I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 37

[ Chapter 37: Half-Baked Mage (4) ]

“What were you talking about with Seo-hyun?”

Hong Seok-young approached, ambling over.

Come to think of it, shouldn’t this person be the one counseling the kids, not me?

…Judging by my experience, it wouldn’t have been done properly anyway.

With that in mind, it seemed rather fortunate that Park Seo-hyun chose to talk to me.

Still, I couldn’t help but think that I shouldn’t be the only one to suffer.

“She said she wants to drop out.”

“…What?”

The shocked look on his face was a bit satisfying.

Though it was a pity to let him off with just this, I had no time to waste. I needed to take care of Park Seo-hyun… and check on Choi Jin-woo as well…

Strange. Why did it feel like I was creating more work for myself?

“I managed to calm her down.”

“Really? What was her reason?”

“She said she feels she has no talent.”

Hong Seok-young’s expression turned odd.

He must have known how absurd that sounded.

“Seo-hyun was thinking that way? I didn’t bring the kids here based on their talents… Talent can be developed to some extent. Seo-hyun can improve if she tries hard enough…”

What was he saying?

Doesn’t he have eyes? Is his head just for decoration?

After a brief silence, Hong Seok-young burst into hearty laughter.

“Ha ha ha, I didn’t know you could make such a face!”

“…I was momentarily worried about the future of Korea.”

“That much?”

“If you can’t recognize such talent, you should retire.”

Hong Seok-young shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway, since you calmed her down, I guess I don’t have to worry.”

“Though in a different sense, I am still worried.”

Hong Seok-young, who had been laughing quietly, suddenly spoke with a serious expression.

“Her standards are too high.”

“Park Seo-hyun?”

“Maybe because her grandfather raised her. Mr. Park was quite an amazing person.”

Park Seo-hyun’s grandfather. The Grand Mage known as “Lamp.”

Back in the 80s, there were quite a few sentimental nicknames. The Light Bearer. The Lamp of the Maze. The Guide.

He died when I was still crawling around, so I only heard his name while preparing for the civil service exam. But Hong Seok-young seemed to look back on him fondly.

“There was no one as strict as him… Since he could head straight to the dungeon core, the strategy speed was unimaginably fast, but his mind was just as exhausted.”

“Were you acquainted?”

“Sometimes we cleared dungeons together with Mr. Park’s guild.”

Hong Seok-young awakened at nineteen and had been working as a hunter ever since. Twenty years later, he was practically a living history of modern hunters.

Even ten years ago, when Park No-kyung was active, he was busily clearing dungeons… So it’s not strange they knew each other. Did that connection bring Park Seo-hyun to the pilot high school?

Lost in memories, Hong Seok-young began to ramble about things I didn’t ask.

“Eun-sik, Eun-sik is Mr. Park’s son.”

He’s also Park Seo-hyun’s father.

Normally, I would have told him to stop reminiscing and spouting unnecessary stories… But this time, I listened quietly. It was a chance to learn about Park Seo-hyun’s past. Knowing her family history would make it easier to deal with her.

I didn’t want to be entangled any further with the whims of this teenage girl.

“Meeting face-to-face with him was the last time, right when Eun-sik died and he disbanded the guild to take care of his granddaughter. I haven’t seen him since. Though I occasionally heard bits of stories.”

Hong Seok-young spoke bitterly.

“He was so strict with his son… But I guess he wasn’t like that with Seo-hyun.”

“He was strict with his son?”

“To be honest, Eun-sik had no talent for magic. He was trying to make a living as a pianist.”

The story that followed was a familiar one.

A father who was exceptionally great and a son who lacked talent.

A father with an extraordinary sense of duty to save people and a son who respected his father but did not want to follow in his footsteps.

Such stories usually end in tragedy. The story of the Grand Mage, known as the Lamp, was no different.

If only Park Eun-sik hadn’t been an Awakened, but unfortunately, Park Eun-sik was a mage. And not just any mage, but one in the same line as his father.

Park No-kyung wanted his son to follow in his footsteps, to inherit his magic and his guild… In the end, Park Eun-sik overextended himself in a dungeon raid, leading to the annihilation of his guild members.

Deeply regretful and feeling responsible, Park No-kyung retired from being a Hunter to raise his granddaughter. He lived quietly in his hometown, but later died a hero while helping citizens evacuate during a dungeon break in Sangju.

Depending on your perspective, it could be seen as a touching true story! But…

“Why that expression?”

To me, it was a story that left a bad taste.

“That Mr. Park…”

“Hmm?”

“How old was Park Seo-hyun when he passed away?”

“It was thirteen years ago… So she was around ten?”

“How did she live after her grandfather passed away?”

Park Seo-hyun was one of Hong Seok-young’s dormitory members. It could be said she had no remaining family.

“She has a guardian. When Mr. Park was running the guild… I believe it was a lawyer. Since he had no relatives, Mr. Park prepared various things just in case.”

“Then… Is it true that Park Seo-hyun learned magic from her grandfather?”

“Hmm. That’s correct.”

“Did she have another mentor after her grandfather passed away?”

“Not as far as I know.”

Yet Park Seo-hyun claimed to know her grandfather’s magic. She knew the formulas and even understood them.

How could a ten-year-old child know her grandfather’s unique magic formulas? Could one of the things he prepared just in case have included those magic formulas?

Generally, mages never document their unique magic, even if faced with death.

“Your expression is getting strange again. Is something bothering you?”

“It’s just… I thought that the late Mr. Park might not have been a kind grandfather to his granddaughter.”

It was a common case in Hunter families.

Losing one child and then pressuring the remaining child into a certain career path… That sort of thing. This tendency was especially pronounced in the mage society, which revolved around bloodlines. It later caused significant social issues, and it hadn’t been resolved until I returned to the past.

Hong Seok-young had only heard about Park Seo-hyun from Hong Hunter, so he wasn’t sure if the stories about Park Seo-hyun were true or not. As he wasn’t an expert, he didn’t want to ask Park Seo-hyun and possibly cause any unnecessary emotional wounds.

However, knowing that something might have happened would at least allow him to avoid potential pitfalls.

…It was indeed the right decision to give lots of compliments. He didn’t know much, but instilling confidence in these kids seemed like the best approach.

“Anyway, please pay some attention to Park Seo-hyun for the time being.”

“Hmm.”

“…Aren’t you worried? Show some concern.”

“Well, it looks like you’ll take care of it even if I don’t.”

“……”

It was true, but admitting it felt like losing.

“See? The homeroom teacher for the magic class is different. I do have an eye for people.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh-ho.”

Hong Seok-young widened his eyes.

“You’re not making any fuss about being called a homeroom teacher anymore? Have you finally accepted your fate?”

Fate, my foot.

“…You would’ve made me do it even if I said no, right?”

“Everyone else seemed to think so, even if I didn’t.”

“Even after treating and working the kids so harshly?”

“At the end of the day, your main job is runes, isn’t it?”

“That’s true… No! This isn’t my main job!!”

Damn it. Staying here teaching only runes was driving him crazy.

He had planned to quietly reveal the magic pen when the time was right, but at this rate, it felt like he’d be stuck with it forever. It was good for hunters to improve their skills, but he didn’t want to live like that since he wasn’t a mage.

Hong Seok-young smirked slyly. His silent, grinning face was even more irritating.

“If you’re going to make me a homeroom teacher, at least raise my salary.”

“Oh dear, lunch break is over. Didn’t you say you had individual interviews with the kids?”

“My salary.”

“Good luck.”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me.”

Hong Seok-young pretended not to hear until the end.

What a detestable man.

“As the homeroom teacher of the magic class, I need to have deep conversations with the mage students. The rest of the physical kids can be handled by the principal.”

Hong Seok-young, who was about to leave the container office, paused. Ignoring this, Hong Seok-young brushed past him and exited the container first.

“Wait! Teacher Woo! You can’t…!”

I didn’t hear him.

“Park Seo-hyun! Choi Jin-woo! You two come to me, the rest go to the principal!”

“Teacher Woo…!”

Were mosquitoes out already?

He dusted off his shoulders.

* * *

Two young mages sat in front of him. Looking at their pale faces, he knew exactly what they needed right now, more than runes or magic pens.

“So, are you confident you can survive in a dungeon?”

“Uh… was that what we were supposed to worry about?”

Choi Jin-woo asked, wide-eyed.

“You said you’ve never been in a dungeon before?”

“The first time I saw a monster up close was in Myeong-dong….”

At a time when dungeon breaks occurred as often as meals? What a blessed life.

I looked at Park Seo-hyun, realizing it was unreasonable to expect much from someone who had only just begun to use magic. Her bangs, which had been hanging like a curtain, were now partially lifted. Although her burning gaze felt overwhelming, at least I could see her eyes, which I considered a positive change.

“Anyway, I didn’t expect you to come up with anything great in an hour given your current level, so let’s move on.”

“…Then why did you ask us to think about it? I almost choked on my food.”

“So you could realize how insignificant you are.”

I was joking, but I wanted to see their attitude towards dungeon strategy.

At the very least, the fact that they listened to me and seriously pondered the matter indicated they weren’t taking the strategy lightly. Such kids wouldn’t panic or cause accidents when entering a dungeon. It was a method I often used with new members of the strategy team.

I didn’t need to explain this much, but I did need to soothe Choi Jin-woo, who was pretending to cry with a hurt expression.

“Right now, you might be insignificant. But recognizing your shortcomings and learning to compensate for them is what makes a hunter.”

“Compensate… So, what should we do? I really have no idea.”

There was nothing as rapidly changing as the status of mages in modern hunter history.

Since the introduction of the magic meter, dungeon outbreaks had decreased, but the strategy mechanism itself hadn’t changed. Hunters entered the dungeon and destroyed the dungeon core. While there were many changes in the external and institutional aspects of dungeons, the core task for hunters remained the same.

But what about mages?

Currently, mages had the highest status. With the unveiling of the magic shield rune and the development of the magic pen, the position of mages had gradually diminished. Ordinary hunters could now roughly imitate what was once only possible through magic using runes.

And how did the mages respond to this?

Surprisingly, those who were already reclusive became even more secretive.

Countless magic research societies were formed and dissolved, and all sorts of dubious activities arose to pass down similar types of magic. During a time when understanding of minor elements beyond the four major elements and light was low, it’s unclear how many minor mages were discarded.

And here, our generous and kind Grand Mage of France reappears.

The Grand Mage of France publicly disclosed a method to analyze the magic type of awakened mages for free. This was to prevent them from being tormented to death due to incompatible magic types.

Mages accepted the Grand Mage’s intention. They analyzed their children’s magic and accepted those with compatible types while discarding those with different types.

Where to?

To the Hunter Academy.

“That’s why you have teachers, isn’t it?”

…This story could be shared another time. For now, it was time for these fledgling mages to learn the basics of being a mage.

“Alright. So, do you know your own magic types?”