Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 357

The Imoogi, born in the Core, had a dream since its hatchling days, inspired by a tale the elders told it. “If we Imoogis train diligently for two thousand years, we can become dragons.”

The journey would be long and arduous, but they said that if it endured the pain and hardship and dedicated itself with unwavering effort, then one day, it could become a dragon.

Wholeheartedly believing in those teachings, the Imoogi had lived its life idolizing dragons, wanting nothing more than to be one of their kind. Even after becoming a gatekeeper, it never neglected its training. Rain or snow, no matter how rough the weather, it gave its all each day to reach that goal.

There were days when things felt too hard, days when it wanted to quit. But each time, it consoled itself, endured, and pushed on. It was never meant to be an easy path. After all, if just anyone could become a dragon, there would be nothing special to admire about them.

“Only when the time of endurance passes, and your body and mind mature into completeness, can you finally become a dragon. A dragon must possess a noble nature above all else.”

The Imoogi engraved the words of the sages deep in its heart. Naturally, its admiration and respect for dragons only grew stronger. Well, it had grown stronger until a certain day, when it met an adventurer and his two companions.

***

“Head, head, head, head, head, head, head,” a voice kept saying.

Each repetition of “head” was followed by a loud thwack. Lumps were forming on the Imoogi’s head, one swelling on top of another, and yet another stacked on that. Its mouth foamed, its consciousness hanging by a thread.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

How long would this go on? Tears welled up in the corners of its eyes, then overflowed.

Then suddenly, it snapped its eyes open and shouted in defiance, “Aaaaah! Time out!”

With all the strength it could muster, it screamed and scrambled about ten meters away from Karsiel. Sniffling, it wiped its tears and said, “Y-you said... it’d be just five hits...”

“You’ve still got three left,” Karsiel said without an expression.

“W-what kind of math is that?!”

“It’s part of the tradition.”

Yong-Yong caught Do-Jun’s gaze and sheepishly coughed before averting his eyes. He asked, “M-Master, why are you looking at me that way? I’m not the one doing this..."

That “teaching method” was originally used by Do-Jun on Yong-Yong. Now, it had somehow been twisted and spread under the name of tradition.

Realizing it might actually die at this rate, the Imoogi desperately pleaded for a break. “Time out! Time oooooout!”

Then, it moved the tip of its tail to rub at its forehead. Gradually, the “11” written there faded away. Soon, its forehead was completely clean and smooth.

“L-look! The number—see? I drew it myself! And the whole dragon thing, that was a lie! I just wanted to scare you, that’s all!” it confessed.

The Imoogi thought this would surely stop the madness. However, Karsiel’s expression didn’t change at all. Everyone here already knew it wasn’t a dragon.

“Yeah, we knew that. It was obvious,” she stated flatly.

“T-then why did you—” It could finish the sentence. Its pupils reflected Karsiel leaping through the air.

And then, her palm came down on his head once more with a resounding THWACK! The sound echoed through the hollow like thunder.

“Grghhhghghhh...” Yong-Yong felt a chill crawl up his spine, unable to find words to describe the feeling. From that day forward, he resolved to live his life in gratitude for outranking Karsiel.

***

“At ease,” Karsiel said.

The Imoogi, who had been lying face down with his arms behind his back, sprang to his feet at Karsiel’s permission. Though still rough, he was capable of using polymorph like a dragon and taking on the form of a human. He wasn’t able to transform into an adult human yet, so he took the form of a boy, seemingly around six years old.

“Sniff.”

With a face streaked with tears and snot, the Imoogi gave a deep bow. He wiped his face on the back of his hand and stood at attention with shaky pride.

Karsiel pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and gently wiped the tears from his eyes and the snot from his nose.

“T-thank you,” the Imoogi said.

Her face, now warm and kind, was the complete opposite of the icy one from earlier. The Imoogi stared in stunned silence at the drastic change.

“I was upset because you showed a harmful intent toward my master. I think I may have gone a bit too far. I’m sorry,” Karsiel apologized in her warm voice.

Of course, there was no way an Imoogi could ever pose a real threat to Do-Jun. Still, the very act of showing hostility was unacceptable to Karsiel.

“Is that human... precious to you...?” the Imoogi asked, pointing at Do-Jun, who was about two hundred meters away, scouting the area with Yong-Yong.

While the “education” had been going on, Do-Jun had been using the Interpreter and SpacePad to draft a strategy guide.

“Yes. He’s someone very precious to me. He’s the one who saved all of us,” Karsiel declared.

The Imoogi could feel the sincerity in her voice. There were countless emotions in the way Karsiel looked at Do-Jun, a warmth too vast to be expressed in words alone.

Imoogi cautiously asked, “When you say ‘us’...”

“My kin.”

“Dragons...?”

“Yes.”

After the Great War thousands of years ago, the dragons had scattered across the world. Most entered a deep slumber to preserve their strength, and many lost their memories entirely.

Izaas. Ryzagal. Biseon. Hakase. Anne—Karsiel knew that without Do-Jun, none of them would have been reunited. If unfortunate, the others, those less powerful than Izaas or Ryzagal, might not have survived at all. After all, Biseon had nearly died at the hands of Solomon’s subordinate, and Karsiel herself had nearly perished at the hands of a Usurper.

“That’s why I’ll spend the rest of my life repaying my master’s kindness,” Karsiel stated.

“U-um.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve been wondering since earlier... Why do you call that adventurer... your ‘master’?” the Imoogi asked.

Dragons were the ruling race of the Core. As individuals, they were the strongest beings in existence. Their only lord was Izaas, the Dragon Lord.

Suddenly, realization dawned on the Imoogi. “C-could it be?! That man is the Dragon Lord?!”

“Nope, the Dragon Lord’s the one over there splashing around.”

“That... thing...?”

“Yup, that thing.”

Yong-Yong was dog-paddling through the Lake of Reinforcement in the area of the Second Trial when he suddenly shouted, “Aaaah! M-Master! Help me! My leg cramped up!”

Do-Jun sighed and pulled him out. Yong-Yong shook the water off like a wet puppy, stretched deeply, and then dove straight back into the lake.

The Imoogi blinked. “That... animal is... Izaas?”

“Yep.”

At a glance, he looked even weaker than a Pokopo, the beginner-tier monster hunted by novice adventurers on the first floor of the Core. Who in the world would ever believe such a pathetic-looking creature was the Dragon Lord? But Karsiel had no reason to lie, so the Imoogi had no choice but to believe it.

“U-um... But just now... didn’t Izaas call him ‘Master’...?” the Imoogi asked cautiously.

He definitely wasn’t just hearing things. Yong-Yong was still waddling after Do-Jun, chirping, “Master, Master.”

“You heard it right. Lord Izaas calls him Master, so he’s my Master too,” Karsiel replied. “That ‘lesson’ you just received? That’s what Master once gave to Lord Izaas.”

“W-wait! Are you saying he subdued the Dragon Lord?!”

“Mhm. Sometimes he still gets disciplined if he acts up. Though it hasn’t happened lately.”

“W-wha...”

Who could ever dream of subduing the Dragon Lord? There was only one person in the Deep Realm who could dare to attempt something that absurd—the Imoogi’s sworn master, Solomon. But now, this adventurer, who hadn’t even set foot in the Deep Realm yet, had already subdued its ultimate being. The Imoogi felt like he was about to faint.

***

After spending about an hour exploring the Second Trial, Do-Jun’s Interpreter gained an additional 0.5% in completion. He had also almost perfectly grasped the structure and secrets of the trial. That’s when Karsiel and the Imoogi approached.

The Imoogi stood before Do-Jun. With sharp, sparkling eyes, he looked up at the man. Swallowing hard, without a moment of hesitation, he dropped to his knees. Then, with a loud smack, he slammed his forehead into the floor.

“You have my utmost respect!”

Do-Jun was used to this reaction, so naturally, he wasn’t moved. This kind of thing had happened many times as he descended through the Core.

“My deepest apologies for failing to recognize you, O Master of Dragons! I am a lowly Imoogi in training! Though I dare to dream of one day becoming a dragon, I failed to recognize my true master—please, discipline this unworthy servant!”

Do-Jun replied flatly, “I’m not your master, and I have zero intention of punishing you. But I see that you’ve been touched by Solomon’s power.”

A chill shot down the Imoogi’s spine. He had never mentioned it, and yet, Do-Jun saw right through him. The Imoogi bit down on his lip.

He said, “I... see that there is no point in denying it before you. I have indeed received Solomon’s power. But... if you would grant me just one chance, I promise to become a faithful servant who would do anything for you, Master.”

“You can stand up.”

“Y-yes, Master!”

Do-Jun reached out and placed his hand on the Imoogi’s head. Moments later, a blue light rippled across the creature’s body, and from deep within him, a black mist began to seep out. Just like that, the demonic power of Solomon was purged. Had it been left alone, the Imoogi would have eventually been consumed and evolved into a Demon Dragon, losing his sense of self. Do-Jun just saved him.

As he explained what had just happened, Do-Jun added a few more words, “Climbing a mountain in a rush will only leave you lost. Take it one step at a time.”

The Imoogi’s eyes widened. He pressed his hand against his abdomen to sense his core, his dantian, where his magic was gathered. A small flow of energy pulsed through his meridians, soothing and settling the unstable qi he had built up over the years of misguided cultivation.

It was an unexpected, miraculous encounter. From this day forward, over the next thousand years, he would slowly refine himself and finally lay the foundation to become a true dragon.

“T-this is...” The Imoogi trembled. “I-I... I’ve done nothing for you... and yet you...”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“Nothing?! Something like this... there isn’t a single being in this entire universe who could have done it...!”

Do-Jun smiled gently and patted the Imoogi’s head.

***

After Do-Jun’s group had left, Hashinta asked the Imoogi, “So? What did you think after meeting him in person?”

The Imoogi, still in the form of a young boy, sat by the lake, dipping his feet in and splashing them.

He stopped splashing, pondered for a moment, then replied, “He was... a much greater adventurer than I imagined.”

“Heh.”

The two shared a silent smile for a moment.

Then the Imoogi mumbled, “But I still don’t understand what the Dragon Lord said at the end.”

“What did he say?”

“Something like... he drank too much cola? So he kind of made a mess while swimming? He apologized for it, but I don’t even know what he said...”