Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 375

Do-Jun finally understood why Kyu-Kyu had chosen him. Cecilia had said it was to stop Solomon, but the truth was that the real threat lay elsewhere.

Kyu-Kyu explained that, according to the altered history of the past, it hadn’t opened the gate to the Path of Dimensions for Solomon even after he arrived with both Keys. The reason was simple: once the gate was opened, unless the King of the Dimensions was defeated in that same attempt, every single dimension would truly be destroyed. Opening of the Path of Dimensions would lift the seal that had suppressed the king’s power, releasing an overwhelming force of monsters into both the Deep Realm and the Core.

That was why Kyu-Kyu had been steadily and persistently searching for someone who could unify the scattered figures of the Core and stand against the King of the Dimensions.

Now that the truth was out, Apophis let out a low, rumbling growl.

—So that’s what happened...

It was hard to believe that the King of the Dimensions, who had always been thought of as a mere myth, truly existed. Knowing of his existence and that the complete destruction of all dimensions was a real possibility was not something Apophis wanted to accept.

“Didn’t most dimensions already disappear through the Encroachment?” Tusitala asked Do-Jun.

He shook his head and answered, “They still exist.”

“What?”

“They were Encroached, yes, but not destroyed. The people who died in the Core... I’ve found them again, living within those Encroached dimensions. They’ve lost some of their memories, but they’re still alive—real, breathing people.”

Now that the Interpreter had reached the “Lost Item” grade, it allowed Do-Jun to cross over into other Encroached dimensions. He recalled the people he had seen living in those realms. They were missing pieces of their memories, but they were undeniably alive.

“Then... that final battle...” Tusitala trailed off.

“The later it happens, the better. But in one month, the seal on the gate will break,” Do–Jun replied honestly.

Breaking the seal meant one thing: the Keys could now be used. Do-Jun planned to activate the gate before the King of the Dimensions stepped through, so he could enter the Path of Dimensions himself, one month from now, on September 1.

“Then I’ll go do what I need to do...” Tusitala said.

She had to convene an emergency meeting of administrators and relay this information to all of them.

Do-Jun looked at her and saw her unwaveringly determined eyes. With a small smile, he raised a finger toward her outstretched hand.

“I'm counting on you,” he said.

Tusitala grabbed his finger with both hands and gave it a firm shake, as if in a ceremonial handshake. There was something strangely moving about it.

“Leave it to me!” she assured.

***

Fourth floor of the Core, the Celestial Realm.

At the Hanlim Hall, more than two hundred trainees were cultivating themselves in pursuit of enlightenment. Someone threw open the elegant traditional sliding door with force. The trainees, seated cross-legged in meditation, opened their eyes to glance at Cho Yang-Un. They wondered whether it was already mealtime. In a corner of the room, Haetae stirred from its nap and pricked up its ears.

“Starting today, cultivation will be paused for one month,” Cho Yang-Un declared.

“P-pardon? What do you mean?” The students were taken aback by the unexpected news.

After all, Cho Yang-Un had always warned them that not a single day could be wasted in the pursuit of enlightenment. His completely opposite declaration caused confusion to ripple through the group.

“We are going to be starting the fortification work today,” he explained.

The trainees blinked. “Fortification” wasn’t a word they expected to hear on the fourth floor of the Core. They started discussing among themselves.

“Hey, what’s this fortification work?”

“No clue. Can you just ask what’s for lunch?”

“Isn’t today samgyeopsal day?”

The murmuring students fell silent when Cho Yang-Un cleared his throat with a sharp ahem. “Today, I attended an emergency administrator meeting. There, I was informed that the King of Earth, whom we revere as our ancestral master, will engage in a final battle against the King of the Dimensions in precisely one month.”

At the mention of the words “ancestral master,” the trainees sat up straighter. For the trainees, the master of the Heavenly Immortal who taught all their masters on the fourth floor was so far above them that it was hard to even grasp.

“If that were all there was to it, there wouldn’t be anything for us to do. After all, only the King of Earth himself can face the King of the Dimensions. But a mission has been entrusted to us as well. Our role is to hold back the monsters and prevent them from reaching the upper floors.”

“By monsters... do you mean the ones like those bipedal tigers here?” a trainee asked.

“No, something stronger... a new kind of monster, I suspect.”

At the mention of powerful monsters, tension began to build among the trainees.

“Master! What exactly should we do?”

“Good question. Look over there.” Cho Yang-Un pointed to a section of the mountain’s slope. There, piles of building materials had been stockpiled. “Using that, we’ll build a wall. A wall to stop the monsters from reaching the third floor.”

The trainees rubbed their eyes.

“H-how far do we need to build it?”

“From end to end, of course. Why ask something so obvious? Hahaha!”

“From end... to end.” The trainees slumped to the ground, drained before they even began.

Cho Yang-Un stroked his beard, which reached down to his chest. He wasn’t surprised that they looked defeated. Even he had to admit that finishing such a colossal project in a single month was a heavy burden.

With a solemn look, Cho Yang-Un said, “If our wall falls, we can forget about samgyeopsal forever.”

The trainees stared at him as if he were speaking nonsense.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Cho Yang-Un asked, “Who brings us samgyeopsal?”

“The King of Earth does.”

“And where does the King of Earth get it from?”

“From Earth—oh!”

Confirming that the trainees finally understood what was at stake, Cho Yang-Un threw open the door and gave a slight nod of his chin. In that instant, every trainee launched themselves toward the mountain slope.

***

The eighth floor of the Core was an endless ocean where the World Tree stood tall. It was once a place where even touching the water would melt one’s bones, poisoned and uninhabitable. But just a few months ago, after receiving the Everfrost Ginseng from Do-Jun, the World Tree had absorbed its spiritual essence. The sea was purified, and the once-deadly zone transformed into a pristine sanctuary.

A sharp screech echoed across the sky as a brilliantly colored bird soared overhead. The iridescent Rainbow Bird looked down on the world below from the highest point in the sky. Around the World Tree, adventurers were hard at work constructing what could only be described as a fortress. The Rainbow Bird transformed into a humanoid form in midair and landed atop the World Tree with a light tap.

“What do you think from up there?” the Water Serpent asked.

“It’s perfect. If things keep going this way, no ordinary monster will be able to break through.”

“What’s your definition of ordinary?” the Water Serpent asked, stroking its chin and giving the Rainbow Bird a sideways glance.

Smirking, the Rainbow Bird pointed at him and said, “Someone like you. Average. You wouldn’t even come close to making it past this to reach the seventh floor.”

“Oh? You want to go right now?”

The World Tree chuckled at the two bickering like children. Her gaze shifted toward the adventurers, busily transporting materials. At first, news of powerful monsters approaching had terrified them. The World Tree had offered them a safe place to evacuate and assured them it was fine not to join the battle. Yet Marf, the Monarch of the adventurers on the eighth floor, had refused.

“I understand, but I must decline your offer,” he had said. “This is our home. I won’t run with my tail between my legs. When we first arrived, you protected us from the rolling tides of poisonous water. Turning our backs now would be a betrayal. Besides, I don’t think the King would want that.”

He had been deeply affected when he first met Do-Jun. Back then, life was a daily struggle to survive amid chaos. People acted solely out of self-interest until they witnessed the world changing through Do-Jun’s efforts. Despite wielding unmatched strength, he had used it not for personal gain, but for mutual survival.

The Rainbow Bird and Water Serpent, once threats to the World Tree, had become steadfast allies. The adventurers, once clinging to life day by day, now found peace and stability they’d never known before. And Do-Jun had given up the priceless treasure, the Everfrost Ginseng, to purify the poisonous sea.

“The King said he was preparing for a final battle against the King of the Dimensions, a foe someone like me can’t even imagine in strength. If he loses, this world ends. I don’t want to hide just to save my own skin. I want to do everything I can.” He said with clenched fists to reveal his resolve.

The other adventurers bowed their heads at his sincere confession, ashamed of their earlier thoughts of fleeing to avoid the monster onslaught.

“Everyone, let’s do our part in this battle. Let’s protect this world the King has built for us.”

“We’re going protect it. No matter what,” the World Tree vowed as well.

***

The thirteenth floor of the Core.

“Um... shouldn’t we be setting up defensive systems like the other floors...?” Isabel of the Dragonic Order asked nervously.

She stood beside Ryzagal and Biseon, both staring up at a dragon statue. The two dragons exchanged a glance and nodded, as if in agreement.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Ryzagal asked.

“Of course, I am,” Biseon said and chuckled.

“I don’t know about the other stuff, but if that statue breaks, we’re screwed. If we can’t protect it, Lord Izaas will definitely try to kill us. No question. We defend it with our lives.”

Not long ago, Yong-Yong had visited the thirteenth floor with his dragon subordinates. He had proudly shown off the statue modeled after himself and spent two whole hours showering it with praise.

“Let’s start with a barrier.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

Listening in, Isabel said, “Uh... I mean, yeah, the statue’s important, but isn’t our job to stop monsters from getting to the higher floors...?”

But no one seemed to be listening to her. The two dragons flew up toward the statue and began pouring out magic, layering barrier after barrier over it as though applying protective coatings.

Suddenly, Ryzagal’s foot slipped mid-casting. “E-ek.”

In the next moment, the horn on the statue, unable to withstand his weight, snapped off completely with a loud crack.

“What was that?” Far away, Tessar glanced over from his crop field.

“Eeeek! What are you doing?!” Biseon shouted.

“Graaagh! Lord Izaas’s horn... his horn...!” Ryzagal was in full-on panic mode.

“Have you lost your mind?! Recovery! Recovery! Recovery!”

“Why... why isn’t it going back to normal?!”

“Now that I think about it, Recovery magic wasn’t meant for this.”

“Let’s just tape it down with duct tape for now.”

“Duct tape? What kind of artifact is that?” Biseon asked.

“It’s a magical tape. They sell it on Earth. I’ll go buy some.”

Tessar let out a hollow laugh before turning his attention back to harvesting the crops he had planted, determined to finish before the day of reckoning arrived.