Chapter 10 - Hunter Training Pilot High School (1)

Chapter 10: Hunter Training Pilot High School (1)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 troublesome 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 immediately released. Instead, I was still being held in the Awakener Crime Investigation Office.

With an apologetic face, Hong Seok-young asked me 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 me either.

At least it wasn’t a prison.

Today, it seemed I might be able to get out, seeing that he didn’t come empty-handed.

Hong Seok-young placed a file that looked like documents on the table and, just like the first day, pulled a chair to sit opposite me.

Though there were no dim lights or handcuffs in the interrogation room, the Mana Control Device on my ankle and restricted movement….

Wait. Except for not wearing prison clothes, I’ve been treated like a prisoner all this time, 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 something 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 name, he must have some 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 me… it’s you.”

“You’re so stiff. Just call me teacher.”

“Teacher?”

Hong Seok-young shrugged his shoulders.

“Why, do you remember the kids you saved in Myeong-dong?”

“The kids?”

“The five wearing school uniforms.”

Of course, I remember. 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, messing 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 came 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 outcome. 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 outcome is never good.

“What happens between us is between us, but this is another matter, isn’t it?”

“…You mean driving the monsters?”

“Saving my students.”

Hong Seok-young’s expression became 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 somehow.”

Again, whenever this guy starts thinking, the results are never good.

“My students are making a fuss asking me 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 me 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 me for a while anyway…. It would be boring to follow me around doing nothing.”

No. That would be perfect.

“Besides, I usually like to work alone. People might find it odd if I bring someone 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 me to enroll in that school?”

“What? Haha, no. Quite the opposite.”

Hong Seok-young handed me 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.

Employment Contract.

…Employment Contract?

“Following me into dungeons would draw attention. But if you work at the school, it’s a different story.”

“So, you’re telling me….”

“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 immediately. 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 bothersome. But work is always bothersome and unwanted. One must consider what can be gained.

“You want me 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 time.

But nurturing them from the beginning also seems like a good idea. Especially considering my retirement.

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 Management 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 retirement after saving the world.

Good. Very good.

“I’m not someone 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 times.

“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 remember that.”

I guess there’s no need to refuse three times.

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 me 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 me feel unnecessarily anxious.

“You mentioned the Mana Concealment 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 something, pretend you don’t and keep quiet.

This is the price of forgetting that truth.

“Are you telling me 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 become the kids’ secret weapons.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴøvᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

“……”

While the Mana Concealment Rune has become almost essential for Hunters, but there are many other runes as well.

Even if they aren’t as indispensable as the Mana Concealment Rune, many are quite useful.

The runes I know will be developed and released in a few years anyway. Some will have royalties attached, generating tens of billions annually.

…Should I patent them since no one knows about them now?

Would that be too shameless?

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 someone 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 met 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 moment before clapping his hands.

“Alright, since it’s decided… let’s start by signing here.”

Hong Seok-young shifted his gaze to the employment contract he had handed me 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 skimmed through the employment 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 member 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 means?”

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 sometimes the kids might ask for extra training on holidays. You don’t have to come if you don’t want to. But if you have nothing else to do, you might as well come and watch.”

…So, he’s basically telling me to show up, right?

Isn’t this a total scam contract?