The S-Classes That I Raised – Chapter 217

Chapter 217: Match (1)

In the afternoon, we departed for Shizuoka. I wondered how we would be traveling, and it turned out that five helicopters were waiting for us. Our destination was the Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, a landmass jutting out into the sea.

“Shizuoka Prefecture used to have the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant.”

Inside the car taking us to our lodging after disembarking from the helicopter, our guide explained.

“But with the transition to using mana stones as an energy source, it was converted into a mana stone power plant, so there’s no need to worry about any residual effects.”

Still, didn’t they have one explode before dungeons even appeared? It had been a global headache for a long time, and it was only thanks to dungeon items, byproducts, and the help of Hunters that they barely managed to clean it up.

Our country had also converted all its nuclear power plants into mana stone power plants. The same went for other countries. Since no one knew whether dungeons would last forever, they had left the basic infrastructure intact so that they could reactivate them anytime if needed.

Starting with the most dangerous nuclear plants, they had gradually replaced other power sources as well. Now, except for a few cases, most power plants used mana stones. Cars powered by mana stones instead of gasoline or gas were also set to be released soon. Because of this, before my regression, the air had become noticeably cleaner.

An infinitely renewable, clean, and safe energy source. Thanks to this, the Hunter industry quickly took root, and society, which had been thrown into chaos by the emergence of monsters, was able to somewhat stabilize. As long as dungeons were well managed, the world could become even more prosperous.

But in the end, we failed to handle the growing burden of dungeons, and everything collapsed. Still, some countries, including Korea, had managed to endure.

‘If we avoid destruction, what happens to the dungeons and Awakened?’

Do they disappear? Or do they remain? The thought suddenly crossed my mind—what would happen after we managed to survive? If dungeons vanished, would people return to their previous lives? Maybe I should ask the ungrateful brats. …Wait, would tamed monsters be affected too? I had to make sure about that.

“The ocean is right in front of us!”

Yerim, who had gotten out of the car first, exclaimed excitedly.

“This is the private beach of a ryokan owned by the Amaterasu Guild. Please feel free to use it.”

A ryokan? A private beach? Was this basically a vacation home? As I stepped out of the car, I saw a traditional Japanese-style building. That was unexpected. I thought it would be a Western-style mansion.

“Mister, let’s go swimming!”

“…We already did, didn’t we?”

“The ocean and a hotel pool are totally different!”

Spare me, Yerim. My stamina is already drained. I don’t even have the strength to hold Peace. Playing on the beach would be fun, though. Peace, Chirp, and Belare would probably love it.

“We have to check out the arena first. Let’s go in the morning.”

The match would start in the afternoon, but a little swimming wouldn’t affect Yerim’s condition. It could even serve as a warm-up.

“If we go in now, we won’t want to leave, so let’s just head to the arena right away.”

Yerim looked me over at my words, then shook her head.

“No, just go inside and rest. I’m the one fighting anyway. There’s no need for you to come along, Mister.”

“She’s right. We’ll go. You should take it easy.”

Moon Hyunah chimed in. With both of them insisting like this, should I really just rest?

“Be careful. Hyunah, I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry~.”

“Seriously, don’t worry.”

The two left with the guide in a separate car. The rest of us entered the villa. The scenery looked just like the traditional Japanese settings I’d seen on TV.

‘What’s with the lion?’

A massive lion statue stood right in the middle of the garden. It was a dynamic piece, captured in a powerful roar, but it felt completely out of place. To make it even stranger, Western-style lion banners were draped under the eaves.

They were seriously obsessed with lions.

“I’ll guide you to your rooms.”

The rooms came in both Western and Japanese styles. Since my body was too used to the comfort of a bed, I opted for a Western-style room. Each room had its own private garden and open-air bath. At this rate, I was going to get all wrinkly from soaking too much before I even returned home.

—Chirp chirp.

—Hiss.

As soon as I opened the door leading to the garden, Chirp and Belare eagerly ran—or in Belare’s case, slithered—outside. They really got along well. How would I handle it when it was time to send Belare away? Of course, asking to keep her was out of the question. Since Belare’s growth had been strangely slow, maybe I could lie and say I’d get a new jeweled snake and raise it quickly instead… No, that didn’t feel right.

“Are you going to bathe?”

As I blankly stared at the open-air bath, Yuhyun spoke up.

“After dinner. Peace, come here.”

—Kiang.

I hugged Peace and flopped onto the floor. Even though the room had Western-style beds, the living room was set up in a traditional Japanese manner. My Peace was soft, smelled nice after being washed, and—ugh, my eyes were closing on their own.

“Sleep in the bed.”

“I’m not sleeping. Just closing my eyes.”

Though I did feel like I might actually doze off. I needed to get up. To shake off my drowsiness, I stepped outside. There were slippers prepared, but they were flip-flops, so I just shoved my feet into my sneakers instead. Those things always hurt between my toes.

I took a stroll to the central garden shared by the guest rooms. Myungwoo and Noah were nowhere to be seen—probably resting in their rooms. Instead, I spotted Seong Hyunjae sitting at a stone table with a teacup in front of him.

I hesitated for a moment before taking a seat across from him. Yuhyun followed and sat beside me. Sensing my fatigue, Peace climbed onto my lap without making any fuss.

Seong Hyunjae lifted his gaze, looking between me and my brother.

“You seem exhausted, yet you won’t rest.”

He spoke in an oddly gentle tone. Even though I had rejected him, it seemed he had decided to change his approach.

‘Even if that’s just an act.’

It still meant I was worth putting in that much effort. Maybe, hidden within his desire to uncover my secrets, there was a bit of genuine goodwill as well. Either way, as long as he had no intention of harming me and only wanted to find out what I was hiding, I could relax for now.

…Though thinking about yesterday’s events again gave me a strange feeling. The proposal itself had too many conditions, but at its core, it was simply an investment. He was after my information and wanted to take care of me so I would feel comfortable confiding in him.

But the way he framed it—like I was a child who didn’t need to worry about anything because he would take care of everything—was just… looking back, it made me cringe a little. I was actually thirty years old. Even when I was younger, I rarely had someone who would unconditionally take care of everything for me. Maybe when I was a baby, but I didn’t even remember that.

Ugh, it just felt so weird. Not bad, just awkward. Did I really seem that exhausted? The more I thought about it, the more unfamiliar and strange it felt. …Even my parents never said anything like that.

Still, well, thanks to it, I did feel more at ease, so the proposal had its intended effect. He really did have a good read on people. Ugh.

“…The Amaterasu Guild Leader.”

I turned my gaze to the lion banners hanging around, speaking as if to myself.

“I saw on Japanese TV that his reputation is better than I expected. Of course, I can’t trust everything they say.”

Saying his reputation was “good” was an understatement—there were broadcasts practically worshipping him. After talking endlessly about the Hunters from Korea, they would move on to, ‘Lord Shishio this, Lord Shishio that,’ to the point that it felt like watching old propaganda from a dictatorship.

“They even go as far as calling him Japan’s savior.”

“Well, it’s not entirely untrue.”

Seong Hyunjae said with a slight smile.

“The Japanese government had one of the worst responses to the Dungeon Shock among developed countries. They especially wasted a lot of manpower by recklessly sending non-Awakened Self-Defense Forces into dungeons.”

They actually did something that insane? Even in our country, in the early days, they had sent in special forces for investigation, but they quickly switched to forming teams with Awakened individuals.

“What were they thinking?”

“They found that if they sent a large number of non-Awakened into dungeons, some of them would Awaken and survive. Their idea was to rapidly produce Awakened individuals to protect Japan. They even accepted civilian volunteers.”

…Wow. That was a hell of a strategy. The government basically did what illegal Awakening brokers would do. Shouldn’t a country be stopping people from volunteering for that, not encouraging it? I had sought out brokers myself back then, but this was just unbelievable.

“Naturally, dungeon breaks and their management became a disaster. And that’s when the Amaterasu Guild appeared.”

“I can picture it already.”

With dungeons bursting left and right and everything in chaos, an S-Class Hunter shows up and cleans up the mess. No wonder they saw him as a savior. The Japanese government losing power was ultimately their own fault. Compared to a government that threw civilians into dungeons, an S-Class Hunter obsessed with lions and playing king—who at least managed dungeons—was definitely the lesser evil. Both would act high and mighty, but at least one was useful.

“Do you like the Amaterasu Guild Leader?”

Yuhyun, who had been quietly listening, suddenly asked.

“Huh? Well, he’s better than my first impression of him. He’s entertaining.”

He was funny, at least. Even if he had his issues, it wasn’t my problem since it was happening across the sea. And if he was better than the Japanese government, that was a bonus. Plus, he was someone I could take advantage of, so that was another point in his favor. If it weren’t for the fact that he was the Lion King, I’d rate the Thunderbird’s Raiment at 99 out of 100, but since it’s him, I’ll give it a 5.

“…Then should I not pick a fight with him?”

“Why?”

“I thought you liked him. If I go all out against him, I don’t think it’ll end neatly. He’s one of the early combat-type Awakened and Japan’s number one Hunter.”

Yuhyun watched my reaction carefully. So, at minimum, he meant he would beat him within an inch of his life. If it were someone like Noah, where there was a huge gap in ability, Yuhyun could subdue him easily, but against the Lion King, it would be tough. Well, his ranking record was pretty good. That’s why I remembered his face in the first place—though I was more interested in his items.

“Don’t worry about it! Just don’t kill him. We need him to manage Japan’s dungeons.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course. Do whatever you want. As long as you tell me beforehand, it’s fine.”

He was the one excited for the fight, so why was he hesitating now? This kid was too nice, that was the problem. What ice? He was all soft-hearted.

“If possible, do it after everything is done, right before we go home. That would be perfect.”

After Yerim’s match, once we had gathered the ingredients for the stamina potion and were about to leave. If we put him in his place once, he might behave even after learning about the potion.

Yuhyun obediently nodded and replied, “Okay,” looking so cute that I couldn’t help but grin. Then I noticed a gaze on us. Seong Hyunjae was staring at us intently.

“What are you looking at?”

“I just think you two are incredibly close.”

“Have you never seen a loving family before? You can find them all over TV.”

Real or fake, either way.

“There’s no sibling relationship like yours. Not before, and not after. Even if I were to live a few hundred more years, I doubt I’d ever see anything like it again. So, I might as well take it in while I can.”

That was a bit of an exaggeration, but also the truth. There wasn’t a single known case of an S-Class from birth growing up safely and maintaining a good relationship with their guardian. S-Class Awakened with a guardian were rare to begin with. Seong Hyunjae couldn’t have known that for sure, but as always, he was annoyingly perceptive.

“You sure have a thing for rare stuff. Well, I guess when you already have everything, only the truly uncommon things can still be interesting.”

Still, the fact that he paid particular attention to me and Chief Song Taewon—was it because of some sense of déjà vu due to the regression? But he seemed to have been interested in Chief Song even before that. Maybe he just had a habit of focusing on rare individuals, rather than objects. He had shown interest in Yuhyun as well, saying he found him unique and even offering his help.

A born S-Class with a guardian. Something that, across countless worlds and a long span of time, had appeared only on the rarest occasions.

Was he some kind of rare collector? I’d heard that was a common hobby among the super-rich. …Well, at least he preferred things to remain intact rather than preserved like some taxidermy specimen. That was a relief.

Yerim returned around dinnertime and told us that the exterior of the arena looked impressive.

“But the inside is completely empty.”

I asked her what she meant, but she just said I’d understand when I saw it myself. Anyway, she was pleased that the arena was right next to the ocean as promised and that she could use seawater during the match.

---

The next day, we headed to the arena in the early afternoon. It was located in a sparsely populated area, and all nearby residents had been evacuated. If anything happened, the Amaterasu Guild would probably compensate them, right?

“We used high-ranking Hunters to level the cliffs and build the arena on flat ground!”

The Japanese guide said proudly. Apparently, this area was something of a tourist spot. Were they really allowed to do that? The coastline, which had likely been a beautiful natural landscape, was now neatly flattened. In its place stood a round, coliseum-like arena.

‘It’s made of wood.’

There was no way they could have built it so quickly unless they had used wood. The moment the match started, it was probably going to collapse.

“At least they used dungeon byproducts to make it.”

Yu Myungwoo commented as he examined the structure.

“But I still wouldn’t recommend sitting in the stands.”

“Yeah, figured as much.”

Aside from the broadcasting staff, there weren’t any ordinary spectators. Honestly, it would have been better if they had just marked off a section of the land like they did for Korea’s A-Rank ranking matches. That would have been more efficient too.

Maybe they just wanted it to look impressive at the start. If Yuhyun had been the one fighting instead of Yerim, the moment the match began, the whole arena would have gone up in flames, followed by ‘A ring of roaring fire! Look at it burn!’ That actually sounded kind of fun. It would have been quite the spectacle.

The broadcasting teams from both Korea and Japan signaled that they were ready. Yerim and Kakuto stepped forward for a brief interview where they shared their thoughts and expectations for the match. Then, when they were told to enter the arena—

“I’m going first~”

Ignoring Kakuto, Yerim lightly took off into the air. She soared effortlessly over the outer wall of the arena, drawing small gasps of amazement. Not from the Korean side, but from the Japanese side. Kakuto, his expression twisting in irritation—

Boom!

—forcefully stomped the ground. With a powerful leap, he also cleared the wall and landed inside the arena with a loud crash.

“The tension is already high before the match has even begun!”

Excited commentary filled the air as we also entered the arena.

–TL Notes–
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