Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 47

The training center was located on the fourth floor of the Hunter’s Bureau. In front of the large lecture hall, a banner that read, “2019 Basic Course on Understanding Fissure Management, Session 1” was placed alongside a desk.

Do-Jun found his name on the attendance sheet on the desk, signed in, picked up his assigned name tag, and entered the lecture hall.

With over three hundred attendees, including Fissure Management and general civil servants from across the country, most of the three hundred reserved seats inside were already almost full.

I don’t see any empty seats.

Not a single spot was left in the back rows, but the seats in the front rows were naturally scattered and vacant since many attendees were just there to fulfill their mandatory training hours for promotions.

Do-Jun had no choice but to sit in the front row, right in the center—the seat students avoid the most because it was where the lecturer could see you the best.

Shortly after Do-Jun took his seat, a woman in her mid-to-late twenties sat next to him.

Although it was still the chilly part of spring, the woman was fanning herself vigorously from the stuffy air due to the completely packed room.

She glanced at Do-Jun without realizing it and thought, Not bad.

The woman, Lee Min-Hee, sat in the front row because all the other seats were taken, but she ended up sitting by a man with a pleasant face, broad shoulders, and a strong physique. Though he wasn’t extraordinary, it still gave her something nice to look at for a change.

Why is someone like him a civil servant? He could be an actor.

Lee Min-Hee checked the name tag hanging from Do-Jun’s neck. The number seventy-three was written along with the text “City of Seoul.”

She decided to try and strike up a conversation. “Hello. I see that you’re from Seoul.”

Do-Jun glanced at the smiling Lee Min-Hee and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right,” he replied.

“What’s your name?” Lee Min-Hee asked next.

“It’s Lee Do-Jun.”

“Come again?” Lee Min-Hee’s expression showed surprise.

Although the news didn’t reveal full names due to privacy laws, anyone who was in the know would recognize that name.

“Sorry, but are you the one who led the Hunters at the Great Fissure in Umyeonsan Mountain...?”

Suddenly, the chatter around them stopped. Maybe her voice was too loud. For a moment, silence hung in the air, and then all eyes turned toward them.

Do-Jun frowned slightly and clicked his tongue.

“I-is it really you?” Lee Min-Hee asked again, seeking confirmation.

Do-Jun nodded, and as soon as he confirmed it, murmurs began spreading throughout the room. More than half of the people gathered here were Fissure management civil servants. To them, Do-Jun was an anomaly, but not without good reason.

For civil servants who had always bowed down to Hunters, the story of a low-level civil servant who became the commander of the Hunters in an S-rank Great Fissure operation without a single casualty was already a legend.

“I’m a fan!” Lee Min-Hee grabbed Do-Jun’s hand with both of hers, her eyes shining.

“Sorry...?”

“You have no idea how much my heart raced when I read the articles. Do you even know that you’re a superstar among the civil servants?”

Do-Jun glanced around. People were getting up from their seats and pointing at him while whispering.

“He is that commander civil servant.”

“The one who led the team in the S-rank Fissure raid...”

“He didn’t participate in the boss battle, but they say he had zero casualties leading up to it. Doesn’t that sound like something straight out of a movie?”

But at that moment, someone stepped up to the podium and tapped the microphone to test the sound.

“Testing, testing. Can everyone hear me? Please take your seats.”

As the instructor redirected the attendees’ attention, the murmuring began to die down.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Cha Jin-Woo. I am the Assistant Manager of the Fissure Analysis Team 2 at the Hunter’s Bureau, and I will be leading the first session of this training series. It’s nice to meet you all.”

With his neatly styled hair, Cha Jin-Woo bowed his head while holding the microphone, which was met with a light round of applause from the audience. He fiddled with the remote, and the beam projector flashed on, displaying a PowerPoint titled, Definition of a Fissure, on the screen behind him.

“Just the title alone makes me want to fall asleep,” Lee Min-Hee muttered as she pulled out her smartphone.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

Civil servants took this mandatory training course to fulfill the required training hours for their promotion. Most attendees either slacked off, dozed, or checked in and left early, and Lee Min-Hee was no exception.

“Don’t you agree, Supervisor Le...” She trailed off, chuckling, as she saw Do-Jun had pulled out the small desk attached to his chair and placed a notepad on it, diligently taking notes.

“Supervisor Lee...?” she called out.

“Yes?”

“Uh, nothing. It just looks like you’re taking this really seriously, even taking notes.”

“I’m not particularly smart, so if I don’t write things down, I won’t remember them. I’m still quite clumsy at my job since my recent hospital stay due to a severe injury,” Do-Jun said, continuing to write down what Cha Jin-Woo was saying.

Hearing that Do-Jun considered his work clumsy, Lee Min-Hee let out a short scoff.

The PowerPoint moved to the next slide. The screen now displayed the main interface of the Fissure Management System.

Cha Jin-Woo glanced around the room and said, “Most of you are probably familiar with this since many of you serve in Fissure Management. This is the Fissure Management System app. It allows you to systematically manage the ranks and internal information of each Fissure. Our Bureau began developing this app in earnest back in July 2016...”

Cha Jin-Woo continued explaining for about twenty more minutes before pulling something from behind the podium and placing it on the stand.

It was a SpacePad, the standard device issued to all Fissure Management civil servants.

“It seems like many of you are getting bored. I saw this coming, so I’ve prepared something. This SpacePad has the Fissure Management System app preinstalled. Now, I know that each municipality manages at least three Fissures. Would anyone like to briefly explain one of the Fissures managed by their city or district? There is a small prize involved for the person who volunteers.”

Cha Jin-Woo pulled a box wrapped in packaging paper with question marks all over it out from the podium.

“This is an unidentified artifact.”

An unidentified artifact was a spherical item that was sometimes dropped when a monster was killed. When infused with a certain amount of mana, a message would pop up asking the carrier if they would like to open it. Upon opening, a random weapon, armor, accessory, or consumable item would appear from it that ranged from F to S-rank.

However, the problem was that most failed to produce anything, and even when they succeeded, the content was usually an F-rank item. When a failure message appeared, the artifact instantly became a useless piece of garbage.

Moreover, this was just a standard artifact that could be found at any smithy for fifty thousand won.

“Is there anyone who would like to volunteer?” Cha Jin-Woo asked the class.

However, the response was lukewarm at best. The reason was simple. Most of the attendees weren’t interested in the class to begin with, and volunteering was even more burdensome. To make things more difficult, most civil servants didn’t possess mana, so the unidentified artifact Cha Jin-Woo offered was essentially useless to them.

Finally, a hand stuck out among the crowd. Cha Jin-Woo’s face brightened as Do-Jun raised his hand slightly.

“Ah! A volunteer. Please come up and introduce yourself first.”

Do-Jun went up to the podium and received the microphone from Cha Jin-Woo. He bowed slightly toward the audience and introduced himself, “Hello. I am Lee Do-Jun from the Seoul City Hall’s Fissure Management Division.”

The audience erupted into cheers.

“Wooaaaaah!”

Do-Jun coughed awkwardly in surprise.

Cha Jin-Woo was also just as taken aback. After all, the man who had been making waves in the Hunter’s Bureau was standing right in front of him.

“W-well then, Supervisor Lee Do-Jun. The app is already open, so if you could select one of the Fissures managed by Seoul City Hall, explain it briefly, and share how you managed it, that would be great.”

“Sure. I can do that.”

Taking the SpacePad handed to him, Do-Jun browsed through the list of Fissures managed by the City of Seoul. Then he made his selection.

[Accessing the Fissure at Myeongil-dong 002, Gangdong-gu, Seoul.]

This was the first F-rank Fissure that Do-Jun visited after returning to Earth.

The projection screen automatically mirrored what came up on the SpacePad screen.

“This was the first Fissure I was assigned to after resuming work. It was classified as an F-rank, and I entered it with a Hunter named Cha Ye-Ji, who had recently signed with our department. As you know, the priority for us civil servants is mapping, so from the entrance of the Fissure—” Do-Jun’s voice rang through the speakers.

Cha Jin-Woo interrupted him, “Wait a moment. Did you say you entered the Fissure yourself?”

“Yes, is there a problem?”

According to the Fissure Management guidelines, civil servants were supposed to “accompany a Hunter to acquire information about the Fissure,” but in practice, that wasn’t how things were done. Most of the time, the work was left to contracted Hunters, and civil servants would compile the Fissure data based on the photos and reports submitted by the Hunters after they finished exploring.

The reason was simple: it was dangerous.

Because of this, auditors never raised an issue about this practice. In fact, they didn’t even address it. It was an unspoken rule.

“But isn’t that dangerous? Honestly, I don’t understand why you even entered that S-rank Great Fissure in the first place. For ordinary people like us, taking one hit inside a Fissure could mean instant death,” Cha Jin-Woo commented, surprised by Do-Jun’s work practice.

“You’re right, it is dangerous. Which is exactly why I went in myself,” Do-Jun said.

“What?” Cha Jin-Woo was puzzled, and he was joined by everyone else in the room.

The idea of entering a Fissure because it was dangerous seemed contradictory.

Do-Jun explained, “The Fissures we document and manage are published on the local government websites or the Hunter’s Bureau website. Hunters use this information to compare and analyze Fissures before choosing which one suits them best.”

He tapped the SpacePad, which displayed a map and photos of the Fissure in Myeongil-dong 002, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, taken from the 12 o’clock position.

“Hunters accept this information without a second thought because it’s official data created by a government office. Most assume it’s accurate and reliable. Then they enter the Fissure based on this data.”

Everyone swallowed nervously.

Most of the Fissures managed by local governments were C-rank or lower, and the majority of Hunters were ranked C or below.

In other words, most Hunters hunted in Fissures managed by government offices.

“Yes, our work is dangerous, and it’s natural that we feel hesitant to enter the Fissures ourselves—you could die at any moment. But that’s why I personally go in, check it with my own eyes, and compile the data. So that the dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of Hunters who use the information I create can safely hunt in the Fissures.”

Do-Jun shifted his gaze to Lee Min-Hee, who was staring at him in disbelief with her smartphone in one hand.

“I am always on alert and doing my best.”

***

That night, Do-Jun returned home just before 9 PM after dinner with Ye-Ji.

Although his training ended at 4 PM, he waited for the results of Ye-Ji’s special promotion review and then had dinner near Seoul City Hall, which made his day quite long.

Ms. Ye-Ji is a B-rank Hunter now, Do-Jun thought happily.

Watching Ye-Ji, who was an F-rank Hunter just two months ago, rise to B-rank in such a short time made him happy, like a father watching his child grow.

Just then, the bathroom door swung open, and Yong-Yong burst out, looking terrified.

“Aaaah! What is that taste!?”

Behind him, Yoon-Hee followed, wearing a swimsuit and holding a toothbrush. “I told you to stay still... F-father?”

Yong-Yong hid behind Do-Jun. “Ugh, sniff, Master, please save me.”

Do-Jun noticed the toothpaste foam covering Yong-Yong’s mouth and asked Yoon-Hee, “Were you trying to brush his teeth?”

Seeing her nod with a flushed face, Do-Jun grabbed Yong-Yong by the head and carried him straight into the bathroom. Then, he tossed him inside.

Yong-Yong stared at Do-Jun in disbelief. “M-master...?”

Do-Jun noticed Karsiel trembling beside Yong-Yong, evidently just as afraid of getting her teeth brushed.

“Give me the toothbrush.” Do-Jun extended his hand to Yoon-Hee.

“N-no, I can do it, Father.”

“You need to take a break.”

“But...”

“I’m going to shower anyway, so I’ll brush their teeth while I’m at it.”

Do-Jun took the toothbrush and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

“Aaaah!”

A moment later, Yong-Yong’s scream echoed inside the bathroom.

***

“Hic... sniff...”

Yong-Yong lay on the sofa, crying with snot and tears streaming down his face.

Next to him, Karsiel tried to comfort him. “Lord Izaas, based on what I read online, if you don’t brush your teeth, the bacteria in your mouth will break down the sugars from leftover food particles and produce lactic acid, which will erode your tooth enamel and cause cavities.”

“I’ve lived thousands of years just fine without it, though... sniff, sniff.”

Watching them, Do-Jun sighed, then gave some advice. “You’re not supposed to eat the toothpaste. You cry about the taste because you keep swallowing it.”

“I instinctively swallow anything that enters my mouth, sniff, sniff.”

“I don’t think that’s something to brag about...” Do-Jun said.

Yoon-Hee walked out of the kitchen holding a plate of sliced apples. She placed it on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

Then, noticing the box wrapped in packaging with question marks littered over it, she asked, “Oh, isn’t this an unidentified artifact?”

“Yeah. I got it as a prize at the training today.”

“People say those prizes are usually junk. I’ve tried a few times myself. Are you going to open it?”

Do-Jun nodded and picked up the unidentified artifact.