WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The S-Classes That I Raised ◈

Chapter 97: Traditional Play (1)

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I had originally planned to look over Yoohyun’s skills, but doing that would naturally make me think of what happened before my regression. It was a little hard to bear, so I used feeling a cold coming on as an excuse to clear the dungeon quickly and come back. I had been out in the cold for quite a while, so I really was feeling a little chilled.

“Turn off Poison Resistance before you take it. It’s a good thing you can turn it off. They say F-Class stats give you an immune system that’s barely any different from a non-Awakened person’s.”

After pushing me into bed, my little brother held out cold medicine and a glass of water. I didn’t feel sick enough to need medicine, but I took it without protest. I even left a note on my phone’s home screen so I wouldn’t forget to turn Poison Resistance back on. I should keep Fear Resistance on even at home for a while. It wasn’t Depression Resistance, but it would still help.

“You used to catch colds when you were little too.”

“It’s been more than five years since I last caught one.”

I blankly watched Yoohyun put away the glass. I had thought the past five years had vanished because I regressed. But apparently, they had actually been separated into another world, then merged with the world at this point in time.

But my little brother, who had already died, could not merge with it.

He had disappeared.

‘...There isn’t much difference between being gone and disappearing.’

Even so, it felt like I had been struck hard in the back of the head. ...Or maybe it was my chest, not my head. Maybe Volleyball’s choice of words was the problem.

Deleted was bad enough, but what was with cut off? It kept making me feel as though he had been abandoned. Like he was still there in that dungeon, exactly as I had laid him down. The floor had been cold and hard. I shouldn’t have regressed so quickly. I had Poison Resistance then too. It would have been all right if I had stayed a little longer.

- Peep.

Something soft touched my hand. Round black eyes looked up at me. I raised my hand and stroked Peep.

I had many thoughts, but the present was more important.

“Yoohyun, what exactly is this cult?”

“I told you, I don’t know much about it.”

“Tell me what you do know.”

Yoohyun tilted his head slightly as he looked at me.

“What’s gotten into you? Did you hear something strange?”

“Strange... would be one way to put it.”

When I regressed, I had planned to live quietly. Things had somehow snowballed, but that basic mindset had not changed. Even after the system contacted me, I had still been fairly relaxed.

Because I knew those five years would have passed without much trouble if I had just stayed quiet.

“Just that it has something to do with you.”

“Of course it has something to do with me. But it’s nothing you need to worry about, Hyung. Go to sleep.”

With that, he left. After the door closed, Peace climbed onto the bed. I stroked Peace as I sorted through my thoughts.

‘If they agreed not to mention each other, they must be on a level similar to the system creators.’

It was not just some ordinary cult. Those suspicious people were connected to Yoohyun. They had even already interfered, enough that the system creators could make a dungeon specifically for me.

Most of all, this interference would be different from how things progressed before my regression.

A lot had changed in less than two months, but I had thought it was all headed in a positive direction. I, the obstacle, had disappeared, and I was helping instead, so naturally Yoohyun would grow much faster and more easily.

Without any problems. ...There had better be no problems this time.

This time.

I picked up my phone. After frowning for a moment, I made a call. Before long, a familiar voice came through.

[What’s this? You’re calling me first.]

“I have something I’d like to ask.”

Seong Hyeonje. I was sure this man would know something. Even considering only what he had done before my regression, there had been plenty of suspicious points. He had suddenly withdrawn from Korea, then vanished without a trace not long after.

Could I trust him? I didn’t know. But to touch even a tiger’s fur, you had to enter its den.

“Do you know about a cult that resembles Confucianism?”

A low laugh came back instead of an answer. The moment I heard it, I knew I had guessed correctly.

[Did someone try to recruit you into a religion?]

“No. It’s personal curiosity.”

[If it’s Han Yujin’s personal curiosity, it must concern the young master.]

“Don’t bother confirming what you already know. Just answer.”

[You’re sharper than usual. If I drag the older brother the young master cherishes into something pointless, the young master might get angry.]

“Is it all right if I get angry?”

After a brief silence, his voice came back, touched with interest.

[Of course not. You’ve done nothing but scatter what you have like pebbles along a riverbank, so what brought this on? Our Han Yujin is much more dangerous than the young master. What would be the point of saying otherwise?]

Seong Hyeonje was right. I had kept my hands off everything, more completely than this unnecessarily perceptive man probably realized.

If I wanted, I was confident I could build up my own power as much as I liked. The foundation was already there. Once Blue grew, I would have two S-Classes affiliated with me, even excluding Peace. There was also Myeongu, the only item craftsman. It would not be difficult to formally bring in Yun Yun, another S-Class Hunter.

Was that all? I had more than enough information on other S-Class Hunters too. I could raise Hunters with special skills as much as I wanted. It would be easy to bind Hunters to me through contracts or something else. Information on dungeons, items, and many other things. I had countless weapons I could wield. I could even ask the system creators to adjust dungeon appearance times in my favor.

But I just wanted to watch Yoohyun grow.

To see my little brother again, five years later. And after that.

This time, I could watch with nothing but pride and admiration.

“Then tell me.”

[I cannot explain it in words, but I believe I can show you.]

He could not say it aloud. It seemed that cult had restrictions against leaking information, just like the system side. Maybe Yoohyun was not merely ignorant. Maybe he had been ordered to keep quiet.

“That isn’t bad either. How will you show me?”

[Prepare that bracelet from before, and the shared doubled effect for attack skills. And Noah as well.]

“Let’s say everything is prepared. What next?”

[To take the bait, we’ll need to enter an S-Class dungeon. Before that, though, we’ll have to calm the young master down. He’s throwing quite a fit.]

...Why did it have to be an S-Class dungeon? I could persuade Yoohyun if it was around A-Class, but S-Class was a little much. Besides, dungeons themselves made me uneasy.

“Would A-Class or below not work? I’d also like to know whether my safety will be guaranteed.”

[Do not worry. They have no intention of harming you either. That much is certain.]

So I would at least get to keep my life. I should tell Yoohyun about Do Hamin and Goblin as well. The question was whether I could contact Yun Yun right away, but they had kept updating social media even after going to China, so it should be fine. Had they gone there to find their subordinate or to sightsee? Social media was blocked in China, yet they were somehow keeping a thorough record of their travels.

I asked why he was so sure they had no intention of harming me, but once again, I didn’t receive a proper answer. The system was the same. Had someone sewn their mouths shut? Everyone was so vague.

[As for changing the dungeon, we need an excuse. There is no reason to bring Han Yujin into an A-Class or lower dungeon, so... I suppose I will have to ask you on a date.]

...Why was this suddenly going in such a strange direction? This man, seriously. I had to force myself not to hang up on him, but when I listened, it was a reasonably plausible excuse.

[You showed quite an interest in ruins during that A-Class dungeon last time, did you not? I know a place worth seeing. It is a lakeside castle in a lower A-Class dungeon. Several tall towers rise there, and the largest tower in the center is almost undamaged. The weather is pleasant, and there are no flying monsters. As long as you ignore the monsters in the water, it is scenery worthy of a tourist destination.]

“Having an S-Class Hunter as a tour guide is rather extravagant.”

[Is that not impressive dedication? This is how much I am willing to do for Han Yujin.]

Aren’t you impressive.

Anyway, with a little stretching of the truth, I could say I was going away for two or three days. Even if it was A-Class, Noah could fly, so we could get out within two days if things went quickly. If the monsters were concentrated underwater, it would be even faster. Electricity and poison were perfect for stirring up trouble underwater.

“I suppose more people cannot come.”

[A few A-Class Hunters would be fine, but the young master cannot come. You only take a jab when you think you can handle it. Noah is a little concerning too, but they are necessary for safety.]

So if we entered the dungeon with a suitable number of people, they would make contact. It was obviously dangerous. There was no guarantee Seong Hyeonje had not joined hands with them. From the way he spoke, it was certain that he had a deeper connection to them than Yoohyun did.

‘If Yun Yun had not become the Goblin King, I would have been reluctant to jump into this.’

As long as I still had breath in me, they would save me. If they intended to kill me, there was no need to go through all this trouble. Even a tiger had limits when hunting a rabbit. Would it carefully set a trap when a single swipe could kill it?

“Then I’ll look forward to it.”

After ending the call, I dropped my phone onto the bed as if throwing it. Once I found out, what would I do next? If they turned out to be dangerous despite what Volleyball had said.

I opened my status window and looked over my titles and skill list.

[Final Grace (L)]

A skill that transfers a target under Keyword influence’s skills and stats at twice their strength upon the target’s death.

Final Grace. The name seemed even more absurd now. If it was going to call itself grace, it could at least get rid of the memory transfer. I had heard that Deer had named the Perfect Caregiver title skill, but I did not think Deer had named this one. It was only slightly changed from Final Recompense, the Caregiver title skill.

‘...A-Class should be enough.’

I also had the doubled effect for attack skills. And if it applied at the A-Class level, I might even be able to obtain an S-Class Hunter. I thought of the special isolation facility Song Taewon had mentioned. Criminals who had to receive special handling despite living in a society so sweet to high-grade Hunters. I could use them. Considering the skill names and Keywords, it was a ridiculous irony.

- Peep, peep.

After I spent a long time staring only at the skill window, Peep tilted its head atop my lap. I suddenly closed the status window and looked down at Peep.

“It’s okay.”

- Peep.

“You’ll be okay too, Peep. Don’t enter a dungeon, not even by accident.”

- Peep, peep!

That adorable yellow beak opening wide, that round, soft little body. I could put them in my eyes and they would not hurt. How could our Peep be born so cute? That Volleyball bastard really pissed me off in so many ways.

“Do you think Dad can’t protect even one of you?”

Of course, that went for the others too. No matter what I had to do.

* * *

Yoohyun naturally objected when he heard I was going on a date... no, sightseeing trip with the Sesung Guildmaster. I would have been more surprised if that bastard had readily said it was fine.

Only after I listed no flying monsters, Noah, poison skills, Poison Resistance, and the bead one after another did he finally say it should be all right. Of course, that was followed by him saying he would go too. I had to sweat over finding a polite way to refuse that as well.

“So if I go missing or something, contact Do Hamin and Goblin. They can find me right away and get me out safely, so stop worrying.”

[Isn’t that still taking it too lightly? Who knows what they could do in the meantime? Hyung, I know your resistance skills are good, but they aren’t all-purpose.]

“If anything seems wrong with me, take me to any dungeon gate, have me knock three times, and go inside. The system administrators will help you.”

They had said there was no one to replace me yet, so they would surely do whatever they could. This was practically perfect preparation. Of course, if I died, that was the end.

After persuading Yoohyun, telling Myeongu, and leaving the kids in their care, I finished making all the arrangements and left the building with Noah. Naturally, I also told Noah that it was not Noah’s fault.

“This is a personal matter. It has nothing to do with you, Noah. If anything, I’m sorry for making things difficult for you because of me.”

“No, not at all.”

Noah, who had been anxious at the mention of entering a dungeon with the Sesung Guildmaster, finally calmed down. I handed him a necklace strung with Shalos’s Bead, along with an explanation of its effects. He might be put in danger after getting caught up in my business, so I needed to prepare for that.

“You said you have a Gate Stone, right? If things seem dangerous, use this, go to the gate, and escape.”

“What about you, Han Yujin?”

“I have one too. Here.”

I had another identical necklace in my inventory. When I said I was entering an A-Class dungeon, Myeongu had made it into a necklace so it would be easy to use.

When we reached the parking lot, Seong Hyeonje was already waiting. He seemed unusually excited. Maybe even delighted. He opened the car door himself, smiling with his eyes.

“Doesn’t it seem like it will be an enjoyable time?”

“I hope this is not one of those sightseeing tours with costly optional extras piled on.”

“I will only accept a tip.”

Why did someone with more money than they could spend want a tip? It was my first overseas(?) sightseeing trip, so I wanted no tips and no optional extras.

Grumbling, I got into the car. Our destination was Lake Castle, an A-Class dungeon managed by the Sudam Guild, whose guildmaster was Yoon Gyeongsu, an S-Class Hunter I had yet to meet.

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