The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 200

“You once mentioned that both Breaker and MKC were figurehead companies, right?”

“I did. The reason MKC collapsed so quickly after their guild leader went missing is largely due to that. At least Sudam managed to hold on because the vice guild leader pulled things together. But MKC is on the verge of disbanding. With the guild leader gone, do you think the young, high-ranking Hunters will put up with non-awakened old men telling them what to do?”

They wouldn’t. Especially since the disappearance of an S-Rank Hunter is already causing the guild’s reputation to plummet. If people who’ve never even set foot in a dungeon start meddling as if they’re superiors, there won’t be many Hunters left.

“Even if they have to pay contract termination penalties, it’s better to leave. Besides, HaeYeon is creating two new S-Rank teams, and Seseong is also recruiting for a new S-Rank team. Any A-Rank Hunter with the ability can start their own guild. Who would stay in this situation?”

Hunter contracts are often directly tied to the guild leader, making it easier to terminate them if the guild leader goes missing, as is the case now. Moon Hyun-ah laughed, saying that MKC investors, in their desperation, had even approached Yerim, Noah, and Riet.

“It would have been fun if Riet had taken over the guild leader position. Sorry to Director Song, though.”

“That would be a complete disaster.”

Given the location, the National Assembly building might disappear along with it. A giant black dragon appearing in Yeouido [a large island in Seoul, South Korea, where the National Assembly is located], and Director Song Tae-won working overtime… Yeah, Riet is out of the question. She wouldn’t last a day with that temper.

“What do you think, Hyun-ah? About the current Breaker, I mean.”

At my words, Moon Hyun-ah sat on the table. Then, she gestured for me to sit as well. The table seemed a bit much, so I sat on a chair.

“What do I think? I’m just waiting for my contract to end. It’s a five-year contract.”

She wouldn’t have agreed to work there for life. Moon Hyun-ah continued, tapping the tip of one foot.

“It’s been less than half the time, and the conditions aren’t that bad. I was ignorant about items in the beginning. The fact that mana stones could be used as an energy source was discovered strangely quickly. So, we split the mana stones 50/50, and the raid team got to keep all the items.”

Come to think of it, the value of mana stones was known soon after dungeons appeared. There was no information about who discovered it. Could the degenerates have been involved? Without a decent reward, the Hunter system and guilds wouldn’t have been established so quickly.

“They complained later when the value of items increased, but~ what can they do? If they’re not happy, they can raid the dungeons themselves.”

“Just getting to sit comfortably and eat mana stones after making an initial investment is a pretty good deal. There must be safety clauses too, right?”

“Of course! It’s stipulated that high-ranking guild members are prioritized if a dungeon breaks. Evacuation to the guild building is also possible. They even asked to use us as bodyguards when they go on overseas vacations. I turned them down, saying it was a domestic-only contract.”

It was also agreed that they would manage and dispose of dungeon byproducts that required processing, in exchange for a share.

Perhaps because it was a contract made before much was known about dungeons, the conditions themselves were definitely good. There were minor interferences, such as requests for guild image or cooperation, but the management of affiliated Hunters was 100% at the discretion of the guild leader and initial guild members.

“That’s not enough to call you a figurehead, is it?”

“Well, I don’t have much guild equity. My authority is limited to dungeon raids. The core of a Hunter guild is dungeon raids, but if I pack my bags and leave, I can’t use the Breaker name.”

The contract has a little over two years left. But as I recall, Breaker never became independent. I don’t know the details, but they must not have had a smooth contract termination. And considering they collapsed not long after, the contract conditions must have deteriorated.

“Do you think they’ll let you terminate the contract easily? They might even try to renegotiate, including the item shares.”

“It won’t be easy, but if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just change the name. I’ve established myself enough now that I can start over.”

Moon Hyun-ah said lightly. She could definitely break free and climb back to the top quickly, but before the regression…

‘…Is it because of the Awakening Center?’

There was a time when many low-ranking Hunters who had undergone poor awakenings died, and public opinion turned against high-ranking Hunters, especially guild leaders. HaeYeon was particularly troubled, and I was also heavily involved.

For guilds like Breaker and MKC that were tied to large corporations, the guild leader’s voice would have inevitably weakened after that incident. There may have been other reasons for Breaker’s contract renewal, but the influence of the Awakening Center wouldn’t have been small.

‘This time, that won’t happen.’

The Awakening Center is being rebuilt diligently, but the system will be different from before. First of all, the head of the Awakening Center has changed, and it has been decided not to produce unreasonable numbers of Awakened people. So, Breaker may be able to terminate the contract safely and stand on its own.

“Still, it’s best to prepare in advance, as they might try to hold you back in some way. If possible, it would be best for Breaker to swallow them up as they are now.”

The already established building, facilities, and other connections are too good to give up. At my words, Moon Hyun-ah bent over and rested her chin on her hand. Perhaps because she was looking up, she felt large even when crouching.

“The guild building and other facilities aren’t in the guild’s name. They were provided by investors. Of course, I have the funds to buy them all. The problem is, they’ll never sell.”

“What about the general staff?”

“I only manage the Hunters.”

That’s also a problem. Is there no way to separate completely? I don’t have much information, and I don’t know much about this area, so there’s no way I can come up with a good plan by racking my brain.

I really don’t know.

“I guess it wouldn’t be okay to secretly eliminate them all or threaten them.”

“You’re surprisingly violent, Director Han.”

“Breaker was associated with three large corporations on the surface, right?”

“There are also a few politicians. And some high-ranking government officials. They said they’d come in as directors after they retire.”

Those damn directors. How do I legally get rid of them all? Is it even possible? I guess it would require some illegal activity. As I was groaning, Moon Hyun-ah looked down at me and smiled.

“You’re really concerned. Even though it’s someone else’s problem.”

“It’s not completely someone else’s problem.”

“Still, you must have a headache just reorganizing Han Yu-jin’s Breeding Center, right?”

“I’m barely managing myself.”

But the Breeding Center is unlikely to collapse or be threatened. Even if there are some troubles with independent operation, the facilities are in my name, and the interference period from other guilds is short, so it’s not a difficult time to stand on my own. It’s hard to pull out after the roots are deep, but it’s easy when they’re shallow.

“I hope that the Breaker Guild, and Guild Leader Moon Hyun-ah, will endure well without wavering for a long time.”

“Is it because you have a personal liking for me? Or is there another reason?”

“Both.”

At first, I just thought HaeYeon would take it all, like before the regression. Since she’s an S-Rank Hunter and capable, I just thought I could bring Moon Hyun-ah over. But that was a short-sighted view that only looked at her abilities as a Hunter.

Of course, the importance of an S-Rank Hunter is an unchanging fact. However, the surroundings she had built up over three years also had great value. No matter how talented someone is, they can’t do everything alone.

‘As a guild leader, Moon Hyun-ah seems to be excellent, honestly.’

My brother is talented, but he’s still young, so he’s a little lacking in taking care of others. …Seok Si-myeong was a great help. Yu-hyun is very capable as a Hunter, but…

On the other hand, Moon Hyun-ah seems to be good at looking after and taking care of those around her, just from the fact that Guild Leader Wooz came to find her. I need to check the guild atmosphere in more detail, but if I put aside my personal feelings and look at it objectively, Moon Hyun-ah is better suited to be a guild leader.

…My kid is still young. Seong Hyun-jae also said that Yu-hyun’s personality isn’t suited to creating a guild. There’s an aptitude for these things. Humans can’t be good at everything. There should be some shortcomings to make them human and endearing… Anyway, that’s how it is.

“Is there any eavesdropping here?”

“Of course not. This is a place that mainly welcomes important guests.”

“If we can’t stop the dungeons, the world will be destroyed.”

I added the degenerates’ precautions and explained them. If Moon Hyun-ah is going to remain as the guild leader, I needed to tell her the inside story.

“It’s not surprising that the world will be destroyed if all the dungeons break, but…”

Moon Hyun-ah tilted her head and muttered without much surprise.

“So, Director Han wants me to preserve my power as much as possible?”

“Yes. It’s much more advantageous that way. Of course, that’s assuming Hyun-ah will cooperate.”

“Is there any reason not to cooperate? I have many people I want to protect too. Most people would. I don’t know about Seong Hyun-jae, though.”

I don’t know about him either. Setting up a guild might be for his own convenience. It would be convenient to have a base. But a reason to protect the world… Hmm. But he did break up with the filial piety addict.

“So, Director Han’s goal is to save the world?”

“It sounds grand when you put it that way. I’m just in a position to provide some help. Let’s set a short-term goal of stabilizing the country.”

At the latest, the distribution of Gi-seungsu [a type of potion or enhancement item] to major domestic guilds will be completed within a year. Blue and Comet will soon finish growing, so there will be three S-Ranks and unicorns. If stamina potions are created, we can speed things up even more.

Around that time, Myung-woo will be able to create S-Rank or higher equipment stably. The Awakening Center will also be different from before the regression, and if I work hard, the number of special skill holders will increase. And with Yu-hyun, Yerim, Kim Seong-han, and Moon Hyun-ah, my skills will accelerate their growth. Yoon Yoon will definitely be a big help, but where is he?

Anyway, we should be able to reach the level before the regression much faster.

“And then…”

I trailed off and unconsciously put my hand on my chest.

It’s not long now. The day the monster containing the L-Rank mana stone is completed. At least SS-Rank. Maybe SSS-Rank or higher will be born. It’s likely to be a Cursed Poison Dragon species. If so, it’s double, then double again.

Only 7 days at L-Rank. It was said that an F-Rank stat person cannot safely leave this world. But during the 7 days of using the last favor, I might be able to go and find him myself.

‘…I hope he looks like the damn lizard owner.’

Then I wouldn’t feel so guilty. A dragonkin would be fine too. Surely he won’t come out as a child. Seong Hyun-jae’s fragments shouldn’t be able to interfere, right?

“So far, I think it will go well.”

There are the suspicious degenerates and the jellyfish, but they can’t interfere much. Even the jellyfish couldn’t do much on its own without a medium.

First, I’ll protect Korea for sure, and then overseas… Do I really have to worry about overseas too? There must be guild leaders overseas who are good at communicating, normal, and capable. I believe that simply establishing cooperative relationships will be enough, please.

Let’s protect our own countries ourselves.

“If there’s a time limit, I guess it’s not a good idea to pack up and start over. I need to think about it.”

Moon Hyun-ah got off the table and tapped my shoulder.

“Let’s have lunch! Our sauna seaweed soup is amazing.”

“Men aren’t allowed in, are they?”

“It’s separated, so it’s okay. There’s an entrance that leads directly to the sauna, so it’s blocked off.”

She pulls me along.

“I’ll pass, since it makes me uncomfortable. It’s better not to do things that could be criticized.”

And Myung-woo is just as amazing. I’m not swayed by things like famous restaurants.

“You’re quite picky, Director. I’m in the mood for seaweed soup right now.”

What should I do, I thought, turning the corner of the hallway, and ran into someone who looked like a Hunter. It was a familiar face.

“This is Choi Ga-eun, the A-Rank team leader of Breaker. Ga-eun, this is Han Yu-jin, the Gi-seungsu Breeding Center Director.”

Moon Hyun-ah introduced us with a grin. She’s an A-Rank Hunter, and if my memory is correct, she’s an early Awakened who awakened with Moon Hyun-ah. Choi Ga-eun slightly bowed her head towards me. I bowed back.

“Do you want to have lunch with us? How about seaweed soup?”

“Even if it’s close to an external facility, would it be okay?”

Choi Ga-eun said, looking at me. Yeah, I knew it.

“Oh, this is a secret, but Director Han is actually a woman.”

“Excuse me?”

“Excuse me?”

Choi Ga-eun and I looked at Moon Hyun-ah in disbelief at the same time. What nonsense is she suddenly spouting? Moon Hyun-ah said shamelessly with a smiling face.

“That’s why she came all the way to our guild. To get related counseling.”

“Ah…”

Choi Ga-eun looked at me with a confused expression. No, is there any need to worry? She’s not really confused, is she?

“I see.”

“That’s not true!”

Don’t accept it! Moon Hyun-ah started laughing loudly, and I quickly blurted out an excuse. But why do I have to make excuses?

“I’m a man! You can tell just by looking at me.”

“Looking at the body shape and build, it seems so, but you never know. ”

“Excuse me?”

“It could be that you used skills or items. Physical characteristics can change depending on the skill. So, I thought there was a possibility.”

Choi Ga-eun said seriously. It sounded plausible enough that I nodded without realizing it.

“There may be items or skills of that kind, but… I’ve been a man since I was born.”

“I see. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Guild Leader Moon Hyun-ah was just joking.”

Please stop laughing. Moon Hyun-ah put her arm around my shoulder.

“What do you want to eat, Director? I’ll buy you something delicious!”

“Anything is fine, except for sauna food.”

“You’re not sulking, are you?”

“I’m not.”

The restaurant that Moon Hyun-ah took me to, saying it was the best nearby, was definitely delicious. After lunch, she diligently guided me through the Breaker Guild. One team was raiding a dungeon, and there weren’t many people because it was lunchtime, but the atmosphere was definitely good.

In particular, I felt a deep liking and trust for the guild leader.

After finishing the tour of the Breaker Guild, I headed to the Hunter Association regarding the Japanese dungeon. I was planning to return to the Breeding Center and go with Noah or another A-Rank Hunter, but Moon Hyun-ah said she would go instead, so I arrived at the Association right away.

There were a few Hunters standing at the reception desk on the first floor, and Song Tae-won was visible nearby. He stared at me silently. He seems to be fine on the outside.

“Hello, Director Song.”

He bowed his head in response to my light greeting. He’s fine after all. Why did Seong Hyun-jae say that?