The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 59

59. Acting Like I’d Forgotten (2)

‘Skill Triple A, wasn’t it?’

It was a waste to just leave it, but I didn’t feel like using the Optimization Awakening Skill that I could only use once a month. I didn’t want to apply a keyword either. But now I can optimize awaken up to three times a month…….

‘It’s not like Special Skill A-rank is common.’

Should I at least make some acquaintances?

– Hello. Yes, that’s the new kid I brought^^.

A reply came back as soon as I sent the message.

– OMG, you repliedㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ Thank you! I was sooooo impressed by your broadcast! Peace is so cute, and Bbyak is absolutely adorable!!!

– Ah, yes. Thank you.

– My dream is to awaken and join the Haeyeon Guild! I want to be Peace’s footstool!!!

I’m leaving Haeyeon soon, though. More than that, a footstool?

‘What should I reply?’

I can’t exactly say, ‘Okay, work hard at being a footstool,’ can I?

– Awakening isn’t easy^^.

Not yet, that is. Soon, when the Awakening Center opens, every Tom, Dick, and Harry will awaken and try to become Hunters, and there will be chaos because of that. It was a mess anyway.

– That’s rightㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I’ve tried everything, but it didn’t workㅠㅠ So I asked an Awakening Broker!!

What?

– Oh no, I wasn’t supposed to say thatㅠㅠ It’s a secret:.

Spitting on my own face, but what an idiot.

‘She had an accident in a dungeon.’

No wonder I don’t remember seeing her face. She must have been seriously injured to the point where she couldn’t work, or maybe she’s dead. One of the two.

This is a problem. What should I do with her?

– Awakening Brokers are a scam.

– A scam?

– Yes. So don’t meet with the Broker.

The real-time chat level response disappeared for a moment.

– I already came…….

Damn it. What kind of guys are these Brokers? Most of them let you go if you just say you won’t get your money back, but a small number of vicious ones lure you in with the intention of killing you from the start. If they buy an exclusive pass and go into the dungeon, they can get rid of the body and evidence inside.

Of course, if they do the same thing a few times, they’ll get caught, but even now, dragging ordinary people into dungeons isn’t treated as murder. It’s just an unfortunate accident.

At worst, they’ll just have their Hunter license suspended. Brokers are usually low-level Hunters, so it’s not a big hit for them.

– Where are you? Who is the Broker?

– It’s a D-grade dungeon near the Wonhyo Bridge in Yeouido. I don’t know the name, but there are a mix of C-grade and D-grade Hunters. The leader is a C-grade Hunter.

Damn it. If it’s a team including a C-grade, they’ll have a lot to lose if their Broker business is exposed, so they’ll be thorough in silencing people. I can’t just get her out.

– Should I just say I don’t want to do it?

– No, wait a minute. When are you going in?

– Not yet, because not everyone is here. The team leader contacted me a little while ago and said he’ll be about 30 minutes late.

30 minutes. Wonhyo Bridge is close from here. Should I contact the Haeyeon Guild and send people? Or…….

‘Should I just go and get her out?’

I could just use a little thorn trap and sneak out using the Hidden Picture Skill sharing.

– They told me it’s fan management, and now they’re telling me to turn off my phoneㅠㅠㅠㅠ.

– Listen carefully and stay put.

It’s not a difficult task, and I should take this opportunity to pay off a debt. It’s not safe to sneak out, but if I say I was so worried about you that I came here myself, etc., she’ll probably fall for it easily. She wants to be a Hunter so badly, I should take her and use her as a figurehead.

* * *

It was easy to get out because it was a busy time of day. When I went near the D-grade dungeon building near Wonhyo Bridge, there was a suspicious-looking van parked on the side of the road. The car body was black, and the windows were black too.

‘The leader hasn’t arrived yet.’

The dungeon building was in an alley. I can use the thorn trap and pull out Park Hayul when I pass through that alley.

‘No, should I save her right before she enters the dungeon?’

It would be better to create a more dramatic situation if possible. Right after entering would be fine too. The dungeon gate is open for an hour, and you can use attack skills freely inside the dungeon. The earring’s barrier skill can also be applied to others. So Park Hayul won’t get hurt.

The most effective time would be right after those guys reveal their black hearts. Park Hayul will still be unsure about what I’m saying.

Let’s decide after seeing the situation.

‘I need to test how far the Hidden Skill goes.’

Should I use it on Yoohyun? I have to tell him about the title I can’t find. How should I say I got it? Because my brother is trying to hide me too much? There’s no F-grade stat that’s been protected this much by S and A-grades except for the Saintess.

– Squeak.

At that moment, a car came in quickly and stopped on the side of the road. He’s finally here.

I took my back off the wall and stood up straight. The car door opened, and a large man got out.

Looking at his face, I couldn’t help but laugh silently.

‘…Wow, this is something.’

I never thought I’d run into someone I killed while living. This is really thrilling. I wanted to go and say hello. With a big smile.

Hello, we met 4 years ago, or maybe 1 year in the future. You almost killed me, and I stabbed you in the neck. It’s a really fun memory. Don’t you think?

The faces getting out of the van were all familiar. The guy I killed second, the guy I killed third, fourth, fifth, sixth. Park Hayul would have died before that.

‘I didn’t think about it, or rather, I didn’t want to think about it.’

Of course they’d be alive. The people who died. The people I killed.

The initial survival rate of F-grade Hunters was low. In the first year without experience or proper equipment, half of them ran away, and half of the remaining half died or suffered irreversible injuries.

In short, even those who entered the dungeon prepared were carried out half the time. Even when I became a Hunter, the Awakening Center had just opened, and there were a lot of newbies, and the social problems were so bad that it was a mess.

‘Yoohyun must have been sick of it.’

At that time, it would have been difficult for him to take care of me. The public opinion was bad in many ways, and there were too many eyes watching to take care of me secretly.

Looking back now, I think there was some kind of operation against me. The reaction was too much to be just the work of a few reporters. It was a good material to be packaged sensationally, easy to exploit because it was F-grade, and could also hinder the Haeyeon Guild in the public opinion at the time.

Whether it was the government, the association, or a rival guild, it would have been foolish not to use it.

Anyway, in that chaotic situation, I didn’t die. Even without a proper team, I passed the first year and settled down relatively stably after two years.

The Last Reward. A skill that transfers the opponent’s skills and stats at twice the efficiency for one hour upon the death of the keyword application target.

The keyword for the ‘Guardian’ title was easy to apply.

I just had to buy coffee and chat a bit, smile and say ‘cheer up’ a few times. If I moved diligently, I could apply the keyword to a couple of people by the time I entered the dungeon.

“Let’s go in quickly. Our customer, please cover your face well.”

Park Hayul presses down on the hood deeply as instructed. She was also wearing sunglasses.

…I swear, I didn’t apply the keyword with the Last Reward skill in mind. Except when killing those guys. It’s a small growth buff of 10 percent, but it’s better than nothing, so I applied it. Among them, there were people I wanted to continue with.

And most of them died. I survived.

Buff skill and Changsu [long life]. A position that dies late. When I was in danger, the Last Reward was applied, and thanks to that, I survived.

And, so, well… that’s what happened, but now it’s all gone…….

I killed those guys, and those guys tortured me, but it’s all gone.

I quietly moved my steps and followed them. Their grades were between C and D. They didn’t notice me at all, even when I was right next to them. Even when entering the building, until standing in front of the dungeon gate.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Equip your gear properly.”

Perhaps because it was a high-level D-grade dungeon, the preparation was thorough. High-level D-grade dungeons were smaller than low-level C-grade dungeons, but the income was up to 50 percent higher, so the efficiency was good compared to the amount of labor. The time to clear it was half as long, and it was also safe. If you were aiming for a big hit, it was C-grade, but for stable average, it was D-grade.

The place I entered with these guys was also a high-level D-grade dungeon. I was completely fooled by the promise of taking me to a D-grade dungeon. I had already been a victim of unprovoked kindness, but I did the stupid thing of being deceived again. There were so many people crowded together that I couldn’t tell the difference between hot and cold rice [a Korean idiom meaning being unable to discern what is right or wrong].

“This is a dungeon!”

As soon as she crossed the gate, Park Hayul shouted in an excited voice. Oh my, this girl.

Thwack!

“Ouch!”

One of the Hunters kicked Park Hayul in the shin. He warned in a low voice.

“Just because you’re a celebrity, don’t advertise to the monsters. Don’t draw aggro and shut up.”

“…Yes.”

Park Hayul didn’t have a sense of crisis. That’s usually how non-awakened people are. Not being able to awaken is similar to being a peaceful modern person who has never properly experienced a dungeon break. It’s natural that it’s hard to feel a sense of reality even if it’s a dungeon or a monster.

That’s why so many newbie Hunters died right after the Awakening Center was created. The quality of new recruit training deteriorated because the number of Awakened people increased too much.

“Go in the 3 o’clock direction. Mark the entrance.”

The team leader said. This dungeon was a rocky environment with several valleys branching out. It wasn’t as complicated as a maze, but it was better to mark it while moving to reduce wasted effort.

I stuck close behind the intimidated Park Hayul and slowly followed them.

Crack!

A monster that looked like a mix of a snake and a caterpillar popped out as the steep rock wall shattered. The long body flew towards the Hunters like an arrow.

– Shhh!

The monster’s mouth opened wide, revealing sharp fangs. It was quite fierce, but the Hunters skillfully raised their shields.

Thud!

The shield blocked the monster’s attack, and

Crack!

The spearman behind the shield accurately pierced the monster’s head with the tip of his spear. Blood splattered in the air, and the long body, which had been wriggling like a hooked fish, soon drooped. Then another one, two more. Hunting close to repetitive work continued.

The front was the C-grade leader, shields and spears on both sides, a C-grade defensive Hunter in the back, and finally an assistant and porter.

It was a team of seven with a good balance.

‘They’ll keep hunting for an hour.’

They won’t reveal their true colors until the gate is deactivated.

C-grade Hunter team, Gosan. When I met them, they were a mid-sized team with 2 and a half years of experience, but now they were a team with 1 and a half years of experience. If there were two C-grades, they had enough power to create a guild, but they remained a D-grade dungeon specialty team and became known to some extent.

The image was good too. Because no one knew about the side jobs those guys were doing.

“The magic stones are coming out well today.”

The assistant and porter shook an item with magic stone detection function here and there. Park Hayul’s eyes also shook here and there every time the snake caterpillar’s belly was split. Still, she’s holding up pretty well for a non-awakened person.

Team Gosan targeted non-awakened people and low-level Hunters who seemed to be making money as a side job. They used their good image to lure only prey that had plenty of money in their bank accounts or could be exploited, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry.

Park Hayul alone was a celebrity who only had success left. After roughly looking at her SNS, she was already famous for her face even though it hadn’t been long since her debut, and her movie role was also a significant one. It meant that if they caught her well, she would be a steady source of money.

Whether it was a mistake or there was another problem, it seemed they killed her, but originally, they planned to keep her alive and use her well.

By brainwashing her with that C-grade leader’s skill.

[Awakener – Kim Yongjin

Current Stat Grade C

Awakening Possible Stat Grade C

Optimization Initial Skill

Downward Strike (D) Acquired

Puppet Strings (C) Acquired

Kick (D) Acquisition Failed]

Puppet Strings. C-grade Special Skill. What did he do before awakening that brainwashing skill was his optimized initial skill?

Most mental skills had low effects compared to their grade. Even if it was around C-grade, it didn’t work well even on F-grades. That is, if the F-grade’s condition was normal.

So those guys lured F-grades or non-awakened people into the dungeon and made them abnormal. Once the Puppet Skill was applied, they could just suck honey [exploit them] without worrying about anything else.

Team Gosan wasn’t just not creating a guild and only attacking safe D-grade or lower dungeons for no reason. Why would they risk their lives and suffer when they could easily scrape money? They just had to attack enough to manage their image.

The long valley ended and a wide open space appeared. It wasn’t over, but it would be about the halfway point. Time was also slowly passing, about an hour.

“Okay, let’s rest here.”

Leader, Kim Yongjin, said. As soon as he finished speaking, the defensive Hunter and shields checked the surroundings. It was a good team. They worked well together.

“Park Hayul, was it?”

Kim Yongjin took off his studded gloves and approached Park Hayul, who was standing awkwardly. Park Hayul nodded.

“…Yes.”

“Wow, you’re so handsome no matter how many times I look at you. How can a person be born like this? You’ll get quite a few CF [commercial film] offers when the movie is released.”

“I don’t know if it will be a box office success yet. And I’m going to be a Hunter—”

“The one who has it is even more greedy!”

Thwack!

Kim Yongjin’s fist struck Park Hayul’s face. It was a light punch that he threw without much force, but the lean body couldn’t withstand it and staggered like a reed.

“If you were born with that face, you should be grateful and think about selling your face hard!”

“Ah, hyung [older brother/male friend]. Don’t touch his face.”

“Don’t worry. If you apply potion to that level, there won’t be any traces left.”

In the midst of the giggles, Park Hayul froze with a blank expression. Blood flowed down from one side of his nose. Even with that expression and a nosebleed, he’s still handsome.

“Th-th-there…….”

“How long will this bastard last?”

“One million won for 30 minutes.”

“Celebrities are secretly tough, I heard. I’ll bet one hour. Five million.”

When I was an Awakener with some experience, the lowest bet was five hours. Memories I had forgotten were coming back to me.

“Wait a minute, there…….”

Park Hayul slowly took a step back. The guys were laughing and watching the scene. The gate was already closed. Even if it was open, it was close to impossible for a non-awakened person to safely reach the gate alone. The reason those guys waited for the gate to close was probably because they were worried that someone would come to save Park Hayul rather than worrying about him running away. Because he was a somewhat famous person.

“Should we start by breaking one of his legs?”

“We shouldn’t interfere with the actor’s activities. Do it gently, gently. To the extent that it can be cured with a potion.”

The atmosphere is soft, but how did it end up to the point where he couldn’t work?

“Sa, save… Ack!”

A D-grade Hunter kicked Park Hayul in the stomach. He staggered greatly and fell backward,

Thud.

I went up and grabbed him.

“Wh-what?!”

The Hunter who kicked Park Hayul hurriedly stepped back. The other Hunters also took a fighting stance all at once.

“What is it.”

I didn’t wear a hat, took off my sunglasses, released the Wall Lizard Skill, and smiled. Park Hayul’s eyes widened.

“O-oh—!”