I’ll Retire After Saving the World

Chapter 6: Going Back (2)

TL:SHW

“You lost it?”

“Yes.”

The more guilty a person feels, the more confident they should act.

If the opponent is experienced, it might not work, but the ones in front of me are 18-year-old high school students.

Manipulating them was no big deal.

“Lost… Then, uh…”

See? They were trying to act sharp, but now they’re flustered and can’t even continue talking.

However, Hyun-wook’s question made me realize something I hadn’t thought of.

I currently have no proper identity.

Even if I get out of here safely, there will be problems afterward. I can’t just do nothing after coming all the way to the past. Especially when I know that South Korea will collapse in twenty years.

At the very least, I need to check that dungeon. The dungeon in Bangi-dong that Yoo Ji-eun mentioned should be raided.

To enter the dungeon, I need a definite identity.

…How old was I in 2021? Ten? If I’m here now, would my ten-year-old self exist?

I’ll think about my past self and identity proof later. For now, let’s focus on what I can do immediately… something that can help me.

I looked at Hyun-wook. A future S-rank Hunter.

Then I looked behind him. Kids wearing the Hunter Academy Uniform. Two girls, two boys.

Among them, there’s one who will become famous in the future.

…Hmm.

I suppose being a life-saving benefactor would be just right.

“Is it enough if I prove I’m a hunter?”

I lightly scraped the floor with my sword. Blue flames briefly rose along the line and then extinguished. Flames filled with mana.

“Is this enough?”

“…Alright. So you’re a Hunter.”

Hyun-wook couldn’t completely let go of his suspicion, but he accepted it anyway.

This might be proof of being an awakened person, but not proof of being a good hunter, but he doesn’t seem to have realized that far.

The other Hunter Academy kids also relaxed a bit. It was clear that having an active Hunter made them feel relieved.

On the other hand, the civilians reacted more openly.

“If you’re a Hunter, does that mean we can get out?”

“I don’t know. But it’s definitely better than just having kids.”

Let’s assess the possibilities.

This is something I’ve read about so often it’s almost tedious. There have been many papers published overseas, and it’s a common topic on various Hunter sites.

Each person suggested their own solutions. Mostly, the conclusion was the same. At that time, there was no way for everyone to escape safely.

“How many people are in this building?”

“…Forty-one.”

“Including you all?”

“Then forty-six, no, forty-seven including you.”

It matches the number I know.

I can think of at least five or six escape methods right now. That’s after excluding the ones that take too long and require too many preparations.

I could just choose one of them and do it, but….

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I looked at the kids again. Aside from Oh Hyun-wook and Park Seo-hyun, the remaining three. Yoo Hye-eun, Choi Jin-woo, Lee Seung-yeon.

Among them, there’s only one name I remember.

Lee Seung-yeon.

A pale face, shorter than Park Seo-hyun standing next to him. Honestly, I wonder if he can even hold a sword properly.

But in some ways, he was more famous than the genius Oh Hyun-wook or Park Seo-hyun.

Well, he wasn’t a genius who stood out from the moment he started walking. He just used up all his talent being born. If family background counts as talent, then in that sense, he’s an SSS-rank Hunter.

The youngest treasured child of Daeyeon, a global conglomerate beyond South Korea.

Even after he died, his family continued to support the academy in various ways, ensuring its survival. They even influenced the establishment of the Ability Management Agency and supported my father in becoming the Director.

Even though he died.

So, what if he were alive?

If I save a kid who almost died? The Daeyeon I know wasn’t the type to turn a blind eye to family matters.

If I’m lucky, they might vouch for my identity.

Of course, that’s if everything goes well.

“Is there anyone who has difficulty moving?”

“Difficulty moving?”

“The injured or children.”

I don’t recall any, but I need to check.

“Uh, no… There’s no one.”

Good. Very good.

No identity?

Then I’ll become an undeniable hero, even if it raises some suspicions. Koreans are weak to such things. At the very least, Lee Seung-yeon should be tearfully grateful every time he thinks of my name.

There’s one perfect method.

Everyone survives, but it requires someone’s heroic sacrifice.

* * *

“We’re going to City Hall.”

“…City Hall?”

The kids were doubtful. The civilians were the same.

“City Hall?”

Normally, Hunter operation meetings shouldn’t be held publicly like this. Given the situation, there’s no other choice…

“Are you out of your mind? Hunter, do you know how far City Hall is from here?”

There’s always someone who jumps in without knowing the context.

I openly sighed while looking at the man.

I need dungeon emergency command authority… the command authority. The law that prioritizes Hunters’ command during a Dungeon Break. When was this established? Was it after forty people died here?

I think it was. Did they say that they didn’t listen properly because they were young students? There were testimonies from survivors.

“Hey.”

I lowered my voice. How many empty-headed Hunters had I knocked some sense into… no, kindly persuaded?

A civilian with a loud voice is nothing.

“Do you want to die?”

“Wh-What?! Is a Hunter threatening people now?”

“Shut up.”

Saying there’s no command authority means Hunters aren’t obligated to rescue civilians.

Even if I don’t take care of this guy here… No, I’m not saying I’ll kill him.

“Honestly, getting myself out is no big deal. I’m helping because I can’t just leave these kids behind. Hey, students.”

“Yes, yes?”

“Do you want to go alone? I don’t mind.”

I stopped myself from speaking harshly as if I were addressing Ability Management Agency Hunters. I shouldn’t vent on kids who can barely be called Hunters.

The kids exchanged glances, and Yoo Hye-eun spoke up as their representative.

“Uh, no… We can’t just leave people behind…”

The other kids nodded.

“Did you hear that? Because of these students, people like you can be saved. If you don’t like it, stay behind. You don’t have to come with us. I won’t stop you.”

“No…”

He hesitated, seeming reluctant.

Since he was still undecided, I decided to help. After all, we’re civilized people, so we should resolve things verbally if possible.

“For the record, those monsters… they don’t graze on grass just because they look like cows. They’re monsters.”

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“They’re carnivores.”

“…So what?”

He’s slow to understand. The others got it.

“What kind of meat do you think those creatures would find around here?”

I smiled kindly at the people who had gone pale.

“Forget about having an intact body if you get caught by those things.”

“……”

Finally, the man understood. I patted his shoulder.

“So, shouldn’t you be quiet now?”

“Ahem.”

“And is this your first time in Myeong-dong? It’s a quick trip to City Hall from here.”

“That’s… only if there are no monsters!”

That’s not incorrect. I shrugged.

“This is the Guild Office, right? Anyone who worked here?”

“Y-yes, that’s us.”

Since it’s the Guild Office, there should be a map somewhere.

If I can’t exclude civilians from the operation meeting, I’ll just let them listen to everything.

“Do you have a printed map of Myeong-dong? A large one.”

“It’s in the meeting room! Should I bring it?”

“Yes. Please put it up on that wall.”

As expected from guild office staff, they move quickly.

Standing in front of the map, I spoke to the people.

“This is where we are right now.”

Between subway stations. In the middle of Hoehyeon Station and Myeong-dong Station. At the intersection.

I followed the road down toward Namsan.

“This is the dungeon location.”

“It’s that close?”

It’s only a ten-minute walk.

It really is a dungeon in the heart of Seoul. This is why it should have been managed more thoroughly.

I pointed to Namsan.

“They started the raid on the boss two hours ago, so by now they would have driven the dungeon boss to Namsan.”

“How do you know that?”

One of the kids asked.

Even though the related laws are incomplete and the response is inadequate, some things remain unchanged.

If a battle breaks out in a place with a high floating population like Myeong-dong, the damage would be enormous. There would be many people who took shelter inside buildings, like here. Imagine if one of those buildings collapsed during the battle.

“The boss of the Myeong-dong Dungeon is a Minotaur. A 20-meter tall bull-headed monster. Catching that in the middle of the city? What do you think will happen?”

“…The damage would be…”

Fortunately, there’s Namsan right behind the Myeong-dong Dungeon.

“Right. And although it’s a carnivore, its behavior is similar to that of cattle. They move in herds. By now, most of them would have followed the boss to Namsan, leaving only the stragglers on the roads.”

“So that’s why we’re heading to City Hall?”

I picked up a pen that had fallen on the ground and drew a circle on the map. Centering on our building, the circle included Sungnyemun, City Hall Station, Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station, and Myeong-dong Station.

“Does anyone know what this is?”

“…….”

“No one?”

Yoo Hye-eun raised her hand cautiously.

“A containment line…”

“Correct.”

It’s a defensive line built to prevent monsters from crossing into other areas during a Dungeon Break.

“City Hall Station is the headquarters. If we can just get near it, we’ll be safe.”

“…If the monsters went to Namsan, isn’t it better for us to stay put? If the boss is killed, the Dungeon Break will end…”

One of the civilians asked. It’s a reasonable thought.

But I shook my head.

“The Minotaur, you see, is a dictator.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t need subordinates that don’t follow its orders. That’s why monsters gather when the Minotaur commands and hunt when it commands. The same goes for eating.”

Right now, a gathering order has been issued. That’s why the monsters are heading to Namsan.

“But imagine if the boss is raided. That means the Minotaur is dead, which implies the leader controlling the monsters is gone. What do you think the monsters will do without their leader? Need a hint? They are carnivores and they are starving. The boss monopolized all the food until now.”

This was something the Hunters trying to capture the Minotaur didn’t foresee.

“And the monsters have a keen sense of smell. Right now, they’re just lurking around because they’re wary of the boss…”

I pointed to the window with my chin.

“The one who answered earlier… Yoo Hye-eun? Look out the window and tell me how many monsters you see on the road.”

Yoo Hye-eun hesitated before cautiously looking outside. I heard her gasp sharply.

“How many?”

“I-I don’t know. About twenty? They’re all looking this way…”

“The number will increase.”

The stragglers. Or those so hungry that they ignore the boss’s orders.

As soon as the Minotaur is killed, those monsters will charge towards people.

The room fell silent.

“Then tell the Hunters not to kill the boss…”

“You want the Hunters to die?”

Currently, the Myeong-dong Dungeon is classified as a B-rank dungeon, but because of the scale of the break and the fact that the Minotaur is the boss, its rank will be reevaluated in a few years.

To S-rank.

This is all due to the flaws of the slapdash administrative system. Allowing guilds to autonomously rank dungeons led to this situation. They couldn’t pass up on a prime dungeon located in the heart of Seoul, so they downgraded its rank to B.

“No Hunter in the world can afford to go easy on a monster like the Minotaur. Be thankful it’s not here. It’s thanks to the Hunters risking their lives to capture it.”

I clapped my hands lightly to refocus everyone’s attention.

“So, let’s move quickly before the Minotaur is captured.”