The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 321

319. Three Times Safer (2)

“I don’t think I need to be here.”

I adjusted the collar of my suit and looked around. Like yesterday, the S-Class Guild Leaders from each guild had gathered again. It must have been a long time since such busy people had all gathered like this for two consecutive days. Maybe it was the first time. S-Class Hunters were famous for operating individually.

“They say we need to show that the Care Center is as good as an S-Class Guild.”

Yerim, who wasn’t a Guild Leader but had come along as my bodyguard, sat in front of me, swinging her legs lightly. She had missed yesterday’s meeting, but the reason I came today was because of Seok Si-myung’s advice. Showing my face at a place where such important matters were being announced was essential, he said. I agreed with that, though.

‘I don’t really want to raise the Giseungsu Care Center [a facility for Awakened individuals] that diligently.’

It had been a long time since I’d given up on living off my brother and lazing around, but the thought of retiring whenever I had the chance remained the same. A retirement life where I wouldn’t have to turn off my Resistance Skill or use Grace, that would be possible someday, right?

If not, well, there’s nothing I can do.

“Sitting among S-Class Hunters is still a burden. I got my makeup done diligently, but my face and body… Ah, suddenly my motivation is hitting rock bottom. It’s like a crow-tit and a stork [a Korean idiom comparing someone small and plain to someone large and elegant], whether I exercise or not.”

“Exercise is for health, health.”

“That’s right, hyung. And what’s wrong with you, hyung?”

“I appreciate the words, but even you can see the difference, Yoohyun.”

No matter how much my brother, who says I’m the best, says it, this part is just too obvious, the difference is so clear… Yerim clicked her tongue at my words.

“Uncle, you shouldn’t ask the Guild Leader things like that. He has no interest in beauty, he can’t even distinguish it, the Haeyeon Guild Leader.”

“Huh?”

“He might agree with what you say, but he doesn’t care about appearances at all, whether it’s people or anything else. It’s just ‘human,’ ‘dog,’ ‘cat,’ and that’s it.”

Oh… was that so? Yoohyun really didn’t express his likes or dislikes. Suddenly, the songpyeon [Korean rice cakes] I made the day before Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving] came to mind. I thought he might lack a bit of aesthetic sense. He was good at following examples, though.

“Still, no way. Yoohyun, look over there.”

I pointed to the Sesung Guild Leader, who was entering, and even got up and approached him.

“Sesung Guild Leader, could you come over here for a moment?”

Seong Hyunjae wore a look that asked what was going on, but he obediently followed my hand. Moon Hyun-ah, who had entered the waiting room a step ahead of him, also followed.

“Now, Yoohyun. What do you think of this face?”

It’s a face that’s annoyingly handsome no matter how many times I see it. Standards of beauty may vary from culture to culture, but if it’s this perfectly balanced, it’s bound to receive high praise anywhere. Yoohyun glanced at Seong Hyunjae and then shifted his gaze to me.

“What do I think? He’s just the Sesung Guild Leader.”

“…No other impressions?”

“None.”

“Han Yoojin-gun. My Little Master has very little personal interest in me.”

I knew that, but still. I felt unfairly wronged and looked up at Seong Hyunjae’s face.

“No, he is handsome. His appearance is so flawless that it’s annoying.”

“Thank you.”

“Then what about Hyun-ah ssi, Yoohyun?”

This time, I went next to Moon Hyun-ah and asked. Yoohyun answered indifferently.

“Break Guild Leader.”

“I was wondering what you were doing, Han Sojang-nim [a respectful title]. It’s no use asking my hyung or dongsaeng [older brother/sister or close friend] about that.”

“Then over there, Song Taewon Team Leader!”

“Awakened Management Team Leader.”

“…Lastly, ta-da!”

I opened Noah ssi’s photo in my phone’s album and showed it to Yoohyun. Our Noah ssi, sparkling even in the photo.

“Dragon.”

…No, he’s human. Yoohyun, don’t tell me you’re thinking that Bbyaek is just a bird, Peace is just a Flame Mane Lion, Blue is just a Griffin, and Bellare is just a snake.

“Hyung thinks he’s handsome.”

“Oh… uh-huh. Thanks.”

Before, I would have thought, ‘My brother cares about me a lot,’ but after Seong Hyunjae, Hyun-ah ssi, Song Team Leader, and Noah ssi all had no reaction, I didn’t know what to say. Is this why our Yoohyun hasn’t shown any signs of romance so far? The parts that people feel attracted to are diverse, but usually, appearance is the first step. If you can’t feel anything from there, hmm.

“It’s okay! A person should be full on the inside! An attitude that isn’t swayed by appearance is desirable.”

“Uncle would defend the Guild Leader even if he said he was making meju [fermented soybean blocks] out of red beans, saying it’s okay because they’re the same bean.”

Yerim, who was shaking her head, widened her eyes and asked, “Really?”

“Come in!”

At that moment, an Association employee shouted. When we entered the conference room, researchers, including Seok Hayan, were preparing data for the explanation. A Gate Detection & Measurement Device was also visible. It was scheduled to be unveiled along with the announcement of the dungeon status this time. In fact, that machine was the real amazing thing. That could be applied not only domestically but also overseas.

We were just guarantors and figureheads, so we sat quietly in the prepared seats. Park Mingyu of the Hanshin Guild, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, caught my eye.

‘I’d like to talk to him once.’

He’s an S-Class Hunter who doesn’t have a good relationship with Seonghan ssi but hasn’t caused any particular problems. We just exchanged light greetings earlier. Should I visit him directly soon?

Not long after, reporters entered the conference hall. Cameras were installed, and red lights lit up on the operation lamps. Originally, Song Taewon, the head of the Awakened Management Division, would have stepped forward, but because he stiffened in front of the camera, the Minister of Public Administration and Security greeted the public instead. It wouldn’t be good to stare at the camera while explaining. Especially since it was live.

“Therefore, we have confirmed that the time it takes for a dungeon to become saturated has increased threefold compared to before.”

The Minister gave a brief announcement. The reporters began to murmur quietly, and then Seok Hayan stepped forward. Unlike usual, she was wearing a monochrome suit and her hair was neatly tied up in a bun. The suit was one thing, but overall, she looked older. It seemed that there were concerns that a very young woman would not be credible. Hayan ssi is the team leader of the research team, so what.

Seok Hayan explained the current situation in an easy-to-understand manner, showing data screens. As the content became clearer and clearer, the reporters’ excitement also increased.

Dungeons and monsters have not been completely resolved. No, in fact, if dungeons disappeared only in Korea now, it would be more troublesome. We would have to import mana stones, which are safe and clean energy sources, from overseas, and all dungeon-related industries would be suspended and left behind.

People don’t know about the apocalypse. They don’t know how high the difficulty of dungeons will be. If dungeon management is done properly, they can’t help but think that it’s much more beneficial for dungeons to exist.

In that situation, the benefits remained the same, and it became much safer. To be exact, we can now choose which dungeons to attack, so the benefits have also increased. It was hard to even calculate how much more advantageous we would be compared to other countries.

The reporters struggled to suppress their excitement and asked questions.

“Then does that mean the probability of a dungeon break occurring is lower than before?”

“It is the same in that it will burst when the time comes. However, it has become easier to manage, so it can be seen as practically lower.”

“Are you really saying that only Korea is three times safer?”

“As far as we have confirmed, that is the case. However, we did not have time to investigate the entire world, so there may be other countries where the same phenomenon has occurred.”

Seok Hayan held up the machine on the table. Unlike when she was explaining about dungeons, her face was full of pride. It was bright and confident, as if it were emitting light.

“Provisional name: Gate-S. A machine that can measure and detect the state of dungeon gates.”

Cameras and eyes gathered on the rugged, round machine she proudly presented.

“Currently, dungeon breaks, excluding intentional crimes, only occur due to undiscovered gates. In other words, if this machine is distributed and used nationwide, the risk of dungeon breaks will be significantly reduced. Because we can discover hidden dungeon gates more easily.”

A short silence flowed. Some people quickly grasped the situation and stood up without realizing it.

“Then, in fact, if dungeon attacks are done properly, dungeon breaks will not occur?”

“Even the saturation time is three times longer!”

“The detection range is not very wide yet, so there may be cases where we miss some. However, Korea has a longer saturation time, so we will be able to identify almost everything.”

Seok Hayan spoke calmly, but the reporters were not calm.

Dungeon breaks do not occur. In other words, dungeons become safe treasure troves that provide energy sources and all kinds of new materials.

Amid the clamor, there was also a cry of “Oh, stocks!” as they looked after their own interests. The country’s safety and credit rating will rise, so stocks will rise as well. Should I have bought some? Is it a violation of financial law since I’m involved? Still, it’s a pity.

“Gate-S will be provided domestically for only the production cost. There will be some additional conditions for overseas, but we do not intend to make excessive demands so that it can be distributed as quickly as possible. Because people’s safety is the most important thing.”

It may be a pity, but that is not a part where we should prioritize profit. In addition, by providing measurement & detection machines, we will also be able to prevent, to some extent, dissatisfaction with the fact that only our country is safe. There are cases where other countries, if they are lucky enough to do well, become jealous and even try to harm us.

After about 30 more minutes of Q&A, the press conference ended.

“Uncle, look at this! It’s a mess everywhere!”

Yerim said, holding out her phone. The article she showed me had a lot of excited comments. The search rankings were also filled with related words from 1st place down. Most of the comments were happy that the country had become safer, but there were also concerns that housing prices in the metropolitan area and around high-level dungeons would rise, and that local dungeons would become more isolated.

“There’s also an article saying that Uncle helped Hayan unni [older sister or close female friend] a lot with her research.”

“Oh, uh-huh.”

An article like that came out? Yerim was going to show it to me, but I declined. It’s a positive article, but seeing the comments directly is still a bit… There will definitely be people who try to belittle even such articles. I tried to erase the imagination of how they would be slandering from my head.

Song Team Leader hurriedly headed to the airport for work, and the Hanshin Guild Leader, who was relatively late with the information, also left the Association busily.

“Haeyeon will have a surplus of manpower now.”

Moon Hyun-ah said, looking at Yoohyun. Yoohyun nodded briefly.

“If we postpone the management of dungeons with low profitability among the high-level dungeons, there will be a shortage of dungeons for high-level hunters, especially S-Class hunters, to attack.”

Dungeons that are difficult to attack due to incompatible attributes or environments, or that do not have decent profits other than mana stones, do not need to be attacked as diligently as before. However, if that happens, Haeyeon, which already has a lot more S-Class hunters, will lack dungeons to attack.

“Therefore, we plan to acquire the rights to attack dungeons in overseas countries, primarily neighboring countries. In particular, Japan is currently in a situation where they lack the ability to manage dungeons.”

Even if we only choose the best ones to attack, they should be grateful. We will be able to negotiate sufficiently favorably with Hong Kong and other countries that lack S-Class hunters. Moon Hyun-ah sighed deeply at Yoohyun’s words.

“Ah, it would be nice if we had one more S-Class hunter. The Haeyeon Guild Leader won’t think about leaving Korea with hyung [older brother or close male friend], so is Yerim going?”

“Yes, unni. Especially in Japan, there are many environments that are rivers, seas, and even underwater. If I’m lucky, I might be able to get a good monster hatchling!”

Yerim said excitedly. Even though there are many dungeons that suit her, I couldn’t help but worry about sending her abroad alone. It’s quick to get there by plane, but still.

“Should I try to seduce Riet?”

“The compensation for damages will be higher.”

“But he’s good. Han Sojang-nim, raise Bellare slowly. Let me at least try.”

“His growth rate is already slow.”

I said, stroking Bellare, who was wrapped around my neck. I didn’t want to send Bellare away, but he used his skills, but strangely, he didn’t grow well. Especially his size hasn’t changed since a certain point. Bellare didn’t get a fluidization skill like Peace, did he?

“What about the Sesung Guild Leader? Is he thinking of leaving again?”

Moon Hyun-ah said, looking at Seong Hyunjae, who was on the phone.

“Again?”

“Ah, Han Sojang-nim doesn’t know. It was hidden externally. The Sesung Guild Leader didn’t stay in Korea much. He founded the guild and solved the dungeon breaks in about half a year? He quickly settled down and then went abroad often.”

This was the first time I’d heard of it. There was no mention of it on TV.

“At first, the Association nagged a lot, but he brought in a high-level hunter and a healer, so they eventually shut up.”

“Come to think of it, there were a lot of hunters from overseas in Sesung.”

Several overseas hunters came on his birthday as well. He must have been busy traveling around to build that kind of network. It’s a natural inference, but because he’s such a great person, I didn’t even think about it, thinking, ‘What else could he have done?’

Even before the regression, that is, about two years from now, he often left Korea openly. And at that time, Kang Soyoung was the acting Guild Leader. Yoohyun’s scandal was largely due to that. The young Guild Leader and acting Guild Leader, who were competing for 1st and 2nd place domestically. It was a background that made people want to link them together, whether there was something between them or not.

…It was all rumors, though. Yoohyun was Yoohyun, but Soyoung ssi didn’t seem interested in anything other than dragons. They look good together on the outside.

“Sesung also has more than enough manpower to manage Korean dungeons.”

Seong Hyunjae said, cutting off the phone and approaching us.

“Especially since Soyoung and Comet are faster than most S-Class hunters without Giseungsu.”

“I guess so.”

Comet is an S-Class monster, and Kang Soyoung gains stats equivalent to an S-Class hunter when riding Comet. With that and her mobility, she could sweep through dungeons as well as an S-Class hunter.

In the end, Sesung was effectively the same as having three S-Class hunters. To be exact, Haeyeon has five, including Giseungsu.

Anyway, then.

“Seong Hyunjae ssi, are you going to turn your attention overseas?”

I asked, approaching him. Was he thinking of going out himself? He wouldn’t be satisfied with just nearby countries like Haeyeon. I felt a little sad that it would be harder to see his face. I had grown a little fond of him-

“Hyung!”

Suddenly, my arm was grabbed and pulled hard. Yoohyun tried to hold me, but he hesitated, probably because he was afraid I would get hurt if I was pulled from both sides. Yerim also called me, surprised.

“I will remain as myself.”

A voice so small that even the surrounding S-Class hunters could hardly hear reached my ears. For a moment, I wondered what he meant.

“In this world.”

Crescent moon. Seong Hyunjae said that he didn’t want to be tied to her anymore. I met his eyes, which were like a deep moon.

“Of course, you should.”

Being dragged around with oneself erased is too much even once. And I, Yoohyun, have had enough of being played by those who act like gods, even once.

Seong Hyunjae let go of my arm. Yoohyun quickly wrapped his arms around me and pulled me towards him. Ignoring my brother’s fierce gaze, he smiled.