The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 522

520. Channel (1)

I rubbed my eyes, convinced it wasn’t a mistake or a hallucination. Yu-hyeon and Ye-rim wore matching expressions of surprise. Gyeol exclaimed, “That’s Daddy!” I offered my brother a silent smile. A gunshot cracked through the air, and the screen flickered, changing scenes.

Now, Yu-hyeon was kneeling, and I stood before him. The scene shifted rapidly again, showing Yu-hyeon biting my shoulder. The full, unedited view of me countering and plunging a dagger into my brother’s arm played out before my eyes. I gasped, an involuntary reaction. Crazy, what the hell is this…….

Then, Yu-hyeon smiled as he guided my gun to his chest. Still, no sound accompanied the images. The movement of his mouth was cleverly obscured, edited to be invisible. Another gunshot, this time followed by…

“…Huh.”

Seong Hyeon-je and Song Tae-won appeared. The moment Song Tae-won’s head emerged from the second-floor window, bullets rained down. He leaped over the collapsed wall amidst the debris, and then, Song Tae-won, using his wire-wrapped forearm to block Seong Hyeon-je’s bullet, charged in menacingly. Simultaneously, Seong Hyeon-je, a smile playing on his lips, spun his rifle, the camera zooming in to capture the expression.

No, wait, what’s going on? I was glued to the TV, unable to tear my eyes away. Breathing heavily, Song Tae-won lunged at Seong Hyeon-je. The two grappled, rolling around on the floor, entangled in a fierce struggle. Oh my god! Unfortunately, the scene cut off abruptly, showing Seong Hyeon-je wrapping his arm around Song Tae-won’s neck, a dagger raised high. I remembered this part vividly; I hadn’t seen the beginning clearly because I was preparing to face Chief Song.

And then, it was me again. Ugh!

‘Wait, wait! Just a minute!’

I was pointing a gun at Seong Hyeon-je, pressing it under his chin before raising it to jam against his mouth. I couldn’t bear to watch, yet my eyes remained fixed on the TV. Seong Hyeon-je bit down on the gun, the screen went black, and another gunshot echoed.

Next is, no! I snapped back to reality, frantically searching for the remote control, but Yu-hyeon restrained me. Ye-rim was already recording the video on her phone.

“Hyung, just a minute.”

Yu-hyeon said, his gaze locked on the TV. I was covered in mud, drenched in the rain.

“Is this… is this only showing on our TV? It’s only showing here, right?!”

“I don’t think so. Texts and messages are flooding in. Han Yu-hyeon’s phone is flashing like crazy.”

I had silenced my phone, enjoying a rare vacation. With trembling hands, I pulled it out. As expected, it was inundated with texts and missed calls. Meanwhile, on screen, I was wielding a dagger, getting kicked, a chaotic mess. After literally fighting like dogs, I, on top of Song Tae-won, grinned with a disheveled face.

I… I think I went completely crazy……. Was I really like that……? Then, staggering, I produced a pistol, and the final gunshot rang out.

The pitch-black screen gradually brightened. Someone stood in the center: a black tailcoat, a white mask, a veil adorned with flowers. Chatterbox. He offered a polite greeting to the viewers beyond the screen.

[CH. CHATTERBOX]

The white logo appeared in the center, then spun and disappeared. What is this… The broadcast that had been interrupted was now playing again.

“Channel Chatterbox, right? Did Chatterbox start a broadcasting station or something?”

“Park Ye-rim, send me the video.”

“You have to ask politely.”

“If it aired elsewhere, there must be a clearer recording.”

“Tch. Here, I sent it.”

– Auntie, Gyeol too!

In the meantime, the broadcast was interrupted again, replaced by breaking news. It was about the broadcast that had just aired.

[…The Awakened Management Office, Sesung Guild, Haeyeon Guild, and Dodam Breeding Center have all reported that they are currently assessing the situation.]

“No, first of all─ Hyung, what should we do?”

Yu-hyeon, who had just finished a call with Seok Si-myeong, turned to me, seeking direction. Gyeong-hun hyung [older brother/friend] kept calling my phone. My head was spinning, but I answered the call.

“The gathering, the gathering. Like a mock battle at the Japanese gathering, for now……”

“Uncle! The person who broadcast it is up! I don’t know if it’s real or not.”

Ye-rim, who was surfing the Internet, shouted. Seok Si-myeong and Seo Gyeong-hun seemed to have received the information as well. This couldn’t be resolved over the phone. Clutching the phone, I hurried to my room to change out of my pajamas.

“Gyeong-hun hyung, just a minute. I’ll take a call from Sesung.”

I threw on some clothes and hung up, then realized my slip. I called him hyung……. Before I could dwell on it, Seong Hyeon-je called.

“Seong Hyeon-je ssi [formal title], did you see it?!”

[Of course. I’m almost resentful that you didn’t include me.]

“Stop joking and tell me, did you find out who it is?”

[First of all, the simultaneous broadcast of the video around the world without permission suggests power beyond that of an ordinary human.]

“…The, the whole world? Really, the whole world…….”

Not just Korea, but broadcast in every country……. I was speechless.

[It’s not technically impossible for a human, but considering he confidently put his name on it, we should assume it’s Chatterbox’s doing.]

“Anyway, first, uh, can you come to the Breeding Center?”

[I’ll go with Chief Song Tae-won.]

When I returned to the living room, Yu-hyeon and Ye-rim were dressed and ready to go.

“It’s a real mess, Uncle!”

“A mess… It’s bound to be. The fact that it was suddenly broadcast all over the world, and the content too…….”

…I didn’t want to leave the house. I didn’t know if they saw the whole video, but it’s hard to tell that I’m in a non-awakened state because of the slow motion and the choppy editing, but three S-ranks are being taken down by an F-rank…….

“…I’m so embarrassed.”

“Why, hyung, you were really cool.”

“That’s right, Uncle. You were like the main character. You caught them all!”

– That’s right, Daddy is the best!

“I want to stay cooped up at home forever if I could…….”

“That’s good.”

Fortunately, it was before the S-rank ranking battles were created. Yu-hyeon and Chief Song, as well as Seong Hyeon-je, don’t have much influence overseas right now. Compared to before the regression, that is. The Hunter world would have been turned upside down in any country.

My heart was heavy, longing to curl up in a blanket in my room, but I reluctantly left the house with Yu-hyeon and Ye-rim. The hunter guarding the mini-portal gave us a knowing, talkative look. Even as we headed to the soundproof and secure reception room in the Breeding Center, our phones continued to ring incessantly.

“Director!”

Gyeong-hun hyung, who had arrived at the reception room first, greeted me, looking quite flustered himself.

“The Sesung Guild Leader and Chief Song Tae-won will be here soon. Please make sure no one approaches the area. If there are any inquiries, tell them we are in a meeting.”

“Yes, I understand.”

I entered the reception room and answered Noah’s call.

“It’s nothing serious, so you don’t have to worry.”

[Yu-jin ssi, that─]

[Lord! Really kill─]

[Sit down, Ha-min hyung. Min-ui hyung too.]

At Noah’s firm words, Do Ha-min and Kim Min-ui meekly answered, “Yes,” and fell silent.

[It’s about what happened there, right?]

Noah ssi [formal title] seemed to have guessed immediately, likely because he participated in the invitation bet.

“Yes. Please keep it a secret for now. I guess Myeong-woo didn’t see it?”

[I think he went into the smithy. I haven’t heard from him either. Should I send out the outsiders in the building first?]

“I’d appreciate it if you could do that. I’ll ask you.”

Noah ssi, who usually appeared young and cute, was surprisingly reliable when something serious occurred. As expected, guild leader experience was invaluable. Next, I called Moon Hyeon-ah, who had sent me several texts.

[Hyung-nim [term of respect]! That was hot!]

“…I’m so embarrassed.”

[Why, it was sexy.]

What, what, what… No, why me when there are S-ranks…… Moon Hyeon-ah lowered her voice and continued.

[Are you at the Breeding Center? Should I come too.]

“Yes, I’m in the reception room.”

[I don’t know what your intentions are, but the released video itself doesn’t seem to be a big deal, so don’t worry too much. In some ways, it could be beneficial.]

That’s true, but it wasn’t a welcome development at all. If I didn’t have fear resistance, I might have been confused and flustered.

I finished the urgent calls and sat on the sofa. Yu-hyeon also ended his call with Seok Si-myeong and sat next to me. Ye-rim was engrossed in her phone.

“The kids are asking a lot… It’s a mess overseas too. Wow, look at the number of views on the recording. It keeps going down, but it keeps going up. The number of views is increasing even in a short time…….”

I couldn’t resist any longer and turned on my phone, navigating to a popular portal site. I clicked on an eye-catching article. An F-rank knocking down an S-rank? These article titles never change. Fortunately, the article itself was brief, as it was breaking news.

– It’s a setup

└ Seriously, is that possible?

└ The Breeding Center Director is funny, why is he doing that

└ You’re talking nonsense, what’s lacking in the S-ranks that they’re setting up

– Han Yu-jin deliberately broadcast it, right? He’s an F-rank among S-ranks, so he must have been full of inferiority complex, so he did thatㅋㅋㅋㅋ [laughing]

└ He’s just an F-rank anywayㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ If he acts like that, will an F-rank become an S-rank? Know your place

└ He’s like a ㅂㅅ [idiot]

– ㅅㅂ [swear word] I’m so angry, let the S-ranks go

– What right does Han Yu-jin have to treat the S-ranks like that

– There are a lot of 열폭ㅂㅅs [jealous idiots] here who are jealous of the Breeding Center Director

└ 방구석여포s [keyboard warriors] hanging aroundㅋㅋㅋ

└ Are you a Breeding Center part-timer?

└ Yeah, the Breeding Center has great benefits

– It’s a disgrace to the country

└ That’s a self-introduction

– Even if it’s a special skill, the F-rank and S-rank are on different levels. I can’t stand Han Yu-jin hanging out with the S-ranks. Why does he keep showing off and ㅈㄹ [acting up]

└ It’s an eyesore

I expected to see these kinds of comments. Still, I felt drained. I’ve changed a lot, but these people are still the same.

“Don’t worry about it, hyung.”

Yu-hyeon said, taking my phone away.

“That’s right, Uncle. Everyone gets cursed at in those places. Me and Han Yu-hyeon, as well as the Sesung Guild Leader, are the same. I heard that there are even a lot of people who curse at the public officials.”

“…It’s too much to do that to Chief Song. It’ll be hard for him to sue.”

He wouldn’t even consider it.

“And there are a lot more people who like you! Comments change depending on the atmosphere, and here, people who curse are getting beaten up.”

Ye-rim said, showing me her phone.

“My friends said they saw you in a new light.”

“Thank you. Don’t worry, I know that too. There were people who took my side in the article earlier.”

There are a lot of people who curse at me out of the blue even though I haven’t harmed them in any way. I don’t even know those people.

“Haeyeon will start cleaning up with the Breeding Center.”

“Yeah. I don’t know why they’re doing that.”

If you have a complaint, come find me instead. Or do it without me knowing at all. If you’re going to show it, then come at me hard. Then I’ll bury you in the dungeon.

At that moment, Seok Si-myeong entered. He also looked quite flustered.

“So, the video was filmed in Japan?”

“Yes. Everyone was in a non-awakened state. Of course, it was a consensual situation.”

“…For now, it’s hard for Haeyeon to handle it alone since there are more people involved. You said that the Sesung Guild Leader and the Awakened Management Office Director are coming, right?”

“The Breaker Guild Leader is also coming. Since it’s a story between guild leaders, could you excuse us for a moment?”

Seok Si-myeong let out a short sigh.

“I’ll step back, but it seems like things that I don’t understand are increasing.”

He was bound to be confused because there were still many things he didn’t know. Now that it’s come to this, I’ll have to explain it to some extent.

Not long after, I received a call that the Sesung Guild Leader and Chief Song Tae-won had arrived. Sesung was close by, and I wondered if Chief Song had gone to the Hunter Association. Soon, the door opened, and the two appeared.

“They edited it too much.”

Seong Hyeon-je was disappointed as soon as he entered.

“Are you not going to reenact it?”

“Don’t say nonsense and sit down. The Breaker Guild Leader will be here soon.”

Seong Hyeon-je wore a look of amusement, but Song Tae-won’s face was dark. The Hunter Association and the higher-ups must have been in an uproar. What the hell is Chatterbox up to?

I turned on the laptop that Seok Si-myeong had brought. The number of groups claiming to have broadcast it was now over ten. Seong Hyeon-je showed us the data that came into his phone.

“The broadcast hijacking itself was not done with modern technology.”

“In the first place, Chatterbox is the only one who could have obtained the video. It’ll be faster to check with the newbie, but how do we deal with it before that?”

We have to respond first and then go to the dungeon. If we leave it like this, all sorts of nonsense rumors will spread.

“Rather than hastily announcing our position, it’s better to wait for the reaction of the side holding the video. They’ve focused enough attention, so there’s a high possibility that they’ll move soon.”

“…It can’t just end with a grumpy happening.”

Could it be that he’s really thinking of starting a broadcasting station? Shouldn’t you not be able to intervene so openly like this? Soon, Moon Hyeon-ah also arrived at the Breeding Center.

“Everyone was sitting in front of the TV, so the streets were empty. It’s not a video that’s pleasing to the eye to watch on a phone.”

We gathered the information that each of us had, and about twenty minutes passed. And then.

[Hello, this is Channel Chatterbox.]

A new video appeared on the video site. It was a live broadcast.