I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 17

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Chapter 17 – Freshman (3)

[Kim Chaemin – S-rank (Grand Mage)]

[Class – Druid]

[Mentor – Kim Kangyeon (Father)]

[Disciples – None]

[Unique Magic – Blooming Rose Vines (3rd Level)]

[Died in battle against Siren* on July 9, 2024]

* * *

“Oh my, it’s really a school! There are even uniforms?”

“Of course.”

“I heard about it, but… you were serious?”

“I don’t joke around when it comes to kids.”

“Of course not.”

Kim Chaemin smiled brightly.

Dressed in a colorful dress suitable for the sunny weather and holding a parasol, Kim Chaemin walked beside Hong Seokyoung through the open area.

Hong Seokyoung introduced the demonstration school to Kim Chaemin like a principal boasting about the excellence of their students to a scholarship officer. Now that I think about it, he is the principal.

…With only three containers, I wonder what there is to boast about.

“You came because Hunter Hong invited you….”

“Have you thought about my proposal?”

“Is that the first thing you ask?”

Kim Chaemin laughed softly.

“I can teach the kids some basic mana control techniques, but you know I can’t do much more than that, right?”

“You don’t have any disciples, do you?”

“That’s true, but….”

Kim Chaemin glanced at the two young mages sitting under a parasol, pretending not to be interested but clearly eavesdropping.

“While it’s true for other types of magic as well, my magic especially requires the right affinity. And those two kids don’t seem to have it.”

“Can you tell right away?”

“At their level, it’s obvious.”

Kim Chaemin pointed at Park Seohyun.

“And that girl is the granddaughter of Teacher Park Nogyung, right? She should already know most common spells.”

“Seohyun? But she’s still an inexperienced mage. I don’t know how to teach magic….”

“In her case, there’s not much I can teach. If you just want some tips on mana control, that’s fine.”

“Even just that would be helpful.”

Kim Chaemin shook her head as if to say she couldn’t believe it.

“You said this was related to the Ark… so you called me to this school for that, didn’t you?”

“It’s all connected. And it’s not entirely unrelated.”

Hong Seokyoung looked at me. Only then did Kim Chaemin notice my presence and widened her eyes.

“Oh! It’s that person, right? The one who was standing on the rooftop!”

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

“Oh my, why were you up there? And… do you work here?”

“That’s how it turned out. I’m Woo Hwijae, teaching those kids over there.”

“Those kids…?”

Kim Chaemin tilted her head. She must have been puzzled because I pointed at the mages sitting under the parasol.

“Um… are you a mage? Weren’t you holding a sword in Myeong-dong?”

Strictly speaking, I don’t use a sword. But swords and spears have some common ground, while magic is a completely different field.

“Teacher Woo is not a mage.”

Hong Seokyoung interrupted with a sly smile.

…Somehow, I feel uneasy. Why is he smiling like that?

“Then how do you teach mages… what do you teach them?”

Kim Chaemin looked confused as she glanced between me and the young mages. I also had no idea what Hong Seokyoung was thinking, so I stayed silent.

Hong Seokyoung’s smile grew even more mischievous.

“Teacher Woo knows something even more amazing.”

“Something… more amazing?”

“Yes. Something only mages can do.”

Kim Chaemin’s eyes widened even more.

“Are you talking about unique magic?!”

That’s indeed something only mages can do….

Hong Seokyoung didn’t answer and just kept smiling mischievously.

Watching someone else go through this is much more fun than experiencing it myself.

I did tell Hong Seokyoung he could reveal it if he wanted to. But I didn’t expect him to bring a mage here directly.

I didn’t know, but…

Hmm.

Good. Not bad. It’s okay.

Crisis is an opportunity.

Kim Chaemin is at the top of my list anyway. I was only focusing on Park Seohyun because I had no immediate way to contact her.

Having her handed to me like this is quite fortunate.

Moreover, didn’t he mention the Ark? She must be one of the hunters he said he’d call, and a Grand Mage is more than enough.

Wait, could I expect even more?

Surely he didn’t just bring Kim Chaemin. There must be more, right? All of them must be renowned hunters.

“It’s not unique magic.”

I corrected Kim Chaemin before her misunderstanding grew.

“I’m teaching these kids runes.”

“…Runes?”

Kim Chaemin stuttered as she seemed to short-circuit.

Considering the current reputation of runes, the fact that she didn’t openly laugh showed a lot about her character.

That’s a passing grade.

Character is important.

“Um… Hunter Hong might not know because he’s not a mage, but….”

Look at her trying to choose her words carefully to avoid hurting anyone. This is the mark of a true hunter.

“Are runes trash?”

“Oh, no! They’re not trash!”

But they’re almost as useless.

I shrugged. It’s understandable to think that.

“It’ll be quicker to show you. Just a moment… Park Seohyun! Choi Jinwoo!”

Park Seohyun and Choi Jinwoo were startled and looked up.

“Bring what you’ve drawn.”

Both of them scrambled to gather the papers spread across the parasol table.

Though she used to be awkward, Park Seohyun has become quite used to having me check her runes now. She still flinches when our eyes meet sometimes….

I eventually understood why Park Seohyun had such a strange reaction initially. Wasn’t she raised by her grandparents? It seemed her grandfather was stingy with compliments. And I’m not exactly comfortable giving praise either.

Two awkward people trying to navigate compliments—it’s no wonder she was taken aback.

If I keep complimenting her, she’ll get used to it.

“This is… a rune?”

Kim Chaemin was surprised to see the runes the two had brought over.

The runes she knows are primitive.

But the runes taught by the overly kind French Grand Mage, which I’ve shown the kids, are elaborate, complex, and quite bizarre.

I selected a few and gave the kids brief feedback.

“This one, Choi Jinwoo, you drew this, right? I told you to stop extending this part. It’s becoming a habit.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Park Seohyun, you…”

Praise! Praise!!!

“Good job. I can see your proficiency improving. But as I mentioned this morning, be confident in your lines.”

“Yes, yes….”

Sustained runes are the first question in the midterm exam for Runes 101 at the Hunter Academy. The question hasn’t changed since the course was created. That’s how important this rune is.

I didn’t expect them to draw such high-quality runes within a week. According to Lee Seungyeon, they’ve been practicing hard even after school.

It’s not good for mages to focus too much on runes, though. A mage’s primary job is magic, after all.

But they’re still kids.

“All your drawings pass. Just be careful about what I pointed out. Now, let’s verify them.”

“Yes!”

The kids responded energetically. Kim Chaemin, looking bewildered, asked,

“What are we verifying? What kind of rune is this? I’ve never seen such a complicated rune….”

“Just wait a moment, Hunter Kim.”

Over the past few days, the students have gotten used to rune classes. They naturally moved to the corners of the open area where they were practicing, giving space.

Park Seohyun and Choi Jinwoo placed the runes they had drawn on the ground.

Choi Jinwoo moved his hands quickly. It’s one of the common spells—to create a spark and start a fire. But with a few added formulas….

Whoosh!

…It’s easy to create a pillar of fire.

“W-what? Why fire!”

Kim Chaemin was the only one surprised.

The ground where the runes were placed was burning brightly. It was an ordinary fire, so no one here, all being hunters, was at risk of getting hurt.

Next was Park Seohyun.

Her formula was much shorter. But its power was not inferior.

Water started falling onto the fire Choi Jinwoo had lit. It began as a small drop, then turned into a downpour. The water pooled on the ground and became a wave that swept through the fire on the open ground.

Only the rune-marked papers remained scattered across the area.

I flicked my fingers. Choi Jinwoo and Park Seohyun quickly collected the runes.

“Next.”

Choi Jinwoo and Park Seohyun stuffed the dripping runes into their uniform pockets. Normally, runes would be ruined if handled this way.

But.

“Uh, uh, wait a moment!”

Choi Jinwoo and Park Seohyun created a small light with their fingertips. The glowing orbs made it hard to tell if they were really glowing.

But it was magic.

Magic uses mana.

So, Choi Jinwoo and Park Seohyun should be emitting mana.

“What? Why no mana? How did you do that?!”

But no mana was sensed from either of them.

Hong Seokyoung chuckled and took the rune paper from Choi Jinwoo’s pocket. Kim Chaemin’s eyes widened even more, as if that were possible.

“That? That’s?!”

“It’s a rune.”

“A rune?”

“Mr. Woo here calls it a mana concealment rune.”

“Mana concealment?”

“Yes. It works exactly as the name suggests.”

“…….”

Kim Chaemin snatched the rune paper from Hong Seokyoung’s hand. Although it was crumpled, the rune itself was intact. With a serious expression, she stared intently at the paper.

Then she looked at me.

“Uh… Mr. Woo Hwijae, right? Did you make this?”

“No, someone I know did.”

“………But you know how it works, and you taught it to the kids?”

“That’s right.”

“Taught… Do you happen to know other runes similar to this?”

“The effects are different, but yes, I know a few.”

Kim Chaemin glanced between the rune paper, my face, Hong Seokyoung, and the two young mages.

“Hunter Hong.”

“Hmm?”

“This is a school, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you accept new students?”

“…Hmm?”

Hong Seokyoung blinked in surprise.

Kim Chaemin grabbed him by the collar.

“I want to enroll here.”

“Huh?”

“Then I can learn those runes too, right?”

“Huh?”

* * *

“I didn’t expect it to be this effective.”

Hong Seokyoung handed me a cup of instant coffee.

“So you were planning this?”

“Of course. I need a reliable mage to use this in dungeons, and Hunter Kim is perfect.”

“It’s not just because she doesn’t have any disciples, and you thought she would be good at teaching other mages?”

“Well, that was part of it too.”

The results were just better than expected.

I had no objections. It’s like a gift falling right into my lap. Why would I oppose it?

If anything, it’s going so smoothly that I’m starting to worry. Usually, when things go this well, something tends to go wrong.

Hong Seokyoung handed a few sheets of paper to Kim Chaemin, who was still staring intently at the rune paper. The heading on the paper caught my eye.

Employment Contract.

Of course, they couldn’t enroll Kim Chaemin as a new student, so she joined as a magic instructor.

…Even a grand mage can’t escape this slave contract, huh.

“Hunter Kim, read this over, and if there’s anything you want to change, let me know.”

I didn’t get that option.

“Hunter Kim? Hunter Kim Chaemin?”

“…Yes? Oh, it’s fine. Just let me attend the rune classes. Or maybe Mr. Woo could draw a rune for me each time.”

“What about salary or other conditions?”

“Oh, I’m not strapped for cash. Use it for the kids. Teaching them must be expensive.”

“……?”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, as long as Mr. Woo, I mean, Teacher Woo teaches me runes.”

“Really? Then I’ll leave it to you, Teacher Woo.”

“…….”

I sighed deeply and downed my instant coffee.

I’ll just consider this an investment for the future.

When else would I get to have a grand mage as my student?

“I’m looking forward to working with you!”

“…Yes, likewise.”

If this is how it’s going to be, shouldn’t I renegotiate my salary? What do you mean my classes are in place of her salary?

Then just give me her salary!

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