The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 520: Channel (1)
I rubbed my eyes, but it wasn’t a hallucination. Yuhyun and Yerim looked shocked too. Gyeol cried out “Papa!” silently, and I smiled at my brother. A gunshot rang, and the screen cut to another scene.
There was Yuhyun on his knees in front of me. The scene shifted again as Yuhyun bit my shoulder. Then I counterattacked, burying a dagger in my brother’s arm—all played out in full. I gasped. What the hell is this…
Next Yuhyun pressed my rifle to his chest and laughed. Still no sound. The mouth movements had been cut and spliced so cleverly they didn’t match any voice. Another shot rang, and then…
“…Wow.”
Seong Hyunjae and Song Taewon appeared. No sooner had Song Taewon poked his head out a second-floor window than bullets flew in. Then Song Taewon dove past shattered walls amid debris, and Seong Hyunjae’s bullet struck Song’s wired arm, prompting Song to charge fiercely. At the same moment, Seong Hyunjae smiled while spinning his rifle and filled the screen.
What on earth is happening? I couldn’t take my eyes off the TV. Exhaling raggedly, Song Taewon lunged at Seong Hyunjae, and the two rolled across the floor in a brutal struggle. Damn it—they cut away again just as Song Taewon’s neck was clipped by Seong Hyunjae’s arm, who drew a dagger. I’d seen that part myself. I’d been too busy preparing to face Director Song to watch the earlier footage closely.
Then it cut back to me—agh!
‘Wait, wait! Just a sec!’
I aimed a rifle at Seong Hyunjae, pressed it under his chin, and forced his mouth shut. I couldn’t watch, but my eyes remained glued to the screen. Seong Hyunjae bit the barrel, the screen went dark, and another shot rang out.
What came next—no, please no! I jolted upright, hands flailing for the remote, but Yuhyun grabbed my arm. Yerim was already recording with her phone.
“Hyung, wait.”
Yuhyun stared at the TV.
“Does this only show up on our set? Just here, right?!”
“I don’t think so. Messages and chats are blowing up everywhere. Your phone’s flashing too.”
I’d set mine to silent for the holiday. My trembling hand unlocked my phone—overflowing with texts and missed calls. On screen I saw myself swinging the dagger, then being ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ kicked away. It was a brawl, and I clambered atop Song Taewon, laughing with my face a bloody mess.
I…looked completely insane. Was that really me… Then I staggered in with a pistol—and one final shot.
The screen, stained black, brightened slightly to reveal someone standing there in a black tailcoat, white mask, veil adorned with flowers. Chatterbox. He bowed courteously to the viewers.
[CH. CHATTERBOX]
A white logo appeared center-screen, then spun away. What the hell… The regular broadcast resumed.
“Channel Chatterbox, right? Did Chatterbox start a network?”
“Yerim, send me that video.”
“Ask nicely.”
“If it aired elsewhere there’d be higher-quality footage.”
“Tch. Sent.”
—“Auntie, Gyeol too!”
Suddenly the broadcast cut, replaced by a news flash about the video.
[…The Awakened Management Office, Sesung Guild, Haeyeon Guild, and Dodam Breeding Center all report they are currently assessing the situation.]
“No, first—hyung, what do we do?”
Yuhyun, on the phone with Seoksi Myung, paused to ask me. My phone buzzed again—Kyung-hoon was calling nonstop. My head spun, but I answered.
“It was a meeting, a mock battle at the Japan meeting, so….”
“Sir! Someone claiming they aired the broadcast just appeared! Not sure if it’s real.”
Yerim, surfing online, shouted. Seoksi Myung and Seo Kyung-hoon must have gotten wind of it too. This couldn’t be sorted by phone. Gripping my phone, I rushed to my room to change into pajamas.
“Kyung-hoon, hang on. Let me take this call.”
I hung up mid-sleeve—damn, I called him “hyung” again. No time to panic, Seong Hyunjae’s call came through.
“Mr. Seong, did you see it?!”
[Of course. I’m furious they left me out.]
“Don’t joke. Have you identified the culprit?”
[Simultaneously broadcasting video worldwide by human means is near impossible.]
“…Worldwide? Seriously, worldwide…?”
Not just Korea, but everywhere. I was speechless.
[Technically possible, but given they branded the name, it’s clearly Chatterbox’s doing.]
“So anyway, can you come to the breeding center?”
[I’ll come with Director Song Taewon.]
In the living room Yuhyun and Yerim had also changed clothes and emerged.
“It’s total chaos, sir!”
“It’s deserved. A sudden global broadcast, and the content….”
…I didn’t want to leave the house. Even if you watched all of it, the slow-motion edits and abrupt cuts made it impossible to notice we were unawakened—and yet three S-Ranks taken down by an F-Rank…
“…I’m mortified.”
“No, hyung, you were awesome.”
“Yeah, you looked like the hero, sir. You mopped the floor with them!”
—“Yeah, Dad’s the best!”
“I just want to hide under a blanket forever….”
“Sounds good to me.”
Thankfully the S-Rank Ranked Matches haven’t started yet. Yuhyun and Director Song, and even Seong Hyunjae, have limited overseas influence—for now. Compared to before the reset, anyway. The Hunter world must be upended in every country.
Though I yearned to shrivel under my blanket, I forced myself to leave the house with Yuhyun and Yerim. A Hunter guarding the mini portal watched us with a “we need to talk” expression. Even on the walk to the breeding center’s soundproof VIP lounge, our phones never stopped buzzing.
“Director!”
Kyung-hoon was already waiting outside the lounge. He looked as flustered as we were.
“Sesen Guild Leader and Director Song are en route. Do not let anyone approach. If asked, say we’re in a meeting.”
“Yes, understood.”
Entering the lounge, I took a call from Noah.
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing major.”
[Yujin, that—]
[Sir! They want to kill for real—]
[Please sit, Ha-min, Min-ui.]
Noah’s cold tone hushed Do Ha-min and Kim Min-ui.
[This was at the meeting, right?]
Because Noah had also joined the invitation wager, he’d realized instantly.
“Yes. Please keep this confidential. Myeong-woo didn’t see it, right?”
[He must be at the forge. He hasn’t contacted me either. Shall I clear the building of outsiders?]
“I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”
Noah, usually cute and youthful, was rock-solid when it mattered—guild leader experience shows. Then I called Moon Hyunah, who’d texted repeatedly.
[Sir! That was fierce!]
“…I’m so embarrassed.”
[Why? You were hot.]
W-what… why…? Why would you think that about me over S-Ranks… Moon Hyunah lowered her voice.
[Are you at the breeding center? Should I come too?]
“Yes, we’re in the VIP room.”
[I’m not sure why, but the footage itself won’t do much harm. It might even help in some ways.]
True enough, but it was far from welcome. Without fear resistance, I’d have panicked completely.
After urgent calls, we sat on the couch. Yuhyun, done with his call to Seoksi Myung, joined me. Yerim scrolled on her phone.
“People are asking nonstop… it’s a frenzy overseas too. Check the view count—it keeps rising even as it drops. In seconds….”
I couldn’t hold back and opened my phone, visiting the portal site. I tapped a headline: F-Rank knocks out S-Ranks? These clickbait titles never change. Thankfully the article itself was brief—just a quick news flash.
└ Seriously?
└ The breeding center chief is hilarious, what’s he doing?
└ Dumb enough to claim S-Ranks conspired
└ Still an F-Rank lol
└ Acting like that won’t make you S-Rank, know your place
└ Idiot
└ Basement warriors clinging on lol
└ Breeding center part-timer?
└ Yeah, breeding center’s sweet
└ Sounds like self-intro
└ Pretentious
I’d expected cries like that. Still, it crushed my spirits. I’ve changed so much, and people like this remain the same.
“Don’t mind it, hyung.”
Yuhyun wrested my phone away.
“Exactly, sir. You’ll be criticized everywhere. Me, Yuhyun, even Guild Leader Sesung. I heard some are even badmouthing the civil servant guy.”
“…That’s too much for Director Song, though. It’d be hard to sue them.”
He’d never bother.
“And far more people like you! Comments shift with the tide. Here, the ones cursing you are getting hammered back.”
Yerim showed me her phone.
“My friends say they see you differently now.”
“Thanks. Don’t worry—I know. Even some articles sided with me.”
There are plenty who rail against you for no reason. I don’t know them, yet they curse me.
“Haeyeon will clean this up with the breeding center.”
“Yeah. I don’t get why they do it.”
If they have complaints, they should come to me. Or keep it secret. If you’re going to show yourself, go all in—I’ll bury you in a dungeon then.
Just then Seoksi Myung entered, looking baffled.
“So this footage was shot in Japan?”
“Yes. All unawakened, and fully consensual.”
“…Given there are more people involved, Haeyeon alone can’t handle this. You said Guild Leader Sesung and the Director of the AmO are coming?”
“Also the Breaker Guild Leader. Since it’s between guild leaders, could you step out briefly?”
Seoksi Myung sighed.
“I will, but the more I learn, the less sense it makes.”
He still didn’t know much—no wonder he was confused. We’d need to explain a bit now.
Soon word came that Guild Leader Sesung and Director Song had arrived. Sesung was local, and Director Song must’ve been at the Hunter Association. The door opened and they entered.
“You overedited it.”
Seong Hyunjae lamented as soon as he stepped inside.
“Don’t you want to reenact it?”
“Stop joking and have a seat. The Breaker Guild Leader will be here soon too.”
Seong Hyunjae looked amused, but Song Taewon’s face was stormy. The Hunter Association and above must be in uproar too. What scheme did Chatterbox have?
Seoksi Myung powered up the laptop he’d brought. The organizations claiming the broadcast were already in the triple digits. Seong Hyunjae showed us data streaming to his phone.
“The hijacking itself wasn’t modern tech.”
“Only Chatterbox could have obtained the footage. We could check with the newcomer, but how do we handle this first?”
We needed a response, then head to the dungeon. Left unchecked, rumors would run rampant.
“It’s better to wait for the reaction of whoever holds the video instead of issuing a statement prematurely. We’ve drawn enough attention; they’ll act soon.”
“…It won’t just end as a spiteful joke, will it?”
Were they really planning a network? It felt wrong to intervene so overtly. At that moment Moon Hyunah also arrived at the breeding center.
“Everyone’s gone to watch TV, so it was empty. The phone footage isn’t that satisfying, though.”
We pooled incoming info for about twenty minutes. Then—
[Hello, this is Channel Chatterbox.]
A new video appeared on the streaming site. It was a live broadcast.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by readnovel.co