Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 44

Do-Jun stepped out of the taxi in front of the main gate of the National Hunter Academy, located in Yejang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.

Two miniature dragons followed him.

“Thank you for the ride. Have a good day,” Do-Jun said as he received his credit card and receipt from the driver.

Do-Jun was visiting the Academy for the parent observation class.

Although he had been busy lately with the management rights of the B-rank Great Fissure and Hunter contracts, Do-Jun gladly took leave for Yoon-Hee’s sake.

“Is this the young master’s school?” Karsiel said as she looked at the main gate with curiosity.

Unlike a certain someone, Karsiel also called Yoon-Hee “master” and used formal speech with her, which Do-Jun found admirable. He patted Karsiel on the head.

“This smell...”

Sniffing furiously, Yong-Yong instinctively followed the scent to a particular place, only to find a street vendor selling taiyaki[1].

“Taiyaki, 3 for 1,000 won”

Taiyaki vendors were out despite the relatively chilly spring weather.

Do-Jun sighed as he saw Yong-Yong drooling in front of the cart.

Recently, Yong-Yong’s appetite was almost no different from a human’s. He ate whatever food humans ate, including snacks and sweets, especially anything sweet—he couldn’t get enough of it.

Yoon-Hee has spoiled his eating habits, Do-Jun thought, but he still approached the vendor and handed over a thousand won bill.

“Three with red bean, please,” Do-Jun said.

“Coming right up!”

The vendor packed the pastries into a paper bag and handed it to Do-Jun.

Do-Jun pulled out a taiyaki and placed it in Yong-Yong’s mouth.

“Wow. My life so far has been a waste without these.”

“Would you like one too?” Do-Jun asked Karsiel.

She politely shook her head as if she really didn’t need it. “Thank you, master, for offering, but foods like this don’t suit me very well.”

She was being honest.

On the day she moved into Do-Jun’s house, she tried the braised short ribs Yoon-Hee had made as a snack, following Yong-Yong’s lead, but she didn’t like the taste.

The next day, she tried the pet food Yoon-Hee bought on her way home, and it suited her taste far better than the ribs.

They’re both dragons, but their tastes are completely different.

Do-Jun ate one of the remaining two taiyaki and tossed the last one into Yong-Yong’s mouth before heading up the paved road toward the Academy.

***

The Hunter Academy buildings were divided by grade level.

To reach the first-year annex where Yoon-Hee studied, Do-Jun had to walk about a hundred meters further up from the main building.

With his nimble feet, Do-Jun arrived at the annex’s sports field in just five minutes.

Looking at the parking lot, he saw it was lined with luxury cars.

Although the Hunter Academy was technically a public institution, due to its high tuition and education fees, it was attended mainly by children from wealthy families.

“2019 Parent Observation Class Orientation”

A banner hung at the small auditorium on the annex grounds, and inside the auditorium, students sat spaced one or two seats apart, accompanied by their parents and guardians.

She said she was in Class D.

Do-Jun checked the seating chart posted at the entrance and then walked over to seat D-2, where Yoon-Hee was seated.

“Sorry I’m late,” Do-Jun apologized as he sat beside her.

“Oh, you’re here!”

“Sorry, but could you sit Karsiel on your lap?” Do-Jun asked, then lifted Karsiel and handed her to Yoon-Hee.

Grinning widely, Yong-Yong leaped onto Do-Jun’s lap. Yes! I get to sit on Master’s lap!

Looking around, Do-Jun saw that there were about a hundred students. Upon noticing that most students had a parent or relative seated beside them, he felt he had made the right choice by coming today.

If he hadn’t, Yoon-Hee would have been sitting here alone.

A few moments later, a man appearing to be in his mid-fifties climbed onto the stage and grabbed the microphone.

“What a beautiful morning. Did you feel the spring breeze? I’d like to express our deepest gratitude to all the parents and guardians who are visiting our academy despite your busy schedules. Every year, the Hunter Academy invites parents of first-year students to observe their classes...”

The middle-aged man, Dean Shin Hak-Bae, finished his formal greeting and passed the microphone to a man with slicked-back hair standing behind him.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Jung Min-Kook, and I am the representative in charge of this year’s freshmen students. Nice to meet you all. Last year as well, I was in charge of managing new first-year students. Unlike last year’s theory lesson in the classroom, we have decided to conduct a practical lesson this year. Now, let me briefly explain today’s class. Please take a look at this screen.”

The projector turned on, and the screen behind Jung Min-Kook lit up, displaying a dense, green forest.

“This training Fissure is used to help students master mana manipulation techniques. Parents and guardians of the students will be able to watch their children from a temporary observation platform set up inside the Fissure. After the class, those who wish to do so may meet with their child’s instructor for a chat.”

Two weeks ago, an F-rank Fissure had appeared on the Academy grounds.

Goblins, the lowest-ranked monsters in the food chain, had emerged from it, and the Academy designated it a training Fissure for first-year students in mana manipulation techniques like Infusion, Release, and Transmutation.

“The format for today’s observation class is simple. Students who enter the training Fissure will use the Assistance Bead to find hidden map fragments and then put them into the chalice in the plaza inside the Fissure. Today’s activities will not be graded, so students can participate without pressure.”

The Assistance Bead was an artifact developed jointly by the Korean National Smithy and the National Hunter Academy to help students practice mana manipulation techniques.

The bead was slightly smaller than the average adult male’s palm and changed its shape, use, and function depending on how the mana was manipulated.

“This is the Assistance Bead, Father,” Yoon-Hee whispered, pulling a bead from her bag and showing it to Do-Jun.

It was a semi-transparent white bead that every first-year student had.

Do-Jun took the bead, turned it around in his hand, and injected a tiny amount of internal energy into it. The bead melted like soft clay, then reformed into a dagger that was pitch black down to its handle.

When Do-Jun withdrew his energy, the dagger returned to its original bead form.

“I see,” Do-Jun said, handing the bead back to Yoon-Hee, who looked slightly surprised.

The Assistance Bead was supposed to change color depending on the amount of mana injected, but she had never seen one turning black.

The instructor definitely said it would only change into seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, navy, and purple.

The Bead was supposed to turn red with a little bit of mana injection, then orange, then yellow, and so on with more mana injected.

Yoon-Hee tilted her head in confusion and put the bead back in her bag.

***

[You cannot exit the Fissure during the time limit.]

[Time remaining: 00:45:57]

After the orientation ended, the students immediately entered the practice Fissure while the parents ascended to the observation platform set up inside it.

Visit ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

“So, this is a Fissure...” one of the parents remarked as they gazed around in amazement.

A few Hunters were among them, but most of the parents and guardians were business owners or professionals, many of whom had never entered a Fissure before.

“Woah, so that’s what a goblin looks like,” one of the parents murmured, staring at the green creature about a meter in height.

Then, they turned to Jung Min-Kook, the first-year representative standing nearby, and asked, “Excuse me, but isn’t this dangerous? These children have just started in the Academy, after all...”

“I understand your concern, but the instructors responsible for each class will be patrolling regularly in case of emergencies. Plus, goblins are only F-rank monsters, so realistically, there’s no real danger.”

“That’s a relief...”

“Also, our instructors are all at least B-rank Hunters. So, please don’t worry too much,” Jung Min-Kook assured the worried parent.

Meanwhile, Do-Jun stood in a corner of the observatory with his arms crossed, scanning the Fissure.

Besides the eighty-two goblins, no other monsters were in sight.

Do-Jun thought back to Jung Min-Kook’s words as he recalled the last time Academy freshmen visited an F-rank Fissure. It was unlikely that anything dangerous would happen.

His gaze shifted to the clearing at the center of the Fissure, where an ornate chalice stood. Within a two-hundred-meter radius around the chalice, not a single blade of grass grew, nor did the goblins dare enter the area.

Do-Jun flicked his finger toward the chalice, shooting a stream of internal energy. The energy flew through the observatory glass without breaking it and landed on the chalice instead.

Then, a soft light enveloped the chalice.

Suddenly, the space shook violently as if a massive earthquake had struck, causing some parents to lose their balance and tumble into each other.

Three seconds later, the earthquake stopped.

“W-what was that?” one of the parents asked Jung Min-Kook.

This was a first for Jung Min-Kook as well, but there was one thing he knew for sure. If I say I don’t know, they’ll spiral into panic.

Deciding to lie to calm the parents, Jung Min-Kook spoke confidently. “This is an occasional phenomenon. Please don’t worry. I apologize for not informing you in advance.”

“Oh, are we okay now?”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“Whew. Fissures really are unpredictable places, huh?”

Do-Jun’s eyes narrowed. Watching Jung Min-Kook quietly descend from the observatory with a hardened expression, Do-Jun turned to Yong-Yong and Karsiel.

“You see Yoon-Hee over there?” he asked them.

“Yes.”

“Stay with her.”

“As you wish.”

With excited looks on their faces, Yong-Yong and Karsiel dashed from the observatory.

It was time for a stroll.

***

The Assistant Bead floated in the air, emitting a red light.

It was a transformation technique of Transmutation that scattered mana around the bead.

When a map fragment was nearby, the light from the bead would shine on its location, usually pointing toward something hidden in tree bark or underground.

“Found it.”

Using Infusion, Yoon-Hee injected mana into the bead, transformed it into a red hand plow, and started digging into the ground with it.

A small piece of paper, about the size of her thumb, emerged from the dirt. But at that moment, the ground shook as if there was an earthquake.

The tremor lasted for about three seconds before stopping.

Startled, Yoon-Hee fell backward onto the ground. W-what was that just now...?

Then, with a gust of wind, a figure appeared among the trees. It was a girl with long, straight hair flowing past her shoulders. Her Assistant Bead, which had been glowing blue, lost its light and fell into her hand.

“What are you doing sitting there?”

It was Eun-Joo, the younger sister of Kang-Hyun, the Sword Emperor and the number-one-ranked Hunter.

She was at the top of her class and was already said to have the skills of an A-rank.

“Oh, were you worried about me?” Yoon-Hee asked, smiling.

Eun-Joo’s face turned red, and she yelled sharply, “W-who would worry about someone like you?! I just saw you sitting there looking pathetic, so I came over! Your dad’s probably watching. Don’t make him worry...”

But she couldn’t finish her sentence as she felt an enormous energy rapidly approaching from a distance, the likes of which she had never felt before.

“Get down!” Eun-Joo shouted at Yoon-Hee, her face pale.

She quickly gripped the Assistant Bead in her hand that transformed into a pistol, and aimed in the direction of the approaching threat. She pulled the trigger as two small shadows jumped out of the bushes.

A flash of light exploded from the muzzle as a bullet shot forward, but it was easily dodged by the shadows, which stopped right in front of Yoon-Hee.

These were Yong-Yong and Karsiel.

“Why are you guys here...? Where’s Father?”

Yong-Yong glanced at the gun in Eun-Joo’s hand, then looked at Yoon-Hee sitting on the ground.

“Master told us to come find you. But...”

True qi radiated from Yong-Yong.

He glared at Lee Eun-Joo and said, “Who the hell are you?”

1. Taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake commonly sold as street food. It imitates the shape of tai (鯛, red sea bream), which it is named after. Source: Wikipedia. ☜