The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 559: What’s Not Working? (3)

The way he drew in a long breath as he looked at me seemed as though he was about to speak. Could he actually speak? For a moment I felt I should stop him, but my body would not move—as if the restriction “you cannot block the slave’s words” had been imposed.

Then he spoke.

“Because information blocking does not apply to the slave, I may only speak once, and the slave’s victory conditions are either the annihilation of all asset owners or the liberation of the slave by the master, but I wish to cooperate with a joint victory, so do not worry. The outlaws have an assigned time per zone and thus about an hour and a half of leeway, but if an asset owner’s designated location overlaps a destruction zone, they must be stopped—”

It was exceedingly long and rapid. Wait, wait a moment.

“Because the Chief of Police’s victory condition takes priority, the Chief of Police and thieves cannot share victory, and if the thieves are wiped out the police lose; so the police cannot kill all the thieves, and that slave is in danger, so watch him carefully, do not trust him, everyone listen to Hunter Han Yujin!”

Hoo— the hunter playing the slave role panted softly as he finished speaking. And yet. Even the other hunters stood dumbstruck.

└ What was that just now??? Did he say □□□?????

└ Ah!!! □□□!!!!! The opening words □□□!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So cute!!!!!!!!!!! (dead)

└ Even subtitles wouldn’t let me understand…

The twins, catching their breath, looked up at me with hopeful eyes. The other twin narrowed his brow slightly.

“…You said the slave’s victory conditions were the annihilation of asset owners or being freed, right?”

Moon Hyunah spoke.

“Yes. And he said he’d cooperate. If we go on like this we might collide with the outlaws, and the Chief of Police—”

Priority of victory conditions. As I reminded myself, I bit my molars together without realizing it. Had anyone noticed? Everyone here must have heard.

“Anyway, let’s hurry! Only an hour and a half left!”

She urged, then reached to lift one of the twins… and gave up. Carrying both up onto the turtle’s back at once was impossible.

“All right, Riette, run!”

Instead, Moon Hyunah wedged a twin under each arm and leapt onto Riette’s shell in one bound. Hyunah must have realized it, too. I quickly followed.

└ Wow just now Moon Hyunah’s □□□□□□ lololol

└ Yujin’s throat got hoarse from talking about the slave’s identity

└ Peace speaking was faster… faster than Yujin realizing the slave’s identity;;

└ Maybe Han Yujin was gathering funds for the Dodam breeding facility by trading information lolol

In the chat there was still nothing notable. The hunters were silent. Crack— Riette crushed the paved road as she set off running. Please, remain quiet like this. Anxiously, I glanced back at the twins sitting obediently.

‘He said he’d cooperate—and told us to listen to my words.’

Hunter Han Yujin, I’d called him—but his tone… In order to prevent the thieves from thinking otherwise, I met Moon Hyunah’s eyes as she stood behind the twins. I said quietly to her.

“The twins—one of them might be someone unexpected…”

“Hyung, do we really need to learn their identity?”

“No—like Yerim, perhaps.”

“Yujin!”

Noah’s voice came. Landing atop Riette’s head, he continued.

“The outlaws are currently destroying Times Square! All of Times Square has frozen over!”

Ah. Simultaneously, Hyunah and I looked at the slave twins. They both smiled broadly at once.

“How cute—so just one, just one of you.”

└ Ack lololol did they notice? lol popcorn)

└ I’ll crawl into a mouse hole. Special discount for Han Yujin~~

└ Chat box, please air participants’ POV too! What does the slave □□□□□□ look likeㅠㅠㅠㅠ I want to knowㅠㅠㅠ

“Noah, thank you for your hard work!”

└ Yujin, you’re not escaping reality, are you??

└ Live-streaming the princess treatment for □□□□ worldwide, let’s live firmly

…Maybe he’s simply a hunter who likes me. After all, someone said they became my fan because the beer was so good. I looked again at the twins. No way—bottom scores, last place. Could that person have ordered Gyeol to hunt monsters? Unlikely.

I glanced away from the chat, which was now erupting. Some spectator on a skyscraper, thinking it boring—perhaps atop the Empire State Building with a world-weary attitude. That building would suit them well.

“…Noah, on your way here, did you see anyone standing atop the Empire State Building?”

“What? I don’t think so.”

Noah tilted his head. Then perhaps the Statue of Liberty, or something else.

└ lololololol Director Han’s slave □□□ yikes lol

└ Yujin, snap out of it!!!!!!!

Right now the slave’s identity wasn’t what mattered. Whatever. It’s fine!

Crack, crunch! The giant turtle turned into Central Park. Lush trees were trampled and snapped like matchsticks. A real forest is easier to bulldoze in a straight line than a city. Broken branches and leaves scattered like storm-blown autumn foliage and the ground tore open as if plowed.

At last one of the designated locations appeared before us.

“There—Columbus Circle!”

An asset owner called, pointing to the circular plaza with the statue in its center.

“That entire circle is one of the designated locations!”

“All right, asset owners! Who will step forward as representative?”

Moon Hyunah called, and Riette stopped in front of the plaza. Then she spun back into human form.

“Riette! Suddenly—!”

The giant turtle vanished in an instant, and the ground beneath me felt empty. It must have been over ten meters high! I flung out my arms to grab the twins and turned my body downward—yet just before hitting the ground—

“You need only look after yourself, Hyung.”

“Exactly, Han Yujin.”

Moon Hyunah and Noah caught me on either side. Helping me to stand, Hyunah whispered.

“Besides, they said he’s stronger than you. Even if it weren’t him.”

“That may be, but still, unconsciously—”

And perhaps it was Gyeol… possible. I hadn’t fully accepted it yet, but it was a possibility.

└ Aaaaah □□□□□□□□□!!!

└ Yujin, I will live like a dragon—raise me

└ What’s the baby dragon’s exact name? Please fluff my wings onceㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ

└ It’s Han Gyeol! On the Dodam website you can see photos of the kids! Fairy dragon is so cuteㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

└ Haeyeon Guildmaster □□□□□□ lolololololol

└ Chatter’s lightly filtered knowing HJZ caught on lololol

No—I still didn’t know.

Moon Hyunah stood before the plaza and looked at the hunters. Just as she was about to speak—

“Are we sure about the joint victory conditions?”

Someone said. Damn.

“The slave clearly said the Chief of Police’s victory condition has priority.”

Another hunter, an officer standing with arms crossed, spoke bluntly.

“Asset owners or thieves could be the same, right?”

“And what about the police?”

“In the first place, thieves don’t need to be included. Just capturing one is enough.”

“They say the thieves brought the slave?”

“That’s sci-fi. They have the lowest stats, so let the sci-fi one live.”

“No, just chase them all away.”

One officer waved dismissively at the thieves, as though shooing flies. The thieves’ expressions soured. Then Evelyn, who had been silent all along, spoke.

“Police or thieves—”

“What?”

“To the asset owners, we’re the same. Saboteurs preventing them from ending the game on their own.”

At Evelyn’s words a thief snapped back,

“Yeah, us or the police. What have the police done? Only threatened us, right?”

“The police’s role is to guard the slave for one hour.”

“Thieves can protect, too—remember that we can strike first.”

Moon Hyunah inhaled deeply. Then:

“That’s enough!!!!!”

She shouted so loudly the air trembled and our ears rang. Trees around us quivered, shedding twigs and leaves. The ascending fountain’s jets wavered and the surface rippled. As if she’d applied a sound-canceling skill. Thanks to that, all the hunters fell silent at once.

“One hour and a half—now only about one hour and twenty minutes remain! Fighting here is meaningless!”

“Still, we can’t let only the asset owners benefit. Better to all lose together.”

“Right. How do we know someone isn’t hiding a condition?”

└ Wow it’s a catastrophe lololol

└ We barely patched the tattered rags, now they tear again lololol

└ □□□ gave bad advice

└ Maybe on purpose—if it goes like this, □□□□□□ might happen

Moon Hyunah turned her gaze to the twins. One stood looking troubled. The other sat on a flowerbed calmly observing. The chat’s note about “maybe on purpose” caught my attention. The information was certainly delivered kindly, but…

Staring at the two, Moon Hyunah spoke.

“There’s no rule that the slave must speak only the truth.”

“That applies to the rest as well.”

“All they do is talk.”

The distrust, already deep and pervasive, showed no sign of disappearing. No, it’s impossible to completely remove distrust. No matter how incredible or nearly perfect a person is, at least one person will withhold trust.

“It seems hard to narrow down opinions.”

Evelyn stepped forward. Walking to stand before Hyunah, she gave a faint smile.

“I will help you. So abandon them and go.”

“…What?”

“Asset owners and the slave are prepared. And we can hold out for one full hour.”

Her eyes behind invisible lenses looked at Moon Hyunah, then Riette, Kang Soyeong, Noah, and finally at me in turn. At last, she gave the hunters a clear smile.

“Is it necessary to embrace those who reject cooperation and wreck the situation? Please, if you dislike this, go your own way.”

Her tone was polite yet felt like “get lost if you won’t cooperate.” The hunters faltered, and Evelyn met Moon Hyunah’s gaze again.

“Even if you gave them twenty hours instead of twenty minutes, it would be impossible to persuade everyone. Of course there’d be a fight. But it’s always like that, isn’t it?”

“…….”

Moon Hyunah’s brow furrowed. Evelyn’s proposition was undeniably practical. A few more would surely join us. Then guarding the slave for an hour wouldn’t be that difficult. Hyunah found it hard to answer.

└ Just abandon them and go—no need to embrace trolls

└ If all the remaining police and thieves pounce, isn’t it dangerous???

└ That’s no good—there has to be a fight lol if peaceful talk could solve it, why did war break out

└ Love & peace is best

└ Five minutes to chaos, popcorn for sale~~

The hunters’ faces and the chat all said the same: this would end here, the outcome was obvious. One twin standing stared at me, as though wanting to say something. The twin sitting remained relaxed. I approached the seated twin. Round, still-childlike eyes looked up at me.

The slave is not subject to information blocking.

“If it ends like this—”

I spoke softly, in a low voice.

“It’s no fun, is it?”

And with countless people watching. I turned and surveyed my surroundings. A motorcycle stood parked on the deserted road. The key was still in the ignition. I ran toward it.

“Yujin?”

“Just a moment—I’m going to the restroom! Noah, stay there!”

“Okay?”

I leapt onto the motorcycle and sped down the path. Once I’d created some distance, I dismounted and ran on foot again.

└ Director Han, where are you going!!! Gave up???

└ No, don’t—it’s Han Yujin’s turn to win!!!!!

└ Someone just lost ¥100,000.

“Oh dear, if you visit the breeding facility I’ll treat you to a feast! I can live without laws, but I’m not that kind a person—this whole situation is so irritating.”

Maybe the chatters wanted to see this. A funeral, yes, but also indulgent devotion, right? Broadcasting top-rank hunters failing to unite and splintering would be advantageous for anyone wanting to bring down the world.

Even if not.

“I’m ruined, true. Usually this means failure—but I refuse to shrug and say oh well~.”

I leapt a stone wall, entered the park, and came to a halt.

“So today, I’ll get as many people as possible to a joint victory!”

└ No one knows what you’re trying to do, any guesses?

└ Whatever happens, as long as Director Han is happy, right?

└ Yujin, you’ve gone mad—already a globe, windmill, fan

Yes, I will do as I please. White Tail Delarose. I used the skill.

Moon Hyunah sighed softly. Evelyn smiled brightly. Seong Hyunjae looked toward the direction where Han Yujin had disappeared. Gyeol fluttered his wings roughly.

– You said it would help Dad! What is this!

“Information always has two sides, you know.”

– You deceived me? Did you lie to me?!

“No way I’d lie. But…”

Seong Hyunjae’s gaze turned to the fairy dragon. Under his calmly appraising /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ stare, Gyeol blinked and frowned.

“You’re younger than I thought.”

– You…!

“I gave him the right to speak first. I suggested he wouldn’t waver if he had sufficient information. And I told him the system likely counts a single uninterrupted utterance as his one chance.”

So kindly. Gyeol’s wings and tail trembled. As Seong Hyunjae said, he yielded generously, as rare as it was for him. And yet, coldly, he let the fairy dragon face the outcome.

“But, Dad will—!”

“Hunter Han Yujin—”

It was then. The hunters’ bodies stiffened in an instant.

– Kyaaaa!

With a terrifying roar, a vast shadow fell over the park and the city’s skyscrapers. Like a snow-capped mountain rising, a pure white wave filled people’s eyes. Even S-Rank Hunters could not move under its oppressive presence, as the transcendent White Tail Delarose stretched out in a long yawn.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by readnovel.co