The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 12

12. The Second S-Class (1)

The weather was a bit hotter than yesterday. I had a popsicle in my mouth as I searched around Myeongdong Station.

A meat restaurant near Myeongdong Station.

This was the only information I had about Ice Witch Park Yerim’s current whereabouts.

“Excuse me. Does a student named Park Yerim live around here?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Another dead end. I marked an X on the map on my phone. I’ve checked this street; should I go over there? There are quite a few meat restaurants.

I took a bite of the little bit of popsicle left and glanced back to see Kim Seonghan trailing slightly behind, dressed in clothes that looked like he was about to collapse from the heat. Doesn’t an upper-level Hunter feel the heat? I want to make that guy an S-Class, but I can’t bring myself to do it.

Yoohyun was lucky. But what excuse do I have to tell that guy I love him? Should I set up a drinking session?

‘Should I insist that confessing my love to anyone is just my drunken habit?’

Of course, it won’t work just by saying the keywords; he needs to feel something, so getting close to him is the priority. How do I get close to him? Is it alcohol after all? Does he like alcohol?

I crossed the street and headed to the ㅁㅁ Charcoal Grilled Ribs restaurant in a secluded spot. Thinking about alcohol and smelling the meat grilling is making my mouth water. Looking at the menu on the wall of the restaurant, it seemed like they also served gopchang [small intestines] and makchang [large intestines].

Gopchang is good. Chewy gopchang bubbling with oil, and a cold glass of beer to wash it down! Samgyeopsal [grilled pork belly] with soju [Korean distilled spirit] is good too, but I prefer gopchang. I like gopchang. I want to eat gopchang. It’s still early, but it’s about time for dinner; should I eat and then continue searching?

I had the popsicle stick in my mouth and was approaching the entrance of the ribs restaurant when,

“It’s all my fault!”

The glass door burst open with a sharp shout. The small bell hanging on the door rang and shook as if it would break.

“That bastard Park Suchun did it!!”

“Where did that girl learn to shout?! Get over here!”

The girl in a tracksuit who burst out of the door glared at the inside of the restaurant as if she wanted to kill someone. That face full of resentment was definitely familiar. Park Yerim, right?

“Excuse me—”

“Just die, everyone!”

Park Yerim shouted and turned around and started running. Where are you going, wait a minute!

I ran after the girl who was quickly disappearing. The other person is a middle school student and I’m an awakened adult, even if I’m just an F-Class, so I’ll catch up soon… Why is she so fast?

‘Did she already awaken? Ugh, a car!’

The distance that had been narrowed widened again as I hesitated because of the car. I should have brought my gloves and belt. If I hadn’t taken them off because it was hot, I could have caught her right away. Still, I definitely saw the direction she went.

After the car passed, I crossed the street and ran towards where Park Yerim had gone.

Not far away, a hill with lush trees appeared. I could see the back of the girl sitting haphazardly on the ground among the trees at the end of Namsan [a mountain in Seoul].

‘Let’s check first.’

It could be someone else. I used the Seedling Skill, and the status window popped up even though she was quite far away.

[Unawakened – Park Yerim

Awakening Possible Stats Grade A~S

Optimized Initial Skills

Shadowless Day (SS)

Hermes’s Shoes (S)

White Corpse (S)]

I expected that the highest grade for awakening possible stats would be S to some extent. I was a little surprised that there was even an SS for optimized initial skills.

But above all.

‘There’s nothing even similar to ice?!’

Her optimized initial skills, which made her famous as the Ice Witch, were all things I had never heard of before. That fact was so surprising that I was shocked.

Did she become so famous with skills that didn’t even suit her? Just how talented is she? I’m jealous.

‘But I don’t even know what kind of skills these are.’

At least Hermes’s Shoes seems to be a flight or agility type, but I couldn’t even guess the characteristics of Shadowless Day and White Corpse. It was a shame that I couldn’t check the details of the skills with Seedling.

It shouldn’t be a support skill. Still, her stats are S-Class, so—

“Hanyu Jin-ssi [Mr. Hanyu Jin].”

Ah, geez, you scared me! Seonghan appeared suddenly next to me. He has a look on his face that asks what I’m doing.

“I feel a strong energy from that student, so I’m going to approach her. Please wait here.”

Saying I feel a strong energy makes me feel like I’ve become a cult member. Kim Seonghan glanced at Park Yerim and nodded silently.

Okay, so how do I approach her? I racked my brain and slowly approached Park Yerim.

The young girl was still turned away, so I couldn’t see her expression. But there was a deep sadness in her back. Her hunched, thin shoulders were heartbreaking.

“Hey, student. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

I spoke in the most friendly voice possible. I’m a harmless person. Please believe me.

Park Yerim turned her head and looked at me. She wasn’t crying, but her eyes were red. There were traces of her biting her lower lip.

“Hello? I’m—”

“I don’t do sugar daddy stuff.”

“I don’t either!”

What do you think of me!

The thin ice-like atmosphere shattered in an instant. Why is that kind of talk coming out here!

“Park Yerim, right?”

At my words, she got up from her seat. Then she sent me a suspicious look.

“…Stalker?”

“I’m not!”

Not only a sugar daddy, but now a stalker! I was sincerely wronged. I swear I was clean in that area even before the regression. I’m dirtier in other ways, though.

“I mean, I’m someone who was indebted to your parents a long time ago.”

I decided to use the ‘you don’t know this, but we actually have a connection’ card again. She’s too wary to just say I came to scout her.

“To my parents?”

“Yes. I’m not a suspicious person.”

“You look like a very suspicious uncle, though.”

Uncle! Well, yeah. I guess I’m old enough to look like an uncle to a middle school student. I’m already thirty… No, I’m not! I regressed! I’m still in my twenties!

“…I’m only in my mid-twenties, okay?”

“Did you go to the army?”

“…Yeah.”

“Then you’re an uncle.”

…I’m already upset that I went to the army because I couldn’t awaken, but this is too much. My stomach is already aching at the thought of entrusting my protection to her. She had quite the personality since she was young.

“Anyway, I want to sponsor you.”

“So it is sugar daddy stuff! Police officer!”

“No! I’m not! Here, my Hunter license and Guild temporary affiliation certificate!”

I quickly took out my wallet and showed her my license and affiliation certificate. Park Yerim raised the end of her eyebrows when she saw it.

“What is this? You’re an F-Class. I don’t think you can afford to sponsor anyone, let alone yourself.”

…She only picks out the painful things to say.

“Can you look at the Guild affiliation certificate too?”

“Hae Yeon Guild? That’s a famous place.”

“Yeah, you know Hanyu Hyun, the Guild Leader of Hae Yeon Guild? The S-Class Hunter. He’s my brother.”

Park Yerim looked surprised and looked at me again.

“That handsome oppa [term used by younger women to refer to older brothers or male friends]? You don’t look alike.”

“…He’s an oppa.”

“He didn’t go to the army.”

“S-Classes are exempt anyway.”

“Then let’s revise it to a capable oppa.”

…It hurt more because it was true. Still, Park Yerim seemed a little sorry and joked that I did look a little similar if you looked closely.

“Having a capable younger brother is also a capability. Don’t make such a pitiful face, uncle.”

“When did I?”

“You look like a castaway who crawled out of the mud after rolling around in it for about five years.”

What is this? Does she have some kind of memory-reading ability?

“Let’s stop with the nonsense; I can make you an Awakened.”

“An Awakened?”

Park Yerim’s eyes sparkled with interest. Being an Awakened is a very hot job these days, so it’s popular even among kids. Of course, only C-Class and above. Like any job, the bottom is considered non-existent.

“Yeah. That’s my skill. Making others Awakened. And since I have the Guild Leader behind me, I can help you get settled.”

“Even if you’re an F-Class, it’s not very helpful.”

“Don’t worry. Your grade will be at least B or higher.”

She tilted her head at my confident words.

“Can you know that too?”

“I can know. It’s a secret to other people.”

“What if I don’t keep the secret? You’re not careful, uncle.”

“That’s why there’s a contract. I’ll awaken you after you sign the contract. If you give up awakening and blab the secret, well, who would believe you? There’s no evidence.”

There are tons of rumors on the internet about how to become an Awakened! So even if you say you have a skill that can awaken people, it won’t get much attention. There are already several scammers saying similar things, so you’ll probably just be suspected.

Park Yerim, who had been lost in thought with a slight frown, opened her mouth.

“If I become an Awakened, can I be independent? I don’t want to live at my uncle’s house.”

“You can be independent. A special law was created when several minor Awakened appeared during the first Dungeon Shock. From the age of 14, you can have the same rights as an adult as a Hunter, except for the restriction that you can only enter dungeons two grades lower than your grade. In other words, you can enter the Guild without the permission of a guardian. Hae Yeon Guild has a dormitory, so you can move out as soon as you register as a Hunter.”

Opinions are still divided on the entry of minors into dungeons. It was clearly an ethically problematic law, but when dungeons first appeared in the world, there were few Awakened. In the meantime, dungeons kept exploding, so they had to borrow even the hands of children.

Still, the mortality rate of minor Hunters was low because they were restricted to entering dungeons only two grades lower than their grade. That restriction is lifted after clearing a dungeon without accidents more than 10 times or from the age of 18.

‘After the Awakening Center was established, they gradually started raising the age at which dungeons could be entered, citing the reason that there were too many Awakened.’

That’s the right thing to do. But since the special law hasn’t been revised yet, there was no problem for Park Yerim to become independent.

“But there will be many inconveniences without a guardian? After all, you’re still young—”

“That’s okay. It’s much better not to have a guardian. At this rate, I’ll end up running away from home anyway.”

Park Yerim said sullenly. Run away from home, did she? I think I saw it in an interview.

“Doesn’t your uncle treat you well?”

“He makes me work without a penny of allowance except when I go to school. He took all of our parents’ property in my name! That restaurant was also opened by selling our apartment. And he pretends to be a kind person who takes care of a child with nowhere to go!”

There were tears mixed in at the end of her shouting voice. There are plenty of people in the world who throw away their blood relatives when money is involved. Still, he should have taken care of her since he received a fortune; that’s too much.

“If you want, I can give you legal help.”

Most guilds had several lawyers. Hae Yeon Guild would definitely have one, and they would go out of their way to help if it was a matter involving an S-Class Awakened belonging to the Guild.

“No. I just don’t want to get involved again.”

“Okay, do as you please. It’s a bit awkward to keep talking here, and it’s early, but shall we go eat dinner?”

I need to talk more to use the skill.

“You probably don’t like gopchang… What do you want to eat?”

“No, I like it. The stuff at my uncle’s restaurant is bad, though. There’s a famous place near here, so follow me. It’s a bit expensive, but is that okay?”

“Of course it’s okay. You can eat whatever you want!”

I have the Hae Yeon Guild corporate card. I brought it saying I would use it for entertainment expenses if I found an A-Class or higher. So you can pull out the pillars, it’s okay!