I'll Retire After Saving the World-Chapter 123: Sprouts (3)

TL: SHW

“Club, what?”

A completely unexpected word came out.

At most, I thought they’d try to dig up my weaknesses from Mini-me or something. Looks like I overestimated them.

A club?

A club?

Is a club even appropriate right now?

Did a glimpse of the ocean make them want to enjoy some other form of youth?

No, well… I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. Originally, Hunter Academy actively encouraged club activities. They claimed it was to support students’ creativity and autonomous learning, but from my point of view, it was a desperate effort by the Chairman to at least drain their energy so they’d stop destroying buildings. It didn’t really help, though.

“Yes, a club!”

The poor Chairman nephew answered brightly, not the least bit concerned about his aunt’s miserable future.

“You want to start a club, so why do you need my brother?”

"If he's there, won't you help us, teacher?"

“…….”

I pressed on my temples.

"Haven't you thought about just asking directly?"

“Then you’d tell us to stop wasting time and go practice swordsmanship instead.”

“…….”

“Am I wrong?”

“Well….”

Right.

I revised my assessment of Lee Seung-yeon. Surprisingly, he pierced through the essence.

But I still didn’t understand.

“From the looks of it, haven’t you guys already talked it all out among yourselves?”

Every single one of them was present, so it had to be true.

“Then just go ahead and do it. It’s not like this place functions like a proper school anyway.”

“Wow. You’re a teacher here, you know. Are you sure it’s okay to say that?”

“As a teacher, I have to make accurate judgments. Whether you form a student council, a broadcasting club, a newspaper club... do what you want. I won’t stop you.”

“So you won’t stop us, but you’ll make sure we don’t have time to do such useless things, right?”

“…….”

That’s not what I meant, but… since he misunderstood on his own, I left it at that.

Lee Seung-yeon gave a shiver and shook his head.

“What we’re trying to do isn’t exactly that. Uh, it is a club, but ultimately, we’re aiming to do outside activities.”

“Outside activities?”

“Yep.”

What do they usually do in clubs? Competitions? Back in high school... I tried to avoid external activities because they were annoying, but I did do a few. Submitting things we made or something like that....

I vaguely recalled my school days, but there wasn’t much worth referencing. I went to a regular high school, after all.

“So, to be precise… um. We want to create a guild.”

I revised my assessment of Lee Seung-yeon once more.

To a crazy bastard.

Was that too harsh?

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

It’s not too late to hear him out first. Kids that age can be surprisingly thoughtful. Lee Seung-yeon might be, too.

“Ah, don’t make that scary face! I’ve thought this through.”

He really managed to learn only the worst parts of everything.

Why is he thinking things through… Though if he weren’t, that’d probably make me mad in its own way.

If Lee Seung-yeon or Hong Seok-young heard that, they’d be mad, asking what the hell I wanted from them. But that’s just how I felt.

Look at that, look at the face of Lee Seung-yeon saying he wants to make a guild. It’s shining brighter than ever. Like a ten-year-old who just got his Children’s Day present.

Lee Seung-yeon pursed his lips and mumbled. It didn’t look like he was searching for words to convince me, more like he was organizing what he needed to say. When he said he’d thought this through, he probably meant it. How he expresses it is another matter.

“A guild is a guild, but we’re still minors, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I looked it up, and apparently minors can’t establish a guild.”

“So that’s why a club?”

“Sort of a pre-guild. A probationary guild? Minors can’t create a guild, but minor Hunters can belong to one. Like Hyun-wook and Han-seong.”

“Did you consult them about guild-related stuff?”

“I know it sounds weird. But if I were harassing them, they wouldn’t still be hanging around me.”

I nodded.

“So at first, I thought about asking my aunt to let us in as a subordinate-organization. I heard that in other countries, they expand their guilds that way.”

In Korea, due to the overwhelming authority of the Ability Management Agency, guilds like the one Lee Seung-yeon mentioned simply don’t exist. In some foreign countries, there are even cities that operate almost like guild autonomous territories. Even though mana meters can help prevent Dungeon Breaks, it’s impossible to install them in every dungeon in the world.

I didn’t interrupt Lee Seung-yeon’s explanation, signaling him to go on. As I listened silently, he seemed to gain more confidence and continued quickly.

“But if we go that route, even if we graduate and qualify to establish a guild officially, we’ll never escape from Daseon. In that case, wouldn’t it be better to fully utilize our status as minors and students?”

“A club?”

“Yes. If we present it as a club activity, it’ll serve as a good shield. Even if Daseon helps the students, as long as we call it support for a club activity... The Daseon master is my aunt, so she can help her nephew’s school life. It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.”

“…You do know that you’re taking lessons from Daseon Hunters, right?”

“Aw, come on. That’s just because my aunt is the Chairman, so they’re here for educational support.”

Lee Seung-yeon grinned.

“…….”

I got what he was trying to say. Lee Seung-yeon wanted to create a guild without interference from adults.

Of course, people like me, Hong Seok-young, and Lee Mi-seon would inevitably have some influence, but even so, he found an excuse to minimize that influence. That was commendable.

However.

“Then what’s the purpose of the club?”

“Huh?”

“Let’s say, like you said, you create a club and do activities. But what kind of club is it? What’s the ultimate goal? Is it to decide your career path after graduation? To band together and form a guild? You’ve gained experience under Daseon, so your name value should be enough?”

“Uh… I mean, that’s not wrong.”

Lee Seung-yeon blinked slowly and then spoke.

“I mean, uh. Actually, this was something Hyun-wook was originally planning.”

“Oh Hyun-wook?”

“He wanted to make a guild with his friends originally.”

My hand hesitated. Oh Hyun-wook’s guild. Memorial.

“But when I told him I was thinking about quitting school and maybe setting up a foundation or something, he suggested I make a guild instead.”

“What?”

“He said a guild needs a Hunter to be a master, and no matter how he looked at it, he wasn’t fit for a managerial role…. He figured I’d have more money than him and would handle that side of things better… Well, honestly, I’m not super confident either? But the others said so, and I thought, shouldn’t I at least try? I even mentioned it to Tae-woo.”

“Wait. Hold on, Lee Seung-yeon.”

“When I first told Tae-woo, it was kind of impulsive, but after coming back to school and thinking it through, it actually seemed doable. So I thought I’d start with a club….”

“Lee Seung-yeon?”

“Rather than a typical guild, it’s more experimental. Not so much dungeon raids, but supporting dungeon raids… analyzing dungeons….”

“Right. So, Lee Seung-yeon. Just listen to me for a sec-”

“Oh, right! I mentioned the foundation. We’d find kids who’d be suitable for Pilot High School and give them support!”

“I want to say something too….”

“That idea came from Yoo Hye-eun. She said there are kids who know about Pilot High School but can’t attend for various reasons. So we’d find and support them, and if needed, give them legal advice too….”

Lee Seung-yeon was speaking faster and faster. Even though I tried to interrupt a few times, he didn’t seem to hear me and kept going without taking a breath.

“Anyway!”

Clap!

Lee Seung-yeon clapped his hands loudly.

“I’m going to become the greatest Guild King no, Guild Master, ever!”

…What the hell are these kids even talking about among themselves?

Is it a twenty-year generational gap between me and them? Am I the one who can’t keep up with them, or are they the ones who can’t keep up with me?

I just stared blankly at Lee Seung-yeon, then waved my hand.

“Go call the principal.”

If a student feels their inadequacy, the teacher steps forward. That’s how the world works.

***

"How did it go?"

As soon as Lee Seung-yeon was released from his meeting with Woo Hwijae, the kids swarmed around him. Among them was Kang Tae-woo.

When Kang Tae-woo hesitated a step behind with an awkward expression, someone grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward.

“Looks like it went well.”

Lee Seung-yeon shrugged his shoulders with a casual expression.

“It went well?”

“I told you, didn’t I? It’s not like we’re doing anything bad. We’re just making a club.”

“Making a club would be fine, but the problem is you dragged the teacher’s younger brother into it.”

“No, but think about it, Tae-woo. He’s Teacher Woo's little brother, right? Won’t he Awaken too?”

Kang Tae-woo looked at Woo I-rok, who was sitting on the sofa and staring at a tablet PC. He definitely saw Woo Hwijae set a lock on it earlier…

The culprit who had unlocked it was easy to identify. Hong Seok-young was sitting next to Woo I-rok and talking to him. Even though Woo I-rok was pushing Hong Seok-young away like he was shooing off an annoying fly.

“Look at that scowl. He’s definitely going to be a Hunter with a nasty temper just like Teacher Woo….”

If Woo Hwijae had heard that, he probably would’ve clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“That’s why we need to recruit him early!”

“…What if he doesn’t Awaken?”

“Doesn’t matter. Didn’t you see how Teacher Woo listens to everything that kid says? If we say he’s in our guild, Teacher Woo will have no choice but to join our guild too.”

Should this be called clever, or hopeless…

Oblivious to Kang Tae-woo’s ambiguous gaze, Lee Seung-yeon raised his hand high toward Hong Seok-young.

“Teacher! Principal! Teacher Woo’s looking for you!!”

“Teacher Woo?”

“My hyung?”

“Yeah, kiddo. He’s not looking for you though.”

“I’m not a kiddo?!”

“You’re not a kiddo? If you get mad at being called a kiddo, that means you are one.”

“No!!”

“You are!”

“Y-you, hyung!! Hyung!!!”

Lee Seung-yeon laughed as he watched Woo I-rok dash off following Hong Seok-young toward Woo Hwijae. Yoo Hye-eun smacked Lee Seung-yeon on the shoulder.

“What do you think you’re doing to a kid who was just sitting quietly!”

“Ow!”

“I hit you so it’d hurt!”

“No, it really hurts. Have you been working out lately?”

“Of course I have! I’m a Hunter too!”

Thud!

Yoo Hye-eun hit Lee Seung-yeon’s shoulder again.

“Don’t bully the teacher’s younger brother.”

“I wasn’t bullying him. I was playing with him.”

“Wow. That’s exactly what my older sister says when she’s bullying me.”

“Yoo Ji-eun!”

“If your little sister says that, what do you think about it, Miss Yoo Hye-eun?”

“Why would I bully her? She’s the one who bullied me!”

It turned into chaos in an instant.

Kang Tae-woo blinked as he listened to the rapid exchange of words.

The research lab was always quiet. If you raised your voice unnecessarily, you’d attract unpleasant attention. Whether you liked it or not, the first thing you learned at the research lab was how to keep quiet. It wasn’t much different at the orphanage. But at least, he had more moments there where he could escape the teachers’ gaze, so he considered that a relief.

But this place was different.

Kang Tae-woo looked down at the hand still gripping his wrist. The hand belonged to a girl who was one year younger than him.

When he widened his eyes to look at the one holding his wrist, he saw a girl a year younger than him. Unlike So-hee, she laughed loudly and didn’t bother hiding her irritation.

Their eyes met.

Yoo Ji-eun twisted her face into an exaggerated grimace, then let go of his wrist and stuck her tongue out.

***

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