The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 488: Welcome (3)

“Red light? What red light? If it’s a warning, it’d be blazing red from the start.”

I grumbled as I looked at my phone. A headline on the portal site caught my eye—something about a subtle tension between Sesung Guild and Ki Seung-soo’s breeding facility—and I couldn’t resist clicking. It was just speculation that relations between the two sides hadn’t been great lately—which made sense, given how they’d been acting.

“Who’s the one being abandoned here?”

A few related articles rubbed me the wrong way. They claimed the breeding facility would thrive even without Sesung. It’d be more of a crisis to lose Haeyeon. Of course, as long as Yuhyun remained Haeyeon’s guild master, that’d never happen.

“Exactly—so Dad, we should turn it into a news story!”

Gyeol said, pulling a dried shirt from the basket and unfolding it. Look at those tiny hands. Kids really are adorable. It reminded me of Yuhyun when he was little.

“You’ll say you’re the one who dumped Sesung first! And that we’ll be forever separated!”

He sparkled his golden eyes, proud of the bit of theatre. But it’s just for show.

“You don’t need to worry about such nonsense. Besides, Sesung Guild is too valuable to discard.”

I set my phone down and tucked the shirt into the basket. The dryer above me pinged to announce the towels were fully dry. Modern life really is convenient. Now all we need is a machine that folds laundry—socks and underwear included.

I lifted the basket out of the laundry room and Peace approached, wagging his tail as if wanting to help. Gyeol must be jealous of Peace helping with chores in human form. But Peace sheds fur everywhere, so the laundry room is off-limits to him—though red strands still cling to the clothes sometimes, and lately black and gray hairs have appeared too.

“It seems like we could manage without Peace’s help.”

“Why? He’s useful.”

Even if he weren’t, I couldn’t just turn my back now. Good or bad, Seong Hyunjae has lived the life he wanted—I hoped he could continue doing so. He’s been pulled around enough. I don’t have a clear solution either, but…

Gyeol sighed deeply at my words.

“Why do you hate Seong Hyunjae so much?”

“He’s dangerous for you, Dad.”

“He’s fine these days.”

“No, he’s not.”

True—Seong Hyunjae has threatened us several times. Maybe things will improve over time. I finished sorting the laundry and then fed the kids, when my phone rang. It was Seo Kyung-hoon.

[The final list is ready. Shall I send it to your home?]

“No, I’ll be going out soon. Send it to my office.”

Invitations were sent first to those S-rank Hunters who’d expressed interest. As a result, excluding Korea, fewer than twenty invitations were issued at first. Ten of those went to Chloe’s side, so in reality fewer than ten S-rank Hunters contacted us initially.

It was the arrogance of successful S-ranks expecting invitations to come to them. These were people accustomed to being treated. Ordinary folks—and even A-rank Hunters—couldn’t compare to them. Though Hunters have existed barely four years since dungeons appeared, this special treatment was already entrenched. And it was deserved, after all.

[As you requested, I’ve organized contacts in order of response. Those who reached out first are categorized separately.]

In other words, among S-ranks, these were the ones especially friendly to me, or less tainted by elitism, or quick-witted. I needed to remember their profiles. It wouldn’t hurt to get closer.

Conversely, those who delayed or reluctantly contacted us should be noted unfavorably—they’d be the ones easily provoked. If I were Seong Hyunjae, I could simply crush them without remembering each individually. I envied that.

“Any suspicious individuals?”

We’d received all available intel on overseas top Hunters from Sesung, the Management Office, the Hunter Association, and Amaterasu. The secretarial team had done much work comparing the guest list with that information. Haeyeon Guild had contributed its own data to help.

[Some S-ranks have erased past records, but all current profiles are clear.]

In some overseas regions it’s easier to hide one’s past, so a few top Hunters had wiped their history. Korea had seen many such cases before my return as well.

[Among accompanying Hunters below A-rank, about one-third are of unclear status.]

“That’s a lot. I guess some people aren’t focused.”

They might just be unknown mid- or low-ranks, but it was likelier to be Hunters with special skills like Do Ha-min or Park Ha-yul. It promised to be an interesting party.

I ended the call and left the house. Our guests were coming from afar—I’d do my best to treat them well.

Since the island isn’t far, most Korean S-rank Hunters attended. Even Director Song accompanied us this time. He’d traveled abroad before because of Seong Hyunjae, but he’d left quietly then. Being the only nationally-affiliated S-rank, his absence always drew attention. He’d even been told to reduce his dungeon raids.

But Korea’s relative safety and the smooth completion of the college exam gave him some leeway. Of course, the biggest reason was to protect his country’s S-ranks.

“Honestly, I wish Yerim could stay behind this time.”

“It’d be nice to fly across the East Sea at least once.”

Yerim said, as though daring me to leave her behind.

“That’s just worry talking. Yerim’s strong, but there’s a reason adults are adults. She could get hurt on the other side.”

If it were merely a show of strength, I’d worry less—the island sits in the open sea. But the world has its share of dirty, cowardly people. And fighting fellow humans isn’t something Yerim enjoys. It wouldn’t suit her, even as an adult.

“You’ve got that teleport skill, remember. I’ll avoid trouble as much as possible. Or I’ll stick close to Hyunah-unnie.”

“True, Hyunah will be there. Riette’s attending, too. If neither’s nearby, cling to Director Song.”

“Got it!”

Those three alone felt reassuring in different ways.

“I’ll have to ask Seong Han to cover again, then.”

Kim Seong-han smiled as though it were no trouble.

“I’m more comfortable holding down the fort. I’m not fond of standing out. Leave it to me.”

Perhaps a defensive type’s preference. Park Min-gyu of Hanshin Guild declined to attend. I’d heard he never liked leaving Korea. Maybe that’s why Seong Hyunjae once said Hanshin Guild could be trusted to protect the homeland—if they guard their home, they won’t hand it over to fanatical do-gooders.

“So in Korea, only Kim Seong-han and Park Min-gyu remain. Evelyn might still come, though.”

She was likely to attend—and it’d be good to have her on our side.

“I heard you and Hanshin Guild Master weren’t on good terms before. How are things now?”

I asked Seong-han, half-joking that maybe he’d provoke trouble if left alone.

“Well… we were once colleagues.”

Seong-han said awkwardly.

“Really?”

“Yes. And I almost became Hanshin Guild Master myself—there weren’t that many A-rank Hunters then.”

Seong-han had top-tier stats among A-ranks with S-rank potential. If Min-gyu hadn’t awakened, Hanshin’s chairman might have chosen Seong-han instead. Seong-han must have awakened before Min-gyu, falling behind once Min-gyu rose.

“Then shouldn’t you have been wary of him? Not that you’d act so.”

“I’m not entirely sure, but he seemed upset I almost took that position. He even wanted to hide my past with our former workplace. But now, we’re on better terms.”

Seong-han said that shortly after his S-rank promotion, Min-gyu reached out to reconcile. Seong-han had no grudges, so he accepted. I’d expected more rivalry among S-ranks—this was surprising.

“I’d like to meet Hanshin Guild Master properly someday.”

I said. If someone could back me up like Seong-han, I’d feel no hesitation giving them extra favors.

As the organizer, I decided to depart first. Of course, Yuhyun and Yerim came along. Peace also accompanied us, but I left the other monsters at the facility—it was a dangerous gathering chock-full of S-ranks. I wanted to bring Gyeol too, but…

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