Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 360

April 5 used to be a national holiday. It was a designated day off to encourage people to plant and care for trees, but it was eventually removed from the holiday calendar due to its perceived lack of productivity. To most people, it was now just another ordinary day. However, for some, it meant everything. For example, let’s take a look at a little garden shovel floating in front of the calendar.

April 5 was circled in bright red. Apophis had been eagerly counting down to Arbor Day for a whole month. It excitedly started talking to Do-Jun.

—Hey, King of Earth, Arbor Day is only three days away. I may have been ignored all year, but things are different on Arbor Day.

Just how many times had it said that now? At this point, it was enough to form a callus in one’s ear. Lately, Apophis had become quite the chatterbox.

—During last year’s Arbor Day, those preschoolers’ eyes had sparkled like stars when they saw me. My popularity soared to the heavens! I was swarmed by children on all sides! Do you even understand how much of a bother that was, King of Earth?! You wouldn’t get it! Not in a million years!

“Must’ve been nice,” Do-Jun commented dryly.

—H-hmph! That’s not what I meant.

Apophis snapped, but as if betraying its own words, it was unknowingly humming a cheerful tune.

Watching Apophis prance around like that naturally made Do-Jun chuckle. The classic tsundere routine, through and through. Well, it had spent a lot of days home alone. It made sense that it’d been lonely.

It’s already been a year, Do-Jun thought.

It had been a full year since Apophis was remade into its new form by Hephaestus. Do-Jun could tell that its temperament had softened immensely during that time. There it was, floating gently through the house, a tiny shovel with a spirit of its own.

As Do-Jun watched, his gaze softened, and he asked in a low voice, “Do you not resent me?”

—Resent you? Me?

“You used to be a sword, you know.”

A proud demon sword, at that. That proud sword was now a demon shovel. It wouldn’t be unreasonable if it felt wronged. In fact, when Hephaestus had remodeled it, Apophis had wailed like a king who’d lost its kingdom.

“You’ve lost your original form.”

There was a hint of guilt in Do-Jun’s voice. If Apophis ever asked, he was willing to take it back to Hephaestus and restore it to its original form as a sword. He hadn’t done so only because Apophis hadn’t brought it up.

—Hehehe... King of Earth, there’s no need to pity me.

“Hm...?”

—Whether I’m a sword, a spear, or a dagger—my power is unchanged. If anything! I am even more satisfied now! Behold! These graceful curves! This elegant form! Pahaha!

Before the full-length mirror, Apophis spun around, admiring itself and bursting into carefree laughter.

Do-Jun decided not to press the matter. Well, it was clearly happy, and that’s all that mattered.

***

At the Third Trial before entering the Deep Realm, a sturdy dwarf was hard at work at the bellows. Though the flames never died, pumping air into the forge intensified the heat, making the iron melt faster. As always, he worked diligently while awaiting the next adventurer. He was the administrator of the Third Trial—Dorgul.

He paused his work for a moment as he just couldn’t focus.

Something dangerous is coming... he thought.

These were uneasy times. Dorgul usually kept a calm demeanor, but lately, he couldn’t shake a sense of foreboding. Dark news kept coming from the Deep Realm. Among the most concerning was a piece of news that mentioned that Illeina had acquired the demon sword.

Apophis, the demon sword, was one of the most dangerous artifacts ever created by Solomon. In the past, Solomon had used Apophis to slaughter thousands of Deep Realm residents in a single strike. While Solomon’s power played a role, it was also a testament to the sword’s sheer strength.

Dorgul had seen Apophis only once. From a blacksmith’s perspective, it was an evil that should never have existed. In terms of raw performance, nothing could surpass it.

A pained groan escaped him. Apophis’ reappearance meant only one thing: Solomon’s return was drawing near. And that was a grave problem for an administrator.

And yet those guys are off goofing around... Should we really let them call themselves administrators...? Dorgul thought, annoyed.

The gatekeepers of the First and Second Trials, Hashinta and the Imoogi, had both taken off with Tusitala to hang out on the first floor. Wasn’t an administrator supposed to carry out the tasks assigned by the Core with due diligence? Going off to play during work hours was a complete violation of protocol.

Dorgul had repeatedly warned them that Apophis had reappeared, which meant Solomon’s revival was imminent. They needed to come up with countermeasures. However, Hashinta and the Imoogi didn’t listen, which was strange because they hadn’t been like this just two months ago. Instead, their words had been a sheer disregard for the impending crisis.

“It’s fiiiiine, it’s fine. We’ve got the King of Earth, don’t we?”

“Hey, Dorgul, you should come up to the first floor too! Aren’t you sick of sitting by the fire all day?”

Overwhelmed by frustration, Dorgul squeezed his eyes shut. Where does the fate of the Core lie...?

***

Yong-Yong was sitting in the living room with the other children, going through a supply list for Byeol’s daycare the next day.

“Lettuce seeds, and...” he said.

Karsiel gathered the scattered lettuce seeds and handed them to Byeol, who carefully placed each item in her daycare backpack. Once all the supplies were cleared from the floor, Yoon-Hee stepped out of the bedroom, having tidied the bedding.

“All packed for tomorrow, Byeol?” she asked.

“Yup! The seeds, notebook, and... um...”

Byeol blinked as she folded her tiny fingers one by one. There were supposed to be five items, but she had only packed four.

“One’s missing...”

Apophis’ loud voice was suddenly heard.

—Shovel!

“Ah! Wight!” Byeol grinned and zipped up her bag once she confirmed that she indeed was fully prepared.

Watching her, Yoon-Hee let out a soft giggle. “All right, time for bed.”

“Man... what a day,” Yong-Yong said before bolting into the bedroom and leaping onto the bed.

“Siel, what did Yong-Yong do today...?” Yoon-Hee asked.

“He... binged ten episodes of a drama.”

“Oh... okay.” Yoon-Hee realized there was no point in talking to him about it. Turning to Do-Jun, she asked, “Father, are you going to stay up for a bit longer?”

“I’m going to visit the Core for a bit.”

“Oh, then should I pack you some snacks...?”

“Thanks, but I should be okay.”

He’d already had dinner and a full plate of fruit. He could eat more if he wanted, but there was no real need.

The sound of soft snoring could be heard from the bedroom. Without checking, he knew it was Yong-Yong.

Just as Do-Jun was about to teleport to the Core, Apophis cleared its throat, wanting to say something but clearly hesitating. Do-Jun gave a small chuckle and beckoned with his hand. Apophis zipped through the air and dove straight into his arms.

***

On the fifteenth floor of the Core, Do-Jun appeared at the midpoint of the Second Trial. Looking around, he saw no sign of the gatekeeper, so he extended his qi sense to scan the surroundings. He sensed the presence of two gatekeepers on the first floor of the Core. He also detected another signature with a distinctive energy unique to administrators.

Do-Jun turned toward the Third Trial and opened the massive iron door. At once, searing heat washed over him, revealing a large furnace and a dwarf standing next to it. Do-Jun could tell at a glance that the dwarf was an administrator.

“An adventurer, huh? Must’ve been a long road getting here.” Unlike the previous gatekeepers, the dwarf greeted him kindly from the start.

He seemed to be giving Do-Jun a once-over, sizing him up.

“By chance, would you happen to be the King of Earth?” he asked.

There was only one person that title could refer to, so Do-Jun nodded.

“Hmm. Hashinta and the Imoogi spoke very highly of you. I don’t know why, but... anyway, let me introduce myself. I’m Dorgul, the gatekeeper of the Third Trial. I’m the King of the Dwarves. I forge weapons for adventurers heading into the Deep Realm.” Dorgul pointed to the furnace with his finger. It had been blazing nonstop because he had been continually stoking it. “If you don’t need a weapon, you’re free to head straight to the Deep Realm.”

“So, there’s no trial here? You just forge weapons for us?” Do-Jun asked.

“I see anyone who’s passed the first and second stages as having already proven their worth. Though you could say crafting a weapon is the trial, in a way.” There was no deceit in his gaze.

Do-Jun opened the Interpreter to check Dorgul’s information. After reading through the entry, he said, “Ah, I see. You judge based on the quality of the gemstone.”

“So you’ve already heard.”

According to the Interpreter, Dorgul dealt in gems. He would forge weapons using the gems an adventurer possessed—the better the material, the stronger the weapon.

Let’s have him make one, just to see, Do-Jun thought.

In truth, the Heavenly Demon Sword was more than enough for him, but he was curious about what kind of weapon Dorgul would craft. He pulled out a Heavenly Soul Stone and prepared to hand it over.

At the sight, Dorgul’s eyes went wide, his lips trembling. “W-where did you get a... a Heavenly Soul Stone...?”

He kept repeating, “My goodness...” as he turned the gem over in his hands. Then, after a moment, he returned it to Do-Jun with a face full of resignation.

“I can’t handle this,” Dorgul said.

“Why not?”

“This is a divine gem. The only one who can forge it is Hephaestus, god of all blacksmiths. But even I have never had the honor of meeting him...”

With no other choice, Do-Jun stowed the Heavenly Soul Stone and said, “That’s unfortunate.”

“Just give me a moment. I can’t let you go into the Deep Realm without a weapon.”

“But I already have one.”

“No, I mean a weapon capable of surviving the Deep Realm.”

“Capable of ‘surviving’? I’ve never heard of that requirement.” Before Do-Jun even finished speaking, Dorgul returned holding a weapon.

It was a fairly standard sword, probably Grade 3, the kind commonly seen in the Core. He thrust the blade toward the dimensional gate leading to the Deep Realm, then pulled it back out. The blade shattered.

“As you can see, ordinary weapons can’t withstand the Deep Realm’s magic. They shatter under its pressure. It’s the same reason you soak your body in the lake at the Second Trial—the whole point is to raise your magic resistance. Your current weapons will not survive there.”

Dorgul then went to his storeroom and retrieved a gemstone called the Mantium, a rare and valuable gem in the Core.

“As a token of thanks for showing me the Heavenly Soul Stone, I’ll craft a weapon for you free of charge.”

Do-Jun was about to decline, but stopped himself. He was curious to see the crafting process.

***

The Mantium heated in the roaring flames of the furnace. Dorgul grabbed a hammer from the forge and began pounding it with all his might. The clanging echoed through the air as sweat poured down Dorgul’s forehead in thick drops. Do-Jun wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

“Much appreciated,” Dorgul said.

Do-Jun didn’t leave his side during the entire process. As he watched, he was reminded of the time Dakum from the Treasure Goblin Company had forged the Falling Moon Blade. A faint smile crossed his face. Despite it being a free weapon, Dorgul was clearly putting everything into his work.

At last, the final quenching was done, and a bluish blade emerged. Do-Jun examined its stats.

Deep Realm Grade 2

The stats were nothing unusual. Grade two. The only thing that stood out was the grade’s prefix: Deep Realm. It felt wrong to just accept it without giving anything in return, so Do-Jun searched through Ivela’s Pouch, but there was no food or offering inside.

He considered briefly returning to Earth.

That’s when Dorgul said earnestly, “You know, Hashinta and the Imoogi really trust you. I didn’t understand why at first, but now that I’ve seen you hold a Heavenly Soul Stone... I think I’m beginning to understand. You’re no ordinary adventurer. Without a doubt, you’ll join the ranks of the Transcendents someday. However! Do not ever grow complacent. Well, the fact that I, an administrator, am telling you this is already a bit funny.”

A voice was heard in response.

—Huh, it is kinda funny.

Concern filled Dorgul’s eyes. “As a word of advice, never, never, get involved with Solomon’s demons, the Transcendents, or the Usurpers, especially that demon called Illeina. There’s a rumor going around that she’s wielding the Demon Sword Apophis.”

—Pfft, this guy doesn’t even know the owner changed a while ago.

“That demon sword... Apophis is more dangerous than any other weapon. I hate to admit it, but it’s likely the most powerful blade currently existing in the Deep Realm. Please, keep that in mind.”

—Heh, there’s really no need to hype me up that much.

Suddenly, Dorgul whipped his head around and stared at Apophis. “Who are you to keep cutting in and talking over me?”

—Me? I’m part of Byeol’s Arbor Day supplies.