The S-Classes That I Raised

The team that succeeded in capturing the Gold Hamster was an alliance between the Beonkeibeu and Meodeubeul guilds. Meodeubeul, a mid-sized guild in Central Africa, handled the purchase of entry tickets and guided the route through the Gold Hamster Dungeon. Beonkeibeu, a large American guild, provided not only the main combat hunters for the dungeon raid but also the tamer.

However, Chloe Alger did not belong to either guild. The report simply stated that she ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) had been hired as a free hunter.

Now that they'd arrived in Korea, her name and affiliation were all disclosed, but the initial report had been anonymized. The Gold Hamster is the monster on the Kisung-su breeding contract ticket, and naturally there would be those attempting to seize it.

"Currently, the arriving hunters include the Beonkeibeu guild leader and members, plus one S-Rank, five A-Ranks, and three B-Ranks," Director Song said, his gaze flicking down to my shoes before rising back up.

"Even without the heel lifts, Han Yujin's height has suddenly—"

"Oh, Director Song, how insensitive of you!" Moon Hyun-ah cut in.

"You have to pretend not to notice."

"...Pardon?"

Director Song looked between me and Hyun-ah in confusion. Well, he probably had no way of knowing...

"If one's height increases by about three centimeters in a week, it's likely a stat upgrade, so it's something to verify. You don't have anything to hide—"

"They're elevator insoles, for height!"

I felt my neck burn with embarrassment. Of course the S-Ranks who usually saw me would notice—but I'd hoped they'd just let it pass quietly.

"With a little boost from the insoles plus these shoes, I clear 180 cm... Everyone else is around two meters, broad-shouldered, so it was necessary. The Americans are no joke."

Many high-Rank American hunters were over 190 cm and 100 kg even before awakening. When a dungeon erupted near a stadium, two well-built football teams awoke en masse. As a result, the average height of American high-Rank hunters was around two meters.

Surrounded by people a head taller than me... And since I liked some of them personally, I wanted to look at least a bit less diminutive. Even when contracting the Kisung-su breeding, being too small invited underestimation.

"I see... Your gait did seem a bit unnatural," Director Song said, finally nodding.

"My apologies."

"No, not at all. Haha..."

...Maybe I should take them out.

"So it was the height?"

As Director Song moved on, my younger brother tilted his head. He couldn't understand why I cared about my height.

"I thought they were some walking aid."

"They're for height."

Yu-hyun, that's something you don't need to know your whole life. A hunter wouldn't wear insoles that hamper movement. Ye-rim whispered to me, "Cheer up, sir." Normally she wasn't bothered—this was just because American hunters were so huge; by non-awakened or lower-Rank standards, I wasn't small.

"If you worry about being underestimated, growing a beard might be better," Seong Hyun-je suggested as he removed his shoes.

"A beard?"

"It'll make you look older."

At Hyun-je's words, Hyun-ah nodded.

"Yeah. You look like a high schooler at best right now."

"I—I'm twenty-five, though."

"They're all big and look older. In the late teens they change a lot. Liet even looks a few years older than you."

I thought that was just the vibe, but... Should I stick on a fake beard?

"Because Beonkeibeu might feel threatened, not everyone can accompany Han Yujin," Director Song said as he surveyed the S-Ranks. Excluding public official Song Taewon, that was still several people—versus only one on their side.

"That's my brother," Yu-hyun said, looking at me as if it were obvious he should be included.

"I'm just here to meet an acquaintance."

"I'm already familiar with that guild."

"How could this small, young me be a threat?" Ye-rim feigned weakness—though she was an eighth grader of fifteen. Director Song sighed.

"Well... I'll discuss it with Beonkeibeu. If they refuse, you must accept it."

He took out his phone and walked to the window. If they refused—but usually they wouldn't, unless they only wanted the one Kisung-su. As expected, Director Song soon nodded.

"Only one person may stay by Han Yujin. The rest must keep their distance."

"Let's decide by fair draw!" Ye-rim said to Yu-hyun, glaring at him. Rock-paper-scissors had been a losing streak for her—last time she used her fog skill, he used acceleration, she used water drop to obscure sight, then steam... It was chaos. They ended up playing blindfolded, but Yu-hyun still won, aided by Iryn acting as his eyes. Ye-rim raged that she'd remember this if her spirit ever manifested again.

"One each, please draw," Director Song held out four wooden sticks marked at one end. Moon Hyun-ah drew the marked stick.

"My luck is unreal!"

"Hyung..." Yu-hyun sulked and Ye-rim looked deeply disappointed.

"We're just standing apart. What's the fuss?" I said.

"I worry my partner will desert me for a first love," Hyun-ah teased.

"I'm not a first love!"

"A week ago you were blushing in my arms."

"Hyun-ah!"

"That's my fault for having such a popular partner."

"Our Director Han is just too cute—what can you do? Let's have a drink."

That was absurd—coming from people who themselves were rankers.

In any case, Hyun-ah would stay by me, while the other four divided into two groups—Yu-hyun with Director Song, and Ye-rim with Seong Hyun-je—for mutual oversight. Nothing should go wrong, but just in case.

And before long...

'...This is insane.'

A line of huge people appeared. They easily exceeded two meters on average. Wow, look at those thick necks and broad shoulders. The man at the front was almost surreal—at least two to three times my mass.

"Sir, focus," Hyun-ah whispered. Even so, that was unreal—giants, not people. I see tall and fit people every day, yet this was too much. They were so long front-to-back and side-to-side that a normal house entrance would be too small. The door, ceiling, sofa, table, even the bed would all need to be oversized. A king-size bed would look like a single.

"I am Jason Brown, guild master of Beonkeibeu."

"...I am Han Yujin, director of Dodam Breeding Farm."

Jason extended his hand—naturally, enormous. When he stood before me, I could barely see anyone else. To see his face I had to tilt my head back.

"Thank you for the long journey. Please have a seat—"

Is there even a chair big enough? This lounge was for high-Rank hunters and oversized, but still not up to his scale. He could have easily dominated lower-Rank hunters even unawakened. He must have been two meters even before awakening.

While I was stunned, Jason greeted Hyun-ah and Director Song, then Yu-hyun and Ye-rim. Director Song must've met him before, likely because of Hyun-je.

"So, you wish to inspect the breeding facilities?"

I forced the pre-briefed itinerary into my mind, but the giant kept disturbing my thoughts with his chest. Maybe forty centimeters difference. It was like a child facing an adult.

"Yes. I brought the juvenile monster entrusted to Director Han."

Jason smiled broadly. That hadn't been mentioned—I'd hidden it. After all, they might seize it... His shoulders were like the Pacific, making my head look tiny.

"First, you must sign the contract. You've been briefed on the basic terms, yes? As I commissioned the Gold Hamster, I plan to minimize additional conditions. You'll also sign a safety agreement—this facility houses regular staff and young monsters. I am F-Rank myself."

Fortunately the words flowed. We moved to the prepared seating—only then did I notice the others besides Jason. The hunters standing slightly back were also large, but seemed relatively ordinary after seeing Jason.

At the very end stood a familiar face: Chloe Alger. Moon Hyun-ah, sitting beside me, waved her hand; Chloe returned the gesture with a smile.

Wow, she really came.

"Director Han?"

"Oh, yes. Here is the safety agreement."

I handed the pre-prepared contract to Jason, trying not to let it show too much like a deliberate move. Although we'd hardly met, my eyes slid sideways again—he was almost as tall and broad as Jason. His closely cropped hair looked different from the broadcasts.

"And this is the Kisung-su breeding contract. What type of monster will you entrust?"

"A black bear. Sadly not S-Rank, but a powerful A-Rank dungeon boss."

That sounded familiar from TV. While Jason reviewed the contract, I glanced at Chloe again—and caught her eye. The man beside her whispered something. What was that?

"She's really tiny," Moon Hyun-ah told me.

Well, I did look smaller with Hyun-ah at my side and Jason in front.

"I've heard people ask if she's really twenty-five or maybe fifteen."

Fifteen was extreme... I'm still bigger than Ye-rim. But compared to Jason... I'd have no defense claiming even elementary schooler status.

"...If I stand alone, I don't look that small."

"True. When we shook hands earlier, I was nervous."

I'm just average. Jason signed and looked at me with a smile.

"You seem interested in Hunter Chloe Alger."

"Huh? Ah, yes. I happened to see her online."

She did broadcasts about hunters, though there were no Korean subtitles yet. I'd found them through Hyun-ah's tip. Dungeon filming wasn't allowed, so she focused on dungeon-break guidance—how to respond when a dungeon erupts, how to read monster traces and avoid them.

She had done similar survival broadcasts before her return.

"The content was very helpful—I thought it'd aid non-awakened people too."

"Yes. We hired Alger precisely for that—to understand the Gold Hamster's habits and behavior to capture it."

"It helped a lot," Jason said.

"Watching her show made me want to offer assistance. I wanted to help her."

When I turned, Chloe was watching me intently. Ah, I'm embarrassed. Calm down—looking too eager after a few episodes would be odd.

"Chloe! Director Han wants to speak with you."

Moon Hyun-ah raised her hand to call Chloe over. Just a moment—Chloe approached with long strides.

"Well, um, we're developing equipment that allows filming inside dungeons. It's already in testing. Since you broadcast, I thought you'd be interested..."

"In Korea?"

Chloe sounded surprised.

"Already in testing—that's fast."

There was a similar project in the U.S., released before my return.

"Your broadcasts have a great purpose, so we'd like to provide the equipment. It'd be good publicity—your subscriber count is high."

"Oh, not at all. It only seems that way due to population size."

Her pleasant smile was exactly as I remembered before my return. I'd wanted to meet her in person... Not as desperate as before, but still sincerely pleased. A high-Rank hunter taking time to help weaker people—that was rare. Usually they just cleared monsters, but she empowered others to act.

So I wanted to support her—not just out of personal admiration.

Chloe gladly accepted. Rising from her seat, we prepared to visit the association before heading to the breeding farm.

'What keyword should I apply?'

I hadn't planned to give Chloe a keyword, but granting the Optimization skill would help. First, I'd check how much Optimization she'd earned. Seizing the moment while Hyun-ah and Jason's attention was elsewhere, I quietly used Seedling Skill on Chloe.

[Awakened – Chloe Alger

Current stat rank: S

Awakening-eligible stat ranks: A–S]

...Huh? A-Rank was, wasn't it?