Chapter 53 - A Familiar Face (1)

Chapter 53: A Familiar Face (1)TL: SHW

It’s strange.

‘If it was truly an insurmountable shock, he wouldn’t have followed me to become a Hunter in the first place.’

I can’t get Hong Seok-young’s seemingly irresponsible words out of my head.

I tried to think about him seriously, without letting my emotions get in the way.

To be completely objective, what he said wasn’t wrong. Once you enter a dungeon, you’re cut off from human civilization. From the moment you step through the gate, Hunters must survive on their own strength without external help.

In other words, only strong Hunters survive.

Even though it doesn’t seem like a school at all right now, next year the pilot school will be officially recognized as an educational institution.

The year after that, the kids will graduate, and from then on, they’ll have to make it on their own without Hong Seok-young’s help.

So, I can’t deny the necessity of this process… of struggling alone, finding solutions, and overcoming challenges.

But.

There should be limits.

If it’s called a school, shouldn’t it be more attentive? Sometimes a single word from someone else can save a life.

…Well, expecting such delicacy from the old man is probably too much. I know that. I created these people alongside him, so I would know.

In fact, he’s looking after the kids more than I expected.

“……”

I fiddled with the business card in my hand.

Getting a phone activated was surprisingly easy. I didn’t want to spend a lot on this outdated communication device, so I picked a cheap one. As long as it can make calls and access the internet, it’s fine.

The first thing I did with the phone was open the internet browser.

What I typed into the search bar was, amusingly, Hong Seok-young’s name. The top article was about him defeating the Minotaur that appeared in the Myeong-dong Dungeon Break.

‘Korea’s top Hunter saves the country once again’

‘Hong Seok-young hunts the Minotaur!’

‘Six Hunters, the Saviors of Myeong-dong’

On other pages, amateur Hunter analysts were chattering away about Hong Seok-young.

‘Who is the strongest Hunter, Hong Seok-young?’

‘From a rookie to the strongest, the meteoric rise of the new hunter’

Such nonsense. There wasn’t a single place that had proper information about the hunter Hong Seok-young.

Well, how could any article compare to the stories I heard directly from him?

Hong Seok-young awakened at the age of nineteen. As soon as he awakened, he ran away from the orphanage and became a Hunter.

There are plenty of people who don’t even know this simple fact. The old man never hid his past.

To add a bit of explanation, he said that nineteen was only his age according to the resident registration. According to him, his parents had reported his birth late, so he was actually a couple of years older. For a Hunter who dominated Korea for decades, his awakening came relatively late.

Hong Seok-young started his Hunter career as a low-ranking porter in a small guild. He didn’t talk about this period. I didn’t ask about it since he didn’t bring it up.

The reason he so actively raided dungeons and dealt with Dungeon Breaks afterward was because of what he experienced during this period.

After his porter days, Hong Seok-young began to make a name for himself five years later. Newspaper articles at the time hailed him as a meteoric new star, but he just snorted in response. The guild had acted as if his days as a porter never existed.

Although it wasn’t a good time, he didn’t want to erase it either.

That’s what he said. So, he never omitted talking about that period in interviews, but it never made it into the articles. The trend at the time was to favor the emergence of elite Hunters.

Anyway, Hong Seok-young went from a porter to a promising new Hunter. Five years later, the new Hunter became a skilled veteran Hunter, and before another five years passed, his name was always mentioned when discussing Korea’s top Hunters.

At thirty-five, at such a young age, Hong Seok-young became the strongest Hunter in Korea.

After that, the old man never stepped down from the top spot for thirty years. He was truly a living legend.

It was because someone like him established the Ability Management Agency and advocated for the rights and responsibilities of Hunters that South Korea was able to change.

If it were 2041 now, there would have been many other articles.

‘Why other countries envy Hong Seok-young’s Ability Management Agency’

‘Does the Ability Management Agency only exist in Korea? Hunter registration systems in various countries’

‘10 misconceptions about the Ability Management Agency’

Without the old man, the Agency would have been impossible.

In the first place, it was something that couldn’t even be attempted without him. Why else would there be a saying, ‘Every Korean owes their life to Hong Seok-young’?

Of course… that doesn’t mean this person is perfect.

I slowly entered the number written on the business card into my phone.

After a few rings, someone answered.

― Yes, this is Jung Yeon-hwa, team leader of the National New Heart and Spirit Association, Gyeonggi Branch.

A spine-chillingly soft voice. Do I really have to go there on my own?

― Hello? Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NøvᴇlFirᴇ(.)nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Really, I have to do this.

“Hello, I am….”

I cautiously began to speak.

After only a few words, the woman quickly recognized me. Honestly, I kind of hoped she wouldn’t.

― Oh my, I knew you’d call. Where else can we find someone who cares about the children as much as you do?

How could she know that just from seeing me one time?

Hearing her overly enthusiastic voice made me doubt if I was doing the right thing.

I won’t deny that this is a good opportunity to get information… but that’s just from my perspective. Wouldn’t Hong Seok-young be reluctant to have me contact with the Ark? Maybe it’s because I assured him no one would recognize me?

The old man is so overwhelmingly strong that in other areas, he can be quite… lenient to the point of frustration.

In the end, am I destined to clean up after him even after traveling back in time? Because I returned to the past, I actually have more work to do. I have to start over from the beginning.

Well… fine. When I think about it, my tasks haven’t really changed. Adding the cleanup for the old man doesn’t make much of a difference. In fact, it’s easier to expand my influence while avoiding his notice.

― By the way, we have a meeting for children with Dungeon Break trauma happening soon. It’s in Suwon, and if you have time, would you like to attend? There are also lectures for people like you. Just to get a feel for how things are run, you know.

Even without my eager responses, the woman continued to explain various things.

― You’ll hear a lot of useful information. Many others will be there too… how about it?

“Um…”

― And I’m sure you’ve experienced a Dungeon Break as well.

“That’s, right.”

― Even if you think you’re okay, such experiences can suddenly resurface. It’s not that you have a problem, but people need to talk about their feelings to avoid internalizing anger. Do you know how scary anger-induced illnesses can be? This is a chance to talk with others and see how they handle it.

“Hmm.”

― So, I’ll assume you’re coming… do you have any other questions?

“Um, is there a participation fee?”

― Participation fee? Oh no, we’re not that kind of place. Just bring yourself. Although there are some lectures with external speakers that cost a few ten thousand won, this isn’t one of them, so don’t worry and just come.

Even then, the woman kept talking endlessly.

Mostly about how much their association cares for the children’s future, and equally, the mental health of teachers…. Honestly, I wanted to hang up, but I couldn’t, as I was playing the part of a half-duped, pitiful teacher.

“…Um, well. I have to prepare for class.”

― Oh my goodness, look at me. I’m sorry for holding you up when you’re so busy.

It seemed like the conversation was going to drag on again. I hurriedly cut her off.

“Then, I’ll see you at that time.”

― Yes, teacher. Take care.

I had only been on the phone for about thirty minutes, but I was already exhausted.

I wiped my face with my dry hand.

It should just be about chatting happily with a few civilians, right? It can’t be harder than handling complaints at the Ability Management Agency.

Don’t get scared in advance….

Just focus on what needs to be done.

* * *

“Are you sure it’s okay to go so quietly like this?”

Kim Chae-min said with a worried look. I firmly dismissed Kim Chae-min.

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“But, still… If we brought Amy along, you could show ‘this is who I am’, right?”

“Amy?”

“My car.”

“That yellow one?”

“Yes.”

There’s always something weird about archmages….

I shook my head.

“What good would come from drawing unnecessary attention?”

“Weren’t you trying to emphasize your connection to Teacher Hong? It would be even better to show that you’re close to Archmage Kim Chae-min!”

“No, the principal alone is enough.”

“After I went through the trouble of bringing you here!”

“I don’t want to stand out that much.”

Kim Chae-min looked betrayed but soon winked playfully.

“Still, some people will recognize you, right?”

“I can’t do anything about that.”

“Heh. Well then, do your best.”

Leaving behind Kim Chae-min, who was waving her hand enthusiastically, I got out of the car. It was a black sedan, not the yellow sports car.

Putting the car aside, Kim Chae-min personally drove me to the lecture venue of the National New Heart and Spirit Association for me, who doesn’t even have a driver’s license. To have an Archmage as a chauffeur. Woo Hwijae, you’ve made it.

Ignoring Kim Chae-min’s send-off to call her when it was all over, I entered the building where the lecture was held. There were many people from the entrance. It wasn’t an Ark building; it seemed they had rented the place…. The scale was large. Now I understood why they had “National” in their association’s name.

“Hello. Are you here for the lecture…?”

A male student approached me as I paused at the entrance. He was wearing a school uniform. I glanced at the name tag around his neck, thinking he might be a volunteer.

Kang Tae-woo.

“…Yes.”

“May I know who referred you?”

“…Team Leader Jung Yeon-hwa introduced me.”

“Team Leader Jung Yeon-hwa?”

I frowned. His face looked familiar somehow.

I shouldn’t know many people at this point. Where have I seen him?

“Hold on… I’ll check for you.”

The male student looked at a tablet PC he was holding. It seemed like there was a list. I wanted to peek at the screen, but the angle wasn’t right, so I gave up.

“Sir, may I have your name?”

“Woo Hwijae.”

“Woo Hwijae… Ah! Here it is. You can go to the small auditorium on the second floor. Please stick this on the back of your phone and show it when you enter.”

He smiled warmly as he handed me a sticker. I stuck it on the back of my phone and turned around, suddenly remembering where I had seen that face before, and quickly turned back.

“……!”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing…. I just looked again because you resemble someone I know.”

“Ah, okay.”

It’s not just a resemblance; it’s him.

I barely suppressed a twisted smile. A chuckle escaped me.

So, this is where Subject No. 3, who graduated from the research lab as a failed experiment, ended up?