The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 436: Results (3)

“So you’re saying they’re going to look for people from our world—Awakened—to side with the Filial Duty Addicts? But they’re trying to destroy the world. Why would anyone… actually, I guess some would.”

There were plenty of people in the world who only cared about themselves.

We’re going to destroy your world, want to help? In return, you’ll survive, grow stronger, and live longer.

Yeah, there’d be no shortage of people ready to jump on that offer. Even if not for that, plenty would be blinded by immediate profit.

And some… might just do it because they wanted to.

“So the Transcendents want to turn us into chess pieces and have us fight each other. They’ve always been annoying, but now it feels like they’ve lost whatever humanity they had left.”

“…Annoying?”

The newbie drooped his ears in a sulky way.

“You and Elder are exceptions. But think about what I’ve been through—it’s enough to make me pissed. And I get the feeling the trouble’s not stopping anytime soon.”

At the word exception, the newbie beamed. Yeah, I guess he’s still kind of pure. Weird, considering how long he must have lived despite being called a newbie.

“So what, Hunters on Chatterbox’s side and ours will have some kind of ranking battle? If it’s a fair fight and the winner gets their way, that’s not so bad.”

I’d welcome it, honestly. First of all, Seong Hyunjae had the strength of a number one ranking in such a match. With all the experience he’d accumulated across worlds, unless his opponent was a Transcendent, winning against him would be impossible.

Aside from that special case, our world’s actual number one Hunter was Yuhyun—who was growing even faster than before the regression. On top of that, if there was enough water around, even Yerim would be tricky for both Yuhyun and Seong Hyunjae to deal with.

If I told Chief Song this is about saving the world, he’d lend his strength without hesitation, and Hyunah would help too. Liet, an innate S-Class, didn’t seem like the type to side with the Filial Duty Addicts either—especially since things had already gone sour with Diarma.

If it came down to a team battle, Noah would be another huge asset. Myungwoo could back us up as well.

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the odds were stacked in our favor.

“Nothing’s set in stone yet! The Filial side needs time to prepare. Chatterbox’s influence on your world so far was just following the Venom and Curse Dragonkin’s master and the King of Harmless.”

“Don’t tell me what’s happening in China was connected to Chatterbox too?”

“I don’t know about that. But the Demon King is definitely the King of Harmless’s vassal!”

So the supposed older sister of Park Hayul was still suspicious.

“You said there are five innate S-Class in our world. Then they’ll probably try to get the other two.”

“Most likely. Honey, want some coffee?”

“Oh, yeah. I feel like I need it—iced.”

I moved to the table. Outside the window was nothing but blue sea stretching as far as I could see. Not even a hint of coastline. I leaned closer to the window, wondering if we were on a cliff.

…No. We were floating above the ocean.

“Iced Americano for you~”

The newbie extended a tentacle and set the glass on the table. Why was there a mini umbrella in it? I took a sip.

“Honestly, I don’t get what people like about Americano. I mean, it looks cool, but…”

“They say it’s the most popular drink in your world.”

“You still can’t tell me who the remaining innate S-Class are?”

The newbie, sitting across from me, nodded while making himself a strawberry latte.

“No info, and there’s a restriction now. For a while, we can only do the bare minimum outside the Honeys—seriously minimum—mostly just automated systems.”

“Too bad. Should’ve looked into it sooner. Actually, maybe I should start digging now. Might be able to convince them.”

“No.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Honeys—you know, here.”

A globe appeared on the table. The newbie spun it with a tentacle, then tapped Korea.

“Here’s the area.”

The tip of his tentacle drew a circle around Korea, covering parts of Russia, China, Mongolia, Japan, Taiwan, and the upper Philippines.

“You can’t go outside this area.”

“What? I’m trapped?”

“Until the Filial side finishes preparing. Especially since Chain has already reached overseas. What’s already been touched is one thing, but no more going out.”

“Not even to dungeons?”

“Right. Don’t attack new dungeons outside this area for now.”

Well, that’s just great. I’d planned to stick around Korea anyway, but still.

“What about simple transactions? People overseas might want me to raise their Monster Mounts. Same for Myungwoo’s equipment.”

“As long as you don’t leave or specifically summon them here, it’s fine.”

“So if I hold something like an auction, would that count as inviting them?”

“Mmm, just don’t target someone specifically with an invitation.”

So as long as it’s an open come if you want, it’s fine.

“If an innate S-Class comes to Korea on their own, I can recruit them, right?”

“Yes. Inside the area is fine. You just can’t leave it, or specifically summon someone from outside it.”

“What about trading? Like in overseas auctions.”

“SS-Class and above can’t be traded. People say you already have too many items and skills.”

“Please. That’s all stuff the Transcendents forced me into getting. I worked my ass off for it.”

If they’d left our world alone, I wouldn’t have gotten any of it.

“You don’t know the exact duration yet, right?”

“Right. The gap’s too big, so they’re still discussing it. They can’t just give things away either. You earned all yours fair and square.”

“Wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”

I hope they suffer just as much to get theirs. But then again, would that mean they’d level up too? And if they worked hard but got nothing worth having… here’s hoping it’s all for nothing.

“At least I don’t have to worry about the Transcendents for a while. Oh, what about Elder’s lessons?”

“Fine. Lord Chaos got kicked out halfway through, so he’s a non-participant now. Everyone agreed to it out of exhaustion.”

“…Kicked out?”

“He flipped the table mid-meeting. But in exchange, he can’t use power above a certain level in your world. And since he doesn’t know how to handle the system or tech, they’ll overlook minor interference.”

Elder really is something else. Still, that means the Korean dungeons are safe for now, so I should focus on the kids’ lessons. Might even train them for team battles just in case. I do have the Teacher skill, but I should be ready in case I can’t join in myself.

Also…

“Maybe I should throw a party.”

“A party?”

“For high-ranked Hunters.”

Could be a good way to find the innate S-Class. Even if not, I could apply Keywords to all the promising Hunters in one go. As long as I don’t get caught using Keywords, it’s fine. Hell, I’ve got a kid twice my size already.

Moms, dads, siblings, aunts, uncles—bring them all.

“They said if you gather fifty S-Class, it’ll be resolved. Still true?”

“…I don’t recommend it.”

The newbie rolled his eyes and looked away.

“What? Why?”

“Because you like being with the people around you.”

“Well, yeah. Why? Am I going to die?”

“No, but… And Lord Chaos said that Crescent Moon won’t give up easily. Didn’t tell me more, though.”

True—saving our world doesn’t mean Seong Hyunjae goes free. Gathering fifty S-Class would only solve the original problem of the Root trying to swallow our neighborhood. That was the only goal at first. Now there’s also Crescent Moon’s grudge, and Chatterbox’s.

“Can’t you just tell me exactly what they were going to do with fifty S-Class? Might be useful someday.”

“No. But you wouldn’t be able to stay in this world.”

Then where would I go? Could I take my brother with me? He wouldn’t want to stay behind without me.

“Any other news? What’s Crescent Moon up to?”

“That’s about it. I think it’s awake now, but it hasn’t moved—just sent word. It’s sharing some system authority with Chatterbox. But all info about the Honeys is top secret. And…”

The newbie looked like he was about to cry.

“I think other Root-side Transcendents are starting to get interested too. This is the first time something this big has happened.”

“Maybe that’s just because you’re new.”

“Even ones older than me. Lord Chaos was like, what the hell is going on.”

If Elder’s saying that, it’s serious. Just hope we don’t get caught between fighting giants. Please, just leave us alone.

“If they’re all going to gather, make them sign a contract. When it’s over, they all pull out completely.”

“Okay, I’ll try!”

Then the newbie leaned forward. I reached out and petted his fluffy head.

“Thanks for all your hard work. I’m counting on you.”

“Yes!”

His smiling face faded. My vision darkened, then filled with red light. When I opened my eyes, sunlight was streaming through the curtains to the bed. The sun was already well up.

“You’re awake?”

Yuhyun’s voice. As I sat up in bed, he handed me a sandwich and a vegetable juice. The dark green color in the glass made me flinch, but it didn’t taste bad. At least it wasn’t medicine.

– Kkiaang.

Peace jumped up and rubbed his cheek against my hand.

“What time is it?”

“Just before ten.”

I’d slept longer than I thought. When I got out of bed, my brother supported me and handed me a cane.

“It can go in your inventory and has a weight-reduction effect.”

“I don’t really need a cane.”

Better than nothing, I guess. Everyone else seemed to be up already. When I went down to the living room, they were gathered there. Breakfast must be over.

“First, there’s something you all need to know. No outsiders nearby, right?”

The S-Class confirmed there weren’t any.

“The newbie contacted me. For a while, the Transcendents won’t interfere directly. Instead, they’re planning to seek cooperation from overseas Hunters.”

I relayed what the newbie had told me. When I mentioned that Hunters might end up fighting each other, Yerim’s eyes lit up first. Yuhyun looked a little interested too.

“If it’s not against a Transcendent, it shouldn’t be hard to protect you.”

“Han Yuhyun, you don’t even need to get involved! Korea’s surrounded on three sides by the sea. We can sink them before they even get close!”

Chief Song’s expression darkened. Yerim, calm down.

“They need time to prepare for that, so for now, no one leaves a certain area. Everyone here included.”

“I can’t leave either?”

“That’s right.”

Chief Song’s face brightened a little. At least he wouldn’t be dragged to the other side of the planet for now.

I explained the exact area and restrictions.

“Think of it as a cooling-off period for now.”

Of course, nothing stopped us from bringing others in—we just couldn’t leave. I’d have to discuss it more once we were back in Korea.

“Any word from the Murim Alliance?”

Seong Hyunjae nodded.

“The helicopter’s here. Transport’s ready, so I recommend sending the Goblins and baby monsters back first.”

“Right. Yun Yun, take the kids and head back.”

“Okay! We’re going home!”

“You should go too, Hyung.”

Yuhyun suggested I go back early. True, but—

“The Murim Alliance’s leader is a woman, right?”

I wanted to check. Just in case she was that ‘older sister’ connected to Park Hayul. If her skill was Optimization, I’d know by using Promising Talent.

“I don’t think she’s suspicious, but no harm in meeting her.”

Seong Hyunjae stood.

“I’m curious too, can I come?”

Yerim raised her hand eagerly. No reason she couldn’t. Yuhyun, on the other hand, frowned slightly. Chief Song didn’t look pleased either.

“I think it’s best if you return to Korea as soon as possible, Mr. Han Yujin.”

“I’ll just have a quiet meet-and-greet. Might as well build connections. Wouldn’t want the Murim Alliance siding with the Filial faction.”

Judging by their past actions, they probably wouldn’t, but still.

“I’ll have to return first.”

Chief Song looked worriedly at Seong Hyunjae, who smiled smoothly.

“Don’t worry. I’ll see you get a nice rest in a hospital suite.”

“I’m counting on you to take care of the kids, Chief Song.”

Chief Song swallowed a sigh. He really didn’t trust me not to cause trouble, did he?

“What about you, Mr. Noah?”

“I think Chief Song is more than enough for a safe trip back.”

“More than enough.”

Chief Song’s tone sounded like he wanted to keep as many people around me as possible. In the end, Chief Song and Yun Yun took the kids back to Korea first.

The rest of us boarded the helicopter the Murim Alliance had sent.