The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 64

64. Senior?

“It’s a skill, but the way you talk about it makes it sound like it’s a real object?”

“It is.”

“…It is?”

Seriously, it’s not like fire or ice is popping out, but a smithy is appearing? I’ve never heard of a skill like that before.

“It’s written that you can enter a sub-space with a golden smithy, to be exact.”

“Wow…….”

Wow. What is that? It’s so different from the skill formats I knew.

‘It feels more like an item than a skill.’

Like the S-rank trap item ‘Gingerbread House’ or the SS-rank defense item ‘Silent Darkroom.’ Both were special items that appeared much later.

But I’ve never heard of a skill that creates something like a building. Skills are basically intangible abilities. They gather energy or elements to create simple shapes, but a smithy? With a furnace and anvil and everything? Does that even make sense?

“How do you get in?”

I asked, getting up from my seat.

“Just like that.”

Myeongwoo reached out his hand towards me. If you try to enter, you just go in? First, I put Peace in his cage and put Ppiyaki down on the sofa.

Its stability was a little suspicious, but that’s why I wanted to go with him at least once. There was still time left for the Last Favor buff to apply.

“Can you take anyone in with you?”

“If I want to.”

“Then you could use it as a refuge. Could you stockpile emergency rations or something?”

I said, taking his outstretched hand. If the sub-space with the smithy was safe, it would be a great refuge in case of an emergency.

A feeling of passing through a dungeon gate washed over me, and the scenery before my eyes changed.

It was an interior with sunlight streaming in through a large window. The swaying fire in a large kiln was the first thing that caught my eye. The golden fire was burning on its own without consuming any firewood or even straw.

Unlike its name, the walls were intertwined with tree trunks and roots. The thick scent of wood and the scent of fire mingled together, floating in the air. I could see hammers, large tongs, and other unknown tools hanging on the wall.

It was an old-fashioned smithy. In the middle of it, on top of a large anvil, were a bouquet of flowers and a note. Out of the blue.

“…What’s with that bouquet?”

“I don’t know.”

Myeongwoo approached the anvil and picked up the note. Something was written on it, but it wasn’t Korean, Chinese characters, or even the alphabet. It was a script I had never seen before.

“It looks like this is for me.”

“For you, Myeongwoo? Can you read it?”

“Um… Welcome, Successor. May the blessings of fire and molten metal be with your future, it says.”

It’s an item after all, not a skill. It seemed like some senior [a more experienced person], whoever they are, took care of it for me.

“It says I’m the successor, so was there someone who obtained the Golden Smithy skill before me?”

Myeongwoo asked, tilting his head.

“I don’t know. It’s only been three years since Awakened Beings appeared, so it’s hard to talk about successors, not just seniors. And there hasn’t been any equipment made in the meantime. At least in the world we live in, you’re probably the first.”

I said, thinking of the system administrators. Could any of them have had the Golden Smithy skill in the past? And they prepared various items for the next skill holder like this? Was that even possible?

‘What the heck are those people? I have more and more questions to ask.’

Then Myeongwoo turned the note over to the back.

“There’s something written here too… Ismuar?”

Whoosh!

“Step back!”

The fire in the kiln suddenly soared high. I tried to block Myeongwoo, but instead of stepping back, he moved forward.

“Yoojin, you step back! Your stat rank is lower right now.”

…No, the Last Favor buff is still in effect. I can’t say that.

“…I have a barrier skill item. The Sesung Guild Leader gave it to me.”

I was planning to use it on Myeongwoo, but—

“You were going to use it on me anyway, right?”

…When did he get so perceptive? But right now, my stats are B-rank or higher, and a B-rank barrier isn’t really necessary…

“No, that’s not it. Well, it is and it isn’t… More importantly, look at that!”

I turned the conversation and pointed to the soaring flames. It was already forming a shape similar to a person. It went back and forth between the size of a round, chubby child and a lanky adult, then settled on a form somewhere in between.

Then it became completely human-like.

It looked like it was made of fire, so anyone could tell it wasn’t a real human. Is that also an item?

“Nice to meet you, Master.”

…It spoke?!

“It’s talking?!”

Myeongwoo was also startled. It was the first time I’d seen a talking other-species? Except for the system people. I’ve never seen them in person, though.

“I am Ismuar, a spirit born from the Creator’s last breath.”

“…There are things like spirits?”

“…I don’t know either.”

I shook my head left and right at Myeongwoo’s question. So spirits actually exist. Salamanders and sylphs only appear in games and novels, I’ve never heard of them actually existing in reality. And of course, there were no Awakened Beings with spirit summoning skills.

But suddenly, a spirit. What is that?

While we were flustered, the self-proclaimed spirit Ismuar was looking down at us with emotionless golden eyes. Is it a living creature?

‘I wonder if the Seedling Skill will work.’

I used the skill to check. But… the status window didn’t appear. Instead, information popped into my head.

‘…Fire spirit, very strong, controls flames. Growth is complete. The contractor is the person next to me. What is this.’

Instead of being written in letters on a square window, the information was felt directly. It was also vague compared to what was written. With this strong feeling, what is the rank? It seems like it’s at least A. I couldn’t get a sense of the skill. I don’t know much other than that it freely controls fire. And, it seems like physical force won’t work.

What is this? Is there a system error?

I opened my status window in a panic. But again, nothing appeared. I couldn’t even feel what my status was, or get any information. Rank, level, skills, titles. I don’t know anything.

Suddenly, I felt like I had been thrown into a dark, unlit room.

“…Myeongwoo, can you open your status window?”

“Status window?”

Myeongwoo paused for a moment, then widened his eyes.

“Ah, it’s not showing up? Can you cancel Awakening too?!”

“No, mine isn’t showing up either. But it seems like I can still use skills. I think my stats are the same too. It’s just… the system window isn’t showing up. The inventory… I can’t check the contents, but I can take things out and put them back in.”

I took out a bottle of mana stone powder and put it back in. Originally, I could see the list of contents, but that wasn’t showing up now either.

“It’s a relief if the skills haven’t disappeared. Is this space strange?”

“It seems like it.”

Is it because it’s a sub-space that it’s out of the system’s influence? …But wasn’t Awakening itself part of the system? If the stats are the same even if the window doesn’t appear, then does that mean that the game-like system and Awakening are separate?

…My head is getting complicated.

“Please tell me your name, Master.”

Ismuar, who had been silently floating in the air, opened his mouth. No, his mouth was tightly closed, but only his voice came out.

“Are you talking about my name? Yoo Myeongwoo.”

“Yoo Myeongwoo-nim, would you like to receive the basic training prepared by the Creator?”

“Basic training?”

“Yes. It is only basic training, so if you already have sufficient proficiency as a blacksmith, you do not need to receive it. However, if you have just entered the path of crafting, rapid growth is possible.”

Whoever the successor is, they must be a very kind person. I don’t have a senior like that.

“Then of course I’ll take it.”

At Myeongwoo’s answer, Ismuar’s gaze moved towards me.

“My flames are only safe for the contractor. If you do not have high resistance to heat, there is a risk of burns or incineration.”

Is the workshop okay? It’s made of wood.

“I’ll be out here.”

“Okay. Oh, take this with you too.”

Myeongwoo picked up the bouquet and held it out. It would burn if I left it here. A moment later, I returned to the original location, the living room, alone.

– Ppiyak!

Ppiyaki, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa, fluttered up and greeted me. Peace, beyond the glass wall, wagged his tail. Judging from the kids’ reactions, time flowed similarly here and in the sub-space.

‘I want to go to the dungeon right now and grill them [tease or provoke them].’

Even if I go now, I’ll only get emoticons saying they can’t talk. Still, it’s not long now.

‘I need to get Yoohyun to stop sulking before that.’

He seemed to be really sulking because I decided to get involved in the Awakening Center work. How do I make him feel better? Should I bring him flowers or something?

“But what kind of flowers are these?”

I looked down at the bouquet in my hand. It consisted of five large blooms, about ten medium-sized blooms, and small, delicate flowers. All of them were flowers I had never seen before.

I don’t know much about flower types, but they didn’t seem like flowers from this world. The large flowers in particular were faintly sparkling. The gold ones among the small flowers felt as hard and cold as metal to the touch. When I tore off a petal, it wasn’t real metal. The moth orchid-like flowers occasionally… moved on their own.

They were definitely not ordinary flowers, but there was no explanation window popping up like dungeon byproducts.

They’re pretty, though.

* * *

The Hunter Association requested a visit regarding the Awakening Center. As expected, the reaction seemed positive.

Well, they have nothing to lose.

“Sesung and Breaker, and the Hanshin Guild Leader will also be visiting. MKC has been excluded from this matter as well.”

Seok Simyeong said, pressing the elevator button. Peace, who was in my arms, tilted his head, noticing that we weren’t heading to the training room. He must be a genius. He even knows the floors.

“In addition to Hunter Kim Sunghan, other guilds will also be sending A-rank or higher Hunters for security.”

Yerim was in the middle of a dungeon raid to level up. And Yoohyun, still unhappy, told me not to come on purpose. I heard he’s radiating a cold aura.

If we went together in that state, he might ruin the negotiations. He’s just overprotective.

“Team Leader Seok.”

I joined Kim Sunghan midway and headed down to the parking lot when a Haeyeon Guild member called Seok Simyeong with a troubled expression. Almost simultaneously, Seok Simyeong’s phone vibrated.

Seok Simyeong frowned after checking the text message on his phone.

“No, why…….”

Come to think of it, the surrounding atmosphere was also strange. There were more than a few people coming down the stairs and peeking around as if there was something to see.

“What should we do?”

The Haeyeon Guild member who called Seok Simyeong said.

“Isn’t there nothing we can do? Han Yoojin-ssi.”

“Yes?”

“The Sesung Guild Leader has come as Han Yoojin-ssi’s bodyguard.”

“…Yes?”

What nonsense is that? Why is the Sesung Guild Leader here?

“No, but, can an S-Rank Hunter just move around like that?”

I’m not one to talk, considering I stick Yoohyun and Yerim together. Anyway.

“Of course, it’s extremely rare for an S-Rank Hunter, especially a Guild Leader, to visit another S-Rank Hunter’s guild. Hunter guilds are essentially armed groups, so they usually make appointments outside.”

Seok Simyeong, who had stopped walking, started again, explaining with a sigh.

“This is the first time the Sesung Guild Leader has visited the Haeyeon Guild, or rather, the second time including the last one. Of course, the Guild Leader hasn’t visited the Sesung Guild either.”

In other words, it means entering someone else’s territory. Unless there’s a difference in rank, it would be off-putting if they were both S-Rank.

“The same goes for other S-Rank guilds, but you did visit Sudam once.”

Seok Simyeong lowered his voice. Sudam? That’s also a guild with an S-Rank Hunter as its leader. What did he go there for? Are they close?

“…Thanks to that, you were detained. It ended with a fine and a week of probation, though.”

So they’re not close. What did you do, little brother? That’s why Seok Simyeong added that it’s even rarer for an S-Rank Guild Leader to visit another guild privately.

Passing through the checkpoint and entering the visitor parking lot, there was a car that immediately caught my eye. It was a sleek car that seemed to have been specially made, but the man standing in front of it was even more noticeable than the car.

…What’s with the bouquet?

“It’s difficult if you visit unilaterally without prior notice.”

Seok Simyeong said after a polite greeting.

“Oh dear. It seems there’s a problem with Haeyeon’s work system. The request for permission to visit for Han Yoojin-gun’s security was definitely submitted this morning.”

“Yes. We certainly received a message that an A-Rank or higher Hunter would be visiting, but…”

Seok Simyeong tried hard to suppress a sigh. Sung Hyunjae smiled slightly, as if asking if he wasn’t A-Rank or higher. He is, but still.

“I will definitely take responsibility for Han Yoojin-gun’s safety.”

Sung Hyunjae took out a single flower from the bouquet, a pastel-toned blue flower with abundant layers of petals. He snapped the long stem short and stuck it into Seok Simyeong’s chest pocket.

“Don’t worry.”

Seok Simyeong’s lips twitched. Regardless, Sung Hyunjae turned his gaze to me this time.

No, wait a minute.

“Shall we go, then?”

Sung Hyunjae held out the bouquet to me and lightly bowed. It was unnecessarily picturesque, to the point where gasps of admiration could be heard from the onlookers behind us, which made me even more creeped out.

“My hands aren’t, free.”

My lips trembled just as much as Seok Simyeong’s. I have to smile for my S-Rank customer, haha. I’m really glad I brought Peace with me.

Sung Hyunjae opened the car door for me, pretending to be disappointed. It was a two-seater, so it was the passenger seat.

“Ah, I…”

Seok Simyeong quickly and briefly shook his head at me as I was about to say that I could ride in the Haeyeon vehicle. His eyes flickered complexly, as if containing countless thoughts.

“…Thank you.”

Right, if Yoohyun were here, it would be different, but asking to be protected by A-Rank Kim Sunghan might feel insulting to Sung Hyunjae.

The Guild Leader himself! Came all the way here and personally! Opened the car door for me, but what could an F-Rank do? Well, at least my safety will be guaranteed for sure.

As soon as I got in the car, the Sesung Guild Leader placed the bouquet on my lap and closed the door for me. Peace tapped the flowers with his front paws.

“You seem… quite free.”

As soon as Sung Hyunjae got in the car and started the engine, I couldn’t hold back any longer. Then he suddenly reached out his hand towards me. What, what.

“Han Yoojin-gun is F-Rank in stats, so you should wear your seatbelt.”

“That’s, right. I forgot.”

Upper-level Hunters don’t need seatbelts. Only the car gets wrecked. I stroked Peace, who was growling softly at Sung Hyunjae, to calm him down. Soon the car started moving.

Glancing at the side mirror, I saw the Haeyeon vehicle following right behind us. One came up to the side, and the other took a position in the back.

Even though I was in a position to be protected, this situation still felt unfamiliar.

“I appreciate you coming in person, but that doesn’t add anything to the negotiation.”

“Let’s just say it’s pure curiosity and compensation for not being able to provide much help with the kidnapping last time.”

“That’s MKC’s responsibility, though.”

“Thanks to that, I also found out that it’s so rotten that I’ll have to cut it off soon.”

Will MKC [Mega-guild known for corruption] go bankrupt faster than in my regression? It was originally the fastest-failing mega-guild, though.

“As you’ve already heard, the skill to identify awakening potential will be used to prevent the side effects of the Awakening Center. I’ll be too busy raising the Beast King, so the guilds and the Association can negotiate among themselves without me.”

“I was hoping you could go abroad, too.”

“At this rate, I won’t even be able to leave Seoul.”

If Yoohyun heard that, he’d set Sesung on fire. I don’t have the slightest intention of going abroad either.

A moment of silence passed, and the light changed. The stopped car shot forward. It wasn’t far from the Haeyeon Guild to the Association. We’ll be there in a few minutes.

‘Should I use the Sprout Skill once?’

I was curious about the status window of the hunter who was ranked number one in the world. Riette noticed it right away, but Sung Hyunjae is driving right now, so it should be okay, right?

I keep glancing, but he doesn’t seem to care much. If the status window pops up when I use the skill, I’ll pretend to read the sign outside the window and check it.

Don’t read it all, just a part, quickly. Without rolling my eyes as much as possible.

The skill—

“Ah.”

My neck was grabbed. To be exact, a cool palm touched the back of my neck.

– Kyaang!

Peace bared his teeth fiercely, and Sung Hyunjae turned the corner with one hand on the steering wheel as if nothing had happened. The bouquet fell to my feet with a thud.

I took a short breath. His thumb lightly pressed and stroked my nape. A fear resistance message popped up in front of my eyes.

“…Peace, it’s okay.”

– Grrr.

Damn it, did he notice? But how, before I even used the skill?

“I thought you came as a bodyguard. Surely you’re not trying to follow in MKC’s footsteps.”

His lightly colored eyes smiled thinly. The hand that had been touching the back of my neck slowly moved down. Instinctively, I leaned away from the backrest, and he patted my back soothingly before withdrawing his hand.

“Neither of us did anything, did we, Han Yoojin-gun.”

“…We didn’t.”

Could he have sensed that I was about to do something? He’s disgustingly sensitive.

I should refrain from using the Sprout Skill on S-Rank Hunters unless I’m picking a fight. Especially Sung Hyunjae, I’ll never use it on that man again. I wouldn’t even if you paid me.

Not long after, the car arrived at the Hunter Association. I quickly got out of the car and joined Seok Simyeong’s group without looking back.

I’m going to ride the Haeyeon car on the way back. Definitely.

* * *

Ice clinked at the end of the straw, stirring. I sipped the drink and looked out the window at the passing pedestrians.

The Hunter Association accepted my conditions and agreed to actively cooperate. However, they demanded solid evidence first.

“Is it okay to drink it with ice?”

Yerim, who had received a something frappe, looked at the cup in front of me and asked. The drink I was drinking was none other than a mana potion.

“I don’t think it matters.”

“Looking at the color, it looks like orange flavor. Aren’t you getting tired of it?”

“I am.”

How could I not be tired of it? It was originally just about palatable, not delicious, but drinking it like water is starting to get tough.

I swallowed a sigh and looked around. To find special initial skill holders of B-Rank or higher, we rented out the entire first floor cafe on a main street with a lot of foot traffic. In addition to Yerim, there was one A-Rank Hunter and three B-Rank Hunters. One of the B-Rank Hunters used to work part-time at a cafe and made various drinks for us.

His skills were quite good, so I wondered if he had an aptitude for that.

“…Should I try mixing a mana potion with coffee?”

“That sounds disgusting. You should just pour it into real orange juice instead. Make it strong.”

“I’m tired of orange flavor… and apple too.”

“Then how about ordering a handmade mana potion?”

“That’s a good idea.”

It’ll be expensive, but if I keep chugging this for another two or three days, I’ll get sick of it and throw up.

“Should I deck out my equipment with magic power? My mana is so low that I have to drink it too often.”

But it’s also stuffy to do that. It was even summer. Grumbling, I turned my gaze back to the window. Pedestrians walking along the street came into view.

Any special skill would be fine as long as I could provide evidence, but I didn’t want to waste a skill. So the current goal was to find a special skill holder of B-Rank or higher. Of course, I couldn’t miss out on stat holders of A-Rank or higher either.

But I haven’t found anyone yet.

“Another C-Rank. A silver tongue.”

“Oh, that person is right? He’s a famous EVS [Educational Broadcasting System] middle school instructor. His lectures are definitely easy to understand. I heard he’s been getting a lot of love calls from hagwons [private academies].”

I guess he found his aptitude.

“Surprisingly, there are quite a few C-Ranks. Weren’t there even more D-Ranks?”

“Yeah. Almost half were E-Rank or higher.”

Yerim tilted her head at my words.

“If you have a skill of E-Rank or higher, you should get a hunter’s license, but they said the hunter ratio among awakeners is about 1 percent.”

“Well… most of the awakeners so far have had combat-related skills?”

From what I briefly looked at this morning, I couldn’t be sure yet, but most people’s aptitudes weren’t for combat. I hadn’t paid much attention to those below C-Rank and hadn’t bothered to calculate the ratio, but thinking about it, it was actually a natural result.

Maybe a hundred years ago, but how many people in modern times have a knack for fighting? Besides, Korea hasn’t had a civil war and has been relatively peaceful for over half a century. So there aren’t many opportunities to hold proper weapons except in the military. Unless you’re an archer, kendo practitioner, or shooter, it ends up as a hobby. Not even a common hobby.

“If more than half of the people have better-than-average talents, what percentage of those talents are related to combat? I don’t think it would be many.”

“I guess so, there are very few just looking at occupations.”

Yerim nodded.

“They forced combat-related awakenings, so most of them are bound to be FF [F-Rank]. Stats F, modern people’s lack of exercise is famous.”

If F-Rank was subdivided into plus, minus, and zero, there would be tons of F-minuses.

“It’s a new realization, but there are really a lot of people in the world who don’t know their own worth and are buried.”

The C-Rank initial skill holder who passed by earlier would have probably gotten an F~E-Rank combat support skill if they had gone through the Awakening Center normally.

“That office worker over there seems to have a singing-related skill, and it’s C-Rank. I saw a few singers with good singing skills when I went to the broadcasting station last time, and one of them had the same initial skill as that.”

“Really?”

Yerim looked at the man I was pointing at with excitement.

“Shouldn’t we go tell him? Tell him to debut!”

“It’s hard to be a celebrity just because you’re good at singing. They might not like being in front of people.”

I don’t like it much either.

“Still, it’s better than not knowing.”

Yerim, who had sucked up the frappe, suddenly looked at me with worried eyes.

“But. If there are so many E-Ranks or higher, won’t it be harder for you? You’ll have to help 50 out of 100 people.”

“Of course I can’t do it all.”

How could I take it all on myself? Raising monsters and raising people, even if I had three or four bodies, it wouldn’t be enough.