The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 370

“Wow… I really fucking love you, Hwangrim. You kidnapped me just to work me to death, you crazy bastard.”

How many are there? Two, three, four, five? Crazy, if there are nocturnal and diurnal [active during the day] types mixed in there, I won’t even be able to sleep properly. Soothing skills won’t be very effective until the keyword is applied.

“I didn’t tell them to bring them. I’m just following orders from above as a soldier. Aren’t I, Woon-ah?”

Cho Hwa-woon, who was checking documents near the helicopter, frowned.

“Use the proper title.”

He usually doesn’t care when Hwangrim calls him that. Is it because there are outside soldiers here? If so, all the soldiers here must be under Cho Hwa-woon’s control. Should I consider him the actual person in charge of the Chaohe Special District among the three S-class Hunters? I rolled my eyes and looked at the soldiers from outside.

‘What’s the structure of the military like?’

Hwangrim treats Cho Hwa-woon comfortably, but judging by the looks of it, Cho Hwa-woon’s rank seems higher. It seems like they’ve known each other for quite a while too.

“Commander Cho Hwa-woon seems to have a very high position. Is there someone above him?”

“He is the highest among the Awakened. But the ones sitting at the top are usually old non-Awakened people.”

Well, that’s true. Usually, young people can’t sit in positions like General or Marshal. Not unless it’s wartime. Even a Brigadier General is usually in their forties or fifties. And those in high positions would want to maintain their positions.

‘There’s a high probability that the military or the government itself is divided in half.’

Something like the existing system and the Awakened-centered system.

The fact that most high-level Awakened are young people has caused disputes worldwide. In modern society, the majority of those at the top are older. In the end, they were largely divided into two categories.

One was like Korea, where guilds were established as corporate entities. There were some young people who had achieved great success as businessmen in the past, and they could cooperate with existing companies, so they were relatively naturally absorbed into society.

The other was like Japan, where Awakened people dominated society. In this case, the state of the country varied depending on the tendencies of the representative guild and the guild leader. They either maintained the old system to some extent or became a dictatorship.

But China seemed to be neither. Or rather, it was more like a transitional period. Either an Awakened-led military firmly seizes power, or the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance] becomes independent and transforms into a corporate entity. One of the two will be the outcome.

In the meantime, all of us were brought down. Under the faintly reddened sunlight, I could see the baby monsters in cages. The types were all diverse. Oh, that’s a Pegasus. And next to it.

“Why is that one in such bad shape?!”

Even at a glance, the baby fox looked emaciated and was curled up. Its fur was dry, and the small twin horns between its ears were covered in calluses. As soon as I approached, it bared its sharp fangs and growled.

“Didn’t you feed it? It’s so tiny!”

I glared at the soldier who brought the monster and shouted, and the soldier answered in a daze.

“That’s confiscated, so.”

“Confiscated?”

“He means a pet.”

Hwangrim explained instead.

“Upper-level baby monsters cost a lot to maintain, so they often starve them. But they don’t die easily.”

“…What kind of son of a bitch.”

It was quite common for rich people to keep monsters as pets. In particular, upper-level baby monsters were rare and cheaper than tamed mid- to low-level adult monsters because they couldn’t grow. The fact that they remained babies was also considered an advantage and they were treated as popular pets.

Damn it, if you’re going to raise them, you should at least feed them properly.

“Good boy, little one. It’s okay. Give me some mana stones. Soldier, do you have any meat for him? Didn’t you feed him while bringing him here?”

“Even with the owner’s mark, it was only not running away, but it was very wary, sir.”

The soldier glanced at Hwangrim and said.

“Give me the mark too, and the key to the cage?”

Give it to me. Give it all to me. Since it’s a baby monster, the caretaker title would be added, so it was highly likely that it would be less wary of me. I shouted at the hesitant soldier, asking if he was going to kill the monster he had brought, and received the key and the mark.

The cage door opened, and the baby fox bristled its dry fur.

– Arrr.

“It’s okay, come here. Let’s eat. Good boy.”

The baby fox, with its ears flattened so much that they couldn’t be seen, cautiously approached me. It didn’t even look at the meat I offered and curled up between my legs as if wanting to hide. When I picked it up, it buried its head in my arms. Its exposed ribs rose and fell sharply, then gradually calmed down. I could hear a small whimper, like a whine.

I stroked the baby fox and looked at the other monsters. Fortunately, the others didn’t seem to be in bad shape….

“…What is that again?”

An egg larger than two fists was placed in the nest.

“Are you telling me to hatch eggs now? Am I a chicken?”

I already have a spirit egg, though. I couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of the four baby monsters, excluding the egg. What am I going to do with them all?

Grade 3 Winged Beast – Prairie Pegasus (Juvenile)

Grade 3 Ironhide – Black-Backed Buffalo (Juvenile)

Grade 2 Poison Horn – Mottled Horned Fox (Juvenile)

Grade 2 Lesser Demon – Leafnil (Juvenile)

And an unidentified egg. The Pegasus, Buffalo, and Horned Fox are A-grade as adults, and the Leafnil is an S-grade monster.

The Winged Beast Pegasus was a famous monster. The babies were also popular as pets, and there were countless attempts to tame the adults. As an upper-level monster, no one had succeeded. Among them, the Prairie Pegasus was the fastest flying after the Desert Pegasus. If I could raise it to adulthood, it would be a versatile and useful mount.

The Black-Backed Buffalo was famous for its tough hide. It was an A-grade monster, but it was so difficult for even most A-grade attack-type Hunters to pierce its hide. It was also faster than a person, so it was a good monster for protection for support-type and healing-type Hunters as a mount.

The Mottled Horned Fox was Grade 2, but the fox species was a weak monster compared to its grade, so it was A-grade. Moreover, the adults were small, so they couldn’t be used as mounts. The poison skill also harmed allies, so it was difficult to form a raid team.

And the Lesser Demon.

– Kkirreureuk!

“Stay still, stay still. No! Don’t pull the fox’s tail!”

It was a white fur ball with white bat wings. It was a little bigger than a fist. Lesser Demons, Demon species, were special monsters that only appeared in S-grade or higher dungeons. The skills that monsters use are usually applied to their own bodies. Running fast, flying, possessing poison or curses, strengthening, etc. are all basically based on the body. Breathing fire or shooting thorns also comes from their own body.

But Demon species had no special abilities in their bodies. Instead, they used all sorts of skills that affected their surroundings. Among them, Leafnil mainly lived in forests and moved plants at will.

‘It would be a useful ability if we could communicate properly.’

The problem is that you can’t communicate with monsters. That’s why I entrusted the Water Dragon first, which was easier to handle.

– Pureureung!

The little Pegasus tripped over its own wing while running and whined. When they are young, they often can’t handle their big wings properly. Next to it, the baby buffalo was banging its head against the table leg. It seemed itchy because its horns were about to grow. Crack, the table leg finally broke. Startled by the sound of the cup falling on the table, it jumped up and collided with the Pegasus.

– Mueee!

– Puhihing!

“Are you hurt? No, don’t run! You’ll run into the wall!”

I can’t run and catch them, so I’m flustered, but the blue dragon grabs the rampaging Pegasus. Then it cries again, scared.

“Oh dear, little one, let’s go down for a moment.”

– Kiing, Kyareuk!

When I tried to put the baby fox down to check on the others, it bit my clothes, refusing to let go. In the meantime, Leafnil landed on the buffalo’s eyes. The baby buffalo was startled and jumped again when the white thing blocked its vision.

“It’s okay, it’s okay! It’s nothing!”

It hasn’t been long since I took care of them, but I’m already sweating. It seems difficult to run away with all of them at once. Even if I have Mini Mini Cookies, it would be difficult to feed them in a short amount of time. That’s because they didn’t want to eat it well because it wasn’t the food they used to eat. I guess that’s why they told me not to show the Winged Clothes until I had three children. You deer son of a bitch.

– Geureureung.

The blue dragon brought the Pegasus next to me. The baby horse whined and buried its head in my side. It hurts. Then it removes Leafnil, who was covering the buffalo’s eyes, with its front paw. I’m grateful.

“Thank you so much for helping me.”

The dragon’s ears perked up slightly. Anyway, I need to get them out of here in advance. I hummed, pretending to soothe the baby fox who was trying not to leave me.

“Dunggae dunggae dunggaeya, dudung dunggae dunggaeya. Otter skin under the ice, owl on the rotten tree.”

There must be one or two goblins around. Because I asked them to. …But they might be doing something else.

“Speckles under the floor, goblin on the roof.”

As soon as I called, something reddish appeared on the bed, in a hidden location out of the guard’s sight. Then it danced.

“Dunggae dunggae dunggaeya, dudung dunggae dunggaeya~ Mr. Kim under the eaves, goblin on the roof!”

Why are you singing along? Fortunately, it was a small voice, and the guards didn’t hear it because the Pegasus and Buffalo started fighting. I shushed the goblin and whispered to the blue dragon.

“Please draw some attention.”

The dragon nodded slightly and turned towards the guard.

– Keureureureuk!

The guards were flustered by the sight of the wyvern baring its teeth fiercely and half-spreading its wings, and looked at me. I waved my hand at them, saying it was okay.

“The baby monsters suddenly increased too much, so it’s stressed. It won’t attack, so don’t provoke it unnecessarily.”

– Kyaaaa!

“Keep your distance and watch. Ah, it’s okay. It’s not scary.”

The soldiers’ eyes were all fixed on the dragon. Thump, thump, a fierce roar was heard again as it stomped its feet strongly. In the meantime, I picked up the goblin with the baby fox.

“Good boy, good boy. I love you, Guseul-ah.”

The Red Bead Goblin laughed.

“Mr. Kim, let’s sing, let’s sing.”

I gave the Bead Goblin what it wanted and applied the keyword. It was immediately registered in the caretaker skill list after only saying it twice. Then I put a growth buff on the Goblin Fire Transformation skill.

“If you can transform into a goblin fire, can’t you take on other forms too?”

The goblin tilted its head at my whisper.

“Huh? Something else?”

“Yes, something else. The Goblin King can be anything.”

If the Goblin Fire Transformation skill grows, it seems like it will be able to imitate the appearance of others like Yoon Yoon. Besides, the Red Bead was high in stats and skill grade. Let’s try it, I coaxed it, and the goblin fire flickered slightly.

“How is it?”

– Kyaang!

It became similar to the baby fox.

“Amazing!”

If I practice a little more, I might be able to deceive the guards’ eyes. Leafnil is small, so I can hold it with the baby fox, tie the egg to my back, and the dragon can carry either the Pegasus or the Buffalo. So, if I can get just one out first, it will be much less of a burden. If possible, two. I want to send Leafnil, who doesn’t need cookies and runs around annoyingly.

I wrote a contract not to put the owner’s mark in the inventory and received it. Since there were more than one or two baby monsters, it was difficult to manage them as thoroughly as the Water Dragon. It was also less valuable as a mount compared to the Water Dragon. So, all I need is for the goblin to transform.

“Do you see that winged horse over there? Can you transform into the same thing?”

“I’ll try!”

“Not now, practice and come around midnight. I’m counting on you, Guseul-ah.”

It would be better to send the Pegasus, who can’t even handle its own body properly, rather than the sturdy buffalo, even though it’s a baby. The goblin nodded greatly and disappeared, humming a song.

After the goblin left, I approached the dragon who was growling diligently.

“Good boy, come here. Let’s go with Daddy.”

The dragon turned to me, startled. Oops, it’s become a habit, so I said it unconsciously. I stroked it and whispered thank you. As the unfolded blue wings folded, the guards breathed a sigh of relief.

The number of baby monsters has also increased, and I can’t waste too much time. Yoo-hyun and Ye-rim won’t keep waiting either. So, let’s get out of here first.

Just thinking about the route to escape, not just smuggling out the baby monsters, gave me a headache. I know I shouldn’t run away, but I’m just thinking about it, just thinking. Imagination is free.

The buffalo and Pegasus, who had been bickering for a long time, yawned. The baby fox also ate a little and curled up on the bed. Only Leafnil was flying around messily. I was about to take a breather when a soldier opened the door and came in. He was wearing clothes that looked higher in rank than the guards here.

“Come out.”

Let me rest a little too, you evil kidnappers.