WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 74: Kindergarten Teacher (1)
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“Peace is bigger than the Flame-Horned Lions I saw in dungeons.”
Yoohyun said as he looked at Peace. He had been somewhat neglectful until now, but seeing Peace fully grown had clearly excited him.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Their size can vary depending on their individual stats, but I’ve never seen one this big. Though I’ve only cleared that dungeon twice.”
Even monsters of the same species and grade were not identical like twins. Their stats and skills varied slightly too.
And being bigger usually meant having better stats. Hearing that my kid was exceptional naturally made me happy.
“Peace got all the optimized initial skills too. Flame Breath, Flame Sprint, Enlargement. Peace already had Fire Resistance.”
“That’s impressive. I haven’t even seen one with all of those skills.”
“I told you our Peace grew up really well.”
When I opened my arms to hug Peace again, Peace shrank as if waiting for it. In an instant, Peace had returned to an juvenile form, but the status window had changed.
[Grade 2 Unicorn Subspecies, Flame-Horned Lion Peace
Current Stat Grade: A]
There was no longer an juvenile designation, and the stat grade was A instead of C. Peace had kept every skill too. It was a shame the grade was not S, but Peace was still dependable even while small.
“Come here.”
Kkiang!
Peace leaped right into my arms. Yoohyun looked at us incredulously.
“Don’t indulge Peace too much. Peace is grown up now.”
“What’s wrong with it? Peace wants to be held.”
Whenever Yoohyun entered a dungeon, we would be apart for days at a time, so what was wrong with a little affection? Besides, Peace had only grown up because of a skill. Peace’s actual age could not be that old. It was fine to still call Peace a kid, wasn’t it?
“Give the Owner’s Token back now.”
Yoohyun held out his hand. Of course I had to return the taming item, but I hesitated when it came time to take it out.
“Yoohyun, you have to treat our Peace well.”
I pulled the token from my inventory and held it out.
“You’re not taking an inexperienced kid straight into this S-Class dungeon, are you? Skip this one, then get used to working together in an A or B-Class dungeon first. Peace needs to level up too. I’ll ask Myeongu to make equipment for Peace. Make sure Peace eats properly in dungeons, and be gentle even if Peace doesn’t listen to you. Peace understands when you talk to Peace. And if Peace gets hurt, treat it right away. Peace has never been injured in a fight before, so Peace might be startled.”
“...Hyung.”
“Yeah?”
“Peace is much stronger than you. You don’t need to worry.”
“How can I not worry? I worry about you too, you know?”
I was worried a dungeon might go haywire and something like Raucitas would pop out. System folks, please manage things properly. Our Yoohyun was still young. If he ran into a first-class dragon species now, he might not be able to escape. Five years made a big difference.
I really had to help him grow quickly too. Growth came before new skills. My Kid’s waiting period had ended, so it would be perfect to use it before this S-Class dungeon.
Yoohyun accepted the Owner’s Token and put it in his inventory. Peace remained quietly in my arms until then. I did not feel any particular change.
“Come here.”
At Yoohyun’s command, Peace’s ears twitched sharply. Peace clearly looked annoyed, but still approached Yoohyun. Then Peace gave the new owner a displeased look before returning to me.
“Peace does listen to you.”
Taming was not a skill that controlled a monster perfectly. It was more like, “I’m the leader, so follow me.” I had been worried, but it was a relief that Peace listened. Maybe they had formed a bond from wrecking a dungeon together.
Though they were still so distant that it was almost chilly.
“I told you to treat Peace better from the start. You live in the same building, but you never pay any attention. With unicorns, you choose in advance who’ll receive the token and have them look after it.”
“Okay. But Peace won’t be a problem. We’ve more or less reached an agreement.”
“What agreement?”
“An agreement to help Peace raise Peace’s stats because someone didn’t seem reliable.”
...When had they made that agreement? It must have been in that dungeon. I became curious about what the two of them had done during those thirty minutes without me.
Well, then. Next up was...
* * *
“Hello, Mr. Kim Seonghan.”
I spoke as I entered the physical training room for high-grade Hunters. Various exercise machines filled the spacious interior. They looked ordinary, but none of them were standard equipment. Their durability was one thing, but I had heard weight-reduction measures had also been installed beneath them so they could withstand terrifying loads.
Kim Seonghan got down from the shoulder press machine when he saw me. His well-defined muscles showed clearly through his thin shirt. I was jealous. Should I work out too? Of course, even if I exercised my whole life, I would not reach half that level.
“What brings you all the way here?”
He approached me with a gentle smile. I still could not get used to Kim Seonghan being kind. What exactly was that Keyword effect? He had apologized for mistaking me for someone else even before the Keyword had been applied.
“It’s nothing much. I thought I should thank you for always looking after me.”
My real purpose was to use My Kid, though. Last time, I had given him a growth buff before he entered a dungeon. This time, I intended to give him a skill. He could choose either Indomitable Body or Regeneration.
As I smiled pleasantly and used My Kid,
[Target Kim Seonghan’s growth has reached the minimum requirement.]
An unexpected message window appeared. What was this?
[If conditions are met while My Kid Is the Best is active, stat growth to S-Class is possible.]
...Huh? His stats could grow to S-Class? Already?
“What is it? Are you hurt somewhere?”
Kim Seonghan asked worriedly as I stood there blankly.
“No, I just have something to think about...”
[Meet one of the following stat growth conditions for target Kim Seonghan.
Defeat an A-Class dungeon boss in a single strike
Hunt an S-Class monster alone
Hunt an SS-Class monster with ten or fewer people
※ Even if the conditions are not met, the target’s stat grade will grow to S-Class once the maximum growth requirement is fulfilled.]
After a brief pause, another message window appeared. It seemed the system folks were working in real time.
‘Does that mean he can immediately rise in grade if he meets a condition while at the minimum growth requirement? And if he doesn’t, he’ll simply grow to S-Class gradually?’
Kim Seonghan was still A-Class five years later. Even with a growth buff, it would probably take him three or four years to reach S-Class stats. Of course I should aim to fulfill a condition, but...
‘Defeat an A-Class dungeon boss in a single strike.’
Mr. Kim Seonghan was a defense-oriented Hunter. Even if he were attack-oriented, it would be impossible for an A-Class Hunter to kill an A-Class boss in one strike. Hunting an S-Class monster alone was naturally out of the question too.
And as for participating in an SS-Class monster raid, there were no SS-Class monsters yet.
As far as I remembered, the strongest S-Class dungeon boss so far had only been around mid-S-Class. Even first-class monster-bird species, which had lower stats for their grade, had not appeared yet.
‘Should I have him acquire a skill first, then wait for an SS-Class monster to appear?’
I did not know when that would happen. Originally, it would take another three years. Even if one appeared earlier, there was also the condition that My Kid had to be active. It only lasted three days, so that meant I would have to enter too. How was I supposed to reach a boss within three days? Unless I aimed for a dungeon break.
None of the three conditions would be easy.
“Mr. Kim Seonghan, do you have any attack skills?”
“Yes. I have one A-Class close-range attack skill. However, since I am defense-oriented, it is not very powerful for its grade.”
Kim Seonghan answered while looking down at me worriedly.
He did have an attack skill. That meant I could apply the Veteran F-Class title’s doubled attack-skill effect.
‘If I also get Yoohyun to lend him as much S-Class equipment as possible and add Yerim’s buff, he could probably one-shot an A-Class dungeon boss... But the problem is that I would have to enter an A-Class dungeon.’
And since it was a close-range attack skill, I would have to stay right beside Kim Seonghan. If he killed the boss at once, I would not be attacked, but I would not be able to withstand Kim Seonghan’s movements. It was probably a pure physical attack. How much recoil would there be?
Should I wait for an SS-Class monster after all? Still, he would be an S-Class defense-oriented Hunter. Unlike rookie Yerim, Kim Seonghan had plenty of experience and had worked with Yoohyun many times. If the two entered a dungeon together, there would be little to worry about. He would be incredibly dependable.
‘An A-Class dungeon... What should I do?’
In the end, I only chatted with Kim Seonghan for a while before returning home without using My Kid.
If it seemed completely impossible, I could simply let him acquire a new skill, but it was a problem because this was ambiguous. Entering an A-Class dungeon itself seemed possible without much danger.
‘There are about five S-Classes I can gather right now.’
In addition to Han Yoohyun, Park Yerim, and Peace, I could ask Riette for help. I could probably call Moon Hyuna in exchange for lending Blue to her. That made six if I included Riette’s sibling. Maybe Seong Hyeonje would help too.
If we chose a lower A-Class dungeon, we would not even need six. Two people to clear the dungeon and two to protect me, making four, should be enough.
‘All I need is a way to protect myself during the boss hunt.’
Was there nothing?
“Yujin.”
I was digging through my memories for a useful item that had appeared around this time when Myeongu suddenly spoke to me.
“Here, take this.”
“Huh? What is it?”
He held out a rough metal bracelet.
[Unnamed Bracelet - Undecided
It is incomplete, but holds powerful strength.]
What was this, really? When I looked at him expectantly, Myeongu spoke with a slightly embarrassed expression.
“You said before that you wanted an item that would increase your body’s defense. That was harder than I thought.”
“Don’t worry about it too much.”
“That bracelet is the most useful of my experimental pieces. It is single-use and only lasts ten minutes, but it can nullify all damage.”
Startled by Myeongu’s words, I opened my status window. There was a newly acquired skill.
[Unfinished (Undecided)]
Both the skill name and grade were undecided, and no description appeared.
“In theory, there is no limit to the grade of attack it can nullify. With Ismuar’s help, I confirmed it can definitely nullify S-Class flame attacks.”
“No, you...”
I was speechless. Why was this guy constantly beyond common sense on his own? It nullified all damage, with no limit on the damage grade. I had only wanted my F-Class body to be a little sturdier. I would have set off celebratory fireworks if I could even reach C-Class level.
But what was this? He was a little scary. If I had not had Fear Resistance, I might have backed away, saying, “You are beyond what I can handle.”
“...Even if it is single-use, this is no joke.”
“It is all because of the materials. That is why I cannot make many.”
“What kind of materials are they?”
“That is still a secret.”
Myeongu smiled and told me to look forward to it. Were they L-Class materials or something? ...Surely not?
“Don’t use materials that are too expensive. You have to make something better later.”
He only smiled and did not answer. Hey... Don’t make me worry for no reason. Still, he would keep things reasonable, right? My stats were F. F.
Anyway, with this, I could apply doubled attack-skill effects to Kim Seonghan. Ten minutes would be enough. There was only one barrier left now.
‘Yoohyun, it is an S-Class. An S-Class defense Hunter.’
If I explained it properly, he would understand.
* * *
“Kim Seonghan’s stats can grow to S-Class if he fulfills the conditions?”
Yoohyun looked like he could not believe it.
“Mr. Kim Seonghan was originally capable of awakening as S-Class. Maybe because of that, conditions appeared saying he had met the minimum growth requirement.”
When I told him the growth conditions, Yoohyun’s eyes darkened.
“There is nothing we can do right away. They are difficult conditions, fitting for S-Class growth. The most likely possibility is hunting an SS-Class monster, but there are none in Korea, and putting out an overseas request...”
“Yoohyun.”
“Yeah?”
“You know, me.”
I pointed at myself. Yoohyun tilted his head in confusion.
“Why you?”
Why indeed.
“I can double attack-skill effects. And I can share that effect too, though I have to make contact. If we give Mr. Kim Seonghan S-Class equipment and add Yerim’s buff, he should be able to one-shot an A-Class boss.”
Yoohyun considered my words with a slightly blank expression, then sharply frowned.
“Hyung, are you crazy?”
“That’s a bit harsh to say to your brother.”
“If an F-Class with no combat or defensive skills said they were entering an A-Class dungeon, what would you say?”
“Hmm, I would say that bastard has completely lost his mind?”
Looks like he does not want to live anymore. A D-Class dungeon would be enough for a quick suicide, so why waste the money? Would they even let him enter? What a nuisance, and so on.
At my answer, Yoohyun crossed his arms and looked at me as if to say, See? But my case was different.
“I have one B-Class barrier skill.”
Thanks to my earring equipment.
“And if two seasoned S-Class Hunters stay close and protect me, nothing should happen in a lower A-Class dungeon, right? Moon Hyuna already said she could help.”
I did not give her details. I had only vaguely asked whether she could help us run dungeons for about three days, and she had readily agreed. She had just finished clearing a dungeon and said she would be free for a while. Unfortunately, Riette was not in Korea.
“Yerim has finished ten dungeon clears without incident, so she can enter A-Class dungeons now, and Peace is fully grown too. I think adding a few A-Class Hunters to you and Mr. Kim Seonghan will be enough.”
It was a team so absurdly lavish that it was terribly inefficient for an A-Class dungeon. There was no greater waste, but this was for a new S-Class Hunter.
“Since this is unusual, we will need permission for the raid, but the Association would not reject it. Especially after what happened last time.”
“...Even if the A-Class dungeon is fine, what about the boss? Kim Seonghan’s attack skill is close-range. It involves a running start and a downward striking motion, so an F-Class could not withstand it. You said skill-sharing requires contact, so you would not be able to use an ordinary barrier skill either.”
“This solves that problem.”
When I held out the bracelet and explained, Yoohyun looked as though he had nothing left to say. Our Myeongu really was startling in many ways.
We still went back and forth for a while over things like whether I was going to reveal every skill I had, why he was acting coy now, how the effect was too good, how it would not be useful most of the time, and how I could not avoid using it forever. In the end, though, I won.
Yerim and Myeongu also called me crazy, and Kim Seonghan stubbornly refused, but I got past all of that too.
...Why was the process of entering the dungeon harder than the dungeon raid itself?
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