WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 38: Dungeon + Waterwheel
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On the second day of the skill’s effect, Peace’s training went smoothly as well.
“Class-2 Unicorn Subspecies, Flame-Horned Lion juvenile. It is currently 4:39 p.m. on the second day of the magical beast rearing skill’s application. Reduced growth time through training has increased its body length from 41 cm to 51 cm and its weight from 2.8 kg to 5.6 kg.”
I switched off the camcorder and looked at Peace, sitting with its chest puffed out.
It had gone from the size of a small cat to this in just one day. At this rate, after all three days of training, it would probably reach the size of an oversized cat or, at most, a large dog.
‘I’ll need to find somewhere else for Peace to stay soon.’
I could take it home until this month, but that would become impossible next month. It would be at least as big as a tiger by then. I already felt sorry about it.
‘I can’t let anyone see it suddenly grown, so I’ll have to move it secretly too.’
I could borrow a cage, cover it with a cloth, and transport it. Since going back and forth would be a pain, I might as well spend the remaining two days here. There was no real need for more theory lessons anyway.
I had told Yu Myeongu to attend classes and rest well for two days. Yerim said she would enter a dungeon right after class today, so I did not need to worry about her either.
This time, she said they had properly formed a team to raid a C-Rank dungeon. The Haeyeon Guild Hunters were people who usually ran B-Rank dungeons or higher, so they would clear it within two or three days.
‘The guild will keep raising her well from now on too... Yerim has left my hands now.’
Once I gave her some skill advice later, there would be nothing more I could do for her. It was both refreshing and bittersweet.
Once I sorted out my thoughts, a yawn came as if it had been waiting. Ugh, I was sleepy. I had stayed up all night, and my eyelids felt impossibly heavy.
“Peace, aren’t you sleepy? Let’s close our eyes for a bit.”
I picked up Peace, which came hopping over, and headed to the break room. I would sleep for exactly one hour.
* * *
While I had my eyes closed for a moment, Yu Myeongu packed and brought me a lunchbox. Their cooking was still delicious. They could probably sell it for money.
Right after that, Yerim stopped by to see me before entering the dungeon. And now, at night...
“Waaah, I lost! Waaaah!”
Goblin sat on the floor and wailed.
This time, they had apparently prepared thoroughly. It felt like watching a horror movie in realistic 4D. Though in the end, Fear Resistance brought up an [Intimidation is nullified!] message, and that was that.
It seemed the Fear Resistance skill’s message only appeared when I felt intimidation above a certain level. Normally, it probably just had a calming effect, and it only nullified things completely when the message appeared.
Well, if intimidation, fear, anxiety, and so on were completely nullified all the time, I would not be able to feel normal emotions. Emotions were all interconnected.
“I can’t go home! I won’t!”
Goblin shrieked, then flopped down and thrashed around. They seemed more afraid of getting scolded than upset over losing the bet. Were they really a child? If that was acting, they deserved an entertainment award.
With Peace, heavier than yesterday, sitting on my lap, I watched the spectacle for a moment before asking,
“Goblin, how old are you anyway?”
“Age? I stopped counting after I passed a hundred.”
...A hundred? Not ten? Was that a joke?
“If you don’t want to reveal it, just tell me whether you’re a minor.”
“Fine! A bet is a bet, so you have the right to hear it! Even if I get scolded, I’ll tell you!”
Goblin floated up from the floor. At some point, the thing covering their face had changed into a broadly smiling Hahoe mask. Was that a yangban mask? It had been so long since I learned this that I could not remember well.
“Captain, do you think goblins exist?”
“...What?”
In other words...
“...You mean actual goblins?”
“Of course I do. Why would I mean fake ones?”
What were they talking about?
“There’s no such thing as a goblin in this world.”
Goblin spun in the air.
“There are dungeons and Awakened, though? Captain’s younger brother controls flames, and Captain’s ward scatters icy mist!”
“That is, that is... because of the system...”
“What is the system?”
The system, well.
When I thought about it, actual goblins and ghosts seemed more realistic than dungeons suddenly appearing and Awakened coming into being.
At least there were old stories about goblins. The system had come completely out of nowhere.
Still, the idea that goblins existed felt absurd.
“...But you’re an Awakened.”
Strange as they were, they clearly had a name too.
Goblin laughed. The sound floated about like soap bubbles.
“Captain Kim, I’m over a hundred years old, but I’m three years old!”
Three years old. Three years.
Dungeons and Awakened had first appeared exactly three years ago. Born together with the system, huh. One possibility suddenly came to mind.
“...Did you mix with dungeon power?”
Goblin perked up at my murmur.
“You know? How? You know? Really?”
Of course, it was knowledge from the future, not the present. And I did not know much about it, either.
The mixing phenomenon had only appeared rarely after dungeon breaks became frequent, so it had not been properly studied even five years later.
But why already... No, three years ago had been when the first dungeons were breaking open one after another. They had all been low-rank dungeons, so the power leaking out had been weak, but the conditions were there for one or two mixed beings to appear.
“So you’re not a real goblin after all.”
Goblin grinned.
“I am a goblin!”
“Sure, sure. You’re probably an old waterwheel that’s been in the Yun family for generations.”
Yun Yun. The first Yun was probably their surname, and the second might be the hanja for wheel. A waterwheel, a cart, something like that. Maybe they were literally a wheel.
“H-How did you know?!”
Goblin froze in the air. They looked incredibly shocked.
“Could Captain be a shaman household’s golden bell, or something...?”
“I’m one hundred percent human.”
If a shaman household’s golden bell mixed with dungeon power and became an Awakened, would it gain prophetic abilities? ...That was a little tempting. Though there was no way to artificially create something like Goblin.
“Do you happen to know anything about the system? Maybe memories or information got mixed in too.”
“No, I don’t know?”
As expected, they did not.
Still, I could understand Goblin’s unusual personality and unprecedented special skills. A broken skill like spatial movement probably could not be acquired through ordinary talent.
‘Dungeon power can be considered a gate connected to another world, along with the space that confines that world. It makes sense that they would gain such a special skill.’
So there had been no optimized skill related to spatial movement. Floating around while using Stealth was an optimized skill fitting for a self-proclaimed goblin.
‘What exactly is a dungeon?’
Why create such things and scatter them across this world? Why make Awakened raid those dungeons through the system?
Before my regression, I had not thought deeply about it.
But now, I could not simply accept it. More than anything, the system had approached me first.
‘I should enter a dungeon at least once.’
I could not keep pretending not to know and avoiding them. Now that Goblin was here, I could probably go safely.
“Can you use spatial movement inside a dungeon too?”
“Hm?”
“I mean out of the dungeon. Or you could apply Stealth to me and avoid monsters. What rank dungeon have you entered?”
“I’ve never entered one.”
What?
“You’ve never entered a dungeon? Not even once?”
“Yeah. I can’t enter them.”
That was another thing I had never heard before.
“I tried to enter one, but it repelled me. Bang, I got bounced right out!”
“Repelled? Because you have dungeon power?”
Was it impossible to put a dungeon inside a dungeon? So it treated them as something similar to a dungeon...
“What? Why are you looking at me like that? You’re suspicious!”
“It’s the look of someone who realizes just how precious and valuable you are.”
“That’s true, but still!”
How was I supposed to investigate this? The problem was that there was no method.
Wait. If they were similar to a dungeon...
I set Peace down from my lap and stood. Then I spread both my arms wide toward Goblin.
“Goblin.”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s have one tight hug.”
Who knew? The person who made the system might contact me through a pseudo-dungeon.
“Huh? Why?! No!”
Goblin, who I thought would jump into my arms without a thought, shook their head and leaped into the air. That was an oddly strong reaction. After all, Goblin had picked up Seok Hayan.
“There’s something I need to check. I have no ulterior motives toward someone whose species is uncertain.”
“Still no! I promised not to wrestle!”
Wrestle? Did they challenge people to wrestling matches before startling them? Goblin really was devoted to the role.
“Then go behind me and hug me.”
“...Do I really have to hug you?”
“It’s important.”
“But if I hug you, I’ll want to trip you and throw you.”
“Just hold it in for a moment.”
After hesitating, Goblin went behind me.
Then they hugged me from behind.
“Done?”
“Wait a moment.”
I quickly checked my status window, but there was no change.
“Keep holding me and use spatial movement over there.”
“You’re already ordering me around.”
What were they talking about? I had not even started yet. Goblin grumbled as they took me with them using spatial movement. This definitely felt similar to passing through a dungeon gate. It was different from a mini portal.
When I opened my status window, I saw something had changed.
[Dragon Slayer (L)←]
This time, it was just an arrow. Had it not had time to use an emoticon? Then,
[Poison Resistance (L)←]
And then,
[Poison Resistance (L): Complete immunity to poison of Legendary rank or below.
It reliably detoxifies.
Poisons harmful to the human body.
And finally, medicine too...]
There was an explanation again. But what was this?
Check complete?[1]
...It checked by itself and that was all? Had it called me into a dungeon just to check something? Or was there not enough time? It did seem to have been written in a hurry, considering it did not finish the last sentence.
“Done, right? I’m letting go? I can’t hold it in anymore!”
“Wait. Move one more time, no, a few more times.”
“No! It’s hard to use spatial movement while carrying someone! The distance gets shorter too, and I can’t use it continuously!”
Goblin shouted as they quickly moved away from me. They could apparently use spatial movement easily several times alone, but carrying someone was difficult.
“Can’t you make portals yet?”
“Portals?”
So they did not have that ability yet. They would gain the ultra-long-distance portal skill three or four years later. Since they could not even enter dungeons, their growth had to be slow. To level up outside, they would have to buy monsters to hunt or wait for dungeon breaks.
This would not do. I had no choice but to apply the Keyword to them and raise them too.
“Goblin.”
“Yeah?”
“My beloved subordinate, I look forward to working with you.”
I was going to go on about love, filled with agape for all humanity. Diligently, consistently, every time I saw them. I love you.
Then Goblin let out an Eeeek! and ran away. Why?
* * *
“Here is the camcorder containing the recorded growth records.”
I handed the camcorder to Seok Simyeong, who could not hide the upturn of his lips. Yoohyun was away preparing for the dungeon raid, so Seok Simyeong received and reviewed the recording instead.
“I am not merely impressed, Mr. Han Yujin. I am moved.”
Seok Simyeong spoke in a rich, syrupy voice like a dark chocolate drink. His voice really was nice. I was jealous. He could probably start dating and get married just through phone calls with total strangers.
“I almost want to bow my head and apologize for failing to recognize your ability. We should have made you press your fingerprint to a contract three years ago.”
As he said that, he gave me a look like he wanted to pull my finger even now. I had said I would not sign a contract.
“As you heard from Yoohyun, I intend to remain unaffiliated for a while.”
“Yes. You said you would sign a contract once Haeyeon became the best guild in the country. May I ask you to confirm that once more?”
“That is...”
I started to answer, then shut my mouth. Something felt off.
“...Are you recording this?”
“My, you truly are no ordinary person.”
Seok Simyeong laughed without switching off the recorder. This person, seriously. He was trying to let it slide.
“Turn it off?”
“Is recording not essential when adjusting contract terms?”
Even as he said that, Seok Simyeong obediently switched off the recorder.
“There’s nothing else, right?”
“There isn’t, if only for the sake of earning your trust, Mr. Han Yujin.”
Then he should not have recorded me in the first place. Honestly, this man must have been a black-scaled snake in a past life.
“Negotiations concerning mounts will take place with the Three Great Guilds and the Hunter Association present. I will accompany you, but the guildmaster will be the main figure. Still, there is no need for you to worry. I taught him well.”
No, that made me even more worried. Do not corrupt my sweet Yoohyun, you snake.
“It is a newly discovered dungeon raid with no information available, but now that the guildmaster is participating, it will not take long. If it is a slime dungeon, the raid will be complete within three days.”
Slimes were weak to fire. Burning them made their materials unusable, but newly discovered dungeon raids focused on safety and gathering information rather than collecting materials, so they would clear it quickly.
“If the negotiations conclude safely, you should appear on a broadcast once.”
“...Pardon?”
Appear on what?
Footnotes:
Yun Yun: Yujin guesses that the second syllable of the name may mean “wheel,” leading to his waterwheel joke.
[1] The opening syllables of the three added Korean lines spell out 'Check complete.'
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