S-Classes That I Raised to Devour - Chapter 87

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

Episode 87. The Administrator’s Anguish (7)
S-rank Hunters exist in South Korea.
That statement alone left me bewildered and astounded.
I wondered if Brian was joking—perhaps he’d tell me next time, or claim it was a secret he couldn’t share.
“To become S-rank, you have to become a Transcendent.”
Brian didn’t mess around; he revealed the secret right away.
Yet the secret felt disappointingly thin.
‘I already knew that becoming S-rank means becoming a Transcendent.’
Though I’d known the information already, having it confirmed through Brian’s own lips carried real weight.
A genuine S-rank Hunter was hiding somewhere in South Korea.
And there was a reasonable suspicion that both Korea’s First Sword—the pinnacle of martial might—and even the Association Chairman might have already reached S-rank, contrary to what my foreknowledge suggested.
That alone made this conversation an enormous haul.
“I see.”
My flat response made disappointment flicker across Brian’s face.
“You’re not very surprised?”
“To be honest, it’s similar to what I’d been anticipating.”
“I doubt that.”
“What do you mean, you doubt it?”
“That’s something you’ll have to realize on your own.”
“Ah, understood.”
Just as the mood began to turn awkward, the first-year cadets returned.
“We didn’t find any goblins hiding inside.”
“Didn’t you find anything odd deeper in?”
“How did you know? There’s this enormous pit in the middle of the fortress—we couldn’t even see the bottom.”
“That’s actually why we attacked this place.”
“Sir?”
“I’ll explain once we get there.”
I led the cadets deep inside the fortress.
There, amid the wreckage where goblins had lived, yawned a grotesquely massive pit—utterly incongruous with its surroundings.
Moonlight pouring through the gashed ceiling couldn’t pierce the depths of that abyss.
“We threw stones down it, but even after a long time, we never heard them land. How deep is this thing anyway?”
“You can’t measure it by depth. This is an entrance.”
“An entrance?”
Lee Minji looked uncertain, but Kim Yeoul and Choi Gangim caught on immediately.
“An entrance to Dae Soo-gyeong, isn’t it?”
“Correct. If you throw yourself down this pit, you’ll return to the original world. I secured this fortress as a foothold specifically to establish an exit route beforehand.”
“Ah…!”
“I thought you were just doing it to gain Experience Points, but there’s such depth to it.”
“Once we obtain the Saint’s Corpse Flower from Konkun-tar, we’ll return to reality through here.”
All the islands in Dae Soo-gyeong have an entrance—save one, the island of Konkun-tar, guarded by the Kraken.
“Everyone gather around. I’m going to teach you how to camp in a Dungeon.”
We exited the fortress and began the camping lesson.
Nothing elaborate.
Over the years, I’d learned to identify kindling wood, start fire using friction and bare hands, and set alarm traps by weaving stones and leaves. Finally, I demonstrated how to braid branches and leaves into a makeshift bed.
By the time we finished, deep darkness had settled over the island.
“We’ll take turns on Night Watch—everyone except Brian.”
“Already? We just warmed up… how about a sparring match?”
Minji, her energy high, swung a Hammer through the air. She still had strength left after crushing the goblin captain’s skull.
But this time, I shook my head firmly.
“Tomorrow we’ll be fighting the Kraken. Even at peak condition, we won’t be enough. Lie down now.”
“Then I guess I’m sleeping.”
I announced to Minji, who simply flopped down.
“Right, Minji. You’re taking the middle watch.”
“Yes!”
Minji cheered happily, oblivious to how hellish the middle watch truly was for anyone who hadn’t served in the military.
“Yeoul, you take the first watch. Wake me in two hours.”
“Yes.”
“And if you sense anything suspicious, don’t—absolutely don’t—investigate alone. Wake us first, no matter what.”
“Got it.”
After giving only the necessary instructions, I laid down on the makeshift bed I’d made.
A floor woven from branches and leaves. Naturally, it was terribly uncomfortable and hard.
Inside my Shadow Bag lay a soft, high-grade sleeping bag, but I deliberately left it packed.
‘I need to grow accustomed to this discomfort too.’
I wasn’t uncomfortable—I was used to it.
But the first-year cadets wouldn’t be.
Toss.
Sure enough, Choi Gangim, his broad frame aching from the hard ground, thrashed about with quiet groans.
“Ugh…”
Minji, however, was the exception. The moment she lay down, she was unconscious, already snoring peacefully in deep sleep.
‘Is this the same girl who wanted to spar? Out like a light the instant she hit the ground.’
As more time passed, Gangim’s restless movements gradually settled, his breathing growing heavier and more rhythmic.
‘Yeoul’s breathing so quietly—she’s worried about waking us.’
I’d lain down, but I wasn’t fully asleep. Yet I wasn’t fully awake either—suspended between the two states.
The NSDR Sleep Method, taught by the Special Operations Unit. I kept my mind’s thread taut and alert while allowing my body to sink into profound relaxation.
I’d demanded peak condition from the cadets, but as their leader, I had to be different.
‘I need to sharpen my mind—acutely aware enough to feel every hair stirred by the wind.’
The Boss Monster of Dae Soo-gyeong: the Kraken.
I’d hunted and killed countless Boss Monsters, but the Kraken cannot be defeated. Only escaped from.
And even that escape demanded a life-or-death struggle. Normally, it would be dangerous with twelve A-rank Hunters. I had to break through with only Brian and three first-year cadets.
Naturally, it would be hellishly dangerous, but precisely because of that, it was worth attempting. Without challenge, there is no growth.
Exactly two hours later, I felt Yeoul’s cautious presence extending a hand toward my shoulder.
Soft.
I was up before her hand even touched me.
“Good work. Go to sleep.”
“Oh, you weren’t sleeping? Was it because of me…?”
“No. I was only half-asleep. Like a dolphin.”
After sending Kim Yeoul to bed, I gazed into the darkness, clearing away stray thoughts and fixing all my attention on watchfulness alone.
Quiet. Peaceful.
It seemed unlikely any monster would attack.
That’s why Night Watch matters. An uneventful watch doesn’t diminish its meaning. It was because the watch was kept that nothing could happen.
Two more hours passed. I shook Minji’s shoulder, tapping firmly, but she didn’t stir at all.
“Lee Minji. Wake up.”
“Mm… mmm.”
“Get up. The stir-fried squid’s ready.”
“Stir-fried… squid?”
I hauled Minji upright and spoke.
“Just kidding.”
“Ugh…”
“No fooling around. Keep watch, then wake Gangim two hours later.”
“Yessir… *yawn*.”
Minji could barely open her eyes.
Understandable—the middle watch was the most despised slot in any military: forced awake from fitful sleep, then forced back into it again.
Fortunately, despite nodding off several times, Minji never lay back down and stubbornly kept her post.
Midway through, I could see her sitting on the ground warring with herself dozens of times over whether to lie down, but I chose to quietly overlook such human weakness.
* * *
Whoosh.
Waves shattered against the bow, white spray spraying skyward.
Our speed wasn’t as aggressive as yesterday. Instead, we carved through the water serenely.
Yet the air pressing down on the deck was incomparably heavier than before.
Even Brian, who’d never once participated in combat, was loosening his joints.
“Everyone, gather round.”
Chae Mujin, calling the group together, began speaking while inspecting the combat gear he’d prepared in advance.
“In one hour, we enter the Kraken’s territory.”
Chae Mujin pointed to a map he’d spread on the deck—a massive sea creature drawn there, and beyond that fearsome domain, the island of Konkun-tar, our final destination.
Lee Minji asked, her face taut with tension.
“Do we really have to fight the Kraken? There’s no way around it? No way back?”
“All the waters around the island are the Kraken’s territory. This is the only route where we can face it without other interference.”
Choosing another path would risk hidden reefs or attack from goblin pirates.
“How strong is the Kraken?”
“We’re not fighting the Kraken. We’re escaping. If we fought, we’d lose one hundred out of a hundred times.”
“That… that strong?”
Traveling with Chae Mujin, Kim Yeoul and Lee Minji had defeated no shortage of Bosses.
Naturally, they assumed they’d overcome the Kraken too, but hearing such words from Chae Mujin’s mouth struck them hard.
Their fists tightened involuntarily.
Kim Yeoul licked her dry lips, and Choi Gangim gripped his Shield tightly.
“Fighting the Kraken will be more dangerous than any battle you’ve faced, and the worst trial of your lives.”
“…!”
“Death is closer than ever. Abandon any hope of escaping unscathed.”
A warning from Chae Mujin unlike any before. This wasn’t hyperbole—people could actually die, even with his seemingly invincible Buff.
Yet none of them feared. They tensed but didn’t flee.
Then Brian stepped forward, putting an arm around each of them.
“Don’t worry. This uncle will definitely protect you all.”
Brian created seven clones—from when, I couldn’t say.
The staggering part was that these clones felt as materially real as the original.
It was a transformation that even Brian himself found remarkable.
‘I’ve only heard about it, but actually witnessing it—Chae Mujin’s Buff is insane.’
His clones’ presence varied with his Stats, but under Chae Mujin’s Buff, they looked genuinely alive.
Chae Mujin nodded calmly and regained control of the conversation.
“The Kraken will extend twelve tentacles total. Brian will hold back eight of them. We’ll manage the remaining four together.”
Brian alone would block more than half the tentacles. That was the crux of the operation.
The first-year cadets suddenly grasped just how mighty the Kraken truly was.
The clones’ presence rivaled A-rank Hunters.
By that logic, we’d have eight A-rank Hunters at this very moment, yet we weren’t planning to fight the Kraken—only to flee.
“I’ll explain what’s about to happen and our strategy.”
Chae Mujin normally encouraged mistakes and promoted autonomy, but this time he meticulously emphasized exact actions and absolute prohibitions, fitting them together like gears.
“Especially you, Gangim. Your Skill—Force Clash—is vital. Whether you use it well or poorly determines our survival.”
「Skill―Force Clash(A)」
•Upon activation, you compete in raw strength against a target.
•Converts willpower into physical might and endurance.
•During Force Clash, all damage taken is reduced by 99%.
•Winning a Force Clash renders the target absolutely immobilized.
•Losing a Force Clash reduces all Stats by 50%.
Choi Gangim wasn’t just a ranged tank controlling a Shield. He was a Crowd Control specialist capable of locking down targets with Force Clash when needed.
In my past life, this was one reason Choi Gangim had earned the title of the ultimate tank.
Thump-thump.
The deck trembled. The Drulf crew signaled from the bow—we’d reached the Kraken’s waters.
“Ready?”
At Chae Mujin’s question, the first-year cadets either nodded or shook their heads.
“Ready or not, we begin.”
Rumble!
As if answering Chae Mujin’s declaration, an eerie thunder cracked across a cloudless sky.
Everyone jerked their heads up in alarm, but the sky remained calm.
“Huh?!”
“The, the ocean’s tilting!”
“Brace your legs like I taught you!”
The horizon collapses.
No—the entire ocean was tilting.
More precisely, it was a whirlpool. A vortex rising from beneath the surface was trying to swallow the boat.
Roar!
The speedboat’s engine roared to life, running wild.
Chae Mujin didn’t even need to order it.
The Drulf crew understood: without maximum thrust, they couldn’t escape the whirlpool.
Screech!
The suction of the vortex attempting to devour us and the engine’s thrust fighting back clashed violently, and the hull shrieked in protest.
The Drulf engine was powerful. Bit by bit, the boat inched forward. We seemed like we could actually escape the whirlpool, but—
The ocean’s master wasn’t about to release its prey so easily.
Boom!
The ocean exploded, and colossal masses of flesh surged upward from the depths.
Each tentacle was half the size of a medium speedboat.
And there weren’t just one or two—there were twelve of them.
Overwhelmed by their mere presence, the first-year cadets swallowed hard. Despite hearing Chae Mujin’s briefing, their hearts constricted and their hands trembled.
Deep rumble.
A sound without roar—a heavy, wordless sound. Twelve colossal tentacles crashed down simultaneously to pulverize the speedboat, the very air split by the violence of their descent.
The battle with the Kraken, the Sea King of Dae Soo-gyeong, had begun.

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