The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 66

66. Q&A (2)

Waterdrop: I’m sorry. Those guys are better at their jobs than they should be, considering the subject matter.

Tree: Water that’s been stagnant for so long it’s starting to rot. The water never gets changed here~

Waterdrop: The second reason is that it’s ultimately a beginner’s support system.

Honey: Beginner’s?

Waterdrop: Yes. That’s how people in Honey’s world are. Let’s say one day they suddenly have the ability to fly. How would they even realize it? How many people would suddenly think, ‘Oh, I should try flying!’?

That’s true. Unless they were children, if an ordinary adult tried to fly with their bare body, they’d end up in a mental hospital.

Waterdrop: That’s why we applied the most suitable system for Honey’s world, which is the status window. A game-like system with levels, stats, skills, and even rewards appearing in a square window.

Tree: But since it’s just for beginners, it’ll disappear before long.

Waterdrop: We’ll monitor their adaptation and gradually remove it in about 10 years. Starting with the skill window for those who have already awakened.

Honey: Does it have to be removed? If the status window disappears, it’ll be harder for future awakened individuals to even realize they’ve awakened.

It’s much more convenient to have the system.

Waterdrop: Don’t worry about that. Right now, people don’t really feel their own abilities because they haven’t adapted yet. Even if they get a sense of it, they might be confused whether it’s real or just their imagination.

Tree: Even now, those who are S-class can sense the abilities of others to some extent. When the system disappears, that sense will be strengthened. Some sensitive people will even be able to sense the stats of non-awakened individuals. That’s why Honey’s Sprout Skill’s rating is lower than its current usefulness.

I already thought it was too good for an S-class skill. If the ability to check the awakening prediction status window becomes common, only the optimized awakening effect once a month will remain, which is just about S-class level.

Tree: Also, the beginner system is a comfortable guide, but it’s also a restriction that sets limits.

Waterdrop: It’s similar to how you can only move within the framework of the system in games, unlike reality. It might feel convenient to have clear ranks and skills at first. But once it’s set, it becomes difficult to break free.

Tree: An F-class awakened person can never become an S-class. Because the growth potential of an F-class is fixed in the system. No matter how hard they try, B-class is the limit. In fact, in the early stages of the system, there’s a kind of safety device in place, making it difficult to grow skills and stats unless it’s an exceptional case. But in a world without a system, it’s not impossible for an ordinary person to grow into the strongest in the world.

Waterdrop: People keep changing. Nothing is fixed. Not stats, not even skills.

Tree: Besides, we, the system, aren’t always accurate either. Especially these days, the accuracy has dropped a bit because of Honey.

…Because of me?

Newbie: That’s right! Could you please reduce the frequency of using the Sprout Skill? Even by just 20%! I feel like I’m going to die from overwork! ㅠ◇ㅠ

Tree: Every time you use the Sprout Skill on a new person, we have to look at it and add the expected rank and skills. It’s somewhat automated, and we adjust our time appropriately, but it’s still a bit tough. The amount of time we can use each day isn’t unlimited either.

Honey: …I’m sorry.

I didn’t realize it was real-time work.

Honey: I’ll reduce it by half.

Waterdrop: Please do. It’ll be troublesome for Honey too if the accuracy drops too much.

Of course. It wouldn’t do to struggle with the wrong skills.

Honey: Could you perhaps make the skill names more intuitive?

Waterdrop: We can for new skills, but it’s difficult for skills with already stored information. We can only tweak a few. Besides, skills that have never appeared before are extremely rare.

Tree: In fact, there are almost none.

Almost none, huh. Even though the current number of awakened individuals isn’t that high, the fact that new skills are rare means there must be other worlds.

Like the place where the former owner of the Golden Blacksmith lived.

Honey: Come to think of it, the explanation for the Golden Blacksmith’s owner’s skill was unusually detailed. They even gave me an item.

Tree: Ah, that’s because the previous skill holder used their power. There was a price to pay, and they sacrificed themselves. For the future of others.

Waterdrop: He was a good man. Like all great blacksmiths, he was also a good cook.

Tree: I miss him. Good people always leave too soon.

The price must have been something like giving up their life. Considering it was passed down in the form of an item, the skill’s uniqueness must have also played a part.

Tree: I can’t give you a detailed explanation, but it’s a very rare case. It’s impossible with ordinary abilities.

Waterdrop: It’s also a one-time thing, so the next skill holder will be ordinary.

Our Myungwoo hit the jackpot.

Waterdrop: We can write detailed skill descriptions, but as I said before, the Perfect Caregiver title is the first one ever. There’s no information.

Tree: Even just Caregiver is a very rare title compared to its rank.

Newbie: That’s right, I’ve never seen the Caregiver title before either!

Caregiver? That’s surprising.

Honey: Isn’t it enough to just be the guardian of an S-class awakened person?

S-classes are rare, but there are still a decent number of them, and many have surviving parents. So I thought there would be a few more people with the Caregiver title who just didn’t reveal it, like me.

Tree: It’s a little different. To explain this, I need to tell you about high-level awakened individuals. Do you have time?

Waterdrop: Yes. It’s good information for Honey to know too.

Tree: The Caregiver title can only be obtained if you are considered a caregiver by a naturally born S-class awakened person, not a regular S-class awakened person.

Honey: Naturally born?

Tree: When you use the Sprout Skill, the predicted awakening stat rank appears, right? That’s S. Not A or A~S. There are only five awakened individuals like that right now… and you’ve met three of them?

The two I confirmed were Yoohyun and Liete. The other one must be Sung Hyunjae. So all the other S-classes I’ve encountered so far had a predicted stat rank of A~S?

Waterdrop: The abilities people are born with aren’t equal, after all. Even before awakened individuals appeared in Honey’s world, there were many exceptionally talented people. Among those naturally gifted people, a predicted stat rank of S is a kind of irregularity. In the system, rank S is the limit for the main race of that world. Skills have many abilities that go beyond the physical body, so SS-class and higher can appear, but not stats. It’s not impossible to break through the limits with effort, but it’s difficult and takes a long time. At least a decade.

Indeed, the maximum stat was S-class. That’s why there were no SS-class hunters even after 5 years.

Waterdrop: And the predicted awakening stat rank is just the rank of a newly awakened individual with remaining growth potential. Even the Sprout Skill is just optimized awakening, not maximum or limit awakening, right? So the range between A and S is the maximum awakening stat rank of that race.

Tree: In other words, naturally born S-classes are outside the norm. Honey’s world has a large population, so there are already five, but usually there are only two or three per generation. These extremely rare outliers, well, they don’t mix well with their own kind.

Waterdrop: A~S-classes also tend to look down on those with lower stats. But S-classes can go so far as to not even treat them as the same species. At the same time, other members of the same species, especially ordinary people, instinctively feel wary of S-classes. They feel intimidated, a little uncomfortable, but that small difference is quite significant.

Tree: It’s hard to be a good parent if you’re intimidated by your own child.

Reading the words on the window, I thought back to my childhood. Yoohyun was cute. I don’t think I ever felt wary of him.

Tree: That’s why the Caregiver title doesn’t come out often. Besides, the holders of that title usually have short lifespans.

Honey: What?

Waterdrop: It’s not for any other reason, but because they’re more likely to be murdered. They can’t touch the S-class, so they go after their family instead. They tend to be tyrannical types. Fortunately, Honey’s world is stable in that regard.

Tyrannical. They didn’t seem any different from other guild leaders. I didn’t notice anything particularly strange about the other two besides Yoohyun.

Honey: You said I’ve met three naturally born S-classes, but I didn’t think they were that different. I have fear resistance, but their attitudes themselves were all fine.

Yoohyun was a given, and Liete was overly clingy to the point of being too kind. Liete seemed to be largely due to the Dragon Slayer title, but Sung Hyunjae, who didn’t have anything like that, was also kind.

Tree: That’s because it’s Honey they’re dealing with.

Waterdrop: Their stats are low, so they’re not threatening, but their special skills are high. Combat-oriented high-level awakened individuals like that. S-classes would feel that directly, so they’d like it even more. There’s one other person besides Honey like that.

Myungwoo? Or are they talking about the Saintess? Well, the Saintess was popular among high-level hunters. She was like the matriarch of the hunter world.

Tree: Just imagining it is so cute. I used to [Censored for excessive information] those kids. Ah, sorry.

Waterdrop: Newbie, thanks for the quick work.

Newbie: You’re welcome!

Is that [Censored] for excessive information blocking? The deer and the wolf had a different vibe, but still.

Tree: Our story is useless information. It just reminded me of the old days.

Waterdrop: There’s not much time left, so be careful. Still, Honey, be careful of high-level awakened individuals. They’ll generally be friendly towards Honey, but the difference in power is so great that their goodwill can become violence. They’re generally selfish and self-centered, which makes them even more dangerous. We want Honey to gather the S-classes safely.

Tree: Yeah. Safety is the most important thing. It’s okay if it takes a little longer. About 5 years? Originally, we had about 10 years, but as you know, 5 years have disappeared.

Waterdrop: It’s not like we could have found another way within that time anyway, so don’t worry about the 5 years being reduced.

Honey: Okay.

5 years was plenty of time. Soon Peace will grow up, and another top-tier baby monster is scheduled to arrive. Sesung will probably get one too. Add Liete and her brother, and the Breaker Guild Leader, and that’s already eight, and if Kim Sunghan grows up safely, that’s nine.

I could probably gather them all in two or three years, even taking it easy.

Honey: Are monsters included in the 50?

I asked just in case. It might get tough if it’s limited to humans.

Waterdrop: As long as the keyword is applied, there’s no problem.

That’s easy then. I breathed a sigh of relief. I can take my time.

Tree: Anything else you’re curious about?

Um, what is there?

I roughly know the reason why they were interested in me, which was the most concerning thing. I can’t hear the details, but all I have to do is fill 50 S-classes. And I got enough system information. Skills, awakened individuals… Ah, dungeons.

Honey: Is the dungeon generation rule still the same? I’m doing related research.

Newbie: It’s the same! It just gets faster. Sometimes dungeons from 5 years later appear, but we’re trying to deal with them right away!

I just need to supplement the speed.

Honey: Is it difficult to get information about monsters or dungeons?

Tree: The connection is too great, so it’s dangerous. You’ll find out someday whether you like it or not.

Waterdrop: Yeah. Honey will eventually know everything. When the time comes.

…No, I don’t need to know. Those meaningful words make me uneasy.

Is there really nothing else besides this? They’ll say no matter what I ask about those people. I’ve already been [Censored] blocked. I think I know roughly everything I need to know.

Honey: Just one more thing, finally. Can I tell my brother about the system? He’s very anxious, and I want to have someone to confide in. Since he came into the dungeon with me, it would be even better if you could send him a message window too.

If he gets a message from the system, he’ll believe me easily.

Tree: To your brother? Wait a minute, wait a minute. It’s dangerous for information to spread, so not too much… It’s okay if it’s just to the extent that he’s helping us. If you send a signal, we’ll send him a promised message. Something simple like ‘System Support Test’ [Explanation: Abbreviated to SST in Korean, it’s a playful way to acknowledge the system’s presence]?

Honey: Yes, thank you.

I hope I can appease Yoohyun with this.

Newbie: You really care about your brother! A good sibling relationship is so nice ˘▽˘

No, he’s my younger brother.

The chat window went silent for a moment. And then.

Waterdrop: Oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah!!!!! I won! Newbie, get the saw! I’m going to cut off the deer bastard’s horns! Ooh hoo!!

I think your character has changed a bit.

Waterdrop: A thousand years of indigestion is gone!

If it’s been a thousand years, it’s bound to change.

Newbie: Are you really going to cut them off?

Waterdrop: If you bet, you have to cut them off! What did the wolf bet? Why are you so quiet? Did you both run away? Ah, I’m sorry, Honey. Of course you’re a man. I thought so. I’m sorry for betting too. Those guys kept insisting, so I got worked up.

Honey: It’s okay.

Tree: If you don’t have any more questions, should we send you back? We’re happy to play more, though.

Honey: Yes. Hasn’t too much time passed?

Tree: Maybe?

Maybe. Don’t tell me it’s been days. I’d be in trouble. I’m already a little anxious.

Newbie: Not much time has passed! I’m not sure, but maybe 30 minutes at most?

…It’s been longer than I thought.

Honey: Can’t you reduce the time?

Newbie: It’s hard because we’re connected. Should I send you back right away?

Honey: Yes

Still, 30 minutes should be okay. I can explain the system now too.

The light that made up the chat window and keyboard scattered again, and the surrounding darkness became blurred. Then, the scenery in front of me changed.

To a barren field.

There was definitely a forest between the beaches, but it’s all gone. The hidden sea came into full view.

‘Is it… all burned down?’

Ashes scattered in the breeze, and embers flickered here and there. An ominous feeling ran down my spine.

– Kroar!

Then, suddenly, the roar of a beast was heard. I reflexively turned around, and a beast with a body larger than most lions, with a mix of red and gold fur, leaped in front of me. I unconsciously took a step back and used the Sprout Skill.

[2nd Grade Unicorn Subspecies – Flame Horned Lion (Juvenile) Peace

Current Stat Rank B

Growth Potential Stat Rank A~S

Optimized Initial Skill

Flame Breath (S) Acquired After Growth

Flame Dash (A) Acquired After Growth

Gigantification (A) Acquired After Growth

Flame Resistance (A) Acquired

※ Unable to grow without the help of an adult]

…Peace?