Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 370

The Guide was still bowing deeply and had no idea what was happening around him. With his forehead pressed to the floor, he sensed something off in the air and cautiously lifted his head just enough to glance at Do-Jun. He saw this mere adventurer, despite standing before a Transcendent, showing no sign of proper deference.

Is this guy insane? The Guide assumed Do-Jun hadn’t yet grasped the gravity of the situation and the status of the person he was standing before because he had just descended into the Deep Realm.

Just as he was about to urge him to bow, Wei Zhongqi bowed his head instead, saying, “If I had known in advance, I would’ve been there to greet you personally. I apologize.”

Huh...?

Do-Jun replied, “I simply didn’t want to trouble you. Think nothing of it.”

“Still... it’s unbecoming of me as your student.”

“Don’t worry about the formality. Anyway, it seems you have no customers today.”

“Business hours ended about an hour ago. Ah, I’ll bring out some tea.”

“Thank you.”

H-huh...?! Still frozen in his bow, the Guide rolled his eyes in disbelief. He couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

Wei Zhongqi, one of the most respected figures in the Deep Realm, was acting like a complete underling before this newcomer.

And... did he say student...?

Wei Zhongqi headed toward the kitchen to prepare tea.

The Guide glanced around awkwardly for a moment, then slowly stood up. He cautiously approached Do-Jun, who sat calmly on the floor, gazing out over the Deep Realm’s landscape.

“Um... Sir?” the Guide said hesitantly.

“Hm?”

“I beg your pardon, but... may I ask what your relationship is with the Jade-Faced Noble? I-I thought I heard him call himself your student just now...” The Guide wiped the sweat beading on his forehead as he spoke.

Do-Jun casually nodded in response and gave a short answer that they were master and disciple. The Guide’s face grew pale. What kind of absurd nonsense was this?

Wei Zhongqi returned with tea and snacks.

“I hope it suits your taste,” he said.

Do-Jun smiled faintly in thanks and took a sip. The bitter tea with its clean aftertaste suited him perfectly.

Wei Zhongqi sat beside him, quietly drinking tea.

The atmosphere was peaceful, but for the Guide, it was suffocating.

“From this moment on, I will teach you how to survive in the Deep Realm. Consider yourself honored.”

“‘Hm’? That’s it? You clearly don’t understand the gravity of the situation!”

“You are the lowest of the low. If you want to survive, the first rule is caution. Second rule—also caution.”

Recalling all the things he’d said on the way to Mount Yeongryunsan, the Guide wiped his face with a hand. He was supposed to escort Do-Jun on an introductory tour to meet the strongest figures in the Deep Realm, but after what had just happened, he had no idea how to proceed.

“How long do you plan to stay in the Deep Realm?” Wei Zhongqi asked Do-Jun.

“Just until the kids wake up. That should give me about four hours.”

“Then, if you’d like, I can give you a tour during that time—”

“No need. As I said, I don’t want to trouble you. You’ve got work to prepare for tomorrow. Besides...” Do-Jun glanced behind him. “This gentleman is already serving as my guide.”

The Guide flinched. “G-gentleman?! Please call me ‘thing’ or something low! I beg you!”

“Hm? Oh, right, didn’t you say earlier you had to attend some kind of administrator meeting?”

“Oh, right... R-RIGHT! T-then, please excuse me—I’ll be going now!”

In his panic, he had completely forgotten about the Administrator Report Conference, attended by god-tier administrators themselves. As a mere senior administrator, showing up late was unthinkable. In fact, the meeting was probably well underway by now.

At that moment, Wei Zhongqi, who had been quietly watching, stood and said, “We mustn’t keep the Heavenly Demon waiting. Hand me the map. I’ll take over guiding.”

The map he referred to was a special artifact that only the Guide was authorized to carry. It detailed the entire Deep Realm, including partial data on unexplored territories. It was an extremely rare and valuable artifact that even Imfelheim couldn’t get his hands on.

The Guide declined immediately. “N-no, absolutely not! As you well know, esteemed Jade-Faced Noble, administrators must remain neutral! The map is under my sole authority. Handing it over to you would be a clear violation of protocol!”

“I don’t intend to use it for myself. It’s for the Heavenly Demon.”

Heavenly Demon? Is he talking about this adventurer...? Argh, no! He pulled himself together and said, “Never! Absolutely not! I didn’t even give it to Imfelheim!”

Do-Jun raised a hand, signaling Wei Zhongqi to stop. He understood perfectly well that administrators were bound to neutrality. Sure, the map would make things easier, but he had no intention of forcing the issue and putting the Guide in a difficult position.

The Guide felt immense gratitude for Do-Jun’s consideration and bowed his head.

“Please show me around when you have the time. For now, you can go to your gathering,” Do-Jun said to the Guide.

“Thank you.”

***

There were three god-tier administrators in the Core: Yeomra, known as the Grand Supreme; Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths from Greek mythology; and lastly, Tusitala, the storyteller. Their authority among administrators was absolute. Their words were practically law.

“We will now begin the tenth Administrator Report Conference.”

Everyone ranked senior and below was visibly nervous, and understandably so. This was the first time since the very first gathering that all three god-tier administrators were present. Considering how normally, only Tusitala would be in attendance, this could only mean that the topic was of grave importance.

Just as Tusitala was giving the opening remarks, a portal opened, and one administrator stumbled in, panting. It was the Guide, and he was panting heavily, as if he had come here in a rush.

“Guide, you’re late,” Tusitala remarked.

“A-apologies! I have committed a grave sin!”

Tusitala waved her hand in dismissal and continued, “Take your seat. Now then, as mentioned earlier, this meeting will focus exclusively on matters concerning the King of Earth. That’s the reason Yeomra and Hephaestus made time to attend.”

***

There was something very strange about today’s meeting. The Guide could feel that something was definitely off as the administrators from the various floors of the Core began their reports.

“Reporting from the first floor of the Core. The first floor continues its lake tourism business without issue, thanks to supplies provided by the King of Earth. We are also doing our utmost to help newly arrived Earthlings adapt after the tutorial. Additionally...”

“Well done.” Tusitala smiled sweetly.

“Reporting from the third floor of the Core. Construction of the bridge to Sky Island is in its final stages. One notable update: the S-rank Hunters from Earth’s Phoenix Guild, whom the King of Earth mentioned earlier, have just arrived and are being received with the utmost hospitality...”

“Mhm! Very good..” Hephaestus nodded.

“Reporting from the eighth floor of the Core. The purification of the Sea of Death has been completed, thanks to the World Tree. We are currently constructing an underwater dungeon that is expected to greatly aid the growth of Earth’s S-rank Hunters in the future. Also, the extraction of the Aqua Stone, as requested by the King of Earth, has been completed. It will be handed over upon the King’s visit.”

“Hohoho!” Yeomra let out a deep, hearty laugh of satisfaction.

The god-tier administrators were all pleased. Seeing their positive reactions, the regular administrators who had finished their reports let out sighs of relief. How furiously had they worked to prepare for this day? When it came to anything related to the King of Earth, they had given not just a hundred percent but two or even three hundred percent of their effort to make sure not even the slightest complaint could be made.

The administrators continued their reports.

“Reporting from the fifteenth floor of the Core...”

With that, all administrators had reported on their respective responsibilities from floor one to floor fifteen. Only the last report remained: that of the Guide’s.

Tusitala smiled again and gestured toward the report podium. “Guide, it’s your turn.”

Cold sweat rolled down the Guide’s back. Based on what he had seen of the meeting so far, the adventurer Lee Do-Jun, whom he had met earlier today, was apparently the so-called King of Earth. And it seemed he was greatly favored by the god-tier administrators. It was as if they were ready to offer him their very hearts on a platter.

The Guide cautiously spoke. “Uh... I have a question, if I may...”

“Yes? Go ahead.”

He wanted to ask directly why they were showing such blatant favoritism toward this Do-Jun, but sensing that doing so might utterly destroy the mood of the room, he cautiously rephrased the question. “Aren’t we administrators... supposed to be neutral by principle...?”

“Of course. Except when it concerns the King of Earth,” Tusitala replied.

“But then... why is there an exception...”

At the Guide’s question, the god-tier administrators all frowned.

Alarmed by their reaction, the Guide quickly corrected himself. “Ah! Yes, of course! There must be an exception! Naturally!”

Smiles returned to their faces.

Tusitala said, “Then please, give your report. According to Dorgul, the King of Earth has descended into the Deep Realm. Naturally, you must have had an audience with him as well. So, what did you do for him?”

All eyes turned toward the Guide.

He got the feeling that a single misstep here could be the end of him as an administrator and... life.

Taking a deep breath, he explained slowly, “I have long awaited the day the King of Earth would descend into the Deep Realm. Moved by His Majesty’s great deeds, I had wished for nothing more than to meet him, even just once. And today! At last! I was blessed with the chance to lay eyes upon His magnificent visage. Overjoyed, I rushed to him barefoot and bowed deeply, offering my services and asking if there was anything he needed.”

To hell with it, he thought, and continued with his report.

“But just as the rumors said, the King of Earth was a man of great virtue. He told me that administrators must remain neutral and that I should act as I always do. So, as always...” He paused and carefully glanced around the room to check the responses and noticed that Yeomra’s face was contorting into a grimace.

“N-not, ‘as always’! Of course, exception, exception! I was so moved by the King’s consideration for me that I immediately presented him with my exclusive map of the Deep Realm! And when the King said, ‘Thank you, Guide,’ I knew that was the greatest honor of my life as an administrator! As for my late arrival today, it was because I wanted to serve His Majesty just a bit longer. The only reason that I’m standing before you right now is that once the King found out about this gathering, he said, ‘Go on then,’ and sent me here personally! That is all!”

Slowly, applause erupted from all sides.

It seemed the report had ended successfully. All the god-tier administrators were smiling.

***

Deep Realm, Mount Yeongryunsan.

The Guide came running to Wei Zhongqi’s thatched home, panting for breath.

Wei Zhongqi was in the middle of preparing for his morning restaurant opening. Wiping his sweat, he asked the Guide, who was anxiously glancing around, “Here for breakfast?”

“Uh, no... huff... wheeze... where is... where is he...?”

“You mean... the Heavenly Demon?”

“I... I must... huff... give him... this map...”

“The Heavenly Demon has returned to Earth. Didn’t you say earlier that you couldn’t give him the map because you had to stay ‘neutral’? Well, whatever. Give it to me. I’ll make sure it reaches him the next time he descends.”

The Guide burst into tears of gratitude, repeatedly emphasizing how important it was to deliver the map no matter what.