WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 88: Calm Down (1)

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“I’ll go with you.”

[Yes. I’ll come pick you up.]

As soon as I ended the call with Kim Seonghan, I got ready to leave. My mind was a mess the entire time.

‘It hasn’t even been a week.’

Could he have come out in the middle instead of clearing it normally? If he had been forced to use a Gate Stone, it was hard to believe he had emerged unscathed.

“Honestly, that little bastard!”

And he had the nerve to lecture me about danger? He should take care of himself first!

I got into the waiting car outside. The S-Class dungeon Yoohyun had entered was over thirty minutes away even with clear roads.

“Is there any other news?”

Kim Seonghan looked up from his phone.

“For security reasons, the gate chamber’s surveillance cameras cannot be checked immediately. Also, when a raid party’s strength is near or below the minimum required to clear a dungeon of that grade, people are prohibited from approaching the gate. High-grade Hunters in particular often cannot properly distinguish friend from foe immediately after a clear or escape and may attack. Careless approach is absolutely forbidden.”

I knew that, too. Right after a life-or-death battle, when they were wound tight, it was fairly common for Hunters to attack first if strangers, especially strangers who could be threats, approached them.

And this time, an S-Class Hunter had emerged before the expected clear time. No one would dare approach carelessly.

“Still, shouldn’t we check on him?”

Even knowing the rules, I couldn’t help sounding irritated. If Yun Yun were here, I could have asked them to take a look first.

“Whether it was a clear or an escape, the fact that the gate has activated means there should not be a major problem. High-grade potions have also been prepared in the gate chamber in case of emergency. Personally, I believe they succeeded in clearing it. There were few people, but that also meant fewer complications, and they had a mount.”

...Come to think of it, I had heard that a mount could cut dungeon-clear times in half. The original estimate had been over ten days, so if it had really been cut in half, it was entirely possible they had already cleared it.

That would be a relief. No, would it really? If they had defeated the boss monster, wouldn’t the odds of serious injury be higher than if they had escaped midway?

That crazy bastard. Fuck, five years later or now, he was still the same bastard, taking no care of himself.

We arrived at the dungeon building without receiving any further news. As befitted an S-Class dungeon, the building was larger than the A-Class dungeon before. The surrounding area was deserted too. There was hardly any sign of people in the streets, and some shops had closed down.

Unlike low and mid-grade dungeons, which almost never burst and could be dealt with quickly if problems arose, property prices around high-grade dungeons, especially S-Class ones, plummeted. With no customers, shops shut down, and even residences were mostly used by people who only wanted a cheap place to sleep.

In contrast to the empty streets, the front of the gate building was packed. In addition to Haeyeon Hunters who had been waiting in shifts, there were people from the Association as well.

The moment I stepped out of the car and headed for the entrance, several people blocked my way.

“It’s dangerous!”

“Please wait until we receive word from inside.”

Wait for what? Was I supposed to crouch here and cry all night? I had already half pulled an all-nighter.

Still, I understood why they were stopping me.

“Mr. Kim Seonghan, would you lead the way?”

“Yes. Do not step ahead of me under any circumstances.”

Once they heard an S-Class defense Hunter was accompanying me, no one stopped us anymore. Maybe they simply couldn’t.

The closed doors opened, and we entered. Since the building was large, the corridor was longer as well. It did not have more facilities than a low or mid-grade dungeon. There were only layers upon layers of walls.

Perhaps because of that, the air already felt stifling, and as I walked, my chest grew even tighter. My lips moved unconsciously, asking if they were not being a little too cautious.

At last, the final door opened, and the smell of blood hit me.

Han Yoohyun stood before the blue gate, which had entered stabilization after the clear. His expression was hard to see due to the backlight, but he was standing on both feet, so he did not seem seriously injured.

Peace was beside him, too. It was about the size of its subadult form, and when our eyes met, its tail swayed gently.

Seriously, damn them.

“Han Yoohyun!”

“Hi, hyung. Did you come to meet me?”

“Meet you, my ass! You wouldn’t crawl out, so I...!”

For a moment, I wondered why this bastard had not come out sooner. Then Yoohyun’s face properly entered my sight. A long wound ran from the corner of his right eye to his ear. It was dangerously close. A little further inward, and his eye could have been injured.

My hand moved toward the wound without thinking.

“You’ll get blood on your clothes.”

“Where the hell did you sell your potions to end up like this?”

“It’s not a big wound, and I had Peace, so I saved them. I only have one inventory, so you never know.”

“Then why did you do something so reckless? Wait, the potion...”

Only after I took out a potion and treated his wound did I remember there were healers waiting outside. Well, we were no longer in any position to conserve potions.

- Whine, yip.

Then Peace gave a small whine. Looking down, I saw that Peace had somehow shrunk to its juvenile form and was holding up one front paw. A long cut ran across the top of the tiny paw.

Damn it.

“Peace! I’m sorry my little brother is insane and made you suffer for no reason.”

I hurriedly picked Peace up and treated the wound on its paw. Look how dirty its fur was. Clumps of blood were tangled here and there. It even buried its head in my arms, and it seemed completely drained.

“What’s wrong, Peace?”

- Whine.

“Are you tired?”

“He’s probably sleepy more than tired.”

“You didn’t get any proper sleep. No, of course you couldn’t. There were only the two of you.”

They could not even communicate, so they probably could not take turns keeping watch and sleeping. I clicked my tongue when Yoohyun spoke in a voice tinged with a little complaint.

“I’m sleepy too.”

“That’s because you... No, let’s get out first. You both look terrible. You should go wash up and sleep. Are you hurt anywhere else?”

“No.”

As I patted Peace and turned around, I saw Kim Seonghan wearing an ambiguous expression. He must have entered through the door, so when had he gone back out?

“Guildmaster, you’re safe!”

“Did you clear it? Or...”

The moment we exited the building, people did not exactly rush us. They only threw questions from a distance. It was like we had brought a wild beast out of a cage. My kid does not bite. Then, once they seemed to think it was safe, they began approaching one by one.

The Haeyeon Guild members expressed relief and congratulated us, but the Association people were different. When Kim Seonghan said they had indeed cleared it, they eagerly pressed forward. They had cut the expected clear time for an S-Class dungeon in half, so it was understandable that they were excited.

“Could you come directly to the Hunter Association? The higher-ups want to organize the situation and make an announcement as quickly as possible.”

“If it becomes known that S-Class dungeon management can be stabilized far more than before, the public will feel much more at ease. Please bring the mount with you as well.”

Sure, those were nice words, but what more did they expect from people who had suffered for days without sleep? They even wanted to drag along Peace, who was half asleep. Had they lost their minds? Did they think S-Class dungeons would start bursting one after another if they waited a single day?

“He can’t go right away, so contact us again tomorrow.”

I could not keep the irritation out of my voice. The Association man looked flustered.

“Pardon? No, I was speaking to the Haeyeon Guildmaster. If he could answer...”

“Do you not realize that making such a request is rude in itself? Do you not understand the situation right now? Or are you a Hunter Association employee who has never once entered a dungeon and has spent your life sitting at a desk staring at papers? Ah, perhaps you did one for rookie training. Unless you won that Hunter Association ID around your neck at a gambling table.”

Did they seriously not understand what it meant for two people to quickly clear an S-Class dungeon? Did they have no brains? The more I thought about it, the angrier I got, and as my voice rose, Peace opened its eyes in my arms.

- Yip.

“No, it’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“We won’t take up much of your time...”

- Grrr.

When the man came a little closer, Peace suddenly bared its teeth. The man startled and stumbled back.

It must really be sleepy. It was getting sensitive. As I soothed Peace, I turned to Yoohyun just in case.

“Do you want to go?”

“No, not at all.”

Right, of course he did not. When Yoohyun shook his head too, the Association people could no longer press the matter. In case they became a nuisance again, we quickly got into the car and left.

* * *

[Therefore, the Haeyeon Guild’s reduced clear time for this S-Class dungeon is expected to have a positive effect on the avoidance of areas surrounding high-grade dungeons.]

Accompanied by the calm voice of the nine o’clock news anchor, footage sent by the Hunter Association filled the television screen. The people involved had refused to cooperate, but the Association seemed to have investigated on their own and made an urgent announcement.

Han Yoohyun leaned back in a single-seat armchair, only half listening to the news. It was nothing new or important. Then, he suddenly took one of the items obtained as a clear reward from his inventory.

A long red egg, roughly the length of three finger joints. It glowed faintly in the dark living room with the lights off.

[Red Egg - SSS-Class]

There was no description, only a name and a grade. With such a high grade, it could not be ordinary, but there was no way to know what it was for or how to use it.

After looking at the egg for a while, he put it back in his inventory. Then he turned his gaze to the long sofa.

His older brother was asleep on it. The Flame-Horned Lion cradled in Han Yujin’s arms had glossy fur. After washing Peace, Yujin had sat on the sofa with a tired face and lamented that he could not sleep properly because of the newly arrived baby dragon. He had said he would only close his eyes for a moment, then promptly fell asleep.

He had asked to be woken at eight because he needed to return before Blue fell asleep, but it was already past nine. Yoohyun had not forgotten. He had never intended to wake him in the first place.

‘He could take it easier.’

He was only looking after them temporarily while they were young, yet he devoted himself so much that even after they had grown, he still held them like that. Considering the difference in strength, it was like a cat licking a fully grown tiger because it found the tiger cute. It was something Han Yoohyun could not understand, yet understood.

His brother had always been like that.

“Hyung is strange.”

A low voice quietly muttered.

He had been that way since childhood.

The brothers’ parents had quickly noticed that their second child was different from them. Of course, it was not as though they sensed anything distinct. Discomfort, unease, or fear. A feeling similar to an obsession, as though he was their child but somehow was not.

If he had been a complete stranger, it would have ended with them simply finding him uncomfortable to be around. But he was family whom they had to care for with their own hands, and guilt over feeling that way toward their child mixed in, making it feel like a terrible nightmare to their parents.

Had nothing else happened, they might have abandoned their second child. Even if they had not, they would have treated him as though he did not exist, closing their eyes and ears to him as much as possible.

But the eldest treated his younger brother as though nothing were wrong. In place of their confused parents, he looked after his brother. Seeing that, their parents turned away from their eldest as well. They could not bear the reality that seemed to say the problem lay with them as parents. But if they decided both children were strange, things became easier.

Once they made that decision, their parents were actually relieved. Sharing the same feelings and the same guilt made the couple much closer, and they lived happily, as they had during their newlywed days.

Han Yoohyun had sharply noticed the entire process. Han Yujin, meanwhile, thought their family was somewhat unusual compared to others but did not pay much attention to it. He was satisfied with kind parents who got along well and a gentle, obedient little brother.

If Han Yujin had rejected his little brother normally. If he had, they would have been a happy family of three instead of a happy couple. Their parents might not have died in an accident. They would not have traveled so often, leaving behind their beloved only son, who should have been focused on his studies.

He would have grown up normally, gone to college normally, and if he had safely made it through Dungeon Shock, he would have remained an ordinary student without seeking out Awakening brokers. Even upon hearing that Han Yoohyun had Awakened, he would merely have been surprised and regarded it as someone else’s business.

Yet knowing all that, he held on.

Han Yoohyun felt a slight prick of guilt and raised the corner of his mouth bitterly. No matter who it was, no one could dislike affection and care given sincerely. Especially if it was the only kind they had ever received, they could not help but cling to it.

“...So I should put up with it.”

He grumbled with a sigh mixed into his voice.

Of course he disliked sharing what was his with others. It felt similar to his parents suddenly saying, You have a younger sibling now, so get along well, and presenting him with a complete stranger. And they kept multiplying.

It was annoying. Still, he knew he was the highest priority, and those hangers-on helped keep Han Yujin safe, so he could more or less overlook them.

It was better than being forced to stand by and do nothing.

‘It doesn’t seem like anything happened while I was gone, either.’

Peace had been necessary for a quick clear, but he had deliberately left Kim Seonghan behind. Haeyeon’s other high-grade Hunters had remained as well, along with Park Yerim, inexperienced though she was. And Seong Hyeonje. Given his personality, there was no way he would fail to protect Han Yujin, whom he had clearly judged useful. Even if he had other motives, he would guarantee Yujin’s immediate safety.

Then the phone on the table vibrated softly. Han Yoohyun picked it up and checked the message. It contained three photographs with no text.

The first was of a hospital room.

“...This is.”

The walls were cracked, and the door to the private room was broken. His smoothly curved brows immediately furrowed.

The next photograph was of Han Yujin. The finger marks around his neck were clear.

The final photograph was also of his older brother. His clothes had been torn across the chest as though something had attacked him, and they were soaked with blood.

Crunch!

The phone in his grip warped in an instant.

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