The S-Classes That I Raised [EN]: Chapter 83

83. Fear Resistance

Past the lobby, to the right, lay a row of neatly arranged enclosures. More like rooms than cages, they were spacious, equipped with air purification, climate control, and even CCTV. The smaller ones could house creatures up to level 10 with B-rank stat growth, while the largest could accommodate A-rank creatures.

The unicorns had already been moved here.

Nameplates on the enclosures read “Peace” and “Blue.” When I was away, they would stay here under the care of the assigned Hunter.

I placed the nest I’d brought from Sesung into an empty enclosure and set Comet down inside.

– Shii shwik!

The baby dragon wrapped its long tail around my wrist and hissed at Blue, who was loitering outside. Despite the difference in size and stats, it couldn’t bring itself to attack, but it seemed quite upset.

“Alright, alright. Blue can’t come in here, so you can sleep here.”

I then entrusted Blue and Chirp to the facility. My belongings were still in the dorm, and I planned to bring them home once I moved everything. I didn’t have much luggage, but moving with the kids, especially Blue, would likely leave nothing intact.

Kang Soyoung had gone shopping to decorate Comet’s enclosure. Take note, Han Yoohyun. Hurry up and get out here to furnish Peace’s enclosure with a top-notch pet bed.

“The mini-portal to the second floor requires a registration key,” Sung Hyunjae said, producing a business card-sized plaque from his inventory, thinly carved from an S-rank mana stone and encoded with a password. Wait, why does this guy have a registration key?

“There are six registration keys in total. The four guilds, excluding MKC, each have one. The remaining two belong to Han Yoojin-gun [Mr. Han Yoojin]. They’ve been sent to Haeyeon Guild, so you can pick them up there.”

“Do I have no privacy?”

Why are you handing out keys to my house?

“There’s another door inside, so don’t worry.”

“A regular door would be like paper to an S-rank Hunter.”

“Not quite. More like a wooden plank? It’s specially made, you know.”

It’s all the same if it breaks with a single touch. There’s no guarantee that problems won’t arise inside the house, so it can’t be helped.

“The exterior walls of the house can withstand an A-rank combat Hunter for about 30 minutes, I’m told.”

“That’s sturdy.”

“We used the hide of a level 3 Armored Dragon as the exterior material. Since we lacked the technology to process it, A-rank Hunters had to do it.”

How gracious. There aren’t any dungeons in the country that produce level 3 Armored Dragons yet. Did they import it?

The key to the inner door was also sent to Haeyeon, so I didn’t go inside to take a look. I’m sure they did a good job.

Sung Hyunjae unnecessarily kindly explained the training room, management office, reception room, and other facilities. I felt sorry for Song Taewon, who kept getting cut off, so I subtly hinted, but it didn’t work at all.

‘Song Taewon probably didn’t just come to give a tour; he must have other business.’

I can’t exactly tell him to shut up and get lost. …Should I? If I leave it like this, he’ll finish the tour and drag Song Taewon away with him. That’s probably why he came along in the first place.

Of course, Song Taewon isn’t one to give up easily. I can already see a fierce battle of wills between the two of them.

I’ll just have to do something about it myself.

“Sesung Guild Leader, I’m sorry to take up so much of your time when you must be busy. I’ll hear the rest from Chief Song Taewon.”

At my words, which meant, ‘Please go home now,’ Sung Hyunjae’s gaze turned to me. The corners of his eyes curved into a thin smile.

“I don’t begrudge any time spent with you, so don’t worry.”

Damn it, roundabout ways don’t work.

“I’m feeling burdened, so please leave,” I said it straight. Then he makes a hurt face. Crazy. …Definitely crazy.

“You’re more heartless than you appear.”

“…We’re not in a relationship where you can call me heartless.”

“I thought I put in quite a bit of effort. Other than checking your skill, I haven’t treated you badly. Frankly, it’s rare for someone to accept that kind of skill so defenselessly, don’t you think?”

What nonsense is he spouting? I thought for a moment.

‘Sung Hyunjae has been quite… nice to me……?’

Looking back, he hadn’t harmed me except for rejecting the skill. He was friendly the whole time I was at Sesung, and I received Peace’s toy and earrings. He caused trouble by picking fights with other people in the dungeon, but he listened to me. He even brought gifts when he visited me in the hospital, and thanks to him, I arrived comfortably today, even though Song Taewon’s car was wrecked.

It seems like he really put in effort for me.

‘…I feel like I’m being scammed.’

Considering he’s the great Guild Leader of a giant guild, he’s been incredibly lenient. Even now, he’s not showing any anger after being told to get lost so blatantly.

It’s definitely true, and the thing about the skill isn’t wrong either, and I’ve experienced it all firsthand, so why do I feel like I’m being deceived?

As I was feeling uneasy, Yerim grabbed my arm.

“Ahjussi [Uncle/Mister], don’t let him charm you!”

Charm me? I feel terrible.

“Thinking about it, you’re right. You’ve been very considerate to me.”

I acknowledged. I continued with a smile.

“So, please show me your kindness this time as well. If you leave quietly without any fuss, I might be a little touched.”

If you’re going to be nice, be nice until the end.

At my repeated dismissal, Sung Hyunjae’s eyes turned cold for a moment. I’m raising your kid, please calm down.

“I have no choice. The one who falls first loses.”

What are you talking about?

Sung Hyunjae gave Song Taewon a glance and turned away obediently. He must have had some ulterior motive, but he listened too easily, which made me uneasy.

But I sent him away for now.

“Yerim, why don’t you go catch up on the classes you missed?”

“How can I leave you here, Ahjussi?”

“This is my house now. There are already Hunters guarding it.”

At my words, Yerim glared at Song Taewon, who was standing silently.

“They’re just A-ranks. I’ll go if that Ahjussi leaves too.”

Even if he’s an S-rank, Yerim wouldn’t be a match yet. He’s the most experienced person in the country when it comes to fighting Hunters, not monsters. He could easily subdue Yerim, who’s still low-level.

“Why are you so on edge? He’s a public official, nothing will happen. He wouldn’t arrest someone without due process.”

“Sometimes they do.”

Song Taewon said casually. …They do arrest people. I didn’t know. Yerim tightened her grip on my arm. It hurts.

“Hunters B-rank and above are capable of mass destruction, so I can immediately detain them at my discretion. Depending on the skill, it also applies to Hunters C-rank and below.”

“…Ahjussi is B-rank now, too.”

Yerim whispered with a frown. Even though my stats are F and I have zero attack skills.

“Honestly, if anyone’s going to get arrested, it’s more likely to be you than me… Ouch.”

Don’t pinch me. The adults around this kid are so bad that I’m worried I’ll have to visit her in jail soon.

“Of course, I didn’t come here for that purpose today, so you can rest assured if you haven’t committed any illegal acts.”

…I have murder threats and assault, but no one will find out. I told Yerim to go to class again, and she gave me a distrustful look.

“You’re not going to be on the 9 o’clock news, are you?”

“Then bring me some commissary.”

Something came to mind at Yerim’s grumbling appearance, so I took out a pen and notepad made from dungeon byproducts from my inventory. I wrote down two phone numbers on the notepad and handed it to Yerim.

“If I ever go missing, contact these numbers and ask them to find me.”

“Whose numbers are these?”

“You’ll know if you call. Don’t contact them unnecessarily.”

They’re Do Hamin and Yoon Yoon’s contact numbers.

I’ve changed my phone, but I still have my ID card, which was issued a long time ago, so if I ask Do Hamin, he can find my location right away. And Yoon Yoon, who couldn’t move far with B-rank stats and a companion, now has S-rank stats and a long-range portal skill, so escape is easy and safe.

It meant that as long as I’m alive, there’s nothing to worry about.

After appeasing Yerim and sending her away, I was finally alone with Song Taewon. There was no need to look around the facilities any further, so I headed towards the reception room we had passed earlier.

“You really didn’t come to arrest me, did you?”

I asked jokingly as I walked.

“No. I met your brother a while ago.”

“…Yes?”

“Several deaths occurred due to Han Yoojin-ssi’s kidnapping. I was a little surprised that the Haeyeon Guild Leader was so willing to cooperate with the investigation.”

“That… the first time means that something similar has happened before, right?”

“It’s about a quarterly event.”

Quarterly… four times a year… Yoohyun?!

With complicated feelings, I opened the door to the reception room. It was a luxurious, well-decorated room with one wall made entirely of glass. There was also a large pantry attached. No one was there now, but I’d have to hire staff soon.

“I… haven’t heard much about those stories. Has the problem ever been serious?”

“You wouldn’t know because it’s not often publicized. It’s rare for things to be not serious when dealing with S-rank Hunters, but it’s much better these days. Dungeon breaks hardly ever happen.”

Song Taewon continued with a faint smile.

“In areas where dungeon breaks occur, the use of attack skills cannot be restricted, so in the past, you had to be prepared to lose an arm if you were unlucky. As you know, the Haeyeon Guild Leader’s personality isn’t ordinary.”

“…….”

“I’m sorry.”

Song Taewon apologized when I hesitated, not knowing what to say.

“Ah, no. I’m the one who should be sorry. My brother… must have been very rude.”

Ah, damn it, Yoohyun, what have you been doing? It’s not another guild or a regular Hunter, why is a public official talking about being prepared to lose an arm?

“Don’t worry too much about it. It’s common for high-ranking Hunters to get edgy when cleaning up after a break, not conquering a dungeon. Especially if two or more S-rank Hunters enter the same break area, there was no choice but to set up a barrier, have healers on standby, and wait for them to calm down. It was an unstable time, so it wasn’t publicized. Thinking about those times, these days are really peaceful.”

“Did Yoohyun… the Haeyeon Guild Leader also…….”

Song Taewon abandoned his consistently calm expression and wore an embarrassed smile.

“I hesitate to honestly tell you the evaluations at the time. You can think of it as something that S-rank Hunters who awakened early have gone through more than once. That’s why I was very worried when I heard that four S-rank Hunters were entering the same dungeon. Especially since two of them… No, never mind.”

They bickered, but there weren’t any major problems. I remembered Yoohyun regretting that S-rank Hunters wouldn’t gather like this in a dungeon. If they were always fighting, and it’s been a while since dungeon breaks have been rare, it must have built up. Their stats must have changed a lot in the meantime, too. I’m sure they’re curious.

But it’s not possible. Wait for a relatively safe ranking match to appear.

“Um, would you like something to drink? Coffee or something?”

Drinks are cheap, so it should be okay. Song Taewon nodded. I went into the pantry and saw a large coffee machine. How do I use this…? I hesitated and opened a cupboard and found instant coffee.

“The reason I came here today is to check on Han Yoojin-ssi’s condition.”

I was opening a packet of instant coffee when I heard a voice from behind. Why did he come all the way in here instead of just waiting?

“My condition?”

When I turned around, Song Taewon was looking down at me with his usual calm face.

“Yes. Han Yoojin-ssi’s stats are F. On the other hand, the grade of your special skill is high. That means you’re an easy target.”

Well, I know that. That’s why Yoohyun recommended confinement, and I made an effort to create my current position.

“The five guilds have agreed, but the situation is unbalanced because of MKC. I heard that Hanshin is also under a lot of pressure in many ways.”

So that’s why I haven’t heard from Hanshin.

“In the midst of all this, I heard that you were taking Han Yoojin-ssi into an A-rank dungeon, so I became suspicious.”

To be exact, I took them with me.

“Have you suffered any mental or physical harm?”

“…Yes? Well, they kept trying to fight, so I was tired. That was about it.”

“You can speak comfortably. It would be stranger if Han Yoojin-ssi was unharmed. You may not know this, but there are skills and items in the Hunter world that can control people at will. It’s even easier to use the lower the stats.”

I know. I almost fell victim to it once. But I don’t have to worry too much now.

Mental skills, especially brainwashing, don’t work well if the target is mentally stable, even if their stats are F. And the easiest way to shake someone is with fear. All you need are simple tools like violence and threats.

‘But I have fear resistance.’

I don’t even bat an eye at SS-rank monsters, so what are you going to do? That’s why I wasn’t too worried about those kinds of skills or items.

“I’m fine, so you don’t have to worry.”

Still, I’m grateful that he’s worried. At my answer, Song Taewon’s eyes sank with weight. His reaction to my saying I was okay was strange.

And his hand touched my neck. His hand, which had approached without me noticing, wrapped around my neck, and his thick thumb lightly pressed down on the pulse.

“Chief Song?”

I was a little embarrassed because I didn’t understand the situation.

“Really, nothing was done to you?”

A heavier voice hit my ear.

“Yes? Nothing— Ugh.”

The hand gripping my neck tightened. I felt like I had to escape the suffocating sensation, but there was no way to do it. Should I have carried an emergency bell?

More than that, there’s no reason for this.

“Cough, cough!”

Fortunately, Song Taewon released me soon after. I coughed out the blocked breath and looked up at him. Why—

“I apologize. The problem wasn’t the Guild Leaders, it was Han Yoojin-ssi.”

“…Yes?”

Song Taewon poured a potion and handed it to me as he continued.

“I’ve been observing Han Yoojin-ssi since the hospital.”

I took the potion and drank a mouthful. The pain in my neck subsided to some extent. Was Sung Hyunjae watching me because I didn’t react to his scratching?

“I thought it was possible with Hunter Park Yerim. She’s still young and seemed quite close to you. But Han Yoojin-ssi treated even the Sesung Guild Leader comfortably.”

“Well, I have some acquaintance with them.”

“That’s why it was even more incomprehensible. You went into an A-rank dungeon together. I know that Han Yoojin-ssi was on the second floor and lost consciousness after the SS-rank monster was killed. You saw the Sesung Guild Leader attacking the SS-rank monster, right?”

I nodded.

“To be able to act nonchalantly even after confirming the power of a monster that is different from you is definitely not a normal F-rank stat. Ordinary people are afraid even when faced with a large, fierce dog barking. If the leash is released and it roams around, there are very few people who can calmly deal with it. Furthermore, Han Yoojin-ssi didn’t feel any fear in other areas either.”

“Other areas?”

“Yes. You reached out to a baby dragon with higher stats than you without hesitation, didn’t you? Hunter Kang Soyoung was more worried. So, I took the liberty of checking, and you were indeed strange.”

Is he talking about choking me? I wondered why he was suddenly doing this, but he didn’t really intend to harm me.

“Even in a life-threatening situation, you were only slightly surprised and embarrassed, but you didn’t show any signs of fear. It was as if you had been stripped of your fear.”

That’s accurate.

“But isn’t that a good thing?”

“It’s bad.”

Song Taewon said firmly.

“Han Yoojin-ssi’s current state is like having the warning lights turned off. Overcoming fear is a good thing, but if you don’t have it from the beginning, you’ll only become reckless. This is even more true because your stats are low. What would happen if a lamb wasn’t afraid of a wolf?”

It would become a well-prepared dinner.

“But if you know that the wolf is dangerous, you’ll run away immediately.”

“That’s true, but Han Yoojin-ssi seems to be at the level of thinking, ‘It seems like this distance is okay, so should I observe the wolf?’ It’s not very dangerous, but it’s not safe either.”

Is that so? But I’ve been scared when the skill message window didn’t appear.

I was a little nervous during Yoohyun and Yerim’s war of nerves, and I was a little scared of Seok Sikyung’s call, and I was terrified when he told me to gather 50 S-ranks, and…….

…Thinking about it, I’ve just been ignoring most things lately. When the S-rank Hunters were growling as a group, I was more annoyed than scared. When Yoon Yoon turned into a demon king, even the fear resistance skill message window didn’t appear. Even though he was an acquaintance, he was an SS-rank monster.

I’ve definitely become more insensitive than I was a month ago.

‘Am I becoming dull because there’s no stimulation?’

I thought it might be dangerous to leave it like this. Should I turn off fear resistance even inside the house? Turn it off and watch horror movies or something.

“You’re right. I’ll be careful. Thank you for your concern.”

“…You’re a difficult person.”

Song Taewon wore a slightly embarrassed smile at my words of gratitude.

“The handprints on your neck haven’t even disappeared yet.”

“…Ah.”

Even I think this is strange. I have to be careful.

“I am personally grateful to Han Yoojin-ssi. I was also worried about the Awakening Center, but there was nothing I could do. So, I hope that nothing happens to you.”

He said that he was glad that there were no major problems for now. Then he took out a pen and notepad from his inventory and wrote down a number.

“This is my personal contact number. Please feel free to contact me if you need any help.”

“Thank you.”

But what about Song Taewon’s way back? He doesn’t have a car.

“Um, maybe there’s an employee or Hunter with a car. I’ll ask them to take you—”

“No. I can take the subway directly.”

Not a taxi, but the subway? I wish I had a driver’s license so I could give him a ride. I should get a license.

“Ah, I don’t know if you’ve seen the news, but there have been frequent terrorist attacks targeting Hunters recently. They’re mainly targeting the Hunter Association, but the breeding facilities have become very famous, especially with Yoo Myungwoo, so please be careful.”

“Yes, I understand.”

It would be a long time before groups claiming that dungeons should be destroyed would carry out terrorist attacks in Korea. I don’t remember the overseas cases well, but I definitely remember the domestic ones.

Still, there’s no guarantee that the future will be exactly the same, so should I keep it in mind?