I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 15

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Chapter 15 – Freshman (1)

Only two days into my job at the Hunter Training Pilot High School.

“Yeah, you’re doing well. Just like that.”

Warm sunshine with a hint of spring.

It’s so warm that it almost feels like summer is already here, and the sunlight is scorching.

Perhaps feeling sorry for the magicians cooped up in this warehouse… no, classroom on such a fine day, Hong Seokyoung somehow managed to find and set up a table with a parasol.

The garishly colored parasol, in many ways, suited this container school. It certainly didn’t look like a school.

Hong Seokyoung added a plausible reason.

‘In dungeons, all sorts of things happen, so you must always maintain your composure.’

Plausible, my foot. What nonsense.

Anyway, under this parasol, I was watching Park Seohyun and Choi Jinwoo drawing runes while sweating profusely and giving them advice.

“You’re drawing well.”

Correction.

I was giving them compliments.

Compliments can make even a whale dance.

Honestly, who dislikes compliments? I’ve seen people wither from lack of praise but never anyone who died from too much of it.

Even those pompous members of parliament crave compliments so much that they do all sorts of crazy things.

So I decided to start by complimenting Park Seohyun.

It seemed like she was still hung up on his previous mistakes, but if I kept telling her she was doing well, she’d cheer up.

Peaceful sunlight. Mild weather.

The rustling wind brushing through the reeds around the clearing…

Boom!

An explosion.

“That was a good attack just now!”

“Grr!”

“But you lost your balance at the end! You must keep your center of gravity until the end! Next!”

With a loud noise, Oh Hyunwook came rolling all the way to the parasol.

I slightly shifted my body to avoid obstructing Oh Hyunwook’s path. He safely rolled past the parasol and reached the end of the clearing. He stopped only after flattening a few reeds.

Oh Hyunwook sprang to his feet.

“Damn it!”

Then he rubbed his face furiously and ran back to Hong Seokyoung. Simultaneously, this time, Lee Seungyeon came rolling in.

“Ahhh!”

Lee Seungyeon also got up with a scream and went back to where he came from.

Sigh….

That’s why physical stuff is a no-go. It’s just not elegant.

Look at these magicians here. How graceful they are…

“Ah, damn it! Messed it up again!”

Choi Jinwoo crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it behind him. There was already a mountain of such discarded papers on the floor.

…Well, high school students are the same everywhere. I remembered the Hunter Academy, where repair reports came in almost daily. Since the academy was under the management office, those reports even reached me.

The reason was always the same. The students broke things. Whether playing, fighting, training, or experimenting.

The Pilot High School is the predecessor of such Hunter Academy. With Hong Seokyoung as the principal, that mentality wouldn’t have changed.

There is only one difference.

The Pilot High School building doesn’t break.

Because there are no buildings to break.

“Ugh… Ugh, arf arf.”

Unlike Choi Jinwoo, who seemed to lose his humanity, Park Seohyun was calm.

Too calm, to the point where it was worrisome.

Her hair was still messy. It was so unkempt that it even covered her eyes, making her mood even gloomier.

…Can she even see? How can she draw runes in that state?

Oh, right. Compliments. I need to compliment her.

But I can’t just compliment her for nothing, so I looked at the rune Park Seohyun was drawing.

…I couldn’t see anything because of her fallen hair.

“Park Seohyun?”

“…Yes?”

Park Seohyun responded a beat late. She raised her head slightly, still hunched over the desk with her shoulders and body almost glued to it.

So… scary.

“You’re working hard on your runes. Can you show them to me? I’ll check to make sure you’re doing it right.”

“No!!!”

Park Seohyun was startled and hid the rune she was drawing.

“I’ll show you later….”

…Why?

Why is she suddenly being so evasive? She used to show me everything for confirmation before.

“Wouldn’t it be better to show me now? If there’s something wrong, we can correct it immediately…”

“I’ll show you later… When I can draw well…”

“My role is to help you draw well, so it would be much more helpful to check it now, don’t you think?”

“Later…”

“So that you don’t develop any bad habits, it’s better to check it right away…”

Just as my voice was about to rise, I came to my senses.

Compliments!

What’s the point of getting annoyed at the kid when she needs compliments?

Damn it, I should’ve known how to compliment properly.

I couldn’t even give compliments because of those who, if praised, truly believed they were good at everything.

Though I must have done it sometimes. How did I do it again?

‘I see. So that’s what you did? That’s a very creative approach I’ve never seen before. But did you know? There’s always a reason things haven’t been done before. A few years ago, there was a Hunter who tried something as creative as you. Can you guess what happened? To cut to the chase, they were lucky to even recover the body…’

That’s not a compliment.

I recalled other examples.

What did Yoo Jieun do?

‘Was that really the best decision? Wow, we’ve got a genius here. Sure, if you think you’re that smart. From now on, you’re the brains of our team. Everyone, applause!’

…This doesn’t seem right either.

“Just a bit faster! Yeah, that’s it! See, you can do it!”

Hong Seokyoung was still tangled up with the kids, his voice brimming with pride. Someone among the kids must have landed a decent attack.

‘What? What did you do at school?’

I didn’t attend the Hunter Academy.

I could have gone if I wanted. I awakened even before graduating elementary school. Being the stepson of Korea’s top Hunter meant a lot of eyes were on me.

The director subtly wished I would enter the Hunter Academy. But when I said I wouldn’t go, he nodded without surprise.

‘Exam? It was exam time? When? You should have told me! I would’ve bought you some rice cakes and taffy… Oh, that’s for the college entrance exam? When is that again? Autumn? Still far off… Oh, just finals, huh. Finals are no small thing either! Was it hard? Hm? Your grades came out?’

When he asked what I wanted to do, I said I wanted to go to college. He asked if I could manage the studies, and I told him not to worry.

‘Second in the entire school?! Wow, we have such numbers in our family. Do you know what I did at your age? Nothing!’

Except for battle-related matters, he often acted clueless, but he always fully supported me in my endeavors.

…Even until the end.

‘You did well, so why are you so down? You wanted to be first? You can do it next time! Don’t say it so simply? It might drop even lower next time? So what? No matter your grades, you’ll be able to do anything you want.’

Even if I had ranked last, he would have said the same thing.

‘I’ll make it all possible for you.’

In the next exam, I ranked first in the entire school. I didn’t allow any other rank until I graduated high school.

I glanced at Hong Seokyoung. Oh Hyunwook and Lee Seungyeon had been knocked out. Students with unfamiliar faces were charging at Hong Seokyoung.

Hong Seokyoung was smiling broadly, hitting each kid on the head with a reed. Perhaps infused with mana, the reed was unbending and solid.

“Your timing was perfect! But you know what went wrong, right?”

“Not enough power.”

“A bit slow.”

“The combo didn’t connect properly.”

“There’s nothing more for me to say. That’s the right attitude! Shall we go again?”

Hong Seokyoung’s teaching method was simple. Praise what’s done well. Praise even what’s not done well.

Under his teaching, the Hunter Academy thrived.

So, following his example couldn’t be bad. It’s an educational philosophy proven over twenty years.

Clearing my throat, I looked at Park Seohyun. She was clutching his paper bundle tightly, wary of me.

“Ahem. Alright. I understand. You have your own way of doing things.”

Remember. Compliments!

“Do as you wish. If you want to show me later, come find me.”

A smiling face is good. I’ve never been told I look unkind.

“I also find it more focused to work alone.”

While I’m at it, I should boost his confidence too. He’s probably feeling down after the mistake in Myeong-dong.

“About Myeong…”

No, don’t bring up Myeong-dong.

“Ahem, from my experience, you have talent. You can become a great magician. In my experience, great magicians had a stubborn streak and didn’t like being interrupted.”

Catering to kids’ feelings is really tough.

How did the director manage to do this all the time?

Making up more words was exhausting, so I looked at Park Seohyun, thinking this should be enough.

“…”

“…?”

What’s this? Something feels off.

For some reason, a chilly breeze seemed to blow from somewhere.

Gulp. Choi Jinwoo gulped, clearly tense.

…What?

“…Sniff.”

Park Seohyun sniffled.

What’s this? Is she crying? No, right? Is she so moved that she’s tearing up?

“…”

Damn it.

I’m not an idiot. I can sense the chilly atmosphere.

But I don’t understand. Why? Why on earth?

“I-I’m sorry…”

Park Seohyun hung her head low, unable to hide her trembling voice.

She clumsily handed me the bundle of papers she was clutching.

“I’ll… have it checked…”

“No, I told you, do it however you want.”

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine, really. Do what you feel comfortable with. That’s the most important thing.”

“I did something wrong…”

What the hell, really!

Did I do something wrong? Did I mess up? Is giving compliments a mistake now?

* * *

Park Seohyun kept sniffling until the end of the school day. Choi Jinwoo stayed silent, only glancing at me nervously.

I have no idea what went wrong.

“That’s it for today!”

Before I could figure it out, the class ended.

Commuting at this trial high school is primitive.

There are no fancy dormitories like at the Hunter Academy, so Hong Seokyoung drives a van to drop the kids off at a nearby village about an hour away. They gather in that village for pickup in the morning as well.

When Hong Seokyoung stops the car, parents come out to pick up their kids. Lee Seungyeon is no exception. There’s a man in a grand suit who doesn’t look like family but bows politely to Lee Seungyeon.

“See you tomorrow, teacher!”

“Goodbye!”

Kids who can’t commute stay in accommodations that Hong Seokyoung arranged, which are much better than the inn room I’m staying in.

It’s impressive that they managed to send kids to such a poorly equipped school. If it were me, I’d have reported it as a scam. It must be because of the name Hong Seokyoung.

“Aren’t you going to the dormitory, teacher?”

“I have work to do, so I’ll be late. I’ll check if you guys are there or not, so don’t wander around. Got it?”

“Yes!”

The remaining dorm students laughed and waved goodbye. Park Seohyun was among them.

…Thinking about it, I paid too much attention to Park Seohyun.

I should have focused on the other kids too. But that’s because Hong Seokyoung just gave a rough introduction and didn’t even let me properly introduce myself to the students.

When the last of the dorm students said goodbye and disappeared, Hong Seokyoung turned to me.

He had the most serious face I’d seen since I arrived in the past.

“The place with many kids you mentioned.”

“Yes.”

“Recently.”

His eyes gleamed more sharply than ever.

“There have been more child abductions.”

“That’s unfortunate.”

“The targets were mainly children of awakened individuals.”

“……”

“They didn’t demand a ransom. They didn’t care about witnesses. There were cases of kidnappings right on the main roads.”

A cold wind started to gather around Hong Seokyoung, as if it could cut through flesh. Mana was accumulating.

“It’s there, right?”

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