I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 40

[ Chapter 40: Shadows and Light (3) ]

Is this what they mean by solving a problem without lifting a finger?

Park Seo-hyun had brought the most perfect solution. It was so incredibly kind to me that it almost felt like the whole world was mocking me.

It was something I had considered but never had the courage to voice.

I observed Park Seo-hyun.

An eighteen-year-old girl was speaking with a serious expression. I maintained my composure as an adult and reconfirmed her intentions.

“You mean you’re going to teach all your grandfather’s magic?”

“Yes.”

Park Seo-hyun answered without hesitation.

“I don’t want my grandfather’s magic to disappear, but I also don’t want to teach it to just anyone.”

“Are you okay with Choi Jin-woo?”

Even if she decided to do it, I could leave it be… but it’s better not to start something if she’s going to back out later.

If a few words could change her mind, then that’s all it was.

“You’ve only known Choi Jin-woo for a short time. Isn’t he just anyone to you?”

“I know. But the principal brought him here….”

“As I said earlier.”

“Yes, yes. Don’t leave it to someone else’s judgment. This is my decision.”

Park Seo-hyun interrupted me firmly.

“Jin-woo is fine.”

“Well… if you’re okay with it, then I have no reason to object.”

Still, I asked once more, just in case.

“Are you really okay with this? Even if you say you’re okay now, you might feel differently when you see him using the magic.”

This time, Park Seo-hyun hesitated a bit.

But it was only for a moment. She still didn’t avoid my gaze.

“Actually, seeing someone else use it might make it easier for me to give up.”

“…Alright then.”

I slightly revised my evaluation of Park Seo-hyun. She wasn’t as mentally fragile as I thought.

Maybe she was resilient because she was still young. Or perhaps she had grown up a lot in just a few hours.

Or maybe I had an unknown talent for counseling.

Just a bit of praise had turned her attitude around completely, so what had the man done? Did he just let her go completely?

In any case, Park Seo-hyun looked quite relieved, and as a teacher, I decided to support my student. It was a good opportunity for Choi Jin-woo.

Of course, knowing unique magic doesn’t mean everyone can become a Grand Mage. But to become a Grand Mage, you must be able to use unique magic. And more importantly, wasn’t this the revival of a supposedly extinct unique magic? If that’s not a good sign, what is?

* * *

“What? No, I don’t want to.”

Choi Jin-woo answered with reluctance.

“What?”

It was the adults around Choi Jin-woo who were taken aback.

“No, it’s not that I’m disrespecting Seo-hyun or anything. I just don’t want to be a disciple.”

“What do you mean you don’t want to?”

Kim Chae-min asked Choi Jin-woo, looking completely puzzled.

“Why on earth do you refuse?!”

If Choi Jin-woo weren’t a student, Kim Chae-min seemed ready to grab him by the collar and shake him. His fingers twitched with restrained frustration. And it was understandable.

The truth was, the reason I could stand here so composed was because Kim Chae-min was overly excited. When someone beside you is causing a scene, it paradoxically helps you regain your calm.

“…….”

Kim Chae-min took a deep breath and then exhaled. I didn’t know how much it helped his mental state, but at least his voice had calmed down.

“Look, Jin-woo. You seem to not understand the significance of this….”

“No, I’m a mage too, so I roughly get it.”

If he really understood, he couldn’t just outright refuse like this.

“I know it’s a good opportunity.”

That’s the thing, it’s not just a simple good opportunity…. Doesn’t he grasp how great of an opportunity this is? Is that why he’s so nonchalantly rejecting it?

Perhaps because Kim Chae-min was emanating a rather menacing aura, Choi Jin-woo pretended to think a bit more.

“But still… I won’t do it.”

It was only a pretense.

His answer didn’t change.

“…Why? Let’s hear your reason.”

“Well, you see….”

Choi Jin-woo scratched his head with an embarrassed expression.

“No matter what, it’s a bit much to treat a friend as a teacher.”

“…….”

“…….”

Just for that reason?

He’s rejecting this? When he’s being offered a Grand Mage’s unique magic for free?

What a spoiled brat!

Here I am, overwhelmed with work, stuck in this lousy school, looking after kids because I have no choice!

I know how important it is to nurture future talents. But, damn it. Honestly, how many things could I accomplish if I weren’t stuck here looking after these chicks, which might take years to fully raise?

I could immediately conquer the Bangi-dong Dungeon, analyze where the creature that burned Seoul crawled out from, track down what the Bangju gang is up to, and find out where the young me is….

There are twenty years left until Seoul burns.

Of course, I have no intention of filling that time to the brim.

I’m doing this—raising these kids or gathering people—because it’s the only thing I can do right now. I can’t run away from here if I don’t want to turn Hong Seok-young into an enemy.

Sure, preparing for the future? That’s good.

But when nothing has started yet. When I can still handle it alone.

Isn’t it best to nip it in the bud at such times?

However, as things are now, I can’t do anything. It’s infuriating to be in a situation where I have to wait and scramble for the information Hong Seok-young or Lee Mi-sun throw my way.

Besides… I’m not saying these kids did anything wrong, but seeing those who should have died, or those who would die later, laughing without a care is suffocating. It feels like walking among corpses.

No.

Calm down. Get a grip.

Just focus on the reality. Focus on what’s in front of you. Don’t think beyond that. Don’t think about the woman who spat blood in the blazing heat.

‘Live.’

I closed my eyes tightly and then opened them.

My vision cleared, and I saw Choi Jin-woo standing awkwardly with an uncomfortable expression.

“…Is that really the reason?”

I wondered what I was like at his age.

When the old man talked about those days, he often let out a hollow laugh…. It’s strange. I was a quiet and well-behaved child. Probably.

I looked at Choi Jin-woo again.

If there are kids like me who are quiet, there must be kids who are stubborn and rebellious. Of course.

It’s an age when they’re highly sensitive. His pride might have been hurt to have a peer as a teacher….

…Where does a mage get their pride?!

When someone offers to teach you unique magic, you should bow down and thank them!

“That…”

For the first time, Choi Jin-woo avoided eye contact.

“I know, okay? I know this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. But…”

Choi Jin-woo paused to gather his thoughts and then continued.

“Just as it’s a great opportunity for me, it’s an important magic for Seo-hyun. And she’s offering to teach me without asking for anything in return.”

Calm eyes. A steady voice.

Most mages awaken at a young age. Some even awaken when they’re just starting to walk.

Choi Jin-woo, who awakened at eighteen, was extremely late for a mage.

“Besides, I don’t think I’m smart enough to learn it all.”

Because of this, Choi Jin-woo’s mindset was unusually naïve for a mage.

To put it nicely, he’s a model student type; bluntly, he’s a small-minded, ordinary person. If he weren’t a mage, he would have lived a normal, unremarkable life.

People like him set their own limits early, whether those limits are real or not.

He wasn’t simply rejecting Park Seo-hyun’s proposal out of pride. Choi Jin-woo had his own reasons. Kim Chae-min understood this and listened quietly.

“I don’t want to see Seo-hyun disappointed in me or blaming herself for not teaching me well. I also don’t want to get exhausted trying to keep up with her. And I hate the idea of our relationship becoming awkward.”

The irritation that had surged earlier subsided as I listened to Choi Jin-woo’s calm explanation. This non-mage-like way of thinking showed through in moments like this.

It seemed like a normal way of thinking, but it was rare among mages who grew up in a closed society. There’s a reason why Yoo Ji-eun values communication skills when recruiting new members for the team. Many guilds have fallen apart because they brought in the wrong mage.

I raised my evaluation of Choi Jin-woo a bit.

Where did Hong Seok-young find a kid like this? Did he just drop from the sky?

“So, no. Whether it’s the Grand Mage’s or the unique magic, honestly, I don’t really crave it….”

If Park Seo-hyun heard this, she’d probably hide behind her bangs like a curtain.

But fortunately, Park Seo-hyun wasn’t here.

“So it’s fine. I just want to be an ordinary mage. That’s just right for me.”

What should I do?

I couldn’t just scold him for not wanting to learn from a classmate. After all, whether it’s studying or magic, one’s own will is crucial.

Moreover, I didn’t know Choi Jin-woo. The child who died in Myeong-dong wasn’t even recorded in the Bureau’s records. I had no idea if his magical talent was really mediocre as he claimed or if he unexpectedly had the potential to become a Grand Mage.

So, I nudged the Grand Mage beside me with my elbow.

“Yes?”

“Just a moment….”

I left Choi Jin-woo behind and stepped aside with Kim Chae-min.

“What do you think of that kid, Choi Jin-woo?”

Kim Chae-min tilted his head.

“What do you mean?”

“Does he really lack talent, as he says?”

“Oh. Well, um. You see, magical talent is really ambiguous.”

Kim Chae-min tilted his head to the other side.

“It’s hard to explain this to someone who isn’t a mage…. With basic and common magic, honestly, anyone can reach a certain level if they just put in the effort, though it might take some time.”

He tilted his head to the other side again.

“But unique magic doesn’t work that way. To put it simply, it’s luck… though some might say luck is also a form of skill.”

Kim Chae-min started nodding his head left and right.

“Someone who can’t use even basic magic might suddenly gain enlightenment and become a Grand Mage who wields unique magic effortlessly, while someone who can use other types of magic with their eyes closed might never be able to use unique magic in their lifetime.”

“So, what about Jin-woo?”

“You won’t know until you try.”

Kim Chae-min stopped nodding his head.

“But setting one’s own limits like that isn’t good. People’s imaginations are limited, and they can’t envision beyond that.”

“So you’re saying he doesn’t entirely lack the potential to become a Grand Mage?”

“I told you, you won’t know until you try.”

It was frustrating not having a clear answer. Kim Chae-min glanced back into the classroom.

“I understand Jin-woo’s feelings, though. Taking on the magical formulas left by a friend’s deceased grandfather? That’s a lot of pressure.”

“Didn’t you learn unique magic from your grandfather’s formulas too?”

“Is it the same? I’m family. Plus, neither my grandmother nor mother were awakened, so I had much more freedom compared to other mage families. They wouldn’t have minded if I didn’t become a mage.”

So that’s why Kim Chae-min, with his personality, grew up to meet such a pointless end.

“It’s still a wasted opportunity to let go.”

“If he’s that adamant, forcing him isn’t ideal either…. Does Seo-hyun insist it has to be Jin-woo?”

Park Seo-hyun had made that clear. When I nodded, Kim Chae-min fell into thought.

“Park No-kyung’s unique magic is very useful in many ways. It’s a shame for it to be buried.”

Exactly my point.

How could we persuade Choi Jin-woo…? While pondering this, I noticed Park Seo-hyun sitting under a parasol, practicing runes. She was diligent.

I rubbed my chin.

Think of Choi Jin-woo not as a mage but as a non-awakened high school student his age.

There’s no need for complex methods. Sometimes, straightforward approaches work best with kids that age.

Speaking from experience.