Chapter 169: Only an S-Class in Name (3)
Despite their commotion, the MKC Hunters faced no significant consequences. For upper-ranked Hunters, minor incidents like this didn’t even result in fines. Since it occurred within the Hunter Association and involved other Hunters, the most they received was a warning.
“Damn it, just wait. This won’t end here.”
Even as Choi Seokwon’s lackey ground his teeth and openly declared his intent for revenge, there were no protective measures implemented for us. Well, even regular police often brushed off such matters, so it wasn’t entirely surprising.
“Haeyeon clearly harmed our Guild Leader, yet the Association is covering it up without even investigating! Especially you, Kim Minui! I’ll kill you no matter what it takes!”
I had assumed they’d give up if they realized they were outmatched, but this guy was particularly persistent. While it wouldn’t be an issue for Noah to handle him, it would be troublesome if he actually went after the real Kim Minui. I stepped forward, putting myself in front of Noah. Yerim and Noah immediately moved closer to me, staying alert.
“You’re barking up the wrong tree, so let me clue you in out of pity. Hunter Kim Minui is a support-type S-Class who hasn’t even been active for very long—he’s nowhere near strong enough to take on Choi Seokwon. If you’re pointing fingers, it should be at one of the other S-Classes. A combat type, not a support.”
The other combat-type S-Classes present at the time were Liette, Song Taewon, Seong Hyunjae (who was temporarily restrained), and Evelyn. Even if this guy threw everything he had at them, they wouldn’t even be scratched, and I wouldn’t have to worry about them.
“Also, you shameless bastard, Haeyeon didn’t harm anyone. Choi Seokwon was a rabid dog who got himself killed. Who was the one trying to kidnap innocent people first? Now you’re playing the victim?”
My words, telling him not to tarnish Haeyeon’s reputation, made his entire body tremble with rage.
“You bastard! What’s so wrong with that?! A cocky F-Class like you should keep your mouth shut!”
What a convenient way of thinking. Given his petty and dirty mindset, it was obvious he’d continue targeting someone he perceived as weaker, like Kim Minui. In that case, the best option was to make myself the more tempting target.
“That cocky F-Class contributed about 30% to your guild leader’s disappearance. No, wait—since it all started because he tripped up trying to catch me, let’s say it’s 50%. Sounds about right, doesn’t it?”
“You… what did you just say, you bastard?!”
Before the furious lackey could grab me, Noah quickly pulled me back. Yerim’s hand intercepted the incoming fist, her small, seemingly delicate hand stopping the blow completely. Ice spread across the lackey’s large knuckles as he hastily retreated, startled.
“Yerim, no offensive skills. We’re inside the Association, remember? Show some restraint.”
“What about killing him without skills?”
“No, absolutely not. Calm down. You’re usually not this foul-mouthed.”
Plenty of people were watching. We needed to manage her image, after all. Yerim huffed angrily, and Noah’s voice, now cold and firm, came from behind me.
“It would be better to resolve this quickly. He doesn’t seem like someone who will let this go.”
“Noah, don’t. You can’t lay a hand on him. We have to follow the rules.”
Noah was right—the lackey’s eyes were half-crazed, filled with unrelenting malice. My taunts had worked; he seemed more focused on me now than Kim Minui. It made sense; I was weaker and an easier target for someone like him.
“You loyal little dog. At least tell me your name.”
“It’s Choi Donggyun. Remember it well.”
Another Choi. Maybe he was a relative, which would explain his irrational behavior. Choi Donggyun barked about how he’d make me pay, while Yerim angrily drew her spear. I quickly stopped her, and she huffed again.
“No crimes.”
“Can I at least report him to the Guild Leader?”
“No, that’s off-limits too. Don’t tell him, don’t get involved, and don’t even go near him. That goes for you too, Yerim. Even if that idiot drowns in a puddle, it could still look suspicious.”
Once the Hunter ID reissuance was complete, I coaxed Yerim and Noah to leave with me. Yerim stomped down the hallway, her steps so heavy they sounded like King Kong’s. At this rate, she’d leave holes in the floor.
“How can you just let him go?”
“Our country doesn’t allow private retaliation, Yerim. Besides, people like that don’t live very long anyway.”
As I tried to calm her down, I stopped in a quieter section of the hallway.
“Hang on, I need to use the restroom.”
The bathroom was spacious and clean, with sturdy and thick stalls—much better than ordinary public restrooms. They probably had to reinforce the facilities because newly awakened individuals often registered here and couldn’t always control their strength.
It was empty, but just to be sure, I went into the farthest stall and took out my phone.
[Can you deal with Choi Donggyun of MKC? Make sure it looks natural and leaves no suspicion.]
I couldn’t just leave him alone. Not only was Kim Minui’s safety at stake, but I also worried about Yuhyun getting involved unnecessarily. There was no way this incident wouldn’t reach his ears, and knowing him, he’d take care of it one way or another.
Not that dealing with it would be a bad thing—Choi Donggyun had already shown hostile intent. Taking action was justified. However, with MKC Hunters potentially being absorbed into Haeyeon, the situation called for a more delicate approach. He might have been a former colleague, but openly harming him wouldn’t look good.
[I don’t like your reasoning.]
Seong Hyunjae’s reply came almost immediately. What was that supposed to mean?
[What do you mean by saying my reason isn’t good enough?]
[The kids Han Yujin takes under his wing have their own claws and fangs.]
What was that supposed to mean? Was he telling me not to ask for favors on behalf of my kids because they could handle things on their own?
[He’s someone who said he’d kill me. Aren’t you worried about properly managing your “items”?]
[Of course not.]
Enough with the cryptic responses. Frustrated by the back-and-forth texting, I decided to call him.
“If you don’t want to do it, just say so. I’ll find another way.”
Burying one rogue A-Class Hunter wouldn’t be difficult. Contacting Seong Hyunjae was just the simplest and fastest option.
[That’s not how you ask for a favor.]
His voice, soft yet condescending, came through the phone.
[If you simply said, without calculation, that you found him annoying and wanted him dealt with, I’d gladly do it. Don’t you think I’m capable of such a trivial favor?]
“So, if it’s not a request but a trade, is that acceptable?”
[Oh dear, how cold. I was merely hoping to see you cling to me out of pure self-interest.]
What nonsense was this?
“I admit you’re extraordinary, but even you can’t give me what I truly want.”
[What if I could?]
“In that case, I’d already be groveling at your feet. I’d cry, cling to you, and even crawl on the ground to kiss your shoes. I’d do anything you asked.”
That much wouldn’t be hard. Tossing aside my pride is nothing new to me. If dragging myself through the dirt meant everything would end well, I’d be grateful.
I meant it. If I could avoid losing anything more and even regain what I’ve lost, I’d do anything.
[…It’s a shame this is over the phone.]
Seong Hyunjae murmured softly.
[As an apology for my inadequacies, I’ll treat this not as a trade but as a favor.]
“…Thank you, then.”
It would have been nicer if he’d agreed without making my stomach churn. After that, he began his usual useless lecturing, asking whether I was eating on time, so I ended the call. He even said he’d send me a scale so I could report my weight—what was he, a personal trainer?
“Do you think I should celebrate his birthday too?”
As I stepped out of the restroom, I overheard Yerim’s thoughtful voice.
“Yes, it’s safer that way.”
“What should I even get him? I can’t think of anything. Doesn’t that guy have tons of money? He probably already owns everything.”
“Why would you even get him anything?”
It seemed they were talking about the Sesung Guild Leader’s birthday.
“You don’t have to worry about it.”
“But people are saying if I don’t celebrate it, he might cause trouble for me.”
“Don’t worry about that. If the Sesung Guild Leader does anything to mess with you, I’ll grab him by the collar and throw him out.”
“The image of you grabbing his collar and getting flung away instead is already so clear in my mind. Then the Guild Leader runs amok, and Seoul turns into a sea of flames.”
Was I really that unreliable? I mean, I don’t have much faith in my own combat ability either, but still.
“And anyway, since I already spent his money, I should at least give him something in return. I blew 500 million won, so I can pay him back with 10,000 won or something.”
Yerim was so thoughtful. Speaking of gifts, had Noah ever given one to the Guild Leader? He wasn’t in Korea at the time, so would he have sent one from overseas? Curious, I asked, and Noah replied with a calm shake of his head.
“I wasn’t someone he would pick a fight with, so there was no need to give him a gift.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well… I suppose I felt like one of his accessories. Domesticated, so to speak. He didn’t see any need to provoke me. Besides, picking a fight over a birthday gift is something you do with someone you’re interested in.”
“What? How could he not be interested in someone like you, Noah—or, I mean, Minui? It’s not like it’d be a good thing if he was, but you’re so competent and amazing. His judgment is just terrible.”
Noah was someone who excelled in every way. Even considering the environment he grew up in—being raised by someone like Liette—he managed to turn out with such a good personality, practically angelic. There was no need to waste time worrying about someone like the Guild Leader. With that, I started walking again.
On the way out, I told the reporters waiting outside that I’d give an interview in the evening and got into the car.
“Liette went into a dungeon with Soyeong, so we have a bit of breathing room. They’ll probably clear it quickly, but since she acted independently without notice after making arrangements for a duel with Soyeong, we can use this as leverage to schedule the fight more favorably.”
“A duel?”
Yerim peeked her head out from the back seat, curious.
“What happened while I was gone?”
I briefly explained the situation with Liette, and Yerim clapped Noah on the shoulder, excited.
“I’ll cheer for you! Can I buff you for it?”
“It’s a personal duel, so no buffs. I already promised to help him only up to a point. Oh, but lending him the shawl should be fine. It won’t provide elemental bonuses, but it’ll still be useful for Noah.”
The shawl would help with flight and evasion and could be used even in its current form without binding it to him.
“Even if buffs aren’t allowed, stat lending should be okay. If you ask Yuhyun or the Sesung Guild Leader, their stats could be a great help.”
Both of them had excellent stats. If we added one more preparation to that, Noah would have a solid chance of winning against Liette. If you’re going to fight, you might as well win.
“Let’s invite the Sesung Guild Leader to the duel too. We’ll make sure he realizes how wrong he was to underestimate you.”
Our Noah is more than good enough. He doesn’t need that guy’s attention, but he certainly shouldn’t be dismissed either.
After returning to Haeyeon, I woke up Kim Minui and explained the situation to him. While he frowned at the idea of raising his stats to B-Class for safety reasons, his face lit up when I told him he could show up to work at the breeding facility and take it easy.
“I was getting tired of dungeon runs anyway!”
Though he didn’t hunt monsters directly, he said he’d never quite gotten used to the blood-soaked scenes. Not all Hunters enjoyed monster hunting, after all. Even among combat-types, there were rare pacifists, and in the case of support and healing-types, the percentage was even higher.
He confessed that his plan had always been to save up as much as possible while he was young and then switch to an administrative Hunter-related job later. Seeing how pleased he was, my guilt lessened considerably. While no one would hire an S-Class for an office job, we’d pay him enough to retire comfortably and live a laid-back life.
“The contract term is five years. During that time, you’ll need to maintain confidentiality.”
“Yes, yes~. But are you really going to pay me as much as an actual S-Class Hunter?”
“Of course. Even if you’re just staying put and guarding the place, it’d look strange to pay an S-Class Hunter peanuts.”
Like Yerim, his base annual salary would be 10 billion won. Kim Minui nearly burst with joy, genuinely not expecting such compensation. As a mid-tier B-Class Hunter, even diligently running dungeons hadn’t earned him a fraction of that amount. As a support-type, his dungeon income had probably been relatively low, too.
“In return, you’ll need to lend us your identity whenever it’s necessary.”
“As much as you want! Oh, but can I get internet access?”
“I trust you’ll behave responsibly, and we’ll set up the best facilities for you.”
When I honestly warned him about the danger of being a prime target in case of an attack from hostile forces, he just laughed and said dungeon runs were just as dangerous anyway. “For 10 billion won, I can deal with that,” he added cheerfully. His optimism was refreshing. It was true that there were people out there doing even riskier jobs for peanuts.
Afterward, Kim Minui was handed over to Seok Gimyeong and later gave an interview based on the training he received that evening. He said something along the lines of being a typical B-Class support-type Hunter, but he was thrilled and honored to have grown into an S-Class. He encouraged other support-types to hold onto hope. Considering I’d always said F-Class could become S-Class if the system disappeared, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
That night, both Yuhyun and a furious Yerim came to see me.
“Mister!”
Yerim, looking indignant, frustrated, and even a little betrayed, raised her voice as she shouted.
“Is it true that Han Yuhyun is moving in with you?!”
“…Huh?”
Come to think of it, Yuhyun was holding a large suitcase. A hefty carry-on, to be exact. I turned to my little brother, silently asking for an explanation, and he gave me a sheepish smile.
“You’re the one who said this was my home first.”
Well, that was true, but…
“I’m not moving here completely. I’ll only use the other place when I’m busy. Is that not okay?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it. But there are a lot of kids here, so it might get noisy at night.”
“That’s fine.”
When I told him to do as he liked, Yerim pouted, looking ready to cry.
“Mister, what about me?!”
…Why you too, now?
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt