I'll Retire After Saving the World-Chapter 131: In the Darkness (3)

TL: SHW

“It’s the perfect time for a nap, sunbae-nim!”

Han Tae-kyung chattered in a carefree voice without a worry in the world. If his face had been visible, I wouldn’t have been able to resist throwing either a fist or a kick. No, even if his face wasn’t visible, just the sound of his voice was enough to guess the direction.

Hong Seok-young had given permission. At least a fist would be better than a sword.

“Teacher Han. How….”

But I am a civilized person. Civilized enough to generously forgive Han Tae-kyung, who is close to a barbarian.

“Hyung?!”

“Kid, you’re going to fall! I told you to hold on tight!”

"But earlier you told me to relax my legs?!"

“That was because I was having trouble breathing! I didn’t mean for you to actually fall!”

“Shut up! Pick one!!”

“Don’t tense your legs on purpose, you cheeky little brat!”

Mini-me’s voice came from the direction Han Tae-kyung was in.

There aren’t many people who can fluster me like this.

“I-rok?”

“You call yourself a Hunter and yet you’re acting weak…. Hyung!!”

Mini-me, contrary to the concern, was full of energy.

“Why are you with Teacher Han?”

I called Mini-me in a somewhat dazed state.

No, come to think of it, it’s better than being alone. It’s a relief. A relief… Is it really a relief? I guess it must be?

But why of all people is he with Han Tae-kyung?

From what I heard, it sounds like he’s riding on his shoulder.

…When did they get that close?

I should’ve realized when he kept staring at cats on his tablet!

This is all because everyone’s gathered here like we’re on some sort of retreat. Mini-me really made a proper point.

Home.

Let’s find a home and move out as soon as possible. I need to nag Hong Seok-young to take care of guild welfare. A man with that much money can at least do that much for a disciple from the future.

Anyone else might be tolerable, but at the very least, Han Tae-kyung needs to be kept far away from Mini-me. He’s bad for the kid’s upbringing.

“This cheeky little brat. Sunbae-nim? Want to take him?”

“…….”

“You can’t see, right. Then should I put him on you?”

I wish he wouldn’t talk about someone else’s younger brother like he’s a sack of luggage.

“Ah, kid. If you fall, it’s hard to find you again! So stay still. Sunbae-nim?”

“Put me down!”

“Do as Teacher Han says and stay still, I-rok.”

“Ugh….”

I can easily picture Mini-me’s face twisting in displeasure. That probably means I’ve gotten that used to his presence.

Likewise, I frowned too. Judging from Han Tae-kyung’s words, the space really was twisted. It’s fine if the space is connected, but if it’s separated, we can’t be sure we’re in the same space.

But how did Han Tae-kyung find me? How is he even seeing me?

“Teacher Han. Are you actually seeing me right now?”

“Yes!”

Han Tae-kyung answered brightly. I stayed quiet, thinking an explanation might follow, but Han Tae-kyung shut his mouth. Isn’t he just answering the bare minimum of what’s asked?

Since there were no sounds, Han Tae-kyung and Mini-me’s sudden appearance felt like a hallucination.

“O-oppa?”

Han Eun-young called out to her brother cautiously, as if feeling anxious. I think this might be the first time she’s called her oppa so earnestly.

“Oppa? Are you there?”

“Yeah! Ah, it’s twisting again. Eun-young, give me your hand. No, I’ll grab it. I’m grabbing it, okay?

Since I’m your oppa, don’t be surprised. Now, like this. Hold onto oppa’s clothes. Keep holding onto teacher’s clothes too… Be careful not to let go. Got it?"

Surprisingly, Han Tae-kyung spoke rather maturely.

Even Han Tae-kyung doesn’t always act like a constantly playful lunatic. When raiding a dungeon, he acted as the team leader or raid party leader in his own way. If he hadn’t done even that, Team 1 would’ve long since collapsed.

But in all the years I’ve seen Han Tae-kyung, I’ve never heard that kind of voice from him. Low, soft, gentle.

Like giving a candy while soothing a crying child.

It was the complete opposite of how he teased Han Eun-young right after seeing her, asking if she cried.

“Oh man, your already ugly face got even uglier.”

“…It didn’t!”

“You’ve got a Hunter License, so what are you scared of something like this for? You see worse things when you enter a dungeon, you know?”

Still, that voice didn’t last long. As I heard Han Tae-kyung start teasing Han Eun-young again, I was reminded anew that the two of them were siblings.

Even to my eyes, as someone completely unrelated, an eighteen-year-old looks young. Especially when wearing a school uniform, they look even younger. How would she look in the eyes of an older brother ten years her senior?

So Han Tae-kyung does worry about his little sister. Just realizing that the guy is capable of feeling human emotions was a decent takeaway in itself.

Han Eun-young had completely calmed down, and Han Tae-kyung also returned to his usual loud and sly voice. Only then did I let out a light cough.

“Right now, I can’t see anything because it’s so dark. I’d appreciate it if Teacher Han could keep an eye on I-rok for a moment. Since I can’t see either, if we stay together and something happens, it could be dangerous.”

“Sure!”

“But how are you able to see, Teacher Han?”

“With my two eyes. Sunbae-nim has them too, and they're attached to my head as well..."

“…….”

“…Oppa. Was that supposed to be a joke?”

“No, it’s the truth!”

I’ll let it slide since the cause of the current situation isn’t an external attack but a mana outburst from a novice mage.

“Hey, kid! Don’t pull my hair out!”

Only after a brief commotion did Han Tae-kyung answer.

“So, I, uh, what was it. Ah, I normally don’t share this kind of trade secret but…”

Correction.

Only after stalling and whining for a bit did he finally answer.

“Sunbae-nim. Hunters, by nature, are-”

“Can’t you just say it quickly?”

“This way the suspense builds!”

Han Tae-kyung imitated drum sounds with his mouth and continued speaking.

“It’s thanks to my sunglasses.”

“Sunglasses?”

It was a kind of trademark. Sunglasses that never left his face under any circumstances were even treated like an urban legend within the Agency.

Rumors went that if he ever took them off, he’d have four eyes, or no eyeballs at all.

To this day, I still don’t understand why such rumors circulated.

“I’m only showing you because you’re sunbae-nim.”

In the pitch-black darkness, something faintly twinkled like starlight.

To eyes now completely adapted to the dark, even that small light felt as intense as the sun. The flickering light slowly became steady. The lenses of the sunglasses were covered in a fine pattern of light. It wasn’t a powerful light, but in this darkness, it was enough. Thanks to it, I could vaguely see the surroundings.

Han Eun-young, who had used both hands to hold on to me and Han Tae-kyung, couldn’t cover her dazzled eyes and shut them tightly instead. Han Tae-kyung, with one of his arms held by Han Eun-young, was adjusting the frame of his sunglasses with his other hand. The lenses now gleamed so brightly, they looked almost golden.

“…Dungeon item?”

“What’s a dungeon item, hyung?”

Mini-me, who had been busy yanking at Han Tae-kyung’s hair, asked.

“Items found inside dungeons… objects that use mana to produce special effects.”

I answered reflexively to Mini-me and then looked back at Han Tae-kyung’s sunglasses.

If that’s an item, it makes sense why Han Tae-kyung was practically risking his life to wear them.

“What kind of effects does it have?”

“It improves vision.” ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

Han Tae-kyung removed his hand from the sunglasses. Like a dying lightbulb, they flickered and then went completely dark with a pop.

“It lets me see things I normally wouldn’t be able to. Like now.”

“…It’s not just something that helps you see better in the dark, is it?”

“Wahahaha!”

Han Tae-kyung’s laughter echoed loudly in the returning darkness.

“That would be kind of fun too though!”

He spoke in a voice still tinged with laughter.

“But unfortunately, that’s not it! If you have poor night vision, eat a lot of carrots, sunbae-nim!”

“Ah, okay….”

“There are a lot of handy features, but the one I can use right now is….”

Han Tae-kyung began walking slowly. Han Eun-young stumbled along after her oppa, and I followed behind them.

"Shall we follow the breath?"

***

“Ah….”

Kim Chae-min opened her mouth with an awkward expression, then closed it again.

“Teacher… what should we do?”

"Wait a moment. Teacher is thinking right now."

Her hands hovered aimlessly in the air. Choi Jin-woo, standing next to Kim Chae-min, looked equally flustered.

Kim Chae-min looked at Choi Jin-woo with a tearful face.

“What should we do?”

“How can you ask me that! You’re the Archmage!”

“Being an Archmage doesn’t mean I can do everything!”

“But you’re the only one we’ve got!”

“…Where’s Teacher Woo?”

Choi Jin-woo sighed and pointed with a finger.

“Probably inside there.”

“…….”

Kim Chae-min followed his finger.

In front of them was a black sphere. Calling it a sphere felt insufficient. It was twitching as if trying to hold its shape somehow, but it wouldn’t last long. The black substance sagged on the floor with a squelch, then clumped together again, repeating the cycle of dripping and gathering.

“…What about the principal?”

“You saw the garden was empty too. He’s probably in there?”

“Wouldn’t the principal do something about this?”

“If the principal thinks this is a mana outburst, then probably not.”

Kim Chae-min slumped her shoulders. There’s no way she had forgotten the words she had just said to Choi Jin-woo.

“That’s true…”

Kim Chae-min looked at the sphere with an anxious face. As if it had sensed the glare of the Archmage, the sphere completely lost its shape and spread out broadly across the floor. Still unsatisfied, it crept under the sofa.

And then it merged with the sofa’s shadow.

Kim Chae-min gave a hollow laugh in disbelief.

“What on earth is up with this kid.”

How many spells were combined in that small shadow? Shadow, space, absorption…

Park Seo-hyun was a smart child. Even in Kim Chae-min’s eyes, she was a talented mage, and perhaps due to the teachings of her grandfather, who had been an Archmage, she was well-versed in magical theory. What Park Seo-hyun lacked was an understanding of attributes and real experience. Since the shadow attribute was rare, Kim Chae-min had often dug through mage communities and foreign journals to find information for Park Seo-hyun.

She couldn’t say for sure whether the girl would become an Archmage, but it was certain she would be an excellent mage.

She’d never had a desire for disciples, but when she saw the way Park Seo-hyun or Choi Jin-woo’s eyes sparkled at every word she spoke, she could understand why others were so desperate to take on disciples.

Though her resolve to not take disciples hadn’t changed, helping these young mages grow was fun.

Over the past few days, Park Seo-hyun’s gaze had sharpened. Seeing her raise her voice over even minor jokes, Kim Chae-min thought the time was coming. Choi Jin-woo still had a way to go, but Park Seo-hyun was finally starting to show signs of becoming a true mage.

‘I was going to teach her how to declare a domain!’

Why did it turn out like this?

This place already belonged to Lee Mi-seon’s domain. Park Seo-hyun wouldn’t have sensed it differently. Still, she was a young mage, and even a simplified Domain Declaration could help calm her mana.

Yes. It did help.

Kim Chae-min pushed the sofa with a gloomy face. The shadow separated. The small domain created by Park Seo-hyun, startled, began to reassemble itself.

If it were just a mana outburst, it would’ve been so much easier to handle.

Kim Chae-min poked the shadow with her finger.

She felt the pressure pushing back on her finger. Should she tear her way in? The thought had crossed her mind, but this was a young mage’s first domain. If she forced her way in, the shock could kill the child.

When she pulled her finger out, it was covered in cuts, as if it had been slashed with a knife.

Even as blood dripped down, Kim Chae-min did not take her eyes off the shadow.

“…What am I supposed to do with this, seriously.”

***

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