After having dinner with Na-gyeong , I quickly finished washing the dishes and headed straight to my room.

I planned to look up information about the academy’s temporary teaching positions that she had mentioned earlier.

“Right, that’s one way to do it.”

What is a teacher?

A person who, with a legitimate qualification, educates students.

If I became an academy teacher, it would naturally allow me to interact with students more easily.

This meant I could get closer to Chun Seo-hee , who was attending the academy!

“A-ca…de-my…teacher….”

With my heart swelling with anticipation, I pulled out my phone and started searching for information about the academy.

“Oh, they have it?”

As the most renowned educational institution in the country, it had detailed documents akin to research papers readily available.

“Why is there a history of the academy’s elevator models…?”

It was just unnecessarily extensive and overly detailed, much more than I had expected.

“Let’s see here….”

I began by focusing on the section about teacher appointments.

To become an academy teacher, responsible for nurturing talent in magic and superpowers with a focus on explorers, there were a few requirements.

First, one needed at least 10 years of experience working in the relevant field, and additional training specific to the teaching appointment was mandatory.

Only after meeting these criteria could one qualify to apply.

“Sigh, I’m a bit short.”

Unfortunately, as a 9-year veteran artifact repair technician, I didn’t meet the basic requirements.

Swallowing my disappointment, I decided to look into other areas.

“I guess the combat training field might be better.”

The academy, known for gathering talented individuals, tended to evaluate students based on their performance rather than their potential.

This was something I knew well from what Na-gyeong  had told me.

“What did she say again? ‘Strength is power,’ right?”

In a way, prioritizing performance made sense, but at the academy, it held a slightly different meaning.

The academy’s flagship training program was centered on creating “explorers.”

Explorers were professionals who fought monsters in dungeons, often risking their lives in blood-soaked battles.

And how does one evaluate students aspiring to become explorers?

Through their strength.

In other words, achieving high grades at the academy meant that person was one of the strongest in their generation.

Considering the treatment that an S-rank explorer, someone stronger than a nuclear weapon, received in society, it was easy to understand the sentiment that strength equaled power.

Well, not that it really mattered much in a school filled with kids, anyway.

“This field also requires experience….”

While flipping through documents and searching for areas that matched my qualifications, something caught my eye.

[ -Added July 2 - ]

A newly added section from just a few days ago stood out.

[ Short-Term Contract Teachers (Planned for Implementation in the Second Half of the Year) ]

It was about the temporary teaching positions that Na-gyeong  had mentioned.

“!”

Although the information was still new and marked as uncertain, it gave me a rough idea of the direction they were heading with these positions.

In simple terms, an academy temporary teacher was essentially a semester-long guest lecturer.

Though called a temporary position, it felt more like bringing in a prominent figure from outside.

“Why would successful explorers even bother becoming teachers?”

The temporary teaching staff was planned to consist of retired explorers who had once made a name for themselves or active explorers currently at their peak.

[Rumor has it they were trying to bring in S-rank explorer Choi Yeon-jung .]

The selection process wasn’t even an open recruitment but an internal decision by the academy.

For an ordinary person like me, it was an unattainable dream from the start.

“For me, anyway.”

“…What are you trying to do?”

The next day, I hastily took the afternoon off and went to find Choi Yeon-jung .

She happened to be resting at home and frowned, looking at me with a face that said she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“I want to work at the academy.”

“……”

Choi Yeon-jung crossed her arms and stared at me with an indescribable expression.

Then, after a moment:

“It’s because of her, isn’t it?”

Her tone was probing, her narrowed eyes testing me.

“Uh… yeah, kind of?”

I tried to brush it off casually by mentioning Na-gyeong .

“You’re doing this to keep tabs on how well my daughter is doing, right….”

“Daughter? Come on, it’s because of that Chun Seo-hee  girl.”

How was she always so sharp?

“…Ahem….”

At this point, I realized there was no point in making excuses. I confessed honestly.

“…I told you I’d look out for her.”

“Oh, so now you’re planning to become her teacher and personally nurture her?”

“No, I mean, if some random middle-aged guy like me suddenly showed up saying, ‘I’m your teacher!’ it’d just be weird.”

Logically, I thought I made a valid point.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

…Or was that a point I shouldn’t have made?

“You do realize they only hire explorers for temporary teaching positions, right?”

Choi Yeon-jung’s eyes widened slightly in anger as she pressed her words, each one sharp.

Knowing how terrifying she could be when upset, I tried to lighten the mood with a sheepish smile.

“Well, it’s something that needs to be done, so I didn’t have much of a choice….”

“Oh, so you ignored me for 12 years every time I suggested working together, and now it’s something you need to do?”

“Hey, hey, calm down. You’ll wreck the house.”

“Do I look like I’m in the mood to calm down!?”

As she jumped up and shouted, the cup on the table trembled in response to the energy spilling out from her.

“Seriously, you’re going to destroy your house. Let’s just sit down and talk this through, okay?”

I quickly moved closer to her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and gently guided her back into her seat.

“I swear, I didn’t mean for it to come to this. You know how I feel.”

“And do you not know how I feel, for you to do this?”

Glaring at me, she pulled her hand away forcefully.

Still, if she were genuinely furious, she would’ve overturned the entire table by now. Judging by her reaction, she wasn’t that far gone yet.

“I know. I do. But honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way.”

Carefully gauging her mood, I tested the waters.

“If it doesn’t work out, it’s no big deal, right? Besides, this could be a chance for us to work together again.”

“…Are you serious?”

She seemed to be softening.

“Yeah! It’s not like I didn’t have the skills to do it before. I just didn’t want to.”

It wasn’t an empty promise to use our partnership as bait.

If I was going to return to active duty anyway, I might as well rake in a fortune while I was at it.

After becoming a parent, I finally understood how expensive raising a child could be.

Of course, my Na-gyeong  was a model daughter who cost far less than other kids her age.

Still, our family was far from wealthy.

I’d always wanted to give Na-gyeong a more privileged upbringing.

“Yeon-jung,” I said, locking eyes with Choi Yeon-jung  and speaking with deliberate weight.

“You know what it means when a hero appears.”

“……”

Her gaze softened slightly as she looked back at me.

Having been a hero herself, she understood better than anyone what the appearance of a hero signified.

“It means there’s a Demon King.”

Heroes exist because there is a Demon King to oppose.

A hero is humanity’s weapon against the Demon King.

In a world without the Demon King, there would be no need for heroes.

That’s why we had come back to this world.

Leaving behind ten years of memories wasn’t an easy decision.

“I just want our Na-gyeong  to live in a happy world.”

Knowing the Demon King had appeared, how could I just sit still?

Even if I hadn’t decided to train the next hero, I would have inevitably picked up the sword soon enough.

There isn’t a parent in this world who wishes unhappiness upon their child.

“Help me out, won’t you?”

Choi Yeon-jung  stared at me with a mix of frustration and helplessness. After a moment, she let out a deep sigh, her eyes closing as if resigning herself to the situation.

“You’re seriously… so underhanded, you know that?”

“I know.”

She shot me a sharp glare before reaching for her phone.

“Send a text to Na-gyeong .”

“What?”

“Tell her I’ll come by tomorrow morning.”

Once again, her agreement came with the implicit condition that there’d be a drinking session involved.

“…You know, last time I almost got kicked out because of this.”

“If that happens, just live here. There are plenty of rooms in my house.”

Choi Yeon-jung flashed me a sweet smile before focusing on typing out a message to someone.

…Looks like I should prepare some strong hangover soup for tomorrow morning.

“Na-gyeong , open the door.”

“Who’s there?”

“I swear, it was work this time!”

“I don’t know anyone who abandons their daughter to drink all night and ignores calls.”

“My phone’s battery died, okay…?”

“Oh, so that lady didn’t have a charger or a phone? What do you even do with all that money you make?”

“I’m sorry….”

At the crack of dawn, I barely managed to crawl back home, only to be thoroughly scolded and smacked on the back.

“Ah, Na-gyeong , your hangover soup is the best. Maybe we should open a restaurant someday.”

“……”

“Okay… I’ll just eat quietly.”

After enduring her endless nagging while slurping up hangover soup, I made a bold decision.

“I’m quitting.”

“What? Why are you suddenly quitting?”

As expected, the office manager was visibly stunned.

It wasn’t surprising. After nine years of working without major issues, handing in a resignation out of the blue would catch anyone off guard.

“It’s a family matter. I’ll need to leave starting today.”

“Family matter… hmm. You’re not caught up in anything bad, are you?”

The manager, who had known about my situation as a single father since I joined, looked at me with genuine concern. He was a good person, even helping out with allowances when Na-gyeong  was younger.

“No, nothing like that. I just need to urgently prepare for something.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’ve been taking so much time off recently?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“Tsk… well, if that’s the case, I guess there’s no choice. Alright, I’ll take care of the paperwork for you.”

Thanks to the manager’s understanding, I was able to resign without any trouble.

“I’m only doing this because it’s you! Whatever you do next, live well!”

“I’ll make sure of it!”

This is why it’s important to live an honest life.

“There’s no turning back now.”

And just like that, I became unemployed overnight. Without wasting any time, I headed straight to the nearest training institution.

The first step toward becoming an academy teacher was meeting the minimum requirements.

To achieve that, I had to do the one thing I’d avoided for years: become an explorer.

“B-rank, huh.”

During the drinking session, Choi Yeon-jung  had said:

“Just hit B-rank. That’s all.”

The academy required temporary teachers to have at least a B-rank qualification.

According to the Korea Dungeon Management Corporation (commonly known as “Han-Dun”), a B-rank explorer had to clear a B-rank dungeon within a specific time frame.

“If you can meet the requirements somehow… I’ll pull some strings.”

Choi Yeon-jung promised to back me up fully if I met the conditions. With her enormous influence domestically and abroad, her assurance was something I could count on.

The real issue was whether I could meet the requirements in time.

“One month to reach B-rank….”

Even for explorers, entering dungeons every day wasn’t allowed.

The government regulations made it impossible to rapidly climb the ranks in a short time.

“That might be true for most people.”