The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 184

I descended the ornate, spiraling staircase. The hotel I stayed at during the auction was nice, but this seemed even more luxurious. Not that I, who had just blown up an entire hotel, should be talking, but the décor was too good to be fighting in.

Couldn’t we just cut the birthday cake, pour some wine, and laugh? …Probably not. Especially not already.

“Oh? Honey Pot!”

A crazy bastard appeared. Honey Pot, I think I’ve heard that somewhere. A slightly dark-skinned man, who looked Indian, pointed at me, and before I knew it, Moon Hyun-ah had thrown a spear. The spear itself was of average thickness, but with the magic swirling around it like a tornado, it was almost the size of a pillar. The man did a backflip, dodging the spear as he fell over the staircase railing. The spear, having lost its target, quickly lost momentum and lightly tapped against the wall.

“Hyun-ah-ssi?!”

“Pointing is a declaration of a duel.”

I think she lives in a world with very different common sense than mine. Moon Hyun-ah jumped down the stairs in one go, pulled out the spear, and smiled at me as if to say, ‘See this.’

“See? No damage, right? I can control it this much.”

“I see. I thought the wall was going to break. I was surprised.”

To reduce the power of a thrown spear mid-air. Yerim murmured quietly, saying she couldn’t do that yet. Besides the difference in experience, there probably aren’t many Hunters who can pull off such a feat, even among early Awakened ones.

The Indian man who fell over the railing disappeared without a sound. As I descended another step, a guide was waiting. They weren’t an un-awakened, but seemed to be an A-Rank Hunter. After checking the invitation and list, they led the way, saying to come this way.

“You are welcome to use any of the facilities. Please avoid areas marked as restricted. We would appreciate it if you could refrain from using attack skills inside the ship. All un-awakened and B-Rank or lower Awakened have disembarked, so it’s basically self-service.”

Self-service sounded like free range. With only high-ranking Hunters on board, it felt like they were setting the stage for us to go wild.

The A-Rank Hunter, who had guided us to the large door, mumbled that there were only a few left and returned to their post. As the door opened, a large banquet hall appeared.

Six staircases spiraled up to the three-story-high ceiling. Lights sparkled brilliantly around a large chandelier, and tables covered with white cloths were scattered around a large stage. Food was displayed buffet-style, and there was something like a wine bar on one side.

And Kang So-young was standing on a table. She spread her arms wide and shouted.

“It’s my birthday tomorrow too! It always gets buried because of the Guild Leader! Last year, the guild was even put on probation because the hotel was half-destroyed! It was my birthday!”

“Yes, yes, our So-young. Defeat Sung Hyun-jae and let’s have a party for So-young next year!”

Kang So-young made a serious face at Riette’s giggling words. Her white mini-dress fluttered as she spun around.

“Oh, that’s a bit scary. Our Guild Leader… Noah Hunter!”

Kang So-young found us and waved her arms again.

“It’s my birthday tomorrow! Will you go on a date with me as a gift?”

“…I congratulate you on your birthday, but I’m afraid I must decline the date.”

“I got rejected again! Unnie [older sister/female friend], I’ve been rejected by your brother for the thirty-seventh time.”

“It’s okay, sweetie. Even if you get rejected ninety-nine times, you win if you get him on the last one.”

“That’s right! I’ll aim for a generous thousand times instead of a hundred. Noah Hunter, will you go on a date with─!”

“An A-Rank is so damn loud.”

Someone muttered. At the same time, Riette wore an expression that said, ‘Gotcha!’ and shot out like a bullet without a weapon. Her metal bar-shaped earrings glittered brilliantly under the lights, and her fist slammed down on the table that the opponent hastily raised. Crack, the table shattered and the white cloth was caught in her fist. The tablecloth fluttered as a series of kicks collided with a thick forearm.

“One more’s going down, open the window!”

A Hunter in a bright blue suit jumped over the 2nd-floor railing and tore out the window, which was designed to only open halfway for safety. Then, Riette’s body spun around, using the forearm she had collided with as a pivot. The cloth wrapped around her fist covered the opponent’s head. She applied a headlock as if flowing water, and then threw the Hunter, who had provoked her, towards the window, using the momentum as if half-lying down.

The opponent was not easy either, twisting their body in mid-air and trying to stop by stepping on the window frame.

“Let’s not leave any regrets!”

Crash, the Hunter who tore out the window smashed them through the window, ensuring they were sent over the edge. Well, at least they’re following the recommendation not to use skills. If they had used skills, it wouldn’t have ended with just the table and window being smashed. Oh, and there are footprints on the floor.

Although that commotion was happening on one side, no one in the banquet hall was shaken. Some watched as if watching a fire across the river [uninvolved], while others ignored it completely and talked among themselves. Not all of those people were S-Rank Hunters, and there seemed to be some A-Ranks as well. Kang So-young was one, and Kim Sung-han, who participated in place of Yoo-hyun last year, was also an A-Rank. There must be quite a few A-Ranks who accompanied S-Ranks or came as proxies.

After a while, a broadcast came on.

[Towels and clothes to change into are prepared near the swimming pool on the deck. When boarding from the sea, please do not scratch the ship’s hull and use the hanging ropes or flight skills. If things get too heated, we would appreciate it if you could move to the reef about 200 meters northwest.]

“Is it okay to be so reckless?”

Yerim asked, her eyes shining, and Moon Hyun-ah looked around and replied.

“It’s not okay to stop it. It’s rude to hit someone in the back of the head when they’re standing still, but it’s okay to provoke or be provoked. Especially don’t mess with people when they’re eating.”

“Yes~”

“If someone provokes you first, you can beat them up with a light heart in many ways, so I went all the way to Haeyeon… There!”

Moon Hyun-ah found a man wrapped in something like a robe and opened her mouth wide, laughing silently. Then, she jumped onto the table in one leap.

“Hey, Stonehead! I came wearing a dress!”

The man called Stonehead flushed at Moon Hyun-ah’s shout and threw off his robe. …Wow, a dress. A red one at that. Did they make some kind of bet? I reflexively reached out to cover Yerim’s eyes, but she dodged it.

“It suits him well, I guess. They fought over what to wear at last year’s birthday party.”

Oh, I see. Moon Hyun-ah laughed heartily and pointed her phone camera at him, and Stonehead threw a dagger. She deflected the dagger with the spear shaft, the sound of the camera shutter clicked, and Stonehead, fluttering his red skirt, chased after Moon Hyun-ah…….

“Shall we go over there and get something to eat?”

Yoo-hyun said as if nothing had happened. Right, it’s not dinner time yet. Perhaps because the guests hadn’t all arrived and it wasn’t the time written on the invitation, Sung Hyun-jae was nowhere to be seen.

[During combat, please direct the force upwards and sideways, not downwards.]

Thud! A crack appeared in the wall, and the broadcast came on. As long as we don’t break the bottom, we can avoid sinking. I wanted to have dinner before things got even more chaotic, so I started to move, but I felt blatant gazes following me. I expected it, but they were curious glances. I could also hear small whispers about Honey Pot.

Why Honey Pot, of all things?

“Sit here. I’ll bring it to you.”

Yoo-hyun, who had stuck a knife into the table next to the food, said. Yerim sat down at the same table right away and shouted, “I want that cupcake over there!” but he didn’t even pretend to listen. Yerim, you should eat cake after dinner.

Myung-woo also took a seat at the same table and called Noah, but Noah headed in a different direction from where Yoo-hyun had gone, saying he would bring the food. In the meantime, a few more invited guests entered the banquet hall. Song Tae-won was also seen following in, as if all the guests on the list had arrived. In this place full of high-ranking Hunters.

‘I wonder how he feels.’

He probably doesn’t feel very good. Still, since it’s offshore, away from the mainland, with no un-awakened, he might feel more at ease than usual. Because no matter how much they fight, they’ll only hurt each other.

Some people approached Song Tae-won, who was standing against one wall like a guard, and spoke to him. I couldn’t hear the content, but judging from his lip movements, he was answering in monosyllables, as gruff as ever. He probably hasn’t had dinner yet, so he should eat something before Sung Hyun-jae appears.

He’ll starve if I don’t take care of him, so I got up from my seat. Yerim followed me right away as I moved. But I didn’t even take a few steps.

“Was the incident in Hong Kong really a trap?”

Some bastard spoke to me. The kidnapping was real, but since that was the aim from the start, you could say it was a trap. When I turned my head, I saw a face that looked like it had ‘Westerner’ written all over it. I think I’ve seen him in the Ranking Battles before the regression. Who was he? He’s familiar, so he’s not a top-ranked Hunter, but he seems to be quite capable.

“I was an innocent victim.”

“For someone like that, you’re quite famous as a Honey Pot [someone who attracts powerful individuals]. You’re still dragging around S-Rank Hunters. There were even rumors that the Sung Hyun-jae’s birthday party was also a trap.”

What the hell is a Honey Pot? Yerim was fidgeting with her spear, wondering if it was an insult or not. Yerim held back pretty well, but my brother didn’t.

A plate flew fiercely over my head, aimed right at the Westerner A’s neck.

Then Yerim, deciding that she didn’t have to hold back, lightly pushed me back and swung her spear.

“Wait, Yerim!”

If the use of attack skills is prohibited, Yerim is a relatively weak S-Rank. She has little experience, and her stats themselves are low except for magic power. But if she suddenly attacks.

“…Huh?”

“It’s too early for a little chick.”

The A bastard, who had dodged the plate, easily grabbed Yerim’s spear. His pale face smiled slyly. Yerim was flustered and pulled on the spear, but it didn’t budge. That bastard is messing with a kid who hasn’t even been Awakened for three months.

Then, flames flared up right in front of the A bastard’s nose. Yoo-hyun glanced at the man who retreated, releasing the spear, and approached, saying.

“There are some idiots who hold back until the end because they were told not to use skills.”

“…I wasn’t going to keep holding back!”

Yerim puffed out her cheeks and pointed her spear at Mr. A.

“Let’s go out to the deck!”

Can Yerim win? I don’t even know what that bastard’s skills are, should I ask Noah to lend her his stats?

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], here’s the soup.”

“Huh?”

“It’s okay. There’s no problem.”

Yoo-hyun pulled me back to the table, saying there was nothing to worry about. Is it okay to leave her alone? Really? In the meantime, Yerim flew out the window, telling him to follow her right away if he wasn’t scared. The A bastard followed right after her. Is it really okay?

Some people were seen going outside as if to watch. There were also Hunters approaching Myung-woo, not me. And they were quite polite. Listening to the content of the consultation about special types of equipment that are difficult to obtain, it was understandable that they were being polite. It would be difficult to find unless you made it yourself.

Of course, there were also people who wanted to talk to me. But perhaps because of Yoo-hyun, who threw a plate as soon as they spoke, they couldn’t approach easily.

“…Why are they calling me a Honey Pot, like I’m a zookeeper?”

“I don’t know exactly, but the Hong Kong incident hasn’t been completely covered up. Some people have guessed the situation to some extent, so there’s an argument going around that I used hyung as bait to sweep away the people who gathered at the auction house.”

That bastard earlier also mentioned a trap. Is Honey Pot similar to bait? Yoo-hyun said there was nothing to worry about and went to get food again. I was going to go this time, but I held back. There’s no point in wandering around alone and getting into trouble.

Rumble!

A fairly loud rumbling sound was heard, indicating that the fight had begun. Should I go after all? Seseong has an A-Rank Healer, so they’re probably on standby here as well, and since she has teleportation skills, she probably won’t get seriously hurt, but I’m still worried. I didn’t feel like eating, so I stood up.

Crash!

The ship shook and a terrifying roar erupted. Yoo-hyun, who had already approached me, picked me up, and Noah also took care of Myung-woo. As soon as we moved to avoid it, a stream of water with a diameter of 2 meters broke through the wall and relentlessly smashed through to the opposite wall.

Along with the sound of water falling, fragments of the wall fell in a shower. The floor was all wet. Well, I don’t think I need to worry.

“…Was her name Park Yerim? The new S-Rank.”

“She hasn’t even been Awakened for half a year? And she’s already this strong?”

Even high-ranking Hunters were amazed by the sight, and exclamations flowed from here and there. Our kid is really talented. But is this okay? The birthday party is going to be ruined before the birthday boy even appears.

And again, water overflowed. It wasn’t the same whirlpool as before, but the water, like a wave, swept through the banquet hall and flowed out through the hole on the opposite side. I was wondering if I should go stop them.

Boom!!

Lightning struck. Not here, but outside. What is that human doing outside without coming into the banquet hall! It’s already a mess here anyway. Before I could say anything, Yoo-hyun jumped towards the hole. Other people also headed outside in droves.

Although it was dark with few lights left, the situation on the deck where the swimming pool used to be was clearly visible. It’s literally a mess. The birthday boy, dressed in a white suit and not wet at all, was looking this way with quite excited eyes.