Chapter 28: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute One, First Time Being a Dad - Episode 28
Bong-gu, who had been facing off against a single lizardman, suddenly kicked off the ground with all his might and lunged forward.
Thud—!
As he closed the distance to the lizardman in an instant, he recalled the lesson Kang-jun had given him earlier.
'If you think about it, structurally speaking, a sword can't deliver fatal blows to an opponent right in front of you.'
Just as Kang-jun had taught, no matter how skilled someone might be with a sword, it's impossible to deliver a deep slash to an opponent pressed right against you.
When Bong-gu charged into the lizardman's chest in a flash, the creature began stumbling backward, unable to hide its panic...
'I can do this!'
Sensing the situation was unfolding as intended, Bong-gu desperately tried to replicate the movements Kang-jun had demonstrated earlier...
He began unleashing a relentless barrage of attacks, utilizing every possible part of his body as a weapon.
"Hyahhh—!"
But as always, reality—unlike imagination—is brutally cold and merciless, isn't it?
Thud, thud-thud...
Perhaps because he hadn't yet mastered how to effectively channel power into his strikes, his attacks still seemed far from enough to take down the lizardman.
"Gueeehk—!"
The lizardman, now filled with rage, let out a furious roar and kicked Bong-gu square in the chest with all its might.
Wham—!
Sent flying in an instant, Bong-gu struggled to catch his breath as he hit the ground.
"Tsk."
Kang-jun clicked his tongue in disapproval before striding toward the lizardman...
"No, I told you to strike precisely so the impact doesn't disperse at the point of contact. One clean hit is worth a hundred meaningless swings."
With a mocking tone, Kang-jun swung his palm and smacked the lizardman's head.
Crack—!
As always, the lizardman's skull shattered into fine particles of dust and vanished.
"Hey, is it really that hard?"
Groaning, Bong-gu clutched his ribs and forced himself up, his voice strained.
"S-sorry..."
Kang-jun shook his head dismissively. "Nah, you're doing fine." Then he added flatly, "But after watching you, I can tell you're not completely worthless."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. You're just unfathomably worthless."
Bong-gu let out a pained groan. "Ughh..."
Kang-jun smirked and continued, "If you've caught your breath, let's start the next round."
"A-already?"
"You think enemies out there will go easy on you just because you're tired?"
Kang-jun's gaze shifted naturally to the dozens of lizardmen kneeling behind him, bound by his magic.
"Krrrk..."
"Kreek..."
"Keeeek..."
Completely immobilized by the black chains Kang-jun had conjured, they couldn't even twitch.
Today's training involved Kang-jun releasing one lizardman at a time from his restraints, forcing Bong-gu to fight for his life against each one.
So far, despite facing about six or seven lizardmen, Bong-gu hadn't managed a single victory...
'But he's got a decent eye for technique.'
Though he wasn't talented enough to perfectly mimic Kang-jun's movements after seeing them just once, he could grasp the general idea and imitate them to some extent.
And perhaps because his motivation was so strong?
Despite being injured and pushed to his physical limits, he endured without complaint, earnestly trying to keep up.
He wouldn't achieve any major breakthroughs in the short term, but with patience and long-term training, he might just make something of himself...
"Kid, you're actually kinda fun to teach."
Bong-gu awkwardly responded to the unexpected praise.
"Th-thank you..."
Kang-jun muttered, "Good, good..." sounding satisfied before flicking his fingers sharply.
Snap—!
This time, two lizardmen broke free from the mana chains.
"Keeeek!"
"Krrrrk!"
Kang-jun added dryly, "Alright, feeling generous."
"Bro?"
"Two at once."
Of course, words like 'progress' or 'growth' only mattered if Bong-gu survived the training in the first place.
"Seriously, this guy..."
After wrapping up the first day of training...
The two gathered their loot and exited the gate.
"Honestly, I never expected you to return alive... That's truly impressive!"
The gatekeeper, an employee of the Management Bureau, looked at them with admiration as he spoke.
"As you know, Hunter-nim, this gate was classified as B-rank by the Bureau, with a recommended minimum party size of five or six..."
Of course, Filial Son Kim Bong-gu had been making waves lately, frequently appearing in media as a rising star...
But attempting to clear this unresolved Bukhansan Gate with just a single porter was undeniably suicidal.
Like so many overconfident young hunters, the gatekeeper had assumed they were recklessly charging to their deaths.
He had desperately tried to dissuade them, convinced they'd never return if he let them through.
"Honestly, whenever hunters I've permitted entry fail to return, I suffer from guilt for months afterward."
"Yeah, I can imagine..."
"Given that, I must apologize for inconveniencing you with my presumptuous judgment. Please forgive my rudeness."
Bong-gu frantically waved his hands at the Bureau employee's polite apology.
"N-no, no, it's fine!"
Then he quickly changed the subject.
"Actually, if possible, I'd like to sell all our loot—including the magic stones—right here."
Most gates had makeshift purchase stations nearby, allowing hunters to sell their spoils on the spot.
Though the prices were slightly lower than market value, the convenience made it a popular option.
"What should we do?"
The Bureau employee scratched his chin awkwardly.
"This gate appeared recently, so there's no purchase station set up yet..."
"Ah, I see..."
"I'm afraid you'll have to visit the Market to sell your items."
After finishing their conversation with the employee, Kang-jun—who had been waiting quietly—asked cautiously.
"Bong-gu, what's this Market?"
Bong-gu answered plainly.
"It's where magic stones, enchanted weapons, rare potions, alchemical ingredients, and other goods from beyond the gates are actively traded."
"Sounds fun."
"Yeah, there's plenty to see. Most merchants are otherworlders who migrated here, so you can experience different cultures too."
Kang-jun nodded a few times.
"Next time we go to sell stones, I should tag along and check it out."
"Why not just go today?"
"Don't we have to sell at the Market to get fair prices anyway?"
Kang-jun shrugged and added,
"The more loot we stockpile, the bigger the price difference, so we should sell at the Market—but we can't go every day. Might as well save up and sell in bulk."
"I guess..."
"Besides, Noona said she's making soy sauce marinated crab for dinner tonight. If we're late, we won't even get to see the crab, let alone the broth."
Kang-jun fell into brief thought.
'I wonder if that Market has a goblin-run vault like Bong-gu mentioned...'
Back when he ruled as emperor of the Anux Continent, it was no exaggeration to say all the world's treasures and gold belonged to him.
Mountains of gold and jewels, legendary weapons called divine artifacts, potions of immense potency...
At the time, Kang-jun had never worried about acquiring wealth—only about storing it all.
Then, during a business visit to the Anux dimension, he learned about the rental vaults operated by the goblin clans.
'If Your Majesty uses our vaults, you need only pay a modest fee to freely store or retrieve your treasures from any dimension!'
With his hoard piling up beyond management, Kang-jun gladly prepaid a century's worth of fees upfront...
And entrusted a mere fraction of his wealth (equivalent to decades of the Huang Kingdom's budget) to their vaults.
He had completely forgotten about it until now, but...
With money suddenly tight, the memory of those deposits flashed through his mind.
'Come to think of it...'
His gaze shifted to Bong-gu, walking ahead while rubbing his own arm.
'Did I stash any elixirs in there?'
Hoping against hope that he had, Kang-jun quietly followed.
That evening.
Not just Kang-jun's family, but even Bong-gu...
The whole household sat gathered around the dinner table.
Tonight's menu: Lee Soo-bin's homemade soy sauce marinated crab.
As Kang-jun noisily sucked on a crab leg, he suddenly turned to Bong-gu.
"Hey, Bong-gu."
"Me?"
"Yeah, you."
"What's up?"
Kang-jun frowned in displeasure and spoke mockingly.
"Why do you keep ditching your own family to mooch dinner off us every day?"
"Pfft, since when are we strangers?"
"We're not blood-related, so yeah, you're a stranger. Hand over your bowl and chopsticks. You're being noisy."
"Wow, what's with the attitude?"
Soo-bin, who had been silently watching, suddenly cut in and scolded Kang-jun.
"Kang-jun, why are you taking your anger out on Bong-gu all of a sudden?"
"It's annoying how he just eats the crab and ignores the rice..."
Soo-bin clicked her tongue. "You're unbelievable!" Then she turned to Bong-gu.
"Bong-gu, don't mind him. Please keep eating."
"Yes, thank you. I'll gratefully continue."
"Oh my, you've already finished a whole bowl of rice?"
Bong-gu licked the soy sauce marinade off his fingers. Slurp, slurp.
"Noona, the crab meat is so plump and bouncy, and the salty-sweet marinade—it's the ultimate rice thief!"
Kang-jun muttered under his breath, shaking his head.
"The real rice thief isn't the crab—it's you, shamelessly emptying someone else's pantry..."
Bong-gu, completely unfazed, kept slurping up crab meat as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Then—
Kang-jun suddenly felt something was off. Like a meerkat, he glanced around before turning to Iriel.
"Come to think of it, I don't see Crabsley."
"By now, His Grace would usually have returned..."
"That punk didn't go cause trouble somewhere without telling me, did he?"
At that moment—
A sudden vibration made Soo-bin murmur, "Huh?" She picked up her phone from the table and answered softly.
"Who could it be at this hour...?"
After a brief pause, she suddenly shot up from her seat with a shocked cry.
"Wh-what?!"
All eyes instantly turned to her as she stammered into the phone.
"G-grandpa's at the police station...?"
Her brief question hung in the air before dropping like a lead weight.
"Thud..."