WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈
Chapter 75: Kindergarten Teacher (2)
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Haeyeon Guild did not have much time left in its S-Class dungeon management grace period, so according to the schedule, we would enter the A-Class dungeon the very next day.
There was not much to prepare anyway. It was a lower-tier dungeon with complete information, expected to take no more than three days to clear, possibly just two.
We arrived in front of the gate management building for the lower-tier A-Class dungeon known as Black Golem City. The moment I got out of the car with Peace in my arms, a sleek red sports car appeared and parked with ruler-straight precision.
The driver must have spent ten years doing nothing but parking. They were that practiced.
The person who stepped out was none other than Guildmaster Moon Hyuna of Breaker Guild. She wore a skintight racing suit and a work belt for small belongings. The backpack slung over one shoulder was not particularly large.
Her clothes, belt, and backpack were probably dungeon items or made from dungeon byproducts. Her long sleeves and pants did not suit the weather, but the temperature inside a dungeon was different anyway.
Even Yoohyun was wearing a coat. I remembered it being an S-Class item, but what had it been? He had not used it for very long.
“Hey, hyung!”
Moon Hyuna kicked the car door shut with a bang and waved one arm. It was probably an expensive car. What if she scratched it? She was way too rough with it.
“I’m excited even though it’s only an A-Class dungeon, since it feels like we’re taking a glass marble inside. Don’t let it break.”
“I’m not carrying it around. If you leave it somewhere safe, it won’t break.”
“Aw, that’s boring. Hi, Yerim!”
“Hello, unnie!”
The two hugged with immediate familiarity. No, wait. Yerim twisted Moon Hyuna’s arm, and Moon Hyuna smoothly slipped free before putting Yerim in a headlock.
“Oh? You’ve gotten stronger?”
“Ack, ack, I surrender!”
They got along well. Yerim shouted, “I love you, unnie! Please spare me!”
Must be nice, being able to say you loved someone so easily. I needed to tell Moon Hyuna my Keyword too.
“Why are you staring so hard? Jealous?”
Yoohyun said something ridiculous. My neck was fragile, thank you very much.
Another car arrived in the meantime. The person who stepped out was none other than Sesung Guildmaster Seong Hyeonje. His seasonally inappropriate coat looked stylish enough to make him seem like a young businessman rather than a Hunter.
I remembered that dark red coat. It was the SS-Class equipment Wings of Fire Dragon Silekia, a reward from the first clear of the S-Class dungeon, Raining Volcano. Its detailed options were not known, like most high-grade equipment, but one thing was famous: S-Class Fire Resistance.
‘But how are dungeon reward items made?’
Could it be the system people’s handiwork too? There were things like armor, but the higher the grade, the more modern items there were. Maybe they gave us things adapted to our world. And items like that cost more even with identical stats. Coats and vests were better than capes and armor, after all.
“Am I the last one here?”
Seong Hyeonje approached with a smile in his eyes. He really did not need to come.
The perfectly suitable A-Class dungeon happened to be under Sesung Guild’s management, so I contacted them. They granted permission for our raid, but an unnecessary bonus had come along too.
The S-Class Hunters in this country sure had a lot of free time.
“Hyung, lend me Peace. I want to have a go at that guy.”
Moon Hyuna said it while glaring at Seong Hyeonje with fighting spirit in her eyes.
“Let the experienced people play among themselves. Don’t think about dragging our kid into it when they’re still not fully grown.”
“Still S-Class, though.”
“No.”
This was not a dungeon raid. They could settle their own business themselves. I hugged Peace tighter, but Seong Hyeonje strode right up to me. His downward gaze was full of interest.
“What are you plotting this time, our Han Yujin?”
I had not yet told Seong Hyeonje my exact goal. Even so, he was butting in. Was he simply that perceptive?
“It’s nothing important, so you can go back.”
“That is disappointing. You should be starting to open your heart to me by now.”
How much had we even seen of each other for him to talk about opening my heart?
“Hyung doesn’t like it.”
Yoohyun spoke quietly as he pulled me toward him, almost like he was embracing me.
Seong Hyeonje shifted his eyes to look at Yoohyun, who had wrapped himself around me.
“Lately, I find young master rather surprising. How did you endure for three years with that temper?”
“Stay out of other people’s family affairs.”
“Calling it someone else’s family business is difficult when both brothers are far from ordinary. Han Yujin especially.”
Haha, sparks were flying all around. Was Yerim next? I took a subtle step back and looked toward Kim Seonghan, who was gathering the luggage. He looked quite troubled too.
Was this why S-Classes rarely formed teams together? Even after dungeon difficulty rose, perhaps keeping the number of S-Classes in each team to a minimum was not solely due to a lack of Hunters.
In fact, S-Class Hunters from different guilds were currently forbidden from entering dungeons together. It was one of the Special Act provisions made early in the dungeon era.
It would be troublesome if precious S-Class Hunters entered a dungeon, started fighting, and inflicted critical wounds on one another. It did not matter if they belonged to the same guild, of course, but before Yerim, every guild had only one S-Class Hunter. Guild raids with multiple S-Classes had therefore been practically impossible.
Today had been granted exceptional permission. It was an unusual situation in many ways. Why else would so many S-Class Hunters enter an A-Class dungeon together?
“Yoohyun, let’s go in soon. And Sesung Guildmaster, please stop there. I’ll explain the details once we’re inside.”
“You can call me more casually.”
What was I supposed to do with that? Should I call him mister like Yerim did?
* * *
There were no A-Classes other than Kim Seonghan on this raid team. We already had more than enough strength to clear a lower-tier A-Class dungeon, and I felt bad dragging an innocent A-Class Hunter into this.
Think about it. There were three guildmasters here. Our boss, the boss from next door, and the boss from across the street. What would a subordinate with lesser job skills be among them besides Worker One, doing odd jobs while walking on eggshells? A moment ago, Moon Hyuna had tried to make Kim Seonghan carry her bag, so I chased her off and told her to carry her own things.
An ordinary A-Class would not have been able to act like me, so it was much better that none came. They might get caught in the crossfire between whales.
The S-Classes passed through the gate first. Peace, Kim Seonghan, and I waited about ten minutes before entering the dungeon.
[○Hello○!!]
Ah, yes.
Unlike the weather outside, the air was slightly cool. A ruined city spread out before us.
It was not a modern city. The collapsed walls, houses that had been reduced to frames, and a castle shrouded in distant fog all resembled medieval Europe. Still, I had heard its style could not be found in any era from our past.
‘...Could it be a remnant of another world?’
Remains of civilization like this could only be seen in high-grade dungeons. Mid-grade and lower dungeons usually had only natural environments.
‘...What’s that?’
Among the building ruins, there were marks as though a massive excavator had carved long trenches into the earth. Five tracks, each twenty or thirty meters long, spread out like the ribs of a fan. They also looked like claw marks left by a mountain-sized beast.
Monster remains lay scattered all around them. They had been shredded so thoroughly that it was hard to guess their original forms, as though they had been put through a blender.
“Hyung, hyung!”
Moon Hyuna, who was probably responsible for that trail of destruction, approached me with a refreshed expression. In one hand, she held a massive white spear. It looked like she had pulled up a utility pole.
“I’m not trying to fight Seong Hyeonje. Just lend me Peace!”
“...Why now?”
“I’ve never gotten to use a mount as much as I want in a high-grade dungeon. Mid-grade ones can’t handle my strength. There’s no need to wait for Blue to grow. Let’s settle this today. Yeah?”
It was not a bad idea. Peace could gain experience while we were in an A-Class dungeon too. But.
“Peace belongs to Haeyeon Guild. You should be asking me, not grabbing random people and bothering them.”
Yoohyun stepped in with a cool expression. As he said, I was not the person whose permission she needed.
Moon Hyuna pouted like a child at being interrupted. But her eyes were not those of a child. They belonged to a warrior who had spent years on battlefields.
“You only make requests of bastards who’ll listen to reason...”
“Let’s get going now.”
I cut Moon Hyuna off and slipped out from between them. Her language was really something. Yerim already had a foul mouth. What if she got worse from being close with the guildmaster of Breaker Guild?
“Peace.”
“Kyahng!”
Without needing further words, Peace jumped down from my arms and grew larger. They were not in their fully grown form, but about halfway in size between their adult and subadult forms.
When I checked the status window, their stats had risen to S.
If they were too large, they would be easy to target. Their current size was probably suitable for the situation. Our Peace was smart.
Moon Hyuna stopped growling at the sight of Peace’s larger form, her eyes lighting up. Seong Hyeonje also approached with interest.
“They’re smaller than I heard. Can they control their size freely?”
“Yes. As you can see.”
I took a mount saddle from my inventory and placed it on Peace’s back. It was A-Class mount equipment with weight reduction and speed increase options. Like any dungeon item, it automatically adjusted to fit.
My mouth felt bitter as I accepted the luggage and strapped it behind the saddle. Of course, a top-grade combat mount would rarely need to carry luggage under normal circumstances.
“Unnie! I can really take all the mana stones, right?”
Yerim called out as she flew over. I had wondered what she was doing near the remains of the monsters Moon Hyuna had slaughtered. She had been collecting mana stones.
“Sure. Take everything you find.”
Yerim beamed at the ready permission. If she gathered and sold all those A-Class mana stones, her debt would decrease considerably. Go, Yerim.
The monsters nearby had all been cleared within ten minutes, so we immediately began moving. With my lacking stats, I had to rely on Peace.
Black Golem City was a two-floor dungeon where golems and undead were the main monsters. They were durable and tough but relatively slow, and their only ranged attack was throwing rocks, making them perfect for our situation.
The occasional low-grade lich also appeared, but they specialized in poison curses, so protecting me was not a problem either.
The first floor would be cleared once we killed the undead army that appeared after enough monsters around the city had been dealt with.
“They’re way too slow!”
Yerim landed lightly atop the head of a golem about three meters tall and giggled. There was not a trace of tension or fear in her. She looked as though she had come on a picnic.
White mist drifted around Yerim. Cold Sigh, the mist that froze enemies. With an attribute buff from her Ice Tree Spear, the skill kept dozens of golems completely immobilized.
Yerim literally flew around, binding groups of golems in place.
Kra-ka-boom!!
Moon Hyuna’s greatspear blazed through them.
Everywhere the spear passed, the ground split open and sandstorms swept through. Golems struck by that terrifying force shattered like dry leaves.
Considering how sturdy golems were, it was truly tremendous destructive power. She destroyed them so easily that I almost felt sorry for the monsters facing her.
“Moon Hyuna is amazing even without a mount.”
I lowered my binoculars as I spoke. If a high-rank mount with strong charging power was added to that, nothing could stand in her way. At the current dungeon difficulty, would even an ordinary S-Class boss not be taken down in one blow?
“Not many can match the destructive power concentrated at the tip of her spear.”
Yoohyun, riding behind me, spoke.
I knew as well as anyone that my back was the most defenseless position, but I did not think he needed to stay this close. He was seriously overprotective.
“But her route is obvious, so it’s relatively easy to avoid.”
“What did you just say?!”
Moon Hyuna shouted. What? She had heard that? She was heading our way, but she was still quite far away.
“Fine, since we’re already in a dungeon, it’s been a while since we had a match.”
What? Wait. Before I could react, Moon Hyuna charged like a storm. A whirlwind was already sweeping toward us, and Yoohyun slightly frowned before jumping from Peace’s back.
A sword appeared in Yoohyun’s hand, and he launched himself forward in an instant. A greatspear against a sword? Was Yoohyun not at a disadvantage?
The moment I thought that, Blue Willow Leaves unfolded.
“Just because something blocks the line of sight between us...”
Moon Hyuna’s voice abruptly stopped. Just before he would have been caught in the greatspear’s whirlwind, Yoohyun’s body shot into the air. He ran through the sky by stepping on willow leaves, moving too quickly for my eyes to follow.
Having lost her target, Moon Hyuna drove her greatspear directly into the ground. Boom! Her terrifying charge stopped as suddenly as if it had been cut off.
Wow, she stopped at that speed in an instant. Her mobility was incredible.
Screeech!
Immediately after, an ear-piercing sound of blades scraping and locking together rang out. The sword Yoohyun had driven into an opening the moment Moon Hyuna stopped clashed fiercely with the longsword she had already drawn.
Moon Hyuna gave a short laugh and stepped back.
“So that’s how you use Blue Willow Leaves?”
“My brother is here. Restrain yourself.”
“Restrain myself?”
Moon Hyuna looked dumbfounded at Yoohyun’s words. They were going to fight again at this rate. I hurriedly gestured for Peace to take me to them.
“Now that we have a perfect place to fight without worrying about a dungeon break, you’re telling me to restrain myself? Are you really the young master I know?”
“My brother could get hurt.”
“The dungeon is wide.”
“Ms. Moon Hyuna!”
As I approached, Moon Hyuna put away her weapon.
“Why are you so determined to fight?”
“You might not understand, hyung, but high-rank Hunters are normally like this.”
Moon Hyuna scratched the back of her head.
“But we can’t fight outside, and S-Class Hunters are forbidden from entering the same dungeon.”
“That’s probably why it’s forbidden.”
Moon Hyuna grinned at my answer.
“We’re only exchanging a few moves. Just a little.”
“No.”
“You’re strict, hyung.”
“There’s no healer right now, and there’s also fragile F-Class me. Please hold back.”
A pebble flicked by an S-Class Hunter could send me straight to the afterlife. Yoohyun nodded in agreement with me. Seeing that, Moon Hyuna let out another hollow laugh.
“Did you see that? It’s seriously not even funny. Manager Song should have been here too!”
Seong Hyeonje, who had approached at some point, shrugged at Moon Hyuna’s words.
“It seems he has decided to be an obedient, good little brother today. Shall I face the guildmaster of Breaker Guild instead?”
“Be reasonable and at least match your equipment grades. I don’t have a single SS-Class item!”
Moon Hyuna sounded wronged. It was true, though. Seong Hyeonje had both his weapon and coat. He might have more.
The world’s first SS-Class weapon and the world’s third SS-Class coat. It really was unfair. So Sesung was the best, was it? It irritated me for no reason.
“There’s nothing I can do about those damned chains, but take off that coat at least. Are you seriously wearing that while saying you want to fight me?”
“That’s right! Take that coat off, Seong Hyeonje!”
It would be nice if he took it off during ranking matches too. And if he neatly folded it beside himself after taking it off, then maybe I could quietly take it. Not that I could. Still, I wanted to steal it.
At Moon Hyuna’s and my demand, Seong Hyeonje smiled deeply.
“My child...”
“Ack! Ack!”
“...has asked, so I have no choice but to comply.”
As he spoke, Seong Hyeonje unfastened his coat. Huh? Wait.
“A-Are you really going to give it to me?”
Seong Hyeonje’s hand stopped, and Moon Hyuna’s eyes went round.
“Hyung, you were staring at it so hard!”
“Han Yujin is quite greedy.”
“N-No, that’s not it!”
My inner thoughts had slipped out without my realizing it. Moon Hyuna laughed loudly and thumped my shoulder. That hurt.
“Young master, what have you been doing instead of buying hyung a coat!”
“It would not be very useful to him. Do you perhaps like the design? Shall I have one made for you?”
“What is this? Mister! I can buy him clothes too!”
“No, no! It just slipped out!”
Besides, it was not even coat weather yet. The back of my neck had turned red from embarrassment. Damn it.
“Just please do not fight each other. This F-Class can’t take the stress.”
“The same person who wants to strip me of my coat says that?”
He was the one taking it off in the first place. Put it back on. Anyway, keeping S-Class Hunters apart was probably for the best.
“Sesung Guildmaster, please get moving too. A group of golems is moving around to the northwest.”
“I told you to call me more casually. I even took off my coat...”
“Please, Mr. Seong Hyeonje. My stamina is not enough for me to spend a long time in a dungeon, and there are kids waiting for me at home, so I would like to finish quickly. Please cooperate.”
My stamina was not really lacking, so do not make that face, Kim Seonghan.
“I cannot refuse when our Han Yujin asks.”
Seong Hyeonje smiled as if he were such a nice person and turned away. What did he mean, our Han Yujin? Ugh. We had only just started the first floor, but my stomach already felt upset.
Please, let’s keep this peaceful. Peaceful.
* * *
After that, the S-Classes other than Yoohyun stayed busy provoking each other. Even Yerim, who was comparatively weaker, acted up by saying she was confident she could win if they gave her opponent a penalty equal to the gap in their stats.
What else could I do while stuck among them? I could only work hard to separate them.
“Yerim, there’s a scattered group of undead to the east. It’s a little far, but you’re the fastest. Can you go?”
“There are golems gathered perfectly between the walls. I think it would be ideal if Ms. Moon Hyuna went.”
“Yerim and Ms. Moon Hyuna have taken out a lot, so you go this time too, Yoohyun.”
“Mr. Seong Hyeonje, you look bored. Why don’t you go for a light walk? Something seems to be moving behind that collapsed building over there. Ah, yes, Hyeonje. That works, right?”
As I kept chattering away like that, the fog surrounding the old castle in the center of the city vanished.
“Uwooooh.”
With an ominous groan, the castle gates opened wide, and an undead army came crawling out in droves. Here and there among them were black golems that looked twice as large as the ones we had encountered so far.
Their numbers were overwhelming enough to be intimidating, but I did not feel the slightest tension.
Naturally.
Who should I send this time?
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