Absolute One's First Time Being a Dad - Episode 24

The spacious rooftop of the convention hall building, where the memorial and medal ceremony was currently underway.

The Hunter Management Bureau had stationed over a dozen snipers as a precautionary measure.

But...

At a glance, it was clear that something was very wrong with them.

"Ughhh..."

"Ehhh..."

Every single one of them was drenched in blood, their eyes unfocused as they let out eerie groans.

And on top of that...

Perched atop each sniper's head was a grotesque insect, larger than a grown man's fist, coiled like a living crown.

Thud. Thud.

A man walked leisurely among the zombified snipers, his steps unhurried as he approached the rooftop railing.

Kim Do-hoon, the 'Insect Artisan'.

After effortlessly subduing every sniper on the rooftop, he deftly adjusted the radio in his hand.

"Rooftop secured."

While waiting for a response, he casually surveyed the peaceful Seoul skyline below—oblivious to the storm about to break.

The Calm Before the Storm.

In mere minutes, this place would become a slaughterhouse. Yet the city remained blissfully unaware, serene as ever.

Kzzzt—

A grating static noise crackled from his radio, followed by a series of transmissions from his operatives.

Finally snapping out of his thoughts, Kim Do-hoon responded in a flat, unshaken tone.

"Breach team, report."

This time, it was Lee Hee-ji, the Torture Technician, who answered.

Everything was proceeding smoothly, just as planned.

"The moment the target steps onto the stage, we move."

A faint smirk curled at the corner of his lips.

He tried to remain composed, but the thought of finally getting to slaughter those beneath him made his pulse quicken.

'First...'

The moment their target—Kim Bong-gu, the 'Filial Son'—took the stage, the building's power would be cut.

Simultaneously, the eight strategically placed explosives would detonate.

Then, the elite breach team would storm the convention hall, slaughtering indiscriminately while extracting the target.

Kim Do-hoon's role was to secure their escape route and suppress any pursuers.

This was a flawless operation, refined through hundreds of simulations accounting for every possible variable.

According to their calculations, the chance of failure was effectively zero.

"Status on the target?"

A moment later, a transmission came from an operative disguised as an event staffer, hidden in the waiting room.

Kim Do-hoon grinned, about to give the execution order—

The transmission cut off abruptly.

"Hey, what's going on?"

Had their operative in the waiting room been compromised?

Then—

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from the radio.

The line went dead.

Next, a transmission came from the mechanical room team.

Realizing something had gone horribly wrong, Kim Do-hoon barked into the radio.

"Mechanical room team, report your status—calmly!"

But their line, too, was severed.

Then, the explosives team chimed in.

He had no idea what was happening, but piecing together the transmissions, it seemed two elite squads had been annihilated in mere seconds.

"What the hell...?"

Struggling to stay composed, Kim Do-hoon tried to make sense of the situation.

First, their operative in the waiting room had been taken out.

'This building spans over 20,000 square meters per floor.'

Moving from the waiting room to the mechanical room would take at least several minutes.

'And even longer if trying to stay undetected...'

Yet, within seconds, both the mechanical room and explosives teams had been wiped out.

'That means there must be dozens of combatants, split into multiple groups, intercepting us.'

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Had the Bureau caught on?

'No, that's not their style.'

The Bureau prioritized capture over killing.

'Even if they knew about our operation, they'd never respond this violently...'

Then who the hell was stopping them?

Kzzzt—

Another transmission crackled through.

It was Lee Hee-ji, the Torture Technician, leading the breach team.

"Report in detail—!"

Her voice trembled with excitement.

Kim Do-hoon muttered, "Unnie?" before pressing, "The enemy you encountered is female?"

A brief silence, then:

"W-Wait—!" Kim Do-hoon shouted, urgency creeping into his voice. "How many enemies are there?!"

A single person was overwhelming the entire breach team—including Lee Hee-ji, a high-ranking Union operative?

"Who the hell...?"

Questions piled up, but the line had already gone dead.

'The underground aquarium...'

The breach team had been stationed in the off-limits underground aquarium.

As Kim Do-hoon gnawed his lip, about to move to support them—

Kzzzt—!

A stranger's voice crackled through the radio.

Kim Do-hoon's voice turned icy. "Who the hell are you?"

"I asked who you are."

Another burst of static.

"Last warning. Reveal your identity and affiliation now, and I'll make your death quick."

The voice on the other end ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠laughed.

Kzzzzzt—

Kzzzzzt—

Then—

BOOOOOOM—!

The rooftop door crumpled like paper, sent flying across the ground.

Through the settling dust, a sharply dressed young man stepped forward, loosening his tie with a sigh.

"Go on, try to kill me."

The moment those words ended, the newly appeared young man—Kang-jun—vanished from sight in an instant.

CRACK!

Kim Do-hoon's head snapped sideways as a hardened palm struck his cheek with brutal force. His eyes bulged wide as he coughed up blood, a pained groan tearing from his throat.

"Guh—kuhk...!"

Staggering like a newborn foal, Kim Do-hoon gasped for breath, his body swaying uncontrollably.

Then—

YANK.

Kang-jun seized him by the hair, wrenching his head back as he raised his other hand slowly. His voice was soft, almost gentle, yet carried the weight of a demon's whisper—cold, suffocating.

"You said you'd kill me?"

"Kuh—!"

"I told you to try."

Kim Do-hoon's dazed, half-lidded eyes struggled to focus on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kang-jun.

'I'm going to die.'

His instincts screamed it.

The failure of his operation.

The annihilation of his forces.

His own death.

He knew it with absolute certainty.

"Sister, just what are you?"

Lee Hee-ji took a step back, her voice trembling as she scanned the aquarium.

Bodies of her subordinates littered the floor.

'All of them... taken down by just one person?'

Then, the woman who had been silently observing her—Iriel—finally spoke.

"I am Iriel, Minister of the Imperial Household."

She loosened her tightly bound hair, letting it cascade down her back.

"I must express my deepest gratitude for your recklessness."

"What...?"

"Thanks to you, I've been granted the honor of serving His Majesty once more after so long."

A serene smile played on her lips as she took a step forward.

Thud. Thud.

Her heels echoed ominously.

"Out of appreciation, I shall remember your name."

Then, with a flick of her wrist, an immense surge of magical power coalesced into a long, vicious whip.

"Tell me. What is your name?"

"You'd be shocked if you knew."

Lee Hee-ji smirked, tightening her grip on the twin daggers in her hands.

"Lee Hee-ji. Chief Torturer."

She licked her lower lip before adding,

"Ring any bells?"

Instead of showing surprise, Iriel merely muttered under her breath,

"Torture, hm..."

Then she continued, voice smooth as silk,

"I, too, pride myself on having some expertise in that field. I'm curious about your... achievements."

"What?"

"But more than that, you are exceedingly rude. It seems you are in dire need of lessons in etiquette."

With that, she brought her magical whip down upon the ground with devastating force.

BOOM!

A single strike split the earth, sending tremors rippling through the floor.

Lee Hee-ji swallowed hard, tension etching itself across her face.

"I shall personally instruct you in proper decorum."

At that, Lee Hee-ji grinned.

"Sister, you should give up any hope of dying cleanly."

Then, in a voice dripping with madness, she whispered,

"Because just like you said—I'm a very ill-mannered and wicked girl!"

In the same breath, she kicked off the ground, lunging at Iriel with blinding speed.

Closing the distance instantly, she slashed wildly with her daggers.

'Got her!'

Her strategy was simple—whips were weak in close combat.

For a moment, Iriel seemed unable to counterattack, focusing solely on evasion—

But then—

"Imperial Etiquette, First Form."

Iriel murmured softly, and the whip-like magic shifted, morphing into a massive gauntlet that encased her fist.

The next instant—

THUD!

Her magically reinforced punch drove straight into Lee Hee-ji's solar plexus.

"Silence."

Lee Hee-ji gasped, clutching her chest as she struggled to breathe.

"Kuh—kuhk...!"

Iriel watched her with a faint smile.

"Within the Imperial Palace, one never raises their voice."

Lee Hee-ji barely managed to steady herself, forcing her trembling hands to grip her daggers again.

"It hurts... it hurts..."

Iriel tilted her head slightly.

"Imperial Etiquette, Second Form."

The gauntlet dissolved, reshaping into a slender dagger.

"Preparation for Audience."

Then—

Iriel's figure stretched like taffy—

And vanished.

"Wh—where did—?!"

Lee Hee-ji's eyes darted frantically.

SWISH!

SWISH!

A cold sensation sliced across both her wrists—

"GYAAAAAH—!"

Her daggers clattered to the ground as her tendons were severed.

"N-No..."

She stared in horror at her limp hands.

Iriel reappeared, flicking the blood off her dagger with practiced ease.

"Should you seek an audience with His Majesty, you must first present yourself with proper grooming and disarm completely..."

Her voice trailed off as her form elongated again—

SWISH!

SWISH!

Lee Hee-ji's Achilles tendons were severed next, forcing her to her knees.

"Kuh—!"

Her face slammed into the floor.

Iriel's voice was flat.

"You shall kneel and prostrate yourself."

Trembling under the icy tone, Lee Hee-ji drooled as she whimpered,

"I-I'm sorry... P-Please spare me..."

She was drowning in terror unlike anything she'd ever known.

The instinct to survive devoured her reason.

She was shaking before a madness far greater than her own.

"P-Please... let me live..."

Iriel grabbed her hair, yanking her head up with a saccharine smile.

"Ah, now you're learning."

"P-Please..."

"Such obedience is adorable."

"L-Let me—"

"Did I not say to be silent?"

Lee Hee-ji clamped her mouth shut, barely holding back sobs.

"Now you are almost ready for an audience with His Majesty."

Lee Hee-ji thrashed weakly, but her limbs refused to obey.

"P-Please..."

Then—

Iriel leaned in, whispering into her ear.

"Imperial Etiquette, Third Form."

She yanked Lee Hee-ji's head back, exposing her throat—

And pressed the magical dagger against her Adam's apple.

"Audience with the Emperor."

SLIT.

A single, clean cut severed her carotid.

Iriel released her grip, letting the corpse slump forward.

"When granted an audience with His Majesty, you shall never dare to raise your eyes above his knees."

The dagger in her hand dissolved without a trace.

"You were a terribly ill-mannered child."

She gazed down at the lifeless body before meticulously tying her hair back up.

"You should be grateful His Majesty accompanied me today."

Had it been Grand Duke Crabsley—infamous for his merciless cruelty—instead?

'You would not have died so peacefully.'

With that, Iriel strode through the blood-soaked aquarium.

The only sound left in the chamber was the sharp, rhythmic click of her heels against the floor.