The S-Classes That I Raised - Chapter 869

Epilogue (11)

“Thank you so much. Thanks to you, I can rest assured.”

“My child got married early, and his grandson is just the right age. I just had to send him. Now that he can sit on his own, he’s so cute. How old is he?”

“He’s 5 months old now.”

In reality, he wasn’t even 4 months old yet, but Bin was growing a little fast, so he answered 5 months. Familiar scenery passed by the car window. Seoul, which I hadn’t seen in a long time, hadn’t changed. Everyone must be doing well.

“These days, there are no dungeons, and it’s peaceful.”

“Yes. It feels like just yesterday that the world was about to end. The government and the Hunters Guild say that everything will be fine now, but I can’t trust them at all. It’s a scary world to raise a child.”

“It’ll be okay. It has to be okay.”

I tried to bring up the topic of dungeons, but the police officer didn’t react much. My appearance was the same, but there wasn’t even any mention of me looking like Han Yoo-jin. It seemed that he couldn’t even recognize that I was the same person, let alone a similar person.

“Thank you. Have a safe trip.”

I bowed my head and got off in front of the apartment complex. I felt happy when I saw the large apartment building.

‘Home was my biggest concern.’

Of course, I didn’t have any money, and there was a limit to how much magic stone I could bring. It wasn’t easy to turn magic stones or items into cash either. This was because high-grade magic stones and items were strictly controlled. If an F-Ranker without any career history tried to sell them, they could end up in prison.

In the end, I thought I would have to sell the lower-grade magic stones as quickly as possible and find a cheap monthly rent room.

“Let’s see, which building is it?”

I took out the postcard that Seong-hyun Jae had sent me. The apartment address and password were written at the bottom of the postcard. It was one of the villas owned by the guild master of Seseong.

‘It doesn’t look like it’s Chuseok.’

How many apartments are there? Anyway, it was a secret safe house, so it was good for staying hidden. The caretaker only visits once a month early in the morning to clean, so I just have to go out for a while then. He said that no one would check the maintenance fee in detail. Unlike the last time I was in a heavily guarded penthouse, this was a normal apartment. The entrance and elevator were ordinary, and I only had to press the password, and there were no separate security devices in the house.

“The house is nice~.”

– Squeak!

You say it’s an ordinary apartment, but look at the size of the living room. It looked like there were four rooms. Piyak, who had been cramped up because he was hiding, flew up quickly. The appliances were also full. Today was the last day of the month, so the caretaker had already visited. I can live here for a month without worrying.

I looked around the house and went into the bedroom with the bed. In the dressing room, clothes for each season were hung, and the bedding was filled with various blankets. Even the bathroom amenities were fully stocked, like in a hotel. The owner of the house probably never came here.

“Oh, there’s a watch too. Should I sneak it out and sell it?”

I wonder if it’s too expensive to be suspicious. First, I took out the baby bed from the inventory and put Bin down. It was a special item made by Myeong-woo, so I had to exchange it for an A-Rank item to bring it. Bin was tired from the sudden change in environment, so he fell asleep right away, clutching the doll tightly.

“I’m a little sleepy too.”

– Squeak.

“Let’s get some rest today.”

I washed up, changed my clothes, and lay down on the bed. As soon as I closed my eyes, sleepiness washed over me. I fell into a deep sleep without even dreaming.

* * *

“Bin, will you be okay?”

“Awoo.”

A small hand grabbed my finger. I didn’t want to leave him, but I couldn’t help it. I coaxed Bin and took out the Drawer of the King of Neutrality. Drawer 71 had been recharged and its function had been changed with the help of Myeong-woo and Haneul. I could still use the interior space, but its size had been greatly reduced. It had become much more compact than before, and the mana consumption had also decreased.

Instead, with the remaining part.

“Drawer 71.”

“Number 71.”
He seemed to have decided that it was rather safe because it was so clumsy. He clicked his tongue and reached out to me.

The cube-shaped drawer glows and changes shape. In an instant, the enlarged item transformed into a human. It was possible to summon item 71 outside the drawer.

“Did you call me, master?”

“Uh… yeah.”

Noah-like number 71 bowed his head to me. This time, it’s Mr. Noah……. I tried to change my appearance when I created the summon function for item 71. If it’s a familiar face, it would be a burden and it would be difficult if other people noticed it. But in the end, it turned out to be random among the people I know. Yoohyun still appeared the most, probably because my favorability rating still affects it.

“Then I’ll leave Yubin to you while I’m gone.”

Number 71 wasn’t an all-purpose butler like in the drawer, but he could do ordinary human activities outside. He also took good care of the child. If it weren’t for number 71, I would have had to find a place to leave the child.

“Baby, if anything happens, come to daddy right away. Got it? If it’s dangerous, bring Bin too. Here’s a mini-mini cookie.”

– Squeak!

The baby bed also had a protective function, but just in case.

“Now, the remote control. Cable TV is connected too. But don’t get too caught up in TV.”

– Squeaky squeak.

Snowing tree, please take good care of it. Shouldn’t I give Snowing Tree a separate name? Snow… Seol-i and Na-mu already exist. Since it’s a white tree, it’s Baekmok. Should I use the Chinese character for tree? Baek-su… no. But right now, Bin is the origin of the tree that snows. Hmm, let’s think about it slowly.

I left the house, organizing the things I had to do in my head. Small amounts of F-grade magic stones could be sold officially at the hunter market even if they were non-awakened. Sometimes there were cases where they would accidentally pick up monster magic stones when they died in the dungeon. However, selling a few F-grades wouldn’t amount to much. I didn’t have any F-grades anyway.

The official sales route required a hunter’s license from E-grade onwards, and the source was checked from D-grade onwards. Well, if you’re an S-rank hunter, you can buy a high-grade magic stone without any special procedures. So the only way for me to sell intermediate magic stones now was to go into the black market.

‘B-rank and above is dangerous. D-rank would be appropriate.’

If a weakling appeared with a B-rank magic stone, there would definitely be tails following him, wondering if he had anything else. C-rank was also a bit like that, so a few D-ranks would be enough for a while.

I walked diligently on foot under the warm sky that had turned into June because I didn’t have a car. If I had a cell phone, I would have been able to sell a few household items as used goods. I need to get a phone as soon as I get some money. Myeongwoo said that he had processed it so that I could use my resident registration number as it is. I guess he must have applied a recognition-related application.

“Excuse me… excuse me……”

I searched my memory and found a nearby store that sold low- and mid-level hunter items. It looked like a small, shabby aquarium from the outside. The display window was covered with large tanks with tropical fish, goldfish, and guppies written in large letters on the outside. The interior was cleaner than it looked. Plump goldfish and colorful tropical fish swam in the tanks.

“Hmm, I came here because a friend told me about it.”

I said, heading towards the back of the store, acting timid. Like a clueless beginner. If I’m treated like a newbie, I won’t be able to sell it for a good price, but it will be safer instead.

“Friend? What friend?”

A store owner in his mid-thirties came out with a bored voice. The large tropical fish-shaped earrings reminded me of White Seed.

“That, they said I could sell it if I came here……”

“What are you selling? I don’t sell pictures. But don’t let them go in the Han River.”

“Not fish, this.”

I took out a D-grade magic stone as if I didn’t know anything. The boss frowned and grabbed my arm and dragged me inside.

“Who the hell sent this newbie? It’s so annoying.”

“Why did they send such a newbie? It’s so annoying.”

“Kyaaah! So embarrassing! I’m going to get rid of that as soon as I get home!”

She quickly passed by the statue without even looking at it properly. Her destination was the souvenir shop. Even though the shop had been expanded, it was still crowded. There were some new products too. Maybe because it was summer, they were selling fans and mini electric fans. She picked up a fan after seeing the price of the mini electric fans. They were expensive. Should she buy a Pii doll instead? Even Byakko would like it. Hmm, but it’s expensive.

“Isn’t it a bit too much? Even the lowest grade ones are at least 100 silver at the market.”

“If you don’t like it, then leave.”

That’s too much. She suppressed her urge to haggle and reluctantly picked out four of the lowest quality D-grade magic stones. Even so, they were all of superior quality. She felt sorry for them. Instead of the magic stones, she was handed an envelope containing 40 fifty-thousand-won bills and a business card.

“Next time, send me a text message with this number. Just send me these numbers.”

“Thank you.”

Anyway, she was relieved to have some money and left the aquarium.

‘I got ripped off a lot, but whatever.’

Well, to be exact, it included the first transaction fee. The business card was probably not an ordinary item either. As expected, it went into her inventory. If there were no problems, she would make a proper deal from the second transaction.

In fact, such backdoor routes were essential for low-level Hunters. Especially for new Hunters, even if they entered a dungeon, the pay wasn’t that much. There were cases where they wouldn’t even give them a single piece of magic stone fragments, saying that it was to give them experience, or they would even take their money.

In order to become stronger, experience was necessary, but equipment was also essential. You had to have a certain level of equipment to be treated as a proper team member. But how could you afford to buy equipment if you couldn’t make any money? If you weren’t originally well-off, you would have no choice but to steal magic stones.

‘With the inventory, it’s easy to collect them secretly as long as I’m not greedy.’

Since the magic stones that were stolen couldn’t be sold through the official route, they used backdoor deals. It was a kind of practice that everyone knew about in secret.

‘If they set a minimum percentage for dungeon rewards by law, things would be a little better.’

It was Hunter autonomy. Since it was difficult to consider the inside of a dungeon as domestic territory and public authority couldn’t reach it, most countries didn’t interfere much. How could they change it? Even if they made it a law, it wouldn’t be of much use in front of force…

“I should register as a Hunter.”

How long could I last with 2 million won? I won’t have much left after I open a cell phone account and buy some necessities. I even needed clothes. The clothes from Seong Hyeon-je’s house were all too big, so I could only wear them as an undershirt indoors. Should I sell the watch instead?

I bought a cell phone first and went to the bank to open a new account. Even though I used my resident registration number, no one recognized me. Everyone was so indifferent that it gave me goosebumps.

I took the subway and headed towards Seocho. Myeong-woo told me not to go near Dodam and Haeyeon if possible, but I wanted to go there once. There was a large sign in the station indicating the direction to the Haeyeon Guild. Below that, Dodam Ranch was also newly added. There was also an advertisement with Pii’s picture on it near the exit.

‘Cafe and souvenir shop.’

I looked at the picture of Pii for a moment and then went up the stairs. The familiar scenery hadn’t changed. Pedestrians in light clothing were walking along the street. None of them recognized me. Even though I was holding a Dodam pamphlet in my hand and talking about the ranch and Han Yoo-jin. I headed towards the Dodam Building with a heavy and bitter feeling. The moment I arrived in front of it, the shock blew away my depression.

“…Wow.”

It was really my statue. Even tourists were taking pictures in front of it. The sight of them taking souvenir photos happily made the back of my neck tingle. It looked even more horrible in person. I was so glad that no one recognized me as Han Yoo-jin. If anyone found out, I would die of embarrassment.

‘…I want to blow it up.’

Ugh, so embarrassing! I’ll get rid of that as soon as I get home! I passed by the statue without even glancing at it properly. My destination was none other than the souvenir shop. There were a lot of people in the newly expanded store. There were some items I had never seen before. Maybe it’s because it’s summer, but they were selling fans and mini electric fans. I picked up a fan after checking the price of the mini electric fans. Expensive. Should I buy one of those Peace dolls to tie on Bin’s leash? Even Piyak might like it. Hmm, that’s expensive too.

There were a lot of things that caught my eye, but my original goal was photo cards. In other words, pictures. Family photos that I could put in my new cheap wallet. I hadn’t seen them in person for a while, so I wanted to have at least one photo. I had a photo of Yoohyun, Yeri, Peace, and me.

‘Even if I couldn’t get Seol-ah and Byul-i, I should have taken one with Gyeol.’

I didn’t know it would turn out like this. Back then, I was embarrassed to take pictures and I didn’t like it. I guess photos are what’s left.

There was quite a long line at the cafe next door. I should stop by since I’m already here. I never thought I’d be waiting in line to see Do-hamin’s face. But if I’m lucky, Yeri or Noah might stop by. Yoohyun definitely won’t.

It was nice to see that damn hamster decoration after a long time. Ham-in really made it out of real gold and bronze. I went into the cafe, but Do-hamin was nowhere to be seen, and there was only an unfamiliar part-timer. Kim Min-ui came out for a moment and then went back into the kitchen. Business is good. Since it was hot, I ordered a refreshing cafe latte.

‘Coffee still tastes bad.’

I miss the kids. The empty seat in front of me felt empty. It was a seat that would have been filled in no time. I felt the urge to run into the nursery and shout, “I’m Han Yoojin!” This is more depressing than I thought. I’m glad I have Bin and Piyak.

I finished my drink and left the cafe. As I headed back to the subway, a familiar car stopped at the signal. I stared blankly at the black window that I couldn’t see through. The signal changed and the car drove away. There was something colorful stuck to the handle on the back seat. Maybe a small hand had tried to open the door. A smile came to my face without me realizing it.

“I should hurry home.”

I went back to the apartment with the Peace doll. I searched for a stroller on my phone so I could go to the mart with Yubin.

“…So expensive!”

What the heck is so expensive? There are a lot of them that cost tens of millions of won. The dungeon byproduct stroller that can store inventory was a whopping 20 million won. I should have brought the one that Myeongwoo made for me. Even if I didn’t have enough inventory, I could have just carried it in my hand.

“…Bin, Daddy will have to carry you for a while.”

Bin laughed out loud. I’ll just have it delivered to the house in front of the mart. Since I have a rice cooker, I’ll buy some rice and side dishes, clothes for Bin and me, and baby toiletries… I’m really glad that the apartment has almost everything. I should buy Bin a walker soon too. I left the high chair for toddlers there too.

There were more places to spend money than I thought. After going to the mart with Bin and buying what I needed, I left the house alone again. I felt anxious thinking that if I got caught by Sesung, I might get kicked out of the apartment. Should I try to bluff my way through by showing them Seong Hyeon-je’s postcard and saying that the guild master lent it to me?

The awakening center where Rietta had sat down so passionately had been rebuilt. Since hunter registration is now done at the awakening center, I took a bus there.

‘It’s different from what I remember.’

Did they change it completely because it collapsed? The site was much larger and there were more buildings. I checked the sign and walked towards the hunter registration office. Although it is still in the pilot stage, the awakening service has also started, so there were quite a few people.

‘Only combat, combat support, and healer awakenings are possible.’

‘Only combat, combat support, and healer awakenings are possible.’

I stared blankly at my certificate. In the newly taken photo, I was smiling quite comfortably.

It seemed that the three were grouped together as normal awakenings, while the rest were special awakenings. Special awakenings were still under preparation, so only normal awakenings were possible at the moment. The website guide stated that those who did not think they had any talent or aptitude related to combat should wait for the special awakening center to open.

‘This way, there will be fewer people crowding the place.’

Modern people are naturally distant from combat. Moreover, once my case, hmm, became famous, there would be more people who wanted special awakenings.

The interior was clean and spacious. As I headed towards the reception, a large monitor displayed a promotional video for the awakening center.

[Special Awakening Center? Isn’t the combat department the best?

Defeat monsters and conquer dungeons! S-class Hunters are really cool!]

…I felt a little uneasy. Behind the boisterous voice, my statue appeared, as expected. At least use a photo of me! Why do you keep putting in my statue!

[You can do it too! The new rising star of the Hunter world, special ability awakener!]

It continuously played a promotional video, listing the achievements of the Dodam Pigsty Manager and encouraging everyone to get special awakenings. At the bottom of the advertisement, there was a small note that special awakenings required a separate fee. Unlike normal awakenings, it was an awakening that required money and time to find one’s own aptitude. It was like an academy advertisement.

After registering for the awakener registration, I sat down on a waiting chair with a pamphlet in my hand. Let’s see, the market and the Hunter Association Building 2 were still there. Huh? There was a separate monster department. Was it because of Gi Seung-soo? I noticed several other facilities that I had never seen before. It had definitely changed.

After skimming through the pamphlet, I looked at the people passing by.

‘F-class, F-class, E-class, F-class, C-class.’

The beginner skill had disappeared from the list, but when I concentrated, the awakening grade and growth potential appeared before my eyes. It reminded me of the old days. A year had already passed by.

[Number 201, Han Yoo-jin. Please come to measurement room 3.]

I got up from my seat after hearing the broadcast. Like before, I registered the skills as two E-class skills, mental strength, and agility. However, my stats were higher than before. It was a decent level for an F-class, considering my level.

“Your magic stat is unusually high.”

The person in charge of checking my stats said with a surprised expression.

“Your other stats are at the upper level of F-class for your level, and the lower level of E-class, but your magic stat is 25.”

A year ago, it was only 2. It had increased by more than tenfold. If Myung-woo hadn’t sealed my mana carving, it might have been even higher.

“Unlike high-level Hunters, low and mid-level Hunters have low magic stats, and their growth is much slower. That’s why we measure the stat grade excluding the magic stat.”

Even when other stats increased by 10, there were often cases where magic didn’t change at all. That’s why magic was also called the ability that divided high-level Hunters from lower Hunters.

“With this level of magic stat, you are likely to have acquired magic or special system skills when your awakening is optimized. In that case, even if your other stats are low, your grade will not be measured as high. Right now, you can register as a D-class or a C-class at most.”

“Please just register it as the grade excluding the magic stat. I’ll change it later when I get the skill.”

I registered as an F-class even though I could have registered as an E-class. I could always raise my grade later, so I did it as a way of starting anew. I declined the offer to recommend a guild that could help me acquire skills, and I put the earring that I had taken off for a while to measure my stats back on.

“That’s a red earring.”

“Oh, yes.”

Did he recognize it? I was taken aback, but the person in charge smiled and pointed to his ear. It was an earring similar to mine.

“It’s trendy at the awakening center these days. Many people visit with a similar outfit to Manager Han Yoo-jin, hoping for good luck.”

“R-really?”

The person in charge’s gaze swept over my outfit meaningfully. …It’s just what I usually wear. I didn’t copy him.

Before long, my Hunter license was issued. I didn’t get a registration allowance this time. That’s too bad.

‘F-class Han Yoo-jin.’

I took a good look at the license. In the newly taken picture, I was smiling quite comfortably.