Chapter 15: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
The Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood - Episode 15
Kang-jun found himself abruptly waking up in the middle of a snowy plain. For a while, he simply blinked blankly into space.
"A Gate...?"
Muttering quietly to himself, Kang-jun began scratching his head vigorously, his hair sticking up in all directions like a magpie's nest.
What in the world was going on?
He started piecing together the chaotic puzzle fragments scattered through his mind. Then suddenly, a news segment he'd watched with his sister flashed through his memory:
[As is well known, newly spawned Gates possess the property of absorbing 'all living beings' within a one-kilometer radius, so extreme caution must always be exercised...]
[Additionally, academic circles currently predict the next Gate appearance will occur in the 'southern area of Seoul's Han River'...]
Only then did the situation begin to take shape in his mind.
"Wait, don't tell me..."
Had a new Gate spawned near the comic book store while he was briefly dozing off? And he'd been unintentionally sucked into this suddenly appearing Gate?
As this rough understanding of events formed, his immediate concern became his family's safety.
"Is everyone okay...?"
The fact that the bustling area near the comic book store—the suspected Gate origin point—wasn't far from the supermarket his family had gone to weighed heavily on his mind. Not to mention their home was just a few bus stops away too.
But his worry was short-lived.
The moment he remembered that his trusted strategist Crabsley would be sticking close to his family, all concerns melted away like snow.
"I worried for nothing."
Crabsley hadn't risen to the rank of Grand Duke—second only to the Emperor—solely due to his boiling loyalty.
His martial prowess.
He had stood at the forefront of countless battlefields alongside Kang-jun, achieving glorious feats that more than justified his noble title.
With worries dispelled, Kang-jun stretched, twisting his torso from side to side. His body was drenched in cold sweat from what must have been an intense nightmare.
"Ugh, how disgusting..."
Wiping the beaded sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Kang-jun stood up from where he'd been sitting.
"No wonder I'm getting less sleep these days."
Though his dreams were always violent, this rare deep sleep seemed to have left his body brimming with energy.
"Wait a minute..."
As he stretched and organized his thoughts, a subtle smile crept across his face.
"Actually... this might work out perfectly?"
Every time hunters used a Gate, they had to pay the Management Bureau a usage fee that typically ran into millions of won.
But...
If he thought about it, wasn't he currently an undeniable victim who'd been unwillingly dragged into this Gate? Surely the Management Bureau wouldn't have the audacity to charge him a usage fee when they should be compensating him for this predicament?
"Even they wouldn't be shameless enough to bill me for Gate usage in this situation..."
Which meant he could use this Gate freely, limitlessly, to his heart's content—completely free of charge.
"Free. Unlimited. To my heart's content."
As this realization dawned, an utterly profound smile spread across Kang-jun's face.
The unmistakable smile of capitalism.
He began humming the jingle from a TV commercial he'd recently watched with Crabsley:
"Enjoy infinitely, the newly spawned Gate..."
Simultaneously, he started trudging through the snowstorm raging across the frozen plain.
Meanwhile, the situation outside was indescribably dire.
"Sir, I think things are getting serious."
Lee Soo-bin muttered fearfully as she stared intently at the news broadcast on her smartphone screen.
[The Management Bureau has classified the Gate near Sillim Station Intersection as 'Calamity Grade.']
[This represents the highest danger classification in our disaster rating system...]
[We've deployed all available hunters stationed nearby to suppress this Gate...]
[To minimize damage, we urge all citizens in the vicinity to follow evacuation instructions from dispatched rescue personnel...]
The rarely seen Director of the Gate and Awakened Management Bureau was delivering a speech—something that only happened during extreme emergencies.
'Calamity Grade...'
This term referred to Gates so dangerous they could potentially lead to a nation's collapse if mishandled. The last time such a catastrophic Gate had appeared was exactly three years ago—when Gates first emerged.
Soo-bin immediately comforted little Seol, who was clinging to her while looking up with wide eyes.
"Seol-ah, don't worry, it's okay, nothing bad will happen..."
She tried to sound calm for the child's sake, but her voice trembled uncontrollably.
This was too harsh a world for an innocent child to live in. Soo-bin hated this reality—a dangerously unstable world where the happiness she'd barely regained could vanish at any moment without warning.
"Haah... haah..."
Kim Bong-gu panted heavily as he mentally reviewed the events of the past few hours.
'What kind of lightning bolt from hell is this...?'
A Gate had appeared near Sillim Station Intersection—a catastrophically dangerous one classified as Calamity Grade. All nearby hunters, including himself, had been mobilized to suppress it, aiming to prevent the inevitable 'Wave Phenomenon' that occurs when new Gates aren't quickly contained.
But here's the thing...
Even their sole hope—the S-rank hunter—seemed to be struggling desperately against the onslaught.
"Damn it, this is just a regular monster?!"
The young man with deeply furrowed brows swung his sword at speeds barely visible to the eye.
Choo Ji-hoon.
The Swift Sword.
Ranked 10th among S-rank hunters.
Possessing martial prowess considered tenth strongest nationwide.
Yet even this powerhouse seemed to be barely holding his own against a single ordinary monster from this Gate.
A Jotun soldier.
A giant race monster whose height rivaled small skyscrapers. Each swing of its massive double-bladed axe created whirlwinds, each step made the earth tremble.
"GRAAAAH-!"
Ji-hoon narrowly dodged an axe swing and darted around the giant, leaving numerous wounds across its body.
Swish-!
Slash-!
Swish-!
Watching this spectacle, Bong-gu couldn't help but mutter in awe, "Wow..."
'So that's an S-rank hunter...'
But the Jotun soldier wasn't going down easily either.
"GRAAAAAAAAH-!"
Despite accumulating numerous wounds, it kept charging forward relentlessly like an enraged bull, roaring without pause.
'Someone like me is completely useless here...'
About twenty hunters had been deployed, but aside from S-rank Ji-hoon, the rest were essentially just spectators. The most they could do was barely stay alive while cheering Ji-hoon on.
The fierce battle between Ji-hoon and the Jotun soldier continued unabated until...
"GRAAAAAAH-!"
The Jotun soldier collapsed as one of its heels was deeply slashed, creating a thunderous impact that sent dust flying high into the air.
Chu Ji-hoon lunged forward like a flash of lightning once more, driving his sword deep into the neck of a fallen Jotun soldier sprawled on the ground.
Thud.
After convulsing violently for a long moment, the Jotun soldier finally stopped twitching and went limp.
As Chu Ji-hoon shook the blood droplets from his blade, he suddenly let out a pained groan and collapsed to his knees.
"Ugh...!"
Grimacing deeply, he gingerly touched his ribs. Three or four were already fractured.
The problem was the knee-deep snow that hindered his natural movements.
Moreover, the blizzard had blurred his vision, leaving him vulnerable to several attacks.
Kim Bong-gu, who had been watching intently, unconsciously gulped.
'Only about ten left...'
But inside the gate, there were undoubtedly dozens of monsters powerful enough to give even an S-rank hunter trouble.
Countless had already died, and Chu Ji-hoon—the raid team's only hope—was severely injured.
'Even if we miraculously defeat all the regular monsters...'
Could they possibly take down this gate's boss? A creeping despair began to rise in his heart.
'Damn it...'
The other survivors weren't showing it, but they all seemed to sense death looming.
From the start, a raid team consisting of one S-rank hunter and a ragtag group of a dozen others had no business being here.
If they failed, impossibly strong monsters would flood out into the world...
It was only a matter of time before Seoul, where the gate had appeared, would be reduced to ruins.
KOOOOOOM—!
A deafening roar echoed in the distance, shaking the earth as a flock of creatures soared high into the sky.
For a moment, everyone's gaze turned toward the source of the sudden noise.
KOOOOM—!
KOOM—!
KOOOOOM—!
The mysterious roars continued at regular intervals, growing steadily closer.
Then, Chu Ji-hoon tightened his grip on his sword, veins bulging in his neck as he shouted:
"E-Everyone, fall back—!"
Not long after, a monstrous figure emerged—one incomparably larger than any Jotun soldier they had faced before.
It was a towering, terrifying giant, so massive it blotted out the sky and cast a shadow over the entire area.
Its body looked so dense that ordinary weapons wouldn't even leave a scratch...
Its skin, eyebrows, and even beard were as white as snowflakes.
But the most terrifying thing was the bone-chilling cold radiating from its body.
"The boss monster..."
One of the raid team hunters, already broken in spirit, muttered under his breath as he stared blankly ahead.
[ The Guardian of the Jotun Sacred Grounds, 'Frost Giant Hrimthurs,' has appeared! ]
His voice trembled with unmistakable fear—a fear that was dangerously contagious.
As everyone stood frozen in terror, unable to move, the Frost Giant spoke.
"I am Hrimthurs, guardian of Niflheim and apostle of the god worshiped by all Jotun. Before I execute you for daring to set foot in our sacred grounds, I shall ask one question."
A grotesque, chilling voice oozed from its mouth, and most of the barely surviving hunters began collapsing unconscious.
"Ugh—!"
"Gaaah—!"
Kim Bong-gu barely clung to his fading consciousness.
Then, the Frost Giant spoke again.
"Where is ■■■?"
When no one answered, Hrimthurs suddenly stretched out a massive hand at an unexpected speed and seized Chu Ji-hoon's body.
"I asked where ■■■ is—the one who entered our sacred grounds alongside you."
No matter how strong an S-rank hunter was, there was no way he could speak while his bones were being crushed to powder.
No—truthfully, none of them even understood what the Frost Giant meant by "■■■."
"Grrrrgh...!"
Chu Ji-hoon, overwhelmed by excruciating pain, finally fainted helplessly.
Hrimthurs carelessly tossed him aside and continued.
"■■■! Do not cower in hiding—show yourself!"
"Just as you did, I shall slaughter every last one of your kin!"
The few remaining survivors collapsed to their knees.
"God help us..."
Their only hope, the S-rank hunter Chu Ji-hoon, lay motionless in the snow like a broken doll.
The faint rise and fall of his chest suggested he was still alive, but...
"It's over..."
With their strongest fighter incapacitated in an instant, everyone had no choice but to resign themselves to death.
"I... can't die..."
But Kim Bong-gu was the exception.
"Ju-hee... Mom..."
Images of his family flashed in his mind as he turned and sprinted in the opposite direction without looking back.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his legs shook violently, but he refused to stop.
Even when his legs gave out and he tumbled, he scrambled back up and kept running.
"Please..."
Just yesterday, thanks to meeting his sworn brother, he had finally glimpsed something like hope...
He couldn't die like this—not now. Summoning every ounce of strength he had, he ran and ran.
"Arrogant mortal, regretfully, the guardian of Niflheim does not let prey escape."
At that voice, Kim Bong-gu's legs froze.
Slowly, he lifted his head...
And locked eyes with a colossal 'Fog Giant,' its form indiscernible through the thick mist.
"I... can't die like this..."
Then, from the opposite direction, another deafening roar erupted—so loud it made his skull vibrate.
KOOOOM—!
KOOOOM—!
KOOOOM—!
KOOOOM—!
The rhythmic booming sounded like dozens of giant soldiers marching in unison.
Even the Frost Giant Hrimthurs turned its gaze toward the sudden noise.
"■■■, you finally reveal yourself—!"
It bellowed in rage.
Kim Bong-gu also looked toward the source of the sound.
"Huh...?"
A dozen Jotun soldiers with lifeless, ashen skin were marching in formation.
Strangely, some of them were in horrific condition—chests gaping with holes, faces caved in, necks severed...
As Bong-gu stared in bewilderment at the approaching soldiers—
"Bong-gu?"
A familiar voice rang out, making his eyes widen in shock.
"Wow, it really is Bong-gu."
His gaze shot to the lead soldier's head.
"Eh...?"
Kim Bong-gu rubbed his eyes and stared again.
"Bong-gu, what are you doing here?"
Seated cross-legged atop the lead Jotun soldier's head was Kang-jun, looking perfectly at ease.
A hallucination?
Yeah, that had to be it—his terror must be making him see things...
"I said, what are you doing here?"
"B-Brother...?"
"Who else would it be?"
Kim Bong-gu blinked dumbfoundedly before asking:
"B-Brother... why are you up there...?"