The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 25

25. OFF (1)

“Installation complete.”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Finally, our place for Peace was finished. I looked at Peace’s new home with a sense of pride.

The clean glass walls, air purification and heating/cooling systems, and the neat wooden shelter made it look more like a luxurious smoking lounge than an animal pen. It took up almost half of the living room, so it was quite spacious. It shouldn’t feel too cramped even when he’s alone.

Not only the enclosure but also the front door’s inner door was replaced with a sturdy one. The living room’s glass windows were specially made using dungeon byproducts, so they should be fine.

As soon as the preparations were complete, I went straight to Yoohyun’s greenhouse to bring Peace. When I put him down in the living room, he seemed awkward in the unfamiliar environment for a moment, but soon he started sniffing around, exploring.

“Don’t bite the electrical wires.”

The wiring was so neat that there was hardly anything exposed, though.

“An uncle will be coming later, don’t bite him.”

Yoomyeongwoo went to his house to get his things. Peace is only the size of a cat, but his stats are C-grade, and Myeongwoo is F-grade, so if they fought, Yoomyeongwoo would be KO’d immediately. I have to be careful not to leave them alone in the same space.

– Grrr!

After looking around the living room and the kitchen, Peace seemed satisfied and rolled over at my feet. When I picked him up, he clung to me as if he had been waiting for it.

“Our Peace, what makes you so cute?”

How am I going to starve him later? But I can’t not let him grow. …Should I try teaching him Korean?

Hugging Peace, I went to the sofa and turned on the TV. A special broadcast was playing on the large wall-mounted TV. The background was none other than the Hunter Association.

A reporter was loudly announcing that a new S-grade Awakened [a hunter with the highest potential] would soon appear in Korea.

“Yerim went to register as an Awakened, I guess.”

It’s only noon, but she went early. Soon, the camera zoomed in on a car entering the association’s parking lot. The car stopped, and A-grade Hunter Kim Jiyeon from Haeyeon Guild got out of the driver’s seat. Then, Park Yerim’s figure appeared on camera.

“She looked glum because I didn’t go with her, but she looks good, huh?”

Or maybe she’s just photogenic. Her confident expression was very pleasing to see.

The camera followed her relentlessly as she entered the association building and headed to the upper-level measurement room. Yerim’s attitude during the pre-measurement interview was so natural that it felt skillful. She’s doing well.

“Peace, look at that. It’s Yerim noona [term for older sister or female friend]. You’ll be seeing her often from now on.”

I said, shaking Peace’s two front paws. A noona to be close to… wait, is she really a noona?

‘…What was Peace’s gender?’

I hadn’t checked if he was male or female. Yoohyun had never told me either. I looked down at Peace’s face, and his golden, round eyes met mine. Cute.

I can’t tell by looking at him.

“Um… should I check for a moment?”

I’ll know if I flip him over.

“Peace, be good~ let’s lie down for a second.”

I put him down on the sofa and gently flipped him over. Peace wagged his tail without much resistance, as if he thought I was playing. Let’s see, this is the anus… um… uh…….

“…There’s nothing there.”

There’s nothing there. What is it? Is it a storage type? Do mammals have storage types? Of course, he’s a monster, so I can’t rely on common sense.

“Well, whatever.”

Whether he’s male or female, it’s enough if he grows up healthy. His small front paws grabbed my hand and gently nibbled without hurting. I scratched his fluffy mane in response and got up from my seat.

Now, I need to start preparing my retirement fund.

– Kkiang

As I moved to the room, Peace whined and quickly followed. I had no choice but to pick him up and turn on the computer.

I stopped by the bank in the morning to sort out my bankbook and opened a new stock account. I should leave about ten million won [Korean currency, approximately $7,500 USD] for living expenses and invest the rest. I was planning to buy the blockbuster pharmaceutical stock that would explode in two months and then scatter the profits into sure-fire investments.

The future may not be 100% the same, so I need to diversify.

‘The hair loss drug will be properly developed, right?’

It’s only two months away, surely it won’t change.

After pouring in the money, I searched the portal site. The emergence of a new S-grade was causing a stir everywhere. Among them, there were reporters writing novels about Yerim’s deceased parents. That crazy bastard. I immediately took a PDF and reported it to the Haeyeon Guild’s PR team.

– Kkeureureu.

Peace started to whine after I had been mouse-clicking for a while. As soon as I took my hand off the mouse, as if he knew,

Pajik!

His small front paw flattened the mouse as if he were catching a cockroach. …Our Peace, you were very bored.

“Even if you’re bored, you can’t break things like this. Dad will be poor for a while.”

Zero living expenses and three million won a month isn’t a small amount, but I had to save just in case. A dungeon run would cut that in half. And that’s only if I could barely enter a low-level dungeon. Besides, there could be any number of other expenses.

“Mice aren’t much, but computers and cell phones are absolutely off-limits. It’s expensive to buy new ones that are worth anything.”

– Gyareureung.

Peace quickly showed his affection in response to my scolding tone. He licked my hand and wagged his tail playfully. Seeing this, I wondered if he would soon understand the word ‘love’. I hope I can succeed in applying the keyword without starving him.

I went to the kitchen to give Peace food, and I also had lunch. Yoomyeongwoo had made quite decent side dishes for someone who had never cooked before. Is it thanks to his basic dexterity? In a month or two, he might become surprisingly skilled.

[Park Yerim’s initial skills are a total of three, one of which is a whopping SS-grade.]

The small TV in the kitchen was also constantly broadcasting about Yerim. Whether the grade measurement was over or not, the caption ‘8th S-grade Combat Hunter Born’ was emblazoned in large letters. It eagerly explained that this brought them closer to catching up with China, that they were the best in the world in terms of area, and that the safety of the people was assured.

Around this time, China had nine S-grades, and Japan had five. However, China had many S-grades who were unregistered and kept their identities hidden. Who would want to be tied to the government with their families held hostage?

Eventually, not only S-grades but also A-grade and lower hunters defected overseas one by one, and as a result, China lost its ability to manage high-level dungeons four years later.

‘Wait, since they’re going to run overseas anyway, should I bring some hunters from China?’

Since the Awakening Center will be established within half a year, I don’t need to awaken them myself. Even if combat hunters don’t use seedling skills and awaken at the center, they’ll still be reasonably close to optimized. All I have to do is bring the future A~S-grade combat hunters and their families into the country, and my work is done.

‘In half a year, I’ll have enough money to poach a few people, and the country or guild will take care of the other procedures once they awaken to A-grade or higher.’

There was definitely an A-grade healer too. Putting her in Haeyeon would be perfect. The rest can be divided up by the government and guilds through negotiation.

‘It’s not like I’m using skills, I’m just helping people who are going to suffer, anyway.’

I don’t have to step in myself, I just need to hire a few brokers. Other countries were also poaching Chinese hunters in that way. Later, the surveillance became so severe that blood was spilled, literally, not figuratively.

‘It’s a brutal place after all.’

Since risking your life to enter dungeons is the norm, it’s only natural. Still, there are still about three years left before the real war begins. When the number of dungeons increases, monsters like Rauchitas pop out, and there aren’t enough high-level hunters, and S-grade dungeons start to explode, it’ll get really brutal.

Korea was relatively peaceful compared to other countries, though.

But what if I diligently searched the world and unearthed an S-grade every month, and raised the A~B-grades who couldn’t optimize their awakening?

Then the future would change in a significantly positive direction.

‘…Eh, do I need to worry about other countries? Let’s just add a few to Korea and be done with it.’

What am I going to do? The well-off and high-ranking people will take care of it. Even after five years, life was just a little tougher, not ruined.

I put Peace on my shoulder and cleared the table. There’s nothing much to do now, and it’s Monday, but it feels like the weekend. I hope it stays like this in the future.

Then a text message arrived on my phone. It was Kim Sunghan.

[Rookie hunter training starts tomorrow, so if you’re okay with it, I’ll buy you a drink today.]

Well, the first day is a theory class, but from the second day on, there’s also practical training, so it wouldn’t be good to drink the day before. I’m a veteran with five years of field experience, but I can’t reveal that.

‘Should I say the keyword or not.’

Let’s get a little drunk and decide. If it seems worth it, I’ll blurt it out, if not, oh well.

[Yes. Contact me in the evening. I’d prefer a simple, unpretentious place if possible.]

It would be annoying for Kim Sunghan because there would be people who recognize him, but I hate places where I have to wear a tie. It wouldn’t be a keyword-telling atmosphere either.

If it’s a noisy place where we can exchange words, the nonsense about love will be quickly buried.

[Okay.]

A reply came soon. Come to think of it, Hunter Talk hasn’t been created yet. The original name was H-Talk, but everyone called it Hunter Talk, a messenger app exclusively for hunters. Low-level hunters without fixed parties used it to gather parties and run dungeons. I won’t need it anymore, though.

I should buy stock in Hunter Talk too. Where was it made?

Yoomyeongwoo came back, and there was a brief commotion, but our smart Peace quickly distinguished between what he could eat and what he couldn’t. Without leaving a single bite mark on Yoomyeongwoo.

…Actually, he left just one. But he didn’t draw blood, just a slight mark, so that’s excellent.

I think our baby is a genius.

Later, there was also some trouble with Yerim, who came back late in the afternoon. ‘The cat is so cute!’ echoed about thirty times, and Peace scratched my shoulder, getting on my nerves. Poor Peace.

After chasing Yerim back to her house and providing a comfortable sleeping place for Peace, who was stressed, I got a call from Kim Sunghan.

“I’m going out, so don’t open Peace’s enclosure and keep Yerim from coming in.”

Yoomyeongwoo’s face turned pale at my words.

“M-, me……?”

“He’s someone you can talk to. Don’t be too scared.”

You’ll have to deal with a lot of S-grades in the future, so get used to it now. You’ll even be the boss, man. Don’t be scared.

I patted Yoomyeongwoo’s drooping shoulders and went down to the parking lot where Kim Sunghan was waiting.

We arrived at a bustling street not far from the Haeyeon Guild.

“…Here?”

I looked at the bar that Kim Sunghan had led me to with a slightly bewildered expression, at the glittering sign. This place is too, well… too childish… isn’t it targeting people in their early to mid-20s? College students seem to be coming and going. What does he think of me…….

…What does he think, I’m in my mid-20s, right. I keep forgetting my age.

But even in my early 20s, I used to drink soju [Korean distilled beverage] with factory workers while eating pork belly. This is my first time in such a cheerful, lively, and fresh place. Wow, look at the lighting. It’s colorful. What’s with the hunting written on the banner? Is it a club? The music sounds like that kind of vibe…….

No matter how I look at it, this isn’t it. This isn’t the vibe.

“I don’t know places like this, so I got a recommendation from another hunter.”

Kim Sunghan said. Recommendation… recommendation… it seems popular, though.

“…Who recommended it?”

“It’s Kim Minui, a B-grade hunter. He’s a college student three years younger than Hanyujin. He said this place is moderately hot and unpretentious around here.”

No, that unpretentious is unpretentious by student standards…….

“Student Minui… he must be busy with studying and hunter work, but he seems to know all the hot places these days.”

“He would have been expelled if he wasn’t a hunter.”

Kim Minui, you really played hard. If you’re a B-grade hunter affiliated with a guild, they’ll treat it as if you’re already employed and be lenient, but you’re in danger of expulsion, so you must not have gone to school at all.

Come to think of it, I remember Yoohyun being admitted through a special admission but having zero attendance. Yerim doesn’t have to go to school anymore either.

C-grade or higher underage Awakened are transferred to specialized schools for Awakened or receive home education for safety. Putting super-teenagers in their rebellious phase, who can’t be stopped by teachers, with vulnerable peers is dangerous in many ways.

“Let’s go in.”

Kim Sunghan said nonchalantly. I may have a 20-something face, but you’re in your 30s? And your stern impression and heavy build make you look five or six years older, aren’t you uncomfortable? No matter how I look at it, you look like an uncle who came to find his wild niece, not a customer.

He’s even wearing sunglasses that don’t match the time of day to hide his face, so he looks like a gangster who came to collect money……. Look, the kids passing by are glancing nervously.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

He turned to look at me, who was hesitating. What should I do? No, actually, I’m fine. It’s just awkward, but I’m in my twenties. If I had gone to college normally, I would have been frequenting places like this.

“…I’m going.”

I swallowed hard and moved my feet. It’s good to come to a place like this once in a while. I might as well enjoy my youth since I regressed…….