S-Classes That I Raised to Devour - Chapter 60

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 60. The Opening of a Mad Company (2)
Chae Mujin stepped onto the platform in the Banquet Hall.
There were no spotlights, no request for attention.
Yet all one hundred people present stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.
Chae Mujin exchanged a brief nod with the hundred attendees before speaking.
“Welcome to the opening of Arc Hunter Management. I’m CEO Chae Mujin.”
He bowed respectfully and continued.
“I’ve noticed that the reasons you’ve all come here fall into roughly two categories. Those who came out of pure curiosity, and those who came with firm confidence in me.”
Everyone nodded or laughed at his words, and Chae Mujin laughed along as he spoke.
“Those who came out of curiosity will find confirmation, and those who came with confidence will discover that even that confidence was merely the tip of the iceberg.”
The relatively light atmosphere of the Banquet Hall suddenly grew heavy and oppressive.
The Hunters invited to the opening were no ordinary rabble.
Genuine masters who possessed both title and skill. Some were representatives attending on behalf of major guilds, while others were guild masters attending in person.
For such high-ranking Hunters, so proud of their standing and worth, to tolerate such provocation was nonsensical.
And indeed, one man broke the silence with wild laughter.
“Krahahahaha!”
An empty space naturally formed around him. A crimson martial robe bearing the character for “Fist,” a thick, unkempt beard—the bearing of a hidden master who had spent a lifetime training in the mountains.
Though many experts were present at the gathering, nearly half of them couldn’t withstand his aura and stepped back.
The space that had seemed to form naturally was actually the result of Hunters fleeing, unable to bear the pressure radiating from him.
At that moment, information director Kim Min-woo spoke through the earpiece Chae Mujin wore.
―Name: Ho Yeon-gyeol. Age estimated to be mid-to-late forties. Profession: Warrior. Level 351, no less. I must confess, I didn’t expect the Iron Fist Guild master himself to grace us with his presence. This is quite an interesting turn of events.
Chae Mujin knew the name Ho Yeon-gyeol, but not in the detail Kim Min-woo possessed.
―He’s already quite famous as a master of the One-Strike Killing Fist. There’s even verified video evidence of him destroying a mountain with a single punch. Though, he does have a few vulnerabilities we could exploit, if you’re interested. I could tell you all of them, if you’d like?
Chae Mujin ended the call without reply and addressed Ho Yeon-gyeol respectfully.
“Senior Ho. You seem to have much to say, but a junior couldn’t possibly look down on you. Would you come up here?”
“Krahaha! You’ve got backbone, I’ll give you that!”
Boom!
Despite the great sound of his footfall, he rose as smoothly as a bird and landed on the platform.
It was proof of having reached the stage of outwardly strong, inwardly soft.
Ho Yeon-gyeol was a head shorter than Chae Mujin, yet somehow Chae Mujin looked dwarfed in comparison.
This testified to the vast difference in their auras.
“Should we step in? That punch-crazy idiot is genuinely dangerous,” Song Baek, the Bastard Guild’s tank, asked Lightning Bun-gae.
He was ready to leap into action the moment Choi Bun-gae gave even the slightest nod.
But Choi Bun-gae simply shook his head.
“Does Chae Mujin look like the weak one to you?”
“He is compared to Ho Yeon-gyeol.”
“Wrong. Look carefully.”
“What am I supposed to—hmm?”
Now that Choi Bun-gae mentioned it, something did seem different on second look.
“That crazy bastard’s smiling.”
Chae Mujin was indeed smiling. Standing directly before Ho Yeon-gyeol, whose aura alone caused tension in everyone around.
* * *
Ho Yeon-gyeol sensed it too. That Chae Mujin was no ordinary man.
But in the end, he was merely a Supporter. Ho Yeon-gyeol knew well enough that this world had never seen a Supporter like this before, yet a Supporter remained a Supporter nonetheless.
‘Like how a mouse, no matter how strong, is still just a mouse.’
He interpreted Chae Mujin’s boldness not as his true nature, but as confidence born from powerful backing.
The Hunter Association chairman and various executives—their backing was common knowledge to anyone who looked.
‘But would I worry myself over such things?’
He had come here today exactly as Chae Mujin had said: out of curiosity.
Yet here Chae Mujin stood, speaking of giving confirmation, of making even that confirmation seem trivial. It was infuriating.
And now he was smiling softly right in front of him.
“Chae Mujin. Why are you smiling?”
“I’m grateful that you came in person, and even more grateful that you’re offering me the chance to prove myself.”
“Proof? You’re not actually thinking of proving yourself by fighting me, are you?”
On one side stood Ho Yeon-gyeol, whose strength was already proven. On the other, Chae Mujin, a rumored Supporter.
If a betting pool opened, everyone would mortgage their entire fortune and take out loans to wager on Ho Yeon-gyeol’s victory.
“It would be a shame to ruin such fine clothes fighting on such an auspicious day. How about a friendly sparring match instead?”
“Hehehehe, hahahaha! Sparring? Friendly? Now look who’s getting bolder by the second.”
“Five exchanges. Would you agree to just five exchanges?”
“Fine. Bring Kim Yeoul and Lee Minji, both of them. Five exchanges won’t even be necessary. I’ll finish this in one.”
It was common knowledge that Kim Yeoul and Lee Minji belonged to Arc Management.
Therefore, Ho Yeon-gyeol naturally assumed that it would be these two, buffed by Chae Mujin, who would fight on his behalf—not Chae Mujin himself.
The others shared that assumption. Both of them were indeed present at the event, quiet and unobtrusive but easily found if one looked.
Kim Yeoul and Lee Minji asked Chae Mujin with their eyes.
‘Should we go up?’
Chae Mujin answered not with his eyes but with words.
“Senior Ho, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. The sparring is with me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re too weak. Even if I control my strength, you could die.”
“You’re right—you’ll need to control your strength to the maximum. Otherwise, you’ll sustain serious injuries.”
“This insolent—!”
Even when provoked by an A-rank Hunter, Ho Yeon-gyeol would grow angry. But to be continuously goaded by someone who wasn’t even A-rank, a mere Supporter, was unbearable.
‘You brought this on yourself, foolish boy.’
Ho Yeon-gyeol struck at Chae Mujin’s chin with his fingertips—a quick, light blow intended to cause concussion and unconsciousness.
‘What?!’
Chae Mujin vanished from before his eyes.
“First exchange, taken cleanly.”
Chae Mujin’s voice came from behind him.
Ho Yeon-gyeol couldn’t believe it.
‘I turned my back? What Skill did he use?!’
Unable to accept what happened, Ho Yeon-gyeol attacked again with a spinning back kick.
“Second exchange. I was surprised by that one.”
Once again, Chae Mujin’s voice came from behind him.
How was this possible? Ho Yeon-gyeol’s mind began to heat with confusion.
‘An illusion? A clone? Or is there poison in the drink I took?’
He was certain he’d attacked Chae Mujin. Yet when he regained awareness, his attack had passed through empty air and he had exposed his back.
“I’m done playing games.”
Boom!
Stamping his foot on the ground, Ho Yeon-gyeol spread his legs wide and pressed his fists firmly against his lower abdomen.
This wasn’t simply a shift in mindset reflected in his stance.
A crimson aura spread from where his foot struck, spreading like a spider’s web across the floor.
One of the spectators cried out in recognition.
“Is that the legendary Blood Luo Earth Net?!”
Hunters are careful to keep their Skill information hidden. Exposure leads to being countered.
Yet despite such precautions, Hunter life inevitably leads to Skill secrets being revealed.
Ho Yeon-gyeol’s Blood Luo Earth Net was already well known. It was an A-rank Skill that sensed enemies within range and reduced their movement speed by half.
“If you value your life, defend with all your strength. You won’t be able to dodge like before.”
Ho Yeon-gyeol had roughly deduced how Chae Mujin had evaded his earlier attacks.
‘A Buff. That bastard’s Buff gives incredibly high values—I’d heard rumors. That explains it.’
He must have applied massive movement speed Buffing to dodge the attacks.
If so, Ho Yeon-gyeol could counter it with his Blood Luo Earth Net.
A detection that pierced even invisibility Skill, and a powerful debuff that halved movement speed.
“Haaaah!”
Ho Yeon-gyeol charged with a shout, deliberately giving Chae Mujin time to defend.
Yet he didn’t drop his guard. He focused on the Blood Luo Earth Net, trying to read his opponent’s movements.
‘I feel it—he’s touched the net!’
At that moment, Chae Mujin’s movement speed should have been halved. No matter how high one’s movement speed, a sudden fifty-percent reduction made superhuman velocity impossible.
That should have been the case.
Crack!
Ho Yeon-gyeol’s fist tore through empty space and punched clean through the wall.
The spectators swallowed hard.
“What in the world is happening here?”
“I have no idea. Why is he just… passing through without hitting Chae Mujin?”
Ho Yeon-gyeol’s ears caught every word of the crowd’s bewilderment.
A chill ran down his spine. He was certain he’d stepped forward at a walking pace, yet the world slid backward around him. His body moved faster than his brain could process—a bizarre sensation.
Chae Mujin simply stood in place while Ho Yeon-gyeol became a runaway locomotive, passing helplessly by.
“This is impossible—!”
The Blood Luo Earth Net wasn’t working. That Skill reduced the opponent’s speed, not his own.
In that fleeting instant, what Ho Yeon-gyeol sensed through the net wasn’t a fleeing Chae Mujin.
Chae Mujin had merely turned his body—like a bullfighter.
“Grrrraaaah!”
Rage consumed Ho Yeon-gyeol. How pathetic he must have looked to the others—confidently throwing a punch while Chae Mujin simply pivoted his body, leaving Ho Yeon-gyeol to sail past in confusion. His blood boiled.
Yet even in his fury, Ho Yeon-gyeol was forced to acknowledge it.
“Chae Mujin—no, Chae Junior. You’re impressive!”
The way he addressed Chae Mujin had changed. The spectators stirred at hearing it.
“Has Iron Fist ever called anyone junior before?”
“Never heard of it.”
The murmuring ceased abruptly. Chae Mujin had drawn the Radiant Sword.
“You’ve taken three of our five exchanges, so I’ll take the remaining two.”
“Hmm! Any time you’re read—”
Clang!
Before Ho Yeon-gyeol could finish, Chae Mujin suddenly appeared behind him.
Remarkably, without even turning around, Ho Yeon-gyeol flicked the Radiant Sword away with the back of his hand.
The spectators focused not on Ho Yeon-gyeol’s defense, but on Chae Mujin’s offense.
“Incredible speed!”
“I couldn’t even see it!”
“How much movement speed Buff was applied?”
“In the Hunter test he only showed attack power Buff—he was holding back!”
Now even those who’d known nothing of Chae Mujin understood. His Buff wasn’t simply a matter of amplifying attack power to absurd levels.
His attack was blocked, and Chae Mujin vanished once more—silently gone at incredible speed.
But keen-eyed Hunters caught something. Chae Mujin wasn’t moving quickly.
He was demonstrating instantaneous teleportation—the A-rank Skill Buff Link.
Ho Yeon-gyeol scanned his surroundings. He tried to locate Chae Mujin by expanding his aura sense, but found nothing.
‘Has he gone far away? Or can he hide his presence?’
Everyone looked around in confusion, searching for Chae Mujin. But he was nowhere to be seen.
Just as tension threatened to give way to tedium—
Crash!
The sound of shattering glass drew every eye upward—
And there was Chae Mujin, suddenly kneeling before Ho Yeon-gyeol, thrusting the sword at his throat.
The Hunters who belatedly realized Chae Mujin’s appearance covered their mouths.
To some eyes, it looked as though Chae Mujin’s blade had pierced Ho Yeon-gyeol’s throat.
“…You really are formidable, Senior Ho.”
At Chae Mujin’s words, Ho Yeon-gyeol laughed heartily in reply.
“It’s been a long time since I felt that. I don’t remember the last time I experienced such tension!”
Ho Yeon-gyeol’s throat hadn’t been pierced. The Radiant Sword was caught between his fingers.
Chae Mujin returned the Radiant Sword to his inventory, stepped back, and bowed deeply to Ho Yeon-gyeol.
“Thank you for showing restraint and gracing me with your instruction.”
Through the first three exchanges, Chae Mujin held unquestionable dominance.
But when the situation tangled in the final two exchanges, the spectators’ judgment shifted.
The true victor was Ho Yeon-gyeol, they concluded.
Yet Ho Yeon-gyeol himself knew the truth intimately.
Those last two exchanges were Chae Mujin’s deliberate gift—perfect consideration to preserve his face.
‘Not even thirty, I’d heard, yet he displays cunning to rival the Association chairman himself.’
For Chae Mujin, this sparring match wasn’t merely about showcasing his martial prowess.
There was another purpose at work.
Ho Yeon-gyeol recognized it, and though he resented being used as a tool for Chae Mujin’s ends, he decided to indulge the boy’s audacity—just this once.
“Tell me something, Chae Junior. Your Buff—it seems you can’t apply it to yourself?”
Precisely. What Chae Mujin had demonstrated in this match wasn’t merely shattering the prejudice that ‘Supporters can’t fight.’
Why hadn’t he applied such a powerful Buff to himself? He’d given Ho Yeon-gyeol tremendous movement speed increases, yet increased his own movement and attack speed—he had not.
This was what he’d sought to reveal.
The answer was one of two things: either he didn’t want to show his true abilities, or he couldn’t. But Chae Mujin admitted his critical weakness with utter frankness.
“That’s correct. I cannot apply Buffs to myself.”
His bland demeanor deepened the confusion in the Hunters’ minds.
‘That can’t be true. Who admits a weakness so easily?’
‘A man in his twenties with such nerve. I mustn’t underestimate him.’
Having sown the seeds of suspicion, Chae Mujin smiled with satisfaction as he watched them take root.
“Now then, I’ll conclude the opening ceremony of Arc Hunter Management.”
“…?”
“Did my ears deceive me? Did you just say the opening is over?”
“It’s only been an hour since we started?”
“Not even an hour—fifty-two minutes.”
“CEO Chae, you’re quite the jester!”
“Haha, yes. A joke then? Am I getting too old to recognize humor?”
The Hunters laughed as they spoke, but Chae Mujin answered seriously.
“No. It really is finished.”
Screech.
The doors to the Banquet Hall swung open. The dim lights brightened.
“Thank you for coming.”
Chae Mujin withdrew backstage without further word. The one hundred Hunters left behind assumed it was theater—no one left their seats.
“He hasn’t even explained what a Hunter Management company does. There’s no way this ends here.”
“There’s so much to analyze from the match with Iron Fist.”
“But the staff are leaving too?”
After waiting an hour, the Hunters finally understood.
Chae Mujin had truly left, and the opening ceremony for Arc Hunter Management had genuinely ended.
“What is this?!”
“Isn’t that taking a joke too far?!”
“If you’re going to invite us, shouldn’t you explain something? Your vision, your goals, what benefits we’d get from joining your company?”
No amount of shouting brought Chae Mujin back.
But soon they realized the truth of his words.
Those who came out of curiosity found their confidence affirmed.
Those who came already convinced learned something even more profound.
Chae Mujin was a madman.
Chae Mujin was a madman.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————