Retire 260
by Cristae260 Countermeasure Meeting (2)
“But! Don’t worry!!! I, Han Taekyung, am always prepared! The man who never dies! No matter what happens, I’ll return with all my limbs intact!!”
…Well, what on earth….
Han Taekyung, even going so far as to salute, was spouting utter nonsense, no matter how you looked at it.
I glanced at Hong Seokyoung. Hong Seokyoung shook his head vigorously. I had no idea what that was supposed to mean. Was he saying it wasn’t his fault? That he didn’t know Han Taekyung was the kind of guy to say such things?
Every time, Han Taekyung only managed to surprise me more. The only thing that saddened me was that I had to feel that same surprise from Han Taekyung, who was twenty years younger.
“No, that’s enough.”
“If someone overheard, they’d think we’re some evil guild sending young Hunters to their deaths.”
It wasn’t just me—Hong Seokyoung added hastily, flustered.
Han Taekyung beamed. Somehow, I could already guess what he would say. He’d probably mention he wasn’t even part of Hong Seokyoung’s guild….
“I’m not affiliated with any guild right now, so it’s fine!”
“That’s not what I meant!”
While Hong Seokyoung, rubbing his forehead, dealt with Han Taekyung, I mulled over Han Taekyung’s words again.
Did he hit his head when I put him through the wringer in the dungeon? No, that wasn’t it….
But as I said before, if Han Taekyung truly had no thoughts in his head, he wouldn’t have survived. His skills, at least, were the real deal.
…Is he really that confident?
“Mr. Han.”
Han Taekyung, who had been bickering with Hong Seokyoung, stopped talking and looked at me. It was hard to read his expression behind those sunglasses. The corners of his mouth, visible beneath the lenses, were curled up in his usual faint smile.
That lighthearted attitude made it even harder to trust Han Taekyung’s words. No matter how much he insisted he’d thought everything through, it was pointless… He always seemed to forget half of what he said before he even started.
“That’s enough. Let’s say you go into the dungeon.”
“Yes.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Sorry?”
“You go in… What, are you going to explore the dungeon? Look for the fairy?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what?”
“If I go in and something attacks me, the gate’s right behind me, so I can just run out.”
“Ah, right….”
Isn’t that just saying you have no plan?
“If nothing attacks you…?”
Han Taekyung shrugged and pushed up his sunglasses. For a moment, I thought I saw the lenses flash… Was I imagining things?
“Well, maybe I’ll try talking to it?”
Han Taekyung burst out laughing.
“Kidding. Even I wouldn’t do something that stupid.”
Did he really hit his head?
I was suspicious.
“I’ll just check around the gate, confirm there’s no hostile intent, and come right back out.”
Only after Han Taekyung, who had been clutching his stomach in laughter, stopped laughing did he finally say something that made sense. It wasn’t strange, but on the other hand, it was almost too simple….
Ah, damn. I know I’m being difficult, but that’s only because Han Taekyung started off talking nonsense! He’s dragging me into it, too.
“Well then….”
I pulled myself together and tried to think straight.
“So….”
Han Taekyung looked at me. So did Hong Seokyoung.
People with the same name in the director’s office used to look at me like this, too.
…Though they never listened so seriously to my opinions. This is why you shouldn’t work in the same place as your family.
“Well then….”
I shook my head to clear away the idle thoughts.
I spoke firmly.
“Let’s call Mr. Kim.”
“Pardon?”
“Hm?”
“What’s the point of having a great mage if we’re not going to use him?”
If a bunch of clueless Hunters can’t come to a conclusion, shouldn’t we rely on the wisdom of the wise Archmage?
“…What? Right now? Do you know what time it is?”
“…….”
“Ah, yes. You do know…. And you’re still saying that?”
“…….”
“…Right. I’ve never seen a dungeon care about the time either, but still, this is basic decency. No, not even decency—common courtesy.”
“…….”
“Who would answer the phone at one in the morning and rush down to Jirisan just because you told them to? …Some poor office worker? I’m not an office worker, you know!”
“…….”
“…I appreciate that you trust me so much, but people still need to sleep!!! Sure, I’m not asleep right now, but still! I was about to go to bed! Even an Archmage needs sleep! Even if I can go a few days without, I still need it! And do you even know what time I’d get there if I left now?!”
“…….”
“You know, and you’re still saying this? Fine, fine. Got it. This better be important. If it’s something you could’ve handled over the phone, I’m going to be mad.”
“…….”
“…Why are you talking so seriously? You’re starting to scare me. Did someone get hurt? No? Then what is it?”
“…….”
“Alright, alright! I’ll head down now!! Seriously. There’s nowhere else in the world that would work the great Kim Chaemin this hard. …Fine, I’m coming!!”
And so, Kim Chaemin arrived.
With a thoroughly disgruntled face.
Unlike in summer, she wore a dark dress and coat, which looked completely out of place against the rugged slopes of Jirisan. If a passing hiker saw her, they’d probably think they were seeing things and head straight down the mountain.
I checked the time.
She really must have left the moment she got my call. I never doubted Kim Chaemin would do as she said, but I was still a little moved. It had been a long time since I’d met someone who followed my words so readily. Of course, this wasn’t just some office prank or test—I really did need her urgently.
I’d considered handling things over the phone… but since there was a chance we’d enter the dungeon together, I just called her here.
“So, now that you’ve dragged me all the way out here….”
Kim Chaemin trailed off mid-sentence.
“What’s with your appearance?”
“Sorry?”
“Why… are you like that?”
Kim Chaemin looked me and Hong Seokyoung up and down. Only then, as I sat in a camping chair waiting for her, did I realize what a state we were in.
Mud was everywhere, even without the troublesome wave. We’d rushed out of the dungeon, not caring about avoiding the mud. Naturally, we’d been covered in it… I’d wiped off as best I could with a towel, but it was far from perfect. Dried mud clung thickly to my hair and clothes.
We’d discussed going down the mountain to find a place to stay, but the issue of the illegal awakened criminal group I’d mentioned to Han Taekyung held us back.
‘What if someone goes in while we’re gone?!’
Since we’d actually found traces, we obediently guarded the gate until Kim Chaemin arrived….
“I can understand you, Mr. Woo, but… even Mr. Hong?”
“Why only me?”
“What happened?”
I started to say more, but gave up and briefly explained to Kim Chaemin what had happened inside the dungeon.
She was quick-witted and sharp, so even from a few words, she grasped the situation.
“Heh, a fairy… So they show up in Korea, too?”
“Have you ever caught one?”
“Once, in England.”
…Considering Kim Chaemin’s reputation, it wasn’t surprising.
Still, to think even Han Taekyung had caught a fairy. That made them seem almost trivial. Not that I was trying to boast, but… it felt a little odd.
Han Taekyung hadn’t yet reached the level I knew him for. Objectively, Kim Chaemin and Hong Seokyoung had probably been requested by the European government, while Han Taekyung must have encountered one by chance.
If my father hadn’t stopped me, I might have caught one or two myself.
I thought back to the fairy I’d seen before leaving the dungeon. Its shape was close to human, but no one would mistake it for anything but a monster. Covered in mud, bristling with thorns—there was no way it was human.
“A fairy… A fairy. Mud? You mean earth?”
“I didn’t sense any mana from it.”
“But it still came out of a dungeon! And a fairy, at that? Of course you had to call me for something like this!”
The annoyance vanished from Kim Chaemin’s face as soon as the story ended. Her bored expression was long gone.
“So what do you want me to do? Go into the dungeon with Mr. Han?”
“Should I go in with Ms. Kim?! I’m always ready!”
“Great! Let’s go!”
These people, honestly….
A little later, Kim Chaemin, finally calmed down, returned with a sullen face. As if displeased, a few rose petals dropped from her fidgeting fingers.
“Don’t just rush in like that….”
“But all we’re going to do is take a look around and come right back out, right?”
“Still….”
“And… hmm. I think this dungeon suits me pretty well.”
Kim Chaemin grinned.
“Maybe subduing the fairy will be easy?”
“…When you say it so confidently, it only makes me nervous.”
“We’ll just go in together, Mr. Han and I, and come right back out. Actually, do you want to come with us?”
Kim Chaemin’s voice grew louder as she got more excited.
“Yeah, that’s better. If I’m right, I can take it down. If we go in half-heartedly and come out, we’ll just give it time to prepare, so we can’t do that.”
“What if you fail, Ms. Kim?”
“Then the principal can kill it!”
Kim Chaemin answered as if wondering why I’d even ask.
Hmm.
Hmmmm.
Well, that’s true. I nodded.
“What if it attacks right away?”
“What do you take an Archmage for?”
“It’s just that you haven’t seen it with your own eyes, Ms. Kim….”
“If things go south, we can just run out through the gate! Hunters often forget, but inside a dungeon, it’s not the monsters who have the advantage—it’s us.”
Kim Chaemin winked as she smiled.
“We can escape. No matter how much they struggle, they’re trapped in a dungeon they can’t leave.”
“…….”
“The dungeon isn’t their domain.”
You could tell she was a mage by the way she talked about domains. But I had a rough idea of what Kim Chaemin was getting at.
“We’re the ones keeping them trapped. All we have to do is poke at the gaps. Especially in a wide-open dungeon like this, it’s even easier.”
I nodded.
Right. Dungeon raids are a war of attrition. The reason I taught the kids that survival was the most important thing—if you’re alive, you have another chance.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
“…….”
Startled by the loud applause, I looked at Han Taekyung.
Han Taekyung was clapping noisily, then pretended to wipe the inside of his sunglasses with his fingers.
“…Sniff.”
…Was he actually crying, not just pretending?
“Ms. Kim is absolutely right. As expected of an Archmage—such broad perspective.”
“Uh… thanks?”
“Exactly! That’s it. If things go wrong, we just run. As long as we watch out for any attack the fairy might have prepared right outside the gate, we’ll be fine. After that, we can capture the fairy and clear the dungeon. Even if we fail, we can just back out through the gate, right?”
I had no idea what in Kim Chaemin’s words had moved him so much, but Han Taekyung was clearly touched.
I thought I’d gotten used to Han Taekyung’s antics, but there were still things that threw me. Kim Chaemin, looking fed up, edged away from him.
If only he’d tone down those exaggerated gestures, he might be easier to deal with.
“Then there’s no reason to waste time! Let’s go in!”
“Mr. Han.”
I stopped Han Taekyung.
“You don’t need to go in.”
“……Pardon?”
Han Taekyung looked at me, puzzled.
I smiled faintly and said,
“If you go in with Ms. Kim, there’s no need to observe the creature’s movements. Instead, I’d like you to stay here and keep watch for any other suspicious people, just like before.”