The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 5

5. My Brother is Strange (3)

There was still plenty of time until evening, so I decided to go to the Korean Hunter Association first.

‘It’s better to just get an F rank.’

I planned to only reveal the basic skills and hide the title and its additional skills. If I had an L-class, or even an S-class defense skill, it might be different, but for an F-stat user, L to S-class support skills were more than excessive; they were poison.

Especially if the owner of skills that could be used outside dungeons, like My Brat and Promising Sprout, didn’t have the ability to protect themselves, it would be like putting up a billboard saying, ‘Please kidnap and exploit me.’

They could just kidnap, threaten, and torture me to use the skills.

If it were a support skill that needed to be used during combat, they might prefer forming a party normally, since I might take a ‘you die, I die’ approach. But if it was a support skill usable outside dungeons and unrelated to combat, they could just capture me and use me like a slave without spending any money.

There had been plenty of victims like that.

‘That’s why I hid the Caregiver title too.’

If I revealed it to the Association, I could immediately raise my hunter rank, but I was too scared. Back then, I believed I was estranged from my brother, so I thought I wouldn’t be protected.

What should I do this time?

‘It’s better to tell Yoohyun everything and get his protection while helping the guild with my skills, right?’

I should exclude Dragon Slayer since it’s hard to explain, and only tell him about Perfect Caregiver. Just having Promising Sprout would be enough to play the role of a good brother. If I scout a lot of talented rookies, this time, instead of being kicked out of the guild, they’ll offer me a position.

Lost in pleasant fantasies, I opened the door. And our eyes met.

“Oh…”

A man easily over 190cm [over 6’3″], with a burly build, was leaning against the hallway wall in front of the door, staring at me with a stern face.

A-class Awakened, Kim Sunghan.

One of Han Yoohyun’s loyal henchmen, the Haeyeon Guild Leader, a combat hunter specializing in defense. Because of his high loyalty to Yoohyun, he regarded me as a thorn in his side… Judging by his expression, he still does.

But why is he here? It can’t be that he was just passing by… he’s standing with his back against the wall.

“Um… hello?”

Kim Sunghan cleanly ignored my greeting. What’s this? This never happened before. He usually got scolded by Yoohyun, got angry, shouted that he would take care of it himself, and ran off, telling everyone to mind their own business.

“I just have some business to take care of. Good work.”

I tried to pass by, but.

“That won’t do.”

A heavy, low voice blocked me. It wasn’t just the voice; his arm grabbed me.

“The Guild Leader ordered me to prevent you from leaving.”

“…Pardon?”

Why? Does he think I’m going to find an Awakening broker again? Don’t you trust your brother? …I wouldn’t trust myself either, though.

“I’m not planning to cause trouble. I’ll just go out for a bit and come right back. It’ll take an hour.”

The Hunter Association is a 10-minute taxi ride from here, and since it’s a weekday, there should be fewer people, so I can finish the hunter registration within an hour. But the hand holding my arm didn’t budge.

“Please go back to your room willingly.”

“No, really, just for a bit… then……”

Facing his increasingly fierce gaze, my voice trailed off involuntarily. Just then.

[Intimidation is nullified!]

The fear resistance skill took effect. But what’s the point of having a skill? If I act cocky just because I’m not scared, I’ll just get beaten up. It’s really useless.

“Okay, I get it. I’ll go in, I’ll go in.”

I shook off Kim Sunghan’s hand and turned around. In front of an A-class, jumping around is pointless, and he’s not a flexible enough person to reason with. Should I try using a skill?

Turning back around, Kim Sunghan’s eyes narrowed. What, man? Staring won’t work. Let’s use Promising Sprout. The status window appeared.

[Awakened – Kim Sunghan

Current Stat Grade: A

Awakening Possible Stat Grade: A~S

Optimized Initial Skill

Indomitable Body (S) Acquisition Failed

Regeneration (S) Acquisition Failed

Earth Shield (A) Acquired]

Too bad! I almost shouted out loud without thinking. His Awakening Possible Stats were up to S-class, and he had two possible S-class skills! As I remember, Kim Sunghan’s initial skills were Earth Shield and Stomp. Stomp was also A-class, but it wasn’t an optimized skill, it seemed.

‘Wow, that’s really a pity. Can’t people re-awaken after they’ve already awakened? Optimize Kim Sunghan’s Awakening!’

[The target is not yet in a state of Keyword Infusion.]

Oops, the keyword.

[Optimized Awakening is not possible for targets who have completed Awakening.]

Message windows popped up one after another. I knew it wouldn’t work. There’s no choice…….

[My Brat is the Best (L) Single Skill Growth Focus Application allows acquisition of new skills, including Optimized Skills that have failed to be acquired.]

Huh! Growth Focus was possible on a single skill like that? This system is so terrible at explaining things. There were so many hidden effects discovered late like this. There were even skills that seemed to have additional effects without any message windows popping up……?

Anyway, being able to acquire a failed S-class skill is amazing… amazing… but…….

‘Damn it, the keyword.’

I raised my head and looked at Kim Sunghan. The gruff man was giving me a look that said, ‘Why aren’t you going in?’ A man who was 20 centimeters taller than me and had a physique that would make even the average gangster call him ‘hyung’ [a respectful Korean term for an older brother or male friend].

Yeah, I can’t do it. Absolutely not.

I smiled as if nothing was wrong and went into the room.

And shouted inwardly.

‘Change the keyword!!’

Can’t I reset it? I want to regress one more time. Just for one day. No, just for one hour.

I turned away saying I wouldn’t do it, but it’s a waste, a waste, terribly a waste!

‘If the guild had one more S-class, it would be a huge help. Yeah, I should explain it to Yoohyun first and get his cooperation…….’

I stopped muttering, feeling like I was missing something. …What if I explain about the keyword? What if I reveal the skills?

A bad premonition hit me in the back of the head.

Let’s calmly sort out the situation. Right now, I am.

‘…Under house arrest.’

I’m trapped. None other than an A-class Awakened is guarding the door. It’s too much to just prevent me from causing trouble. Even a C-class, or even a D-class, would be enough to stop me.

‘Yoohyun, you…….’

What are you thinking? You never did this before the regression.

I remembered Yoohyun saying he would make me delete the broker’s contact information immediately and prevent me from contacting them. It was a bit strange from then on.

No matter how ridiculously weak I am compared to him, I’m still his brother. I’m already an adult, and if I don’t obsess over being a hunter, I can live well enough on my own. Besides, unlike before the regression, we communicate well, so there’s no need to lock me up like this at all.

In the first place, Yoohyun has no right or justification to confine me, right?

I turned my head this way and that, then sat on the bed.

‘If this situation is to protect me.’

I took out my cell phone. I’ll just ask him directly.

After a short ringing, Yoohyun answered the phone.

“Oh, it’s not a big deal. I was going to go out for a bit, but Kim Sunghan is stopping me. He said it’s your order?”

[Where are you trying to go?]

The Hunter Association… it’s better not to say it now.

“Just home.”

[Why home?]

“Do I need a reason to go to my own house? I’ll go and come back in the evening.”

The voice on the other side of the phone paused for a moment, then came back, lowered.

[That’s a little different from what Kim Sunghan said.]

“Huh?”

[He said you’d be back within an hour.]

“No, that’s because he was stopping me. It just meant I wasn’t going anywhere else.”

Why is he being so sensitive? The anxiety in my heart grew a little bigger.

[If you don’t have anything else to do, just stay here. As for the house… why don’t you just join the guild too, hyung?]

“What?”

[There’s no need to live separately. The world isn’t safe these days. There aren’t any dungeons near hyung’s house, but you never know when one might appear, and what if it explodes?]

No, it’s safe for the next five years, though.

[I’ll have them prepare the move right away.]

“Move? Hey!”

[I have to go out, so it’ll be hard to contact you until evening. If you need anything, tell Kim Sunghan.]

“No, wait a minute! Yoohyun!”

The call ended. I stared at the phone, feeling both dismayed and dumbfounded.

‘Is this also one of the side effects of going back to the past?’

It seems like my brother’s personality has changed a bit. What’s wrong with this guy?

‘Shouldn’t I reveal the Perfect Caregiver title?’

Even now, when he knows me as a non-Awakened, it’s like this. If I revealed that I had a very useful support skill, I might not be able to take a single step outside the room. …Although I can’t go out now either.

Damn it, I should hide it for now and see how things go.

‘If Yoohyun keeps acting strange, let’s create my own force.’

It’s possible if I have the Perfect Caregiver title.

First, I’ll go find the future A~S-classes and awaken them. It would be better if they were younger. I’ll persuade the young kids well and coax them into becoming Awakeners…….

‘…This is completely a con artist or a human trafficker.’

B, but I don’t take money and I really do awaken them!

To prevent the awakened kids from betraying me, I need to write a contract. Something like, ‘You won’t reveal the secret of Awakening and will protect me as my affiliated hunter for one year.’ I want to say, ‘Protect me for life!’ but there was no contract item that could bind an S-class Awakened for a long time. The longest one was 10 years.

If I sweep up several A~S-classes like that and use growth skills as bait to keep the kids staying, a large guild will be completed soon.

‘Or it might be okay to merge with the Haeyeon Guild in the middle.’

If I bring several A~S-classes, Yoohyun will acknowledge me too, right? Surely he won’t try to lock me up again? Since I have kids protecting me, I won’t be easily caught.

Okay, then the first Awakened to catch is.

Ice Witch Park Yerim, who becomes an A-class Awakened in three years, would be good. She stood out quickly among the A-classes, so maybe she can awaken to S-class.

‘She was definitely living in Seoul. I saw an interview where she lost her parents in a dungeon shock and was living with relatives who ran a meat restaurant near Myeongdong Station. How old is she now… fifteen?’

…She’s a middle schooler. A keyword for a middle schooler…….

I swear to heaven, I have no ulterior motives towards a child who is only half my age! If a thirty-year-old has strange thoughts about a minor, they should immediately bite a knife and fall over! This is just groundwork for Awakening!