Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 321

As time passed, the faint inscriptions carved into the wall on the fourteenth floor of the Core were becoming clearer. As Do-Jun slowly walked along the wall, running his fingers over the engravings, he could faintly sense an energy distinctively belonging to Solomon, something he hadn’t detected before.

“The inscriptions on this floor are part of the summoning ritual to awaken Solomon.”

Recalling what Baal said, Do-Jun closed his eyes. He could feel an energy somewhere in the Deep Realm that resonated with the inscriptions on the wall. However, that energy overlapped with Baal.

Realizing this, Do-Jun slowly opened his eyes. Hmm.

***

Tonight’s dinner menu included pork cutlets, salad, and doenjang jjigae. Do-Jun placed the frozen pork cutlets from the supermarket into a pot of hot oil. As they touched the oil, bubbles formed rapidly, and the cutlets turned golden brown. He took a sip of the boiling soup and found the taste quite decent.

Byeol scratched her left arm while watching Do-Jun cook. Actually, it wasn’t just her arm; it seemed like her thighs and calves were itchy, too. She had spent the whole day running outside and had been bitten by mosquitoes.

“Ughh... It’s itchy...” Byeol whimpered, her face contorted.

Do-Jun paused his cooking and went to the bedroom to get a mosquito-relief ointment from the cabinet. He dabbed it onto the red bite marks on Byeol’s skin. Feeling the cool sensation, her frown disappeared, and she smiled brightly as if she had never been upset at all.

“Better now?” Do-Jun asked.

“Yeah!” she responded energetically.

With summer in full swing, mosquitoes and other insects were more active than ever, and lately, Byeol had been getting bitten almost daily. Each time, Do-Jun would apply ointment to soothe the itch. Thinking about how the rising temperatures had led to an increase in pests, Do-Jun resumed cooking, reminding himself to bring an electronic mosquito repellent to work the next day.

***

Solomon was a being without a physical form. As the Primordial Evil, only his soul remained—both perfect and incomplete at the same time. Despite possessing the power of the primordial, Solomon’s soul was currently unstable.

The Overlord was another being with primordial power. He was the ruler born with overwhelming strength—the Lord of all dragons.

To face him, Solomon had to prepare thoroughly. The Overlord, having awakened from his eternal slumber, was probably at full power and definitely searching for the “keys” as well. If he could gain Ouroboros’s recognition and harness its power, perhaps he could succeed in his battle against the Overlord. Although he had lost in the past, he couldn’t let history repeat itself.

I must find it first. The Overlord must not find it. I can’t afford to delay any longer, Solomon thought.

If the Overlord were to locate Baal and attempt to kill him, then the “Perfect Vessel” would have to be abandoned. Baal was his greatest creation, a vessel designed to contain his soul without flaw. He could not allow even the slightest damage to it. Thus, as time passed, Solomon’s unease grew.

The keys had to be somewhere within the Deep Realm. While he had already ordered Baal to search for it, it was nearly impossible to comb through such an enormous place alone.

Deciding that he needed a physical body, even if only temporary, Solomon spoke to Baal.

—I will capture Ugnus and use him as my temporary vessel.

The Deep Realm was filled with countless trials. Among them, the Ugnus Raid was considered so difficult that even the top Rankers of the Deep Realm dared not attempt it.

Baal, who had once challenged the trial and failed it himself, swallowed nervously.

***

The Twisted Land of the Deep Realm was first discovered by Baal.

In the distance, a massive statue loomed, its enormous figure unmistakable even from afar. The God of Land, Ugnus, remained motionless in the form of a statue until a challenger announced their intention to start the trial. When the battle began, its eyes would gleam with a fierce glare, and it would charge forward relentlessly.

As Baal approached, Ugnus’ eyes glowed ominously.

“The Land grants both life and death.” Its voice was so powerful that it echoed like rolling thunder.

[Would you like to challenge the Ugnus Raid?]

[Prepare yourself! Ugnus, the God of Land, is awakening from his seal.]

Ugnus, now filled with life, snapped its eyes open, and without giving Baal a moment to even respond, it lunged at him with terrifying force. A towering behemoth over thirty meters tall, its sheer size alone was enough to instill fear into anyone.

Ugnus and Baal collided with a deafening boom. The raid had begun.

***

Recently, the employees of the Fissure Management Division had been having trouble focusing on their work.

The reason? Bugs. Absolute pests.

They had expected an increase in mosquitoes and other pests with the summer heat, but not to this extent. Since the department was on the seventh floor, quite high off the ground, they had assumed they would be safe, but the sheer number of insects proved otherwise.

Those bitten by mosquitoes tried various ways to cope. Some pressed their nails into the bites, forming little crosses on their skin. Others resorted to wearing long sleeves despite the heat.

If mosquitoes could talk, they would probably say, “Looking for volunteers to donate blood.”

Cheol-Soo, who naturally sweated a lot, scowled. He hadn’t even been at work for an hour, yet he had already donated his precious blood to mosquitoes multiple times. Determined to put an end to his suffering, Cheol-Soo pulled out a portable fly swatter he had brought from home. With intense focus, he scanned the area, ready to take down his winged adversary. The moment he spotted the arrogant mosquito that had stolen his blood, he didn’t hesitate to smack it down.

After a couple of successful slaps, he exclaimed, “Ho! Would you look at this one? Stuffed full, huh?”

Holding up the mosquito, now bloated with blood and dark red in color, Cheol-Soo grinned. Then he turned to look at Do-Jun, who appeared remarkably calm despite the mosquito invasion.

Do-Jun was plugging in an electronic mosquito repellent near the office entrance. After turning it on, he returned to his seat.

“Do-Jun, you got mosquitoes over there, too?” Cheol-Soo asked.

“I do have one.”

“Want to borrow my fly swatter?”

“No need. I’ll just catch it with my hand,” Do-Jun replied.

***

With an earth-shattering roar, Ugnus was sent flying into the distance.

Baal, having been lent a portion of Solomon’s power, easily overwhelmed Ugnus in a way he never could before. However, even though he was undeniably stronger now, Baal felt nothing in particular about it.

[You are the first to clear Ugnus’ Trial.]

[As a reward, you have received a First-Time Random Artifact.]

[You have obtained Bentlers.]

As the messages came in, Solomon spoke.

—It is ready.

Artifacts meant nothing to him. What Solomon needed was a temporary vessel—a way to efficiently find the keys scattered somewhere in the Deep Realm. Baal’s eyes flickered. Ugnus’ body might not be as ideal as Baal’s, but it would do its job.

The divine body of Ugnus, the god who governed the most difficult trial of the Twisted Lands, began to glow. At the same time, Baal’s own body radiated light. Baal instinctively understood what was happening: Solomon’s soul, residing within him, was ready to leave.

A faint sound, like the whisper of a breeze, reached his ears. Baal looked up to see a gray hue—a gray soul.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, it drifted out of his body.

Baal realized that it was an incomplete soul. The summoning inscription on the fourteenth floor was still unfinished. Solomon understood that he would only fully manifest in the Core through the inscriptions once they were complete. As it was now, he was effectively shedding his armor.

So this is why he’s so obsessed with the key. He’s vulnerable like this, Baal mused.

Solomon’s soul fragment continued its slow, deliberate movement, drifting ever so gently toward Ugnus’ body while Baal could only watch in silence. And then, the moment Solomon’s soul touched Ugnus’ body, a blade of pure energy cut through the air in a graceful arc with a flash.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

Darkness swallowed everything as if the world itself had blinked out of existence.

—Kuaaaaaagh!

Solomon’s scream tore through the void.

When Baal regained his senses, Ugnus’ body had vanished completely, and part of Solomon’s soul had been cut away. Only a small portion was severed, but Solomon shrieked in unbearable agony as his soul immediately recoiled, retreating back into Baal’s body.

—Grrrgh...

His tortured groan echoed in Baal’s mind. Solomon’s consciousness wavered; his breathing ragged as if he might collapse at any moment.

What had just happened?

Baal looked around in confusion. No way. Could it be true?

He then recalled Imfelheim’s words. “Soul Sword. Wei Zhongqi mentioned it. He said the King of Earth wields a blade that transcends space itself. Vasago’s sudden death? It’s highly likely he was struck down by the Soul Sword.”

A moment later, Solomon finally regained his senses.

—Who... Who was it?! Who did this?!

Those were his first words. The wound didn’t matter; what mattered was the source of that power.

An unseen blade—one that could wound a soul. Such a thing should not exist. Must not exist.

To Solomon, that attack just now felt like it had the force of an entire universe behind it.

***

“Hmmm.” Arms crossed, Cheol-Soo studied Do-Jun.

Do-Jun held his hand in the air, making a swinging motion like wielding a sword, but his hands were empty.

Cheol-Soo cleared his throat before asking, “Do-Jun, did you get that mosquito?”

“No, Chief. I almost got it, but unfortunately, it got away.”

Cheol-Soo sighed in disappointment. “You should’ve taken my fly swatter when I offered. Step aside, let me handle this. These days, mosquitoes have 5G speed, you know? You have to take them out in one go.”

With a completely serious expression, Cheol-Soo picked up the fly swatter. He swung it through the air with precise, practiced movements as he explained to Do-Jun and Hyuk-Soo, “It’s all about wrist control. Like this! And this! You guys know I’m a fourth-dan in kendo, right? Mosquitoes don’t stand a chance against my fly-swatter swordsmanship.”

Honestly, Cheol-Soo’s fly swatter technique was impressive.

That day, everyone present witnessed a historic event: over sixty mosquitoes fell in battle, defeated by the legendary fly-swatter technique.