The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 440

438. You’ve Worked Hard (2)

“The word ‘thanks’ is both fitting and unfitting.”

The Martial Arts Alliance Leader wore a gentle smile.

“The military kidnapped Hunter Han, and the Martial Arts Alliance merely provided some assistance to the enemy of our enemy. The result is simply a profit from our investment.”

“As you said, you only provided directions. But you couldn’t have been completely unaware of the potential outcome, could you? How many S-Class Hunters were involved? Someone who has led a group through such precarious situations couldn’t have failed to foresee that much.”

Even if he had a skill that enhanced persuasiveness, he must have had the ability to attract S-Class Hunters. Dan Woobi, who had been quietly observing me, spoke.

“Shinreung-gun ascended the eastern staircase.”

…What nonsense is that all of a sudden? Who is Shinreung-gun? But I shouldn’t ask what he’s talking about here, so I pretended to be deep in thought and kept my mouth shut. Fortunately, Sung Hyunjae answered for me.

“There’s no reason for Hunter Han to refuse five castles. The military’s hunters and airport facilities are regrettable, but they shouldn’t be used as leverage.”

What’s with the castles? I don’t know exactly, but is he saying that I’ve caused a lot of damage to China, so I shouldn’t just emphasize my contributions to the Martial Arts Alliance? I wish they’d connect me to Wi-Fi so I could search, instead of talking in a way that only they understand.

“Moreover, surpassing remembering virtue with wealth is remembering virtue with gratitude.”

It seemed to be a classical idiom. If they’re going to be like this, they should at least offer me some honey tea. Listening to them was starting to annoy me.

“East or west, I climbed a rough mountain path with aching legs, without any of those staircases. You’re really treating your guests well.”

“Maengsang-gun even provided a carriage.”

Who is Maengsang-gun now? I know Mencius, though. It seemed clear that they were picking a fight with me. I smiled brightly and looked at Dan Woobi.

“Good relationship, my ass. I’m really sorry for not being well-educated. Should I ram into you with this weak body of mine?”

“It is natural that you are unfamiliar with Chinese historical figures. I was going to explain, but Guild Leader Seisung beat me to it—”

“Explaining is a way of asserting dominance over the other party. Furthermore.”

Sung Hyunjae slowly caressed the teacup with his fingertips and continued.

“Shinreung-gun of Wei rescued Zhao, but he humbly declined the credit. The King of Zhao gifted him the land of Ho instead of five castles, so the Martial Arts Alliance will also offer a reasonable reward. You were probably planning to gloss over the fact that Shinreung-gun’s sister was the wife of the King of Zhao’s younger brother, and that the reinforcements were sent by deceiving the King of Wei, with just this much explanation.”

Sung Hyunjae kindly added that Shinreung-gun was the half-brother of the King of Wei. What, after all that talk about declining credit, it’s just a family affair? I’m a completely different ethnicity.

“Even if it was family helping, it was still five castles. If you don’t want to give it to me because I’m a complete stranger, well, I understand.”

“Please forgive my rudeness.”

Dan Woobi stood up and bowed slightly. He apologized neatly and sat back down. He quickly cut it off when he thought it was disadvantageous.

Anyway, why all of a sudden with the Chinese historical figures? If I go to France, will they talk about Napoleon, and if I go to America, will they talk about Lincoln? Still, it had some effect; I felt momentarily intimidated. If Dan Woobi had explained without Sung Hyunjae, I would have definitely been pushed back in terms of momentum. Quoting Confucius and Mencius makes you look smart.

“For now, I’ll decline any castles that I can’t carry on my back even if you give them to me.”

I hope they won’t say anything I can’t understand now.

“I understand your caution. Although the military is shaken, the Martial Arts Alliance must mobilize all its human and material resources to seize this opportunity. It’s understandable that you don’t have the 余裕 [room to spare] to give to others.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“I hope that the Martial Arts Alliance will change the Chinese Hunter society. Therefore, I have no intention of making excessive demands.”

Of course, if they gave it to me, I would accept it without hesitation, but the Martial Arts Alliance didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.

“However, my standards and the Martial Arts Alliance’s standards will be different, so please tell me what rewards are impossible first.”

Dan Woobi hesitated slightly before opening his mouth.

“First, we cannot give you high-level Awakened and high-level items.”

“Don’t worry, I never intended to touch the Martial Arts Alliance’s assets.”

It would be nice if they gave them to me, though.

“…Rights to dungeons are also impossible. Long-term contracts are also difficult.”

Just take it all away, take it all away. In the end, they were saying that they wouldn’t give anything that would cost them.

“However, we promise that the stabilized Chinese Hunter society will be cooperative with Hunter Han and the two guilds in the future.”

It wasn’t a contract, just a verbal promise. Should I say, ‘We’ll treat you well in the future, is that enough?’ They’re trying to get away with too little.

“Surely that’s not all. It’s on the premise that you’ll grant my request, right?”

“Requests that harm the Martial Arts Alliance are impossible.”

“I’m not asking for much, just something intangible.”

I’m really being generous.

“Information about the military. You must know it well, right? You even said you have connections with the government. You don’t have to give me everything. First, an A-Class or higher healer.”

I should bring a high-level healer into the Haeyeon Guild this time.

“There must be plenty of Awakened forcibly held by the military. As a rescue target for the Martial Arts Alliance, you must have detailed information, right? Among them, give me information about high-level Awakened. Even mid- to low-level ones are fine if they have useful special skills.”

Dan Woobi’s expression remained the same, but Gu Yooyoung, who was standing next to him, had a slightly stiff face. What, why? It’s not like we’re asking for your Awakened.

“And items too. You wouldn’t have put high-level items in an ordinary warehouse, so you must be using Awakened as warehouses instead. Give me information about them too.”

“All of it?”

Dan Woobi asked calmly.

“Of course, all of it. After all, we’ll probably only be able to take less than 10%. I’m not in a very leisurely situation.”

Honestly, I’ve conceded a lot with this much. I’m not touching the Martial Arts Alliance’s stuff, am I? Besides, the military’s assets are, in a way, spoils of war. I’m just asking for a list to efficiently collect my spoils, so if they refuse, they’re lacking conscience.

“I understand.”

Dan Woobi said as he stood up.

“We will not only provide information but also provide as much assistance as possible.”

“Ah, then please sign the contract.”

I took out the contract I had prepared in advance from my inventory and subtly handed it over. Gu Yooyoung can’t manage his expression at all. How can we trust you guys? Let’s just do things cleanly with each other.

The list came out quickly, probably because the Martial Arts Alliance was already preparing to raid the military. Since it was limited to high-level, there weren’t many. But the contents were quite substantial.

“Yoohyun, Yoohyun. It’s an A-Class healer.”

Although she’s 61 years old, she wants to immigrate overseas for the safety of her family, which is a plus. A long-term contract is possible. After all, most high-level healers can’t raid high-level dungeons due to their low stats. It would be great if she could enter dungeons, but it’s good enough just to have her outside.

First of all, the guild’s welfare is greatly improved. You can get treatment for most injuries without having to find a high-level healer separately. In addition, guilds with high-level healers are treated better socially. Whether it’s in politics or business, anyone, no matter how great, can suffer life-threatening injuries at any time. Even to have connections to ask for help in such emergencies, they’ll concede a little and let you in.

“It’s not too far from here. I hope she’s safe.”

I hope she doesn’t get bitten by an undead, our precious healer. The place where the healer is being held is a military facility. It seems that several other Awakened are also forcibly working there.

“Her family is said to be in the special district next to Lake Chao.”

Eun Seseon, a Martial Arts Alliance hunter, explained to me. He also guided Yoohyun and Yerim before.

“The Martial Arts Alliance has already sent a rescue team to this place.”

“Then we just need to rescue the healer. Oh, I heard that special Awakened were also imprisoned in the Chaohu special district.”

“They were all moved two days ago.”

Well, they wouldn’t have left them behind when that chaos was about to happen. Yoohyun, who was looking at the military base photos and blueprints, turned to Noah.

“Hunter Noah, will you accept the request?”

“Do you want a standard contract, or do you need consideration?”

“Let’s go with the standard.”

Noah familiarly took out the contract. Come to think of it, Noah’s guild mainly received external requests rather than direct raids.

“Originally, we need a minimum of one week of preparation, and an additional fee is charged for urgent requests.”

“There doesn’t seem to be anything to modify.”

Yoohyun said, quickly scanning the contract on the table with his eyes. Wait, isn’t that English? There are many people who can speak English, but his speed is at the level of reading Korean?

“Yoohyun, you’re really good at English……? Didn’t Noah mainly use French?”

“You can’t use translation items for contracts. And I could read this much even in middle school.”

What? Is the level of the curriculum much different from when I was in school? Or is my brother amazing?

“We mainly use English contracts with foreigners. Not only in Europe but also in regions such as Asia and the Middle East.”

Perhaps multilingualism is a basic requirement for S-Class Guild Leaders. English is a major common language, though. Yerim approached me with shaking eyes and whispered.

“If I go abroad… do I need to be able to read English contracts? They translated it into Korean in Japan.”

“Uh… I wonder if there are translation items if you search. Or there’s an interpreter.”

“It’s essential to read and check the contract contents yourself.”

Yoohyun said firmly. Yerim, who was flustered, had a determined look on her face.

“Let’s make Korean the common language of the Hunter world, Uncle.”

“…Huh?”

“If our country is the best, that might be possible.”

That’s true, but.

“You have to study anyway to take the college entrance exam.”

“I’m going to major in science. I’m good at math.”

“Science majors need English too.”

“I can do a little bit. And S-Class Hunters have special admissions, right?”

“You have to take the college entrance exam properly.”

Yerim frowned at Yoohyun’s words.

“What? Why!”

“…Yerim, Yoohyun’s score on the last national mock exam was in the top 1%.”

And that was after he founded the guild. When he couldn’t attend school properly. In the end, he couldn’t take the college entrance exam. Yerim narrowed her brows at my whisper and muttered in a low voice.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to beat Yoohyun.”

Our Yerim, fighting! Should I make one of the empty rooms for studying?

Yoohyun and Noah, who had finished the contract, went outside. It was still far from sunset, but Noah had a stealth skill. As long as they were careful of S-Class Hunters, it would be easier to attack during the day than at night when security was tight. And I gave him Mini Mini Cookie to bring them back comfortably.

“Hyung, you must never leave this place.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll protect you well, Uncle, so don’t worry!”

Noah transformed into a dragon. Golden feathered wings spread wide, and the eyes of the Martial Arts Alliance people who came out widened. His appearance has changed a bit, but they should know about Noah’s specialization. It was on TV too.

Noah, carrying Yoohyun, soared up and used his stealth skill.

“It’s a golden Eungryong [hawk-dragon].”

Eun Seseon said, staring blankly at the sky. What dragon?

“Eungryong?”

“You mean a dragon with hawk wings? And it’s golden, how cool.”

Sa Mokwol also uttered exclamations. Is there that much difference between feathered wings and membrane wings? Noah has become slightly less Western-dragon-like than before, but other than the wings and tail feathers, he hasn’t changed much.

Other Martial Arts Alliance people around were also buzzing as if they had seen a strange sight.

“Then it’s time for the items.”

“We have identified several so-called ‘item warehouses,’ but all of them are subject to strong contracts.”

Eun Seseon explained to me.

“So it will be difficult to forcibly take the items.”

“There’s a way to resolve it, so please choose the person who seems most likely to cooperate.”

I’ll take the items, and that person will regain their freedom. Isn’t that a win-win? Eun Seseon immediately pointed to the list. Let’s see.

“It’s not that heavily guarded, maybe thanks to the contract. Yerim, you could go.”

“I’ll go.”

Sung Hyunjae said.

“Since Haeju is doing it, how about 5 to 5?”

“Young Master Han, with that ratio, we’d like to lend a hand.”

Sa Mokwol quickly interjected. It seemed the Martial Arts Alliance didn’t really have a way to deal with Haeju.

“That’s a partner-preferential ratio; if the Martial Arts Alliance commissions it, it’s 7 to 3. Of course, I get 7.”

“…Isn’t that too little?”

“You can’t get anything without my help. You know that. Besides, there aren’t many special Haeju items. They’re precious. Considering the value of the items, I should get 8.”

Of course, there are no such items. Sa Mokwol consulted with Eun Seseon briefly after my words that I was giving them a particularly cheap deal, and then accepted the offer. I even had priority on the items that came out. How grateful.

“Then, good luck to you all~”

I should take a good rest with Yerim and Peace until they come back. I heard there’s hot spring water here.

Moon Hyuna Side Story

The wind blew. Long grasses, spread like a carpet over the wide plateau, danced all at once. Red hair scattered, and a large, calloused hand pushed back the fiery locks.

“Let’s begin.”

At the low command, the Breaker’s hunters moved in an orderly fashion.

The target was the S-Rank dungeon, Sunset Plateau’s final boss: a giant red demonic beast with six legs. Once it started moving, it was a monster with high-speed skills that made it difficult to catch. Because of this, when the Breaker Guild first attacked this dungeon, it took three days just to catch the final boss monster.

‘We suffered terribly.’ Moon Hyuna looked at the distant Masuma [a mythical horse-like creature] with slightly regretful eyes.

‘If only I could get a cub, it would be perfect as a riding beast.’

However, the Masuma here had never appeared as a pair, let alone with a cub. Would it be forever impossible to tame a fully grown one?

While Moon Hyuna was drooling over the unattainable, her teammates moved busily. The plateau, protruding in a U-shape with the cliff behind it, was fortunately impossible to escape from. Therefore, they set traps in various places on the plateau, using the grass that was taller than a person’s waist as cover.

The traps weren’t enough to damage an S-Rank boss monster. However, they could trip it up and reduce its speed.

At the same time, ranged attackers took their places on the cliff’s edge.

The Masuma had relatively low attack power and defense compared to its terrifying speed. Therefore, hunters other than Moon Hyuna focused on reducing the monster’s speed and hindering its sprint.

Green mana flickered from the cliff side.

Preparation was complete.

“Shall we go?”

Straightening her crouched body, Moon Hyuna held a spear in her hand. It wasn’t the great spear she usually used. It was a slender, straight spear closer to a throwing weapon. Right now, speed and mobility were more necessary than destructive power. Then, she held the same spear in her left hand as well.

The Twin Falcon Spears.

They were A-Rank spears, but if you had both as a pair, they had excellent options close to S-Rank. It was quite difficult to get the other one because they didn’t come out at the same time.

– Frrr.

The Masuma, which had been standing leisurely in the distance, neighed as it discovered Moon Hyuna. The corners of Moon Hyuna’s lips curled up.

“You probably don’t remember, but it’s been a while.”

Combat boots that came just below the knee cut through and trampled the grass. Support-type hunters behind Moon Hyuna raised her agility stats and cast acceleration skills on her.

“Today, I need your body more than your magic stone, so let’s get caught quietly, okay?”

Preferably intact, in large chunks. Last time, it was completely shattered.

“There’s a kid who likes horse meat.”

Feeding an S-Rank Masuma’s meat might make him grow faster. Thwack, a hoof scraped the ground. The dug-up leaves fluttered and scattered.

Moon Hyuna’s pace gradually quickened. The Twin Spears’ acceleration buff activated, and Moon Hyuna’s combat support skill, Wind’s Path, unfolded.

A straight path with minimized air resistance, without any obstacles. The grass parted widely, opening the way for Moon Hyuna, and the heel of her boot kicked the ground hard. Unbelievably fast for the speed of a human with only two legs, Moon Hyuna charged towards the Masuma.

– Hiiiing!

The Masuma raised its two front hooves high. It was a monster with strong hooves and powerful leg strength, but it felt an instinctive threat and retreated. Then, it spun around in an instant and began to run across the plateau.

“A, drive it! Get ready!”

Pot, Paat! Moon Hyuna shouted as she chased after the Masuma, running as if flying. Her one arm was pulled back forcefully, and she threw the spear. Peeing! The spear, shot through the air, grazed the Masuma, causing it to change course.

Then, she swung the remaining spear back like casting a fishing rod,

Swoosh, the thrown spear returned to Moon Hyuna as if it were attached to a string. It was the Twin Spears’ special ability.

“Fire!”

Hunter Seo Heeyeon shouted. She was a hunter who commanded the Breaker’s S-Rank team members in place of Moon Hyuna, who often acted alone.

At the signal, arrows and black mana were fired at the Masuma. Kwaduk, the Masuma urgently changed direction, and the ground was greatly dug up. The Masuma, which had not been hurt at all by a perfect evasion, was about to raise its momentarily slowed speed again when.

– Purrr!

Something caught on the horse’s hooves. Ting! The transparent string snapped without overcoming the Masuma’s strength. But the speed definitely decreased. At the same time, a spear blade flew in with a terrifying momentum.

Swish!

The long, fluttering mane was cut off in an instant. The Masuma, dodging the spear by lowering its body with an un-horselike movement, began to run again as if bouncing. Moon Hyuna also chased after it again, recovering the thrown spear.

“C!”

Moon Hyuna called out the area, and the ranged attackers aimed their weapons and skills ahead. The Twin Spears drove the horse to the exact location, cutting through the wind.

“Now!”

Seo Heeyeon, who had been carefully watching Moon Hyuna and the Masuma’s movements, shouted. At the same time as the ranged attacks were fired, Moon Hyuna threw a spear at the Masuma. The Masuma, dodging the spear, was caught in a trap again, and in that moment of hesitation.

– Hiiiing!

The arrows fiercely pounded the horsehide. The wounds were not deep. But the arrows had a special skill on them. It was a skill that slowed the opponent’s movements.

“Good job!”

Laughing loudly, Moon Hyuna jumped towards the Masuma. The Masuma, deciding to confront instead of running away, strongly stepped on the ground with its four legs, and kicked its two hind legs with all its might. It wasn’t for nothing that the sound of horse muscle came out. Even without sharp teeth or vicious claws, the Masuma’s hind kick had tremendous destructive power.

Her body was floating in the air, so she couldn’t avoid it. But Moon Hyuna, as well as her teammates, didn’t have a hint of worry.

With a fierce smile revealing her teeth, the Twin Spears disappeared from Moon Hyuna’s hands. Replacing them was a heavy great spear. The wind rode the tip of the spear and swirled upwards in a circle. Red hair scattered wildly.

Veins stood out clearly on the hand holding the spear, on the back of the hand, on the wrist, and the entire forearm and shoulder were tightly pulled. The muscles under her clothes twitched greatly. Enough to hear a rattling sound.

And just like that.

Kwaaaang─!

The collision sound exploded. The great spear rotated half a turn, grinding the steel-like hooves. The solid, muscular legs were twisted raggedly like reeds swept up in a whirlwind. The Masuma hurriedly fled with its remaining four legs, and the aftermath struck down greatly in the empty space.

Kooong! The ground caved in, and a clod of dirt mixed with grass blades soared. Arrows poured down relentlessly towards the staggering Masuma. In the moment of barely dodging them,

Weeuwooong─

Along with a heavy tearing sound, the blade of the great spear grazed the Masuma’s flank. The sturdy leather was torn long like paper, and again, Kwagwang, the ground that was hit askew cracked greatly. Moon Hyuna lightly shook her head in the dirt pile that soared high and poured down like rain.

“I almost made ground meat again.”

It meant that she deliberately avoided a direct hit. The Masuma, which could not understand human words but clearly felt a sense of crisis, stepped back with its remaining legs. The great spear disappeared, and a pair of Twin Falcon Spears were once again held in Moon Hyuna’s hands.

“Let’s finish it!”

As if they had been waiting, arrows cut through the air, and Moon Hyuna’s body bounced out faster than the arrows.

“Good work, everyone!”

Lively voices rose from here and there. The ranged attackers on the cliff jumped down below. The support types, whose physical stats were on the lower side, also came down with help. They collected the attack rewards, and light questions followed about what came out.

The Masuma, whose body was lying down with only its hind legs and head cut off without any major scratches, was divided into thirds and wrapped in a waterproof cloth made from dungeon byproducts. There were also hunters who organized their inventories and lightly jumped or swung their weapons to relieve the excitement after the battle.

In that midst, Moon Hyuna lay sprawled on the soft grass. Clouds flowed leisurely in the reddish sky.

“It was faster this time.”

Seo Heeyeon approached Moon Hyuna and sat down, crouching.

“Because I’m getting the hang of it. I’ve gotten used to herding the horse.”

At first, she just chased after it and spent all her time. But now, she could easily drive it in the direction she wanted.

The dungeon is a ruthless world, but it also faithfully rewards you as much as you put in effort. Without looking at any other part of a person, only with one’s own ability and effort.

“Sometimes I don’t want to go outside.”

“It’s simple here, isn’t it?”

“It’s not like there’s only one or two troublesome things [outside the dungeon].”

It was entirely possible to cut off all the miscellaneous things and move forward alone. But still.

Moon Hyuna stretched greatly. The grass blades swayed, and the pouring green scent felt good.

“He really eats well.”

Han Yujin said, moved. The golden griffin, Blue, squawked happily as it hopped and skipped across the lawn in the garden.

“Thank you, Hyuna-ssi [Ms. Hyuna].”

“It’s nothing. It’s for our kid.”

“Ah, please don’t say that, please. And Blue is not Hyuna-ssi’s kid.”

“If Blue had been there, it would have been a 3-minute cut. We could have eaten fresh meat right away.”

“Well, it might be okay to take him with you next time.”

Blue, with his round belly, flew to Han Yujin and flipped over on his back. Han Yujin reached out and roughly stroked Blue’s belly and nape.

– Kyawoo.

“Do you like it? Do you like it?”

– Kyak! Kyaa!

The long lion’s tail tapped the floor.

“Our Director Han should eat well too. Stamina is the most important thing when raising a child [referring to Blue].”

“That’s really true.”

Moon Hyuna took out a sausage, tore off the plastic, and held it out.

“What is it?”

“Cheese sausage. It’s delicious.”

Han Yujin grumbled as he took it for now.

“No, I’m older than Hyuna-ssi—well, I’m younger, but anyway, I’m not a child.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sometimes Director Han seems like an old man. Especially your naming sense.”

“…Is it that weird?”

Han Yujin tilted his head, and someone approached from behind.

“Hyung [older brother], don’t snack before eating.”

Han Yuhyun approached with large strides and lightly greeted Moon Hyuna.

“It’s lunchtime.”

“This isn’t even enough to whet my appetite.”

Still, Moon Hyuna looked at Han Yuhyun, who was nagging, with smiling eyes.

‘The young master who wasn’t interested in anything in the world.’

It was always fun to see Han Yuhyun, who had been wondering why he had founded the guild, acting like a younger brother. I thought he would never give anyone else a glance in his life. As expected, everything in the world changes, Moon Hyuna muttered inwardly and shouted loudly.

“I’m buying lunch, let’s go!”

“Even lunch? I should buy it since I’m indebted to you!”

“Follow me, follow me. You too, young master.”

Han Yujin and Han Yuhyun followed Moon Hyuna, who turned around and headed towards the elevator.