I’ll Retire After Saving the World

Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: KYSOIWDI
================
[ Chapter 6: Even If I Fall Backwards (2) ]

“Lost it?”

“Yes.”

The more a person has to hide, the more confident they should act.

It might not work on someone experienced, but the kids in front of me were just 18-year-old high school students.

Handling them with ease was a piece of cake.

“Lost… then, uh…”

See? Even those who pretended to be sharp were quickly flustered and unable to continue their words.

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

I didn’t have a proper identity right now.

Even if I got out of here safely, the problem would come afterward. After all, I couldn’t come all the way to the past and do nothing. I knew that South Korea would be doomed in twenty years.

At the very least, I had to check out that dungeon. The one in Bangi-dong that Yoo Ji-eun had said needed to be conquered.

To enter the dungeon, I needed a solid identity.

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

I decided to think about my past self and identity proof later. Right now, I had to consider what I could do immediately… something beneficial to me.

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

Then I looked behind him. The kids wearing the Hunter Pilot High School uniforms. Two girls and two boys.

Among them, one would become famous enough to be known in the future.

…Hmm.

Being a lifesaver seemed just right.

“You just need proof that I’m a Hunter, right?”

I lightly scratched the floor with my sword. A small blue flame flared up along the line and then extinguished. A flame full of magical power.

“Is this enough?”

“…Alright. You’re a Hunter.”

Oh Hyun-wook still didn’t completely put his doubts to rest, but he accepted it.

Although it proved I was an awakened being, it didn’t prove I was a good Hunter. But it seemed he hadn’t realized that far.

The other Pilot High School kids also relaxed slightly. It was obvious they felt relieved having an active Hunter around.

On the other hand, the civilians reacted more openly.

“H-Hunter, does that mean we can get out of here?”

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

Should I consider the possibilities?

I had read about these situations countless times. It was a popular topic for papers overseas, and often came up on various Hunter websites.

Each person came up with their own solution. Generally, the conclusions were the same. At that time, there was no way for everyone to get out safely.

“How many people are in this building?”

“…Forty-one.”

“Is that including all of you?”

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

The number matched what I knew.

There were at least five or six escape methods that came to mind immediately. Even excluding the ones that took too long or required too many preparations, that was the number.

We just needed to pick a suitable one and go with it.

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

Among them, there was only one whose name I remembered.

Lee Seung-yeon.

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

However, in some ways, he was more famous than the geniuses Oh Hyun-wook and Park Seo-hyun.

Not because he showed exceptional talent from the moment he started walking. He had simply used up all his talent by being born. Considering that family background is also a form of talent, he could be considered an SSS-class Hunter in that regard.

He was the youngest, most cherished child of the Dayeon family, one of the most prestigious families not only in Korea but also globally.

Even before his death, and after, his family cherished him. They supported me wholeheartedly after his death to ensure the pilot high school remained operational. They had a hand in the establishment of the Ability Management Bureau and supported me in becoming the bureau chief.

Even after his death.

So, what if he were alive?

What if I saved a child who was about to die? From what I knew, Dayeon didn’t turn a blind eye when it came to family matters.

If luck was on my side, they might even vouch for my identity.

Of course, that’s if everything went well.

“Is anyone having trouble moving?”

“Trouble moving?”

“The injured or young children.”

I didn’t remember any, but I had to check.

“Oh, no…. There aren’t any.”

Good. Very good.

No identity?

Then become a hero that no one can deny, even if it’s a bit suspicious. Koreans are weak to such things. At the very least, Lee Seung-yeon should cry tears of gratitude every time he thought of my name.

There was just the right method.

A method where everyone survives, but it requires someone’s heroic sacrifice.

* * *

“To City Hall.”

“…City Hall?”

The children looked doubtful. So did the civilians.

“City Hall?”

Hunter operations shouldn’t be conducted so publicly. Given the situation, though, there wasn’t much choice….

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

There’s always someone who butts in without knowing the situation.

I sighed openly, looking at the man.

We needed Dungeon Emergency Command Authority… We needed control. It’s a law that prioritizes the command of hunters during a dungeon break. When was this law enacted? Was it made after forty people died here?

It seemed so. There had been testimonies from survivors that the young students didn’t follow instructions properly.

“Hey.”

I lowered my voice. How many empty-headed hunters had I knocked some sense into, or rather, kindly advised, so far?

A mere loud civilian wouldn’t be a problem.

“Do you want to die?”

“What, what?! Are you threatening me?”

“Shut up.”

Having no control means hunters have no obligation to rescue civilians.

Even if I didn’t take care of this man here…. No, it’s not like I was going to kill him.

“Honestly, it’s no problem for me to get out alone. I’m just trying to help because I can’t just leave these kids. Hey, kids.”

“Y-Yes?”

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

I realized I was speaking bluntly to the kids, almost like I was addressing Bureau hunters. I shouldn’t vent my frustration on them—they weren’t even proper hunters yet.

The kids exchanged glances, and Yoo Hye-eun spoke on their behalf.

“N-No…. We can’t just leave the people behind….”

The other kids nodded in agreement.

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

“No….”

He hesitated, apparently not wanting to stay behind either.

Seeing his indecision, I decided to help out a bit. After all, we were still civilized people and should resolve things verbally as much as possible.

“Just so you know, those monsters… They may look like cows, but they don’t graze on grass. They’re monsters.”

“Wh-What does that mean?”

“That means they eat meat.”

“…And?”

He was slow to catch on. The others seemed to get it, though.

“What kind of meat do you think they’d find here?”

I smiled kindly, looking at the people who had turned pale.

“If you get caught by them, don’t expect your body to be in one piece.”

“…….”

Finally, the man understood. I patted him on the shoulder.

“Now, can we be quiet?”

“Ah-Ahem.”

“And is it your first time in Myeong-dong? It’s not far to City Hall from here.”

“Th-That’s… when there are no monsters!”

This is not incorrect. I shrugged my shoulders.

“Is this the guild office? Is there someone who worked here?”

“Yes, yes, that’s us.”

Since it’s a guild office, there must be a map somewhere.

If we couldn’t exclude civilians from the strategy meeting, we might as well let them hear everything.

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

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

“Yes. Please put it up on that wall.”

As expected from guild office staff, they moved quickly.

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

“This is where we are right now.”

Between the subway stations. Between Hoehyeon Station and Myeong-dong Station. The intersection.

I had come down the road towards Namsan.

“This is the location of the dungeon.”

“It’s that close?”

It was only a 10-minute walk.

It was truly a dungeon in the heart of Seoul. That’s why it should have been managed more thoroughly.

I pointed towards Namsan.

“The boss raid started 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.

Although the relevant laws were still incomplete and the response was lacking, there were still a few unchanged parts.

If a battle broke out in a place with a high population density like Myeong-dong, the damage would be enormous. Many people would have taken refuge inside buildings like here. Just imagine one of those buildings collapsing during the battle.

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

“…The damage would be huge.”

Fortunately, right behind the Myeong-dong Dungeon was Namsan.

“Right. And although it’s carnivorous, its behavior is similar to that of a cow. They move in herds. By now, most of them would have followed the boss to Namsan, and only those separated from the herd would remain on the road.”

“So, are we going to City Hall?”

I picked up a pen that had fallen to the ground and drew a circle on the map. With our building as the center, Sungnyemun, City Hall Station, Euljiro 1-ga Station, and Myeong-dong Station formed the circumference of the circle.

“Does anyone know what this is?”

“……”

“You don’t know?”

Yoo Hye-eun timidly raised her hand.

“A blockade…?”

“Correct.”

It was a defensive line established to prevent monsters from moving to other places during a dungeon break.

“City Hall Station is the headquarters. If we can get near there, we’ll definitely survive.”

“…If the monsters went to Namsan, wouldn’t it be better for us to stay put? Once the boss is defeated… the dungeon break will end….”

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

However, I shook my head.

“The Minotaur is a dictator.”

“What?”

“It has no need for subordinates who don’t follow its orders. So when it commands the monsters to gather, they gather, and when it commands them to hunt, they hunt. The same goes for feeding.”

Right now, it had issued a gathering command. That’s why the monsters were heading to Namsan.

“But think about what happens when the boss is attacked. If the Minotaur is killed, it means the leader controlling the monsters is gone. What do you think the monsters will do without their leader? Need a hint? They’re carnivores and they’re starving. Until now, the boss monopolized their food.”

This was an aspect the hunters who were fighting the Minotaur hadn’t considered.

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

I pointed towards the window with my chin.

“The one who answered earlier… Yoo Hye-eun? Go check how many monsters are on the road.”

Yoo Hye-eun hesitated but cautiously looked out the window. I heard her gasp.

“How many are there?”

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

“There will be more.”

Those separated from the group. Or those starving enough to ignore the boss’s orders.

As soon as the Minotaur is taken down, they will charge towards people.

The room fell silent.

“T-then we should tell the hunters not to kill the boss….”

“Are you telling the hunters to die?”

The Myeong-dong Dungeon was currently rated as a B-grade dungeon, but due to the scale of the break and the fact that the Minotaur was the boss, its grade would be reassessed in a few years.

To S-grade.

This is all a problem with makeshift administration. Letting guilds self-assess the dungeon grades led to this. They couldn’t afford to lose a prime dungeon in the heart of Seoul, so they falsified the grade to B.

“There isn’t a single hunter in the world who can spare a creature like the Minotaur and capture it. Be thankful it’s not here right now. It’s thanks to the hunters risking their lives to capture it.”

I clapped my hands softly to refocus everyone.

“So let’s move quickly before the Minotaur is taken down.”