I Will Save the World and Retire Chapter 304

Young Girl (2)

April 5th is a significant day in many ways.

2021.

On April 5th, a dungeon break will occur in Myeongdong.

This is a disaster that happened in the middle of Seoul. Dungeon Breaks can happen at any time, but unfortunately, the Myeongdong Dungeon incident that day was caused by a combination of factors. The dungeon, which was originally an S-class dungeon, was not properly prepared because the guild in charge lied about its rank.

Because it was in the center of Seoul, the damage was extensive. But at the same time, because it was in the center of Seoul, the response was relatively quick.

Among the citizens who were unable to escape were students from the model high school. The children were trapped in the guild office in question, along with dozens of other civilians, near the dungeon gate.

According to survivors’ accounts, they initially planned to hide in the office until rescue arrived. However, hungry monsters began to gather near the building where the office was located.

I made a crude barricade with a desk and chair at the entrance to the building. But how long would that last against a monster? I had no choice but to make a decision when I saw the monsters rushing at the entrance to the building I had blocked. Even if I just sat there and resisted, I would still die.

Those kids did their best. They did everything they could.

But the best doesn’t always produce the best results.

There are five survivors: two students from the pilot high school and three civilians.

That’s what happened on April 5, 2021, as far as I know.

And then there’s another April 5, 2021.

On April 5th, a man who had never wanted to go back in time and accidentally ended up twenty years in the past, woke up in an old building in Myeongdong isolated by monsters right after the dungeon break.

The man uses runes that the children have neither seen nor heard of to deceive the monsters’ vision and help the people escape.

No proper hunter would ever follow the words of a suspicious man with an unknown identity and a single sword.

But the children wearing the model high school uniforms had no experience. They had done well enough to hold out with dozens of civilians without panicking.

I guess you know. I can’t hold out any longer.

It was a gamble from the kids’ perspective, too. And fortunately for the kids, the man was not the type to play with people’s lives.

Of course, the man’s name is Woo Hee-jae.

It’s me.

Was that an explanation that sounded like self-plagiarism? But what can I do, it’s true.

Many experts have already verified that there is no way for those children to survive there. Unless someone like me suddenly appears from the future, it is impossible.

Well… If Yujin and her older sister had returned to the past as originally planned, would they have fallen in the middle of Myeongdong then too? It’s unknown.

Whatever my sister planned with my father, I ended up coming to my senses in the middle of Myeongdong, among the tense and suspicious people.

Woo Hee-jae.

It would have been easy for me to run away. The option of pretending not to know also came to mind at that moment.

But why did I decide to save dozens of people who looked at me with suspicion?

Do you know your father who regretted it for a long time because of that?

Do you know those who barely survived that day and carried that guilt for the rest of their lives?

It couldn’t be said for sure that there was no influence.

But more than anything, I learned that if there’s a life right in front of you that you can save, you should save it.

Even though he was a human who died twenty years ago.

Of course, there were some accidents along the way, but I don’t know. No, I helped people get out as quickly and safely as possible. In reality, if anyone got hurt, it was just a scrape on their knee from falling.

…anyway, instead of April 5, 2021, when dozens of people were brutally murdered, there is now a new April 5, 2021.

People survived, and the students of the model high school returned safely to their friends and families. Instead of the abuse and resentment they would have received, the model high school received a dubious sense of recognition.

‘Oh, there was something like that?’

‘But I guess it makes sense?’

Even if it is doubtful, recognition is recognition. The fact that the model high school was recognized as a regular school earlier also had an effect.

As the approval for Yangseong High School became much faster, many other things changed as well. The Siren Dungeon, where Kim Chae-min was originally supposed to die while cleaning up, was also closed early by her father.

The wrinkles and gray hair of his father contributed to the strife surrounding the management office. Hong Seok-young didn’t even seem to have any intention of creating the management office. Considering that the management office was started for the purpose of protecting hunters… it’s not strange that the management office isn’t on Hong Seok-young’s priority list right now.

In addition, there are also Im Ji-seon, who had rumors that the world would end tomorrow if the chairman laughed, and Nuna, who only went around dungeons with a serious expression on her face, Oh Hyun-wook and Park Seo-hyun. Sun-sun-jin, who left behind only a will… .

Everything has changed.

It was all because of my whim that I couldn’t leave even though I knew I would die.

“…Who told you to do this?”

“Why are you looking at me? It was Sunsunjin who asked me to do this.”

“You were the one who said we should ask the teachers too.”

“Was it? I don’t remember very well.”

“That’s what happened.”

“I don’t remember.”

A grumbling voice is heard.

When I looked in the direction where the sound was coming from, I saw Seungyeon Lee and Hanseong Seo brazenly digging the ground with hoes as if nothing had happened. When their eyes met, they even smiled gently and waved their hands.

And this is the result of that whim-induced change.

Under the warm spring sunshine and gentle spring breeze, students in gym uniforms are digging the ground, each with a hat or hood wrapped around their head, and planting saplings that may or may not be grass or trees…

It’s a peaceful sight. It’s like a scene from a youth movie. Spring is full of life, and energetic boys and girls.

Instead of waving at Seungyeon Lee, I lifted my glass. Lemonade filled with ice has a refreshing effect just by looking at it.

The parasol decoration and straw that I asked Hunter, who was guarding the cafeteria instead of Jiyu-geon, to put in are shaking.

The corners of Lee Seung-yeon and Seo Han-seong’s mouths tremble. It was worth bringing a drink that didn’t even suit my taste just to see that.

“Teacher Woo, aren’t you bored? Do you want to join us?”

Lee Seung-yeon asked with a loud voice on purpose. Kim Chae-min raised his head at the sound and looked in this direction.

Cute guy. It’s still too early to trip me up.

“No. I have a lot to do.”

I waved the report with my other hand.

“Hey! Seungyeon Lee, aren’t you doing it right?!”

And then, as Sunsunjin’s voice burst out, Seungyeon Lee shrugged her shoulders. The attempt to draw me in ended as soon as it began.

“Teacher Chaemin! What should we do next?”

“Okay, like this… Be careful not to damage the roots. Right now, I can take care of them with magic, but not all plants are like that, right?”

It must have been a landscape that my father wanted to protect at all costs, and it must have been people that my older sister wanted to get back at all costs.

I took a sip of lemonade. The cold, sour taste woke me up.

This is the future I got by changing the past.

It is the life that was saved at the cost of my family.

“Just this once, it’s special! I’m doing it for you, so watch it carefully. Where else can you go that you can never see?”

Kim Chae-min said, spreading out her arms as the children planted the seedlings. I had seen it a few times, and Park Seo-hyun and Choi Jin-woo had seen it often in class, so they didn’t feel much emotion, but the other children were different.

Yes, it is a magic that you can never see anywhere. The great wizard is just using magic to decorate a flower bed.

“wow.”

“Wow… .”

More than anything, a warm spring-like magic blows gently. Without knowing how much magic and how complex the formulas are that go into that one magic, all I can hear is pure admiration.

That must be what Kim Chae-min wanted. I put down the report I was holding for a moment and looked at the seedlings sprouting in the flower bed. Young leaves were sprouting and growing quickly.

The flower bed was soon filled with spring flowers.

These are the people my father wanted to save, and the family my older sister wanted to have.

I smiled faintly.

Just as Woo I-rok doesn’t become Woo Hee-jae, the people in front of me won’t become people I know.

Now, that’s satisfying. It means that those kids won’t have to experience death and loss like those kids. As long as they’re human, and as long as they decide to walk the path of a hunter, they’ll eventually learn, but it won’t be at such a young age and with such a hard price.

“ah!”

The wind that happened to blow just then caused the hat that Soonsunjin was wearing to fly all the way to my feet.

I picked up the hat and gave it to Soonsunjin. Soonsunjin smiled brightly with her dusty face and adjusted her hat.

Only after the child had gone back to his friends did I look at the report I had briefly left on the table, thinking, “Oh no.”

… You didn’t see it, did you? Because it’s written in English?

[Busan Port Investigation – Smuggling and stowaways using containers…]

American guys stuff way too much information into their report titles.

I sighed and turned over the report.

Yeah, it’s my fault for watching this kind of stuff in front of the kids. But I also wanted to work in a sunny place. It’s not even fun, so I’m just going to feel bad if I stay inside and read it.

Well, what would Sunsunjin think if she saw this?

At best, it only lends credence to the hypothesis that this school is the headquarters of something.

* * *

“Isn’t this school suspicious?”

“…now?”

As expected, Sun-sun-jin cautiously raised a question. Seo Han-seong, who was watering the flower bed with Sun-sun-jin, answered in a trembling voice.

It’s my turn to water the flower bed. I thought I was really good at making up things that didn’t exist. Now that I think about it, it’s also a place where we have some kind of secret conversations.

… I want you to remember that this flower bed is in front of the counseling room window.

“No, I’ve been suspicious of it since before!”

Sunsunjin raised her voice at Seohanseong’s words.

“But it’s still strange! Everyone working at the restaurant and even the health teacher are all hunters!”

“You said you’re going to join the army later? It’s good to get to know each other in advance.”

“That’s not what I meant!!”

Sunsunjin is frustrated. Seohanseong ignores her and is busy watering the flower bed with a watering can.

Well, even if the flowers wither if you give them roughly, Kim Chae-min will somehow take care of it, so it’s not that difficult. But since she didn’t even notice that I was here, well… Was she lacking in training?

“In the first place, it’s strange that there’s a great wizard like Teacher Chaemin. And when are you going to clean up that monster’s corpse?”

“Wouldn’t the teachers take care of it?”

“Isn’t it strange that what was in Boston suddenly disappeared?!”

“I’m sure the teacher will take care of it.”

“… … .”

Even though I couldn’t see it because it was blocked by the curtains, I could tell roughly what kind of expression Soonsunjin was making.

Fantasy, contemporary,