Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 264

It was just another Monday. Ji-Hye, the Changshin Daycare teacher, was on her way to work.

It took forty minutes by subway to reach her workplace in Bangbae-dong. Her face was full of energy, quite different from other commuters on the subway, who wore grim expressions as they braced themselves for the so-called “Monday Blues.”

Being a daycare teacher was widely considered a difficult profession, but Ji-Hye genuinely loved her job. From a young age, she had enjoyed caring for children, which led her to choose this career early on. Every day felt rewarding to her. No matter how tiring or challenging it was, the children’s pure, innocent smiles were enough to erase her fatigue.

As usual, the screens in the subway car displayed the latest news.[1]

⌜Now, for our next news story. Last night at 9:30 PM, an orc appeared in a busy area of Paju, Gyeonggi-do, leaving three civilians seriously injured. Luckily, a nearby B-rank Hunter was able to prevent the situation from escalating into a major disaster. Let’s now connect with reporter Kim Myung-Hoon, who is on the scene.⌟

Another monster attack... Ji-Hye thought nervously.

For the past ten years, since the Fissures began appearing, monsters had occasionally emerged out of nowhere, resulting in injuries and even fatalities among civilians. While the presence of Hunters had gradually reduced the frequency of such incidents, Ji-Hye still felt a pang of anxiety whenever she heard such news. After all, there was no guarantee that the children she cared for wouldn’t one day face such accidents themselves.

⌜According to the information released by the Hunter’s Bureau, there are reportedly monsters in the Deep Realm’s Core that even current S-rank Hunters cannot handle.⌟

⌜Yes, that’s correct. Last week, Chief Jung Young-Chul of the Hunter’s Bureau mentioned the Deep Realm, stating that the rankers there—known as Transcendents, demons, and kings—far surpass the power of Behemoth. However, it’s not all pessimistic news. Behemoth is growing stronger with each passing day in the Core...⌟

⌜I see. There have been many questions from people online about whether there’s a way to stop the rankers from the Deep Realm if they ever come to Earth, and how likely it is for such a scenario to occur. Could you shed some light on that...?⌟

***

The taiyaki from Hakase’s food stall was popular among the children at Changshin Daycare for its delicious taste. Sometimes, Ji-Hye would pay for the snacks out of her own pocket and order them for the children.

Hakase called out to Kiriel, who was relaxing by reading a comic book during a quiet lunchtime. “Kiriel.”

“What?”

“Delivery.”

Kiriel didn’t respond and looked at Hakase with irritation.

While the food stall didn’t normally offer delivery, Changshin Daycare was an exception.

Hakase handed over a bag filled to the brim with three types of taiyaki: red bean, pizza, and custard cream. Kiriel set down the comic book he had been engrossed in and took the bag with an annoyed look.

He minded going to the daycare—it was the children there who seemed to have endless energy, no matter what, that bothered him. Every time he delivered the taiyaki, they would pester him to play with them. Spending just two hours there made him feel utterly drained.

“Lizard,” Kiriel said.

“What?”

“I’m just gonna go there, drop off the taiyaki, and leave right away.”

“Sure.”

With that, Kiriel vanished.

***

The delivery was lightning-fast. Not even five minutes had passed since the order was placed, and Kiriel had already entered the teacher’s office at the daycare.

Ji-Hye smiled brightly as she took the bag he gave her and said, “Thank you very much, as always. How do you manage to get here so quickly?”

“Hah, this is nothing for me,” said Kiriel.

Did he have a motorcycle? However, there were no signs of any vehicles, like motorbikes or cars, visible through the transparent window overlooking the playground.

Did he run here? But there wasn’t a drop of sweat on him, and he looked completely at ease.

“By the way, Kiriel, you’re a foreigner, right?” Ji-Ye asked.

“What’s a foreigner?”

“Well... someone who isn’t Korean. Like, say, an American?”

His name did have an exotic ring to it.

“I’m from the continent of Raden,” Kiriel said.

“Raden...?” She wasn’t entirely sure where that was, but it was definitely foreign. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

At that moment, the door to the teacher’s office cracked open, and a child peeked their head in. The child immediately lit up when they spotted Kiriel, even more than when they noticed the taiyaki in Ji-Hye’s hands.

“It’s Mr. Kiriel!”

The child’s exclamation was heard by their friends nearby, and soon, more children poked their heads into the office, smiling brightly. Kiriel’s popularity among the kids had skyrocketed since he visited with Pororong and made kimbap.

“Mister! We’re about to go play on the playground. Will you come with us?” asked one child.

“No can do,” Kiriel was firm.

The children looked visibly disappointed, disheartened by his blunt refusal and annoyed expression. Taken aback by their reaction, Kiriel gulped nervously.

Ji-Hye smiled awkwardly and tried to console the kids. “Mr. Kiriel is very busy today. He’s sorry he can’t play with you, but he brought you some taiyaki instead. Why don’t you enjoy the taiyaki and ask him to play with you next time?”

“Okay...”

The children were happy about the taiyaki but couldn’t hide their shock at Kiriel’s stern expression. They hesitated, glancing at him nervously, before closing the office door.

Ji-Hye said, “Sorry about that. Don’t worry about the kids; I’ll make sure to cheer them up....”

She trailed off, realizing Kiriel was gone.

Three seconds later, Kiriel’s voice echoed from the hallway. “You should’ve let me finish. I meant, eat the taiyaki first and then play on the playground.”

“Yay!”

“W-when did he get there?”

***

Kiriel eventually ended up at the playground with the children.

Children at this age seemed to have endless energy, running around all day without ever tiring, which Kiriel found quite bothersome. He wanted nothing more than to return to the food stall as quickly as possible and pick up where he had left off at the climax of his comic book. However, after replenishing their energy with taiyaki filled with red bean paste, the children enthusiastically started playing hide-and-seek, building sandcastles, swinging on swings, and more.

Then, about an hour later, the children finally started getting tired and flopped down in the shade of a tree to rest. One of them, a boy named Seong-Min, rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a smartphone. Seong-Min tapped the screen a few times to start a video. The other children quickly gathered around him.

Just as Kiriel thought it was about time to head back to the food stall and started getting up, one of the children asked, “Mr. Kiriel, do you watch this too?”

“What’s that?”

“This is super popular. It’s always on TV.”

Kiriel casually moved closer to Seong-Min to get a look.

“Oh, it’s just the Core,” he muttered in disappointment.

“Oh, do you know this place, Mr. Kiriel?”

The video showed Behemoth exploring the sixth floor of the Core. They were collecting plants that grew there, and the children were glued to the screen, unable to look away.

“I’ll have you know, I used to live in the Core. Understand? I’m an expert,” Kiriel said proudly.

“Really?”

“Have I ever lied to you guys?”

“Then, are you a Hunter, Mr. Kiriel?”

“No.”

“Boo.”

“‘Boooo? You little punk.” Kiriel glanced at the smartphone Seong-Min was holding and asked, “Where’d you get a smartphone, anyway?”

“My dad bought it for me.”

“Buying a smartphone for a little brat like you? Your dad must have a lot of money.”

One of the other children answered instead, “Seong-Min’s dad is a Hunter. That’s why he makes a lot of money.”

Kiriel let out a long sigh. He had only recently managed to get his own smartphone, and here was a kid who couldn’t be older than five playing around with one.

At that moment, a loud explosion echoed through the smartphone speakers. A monster suddenly ambushed Behemoth while they were gathering plants. Kang-Hyun had been caught off guard and nearly exposed his back to the monster, but he quickly gripped his sword and launched a counterattack. The close call made the children hold their breath. Thankfully, the monster was sent flying far away by Kang-Hyun’s kick.

Although Behemoth emerged victorious, the children were visibly shaken by the near-disaster, clenching their tiny fists. Kiriel, however, found it all rather underwhelming and sighed. They were making such a fuss over a mere Ettin.

“But Mr. Kiriel, are you as strong as Behemoth?”

At the child’s absurd question, Kiriel muttered, “Man...”

He chuckled dryly, thinking that these kids had no idea how strong he truly was. To Kiriel, Behemoth was nothing more than a toddler who hadn’t even taken its first steps.

“I am a Transcendent. Do you know what that is?” he asked.

“Nope.”

“Sigh, then you probably don’t know the King of Earth either.”

“The king? You mean the president?”

“Forget it.” Kiriel sprawled out on the ground in resignation.

***

Do-Jun walked into the teacher’s office through the sliding door. Ji-Hye greeted him with a smile and gave him a cup of tea.

It was the day for individual parent-teacher meetings, and today was Do-Jun’s turn. The meetings were nothing special; just updates on the children, the daycare’s programs, and addressing any questions the parents might have.

“So, during spring break, we’ll be holding a drawing contest alongside a picnic.” Ji-Hye laid out the upcoming plans.

“I see. Thank you for always putting in so much effort.”

“Well, it’s our job, after all.”

Ji-Hye glanced out the window for a moment. She saw Kiriel playing with the children outside, causing her to chuckle softly. Outwardly, Kiriel appeared irritated, but he still made sure to entertain the kids.

Her thoughts suddenly wandered to a news report she had seen that morning, and a bitter smile crossed her lips.

“Sometimes, I can’t help but feel uneasy,” she murmured softly, and Do-Jun looked at her with a steady gaze.

She continued, “I saw the news this morning. It said Behemoth is advancing through the Core, which pretty much everyone knows by now... Ah, you must be even more aware of these things, being a civil servant in the Fissure Management Division.

“I didn’t realize it before, but I recently learned that Behemoth isn’t the true pinnacle. There are even more dangerous figures in the Deep Realm within the Core. If—just if—they ever invaded Earth... I can’t stop thinking about what would happen to our children.”

Her worry was, in a way, natural. It was a fear of the unknown world she had never directly experienced. Even though there were heroes to defend them, it was impossible not to consider the worst-case scenario.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything so unnecessary...” she said.

On the other side of the window, children were happily playing with Kiriel.

“Mr. Kiriel! Count to fifty seconds, then open your eyes!”

“All right, all right, go hide already.”

Do-Jun watched the children playing outside with Kiriel and said calmly, “Don’t worry, Ms. Han.”

“You’re right. Worrying doesn’t solve anything.”

“That’s not what I mean. I’m saying that the things you’re afraid of won’t happen.”

“Pardon?”

“So don’t worry.”

For some reason, Ji-Hye felt a sudden sense of relief. It was strange, really. The nagging unease that had been crawling inside her chest all morning melted away like snow.

That’s so strange... Feeling noticeably lighter, Ji-Hye looked at Do-Jun, who simply gave her a reassuring smile.

1. The Seoul Metropolitan Subway has screens inside the train cars that display the latest news headlines, stock prices, and other information for the commuters during their journey. ☜