I’ll Retire After Saving the World

TL: SHW

"The two of you are going in alone?"

"Probably?"

"Hmm…."

Lee Mi-seon put on a decidedly pensive expression at my answer.

"What kind of dungeon?"

"It's a dungeon in Gangwon Province…."

"And the rank?"

"S-rank."

At the mention of an S-rank, Lee Mi-seon's worry deepened further.

"Do you really have to go in there? With Teacher Han?"

The truth is, there's no reason I have to enter that dungeon with Han Tae-kyung. What I mean is, if the point is to gauge Han Tae-kyung's ability or give him advice, there's no need to insist on that particular dungeon. I could just find one that suits him and go in.

But in order to raid that dungeon, I need Han Tae-kyung.

I met Lee Mi-seon's eyes with a serious face.

"Yes. I need him."

…Not that I actually need him; it's more that it's convenient if he's there. So what if it's an S-rank dungeon? If I put my mind to it, I could clear it alone without breaking a sweat. Above all, I already know exactly how to raid it.

But if an easier way exists, isn't it better to use it?

"…Where exactly did you say this dungeon was?"

"It's the dungeon in Cheorwon. You've probably heard of it."

"The S-rank dungeon in Cheorwon?"

"The one near the reservoir."

"Ah. That one."

Lee Mi-seon frowned.

As far as I know, that dungeon isn't rated very highly at the moment. Meaning that, on the surface at least, nothing troublesome enough to be a real threat comes out of it. And since it sits out in the middle of nowhere, it draws relatively little interest. On top of that, it doesn't yield any impressive resources either. Even the guild that had been managing it had taken it on and then gone inside a number of times that could be counted on one hand. They don't even know what item lies sleeping in there.

Or so I gathered from the information I heard from Yoo Ji-eun.

Dungeons occasionally produce things a human can use, not just monsters. They're called dungeon items, or artifacts. The classic examples being my father's dog tag, or Yoo Ji-eun's sword. Maybe even the watch that flung me into the past counts.

The dog tag was a trump card of sorts, so nobody but my father and I knew about it. He said it took him a good long while just to work out what it did.

But Yoo Ji-eun's sword is another matter. Yoo Ji-eun put the sword she picked up in the Cheorwon dungeon to spectacular use. Even overseas hunters who didn't know her name recognized the sword that caught fire.

Me coming back to the past didn't erase the things that already existed here. Woo I-rok, over there shoveling down birthday cake perfectly intact, is proof of that. Or the dog tag sitting quietly in my wallet.

Which means another one of Yoo Ji-eun's swords exists here too. Inside the dungeon I just mentioned to Lee Mi-seon.

And if everything runs its original course, it'll stay buried in there for several more years.

Isn't that a waste?

The reason I haven't told Gamble about the things future Gamble invented is that I can't trust her. But there's no question of trusting or distrusting an inanimate sword. I just have to go collect it before anyone else does and use it myself.

Me, or… its original owner.

And if that's not an option, someone else using it, well. That wouldn't be so bad.

Lee Mi-seon must have finally finished her calculations, because she opened her mouth.

It wasn't the answer I wanted.

"Hunter Han I could see, but I don't think it'll work for you, Teacher Woo."

"It won't?"

"You don't have any dungeon raid records."

That was precisely the problem I'd asked her about in the first place.

"Is there nothing you can do about that, Hunter Lee?"

"I thought you said you weren't putting me to work?"

"I'm asking you as a favor."

"Dressing it up in polite words won't help. You've already given yourself away."

Lee Mi-seon said, throwing me a light sidelong glare.

"…It's not that it's completely impossible, but the timing could be a little delicate."

"Even if I trade on Hong Seok-young's name?"

"Do you have Hunter Hong's permission for that?"

"He's the guild master. Surely he takes care of employee welfare on his own."

"So you have his permission, right?"

I looked over Lee Mi-seon's shoulder at Hong Seok-young, who was poking Woo I-rok's cheek. He's going to get bitten at this rate.

Sure enough, the instant the thought crossed my mind, Woo I-rok bared his teeth. Well, it's not as though Hong Seok-young would get hurt from a bite by a kid that small. Woo I-rok's teeth would be the ones to go.

"If you don't believe me, go ask him."

I pointed with my chin at Hong Seok-young, who was hurriedly yanking his hand back. Clack. Woo I-rok wore a disappointed look at losing his prey.

Strange. I never had a… feral phase like that. I was always a civilized man.

Lee Mi-seon's face took on an expression that was hard to put into words.

Whatever. What's she going to do about it, looking at me like that.

The Hong Seok-young of today would give me permission for anything I asked. Even before it came out that I was his son, he was never petty about this sort of thing.

In the end, Lee Mi-seon's shoulders drooped.

"Even with Hunter Hong's name behind it, it won't happen right away."

If that's the answer even after all this, then it really isn't happening.

"If Hunter Hong went in with you, maybe…. But the country only just started managing the dungeons, and if a raid fails and there are casualties right out of the gate, it puts them in an awkward spot."

Is she seriously assuming I'd fail?

I mean, it's not like I'd be walking into a dungeon I've never seen before. Of course, Lee Mi-seon has no way of knowing that. But still. Still?

Does she have any idea how proudly Yoo Ji-eun used to go on about the dungeon where she picked up that sword? I heard about it until my ears bled. She didn't even raid it until after she started working at the Management Bureau, which means the raid report is saved on my watch too!

There's no way I'd fail a raid!

Lee Mi-seon looked at my face and waved a hand.

"I'm not saying you couldn't clear it, Teacher Woo. I'm saying that's how people would see it. Even with Hunter Hong's guarantee, they'd want to play it safe. And I did say the timing might be delicate. Handled badly, it could even draw the media's attention."

"Hmm…. That would be a problem."

"I'm not turning you down for no reason at all, you know."

Maybe I shouldn't have said it had nothing to do with Ark. Looked at broadly, couldn't this count as Ark business too? One more sword in the world… is a good thing. Good anywhere.

"What if it did have something to do with Ark?"

"…Does it actually?"

I shrugged.

"Depends how you look at it."

"Teacher Woo, you're… starting to take after Hunter Hong, I think. And in the bad ways."

Lee Mi-seon said it with twitching lips and a voice full of complaint. I'm the one who got picked on out of nowhere, so I don't know why she's the one getting irritated.

"If you're absolutely set on going in… either take Hunter Hong with you."

By the same token, if I asked him, Hong Seok-young would do it. My father certainly would have.

But that's not what I want. If Hong Seok-young got involved, the press would only go wilder. I'm going to be walking out with a dungeon item; having reporters camped out beyond the gate would be a problem.

"Or else."

Lee Mi-seon added, in a voice that seemed to see straight through my dilemma.

"Start working hard and building up a track record, starting now."

"…A track record."

"Think of it as a trial that Hunter Hong's disciple, appearing out of nowhere like a comet, has to endure."

Lee Mi-seon let the stiffness out of her face and finally smiled mischievously.

"At the end of the day, a hunter's record speaks for them, doesn't it? The more you build up, the freer you'll be from all these restrictions."

She wasn't wrong, but….

I don't want to start living as a hunter at this point. I'm not fond of fighting the way a certain someone is.

Still, there was sense in what she said. Hong Seok-young introducing me as his disciple at the forum had hit the hunter community belatedly. My face hadn't gotten out, but the rumors about the member of Hong Seok-young's guild who had shot from D-rank to A-rank in a single leap hadn't died down at all; if anything, they'd only grown thicker as time passed.

The title of disciple alone attracts that kind of attention. If I don't want to get dragged into troublesome business, I have to prove I have the skill to match it.

And setting that aside entirely, I also need to bring my combat instincts back to life. After spending the last few years mostly sitting at a desk, didn't I end up taking a hit from a guy like Sem Bloom?

Forget looking after Han Tae-kyung; I need to work on myself first.

"What are you thinking about with such a serious face?"

"…Just weighing which way would be better."

"Personally, I'd recommend filling out your record, even if it takes time."

"You mean take some of the Association's work off your hands?"

"Not necessarily, but you could clear up a few of the urgent dungeons for us, couldn't you?"

Lee Mi-seon said, not letting the opening slip past her. I said nothing and only shrugged.

Why should I do the Association any favors? That was the meaning behind the gesture, though I don't know whether it got through properly.

*

"What's with the serious face?"

While Woo I-rok, disappointed though he was that the cake didn't taste the way he'd imagined, was busy fluttering with excitement over being told he could go to school.

Hong Seok-young quietly sidled up to me.

"Happy birthday."

"…Empty-handed?"

"Ha. I really did raise you to be a shameless one."

Hong Seok-young burst into a hearty laugh.

"I'm not empty-handed. There's just something I need to check first."

"Such as?"

"Do you have the dog tag on you?"

I lifted my gaze from the phone I'd been staring at for no particular reason. That small motion must have been answer enough for Hong Seok-young, because he nodded with a meaningful look on his face.

"I thought as much."

"…Thought what?"

"There was no way I'd have let my son walk around with nothing on him. Are you wearing it now?"

"……No."

"Wear it at all times."

Hong Seok-young said it as though scolding me. Even though his tone was light, as if he were only mentioning it in passing.

I started to say that I used to wear it, then shut my mouth. It felt like making some shabby excuse. I hadn't done anything wrong.

"Knowing you have it puts my mind at ease. So I can give the other one to I-rok."

Oblivious to what was going on inside me, Hong Seok-young spoke without a care.

"…To him? Why?"

"You got yours when you were little too, didn't you? Why the surprise?"

Considering what the dog tag does, hanging it around the neck of a kid who hasn't even awakened is a waste. The amount of impact it could absorb would be nothing worth mentioning.

If it comes to that, Hong Seok-young is better off keeping it on himself. Just in case. In case every last name ends up carved into that dog tag.

"That sulky look is exactly like I-rok's."

"He's my brother."

"Where on earth did these kids come rolling into my life from."

"From Ark."

"…Never giving up a single word. That's my son, all right."

"Is that something you're allowed to dislike right now?"

"Yes. That, precisely."

Even so, I didn't tell him not to give the dog tag to Woo I-rok. Partly because I was certain Hong Seok-young wouldn't listen even if I said it, and partly because telling him not to give one to Woo I-rok when I'd received mine felt like nothing but petty jealousy.

And, well…. A moment might come when Woo I-rok needs it too. Too much has changed already, so there's no guarantee his childhood will be as peaceful as mine was.

I stared blankly at Hong Seok-young's face as he chuckled away, delighted by who knows what.

"Hey."

"Hm?"

I'm aware this is a little… impulsive. Even so, I didn't take back what I'd decided.

"Spar with me just once, would you."

***

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