The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 464

462. I’m a Fan! (2)

The team that succeeded in capturing the Gold Hamster was a union of the Burncave and Mudble guilds. Mudble, a mid-sized guild from Central Africa, was in charge of purchasing the Gold Hamster dungeon entry ticket and providing directions. Burncave, a large American guild, had not only the main combat hunters for the dungeon raid team but also a tamer affiliated with them.

However, Chloe Alger didn’t belong to either guild. The report stated she was hired as a free hunter.

Now that they’ve arrived in Korea, her name and affiliation are known, but the initial report anonymized her. The Gold Hamster is essentially a ticket for a Mount Breeding Center contract. Naturally, there would be those trying to steal it.

“Currently, the hunters who have arrived include the Burncave Guild Leader and guild members, along with a free hunter, totaling one S-Rank, five A-Ranks, and three B-Ranks,” Song Department Head said. His gaze went to my shoes and then back up.

“Even excluding the heel, Han Yoojin’s height has suddenly-”

“Oh, Department Head Song. How tactless!”

Moon Hyuna cut off Song Taewon.

“You’re supposed to pretend you don’t notice things like that.”

“…Yes?”

Department Head Song looked back and forth between Hyuna and me, completely bewildered. Well, Department Head Song probably wouldn’t know…

“If your height increases by about 3cm in a week, it’s highly likely to be a stat rank increase, which needs to be verified. There’s no need to hide it-”

“They’re height-increasing insoles, height-increasing!”

I was so embarrassed my neck was burning. Since the S-Ranks have been watching me all along, I knew I’d get caught, but I thought they’d just let it slide.

“If I just increase it a little, with the shoes, I’ll be over 180cm… It’s because everyone else is around 2 meters, and they’re all so big. The Americans are really something else.”

Many of the high-ranking hunters in the US were over 190cm and 100kg even before awakening. There was even an incident where two American football teams, famous for their physiques, awakened en masse because a dungeon broke near the stadium. As a result, the average height of high-ranking hunters in the US is about 2 meters.

People who are more than a head taller than me everywhere… Plus, there are people I personally like, so I wanted to look a little less small. When making a Mount Breeding contract, I might be underestimated for being too tiny.

“Ah… I see. I thought your gait seemed a bit unnatural.”

Department Head Song nodded slightly, as if he finally understood.

“My apologies.”

“No, it’s nothing. Haha…”

…Should I just take them out?

“It was because of your height?”

After getting past Department Head Song, my brother tilted his head, looking like he didn’t understand why I was so concerned about my height.

“I thought they were assistive devices to make walking more comfortable.”

“…They’re for increasing height.”

Yoohyun, you’ll never need to know about these things. In the first place, a hunter would never use insoles that only hinder movement. Yerim whispered to me, “Uncle, hang in there.” Usually, I don’t have any complaints. It’s just that the American hunters are all too big; I’m not small by non-awakened or lower-rank hunter standards.

“You might get looked down on if you’re too small. Seong Hyunjae, do you have anything to say?”

I said, taking off my shoes. If it feels unnatural, it’s better not to do it.

“If you’re worried about being underestimated, it would be better to grow a beard.”

“Huh? Why a beard?”

“It’ll make you look a little older.”

At Seong Hyunjae’s words, Hyuna nodded.

“That’s true. Right now, you look like a high school student at best, Hyung.”

“I’m, well, twenty-five years old?”

“They all look older and bigger over there. They change a lot in their late teens. Riet looks four or five years older than you, Hyung.”

I thought it was just the difference in atmosphere. Should I put on a fake beard?

“The Burncave Guild might feel threatened, so not all of you can accompany Han Yoojin-ssi,” Department Head Song said, looking at the S-Ranks. Even excluding the public official Song Taewon, how many people is this? They only have one person, but we have four.

“He’s my brother.”

Yoohyun said with a look that clearly stated he should be included.

“I came to meet an acquaintance.”

“I also know that guild.”

“Could someone as small and young as me be a threat?”

Yerim pretended to be weak, saying, “I’m just a middle school student, fifteen years old.” Department Head Song sighed.

“First… I’ll talk to the Burncave Guild. If they refuse, you must accept it.”

Department Head Song took out his phone and walked towards the window. ‘If they refuse’ but usually, they wouldn’t. Unless they only want to entrust one Mount. As expected, Department Head Song soon nodded.

“Only one person can be by Han Yoojin-ssi’s side. The rest of you must keep your distance.”

“Let’s have a fair lottery!”

Yerim glared at Yoohyun. Rock-paper-scissors had been a losing streak. In the most recent match, skill usage was allowed… Yerim used Mist, Yoohyun used Acceleration, blocked the view with water droplets, and evaporated them into steam to block the view. It was a mess. In the end, they both closed their eyes and played rock-paper-scissors, but Yoohyun was still the winner.

It was thanks to Irin acting as Yoohyun’s eyes. Yerim, belatedly realizing this, vowed to get even when my spirit was born.

“…Please pick one each.”

To ensure fairness, Department Head Song held out four wooden sticks wrapped in his hand. The person who picked the stick with the mark on the end was none other than Moon Hyuna.

“I’m always lucky with these things!”

“Hyung…”

Yoohyun looked dejected, and Yerim was also very disappointed.

“We’re just staying apart. Why are you all like this?”

It’s not like we’re being told to leave. What’s the big deal?

“I’m worried my partner will be infatuated with his first love and leave me.”

“Ah, I told you, it’s not my first love.”

“But just a week ago, you were blushing in my arms.”

“Hyuna-ssi!”

“It’s my fault for having such a popular partner.”

“Our Little Director Han is so cute, what can we do? Let’s have a drink.”

It was so absurd that I felt like covering my eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. Are you the ones to talk! When it comes to popularity, you’re second to none, people who could compete for the top spots.

Anyway, Hyuna-ssi decided to stay by my side, and the other four were divided into Yoohyun and Department Head Song, and Yerim and Seong Hyunjae, to keep watch on both sides. Nothing might happen, but you never know.

And not long after.

‘…This is no joke.’

Big guys appeared one after another. It looked like they could easily exceed an average height of 2m. Wow, look at the thickness of their necks. Their shoulders are no joke either. Especially the man at the very front looked unreal. His build was twice, no, three times my size.

“Hyung, snap out of it.”

Hyuna-ssi whispered quietly. No, still, that’s real. Is he a giant? There are tall and well-built people all around me, and I see them every day, but it was hard to adjust. He was long vertically but also wide horizontally, so he probably couldn’t pass through a normal house door head-on. I think he’d really get stuck. The house would have to be twice as big. The doors would be big, the ceilings high, the sofas, tables, and beds all big. A king-size bed would look like a single.

“I’m Jason Bron, the Burncave Guild Leader.”

“…I’m Han Yoojin, the director of Dodam Breeding Center.”

Jason held out his hand. Of course, his hand was also big. When he stood in front of me, I couldn’t see anyone else at all. I had to tilt my head to see Jason’s face.

“You’ve come a long way, you must be tired. First, please sit…”

Are there any chairs that can accommodate him? This lounge is specifically designed for high-ranking hunters, so it’s quite large, but still. He’s beyond standard. Wow, really, this person could have easily overpowered a low-ranking hunter even when he was non-awakened. Did he get bigger after awakening? Still, he probably was originally 2 meters tall.

While I was spacing out for a moment, Jason greeted Moon Hyuna as well. He acknowledged Song Department Head and Seong Hyunjae, and greeted Yoohyun and Yerim. I guess he had met Song Department Head before, even though Seong Hyunjae was there. It must have been because of Seong Hyunjae.

“So, you said you wanted to look around the breeding center?”

I tried to recall the Burncave Guild’s visit schedule that I had heard in advance. But the giant in front of me kept disrupting my thoughts. His front is his chest. There’s about a 40cm difference. It’s really like a child and an adult.

“Yes. I’ve also brought a baby monster to entrust to Director Han.”

Jason said with a refreshing smile. There was no mention of that, so he must have been hiding it. Well, it could be stolen… His shoulders are as wide as the Pacific Ocean, making his head look small.

“First, you need to fill out the contract. You’ve received the basic conditions, right? This time, since I’m commissioning the Gold Hamster, I’ll minimize the additional conditions. You also need to fill out a safety-related contract in addition to the breeding contract. It’s a facility where regular employees and young monsters stay, and I’m an F-Rank myself.”

Fortunately, the words flowed smoothly from my mouth. As we moved to a seat prepared on one side, I could finally see the people other than Jason properly. The hunters standing slightly apart were also large, but after seeing Jason, they looked relatively ordinary.

And at the very end, there was a familiar face standing. Chloe Alger. Moon Hyuna, sitting next to me, waved her hand slightly towards her. Chloe also smiled and wiggled her fingertips in response.

Wow, she really came.

“Director Han?”

“Ah, yes. Here, this is the safety contract.”

I handed Jason the contract I had prepared in advance. I shouldn’t be too obvious. We’re practically strangers. Nevertheless, my eyes subtly moved to the side again. She had a large height and build that didn’t lose out to the man standing next to her. Her closely shaved hairstyle was different from what I saw on TV.

“And this is the Mount Breeding contract. What kind of monster are you entrusting?”

“It’s a black bear. Unfortunately, it’s not an S-Rank, but it’s a powerful A-Rank dungeon boss comparable to an S-Rank.”

Oh, I think I’ve seen it on TV. While Jason was checking the contract, I glanced to the side again. Ah, our eyes met. The man next to Chloe whispered something small. What is he saying?

“They say Director Han is really small.”

Moon Hyuna told me. Well, of course, Hyuna-ssi is next to me, and there’s a giant in front of me, so I’ll look smaller than usual.

“They’re also saying, is he really twenty-five years old? Some are saying he’s fifteen?”

Fifteen is a bit much… I’m still bigger than Yerim. But compared to Jason… I’m at a level where you could say I’m an elementary school student.

“…I’m not that small if you leave me alone.”

“That’s right. I was worried when you were shaking hands earlier.”

I’m just average. Jason, who had signed the contract, looked at me and smiled.

“You seem interested in Hunter Chloe Alger.”

“Yes? Ah, well, I happened to see her on the internet.”

There were hunter-related broadcasts, although there were no Korean subtitles yet. After hearing that from Hyuna-ssi, I looked it up right away. Since you can’t film inside dungeons, it was mainly dungeon break-related broadcasts. They were teaching things like how to respond when a dungeon breaks, how to identify the characteristics of monsters by looking at their traces, and how to avoid them.

Even before the regression, I mainly did broadcasts about survival.

“The content is quite informative. It seemed helpful even for non-awakened people.”

“Yes. The reason we hired Alger Hunter was also for that reason. It was to understand the habits and behaviors of the Gold Hamster in order to capture it.”

Jason said that it was very helpful.

“After watching that broadcast, I wanted to let Alger Hunter know something, it came to my mind. Should I say I wanted to help?”

When I turned my head, Chloe was staring at me intently. Oh, geez, I’m embarrassed. Calm down, it’ll be weird if I show too much that I like her after watching a few broadcasts.

“Chloe! Director Han has something to say to you.”

Moon Hyuna raised her hand and called Chloe. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Chloe approached with large strides.

“Ah, well, we’re developing equipment that can film inside dungeons on our side. It’s already in the testing phase. Since you’re broadcasting, I thought you might be interested…”

“In Korea?”

Chloe said, slightly surprised.

“Already in the testing phase, that’s fast.”

There were places in the US that were doing similar development. Well, they came out with it first before the regression.

“The purpose of the broadcast seems good, um, we’d like to provide the equipment on our side. There would also be a promotional effect. You have a lot of broadcast subscribers.”

“You’re too kind. It just seems that way because there’s a large population.”

Her smiling face was the same as before the regression. I really wanted to meet her once… It wasn’t as desperate as before the regression, but it was still good. She seems like a good person without changing. A high-ranking hunter is taking the time to do broadcasts that help weak people. Usually, they just end up catching monsters directly, but she’s doing broadcasts that help them do something themselves.

So, I wanted to help her not only because of personal feelings.

Chloe readily accepted my offer. We got up from our seats to head to the breeding center after stopping by the association first.

‘Keyword, what should I do?’

I didn’t really have the intention of applying a keyword to Chloe, but it would be helpful if I could get her the Optimization skill. Should I just check how much Optimization skill she has? Taking advantage of the gap where Hyuna-ssi and Jason almost completely covered my body, I lightly used Sprout skill on Chloe.

[Awakened – Chloe Alger

Current Stat Rank S

Possible Awakening Stat Rank A~S]

…Huh? She, an A-Rank, wasn’t she?