WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 62: All Set (2)

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“Finally, you contacted me. Can I get my hopes up?”

Seok Hayan sat in the chair across from me, her eyes shining. Today, too, she wore a flamboyant long dress that looked suited for a resort. Large pineapple-shaped earrings dangled from her ears.

“Take a look at this first.”

I held out a tablet containing data from the Japanese dungeons. Her pale fingers brushed over the screen a few times, and her eyes gradually widened.

“This is...”

Seok Hayan’s fingers moved faster. Her gaze darted up and down the screen. After a short while, she set the tablet down on the table. She took a long, deep breath before speaking.

“This is reliable research, right?”

“Yes. I guarantee it.”

“So much data in such a short time... And it’s all been systematically organized as well.”

“Is there anything that needs supplementing?”

“You shouldn’t be asking me that. I’ve barely investigated any domestic dungeons yet. The Hunter Association hasn’t been very cooperative. Of course, it would be strange for them to grant access to someone who hasn’t properly prepared anything yet. That’s why I was trying to establish a lab.”

“By the way, has Haeyeon Guild contacted you about the lab?”

Seok Hayan nodded.

“My uncle said he was willing to help. But I don’t really want to belong to a single guild. I don’t want research results about dungeons to be used too commercially. Of course, I’m not saying Haeyeon Guild would do that, but I’d like dungeon information to be freely available to everyone, or at least available to everyone who pays the same price.”

“That’s truly admirable. I agree with you. But if you produce useful results, it’ll be difficult for you to protect them on your own.”

Seok Hayan’s brow creased slightly at my words.

“That’s true. Would it be better to cooperate with Haeyeon Guild after all?”

“That wouldn’t be a bad option, but I’d like to make you an offer.”

“You, Mr. Han Yujin?”

“Yes. You know I’m building a monster rearing facility, correct?”

“Of course. I saw it under construction on my way here. Ah, could it be!”

Bang! Seok Hayan slapped the table.

“I saw it in the news! The monster rearing facility being built now, along with the building beside it, will be protected by five guilds for the next five years, right? Are you offering me space for my lab there?”

Quick on the uptake. There was no need for a long explanation.

“Yes. Its safety can be guaranteed for at least five years. An A-rank Hunter will be stationed there, and Haeyeon Guild next door can provide immediate support in an emergency.”

Of course, that wouldn’t be enough once research results began coming out.

‘An S-rank Hunter will be necessary after all.’

The Riette siblings would be perfect. Or at least the younger one. They didn’t belong to a guild, and their abilities were excellent. We’d already followed each other. I planned to build up a public friendship by exchanging comments, then contact them properly.

‘A top-grade monster would be best, though.’

Magical beasts were far less likely than people to be coaxed over or betray me. They wouldn’t need to leave their posts to raid dungeons, either. The problem was that, for now, getting a top-grade monster cub was harder than finding an S-rank Hunter. There were only two so far: Peace, and the one currently arriving by ship.

A guild capable of clearing S-rank dungeons wouldn’t willingly hand over a monster cub it had struggled to obtain. If things didn’t work out, should I assign one that was supposed to protect me? I’d have kids swarming around me soon enough anyway.

For now, it was only Haeyeon, but once monster cubs started arriving from all over, the guilds would protect the place even more thoroughly for the sake of those kids. I hated to put it this way, but they’d become a sort of hostage. No, would that make it monster-hostage-taking?

“More importantly, this will become a place that leading guilds from Korea and around the world seek out on their own. I mean Hunters who primarily raid high-grade dungeons, where information is relatively scarce. Since they’ll be visiting from a weaker negotiating position, it won’t be difficult to obtain information from them. I intend to cooperate with that as well. And since they’re high-rank Hunters who’ll need dungeon research results the most, you can build connections with them yourself. Depending on what you do, your lab could grow as much as you like without my help.”

It could become more than a lab. It could easily become a massive independent institution.

“Ah...”

Seok Hayan froze.

“Is that so? I suppose it is?”

“All S-rank Hunters will visit at least once. Especially if they need to entrust a top-grade monster, they’ll have no choice but to come in person out of concern.”

Or they’d send several A-rank Hunters at minimum.

“Um, honestly, that sort of thing is difficult for me.”

Seok Hayan spoke hesitantly.

“My grandfather has always had excellent connections, so I rarely had to ask anyone for favors while earning my degrees. So negotiating and coordinating over research results, rather than simply presenting at an academic conference, is a little... I’m good at shutting myself away in a lab for months at a time, though.”

“You made an offer to me just fine.”

“Oh, that was less of an offer and more of a headlong charge. And I thought of you as a fellow researcher.”

That was true. She had simply rushed in, saying we should research and cooperate together.

“Don’t worry. You can’t, and shouldn’t, handle everything alone.”

It would be a waste for Seok Hayan to deal with every minor matter herself. Specialists should handle negotiations and the like, too.

“You won’t be running the lab alone, either.”

“Yes, yes! Of course. Oh, would you like to see this?”

Seok Hayan held out her phone. A photograph was displayed on the screen. Seok Hayan stood with five foreign-looking men and women. They were of various ages and ethnicities, from people around her age to middle-aged and elderly people.

“This is D-Mate. It’s a dungeon and Awakened research group in its second year.”

“A research group?”

“Yes. Of course, I haven’t told them about the data you said you’d provide yet. Would it be all right if I brought my friends? They’ll all be delighted.”

I looked more closely at the photo. I recognized the gray-haired elderly person and the middle-aged woman. They were researchers who had belonged to Dungeon Persons alongside Seok Hayan. I vaguely remembered them from appearing on TV with her a few times as representatives.

“If they’re people you trust, Seok Hayan, they’re welcome.”

“That’s a little pressure, you know.”

“Why would it be pressure? It’s your lab to begin with.”

“Still, you’re helping with far too much for me to act however I please. Oh, this is Jaden. Jaden’s more interested in Awakened than dungeons, so if this is a place high-rank Hunters often visit, they’ll probably pay to stay here. Once they hear about it, they won’t sleep for two nights and three days while calling for Jesus.”

As Seok Hayan introduced the other members, her face seemed to glow. Her voice was as cheerful as a song. They appeared to be a very close-knit team.

‘It seems like they’ll do well on their own as long as I support them appropriately.’

So she had a research group. Of course, people passionate and capable enough to study dungeons wouldn’t have been doing nothing until now.

“Take the tablet with you for now.”

“Is that really all right? Aren’t you worried about the data leaking?”

“It only covers some Japanese dungeons anyway. And rather than the dungeon generation laws, I’d like you to research something else first. Mana saturation, for instance.”

“But aren’t the generation laws the most urgent matter?”

“They are, but only for the time being. There’s something I need to confirm separately.”

There was also the issue with Riette, and the dungeon generation laws might have changed from the original future. I’d need to confirm it when I met the system folks in a few days.

This time, I hoped they would tell me everything properly and let me clear things up once and for all.

* * *

When I returned home, I found Myeongu anxiously pacing around the living room. He was circling the table over and over as though circumambulating a pagoda.

[Sharpen the edges of 10,000 blades. (Progress: 9,839/10,000)]

There weren’t even two hundred left now. It would end today.

“Are you that nervous?”

Myeongu came to an abrupt stop. Maybe he had slept poorly last night, because the whites of his eyes were bloodshot.

“...I think I did it too quickly. What if I rushed through it carelessly and get some weird D-rank skill or lower?”

“That won’t happen.”

I said it firmly, took out Peace, then went to my room and brought Peep as well. After placing Peep on my head, I picked Peace up. The two of them kept trying to cling to me, which was troublesome. At least Peep would stay apart quietly for an hour or two if I gave it a mana stone bottle, but Peace didn’t even have that. Peace wasn’t going to keep demanding to be held after growing up, right?

“But... if something useless comes out, you’ll be disappointed after all, won’t you...?”

“Even if that happens, don’t be too disappointed.”

An SS-rank skill would obviously appear, but even if some system error ruined everything, Yu Myeongu would still be an amazing person. If he found the right direction, he had the ability to succeed immediately and live in luxury.

“No, not me. I mean you...”

Myeongu said this with a gloomy expression. Huh? Me?

“Me? No, I won’t be disappointed.”

At my words, his gloomy face evolved into one of complete misery.

“Because you weren’t expecting anything in the first place...?”

“No, no. It’s not that I have no expectations. Of course I do. If I had no expectations at all, I wouldn’t have waited until the last day to come with you. But Myeongu, you’re already more than amazing enough to me as you are. Even if you don’t get a skill at all, there’s no way I’d be disappointed. It’s not just me. Yerim comes over to raid your fridge all the time, too.”

One day, she grabbed me and spent over an hour reviewing his food, starting with, “Myeongu is such a good cook, so you absolutely can’t let anyone hear about it. There won’t be enough left for us to eat!” I didn’t know why she was telling me instead of Myeongu, though.

“Honestly, even if you went into food service instead of becoming a Hunter, you’d be a huge success. Running a proper restaurant would be busy and exhausting, so a cafe would be good too. You could hire someone for drinks, then make and sell cookies or cakes or whatever. People would line up, and you’d end up opening franchise after franchise. If you want, I can make room for you anytime.”

I would oppose him opening a real restaurant because I’d be sad if he got too busy. It would definitely be packed to the brim.

“...I appreciate that, but I don’t really want to do that.”

“Really?”

That was unexpected. ...Didn’t he enjoy cooking? He had never shown any sign of that.

“Calm down and let’s go downstairs first. We need to see this through.”

“Okay.”

As Myeongu headed toward the entrance, he suddenly stopped and looked back at me.

“No matter what the result is, thank you. I mean it. So if you aren’t disappointed, Yujin, then I’ll be fine too.”

“I told you I won’t be disappointed.”

When I said it again, Myeongu’s expression brightened considerably.

* * *

I went down to the Equipment Management Team with Myeongu. An A-rank Hunter accompanied us, of course, and somehow I was carrying Peep and Peace as well. Peace refused to get down from my arms. Maybe I hadn’t paid enough attention lately because I had been busy raiding dungeons one after another. Peace was being especially stubborn for the first time in a while, so I had simply brought it along.

The Equipment Management Team members gave me strange looks because of it, but whatever. Maybe I should have put Peep on my shoulder instead of my head. It couldn’t keep its balance well on my shoulder, though.

The workshop Myeongu had used all this time had changed greatly since I first saw it. Two large new shelves had been brought in, making it much tidier, and the lights had been replaced with brighter ones. Even the chair in front of the grinder looked more comfortable and better than the old one.

“Looks like people put some thought into this?”

Myeongu scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Yeah. They said I work hard. One day, Mr. Minseok watched me sharpen blades and said I should join the management team if I was interested. He said I could make up for lacking strength with equipment.”

That was a natural reaction after seeing him work. He had looked impressive enough to captivate anyone watching.

“See? You really are amazing.”

It seemed the tension had truly eased now, because he gave me an awkward smile.

Yu Myeongu took his place in front of the grinder with practiced ease. I brought over the old chair that had been pushed into the corner and sat down. Once the power came on and the machine began to run,

“Peep!”

Peep flapped in surprise and tumbled onto my lap, on top of Peace. After righting itself, it tried to run toward the machine, so I quickly caught it. Maybe it hadn’t been startled. Maybe it was simply fascinated by the spinning grinder.

“Stay still.”

Meanwhile, Myeongu was skillfully sharpening blades. His movements remained precise, quick, uninterrupted, and graceful.

[Sharpen the edges of 10,000 blades. (Progress: 9,843/10,000)]

The number in the status window I had opened climbed without pause. Peace didn’t seem particularly interested, but Peep watched Myeongu sharpen blades with its beak hanging open. Did it understand what it was watching? It was a captivating sight even if it didn’t.

Before I had time to feel bored, the count passed 9,900. Then 9,910, 9,920, 9,930.

He usually said he took a break after sharpening around forty or fifty, but today he didn’t stop moving for even a moment. I worried he might make himself sick again, but it was the last stretch, so it would be all right.

And finally,

Clang!

The ten-thousandth blade fell onto the pile of blades on the floor.

(Progress: 10,000/10,000)

The condition in the status window faded away. I looked at Yu Myeongu, who had stopped moving. There was no visible change in him. But his gaze was fixed in empty space. He was looking at a message window I couldn’t see.

Had he succeeded? Had it appeared properly?

Only then did unease creep in.

“...Myeongu?”

Say something. Then I heard a rough intake of breath. Gasp. Thick tears ran down his cheeks and fell. The machine had stopped completely, and the blades scattered across the floor quietly reflected the light.

I waited silently. I didn’t need to wait long.

Scrape. The chair slid back, and Yu Myeongu stood up. When he turned to me, there wasn’t a trace of tears on his face. It was simply radiant.

He looked confident.

“Yujin.”

“Yeah.”

His voice was calm. Mine shook more than his.

“I got an SS-rank skill.”

The moment I heard those words, a smile naturally spread across my face. I had known it would happen, yet I laughed as though I had never expected it. I didn’t need to pretend to be happy. I was truly happy.

“Congratulations.”

I didn’t say much more. As though that was enough, he smiled too.

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