S-Classes That I Raised to Devour - Chapter 81

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 81. Manager’s Anguish (1)
The radio clipped to Kim Yeoul’s waist vibrated.
―Ms. Yeoul, this is a call from Representative Chae Mujin. Is it possible for you to exit the dungeon right now? Over.
At the mention of Chae Mujin calling for her, Lee Minji, who was standing beside her, snatched the radio.
“What does he want? A Boss Raid? A Rift Defense?”
―I’m just a staff member, so I’m not entirely certain of those details. Over.
“Got it. It’ll take about twenty minutes for us to get out.”
―Yes, a vehicle will be waiting for you at the dungeon entrance, so please board it immediately. End transmission.
After the radio cut out, Lee Minji spoke with a playful expression.
“Yeoul, want to take ten minutes longer on the way out? I’m curious what your uncle’s reaction will be.”
Kim Yeoul, however, answered seriously.
“If he’s calling us, it must be something important, so I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You never understand a joke. It was just fooling around.”
“Yeah. I think we should skip pranks like that.”
“Ugh, I really hope someone from our cohort joins soon. You’re way too boring, Yeoul.”
And so the two of them stopped hunting, exited the dungeon, and boarded the camper van that was waiting for them.
The driver bowed slightly to the two women as he spoke.
“It should take about two hours to reach the destination.”
The two of them rested in their own ways.
Just as the characteristic salty sea breeze began seeping in through the car window, the camper van came to a gentle stop.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Thank you for the ride!”
“You’re welcome.”
As the two women exchanged pleasantries and stepped out, they were met with a wide expanse of sea and sandy beach.
Chae Mujin stood at the edge of the incoming tide. Lee Minji waved her hand in greeting.
But Chae Mujin wasn’t alone. He was with two other men, and Lee Minji’s expression darkened immediately.
‘Please don’t tell me those two guys are my new cohort members.’
One was a large man carrying a massive rectangular shield on his back, with small circular shields strapped to both forearms.
Based on his appearance alone, there was a strong likelihood he’d be as quiet and boring as Kim Yeoul.
But the other person beside him wasn’t exactly normal either.
He had slicked-back hair, wore a skin-tight bodysuit, and was barefoot—as if he’d sold his shoes somewhere.
Lee Minji, who had been grumbling from a distance, approached reluctantly at Chae Mujin’s gesture.
When all four of them finally gathered in one place, Chae Mujin pointed his chin toward Kim Yeoul.
“First, let me introduce you. This is Kim Yeoul, our 1st Generation Management member. She’s a Flame Mage.”
As the eyes of the unfamiliar faces fell upon her, Kim Yeoul seemed embarrassed and only nodded quietly.
It was Lee Minji’s turn next, and she introduced herself.
“Hello, I’m Minji. Just call me Minji. So, who are these two mysterious people?”
“As you can see, her personality is a bit rough, but the kid has a good heart. Probably.”
“What do you mean ‘probably’!”
“Now, let me introduce these two to you all.”
After lightly pulling off that dodge, Chae Mujin placed his hand on the shoulder of the man wearing three shields.
“This is Choi Gang-im. The one and only long-range tank in existence, and the third member of the 1st Generation.”
Choi Gang-im, like Kim Yeoul, greeted them with only a slight nod and no words.
Lee Minji pressed her forehead and made a soundless cry of anguish.
“And this gentleman was dispatched here from the Bastard Guild. This is Bryan.”
“Yo, nice to meet you.”
At that cheerful yet slightly off-putting greeting, Lee Minji felt both disgusted and relieved.
And Chae Mujin didn’t miss that reaction.
“Did you think Bryan was your new cohort member?”
“Well, how could I not? You suddenly called us here, and there are two people I’ve never seen before.”
“Yeoul, did you also think Bryan was from the cohort?”
Kim Yeoul shook her head immediately.
“No.”
“Why?”
“It’s just… he seems like someone living in a completely different world from us.”
“Intuition. That’s good. But Minji, you have neither reason nor intuition?”
“What? What did I do!”
“You’ve already let your guard down in just one day. You need more training.”
“What on earth is that obnoxious guy……”
The moment Lee Minji looked at Bryan again to understand why Chae Mujin had suddenly turned so serious.
“……!”
Lee Minji instinctively stepped back two large paces and pulled out a Hammer from her Inventory, taking a combat stance.
It wasn’t something her mind had decided. It was instinct.
Get away from this man. Prepare for battle.
Her muscles, which had been loose and relaxed as Chae Mujin had pointed out, tightened painfully, and she entered combat mode.
Simply by looking at Bryan “carefully,” she’d plunged into extreme tension.
The man called Bryan, however, laughed carelessly and spoke.
“I thought she was just a reckless kid, but she’s got some instincts. Representative Chae!”
“It’s embarrassing. She’s normally not this dull.”
“Must be her condition! It happens!”
“No. An enemy won’t care about our condition. Minji, you’d better prepare yourself today.”
“Easy, easy. Don’t discourage the kid.”
Lee Minji grew angry at Chae Mujin and Bryan discussing her as if she weren’t there.
“What, what is this! Who is this guy?”
Bryan himself answered, rather than Chae Mujin.
“Representative Chae introduced me wrong. When I say I’m Bryan from the Bastard Guild, people don’t usually know who I am. So I introduce myself like this.”
Bryan suddenly vanished before her eyes. Lee Minji hadn’t even blinked, had kept staring straight at him the entire time—
But the moment she turned her head to look for where he’d gone.
Crunch.
Bryan, who had seized her throat from behind, finished his statement.
“An assassin who catches assassins. The nightmare of all killers—that’s me, the Anti-Assassin.”
No one else in the group noticed Bryan’s movement.
Only Chae Mujin managed to perceive that he’d moved behind Lee Minji.
But the fact that he could only perceive it and not react to such speed sent a chill down Chae Mujin’s spine.
‘It’s reassuring that he’s on our side and not the enemy.’
At that moment, Lee Minji managed to speak.
“…Never heard of it?”
“Ah… You don’t know?”
Bryan returned with an embarrassed expression, and Chae Mujin spoke.
“She doesn’t care about such information. My apologies.”
Clap, clap.
Chae Mujin dispersed the awkward atmosphere with applause. This gathering wasn’t merely to exchange pleasantries.
“Alright, let’s drop the games and everyone focus. We’ve gathered here because there’s a Mission.”
At the word “Mission,” everyone stopped smiling and concentrated on what Chae Mujin was about to say.
* * *
“The dungeon we’ll be entering is Daesu Gyeong. As the name suggests, we’ll navigate an endlessly vast sea and retrieve an item called the Saint’s Corpse Flower—that’s our objective for this Mission.”
Dungeon, Daesu Gyeong.
Only Bryan knew anything about it. He wore an expression of surprise as he spoke.
“Taking rookies into Daesu Gyeong? That’s suicide.”
Lee Minji, who had just been labeled a rookie, glared at him, but he ignored her.
Chae Mujin nodded and acknowledged it.
“To grow, one must challenge, and a true challenge isn’t doing what you can already do.”
“Growth is fine, but that only makes sense if you’re alive to see it.”
“That’s why I called you, Bryan.”
“Now that’s a lot of pressure.”
Though his gestures were exaggerated whenever he spoke, making him seem frivolous, Bryan was a genuine master.
He was a member of the Bastard Guild, where Choi Bun-gae the Lightning Sage was, and he ranked among the top of A-rank. Particularly in improvisation, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was number one.
Chae Mujin cleared his throat and resumed the briefing.
“This Mission has been supported by the Spirit Pharmacist, Kang In-yong.”
“Wait, when you say Kang In-yong, you mean the one called the Poison Spirit Demon Physician?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“That guy’s famous for having a crazy personality. I went to visit him once and almost got beaten for no reason. But you got his support?”
Bryan’s reaction alone showed just how notorious Kang In-yong’s temperament was among Hunters.
Chae Mujin laughed awkwardly, understanding fully.
“I nearly died about three times as well.”
“Three times? You really are something special.”
“Bryan, I appreciate the compliment, but please don’t interrupt the briefing any further. It breaks the children’s focus.”
“Sorry, sorry. Continue. My lips are sealed now.”
After delivering what was his first and last warning, Chae Mujin resumed the briefing.
The briefing was extremely meticulous. It had to be, because Daesu Gyeong was a dungeon that even 300-level Hunters found terrifying and wouldn’t dare enter.
Kim Yeoul and Lee Minji were now 160-level, and Choi Gang-im wasn’t even 150-level yet.
“Fundamentally, you must follow my orders as the highest priority, but when I give no orders, you should act on your own judgment.”
Chae Mujin showed them the Map he’d received from Kang In-yong and continued his explanation.
“The Map shows us our starting point and our destination. Even if you get stranded in the worst case scenario, remembering this Map will be helpful.”
“And there’s one special circumstance you all need to be aware of.”
Chae Mujin made eye contact with Choi Gang-im.
Choi Gang-im distributed pre-prepared Memos to the three of them.
―I have been cursed and cannot speak. However, my ability to hear is unaffected.
“Fighting as a Party without communication is amateur. Fighting with communication is skilled, but if you can fight without communication and your hearts are perfectly aligned, that’s the highest level. You won’t understand this now, but don’t lose heart. Soon you’ll understand it in your bones.”
A tank who couldn’t speak made an appearance. Kim Yeoul and Lee Minji were at a loss for words.
Still, they didn’t take it too seriously. After all, the two of them barely spoke when hunting together.
They simply read each other’s intentions and had managed fine until now.
Bryan, on the other hand, wore a serious expression.
‘What kind of Party is this?’
If you removed Chae Mujin from this Party, it would be, without exaggeration, a perfect suicide squad.
Of course, it could have been a first impression, but that was what it seemed like.
Chae Mujin checked the time on his wrist watch and continued.
“It’s currently three o’clock in the afternoon. We’ll enter Daesu Gyeong at five, so the three of you should finish your preparations together.”
“Where are you going?”
“I have a lot of separate preparations to make.”
Chae Mujin waved his hand, gesturing for them to go.
Lee Minji puffed out her cheeks and linked her arm with Choi Gang-im’s.
“Should we go over there and reintroduce ourselves?”
After the three of them had moved a distance away.
Chae Mujin began pulling various tools from his Shadow Bag and organizing them.
Medical supplies, food rations, tents, even clothing.
He meticulously checked to ensure nothing was missing and everything was properly categorized.
At that moment, Chae Mujin sensed Bryan’s gaze and spoke.
“Do you have something to say?”
Bryan waved his hand dismissively.
“No, no, I’m just thinking you’re really amazing. The way you lead those unusual subordinates and make such effort to help them grow.”
At that, Chae Mujin looked toward the distant 1st Generation members and spoke.
“They’re not subordinates. They’re employees.”
“Hmm?”
“And everything I do—it’s all Manager’s Anguish.”
“Manager’s Anguish?”
“Completing the Mission perfectly while also protecting my employees.”
It was then that Bryan truly understood.
‘Chae Mujin, just what kind of grand ideal do you hold?’
Those called representatives, who stand at the top, don’t try to do things directly. They only seek to use their experience and power indirectly.
They entrust Missions to trusted confidants and care about their employees’ safety, but they don’t personally stake their lives on responsibility.
But Chae Mujin was the opposite.
Because the Mission was dangerous, he did it himself, and he valued his employees’ lives more than his own.
He couldn’t even imagine what Chae Mujin truly wanted.
But whatever it was, it was surely something grand enough to transform this entire world.
“…You’re under a lot of strain.”
Bryan spoke sincerely, having felt even a fragment of the anguish Chae Mujin was bearing, and Chae Mujin answered just as sincerely.
“It’s trying, but if the representative doesn’t do it, who will?”
As five o’clock came around, Chae Mujin gathered the 1st Generation members and spoke.
“In Daesu Gyeong there is a Boss Monster called the Kraken, and we will inevitably have to fight it.”
Ordinary Hunters would be frightened or terrified at the thought of fighting a Boss Monster, but the 1st Generation members were not.
Kim Yeoul and Lee Minji had hunted three of them, and Choi Gang-im had experience taking down one as well.
Moreover, there was reassurance in the fact that Chae Mujin was here.
Chae Mujin disliked their overconfidence. Not all Bosses were created equal.
“Right now, if you fought the Kraken, you’d die a hundred times out of a hundred.”
“That’s only if you don’t have your Buffs, right?”
Lee Minji asked innocently, but Chae Mujin remained grave.
“That’s assuming I give maximum Buffs and Bryan does his absolute best.”
“…Is the Kraken really that strong?”
“The Kraken of Daesu Gyeong is Named-class. I can’t speak for others, but Minji—you should know.”
A Named-class Boss Monster. That meant it was on par with the Magical Girl.
It was only then that Lee Minji realized Chae Mujin hadn’t been speaking merely to raise awareness, and her expression hardened.
“But don’t worry. Before we fight the Kraken, I’ll train you so you don’t die.”
Train them until they’re near death so they don’t die fighting the Kraken. Understanding the true meaning, Kim Yeoul and Lee Minji trembled.
Choi Gang-im, for whom this was all new, simply nodded quietly.
Having conveyed everything he needed to say, Chae Mujin took the lead.
“We enter Daesu Gyeong.”
And so the five-person Party entered Daesu Gyeong, an A-rank Dungeon.

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