Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 157

The Swordsmanship Festival began with introductions and congratulatory speeches from distinguished guests. The lineup of speakers concluded with the Hunter’s Bureau Chief, the Academy Director, the Mayor of Seoul, and a member of the National Assembly. However, Young-Hwi’s gaze kept drifting to the corner of the second-floor audience seats.

There was no doubt about it. The man in a suit, appearing to be in his mid-to-late twenties, was definitely Lee Do-Jun. Although he looked like just another guild representative or management agency employee, he was undoubtedly the same civil servant from Seoul City Hall whom he had briefly glimpsed during their presentation.

The important thing wasn’t his identity but the reaction of the Bureau Chief and the S-rank Hunters earlier. They had acknowledged him, and not just in passing. Though subtle, for a fleeting moment, the Bureau Chief had even given a nod of respect.

This was the same Bureau Chief who wielded power comparable to that of the President of South Korea. The disparity between his status and the attitude shown toward a low-ranking civil servant was immeasurable.

A nagging question crept into Young-Hwi’s mind. But why? There’s definitely something I don’t know.

***

Finally, the Swordsmanship Festival began.

Matches were held simultaneously across four arenas, a format that would continue until the semifinals.

From his seat in a corner of the second floor, Yeon-Gil had a clear view of only the first and second arenas due to obstructions. He pulled a laptop from his bag and opened a file containing the profiles of the two students who were scheduled to go first. Even though he had already memorized everything, he double-checked all the details for the first match to ensure accuracy.

As he scrolled down, Yeon-Gil paused and turned the laptop screen slightly toward Do-Jun, who was seated beside him.

“Would you like to take a look at this?” he asked.

The screen displayed a detailed profile of a student named Han Seo-Hoon, who stood on the left side of the first arena. The profile included his name, skill set, overall ranking, combat style, strengths, and weaknesses.

“His name is Han Seo-Hoon. He has a D-rank skill, Mana Shield, which is a passive defensive skill that reduces damage in proportion to his mana. He’s ranked eighty-first among the third-years. Given his skill set, he is better suited for short-term battles than long ones.”

He scrolled down to reveal the profile of Han Seo-Hoon’s opponent, Lee Myung-Gil, and read it out loud.

Yeon-Gil had spent the past year collecting and organizing data on third-year students, all for this moment. His management agency was in its first year of operation, and he had yet to recruit a single Hunter. However, he was determined to secure a contract today based on this data.

“The match will go to Han Seo-Hoon. Lee Myung-Gil is also better at short-term battles, but the Mana Shield will block his attacks. Plus, Han Seo-Hoon is ranked ten places higher overall.”

Yeon-Gil expected Do-Jun to be impressed or praise his analysis. After all, gathering this level of data required significant time and effort, and he believed his conclusions were sharp and insightful. However, Do-Jun’s expression remained completely neutral. He simply observed the two students on the arena stage.

“You said that student’s name is Lee Myung-Gil?” he asked, pointing to the right side of the arena.

“Yes. The one with the buzz cut is Lee Myung-Gil, and the one with longer hair is Han Seo-Hoon.”

Shortly after, the referee’s whistle signaled the start of the matches in all four arenas.

“I’ll bet on Lee Myung-Gil winning,” Do-Jun said.

***

Ten minutes passed, and the match in the first arena concluded.

Yeon-Gil rechecked the profiles on his laptop in disbelief. He muttered, “H-how is this possible...?”

Just as Do-Jun predicted, Lee Myung-Gil emerged victorious.

Yeon-Gil gaped and asked, “It... it must’ve been a fluke, right?”

Do-Jun said nothing.

Yeon-Gil’s profile data was indeed accurate—each student’s skills and combat styles were well-documented. However, Do-Jun possessed something that others didn’t. Having fought countless battles and duels in the Central Plains, both directly and indirectly, he had reached a state where he could predict outcomes based solely on the fighters’ qi.

As the arena was cleaned and the next pair of students stepped onto the stage, Do-Jun pointed to one of them and said, “That student’s going to win this time.”

Yeon-Gil checked the profile data on his laptop. Based on his analysis, the student Do-Jun pointed out was highly likely to lose.

“This is impossible!” he exclaimed.

Yet, once again, Do-Jun’s prediction was accurate. Again and again, Do-Jun’s picks won their matches.

“How are you doing this?” Yeon-Gil asked, taken aback.

“Have you ever fought a monster before?” Do-Jun asked.

Yeon-Gil shook his head.

Do-Jun asked another question, “Have you ever entered a Fissure?”

“N-no, I haven’t. But why are you asking—”

“You rely too much on data. You can use it as a reference, but it’s not something to be trusted blindly. You want to recruit good Hunters, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Then I suggest you start looking up from your laptop and pay more attention to the students.”

“Of course, I’m watching the matches. I’m just trying to figure out who’s going to win and lose—”

“Is that important?” Do-Jun interrupted him.

“Excuse me?” Yeon-Gil was taken aback by the sudden question.

“What’s important isn’t whether Han Seo-Hoon or Lee Myung-Gil wins. It’s deciding who you’ll sign a contract with, isn’t it?”

A moment of silence passed.

Do-Jun turned his gaze back to the arena, letting out a soft sigh. It wasn’t that he felt anything for Yeon-Gil; he just wondered if he was meddling unnecessarily. After all, whether Yeon-Gil secured a contract was none of his business.

However, Yeon-Gil had different thoughts. He rubbed his lips thoughtfully before shutting his laptop. Instead of watching the matches, he started focusing on the prospective Hunters themselves.

***

The Swordsmanship Festival concluded as planned.

As expected, the winner was Young-Hwi, who had always been at the top of his class. An awards ceremony for the first, second, and third place winners was held immediately afterward.

“Congratulations.”

The spectators clapped and cheered as the second-place finisher, Han Seol-Ah, bowed politely to the Academy Director.

Next, a staff member brought out the dazzling gold trophy for the champion. Young-Hwi stood in the center of the podium and accepted the trophy from the staff. After shaking hands with the Academy Director, he posed for a group photo.

A staff member holding the microphone then announced, “This concludes our 5th annual Swordsmanship Festival.”

On the second floor, representatives from various guilds and management agencies scrambled to their feet. For them, the real battle was about to begin—the fierce competition to recruit students. The third-year students were fully aware of this. Despite the conclusion of the festival, none of them left the building, with many secretly hoping to be scouted by one of the Big Four Guilds.

As the festival wrapped up, Young-Chul shifted his gaze to a corner of the second floor to glance at Do-Jun, who was jotting something down in his notebook. Young-Chul wondered if there was a student at the festival who had caught his attention.

Young-Hwi didn’t miss the moment and thought, There it is again.

Even the S-rank Hunters present were sneaking glances at Do-Jun.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Young-Hwi stepped up to the podium and took the microphone. He knew this action was bold, perhaps even presumptuous, but his curiosity outweighed any hesitation.

“May I... ask a question?”

Young-Hwi’s voice resonated through the speakers, quieting the previously boisterous hall filled with guild recruiters and management agency staff. All eyes were fixed on Young-Hwi as he held the microphone.

“If I may, I’d like to ask Chief Jung Young-Chul a question.”

He looked at Young-Chul, who nodded slightly to grant his permission.

“During the guild presentation sessions, a civil servant from Seoul City Hall mentioned something about a ‘special contract.’ I didn’t think much of it at the time, but when he said that the special contract involved evaluations by the Chief himself and the top ten Rankers, I was shocked. It sounded absurd. After all, very few Hunters sign contracts with local governments, and even if they do, why would S-rank Hunters oversee such evaluations?”

Young-Hwi glanced briefly at Do-Jun, took a deep breath, and continued.

“I thought it was just a misunderstanding—perhaps the civil servant confused it with a different program. But during the Icarus Guild’s orientation, Hunter Kang Min-Hyuk confirmed that the special contract was indeed real and even said that we wouldn’t qualify for it. I’d like to ask the Chief to clarify. What exactly is a special contract, and what are the qualifications required to apply? This is a question not only for me but for all third-year cadets who are deeply curious about this matter.”

Young-Chul closed his eyes and turned to look at Do-Jun, silently seeking his approval to respond. Through telepathy, Do-Jun’s voice resonated directly in Young-Chul’s mind.

—Please handle it yourself.

That was a clear message to respond thoughtfully, without causing any unnecessary hassle for Do-Jun.

Taking the microphone handed to him by a staff member, Young-Chul explained, “The special contract refers to a collaborative agreement with Seoul City Hall. It’s a mutual arrangement where no tangible compensation is exchanged, aiming to ensure public safety during disasters by utilizing each other’s infrastructure. In essence, it enables our Hunter’s Bureau personnel to respond swiftly to Seoul City Hall’s requests during emergencies.”

Young-Hwi was taken aback by an answer that wasn’t nearly as grandiose as he expected. Moreover, if the arrangement was as described, why would anyone need to go through evaluations by the Chief and top-ranked Hunters?

Young-Hwi voiced these questions immediately. “T-then why is it necessary to be evaluated by you or the ranked Hunters? And what is it about the qualifications that Hunter Kang Min-Hyuk said we wouldn’t meet?”

Young-Chul’s explanation had been deliberately vague, despite the fact that he and the Rankers were fully aware that the special contract essentially meant coming under Do-Jun’s command, thus transferring the authority previously held by Young-Chul over the ranked Hunters to him. This was a matter that required extreme caution.

All attention focused on Young-Chul.

He stated, “Those who would qualify are S-rank Hunters or holders of S-rank skills.”

Silence fell once more.

Only then did the students understand what Min-Hyuk meant when he said they wouldn’t even qualify to apply. None of the third-year students had S-rank skills, and since they weren’t even certified Hunters yet, it was impossible for them to hold the title of S-rank Hunter.

Young-Hwi had even more questions than before. “I... don’t understand. Why such high standards? And why would anyone with those qualifications want to enter into an unpaid collaboration with Seoul City Hall? Who would even agree to such a special contract?”

At that moment, another voice joined the discussion. It was Kang-Hyun, the top-ranked Hunter in Korea and an idol to all Hunters.

He leaned into the microphone and said, “The contracts with the ranked Hunters have already been established. While the Chief may not have mentioned it, I will. There is only one reason for the evaluations.”

This was the most critical aspect of the special contract.

“To determine if the applicant is a suitable member to join the Core raid.”

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