LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 10 - Hunter Development High School
Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: KYSOIWDI
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[ Chapter 10: Hunter Development High School (1) ]
As the saying goes, life is full of ups and downs; blessings can become curses, and curses can become blessings.
Even now, it’s the same.
To be honest, being caught by Hong Seok-young wasn’t bad. Although it was a misunderstanding, wasn’t the most troublesome identity issue resolved?
With Hong Seok-young’s guarantee, I would already be able to enter the Bangi-dong Dungeon, which should have been created by now.
However, from what I knew about Hong Seok-young, it was still too early to let my guard down.
“How have you been?”
“I saw you yesterday.”
“Yesterday is yesterday, and today is today.”
Despite the reluctant handshake, I wasn’t released immediately. On the contrary, I remained held at the Awakened Crimes Investigation Office.
With an apologetic expression, Hong Seok-young asked me to stay here until the situation was sorted out. There were no further explanations.
I didn’t expect to be released right away anyway… If that were the case, there wouldn’t have been any need for Hong Seok-young to monitor me.
At least it wasn’t a prison.
Still, seeing that I wasn’t empty-handed today, it seemed like I might be able to leave.
Hong Seok-young placed a file that looked like documents on the table and, as he did on the first day, pulled a chair over to sit across from me.
There were no dim lights or handcuffs in the interrogation room, but the magic restraining device on my ankle and the restricted movement….
Wait a minute. I wasn’t wearing prison clothes, but I felt like I had been treated like a prisoner all this time.
“Why do you look so grim?”
“This is my usual expression.”
“Really?”
Hong Seok-young clicked his tongue.
“You’re young; try to smile a bit. Don’t keep that sullen face. Didn’t you manage to escape from the organization and become a free man? Didn’t you say you had a lot you wanted to do?”
What a sly fox. He’s been repeating this for a week.
That’s just a probing remark.
I’ve been dealing with that old man’s tricks for twenty years. It’s not something to brag about, but it has been useful in making sure I don’t fall for them easily.
Even though he claimed not to know my name properly, he must have gathered some information through Kim. They would want to confirm whether I am truly the insider they suspect.
“The one with a lot of things they want to do isn’t me… it’s you.”
“So stiff. Just call me teacher.”
“Teacher?”
Hong Seok-young shrugged his shoulders.
“Remember the kids you saved in Myeong-dong?”
“Kids?”
“The five wearing school uniforms.”
Of course, I remembered. I went through all that trouble to save them.
“Those are my students.”
Hong Seok-young nodded.
He couldn’t have just learned about the kids now.
Bringing it up after a week probably meant I had passed his rough test.
“Ah, that’s right. I should tell you this too. I heard you herded a group of cows? Thanks to that, the damage was minimized.”
What is he talking about now?
“When we took down the Minotaur, those creatures started rampaging. It’s probably because their leader died, and their command structure fell apart. But since you drove them towards us, we were able to handle it easily. Otherwise, the damage would have been twice as bad.”
“……”
“We wondered where all those cows suddenly came from, but in the end, it worked out well. The kids are safe too. Thank you.”
So… that’s how it turned out?
As expected, it was me. This was the result I anticipated. There’s no way I drove those monsters without any thought.
It only seemed that way. I was never thoughtless.
“Ahem.”
I composed myself. I shouldn’t let my guard down just because he praised me.
“What does this have to do with calling you ‘teacher’?”
“I thought about it.”
I frowned. Whenever this guy started thinking, the outcome was never good.
“What’s between us is between us, and this is something different, isn’t it?”
“…Are you talking about herding the monsters?”
“Saving my students.”
Hong Seok-young’s expression turned serious. My mouth suddenly felt dry.
“I know my students’ abilities better than anyone. Even with just them, it would have been tough, but with civilians involved?”
Hong Seok-young spoke firmly.
“If it weren’t for you, they would all be dead.”
They wouldn’t all have died… but that’s beside the point. I didn’t deny it.
“I figured I should repay you in some way.”
Once again, whenever this guy thought of something, it never led to a good outcome.
“My students have been clamoring to find you. So, here’s the thing.”
“…So?”
“I thought about it.”
I repeat, whenever this guy starts thinking…
Why did he think so much?
Whether he knew my thoughts or not, Hong Seok-young handed me the file he brought.
I stared at it curiously, and Hong Seok-young pulled out a piece of paper from it.
“Anyway, you’ll be under me for a while…. Following me around without doing anything would be boring.”
No, that’s perfect.
“Besides, I like to work alone. If I take you around, some people might find it strange.”
Hong Seok-young started seriously gathering people not at the Development High School, but when he began running the Hunter Academy. He wasn’t the type to have an assistant, so it made sense that there couldf be unwanted attention.
Given my position as a fugitive from a criminal organization, I shouldn’t draw too much attention…
“So, the Development High School? Are you telling me to enroll in that school?”
“What? Haha, no. Quite the opposite.”
Hong Seok-young handed me the paper he was holding.
I wondered why he started this long-winded conversation, so I looked at the paper.
A simple phrase was written at the top.
Employment Contract.
…Employment Contract?
“If you follow me in and out of dungeons, you’ll stand out. But if you work at a school, it’s a different story.”
“So, you’re telling me to…”
“Teach the kids.”
Hong Seok-young spoke firmly, leaving no room for argument.
His face showed he had already made up his mind.
If I were truly an insider who had escaped from an organization, I’d be annoyed. Instead of immediately taking down those bastards, I would have to leisurely teach kids? Moreover, as an insider, I wouldn’t be in a position to refuse properly.
But considering my situation, not that of an insider but of Woo Hee-jae who returned twenty years to the past, how did it seem?
Teaching kids?
Of course, it would be a hassle. But work is always a hassle and something you don’t want to do. You have to consider what you can gain.
“Teach the kids…”
I had thought about it when I saw Kim Chae-min. If I saved hunters who would have died pointlessly, it would help in the future. If they survived until twenty years later, they might swing their swords one more time.
But nurturing them from the beginning also seemed like a good idea. Especially considering my retirement.
The bond between master and disciple is so persistent, as you can see with the Director. Yoo Ji-eun, for example, would have been more successful as a solo hunter, but she entered the Ability Management Bureau, practically tying herself up because of him.
It wasn’t just Yoo Ji-eun. Most hunters at the Bureau were like that. They were from the Hunter Academy and called the Director their teacher.
I didn’t know about the other students from the first batch of the Development High School, but if I could persuade Oh Hyun-wook, Park Seo-hyun, and the youngest of the chaebol family to be on my side, it would be enough. Those three could ensure my comfortable retirement after preventing the apocalypse.
Good. Very good.
“I’m not someone who is fit to teach.”
But revealing my true intentions would be foolish.
I declined. As a Korean, I should refuse at least three times.
“No, you look like someone who should teach.”
“Can you tell that from my face?”
“It’s a hunter’s intuition.”
“There’s nothing less reliable than a hunter’s intuition.”
“That’s true.”
“……”
“……”
Hong Seok-young grinned.
“You know you’ll do it anyway, right?”
“I know, but I still want it recorded that I refused.”
“Sure, sure. I’ll remember that.”
I guess there’s no need to refuse three times.
But there’s one thing that needs to be addressed. I shook my ankle, the one with the magic control device.
“But I can’t even use magic. What could I possibly teach the kids? If it’s just physical training, wouldn’t you be better suited for that…?”
“Call me teacher.”
“…Wouldn’t you be better suited for that, teacher?”
Hong Seok-young nodded.
“That’s true. But being a hunter isn’t just about physical prowess.”
If I were Chief Secretary Woo Hee-jae, I would have taught dungeon strategies. It wouldn’t be much different from my usual work since supporting dungeon teams requires understanding dungeon strategies.
However, an illegal awakened person who just fled a secretive criminal organization wouldn’t have such knowledge.
Hong Seok-young tapped his fingers on the table. It made me feel a bit anxious.
“You mentioned the magic concealment rune, right?”
“…Yes?”
“The rune you taught the kids. Did you make it?”
“……”
This is why one shouldn’t stand out.
People should not attract attention. You should act like you don’t know anything and stay quiet.
This is the price for forgetting that truth.
“Are you asking me to teach runes?”
“It doesn’t matter if you didn’t create it. As long as you know more about such runes, that’s enough.”
“……”
“Teaching kids how to use their bodies is easy. Teaching them how to fight is even easier. But magic is a different matter.”
Hong Seok-young twisted his lips.
“Magic is traditionally passed down through apprenticeship. It’s even more so with unique magic.”
This was one of the reasons established magicians opposed the founding of the Development High School.
They feared that if magic were taught at school, their value would diminish.
“We invited a few known magicians to teach classes, but it was just scratching the surface.”
“Runes aren’t magic.”
“But they could be a secret weapon for the kids.”
“……”
While the magic concealment rune has become essential for hunters, there are various other runes as well.
Even if they’re not as indispensable as the magic concealment rune, many are quite useful.
The runes I know will be developed and made public in a few years anyway. Some of them will even have royalties, generating tens of billions annually.
…Should I patent these runes now while no one knows about them?
Is that too unscrupulous?
Even if I don’t patent the runes, releasing them early to help hunters is a good idea. There are many talented individuals besides Kim Chae-min who shouldn’t die. Since I can’t personally save each one, if making the runes public can help keep them alive…
“…Alright.”
“Really?”
For someone who grinned as if I had no choice, he seemed genuinely surprised.
I frowned at Hong Seok-young. He scratched his cheek, smiling awkwardly.
Eventually, I sighed.
Fine.
I am someone who, despite the urgent situation of fleeing from an organization, made an effort to save the kids. I have a soft heart, enough to save young students I happened to meet by chance.
Let’s go with that setup.
In that case, it’s only natural to be concerned about the kids I saved.
“They’re just kids.”
“Yes, they are.”
“Yes.”
“……”
“……”
Hong Seok-young stared at my face for a moment, then clapped his hands.
“Alright, since it’s decided… let’s start with the signing here.”
He redirected his attention to the employment contract he had handed me earlier.
“Of course, I’ll pay you a salary. I took care of the resident registration and the bank account… I’ll give them to you later.”
I quickly scanned the employment contract.
…Why are these numbers like this?
“Although it’s a school, it’s privately operated with my funds, so you’ll be listed as a member of my guild. Since it’s not dungeon strategy work, there are no extra incentives… the salary is based on the minimum wage.”
The minimum wage from twenty years ago…
“You’ll get 90 percent of it for the first three months as a probation period.”
Even a probation period…
“Regarding vacations… since we’re a business with fewer than five employees, do you understand what that means?”
Fewer than five employees…
“Just know that it’s something like that.”
“……”
“But you get all the public holidays off. Oh, but sometimes the kids might ask for your help with training on holidays. You can take a break if you want. But if you have nothing else to do, you might as well come and watch.”
…He’s basically telling me to come, isn’t he?
Isn’t this just a scam contract?