Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 268

Right now, Marvas found himself in a state just like the saying, sitting on pins and needles. One of Solomon’s Demons, Marvas, sat on his throne, bouncing his leg and gnawing at his fingernails. His anxiety was intense, and the cause was none other than the “King of Earth.”

Gamygin, Vassago, and Agares—these were some of the most notorious demons of the Deep Realm. But they were all dead.

Rumors floated around, with some saying they had provoked Imfelheim and paid the price, and others claimed they had perished after failing an extreme trial. But a few days ago, Kiriel had told Marvas the real story behind those rumors.

“Um, Lord Marvas?” One of Marvas’s Legion Commanders, who had been quietly observing, carefully spoke up. Marvas had always been composed and ruthless, yet recently, he had been behaving like a dog desperate to relieve itself.

“H-hm?”

“Is something troubling you?” the commander asked.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so...”

Marvas turned his attention to the forum.

The Core’s forum was an anonymous community. Like many others in the Core, Marvas frequented it, browsing through various discussions. But the posts that caught his eye the most were those about the King of Earth.

The name? Lee Do-Jun.

﹂Whoa, Lee Do-Jun just killed the Death Knight.

﹂Idiot, did you see it yourself? How do you know it was him? You people lie the moment you open your mouths.

﹂I’m a resident of the tenth floor, dumbass. A newbie walks in and one-shots a Death Knight—who else would it be but Lee Do-Jun?

He’s on the tenth floor already? Marvas thought to himself and let out a deep sigh.

At this pace, it wouldn’t take long for him to reach the fifteenth floor, where the entrance to the Deep Realm was located.

“I can’t just sit like this,” Marvas muttered.

This “Lee Do-Jun” had been wiping out demons, which meant he held a deep resentment toward them. If he entered the Deep Realm, Marvas and his fellow demons wouldn’t stand a chance.

***

It was the restaurant’s day off. For the first time in a while, Wei Zhongqi was enjoying a well-earned rest. Serving the endless stream of customers every day was utterly exhausting, so today, he decided to play janggi with Kiriel in peace. Kiriel was terrible at the game, but his determination to win made things quite amusing.

“That makes it fifteen losses in a row, Kiriel,” Wei Zhongqi said.

“Dammit...”

“But you’re improving.”

“Really?” Kiriel asked.

“Yes.”

“Heh.” Kiriel smirked smugly.

The truth was, Kiriel had a specific reason for playing janggi despite his constant losses; he was after a particular reward. At some point, he had proposed a deal to Do-Jun: if he were to beat Do-Jun in a game of janggi, he would get one exemption pass for writing a reflection paper. Do-Jun had simply told him to do as he pleased.

“One more round. This is very important to me, Wei Zhongqi,” Kiriel begged.

“I don’t know what’s at stake, but sure. Janggi is fun, so I don’t mind.”

As they were resetting the board for another game, dark storm clouds gathered over the peak of Mount Yeongryunsan. Hearing a loud rumble and sensing that something was off, Wei Zhongqi tensed. The ominous energy emanating from the clouds was unmistakably that of a Solomon’s demon.

Lightning struck from the storm, and in its wake appeared a towering man with the face of a lion and a body of rippling muscle. Wei Zhongqi recognized him instantly. It was Marvas, the fifth-ranked demon of Solomon’s Seventy-Two.

Why had a demon appeared here? This could only mean trouble. The Transcendents and demons were sworn enemies.

Is he alone? Wei Zhongqi wondered.

If he had come to pick a fight, he would have brought his subordinates along. Yet he had come alone, and there was no detectable killing intent.

While Wei Zhongqi was all serious and thinking of his course of action, Kiriel nonchalantly dug a finger into his ear and muttered, “What, you again?”

“Huh...?” Wei Zhongqi turned his head quickly in disbelief.

Marvas let out a deep sigh and muttered, “I... need some advice.”

What was going on? Wei Zhongqi glanced between the two of them.

“I have recently become an advisor,” Kiriel declared in explanation.

“An advisor?” Wei Zhongqi asked, surprised.

Kiriel was quite popular among the residents of the Deep Realm. Despite frequently traveling to the “perilous” Earth, he always returned unscathed, earning the admiration of many. Most of the questions he received were mundane, like “How do you survive on Earth?” but Kiriel always answered them sincerely. Marvas was now one of his clients.

He said, “I heard the King of Earth is on the tenth floor. It won’t be long before he reaches the Deep Realm, so I came to seek advice. I want to live.”

“Ah...” Wei Zhongqi muttered and nodded in understanding. “But can a demon like you even be saved? Think back to what you did to the residents here. Didn’t you once lead your army to burn down Prelia Village just because you didn’t like the way their houses looked?”

Marvas flinched and stammered, “T-that was a long time ago! I’ve changed!”

“Demons don’t change,” Wei Zhongqi was quick to dismiss Marvas’ plea.

“I mean it! Please, believe me!”

“Even if what you’re saying is true, that’s not for me to decide.”

“W-who, then?” Marvas had a bad feeling, but as soon as he heard the answer, he understood.

“The Heavenly Demon,” Wei Zhongqi said.

“T-the Heavenly Demon?” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Though this was his first time hearing of this title, it was quite clear that the Heavenly Demon was the King of Earth.

Kiriel, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. “Well, there is one way.”

“R-really? What is it? Please, tell me!”

“I heard you have a thing for collecting rare artifacts.”

The Core, and especially the Deep Realm, was full of countless trials and rewards. The harder the trial, the greater the prize. Hidden throughout the realm were caches of valuable treasures. Marvas was once famous for hoarding such items, a so-called “collector demon.”

***

Marvas, who had said he was stepping out for a bit, returned to the castle in less than an hour. He had explicitly stated that he was going to “seek advice.”

“You’re back, Lord Marvas,” the commander remarked.

“I found a way.”

“Pardon...?”

“Follow me.”

As soon as he returned, Marvas headed straight for the storage room, and the Legion Commander followed close behind.

The storage room was heavily secured with triple-layered barriers, making it inaccessible to just anyone. It had been designed so that only Marvas could enter. Placing his palm against the barrier, Marvas began murmuring something. One by one, the layers of protection peeled away.

A deep, grating sound filled the air as the massive doors slowly dragged against the floor while opening. Inside, countless treasures gleamed, slumbering under the dim light. The warehouse, spanning hundreds of square meters, was packed with artifacts piled high like mountains.

“Legion Commander.”

“Yes, Lord Marvas.”

“Take every artifact of relic-grade or higher and put them into the subspace pouch,” Marvas commanded.

“All of them...? All of a sudden?”

He had no idea what had prompted this, but orders from his king were absolute. Complaining wasn’t an option. Without hesitation, the Legion Commander began sifting through the treasures, retrieving all the relic-grade artifacts.

“Forgive me for asking, Lord Marvas, but what exactly do you plan to use them for...?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

The Legion Commander tilted his head in confusion.

These artifacts had been painstakingly collected by Marvas during his travels in the Deep Realm. Although they hadn’t been used immediately, he always insisted they would be needed someday. Marvas had a habit of hoarding powerful artifacts, carefully storing them away in this warehouse.

And now, he was willingly opening it up.

Aw, man... Marvas groaned inwardly, as if experiencing great agony.

***

On a TV show called 90-Minute Debate, two men were engaged in a heated argument. One was a self-proclaimed “Core Analyst,” a scholar who specialized in Fissures, while the other was a former A-rank Hunter who had built a successful career as the CEO of a management company. The topic was none other than the Deep Realm—currently the talk of the town.

⌜So, according to you, Professor, we can never win against the demons of the Deep Realm? But look at this graph. In the past, research indicated that S-rank monsters were beyond human control, yet today, even S-rank Great Fissures are being raided.⌟

⌜A scientist doesn’t use words like ‘never.’ I’m simply discussing possibilities. The monsters we usually encounter on Earth follow predictable patterns. The data speaks for itself. But the demons of the Deep Realm are different. They also grow stronger. Behemoth may be getting more powerful, but demons aren’t sitting by idly. They have a ranking system. And what does that tell us?⌟

Yoon-Hee checked the time and saw that it was 6 PM. It was about time to start making dinner. She had become so absorbed in the intense debate about the Hunter industry, especially regarding the Deep Realm, that time had passed quickly.

Tying on her apron, she took out her smartphone and read a message from Do-Jun. He was working late and told her to eat dinner without him.

Just as she was heading to the kitchen, the doorbell rang. Yoon-Hee turned and walked toward the entrance. When she checked the intercom, she took a startled step back. Standing at the door to their apartment was a monster, but then she noticed Kiriel beside it and cautiously opened the door.

She gave Kiriel a questioning look, silently asking who the creature was.

Kiriel responded by smacking Marvas on the side. “Bow. She’s the King’s daughter.”

Marvas flinched at the title, momentarily hesitating before speaking. “I-I greet you. My name is Marvas.”

“Oh. Uh, hello. But, what brings you here?” Yoon-Hee asked.

Kiriel answered in his stead. “This guy is a demon from the Deep Realm. He wanted to greet the King of Earth, so I brought him here.”

“A d-demon from the Deep Realm?”

⌜Now, now, let’s calm down, gentlemen...⌟

⌜Doctor, your argument is too much of a stretch. While you do make some valid points, asserting that Earth would be destroyed if even a single demon emerged from the Deep Realm is...⌟

The TV continued blaring in the background.

“Is the King home?” Kiriel asked.

“He’s working late tonight,” Yoon-Hee answered.

“I see. That’s unfortunate. Then pass this message along for this guy: Marvas of the Deep Realm desperately wishes to live,” Kiriel said.

He gestured to Marvas, who pulled out a subspace pouch and handed it to her, saying, “Please... ask him to have mercy on me.”

Yoon-Hee blinked in confusion.

Without any further explanation, Kiriel and Marvas disappeared through a dimensional gate, returning to the Deep Realm.

***

By the time Do-Jun returned from work, it was already past 11 PM.

Yoon-Hee was in her pajamas. She came out of the bedroom where she had been studying and greeted him. “Welcome back, Father.”

“You were studying?” Do-Jun smiled, pleased.

Yoon-Hee smiled, encouraged by the praise.

“Oh, right.” She quickly grabbed the subspace pouch from the dining table and ran over. “A demon named Marvas came by today and asked me to give this to you.”

“A demon...? Marvas...?”

“He said he was from the Deep Realm...” Yoon-Hee said.

Do-Jun recalled the names of the demons from the Deep Realm and remembered that Marvas was the fifth-ranked demon among Solomon’s Seventy-Two. He opened the subspace pouch and found an assortment of artifacts inside. Even at a glance, they were clearly not ordinary items.

“He asked you to have mercy on him...”