Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 287

The Flower of Life, Sage, was derived from the World Tree. It had boundless vitality and the ability to purify its surroundings.

Already aware of the dire situation on the thirteenth floor of the Core, Do-Jun stopped by the sixth floor to collect Sage seeds from the World Tree. He placed the seeds into a small pouch and handed them to Isabel.

“What is this...?” Isabel asked.

“Try planting it.”

The ground was cracked and barren, with blackened soil. Following Do-Jun’s instructions, Isabel dug a small hole and planted the seeds. Not long afterward, pure white sprouts emerged from the soil with a soft pop, revealing themselves. Soon, the buds opened and blossomed into beautiful flowers.

With a gentle swoosh, light spread outward from the center of the flower. The polluted soil began to regain its vitality. The Demon Flowers withered away, and the earth reverted to its original ochre hue.

Of course, a single Sage flower could only have a limited effect. The thirteenth floor was vast. But to Isabel and the other adventurers, it was a glimmer of hope.

“The land... It’s healing!”

“This is called Sage,” Do-Jun explained. “It’s a flower nurtured by the energy of the World Tree. If you plant them in polluted areas whenever you get the chance, it’ll make life here a little easier.”

Tears welled in Isabel’s eyes at the prospect of restoring the land. She bowed her head deeply in gratitude. However, she attempted to return the pouch of seeds to Do-Jun.

“I’m truly grateful, but I can’t use this... I’ll just cherish your gesture.”

The reason for her rejection was none other than Tessar, Baal’s Second Legion Commander.

If Tessar discovered what was happening, he might wipe out every adventurer on the thirteenth floor. They had only managed to survive there because they avoided provoking Tessar. Interfering with the Demon Flower production would undoubtedly incur his wrath and render their efforts thus far futile.

“If this is about Tessar, don’t worry about him,” Do-Jun reassured Isabel.

“You know of him?”

“Yes. By now, I’m sure he’s—”

As if right on cue, a breathless follower came running toward them. “H-High Priestess Isabel!”

Stopping in front of Isabel, he caught his breath, still panting from the long sprint. Once he had composed himself, he pointed far into the distance.

“Please, look over there!”

“What’s happening that you’re in such a hurry...?”

Isabel turned and witnessed an unbelievable scene.

Tessar was in the fields, pulling up the Demon Flowers by their roots. On his back was none other than Yong-Yong, the creature who had accompanied Do-Jun.

His voice rang out, loudly reprimanding Tessar. “Eh? Eh? Who told you you could fall over? Get up! Move faster, I don’t even want to be able to see your hands!”

Whenever Tessar slowed down or collapsed to the ground, Yong-Yong smacked him on the crown of his head to spur him into action.

The sight was reminiscent of an ox yoked to a cart.

Isabel rubbed her eyes, questioning whether she was dreaming.

***

“W-wait, so you’re saying... this monster here is the Dragon Lord...?” Isabel blinked, dumbfounded once again.

The small creature wagged its tail as it looked up at her. Isabel glanced between Yong-Yong and the towering statue of the Dragon Lord, which stood hundreds of meters tall on the altar.

The image she had in her mind didn’t match what she was seeing in front of her. Of course, judging based on appearances alone was shallow, but the disparity was too great to process immediately.

Yong-Yong’s words from earlier replayed in her mind like a vivid flashback.

“My goodness! So this is our beloved High Priestess!”

“Hah, well said. Truly great, indeed.”

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

Isabel stuttered, “L-Lord I-Izaas...?”

“Yup, that’s me!” Yong-Yong said happily.

The dignified and solemn figure described in their doctrine was nowhere to be found.

According to the teachings, Izaas was known to be composed and coldly rational. However, what Isabel observed was far from the doctrine’s depiction. Still, based on what she had seen mere moments ago—Tessar planting the Sage seeds with a comically large bump on his head—she was certain the creature in front of her was indeed Izaas.

When his eyes met Izaas’, Tessar flinched and quickened his pace.

And who was Tessar? None other than a commander of the Demon King’s legion. There were only a few beings in the Deep Realm capable of commanding someone like Tessar.

But the most shocking revelation was that the Overlord, the absolute being of the Core, was addressing the man standing across from Isabel as his master.

When she initially thought the small creature was just an ordinary being, she didn’t think anything of it. However, after learning that the small creature was Izaas, she was so stunned that she couldn’t even speak properly.

“Your Master...?” she asked Yong-Yong in confirmation again.

After staring blankly at Do-Jun for a long moment, Isabel suddenly jolted as if realizing something.

“Are you... a god?” she asked him.

“No, nothing like that,” Do-Jun dismissed her speculation.

“B-but how...? Lord Izaas is the absolute being of the Core.”

As the High Priestess of the Draconic Order, Isabel wasn’t sure how to approach Do-Jun. To her, the master of Izaas could only be akin to the Creator himself.

Do-Jun smiled faintly and said, “Well then, I’ll let the two of you chat.”

***

Do-Jun began his work. From Ivela’s pouch, he pulled out a thick book, the Interpreter – Ataraxia. He opened the Interpreter to a blank page and touched the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner.

[Please choose the target you wish to identify.]

[Demon Flower has been added to the encyclopedia.]

[The completion percentage of Interpreter – Ataraxia has increased by 0.006%.]

[Demon Flower]

Category: Plant

Description: A flower containing demonic energy. It absorbs the life force around it. The deeper the concentration of magic, the darker its color becomes. While it is an elixir to demons, it acts as a deadly poison to other races.

A cold wind blew, adding to the eerie atmosphere. At that moment, Do-Jun and Tessar looked at each other.

Tessar, now free from Yong-Yong’s watchful gaze, had been absorbing the Demon Flowers. Startled by the eye contact, he swallowed nervously, then bent down again, furiously pulling at the flowers. After all, he had seen Yong-Yong call Do-Jun “Master” and follow his orders faithfully.

Do-Jun spoke in an indifferent tone, “Do as you please.”

“S-sorry... What?”

“I said you can absorb the Demon Flowers. As long as they disappear, you can do whatever.”

Tessar swallowed again and cautiously gauged the situation, his mind racing. He couldn’t understand what this human was thinking.

Whether he plucked or absorbed the Demon Flowers, the outcome would be the same: they would disappear. But absorbing the flowers would also mean getting stronger. Allowing an “enemy” to gain power defied common sense.

Without a word, Tessar started absorbing the Demon Flowers right in front of Do-Jun.

The flowers, which had grown by draining the life from the surrounding soil, released their demonic energy, flowing into Tessar’s body. While a single flower’s power was negligible, the story changed when dozens, hundreds, or even thousands were gathered. Over time, if he continued to accumulate more demonic energy, he might even surpass Baal’s power. He was taking steps toward becoming the Demon King.

At some point, Tessar stopped absorbing the Demon Flowers.

After waiting so long to grow and harvest them, he had nearly lost everything. This was a rare opportunity, free from Yong-Yong’s interference, to absorb power without restraint. A wise person would seize such a chance.

Yet, Tessar stopped as a question formed in his mind. He decided to ask it.

“Why are you letting me do this?”

“I already gave you the answer,” Do-Jun replied.

“If I absorb these flowers, I’ll grow stronger. Are you really okay with that?”

Do-Jun responded with a question of his own. “Let’s say you do grow stronger. And then, what?”

“No, I mean... that’s not...” Tessar trailed off, realization dawning on him. He understood why Do-Jun allowed him to absorb the flowers.

Tessar’s expression hardened. He’s not threatened.

No matter how many Demon Flowers he absorbed, Do-Jun didn’t see him as a threat.

In that moment, Tessar felt as if he had hit an invisible wall, one so high he couldn’t even imagine looking over it.

Cold sweat trickled down his back. He thought, This isn’t even a level I can aspire to reach. It’s all meaningless.

He stopped absorbing the Demon Flowers altogether.

The days he spent struggling to claim the title of Demon King now seemed completely pointless. Looking back, the answer was obvious. Even the Dragon Lord, once called the king of the Deep Realm, had bowed to this man’s power. Compared to that, Tessar was just a tiny speck of dust.

In the end, everything rests in this man’s hands, he realized.

***

Do-Jun planned to stay the night on the thirteenth floor of the Core.

He had decided to advance the exploration progress while he was here, but the main reason was that Yong-Yong absolutely loved it. Yong-Yong pulled out his cherished panda sleep mask, which he had brought from home, and proudly showed it to the gathered adventurers.

“Ah, this is a sleep mask. You can buy one for just a thousand won at Daisoi.”

“Wow!”

“So cute!”

“And this is my quiz sheet, where I scored a perfect hundred. See all the checkmarks?” Yong-Yong continued to show off.

“Amazing!”

Everything seemed to fascinate the adventurers, and their enthusiastic reactions lifted Yong-Yong’s spirits.

Meanwhile, Do-Jun lit a campfire, laid out a sleeping bag nearby, and took out his smartphone. He snapped a photo of Yong-Yong playing with his followers, the deagon statue in the background. Smirking, he thought about showing it to the kids later.

Isabel, sitting beside him, clapped softly as she watched the followers enjoying themselves. A smile naturally spread across her face, and tears welled up in her eyes. Who would have thought a day like this would come?

“Wow. It feels like a dream,” she muttered.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“It’s all thanks to you, my Lord.”

Eventually, even Isabel and the other followers started calling Do-Jun “Lord.” Although he told them it was fine to call him by his name, they insisted that “Lord” felt more appropriate.

“If the former High Priests could see this, they’d be shocked.”

Do-Jun chuckled.

“Oh, right, Lord Izaas asked me to have the ingredients prepared,” Isabel said, remembering suddenly.

“Ingredients?” Do-Jun asked curiously.

“Yes, hehe.”

Do-Jun watched silently as Isabel opened Yong-Yong’s bag and began taking out its contents. Snacks like Choco Pie and cookies came out first. After she emptied the snacks, she started pulling out a gas burner, a pot, a ladle, bowls, utensils, and even a cooler.

Wait, what? Do-Jun’s gaze wavered.

“Lord Izaas, should I just take everything out?” Isabel asked.

“Yup.”

The cooler contained all kinds of ingredients: frozen raw chicken, sugar, vinegar, potatoes, kimchi, mackerel, and more. Isabel handed the ingredients to Yong-Yong, who started preparing them. Then she returned to her seat.

“Lord Izaas said he’d cook for us today,” She told Do-Jun. “I heard he’s an excellent cook! Hehe.”

“Who told you that?” Do-Jun asked.

“Well, Lord Izaas himself.”

Yong-Yong started cleaning the chicken, clearly preparing to make a spicy braised chicken. The followers, deeply moved by the sight of Yong-Yong personally cooking for them, watched with reverent eyes.

“The former High Priests would have loved to witness Lord Izaas cooking for us... Wait.” Isabel looked around. “Where did he go?”