The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 526: Statement of Intent (2)

The door closed behind me, and a long corridor stretched out before my eyes. When I reached the entrance, Association Hunters would be standing guard, but this area was empty for security purposes. With just one door between us, Yuhyun and Yerim were on the other side, along with many people favorably disposed toward me, yet somehow I felt like I’d been left alone.

I took one step, slowly. Even now, if I turned around and opened that door, I wouldn’t have to go forward alone. These were people who would embrace me even if I collapsed.

‘…Being protected isn’t actually that bad of an option.’

I’d remain an F-rank needing S-rank protection until the end in the public eye, but those precious to me already knew Han Yujin well. It would be enough to be satisfied with recognition from the people around me.

Of course, if that happened, I’d inevitably have to stay in the background. Just like before, the S-ranks would take the lead proactively, and Han Yujin would be quietly protected and follow along. The image from the Japan gathering would eventually fade and not last long either.

Maybe they’d all do fine even without me stepping forward. After all, they were S-ranks with abilities far superior to mine. F-ranks should act like F-ranks.

‘That still feels disgusting though.’

As I turned the corner, I could see the Association Hunters. The door leading to the conference hall was closed. My head was still full of thoughts. All sorts of predictions came to mind haphazardly, but in truth…

All of it was really just excuses. Not that they were forced excuses, of course. There would definitely be benefits to engraving on high-rank Hunters that “hey, I’m qualified to stand on equal footing with you guys” and gaining support from ordinary people too. Looking at the long term, it would be a good turning point for mid— and low-rank Hunters as well.

But the biggest reason…

I stood in front of the door and looked down at the handle.

The biggest reason I was going this far was purely personal.

Because I wanted to do this. Because I wanted recognition. Even now, everyone was worried, but if I just stepped back, my family, my precious people would be able to relax. Yet even so, this time I wanted to be a little selfish.

I wanted recognition that I could stand beside Yuhyun, beside the S-ranks, shoulder to shoulder with confidence. I wanted everyone to think that sight was natural. Even while considering it greed, still…

Wasn’t this a mistake? Was I doing something pointless? Would I regret this? Even amid the negative emotions, I reached out my hand. For my sake. Just then.

[Hyung.]

I heard a voice. I turned my head quickly, but aside from the Association Hunters, no one was around. Was I hearing things because I didn’t sleep properly? Had my body weakened this much from just one day?

— Cheep!

Now even Chirp’s voice—

— Cheep cheep.

The top of my head grew heavy. A warm bundle of heat was flapping on top of my head.

“Chirp!”

Don’t tell me this kid teleported here again. Since he could appear anytime, anywhere, I’d reported it to the Association in advance, but it wouldn’t be good for others to see him.

“I’m sorry, but could you take Chirp to the waiting room? I’d appreciate it if you could hand him over to Hunter Park Yerim.”

One of the Association Hunters said they would and took Chirp. Thanks to that, my tension eased somewhat. With a much lighter feeling, I opened the door. I smiled at the densely packed reporters and walked up to the podium.

Normally, press conferences related to high-rank Hunters, especially S-rank Hunters, tended to admit mainly reporters favorable to Hunters. It was part of managing high-rank Hunter images. Of course, even among them, there were cases of provocative articles being released, but in such cases, with penalties like being unable to attend future conferences and refusal of high-rank Hunter interviews, they’d learned to watch themselves.

But this time, restrictions were minimized. As a result, I could see several familiar reporters.

‘Kim Seungjun is here, but Park Haesin isn’t.’

Well, apart from his relationship with Yuhyun, there was no reason for jerks who bothered me—an ordinary F-rank—to be high-ranking enough for this. Even with lowered restrictions, the competition for seats like this would naturally have been fierce. Previous events were the same, of course. Thanks to that, I’d had no chance to run into them until now. The saying goes that bullies pick on the weak, and the current me wasn’t someone they could easily mess with.

How would today go?

I gave a brief greeting and sat in the prepared seat. As I pulled the chair in and settled comfortably, I noticed letters written on the end of the white tablecloth hanging down toward me.

[Don’t overdo it, hyung. It’s okay.]

[♡Mister, fighting!♡]

When did they write this? So that’s why those two left early. Looking at Yerim’s drawn hearts, Yuhyun must have followed suit later, because there was a heart drawn under his writing too. And Yerim must have decorated around the messages with stars, then Yuhyun drew stars again. I could see it clearly without even looking.

The sight of Yerim grumbling about why he kept copying her and Yuhyun pretending not to hear without batting an eye appeared vividly before my eyes, and I held back the laughter that was about to escape.

“Is it true that Director Han Yujin was the first to acquire an invitation to the party?”

A safe question came first.

“In Korea, that’s correct.”

Though I did steal Chloe’s.

“Breaker’s Guild Leader announced that he obtained an invitation with Director Han Yujin’s help. We heard that other S-rank Guild Leaders also received help from Director Han Yujin.”

“Originally, Korea—more precisely, East Asian Hunters—were not on the invitation list.”

This was also true. Apparently Chatterbox is a racist. Though he’s not from Earth to begin with.

“Therefore, I personally contacted Mr. Chatterbox and obtained invitations.”

“There’s a foreign S-rank Hunter claiming you stole their invitation from them.”

Oh my, who might that be? A reporter threw out a sharp question saying it was through unethical methods as well. I widened my eyes slightly as if surprised.

“What exactly did they say the method was?”

“They didn’t specify details, but said it was definitely a trap.”

“Ah… I see. An S-rank Hunter fell into a trap and had an invitation that could even be put in an inventory stolen from them.”

I continued with a troubled expression.

“I’m concerned whether it would be okay for me to reveal the detailed circumstances right here and now. For that person’s honor, I’ll pass on this question.”

Several reporters pressed me to answer. They must be curious about how a stat F-rank forcibly took an invitation from an S-rank. I looked at the reporters and trailed off with “I don’t mind but…” The implication that if they kept demanding answers and that S-rank Hunter got so embarrassed they tried to retaliate, what would they do seemed to get across, because they soon closed their mouths.

Perhaps thanks to Moon Hyunah’s favorable interview, the response was definitely more subdued than right after Chatterbox’s party became known. But that didn’t last long either.

“Currently, seven Korean S-rank Hunters are known to have obtained Chatterbox’s invitations. Don’t you plan to yield your invitation to Hanshin’s Guild Leader Park Mingyu or Haeyeon’s Hunter Kim Seonghan? There’s also Hunter Kim Minui, though she’s quasi-S-rank. And there are far more A-rank Hunters than that.”

In short, why was an F-rank butting in? Still, they wrapped it up kindly. Before the regression, they would have stabbed directly asking if an F-rank was even capable of participating in an S-rank party.

“Hunter Kim Seonghan of Haeyeon declined party participation. Though Korea has stabilized, not all S-rank Hunters can be away. I plan to contact Hanshin’s Guild Leader directly.”

“So you’ll step down?”

What?

“There are spare invitations. However, I think it’s safer for about two S-rank Hunters to remain in Korea.”

Considering what I’d heard of Hanshin’s Guild Leader’s tendencies, the probability of refusal was high. Since I mentioned him, I’d feel bad if he got blamed for not participating, so I put up a shield in advance.

“Hunter Kim Minui also declined participation due to her special nature.”

“Even so, wouldn’t that be better than Director Han Yujin?”

S-ranks of course, but also A-ranks, even B-ranks. All the gazes focused on me would agree with that. The same would go for people watching TV on the other side of the cameras. Though there might be a minority who thought it was a rude question, facts were facts.

“If there’s a Hunter better than me.”

I smiled toward the cameras.

“I’ll yield it to them.”

“So ultimately you’re saying you won’t participate.”

“Are you planning to prioritize Haeyeon Hunters?”

“No. The condition for transfer is simple.”

At the word “condition,” the reporters perked up their ears. I answered them.

“A Hunter who can steal a party invitation from an S-rank Hunter.”

The reporters who had been vying for chances to ask questions fell silent for a moment.

“A Hunter who can fight and beat S-rank Hunters. Or a Hunter capable of making it look that way.”

They said it was manipulated footage. That manipulation that’s so easy in words—if there’s someone who can do it, come on out.

“It’s not even someone better than me. As long as they can do as much as I can, I’ll gladly yield it.”

If I’m not qualified, fine. Then bring someone as good as me. Someone better than the common F-rank you’re talking about.

But what to do about this? The people in Korea who at least meet the conditions are all already on my side. Except for those very few, there aren’t any. There aren’t.

“…But didn’t Director Han Yujin receive help from S-rank Hunters?”

“Didn’t you say the foreign S-rank Hunter fell into my trap? Go ask them whether I benefited from an S-rank Hunter’s favor. And if you can receive help, you can. Whatever method you use, if you’re someone who satisfies one of the three conditions I mentioned, I’ll gladly hand over the invitation.”

Among Koreans, of course. They’d probably think it was better for me to go than to hand it to a foreigner.

I could clearly feel the reporters’ bewilderment. What I said wasn’t wrong. Public opinion had arisen saying I should hand over the invitation to someone else because I was lacking. So I said I’d hand it over to someone better than me, or at least someone as capable as me.

It’s the right thing to say. There’s absolutely no reason to hand it to a Hunter worse than me.

“Then are you saying you’ll participate in Chatterbox’s party directly?”

“If there’s no one who meets the conditions, naturally I’ll participate. And.”

I took a short breath. Then continued.

“I am qualified to participate.”

I met the rushing gazes head-on. That’s right. This was an invitation I obtained myself. The party itself was practically arranged by me. So who else but me? Even compared to Seong Hyunjae, I naturally took priority.

Even Chatterbox probably thought of me as the protagonist.

Right, I’m the protagonist.

“What do you think about the fact that your stats are F-rank?”

“I’ve already produced results. I’m also confident I’ll produce good results going forward.”

It’s a bit underhanded, but I had a high probability of holding out until the end. After all, Chatterbox wouldn’t be happy if I got eliminated early and went home. He’d try to help me, even bending the rules slightly. Then I’d take that and go “I’m F-rank but I trampled S-ranks, hahaha.” That’s what it meant.

Even if not, wouldn’t he at least give me an opportunity like a revival round? Conversely, I might be able to extort something by saying “ah, I can’t do this, I’m just going home.” I’d already created a position where I could do that.

“Isn’t your confidence excessive? If you’re relying on S-rank Hunters, especially your brother Guild Leader of Haeyeon—”

“Additionally, I’ll attend the party alone.”

Information about two-person teams had already spread abroad as much as it was going to. At my words, the reporters were flustered again.

“I’ve specially obtained a one-person invitation as well.”

The mark on my neck. Chatterbox said he’d welcome me even without an invitation. In other words, I had a one-person invitation.

“What’s your reason for suddenly stepping forward like this?”

A reporter I knew from before the regression asked.

“Until now, hasn’t Director Han Yujin acted appropriately for stat F-rank? You even signed a contract to receive S-rank Hunter protection. So why suddenly change your attitude?”

Their eyes were suspicious. It was completely different from the image I’d shown publicly until now.

“As you said, I’m stat F-rank. Strictly speaking, I was no different from a non-Awakened.”

The same as most of the people here and watching TV.

“When I first entered a dungeon, I was terribly afraid. I trembled for days without sleeping properly.”

That had really happened. I was truly an ordinary F-rank. There had even been injured people in that raid. Monsters swarming, screams and shrieks and thick stench of blood spreading. Though it was a raid with several experienced people where failure was nearly impossible, it was still shocking.

It’s not for nothing that a considerable number of low-rank Hunters give up Hunter work after their first raid. But I couldn’t give up precisely because I was scared. My brother was doing the same work.

“And as you all know, various things happened.”

There were many even among what was publicly known.

“I changed, naturally. I couldn’t not change.”

It’s not just about six months. Since Awakening, it’s been five years.

“Especially recently, it was incredibly difficult. I had to struggle desperately to survive among high-rank Hunters. Though I didn’t reveal it, I suffered serious injuries too. But I protected my life and returned home.”

A question came asking if the health checkup was because of those injuries. I nodded lightly.

“I’m definitely weak. Stat-wise, that is. But I’m standing here. Because my stats are F-rank, I was easily targeted. I was probably considered a docile valuable item that would quietly hand things over if stolen.”

No one considered my resistance. I used that advantageously too. I might be able to use it again going forward, but Chatterbox had grasped me to some extent and would have conveyed that to his followers. The same went for Hwang Rim. Chloe too, and some Hunters who attended the Japan gathering.

“So I’m going to show you. The fact that even F-ranks will squirm and even bite when stepped on. F-ranks can change too. No, they can grow.”

I was cursed for being F-rank. At the same time, I could gain a sense of kinship for being F-rank. An ordinary person competing with geniuses and achieving results. Everyone likes that.

“An F-rank holding out among S-ranks. Isn’t that a good opportunity? My stats are definitely F, but if my abilities can match S-rank, I’ll naturally become safer. After all, there haven’t been any cases of attempted S-rank kidnapping so far.”

Even just reaching A-rank makes the person themselves generally safe. They only protect information because they worry about family or acquaintances.

“Conversely, won’t you become more dangerous if you produce poor results?”

“Then I’d have to continue being quietly protected. No different from before. In other words, this is a challenge with no loss for me.”

There was no way to become more dangerous. I was already F. Rock bottom. The only advantage of rock bottom is that the only way left is up.

“I know well that it’s hard to escape your rank. Especially for lower ranks, the stairs are only steeper and harsher.”

I knew it more acutely than anyone in this world.

“But it’s not impossible to climb.”

It’s also not that you must climb. I, we, are simply ordinary. But there’s a complete difference between having no path at all and having someone who climbed up. Even if smaller than a needle’s eye, the possibility must exist.

“So I’ll struggle desperately.”

My personal greed is great, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I smiled brightly asking for their support. Even cutting away all the various reasons, an F-rank among S-ranks is interesting, right? It’s more worth watching to have one exception mixed in than just S-ranks swarming. As long as they hold out well, of course.

A few more questions about the party were exchanged. But they couldn’t find any more fault with the most important point—Han Yujin’s attendance. I’d even said I’d hand it over if conditions were met.

Even doing this, complaints would still arise. There would be many people hoping I’d fail. Still, I left the conference hall with a much lighter heart.

At least this time, I’d obtained an opportunity.

“Hyung!”

When I returned to the waiting room, Yuhyun, who had come out to the door, greeted me. Sleep poured over me at the same time. Yuhyun supported me, and Yerim, Hyunah, Noah, and Seong Hyunjae said something, but I couldn’t hear properly. I just fell asleep like that.

But it was okay. Because in this place, even if I slept defenseless and at ease, they would protect me.