WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 80: Demon King's Spinning Wheel (1)

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I wanted to rush out immediately. But everyone urged me to rest for just one more day in case something happened, so I put off leaving the hospital until tomorrow.

Peep, peep.

With a puzzle piece clenched in its tiny beak, Peep toddled over and set it in the right spot. When the rabbit picture on the right side of the puzzle was completed, Peep stared at its work as though deeply moved.

Naturally, I was moved too.

“Our Peep really must be a genius.”

“Anyone can put together a picture puzzle. It only has a hundred pieces.”

Yerim, sitting in the chair beside my bed, said it indifferently.

“What do you mean, only? Peep is still little. This says it’s for ages five and up.”

Peep really did seem smart. Sometimes it did dumb things, but... More accurately, it was inconsistent. At times, Peep was quiet, clever, and not especially obsessed with food. At other times, it ran into glass doors because it couldn’t see them and raised a fuss, chirping for food.

‘Could it have a split personality? No, a split birdsonality?’

Smart Peep and dumb... gluttonous Peep.

It was entirely possible. There were monsters with more than one head, each with its own personality. Raucitas had three heads, and each one used a different curse-poison skill, which made it even more troublesome.

‘There definitely were bird monsters that started out normal but grew a second head as they matured.’

Honestly, that would be ugly... No, our Peep would still be cute with two heads. Hmm.

“Peep, you don’t have to grow up. Daddy can feed you just fine on my own.”

Peep!

It didn’t need to grow up. Did it really have to become fully grown? I didn’t know the growth requirements, and skills didn’t work on Peep anyway. We could just live like this.

After petting Peep, I looked at the status window I had left open beside me. More precisely, it was the My Kid skill application window.

(Han Yoohyun-S), (Peace-S).

Neither had changed.

That meant they were safe, but seeing Han Yoohyun’s full name made anger well up in me again.

“Han Yoohyun, you bastard.”

“If the guildmaster’s a bastard, then his older brother is... Never mind.”

Yerim fanned a hand as though telling me to calm down.

“I’ve told you several times, nothing will happen. He brought two Gate Stones, so if he really can’t manage it, he’ll come right back out.”

I knew. I did, but it still pissed me off. They said suffering when you were young was worth buying, but there were limits. Fuck, he might be an amazing S-Class Hunter, but it wasn’t like he was immortal. Why was he volunteering for danger? He had overturned all the preparations for a safe clear and crawled in there anyway. Seriously.

“Han Yoohyun, you crazy bastard.”

“Sir, take deep breaths. In and out. Huuup, haa. Huuup, haa.”

I didn’t think I was that worked up, but I inhaled and exhaled deeply anyway. It helped a little.

“Yerim, your phone’s been ringing for a while. Aren’t you going to answer it?”

I pointed to the phone she had tossed on the table. Its screen kept lighting up.

“It’s fine. It’s the Association.”

“Shouldn’t you answer?”

“No. They’re pestering me because I’m the easiest target. This time, an A-Class dungeon jumped to S-Class. Of course the Association is in an uproar. But aside from you, who had to be carried out, and Mister Seonghan, who didn’t properly participate in the fight, I’m the easiest person to bother for details. It’s annoying.”

Come to think of it, the Association must have a massive headache too. Dungeon grades suddenly fluctuating meant they could no longer guarantee Hunters’ safety.

“They haven’t made an announcement yet, right?”

“They seem like they want to sew shut the mouths of everyone who knows. They can’t because the people involved are S-Class Hunters, but if it had been mid or low-rank Hunters, they might’ve buried them in the mountains behind the city.”

Surely not.

“Oh, right. What reward did you get?”

Yerim asked, her eyes sparkling.

“I got SS-Class Mermaid Queen’s Earrings of Azure Waves. These.”

The elegant blue gemstone earrings hanging from her ears swayed with her nod.

SS-Class equipment. She got something good. Defeating a Grade 1, SS-Class monster gave a high chance of obtaining an SS-Class item, but it wasn’t guaranteed. It could be a special item, material, or consumable rather than equipment.

“It has mana and mental strength stats, plus a skill that lets me move freely underwater. And water-element and ice-element skill effects increase by thirty percent underwater!”

“That’s amazing. No Hunter will be able to compete with you underwater.”

“Right? Dungeons that need underwater combat aren’t popular, so I’m going to sweep them all up. I’ll pay off my debt in no time!”

She grinned from ear to ear. Thirty percent greater ice-element skill effects underwater meant I needed to raise Cold Resistance’s rank soon. With both buffs and enhancements, it would probably need to be S-Class for me to handle it.

After warning Yerim about a few things, I asked another question.

“Did you hear what everyone else got?”

“Of course they didn’t tell me easily. Hyuna looked like her face was about to split from smiling, so she must’ve gotten something good. I have no idea about the Sesung Guildmaster, and our guildmaster was already angry, so I couldn’t ask him either. Mister Seonghan got a Gate Stone. He was happy that he got something good despite doing nothing. Peace probably didn’t get anything, right?”

“Probably?”

I wasn’t sure. Peace seemed to be affected by the system because it had skills, but it didn’t seem to have an inventory.

“Check yours too!”

Urged on by Yerim, I opened my inventory. I hadn’t organized it for a while and had just thrown things in, so it was a mess. Inventories had limits, so I really did need to clean it up.

As I scrolled through the list, an unfamiliar item name caught my eye.

[Nameless Demon King’s Old Spinning Wheel]

What was this? Since it had Demon King in the name, it seemed like a high-grade item. I took it out of my inventory.

“What is that?”

“It looks like the wheel part of a spinning wheel.”

It really was a spinning-wheel wheel. An old wheel made from ordinary wood, smaller than a human head.

“The description says... ‘A spinning-wheel wheel used long ago by a certain Demon King. SS-Class.’ That’s all.”

“I guess the Demon King had a peaceful hobby.”

I suppose so. But how was I supposed to use this? Was it material? Was I meant to make a spinning wheel with it? If I did, would I be able to spin straw into golden thread or something?

‘The doubled clear reward effect should have applied too. Couldn’t I have gotten something better? Was my contribution too low?’

Since I only had one spinning-wheel part, the doubled effect apparently didn’t always mean two items. It seemed that it could also turn an item that would have been S-Class into SS-Class.

I decided to show it to Myeongu later and put it back in my inventory.

Myeongu went into the smithy as usual, while Kim Seonghan returned to the Haeyeon Guild. The guildmaster had abruptly entered a dungeon practically alone, so Haeyeon must have been in turmoil too... Damn it. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Then Yerim’s expression hardened. She turned toward the door with a frown.

“The crazy bastard is here.”

It couldn’t be Yoohyun already. Soon, there was a knock. Before anyone could give permission, the door opened and Seong Hyeonje walked in.

He gave Yerim a gaze that looked warm on the surface.

“Your instincts are sharp.”

“How could I forget so soon?”

Yerim rose and gave him a small bow. She looked polite, but... I had a feeling she had called him a crazy bastard knowing Seong Hyeonje would hear. Yerim, watch your mouth a little... Had Moon Hyuna rubbed off on her?

“Are you feeling well?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for coming all this way.”

He wasn’t a welcome sight, but I smiled anyway. What else could I do? Seong Hyeonje looked as gentle and kind as ever. He had worn that same expression when he rejected my skill.

“I heard about Han Yoohyun. They say sweets are good when you’re stressed.”

With that, he held out a shopping bag. Was it food? Yerim took it and set it on the table.

“You said there’s a fifteen-day waiting period before the same skill can be shared again.”

The moment the brief greetings ended, he brought up skill sharing. He had experienced the doubled attack skill effects himself, so it made sense, but it wasn’t something he could use easily. Too bad, but there was no point in taking an interest.

“Yes. It isn’t very useful. There are only a few skills that can be shared, and while doubling attack skill effects is nice, I’m physically fragile, as you know. Unless I have a special item like the bracelet from last time, it’s difficult to use in close combat. And S-Class dungeons are out of the question.”

Last time, we had a goal, Kim Seonghan’s growth. But without a reason like that, there was no need to do something so inefficient as bringing a crowd of S-Class Hunters into a dungeon.

Therefore, from now on, I would have no use for it except during dungeon breaks.

“That’s true.”

Seong Hyeonje nodded as if he agreed. Even so, something about this made me uneasy.

“An item has been made once. Who’s to say it can’t be made twice? A dungeon item with a similar effect might appear. I look forward to that day.”

He was counting his chickens before they hatched. The pleased curve of his eyes irritated me, and a sharp retort slipped out.

“I don’t think the Sesung Guildmaster needs to look forward to it. I have S-Class Hunters around me already. There’s one right beside me too.”

There was Yoohyun, and there was Yerim. Why would I use it on some man from the guild next door when I had two kids at home with powerful attack skills?

At my words, Yerim, whose face had been stiff, pulled up the corner of her mouth in a grin. Seong Hyeonje, meanwhile, openly looked disappointed. Who was he to be disappointed? It had to be a fake expression anyway.

“I’m hurt. I thought we had become quite close.”

He really was excellent at saying bullshit with a straight face. Where had he sold his conscience?

“...There’s no reason for us to become close. What have we done to get close?”

“We’ve been tangled up in quite a few things.”

“Please keep business and personal matters separate.”

“Haven’t I given you things personally too?”

I almost took off the earrings and threw them at him, but held back. I’d only lose out, and I should use what I had received well. Instead, I smiled.

“Thanks to having one good friend, S-Class items aren’t enough to impress me anymore. Still, if it were something like the SS-Class wings of Fire Dragon Silekia, I think I might say I love you, Seong Hyeonje. That coat felt really nice when I wore it.”

“That’s expensive love.”

“Not at all. It’s a bargain. Want a sample? I love you, Seong Hyeonje.”

The Keyword had raised A-Class stats to S-Class. It was incredibly cheap.

Well? What would he do now? He couldn’t really give it to me. When I looked up at him with a smirk, he shrugged.

“You’re right. It’s not particularly expensive. Provided it doesn’t end with words.”

...No, wait. Fuck, don’t take a coat out of your inventory!

“Of course I’m joking!”

“Right, it’s a joke!”

Yerim hurriedly added, then glared fiercely at Seong Hyeonje.

“The patient must be tired, so please leave now, Sesung Guildmaster.”

Seong Hyeonje looked at us and smiled as if amused. Then, after telling me to get plenty of rest, he obediently left.

Damn it. Maybe I should stop applying the Keyword to that man. Offering Silekia’s wings had probably been an empty gesture, but it was still bad for my mental health. The Keyword probably wouldn’t work on him anyway.

“Sir! You can’t be completely won over by an item!”

The moment the door closed, Yerim shouted. Then why were you taking off your earrings? Your words and actions don’t match, Yerim.

“I have SS-Class equipment too!”

Her cheeks were puffed up as she held out the earrings to me. She had been grinning because she got such a good item, and now she was offering it to me. She was so adorable I could die.

“You don’t have to give me that. I like you a hundred times more than that old man, Yerim.”

“Really?”

“Of course!”

There was no comparison. She smiled brightly at my heartfelt answer, though she didn’t forget to slip the earrings back into her ears. That was our Yerim.

* * *

Seong Hyeonje went down to the hospital parking lot, got into his car, and took out his phone. After a short ring, the other person answered.

[Wow, mister. What’s up?]

It was an energetic woman’s voice. Without a long explanation, Seong Hyeonje got straight to the point.

“Get ready to enter Korea.”

[Already? That’s earlier than planned.]

“Contact Noah too. Tell Noah to enter as the Guildmaster of Arc, not as someone affiliated with Sesung.”

[Huh? Noah too? That’s strange. Weren’t we going to leave Korea to Haeyeon and pull out?]

“The plan has changed.”

The voice on the other end of the phone was full of confusion.

[I thought you were rather fond of Haeyeon’s guildmaster. Did something get under your skin?]

“No, the young master is still cute. His venom has made him even cuter lately. It’s just that the person who brought out that venom is a slight problem.”

His cold gaze turned toward the car window. The call ended, and Seong Hyeonje lowered his phone as he recalled something from three years ago.

The self-proclaimed filial piety addicts who had contacted him just after he awakened.

‘Filial piety? Don’t make me laugh.’

It was a title that sounded like a joke, but the information they had given him was accurate.

So he had no choice but to change the plan.

* * *

The night had grown quite late. Peep was asleep, taking up an entire pillow. Yerim had returned to her dormitory. I sent Myeongu away too, even though they said they would stay, leaving only Kim Seonghan in the patient caretaker room.

Out of habit, I checked that bastard’s name in the status window and pressed the TV remote. There was nothing in particular to watch. Hunter programs were still abuzz with stories about Myeongu.

Then it happened.

“Captain Kim, you’re awake!”

It was Goblin. The brightly smiling mask was a welcome sight, and I smiled back.

It was about time I could apply the Keyword to this one too.

Footnotes:

Filial piety is a Korean ideal of devotion and duty toward one’s parents.

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