Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 286

Faith—the reverence and fear of a supernatural absolute being.

The world is filled with countless religions, each worshiping and following its own deity. These beliefs spread widely through regional influences, customs, and missionary work.

Christianity, Catholicism, Buddhism—many religions and sects exist around the world, and the Core was no exception. Here, on the thirteenth floor of the Core, fewer than ten individuals knelt before an altar, offering prayers to a statue. Towering at what must have been hundreds of meters tall, the statue resembled a dragon. In front of it was an assortment of food and drink placed as offerings with what little they could gather.

“Now, let us all pray.”

The adventurers, or rather, devout followers, including a young girl clad in white, clasped their hands together in solemn prayer before the statue.

“O Almighty and Great Dragon, ruler of our lives, with your benevolence and radiant virtue, watch over this world and usher in an era of peace. Grant that all may live in joy and abundance, so that happiness may flourish forevermore.”

Their prayers continued for a long time, and only after an hour had passed did the girl slowly open her eyes. Her name was Isabel, the high priestess of the Dragonic Order, one of the many faiths that had emerged within the Core.

After the Great War, the dragons had vanished, and with their disappearance, the Dragonic Order fell into decline, teetering on the brink of extinction. Yet, the line had not been severed completely. Successive high priests had upheld the faith, preserving its legacy even in the face of near collapse.

However, recently, the Dragonic Order had begun to stir once more.

Isabel turned to the faithful and smiled.

“It is said that the Lord has once again manifested in the Deep Realm. Under His divine and noble presence, the world shall soon be restored to peace, and the glory of the past shall return. Now, more than ever, we must devote ourselves to prayer, demonstrating our unwavering faith in the Great Dragon Lord. Let us pray.”

The gathered adventurers once again brought their hands together.

***

Do-Jun was the kind of person who preferred to protect the purity of people’s innocent beliefs. Even if they were nothing more than illusions, if such beliefs brought people joy, then sometimes, a harmless lie was worth telling. After all, ignorance could indeed be bliss.

A religion that worships dragons, huh...? Do-Jun thought.

The Core was a world where only the strongest survived. Since the dragons were once the dominant species of such a world, it wasn’t surprising that a religion had formed around them. Though the faith was barely holding on now, the fact that it had survived at all was what truly mattered.

“Lala♪” Yong-Yong hummed cheerfully as he packed a small bag, preparing to accompany Do-Jun to the Core. Snacks, drinks, and other essentials were neatly packed inside. Finally, he tucked in his panda sleep mask, which was basically a mask with a smiling panda face. Lately, Yong-Yong had developed the habit of wearing it while sleeping.

“Aha, I can’t wait to see the faithful followers...” he said. Upon hearing about the Dragonic Order on the thirteenth floor, Yong-Yong had adamantly insisted on accompanying Do-Jun.

Initially, Do-Jun had planned to leave him behind, but Yong-Yong refused to back down, declaring, “This time, I won’t budge!”

In the end, Do-Jun had no choice but to relent.

“Well, it’s only natural that the Great Izaas would have a religion dedicated to him! Hahaha!” Yong-Yong remarked.

Still in his mini dragon form, he hoisted a backpack larger than his own onto his back with a grunt before waddling toward the full-length mirror.

Do-Jun silently watched as Yong-Yong slathered lotion onto his face, rubbing it in with his tiny front paws.

“Ah... so handsome.”

Normally, he hated putting on lotion, always claiming it was a hassle, but today, he was oddly dedicated to skincare. In fact, he was on the verge of using up an entire bottle.

Do-Jun, although sighing for the most part, also let out an amused chuckle.

***

The thirteenth floor of the Core was once a land of abundance. Unlike most other floors, where barren land made it impossible to grow crops, leading to severe food shortages, the thirteenth floor had fertile soil and pristine rivers, ensuring that no one ever starved.

Because of this, many adventurers chose to stay there, and since it also served as the stronghold of the Dragonic Order, those who remained often converted to the faith, dedicating their lives to the devotion of dragons.

But that was long ago.

Now, the land was known as the Land of Death, with its once-fertile soil rotting, rivers turned black, and waters rendered undrinkable. The main cause of this tragic decline was none other than the demon named Tessar, one of Baal’s subordinates.

After the Great War, Tessar, Baal’s Second Legion Commander, established on the thirteenth floor and started cultivating the Demon Flowers. These flowers drained life force, converting it into demonic energy. To the untrained eye, they resembled beautiful black roses. However, the more they bloomed, the faster the land withered and died.

To ordinary adventurers and monsters, the Demon Flowers were a nightmare. However, to Tessar, they were a blessing. By consuming them, his demonic power increased, and with it, his strength.

Just a hundred more years and my plan will be complete, Tessar thought.

His ultimate goal was to become the Demon King.

Though he had held the title of Second Legion Commander under Baal, Laum’s sudden death had resulted in his promotion to First Legion Commander. But to him, that wasn’t enough.

Baal. Soon, you will fall from your throne.

As he was lost in his thoughts, a crackle was heard as a small Fissure, about two meters tall, suddenly appeared in Tessar’s field of Demon Flowers. From it, a man stepped forth, accompanied by a small creature.

“Lala♪... Huh?”

Tessar locked eyes with the humming creature.

The creature turned to the man and asked, “Master, this is the thirteenth floor, right?”

The man nodded.

Upon hearing his confirmation, the creature’s expression twisted in disgust. “Huh? Then, what the hell does a filthy demon think he’s doing loitering around the sacred thirteenth floor?!”

“Who are you bast—” Tessar didn’t get to finish his sentence, because Yong-Yong’s front paw struck Tessar squarely on the head.

Smack!

And just like that, the demon passed out instantly.

***

“Gah!” Tessar, who had been unconscious for about an hour, suddenly jolted awake.

He was buried in the field where Demon Flowers were harvested, with only his head exposed. He grimaced as he struggled to pull himself free, trying to summon his strength. But no matter how hard he tried, an unknown force held him in place, preventing his escape.

“W-what the hell were those guys...?”

His head throbbed as if it were about to split open. It seemed like a fist-sized lump had formed on his crown.

He recalled the man and the small creature from earlier, the one that had effortlessly taken him down. That thing wasn’t just any ordinary monster.

There was a number “1” on its forehead... No, no way. Tessar’s expression stiffened.

Rumors had been circulating about the Dragon Lord appearing in the Deep Realm.

He had no choice but to conceal this revelation. Not only was he unable to move at the moment, but if anyone discovered that he was secretly harvesting Demon Flowers on the thirteenth floor of the Core, he could be executed for treason against Baal.

***

Though roughly ninety-five percent of the once-fertile land of the thirteenth floor had been consumed by the corruption, there were still patches of areas untouched by the demonic energy. Food supplies were running low, yet Isabel and the other members of the Order could not descend to the fourteenth floor. This was where the altar of the Dragonic Order was, containing the will of the late High Priests passed down through generations.

“Who is that...?” Isabel asked sharply.

A man was passing through the valley. An adventurer from the twelfth floor, perhaps? Either way, she tensed up. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

One of the greatest dangers in the Core was encountering an unfamiliar adventurer.

Clutching her staff tightly, she steadied herself.

He looked this way, she realized as she locked eyes with the stranger.

Isabel started chanting an incantation, readying herself to retaliate at any moment in case he attacked. But he didn’t seem interested. He just kept walking, occasionally stopping to touch a strange rectangular device.

I guess he’s not hostile...?

After some hesitation, Isabel decided to slowly approach him.

***

For a while now, a girl had been peeking at him from behind a tree, believing Do-Jun hadn’t noticed her.

Do-Jun finally turned toward the girl, who was clad in white robes, gripping an ornate staff.

“Can I help you?” he asked.

The girl behind the tree twitched as if startled and slowly revealed herself.

“W-who are you?” she asked warily.

“That’s my question, actually.”

“I’m Isabel.”

“I’m Lee Do-Jun. You’re the High Priestess of the Dragonic Order, aren’t you?”

“You know of the Dragonic Order...?”

“To some extent.”

Hearing this, Yong-Yong’s eyes sparkled as he bolted toward Isabel. “My goodness! So this is our beloved High Priestess!”

Huh...?

***

Do-Jun and Yong-Yong visited the altar.

Seeing that Do-Jun and Yong-Yong were not hostile, Isabel chose to treat them as guests, offering them a bowl of soup and some very hard rye bread.

“I’m sorry. This is all we have...” she said.

“No, thank you for your hospitality.”

“When did you come to the thirteenth fl...” Isabel trailed off, noticing someone particularly enjoying the food.

“Nom nom. Not bad.”

Changing her initial question, Isabel glanced at Yong-Yong and asked Do-Jun, “And this little creature is...?”

“Don’t mind him.”

“O-oh... okay...”

“I arrived on the thirteenth floor just now. I was exploring for some personal work.” Do-Jun answered her unfinished question as he scooped up a spoonful of soup, which didn’t look appealing, but it was likely all they could scrape together.

A brief silence settled over the room before Isabel spoke again. “As you probably know, our Dragonic Order venerates the great dragons—the ruling species of the Core. Above all, we worship our Lord, Izaas.”

“Hah, well said. Truly great, indeed,” Yong-Yong remarked.

Isabel cleared her throat before continuing. “Anyway, I have upheld the legacy of the previous High Priests, preserving the Dragonic Order’s traditions. Though our numbers have dwindled, in the past, Lord Izaas reigned as the king of the Deep Realm, and the clergy was once vast.”

It was a heavy topic.

“But recently, we received good news—rumors that Lord Izaas had appeared in the Deep Realm. We don’t know if it’s true, but it’s given our Order hope.”

Yong-Yong stifled his laughter as he thought, Oh, if only you knew. The Lord you worship so dearly is sitting right in front of you.

Watching Yong-Yong struggle to contain himself, Do-Jun let out an exasperated chuckle.

“Revival is just around the corner. Hehe.” Yong-Yong smirked mischievously.

Seeing this made Isabel slightly uneasy, but she responded calmly. “Y-yes, we hold onto that hope. However, it seems we must abandon the thirteenth floor.”

“What? Why?! You’ve even got such a grand and magnificent Yong-Yong statue here!” Yong-Yong exclaimed.

“Pardon...?”

A Yong-Yong statue...? Isabel decided not to question it.

Do-Jun said, “It’s because of the Demon Flowers, isn’t it?”

“Yes...”

Yong-Yong suddenly felt a sense of urgency and asked, “M-Master, what’s a Demon Flower?”

***

Tessar was mustering all his strength to shake off the unknown force binding him. Yet, the more he fought, the tighter it constricted.

Just then, he saw something flying toward him. Or rather, someone. It was Yong-Yong, and he looked furious.

“W-wait! Why are you doing this to m—” Once again, Tessar couldn’t finish his sentence as a massive impact struck his head.

Another fist-sized lump swelled atop the one he already had.

Why... does it always have to be my head...?

Tessar never got his answer before passing out once again.