The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 217

We departed for Shizuoka in the afternoon. I wondered how we would travel, but there were five helicopters waiting. The helicopters headed to the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, a protruding area towards the sea.

“Shizuoka Prefecture used to have the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant,” the guide explained in the car as we moved from the helicopter to the accommodation.

“However, it has been converted into a Mana Stone Power Plant using Mana Stones as an energy source, so you don’t have to worry about any impact.”

Even so, didn’t they set one off before the dungeons even appeared? It was a global nuisance for a long time, and it was barely cleaned up with the help of dungeon items, byproducts, and Hunters.

In our country, all nuclear power plants have been converted to Mana Stone power plants. Of course, the same was true for other countries. Since it’s impossible to know if dungeons will last forever, the basic facilities were left intact so they could be reactivated at any time.

Starting with the most dangerous nuclear power plants, all power plants, except for a few, were now using Mana Stones as a power source. Cars running on Mana Stones instead of oil or gas were also expected to be released soon. Thanks to this, the air had become quite clear before my regression.

An infinitely supplied, clean, and safe energy source. Thanks to this, the Hunter society quickly established itself, and the society, which had been chaotic due to the appearance of monsters, was able to settle down reasonably well. If the dungeons were managed well, the world could become more prosperous.

It fell apart as the dungeons became too difficult to handle. Still, some countries, including Korea, were holding up quite well.

‘Once we avoid destruction, what will happen to the dungeons and the Awakened?’

Will they disappear? Or will they remain as they are? I suddenly wondered what would happen after we endured. If they disappeared, would everyone return to their old lives? Would the brats answer if I asked them? …Surely it won’t affect the tamed monsters, will it? I need to find out about this for sure.

“The sea is right in front of us!” Yerim exclaimed excitedly as she got out of the car first.

“This is Amaterasu Guild’s private beach at their Ryokan [traditional Japanese Inn]. Please feel free to use it.”

Ryokan? A private beach, so like a villa? As I got out of the car, I saw what looked like an old Japanese-style building. Unexpected. I thought a Western-style mansion would pop up.

“Uncle, let’s go swimming!”

“…We already did.”

“The sea and the hotel pool are different!”

Save me, Yerim. I’ve already lost half my stamina. I don’t even have the strength to hold Peace. Playing on the beach is nice, but. Peace, Bbyak, and Bellare would probably like the beach more.

“Let’s check out the arena first today. We can go tomorrow morning.”

Even though the match starts tomorrow afternoon, swimming a little won’t cause any problems with Yerim’s condition. It’ll be like a warm-up.

“Let’s go straight to the arena because I don’t think I’ll want to leave once I go inside.”

Yerim looked at me at my words and shook her head.

“No, just go in and rest. I’m the one who’s going to fight anyway. There’s no need for you to go.”

“Yes, we’ll go together. Please rest, Director.”

Even Moon Hyuna joined in. Since they’re being so considerate, should I rest?

“Be careful. Hyuna, please take care of her.”

“Don’t worry~”

“Don’t worry.”

The two left separately in a car with the guide. The remaining people went inside the villa. A Japanese-style landscape that I occasionally saw on TV, but.

‘What’s with the lion?’

A large lion statue stood in the middle of the garden. It was a dynamic work with a roaring roar, but it was really out of place. There were even Western-style lion flags hanging under the eaves of the roof.

They’re too obsessed with lions.

“I will guide you to your rooms.”

There were both Western-style and Japanese-style rooms. Since my body was accustomed to the comfort of a bed, I asked for a Western-style room. The room also had a private garden and an open-air bath. At this rate, I’ll be all bloated from soaking in water by the time I return home.

– Bbyak bbyak.

– Shii.

When I opened the door connected to the garden, Bbyak and Bellare happily ran, or rather, crawled out. Those two play well together. I’ll be sad when I have to send Bellare away. Of course, they wouldn’t give her to me if I asked. Bellare’s growth is strangely slow, so I’ll lie and say I’ll get a new Jewel Serpent and raise it as quickly as possible… but that’s not a good idea.

“Are you going to take a bath?”

Yoohyun said as he stared blankly at the open-air bath.

“After dinner. Peace, come here.”

– Kkiang.

I hugged Peace and lay down on the floor. Even though it was Western-style, the living room was Japanese-style. Our Peace is soft and smells good because he’s been washed. My eyes naturally closed.

“Sleep on the bed.”

“I’m not sleeping. I just closed my eyes.”

I felt like I would fall asleep. I had to get up. I went outside to wake myself up. Slippers were prepared, but they were flip-flops, so I just slipped my feet into the sneakers I was wearing. Those things hurt between the toes.

I went out to the garden in the middle of the rooms for a walk. Myungwoo and Noah were not visible, so they must have been in their rooms. Instead, Sung Hyunjae was sitting at a stone table with teacups. I wondered what to do, but I sat down across from the table. Yoohyun also took a seat next to me. Peace, who had noticed that I was tired and quietly followed me without asking to be held, climbed onto my lap.

Sung Hyunjae raised his eyes and looked at me and my brother.

“You looked tired, but you’re not resting.”

He said quite kindly. He seemed to have decided to change his attitude, even though I had refused.

‘Even if that’s just acting.’

It means I’m worth that much to him. Maybe there’s a little bit of goodwill in his desire to dig out the things I’m hiding. Anyway, he said he wants to find out what I’m hiding without harming me, so I can rest assured for a while.

…Thinking about yesterday’s events makes me feel strange again. The offer itself is too excessive, but the essence is a simple investment. He’s aiming for the information I have and will take care of me so that I can comfortably tell him everything.

But he’s treating me like a child, saying there’s no need to worry about anything, that he’ll take care of everything… Thinking about it now, it’s a bit cringey. I’m actually thirty years old. There weren’t many times when someone older than me would unconditionally take care of everything like that, even when I was young. I was taken care of when I was a baby, but I don’t remember it well.

Ah, I feel really weird. It’s not bad, but it’s awkward. I wonder if I looked that tired, and the more I think about it, the more unfamiliar and strange it feels. …My parents never said those words, really.

Still, um, thanks to that, I feel more at ease, so the offer itself has definitely had an effect. He’s good at picking up on things, ugh.

“…About the Amaterasu Guild Leader.”

I said, turning my gaze to the lion flag hanging unnecessarily.

“When I watched Japanese broadcasts, his reputation was better than I thought. Of course, I can’t believe everything.”

I said his reputation was good, but there were many broadcasts that were almost praising him. After talking about the Hunter from Korea, they started talking about how great Shishio was, which felt like watching an old dictatorship praising broadcast.

“They even say that Japan was saved thanks to the Amaterasu Guild, that he’s a savior.”

“That’s not entirely wrong.”

Sung Hyunjae said with a smile.

“The Japanese government was one of the worst among developed countries in dealing with the Dungeon Shock. In particular, they recklessly threw non-Awakened Self-Defense Forces into the dungeons, resulting in severe manpower depletion.”

They did such a crazy thing. Our country also sent special forces to investigate in the early days, but soon formed teams with Awakened people.

“Why on earth did they do that?”

“Well, if they sent a large number of non-Awakened people into the dungeons, some of them would awaken and come back alive. The idea was to quickly create Awakened people to protect Japan. They even accepted civilian volunteers.”

…Wow, that’s a really amazing idea. The government did something that an illegal Awakening broker would do. Isn’t it the state’s job to prevent people from entering even if they volunteer? I also went looking for a broker, but I’m really speechless.

“Naturally, dungeon breaks and their management were not properly handled, and that’s when the Amaterasu Guild appeared.”

“I can already picture it.”

If an S-Class Hunter appeared and solved the problem while the dungeons were exploding and in chaos, they would feel like a savior. The Japanese government lost power because of their own actions. An S-Class Hunter who is obsessed with lions and acts like a king but also manages dungeons is better than a government that throws ordinary people into dungeons. Both would be arrogant and tyrannical.

“Do you like the Amaterasu Guild Leader?”

Yoohyun, who had been listening quietly, suddenly asked.

“Huh? Well, he’s better than my first impression? He’s an interesting person.”

He’s also funny. Even if there’s a problem, it’s someone else’s country across the sea, and he’s better than the Japanese government. He’s someone with a lot to take from, so that’s another plus one point. The Thunder God’s Vestige is 99 out of 100 in my heart, but since he’s the Lion King, I’ll give him 5 points.

“…Then should I not pick a fight?”

“Why not?”

“I thought you liked him. If we really fight, it’ll be hard to end it moderately. He’s a combat-type Hunter who awakened early and is ranked number one in Japan.”

Yoohyun was watching my reaction. He meant that he would at least beat him half to death. If the difference was as big as with Noah, he could suppress him moderately, but it seemed difficult against the Lion King. Well, his ranking match results were pretty good. That’s why I remember his face. I was more interested in the item, though.

“Don’t worry about it! Just don’t kill him. He has to manage the Japanese dungeons.”

“Are you really okay with it?”

“Of course. I told you to do whatever you want, right? It’s all okay if you tell me in advance.”

He was looking forward to fighting, so why is he trying to hold back again? The kid is too nice. What ice?!

“If possible, do it after everything is over, before we go home. That’s the perfect time.”

After Yerim’s match is over and we get the stamina potion ingredients, right before we return home. If we beat him down properly once, he won’t be as rampant even after the stamina potion is revealed.

I was grinning because my brother, who was answering obediently, was so cute, when I felt a gaze. Sung Hyunjae was staring at us intently.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

“I was just thinking what affectionate siblings you are.”

“Have you never seen a close family before? They often appear just by turning on the TV.”

Whether it’s real or fake.

“There’s no relationship like you two. Not before, not after. Even if I live for hundreds of years, I don’t think I’ll see it, so I should watch it while it’s here.”

It’s an exaggeration, but it’s also true. There’s no one who has survived and is raising a congenitally S-Class Awakened person while getting along well. There are few congenitally S-Class Awakened people with guardians in the first place. Sung Hyunjae couldn’t have known that fact, but he’s always unnecessarily sharp.

“You really like rare things. Well, if you have everything, it’s boring unless it’s really rare.”

Still, the reason he pays special attention to me or Song Taewon is probably because of the sense of déjà vu from the regression. But I think he was interested in Chief Song before that. He seems to pay attention to rare opponents in general. More so to people than to things. He did the same to Yoohyun. He said he found him unique and gave him help. A congenitally S-Class with a guardian. Something that rarely appears in many worlds, over a long period of time.

Is he like a rare collector? I heard that’s a hobby of the wealthy. …I’m glad he prefers things that are intact without being taxidermied.

Yerim, who returned around dinner time, said that the exterior of the arena looked decent.

“But the inside is empty.”

I wondered what she meant, but she said I’d know when I went. Anyway, she was satisfied that it was right next to the sea and that seawater could be used.

* * *

The next day, we departed for the arena in the early afternoon. The arena was in a sparsely populated area, and all the nearby houses had been evacuated. If we get caught up in it, the Amaterasu Guild will compensate us, right?

“We mobilized high-ranking Hunters to push the cliffs and make them flat to build the arena!”

The Japanese guide said proudly. Come to think of it, this neighborhood seems to be known as a tourist destination, but is that okay? The beach, which originally seemed to have quite a good natural landscape, was neatly pushed away. And the colosseum-like arena built in a circle there.

‘It’s made of wood.’

It couldn’t have been made in that short amount of time unless it was made of wood. It’s going to collapse as soon as the match starts.

“They made it with dungeon byproducts, though.”

Myungwoo said, looking at the arena.

“But it’s better to avoid sitting in the audience seats.”

“I guess so?”

There were no ordinary people except for the broadcasting staff. It would have been better to say, ‘The arena is from here to here,’ like in the Korean A-Class ranking match. That would be more efficient.

Did they want to make it look plausible, at least for the start of the match? If it was Yoohyun instead of Yerim, he would have said, ‘The arena is on fire from the start! A ring of blazing fire! It’s burning well~’ Hmm, that’s not bad? It would be fun to watch.

The broadcasting staff from Korea and Japan sent signals that they were ready. Yerim and Kakuto stepped forward, and a brief interview followed where they expressed their determination and impressions. Then, they were told to enter the arena.

“I’m going first~”

Yerim soared over Kakuto. A small exclamation flowed out at her lightly crossing the outer wall of the arena. Not from the Korean side, but from the Japanese side. Kakuto frowned.

Thump!

He kicked the ground roughly. Kakuto, who jumped up with all his might, also crossed the wall and landed inside the arena with a loud noise again.

“The war of nerves is already fierce!”

With the excited commentary, we also entered the arena.