The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 175

175. Sibling Rivalry (3)

“I didn’t know Chief Song was here.”

I addressed Song Tae-won, pointedly ignoring Sung Mo’s presence. He responded in his usual low, obligatory tone.

“Unless there’s something special, I visit regularly twice a month, mainly to assist the Awakened Management Division and train hunters belonging to the Association.”

“You’re doing a lot of work.”

I know I should maintain eye contact, but my gaze kept drifting downwards. The collar of his sportswear was cut a bit too wide. It’s already quite revealing, exacerbated by the clothing size, and he’s still a public official.

…Honestly, it’s a bit much.

“…Isn’t that outfit a little small? If it’s sportswear, there seem to be more sizes available.”

Surely there are people with builds that deviate more from standard ready-made clothing sizes.

“Ordinary clothes can’t withstand it, so it’s specially made.”

He explained that he mainly wears it when measuring physical abilities at the training center. Since it’s a public facility, size options are limited, and Song Tae-won seems to be primarily responsible for being the measurement subject. The higher-than-usual number of high-level hunters at the training center today was likely due to his presence. Even those belonging to general guilds would interact with him if they applied.

“It’s better to use lower-level dungeons for simple training, but machines are needed for accurate measurements. The measurement data isn’t recorded separately and is immediately deleted on the spot.”

Many people seemed to come to test skills or items in addition to physical abilities. The facilities were quite diverse and well-equipped, allowing for the measurement of various factors such as temperature, toxicity levels, recovery power, and effective range.

Just then.

Kiiiiing─

A grating sound that seemed to scratch my ears echoed, and almost simultaneously, an arm reached out and pulled me close. Immediately after.

Kwaaaang!!

A loud explosion erupted, followed by rough winds and debris raining down. Being half-embraced, I wasn’t harmed much. The others were high-level hunters, so they likely didn’t even get a scratch. But what was going on?

“It’s Evelyn’s test firing.”

Sung Hyun-jae said, holding me from behind. If it’s shooting, did she fire an arrow? Judging from the aftermath, it looked more like some kind of rocket launcher.

“Why are you making a fuss here instead of leaving it for a suitable dungeon?”

“It’s for measuring speed by section. There seems to be a slight problem with skill usage, but it’s definitely a bit slow.”

You can tell just by listening to the sound.

“But the cosmetics?”

“It’s sunscreen. Yerim told me to apply it.”

She insisted that F-class skin needs protection, so she applied it thickly. She claimed she was fine because she was S-class. The scent was a bit strong.

“Let go now.”

“You can honestly rely on me, though.”

Ah, what nonsense is this again? I wondered what he was talking about out of the blue, and then I remembered what happened yesterday.

“…Did Evelyn tell you?”

“I apologize on her behalf for using the skill. It was rude, even if the person wanted it.”

My chest felt a little prickly for no reason. Rude… that’s right. …But I’m sure he’s used Evelyn’s skills here and there before, so what’s new?

“Did you apologize to other people besides me?”

“Why would I have someone use a skill on someone I should be sorry to?”

Ah, yes. I didn’t bother asking how many people he felt sorry for. It probably varies from time to time anyway.

“Well, I’m fine. And it was just a meaningless statement. The world knows that Sung Hyun-jae is great. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks that way.”

When life gets tiring and difficult, it’s common to fantasize about someone solving all your problems and letting you live a life of leisure. Like a long-lost rich relative suddenly appearing and claiming you as their heir, or getting hit by a car and the driver turning out to be an Arab millionaire who gives you a substantial compensation. It was just a non-genuine, whimsical thought in that context.

“So, even though it’s meaningless, you’re being careful, Han Yu-jin.”

“I’m a little unnecessarily cautious. As the old saying goes, look before you leap. There’s no harm in being careful.”

Anyway, let go. Noah is restless. I tried to get out of Sung Hyun-jae’s arms, but then I heard another grating sound. This time, slightly faster than before, an explosion went off. Noah spread his wings wide and blocked all the debris coming towards me.

“…How long will this go on?”

“I reported it to the Association as 10 times.”

“Including Sung Hyun-jae’s? I didn’t know you used a bow.”

I said, looking down at the bow he was holding. The exterior is a normal-looking bow.

“It’s not my main weapon, but it can be used for various purposes. Especially since the arrows I received this time seem good for application, so I came along to test them out. I heard that the young master [Yoohyun, Han Yujin’s younger brother] also uses a bow as a support weapon, although occasionally depending on the dungeon.”

I didn’t know because I didn’t have a chance to see him fight except during ranking matches or dungeon breaks. Should I ask Myungwoo if he has any arrows left?

Only after telling him to let go again was I finally released. Noah, as if waiting, nudged his head against me and glared at Sung Hyun-jae.

– Yujin, I think it would be better for you to go inside.

“Use Grace weakly. More than that, I need to gather people to fight.”

The seven hunters who were on the training ground had disappeared. I wouldn’t want to be near the Guild Leader of Sesung [Sung Hyun-jae], even if I were them. As expected, he’s not helpful today.

“Chief Song, how many A-class hunters are here?”

“There are currently seventeen, and nine are reserved for use.”

Twenty-six people. Not enough. It doesn’t have to be finished in one day.

“Do you have broadcasting facilities here? Can I use them?”

Song Tae-won gave me a look that said, ‘What are you going to do again?’ When I told him that I was just going to gather people to spar lightly with Noah in preparation for the fight with Riette, he led me to the broadcasting room. Noah, who had returned to human form, and Sung Hyun-jae, who had nothing to do, followed. Please go away.

As it was a place where high-level hunters tested their abilities, the broadcasting room staff was not an unawakened person but an intermediate defense-type hunter. The staff, who was stunned by the fact that S-class hunters had flocked in, stammeringly turned on the microphone.

[We would like to inform the hunters who have visited the training center. There will be a simple sparring event at the training center’s No. 1 training ground from 2 p.m. today. A-class equipment and various other prizes are prepared, so we ask for your participation.]

One A-class equipment would be enough to gather idle A-class hunters. It would be even better if you could let other people know and fill up forty-one people.

“An event, huh.”

Sung Hyun-jae muttered ominously as I finished broadcasting.

“I can’t help but lend a hand to an event opened by Han Yu-jin.”

“I don’t need it.”

I gestured to the broadcasting room staff to quickly turn off the microphone, but he just looked around, unable to move. Instead, Song Tae-won stepped forward.

“Please don’t make things bigger.”

“I’m just trying to express my heart, but you’re being too harsh.”

I don’t need your heart. Please keep it to yourself. Sung Hyun-jae took a step towards the microphone. At the same time, the tip of Song Tae-won’s right hand twitched. A cool air lingered in his dark eyes. Noah also stiffened his shoulders at the tension between the two. The poor staff member turned pale as if he was about to suffocate.

“I’m the person involved, and I said I’m okay, so please let it go.”

“It seems that my sincerity has not been enough for Han Yu-jin to come over. From now on, I have decided to be more active.”

As soon as I heard that, I thought I was doomed. It’s already excessive enough, what more is he trying to do, crazy. Besides, isn’t this just him being mean, not sincere at all? It seemed like my answer bothered him.

Sung Hyun-jae took another step, and Song Tae-won’s gaze turned to the broadcasting room equipment. He seemed to be thinking of breaking it if it didn’t work. Song Tae-won’s toes twisted slightly. At the same time, Sung Hyun-jae looked back at him, curving his eyes.

“Don’t forget that if you show your teeth, you have to bite.”

Then, he went to the microphone without hesitation. Song Tae-won eventually couldn’t move, and Sung Hyun-jae broadcasted in a clear voice like an announcer.

[Sesung Guild has sponsored the S-class equipment, Ring of the Purple Forest, as a prize for this event.]

…Hey, wait a minute. He’s really escalating things with S-class equipment. Then my phone rang. It’s Yoohyun. When I answered the phone, my brother said in a sulky voice.

[Why is Sesung sponsoring the event that hyung [older brother] is opening, not Haeyeon?]

“That’s Sung Hyun-jae… More than that, how did you know?”

[A hunter who was at the training center contacted me. Haeyeon will also sponsor it.]

Then he complains about why I didn’t tell him first. I didn’t intend to do this in the first place. I tried to appease him, but my brother wasn’t going to back down, and Sung Hyun-jae was looking interested, saying it was a good thing. In the end, Haeyeon Guild also put out an S-class equipment. I looked at Song Tae-won with a very apologetic expression.

“I didn’t mean to do this, I’m sorry.”

“…There are no regulations to prevent personal hunter-related events yet, so I would like to ask you to postpone the date.”

Song Tae-won said, looking at Sung Hyun-jae with tired eyes. With two S-class equipment at stake, hunters from all over the country would flock to it. It was difficult to prepare for the chaos in a short time. Sung Hyun-jae smiled annoyingly brightly at Song Tae-won’s heavy gaze.

“There have been many incidents in the hunter world recently, so wouldn’t it be good to change the atmosphere with an event?”

I’m sure you didn’t cause the incident with such good intentions. Song Tae-won was about to say something, but then sighed. He looked really sorry. I was wondering if I should just cancel it, but I gave up because it seemed like Sung Hyun-jae would just take the initiative and proceed with the event.

It’s better to have it in my hands. If it went into that human’s hands, wouldn’t a mess break out that would more than double in size? Of course, I’ll be dragged in as the one who started it.

“Let’s hold the event this weekend. I will cooperate with the Association as much as possible. This event itself is not a bad thing, so don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you.”

“No, I should have announced the event when the Guild Leader of Sesung was not there. I was careless.”

I was just thinking of simply gathering Noah’s sparring partners, but I didn’t know that Sung Hyun-jae would intervene like this. Now that it has come to this, I should prepare by saying that it is a rehearsal for the ranking match.

The holding of an event for high-level hunters with two S-class equipment at stake was even on the news that evening. It wasn’t as expensive as a weapon and was a relatively low-end item, but it still exceeded several billion won. Above all, S-class equipment was not something that could be bought just with money. It was usually sold only through auctions, and S-class hunters had priority, so it was an opportunity that A-class hunters could not miss.

“I want the ring too. The magic option is pretty good. Can’t I just participate too? I haven’t been in the business for long, so count me as A-class.”

Yerim, who was tearing apart the chicken, said.

“No. S-class hunters cannot participate.”

It’s not possible, even if it’s hard to handle. If it was a sparring match with S-class hunters, even A-class healers would not be enough. In the case of past ranking matches, the scale even changed depending on whether or not the Saintess cooperated. Even combat-type hunters who like to fight value their lives.

‘If I want to hold a proper ranking match, I’ll need to get her help.’

Should I go visit her? I don’t know if she will be willing to help. Even if it’s not a ranking match, I should meet her. Since her ability is her ability, it would be good to tell her about the dungeon and ask for cooperation.

“By the way, did you cleanse properly, uncle? It’s something that needs to be washed off properly because it’s corrected.”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t. Come here.”

Yerim wiped the grease on her hands with a tissue and stood me up. Then, a little more knowledge that I wasn’t very curious about was added.

The hunter sparring event became a hot topic everywhere, and even broadcasting stations began to compete for broadcasting rights. Even overseas seemed to be showing interest. The Hunter Association also actively stepped forward to get rid of its scandalous image.

I handed over the program for the finals to the Association to organize, but instead, my influence went into the preliminaries. The original purpose was to subdue Noah’s 41 high-level hunters, so I requested that high-level hunters with combat power to enter the finals be selected through sparring with S-class hunters.

Thanks to this, Noah easily achieved the skill conditions and obtained Silent Wound (S).

And the day before the event was held, Riette and Kang Soyoung came out of the dungeon.