The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 46

46. Sometimes Getting Stronger (1)

Clatter.

The heavy wheels of the cart echoed through the Haeyeon Guild lobby. Two large luggage bags, big enough for a person to fit inside, were placed on the cart.

The wheel’s clatter stopped in front of the guild’s security guard.

“You have a lot of luggage today.”

At the security guard’s words, the vice guild leader of Briggs, a guild affiliated with Haeyeon, gave an awkward smile.

“We got quite a few bulky items this time, though their grades are all low.”

He then opened a bag to show its contents: various weapons, armor, shoes, and other miscellaneous items.

“With these low-grade items, after deducting fees and appraisal costs, there’s nothing left. We have no choice but to check them ourselves, even if it’s a hassle.”

For low-grade items, they would film themselves wearing and testing them, using the footage as an appraisal report. Direct transactions, bypassing the market, were also frequent.

That’s why they came, lugging around items like this, to use the training room where they could test them out.

“You’re doing a lot of hard work. It would be nice if more Hunters with item appraisal skills appeared, but there are only two in the country right now.”

“Even if there were more appraisers, it’s better to put in some effort rather than waste mana potions.”

The security guard checked the luggage and the Hunter certificates, and handed out inventory seal bracelets according to the number of people.

“One C-grade, two D-grades, and one E-grade. Since they’re all C-grade or below, there are no special restrictions.”

Except for some areas accessible to the general public, only Awakened individuals C-grade or below were allowed entry. From B-grade onwards, entry permits were rarely issued unless there were special circumstances, and an A-grade guild member would accompany them as a supervisor.

Most of the guards in important areas were B-grade Hunters. Using A-grade Hunters for simple security was an unreasonable waste of manpower, even for large guilds.

“You all remember the precautions, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“You may enter.”

“Thank you.”

The Briggs vice guild leader bowed his head lightly.

Clatter.

The wheel’s sound, which had stopped for a moment, scratched the floor once again.

“A security guard is either a non-Awakened or at most an E-grade, yet he’s so stiff-necked.”

One of their group, heading towards the elevator that would take them to the basement floor, grumbled in a low voice.

“We won’t be coming here again anyway. Don’t pay attention to unnecessary things and focus.”

The vice guild leader narrowed his brows and pressed the elevator button. Soon, the elevator stopped with a short chime, and the Briggs guild members moved with a slight tension.

* * *

“Then I’ll be waiting outside.”

The MKC bodyguard said. It felt a bit bad to make him stand outside, but even with stat C, there was no reason to feel leg pain. It would be boring, though.

“Okay, Peace. What should we do first today?”

– Kkiang!

Peace spun around excitedly. It broke my heart to see him so happy just to come to the training room. I want to let him run around in a wider environment. Outdoors, not indoors.

“I wish the law would change soon.”

Let us take monsters outside too. Taming is done, and since he’s only C-grade, there’s no danger if only a B-grade protector is attached.

– Kkyang! Keureung!

Peace brought a knotted rope for tug-of-war and came to me. Biting and shaking the rope I was holding was Peace’s favorite game. It’s really hard for me, though.

Still, this hardship will be reduced when other monsters come. Except when training with skill application, I can just let them play together.

“Wait a minute. Let me put on some equipment.”

Strength stat was essential for a tough tug-of-war. I took out the A-grade Black Pearl Spider Web Fingerless Gloves, which increased strength by a whopping 60, from my inventory and put them on. The essence-increasing equipment for training that each guild sent just arrived yesterday. All of them were A-grade or higher.

Of course, they weren’t giving them away, but lending them for a long term, only on the condition that they were used for monster training.

The gloves were enough for the strength to deal with Peace, so I put on one more stamina-increasing bracelet and grabbed one loop of the knotted rope.

– Keureung! Keureureu!

As soon as I grabbed the loop, Peace bit the opposite loop and started to jump around excitedly. His fluffy tail wagged cheerfully from side to side. Our Peace is so strong. If it weren’t for the specially made rope, it would have been cut in an instant.

When I see this, I know he’s a monster.

‘Should I take him to a dungeon once?’

If it’s around F~E grade, it won’t be dangerous. Does Haeyeon have a low-grade dungeon with a prairie or lake environment?

The problem is that the person who made the system is worried about me taking him. He might make another mistake.

Should I tempt Yoohyun with the excuse of matching him with a ride-type monster? I wonder if he has time? I can have him look at my skills too.

– Keuheung!

When I thought he was warmed up enough, I let go of the loop I was holding. Peace, with the knotted rope in his mouth, proudly circled the training room once and then placed the rope at my feet.

“Is it fun? Is it fun?”

– Kkiang!

I picked him up as he jumped into my arms and roughly stroked his neck. Yeah, what does it matter if it’s a little hard if you like it.

“But let’s play ball this time.”

I have to take breaks in between. I approached the basket full of balls of various colors, materials, and shapes. It was then.

Click.

The closed door opened and the MKC Hunter came inside. What is it?

“Did something happen?”

Instead of answering, he closed the door. Something’s a bit strange.

“…Seo Minseong?”

The moment I thought my premonition wasn’t good.

Poof!

Red powder was sprinkled. A sweet scent and a faint shimmer spread through the air. The effect of the item flashed through my mind: an instant-acting sleeping powder that costs five hundred per gram.

“Peace— Mmph!”

The MKC Hunter, who had approached me from behind, grabbed me and roughly covered my mouth.

– Kkeueung.

Peace’s figure, staggering weakly, came into view. His four legs trembled as if trying to endure somehow, but eventually, he collapsed and fell asleep.

Damn it! I struggled to remove the hand covering my mouth and the arm wrapped around my waist, but it didn’t budge.

…Since the opponent is B-grade, it’s impossible. Even if I took out all the equipment in my inventory and wore it, the result would be the same. Unless it’s a newly Awakened level 1, if he’s good enough to be sent as a bodyguard, his level must be high.

‘Damn it, is MKC trying to betray me?’

That would be too risky. Unless they hid a truckload of Seungsoo’s monsters, kidnapping me after receiving good conditions would have far more disadvantages than advantages.

At that time, the closed door reopened and men came in pulling a cart with a large bag on it.

One C-grade, two D-grades, and one E-grade.

They were calm even after seeing me captured, so they weren’t affiliated with Haeyeon. They also had inventory seal bracelets on their wrists, so that was certain. But their grades were too low to be MKC people.

“Why is he okay?”

The C-grade asked, puzzled.

“It didn’t work. It seems Haeyeon gave him an antidote item.”

The MKC B-grade said. The voice falling from above was unpleasant.

“The Guardian’s Fruit didn’t work at all; his poison resistance must be at least B-grade. Did his brother give him something good?”

The guy smirked. I tried to sort out the situation, suppressing the rising annoyance.

First of all, those guys and the MKC B-grade teamed up. If they’re wearing inventory seal bracelets and are low to mid-level Hunters who came to the training room with luggage, they’re likely members of a small to medium-sized guild under Haeyeon.

In other words, MKC isn’t directly involved in this, but they screwed up.

Being a giant guild, damn it, they’re really screwed up. They can’t even manage their guild members properly. That’s why they’ll be the first to go bankrupt!

‘Seo Minseong is either gambling or on drugs.’

There are few reasons why a successful B-grade belonging to a giant guild would do this. Did those MKC morons not even manage their guild members properly? That’s why they’re going to be the first to go bankrupt!

“Take care of the monster and check the items.”

At the C-grade’s command, one of the D-grades approached me. Seeing how unguarded he was, a sigh circled my throat. Still, being a D-grade, he’s really a moron…….

“Where is the antidote item—”

Thwack!

“Keueok!”

I kicked the moron’s solar plexus with all my might. Seeing him rolling on the floor made me feel a little better. The guys who were looking at Peace turned to me with surprised faces.

“Wasn’t his stat F?!”

Those guys are morons too. With five giant guilds backing me, how could I not have item buffs?

Still, the C-grade didn’t seem surprised, probably due to his experience.

“You stupid bastards, be quiet. Everyone knows that the Haeyeon Guild Leader cherishes his younger brother; do you think he’d only give him one antidote item?”

No, what’s with the cherishing? Rumors are always exaggerated. How embarrassing.

“Damn it, that bastard!”

The moron who got kicked by me spat out curses but was scolded again for being noisy. I wish he’d make more noise. The training room is unnecessarily soundproof, damn it.

Besides, there were obviously no surveillance cameras. Hiding one’s abilities to some extent is the basic of basics for a Hunter, and what moron would use a training room with surveillance cameras? It’s even a place used by external guilds, so they would be even more sensitive about information.

“Stay still!”

The moron who got kicked approached carefully and threatened me. Being a D-grade, he couldn’t even dodge an F-grade kick, yet he’s only alive with his mouth. He’s even an F-grade who’s firmly held.

Is it all just because you have a D stat? You’re worse than an F-grade, a minus in life. Just let go of my mouth for a moment. I won’t shout. Just let me curse at that bastard.

The moron carefully took off my gloves and even removed the bracelet.

Meanwhile, the other moron opened the bag he brought and poured out the contents. Then, he put the sleeping Peace in the box in the middle of the bag, closed the lid, and covered it with the items he took out.

‘Damn it, they’re going to get out without being caught for sure.’

They already did a check when they came in, and it’s just a pathetic group of one C-grade and three D and E-grades. There’s not much chance they’ll thoroughly search when they leave. They’ll just open the bag once, look at it with their eyes, and then it’ll be over.

Is there a way to make them do a thorough check…….

“Is this the antidote item?”

At that time, the moron reached out to my earlobe. Huh, wait a minute. How many times did I use the Seedling Skill [a skill that allows the user to enhance the abilities of others]? On these five guys and one person I habitually used it on while coming to the training room…….

Six times.

My magic stat didn’t increase; it’s still 2. Enough time hasn’t passed for mana to recover, and using the Seedling Skill three times consumes half of it, so, oh no. If I take off my earrings, it’ll be less than 10%—

‘I’m screwed.’

The guy took off the Black Fairy’s Earring, and with a terrible headache, my vision blurred.

* * *

Splash!

“Ptoo, what!”

What’s with the water— I tried to wipe my face while coughing, but my wrists were tied together. It’s a cable tie. It’s thick, but it’s not a zip cuff, so I can’t break it, but you’re underestimating me too much, even if I’m F-grade.

Still, they diligently put on the inventory seal bracelet. It’s useless to me anyway.

“You’re finally awake.”

An unfamiliar face looked down at me and said. I have a slight headache, but even if I faint again, it’s better to identify the opponent.

I raised my upper body and used the Seedling Skill on the guy sitting on the chair. Fortunately, the status window popped up without me losing consciousness.

Stat B-grade, initial skill attack type, Kim Woojae. It was a name I didn’t remember. Still, since he’s B-grade, if he belongs to the guild of the morons who kidnapped me, he’s at least a vice guild leader or a guild leader.

I leaned back against the wall and looked around. It was an ordinary office that wasn’t very large. However, there were no windows. Is it underground?

“Why use a stimulant, why the water attack? This isn’t the Namsan [a location known for interrogation during the 1980s in Korea] of the 80s.”

There are so many good medicines made from dungeon byproducts. Of course, even if I used a stimulant, it wouldn’t work. Where’s Peace? Did they lock him up separately?

“You seem relaxed; you must believe someone will come to save you, but you should give up.”

The guy said with a sneer.

“Aren’t you too confident? Five guilds and even the Association will definitely step in; I hope you can handle it.”

Come on, be an explanation충 [a slang term for someone who explains everything in detail]. By nature, a good villain has to explain his plan in detail from 1 to 10 in front of a neutralized opponent.

“It’s a matter of time.”

Fortunately, the guy was a diligent villain.

“Seo Minseong, your bodyguard, is still guarding the front of the training room. No one knows you’ve been kidnapped, so there’s no way they’ll come to save you. By the time the disappearance of the Mana Beast Breeder is known, you’ll already be on a ship heading to Japan.”

“Japan? Are you the mastermind?”

“I’m not the mastermind, but it’s the auction location. If I hand you over safely, I’ll get half of the winning bid, and the guild or country that wins the bid will guarantee my safety and even sponsor me until I settle down.”

Ah, I see. How nice for you.

Japan. Well, they obviously wouldn’t dare to sell me off in Korea, and the closest countries that can be reached by ship are Japan, China, and Russia.

Can I be rescued before I’m nicely packaged and put up for auction like this?

It’s easy to guess that they’ll escape through the sea route, and considering my value, the Coast Guard will be mobilized. So even if they take a ship, there’s a chance of rescue if they don’t cross the territorial waters.

In other words, what I can do now is to buy as much time as possible.

“Why did you wake me up? It would be more comfortable to be unconscious.”

“Whether an F-stat is unconscious or awake, it’s all the same.”

It’s not wrong, so it’s even more annoying. In my current state, there’s no way I can beat a B-grade even if I die and come back to life. Even if I wear the equipment in my inventory, I can’t even beat a C-grade.

“Then what, did you suddenly want to waste water?”

The guy stared at me without answering. What, why, what.

“Are you giving up, or are you out of your mind?”

My composure must be bothering him. I have Fear Resistance L, so I have a legendary liver [meaning I’m very brave]. But what are you going to do by threatening a pitiful F-stat who’s been kidnapped?

“Your face level is similar to your brain level.”

“…What?”

“I can’t stand to look at either of them.”

Bang!

The guy kicked the desk. The steel legs buckled, and the junk on the tilted desk fell to the floor with a crash. Seriously, what are you doing.

“Anyway, ignorant guys are good at showing off their strength.”

“You’re out of your mind.”

The guy kicked off the chair and stood up. Is he angry? Is he pissed? He doesn’t seem angry enough yet.

I laughed as if I had heard a boring joke.

“If that round thing between your shoulders isn’t just for decoration, you should know that I don’t need to be scared. If it’s just for decoration, I’m sorry. Honestly, it’s too dirty to wear as decoration. But it doesn’t seem to have good function—”

Thwack!

The guy’s foot strongly kicked my stomach. Ah, damn it. That hurts. I can’t even make a sound.

“You’re acting up without knowing your place.”

“I know my place, cough, well. A special skill holder that any guild in the world wants to take in. Even if you throw a truckload of common B-grade combat Hunters, they can’t compare, ah!”

A tingling pain rose from my ankle. The sole of his combat boot stepped on my ankle and twisted it. He was about to break it. Damn it, don’t break it, just cut it off. Breaking it won’t buy time.

Small guilds don’t have proper healers, and they can’t even get high-grade potions easily, so if I act like I’m dying from excessive bleeding, they’ll have no choice but to take me to the hospital.

Of course, there’s the option of leaving me to die, but that would mean that guy would die too. A small guild couldn’t have arranged for a ship to Japan and handled the auction; there must be guys who sponsored them. Like an auction house that will take the remaining half of the winning bid, or overseas giant guilds that are eagerly waiting for the product to come up.

If something happens to me, not only this guy but also everyone involved will have nowhere to set foot, whether in Korea or abroad. There are more than one or two S-grades who will go crazy if they miss the chance to get a high-grade Seungsoo [a type of monster].

So they’ll try to protect my life as if it were their own.

‘Should I pretend that my internal organs are ruptured from the kick?’

They’ll quickly notice if I bite my tongue and spit out blood. Is there an effective way to fake it that can fool a B-grade, or should I make them even more crazy? I was wondering, when a rough hand grabbed my hair.

“Ugh…….”

“Yes, Han Yoojin. You’re a treasure trove that can’t be compared to a common B-grade combat Hunter. Who would dare to harm that precious body? You have every reason to be confident.”

…His voice is angry, but his tone is calm. I’m not sure if I should scratch him more.

“So let me introduce you to a good friend. It’ll be a fun time.”

* * *

Thud! My body rolled on the cold floor with a loud noise.

“…Ugh.”

They just throw people around.

The place the guy dragged me to was a dark, stuffy space like a warehouse. The light hanging from the ceiling shed a dim light, and on the wall opposite the door, there was a thick iron cage. What an atmosphere.

It seems like there’s something behind that cage.

“Kereke has a habit of storing food when it’s full.”

Kereke? Is it a monster? It was a name I heard for the first time. The guy continued to explain with an arrogant face.

“That storage method is a curse that hardens the whole body and causes pain. In just 30 minutes, even the toughest guy will beg to be taken out.”

The guy smiled sinisterly. A curse? Curses are welcome.

“30 minutes? Is that enough? You should use it more.”

The more time I buy, the better for me. But the damn guy just threw me a sneer and went out, locking the door.

Then, the iron cage that had been lowered went up, and something black crawled out.

– Keureureureu.

A giant reptile with a body slightly longer than a person’s height, with slimy skin as if covered in mud. It looked similar to a salamander, but it had six legs and anemone tentacles swayed like smoke on its back.

‘There’s a resistance skill for curses, so it doesn’t matter…….’

It looks really disgusting. Ugh, don’t come, go away. Then, the salamander, which was slowly crawling towards me, stopped abruptly a few steps away. The chain connected to the leash was pulled taut.

And,

[All skill effects are doubled when facing Kereke!]

The message window popped up. Huh?

‘…Is it Rauchitas’s nemesis skill?’

That black and disgusting salamander was a curse and poison dragon species. But even if the skill effect is doubled, I don’t have any combat skills… The agility and mental strength up skills won’t make much difference even if they’re doubled. Other than that…….

Ah.

‘Maybe the keyword application will also be doubled.’

Since it’s a skill, if it’s applied twice as fast and easily, I can use that salamander. It’s worth a try.

‘Ouch!’

As I tried to get up, a tingling pain rose from my stepped-on ankle. It doesn’t seem to be broken, but it might be cracked. It wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t move, so I grabbed the wall and staggered to my feet. Then.

Sasa삭!

The black salamander was horrified and backed away. Huh? Why is it like that?

Its eyes were wide open and its bulging neck was panting… No matter how I looked at it, it looked scared. But I’m F-grade.

‘…Is it because of the Dragon Slayer title?’

It’s a title I got for defeating Rauchitas, the king of curse poison dragons, alone. It had no effect in the last dungeon, but it seemed to affect the same curse poison dragon species.

Anyway, there’s no harm in being a little scared. It’s easy to approach and there’s also a shaky bridge effect [a psychological phenomenon where arousal from one stimulus is transferred to another].

I took out a bottle of mana stone powder from my inventory and gave the crouching salamander a friendly smile.

“Come on, Blackie. Be good. Do you want something delicious to eat?”

It’s a C-grade mana stone that’s been ground nicely so it’s easy to swallow. Come here.