The S-Classes That I Raised

Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson open up about how their bond began

"Wow, so many perfectly good buildings."

I looked around the area with a show of regret. It wasn't quite at the level of a capital city, but it was a fairly developed urban district. The evacuation seemed to be complete—it was quiet in all directions. Under the darkening sky, not a single light could be seen.

Turning around, I saw a line of a hundred Japanese high-rank Hunters filling up a four-lane road.

"Mic."

A mic was handed into my waiting hand. Testing, testing—good, the sound came through. I climbed up on a bollard set into the sidewalk to block vehicles. Now I could see the people in the back too. I wasn't exactly short, but still. Judging by the tension on everyone's faces, they were bracing themselves to face SS-rank monsters.

"Dear Korean Hunters, and less-dear Japanese Hunters. Why are you glaring over there? We all know you don't like me. Anyone here honestly thinking, Thank you so much for helping us~, feel free to raise your hand."

No one did. Even if someone felt that way, they'd be too self-conscious to show it. Especially with the Amaterasu Guild Leader right in front, face boiling with rage.

"Let me explain briefly. See this thing here? This little guy is a wide-area bait that lures all monsters nearby. This one, uh, smells like strawberries."

I gave the squishy red orb a little press to show them.

"In a few moments, I'll activate the bait, and all of you just have to survive for about thirty minutes. It could stretch to an hour. SS-rank monsters can hit speeds of around 200 km/h, so it shouldn't take more than that."

There were slow ones like the giant toad from before, but most were fast. Their huge size meant they could leap hundreds of meters in a single bound.

"S-rank Hunters will protect you as best they can, so don't try to run off—staying in place is safer. You all have experience, right? The support-types over there will be casting tons of buffs, so stay grouped and hold tight."

With the S-rank Hunters included, we could afford to lose maybe ten people at most—any more than that would be a problem. I glanced down at the group while checking my skill window. The skill I'd be using this time wasn't just double-effect on attack skills, but also—

[Look How Talented My Kid Is (SS) – When cheering on a Keyword-afflicted target in front of at least five intelligent beings who understand the keyword, target's stats and skill effects are increased by the number of intelligent beings in percentage (maximum 100%)

Duration: 30 minutesCooldown: 10 days※ Cannot be applied if the target or surrounding beings are aware of the keyword's effect.]

This skill boosted both stats and skill effects by up to 100 percent—doubling them. Until now, I hadn't had the chance to use it properly, and I'd been hesitant in case the keyword was exposed.

'If I just say "I love you," of course it'll give me away.'

Yuhyun would realize immediately, and so would everyone else around us. That would make it a one-time-use skill.

'What if I explain the skill beforehand?'

Of course, with a different explanation. If I told them it activated through something other than the keyword love, it might work. And if it didn't, I'd just have to pretend the skill didn't exist. But I figured this kind of loophole was probably allowed.

"So now, let me explain the skill. Mister Lion King, don't feel too bitter about having your item details exposed—I'm laying mine out too. This one's a real treasure I've been hiding forever, kept tightly under wraps. And I'm not even getting paid for it."

I made a point to sound annoyed about giving it away as I continued.

"It's a support skill that doubles the target's stats and skill effects."

Silence immediately fell. Some people froze in shock, others looked like they were questioning whether they heard correctly. Doubling stats and skills? That kind of efficiency really was insane. Even Shishio just blinked silently, unable to say a word.

As everyone reeled in disbelief, the first to react was Yuhyun.

"What are you doing, hyung?!"

He dashed up and pulled me behind him, growling fiercely. I knew he was worried.

"It was bound to be exposed anyway once I used it. Calm down. The conditions are strict."

Unless I planned to never use it, people were going to find out eventually. It only worked when there were at least a few dozen witnesses to reach its full potential. I soothed Yuhyun as I explained.

"This skill can only be used on someone I have a deep bond with. You all know I can raise monsters, right? It's from that same trait set—it's like a nurturing-type skill. That's why it also has an age restriction. Only works on people under thirty."

At first, I was going to say "younger than me," but then I remembered Moon Hyunah, so I changed it to thirty just in case. Yuhyun still had five years left, so we were good. And if needed, I could just say the skill leveled up and expanded the limit later.

"So unfortunately, I can't use it on the Sesung Guild Leader either."

Truthfully, it was because I wouldn't be applying the keyword. Seong Hyunjae just looked at me without a word. He was such a sensitive person, I'd debated leaving him at the hotel. But his ability was too valuable to pass up.

"Then that means I qualify, right?"

"Yeah. Yerim, of course you do. Same goes for you, Hunter Noah. But the cooldown only lets me use it on one person at a time."

If not for the restrictions, I would've used it on Yerim, Noah, Peace, and even Hyunah for a full-power sweep.

"To activate the skill, I have to give a heartfelt cheer full of affection and hug the target in front of at least a hundred people. That's why I asked you all to gather here. Yeah, it's a bit embarrassing."

If I say something affectionate enough, even saying "I love you" won't seem out of place.

"Because of the large number of people required, this is a skill that can't be used inside dungeons. It also has a time limit. Just thirty minutes—so even if I used it before entering, we wouldn't even clear the first floor."

I made sure to emphasize that it was useless in dungeons. Once the long list of limitations started piling up, the warm gazes toward me began to cool off to a reasonable degree. Yuhyun also looked visibly more at ease. It can't be used in dungeons, has an age restriction, and no one can force me to use it. For the effect it offers, the skill's actual value wasn't all that high.

A powerful buff you couldn't realistically use—it was pretty much pie in the sky.

"To sum up, once the skill activates on Guild Leader Haeyeon, all of you need to retreat along the designated path as quickly as possible. Now then, let's begin preparations."

At my signal, the support-type Hunters all cast their buffs at once. Then, they boarded the prepared vehicles and left the area. Those who had just left and the Hunters who would retreat later were all set to regroup at a shelter installed beyond the mountain. It was the farthest possible point from the expected path of the incoming SS-rank monsters.

Some time passed. A flare shot up, and immediately after, I lifted the strawberry-scented bait orb and pressed down hard. Pop—with that sound, the orb burst open.

-Grrngh!

Peace flared his nostrils and shook his head roughly. I stood beside him, activating Grace and increasing his size. This translation is powered by the readers at M|V|LE9MPYR.

"Yuhyun, try not to step up unless you have to. Don't bother with the small fry."

What mattered were the SS-rank monsters. A faint sense of tension settled over the area, and soon, the bait began to have an effect.

-Grrrr... keh!

"Got one!"

Moon Hyunah's spear pierced straight through the head of the monster that suddenly burst out. At the same time, Yerim took the map translated into Korean and dashed forward.

"Unni, wanna bet with me?"

She shouted brightly as she began blowing up every marked fire hydrant on the map. The geysers of water shot up and transformed into dozens of ice arrows that rained down on the approaching monsters.

"Don't use too much energy! Just hold out!"

"Don't worry!"

"I'll play safe!" Yerim shouted back.

It's not playtime! But even as I yelled, lightning cracked behind me, and a golden dragon soared into the sky. Shishio and the other Japanese S-rank Hunters began to move as well.

"What's the status on the SS-rank monsters?"

"Ah, A, B, C, D, and E have all started moving! They're heading this way in a straight line, still on their predicted paths!"

"Keep reporting their positions and speeds."

So far, so good. Rumble—the sound of buildings collapsing echoed out. A house-sized monster leapt high into the air and slammed down, only to be launched back by a geyser the moment it touched the ground. A chill mist spread out, slowing the movements of the monsters, which were then swept up by Moon Hyunah on her bike, wielding her spear.

"Ugh, broke again! New one!"

Unlike the one from Lanchea, it was just a regular bike—it couldn't handle the stress and shattered soon after. Noah was circling above the hundred high-rank Hunters, watching over them. Whenever flying monsters approached, he swiftly dealt with them, or if they were too much, he lured them toward other S-rank Hunters.

Chink—with a crisp sound, golden chains elegantly maintained their perimeter. Monsters below A-rank couldn't even cross the line; they simply burned to ash upon contact. Even S-rank monsters didn't fare much better—they just lasted slightly longer.

"No SS-rank monsters have deviated from their paths. B is moving the fastest, and C is lagging behind."

"Estimated arrival time difference?"

"Less than 10 minutes."

"That's manageable."

Modern tech really is great. We successfully attached trackers to them and were even using drones to record footage—nothing was slipping past us. Tracker D had broken, but the rest of them didn't seem to care about the small mechanical devices stuck to their bodies. Since they weren't mana-based, they probably felt like nothing more than specks of dust.

Monster corpses were piling up. Not a single building in sight remained intact. Roads were split apart, and the last remaining bike had been torn in half.

"B will arrive in five minutes!"

The time had come. The hundred Hunters held their positions without a fuss. I ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ turned the mic volume up to maximum.

"Sorry to interrupt the battle, but please lower the volume a bit. If not, well, can't be helped."

Not like you could quiet the sound of monsters getting their heads ripped off. It felt embarrassing to say it out loud, but there was no time to hesitate. I turned my head to look at Yuhyun standing beside me. He met my gaze and gave me a bright smile.

"My little brother's handsome, isn't he? Always is."

"Aaaagh, Mister! I don't have to listen to this, right? I'm plugging my ears!"

What? It's true, though.

"He's kind, so kind. Never lacking at anything since he was little. Sometimes I still can't believe a kid this amazing is my little brother. Grew up perfectly without a single flaw, and treats his one and only hyung so well, too."

"What are you doing, hyung! I—I can't take this anymore!"

Ah, what? Though, now that I think about it, it didn't sound much like a "cheer" after all.

"You trusted me and took on something this dangerous without hesitation. But I know you'll do great. Yuhyun, I love you, little brother. I always believe in you and rely on you."

Right on cue with the word "love," I pulled him into a tight hug. Did the skill activate properly?

"Yuhyun?"

"Yeah, hyung."

He gave a small nod. Good, it worked.

"Retreat! Everyone fall back immediately—follow the route!"

With that shout, I pulled out two mini-mini cookies.

"Peace!"

Peace chomped down on a cookie and immediately shrank down. Once he used Phase Shift, he looked just like a tiny plush keychain. Just in case we couldn't take down all the SS-rank monsters and ran out of time on our skills, Peace was staying behind to escape with us. He was much faster than Yuhyun, after all.

Then I ate the other cookie and picked up Peace, hugging him close. Yuhyun quickly scooped up the now-tiny me and Peace, tucking us into the chest pocket of the outfit he wore beneath his ceremonial Thunderbird garb. Though the robe was loosely draped over him, it helped obscure visibility. In addition to sharing the doubled attack skill effects, I also activated the Teacher skill on Yuhyun.

I could see the others retreating quickly.

"Be careful, Guild Leader!"

Yerim appeared beside us with a quick teleport, then vanished again. Noah and Moon Hyunah each called out a word and pulled back. Seong Hyunjae, too, wrapped the pursuing monster in chains and hurled it aside before joining the retreating group.

Before they had completely cleared the area—

-Kyaaaah!

With a fierce roar, a massive beast emerged. It had been running fast—its black fur whipped wildly, and the concrete and asphalt beneath its claws shredded with a grinding noise. When it stopped, the shockwave alone sent nearby rubble flying through the air like windblown leaves.

At the same time, Yuhyun moved.

Blue willow leaves unfurled, and he stepped lightly onto one, extending a hand forward. From his fingertips, a dark blue flame flared to life. It was a small flame—no bigger than a candlelight for decoration, fluttering gently as it mingled with the falling willow leaves.

-Grrrr...

It wasn't exactly a threatening stance, but the monster still stepped back as if sensing something. And then—whoosh. The flame that touched the ground surged skyward in an instant. A wall of fire rose to block the monster from pursuing the others. Yuhyun stood before it, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"I'm starting now, hyung. Hold on tight. You might get a little dizzy."

"I've already been through Hunter Noah's stunt flights. Don't worry about me."

Following behind the black beast, another figure appeared—a dragonkin with equally dark scales. Two, then a third. Their ominous presence thickened the air, so much so it seemed almost visible. Amidst that pressure, Han Yuhyun calmly drew his sword.