The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 60

“Hunter Han Yoojin!”

Park Hayul shouted, his voice a mix of joy and concern. The wary thugs showed surprise on their faces.

“No way, is that really Han Yoojin?”

“Why is Han Yoojin here? I heard the Haeyeon Guild Leader kept him under wraps!”

“Shit, is Han Yoohyun here too?”

The thugs looked around in a panic. *Well, they probably wouldn’t think I came alone. But I am alone.*

“Did the Haeyeon Guild Leader really come too?”

Park Hayul asked excitedly, his face smeared with blood from his nosebleed. *Does he still like Hunters even after getting beat up like this? He’s a hardcore fan.*

“I’m alone.”

“Huh? But—!”

“Just close your eyes.”

I stepped aside and activated the earring’s shield skill on Park Hayul. His shouts were muffled by the barrier. *With my current stats, he probably can’t hear anything. It’s a B-grade shield, so unless I mess up, he won’t get a scratch. I should avoid using poison if possible.*

“…Alone?”

Kim Yongjin muttered in disbelief. *So suspicious.*

“If I wasn’t alone, someone would have jumped out already. As you guys know, I’m under a bit too much protection, right?”

There would be more than a few people shocked to see me here. The thugs seemed relieved at my words.

“An F-grade stat like you must be out of your mind.”

Kim Yongjin stopped a D-grade thug from approaching, holding out his arm.

“Wait. He must have something up his sleeve to be so confident. The fact that he followed us here without being detected is unusual.”

“But isn’t his stat definitely F-grade? He’s certified by the Association [Hunter Association, the governing body for Awakened individuals].”

“Even with equipment, he can’t be higher than C-grade. He’s just a lucky break for us.”

*A lucky break is our Piyo [a reference to a cute, round chick]. Round, soft, and rolls around well.*

“First, let’s say hello. We’re technically meeting for the first time, but also not.”

The thugs looked at me like I was talking nonsense.

“…I’ve seen you on TV.”

“No, we’ve actually met. I actually regressed [traveled back in time]. I went back to the past. Surprising, right?”

It feels good to say this in front of the guys I killed four years ago. It feels so real. Yoohyun came back to life too quickly, so it felt a bit ambiguous.

“A whole 5 years! Ah, I met you guys 4 years ago. That’s 1 year from now, and I haven’t seen you since. Because I killed you. It’s really nice to see you again like this. Since you’re going to die again anyway, let me vent a little.”

*Let’s just say everything I want to say.*

“…What, is he crazy?”

“I know I look like a crazy bastard, but it hurts when you say it so bluntly. Besides, you guys aren’t exactly mentally stable either. If I’m seeing fifty steps ahead, you guys are seeing five hundred. Especially you, Kim Yongjin, you’re a real psycho. I regret killing you too easily back then.”

*To have this opportunity again. Thank you, but that makes me sound like a real lunatic. I definitely don’t enjoy killing people. But sometimes you just lose it, and even though it’s all in the past for me, it doesn’t change the fact that those guys ruined a lot of people’s lives and will continue to do so.*

“Still, thanks to you guys, I really pulled myself together.”

After two years, I finally got my act together. I couldn’t form a permanent team, but around that time, I could always find decent Hunters… Wait a minute. Come to think of it, that was exactly when MKC went bankrupt and Haeyeon took its place.

It was a time when things had become more relaxed compared to the chaos after the Awakening Center was established. I also heard fewer complaints from Haeyeon. That is, until the dungeon difficulty started to skyrocket… Could it be that my brother put someone on me?

And when Yoohyun personally jumped into the dungeons with changed ratings, Haeyeon had already established itself as the top guild in the country, and the Guild Leader’s work had become relatively less hectic.

“Hmm, you really shouldn’t let people get too idle.”

If he had been busy fighting with other guilds, he wouldn’t have had the time to arrive and jump into the dungeon gate before it closed. He would have just sent one or two A-grade Hunters instead.

“That guy, I think he’s really lost it?”

I heard muttering along with crazy-person stares. That’s too much. My mind is mostly fine.

“Even though I don’t know the lottery numbers, it’s true that I went back to the past. What do you want to hear? Do you want me to tell you who the upcoming S-grade Hunters are? How about a jackpot-level new dungeon? Are you interested in stocks? Lee Dongwan, the stock you bought right now will be worthless within a month.”

*That pathetic bastard who kept rambling about it for a year.*

Anyway.

“It’s nice to see you again like this. You guys don’t know what it’s like to regress, but having all the things I experienced disappear, it’s kind of unsettling. So I tried not to think about it. The situation has changed a lot anyway, and at first, I was just going to stay quiet. Most of all, I thought about the people who died because of me coming back to life… I tried not to think about it.”

It wasn’t just that a close person died. Thanks to that, I lived. At the same time, I received their memories. There was a corpse in front of me, and memories of that person thinking about me came to mind. In Yoohyun’s case, it was a part of his lifelong memories, so the amount was too much and came in fragments, but usually, the memories right before death always came. If it was just someone I knew casually, it was okay.

But if they were worried about me, it was really maddening.

Because they were unnecessarily good people, with only good memories. The hallucinations of them calling my name haunted my ears for days. I felt like I would die if I kept remembering, so I tried to forget.

But now they’re all alive. How should I explain this feeling?

Unlike Yoohyun, I buried it inside for several years. Unlike Yoohyun, they don’t even know me now.

Like those guys in front of me.

Should I be happy, sad, sorry, or grateful? Before that, is it okay to contact them and meet them? I lived thanks to you guys dying.

I can’t even talk to anyone about this, so I just pretended to forget.

“What do you guys think? Some of them were really good people. To the point where I was drowning in alcohol, half out of my mind.”

The thugs formed a battle formation, probably not wanting to hear any more of my words. *At least give me an answer.* Grumbling, I took out the curved sword I got as a reward from the D-grade dungeon.

“Surround him and capture him!”

With Kim Yongjin’s shout, two Hunters with shields moved to my sides. At the same time, a C-grade defense Hunter used a skill and jumped over my head. *He’s trying to get behind me by jumping over me, but no way.*

I slightly bent my knees and leaped upwards. The C-grade was startled and tried to strike me down with his shield.

Thud!

My forearm collided with the shield, and with my other hand, I grabbed the shield and spun my body around.

Unable to withstand the strong rotational force, the C-grade defense Hunter dropped the shield and fell down as if thrown. Immediately after, I threw the stolen shield at the D-grade Hunter.

Crack!

“Cough!”

The shield flew through the air and struck the D-grade’s head accurately. Meanwhile, the other D-grade Hunters charged at me with their weapons.

*It’s hard to dodge in the air, right? I know that well. But you see.*

“Ugh?!”

I extended a tentacle, wrapped it around the D-grade’s neck, and pulled it hard. Using the staggering D-grade as an axis, I changed direction in the air and landed.

“You bastard!”

Lightly dodging the thrusting spear, I plunged the curved sword into the spearman’s forehead. At the same time, I sent poison through the tentacle.

The two D-grades collapsed one after another.

“Damn it!”

While the D-grade Hunters were panicking, Kim Yongjin immediately tried to run away. *Quick judgment.*

Thorn Trap.

“Ugh!”

Kim Yongjin fell like a frog hit by a rock. I threw the pulled-out curved sword at the C-grade defense Hunter to stop him from getting up, and used Thorn Traps on the remaining Hunters.

*Really, it’s disappointingly easy. I suffered so much before regression.*

“Should I contact them after all? Huh? Yongjin.”

I asked, approaching the trembling Kim Yongjin.

“I remember the phone number, but what should I say? They don’t know me. But I can’t just keep pretending I don’t know. Because those people are living too, like you guys. They might not be Awakened yet, but when the Awakening Center opens, they’ll become Hunters and go into dungeons like you guys. In that chaotic situation.”

I neatly cut off one of Kim Yongjin’s legs and released the Thorn Trap.

“Aaaargh! Cough, you, you bastard, what the hell…!”

“I don’t have to take responsibility for everything just because I regressed. And it’s all in the past anyway. But it’s still in my memory. If I keep pretending to forget, I’d be a real piece of trash.”

*So what should I do?*

I used Thorn Trap on Kim Yongjin again, took out a bottle of Mana Stone powder from my inventory, and sprinkled it around. The monsters around here haven’t been caught yet. They’ll crawl out soon.

“I hope we really never meet again.”

I sighed once and turned around. Look at that Park Hayul. I told him to close his eyes, but he saw everything and threw up. I approached and removed the shield.

“Are you okay?”

“…Ah, yes. I am.”

“Let’s get out of here. Monsters will appear smelling the blood.”

“Yes, yes.”

I went back the way I came with Park Hayul.

“It would have been nice if they had listened when Hunter Han Yoojin was trying to persuade them…”

As we approached the cleanly cleared gate, Park Hayul, who had regained his energy, said. *Is he talking about dealing with those guys? I wasn’t persuading them. I was just unilaterally consulting them. He must have thought I was persuading them because he couldn’t hear me.*

“Don’t worry about it. I heard they were vicious guys who hurt a lot of people.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And this incident, you have to keep it a secret. I’m not supposed to be wandering around like this. The stealth skill is also a secret.”

Park Hayul looked excited at my words. His recovery is too fast. *Does he not feel the reality yet? There are some kids like that. They’re fine on the day of, but after two or three days, they cry and make a fuss.*

*Or maybe his mental state is just unique. He does seem a bit like that.*

“I didn’t know Hunter Han Yoojin was so strong! There were two C-grades, are you actually B-grade or higher?”

“It’s not like that. My abilities are also a secret, of course.”

“Yes!”

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Yes! Of course!”

He’s confident in his words. I smiled at Park Hayul to show that I believed him. Of course, I didn’t really believe him.

I decided to use Park Hayul, but I can’t until I check what kind of guy he is. That’s why I deliberately showed him.

The plan was slightly messed up, but originally I was only going to tell him about the stealth and Thorn Trap skills.

If I come and help him directly and tell him about skills that others don’t know, he’ll naturally be itching to talk. He’s even a celebrity who meets a lot of people and lives buried in countless words. It’s an environment where he wants to carelessly talk about what he knows.

*’Since it’s become a bit more dramatic than expected, he’ll be even more likely to spill the beans.’*

If he can’t hold it in and talks, then that’s the end of it.

Right now, it’s said that I’m inside the heavily guarded Haeyeon Guild. I didn’t even release the stealth skill when I came here. I kept my appearance hidden and came by bus. The only witness other than Park Hayul will be silenced by death, so whatever he says will be dismissed as false.

*’If he’s tight-lipped, he passes, and if not, I can just use him to promote special skills and be done with it.’*

Since I have three A-grade special skills, at least one of them should be useful. I hope it was worth the effort.

“I really don’t know how to thank you enough. I always thought Hunters were all good people. They’re the ones who protect us from dungeons exploding!”

…There might not be any reward for the effort. Park Hayul smiled brightly and continued.

“Can I call you hyung [older brother]? You’re five years older than me. I’m twenty years old.”

“Ah, yes.”

He’s the same age as Yoohyun, but why are they so different? Twenty is still young, but still.

“Contact information exchange—”

“Not yet. Please delete the messages as soon as you leave the dungeon. It’s better to erase all traces related to the Awakening Broker.”

I need to check if he deletes the messages and then part ways. Is it possible to recover them? I didn’t directly say I would go save him.

“You can’t contact me for a while either. It’ll be troublesome in many ways if you get caught.”

Park Hayul looked like an abandoned puppy at my words. He’s really handsome.

“How long?”

“About two weeks. I’ll contact you first.”

“I’ll keep the secret and wait diligently. Please contact me. Don’t forget me. Please.”

We’ve only known each other for a short time, but he’s so desperate. I feel like if I say a keyword, he’ll immediately fall for it.

“I’ll put up a shield for you, so wait here quietly. I’ll go finish the dungeon raid.”

“Yes, hyung! Be careful!”

Seeing his bright smile and waving arms, I couldn’t help but sigh. I don’t think he’s the one after all… He’s a bit too unique.

* * *

I safely returned home, showered, and changed my clothes. In the meantime, the number of SNS followers exceeded ten thousand. There were many foreign languages in the comments. I deleted the messages exchanged with Park Hayul and uploaded a video of Peace as a child.

I also received texts from Yoohyun and Yerim.

[Hyung, you’re on SNS?]

[Uncle, uncle, uncle!! Please follow me back!]

Yerim also has SNS.

[ㅇㅇ]

[Tell me your account.]

I sent a reply and fiddled with my phone for a while. I slowly pressed the number I still remembered. The signal went through, and soon the phone was answered.

[Hello?]

It was a familiar voice. A voice I thought I would never hear again. I thought it had faded from my memory, but it was clearly etched in my ears.

*’What are you hiding! I don’t have a team to call me anyway.’*

*’It’s okay. Don’t worry about it, Yoojin. It will all pass.’*

Even the things I had buried came to mind one by one. I didn’t know my memory was this good. I laughed because it was too much to cry again.

“I’m sorry. Wrong number… Have a good day. Always.”

I hung up the phone.

Then first of all. I need to figure out what to do with the Awakening Center that will be built soon. I couldn’t let that mess happen again.

*’But who should I consult with?’*

Yoohyun? But even if he’s the Guild Leader, my brother is still young. I can’t get help with the Awakening Center issue, let alone dungeon raids.

*’Because it’s a kind of political problem. This must be handled by Seok Simyeong or Kim Hayeon.’*

I think that Seok Simyeong ajusshi [a respectful term for an older man] would do a good job, but what should I do? I don’t want to meet him, ugh.

After much deliberation, I called Seok Simyeong. The signal didn’t go through a few times before I heard his unnecessarily pleasant voice.

[Hello, Han Yoojin-ssi [a polite suffix], I’m so thrilled that you called me first.]

…Don’t be thrilled. Especially not with that voice.

“Um, do you have time? I have something to say. It’s important.”

[If it’s a call from Han Yoojin-ssi, I’ll make time even if I don’t have it!]

Seok Simyeong said passionately. Ugh, just thinking about meeting this person makes my stomach hurt. Let’s just bear it this time. Once the breeding center is completed and I leave Haeyeon, I won’t have to see him.

“Then I’ll go. Where should I go?”

[I’ll send someone right away. Please wait a moment.]

How kind. I wish he had been even half as kind as this before regression. I hung up the phone and got up from my seat.

*’Because it’s something I can do, I have to do it.’*

Let’s just solve this much.