The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 437: Thank You for Your Hard Work (1)

“What happens if you step out of the designated area?”

Inside the loud thrum of the helicopter blades, Seong Hyunjae asked.

“Why? Don’t go stirring up trouble for no reason.”

“I could step on the line by mistake.”

“This isn’t dodgeball. Do you have some urgent reason to leave? I’ll at least ask the newbie.”

So you really want to get out of Korea that badly, huh. Well, according to Soyeong and others around him, this was the longest he’d ever stayed in Korea. He’d been to Hong Kong, Japan, and China, but never stayed long in any of them. Not counting the time discrepancy inside Japanese dungeons, of course.

“For now, just stick to staying close by. How about Russia?”

“My relations with them aren’t very good.”

“…What on earth did you do?”

So before the Filial Duty Addicts even got involved, you already had enemies swarming everywhere? If you dangled bait like, “I’ll let Chatterbox get his revenge on Seong Hyunjae!” they’d come running and sink their teeth in. Not to mention there were plenty of people who already saw him as abandoned prey.

The corner of Seong Hyunjae’s lips curled upward.

“At least I had some fun. Back then.”

Is it at the serious level? No wonder Chief Song’s face would’ve brightened upon hearing Seong Hyunjae couldn’t go abroad.

“When you get back to Korea, sort out the dangerous and caution-worthy individuals, please. We’re on the same boat now.”

“Sorry for being so popular.”

Seong Hyunjae shamelessly threw that out. As for Russia, I only knew it was the most advanced place when it came to Hunter alcohol. Supposedly they had a lot of high-ranked Hunters and a relatively high casualty rate among mid-to-low ranks.

“Anyway, please don’t do anything that’ll flip Chief Song’s and my insides upside down.”

“I should give Han Yujin a hand mirror as a gift.”

I wanted to retort, but my conscience locked my mouth shut. For a while, I was actually going to behave.

“Soyeong unni said she once caught king crabs in Russia.”

Yerim, who had been leaning halfway out the helicopter to look around, turned back to us.

“King crabs?”

“She brought back lobsters too.”

…Was that when she cooked them? I couldn’t tell if she’d boarded a fishing vessel the normal way or overturned the sea itself. Or maybe hijacked a ship.

“Doesn’t Russia also have a lot of S-class Hunters? Some quite famous ones too.”

“Now that you mention it, there was an ice-type S-class Hunter.”

“Really? Who?” Yerim asked, curious.

“Yuri Radiyev.”

“A woman?”

“No. A man older and younger than Han Yujin at the same time.”

So, somewhere between twenty-five and thirty. An S-class Hunter would have ice-attribute items too, I suppose. Not that I planned to rob an innocent person’s gear.

Yuri Radiyev, huh. Sounded familiar. Though Yuri was short, a lot of Russian Hunter names were hard to remember, even if they were S-class. Same with other countries — if the name was long and unfamiliar, it didn’t stick.

Anyway, he didn’t seem to be in the upper rankings. No special record either.

“I went to Russia last year too,” Noah said.

“It was the Moscow Dungeon. There was a bit of a dispute over dungeon rights, and one side hired my sister…”

He trailed off with a smile. That must have been a mess. Moscow was practically on the opposite end of the world from Korea, wasn’t it? I glanced at my younger brother, sitting quietly beside me.

“Yuhyun, how about you visit Russia at least once?”

He’d never been abroad before, then ended up going to Hong Kong, Japan, and China because of me. At my words, my brother’s eyebrows knitted slightly.

“Don’t say ominous things.”

“Huh?”

“I want to stay in Korea. With you.”

“Han Yuhyun going abroad means Mister is also away, doesn’t it?”

“Not necessarily — we could just go sightseeing. We don’t have to be kidnapped to leave the country.”

If it was sightseeing, somewhere warm would be better than Russia. Hawaii or Bali, maybe? Or just a simple family trip to Jeju Island. A real break without incidents.

After a long flight, the helicopter finally landed. Peace jumped out first, shaking his body. He clearly didn’t like the helicopter — too loud, and when he could fly himself, why ride in this thing?

We had landed somewhere halfway up a mountain. Peaks jutted up everywhere in sight.

“Welcome!”

Someone shouted loudly with a hearty laugh. I thought I recognized the voice — and sure enough, it was that man. The one in white from the Murim Alliance who’d attacked the airport… What was his name again? Anyway, him.

“Master Han of the Beast Tamer’s Association! Glad you’re safe!”

Maybe because this was a formal invitation, he was more polite than before. His voice was still boisterous, though.

“Ah, yes. Uh…”

Name, what was his name… He shifted his gaze to my brother standing next to me.

“This must be the Haedong Ice Dragon, Han Yuhyun! I am Samokwol, leader of the Murim Alliance’s Special Division.”

“I’m Han Yuhyun, Guildmaster of Haeyeon.”

Yuhyun brushed off the “Haedong Ice Dragon” title as if he hadn’t heard it. Right, Samokwol, that was it.

“And this is the Ice Fairy, Park Yerim, correct?”

“I’m not a fairy.” Yerim pouted.

“If the Guildmaster is a dragon, why am I a fairy? Call me Ice Dragon or Water Dragon!”

“Ah, your Murim title is─”

“There’s no one stronger than me among Hunters who handle ice and water! So of course I should be a dragon. I’m the best!”

Well, she wasn’t wrong. Samokwol scratched the back of his head, looking a little flustered.

“My apologies, Haedong Ice Dragon Park Yerim. And this must be Hunter Noah Luhir?”

“Our Noah is a Golden Dragon.”

A real golden dragon, at that. Then was Seong Hyunjae a Thunder Dragon? Samokwol looked at him last, offering a martial salute with a more solemn expression than when facing us.

“It is an honor to meet you, Thunder Emperor.”

…Cringe factor aside.

“Why doesn’t he add ‘Haedong’ before our guildmaster’s title?”

Yerim beat me to the protest. Good job, Yerim. She even folded her arms, brows furrowing deeply.

“Not adding a region before a Murim title is the highest form of respect.”

“Sir, you know—”

“I fought and beat S-classes in Japan and China. So did our guildmaster! He stomped the Chinese S-class who bullied Mister!”

“That’s right. If the Haeyeon Guildmaster easily subdued Chohwaun Sangjang, then calling him ‘Haedong’ anything makes no sense.”

Or give Seong Hyunjae one too. Both Yuhyun and Yerim were strong enough in China to have no real opponents — why the discrimination? And in the previous timeline, Yuhyun had been the Flame Emperor. Between an emperor and a dragon, dragon sounded better.

“Want me to prove my strength right now?”

“No, ma’am.”

Samokwol backed away awkwardly.

“Let’s go inside first.”

He brushed off the moment and turned, leading the way up the mountain path.

“Honestly, ‘Beast Tamer’ sounds the lamest.”

I muttered quietly, making Yerim tilt her head.

“Mister, you said before that ‘Monster Daddy’ was childish and ‘Beast Tamer’ was better.”

“Yeah, but stuck between dragons and emperors, it feels… powerless.”

I mean, I really didn’t have stats.

“I think ‘Director’ sounds the safest. Sounds like a salaryman.”

Or maybe “Leisurely Building Owner.” Wonder what Chief Song would’ve been called if he were here.

“Hyung, the path’s narrow and steep. Want me to carry you?”

“I’m fine for now. And we’ve got Peace.”

“Please refrain from leaving the path,” Samokwol said from ahead.

“It may look like a simple mountain road, but it’s under the effect of a Formation skill. Not dangerous for an S-class Awakened, but you will get lost.”

Formation skill, huh? If you got lost, was it like an illusion-type effect? I asked Yerim to carry Peace just in case he wandered off, and eventually even I let my brother carry me after my cane slipped a few times.

After another ten minutes or so of climbing, a large mountain gate finally appeared. Felt like arriving at a temple, though I’d only been to a few.

Inside the oriental-style building was a long dining table. A woman at the far end stood to greet us.

“Welcome. I am Dan Unbi, leader of the Murim Alliance.”

She looked mid-thirties. Her expression didn’t give off any mastermind vibes. Staying close to Yuhyun and avoiding Samokwol’s gaze, I used the Promising Talent skill.

[Awakened – Dan Unbi

Current Stat Grade: B

Awakening Potential: B–A

Optimized Initial Skills:

Gentle Negotiation (A) – Acquired

Diligent Educator (B) – Acquired

Concentration (B) – Acquired]

All optimized skills acquired. Negotiation, educator, concentration… Was she originally in education? Similar vibe to nurturing skills.

‘I don’t think she’s Park Hayul’s sister.’

Plus, mid-thirties wasn’t old enough to make that certain.

‘If she can grant optimized skills, a B-class isn’t low.’

If she were Hayul’s sister, “Diligent Educator” would fit, but the grade was low for its effect. Should be at least A. Still, to be sure—

“I’m Han Yujin, Director of the Monster Mounts Breeding Facility. A pleasure to meet you.”

Smiling brightly, I turned to the man standing like a guard beside her.

“May I ask who that is?”

“This is Gu Yuyeong, the leader’s bodyguard.”

“Ah, so an S-class Hunter?”

“A-class. If he were S-class, he wouldn’t be able to devote himself solely to the leader.”

True — S-class would be too busy in the field. The security here seemed enough with formations and A-class guards.

As expected, he was A-class — and a close aide.

[Awakened – Gu Yuyeong

Current Stat Grade: A

Awakening Potential: B–A

Optimized Initial Skills:

Scale Armor (A) – Acquired

Pounding Blade (A) – Acquired

Sharp Ear (B) – Acquired

Well of Silence (B) – Failed to Acquire]

Failed to acquire one. Didn’t have the full optimized set.

‘So it’s not her.’

If Dan Unbi were Hayul’s sister, she wouldn’t leave her aide without a full set of optimized skills. Unless the skill condition wasn’t met, but checking a few more people would make it certain.

Excluding the S-class, since that was risky.

“Please, have a seat.”

The leader gestured lightly. She also asked if we’d like lunch. Normally, eating food from another faction was a bad idea — but with me here, it was fine. If they tampered with it, it’d make friend and foe clear fast.

Still, I declined the meal and accepted only some refreshments. Being in the mountains, the warm tea was comforting.

“The military is currently in a state of emergency,” Dan Unbi began calmly.

“Many high-rank Hunters have become undead and are attacking their allies. Some S-class are among them, but their combat ability is below their living selves.”

“We’ve experienced the same on the island. The problem is they don’t die, right?”

Humans tire, but undead do not. Dan Unbi nodded.

“Yes. Even just confining high-rank Hunters is difficult. Do you know what became of Chaohu’s military Hunters?”

“They were sunk in the lake. They might crawl out someday.”

It’d be nice if they stayed quietly underwater, but… Shouldn’t we evacuate the nearby city? Dan Unbi said she’d contact them.

“We’re not without connections to the government.”

I figured. Even within the Chinese government, some wouldn’t want the military to seize too much power.

“What will happen to the military, then? They’ve taken a big hit.”

“If all of Chaohu’s Hunters are neutralized, collapse is only a matter of time. Do you know of Chohwaun Sangjang?”

“Yes, we—”

I briefly explained the events then. Dan Unbi and her people looked at Yuhyun in surprise.

“Chohwaun Sangjang is one of the strongest on the continent. Impressive.”

My Yuhyun is very impressive indeed.

“Hwang Rim seems the most suspicious to me. Wasn’t he originally from a merchant family?”

“Yes. He is likely connected to this incident. He faced two choices — cooperate with the military, or topple it to expand his own influence.”

Joining the military would’ve been safer, but as a merchant, restrictions would’ve been irritating.

“And now that he’s got tobacco, too.”

Seong Hyunjae looked at me. Ah, the tobacco. That’d probably end up in the Hwang family’s hands now. I wondered what happened to the Chohwaun he took along.

“For our part, we wish to maintain a good relationship with you.”

Dan Unbi’s gentle expression and voice made me wonder if she was using her skill now. Made me want to agree outright.

“If China’s Hunter society becomes more free, it’ll benefit Korean Hunters too.”

Just having freer trade would help a lot.

“To be blunt, the Murim Alliance will gain plenty from this situation. Thanks to us.”

Dan Unbi nodded.

“Then let’s begin formal negotiations.”

We’d give what we’d give, and take what we’d take. And we’d already given plenty. Right?