The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 484: Host of the Gathering (3)

I habitually started to call Seong Hyunjae directly — then stopped. Not this time. If I dialed from my number, the call would probably go straight through the secretary’s office anyway.

“Could I borrow your phone? You’ve got the Sesung Guild number saved, right?”

“Yes, of course. Or I can connect you to the Dodam secretariat team.”

“Please use us often,” Seo Kyunghoon said with a smile. Other than core duties, there hadn’t been much I asked of them — I’d been leaving most things to Haeyeon.

“Isn’t it too much to dump my work on you as well? Aren’t you still short–staffed?”

“We have more than enough bandwidth to handle calls. Until we fill out the headcount, Haeyeon is seconding people over. Still, we should be able to operate independently as soon as possible.”

“It won’t take long,” he added with confidence. I’d worried Seok Gimyeong might work him to the bone, but it seemed to suit him better than I’d expected. Seeing his bright expression made me feel lighter too.

Using Brother Kyunghoon’s phone, I called the Sesung Guild Leader’s secretary office. The staffer was quite flustered when he realized it was me on the line. He wondered aloud why I hadn’t called Seong Hyunjae directly, but soon enough he calmly connected the call.

[It’s a little sad — it feels like we’ve grown distant all of a sudden.]

“Don’t play dumb.”

If I was calling through the secretary’s office, he could infer the situation. As expected, Seong Hyunjae got straight to the point.

[You want materials for the Dodam–hosted gathering.]

“Exactly.”

[And you want a deal — not a favor.]

“Right. That’s why I even secured the venue myself.”

It would be easy if I left it to Seong Hyunjae. But then the true host wouldn’t be me — it would be the Sesung Guild Leader.

“You must have not only the birthday party files but also overseas intel. I’d like to purchase as much as possible — preferably everything you can provide.”

I’d moved around with crowds of S–class Hunters many times before — but those were people who liked me. The Hunters coming this time were different. Of course they’d make trouble. They’d clash — and clash hard. A half–wrecked hotel or a sunk cruise ship would be mild. Granted, that cruise had been practically Seong Hyunjae’s doing; up to that point things had been decent.

So to prepare properly, I needed to know as much as I could.

[I wonder if Director Han’s pocket money can cover that,] he said with a trace of laughter. …I already had to spend a lot just to prepare.

“You don’t want cash anyway. If it could end with money, I’d be thrilled.”

I’m broke, I’m broke. Not literally, but I wasn’t confident on that front. Sure, I could get a loan easily, but if word got out that I’d borrowed money, Yuhyun would be hurt. And I didn’t want to ask my brother — nor should I.

[If not money — the detailed contents of Director Han’s status window.]

“I refuse.”

I’m not crazy enough to spill all of that. I kept my tone smooth, without giving anything away.

“You know most of it already. I’m not about to hand you freebies.”

[I was serious.]

“Don’t joke.”

I flicked a glance at Brother Kyunghoon. He understood at once and discreetly stepped out.

“If it’s info for info, let’s do Monster Mounts–related data. Or I can recommend overseas dungeons. I’ve got a lot stored upstairs.”

Dungeons that hadn’t appeared yet. Stamina Potion–grade rare resource dungeons were far off, but I could nudge the newbie into pulling some appearances forward. Even if not, it was valuable intel. For far–flung places like the U.S. or Europe, Haeyeon couldn’t manage them yet and acquiring rights was nearly impossible — handing those to Sesung wasn’t a bad idea. Sesung had even set up a U.S. branch.

“Honestly, in terms of the quantity and quality of intel, I figure what I’ve already brought you evens the scales. I’ve shoveled the Transcendent–related stuff your way.”

[You’re not expecting me to say, ‘Then I’ll give you this for free,’ I assume.]

“It mustn’t look like ‘the Sesung Guild Leader did a favor for the Breeding Facility Director.’”

This time, I didn’t intend to rely on my brother — or on Haeyeon. Shishio had keyword synergy with me, and I’d had a big hand in resolving the Japan situation. It would actually look good that the Breeding Facility Director personally negotiated with the Amaterasu Guild.

[Director Han Yujin.]

His voice dropped — deep and weighty.

[Draft a formal proposal per standard format and submit it to the Sesung Guild Secretary Office.]

And he cut the call without ceremony. I stared at the phone, at a loss for words.

“…That’s fair enough.”

And it probably wouldn’t be him handling it — a secretary or another manager would. Even if I’d called him directly, he would have said even less and told me to contact the secretary office, then hung up. Still — it annoyed me.

“What a jerk.”

Sure, even the heads of the biggest overseas guilds rarely got a direct line to the illustrious Sesung Guild Leader — but still, what a jerk. He wasn’t even ranked No. 1 in the Rankings yet.

When I asked for the proposal template after returning the phone, Seo Kyunghoon said that wasn’t something I needed to do myself.

“If you outline the contents, I’ll send it to Sesung. Since he said to submit it to the secretary office, it shouldn’t be ultra–classified.”

“That’s true.”

I could hide anything that might expose pre–regression knowledge. It felt awkward to delegate, but I nodded obediently. Right — I have a secretary team too.

Perhaps because the three hostages were still in my hands, Chloe stayed quiet. She made no moves and remained at Sesung.

Meanwhile, Song Taewon grew more on edge by the day. Songi decided to stay at the Facility until the CSAT was over.

“This is the touchiest time of year for Chief Song,” Moon Hyunah said, checking the list of drinks we’d serve at the event.

“Even Seong Hyunjae gets comparatively tame around now.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know the details — but they had a blow–up once. He was abroad and unilaterally announced he’d be back at dawn on CSAT day. That was the first and only time Chief Song personally went and dragged him back — even though he hadn’t said he wouldn’t come.”

“Surpr— actually, not surprising.”

Knowing Mr. Song’s values, it fit. A bunch of bright–futured kids were taking an exam that would hugely impact their lives. The mere thought that a dungeon, a monster, or a Hunter could interfere would put him on a razor’s edge.

I’d better behave until CSAT day.

“Alright, that’s that. I’ll give you the promo rate.”

“Thank you~”

Alcohol is a double–edged sword, but it still wasn’t strong enough to get high–rank Hunters blackout drunk. And with S–classes all around, no high–rank Hunter would let themselves get so hammered they lost control. They’d pace themselves. And if a few rough edges popped up — that was fine too.

We signed the contract and stood to leave.

“How’s the response?”

“Good. But they can’t touch it rashly — because I’m the one holding it.”

With a theatrical flourish, Ms. Hyunah opened the door.

“What would they even offer me? Money? A seat? They can’t roll up with an SS–class weapon.”

It was a product targeting wealthy mid– to high–rank Hunters. It used regular spirits for now, but as our research progressed we’d develop drinks that intoxicated on mana instead of alcohol. Then it wouldn’t harm your health — demand from wealthy non–awakened folks would be huge.

What kind of businessperson wouldn’t covet that? But the counterpart was an S–class Hunter — and a Guild Leader — Moon Hyunah.

“If someone came to me saying, ‘We’ll cut off Breaker Guild’s stake entirely!’ I’d hand it over. But that’s not happening.”

“First–mover advantage is important, but eventually others could develop similar products.”

Someone would taste it and back–engineer it, no doubt. Without the original, it would take time. Besides, Ms. Hyunah had said Lambda’s memories gave her some foundation in brewing. Long term, it was better to anchor it with an S–class guild.

In the end, she’d let greed slip it through her fingers — but still.

“We’ve set the bait. From here on it’s a fight without weapons — stocks, equity, mergers and acquisitions, legal blah–blah. It’s complicated. Doesn’t suit me.”

“I’m the same these days. Managing people doesn’t come naturally.”

I’d been tempted to run things like our old raid team before regression, but for the incoming recruits’ sake, hierarchy needed to be clear. According to Seok Gimyeong, keeping work and private life sharply separated was better for employees too. True — this wasn’t a hobby club. If the execs were all arm–in–arm, laughing and chummy, it’d look unreliable.

“It’d be great if we could do only what we want. But to do those things, we also have to do things we dislike — and things we’re clumsy at.”

“Exactly. I wish I could be healthy without exercise.”

“That’s different. Are you still training? Got some muscle on yet?”

“Hands off. And — no, nothing, nothing!”

If I worked hard, I could get back to pre–regression condition. Ms. Hyunah had business with the research team, and I needed to ask Myungwoo for protection gear for Chirp, so we headed to the building together. On the big TV in the Hunter lounge–like lobby, Song Taewon was on screen — stiff and awkward as ever.

[Please be sure to report within the voluntary declaration period.]

It was an announcement asking any unregistered awakened among test–takers to visit or contact the Hunter Association within the window. Since inventory or skills could be used to cheat, awakened people had to take their exam separately under a Hunter’s supervision.

“He’s got it rough. When’s the drawing?”

“Last year, Chief Song went around to Guild Leaders with number slips himself. This year, the Ministry office will draw and deliver. Choi Seokwon — the one who drew Jeju — complained about the visit order.”

What’s there to complain about — Jeju’s great. Before heading to the forge, I popped into the research team too. I figured half would be out midday, but surprisingly many were around. And—

“Noah?”

“Hello.”

Noah sat at a desk — wearing glasses — poring over some documents.

“Do you have an eye problem?”

“No. S–class Hunters already have sharp vision, and post–draconification mine got even sharper. Specifically for flight — which makes prolonged close reading a little uncomfortable. So Whitey made me custom lenses.”

It had gotten worse after he gained the Radiant Dragonkin skill. He could control it, but sustained focus was tiring.

“And you’re part–timing here, too?”

“Studying. I thought it’d help to learn mana and skill theory.”

Since the research team was in the same building, he’d been studying a bit of everything. Diligent, as always. Seok Hayan watched him with fond eyes. I suddenly remembered when Ms. Hayan had told me to study under her. The researchers around her looked fond as well — but there was a faintly chilling gleam there. An S–class with a special skill — of course Noah was tempting. Worried, I whispered to him.

“If anything feels off, walk out. Or call me.”

“Don’t worry. I’m S–class, you know.”

True enough. Noah had a surprisingly decisive side. He still looked gentle to me, though.

I left the lab with Noah instead of Moon Hyunah and went to see Myungwoo. When I explained about Chirp, Myungwoo looked troubled.

“I can’t block teleportation with my current level. I’ll make a protection item first. Chirp won’t be able to use it situationally, and a permanent damage–null aura… at best C–class, maybe B–class if I push it.”

We could do it only because Chirp was small; it would also need regular mana refills.

“Thanks — I’ll leave it to you. Also, I want to raise my control over the Drawer space. Is that doable?”

Myungwoo fell silent and studied me carefully.

“Given your conditions — yes.”

“My conditions?”

“Your stats are F–class, but thanks to Grace you’ve got plenty of mana, plus you have an engraving. For a maker, it’s actually better to start with lower physical stats.”

“Really? Not for S–classes?”

“Right. More precisely, the bigger the gap between physical stats and mana sensitivity, the better. Higher ranks raise both, but the difference between 1 and 10 is far larger than between 99 and 100. If Noah is the latter, you’re the former.”

Conclusion — there was hope. I didn’t need much; if I could just maintain the Drawer!

“What do I need to do?”

“Grunt work.”

“…Huh?”

“Simple repetition.”

He said it cleanly. A vivid image of Myungwoo sharpening blades flashed in my mind. Right.

“…Should I sharpen knives too?”

“To better understand mana–made objects, start by taking them apart. Then put them back together. Repeat that — over and over — and you’ll get the feel.”

And how many repetitions was “over and over”? I felt the road of hardship yawning open.

“Drop by when you have time — I’ll teach you how to disassemble and reassemble items. Set up a mana mockup inside that Drawer.”

“O–okay. Thanks.”

There was equipment in the basement that looked like item–crafting gear. Maintaining the Drawer… I had to.

Noah gave me a ride back to the Facility. I went into the Director’s office and closed the door. I checked my appearance in the attached bathroom mirror, then sat on the sofa. The proposal to Sesung was sent, Shishio was cooperating nicely, and the other prep had no major snags, so—

“Chatterbox.”

The moment I spoke the name out loud, the party host manifested. A Transcendent in a sleek black tailcoat, a white mask, and a trailing black veil. Lips engraved on the mask curved into a smile.

“Han Yujin.”

“Shall I say — a pleasure to finally meet.”

I returned the smile.