Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 148

Fluffy white clouds drifted lazily across the sky. In a breezy green field, Do-Jun surveyed his surroundings. Beneath a massive tree bursting with lush greenery, a young girl with soft, white wings lay fast asleep.

Do-Jun had just stepped from the third floor of the Core to the fourth, though he wasn’t really sure if this was actually the fourth floor. Not a single adventurer or even the usual monsters were in sight, which made him a bit skeptical.

Without hesitation, Do-Jun walked toward the girl. She appeared to be in a deep sleep; even as he got closer, she didn’t stir. Scratching his head, Do-Jun considered what to do before sitting down beside her and leaning against the tree.

***

Cecilia was napping in the Buffer Zone, as she did every day. Occasionally, she encountered adventurers passing between floors of the Core, but it had been over a year since she last met anyone. Stretching her arms, Cecilia let out a long yawn, wondering how she should spend the day.

Just then, a voice spoke from nearby. “Are you awake?”

“Eeeek!” Startled, Cecilia jumped back from the source of the voice.

In her panic, she twisted her ankle and tumbled over. Do-Jun let out a sigh as he watched her fall.

“W-who are you?!” she asked and glanced at the young man before her, dressed in a gray hoodie and black cotton pants.

Cecilia took a deep breath and composed herself. Upon reflection, the only people who came here were adventurers. This man must be one of them.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?!” she asked angrily.

Waiting for adventurers was an excruciatingly dull task. Typically, if she were asleep, adventurers would find some way to wake her—by poking her cheek, stroking her wings, or, in some extreme cases, attacking her outright. This was the first time someone had simply waited for her to wake up.

Do-Jun chuckled, seemingly amused. “You looked so peaceful. How could I disturb you?”

Cecilia puffed out her cheeks, glaring at him, thinking, So, he was just staring at a girl while she was asleep?

Her small act of rebellion didn’t seem to faze Do-Jun, who asked casually, “Where am I?”

“I’m not telling you.” She sounded petty.

“This is the fourth floor of the Core, right?” Do-Jun asked again.

“I don’t know. You’re so rude!”

Unlike her panicked reaction, Do-Jun seemed completely composed, which irritated Cecilia even more. Do-Jun stifled a laugh; he knew exactly how to handle kids like her. He unzipped the bag slung over his shoulder, and Yong-Yong popped his head out. Leaping gracefully to the ground, he stretched his little body and let out a wide yawn.

Cecilia’s eyes widened in shock when she saw him. She was so flustered she couldn’t even form coherent words.

“T-that... W-wha...!”

What emerged from the man’s bag was none other than the Overlord, a being that hadn’t been seen in thousands of years.

Ignoring her shock, Do-Jun pulled a lunchbox from his bag. He opened the box to reveal eight neatly prepared sandwich slices: ham, egg, cheese, lettuce, and sweet apple sauce combined to perfection. These were Yoon-Hee’s special sandwiches.

“Here, have some,” Do-Jun offered Cecilia a sandwich.

Cecilia glanced back and forth between the sandwiches, Yong-Yong, and Do-Jun’s face.

“Master! I want one too!” Yong-Yong pleaded, bouncing up and down to grab a sandwich.

Cecilia’s eyes tracked Yong-Yong’s movements, darting up and down. Yong-Yong finally grabbed a sandwich and took a big bite.

Noticing Cecilia’s gaze, Do-Jun said, “It’s good. Try one.”

Cecilia hesitantly accepted a sandwich, wondering who this man was. He waited for her to wake up instead of waking her himself. He was traveling with the Overlord, and now he was offering her food she had never seen before. After some thought, Cecilia took a bite and finished the sandwich in the blink of an eye. Whether it was because she was hungry or because it tasted so good, it disappeared within seconds.

“If you tell me where I am, I’ll give you another one,” Do-Jun said with a grin.

***

Cecilia was already on her fourth sandwich when she started explaining. “This isn’t the fourth floor. It’s called the Buffer Zone.”

“The Buffer Zone?” Do-Jun asked.

“Yeah. When people move up and down the floors of the Core, they sometimes run into me here.”

“I see. I’ve been through three floors already, and this is my first time running into you.”

“Some adventurers make it all the way to the Deep Realm without ever seeing me,” Cecilia remarked.

That meant he was luckier than he realized. Do-Jun nodded as he closed the now-empty lunchbox.

Yong-Yong burped loudly, then lay on his back, patting his full belly with his front paws.

“If you lie down right after eating, you’ll turn into a cow,” Do-Jun teased.[1]

Startled, Yong-Yong scrambled to his feet. The idea of becoming a cow was horrifying. To fall from Dragon Lord to cow—what a downgrade that would be. However, upon reflection, if that really happened, wouldn’t it have made the news by now?

As Do-Jun chuckled at him, Yong-Yong realized he’d been tricked. He thought bitterly, I’m writing this in the Nest Management Log tonight.

“So, what exactly do you do here?” Do-Jun asked Cecilia.

Cecilia cleared her throat and spoke with a serious expression. “I’m Cecilia. I help adventurers. By the way, I created the Buffer Zone myself!”

“Impressive,” Do-Jun said.

“Right?”

“And how do you help them?”

“I give them artifacts, skills, or information.”

However, Cecilia was quite selective about who she would help. It was her effort to prevent another Transcendent from being born.

She continued, “Since you’re a nice adventurer, I’ll give you a gift of your choice. Pick one: an artifact, a skill, or information. Artifacts are at least Grade 2, and skills... well, if you’ve got an open slot, I can give you one. It’ll be super helpful for surviving!”

Most adventurers chose artifacts or skills since they were considered more essential for surviving in the Core than information. However, Do-Jun didn’t even hesitate. Artifacts and skills had their uses, but his purpose for coming to the Core was clear: to gather information about the Core.

“Information,” he said.

***

Cecilia began explaining the current affairs of the Core. “The Core is absorbing all the planets in the universe. This phenomenon is known as Encroachment. Once a planet is fully eroded, it becomes part of the Core, and its inhabitants migrate here. Hmm, it seems Earth is the last planet.” freeweɓnovel-cøm

However, Cecilia knew something important: the Usurper’s Hourglass was currently frozen. While she couldn’t explicitly state the reason, one thing was certain: whoever claimed the throne would become the king of all dimensions.

“The king of all dimensions?” Do-Jun asked.

“Yep. Once Earth is incorporated, all the planets will have completed their migration to the Core. At that point, the king of the Core will become the king of all dimensions.”

Do-Jun nodded as if he understood.

“The battle for the throne is already in full swing, but...” Cecilia paused and glanced at Yong-Yong, who once ruled the Deep Realm and had unified its factions. Though he never claimed the throne, he had been the de facto master of the Deep Realm.

“What are you looking at?” Yong-Yong snapped at Cecilia, then turned to Do-Jun and complained, “Master, she keeps staring at me.”

“Staring? When did I do that?” Cecilia retorted.

“Then why do you keep looking over here?”

“T-that’s because...”

Do-Jun sighed and separated the two, thinking that getting caught up in their childish squabbles would be exhausting.

“By the way, Adventurer, are you the Overlord’s master?” Cecilia had been immensely curious about Yong-Yong calling Do-Jun “Master” and decided to confirm it.

Do-Jun realized that “Overlord” referred to Yong-Yong and replied, “I adopted him six months ago.”

“You... adopted the Overlord?”

She couldn’t imagine how the residents of the Deep Realm would react to this revelation. More importantly, she couldn’t fathom how he had managed to adopt the Overlord in the first place. The Overlord was immensely powerful, even among the elite beings in the Core’s Deep Realm. Yet, at the moment, he was nothing more than a pet.

***

Do-Jun checked his wristwatch and saw that it was 6:20 PM. Even in the Core, clocks functioned properly, allowing him to keep track of Earth’s time, and it was time to head home. He took the Core Talisman from his bag.

Meanwhile, Yong-Yong had fallen asleep in the bag, snoring softly. Apparently, squabbling with Cecilia had tired him out.

“Well, I’ll get going,” Do-Jun said.

“Yeah. I hope we meet again,” Cecilia replied, sincerely.

“Sure.”

Do-Jun nodded, deciding he’d bring more snacks the next time he visited.

***

After returning from the Core, Do-Jun handed the empty lunchbox to Yoon-Hee. The container was an extra-large size, and each sandwich was so filling that eating just two could make someone full. Yet, all eight sandwiches were gone. For someone who cooked, there was nothing more satisfying than seeing an empty plate—or in this case, an empty lunch box.

Yoon-Hee hummed a tune as the spicy sauce made with gochujang and other ingredients bubbled in the pot. That day, the grocery store had a sale on fresh chicken, so she bought two and was now making spicy braised chicken for the first time in a while.

“Here’s the ladle, Chef,” Yong-Yong said.

Usually, Karsiel helped with Yoon-Hee’s dinner preparations, but today, Yong-Yong had taken over for Karsiel, thrilled at the thought of spicy braised chicken. He used a dry cloth to wipe away the sweat trickling down the back of Yoon-Hee’s neck.

“You must be hot from the fire,” Yong-Yong said, looking up at Yoon-Hee and noticing her sweaty forehead.

“I’m fine. You must be very hungry, huh? Oh, right, how were the sandwiches earlier?”

“They were perfect.”

The fragrant aroma of spicy braised chicken tickled Yong-Yong’s nose. He suddenly thought of Cecilia, who had enjoyed the sandwiches so much. Based on what she said today, she was living alone in the Buffer Zone. She wasn’t his favorite person in the world, but she was a pitiful creature in some ways.

“Hey, Yoon-Hee,” Yong-Yong said.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Next time, could you pack spicy braised chicken for lunch?”

“This?”

Yong-Yong nodded enthusiastically and added, “Good things taste even better when shared.”

Though she wasn’t sure why, Yoon-Hee wondered if he had made a friend and smiled.

“When should I make it again?” she asked with a smile.

***

“Master.”

Do-Jun put down the newspaper he was reading and looked at Yong-Yong, who was holding a calendar in his mouth.

Yong-Yong placed the calendar on the table in front of Do-Jun and asked, “When are we going there again next?”

Do-Jun chuckled softly. He picked up a pen and circled a date on the calendar.

1. It’s a popular saying in Korea that you turn into a cow if you lie down right after eating because that’s what cows do all day: eat and lie around! ☜

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