I’ll Retire After Saving the World

Chapter 82: Ambush (3)

TL: SHW

The mana was so fierce that it made my skin tingle. I had never seen mana rampage like this.

The red mana rolled around like coarse grains of sand. However, those grains flowed slowly, like an organic creature. A large vortex swirled around the guy with the hat pressed down over his face.

“Seung-yeon!!”

Lee Mi-seon, who arrived late, checked on the children.

The guy moved his hand again. In response, the flow of the vortex sped up.

How arrogant. Right in front of me. I disrupted the flow before the mana could fully gather. The mana forming the vortex scattered.

The guy stopped moving and remained still.

Slowly, he lifted his head. As his head tilted, his eyes, previously hidden by his hat, became visible. They were shining brightly, in a golden color. Was he using an item? Or perhaps…?

“You… can see it?”

The guy, who had been staring at my face intently, asked.

The halted mana started moving again, creeping along, as if testing me.

I didn’t want to fall for such an obvious trick. But the sight of it reaching toward the children behind me, or the way it was slowly crawling up my ankle…

I scraped the ground with my sword. Since it was moving so sluggishly, it wasn’t difficult. I just had to lightly scratch the part where the mana connection was weakest with physical force.

The moment I severed the mana connection, the guy grinned.

There were rumors that he was the boss of Ark. But the smiling face before me was so young, it was absurd, considering his notorious reputation. At best, he looked to be in his early twenties. It’s hard to gauge a Hunter’s age just by appearances, but there’s always a certain feeling.

Considering the time Hong Seok-young had mentioned hearing the rumors… he could possibly be in his late teens.

Still, he seemed far too young to be the boss of Ark.

“…….”

“You can see it.”

Where on earth did this monster come from?

I’d never heard of anyone like this even from the Research Lab. If someone of this caliber existed, there would be at least some rumors. And I was in a position to be close to such rumors.

My mouth went dry.

“You can see it, right?”

The guy persistently asked. The mana began moving again.

“Fuck.”

Lee Mi-seon was backing away, shielding the children with her body. Glancing at Kang Tae-woo and Lee Seung-yeon, their faces were pale, drained of color.

Maybe… I should have expected this. No, I did expect it, but I let my guard down.

With this many Hunters here, how could I have made such a mistake?

It’s all Hong Seok-young’s fau—

…….

No, enough. No more shifting blame.

It’s the fault of all of us, including Hong Seok-young.

It was our mistake.

We brought No. 3, Kang Tae-woo, to the pilot high school to lure out the Ark. It would’ve been even better if we could’ve enlisted Kang Tae-woo’s cooperation.

But what did we tell Kang Tae-woo?

‘It seems bad people were trying to get rid of the orphanage.’

We used protection as a justification. We said that the ones who attacked the orphanage might come looking for him.

Then we should’ve at least made a show of protecting him.

Not let him roam around on his own like this.

“…….”

I didn’t do something as foolish as turning to look behind me.

The reason the guy attacked the orphanage. The reason he killed the director and the children. The reason he went out of his way to come after Kang Tae-woo.

The reason he persistently asked if I could see it.

The hesitation was brief, and the resolve was simple.

I decided to make him focus on me.

I sprinted toward the guy and swung my sword.

“Fuck, yeah. I can see it, you bastard.”

Anyway, my cover is that of a whistleblower within Ark. If Ark misunderstood me in that way, it didn’t matter. In fact, it would only reinforce my cover.

If he’s targeting people from the Research Lab, then he’ll dig into someone like me, who claims to see mana.

He’ll either investigate me or kill me.

Hm. Either way, it’s a dead-end for him. After all, the identity I’m using was entirely crafted by Lee Mi-seon. Even if he digs into my background, all he’ll find is the life of an ordinary, pitiful D-rank Hunter. Finding any trace of me in Ark would be impossible.

… Unless I’ve already died at his hands.

Boom!

The guy grabbed my sword with his hand.

In an instant, a strong impact hit me so hard that my hand tingled.

I clicked my tongue briefly. It’s true, I hadn’t been using my body much lately. Since I came back to the past, twenty years ago, the only time I really moved my body was… maybe when I was training the kids? Was that even considered using my body? It was more like taking a few breaths and stretching a bit.

Killing me?

That’s even more impossible. If I got taken down by a bastard like this, I’d owe the old man an apology. I’d also owe an apology to my younger self, who gritted his teeth to follow the old man’s lessons.

And what’s the big deal if I get hit a few times? The dog tag hanging around my neck will absorb the damage for me.

…Wait, do I even have that with me? Is it in my wallet?

Ah, well. Doesn’t matter. A blow like this wouldn’t even scratch the surface of the dog tag.

I launched another round of attacks. The mana around us surged wildly. Thank goodness no one else was around.

“Ha!”

The guy laughed.

That irritated me.

The sword felt awkward. Compared to a spear, the range was too short. I misjudged the distance a few times, and my sword sliced through nothing but air.

A couple of swings cut through both air and mana, and finally, the edge of my sword caught on his hat. A few strands of red hair floated down as the hat fell back.

“Oh.”

The summer sun was finally setting. Underneath the slowly reddening sky, a pale face came into view. The guy blinked. His eyes, which sparkled like they were dusted with gold, suddenly shifted into a plain brown.

As his whole face became visible, the atmosphere shifted completely. His fierce gaze and twisted expression made him look more like a boy than a woman.

“Wow.”

The guy tilted his head and took a few light steps back. Tap, tap. His footsteps were almost silent.

“This is fun… but hmm. I still don’t know who you are. I heard there weren’t any big guys like you down there.”

“Down there?”

“Oh, you know. Underground. What do they call it again? Promise? So sentimental, don’t you think?”

Judging by his speech, he didn’t seem like the boss of Ark. Now that I think about it, it makes sense. What kind of boss of a group personally goes around killing people? Any organization that does that isn’t worth staying in.

…Well, killing people in itself already implies they’re out of their minds.

The guy kept smiling cheerfully. His face, despite the dangerous aura, was as pretty as that of an idol.

…Still, I didn’t recognize his face. If I had seen someone as distinctive as him even once, I wouldn’t have forgotten. He tapped the ground lightly with the tip of his foot.

Then, he picked up his fallen hat, put it back on, and pulled his hood down over it. His face was hidden again. With his sharp features concealed, only his androgynous build remained.

The guy waved his hand in an annoyingly casual manner.

“Goodbye! Let’s meet again soooon. You too, over there!”

He waved his hand energetically at Kang Tae-woo, who was standing far off. Lee Mi-seon quickly shielded the children.

“That’s what makes life fun. You never know what’s going to happen.”

Tap, tap, tap.

The guy continued tapping the ground with the tip of his foot as he spoke.

“Oh, oops, I should hurry up and go. Ah, leaving empty-handed like this isn’t good. I’m the one losing out here.”

He briefly made a pouty face.

“Well, nothing I can do about it!”

Then he smiled widely again.

Tap, tap.

Tap.

“……”

The guy vanished.

Only then did the heavy tension pressing down on my shoulders release. It wasn’t until he was gone that I realized how much the mana in this alley had been suppressed. That’s probably why there hadn’t been any people around. Even non-Awakened humans instinctively avoid areas where mana is scarce.

I stood still for a moment to catch my breath. Lee Mi-seon, still shielding the children, hesitantly approached.

But I wasn’t looking at Lee Mi-seon.

“Ahem.”

A man, scratching his messy, unkempt hair, came trudging toward us.

“Uh….”

Hong Seok-young, uncharacteristically, stuttered.

“Am I… late?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

“You’re extremely late.”

***

“So, I was! At this lab!!”

“Yeah.”

“They called me No. 3, and the number, well, So-hee was there with me. There were lots of others, too.”

“I get it.” Executioner

“I think that person is an executioner , and what an executioner is, well…”

“Kang Tae-woo.”

I firmly cut Kang Tae-woo off mid-sentence.

His eyes were spinning wildly as he babbled on, but he finally clamped his mouth shut after I snapped my fingers right in front of his face.

“Go to bed now.”

“…But.”

“It’s fine. Leave this to the adults. You just go take a shower and get some sleep.”

“……”

I glanced at Lee Seung-yeon, who was awkwardly lingering behind Kang Tae-woo. He’d been holding onto a convenience store plastic bag this whole time. What’s that about?

It’s hard to understand kids. But I couldn’t be cold to someone who was so obviously worried.

“Lee Seung-yeon.”

“Yes? Yes!”

“Take Tae-woo to the bathroom, show him around, and tell him to go to sleep.”

“Yes, teacher!”

Lee Seung-yeon nodded with an overly serious expression. Is this really something to be that serious about…?

He carefully spoke to Kang Tae-woo and led him toward the dorms. Only after they left did the other kids, who had been hanging back, cautiously approach.

Oh Hyun-wook, with a curious sparkle in his eyes, stepped forward as the group’s representative and asked.

“Teacher, what’s going on?”

“……”

“Teacher?”

How do I even explain this?

What? That the new transfer student was actually in a shady secret organization’s lab, and while he was trying to deceive us, the orphanage he was at got attacked by some lunatic, so we brought him here?

None of that sounds like it could possibly be true. Yet, it’s not exactly a lie either, which makes it even more frustrating.

I’ll just pass this off. I’m not the one in charge.

“The principal will explain it later.”

“……”

That guy ran away from Hong Seok-young. That much is certain.

Although I gave Hong Seok-young a hard time for being late, it’s better that he showed up rather than not. At the very least, it means that even a lunatic who attacks people in broad daylight is afraid of him.

Just because the guy disappeared doesn’t mean we’re safe. His target might be Kang Tae-woo, but there’s no guarantee he won’t go after anyone around him.

In a hurry, we brought the other kids from the dormitory and moved them to a pension home run by Daeyeon. Well, it’s actually more of a private villa used by the Daeyeon family.

It’s a bit far from the school, but right now, the children’s safety is the priority.

I ran my hand through my hair.

“…Everyone came in a hurry, so rest for now. Have you eaten?”

“No…”

Yoo Hye-eun, who was tightly holding her younger sister’s hand, responded.

Damn it. Why did it turn out like this?

“Hey, kids!”

Right on cue, our savior arrived.

Lee Mi-seon, looking much more exhausted than a few hours ago, came over with some Hunters from Daseon in tow.

“If you need anything, tell me, the teachers, or the Hunters here. Got it? Anyone can use the kitchen on the first floor. The fridge is fully stocked, so feel free to eat as much as you want.”

The kids exchanged glances. Lee Mi-seon smiled warmly.

“Our Daseon Hunters are also great at cooking, you know? If you tell them what you want, they’ll whip something up for you.”

“Really? But they’re Hunters.”

“Who do you think makes all the drinks at your school?”

Ji Yoo-geon, a Hunter standing behind Lee Mi-seon, smiled bashfully.

Lee Mi-seon made a show of being even more enthusiastic.

“Who said they hadn’t eaten? Was it Hye-eun and Ji-eun? Go grab something to eat, quickly. What about the rest of you? Even if you’ve already eaten, eat more. At your age, you could finish off an entire cow. We’ve even got some Hanwoo beef, so ask Hunter Ji to grill some for you.”

As soon as food was mentioned, the kids quickly became lively again. Oh Hyun-wook glanced back at me, but when I didn’t react, he joined the group.

Only after the kids had gone down to the first floor did Lee Mi-seon turn to me and speak.

“I found out who he is.”

“…Already?”

No matter how capable Lee Mi-seon is, wasn’t this a bit too fast?

She fidgeted with her fingers, then pulled out a pack of gum from her pocket and tossed several pieces into her mouth.

“He’s got a recognizable face. Someone knew who he was. He’s a Hunter.”

“…A Hunter?”

“Yes. He’s a fully active, functioning Hunter.”

*****

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