WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 50: A Date for Now (1)

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“Uh... um.”

His eyes were red, as if he had been crying the whole time. His complexion was pale, and he looked so limp that he resembled a paper doll fished out of water and hastily dried.

He looked worse than I did after being kidnapped.

“...Are you okay?”

Though I was supposed to be the one hearing that.

The instant the words left my mouth, huge tears began rolling down Myeongu’s cheeks. Was he going to throw himself into my arms next? Well, he must have been very worried, so I should accept it calmly. He had fed me plenty, after all.

But Yu Myeongu only cried silently without coming near me. What was wrong with him? Had the shock been too much? Should he be the one going to the hospital instead of me?

“...I’m fine. I’m completely fine. I’m not hurt anywhere.”

I didn’t know what to do, so say something already. Should I put Peace down and hug him first to comfort him? I was the victim here.

“...There was nothing I could do.”

Myeongu finally spoke.

“I really... couldn’t do anything...”

Guilt stained his strained voice.

It was not as though I could not understand. Someone who had helped him several times had been in danger, and he had probably been stuck at home the whole time.

But.

“It wasn’t your fault. You were trapped and couldn’t even move around.”

Yu Myeongu was neither a guild member nor even an ordinary employee. He was only staying here under an arrangement where I had hired him. So when something sensitive happened within the guild, like this incident, his actions would naturally be restricted.

No, it would have been fortunate if it ended with simple house arrest. He could easily have been suspected and investigated as well.

“You’re an outsider, after all. If you had stepped in for no reason, it might have made things worse. So don’t worry about it.”

“But I...”

Myeongu swallowed the rest of his words, bit down on his lip, then wiped his tears away. He raised his bowed head, and what appeared on his damp face was a smile.

Um, excuse me, that made me even more worried.

“Sorry. You must be tired, and I’ve been bothering you. Come in.”

“No, it’s fine...”

That reaction was more concerning. What was this? If he had clung to me and bawled his eyes out, I could have thought, He’s acting like usual, and let it go. But the atmosphere around him felt unpleasant, as if he had sorted things out alone, reached a conclusion, and hardened his resolve.

“I’m really fine. This is a problem the guilds that contracted to protect me should deal with in the first place.”

I repeated myself as I took off my shoes and stepped inside. Myeongu nodded absentmindedly and asked whether I wanted something simple to eat.

I had planned to sleep early, but I had missed both lunch and dinner, so I thought I should fill my stomach a little. Besides, considering Myeongu’s state, it was hard to refuse.

He really would be okay, right? I couldn’t have him suddenly leave, saying he was sorry he had been no help. I would have to keep an eye on him for a while.

* * *

Grrrr.

Peace jumped onto the bed and turned in a circle. It seemed to feel better after eating.

“You can’t climb onto the bed without washing your paws. Come here.”

I picked Peace up and headed for the bathroom attached to the bedroom. It let out a pitiful whine, pretending it was suffering.

“You went outside, so you need a wash. We weren’t exactly clean either.”

Whiiine.

“Yes, yes. We’ll just take a quick shower.”

Was it because it was a feline with a fire affinity? It really hated being washed. By the time I had coaxed it through the shower, dried it off, and even blow-dried its fur, I was tired despite my increased stats. It was probably more mental than physical, but if I went back to my original stats and had to take care of five of them, would I not die of overwork?

“Let’s sleep now.”

I turned off the light, lay on the bed, and closed my eyes. Not long after, I opened them again. In the dimness, I could see Peace curled up against me. Its red fur, streaked with gold, stood out more clearly than usual.

My night vision had improved too.

As I watched Peace sleep, breathing evenly, I took a glass bottle from my inventory. The red stone inside gave off a faint glow.

‘Still, they’re all S-Class or future S-Class.’

Yu Myeongu had F-Class stats, but he would not be raiding dungeons, so he would be safe. Once he gained a skill, he would probably receive almost as much protection as I did.

I did not need to worry much about the other four. Even five years later, when dungeon difficulty increased, only one S-Class Hunter in the world had died during a raid. ...Two, if I included Yoohyun. Anyway, it meant they would not die unless they did something incredibly stupid.

There had been quite a few cases where Hunters got into fights with each other and things went wrong. But Korea had been relatively peaceful.

Even A-Class Hunters had a very low death rate during raids. Low-rank Hunters died in great numbers simply because there were so many of them, while among mid-rank Hunters, B-Class Hunters surprisingly had a higher death rate than C-Class Hunters. Unlike C-Class Hunters, B-Class Hunters also entered high-rank dungeons.

‘For my own peace of mind, it would be better to apply the Keyword only to people who can become S-Class, or at least A-Class.’

They would know how to take care of a high-rank mount because it was so valuable.

If things really went badly, I could turn off Poison Resistance and rely on modern medicine. Before I regressed, when I had done nothing but drink, some people suddenly appeared and dragged me to a hospital for alcoholism treatment. They treated me well.

‘...Could that have been Yoohyun’s doing?’

I had not been in my right mind then, so I had not thought much of it, but it was strange that someone had broken down my front door after I had only spent about a week drowning in alcohol. The facilities and counseling had been far too good, too. The counselor had even given me a business card and told me to call anytime things got difficult. I wondered whether they still worked there.

Anyway, if possible, I did not want Final Grace to activate again. Everyone was far too valuable for it to end after only seven days.

I put the glass bottle back into my inventory and closed my eyes again.

* * *

The next day, I stayed inside all day. Peace did not particularly want to go out, and Myeongu did not go sharpen blades either. Instead, he made me snacks.

I had not known he had talent for baking as well. It took effort to stop myself from blurting out that I wanted to live with him forever.

In the afternoon, Yoohyun came by with a locksmith. They had searched the entire building, but they had not found the key to the inventory sealing bracelet.

Of course they had not. I had it. I should have left it somewhere suitable, but I had forgotten and brought it with me.

“And Hunter Park Yerim was hit with a stat-lowering curse for breaching her contract.”

I was rubbing the wrist where the bracelet had been when Yoohyun dropped that startling statement.

“What? Breaching her contract?”

Ah... Well, she had contracted to guard me, so it could count as a breach.

From what I heard, she had not been cursed right after I was kidnapped, but later. It was probably when I was being beaten up. Since the contract had used the vague condition of guarding me, it seemed the curse regarded a certain level of violence against the person being guarded as the standard. When I had been kidnapped, I had only been captured. I had passed out because of mana depletion.

“If you contact the Association once and say Hunter Park Yerim did not breach the contract, that part will be settled. The curse can be lifted by the owner of the curse skill. The problem is that Hunter Park Yerim is refusing.”

“Why?”

“She says she failed to keep the contract, so she should pay the price.”

Yerim really was being stubborn over something unnecessary.

“I’ll talk to her.”

“Please do. She listens to you.”

Not that well.

“Ah, wait.”

I stopped Yoohyun as he turned to leave after finishing his business. He looked back at me.

“About Gate Stones. Do you happen to have any to spare?”

My face felt hot asking for something that would still be valuable five years from now, let alone now. But I really needed one.

At the moment, I was close to being an A-Class combat Hunter. In other words, I could raid a low-rank dungeon alone.

Of course, my real goal was not dungeon raiding. It was making contact with the person who made the system.

If I used Lizard on the Wall at maximum strength, slipping outside would not be difficult. If I bought an F-Class dungeon exclusive entry pass, confidentiality would be guaranteed too.

The problem was that another system error could occur and an out-of-rank monster could appear.

‘It would be enough to contact the person who made the system in front of the dungeon entrance, use Lizard on the Wall if anything happened, and get out immediately. But I don’t know if they’ll contact me before the entrance closes.’

I wanted to keep a Gate Stone for emergencies. If necessary, I could wait only until the entrance closed, then come back out if there was no contact. But that would be a waste of money and opportunity. There were only six days left for Final Grace’s effect, too.

“Why? Don’t tell me you’re planning to enter a dungeon?”

My little brother immediately frowned.

“No, I can’t avoid dungeons forever. I want to raise my level to around thirty little by little. Who knows? Maybe I’ll gain a defensive skill or something.”

Of course, I had nothing like that. What even was my aptitude? Was I just such an ordinary, unremarkable Person A that I had no aptitude at all?

“But after this incident, and after that strange bird appeared last time too, I’ve been feeling uneasy. I know it’s valuable, of course...”

Damn, the more I spoke, the more pathetic I sounded. Should I just win a few exclusive bids and go in and out? Was there a penalty for winning an exclusive bid and leaving without raiding? I had never wasted money like that or considered doing it, so I could not remember.

“...It’s certainly not a bad idea to reach level thirty. Your level-ten skill is S-Class, and one of your initial skills is A-Class, so there’s a high chance you’ll gain another high-rank skill.”

Though unwilling, Yoohyun nodded.

“Instead, I’ll choose both the dungeon and the team that goes with you. Is that okay?”

“I was going to need your help anyway. I can’t even raid an F-Class dungeon alone.”

When I joked around, Yoohyun took out a Gate Stone. My conscience prickled. Still, while my stats were F-Class, I would absolutely not do anything reckless.

“You have a spare one, right?”

If this was his only one, it would be better not to accept it.

“I do. It’s an item that should never need to be used in the first place. If I use a Gate Stone, it means I’ve lost most of the main raid team. It’s better than dying too, but the guild would be in terrible shape.”

He said something terrifying with a smile. As he said, it was an item that was much better left unused. I nodded in agreement and put the Gate Stone in my inventory.

I should look for an F-Class dungeon nearby where exclusive bidding was possible.

* * *

“Peace, we need to go out today, okay?”

Normally, it would have been whining to go outside first, but Peace seemed reluctant to leave again today. It had been asleep and did not even know what had happened, but the aftereffects were severe.

Thinking I could not leave him like this, I picked him up and forced him outside. It would be nice if we could go outdoors instead of to the underground training room.

I soothed Peace as it flicked its tail in dissatisfaction in my arms and headed toward the elevator. The person assigned to guard me today was...

‘Huh? That face is...’

I recognized her. A woman as beautiful as a fairy, with bright blond hair and deep blue eyes so dark they were nearly navy. She gave me a radiant smile.

“Hello! I’m Kang Soyoung from Sesung!”

Kang Soyoung, Sesung’s A-Class Hunter. She was a British woman who had been recruited by the Sesung Guildmaster and had also obtained Korean citizenship. Hunters above B-Class could hold dual citizenship without conditions.

She was a Hunter with enough talent that Seong Hyeonje had brought her in personally, and later she even served as acting Guildmaster.

She was nineteen now, and...

‘There were rumors about her and Yoohyun.’

It had never been confirmed that they were dating, but the rumors had spread widely. Perhaps this young lady could become my sister-in-law.

She was even prettier in person. There was still a youthful look about her, which made her cute too. Her expression was bright and lovely.

“Hello, I’m Han Yujin. I look forward to working with you today.”

“I look forward to it too!”

Yes, cute. She seemed to have a good personality too. Her cheerful voice naturally brought a smile to my face.

“This must be Peace. It’s much cuter than it looks on TV!”

Kang Soyoung said in a bubbly tone. Our Peace really was cute. She was a good young lady after all.

“You’re going to the training room, right?”

“Yes.”

She pressed the elevator button and looked at me with sparkling eyes. Her expression resembled that of a fan seeing a celebrity, which made me a little embarrassed.

“I was really shocked when I heard the news. I’m so relieved you’re safe.”

“Thank you for worrying about me.”

“I mean it. Really. Han Yujin, you’re my only hope.”

“Hope?”

What hope? Kang Soyoung stepped into the elevator and nodded eagerly.

“Actually, I have an SS-Class skill.”

She spoke quietly. An SS-Class skill? I had never heard that Kang Soyoung had one. I wanted to use Sprout on her, but she was staring at me too intently right now. I should use it secretly later.

“If you don’t mind, could you tell me what skill it is?”

“Well... You’ll find out eventually anyway, Han Yujin.”

Kang Soyoung lowered her voice even further. Then she whispered.

“I’m a Dragon Rider.”

Ah... I could see why I was her hope. Truly.

The most difficult monsters to tame were dragon species. Moreover, Kang Soyoung was an A-Class Hunter, so finding a dragon species mount suitable for her rank must have been nearly impossible. Dragon species mounts were hard enough to obtain that she could not use them as expendable ones, so she had probably been forced to act as though her SS-Class skill did not exist.

“You must have had a hard time.”

Kang Soyoung nodded with a deeply pained expression.

“Yes. I can’t explain in detail, but it’s a really, really good skill. If I have a dragon species mount appropriate to my rank. But where am I supposed to find a dragon species mount, and at least a high-grade one too...?”

She even started to tear up as she spoke. How frustrating it must have been for an attack-type Hunter to be unable to use an SS-Class skill.

“Even if it’s a dragon species, it must be hard to find a hatchling monster.”

Even if I could raise a mount, I could not create something out of nothing. There had to be a high-rank dragon hatchling to raise first.

“Don’t worry! There’s an S-Class dungeon under Sesung’s jurisdiction where dragon nests occasionally appear. The problem is that they only appear as eggs, and they can’t be hatched. But this time, we’re preparing thoroughly and decided to wait until one hatches naturally.”

“...You must all be going through a lot.”

“If things go well, we could get a top-grade monster hatchling. It’s worth the effort.”

Well, it was a dragon species. If they could obtain one, it would become the best possible mount. And combined with Kang Soyoung’s impressive SS-Class skill... She might be A-Class in name, but she would rival an S-Class.

Ah, I wanted to introduce her to my little brother. They probably already knew each other by sight. Could they meet a little earlier than before I regressed? Even if they had not officially dated, there must have been some mutual interest for those rumors to appear.

We arrived at the training room amid the warm atmosphere. But Peace showed no intention of climbing down from my arms. When I loosened my hold, it crawled onto my shoulder and clung tightly to me.

Whimper.

“Oh...”

“Peace must have been deeply shocked by the kidnapping...”

Kang Soyoung said with a worried expression.

“Even though he was asleep the whole time, he must have sensed something. I wish I could help him feel better, but we can’t go outside.”

“Ah, then how about going to our guild building? We have a rooftop garden. It’s spacious and beautifully maintained!”

“A rooftop garden?”

It was tempting, but the problem was that my little brother probably would not let me go.

“Unfortunately, with the kidnapping incident and all, I think it would be difficult to go out right now.”

Kang Soyoung puffed out her chest confidently.

“Don’t worry. We’ll bring in more people and protect you perfectly. Besides, the Guildmaster is at the guild right now. It’s safer than anywhere else!”

Hm. Suddenly, I did not want to go.

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