Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 373

Whenever the S-rank Hunters shared their raid of the Core, most of the Seoul City Hall staff opened a small pop-up window for the stream in the corner of their monitors. They were technically working, but who would miss watching a live Core expedition?

Besides, it wasn’t just the Seoul City Hall. Interest in the Core was red-hot across the globe. People were naturally drawn to the unknown. They feared it but were curious, too. And now that curiosity had a direct window into the Core, they couldn’t help but be captivated.

Today as well, Seoul City Hall staff members watched the live stream while working. In the lunch line at the City Hall cafeteria, the employees casually chatted about the Core. On livestream days, unless something major happened, S-rank Hunters and the Core were always the default conversation topic.

“Did you see the stream earlier?”

“No, I was out on a business trip. But I checked the live updates. Apparently, they’re already on the ninth floor. It’s insane.”

“Watching the S-rankers makes me think... If it weren’t for them, the world probably would’ve ended a few times by now.”

“Senior Lee isn’t here today, is he? Out on a business trip?” asked a general affairs officer who had been lining up beside them.

Hyuk-Soo started answering, “Oh, today Do-Jun—”

Cheol-Soo interjected, “He’s on leave. Said he had some personal matters to attend to.”

“A leave?”

“Yeah, sucks to be him, huh? They’re serving bulgogi today,” Cheol-Soo said. “Oh, ma’am, could I get some extra meat, please?”

The cafeteria lady heaped the side dish compartment with beef bulgogi, then added an extra ladleful on top of the rice. Only then did Cheol-Soo nod in satisfaction and move on to sit at a table.

The general affairs officer somehow ended up sitting with the Fissure Management Division. As he nibbled on some spinach, he looked up at the massive TV in the cafeteria. The screen displayed the live feed of Behemoth’s current expedition.

After watching for a while, he finally said, “Hey, Senior Kwon, could I ask you a question? There’s something I’ve always wondered.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“Sometimes the S-rank Hunters visit our City Hall, right?”

It wasn’t frequent, maybe once a month, or once every two months if it was quiet, some S-rankers would visit on behalf of their guilds.

“Yeah, just last week, someone came from the Icarus Guild,” Hyuk-Soo replied.

“Right. And whenever they show up, it’s always Senior Lee who brings them into the meeting room. Not the section chief, not you. Why is that? I checked the role assignments, and it’s not even listed under his duties.”

“Well...” Hyuk-Soo hesitated as the real reason wasn’t something he could just blurt out.

It wasn’t just the S-ranks who had business with Do-Jun when they visited. Someone even bigger was also included in that list.

Seeing Hyuk-Soo take too long to answer, Cheol-Soo said, “That’s because Do-Jun’s the one who handles everything. He’s the one who secured that collaboration agreement with the Hunter’s Bureau. Just look at how he works. He gives clean, timely reports and never misses a detail. Our manager doesn’t even criticize his work. Everyone knows...”

He paused, glanced around, then leaned in and whispered, “Everyone knows how picky our manager is, but he doesn’t say a word to Do-Jun.”

“You’re right... Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him scold Senior Lee. Even Senior Kwon, the guy everyone calls a workaholic, gets chewed out from time to time...”

“There was a time when Do-Jun got reamed daily. But that was two years ago. He completely changed after that accident. Think about it. He’s the only one who hasn’t been yelled at in two whole years. That’s gotta be some kind of record.”

Just then, a tray landed on the table with a loud clack, and someone asked, “What are you whispering about?”

Speak of the devil—their manager, Kim Deok-Bae, had arrived.

Cheol-Soo scratched his head awkwardly and said, “Ah, uh, it’s nothing...”

He then noticed Kim Deok-Bae’s lunch tray. No vegetables. Just rice and bulgogi. No soup, either. Just a mountain of meat.

“What? Why are you staring? You weren’t talking crap behind my back, were you?” Kim Deok-Bae asked suspiciously.

“No, sir! Of course not, hahahaha!”

“If you’re gonna gossip, at least do it where I can’t see you guys. Oh, and by the way, Supervisor Lee is on leave today, right? He’s not sick or anything, is he?”

“He just said he had some personal things to take care of...”

“Good, good. If he says he needs anything, make sure to report it to me directly.”

The way Kim Deok-Bae spoke about Do-Jun made it clear there was something different in his tone. He even referred to him by his professional title, unlike with any other staff member.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?” Kim Deok-Bae wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

***

On Mount Yeongryunsan in the Deep Realm, Wei Zhongqi was leisurely watering the Spirit Fruit tree and the other crops in his garden. He would normally be busy closing his shop for the day, but today was different.

“Why are you still here? I said I’d give it to him,” he said to the Guide.

“I-I just wanted to help out!”

The Guide scurried toward the kitchen, arms full of scattered plates and utensils. He had taken it upon himself to clean up after the customers ever since he declared, “I shall aid the Jade-Faced Noble!” Helping Wei Zhouqi had sort of become his daily volunteer task.

“I said I’ll make sure he gets it, didn’t I?” Wei Zhongqi repeated with a sigh.

“N-no! It’s not because of that, I swear...” Sweat trickled down the Guide’s forehead.

The truth was, he hadn’t been able to shake the guilt. He had lied at the last administrators’ meeting, claiming he’d already handed the map to Do-Jun. Not to mention how he had treated Do-Jun before learning who he was. As such, the Guide had been waiting ever since, hoping Do-Jun would come to the Deep Realm. He was certain Do-Jun would stop by Wei Zhongqi’s cottage.

“Well, I’m not going to complain about free help,” Wei Zhongqi said.

He hummed as he sprinkled water from the can. Thanks to the Guide’s unpaid labor, he had a lot more free time lately. To be honest, he wouldn’t mind keeping it that way forever.

“But, um, it seems the King of Earth won’t be coming today either,” the Guide muttered.

“He’s not exactly a man of leisure. He’s quite busy. He works at a place called Seoul City Hall on Earth. I heard he sometimes even works overtime.”

The Guide nodded. He didn’t know exactly what this Seoul City Hall was, but he assumed that the life of a king must be extremely busy.

“Whew, all done,” he declared.

“Thanks. Nice work.”

“But... what are you doing right now?”

“This?” Wei Zhongqi smiled slightly as he unwrapped a cloth bundle. A collection of herbs in vivid colors came into view. There were more than eight types in total.

The Guide approached, quietly staring.

Wei Zhongqi explained, “Bamboo leaf, white chrysanthemum, cloud wood incense... If you put all of these into this gourd of alcohol and let it age for about a month, you’ll get a beautifully aromatic liquor.”

“Oho, so it’s alcohol. Do you enjoy drinking?”

“I like it well enough. But I’m not making this for myself. This is for the Heavenly Demon.”

“For the King of Earth?”

“Yeah. It’s a Martial World liquor called Jukyeopcheong. At one time, it was his favorite. Well... still is. So every now and then, I brew some for him.”

Back in the Martial World, Jukyeopcheong had been just a cheap, common liquor sold in any tavern. But now, with no way to return there, it had become a rare and precious drink. Every time Wei Zhongqi brought a bottle back to Earth as a gift, Do-Jun had been genuinely pleased.

“As expected of his disciple, you know him quite well!” the Guide remarked in awe.

“Of course. I doubt anyone knows him better than I do.”

The Guide continued watching as Wei Zhongqi prepared the liquor. Then, with a small sigh, he began fiddling with the rolled-up map tucked under his arm.

Suddenly, with a crackle in the air, a Fissure tore open, and a man stepped through it. His outfit of just a T-shirt and jeans was unusual for the Core, even unique, if you will, but common on Earth.

The Guide’s eyes widened. He immediately recognized Do-Jun and rushed over, dropping into a deep bow.

“W-welcome, my King! This humble Guide has been eagerly awaiting the day the King of Earth would return!”

Do-Jun looked down at him for a moment, then smiled and extended a hand. “It’s been a while. Good to see you again, Guide.”

“W-why do you keep speaking so politely to someone as lowly as me?! Please, call me ‘you pathetic pathfinder’ or something! I beg you! It’s been my lifelong wish!”

“O...kay... I’ll just call you Guide but make it sound more casual.”

“An honor!”

The Guide dusted the dirt off his hands and stood up, taking Do-Jun’s hand. Then he pulled out the rolled-up map from under his arm and offered it with both hands.

“What’s this...?” Do-Jun asked, surprised by the Guide’s unexpected behavior.

“A map of the Deep Realm, my King! With this, you won’t lose your way, no matter where you go! Please, I beg you to accept it! If you don’t, I might lose my head!”

Do-Jun remembered the last time this same guy had insisted on being a neutral administrator. Something must have happened at that meeting of administrators. Do-Jun decided not to ask any questions.

He unfolded the map. It looked like old, yellowed parchment and was completely blank. Then a light sparked at the center and spread across the map. It spiraled outward, sketching out markings and drawing the four cardinal directions—east, west, south, and north. Lastly, a red dot appeared at a location in the south.

“That red dot shows your current location, my King. Oh, and if you want to see more detail, just tap a spot with your finger—it zooms in!” the Guide explained.

Following the guidance, Do-Jun touched a point in the north with his finger. The map zoomed in, and terrain and features began to render clearly.

“How is it?” the Guide asked, his eyes full of hope and expectation.

“Not bad. Are you sure it’s okay to give me something like this?” Do-Jun asked.

“Oh, please! If you want my liver and kidneys too, I’ll hand them over in a heartbeat!”

Do-Jun gave a short laugh, folded the map, and placed it in Ivela’s Pouch. Then he made his way over to Wei Zhongqi, who was placing various herbs into a brew jar with a satisfied look on his face.

“It’s always good to see you, Heavenly Demon.”

Do-Jun gave a nod in response. Seeing Wei Zhongqi busy at work, he asked, “Is this...?”

“Yes. I’m preparing jukyeopcheong. Just give me a month, and I’ll bring you the best batch I can make.”

Wei Zhongqi’s eyes sparkled like a child waiting for praise. Do-Jun silently looked at the jar of brewing liquor.

“Heavenly Demon?”

What Wei Zhongqi was completely unaware of was the fact that Do-Jun’s Interpreter had been upgraded from “Relic of the Deep Realm” to “Lost Item of the Deep Realm,” an upgrade that allowed its user to travel to an Encroached dimension, meaning Do-Jun could freely travel to the Martial World and buy jukyeopcheong whenever he pleased.

Still, Do-Jun didn’t say a word about it. He simply smiled and said, “I’m looking forward to it.”

At that, Wei Zhongqi clenched his fists in joy.