I'll Retire After Saving the World-Chapter 125: Mini-me (1)

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TL: SHW

“…Three dungeons in Gyeonggi Province! I, Han Tae-kyung, have handled them cleanly and returned!!”

“Ah, yes… I understand, so could you lower your voice a bit?”

"I have taken care of them!!!!"

“Why is your voice getting louder… no, never mind. So, was there anything difficult?”

"How could I call myself a Hunter if I struggled with mere dungeons!"

Then why do uncleared dungeons even exist in the world?

I considered saying something, but then I realized that the more I talked with him, the more exhausted I would become.

Anyway, the dungeon Han Tae-kyung entered this time was only a B-rank, so if he had struggled there, I would have had to seriously reevaluate him.

I half-listened to Han Tae-kyung while finishing reading the raid report. It wasn’t written by Han Tae-kyung, of course, it was the work of the Daseon Hunters who had supported him.

Before entering the dungeon, the Hunters had been full of enthusiasm, but they returned with lifeless eyes. Just hearing Han Tae-kyung’s voice from afar made them flinch and try to hide…. Though to be fair, Han Tae-kyung doesn't mess around during a dungeon raid, it seemed that overall tension was lacking due to it being a B-rank dungeon.

Well, I couldn’t do anything about that, so fine.

“So, what should I do now, sunbae?”

“Hmm? Go and rest.”

“Don’t you want to make full use of a talent like me? Right? I heard the kids recently formed a club, how about I go help them….”

“No.”

I quickly stopped Han Tae-kyung.

“Let them do it on their own. They'll learn more by trying things for themselves.”

“Kya…. That’s true. You’re right, sunbae. That’s how one becomes a true Hunter, like me.”

I don't think that’s exactly the case….

Dealing with Han Tae-kyung was getting tiring, so I just nodded vaguely.

“You can help when they ask for it…. if you don't like resting."

Just then, Ji Yoo-geon happened to be walking by. As soon as he saw Han Tae-kyung, he flinched and began backing away quietly. fгeewёbnoѵel_cσm

…This isn’t right, but it makes me want to mess with him. I smiled at Ji Yoo-geon.

“If you don’t want to rest, how about helping Hunter Ji?”

“Hunter Ji?”

“Yes. Ji Yoo-geon from Daseon.”

At this time of day… it must be when lunch prep begins. I ignored Ji Yoo-geon who was desperately waving his arms at me.

Come to think of it, the food issue needs to be addressed somehow. We can’t keep relying on packed lunches or hastily made fried rice for meals forever.

Thankfully, Lee Mi-seon has been supplying us with boxed meals prepared by a hired cook who considers nutritional value…. But I suppose it can't be helped until the Pilot High School building is completed.

“Teacher Han. Do you happen to like cooking?”

“Cooking?”

Han Tae-kyung tilted his head. His sunglasses gleamed.

“I make a ramen!”

“Forget the ramen… how about taking this opportunity to try something new?”

“Cooking?”

“There’s nothing wrong with learning it.”

I saw Ji Yoo-geon stealthily trying to escape.

“I feel like if it’s you, Teacher Han, you’ll be good at cooking in no time.”

“There’s no limit to my talents.”

“…Anyway, Hunter Ji has been taking care of meal prep lately and seems to be having a hard time. If you helped out, I’d feel a lot better too.”

“Hmm….”

Han Tae-kyung crossed his arms and fell into thought.

Surely he hasn't noticed that I’m trying to dump this on him, right?

“I’ve always wanted to try learning how to cook at least once!”

“Really? That’s great.”

“When I was a kid, I made ramen for Eun-young once, and after that, my mom told me never to go into the kitchen again.”

“Ah….”

“Hahaha! Well, I was just a kid back then. My Chasie has a cooking Chapter too, and it’s incredibly touching. In that episode, Chasie made apple pie, and the reason it’s apple pie is because….”

Damn cat story again. I’ve heard more than enough about that cat to make my ears bleed.

I knew exactly how to steer the conversation accordingly.

“Really? Sounds like a talented cat. Then how about you try making an apple pie, Teacher Han?”

“Apple pie!”

“Chasie’s apple pie.”

“Chasie’s!”

Han Tae-kyung began exhaling forcefully through his nose.

His reaction was more intense than I expected.

…Well, it's only natural that the reaction would differ between Han Tae-kyung twenty years in the future, who was negotiating animation rights, and Han Tae-kyung who was just starting to save money now.

“I think I’ve been complacent. Chasie loves cooking so much, and I never thought of enjoying that hobby with him!”

Wasn’t there only one cooking episode?

“Not just cooking, I should try enjoying everything Chasie did one by one. Sunbae, have you ever tried skydiving?”

“No, but discovering and experiencing them all one by one is what makes it fun.”

“As expected! You truly are my sunbae!!”

I simply smiled peacefully and agreed with Han Tae-kyung.

“Well then, good luck.”

Ji Yoo-geon was dying silently, but who cares. What mattered more was keeping him away from me and the kids.

And there were multiple kitchens here.

Even if one were to go down, no one would starve. That’s the benefit of a rich family’s villa.

***

Han Tae-kyung’s presence began to emerge throughout the villa.

First.

“Teacher. Seriously, can’t we do something this time?”

Han Eun-young had become even more desperate and began seeking me out.

I had sent her back each time, but I felt like I couldn’t keep doing that forever, so this time I motioned to her with a flick of my hand. Her face brightened a little at the unusual response.

No. I have no intention of allowing her to drop out.

“Do you really dislike your oppa that much?”

At my question, Han Eun-young flinched.

“I-it’s not that I hate him… I mean, if I had to choose between like and dislike, I’d say it’s closer to dislike.”

“Do you hate even breathing under the same sky as him?”

“N-not quite to that extent.”

Han Eun-young twisted the strands of hair that had fallen forward as she spoke.

“I just don’t want to be in the same space as him.”

Isn’t that basically the same thing?

“Is there a specific reason why you dislike your oppa?”

“A specific reason?”

Han Eun-young widened her eyes and repeatedly opened and closed her fingers.

“Teacher, are you seriously asking that after seeing what I saw?”

“…….”

“After seeing that?”

“…….”

It hits differently when a younger sister says it.

Did Han Tae-kyung really come as a teacher in the original timeline and cause Han Eun-young to drop out and disappear? Even after searching the mana watch, I couldn't find any trace of her afterward. She might have quit being a Hunter altogether. From what I’ve seen so far, Han Eun-young never seemed suited to be a Hunter. Honestly, I even wondered why she entered the Pilot High School saying she wanted to become one.

Why do the Awakened choose to become Hunters?

Most would say for wealth and fame. The mana stones harvested inside dungeons are highly valuable. They’re used as power sources and for making potions. Especially in the case of potions, not only Hunters but civilians use them too. At a time like this when dungeon breaks occur frequently, the number of casualties would have doubled without potions.

The same goes for monster by-products. Individuals may have little use for them, but it’s a different story in industrial fields. They are used in far more areas than civilians vaguely imagine. For example, the higher the yeti fur content in padding fill, the lighter and more insulating it becomes. It’s no wonder yeti farms were established in Nepal.

As the value of dungeon by-products rose, so did the worth of Hunters. Hunters who once threw themselves into dungeons for wealth also gained honor by saving people during dungeon breaks. Or sometimes the reverse happened.

Of course, aside from purely material reasons or fame, there were also many who wanted to become Hunters for other reasons. Among the new recruits at the Academy or the Agency, there were always one or two each year who fell into this category.

Those who lost family to monsters and sought revenge.

I understand. But kids like that have the highest likelihood of losing control. And usually, when someone loses control, they don’t die alone.

Han Eun-young didn’t fit into any category.

“Alright. Then let me change the question. Why did you enter Pilot High School?”

“Huh? Why are you asking that?”

Han Eun-young’s voice turned sharp.

“Why do you think. You finally got in, and now you’re trying to quit just because your oppa is working at the school. You don’t really have much desire to become a Hunter, do you?”

“……”

“If you truly wanted to come here, you wouldn’t care whether your oppa was here or not. Did Teacher Han force you to enroll?”

“…No. That’s not it. I did hear about the school from my oppa.”

Han Eun-young answered while slightly lowering her gaze.

“Then did you ask him to get you into the school?”

“Rather than asking… um, I just sort of said, ‘Maybe I’ll try applying’, and then he just enrolled me. It’s closer to that….”

“……”

“…Since I was in, I figured I might as well give it a shot.”

Han Tae-kyung is Han Tae-kyung, but this girl is something else too.

Come to think of it, it’s the kind of behavior that fits her age. She doesn’t particularly want to do anything, doesn’t know what she should be doing. Since a close family member is a Hunter, she thinks maybe she’ll try it too.

If I had taken on the role of a Pilot High School teacher with a strong sense of duty, I might have gotten angry. Or maybe not? I mean, becoming a Hunter doesn’t require some grand determination. Sometimes people just end up becoming one.

In the original timeline, the atmosphere at Pilot High School probably wasn’t great, so maybe someone like Han Eun-young couldn’t have endured it. That doesn’t mean she’s weak… even the ones who barely came back alive after seeing their friends die wouldn’t have been in their right minds. Enduring that would’ve been incredible.

Back then, it might not have been about running away from her oppa like now.

Thinking that way, the role of a little sister distressed by her pathetic brother suits her much more. It’s fortunate for Han Eun-young, too.

“If you really don’t want to be around Teacher Han.”

I looked straight into Han Eun-young’s eyes as I spoke.

Maybe because her oppa is like that, Han Eun-young is a model student. During training, she always hesitates at the first attack, but once she takes the first step, she does pretty well. If you point out something she did wrong, she pays attention to it and corrects it the next day. She completes assignments diligently and doesn’t try to slack off beyond what’s reasonable.

But that doesn’t mean she’s just meek. She’s a model student because she has a firm will. She follows what I say because she knows it helps her.

“If you really don’t want to be a Hunter, I won’t stop you. I’ll speak with the principal and help you quit and transfer to a regular high school.”

“…Really?”

That’s why you can’t just oppose blindly. Otherwise, it might push them in the wrong direction out of rebellion.

“But I want you to think seriously about it.”

Loosen the reins a bit and give them the choice. Kids like this usually come back to where they started once they overthink everything.

“You’ve worked hard until now too. Don’t you think it’d be a waste? To give up because of your oppa?”

“……”

“And you just started a club.”

“…Ah.”

“If you quit now, your friends are going to be really disappointed.”

“……”

Han Eun-young opened her mouth, as if she hadn’t thought that far ahead. I smiled gently.

“Alright, off you go. Let me know once you’ve made up your mind.”

I can’t tell you how grateful I am that all the students at Pilot High are so well-behaved. Where on earth did Hong Seok-young find kids like this?

***

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