The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 131

131. Drawn (1)

After sending Yoohyun, Yerim, and Peace off, I headed to Myungwoo’s smithy instead of returning to the breeding facility. It was his workshop inside the building, not the interdimensional Golden Smithy. For the record, Myungwoo spent almost none of his own money setting up the equipment. The hunters who went shopping with him apparently bought everything he needed without him even having to ask.

The Guild provided the expensive equipment needed for special orders like mana furnaces. Haeyeon, Seseong, Breaker, MKC [presumably a hunter association or guild], and Hanshin all chipped in. It wasn’t that the price was too high for the giant guilds to handle alone, but more like sharing the credit.

“Hello, Master.”

A woman in her early thirties greeted me as I entered the smithy. It was Seo Dongbaek, who used to be on Seseong’s equipment management team. Like Lee Minseok from Haeyeon’s equipment management team, she had moved here as Myungwoo’s assistant and apprentice.

“…Master, you say?”

“Ah, I mean building owner. Do Hamin goes around calling you that, so it’s stuck in my head.”

That Do Hamin. He doesn’t even pay rent but makes such a fuss. Currently, most of the building is vacant, so I’m not getting any money. It’s a relief that the guilds managing the building are taking care of the expenses, so I don’t have to pay anything except taxes. Maybe I should put a cafe on the first floor.

The spacious workshop was still quiet. There was another wall for safety, and beyond it, Myungwoo was hammering some kind of red, translucent metal.

Clang, clang.

He wasn’t using a hammer but something like a blunt pickaxe to hammer and stretch the metal. It stretched like taffy, which was fascinating. His wrists, thicker and stronger than when I first met him, rotated as he reversed his grip on the tool and cut off the metal with a clang. He grabbed the glowing hot piece with his bare hand and threw it into a small mana furnace in front of him as if it weren’t hot at all.

The melting metal sizzled and floated like red droplets. Myungwoo quickly grabbed a long needle. He swirled the needle around the droplets transferred onto the worktable, separating them into small, red jewel-like metal beads.

It was a seamless and precise process.

Rustle—

Myungwoo, who had collected the beads in a round, flat container and shook it, turned to look at me. The aura of a professional was so intense that it was almost blinding.

“It’s hot in here. Let’s go outside.”

Myungwoo said, wiping sweat with a towel Seo Dongbaek handed him.

“What are you making?”

“Arrows.”

“Arrows? Are those beads arrowheads before they’re shaped?”

“They’re transformable tips. They can change into piercing, explosive, or grappling hook types. They can also hold magic or attribute power.”

I’ve never used a bow properly, but it sounds good just from the description. Myungwoo, who came outside, gulped down the cold water that was prepared. Then he looked at me with regret.

“I wish I could make all your equipment first.”

“The stat increase is low-grade, right? It’s not like it’s not available on the market. It’s better to make a weapon with a good stat increase ratio first. Your time and materials are precious.”

“But special skill types would be useful.”

“Please make weapons and other equipment first. Is the arrow commission from Seseong?”

“Yeah. I didn’t think it would take long, so I was trying it out.”

I wonder how much those arrows would cost. I told him to charge them a lot. Seseong has a lot of money, so rip them off.

Myungwoo’s face was tanned, whether from the heat or the skill’s influence, but his expression was genuinely bright. It made everyone feel good.

“When I’m tinkering with metal, it feels like I’m back in my childhood. This is what it means to enjoy life. Doing what I love, making money, and being revered. Sometimes it feels like too much.”

To be able to do what you want and gain wealth and fame at the same time, it’s a model of a successful life.

“It would be perfect if it weren’t for worrying about you.”

“Why are you bringing me up again?”

“How can I not?”

Myungwoo frowned, his eyebrows even darker than before. My actions… hmm.

“Things happen. You were almost sold off with a slave contract, too.”

“Suddenly, I have nothing to say.”

It’s like a support group for human trafficking victims. The world is so harsh. If we revealed all our skills and combined our worth, we could probably buy a small country.

After talking with Myungwoo, I stopped by Seok Hayan’s team before going to find Noah, who had gone up to the rooftop as usual. Computers were whirring under the air conditioning. A pseudo-dungeon gate was in one corner. That thing was ridiculously expensive.

“Ugh, Master. Ppiyak is here too. H-hello, Ppiyak.”

– Ppiyak.

Seok Hayan, sprawled among piles of files, greeted me like a zombie. The others were mostly half-dead too. They were almost always like this when I came during the day. They said their brains worked best in the early morning. I can’t help that they’re morning people, but they should go to sleep if they stayed up all night. They have nice houses. I feel like an evil employer.

“Maaaster, look at this.”

Zombie Number 3 shuffled past Seok Hayan and approached me. He shoved some data full of numbers, English, and graphs in my face, but what would I know even if I looked? I’m not friendly with math or English.

“The gate’s mana fluctuates in a consistent curve. And here, it temporarily transforms into a sphere immediately after passing this point. At this time, we apply the surrounding mana distribution to the values according to the gate’s rank—”

He was explaining it kindly, but I didn’t understand a word.

Seok Hayan nodded and shouted with half-closed eyes.

“Theoretically, we can accurately measure the saturation state of the gate! Plus, we can locate the gate too.”

“Theoretically?”

“We still need more experimental data… We need more mana stones. Give us mana stones.”

“It would be nice to have about five more mana measuring devices. The more we have, the more accurate it will be.”

“I heard there’s a new mana sample in the US. Can we get it, Jesus?”

They used to say they just needed data, but now the zombies were chirping like baby birds wanting food. But results were already starting to come out, so what could I do? I had to give them what they wanted.

I told the zombies to go to sleep and headed to the rooftop. When I went up to the rooftop overlooking the breeding facility, I saw the back of a platinum-haired youth standing precariously on the thin railing. Still sparkling. He lightly moved his toes and turned to me with a smile.

Even though I knew nothing would happen if he fell, I couldn’t help but think he shouldn’t do that. He just looks like a person.

“Hello, Yoojin.”

Noah jumped lightly off the railing and greeted me. It was Korean, not a foreign language. He was studying hard, as if he intended to settle in Korea completely. He was learning quickly as much as he put in the effort, which was commendable.

“There’s no shade. Aren’t you hot? It’s getting hotter these days.”

“Not at all. It’s good sunlight for basking.”

Good for basking. Was the reason he often came to the rooftop for sunbathing? Was he half-reptilian? Then maybe he gets cold easily.

After exchanging some light small talk, I turned my head and looked down at the breeding facility.

“It would be nice if I had a flight skill. I could go down right away.”

Myungwoo made a flight item for Ppiyak, but that was only possible because it was small and light. He said the materials needed were proportional to the weight of the object you wanted to fly, so wouldn’t a small anklet become the size of a tire?

“But you have me.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll take you.”

I was a little embarrassed by the hand that suddenly lifted me up, but well, it wasn’t a new thing. I should be used to being carried around. Then Noah lightly jumped into the air. I heard the sound of wings flapping once, and a smooth descent began.

It was quick for my toes to step on the grass of the rooftop garden. It was convenient. Noah shook his head, embarrassed, at my words of thanks. He had improved a lot compared to the first time, but he still seemed a little awkward with compliments or words of gratitude.

– Kkyau!

As soon as we landed in the garden, Blue flew over to greet me and then butted his head against Noah. He seemed to regard Noah, who was strong and could also fly, as a friend. They had done a lot of flight practice together.

‘Comet seems to follow him well because he feels like the same dragonkin [a creature with dragon-like features and abilities].’

He’s popular. Although not with people, but in other ways. Like Kang Soyoung and Moon Hyuna.

“How about taking Blue for a spin? The law has changed now.”

The special law regarding monster breeding was passed yesterday. It had been stalled for a while without being passed, but I added a few words about how difficult it was because the law revision was delayed, and it was quickly processed this time.

Now, monsters could go anywhere without permission, except for some places like hospitals and facilities for the elderly, as long as they were accompanied by a hunter who could subdue them. In addition, monsters certified by the Association did not even need to be accompanied by a hunter. It usually wasn’t easy to get certified, though.

Currently, Peace, Ppiyak, Blue, and even Noah had been certified. Noah wasn’t a monster, but there were complaints about him flying around the city in his dragonkin form, and since there was no related law yet, he was certified as a safe monster for the time being.

“I can’t. I was told not to stray from Yoojin since Peace isn’t here either,” Noah said firmly. Who was it? Yerim or Yoohyun?

“Noah is stuck because of me. Then, is there anything else you want to do?”

“Then… please help me with my Korean studies.”

He’s such a model student. I nodded, saying it was fine.

Until evening, a few more of the Association people I had threatened, no, persuaded, contacted me. Some accepted the offer willingly, while others set conditions, such as asking me to mention them favorably. Anyway, everyone who contacted me decided to step down from their positions, citing responsibility for the situation.

“Thanks to you, I’m stuck inside for at least a week.”

I said to Song Taewon on the phone, with the TV in front of me still showing my story.

“It’s not like I have anywhere to go anyway. I couldn’t get my license because I was kidnapped. I even paid the application fee. The test center for intermediate hunters is separate, and the practical test costs a whopping five million won [approximately $4,000 USD].”

[It’s a license tailored for hunters. It’s a little different from a regular driver’s license.]

“Chief Song, you got your license before you awakened, so did you have to take the test again?”

[Yes. The regulations changed not long ago, so I retook the test early last year.]

“Is the practical test very difficult?”

[You won’t be able to pass the test for advanced hunters.]

I wonder what it’s like. I leaned back on the sofa and exchanged pointless small talk. Song Taewon was a better conversationalist than I thought. He listened diligently and answered diligently. When the topic of conversation was ordinary, his attitude was ordinarily good.

‘I can’t feel anything twisted about him at times like this.’

Rather, he’s more sane and gentlemanly than other S-Rank hunters. If I said, ‘If we can’t stop the dungeon, the world will be destroyed. I need your help,’ he would probably answer, ‘Yes, I will gladly help you.’

But I don’t know what it’s really like. I wonder if he wants to face an ordinary end in a fair destruction. If I’m not careful, he might become an enemy. No, he wouldn’t do anything that stands out like becoming an enemy, but it’s better to be more careful about revealing my inner thoughts.

Beee—

It was then. A warning sounded on my phone, and at the same time, a breaking news alert appeared on the TV.

[A-Rank Estimated High-Level Dungeon Break Occurs!]

It’s in the Gangseo district. But there had never been a dungeon break in Seoul at this time. Feeling suspicious, I said to Song Taewon,

“Where is it? If it’s nearby, come here. That’ll be the fastest way.”

Traffic will be immediately controlled, and the roads will be blocked. It’s the evening rush hour, so it will be even more congested. The Association will send a helicopter, but that will take some time.

I hung up the phone and headed straight outside. An unscheduled break. Did a new dungeon that hadn’t been found appear, or… did someone deliberately trigger it?

I doubt it’s the latter, but you never know. That’s how people get caught.

* * *

Soon, Song Taewon arrived, and Noah transformed into a dragon. After contacting Seok Simyeong and asking for directions, we flew into the dark sky.

“Have you been briefed on exactly what kind of dungeon it is?”

“The boss monster hasn’t appeared yet, and based on the state of the regular monsters, it seems to be A-Rank.”

Song Taewon replied. That’s a relief. Even if it were S-Rank, two S-Rank hunters are going, so we wouldn’t be unable to handle it, but the important thing is the damage to the surroundings. We can rampage as much as we want inside the dungeon, but people live outside. We have to be careful about using skills.

“Noah, please don’t use poison if possible.”

– Yes.

Noah’s poison had a high risk of secondary damage. It was a skill that was difficult to use outside the dungeon, especially near residential areas.

“Yoojin, you don’t really need to come.”

“I might be needed. And I think this might be deliberate. The timing is too good.”

Most of the S-Rank hunters are inside the dungeon. In particular, there isn’t a single S-Rank with a wide-area attribute skill that can handle a large number of regular monsters at once. In other words, it’s the perfect time for the damage to spread.

“Dungeon breaks can be delayed by putting hunters in them.”

Yoohyun and Yerim’s dungeon raid had been scheduled for several days. I wondered if they had waited for that and then triggered it. It was just a guess, but it was suspicious that this happened as soon as they left.

At my words, Song Taewon’s expression hardened. It wouldn’t take long to figure out who would benefit the most from triggering the dungeon now.

Soon, the red warning lights of the barricade came into view. Fortunately, the dungeon gate seemed to be located on the mountain side, but the residential area wasn’t far away. There was also an elementary school nearby. It would have been a real disaster if it hadn’t been evening.

“Shall we write a contract in advance?”

I took out a contract and pen from my inventory and handed them to Song Taewon. He looked at me with a what-is-this expression.

“It’s nothing much, just a clause stating that you won’t use attack skills on fellow hunters when sharing skills. Of course, there are exceptions if you are attacked first.”

I was too uneasy to just share it like that anymore.

“…What kind of skill is it?”

Song Taewon asked, looking over the contents. What is it? It’s…

“Double the effect of attack skills.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, but he signed the contract. Let’s deal with this quickly before the damage gets worse.