I’ll Retire After Saving the World

Chapter 49: Dungeon Raid (3)

The raid was going smoothly. So far, there had been no inaccuracies in the exploration report, and no one had been injured. The only incident was Yoo Hye-eun tripping over a stone. In truth, it was a stretch to call that an injury.

It was peaceful, to say the least, for a raid.

Oh Hyun-wook recalled a dungeon he had entered before where pixies appeared. This one was C-rank, while that one had been B-rank, making a direct comparison difficult, but the pixies themselves were the same monsters. The pixies he had seen there were not this… young.

A dungeon that had been left alone because no Hunters had raided it since the gate appeared, filled only with young monsters? It made no sense.

As he had told his friends, it was clear that the principal had once cleared this dungeon.

Oh Hyun-wook snorted as he plucked the wings off a pixie that didn’t even reach his waist.

The principal has a tendency to protect the children. Whether it was spending his own money to establish the school or the time and effort he spent to extract himself and Seo Han-seong from the guild….

That person would never recklessly throw them into danger without any protective measures.

Snap.

“Kkiiiieeek…”

The pixie let out a metallic screech, baring its claws.

No matter how easy the dungeon is, it’s forbidden to think about other things during a raid. Oh Hyun-wook refocused. Unlike his guild days, being around relaxed people might be making him lax.

Just before the claws could touch him, a translucent barrier appeared in between. It was a monster that was dying anyway and wouldn’t deal any real damage.

Still, grateful for the consideration, Oh Hyun-wook gave a slight nod to Park Seo-hyun. Park Seo-hyun smiled brightly when their eyes met. She had been sullen and refusing to speak since Myeong-dong, but now she was smiling brightly, as if a sudden change had occurred.

While it was good to see her brightening up, it was hard to get used to. Feeling embarrassed by her beaming face, Oh Hyun-wook turned his head away.

In March, Park Seo-hyun wasn’t the type to smile so readily. The change was so drastic that he couldn’t even ask why.

Oh Hyun-wook had no way of knowing what had changed in Park Seo-hyun’s heart. But he did know when she started smiling again.

That man.

It was after talking to Woo Hwijae.

He was grateful for being saved in Myeong-dong, and there was no denying that thanks to him, his friends could escape safely.

‘Oh Hyun-wook, hmm, continuing to take rune classes might be boring.’

‘…….’

‘Why not continue training like the others?’

At first, he tried to force conversation, but after ignoring him a few times, Woo Hwijae frowned and didn’t approach him again.

After that, he awkwardly tried to speak to him whenever their eyes met. It was clear from his expression that he didn’t want to, but as a teacher, he couldn’t ignore a student.

‘Is there… anything you’re unsure about?’

Seeing his awkward smile, Oh Hyun-wook was reminded of someone. Despite their behavior and tone being completely different, he couldn’t understand why that person came to mind.

But at some point, he realized. Why Woo Hwijae made him uncomfortable. Why he was so on edge.

Sometimes, the gaze that fell on him seemed as if… it was appraising a piece of butchered meat.

It went beyond evaluating a student; it was the gaze of someone looking at an inanimate object.

That reminded him of the former master of his guild.

Objectively speaking, there was no way someone brought by the principal was a con artist. Even Archmage Kim Chae-min was sticking close and chatting with him. If you didn’t know better, you’d think they had been friends all along.

But still….

That gaze.

Those eyes.

‘Hey kiddo. You okay?’

Unfortunately, most of the world’s tragedies stem from dungeon breaks.

Being eaten by a monster didn’t even count as a tragedy in this world. What happened to Oh Hyun-wook could be considered a tragedy in an individual’s life, but compared to those worse off, it wasn’t something to boast about in front of others.

He wasn’t trying to compare misfortunes, but well, Oh Hyun-wook believed it all happened because he was foolish.

‘Uh… did you just Awaken?’

It was inevitable to admire the person who saved your life.

‘There’s a saying that people Awaken when their life is on the line. So, isn’t it great that you’re alive?’

He was deceived by the friendly smile.

‘Right, I run a guild… why don’t you drop by sometime? It’d be a waste to leave you be after you’ve Awakened. You should learn how to use your body.’

He thought it was a great opportunity. He’d heard that becoming a Hunter could make you a lot of money.

‘Usually, we charge for training… but between us, what training fees? When you succeed as a Hunter, just do a few jobs for our guild.’

So, he signed the contract without hesitation.

It took a long time to understand what the cold look behind the smiling face meant.

After that, it was hell.

From one to ten, there was no similarity between the former guild master and Woo Hwijae.

But those eyes made Oh Hyun-wook hesitate. He hadn’t intended to be wary from the start. After being saved in Myeong-dong and hearing that he had been swept away by a horde of monsters to save Lee Seung-yeon, he was worried.

He wanted to say thank you, to greet him.

If only it weren’t for those cold eyes directed at him.

After missing the chance to greet him and starting to keep his distance, it became harder and harder to approach again. It was an instinctive aversion.

“The number of pixies has increased.”

Yoo Hye-eun said quietly. Oh Hyun-wook bit the inside of his cheek. Focus.

“It’s because we’re getting closer to the dungeon core.”

Han Eun-young answered calmly.

“For pixies, this is a small number. Usually, they move in swarms of about ten. It seems the principal has thinned them out, as Oh Hyun-wook said.”

“Or they might be gathering near the core.”

Seo Han-seong muttered.

Though his voice was small, it didn’t escape anyone’s ears, and tension flashed across their faces. It was better than being lax, so he let it be.

“Are we really the ones who have to raid this?”

“They called us a raiding party, so…”

“Then we need to destroy the core too?”

“To complete the raid, we have to destroy it.”

“What about Teacher Woo?”

If they destroyed the dungeon core, the dungeon would collapse. To return safely, they would have to find the gate they came through and exit.

“If it’s that guy, he’ll survive somehow.”

Oh Hyun-wook sneered. He was sure Woo Hwijae was listening to this conversation nearby.

“Anyway, let’s finish quickly and get out. The dungeon isn’t difficult, but knowing him, he’ll find some fault to deduct points.”

“Oh, that seems likely…”

Seo Han-seong shivered. One by one, others added their comments.

“Did you see him laugh every time we rolled in the dirt? He’d tell me how many times I rolled while evaluating me in class, and I really wanted to punch him…”

“Honestly, if I could, I would have punched him.”

“I once talked to the principal about it.”

“What did you say?”

“I asked him to talk to Teacher Woo.”

Han Eun-young pouted and grumbled.

“I said training is fine and all, but could he go a bit easier on us?”

“…Knowing the principal, he probably didn’t listen.”

Han Eun-young puffed her cheeks.

“But still! Isn’t it too much when there’s no shower room?”

“Did you say that too?”

“…Yeah.”

Han Eun-young, who grew up without lacking anything, showed her delicate side in moments like these. Meanwhile, Lee Seung-yeon, who seemed the epitome of someone raised delicately, didn’t care if he had to eat dirt.

Oh Hyun-wook himself had never paid attention to such matters, so he felt a bit curious. And he could predict Hong Seok-young’s response.

“He probably said something like, ‘What luxury are you expecting inside a dungeon?’”

“…That’s right.”

“He would’ve said, ‘You’ll see worse things as a Hunter, so don’t make a fuss over a bit of dirt.’”

“…That’s right.”

“‘If you have complaints, fight for it and take it yourself?’”

“Right! It’s really annoying!”

Han Eun-young stomped her foot in frustration. For Oh Hyun-wook, who had survived through worse, it was almost laughable, but… well, it wasn’t bad. It meant she had overcome enough of her past to be able to laugh like this.

“…Eun-young. Hold on.”

“Huh?”

“Be quiet for a moment….”

Park Seo-hyun, who had been giggling along, suddenly turned serious. The others, swept up by the change in atmosphere, also fell silent.

“…Don’t you hear something?”

“A sound?”

“Like… keek, keek…”

Oh Hyun-wook furrowed his brows and focused his senses. He could hear the rustling of leaves. If it weren’t for the glittering trees that matched the nickname ‘Fairy Forest’, it would have felt as peaceful as a camping trip.

But amidst that, he heard what Park Seo-hyun was talking about.

A noisy sound, like monkeys chattering. It was distant at first but was gradually getting closer. There was only one thing in this dungeon that could make such a sound. In fact, there was only one type of creature here.

“Pixies! Prepare for battle!”

Oh Hyun-wook shouted, gritting his teeth.

* * *

The pixies swarmed in. Some were flying in the air, others were jumping between the trees. Their green skin made them look like a swarm of locusts.

“Kieeek!!”

From their wild behavior, it was clear they were no different.

Young pixies are weak. Even in groups, they’re still weak. But that was when there were three or five of them. When dozens, even hundreds, swarmed like this, it was a completely different story.

“Kyaaah!”

“Protect Hye-eun!”

When that many pixies went berserk, there was no good way to deal with them. They knocked down the ones attacking, but there was no end in sight. Oh Hyun-wook’s mind was in chaos. Why now? What was happening?

How do we get out of this?

Should I destroy the dungeon core? Wait for them all to pass?

In unexpected situations, the mind searches for familiar solutions.

‘If it were my former guild master… he’d throw out a sacrificial lamb to distract them and continue the raid.’

He snapped the neck of a pixie lunging at him and spun around to catch another heading towards the mages and healers. In that instant, Yoo Hye-eun caught his eye.

‘Sacrificial lamb.’

In another dungeon, maybe, but in this dungeon, healers had no role. They were just a physical burden with lower capabilities….

Nausea rose up.

He felt sick at himself for thinking that.

Not long ago, he had been the one thrown to the monsters as a sacrifice. And now? A burden?

Later, when he becomes a hunter capable of doing the work of not just one but ten people, he wanted to create a guild. He wanted to show that even kids like him could do it. He wanted to prove that it was possible without throwing someone to the monsters like a piece of meat.

…With this mindset?

“Hyun-wook!”

“Oh Hyun-wook!!!”

The voices calling him seemed distant. Oh Hyun-wook looked up with dazed eyes. He saw the sharp teeth of a pixie. Its claws dug into his shoulder, and its teeth were about to sink into his neck.

Thud!

A sword pierced through the pixie’s head.

The tip of the sword stopped right in front of Oh Hyun-wook’s forehead. It was so close it almost touched, but it left no mark on his skin.

The sword, still impaling the pixie, moved to the side. The pixie’s body slid off the sword and fell to the ground with a sickening thud, blood splattering everywhere.

“Why are you zoning out?”

Woo Hwijae’s indifferent eyes fell on Oh Hyun-wook.

Under that gaze, Oh Hyun-wook trembled like a pig entering a slaughterhouse.