

“You were a good little brother.”

You lacked a lot, but you never complained despite being young. You really had been kind. It was hard to believe you had suddenly run away from home.

“Of course, you’re still a good little brother.”

I smiled as I filled his empty glass. He could be a little annoying, but that was because of the skill. Even without it, he worried about me.

“...I was a good little brother.”

Yoohyun muttered bitterly. He had been good, right? A model student too. His expression was so uncomfortable that I was about to ask whether he had gotten into trouble without my knowledge when he spoke first.

“What did you want to tell me?”

“Ah, that.”

I stroked Peace, who was purring in my lap, and continued.

“It’s because of my Level 10 skill.”

“A skill? You were beside me when we killed the boss monster, so you must have gotten experience. You said it was on the level of an A-Rank dungeon, so you would have had more than enough to level up. What skill is it?”

“Magical Beast Breeder.”

Magical beast sounded more impressive than monster. It also seemed like the sort of name the system would use.

“...Magical beast breeder?”

Yoohyun’s gaze dropped to Peace. Feeling the attention, Peace bared their teeth slightly as if they didn’t like it. Don’t do that. He’ll be your partner one day.

“Yeah. I think taking care of Peace affected my skill too. It’s S-Rank, and...”

“S-Rank?!”

My little brother’s expression turned serious.

“Your stats are F-Rank, but your skill is... an S-Rank special skill...”

“Hey, don’t get any weird ideas.”

If he started talking about locking me up again, I was leaving home.

“But, hyung...”

“No buts. Stop talking nonsense and listen. The skill does exactly what the name says. It raises magical beasts, monsters. More precisely, it makes them grow. Remember how Peace, the Flame-Horned Lion cub, couldn’t grow? Flame-Horned Lion cubs can’t normally grow without help from an adult. But with my skill, they can grow. With taming complete.”

A fully matured Flame-Horned Lion with taming complete.

Han Yoohyun would know better than anyone what that was worth.

Silence fell. Peace swayed their tail.

After a long time, Yoohyun, his expression complicated, finally opened his mouth.

“But then, hyung...”

“Another but? Think about it. How many S-Ranks need high-tier mounts right now?”

“...All of them. Mid- and low-tier mounts can’t be used in S-Rank dungeons. Even large guilds find it burdensome to use them as disposable resources, so they only bring them occasionally during the first raid. The chances of a mid- or low-tier mount returning alive from an S-Rank dungeon are extremely low.”

His voice, which had been slightly dazed, gradually steadied as he continued.

“So the demand will not only come from S-Ranks, but from entire teams. They don’t even need to be top-tier like Flame-Horned Lions. If they can simply endure an S-Rank dungeon, people will flock here from all over the world, not just Korea.”

After finishing, Yoohyun covered his face with one hand and let out a long sigh. Watching him, I smiled.

“With that level of demand, it won’t be hard to negotiate, right?”

“...Of course not. Really... That advice about skills earlier too...”

Yoohyun lowered the hand that had covered his face. His slightly absent expression was funny. A little cute too. It reminded me of when he was young. He had been cute. Really.

“Hyung, you’re really the best.”

You’re welcome.

Footnotes:

The system message contains a Korean acrostic created by deliberately changing “but” to a typo. Its vertical reading says, “Come to the dungeon.”

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