WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 70: Blue (3)
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I was going to ask the Hunter on guard today for help, just in case, but Yoohyun said he had time and came along. Only after I casually agreed did I remember Myeongu.
‘At this hour, he’ll be at the smithy.’
It would be a problem if he suddenly popped out of thin air, but it would also be a problem if Yoohyun noticed he wasn’t home. There was no way someone with S-Class stats wouldn’t notice whether anyone was in the apartment.
Should I use this chance to introduce them so they could get closer? It would be nice if Myeongu made Yoohyun a weapon first. Especially one of SS-Class or above.
“Do you remember Yu Myeongu? My friend.”
“Is he really your friend? You said you’d known each other since childhood, but I’ve never even heard his name before. I looked into it, and you lived in different places too.”
Yoohyun said this as he pressed the elevator button.
“You actually looked into that?”
“I wouldn’t let an outsider in without a background check.”
That was true, but usually people didn’t look into where someone had lived as a child.
“He’s still a friend. It’s not like we only spent a day or two together.”
Should I confess that we didn’t know each other before Myeongu gained the ability to verify things? Something like, I think I had the wrong person. It wasn’t like I’d been trying to scam him. If anything, it was the other way around. Would it really be a problem to say we hadn’t been friends?
“Anyway, be nice to him.”
“Why should I?”
“I can’t tell you the details without his permission, but he’ll be able to help you.”
A whole lot. More than just treating him nicely, he deserved to be practically worshipped.
“...What kind of skill did he get?”
“You’re sharp.”
“There isn’t any other reason. He was an ordinary person. I heard he went down to the Equipment Management Team every day to sharpen blades, but stopped a few days ago. He must have acquired it then. That makes it likely to be a special skill, and given the circumstances...”
Yoohyun’s brows drew together slightly.
“...Don’t tell me.”
“I guarantee it’s beyond whatever you’re thinking.”
A Crafting Skill with no rank restriction. Even I hadn’t expected that, despite knowing the name of his skill.
“So be good to him. Myeongu won’t be joining any particular guild. He’s planning to go independent with me.”
“With you?”
“Yeah. I told him it would be easier to belong to a guild, but he wants to be independent. Don’t get any ideas about bothering him either.”
I drove the point home as we stepped into the arriving elevator. But no answer came back. When I turned to look, Yoohyun was deep in thought.
“You won’t bother him, right?”
“What exactly is his skill?”
“Are you not going to answer?”
“...Fine.”
Yoohyun nodded as if he had no choice. As a guildmaster, he would naturally hesitate to make a definite promise. I had demanded an answer, but still, he gave in without putting up much of a fight. He was too soft, honestly.
We passed through the hallway and finally reached my apartment. Blue, nestled in my arms, had been quiet so far.
“I don’t think it’ll be possible to keep them from fighting altogether, so only step in if it gets serious.”
The gap in stats between Peep and Peace was so enormous that Peace had to go easy on Peep unilaterally, but this was different. Once they grew up, their abilities would be similar, so it would be better for them to establish a pecking order while they were still young. Peace and Blue would both stay by my side except when we were clearing dungeons, so it was even more necessary. If they fought after becoming adults, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“Peace, Daddy’s home.”
The moment I entered the entryway, I heard tiny feet pattering in front of the inner door. When I opened it, Peace, who had been spinning in circles before it, froze and looked up at me. No, not at me. At Blue in my arms.
Peace’s red tail, which would usually be wagging excitedly, was still. There was no whining either.
A tense silence fell between Peace and Blue. This was, um.
“It might be sudden, but this is your little sibling.”
- Kyau!
As if answering, Blue cried out and looked down at Peace with eyes full of curiosity. Blue didn’t seem hostile, at least. I took off my shoes and stepped inside, and Peace, who had been standing still as if frozen, scratched at my leg with a front paw. Peace wanted to be held.
“Wait a moment. Blue, you get down first.”
I tried to put Blue on the sofa. But the young gryphon clung to my arm, even extending their claws.
- Kyaa! Kyak!
“No. You have to let go.”
Just as Blue stubbornly refused, Peace sprang onto the sofa. Then Peace grabbed the wing of Blue, who was clinging to me, in their mouth.
Whoosh.
Peace flung Blue backward. I felt like I had seen something similar before.
- Kyak!
Blue flapped their wings and righted themself in midair. In the meantime, Peace climbed into my arms.
- Krrh.
Peace thumped their fluffy tail, then looked down at the young gryphon with golden eyes. Their expression said this was their place.
- Kyau?
- Grrrr.
- Kya! Kyaa!
Blue landed on the sofa, lowered their head, raised their rear, and wiggled it. No matter how I looked at it, that was the posture of someone about to pounce with all their strength. They weren’t going to burst my back open for no reason, were they? Yoohyun was here, so he would stop them.
- Kyauk!
With a spirited cry, Blue leaped toward Peace.
Smack!
- Kyak!
Peace’s front paw struck Blue’s yellow beak. The young gryphon spun through the air, then landed on their back on the sofa with a thump.
- Kyau, kyuu.
Blue covered their beak and whimpered. It didn’t look like Peace had hit them that hard.
- Kyuukyu.
“Blue, are you okay?”
- Kyau!
The instant Blue heard my voice, they sprang back up as if they had never been hurt. Our Blue was so tough. Still, it must have hurt quite a bit, because Blue didn’t rush at Peace again.
“Peace, Blue’s younger than you, so be nice.”
- Kkiang?
Peace tilted their head as if they had no idea what I meant. It was an innocent gesture, but... I had a feeling they were pretending not to understand.
“Come on, you get down too.”
- Krrrng.
“Go greet your little sibling.”
Peace reluctantly climbed down onto the sofa. I left the two alone and stepped back to watch. Blue looked a little nervous at first, then soon began hopping up and down in place.
- Kyakya! Kyaaa!
Peace stared steadily at Blue, who was bouncing around so wildly, then raised one front paw. At the same time, Blue froze completely.
- Kyuu.
- Grrr, kyang!
At the short, sharp bark, Blue planted their rear on the sofa and sat quietly. The two exchanged little cries and sniffs for a while, then Peace pressed Blue’s beak down with a front paw. After that, Peace turned to look at me.
Their gaze seemed to ask whether this was enough.
It had ended smoothly without bloodshed. As expected, our Peace was dependable.
“Good job! You’re such a good one.”
- Kkiang!
Peace puffed up proudly and ran over. I held Peace in my arms. Blue followed behind, looked up once at Peace in my arms, then flopped down by my feet. I felt a little sorry seeing how dejected Blue looked, but Peace came first.
“At this rate, I won’t have anything to worry about in the future. Our Peace is smart, isn’t that right?”
I turned to Yoohyun with satisfaction. Now I just needed to bring Peep in safely, but would it go well?
“Yujin.”
Just as I was about to go into the room to get Peep, Yu Myeongu came out from the kitchen. Whether it was because his stat rank had risen or because of all the hard labor, he had filled out and grown a little taller. He looked like a completely different person from when we first met.
More than that, his skin had changed as though he had gotten a tan. That spirit bastard said its contractor would be safe, so why was Myeongu slowly getting roasted?
“You got out early today?”
“You said you were bringing in a new monster. I came out to check, just in case.”
As he said that, Myeongu looked not at Blue but at Yoohyun. The system people said high-grade Awakened liked people with low stats and strong special skills. Try treating him warmly, Yoohyun.
“It’s been a while.”
My little brother did smile. It was obviously a business smile, though.
“There hasn’t been any particular reason for us to meet.”
Myeongu’s response was colder than I expected. It would be stranger if he had good feelings toward Yoohyun, though. Yoohyun had treated him like he didn’t exist whenever we went to dungeons, and when I was kidnapped, he had apparently just locked Myeongu in the apartment.
The mood had been a little awkward when we ate together too. Maybe I should have told Yoohyun to treat him better sooner.
“Is that the new one?”
“Yeah. Blue, a Golden Gryphon. The other two are unicorns, so I left them in the training room. Our cage at home is too small, but more importantly, you can’t keep gryphons and horses together.”
“Is Blue okay with Peace?”
“Our Peace put Blue in their place. The two of them should be fine, but I’m worried about Peep.”
With F-Class stats and such a small body, even an accidental tap could inflict a fatal injury on Peep. At my words, Myeongu took out a collar and bracelet made of leather and metal.
“Here, try this.”
When I accepted what he offered, a simple description window appeared.
[Safe Rearing Collar, B-Class
The collar wearer cannot attack the bracelet wearer.]
“It can block attacks up to C-Class stats. I originally made it for you, but the bracelet automatically adjusts in size, so you can put it on Peep.”
“You can make something like this too? You’re seriously amazing.”
Wow, he could make equipment with special effects too. He had said he could make anything as long as metal was involved, but this was still incredible. It was too versatile. It was cheating.
“It’s nothing.”
Myeongu spoke with satisfaction at my admiration. But why was he looking at Yoohyun instead of me?
“Making special items really is impressive.”
Yoohyun said. Good, well done. Praise him more.
“I’m only getting started. I can make simple items up to A-Class, so S-Class won’t be far off.”
“As a guildmaster, that’s something I can’t help but find appealing.”
“Still, I have a long way to go compared to our Yujin.”
“My brother’s skill is remarkable in many ways.”
Why did I come up there? Things were going well, then they veered off in a different direction. They were both smiling, but was the atmosphere good? Um... I should just go get Peep.
* * *
- Peep!
- Kyaa!
Peep, wearing a bracelet shrunken down like a bird band around their ankle, toddled along. Behind them, Blue, wearing the collar, followed like a puppy chasing a rolling ball and swatted with their front paws.
Boing!
Blue pressed down fairly hard, trying to catch Peep, but a soap-bubble-like barrier stopped them. Their attacks couldn’t get through, but Blue seemed to enjoy it anyway and kept batting at Peep.
- Kyaak! Kya!
- Peep, peep.
So cute. I took out my phone to record a video, then settled for taking pictures. The two guys were still talking behind me.
“Of course Yujin suggested it first. I only got this far thanks to Yujin.”
...Should I get Blue some magical horse meat? It might help with their growth, so that would be better. Which guild managed the dungeon where magical horse species appeared again?
“My brother has that side to him. Even with what happened recently, ah, you haven’t heard about it yet.”
It would be convenient if the Breaker Guild had one. Moon Hyuna would surely cooperate.
“It’s all right. It’s because of my own shortcomings that I couldn’t get involved in Yujin’s affairs and could only hover around the edges. Of course, that won’t be the case for much longer. I’ll be leaving Haeyeon Guild with Yujin too. You must be a little disappointed that Yujin will be leaving.”
“Before being a guildmaster or Hunter, I’m family. We were apart for a while, but I’ve spent longer with my brother than anyone else. And I’ll continue to do so.”
Why did they keep talking about me behind my back? I could even feel little barbs hidden in their words. At this rate, instead of getting along, they would only end up on worse terms.
“You both have plenty to do, so why don’t you get going?”
If this was how it was going to be, then leave. Go on.
“I’m a freelancer. I can make as much time as I want for you, Yujin.”
“It’s easy for me to make time for my brother too. I’m the guildmaster.”
“You are? Great. Then why don’t the two of you have dinner together? I’m too busy looking after the new kids to go out, so get along nicely, just the two of you.”
They both shut their mouths at once. Then they opened them again.
“I have to go to the smithy this evening.”
“I have plans too.”
They had just said they could make time. After sending both of them off, I fed the kids. Fortunately, Blue ate any kind of monster meat well. I still needed to feed the unicorns and tell them their Keywords, so I would have to make plenty of trips up and down for a while.
‘It’ll be easier once the rearing facility is completed soon.’
It was right on the floor below, and there was a portal too, so it would be easy to come and go. Still, when I thought of leaving the dorm room, I felt a little sad. This place had been really nice too.
‘Maybe I should ask them to just give this place to me.’
You never knew when it might come in handy.
‘Seok Hayan’s friends from her group will be arriving in the country soon too. Once they come and organize the materials a little more, I should call Goblin and ask them to go to China this time.’
I had already found thirteen people with optimized special skills of B-Class or above. I was in contact with Riette through social media too, and I had told her to send her younger sibling over once the rearing facility opened.
‘I should contact Do Hamin soon too. Other than that, there isn’t anyone else, right?’
I didn’t think so, but it felt like I was forgetting something. Was there someone else? I had no idea. If it was important, I would remember eventually.
* * *
“Blue! No!”
I lifted the young gryphon, who had their head buried in an ice cream tub, straight up. Their black-and-white-speckled beak let out excited cries.
“Since when did you learn how to open the refrigerator door?!”
- Kyaaa!
“Peace and Peep don’t even touch human food, so why are you like this? You’re a monster. What if it makes you sick?”
- Kyau, kya?
Damn it, scolding Blue only made my throat hurt. It had only been one day, but Blue was really, truly... Peace destroying a few pieces of furniture had been nothing compared to this.
On the first evening, Blue destroyed the sink and shower hose while I was washing them, then tore around thirty towels to shreds in excitement before breaking a light. During dinner, Blue swooped onto the table and swept everything off with their wings. Then they struggled to eat all the rice and side dishes that had fallen to the floor, staining their cream-colored fur with all kinds of sauce and broth, so I had to wash them again.
Of course, Blue didn’t wash quietly. Unlike Peace, Blue liked water, but that only made them more troublesome.
The one saving grace was that Blue fell asleep the moment it turned nine at night. Nights were peaceful. Then, the moment it turned nine in the morning, Blue woke up and cried loudly to be let out of the cage.
As though they had completely forgotten yesterday, Blue rushed at Peace and got smacked again, chased Peep around and broke the table, scratched the sofa with their claws, and left long claw and beak marks on the walls and ceiling...
Then, while I looked away for a moment, Blue raided the freezer.
“Stay still. I need to wipe your beak. If you keep moving, it’ll get on your fur.”
- Kyaa!
Blue rolled over onto their back, wagging their tail. Their big blue eyes and open beak were both smiling brightly. They were still cute as they tapped at my hand with their front paws, asking me to play.
Ugh, I guess I had raised the others too easily until now.
“Peace, you really were well-behaved.”
I said this as I petted Peace, who had come over and pressed against me. Aside from breaking a few pieces of furniture, Peace hadn’t caused much trouble. Peep was quiet because they were weak. And our Yoohyun had been a genuinely good kid too.
“I should leave Blue with another Hunter before I go.”
I was afraid Blue would scream all day if I left them alone in the cage. Even if the dorm had good soundproofing, there had to be a limit.
After doing some rough cleaning, I took only Blue outside. I had an appointment with the Hunter Association around noon regarding the Awakening Center.
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