Countermeasure meeting (2)
“But! Don’t worry!!! This Han Tae-kyung, a man who is always prepared! A man who will never die! No matter what happens, he will return with all his limbs intact!!”
What, this… .
Han Tae-kyung saluted and started talking nonsense that no matter how you looked at it, he was not in his right mind.
I looked at Hong Seok-young. Hong Seok-young shook his head violently. I don’t know what that means. Is it not my fault? Didn’t I know that Han Tae-kyung was the kind of guy who would say things like that?
Every time, Han Tae-kyung was more and more surprising. It was just a shame that I had to feel that surprise from Han Tae-kyung, who was twenty years younger than me.
“No, that’s fine.”
“If anyone heard, they would think we were a vicious guild that sent young hunters to exile.”
Me too, but Hong Seok-young also added in a flustered manner.
Han Tae-kyung smiled brightly. I somehow guessed what he was going to say. Maybe he wasn’t part of Hong Seok-young’s guild…
“I’m not in any guild right now, so it’s okay!”
“That’s not what I meant!”
While Hong Seok-young was dealing with Han Tae-kyung, holding his head, I thought back to Han Tae-kyung’s words.
Did I hit my head when I rolled in the dungeon? No… .
But as I said before, if Han Tae-kyung really didn’t have any thoughts, he wouldn’t have survived. Because Han Tae-kyung’s skills were real.
…are you really confident?
“Teacher Han.”
Han Tae-kyung, who was arguing with Hong Seok-young, stopped talking and looked at me. It was hard to read his expression because of his sunglasses. The corners of his mouth, visible under his sunglasses, were slightly raised as usual.
Such a seemingly frivolous attitude made Han Tae-kyung’s words even less trustworthy. No matter how much he said that he thought and spoke, what was the point? He started by forgetting everything from the words.
“That’s all. Let’s say you’ve entered the dungeon.”
“yes.”
“What are you going to do?”
“yes?”
“Going in… what? To explore the dungeon? To find a fairy?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“sure?”
“If you go in and attack the temple, there’s a gate behind you, so you can just run away.”
“Ah yes….”
Doesn’t that mean there’s no solution?
“If you don’t attack me….”
Han Tae-kyung shrugged and pushed up his sunglasses. The sunglasses seemed to sparkle for a moment… Was it an illusion?
“Well, shall we try to have a conversation?”
Han Tae-kyung burst into loud laughter.
“I’m joking. Even I wouldn’t do something like that.”
Did you really hurt your head?
It’s suspicious.
“I’ll just look around the gate and come out once I confirm that there’s no intention of attacking.”
Han Tae-kyung, who had been holding his stomach and laughing for a long time, finally stopped laughing and said something normal. It wasn’t something strange, but on the other hand, it was too simple… .
Oh, shit. I know I’m being picky, but it’s because Han Tae-kyung spoke strangely from the beginning! I’m getting involved too.
“then….”
I came to my senses and thought straight.
“then….”
Han Tae-kyung looks at me. Hong Seok-young looks at me too.
People with the same name in the headquarters office also used to look at me like this.
…although they never really listened to my opinions as seriously as they do now. This is why you shouldn’t have a workplace where you are like your family.
“then….”
I shook my head to clear my mind of distracting thoughts.
I said firmly.
“Let’s call Mr. Kim.”
“yes?”
“hmm?”
“What good is keeping an existing archmage?”
If we can’t come to a conclusion with the ignorant hunters, shouldn’t we rely on the wisdom of the wise archmage?
* * *
“… Yes? Right now? Do you know what time it is?”
“… … .”
“Oh, yes. I know… But you still say that?”
“… … .”
“… … Right. I’ve never seen a dungeon keep track of time, but still, this is human courtesy. No, more than courtesy, it’s morality.”
“… … .”
“If someone called me at 1 a.m. and told me to come down to Jirisan, would I just say, ‘Okay!’ and go? … Poor office workers? I’m not an office worker!”
“… … .”
“… I appreciate you trusting me, but people still need to sleep!!! Of course I’m not sleeping right now! But still! I’m going to sleep now! Even a great wizard needs sleep! Even if you’re fine without sleeping for a few days! No, do you know what time we’ll get there if we leave now?”
“… … .”
“You say that even though you know? Yes, yes. I know. Just pretend it’s nothing serious. If it were something that could be resolved over the phone, I would be angry.”
“… … .”
“…Why are you talking so seriously? I’m a little scared. Did someone get hurt? No, not that. Then why are you talking like that?”
“… … .”
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“Okay, okay! You can just go down now!! Oh, really. This is probably the only place where you can treat the world’s best Kim Chae-min like this. … I got it!!”
* * *
That’s how Kim Chae-min came.
With a very sullen face.
Even though it was winter, unlike in summer, she was wearing a dark-colored one-piece dress and coat, which did not match the landscape of Jirisan. If a hiker passing by saw her, I thought she would think she was seeing something and just come down the mountain.
I checked the time.
He really left right after receiving the call. I didn’t think Kim Chae-min would say anything, but I was a little touched. It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone who follows my words so obediently. Of course, this wasn’t a test or something like harassing a coworker, but it was really urgent.
I considered calling her… but I just called her because I might go into the dungeon with Kim Chae-min.
“So if you call people like this… .”
Kim Chae-min stopped talking.
“Why do you look like that?”
“yes?”
“Why… are you doing that?”
Kim Chae-min looked me and Hong Seok-young up and down. I was waiting for Kim Chae-min after setting up a camping chair, and only then did I look back at what we looked like.
Mud was everywhere, even if it wasn’t a problem wave. I didn’t think about avoiding the mud because I was in a hurry to get out of the dungeon. Of course, I got covered in mud… I wiped it off roughly with a towel, but it wasn’t perfect. My hair and clothes were covered in dried mud.
We talked about going down the mountain and finding a place to stay, but the story about the illegal awakening criminal group that I had told Han Tae-kyung held me back.
‘What if someone gets in between?’
Since we had actually found traces, we quietly guarded the gate until Kim Chae-min arrived… .
“Even if that’s true, Professor Woo… what about Professor Hong?”
“Why do I say that?”
“What happened?”
I gave up on saying more and briefly explained to Kim Chae-min what had happened in the dungeon.
Because he was such a quick-witted and smart person, Kim Chae-min was able to figure out the situation just from a few words in that short story.
“Hey, fairies… They come out in Korea too?”
“Have you ever caught one?”
“Once in England.”
… It’s not strange, considering Kim Chae-min’s reputation.
But even Han Tae-kyung caught a fairy. Thinking about it that way, somehow he seems like a nobody. I’m not trying to be conceited, but it’s a bit… right?
Han Tae-kyung has yet to reach the level of skill that I know of. Well, if I think about it objectively, Kim Chae-min and Hong Seok-young are more likely to have received requests from European governments, while Han Tae-kyung may have met them by chance.
I might have caught one or two of them if my father hadn’t stopped me.
I thought about the fairy I saw before leaving the dungeon. It had a body shape similar to a human, but no one would say it wasn’t a monster after seeing it. It was covered in mud and had thorns. It couldn’t be human.
“Fairy… Fairy. Mud? You mean dirt?”
“I didn’t feel any magic.”
“But you came out of a dungeon! And a fairy on top of that? Ah, in this case, of course you should call me!”
Kim Chae-min, who had been looking indifferent, quickly changed as soon as the story ended. The look of annoyance had long since disappeared.
“So what should I do? Go into the dungeon with a teacher?”
“Can I go in with Mr. Kim?! I’m always ready!”
“Great! Let’s go in!”
These people are really….
A little later, Kim Chae-min, who had finally calmed down, returned with a grumpy face. A few rose petals fell from her hands as she waved them as if she was not satisfied.
“Don’t just go in like that… .”
“No, even if I go in, I’ll just look around the dungeon and come out, right?”
“still….”
“And… um. I think I’ll be a good match for this dungeon.”
Kim Chae-min smiled bashfully.
“Maybe it would be easier to subdue fairies?”
“… If you say so, I feel uneasy.”
“I’ll go in with one teacher and then come out right away. No, do you want to go in together?”
Kim Chae-min’s voice began to get louder as she spoke, perhaps because she was excited.
“Yes, that would be better. If I’m right, I can subdue him. Rather, if I go in clumsily and then come out, it would give me time to prepare, so that’s no good.”
“What if Mr. Kim fails?”
“The principal can just kill him!”
Kim Chae-min answered with a look on her face as if asking why.
hmm.
Hmm.
That’s true. I nodded.
“What if he attacks right away?”
“What do you think of the Archmage?”
“Because it’s not something that Professor Kim has personally seen and confirmed with his own eyes… .”
“Because if you have to, you can just come out through the gate! Hunters often make the mistake of thinking that the ones who have the advantage in the dungeon are not the monsters, but us.”
Kim Chae-min winked and smiled.
“We can run away. Those guys are trapped in a dungeon that they can’t get out of no matter how hard they try.”
“… … .”
“The dungeon is not their territory.”
It’s a metaphor that’s used in a way that makes you wonder if anyone is a magician. But I got a rough idea of what Kim Chae-min was trying to say.
“We’re the ones who are keeping them locked up. All we have to do is gently poke at their gaps. It’s especially easy in open terrain like this dungeon.”
I nodded.
Yes. Dungeon raiding is a long-term battle. Why do you teach kids that all you have to do is stay alive? If you stay alive, there’s the next thing.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
“… … .”
I was startled by the loud applause and looked at Han Tae-kyung.
Han Tae-kyung clapped his hands loudly and then pretended to wipe the inside of his sunglasses with his fingers again.
“… Black.”
… … Did you really cry and not just pretend to cry?
“What Mr. Kim said is correct. As expected of a great wizard, his vision is broad.”
“Uh… thank you?”
“Yes, that’s right. We can run away if necessary. As soon as we exit the gate, we just need to watch out for any attacks the fairies might have prepared. After that, we can just catch the fairies and raid the dungeon. Even if we fail, if we retreat, we can still get out of the gate right away, right?”
I don’t know where in Kim Chae-min’s words there is such a touching part, but Han Tae-kyung said it with great emotion.
I thought I was used to Han Tae-kyung’s behavior, but there was still something unfamiliar. Kim Chae-min moved away from Han Tae-kyung with a tired expression.
If you could just cut down on those exaggerated gestures, things might get better.
“Then why waste time! Let’s go in!”
“Teacher Han.”
I caught Han Tae-kyung.
“Teacher Han doesn’t have to come in.”
“……yes?”
Han Tae-kyung looked back at me as if he didn’t understand.
I said with a grin.
“If we go in with Mr. Kim, there’s no need to keep an eye on him, right? Mr. Han, I’d like you to keep an eye out for any other suspicious people here, just like before.”
Fantasy, contemporary,
