Chapter 58 - Keepsake (1)

Chapter 58: Keepsake (1)TL: SHW

There’s a common misconception, but not all awakened ones become Hunters.

Because they lack talent. Or because it doesn’t suit them. For various reasons, many people just complete the awakening registration and live on.

However, the first hurdle to becoming a Hunter is awakening.

Do you want to become a Hunter? As long as you awaken, you can become a Hunter.

Is becoming a Hunter a big deal? Just go to city hall and register, and you can be a hunter.

Of course, at this point, everyone is equally F-rank. It’s just a kind of certificate proving that your body is sturdy and a bit stronger than others.

From here, if you pass a separate exam and complete the basic education course, you become an E-rank Hunter. According to international standards, it’s barely on the borderline between a civilian and a Hunter, but generally, it’s the rank where you start to be treated as a Hunter.

Why?

Because you can enter the dungeon.

Obviously, to enter a dungeon, you must pass through the gate.

And when you pass through the gate, a mana pressure is generated. This mana pressure varies in intensity depending on the dungeon’s rank, and naturally, the dungeon’s rank is determined by the monsters inside. If the mana pressure felt when passing through the gate is high, it means that the boss monster in that dungeon is strong.

A D-rank Hunter can withstand the mana pressure of a D-rank dungeon gate. This has nothing to do with how skilled they are in combat. In terms of combat skills alone, there are many Hunters who can kill S-rank boss monsters but can’t withstand the pressure of an S-rank dungeon gate and remain at A or B rank.

Perhaps that’s why Hunters often referred to the mana pressure of the gate as a toll.

If you can’t pay the toll, you can’t become a true Hunter.

…Well.

That was in 2041.

Here, twenty years earlier, even Hunters who can’t pay the toll have their uses.

Dungeon Breaks happen almost daily. Destroying the core inside the dungeon is important, but dealing with the monsters that are right in front of you and attacking people is more crucial.

Here, Hunters who can’t pay the toll become active. You don’t need mana to catch monsters outside the dungeon.

Until the advent of the Mana Meter, it could be said that it was the prime time for these half-Hunters.

After the Mana Meter appeared?

They all became unemployed.

For the old man, it was a good thing. He swept up those who suddenly found themselves out on the streets and brought them in as teachers at the Hunter Academy.

It’s not just the Hunters who couldn’t pay the toll. The same goes for Hunters who retired due to injuries.

Veteran Hunters who had fought on the front lines for at least ten years became the nourishment for the budding Hunters of the academy.

No matter how much fame Hong Seok-young had or how much support Lee Mi-seon provided, without those Hunters, the academy would have quickly collapsed.

The old man often grabbed me and lamented.

“Hwi-jae, let me tell you. You don’t know how hard it was back then…”

“Ah, here we go again!”

“You wouldn’t understand, but this old man went through a lot of hardship back in those days… Neither the students nor the teachers had any experience, so every class was a huge struggle…”

“I’ve heard a hundred times how much you struggled!”

“But thanks to that experience, we now have the Hunter Academy as it is today. Did you see the new thing that came in?”

“…The raid simulator?”

“If we had that when I was teaching the kids, it would’ve been so much easier. You just press a few buttons and can change not only the boss but even the weather inside the dungeon. This is innovation, I tell you, true innovation!”

“If you’re drunk, just wash up and go to bed.”

“If only this had been made a bit earlier…”

“Go to sleep already.”

If it had been developed just five years earlier, I wouldn’t have had to roll in the dirt during training.

Well, even so, I learned and am using it well now. I don’t need the luxurious equipment of the Hunter Academy.

…Although I don’t need it, considering that, it’s still too poor.

To be honest, I don’t even know if Pilot High School is properly recognized as an educational institution. In this state? How can this be considered a school?

I grabbed Han Eun-young, who was beside me, and asked.

“Do you get recognized as high school graduates when you graduate from here?”

“……”

Han Eun-young quietly averted her gaze.

“They said they would resolve it before we graduate.”

It’s amazing that anyone managed to send their kid to this school.

If I were a parent, I wouldn’t have sent them.

I clicked my tongue and looked at Han Eun-young. Despite being trained under the scorching sun, she still had a pale face. Her hair neatly tied in a single ponytail. Wiping the sweat off her forehead with… a handkerchief.

Although she’s not as wealthy as Lee Seung-yeon, she looks like she’s been brought up well. Even in a half-exhausted state, she doesn’t lie down with her head on the dirt.

I don’t know which family she’s from, but I want to commend her attitude for not quitting like the two who quit during the Myeong-dong incident.

After class, she always grumbles about wanting to wash up and obsessively wipes her hands every time she touches the ground, but she keeps up without falling behind. She doesn’t have the standout movements like Oh Hyun-wook or Sun Sun-jin, but with her level of determination, she could be useful. If she has the will, she could grow to a pretty high level. If she lacks mana, I can help with that.

In the end, it’s all about willpower, willpower.

“Why… are you looking at me like that?”

Han Eun-young asked with an uneasy expression.

I shook my head.

“How are the classes?”

“Huh?”

“Are they manageable?”

“Uh… yes.”

Han Eun-young fidgeted awkwardly and then nodded cautiously.

Given her fastidious nature, Han Eun-young showed a high level of satisfaction with the classes over the past few days.

She seems to be trying hard not to show it, but how could it not be noticeable? Instead of combat training that requires strenuous movement, we’re just sitting at desks talking. Of course she’d be satisfied. Even the other kids have noticed and teased Han Eun-young about it.

She hates getting dust on her body and sweating.

I wonder why someone like her wants to become a Hunter. Should I ask? As a teacher, that should be allowed, right?

So far, I’ve only paid attention to Park Seo-hyun, Oh Hyun-wook, and at most Lee Seung-yeon, but since I’ve decided to teach properly, I should look at the other kids too.

Who knows? There might be a gem among them.

“Today…”

Han Eun-young isn’t without potential either.

Honestly, if I couldn’t tell promising sprouts from rotten ones among these fledgling hunters, I wouldn’t have been able to work at the Agency.

“Shall we try it outside?”

“What?!”

Han Eun-young was startled and opened her eyes wide.

I tend to want to tease such prim and proper kids.

“Why, don’t you like it?”

“Uh… what are we going to do outside?”

“Well…”

I grinned.

“Just kidding. Go outside and call the others. Why are they not coming when break time is only 10 minutes? They have nowhere to go anyway.”

“……”

Han Eun-young pouted her lips and left the classroom.

Talent is important too. But talent alone can’t solve everything.

I’ve said it before. Willpower is what’s important.

Soon, the kids start coming into the classroom one by one. Each one is holding a drink, like coffee.

I wondered why they weren’t coming…. Did Lee Mi-seon bring in a coffee machine?

“Here, have this.”

Han Eun-young, the last to come in, quietly placed a cup of coffee on the teacher’s desk. It was a cold coffee filled with ice.

Like Choi Jin-woo… this girl too. If she had been in a regular school, she could have gotten by comfortably with some popularity. Choi Jin-woo had no choice but to become a mage, but this girl is different. If her family has money, she could live as an ordinary awakened one without becoming a Hunter.

When Hong Seok-young returns, I’ll ask him. He brought her, so he should know her circumstances to some extent.

If he doesn’t, there’s nothing I can do.

“Are you all getting used to it now?”

Compared to a few days ago, the atmosphere is much brighter.

We’re still using pixies for the simulation classes. The intermediate goal is to recreate the Myeong-dong incident. It’s about escaping Myeong-dong with minimal damage.

Well, they still occasionally fail the Pixie dungeon raid, so who knows when that’ll be possible. Depending on the kids’ skills, it might be impossible forever.

If you don’t know how to fight, you can learn. If you lack the mana to pay the toll, you can increase it. I can help with that.

But there’s nothing I can do about stupidity.

Is that a discriminatory remark?

But in a dungeon where a single mistake can lead to death, a moment’s misjudgment can have fatal consequences….

Ha.

I pressed corners of my eyes firmly.

I can’t focus. My thoughts keep swirling around.

I tried to concentrate on the class to divert my thoughts, but it’s not working. How many times have I repeated the same thing?

This is all because of Kim Chae-min.

This is all because of Hong Seok-young.

Why did he suddenly decide to raid the Siren’s Nest…!

“Teacher?”

“Yeah. You all should be used to it by now. Even if you’re not, it can’t be helped.”

I drank the coffee Han Eun-young brought. The ice cubes clinked.

“You’ve been taking turns so far, right?”

“Yes.”

“Today, let’s try something a bit different.”

Eight kids tilted their heads simultaneously.

Seeing that, it seems I’m starting to find them cute too.

“Anyone can speak up if they think of an appropriate strategy after hearing the situation. There’s a report that the mana around the gate is unstable. It means a Dungeon Break is imminent. So, the goal is to destroy the dungeon core as quickly as possible.”

I spoke slowly.

“The monsters inside the dungeon are Pixies.”

The kids grumbled softly about Pixies again. sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Pixies are still appropriate for their level. Ignoring the grumbles, I continued.

“After passing through the gate, you see a plain. There’s a forest visible far in the distance, at least 10 km away.”

That’s the basic information.

The kids, accustomed to the class format, raised their hands to check the dungeon information.

The first to ask a question was Oh Hyun-wook.

“Do we know the location of the dungeon core?”

“No, we don’t. This dungeon hasn’t been properly explored. But the core is not visible on the plain.”

“Then, do we see any Pixies on the plain?”

“No, you don’t.”

“…Are there any covers on the plain?”

Park Seo-hyun asked quietly. I shook my head.

“No. There aren’t any around the gate either.”

I kindly added.

“As soon as you pass through the gate, your movements are exposed to the monsters. Aren’t you lucky it’s just Pixies?”

Making a pride-hurting face doesn’t change anything. It’s the truth.

“Um….”

“Yes, Han Eun-young.”

“What’s the weather like inside the dungeon?”

“It’s clear. Very sunny.”

“Then….”

Han Eun-young frowned slightly and answered.

“Let’s set it on fire.”

This quickly?

I blinked.

“Fire? Why?”

“The fact that there are no Pixies on the plain means the forest is their territory. Pixies don’t usually leave their territory, but if they see an intruder, they won’t just stand by. They’re intelligent enough to set traps or launch ambushes. Crossing the plain, knowing that, is a disadvantage for us. So, if we set a fire, and use magic to intensify it, it’ll be hard to extinguish. The Pixies’ flying ability won’t help them escape….”

As I didn’t interrupt, Han Eun-young’s voice grew stronger.

I stroked my chin. More than I thought. Hmm.

“What about the raid team? If the fire is strong enough to burn down the forest, the raid team won’t come out unscathed.”

“Then we can just step out of the gate for a while.”

Han Eun-young answered briskly.

I quietly watched Han Eun-young.

Entering the dungeon is not the only way to raid it. If you don’t like physically going in, you can create a guide using the exploration information….

“…Uh, did I say something wrong?”

As my silence stretched on, Han Eun-young grew anxious again. She lacks confidence in strange areas.

I placed a sticker on Han Eun-young’s forehead. It was a yellow sticker with a comically drawn smiling face. I found it rolling around on the desk in the teachers’ office.

Han Eun-young touched her forehead.

“A… sticker?”

“It’s a ‘Good Job’ sticker.”

Han Eun-young’s face brightened.

“When you collect ten….”

Well. What should I give?

I don’t really have anything to give. Considering their skills, I absolutely can’t give them something like a class exemption. It’s already a struggle to raise their skills, so an exemption would be out of the question.

If I tell Hong Seok-young, he’ll give something, I’m sure.

“If you collect ten stickers….”

I suddenly lifted my head and looked out the window.

In the distance, a yellow sports car was speeding roughly towards Pilot High School.

It was Kim Chae-min’s car. In the driver’s seat, Kim Chae-min sat with her hair disheveled.

…She must be coming straight from the dungeon, as her face was soaked and stained with crimson marks.