I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 12
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Chapter 12 – The Witch Park Seohyun (1)
“…Uhihi. Uhih.”
A chilling laugh echoed through the corridor. The employees, who had been trying hard not to look, shuddered and quickly left the hallway whenever they heard it.
The woman standing in the middle of the hallway giggled every time. Her chapped lips would appear and disappear between her disheveled hair.
“Heehee.”
The woman laughed with her head tilted to the side. There was nothing in the hallway, so it was unclear what she was laughing at.
Ding.
The elevator at the end of the hallway opened. A man with a thick belly stepped out, scratching it, and spoke to the woman.
“What are you doing, Park Seohyun?”
“Hee… Ah, hello.”
“Waiting for the boss?”
“N-no… Uhihi.”
“Then?”
“Don’t block the already narrow hallway. I didn’t gather you two here for a chat.”
A man in a black suit grumbled as he followed, stepping out of the elevator.
The man who had gotten off first glanced back, frowning.
“And who are you?”
“Nice to meet you. I am Woo Hwijae, an assistant from the Dungeon Strategy Comprehensive Situation Room of the Abnormal Ability Management Office.”
“Dungeon… what?”
“We support the Director by monitoring the stability of all existing dungeons in South Korea and ensuring the hunters can safely conquer them…”
“Dungeon, what? From where?”
The man in the suit smiled faintly.
“I work in the director’s office.”
* * *
I worried that one of the containers in the empty lot might be my lodging.
Fortunately, the rights of awakeners in this era weren’t that neglected.
Hong Seokyoung found me a cheap inn room in a nearby small town. He said he also rented a room and stayed there.
“Stay here for now. I’ll arrange something better later.”
I didn’t expect anything grand.
I just needed to avoid Hong Seokyoung’s eyes for a moment. I brushed my fingers over the mana control device on my ankle. It could be considered the essence of modern mana engineering, but…
Not now. Now it’s just, what is it? It’s close to an ordinary handcuff.
“Hwijae. Got it?”
The director was particularly obsessed with technology. Being an old-timer, he believed that knowing technology was essential for making a living.
The technology he referred to had no limits. He taught me how to pick handcuffs even before I awakened.
“This way, even if someone captures you, you can escape. I hope you wait for me because it’s dangerous… but it doesn’t hurt to know.”
At the time, I wondered why he taught me such things, but he was right. People need to know skills…
I was always a top student in the director’s technical lessons.
Click.
See? It’s easy. Bypassing the embedded mana stone or tracker is something I can do with my eyes closed.
I turned on the mana watch after a long time.
“Now, what should I look at first?”
Stories about the organization to catch Hong Seokyoung? Records about Kim that might still remain?
“Uhihi.”
At that moment, a gloomy laugh echoed in my mind.
The Witch Park Seohyun.
The reason the Archmage was called a witch was simple.
Purely because of her appearance.
Long, unkempt hair. A pale face. Lips that were always bitten and never healed. Fingers covered with scratches. Her body looked even thinner because of the baggy clothes that seemed to be made from a burlap sack.
No hunter was sane, and no archmage was normal, but Park Seohyun’s eccentricity was extreme.
She didn’t harm others, but watching her wield pitch-black magic with a ghostly appearance was bad for the heart. Even her laughter gave chills.
I thought to myself that the eerie woman once had bright, clear eyes back in Myeongdong. Park Seohyun was human too, so she must have been normal when she was born.
So, I thought briefly.
If Park Seohyun still had clear eyes, might there be a possibility?
Instead of a witch who only giggles, could she become a competent archmage capable of normal communication?
But!
Why!
Why did that promising archmage become a gloomy witch in just ten days?
“No… There’s still hope.”
I rummaged through the mana watch.
“There should be an evaluation record.”
A hunter like Park Seohyun would be under special management by the state.
Of course, there would be many pieces of information that couldn’t be disclosed publicly.
When was the last update? Two years ago?
No. It might be better to look at older records. When she was somewhat closer to her current self…
Although Park Seohyun mainly operated overseas, there was a period when she stayed in the country for an extended time. Was it when I was in college?
[Park Seohyun – S-Class (Archmage)]
The records were neatly organized by year.
I opened the oldest document. 2033.
The first page contained basic physical descriptions. I skipped over it since I already knew that.
The next page.
“What is this?”
[WARNING!!!!!!]
[*The government is not responsible for what happens if these rules are broken.]
[Your life is not at risk, but you may experience physical discomfort. Please be careful.]
[+Generally, you get one chance. (2032-03-09)]
[++If you’re unlucky, it might end after one chance. (2038-12-21)]
[+Do not meet alone. (2031-09-24)]
[+In an emergency, seek the director or Team Leader Yoo Jieun. (2036-06-17)]
Starting from the second page, there were ominous warnings. These were annotations made by the staff.
The dates were all over the place.
“Were these added later?”
It wasn’t a proper report format.
It made sense if field workers had recorded their hard-earned insights. They probably thought no one would look at it since it was old.
I turned the page.
A normal report appeared. Just in case, I kept flipping the pages.
Sure enough, red text appeared midway through.
[1. If Hunter Park Seohyun says something is impossible, it’s not actually impossible. She just doesn’t want to do it because it’s a lot of work. Mention Hunter Yoo Jieun’s name, and she’ll do it.]
Park Seohyun treated only Yoo Jieun like a human. So she was assigned exclusively to her.
I turned the page.
[2. Do not praise the magic cast by Hunter Park Seohyun. It makes her feel bad.]
Did she dislike compliments?
Was she upset every time I clapped for her?
[3. If you encounter Hunter Oh HyunWook during work, please avoid the area. Do not try to eavesdrop on their conversation.]
[4. Never mention Myeong-dong. Even the director can’t cover for you. Your life is precious.]
[5. If Hunter Park Seohyun isn’t smiling, back away. It’s dangerous.]
[5-1. In an emergency, mention Hunter Yoo Jieun’s name.]
The list of rules was quite long.
The further I read, the more it resembled casual chatter. There wasn’t much of value. The most noteworthy was…
This, after all.
[4. Never mention Myeong-dong.]
I didn’t know exactly when Park Seohyun became like this, but she was fine in Myeong-dong. Yet, I shouldn’t mention Myeong-dong?
…I heard there weren’t any intact bodies back then, so I understand.
But.
This time, I saved everyone!
No one died! They can endure scratches with sheer willpower! They’re hunters!!
What’s the problem, really?!!
I sifted through Park Seohyun’s documents until late at night, but didn’t find anything else useful.
Anyway, I’d meet that witch-in-training tomorrow. I’d learn something by confronting her. Or the director might help.
Eventually, I closed Park Seohyun’s file. There was still much to see.
I searched for records about the lab I had been in long ago. Among the numerous report titles, a familiar name appeared.
[Promised River Laboratory of ‘Ark’]
[2022-06-01]
[Author: Hong Seokyoung]
* * *
“Hello!”
The weather is nice.
From the early morning, Hong Seokyoung dragged me to the empty lot… to the demonstration school. He said teachers shouldn’t be late.
After bringing me here, Hong Seokyoung abandoned me and slipped into one of the containers. I was left standing alone, looking around. There was still nothing here.
Only the sound of reeds rustling in the cool breeze broke the silence.
“Teacher!”
This empty lot looked like my future.
So I have to cultivate this and build a new structure.
“Teacher!”
Should I give up?
Anyway, the time limit is twenty years. For twenty years, I could enjoy wealth and glory with future knowledge….
‘You must survive.’
Ah, if it weren’t for that Yoo Jieun.
“Mr. Woo!!”
“…What?”
“What are you thinking so deeply about?”
Lee Seungyeon’s eyes sparkled. They were almost blinding. Especially compared to Park Seohyun, who was gloomily biting her lips over there.
“Hm.”
I should also get closer to Lee Seungyeon. In fact, as a public official, I shouldn’t be seen mingling with the business world. It doesn’t matter now, but old habits die hard.
“Was it Lee Seungyeon?”
“Yes! Do you remember me?”
“Of course.”
How should I deal with kids?
“…You got out safely, huh?”
“All thanks to you, teacher!”
Bouncing around, Lee Seungyeon glanced at my waist and asked.
“Where’s your sword, teacher?”
It’s rolling around in the back seat of Hong Seokyoung’s car.
“My aunt was really curious when she heard about it. She uses a sword too!”
“Your aunt?”
Lee Seungyeon’s aunt.
“My aunt is quite a famous hunter. I’m not just saying that because she’s my aunt; she’s really famous.”
Lee Misun. Master of the Daseon Guild.
She wasn’t an S-class hunter like Oh Hyunwook or Park Seohyun, but no one could ignore her. She was impressive enough to reach that position without any family help.
And she cared for her nephew. She even created a scholarship foundation in the name of her late nephew and supported the director.
“My aunt wants to meet you, teacher….”
“Mr. Woo!”
Too bad. That was just the right moment.
“Mr. Woo!! Come here!!”
Hong Seokyoung, who had been fiddling around in the container, finally came out. He waved his hand to call me over.
I sighed and approached Hong Seokyoung.
“What is it?”
“I’ve been making your classroom.”
“A classroom?”
I looked suspiciously inside the container. It was supposed to be a classroom, but there were just a blackboard and some desks.
The pile of cardboard boxes at the back caught my eye more.
“This?”
Hong Seokyoung smiled awkwardly.
“I’ve been using this as storage. I’ll clean it up later, don’t worry.”
When someone says that, it usually means they’ll never clean it up.
It’s easier if you just give up….
Anyway, about the classroom, it was good timing. I had something I wanted to say to Hong Seokyoung without the kids around.
“Hey.”
“Yes?”
I pointed to Park Seohyun through the window of the container.
“Do something about her.”
“Seo-hyun?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“She wasn’t like that in Myeong-dong.”
Her hair was a mess, and she stood there looking like a ghost from an old horror movie. It wasn’t good for my heart.
“Seohyun did change her style suddenly.”
Can you even call this a style change?
Hong Seokyoung stroked his chin.
“Every hunter hits a wall at some point. Seohyun has been awakened for quite a while, so it makes sense that she’s hitting that phase now.”
“Sigh….”
“What’s the matter? Are you worried about the classes now?”
This guy was always like this. Unchanging.
He’s so sturdy. Both physically and mentally.
Hong Seokyoung is the kind of person who believes he can overcome anything with sheer willpower.
That’s why he can’t understand the concerns of ordinary people. He empathizes deeply with geniuses like Yoo Jieun but doesn’t get that some people can’t get back up once they’re down.
I clutched my head in frustration.
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