I’ll Retire After Saving the World - Chapter 47

[ Chapter 47: Dungeon Strategy (1) ]

“Hello. I am Kim So-jeong from the Ministry of Interior and Safety’s Dungeon Management Office.”

As predicted by Hong Seok-young, an inspector was dispatched.

Only one person. This practically meant there was no interest in the Pilot High School. Was the Pilot High School even properly recognized as a school right now?

Honestly, it was because of Hong Seok-young’s reputation that they were getting this much attention.

The kids, who didn’t care about the circumstances of the adults, were so nervous that they couldn’t even speak properly. The sharp suits gave off an intimidating presence.

“Teacher?”

“I am…”

Reaching out to shake hands, he hesitated for a moment. The inspector’s face looked strangely familiar.

“…Woo Hee-jae.”

“Nice to meet you. Have you prepared all the strategy documents?”

“Yes. Here is the dungeon strategy report… and here are the students’ licenses.”

“I need your license too, Teacher…”

“Here it is.”

While the inspector checked the prepared documents, he was lost in thought.

He hardly ever forgot a face. If he felt this familiar, it meant he had definitely seen him before.

“……”

“…Teacher? Is something wrong?”

“No. I’m just a bit nervous about the strategy ahead.”

“Hong Seok-young Hunter boasted a lot about the students’ skills…”

“Even so, we mustn’t let our guard down.”

Where had they met?

“That’s very true.”

“No!”

At that moment, Hong Seok-young interrupted.

“You were just yelling at me, but why are you being so polite to Mr. Woo?”

The inspector’s calm face wrinkled as soon as he heard Hong Seok-young’s voice.

“If Hong Seok-young Hunter did things properly, I wouldn’t have to yell at all!”

The previously low voice rose. It was unusually low for a woman, but when raised a bit, it became sharp and piercing.

Yes, that voice!

He couldn’t immediately recall the face, but the voice was different.

“……!”

That woman!

The inspector who was there on the day the man attacked the lab!

Now that he thought about it, it was no small feat for a non-Awakened person to raise their voice to that man. Although, the man’s indulgence played a part in that as well.

“I’ve confirmed everything… If an emergency occurs, exit the dungeon immediately. Don’t overdo it.”

This lady didn’t have a smooth life, but she overcame everything and retired well. It’s an enviable life. She truly is my role model.

I never thought I would see her again like this.

“In these kinds of tests, we usually have hunters on standby for such situations… but there aren’t many available hunters these days.”

As she returned the documents she had checked, she spoke with an apologetic expression.

There was no need for her to feel sorry. After all, with Hong Seok-young and Grand Mage Kim Chae-min around, what use were hunters?

Sure enough, Hong Seok-young looked offended by her words.

“With me here, are you trying to call other hunters, Inspector Kim So-jeong?”

“Isn’t it just procedure, Hunter Hong Seok-young?”

“No, why do we need such procedures between us?”

“Precisely because it’s you, Hunter Hong Seok-young, we need them even more.”

It was nice to see a familiar face after a long time. Still, work needed to be done.

I looked at the kids who were sticking their faces out of the van without even getting out. Their faces were pale with tension.

In such a state, it’s better to enter the dungeon quickly.

I passed by Hong Seok-young, who was still bickering with the inspector, and gestured to the kids.

“We will enter the dungeon.”

“Oh! I’m sorry. You must be very busy, and I’ve only wasted your time.”

The kids staggered out of the van.

Before departure, the words of Grand Mage Kim Chae-min briefly crossed my mind.

…Did he say he didn’t teach them the correct strategies?

Kids are meant to be raised tough. Just look at the principal.

I shook my head, thinking of encouraging them.

It’s hard to speak properly with outsiders present.

“June 15, 2021. Gyeonggi Province, Hwaseong-20190527-0002 Dungeon. Nine people entering. Hunter Training Pilot High School teacher Woo Hee-jae. Students Park Seo-hyun, Seo Han-seong, Soon Soon-jin, Oh Hyun-wook, Yoo Hye-eun, Lee Seung-yeon, Choi Jin-woo, Han Eun-young. Current time, 10:12.”

The procedure before entering the dungeon hadn’t changed even in the past.

As I called their names and made eye contact one by one, the kids gulped nervously.

“We are entering the dungeon.”

* * *

No one knows how or why dungeons and dungeon gates appear.

There are various hypotheses.

Some say they are divine punishments to punish corrupt humans, or invasions from another world… or training grounds created by future people to train past people to prevent destruction.

…In retrospect, doesn’t the idea of future people seem quite plausible?

Of course, no future people remained, and the training ground was just a ridiculous place where one fell into the past with nothing but their bare body.

Anyway, regardless of the reason, the monsters that emerge from the dungeon are dangerous.

Regardless of the reason, the things inside the dungeon are valuable.

So humanity began to raid dungeons…

“W-Wow…”

The reactions of kids who entered the dungeon for the first time were distinctly divided from those who hadn’t.

Some kids gazed around in a daze, while others looked around cautiously with stiff faces.

It’s okay to let them take a moment to see the surroundings.

“Attention.”

Eight kids looked at me.

Today, they weren’t wearing school uniforms or gym clothes. Although the design was the same, they were wearing armor specifically made for raids.

It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but considering it was just a C-rank dungeon raid, the performance was quite decent. Despite pretending otherwise, that guy sure worried a lot.

I’ve said this repeatedly, but this is a dungeon culled by Dasun. The actual grade should be considered a D. It’s excessive for me to be holding Yoo Ji-eun’s sword. This type of fairy forest dungeon particularly has good synergy with Yoo Ji-eun’s sword. By synergy, I mean it makes the raid easier.

After all, today’s raid isn’t about me but the kids. Although we can’t afford to be careless since it’s their first raid, that’s their business. I…

“As I said, I won’t be doing anything here.”

Gulp.

I could hear the sound of them swallowing nervously.

“I will score how much each of you contributes to the raid. The principal told you, right? This is your final exam.”

“…Um, teacher.”

Lee Seung-yeon cautiously raised his hand.

“I’ve been wondering for a while, but what good is a test score for us… how does it benefit us?”

“You’ll know your own level.”

Realize how pathetic it is.

“Ugh…”

Their faces twisted. Did their blood return to their faces a bit? Hmm. They still looked obviously tense.

I understood it was hard to see the necessity of tests like in regular schools. These kids had already decided to become hunters, and a hunter’s skills were shown by the number of dungeons raided and monsters beheaded. The grades from a school that might not even be recognized properly didn’t matter much.

“Starting from the lower ranks.”

Even in such a lousy school, a teacher’s authority to evaluate students must remain intact.

“After a meeting with the principal, it’s remedial lessons with me.”

This wretched school didn’t even have vacations. I confirmed this with Hong Seok-young. This is why you shouldn’t sign contracts carelessly.

The person who taught me that was the one who made me sign the contract, so it might not be my fault.

“The lower your score, the longer you’ll be stuck with me.”

I clapped my hands lightly.

“Enough chit-chat. Start the raid now. I’ll be going separately, so from here on, you’re on your own.”

“Uh, t-teacher!”

Ignoring their panicked voices, I hid my presence. In this densely wooded dungeon, the kids quickly lost sight of me.

Alright. Let’s see what they do now.

“…Um.”

“So, what do we do now?”

“Since raiding a dungeon means destroying the dungeon core… we should start with the dungeon core…”

The kids, who had been fidgeting nervously, gradually started to organize their movements. I had at least taught them the basics.

Yoo Hye-eun stood in the center, in the most protected position. Mages were on either side of her, and the rest took positions surrounding the three.

Typically, healers didn’t enter dungeons. Though tougher than non-Awakened individuals, they virtually had no combat ability. If the dungeon rank was even one step higher, Yoo Hye-eun would have been excluded from the raid.

Yet, Hong Seok-young insisted on bringing Yoo Hye-eun into the dungeon, likely because of the difference in experience.

Healers who understood what happened inside dungeons had a different mindset.

“……”

The kids stopped like broken toys. They hesitated, watching each other nervously. In a dungeon where time was as precious as gold, this was unacceptable.

Just as I was about to deduct one point from everyone, someone stepped forward.

“According to the scouting information, the dungeon core is in the east of the forest.”

It was Oh Hyun-wook, our little piglet.

“To reach the dungeon core, we have to pass through the pixie swarm. Do you remember the characteristics of pixies?”

“Yeah.”

“Park Seo-hyun, Choi Jin-woo.”

“Here.”

The mages handed out the prepared runes. These were magic concealing runes.

Pixies, like other monsters, were sensitive to the scent of magic and hunted their prey in swarms. While they didn’t fly high, they were still flying-type monsters and their swarming nature made them a good challenge for novice hunters. Using the concealing runes would at least prevent them from detecting magic and launching an attack.

“Let’s move out.”

The kids, activating their concealing runes, cautiously entered the forest.

The sky seen through the trees was a starry night. Though it was night, the sky was unusually bright.

To humanity, dungeons remained a mystery, but coincidentally, the things that emerged from them were somewhat familiar. Even if not exactly the same, one could describe their characteristics and others would recognize them.

Monsters from myths, legends, and folktales.

The boss of the Myeong-dong Dungeon, a giant humanoid monster with a bull’s head, was named after a creature from Greek mythology. A monster that spun beautiful silk like a spider was named Arachne, and a female monster that enchanted people with her song was called a Siren.

In the end, humans made the unknown familiar.

I leisurely followed the kids.

Honestly… from my perspective, it was frustrating.

The fairy forest-type dungeon was a forest. It was full of bone-dry trees without a trace of moisture. Though the leaves sparkled and had a sweet fragrance, earning it the name “fairy forest,” it was still just a forest. One that burned easily if set on fire.

This dungeon had no water sources. Even the pixies, with their child-like intelligence, would bring water to extinguish a fire, but here there was no water. All of this was detailed in the scouting report from Dasun.

So, we should just set it on fire. As long as we avoid harming the raid team with the fire and smoke.

If they figured this out, they would get full marks.

Naturally, no one would get full marks.

“……”

Oh Hyun-wook, now leading the group, raised his hand high. It was a signal to stop.

A pixie was peeking around in this direction. If it escaped, it would return to its swarm and bring friends.

Oh Hyun-wook moved his hands skillfully. Eight o’clock direction. One. Scout. You. Me. Take it down.

He was doing well.

Without the need for the mages to intervene, Oh Hyun-wook and Seo Han-seong, who were at the front, finished the job cleanly.

First, they wounded the wings to prevent it from flying away. Catching it as it plummeted to the ground was easy.

After dealing with the pixie, Oh Hyun-wook reorganized the kids. Our little piglet was doing well… Thinking of the piglet twenty years from now, I felt a surge of emotion.

Alright, plus one point for the piglet.