I’ll Retire After Saving the World

TL: SHW

“Hey!!!!!”

“Hey?”

“…Woo Hwijae!!!”

“Woo Hwijae?”

“……Mr.”

“Mr.?”

“…………sunbae-nim.”

Han Tae-kyung pouted as he mumbled the words. There was still a rebellious look on his face, but his spirit had clearly been dampened. I rather liked the sight.

It was troublesome when someone had too little confidence, but too much was just as difficult to deal with. Moderation was best in everything. Moderation.

In that sense, the future Han Tae-kyung had overcome hardships and adversity on his own, so his confidence had gone beyond overflowing. He made no effort to hide that side of himself. Well, it wasn’t as if I couldn’t understand why he was proud of it.

He had followed my father around calling him sunbae, but that was all. There was no way for me to know what had happened between the two of them when they were younger, but at least as far as I knew, my father had never directly helped Han Tae-kyung build up his background or skills. Han Tae-kyung had ultimately secured his position at Pilot High School and the Ability Management Agency because he was capable. If he hadn’t met the standard, my father wouldn’t have made use of him no matter how much of a hoobae he was.

In other words, Han Tae-kyung was an independent Hunter. One who pushed his own will through far more than necessary.

Some people might have liked that about Han Tae-kyung. He had a troublesome personality, but there was a reason he remained Team 1’s leader until the very end.

But my father, along with… the Hunters in Team 1, would occasionally mutter.

‘It would’ve been nice if our team leader had grown as a person, not just in skill.’

I couldn’t let that poor Team 1 suffer through the exact same hardships this time around.

Besides, it wasn’t as if I was deliberately crushing Han Tae-kyung’s confidence. This was perfectly legitimate guidance.

Just look at him. He had already started calling me “hey” again. How was I supposed to crush the confidence of a guy like this? Give people like him an inch, and they climbed right over you. I had to keep him firmly in line for legitimate reasons so he couldn’t complain about it.

“You’re losing strength, Teacher Han.”

I spoke while tilting my posture slightly. Han Tae-kyung shuddered.

“No, I’ve been doing nothing but raiding Dungeons for days now! Of course I’m losing strength!!”

“I know you can keep going.”

“That’s what I’m asking! How the hell do you know that, sunbae-nim!!!”

Han Tae-kyung might whine, but he never said he couldn’t do it. He was honest in that respect. He was strangely incapable of lying.

Even now, while his mouth complained about being sick of this, he diligently dodged the monster’s attacks and looked for an opening.

Hmm. Of course, a person couldn’t be scolded all the time. Appropriate praise. Appropriate praise….

“Still, you’re much better than when you were fighting goblins. I suppose we can start moving on to A-rank now.”

“What?!”

Han Tae-kyung jolted and looked back at me. I pointed a finger at the enormous bear visible over his shoulder.

“Don’t get distracted.”

Today, Han Tae-kyung wasn’t carrying the sword I had borrowed from Hong Seok-young, but some weapon I had no idea where he had picked up. No, seriously. Where did he even get that thing?

Clatter.

Han Tae-kyung pulled on the chain. Infused with mana, it moved as though it were a snake with a mind of its own. The chain slithered across the ground, climbed up the hind legs of the bear standing on two feet, and tightened around its throat.

The taut chain was connected to Han Tae-kyung. More precisely, to the sickle Han Tae-kyung was holding.

“…….”

It wasn’t difficult to guess the thought process that had led Han Tae-kyung to fighting with something like that.

He used a sword, and I kept correcting his stance. So he would bring a weapon I probably couldn’t use so I couldn’t correct him.

That was why, when we entered the next Dungeon, Han Tae-kyung refused the sword Hong Seok-young offered and brought a different weapon instead.

Like an idiot, he brought a spear.

The only time I had used a spear in front of Han Tae-kyung was during that sparring match that wasn’t really a sparring match with Hong Seok-young, so he might have mistakenly assumed I wasn’t very good with one. In truth, that could hardly even be called a sparring match, and what I had used could barely be called a spear.

I decided to correct Han Tae-kyung’s misunderstanding. Even so, wasn’t it a little sad to have my main weapon misunderstood?

‘Huff, huff, s-sunbae-nim. Could we stop and rest for a….’

‘A spear isn’t a walking stick. Hold it properly.’

‘Rest….’

‘There’s a monster over there.’

‘Res….’

‘What are you doing? Go kill it.’

‘…….’

Han Tae-kyung changed weapons again in the following Dungeon. In a way, the fact that he could use a little bit of everything made Han Tae-kyung the kind of Hunter my father had wanted.

Someone capable of skillfully making it through any situation he found himself in.

Sword, spear, dagger, it didn’t matter. Being able to use many weapons could be either a strength or a weakness for a Hunter. It could mean there was no weapon he was exceptionally skilled with, but it could also mean he was an exceptional Hunter who could do anything.

The Han Tae-kyung I knew was the latter.

So, with nothing but good intentions, I put Han Tae-kyung through the wringer. Now that Noah Michel had suddenly appeared as the owner of the Ark, I needed to raise our side’s strength even a little.

Of course, despite how much Han Tae-kyung complained, it wasn’t as if we never rested. We returned to the Villa every so often. I had a feeling I would never hear the end of it if I didn’t see Woo I-rok off for his first day of school.

‘Don’t go getting into fights.’

‘…….’

‘I-rok, understood? The kids at school aren’t like the kids at the laboratory…. And make sure you listen to your teachers.’

To be honest, I was worried about whether he could handle it. I had never realized the title of “transfer student” could sound this nerve-racking.

For the time being, Woo I-rok had decided to attend an elementary school in a nearby city. It was the place with the bus terminal Lee Seung-yeon and Kang Tae-woo had used when they left on their youthful little trip.

Once the Pilot High School building was finished and where I would be staying was firmly settled, there was a good chance Woo I-rok would transfer schools again. I wondered if sending him to a school he wouldn’t attend for very long would only make things more confusing, but keeping him at the Villa indefinitely didn’t feel right either. I decided it would be better for him to experience school, even if only briefly. He had gotten along reasonably well with the Pilot High School kids, so he would probably be fine.

Woo I-rok looked at me uneasily. I hid my concern and nudged him forward.

‘Have a good day.’

Woo I-rok stared at my face for a long moment before getting out of the car and answering.

‘…I’ll, be back.’

Thankfully, Woo I-rok was adjusting well. Apparently, the me from those days had been better socialized than I remembered.

That was already more than a week ago. Every morning, I somehow made time to check on Woo I-rok as he rode to school in Ji Yoo-geon’s car. The moment I became certain he was attending school without any problems, I dragged Han Tae-kyung along and began making the rounds of Dungeons in earnest. Han Tae-kyung’s daily weapon changes had begun four days into that routine. Thinking about it, he had actually held out for quite a while.

And finally, today, Han Tae-kyung had brought the absurd combination of a sickle and chain. When would Han Tae-kyung learn the meaning of giving up? Unlike Han Tae-kyung, my father had been sane, so he had never fought using some insane weapon like that. In fact, I had never even heard of a Hunter who carried around something like that.

Seriously, when swords were easy to learn and convenient to use, who would fight with a weapon like that….

“I told you to lower your stance more.”

But if there was one thing Han Tae-kyung had misunderstood, it was that a weapon was still a weapon in the end. I had never used a bizarre weapon like that, but I had learned movements involving chains before. Even if it wasn’t specifically a chain, there were other things used in a similar way. Like rope woven from golden thread. That rope was commonly used by Hunters and was extremely difficult to cut. Thanks to that, it came in handy when capturing monsters.

I simply pictured something similar and filled in the gaps with experience. That was enough for me to give him rough advice even on a ridiculous weapon like that.

More importantly, changing weapons didn’t change the overall flow of combat. Getting hit by a monster hurt regardless of what Han Tae-kyung was holding.

“You need to extend your arm farther there. You don’t have enough force. No, not like that!”

“Urgh…!”

“Is that chain just for decoration? If you’re going to treat it like dead weight, you shouldn’t have brought it.”

Han Tae-kyung yanked on the chain wrapped around the neck of the bear, which was as large as a bus. The bear thrashed around, then was dragged forward by Han Tae-kyung’s strength and lowered its forepaws. Han Tae-kyung pulled the chain tighter as though he intended to choke it to death right then and there. The bear dug its forepaws firmly into the ground and began resisting. Drool dripped from its snarling muzzle as it bared its teeth.

Han Tae-kyung manipulated the chain. The bear violently shook its body in an attempt to throw him off. Han Tae-kyung gripped the chain tightly and waited for the right moment before leaping in time with the bear’s movement. He landed on the back of its neck and drove the sickle down into the crown of its head.

…Why not just use a sword? Why did it have to be a sickle?

The bear thrashed around with the sickle buried in its head, but it didn’t last long.

Once the bear had stopped moving entirely, Han Tae-kyung rose to his feet while steadying his ragged breathing.

“The Dungeon Core is farther in. That thing was the boss, so let’s just destroy the Core and get out.”

“…I worked insanely hard all by myself.”

“Ah, yes.”

“…….”

“…….”

Han Tae-kyung stuck his lower lip out. What? What did he want?

Ah. Well, I supposed I had to placate him when necessary if I wanted to keep working him for a long time.

“Good work.”

“Yes!”

If a single sentence could make his mood flip that quickly, wasn’t that actually pretty cheap?

There were still monsters left, but their momentum had clearly broken after the boss died. A few tried to stop us from approaching the Dungeon Core, but Han Tae-kyung had apparently gotten used to the chain and sickle already, because he dealt with them far more easily.

“Sunbae-nim. Isn’t this actually a pretty decent weapon?”

“…If you like it, use it.”

“I’m not just saying that. Isn’t it pretty good? It’s unique.”

“There’s usually a reason no one else does something.”

“Ah, sunbae-nim. You’re way too cold to me. Be nice to me too, like you are with your little brother. Hm?”

“Teacher Han isn’t my little brother.”

And thank goodness for that.

I really needed to keep Woo I-rok and Han Tae-kyung farther apart.

“Then like the Pilot High School kids?”

“You do realize I go easy on them because they’re minors, right?”

Han Tae-kyung didn’t answer and destroyed the Core. Crash! With the sound of shattering glass, the Core broke apart with ease. Ever since learning that we could safely escape even after a Dungeon began collapsing, Han Tae-kyung had stopped hesitating to destroy them.

After confirming that the Core had been completely shattered, we headed back toward the Gate. It took a long time for a Dungeon to fully collapse, so we couldn’t wait around every single time.

“You’re used to B-rank Dungeons now, so shall we try an A-rank one?”

“I’m A-rank.”

“A Hunter’s rank doesn’t represent their actual skill. It’s just the standard used for the Passage Tax.”

“No, I mean, that’s true, but it’s still a rough standard. You want me to clear an A-rank Dungeon by myself? I know my own skill level, sunbae-nim.”

“Do you think I would choose somewhere Teacher Han couldn’t clear? With your ability, you’re more than capable of it.”

Han Tae-kyung’s lips trembled.

“I-I’ll get plenty of rest time, right?”

“…….”

“Right?”

“Let’s go get some Potions from the Principal.”

“…….”

Han Tae-kyung trudged along behind me, dragging his feet. He looked as though he had just been sentenced to death. Anyone watching would think I was bullying him.

“I never should’ve asked him to help me….”

Can’t hear you. Can’t hear a thing.

***

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