TL: SHW
As life has its ups and downs, what seems like fortune can turn into misfortune, and misfortune into fortune.
That’s exactly how it is now.
To be honest, getting caught by Hong Seok-young wasn’t entirely bad. Even though it was a misunderstanding, the most troubleso issue of my identity was resolved.
With Hong Seok-young’s guarantee, I would be able to enter the Bangi-dong Dungeon that should have appeared by now.
But according to what I know about Hong Seok-young, it was still too early to let my guard down.
“How have you been?”
“We just saw each other yesterday.”
“Yesterday was yesterday, and today is today.”
Even though I reluctantly shook hands, I wasn’t imdiately released. Instead, I was still being held in the Awakener Cri Investigation Office.
With an apologetic face, Hong Seok-young asked to stay here until the situation was sorted out. There was no further detailed explanation.
I didn’t expect to be released right away anyway…. If that were the case, Hong Seok-young wouldn’t be monitoring either.
At least it wasn’t a prison.
Today, it seed I might be able to get out, seeing that he didn’t co empty-handed.
Hong Seok-young placed a file that looked like docunts on the table and, just like the first day, pulled a chair to sit opposite .
Though there were no dim lights or handcuffs in the interrogation room, the Mana Control Device on my ankle and restricted movent….
Wait. Except for not wearing prison clothes, I’ve been treated like a prisoner all this ti, haven’t I?
“Why is your expression so stiff?”
“This is my usual expression.”
“Really?”
Hong Seok-young clicked his tongue.
“Young man, try to smile a bit. Don’t be so sullen. You managed to escape the organization and gain your freedom. Didn’t you say you had many things you wanted to do?”
What a sly old man. He’s been repeating this for a week.
That was just a probing remark.
I’ve been dealing with this guy’s antics for twenty years. It’s not sothing to boast about, but it has its uses in not easily falling for his tricks.
Though he claims to be an insider who hasn’t even properly heard my na, he must have so information through Kim. They also want to confirm if I really am that insider.
“The one who has a lot of things to do isn’t … it’s you.”
“You’re so stiff. Just call teacher.”
“Teacher?”
Hong Seok-young shrugged his shoulders.
“Why, do you rember the kids you saved in Myeong-dong?”
“The kids?”
“The five wearing school uniforms.”
Of course, I rember. I went through the trouble of saving them.
“They are my students.”
Hong Seok-young nodded.
It’s not like I just found out about the kids.
He must be bringing it up now because I passed the test after a week.
“Oh, right. I need to tell you this. They said you herded the cows? Thanks to that, the damage was minimized.”
What is he talking about now?
“When we took down the Minotaur, the other creatures started rampaging, right? It was probably because their leader was killed, ssing up their command structure. But thanks to you driving them towards us, we could handle them easily. If not, the damage would have been twice as bad.”
“……”
“I was wondering where all those cows ca from all of a sudden, but it turned out well. The kids are safe too. Thanks.”
So… that’s how it turned out?
That’s right. I had foreseen this outco. There’s no way I would have driven the monsters without any thought.
I knew it would turn out like this. It was never without a plan.
“Well… ahem.”
I pulled myself together. I shouldn’t let my guard down just because I was being praised.
“What does calling you teacher have to do with that?”
“I’ve been thinking.”
I frowned. Whenever this guy starts thinking, the outco is never good.
“What happens between us is between us, but this is another matter, isn’t it?”
“…You an driving the monsters?”
“Saving my students.”
Hong Seok-young’s expression beca serious. My mouth suddenly felt dry for no reason.
“I know my students’ abilities well. It would have been difficult even if it were just them, but with civilians too?”
Hong Seok-young spoke firmly.
“If it weren’t for you, they would all be dead.”
They wouldn’t all have died, but… close enough. I didn’t deny it.
“I felt I should repay you sohow.”
Again, whenever this guy starts thinking, the results are never good.
“My students are making a fuss asking to find you. So, here’s the thing.”
“…So?”
“I’ve been thinking.”
Once again, when this guy starts thinking….
Why does he have to think so much?
Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Hong Seok-young handed the file he was holding.
I stared blankly, wondering what it was, and he pulled out a piece of paper from the file.
“You have to stay under for a while anyway…. It would be boring to follow around doing nothing.”
No. That would be perfect.
“Besides, I usually like to work alone. People might find it odd if I bring soone along.”
It’s true that Hong Seok-young started gathering people not at the pilot high school, but when he started running the Hunter Academy. He’s not the type to have an assistant, so it wouldn’t be wrong to say it might draw unwanted attention.
Given my status as a defector from a criminal organization, I shouldn’t attract such attention….
“So, a pilot high school? Are you telling to enroll in that school?”
“What? Haha, no. Quite the opposite.”
Hong Seok-young handed the paper he was holding.
Wondering why he had to start such a long-winded conversation, I looked at the paper.
A simple phrase was written at the top.
Employnt Contract.
…Employnt Contract?
“Following into dungeons would draw attention. But if you work at the school, it’s a different story.”
“So, you’re telling ….”
“Teach the kids.”
Hong Seok-young spoke decisively, as if he wouldn’t hear any objections.
He already looked determined.
If I were really the insider who had escaped the organization, I’d be annoyed. I’d be angry about having to leisurely teach kids instead of taking down the enemies imdiately. Moreover, as an insider, I wouldn’t be in a position to refuse properly.
But from my standpoint, it wasn’t about the insider’s situation. It was about Woo Hwijae, who had returned to the past twenty years ago.
Teaching kids?
Of course, it’s botherso. But work is always botherso and unwanted. One must consider what can be gained.
“You want to… teach the kids.”
I had thought about it when looking at Kim Chae-min. Saving hunters who died absurdly might be helpful in the future. If I could just keep them alive until twenty years later, they could at least swing their swords one more ti.
But nurturing them from the beginning also seems like a good idea. Especially considering my retirent.
The bond between a master and disciple can be very binding, as evidenced by the Director. Even Yoo Ji-eun, who would have been more successful working solo, joined the Ability Managent Agency because of the Director.
Not just Yoo Ji-eun, most of the hunters in the Agency were like that. Graduates of the Hunter Academy who called the Director their teacher.
I’m not sure about the other students from the first batch of the pilot high school. But if I can coax Oh Hyun-wook, Park Seo-hyun, and the youngest of the chaebol family to my side, that would be enough. Those three would ensure my comfortable retirent after saving the world.
Good. Very good.
“I’m not soone qualified to teach others.”
But revealing my true intentions would be a foolish move.
I played hard to get. As a Korean, it’s customary to refuse at least three tis.
“No. Just by looking, I can tell you’re suited for teaching.”
“Do you read faces too?”
“It’s a Hunter’s intuition.”
“There’s nothing less reliable than a Hunter’s intuition.”
“That’s true.”
“……”
“……”
Hong Seok-young smirked.
“You know you’ll end up doing it anyway, right?”
“I know, but I’d still like to leave a record that I refused.”
“Sure, sure. I’ll rember that.”
I guess there’s no need to refuse three tis.
However, there’s one thing that needs to be addressed. I shook my ankle, the one with the Mana Control Device.
“But what can I teach the kids when I can’t even use mana? If it’s just physical skills, you….”
“I told you to call teacher.”
“…Teacher would be better at teaching that.”
Hong Seok-young nodded.
“That’s right. But being a Hunter isn’t just about physical skills.”
If I were the Chief Secretary Woo Hwijae, I’d be teaching dungeon raiding strategies. It’s not much different from what I used to do. To support a dungeon raid team, you need to understand how dungeon raiding works.
But the information known by an illegal Awakener who just escaped a criminal organization isn’t exactly relevant.
Hong Seok-young tapped the table with his fingers. It made feel unnecessarily anxious.
“You ntioned the Mana Concealnt Rune?”
“…Yes?”
“The rune you taught the kids. Did you make that?”
“……”
This is why you shouldn’t stand out.
One must stay inconspicuous. Even if you know sothing, pretend you don’t and keep quiet.
This is the price of forgetting that truth.
“Are you telling to teach runes?”
“It doesn’t matter if you didn’t make it. As long as you know about such runes.”
“……”
“Teaching kids physical skills is easy. Teaching them how to fight is even easier. But magic is a different matter.”
Hong Seok-young twisted his lips.
“Magic is usually passed down through apprenticeship. It’s even more so for unique magic.”
That’s one reason established mages opposed the founding of the pilot high school.
They were concerned that teaching magic in a school setting would devalue their worth.
“I tried inviting a few known mages to give lessons, but it was just scratching the surface.”
“Runes aren’t magic.”
“But they can beco the kids’ secret weapons.”
“……”
While the Mana Concealnt Rune has beco almost essential for Hunters, but there are many other runes as well.
Even if they aren’t as indispensable as the Mana Concealnt Rune, many are quite useful.
The runes I know will be developed and released in a few years anyway. So will have royalties attached, generating tens of billions annually.
…Should I patent them since no one knows about them now?
Would that be too shaless?
Even without patents, it’s good to disclose the runes early so that many Hunters can use them. There are many valuable talents besides Kim Chae-min who shouldn’t die. Since I can’t go and save each one, if releasing the runes can save lives….
“…I understand.”
“Really?”
For soone who grinned saying I had no choice, he seems too surprised.
I frowned as I looked at Hong Seok-young. He scratched his cheek awkwardly and laughed.
In the end, I sighed.
Alright.
I’m the one who went through the trouble to save the kids even in the urgent situation of escaping from the organization. I have a soft heart that would save young students I t by chance.
Let’s go with that setting.
Then, it’s only natural to be concerned about the kids I saved.
“They’re just kids.”
“They are kids.”
“Yes.”
“……”
“……”
Hong Seok-young stared at my face for a mont before clapping his hands.
“Alright, since it’s decided… let’s start by signing here.”
Hong Seok-young shifted his gaze to the employnt contract he had handed earlier.
“Of course, I’ll pay you. As for your resident registration and bank account… I’ve taken care of it. I’ll give them to you later.”
I quickly skimd through the employnt contract.
…What’s with these numbers?
“Although it’s a school, it’s funded by my own money, so you’ll be registered as a mber of my guild. Since it’s not a dungeon raid, there are no additional incentives… Your salary is based on the minimum wage.”
The minimum wage from twenty years ago….
“For the first three months, you’ll only receive 90% as it’s a probationary period.”
Even a probationary period….
“As for vacation… this is considered a workplace with fewer than five employees. Do you understand what that ans?”
On top of that, fewer than 5 employees…
“You just need to know that’s roughly how it is.”
“……”
“But you’ll get all the statutory holidays off. Ah, but sotis the kids might ask for extra training on holidays. You don’t have to co if you don’t want to. But if you have nothing else to do, you might as well co and watch.”
…So, he’s basically telling to show up, right?
Isn’t this a total scam contract?
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