I’ll Retire After Saving the World

Chapter 64: Transfer Procedures (1)

A black SUV was speeding down the road. The person gripping the steering wheel was a woman with her hair tied up in a ponytail.

The man sitting in the passenger seat held onto the interior handle tightly and shouted at the woman.

“Just hit it!!”

“I know!!!”

The male student sitting in the back seat was clutching his seatbelt and muttering something.

“…I promise to live a good life from now on. I’ll take good care of my younger siblings too.”

Bang! Thud thud thud!!!

“If I can just get out of here alive….”

Bang!

“I’m only seventeen, and I honestly have a lot of life left to live.”

“Stop saying such ominous things!”

“Is it because I presumptuously said I wanted to be a Hunter? But doesn’t everyone who awakens want to become a Hunter? How is that wrong…”

“Teacher Kim! In front!!”

“Whoa! That won’t work! You know it won’t, right?!”

A giant crocodile was occupying half of the road. The man glanced back.

A swarm of lizards that looked like miniature versions of that crocodile was fiercely pursuing them.

“Just, drive over it!”

The man lifted his leg and kicked at the front window. The already half-broken window shattered easily with the repeated impacts. The man swiftly changed his position and climbed out through the window.

‘Damn. I should’ve brought Yoo Ji-eun’s sword.’

But it’s not like he could conjure up something that wasn’t there. He’ll have to make do with what’s available.

He kicked off the bonnet and moved nimbly. The man grabbed a vine tightly. As it’s the essence of an Archmage’s mana, it won’t easily break even if it’s just one layer. Didn’t Hong Seok-young also use this as a foothold?

He threw the vine over a streetlight. After confirming the vine was secure, he used the rebound. He stepped on the head of a lizard baring its sharp teeth, then jumped up again. Using the building wall to climb up, he changed the direction of his body. After wrapping the vine around the neck of the salamander that had raised its body to chase the pesky human, he mounted its back, pulling the vine as if it were reins.

A brief opening was created. The tattered SUV with the broken front window passed through the gap. The man let go of the vine without hesitation and threw himself towards the car.

Screeech!

The car wobbled momentarily from the impact but soon regained its balance. The man returned to the passenger seat through the broken front window he had shattered.

“That was cool.”

“Wouldn’t it have been easier if Teacher Kim had used magic?”

“I’m driving, you know.”

“I could have done it.”

“Where do you think someone without a license is going?”

“……I’ll really live a good life from now on.”

The man and woman glanced at the back seat. The man slightly raised his eyebrows and then straightened his posture. The playful banter between them ceased.

Baby salamanders, somewhere between lizards and crocodiles in appearance, were being thrown off the car as they were hit. The poison the salamanders spewed was pooling on the road. The man glanced at the blackened, poisoned corpses before looking up. There were still many survivors in the buildings. Since the salamanders weren’t particularly interested in hunting humans, as long as they didn’t come down, they would be fine.

The woman quietly drove the car.

“Hey. Student Tae-woo.”

“Yes?”

The student, who had been praying with his eyes closed, answered.

“Which direction is the orphanage from here?”

“Oh, take a right up ahead….”

Listening half-heartedly to the directions, the man leaned back against the seat.

At this point, only one thought crossed his mind.

‘How did it come to this?’

* * *

Two hours earlier.

“How to adapt? Honestly, breaking a lot of stuff is the fastest way.”

The registration for the Awakened at the district office was completed quickly. I thought they might use a more old-fashioned method since it was a while back, but that wasn’t the case. Come to think of it, it’s not much different from the time I registered as an Awakened.

Ah. Then there’s also that.

“Excuse me.”

I approached the public servant helping with No. 3’s registration.

“Do you have that thing?”

“Sorry?”

“You know, the thing Awakened people use right after they Awaken… The thing that looks like a toy.”

“Are you referring to the Awakened Training Aid Kit? Generally, the body adapts within a day, so you don’t really need to use it.”

“That’s true, but he has younger siblings at home.”

No. 3 smiled awkwardly.

“I’m worried that if I’m not careful, my siblings might get hurt….”

“Ah, in that case, it’s better to have it. Just a moment. Not many people ask for it, so….”

The public servant rummaged around for a while before handing over a crude white box.

Ignoring the accumulated dust, I accepted it and left the district office. After reuniting with Kim Chae-min waiting in the parking lot, I handed the box to No. 3. Kim Chae-min discreetly poked my side, making sure No. 3 didn’t see.

This woman, seriously.

There’s no way you can just tell someone to transfer to a prestigious school without any buildup. Timing is everything with this sort of thing. I’ll handle it.

“Can I open this?”

No. 3 looked much calmer. Before I could answer, he opened the box.

There’s nothing spectacular inside. Just a cluster of transparent beads the size of rice grains. No other packaging, no manual. It’s only natural for No. 3 to look puzzled and turn to me.

“What… is this, teacher?”

“How should I put it… It’s a special kind of thing for the Awakened… You know, like the toy kids play with, slime. But it has another name….”

“Liquid monster?”

“Ah, that’s it.”

The name was changed after people complained about naming a kid’s toy after an acidic monster that eats people. Honestly, isn’t slime and liquid monster the same? I don’t really get it….

Anyway, it’s much more expensive than those children’s toys.

“Try squeezing it. You’ll understand.”

No. 3 carefully took the liquid monster out of the box. It’s not exactly a liquid monster.

Passth.

“Oh!”

No. 3 looked at me in surprise.

The beads fell back into the box. I chuckled.

“Pick them up again.”

“What?”

“I told you, it’s a liquid monster for the Awakened. If you squeeze them, they’ll stick together again.”

No. 3 skeptically did as I said. This kid doesn’t trust people. He believed the researchers when they said they made meju from red beans.

Still, as I’ve gotten older, I started to understand No. 3’s thoughts more. In the past, I just found him annoying.

He’s skeptical, but he follows orders. No. 3 slightly furrowed his brows as he picked up the beads from the box and held them in his hand.

“Are they sticking together again?”

I used to play with that for quite a while. It wasn’t fun, but it was good to keep my hands busy.

“Yes…. Is that why it’s called a liquid monster?”

“You need at least the strength of an Awakened for the beads to scatter. As long as the mana stored in the beads lasts, they’ll stick together when squeezed. If you can squeeze them without the beads scattering, that’s enough.”

“There’s a lot of interesting stuff.”

“If there’s something strange, there’s usually a reason for it.”

It’s like closing the barn door after the horse has bolted, but it’s better than not fixing it. Especially when there are many horses to raise.

There are more than just a few Awakened in Korea. Even if they adapt quickly, accidents do happen. If something that looks as silly as that liquid monster can prevent them, it’s a good deal.

Kim Chae-min started the car. We were going to return No. 3 to the orphanage after his registration as an Awakened. I glanced at No. 3 in the back seat, repeatedly breaking and reassembling the beads. He was adapting quickly.

“So.”

I started the conversation casually.

“What are you planning to do from now on?”

“Huh?”

No. 3 lifted his head and looked at me.

“You’ve Awakened. Usually, when someone your age Awakens, they say they’ll become a Hunter.”

“Did you too, Teacher Woo?”

“Of course not.”

How dare he lump me in with those idiots.

“I awakened when I was much younger. I didn’t want to become a Hunter either.”

“Oh my….”

Creak.

The steering wheel in Kim Chae-min’s hands started making an ominous noise. She glared at me with a wide smile, her eyes not smiling at all.

“How did someone like that… end up becoming a Hunter?”

…Ah.

I’m a Hunter now, aren’t I?

“Life’s just like that, isn’t it? Surprisingly, being a Hunter isn’t so bad once you start.”

I looked back at No. 3.

“If you ever think about becoming a Hunter, let me know. I’ll help you out.”

I paused for a moment.

Did Oh Hyun-wook or Seo Han-seong go through something like this? No, but the guy who approached them was a scammer. I’m not a scammer.

“Remember I mentioned Pilot High School? Not sure if you’ve heard of it.”

“…You mean the Hunter Training Pilot High School.”

“Yeah. It’s not exactly a proper school, but Principal Hong will handle that. Ah, the principal—he’s been on the news a lot lately….”

“Teacher Woo! You shouldn’t mention that!”

“But he’s getting discharged soon anyway.”

“Still!”

I cleared my throat.

“Anyway, it’s not a weird place. If you want to become a Hunter, contact me. It’s much better than joining some shady guild. Kids your age… how old are you again?”

“Me? I’m seventeen… I think.”

He’s a year younger than the other kids, but a year doesn’t make much difference.

“Let’s see, I should give you my business card at this point, but…”

“Are you some office worker? What’s with the business card….”

“You know my number, so call me if you have any questions.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

No. 3 politely bowed.

Since I also mentioned that Hong Seok-young would be discharged soon, how long will it take until he calls me again?

I bet he’ll use his siblings as an excuse.

‘I need to earn money. I have a lot of siblings to take care of.’

There’s a reason people often use that excuse. It works well.

…If No. 3 is really stepping up for his siblings, I’d be willing to help.

“Huh?”

While Kim Chae-min was talking to No. 3 about the Pilot High kids, she tilted her head.

Her voice was enough to make anyone uneasy.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just… something seems a bit strange. The people.”

“People?”

I looked outside. People were all running in one direction. As I slightly opened the window, screams began to reach my ears.

“Kyah!!!”

“Run! Run!!”

The road was blocked. The screams grew closer, and people’s expressions became more urgent. Kim Chae-min turned the car into an alley.

It’s obvious what’s happening. Kim Chae-min turned the car towards the direction the people were running from….

“Teacher Kim.”

I stopped her.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go to the orphanage first. It’s nearby, right?”

“Ah… Right. Yes. Let’s check there first.”

“Student Kang Tae-woo?”

“Yes, yes?”

“Just in case, put on your seatbelt….”

Weeeeee.

The siren blared for a long time. Though there was no other announcement, the siren blaring for almost ten seconds before abruptly stopping could only mean one thing.

Dungeon Break.

“Uh, uh, Teacher, what is that over there?!”

It quickly became clear what the people were running from. . Reddish-brown scaled lizards were crawling all over the ground.

Each time the lizards dragged their bellies across the ground, they left a sticky trail of bodily fluids.

Salamanders. Fire-loving lizards. Their bodily fluids were toxic. They didn’t primarily feed on humans, but they were not the type of monsters to leave humans hanging around their vicinity unharmed.

Moreover, salamander poison was dangerous. Even a slight touch could take down anyone who isn’t particularly strong Hunter. If it were just Kim Chae-min and me, we might manage… but No. 3 was with us in the back.

The number of lizards was steadily increasing. Was there a salamander dungeon in the city?

How would I know! I was in the research lab at this time!

“…….”

The salamanders noticed us. I shouted to Kim Chae-min.

“Drive over it!”

“What?!”

“This is a Daseon car. It can withstand some impact! So just drive over it!!!”

“Ah, okay! Okay!!”

Kim Chae-min quickly did the math. She sped up without hesitation.

And here, we return to the present.

We temporarily cleared the giant salamander blocking the road and raced down the street without hindrance.

Fortunately, No. 3 calmly gave directions despite the corpses on the street. It seemed his muttered prayers had helped him maintain some composure.

“Turn left up ahead!”

Screeech!

As soon as Kim Chae-min stopped the car roughly, she got out and placed her hands on the ground. Sharp thorny vines began to grow. No roses this time.

“This should hold them off for now…. Usually, there would be a broadcast by now. Why isn’t there one?”

“Maybe we didn’t hear it. What about your phone?”

“There is… one text message.”

It mentioned a Dungeon Break in Suwon and advised people nearby to evacuate.

Shouldn’t they at least inform us what kind of monsters came out and how to evacuate? And tell us not to come down to the first floor?

“Do you think that big one we saw on the street was the boss?”

“Not sure…. It seemed a bit small for a dungeon boss.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“At least there wasn’t a fire. If the salamanders had set fire to things….”

“Don’t say such horrible things.”

Kim Chae-min shuddered.

I passed Kim Chae-min and headed towards the orphanage entrance. Now that’s a reliable Hunter. Enough to readily entrust a child who’s about to leave the orphanage…

“……?”

I looked at the orphanage.

This is. Hmm.

Strange.

Why is there a smell of blood coming from there?