The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 168

168. S-Class in Name Only (2)

“Your stats are C-grade, but close to B-grade. With a little effort, you could reach B-grade.”

Kim Min-ui scratched the back of his head at my words.

“No, I want to live comfortably.”

“…But why did you decide with a coin toss? It would be less of a hassle to just stay at B-grade.”

“If I become S-grade, I don’t have to study. I heard the Guild Leader got a 4.0 GPA without attending a single class.”

A GPA of 4.0? What is that supposed to mean? It can’t be out of 100, and even if it’s out of 10, that’s not even half.

“Even if you don’t attend classes, they only give you a 4.0?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s out of 4.5.”

“Excuse me?”

A perfect score isn’t even 5.0, but 4.5? What kind of scoring system is that? Anyway, up to B-grade, you can skip classes by clearing dungeons, but you still have to do assignments and take exams. Kim Min-ui, who was once expelled for poor grades but managed to avoid it, clenched his fists, determined to become an S-grade and get easy credits.

“If that weren’t the case, I would have stayed at B-grade without a second thought.”

“Ah, yes. If you become S-grade, you can get paid without clearing dungeons.”

“Seriously?”

While also throwing away a part of your life.

Anyway, if I apply a keyword and nurture him, he can definitely reach B-grade stats. It would be great if I could raise him to A-grade, but that would be difficult. I said I wouldn’t use keywords on people after Noah, but he doesn’t seem like a risk.

Kim Min-ui had quite a variety of skills, ranging from A-grade to C-grade. His A-grade skill was a defensive buff with considerable efficiency, so if his stats were up to par, he could even join an S-grade team. However, with C-grade stats, even as a protected support, A-grade dungeons are his limit.

“If we match your stats to S-grade, you can be recognized as an S-grade Hunter with your current skills. So, swallow this and sleep comfortably.”

Kim Min-ui made a face at the pill I offered.

“Again?”

“You’ll be seeing it often, so get used to it.”

I can’t just leave an S-grade identity that can fake and move around. I’ll try not to commit any crimes.

* * *

I contacted the Hunter Association to have Kim Min-ui’s Hunter rank re-evaluated. Of course, it wasn’t the sleeping Kim Min-ui who would be measured. Instead, it was Noah who would go to the Association.

“Sorry for asking you so suddenly.”

“It’s okay. It’s not a difficult task.”

Noah smiled, adjusting his glasses. It suits him well. With his looks, anything would look good on him. He looks like a foreign model doing a college student concept shoot.

Since there are glasses that can transform him into Kim Min-ui, getting S-grade certification was easy. However, if we measured him with the stats of any S-grade Hunter, there was a high possibility of trouble later. In particular, stamina and strength are stats that are very noticeable in everyday life. Even if he falsely claims to be S-grade, it could be exposed with a light handshake with a high-ranking Hunter.

That’s why we decided to have his stamina and strength stats measured much lower.

“Here’s the S-grade contract with the stat reduction penalty.”

I handed Noah the prepared S-grade contract and pen. Noah’s stamina and strength stats were relatively low for an S-grade. Looking at those two stats alone, he was closer to A-grade, so if he violated the contract and reduced his stats, and with the help of a Hae Yeon Hunter with debuff skills, it was possible to lower him to A-grade or below. With that level, if we made Kim Min-ui B-grade stats and matched him with appropriate items, there would be no suspicion about his rank.

Of course, if we only reduce his stats, the average would not reach S-grade. So.

“Noah, *oppa* [term of endearment used by younger women to address older men], long time no see~”

Yerim waved her hand as she entered the room. Yerim’s magic stat is exceptionally high. By borrowing half of Yerim’s magic stat with Noah’s stat borrowing skill, and adding a buff with Shadowless Day, we can create an average stat value at the S-grade level with the inflated magic stat.

And the magic stat is not noticeable at all in everyday life, whether it’s F-grade or S-grade.

“The duration of the stat borrowing and your buff isn’t very long, so you have to use it after arriving at the Association.”

Yerim’s buff disappears soon after leaving the range of Shadowless Day. So, we had to go to the Association, use it, and finish the measurement as quickly as possible.

“Noah, here’s a mask. Your lip movements are noticeable.”

Using a translation item makes it sound like he’s speaking Korean naturally enough to be hard to notice, but his lip movements are different. I handed Noah a mask and went outside. After receiving a stamina and strength stat debuff from the Hunter who was waiting, we headed to the parking lot. Since Yerim and I don’t have driver’s licenses yet, Noah took the driver’s seat.

“I need to get a license. Mister, you don’t have any kidnapping schedules this weekend, right?”

“Not for now, but I might have to go to Japan.”

“Really? Can I go too?”

“If you diligently attend all your missed classes.”

He grumbles but answers yes. Meanwhile, the car starts and Noah skillfully turns the steering wheel. I was a little worried about him driving, but he’s good at it. He’s a grown-up enough to be a Guild Leader, but I keep worrying about him.

There were already several reporters near the Association building. I said I would use an item that blurs my appearance on camera because I didn’t want to be on TV, but they didn’t give up.

Before getting out of the car, Yerim and Noah each used their skills.

“I’m going to the Hunter Market, is there anything you need?”

“Buy some mana potions and three or four S-grade contracts. Here’s a card.”

Handing over the Sesung Guild Leader’s card, I told her to use it for herself as well. Yerim smiled, accepting the card without refusal.

“Can I really use it freely?”

“Of course. While you’re at it, find out the limit.”

“Yes, ma’am! I’ll be back!”

She gets out of the car excitedly. S-grade items only come out at auctions, so she won’t be able to spend enough to bankrupt the Sesung Guild. I wonder if they’ll call me to return the card if she spends hundreds of millions [Korean won].

“Then, Noah, or rather, Hunter Kim Min-ui. Shall we go?”

“Yes.”

Noah nodded and put on his mask. As soon as he got out of the car, reporters approached, but he ignored them all and quickly went inside. We had to get measured quickly before the buff and debuff effects wore off.

“This way, please.”

The Association employee who was waiting guided us to the measurement room. On the way, we heard a small commotion. Someone was even shouting.

“It’s a bit chaotic.”

“Ah, some MKC Hunters came by. They seem dissatisfied that the Guild Leader is still missing, but the S-grade dungeon and items have been confiscated.”

The Association employee sighed.

“They’re all A-grade Hunters, so it’s difficult to handle, but the Vice President-to-be told us not to call Director Song, so the argument is getting longer.”

“The Vice President-to-be?”

“It’s not confirmed yet, but Director Choi Eun-young is expected to take the position.”

I heard she was returning as one of the Association’s directors, but a Vice President position? I agree with not calling Song Tae-won. Even if we have a close cooperative relationship, our affiliations are different. Unless it’s an emergency, we should handle it with the Association’s power, and it’s not good to rely too much on Song Tae-won.

‘Changing the upper management is definitely improving things.’

I hope I don’t have to worry about it anymore.

“As requested, we will only re-measure the stats.”

The stat measurement ended quickly. Stamina and strength were low enough to look like a mid-level Hunter, but magic was the highest level not only in Korea but also among overseas Hunters. The Association employee looked puzzled at the absurd numbers, but the average stat value barely reached S-grade anyway.

After looking at the measurement results, the Association employees whispered something and even made a phone call to the higher-ups. After a while, the employee opened his mouth with a slightly troubled face.

“S-grade stats and A-grade skills. For now, he’s an S-grade support Hunter… but opinions seem to be divided on Hunter Kim Min-ui’s S-grade dungeon clearing potential.”

“Hunter Kim Min-ui is not planning to participate in dungeon clearing due to his characteristics.”

“Excuse me? You’re not clearing dungeons?”

“Yes. You must have heard about Hunter Kim Min-ui’s performance over the past few days. The reason he was able to show combat-type S-grade Hunter abilities, unlike his measured stats, is thanks to a newly acquired skill. It’s a skill that converts magic stats into other stats.”

Of course, such a skill doesn’t actually exist. The Association employees looked surprised at my words.

“Ah, so that’s why… Certainly, with Hunter Kim Min-ui’s magic stats, he would be able to work as a combat-type Hunter when converted to other stats. But why aren’t you clearing dungeons?”

“It’s because the skill has a time limit and a cooldown. It’s not suitable for long dungeon clears. So, he will occasionally go into dungeons as support and will mainly be in charge of protecting Hae Yeon Guild and the monster breeding facility.”

In other words, he’s a half-baked S-grade Hunter who can’t properly clear dungeons. But the value of being able to reliably fill the empty spots left by other S-grade Hunters who are in dungeons was enough.

I reached out and put my hand on Noah’s, Kim Min-ui’s, shoulder and smiled.

“In particular, he will pay a lot of attention to the breeding facility. As someone who has experienced many things, I couldn’t be more reassured.”

Noah looked at me and smiled back brightly.

“I see. You must be very reassured. I heard you two are on good terms.”

“Yes. He’s a younger brother I cherish very much. He’s helped me a lot in many ways.”

Even now, he’s willingly playing the role of Kim Min-ui. I haven’t done much for him, but I feel sorry for only receiving so much.

There was some more discussion about not being able to clear dungeons properly, but since the basic conditions were met, Kim Min-ui’s Hunter rank was safely raised to S-grade. We were waiting for the rank modification process to be completed and the Hunter card to be reissued when.

Bang!

“You can’t do this here!”

The door was roughly opened, and several Hunters pushed aside the Association employee who was trying to stop them and came inside. One of the men glared at Noah and shouted.

“Kim Min-ui! What the hell did you do to the Guild Leader!”

Damn it. It’s an MKC Guild member. And he seemed to know that Kim Min-ui, Yoo-hyun, and Choi Seok-won were supposed to meet. In other words, he’s one of Choi Seok-won’s close aides. I quickly hugged Noah and whispered.

“Is the curse *haeje* [released]? It looks like there are still a few minutes left for the debuff to wear off.”

“It’s released. 6 minutes… now 5 minutes left.”

Noah is a support type, and he can’t even use partial sign language right now, so it’s disadvantageous for him to face A-grade Hunters until the debuff is completely gone. Using Grace, I turned my body and stood as if to protect Noah.

“Since there’s no owner, the dogs have taken off their leashes and are running wild.”

I muttered to myself, but the A-grade Hunters must have heard it clearly. Their faces immediately contorted.

“What did this bastard just say……!”

“Did you hear that? Sorry. But isn’t it true? If Choi Seok-won were here, he wouldn’t have let his pet dogs bark, even if he was embarrassed to face me.”

He failed to properly control the guild, causing him to be kidnapped, and even became the mastermind behind the kidnapping. Incompetence combined with corruption.

“Since we’ve met face to face, why don’t you apologize on behalf of the incompetent Guild Leader? If you obediently bow your heads and wag your tails, I might find you a new owner. Hae Yeon, Sesung, Break, anywhere.”

At my words, which implied that they knew I had great connections, about two of them inadvertently showed interest. Choi Seok-won’s close aide, who noticed this, turned red in the face and even his neck.

“You bastards!”

*Thwack*, the Hunter who was tempted by my words was hit in the face by a rough swing and staggered. Choi Seok-won’s close aide kicked the other one and strode towards me.

“You must know something too!”

“Of course, I do. I even saw it myself. Should I describe in detail how Choi Seok-won turned tail and ran away? His face, begging not to die, was really─”

A large hand reached out to grab my collar. But before that, Noah moved. With a speed that my dynamic visual acuity couldn’t keep up with, Noah’s hand grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted it.

“Please step back.”

With a low voice, Noah, who had already stepped in front of me, folded his long leg and struck the man’s solar plexus.

“Cough!”

Then, he mercilessly lifted and threw the half-folded body. Before the sound of the body and furniture colliding, another scream rang out. Before my eyes could even follow, one of the Hunters slid across the floor and sprawled out, unconscious.

“He’s really capable of S-grade combat!”

The Association employee was impressed by the sight of the MKC Hunters falling one after another. Our Noah may be a bit lacking in stats, but he’s not an ordinary support type. The situation was resolved in an instant, and after a while.

“Which son of a bitch is it!”

Yerim burst in, glaring. She swept her gaze around, wrapped in a cold mist, and let out a disappointed sound, asking if it was already over.

“Did you shop well?”

“Yes! I spent a little over 500 million, but I didn’t exceed the limit.”

“You spent it well. Good job.”

Our Yerim, she spends money well too. I looked at my phone, just in case, but there was no contact from Skill C. It’s a bit disappointing.

I took the card and mana potions from Yerim and looked back at the Association employees.

“You’ve clearly seen our Min-ui Hunter’s skills, right? There are still many people who doubt him, so please spread the word.”

We need to make sure he’s an S-grade Hunter so that people don’t pick fights for no reason. Please take care of it.