The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 367: I’m Being Kidnapped, But Still Working (1)

It was unfair. So incredibly unfair.

“I’m just normal, right?”

Then why is everyone—except my younger brother—telling me not to name things? Isn’t it totally normal to name pets based on their eye or fur color? Like if the fur is black, call them Choco or something. …Black does sound a bit lazy, though. Should’ve gone with Choco and Cream instead of Black and White.

Anyway, some of the names I showed Seok Gimyeong had made it into the Monster Mounts Breeding Facility naming contest. I remembered Seok Gimyeong’s face—starting with a warm and generous smile that gradually became uncontrollably strained. His eyes clearly said I had no sense.

“Look at this, this one. It’s exactly the same as the name I came up with, and it even got recommended.”

And it wasn’t just one or two people. Doesn’t that mean I did a good job? Maybe Seok Gimyeong still held a grudge against me. He didn’t seem like it, though. Park Hayul, who was looking at the laptop with me, made a strange expression.

“Uh, hyung. Recommendations aren’t necessarily meant in the way you think…”

“Hm? Then what?”

“…The final decision is made by the Haeyeon Guild anyway, right?”

“Hey, I’m the breeding facility director, okay?”

“You’re choosing the name?!”

“Not exactly, but my opinion will be reflected a lot.”

When I said I couldn’t be left out of naming my own facility, Seok Gimyeong hesitated seriously before asking me to pick out some finalists. As many as possible. Then they would narrow it down and make the final choice. I started to suspect they were just going to keep making me pick new ones until something they liked showed up… I should’ve limited it to a maximum of three rounds of re-selection.

“Why can’t I even name my own business the way I want.”

Grumbling, I looked back at the contest page.

Naturally, the request to hand over a laptop with internet access so I could work had been rejected. But since they planned to use me as bait anyway, there wasn’t much reason to completely cut off outside communication. In fact, it’d be better to let some unofficial contacts know I’m here~ so they’d come looking.

It’s not that hard to change a network address. You can reroute it however you want. I won’t even lift a finger to the keyboard. Should I just tie myself up? After that convincing, I managed to get a laptop.

“Han○Deli? That kind of sticks weirdly well.”

“I feel oddly familiar with it, too.”

“Still, we should probably use Korean. And anything starting with H should be excluded, since it overlaps with Haeyeon.”

When Seok Gimyeong suggested going with an H initial and matching H&H, Team Leader Kim Hayun quickly cut him off with advice. For the sake of keeping the facility independent, we should avoid any duplication with major guilds. So S and B are also out.

…I kinda like H, though. Maybe I’ll sneak one or two into the candidate list. Since I couldn’t touch the laptop myself, Park Hayul helped log into the email for me.

“The numbers after the password—is that Haeyeon Guild Leader’s birthday?”

“Well, it’s just a habit. The letters in front are always different, and I’ll change them regularly anyway. But how do you know Yuhyun’s birthday?”

“It’s easy to remember. There was even a birthday ad last year. But the party was held on Christmas Eve.”

“Oh, yeah.”

A memory of my younger brother appearing in a dream came to mind.

“…It’ll probably be on the Eve again this year.”

I wanted my brother to spend time with others, but Yuhyun wouldn’t want that. So this year, I was planning to let us spend it just the two of us, like the old days. Because that’s what he’d like best. I’d even offered bonuses for anyone working part-time on both the 24th and 25th, but every year on the 25th, I made sure to keep that day completely free to be with him.

He often brought back birthday gifts from school, so I once asked if he wanted to invite friends. But he just shook his head and smiled, saying he only wanted to be with me. That smile still lingered in my memory. I’d been apart from that little brother for years.

‘So more than any gift, he’d want to spend time with just me.’

Throw a big party the night before, then the moment midnight strikes, keep the whole day empty. It’s been a while since I made seaweed soup—maybe I should practice. Some sweet rice too. Thinking of Yuhyun’s happy face made my own lips curl into a pleased smile.

“Hyung, you really seem to love Haeyeon’s Guild Leader.”

While sending an email to Seok Gimyeong, Park Hayul commented.

“He’s my little brother. So kind, too. And smart. If the dungeon hadn’t happened, he would’ve gone to med school. He never even went to cram school but still never lost first place. A nearby academy even offered to let him attend for free.”

But Yuhyun turned it down, saying he needed to be home waiting for me and would rather do part-time work during cram school hours. Part-time job, my foot. But then the dungeon happened, and that damned awakening…

‘Yerim too, originally I was going to let her take it slow with dungeon raids.’

This world isn’t safe, so awakening, leveling up, and getting equipped is necessary. And I can’t stop her if she wants to become stronger. Life matters more than age, so helping her grow is the right thing… but still, it sometimes gets complicated inside.

Yerim was having fun with it, but that’s not all there is to it, right? And in China, she’d be facing not monsters, but people. Still, telling her not to go might make her feel left out.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this from the start. Getting kidnapped. Or no—am I the one doing the kidnapping?

“…Hey, Hayul. Are you pretending to be dazed on purpose?”

I said, watching Park Hayul close the laptop. With Fear Resistance activated, it was impossible to stay on guard around this oblivious kid. Logically, he should be able to resist someone with a dangerous skill, but his silly face and helpless, loose attitude were the real problem.

“Oh, hyung. Did you figure out the condition for my skill?”

“Yeah, roughly.”

“That’s amazing!”

Park Hayul marveled with pure admiration. Not sure if it was truly pure, but why the hell was he admiring me—here of all places. If your skill condition’s been exposed, you should be more on edge. And yet he kept grinning like that.

“But you’re just like I expected, hyung.”

“Huh?”

“I figured you’d be. Well, not me exactly, but she said since you’re totally chill even around S-Ranks, my skill wouldn’t work properly on you.”

She? Is it that noona again? Who the hell is she? Putting on a deliberately pitiful face, I said to Park Hayul,

“Just like you said, even knowing the condition, I couldn’t escape it. So, Hayul, cut me some slack, will you? Look at the state I’m in.”

I tapped my thigh, and Park Hayul looked like he was going to cry from guilt.

“Should I tell General Cho Hwawoon not to push you and just let you go with the flow? Then it’ll be fine—”

“No! No, I refuse!”

Are you out of your mind?! I’d rather have my other leg broken than obey her! If it weren’t for Fear Resistance, I’d have gotten chills down my spine from that suggestion. This kid might seriously be a bit dumb.

“So how long are you planning to leave me like this?”

“Well, you seem to know most of what’s going on now, and since it’s hard for you to break out of my skill anyway…”

Park Hayul leaned in and whispered into my ear.

“They say there’s something dangerous in the Chinese military.”

Yun Yun?

“So I think they want to bring in Korean Hunters to weaken the military and take out the Sesung Guild Leader too.”

It seemed Park Hayul’s side was aligned with the Murim Alliance—or some other group targeting China. Wait, didn’t the kids say they teamed up with the Murim Alliance? They’re not pulling any crazy stunts, are they?

“…Why the Sesung Guild Leader?”

“Well, with her it’s more like resentment? Or maybe love-hate? Not her, though—other people.”

Uh, well. I don’t really have anything to say about that.

“There’s that many people who hold grudges?”

“I told you. A lot of people were discarded. Cut off clean in an instant—it makes them feel worthless. Even when they try to regain attention, nothing works.”

“…Strictly speaking, that’s not really Seong Hyunjae’s fault.”

“Still, it’s enough to drive you mad. Since the Sesung Guild Leader still seems perfect, it makes it even harder. They start to think being abandoned was their fault. You be careful too, hyung. Average’s about a month—three months tops. Only Director Song is the exception.”

Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard that a million times. But why is Chief Song Taewon the only exception? Even if he’s unusual for an S-Rank, eventually people should get sick of him too.

‘So that noona’s side is aiming for a windfall. It looks like Murim Alliance on the surface, but…’

If the Murim Alliance, whose power is lacking compared to the military, is targeting Seong Hyunjae out of personal grudges, that’s suspicious. Since he’s bound to return to Korea anyway, it’d make way more sense to cooperate and strike a bigger blow to the military. So it’s highly likely this is another external force unrelated to China.

America, maybe? Like the CIA or FBI? I don’t really know how the U.S. Hunter system works. Or maybe the EU. If it’s personal revenge, it could be a private guild or a multinational guild alliance. …A guild alliance sounds pretty plausible. Damn that partner guy—I should interrogate him on how many places he’s abandoned me in.

“But aren’t people suspicious of you, going around telling everything like this?”

“Me? I can’t fight at all!”

Park Hayul said cheerfully.

“I’ve got high stats but I’m completely useless. I even signed a contract not to use my skill without permission from anyone affiliated with the military. There’s other stuff too.”

A low chuckle brushed my ear.

“If it becomes clear you really can’t break out of my skill, I’ll tell you everything in detail.”

“Oh… okay.”

“You’ll come with me when this is all over, right?”

“I have to go home.”

“No. You’re coming with me.”

I followed you and ended up with a broken leg, rolled all over the ground, and got a hole punched through my hand, you little… As my face grew increasingly sour, Park Hayul grabbed the laptop and quietly slipped away. If not for his skill, I would’ve smacked him. No—two or three times, even. Even if it only hurt my hand in the end.

‘Is he seriously acting, or not?’

What a weird and confusing guy. Clicking my tongue, I got up from my seat. As if it had been waiting, the blue dragon rose with me. Its two wings stretched wide, wrapping around to shield me.

“Isn’t it uncomfortable being stuck like that?”

– Grrr.

“No matter what happens next, you’ll just have to stand there and watch.”

Fortunately, the water dragon had grown! Nothing happened afterward, though. I gently patted its lowered head. And then, between its two front legs, a faint figure appeared before me. A goblin. Hidden behind the wings and out of the guards’ line of sight, the goblin waved a piece of paper.

[Hyung.]

I recognized the handwriting immediately. Just that single word brought a smile to my face. So he’s already this close. I quickly pulled out a pen and wrote on the back of the paper.

[Getting ready. Wait. What about Lamb Daddy’s side?]

Since the goblin might drop the paper while getting distracted, I kept the message as short as possible.

“You’re such a good kid! You listen so well to requests. The prettiest thing in the whole world! If we were outside, I’d buy you everything you wanted to eat. Seriously, you’re the best, the absolute best!”

As I made a big fuss pretending to praise the dragon, the goblin grinned silently, eyes round and wide with laughter. Its shoulder—or what I assumed was its shoulder—wobbled up and down like it was dancing.

“Keep taking care of me, okay? There’s no one like you. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be trapped helplessly in that tiny room. Thank you. I love you!”

The goblin beamed, then vanished with the paper in hand. I wondered if the baby water dragon had also gone to the kids. The cookie effect had long worn off, so maybe it hadn’t been able to move. Hopefully they were feeding it well.

“Hey, Mr. Dragon, you’re not hungry, are you? Should I ask them to get you something to eat? You must be feeling cramped, but you’re still behaving so well.”

After the goblin disappeared, I kept petting the dragon’s wing joint and praising it so no one would get suspicious. I did this several times a day, so the guards just stared blankly by now. Still, the blue dragon always got shy. You’d think it would be used to it by now.

‘The best plan is to blow up the island, escape on the dragon, rendezvous with the kids and my partner, and then find Yun Yun.’

The problem was I couldn’t last long with Fear Resistance turned off. Worst case, I might end up ruining the escape by crawling right back into captivity and messing up the kids’ efforts.

‘Should I just turn off Fear Resistance and Poison Resistance and take a sleeping pill.’

Would they be okay without me? …What if they weren’t. I felt anxious at the thought of giving up not just my offensive skills but the doubled stat boost too. I figured Yun Yun was their insurance, but there was always the chance she wasn’t.

‘…Maybe I really should try applying a keyword to Hwang Rim.’

It was a bit risky, but if it worked, I might learn not just Yun Yun’s location but also Hwawoon’s secret weapon. She didn’t seem like the kind to hold a grudge against her own guardian, so it might be fine.

Just then, a tone rang out from the radio one of the guards was holding. After receiving the order, the guard turned to me and said,

“Come with us. Leave the wyvern here.”

What now? I soothed the anxious dragon and started walking with the soldiers. Once I was carried up the stairs and stepped outside, I heard the sound of helicopter rotors. Soldiers were unloading a huge cage from the chopper.

– Kyarruk!

That sound… No way. Hwang Rim, who had already come outside, approached me.

“You said you could raise multiple at once, right? They said you had results, so looks like they went and brought in all the baby monsters.”

…Uh, adding more to my workload here is kind of a problem.