The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 497

I descended the stairs with a lighter step. It wasn’t just the corset, but the veil was heavy too. With every step, eyes followed, filled with mixed emotions, but none that looked down on me.

Should I thank Chatterbox? The atmosphere wasn’t entirely my doing, though. Well, dragging in a Transcendent [a being of immense power, far beyond typical hunters] to create this situation was my initiative. Actually, that could be considered one of my abilities.

Gathering S-Ranks [the highest rank of hunter] around me is also my ability. It’s just that most people don’t think I’m the one taking the initiative.

Tap. I stepped off the last stair, and a small silver dragon appeared from beyond the still-open door. Flapping its glittering, thin wings, Changeling flew to me and landed on my shoulder. To set the mood, it had changed its scales to a cool silver color today. Still cute, though. Instead of talking, Gyeol affectionately rubbed its head against my neck and cheek.

“You’re all too quiet, everyone. I’m sure you have many questions.”

I casually tossed the mask and fern branch I was holding. The hunters near the rolling mask reflexively stepped back. It’s just an ordinary mask. They’re quite timid for high-ranking hunters. I stroked under Gyeol’s chin with my finger and moved forward, smiling in gratitude to the hunters who stepped aside, one by one.

“I hope you all have a comfortable first day.”

I made eye contact with a hunter who reacted a bit differently than the others. He subtly averted his gaze. He was the hunter who had just laughed at Chatterbox’s outfit. That meant he hadn’t met Chatterbox but had only received an invitation and signed a contract.

Let’s see, was he a hunter from Germany? It would take some time for the video analysis to be complete, so should I poke at this person a bit? For now, I turned my head back to look at the hunters around me. No one was readily approaching yet.

‘Park Ha-yul isn’t here, right?’

Turning off my fear resistance in this place would be too much of a burden. But if I kept it on, I didn’t know what kind of tricks Park Ha-yul would pull with her skill. She said she’d release the skill, but how could I trust her? Damn mental skills. Anyway, that’s why I made it so that people had to verify their identity through the contract before entering.

Besides Park Ha-yul, there were several A-Rank hunters who had concealed their identities, so there were quite a few A-Ranks who hadn’t entered the main hall. B-Ranks and below weren’t allowed to enter from the start. In other words, the A-Ranks who had entered here could be excluded from the list of suspects.

“What was that energy from a moment ago?”

A hunter asked quite politely.

“Judging by your reaction, it seems even the S-Rank hunters around Director Han didn’t know about it.”

“It’s something I received personally.”

The hunter who asked the question looked surprised but didn’t pry further. That’s why I didn’t tell anyone that I had strengthened Chatterbox’s mark. If Yoohyun, Yerim, or even Ms. Hyun-ah and Chief Song hadn’t shown any reaction, then they would naturally assume that the surrounding S-Ranks had helped me obtain that mark.

Just like if a puppy showed up wearing a diamond necklace, you’d assume its owner put it on. In their common sense, an F-Rank [the lowest rank of hunter] shouldn’t have that kind of ability.

“It’s a kind of, um, sign of affection. The owner of this mark treats me especially well.”

It wasn’t a lie. He tried to catch and kill me, and now he’s trying to catch and stuff me. Of course, my expression and tone were saying, ‘I’m receiving a lot of friendly attention.’

“We’ve exchanged things, and we’re kind of friends of friends.”

If it’s the King of Innocence, I should treat him like a friend. If Chatterbox holds a normal funeral for me without harming me or those around me, I’ll even go and offer condolences.

“I can’t go into detail, but if you’re still curious, please contact me separately.”

Once one person started talking, other hunters began to open their mouths as well. The wariness was only temporary, and as soon as it became clear that the mark wasn’t my ability, some of them had expressions that said, ‘Well, of course.’ Of course, there were also those who took seriously the fact that I had made a deal with someone dangerous on my own.

“If you suddenly threaten people you’ve invited, shouldn’t you apologize first?”

Perhaps because the atmosphere had eased, complaints also came out. So, he was a Canadian hunter? I wanted to invite as many people as possible, but most of the S-Rank hunters who could come here were from developed countries. Relatively weaker countries had their S-Rank hunters taken away, and the environment was too harsh for them to be away for long. If the hunter system wasn’t properly established, they’d be too busy managing their own country’s dungeons to even think about traveling abroad.

So, the hunters here were from countries where society was stable to a certain extent and had a large number of S-Rank hunters, so it wasn’t a problem if a few of them were away. Unfairly. The reality that the rich get richer was no different before or after the appearance of dungeons.

“Ah… I didn’t know.”

I looked at the Canadian hunter with a very apologetic expression.

“I didn’t realize you felt threatened. I thought S-Rank hunters wouldn’t be bothered by something like that. I sincerely apologize. Anyone else need an apology?”

I waved my hand, asking, ‘Anyone?’ but of course, no one came forward. What S-Rank in the world would be afraid of an F-Rank? Instead of demanding an apology from me, the Canadian hunter blushed at the faint snickers that were leaking out.

“I’m definitely not, not bothered, but.”

“Of course, right? Then why were you picking a fight, Mr. Phil Otis? Ah, perhaps.”

I gave him a gentle smile.

“Were you really scared? You were like that even before your Awakening. Phil Otis, a hockey player from Canada. No, a former hockey player who was kicked out.”

I suffered terribly to memorize the appearance and personal information of all the attending S-Ranks. I’d like to express my gratitude to Mr. Sung Hyun-jae for providing the information… but it was a trade. Still, thank you for now.

“You little…”

Mr. Otis’s face began to be stained with anger rather than shame. At the same time, the atmosphere among the surrounding S-Rank hunters cooled down. Like predators who had found prey, they quietly held their breath and stopped moving, their eyes gleaming.

There was no one who sympathized with or opposed Phil Otis. Most S-Rank hunters were extremely individualistic. They rarely helped other S-Rank hunters. Rather, when someone was in danger, they would stand by and watch their fellow kind lose strength.

Then, the moment they revealed a clear weakness, they would pounce and tear at their throats.

It was like a solitary beast rather than a pack animal. To them, S-Ranks were rivals, enemies who could threaten them at any time. If there was an opportunity to knock them down, they had to sink their teeth into them without hesitation.

“…….”

Otis also knew that atmosphere, so he couldn’t move easily. He could end up in a situation as difficult as the second French hunter, or perhaps even more difficult. The French hunter had few witnesses and could quickly retreat and have time to recover, but not here.

He couldn’t even make the excuse that he was an A-Rank [a high rank of hunter, but below S-Rank] supported by an S-Rank; he was just facing a stat F-Rank.

‘I’m really weak in this place.’

But that’s why the other person’s risk was even greater. It was natural for an F-Rank to be suppressed by an S-Rank, but the opposite was an unacceptable disgrace.

I rummaged through my mind for information about Phil Otis. As you can see, he has an easily angered personality. He’s careless. Thanks to that, his abilities were relatively well-known. He used his skills indiscriminately without worrying about the people around him. He had also picked fights with non-Awakened people on numerous occasions. Hmm, he walked right into it.

“But you’re still very kind.”

I sent him a look of great admiration and continued.

“You even know how to be patient like this. You’ve grown a lot, Mr. Shy Boy.”

Shy Boy. It was a nickname he got after he made the dog-like excuse that when Phil was a huge hockey player, he used violence against his crush, who was less than half his size, because he was too shy and scared to be rejected. It should be Shy Puck, though.

I heard the sound of gnashing teeth. It was ridiculous to get angry and attack an F-Rank, but if he quietly backed down, he would be laughed at even more. So, he immediately threw the item he had secretly been holding in his hand forward. At the same time, Shy Boy lunged at me.

Thump, the sound of feet strongly kicking off the floor echoed. Thanks to Teacher Skill, the movements were being hammered into my vision one by one. Through Noah’s eyes in the monitoring room beyond the camera and monitor. It wasn’t a very fast movement for an S-Rank. Of course. It would be even more troublesome if he killed me.

Lightly enough to knock down and roll around an opponent who was stat F-Rank, at the level of a non-Awakened person. And the habit of charging straight ahead. Thanks to that, the dungeon item took effect at the correct point without being late.

Whoosh- A net of thin spiderwebs spread out as if blocking my path. It was an item that Myungwoo had made for me. A high-ranking hunter could escape it without much difficulty, but Shy Boy was suppressing his strength as much as possible. Thanks to that.

“Ugh, what is this!”

The bear-like Shy Boy stopped abruptly, entangled in the spiderwebs. Not missing the chance when his feet were tied, I took out my gun. I didn’t have time to charge it for long. But it wasn’t like I had to blow his head off, so bang!

And thwack! The magic bullet accurately tapped Shy Boy’s forehead. It only made his forehead a little red, but the sound and the fact that he had been flicked on the forehead were ridiculous. Laughter burst out here and there. While Shy Boy was frozen in a daze, I spun the gun around once and leisurely put it back in my inventory.

“You shouldn’t mess with adults, kid.”

I could hear someone openly laughing loudly. Shy Boy angrily took out a dagger and cut the spiderwebs wrapped around his body. And even though Noah didn’t send a signal, Yerim quickly drew an X with her fingers. There was a high possibility that he wasn’t related to Chatterbox. Then what.

“Exit.”

“It’s time to leave!”

Just before Shy Boy lunged again, Yerim appeared. As soon as she sprinkled the non-alcoholic champagne for minors that she was holding on the floor, Shy Boy stepped on it and slipped. It seemed like Yerim’s speed of freezing liquids had gotten faster. Of course, even if it was rotten, it was still a crucian carp; as an S-Rank hunter, he quickly regained his balance, but Yerim wasn’t just watching.

Quickly lowering her body, Yerim kicked off the floor with both hands and one foot and strongly kicked Shy Boy’s ankle. Even if they were both S-Ranks, Yerim was at a disadvantage in terms of combat style and physique. But since it was an ankle that had barely regained its balance, the kick, with the added force of both hands,

Thwack! Unable to withstand Yerim’s kick, Shy Boy staggered greatly. Immediately after, Yerim used only her hands to support herself on the floor and leaped up towards Shy Boy’s chin as if doing a handstand.

“Cough!”

Both feet struck directly under his chin. Shy Boy’s body flew backward, and Yerim did a somersault in the air and landed lightly on the floor. Wow, our Yerim’s martial arts skills have improved a lot. In the past, there were times when her close-range attacks were choppy, but now they flow smoothly.

The watching hunters quickly made way, and Shy Boy flew far away without obstruction and slid along.

“You shouldn’t take out weapons. Please leave quietly~”

Shy Boy, who had jumped up at Yerim’s words, huffed and puffed.

“He took it out first!”

“Hey, Mr. Shy Boy.”

I clicked my tongue as if he was pathetic.

“Do you want to be treated the same as a stat F-Rank? Of course, I’m an exception. If the rules applied, I wouldn’t even be able to enter here.”

Because A-Ranks and below are prohibited. Shy Boy rubbed under his chin with the back of his hand and sized up the atmosphere. He had already been humiliated enough, so it would be better to back down now, but it seemed like he wanted to recover his face somehow. Or maybe he thought Yerim looked easy to deal with. It seemed like he thought he could restore his prestige if he suppressed one S-Rank, so he glared fiercely at Yerim.

“The exit is on the opposite side.”

Yoohyun said bluntly.

“No─”

“Opposite side.”

A brief silence flowed between Yoohyun and Shy Boy. Even if it was a battle of wills, Shy Boy was just stubbornly resisting, and Yoohyun seemed to have no more than a sense of duty. He had the expression of someone thinking, ‘Today is the day to collect the burnable trash, so I have to take it out.’

Eventually, Shy Boy turned around. After he disappeared beyond the door, the remaining people lost interest as if nothing had happened. But after this, Phil Otis and his guild would inevitably be weakened in many ways.

‘When I think about it, Korea is unique in many ways.’

Chief Song’s existence must be a big reason. Usually, S-Rank hunters are individualistic unless they forcibly establish a hierarchical relationship like the Chinese military. Even in Korea, the center was Song Tae-won. Yoohyun rarely interacted with other S-Ranks, but he had to interact with Chief Song even if it was just out of obligation. Even if Ms. Hyun-ah was particularly sociable and knew many hunters overseas, before I regressed, the only S-Rank she often met was Chief Song. Sung Hyun-jae was Chief Song’s bonus.

Not to mention Sung Hyun-jae. What’s the point of knowing many S-Ranks? He’s the type to say, ‘Even Ms. Evelyn, who is a guild member, shouldn’t acknowledge me privately.’ It’s only because it’s Chief Song that Sung Hyun-jae is accepted.

‘And me, um.’

My influence is also significant now. It’s a bit embarrassing to think this myself, but it’s true. There’s virtually no other case where S-Rank hunters get along as well as they do around me.

Yerim only asked with her eyes if I was okay and left her seat. She seemed to want to be by my side, but not in this place today.

“I heard that you are planning to produce firearms, is this a prototype?”

“Yes, that’s right. It is expected to be useful for lower-level hunters.”

Mine is good enough for S-Ranks to use. Still, it’s tricky to use in actual combat because of the charging time. Thanks to Shy Boy, who was thoroughly disgraced, no one else picked a fight. Instead, various questions were asked. Most of them were related to ride-type skills, and

“You must be upset with the Guild Leader of Sesung.”

There was also this kind of absurd talk. Why are you asking that? He even had an expression that seemed to feel some kind of… kinship. Um… did he get abandoned in the past? No, Sung Hyun-jae said he just lost interest.

“It’s a common occurrence, so don’t worry too much about it.”

“Ah… yes…….”

Another hunter said. Sung Hyun-jae, you damn human, why do I have to listen to this kind of thing? Still, only Chief Song suffered in Korea; Yoohyun and Ms. Hyun-ah were just briefly annoyed, nothing more, nothing less. Noah and Soyoung didn’t care because they weren’t dragons. …Seok Simyeong seems to have quite a bit of resentment left.

“Please ship Dodam merchandise overseas.”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

Since the sale of the breeding center products, it seemed like I would hear related stories everywhere I went. Then, a question came in about how Peace was able to become ethereal.

“It’s probably because he’s a monster with a gigantification skill.”

That’s what I answered, but I didn’t know the exact reason either. Other than that Peace wanted to have that skill.

The atmosphere in the hall was quite good. Noah and the high-ranking hunters of Haeyeon were diligently analyzing the received videos and occasionally confirming them with me. Of course, through Noah’s eyes. There were geographical limitations, but Teacher Skill could be used in this way. It’s convenient. It would be perfect if I could just change the skill name.

Hunters who had no questions didn’t come close to me and were mingling with their guild members or acquaintances at a distance. Since they were all high-ranking Awakened, I could hear ordinary conversations without them lowering their voices even from afar.

‘The people suspected of contacting Chatterbox aren’t approaching.’

Were they being wary? I still couldn’t figure out the hunters on Park Ha-yul’s side either. Chloe was quietly drinking a little wine by herself. Should I go to Chloe, or… I turned my head towards the table where Sung Hyun-jae was. I could vaguely see his figure through the crowd. As soon as I looked at him, several people immediately stepped aside. At the same time, curious gazes poured out.

‘What are these people hoping for?’

The table where Sung Hyun-jae was sitting was clearly revealed in front of me, and Chief Song quickly shook his head at me. It was a signal close to a request not to come. On the other hand, Ms. Hyun-ah was grinning with anticipation.

“I’m on Director Han Yoojin’s side.”

…Who whispered that just now? What are you going to do by taking sides? Sung Hyun-jae, who was slowly swirling the wine glass in his hand, met my eyes. Then he smiled brightly. He was really handsome, but I felt like I was looking at a flamboyant poisonous mushroom. No, a venomous snake would be more fitting. Thinking that avoiding him was the best option, I was about to turn towards Chloe when.

“Director Han Yoojin.”

Sung Hyun-jae called me. Ah, I don’t want to. When is Liete coming? Not yet?