I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 4
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Chapter 4 – Unwanted Opportunity (3)
Yoo Jieun is dead.
If there was any affection I held towards her, it was the kind you resent.
But I never thought our relationship was bad enough for this.
I certainly never expected a hunter like Yoo Jieun to die like this.
I stood up, leaving Yoo Jieun behind. I picked up her sword.
Are the police I parted with earlier still alive? Did they find other survivors? Or…
What about other countries? Are they in a similar state as here? Or did they manage to hold on somehow?
What do I know?
My nose is on the line here. At the very least, South Korea is definitely done for.
I recalled Yoo Jieun’s last words.
“You have to live.”
“What exactly does that mean, living here?”
Or perhaps it was a hopeful, naive statement that as long as I stay alive, somehow things will work out.
The Yoo Jieun I know was far from such baseless hope.
Then again, they say people do things they wouldn’t normally do when they’re about to die.
Seeing Yoo Jieun spit out words she wouldn’t normally say makes me realize she was indeed human.
But unlike the dead Yoo Jieun, I, who is still alive, had to face reality.
The city burning pitch black. People dying at the hands of monsters, burning in fires.
“Damn, seriously…”
Gripping Yoo Jieun’s sword tightly, muttering curses under my breath, I continued walking. It didn’t seem like much time had passed, but suddenly I found myself at the Ministry of Ability Management.
It used to be the site of the Ministry of Ability Management. The sturdy building stood there. A few hunters had fortified the park on the roof, making it quite a sight.
But now there was nothing.
Above the shattered buildings, only the corpse of a gigantic spider, the owner of the pitch-black venom, lay sprawled.
Around it lay piles of hunter corpses. Though burned, familiar weapons caught my eye. They were hunters from the Ministry of Ability Management.
And the Director?
Even if I closed my eyes, I could draw the weapon. How could I forget the spear, with its rough appearance but delicately engraved blade that mimicked the blue waves?
Worried I might lose it, I continued clutching the Director’s identification tag in my hand.
It was something the Director always wore around his neck. And Yoo Jieun brought this instead of a body.
The Director died without leaving a body behind.
“…Being a hunter means not leaving a body behind.”
This isn’t right.
I walked through the bodies.
Continued walking.
“You have to live.”
If she was going to say such irresponsible words, she should have taught me how to live.
Now what?
Continue searching for survivors?
And if I find survivors?
“……”
Were there even survivors in the first place?
Damn it.
“Damn it!!!”
Frustrated, I almost threw the identification tag, but stopped.
Thinking it might be the last thing he left behind, my hand wouldn’t let go.
Instead, I wielded Yoo Jieun’s sword. Perhaps because its cantankerous owner was dead, Yoo Jieun’s sword responded to my mana as well.
Swish.
Flames sprouted from the sword. Unlike the fires consuming Seoul, the blue flames blossoming from my mana were different.
Since I hadn’t properly infused the mana, the blue flames flickered weakly.
They seemed like they could extinguish at any moment.
The wavering flames crawled towards the grotesque monster corpse, covered in venomous fluid dripping from its severed legs, mangled body, and slashed flesh.
Even now, venom oozed from its body. I, too, would be poisoned if I stayed here too long.
Ha.
Even in this state, I’m thinking about survival. Did Yoo Jieun know this side of me when she said such things?
“…What?”
However, such contemplation was brief. As the inexperienced blue flames touched the corpse, the monster vanished without a trace.
It’s not uncommon for monsters to vanish without a trace when they emerge from dungeons…
Dumbfounded by the sight, I dashed towards the empty spot.
Perhaps the Director’s body was there. If not a body, then maybe a weapon. If not a weapon, then something else.
Something.
Anything else.
The strongest hunter in South Korea.
Is it reasonable that the only thing to commemorate such a person is an identification tag?
But there was nothing in the place where the corpse had disappeared. Only debris corroded by venom lay scattered.
“…?”
No, there wasn’t nothing.
There was an item wrapped in white light.
“…Did it come from that guy?”
It wasn’t something I picked up inside the dungeon, and I’ve never heard of monsters leaving items behind.
Given that it was a monster, there was a high chance it had something like an insignia…
But this isn’t like that. If I had to compare it to something similar…
…A watch?
A watch. A desk clock, to be exact. The screen that should display the time is pitch black.
After hesitating for a moment, feeling like I should confirm, I cautiously approached the suspicious item.
I would never get close to such a strange item under normal circumstances.
[——- Confirmation. Authorization process initiated.]
“What?!”
At that moment, a dry voice emanated from the watch.
The black screen flickered and glowed.
[Hold]
[Emergency procedure is going]
[Input]
[Input]
[Input]
The screen changed. Irregular numbers appeared and then stopped.
[ 0 0 0 0 – 0 0 – 0 0 ]
The voice asked me.
[—Will you proceed?]
[ 0 0 0 0 – 0 0 – 0 0 ]
[Will you set?]
“….”
Eight flickering digits.
Usually, such notation is used to display dates.
[Will you set?]
Whether I needed to know what I was setting or not, I hesitated.
[Will you set?]
The voice from the AI item was flat, lacking intonation, characteristic of an artificial intelligence.
After a moment’s hesitation, I asked. If it’s an AI, it should respond.
“What am I setting?”
[Date]
[Set]
The voice abruptly cut off.
The flickering numbers disappeared. As I stared at the item, now dimmed and confused, numbers appeared again on the screen.
[Reactivated]
…Do items these days have automatic booting functions?
[Automatic sequence initiated]
[ 0 0 0 0 – 0 0 – 0 0 ]
What the hell is this?
“Hey. What’s going on?”
[Unable to set]
“What do you mean, unable to set?”
[Reactivated]
The item continued to turn off and on, ignoring my words and restarting on its own.
[ _ _ _ _ – _ _ – _ _ ]
[Proceed?]
The wording changed.
Earlier it asked to set a date…
“Tell me what you’re trying to execute.”
[Proceed?]
“….”
Doesn’t seem like the AI’s performance is good.
If it’s an AI, there should be at least one thing. There’s nothing that explains it properly.
After a moment’s hesitation, I picked up the item.
Nothing changed.
There’s nothing I can manipulate.
The watch kept blinking.
AI items are dangerous. It’s not about the performance of the item.
There are items programmed to deceive users. They’re rare, but if I fall for it, it’s one hundred percent.
Even in a grim situation, I don’t intend to do what this suspicious item tells me to do…
*Kurung*
I hear the sound of an animal breathing from a distance.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The ground shook.
*Grr… Woosh. Thud.*
The remaining buildings were collapsing.
My senses sharpened.
Something appeared. Something is coming this way.
Something looked at me.
Gigantic horns were the first thing I saw.
The horns were covered in bright red flames, and flames dropped from them every time it moved. The flames joined the fire that was engulfing Seoul, making the blaze fiercer.
Along with it, strange mana emanated from the surrounding fires.
It’s that thing. The one that set Seoul on fire. Not them.
*Kurur…*
The towering head is covered in black scales. Despite the distance, it was clear enough to see. Its yellow eyes fixated on me.
The watch I held flickered rapidly.
[Warning]
[Warning]
[Danger detected]
[Survival capability 0%]
The item wasn’t making any noise. It spotted me. It was getting closer.
*Kururur…*
Stay calm.
There’s no way to defeat that thing.
“….”
I blinked at the item emitting light. It had indicated a chance of survival.
*Krriiing… Thud!*
I heard an animal’s cry. The vibrations are intensifying. My hair stood on end.
“Can I escape from that thing?”
[??? Danger? Death? ????]
“If I can escape, just do it, whatever it takes.”
[Recognition?? ? ??? Confirmation]
[Emergency protocol activated]
[Execute]
[Qualification confirmation procedure activated]
A surge of mana whirled around the item. My insides twisted with the intensity of the mana.
“Arrgghh!!!”
And there it was.
[Confirm ???? sta? Ryeo?????]
As if it can’t let me go. With flames. With an unmistakable scent of blood that won’t fade.
[??? Abnormal? ??? Fail??? Sublime?????? The savior is????]
“What now?!”
A piercing, ominous sound filled the air. Surging mana wrote crimson letters in the void.
[!!! ERROR !!!]
[!!! ERROR !!!]
[!!! ERROR !!!]
[Reboot]
[Reboot]
[Reboot]
There’s no time.
*Krurrr…*
It’s laughing. One claw is bigger than my body. Its overall size resembles the dead creature. The one the Director, Yoo Jieun, and the other hunters killed.
They’re all dead.
Now, there’s only me.
[Reboot]
The watch flickered on and off again.
Should I run now? Is it possible? Every sense is on edge. If it’s seen me, escaping is impossible.
[Qualification confirmed]
[Not suitable]
[Qualification confirmed]
[Not suitable]
[!!! ERROR !!!]
[Search for available functions]
[Forced sequence activated]
[Unavailable]
[Unavailable]
[Unable]
[Final sequence activated]
[Approval]
[Procedure initiated]
[Qualification confirmed]
[Detected]
[Verification]
[Activation]
[??? Identified qualification with confirmed possibility of annihilation]
[Designated survivor]
[Verification]
*ERROR messages flood my vision. Flickering flames cascading down. Heat. Trembling vibrations. The gigantic monster closing in on me.*
That’s my last memory.
—
*Slap.*
“…Sir!”
“…Hey! Wake up!”
Slap. Slap.
My sense of touch returned first.
Someone’s slapping my cheek. Who… who is it?
I want to push away the slapping hand, but I don’t know where my arm is attached. Feels like floating in water. The slapping hand is annoying, and maybe it’s okay to just drift back to sleep.
“Sir!!”
*Thud!*
Sharp pain rushed in, bringing back all my senses. My eyes snapped open wide.
“Sir, are you okay?”
A worried girl’s face leaned in close. She was wearing the uniform of the Hunter Academy. The old uniform, from before they changed it.
I quickly glanced at the name tag pinned to her chest. Yoo Hyeeun.
“We’ve treated you, but you mustn’t move hastily.”
“….”
“Um, the situation isn’t great right now, but you’re a hunter, right? You’re a hunter, right?”
“….”
“You were holding a knife…”
“….”
“Sir? Are you okay?”
What’s… going on?
I slowly looked around.
A few kids in old Hunter Academy uniforms muttered nearby. On the opposite wall, pale-faced people huddled together, trembling.
It’s a chaotic office. There’s a fallen monitor and a computer tower on the desk. A ridiculously outdated model. They still use these computers? Not a proper company, if you ask me.
I blink.
Seoul is burning. South Korea is done for. Maybe the whole world is done for.
But why is the sunlight pouring in through the window so bright? And why are there kids in old Hunter Academy uniforms?
“Strange, there didn’t seem to be any noticeable injuries…. Sir, can you hear me?”
“…Do I look like a sir to you?”
“Yes?”
Where on earth… where am I?
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