The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 482

480. This Time, A Kidnapper (3)

“They’re not involved.”

“Oh, I see. Just like me~ I wasn’t involved at all. All I know in Chinese is ‘Ni hao’ [hello].”

What did ‘Xièxiè’ [thank you] mean again?

“I did know Park Ha-yul. I helped him when he was in danger. Now that I think about it, this is a complete betrayal of gratitude.”

I rescued him, and he sold me out. Of course, I helped him with my own agenda, and he suffered because I didn’t contact him… Honestly, I can’t entirely blame myself, but my conscience pricked. It must be the skill. It’s a shame he went through that, but I don’t have a reason to feel sorry for him, but still… I wish they’d release the skill already.

“Ms. Chloe. Ms. Chloe, you don’t like it when people around you are in danger, right? It’s the same for me and the people around me. Obviously.”

“…I understand that.”

“Why are you acting like this when you know? Don’t do to others what you don’t want done to yourself; isn’t that basic social behavior? That’s how society is made, you know. You don’t want to die, right? I don’t want to die either. So, let’s not kill each other. You don’t want to be robbed, right? I don’t either. So, let’s not steal from each other. It’s like that kind of promise.”

Let’s not do to each other what we don’t want to experience. But if someone does it? Then the victim has no reason to endure it.

“You were just standing there and got slapped, so you had no choice? That’s nonsense. From the start, shouldn’t you have asked for cooperation? Not just kidnapping me.”

“The situation at the time─”

“Before the situation, I would have refused. Obviously.”

I cut off Chloe’s words. Would I be crazy to accept? No, I might have wavered a little. Because Yoon Yoon is involved. But Yoo-hyun, of course, and the people around me would have absolutely opposed it, even trying to lock me up just in case.

Besides, if I had known that the Demon King would pop out of Yoon Yoon’s body at the end, I would have hesitated. Maybe I would have quietly rescued the goblins first and then sought advice or help from the Newbie and the Elder.

Anyway, I wouldn’t have thrown my body on the line like that.

“I agree that grabbing me and throwing me in is the fastest and easiest way. You can just watch without any harm. Thinking about it that way makes me even more resentful.”

They probably don’t know about the Newbie or the Elder, and they don’t know my relationship with the goblins, so they couldn’t think of any other way. They must have believed that we would never cooperate. Let’s just say the result was good. The goblins were rescued, the military was half destroyed, preventing them from invading other countries, the captured hunters were released, and the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance] got a chance to establish a proper hunter system. We also got to take some things.

But the fact that I, my precious people, were almost in danger hasn’t disappeared.

“I don’t want much. What I want is simple.”

I looked Chloe straight in the eye and continued.

“I want the people I love to live safely and happily. That’s all. There’s nothing else.”

Really.

“For that, I can do anything.”

“Director Han Yoo-jin.”

Chloe opened her mouth more calmly than I expected.

“Director Han’s wish can only be fulfilled if the world is safe.”

“Protecting the world? Sounds good. But we shouldn’t get our priorities backward. I’d rather perish together than have my people sacrificed to save the world.”

Am I crazy to sacrifice my kids? What’s left for me if I save the world like that? I’m not some great person or hero. If the world ends tomorrow and I have to lose the people I love to stop it, I’ll just spend the day having fun with everyone.

I’ll hug them, tell them I’m grateful and I love them, and then we’ll go to sleep.

Of course, that’s only if there’s really, absolutely, no other way, or if I can save the world without losing anyone. We should live as long as possible, if we can.

“It’s not easy to protect everything.”

Chloe spoke as if she were trying to soothe me.

“Even before the dungeons appeared, there were always unfortunate accidents. And now, no matter how hard we try and prepare, we can lose our comrades at any time. Director Han, you don’t have much dungeon experience, so you might not feel it as much.”

“Oh, I feel it very well.”

I felt it so well that I was going crazy.

“So what.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Whether it’s not easy or impossible, it doesn’t matter. I’ll grab the King of Hell by the collar to protect them. I told you, I’ll do anything.”

Think rationally, that’s reality, it’s inevitable. I’ve experienced it countless times, and it’s still blocking my path. But I’ve come this far.

I got up from my seat. As I took a step forward, everyone tensed up. Afraid that Chloe might try to harm me. Chloe must have felt that too.

“I’m an F-class stat. My skill is great? That’s true. But no matter how great my skill is, it won’t get me this far on its own. In fact, ninety-nine out of a hundred times, I’d be dragged somewhere, locked up, and exploited. I’ve almost been in that situation several times.”

I’ve almost been imprisoned, almost been sold, and in China, I was really locked up and exploited. It’s only been about half a year, but it’s been rough.

“You might say I’m lucky to have an S-class brother to protect me. Yoo-hyun.”

“Yes, hyung [older brother].”

“You still want to lock me up, don’t you?”

“If hyung is okay with it, I’ll do it right away.”

“That’s right. As his hyung who has raised him since he was a kid, I can guarantee that he’s one hundred percent serious.”

I sat back down, this time crossing my legs in the opposite direction.

“It’s Ms. Chloe’s turn.”

“What─”

“Tell me how you’ve worked so hard with such a great purpose. I’ve told you everything. Shouldn’t I hear the reason why you’re confidently spouting nonsense about not even getting treatment, let alone compensation, when I’m still bruised from being slapped?”

I was wondering whether to act pitiful or be strong, but since I’ve already made a bad impression, the latter seemed better. There’s a limit to gaining sympathy with a low stat. I subtly used Teacher Skill on Yoo-hyun. To examine Chloe’s condition in more detail.

I’ve only seen her on TV, so it’s hard to say I know Chloe well. Even if it’s a reality program, it’s pre-recorded, so there must have been editing, and even close friends can’t know everything about each other.

‘She seems to care about her colleagues for sure.’

But considering what she said to me, she might be able to cut them off for her beliefs. If her words and actions match. I took out my phone and fiddled with it, looking at Chloe.

“First of all, I apologize for misjudging Director Han.”

Her honest apology made my mouth feel bitter. It would be easier if good people and bad people were clearly divided. But most people are multifaceted. Even Yoo-hyun is a kind, cute, and lovely brother to me, but the Guild Master of Sudam grinds his teeth at him. Of course, he was wrong. Hmm, that’s a bad example. Yoo-hyun is definitely good, so let’s use Sung Hyun-jae. …People are really complicated, after all.

“But you can’t fully understand hunters and dungeons in just a few months.”

I can’t tell her that I’ve regressed. In Chloe’s eyes, I still look like a cocky brat who doesn’t have much experience but is confident with special skills and S-class hunters. Logically, that’s how it would feel.

Ye-rim was fidgeting, looking frustrated. Her expression seemed to say, ‘Actually, he has the most experience!’

“We are not a vertical group.”

I tried to control my expression, which was about to react unconsciously. Okay, let’s hear what kind of place it is.

“We are not gathered to gain profits either. We are simply assistants.”

“Assistants?”

“Yes. As helpers, we lend a hand to places that need help related to hunters.”

Helpers. Just hearing the word made it sound like a volunteer group.

“To me, you were just a kidnapper. Oh, do you have some kind of regional discrimination? Asia, well, China is also in Asia. Do you hate Koreans?”

“Of course not.”

“Helping other people is good, of course. But why are you borrowing other people’s hands, not your own?”

“I can only offer my apologies for that part.”

She was stubborn. She was sorry, but that was it. It was necessary, she didn’t regret it, and she had no intention of compensating.

“Even if you’re not vertical, what about the older sister Park Ha-yul mentioned?”

“They only give advice, and moving is up to each individual’s judgment.”

I remembered Park Ha-yul saying that the older sister told him to come back, but he refused. They can act so arbitrarily, yet they’re maintaining their organization while hiding their identities?

‘People with keywords applied probably can’t do anything that harms that older sister.’

Otherwise, it would have collapsed quickly. The blonde hair I saw in the letter probably isn’t her. But maybe she was pretending to be careless.

“Even if I ask you to tell me more, you’ll keep your mouth shut.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s just say that you’re not hostile to us since you call yourselves helpers. Of course, if you compensate us and remove the skills.”

“I’m sorry, but─”

“Three people.”

I turned on my phone and touched the screen as if to show off.

“Number 1, Number 2, Number 3. How about it? Since there are three, it’s okay if one disappears, right?”

“Director Han.”

“I’ve offered you a way to reconcile. If there was even a reasonable reason, I might have let it go, but as I said, my people are more important to me than the world. So, decide.”

Chloe closed her mouth. Her eyes, which had been calm all along, trembled slightly. I hesitated a little too. I couldn’t make a call here, so it was a false threat, but I still didn’t like threatening people’s lives.

“I’m not asking for much, just an invitation. What number do you like? 3?”

As I pressed the number button, Chloe’s body flinched. At the same time, Yoo-hyun’s foot stepped on Chloe’s thigh to prevent her from getting up. Kwadeuk, the black greatsword that had been taken out was slammed down in front of her.

“You said that a few people can be sacrificed for the sake of the world. This makes me look like the only villain.”

“…I will give you my share of the invitation.”

“You spoke to me as if I didn’t know anything.”

“Invitations are just objects.”

She doesn’t have any personal desires? I put my phone on the armrest and held out my hand.

“Release the captured people.”

“One person. I can’t release them right away, but I’ll guarantee their life.”

“I’d like you to release all three. In return, I’ll give you the invitation right now, and I won’t resist.”

After a moment of hesitation, I nodded. Chloe took out a small jewel from her hands tied behind her back and threw it up. Yoo-hyun’s hand snatched it and handed it to me. She gave it to me so willingly without even a contract. Is it because it’s her share anyway?

[Party Invitation]

“How do I use it?”

“If you register using the invitation, you will be contacted on a specific date. You can also change the registered user.”

“Thank you for now.”

I put the invitation in my inventory. I should use it after confirming its safety with the Newbie. First, secure two spots.

“The remaining invitations have separate owners. As I said, we are not a vertical organization, so I cannot demand that they hand over their invitations.”

“What about Park Ha-yul?”

“Same goes for him.”

Still, she wasn’t as firm as she was at first. Is it because she felt like I would crash into her if things didn’t work out? I guess I did seem a bit naive. I confessed after being flustered, so it was likely.

“Can you tell me how to contact those people, especially that older sister?”

“…I can’t give you a definite answer.”

Clear hesitation appeared on Chloe’s face. It was the biggest disturbance so far. She still can’t do anything that would harm that older sister.

“Let’s stop here for now.”

I got up and looked at Myung-woo. At my request, he approached Chloe and knocked her unconscious again.

“The second time seems easy.”

“I didn’t completely release it. What are you going to do now? You have to release the skill.”

“Well, I don’t know.”

Fishing is about pulling and releasing. First, we went outside the smithy and discussed how to handle it for a while. That method would be the best as planned.

“Then I’ll leave it to you. Especially Sung Hyun-jae.”

And we dispersed.

Chloe opened her eyes. Unlike before she lost consciousness in the unfamiliar room, her body was freely released. As she quickly got up, a man sitting in a chair came into her view.

“…Guild Master of Sesung.”

Sung Hyun-jae wore a gentle smile.