WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 46: Getting Stronger Sometimes (1)

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Rrrrk.

The heavy wheels of a cart echoed through the lobby of Haeyeon Guild. Two enormous duffel bags, each large enough to fit a person with room to spare, sat on top of it.

The wheels rolling over the floor came to a stop in front of a guild security employee.

“You have an unusual amount of luggage today.”

At the security employee’s words, the vice guildmaster of Bricks, one of Haeyeon’s affiliate guilds, gave an awkward smile.

“A lot of bulky things dropped this time. They’re all low-grade, though.”

He opened the bags as he spoke. They were full of assorted items, weapons, armor, shoes, and more.

“Once you subtract the commission and appraisal fees for this low-grade stuff, there’s barely anything left. It’s a hassle, but we have no choice but to check them ourselves.”

For low-grade items, people often wore and tested them on camera instead of getting appraisal certificates. Direct transactions outside the market were also common.

That was why they had come loaded down with bags, to use a training room where they could test the items.

“You certainly have it rough. It would be nice if more Hunters with item appraisal skills appeared, but there are still only two in the country.”

“Even if there were more appraisers, it’s better to put in the effort than waste mana potions.”

The security employee checked the luggage and Hunter IDs, then handed out inventory sealing bracelets to each person.

“One C-Class, two D-Class, and one E-Class. Since everyone is C-Class or lower, there are no special restrictions.”

Except for some areas open to ordinary people, outside Awakened were only permitted entry if they were C-Class or below. B-Class and above were almost never granted entry unless there were exceptional circumstances, and an A-Class guild member would be assigned to watch them.

Most guards in important areas were B-Class Hunters. Even a giant guild would be wasting manpower by using A-Class Hunters as simple guards.

“You remember all the precautions, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“You may enter.”

“Thank you.”

The vice guildmaster of Bricks dipped his head lightly.

Rrrrk.

The wheels began scraping over the floor again.

“A security guard is either non-Awakened or E-Class at best, yet they sure were acting high and mighty.”

One of the group muttered quietly as they headed for the elevator to the basement.

“We won’t be coming back anyway. Stop paying attention to pointless things and focus.”

The vice guildmaster frowned as he pressed the elevator button. A moment later, the elevator arrived with a brief chime. The Bricks Guild members stepped inside, slightly tense.

* * *

“Then I’ll wait outside.”

The MKC guard spoke. I felt a little bad making him stand outside, but someone with C-Class stats would not get tired legs. He might get bored, though.

“Okay, Peace. What should we try first today?”

“Kkiang!”

Peace spun around excitedly. Seeing it so happy just because we had come to a training room made my heart ache. I wanted to let it run around somewhere bigger. Outside, not indoors.

“I wish the law would change soon.”

Let people take monsters outside. Peace had undergone taming and was still only C-Class. There would be no danger if a B-Class custodian accompanied it.

“Kkyang! Grrr!”

Peace picked up a knotted rope for tugging and came over to me. Its favorite game was biting the rope I held, then pulling and shaking it. It was really exhausting for me, though.

Still, once the other monsters arrived, this suffering would lessen a little. Other than when I trained them under the skill’s effect, I could let them play together.

“Wait a second. Let me put on some equipment.”

For intense tugging, Strength was essential. I took out a pair of A-Class Black Pearl Spiderweb Half-Gloves from my inventory and put them on. They raised Strength by a full 60.

Just yesterday, stat-boosting equipment for training had arrived from each guild. Every single piece was A-Class or higher.

Of course, they had not given them to me outright. I could only use them during monster training, under something like a long-term loan agreement.

The gloves were enough to match Peace’s strength, so I only put on a bracelet that boosted Stamina before grabbing one loop of the rope.

“Grr! Grrrr!”

The moment I grabbed it, Peace bit the loop on the other end and began frolicking around excitedly. Its fluffy tail swayed cheerfully from side to side. Our Peace sure was strong. If it had not been a specially made rope, it would have snapped immediately.

Moments like this really reminded me that he was a monster.

‘Should I try taking him into a dungeon?’

An F-Class or E-Class dungeon would not be dangerous. Did Haeyeon have any low-rank dungeons with grassland or lake environments?

The problem was that I worried the person who made the system might make another mistake if I took him.

Maybe I could tempt Yoohyun with the excuse that he should try getting along with a mount. Would he have time? I could look over his skills while I was at it.

“Grrh!”

When it seemed like it had warmed up enough, I let go of the loop. Peace proudly ran a lap around the training room with the rope in its mouth, then dropped it at my feet.

“Did you have fun? Was it fun?”

“Kkiang!”

He jumped into my arms, and I caught him before roughly scratching the back of his neck. Yeah, if you liked it, what did a little effort matter?

“Still, let’s play ball this time.”

We needed to take breaks in between. I walked over to a basket full of balls in every color, texture, and shape.

That was when it happened.

Click.

The closed door opened, and the MKC Hunter entered.

What was this?

“Did something happen?”

Instead of answering, he shut the door.

Something felt... wrong.

“...Mr. Seo Minseong?”

The instant I thought I had a bad feeling about this.

Fwoosh!

Red powder scattered through the air. A sweet scent spread with a faint shimmer. An item’s effect flashed through my mind. An instant sleeping powder that cost 500 per gram.

“Peace, mmph!”

The MKC Hunter had somehow moved behind me. He grabbed me and roughly covered my mouth.

“Grrrnn.”

Peace staggered weakly in front of me. All four legs trembled as if it were trying to endure it, but it eventually collapsed and fell asleep.

Damn it!

I struggled to pull away the hand over my mouth and the arm wrapped around my waist, but neither budged.

...He was B-Class. There was no chance. Even if I took out and wore every piece of equipment in my inventory, the result would be the same. Maybe it would be different if he had only just Awakened and was Level 1, but someone sent as a guard would be high-level.

‘Did MKC decide to betray me?’

That would be taking far too much of a risk. Unless they had a truckload of monsters suitable as mounts hidden away, kidnapping me after securing such favorable terms would cost them far more than it gained them.

Then the closed door opened again, and several men pushed in a cart carrying large bags.

One C-Class, two D-Class, and one E-Class.

They looked completely calm despite seeing me restrained, so they were not from Haeyeon. They were also wearing inventory sealing bracelets, which confirmed it. But their ranks were too low for them to be MKC personnel.

“Why is he fine?”

The C-Class asked in confusion.

“It didn’t work. Looks like Haeyeon gave him some kind of antidote item.”

The MKC B-Class spoke. I did not like hearing his voice from above my head.

“The Watchman’s Fruit did nothing at all. His Poison Resistance must be at least B-Class. Looks like his little brother got him something good.”

The bastard grinned.

I swallowed my rising irritation and assessed the situation.

First, these bastards and the MKC B-Class were working together. If low and mid-rank Hunters wearing inventory sealing bracelets had come to the training room with luggage, they were likely members of one of Haeyeon’s small or mid-sized affiliate guilds.

In other words, MKC was not involved, but they had done something incredibly stupid.

For a giant guild, they were fucking idiots. I asked them to send a guard, and they sent a spy instead.

‘That bastard Seo Minseong is either into gambling or drugs.’

There were not many reasons for a B-Class from a successful giant guild to do this. Could MKC not even manage its own members properly? No wonder they would be the first to collapse!

“Take the monster and check the items.”

At the C-Class’s order, one of the D-Classes approached me. Watching him come over without a hint of caution, I almost sighed. He was D-Class, and yet he was such an idiot...

“Where is the antidote item...”

Thud!

“Ugh!”

I kicked the idiot in the solar plexus as hard as I could. Seeing him roll across the floor made me feel a little better. The men checking Peace turned toward me with startled expressions.

“Wasn’t he F-Class?!”

Those bastards were idiots too. With five giant guilds backing me, did they think I would not have equipment boosting my stats?

The C-Class, at least, had more experience and did not look surprised.

“You idiots, shut up. Everyone knows Haeyeon’s guildmaster cherishes his older brother. Did you think he would only give him an antidote item?”

What did he mean, cherishes? Rumors really got inflated. How embarrassing.

“Fuck, that bastard!”

The idiot I kicked cursed at me, only to be scolded for making noise again. He could make more noise if he wanted. Damn it, the training room was unnecessarily soundproof.

Of course, there were no security cameras either. Hiding one’s abilities to some extent was the most basic thing for a Hunter. What idiot would use a training room if it had surveillance cameras? Especially since outside guilds used this place too, they had to be even more sensitive about information.

“Stay still!”

The kicked idiot cautiously approached me and barked. He was supposedly D-Class, yet he could not even dodge one kick from an F-Class. All talk.

And I was an F-Class being firmly restrained.

What was the point of having D-Class stats? He was an inferior idiot with a life worth less than F-Class. Just let go of my mouth for a second. I would not scream. I just wanted to curse at that bastard.

The idiot carefully took off my gloves, then removed my bracelet as well.

Meanwhile, another idiot opened the bag they had brought and dumped out its contents. He put the sleeping Peace into a box placed in the center of the bag, closed the lid, and covered it with the items he had taken out.

‘Damn it, there’s a one-hundred-percent chance they’ll get out without being caught.’

They had already been inspected when they came in, and it was a pitiful group of only one C-Class, two D-Classes, and an E-Class. It was unlikely they would be thoroughly searched on their way out. They would probably just open the bag once, look inside, and be done.

There had to be some way to make them inspect it thoroughly...

“Is this the antidote item?”

Then the idiot reached toward my earlobe.

Wait, hold on. How many times had I used the Sprout skill? Once on each of the five people here, and one person out of habit on the way to the training room...

Six times.

My Mana stat had not risen, so it was still at 2. Not enough time had passed for mana to recover, and using the Sprout skill three times consumed half of it, so damn it. If he took off my earring, it would fall below ten percent...

‘I’m screwed.’

The bastard removed the Black Fairy Earrings, and a vicious headache hit me as my vision blurred.

* * *

Splash!

“Pfft, what the hell!”

Water? I coughed and tried to wipe my face, only to find my wrists tied together. Cable ties. They were thick, but not zip cuffs. They were not strong enough that I could not break them, even with F-Class stats.

Still, they had dutifully put the inventory sealing bracelet on me. It was useless against me anyway.

“You’re finally awake.”

An unfamiliar face looked down at me.

My headache lingered a little, but it would be better to identify my opponent even if I passed out again.

I sat up and used the Sprout skill on the man sitting in a chair. Fortunately, the status window appeared without making me lose consciousness.

B-Class stats, attack-type initial skill, Kim Woojae. It was a name I did not remember. Still, he was B-Class. If he belonged to the guild of the idiots who kidnapped me, he was probably at least the vice guildmaster or guildmaster.

I leaned against the wall and looked around. It was an ordinary, not very large office. There were no windows, though. Was this underground?

“Why throw water at me instead of using an awakening stimulant? This isn’t an eighties Namsan interrogation room.”

There were plenty of good medicines made from dungeon byproducts. Of course, even an awakening stimulant would not have worked on me.

Where was Peace? Had they locked it up somewhere else?

“You seem relaxed. Do you believe someone will come rescue you? You should give up.”

The man sneered.

“Aren’t you the one who’s too confident? Five guilds and the Association will obviously get involved. Think you can handle that?”

Come on, turn into an exposition-loving villain. Should a proper villain not explain every detail of his plan from beginning to end to a helpless opponent?

“It’s only a matter of time.”

Fortunately, he was a diligent villain.

“Seo Minseong, your guard, is still standing in front of the training room. Why would anyone come looking for you when they do not even know you have been kidnapped? By the time the disappearance of a magical beast breeder becomes known, we’ll be on a ship to Japan.”

“Japan? Are they behind this?”

“Not behind it. It’s where the auction will be held. If we hand you over safely, we receive half the winning bid. The guild or country that wins the auction will guarantee our safety and support us until we get established.”

Ah, I see. How wonderful for you.

Japan. Of course, no one would dare sell me domestically, and nearby countries reachable by ship included Japan, China, and Russia.

Could I be rescued before I was neatly packaged and put up for auction?

It would be easy to guess they would leave by sea, and considering my value, the Coast Guard would likely be mobilized. So even if they boarded a ship, I could be rescued as long as they had not crossed territorial waters.

Which meant all I could do now was stall for as long as possible.

“Why wake me up? It would have been easier if I stayed unconscious.”

“Whether an F-Class is unconscious or awake makes no difference.”

He was not wrong, which made it more annoying. In my current condition, I had no chance of beating a B-Class even if I died and came back to life. Even wearing the equipment in my inventory, I could not handle a C-Class.

“Then what? Did you suddenly feel like wasting water?”

Instead of answering, he stared at me for a long moment.

What? Why? What?

“Have you given up, or are you just fearless?”

He looked bothered by how calm I was. I did have Fear Resistance L, so I probably had legendary guts. Still, what was he trying to do, intimidating a pitiful kidnapped F-Class?

“Your face and what’s inside your head are at about the same level.”

“...What?”

“They’re equally unbearable to look at.”

Bang!

He kicked the desk. The metal legs bent, and miscellaneous items spilled from the tilted surface onto the floor.

Seriously, what was he doing?

“Uneducated idiots are always so good at showing off their strength.”

“So you are fearless.”

He kicked back his chair and stood. Was he angry? Pissed off? It did not seem like he was angry enough yet.

I smiled as though I had heard an unfunny joke.

“If the round thing between your shoulders is not just decoration, you should know I have nothing to be scared of. If it is decoration, sorry. Honestly, it’s too messy to be ornamental. And it doesn’t look like it works very well either...”

Thud!

His foot slammed hard into my stomach.

Ah, fuck. That hurt. I could not even make a sound.

“You’re acting up without knowing your place.”

“I know my place, cough, very well. I possess a special skill that every guild in the country, no, the world, would love to have. A common B-Class combat Hunter like you, fuck, could bring in a truckload and still not compare, aaagh!”

A sharp pain shot up from my ankle. The sole of his combat boot twisted and pressed down on it hard. It felt as though he were about to break it.

Damn it, do not break it, just cut it off. A fracture would not buy me much time.

A small guild would not have a proper healer or high-grade potions that were difficult to procure. If I acted like I was dying of blood loss, they would have no choice but to take me to a hospital.

Of course, there was the option of letting me die, but if they did that, he would be dead too. A small guild could not have arranged the ship to Japan and the auction by itself. There were definitely people backing them, perhaps the auction house that would take the other half of the winning bid or giant foreign guilds eagerly waiting for the goods to arrive.

If anything happened to me, neither this bastard nor anyone involved would have a place to set foot anywhere, domestic or foreign. More than a few S-Classes would go mad after losing their chance to get a high-grade mount.

So they would protect my life as carefully as their own.

‘Should I pretend my organs ruptured from that kick to the stomach?’

Biting my tongue and coughing up blood would be noticed immediately. I was wondering whether there was any act effective enough to fool a B-Class, or whether I should make him lose his mind further, when a rough hand grabbed my hair.

“Urgh...”

“Yes, Han Yujin. You are a treasure that cannot be compared to an ordinary B-Class combat Hunter. Who would dare harm that precious body? It makes sense that you would be so confident.”

...His voice was furious, but his tone was calm. I could not tell whether I should provoke him more.

“So I’ll introduce you to a good friend. You’ll have a wonderful time.”

* * *

Crash!

My body rolled across the cold floor with a deafening clatter.

“...Ugh.”

He just threw a person in here.

The place he dragged me to was a dark, closed-off space like a storage room. A ceiling light gave off a murky glow, and thick iron bars stood along the wall opposite the entrance.

What an atmosphere.

There was probably something behind those bars.

“Kreke have a habit of storing food when they are full.”

Kreke? A monster? I had never heard the name before.

The man continued his explanation with an arrogant expression.

“They preserve food by placing a curse on its entire body, making it rigid and inflicting pain. In just thirty minutes, even the toughest bastard will beg and plead to be let out, promising anything.”

He gave a sinister grin.

A curse? That was more than welcome.

“Thirty minutes? Is that all? You should use it longer.”

The more time I could stall, the better. But the bastard only sneered before walking out and locking the door.

Then the lowered iron bars rose, and something black crawled out.

“Grrrrr.”

It was a huge reptile, a little longer than a person was tall, with slimy skin that looked as though it had been covered in mud. It resembled a salamander, but it had six legs, and things like sea anemone tentacles waved from its back like smoke.

‘Curses do not matter because I have a resistance skill, but...’

It was disgustingly ugly.

Ugh, do not come closer. Go away.

Then the salamander, which had been crawling slowly toward me, abruptly stopped a few steps away. The chain attached to its collar drew taut.

And then,

[All skill effects are doubled when facing Kreke!]

A system message appeared.

Huh?

‘...Is it Raucitas’s Natural Enemy skill?’

That black, disgusting salamander was a curse-and-poison dragon species. But even if my skill effects doubled, I had no combat skills. My Agility and Mental Strength Up skills would not make much of a difference even doubled. Other than those...

Ah.

‘Would the Keyword effect be doubled too?’

It counted as a skill, after all. If it applied twice as quickly and easily, I could use that salamander.

I had nothing to lose, so I would try.

‘Ow!’

A sharp pain ran through my stepped-on ankle when I tried to stand. It did not seem broken, but there might be a crack. It was not bad enough to stop me from moving, so I grabbed the wall and staggered to my feet.

Then,

Scrabble!

The black salamander recoiled in panic.

Huh? What was wrong with it?

Its eyes were wide, and it panted with its swollen throat. No matter how I looked at it, it seemed terrified.

But I was F-Class.

‘...Is it because of the Dragon Slayer title?’

I had earned the title by killing Raucitas, the king of curse-and-poison dragons, alone. It had not done anything in the previous dungeon, but it seemed to affect other curse-and-poison dragon species.

Anyway, it would not hurt if it was a little scared. It would be easier to approach, and there was that suspension bridge effect.

I took a bottle of powdered mana stones out of my inventory and gave the crouching salamander a kind smile.

“Come on, Blackie. Good boy. Want something tasty?”

Finely ground C-Class mana stones that went down smoothly. Come here.

Footnotes:

“An eighties Namsan interrogation room” references Namsan’s association with interrogation under South Korea’s former military regimes.

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