Even the Absolute One is New to Fatherhood - Episode 4

At those words, Crabsley's face brightened as he replied.

"I've heard that Gates are places teeming with all manner of monsters."

"Yeah, that's right."

"My Lord, this is truly a wise and sagacious decision!"

"What else?"

When Kang-jun responded with complete indifference, Crabsley let out a dry, unsettling chuckle—"Keuk, keuk..."—before answering.

"Even the finest sword, if left too long in its sheath, will dull and rust."

"Oh?"

"I can hardly contain my excitement at the thought of stretching my limbs again. How long has it been since I last stood upon a battlefield where blood and screams rain down, where life and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠death intertwine...?"

Kang-jun stared at him blankly before replying.

"That might be a little difficult."

"Pardon?"

"We're just going to be 'porters.'"

"Wha—"

Kang-jun walked ahead a few steps and continued his explanation.

"I looked into it. If you want to hunt monsters inside a Gate directly, you have to go through a ton of complicated procedures to get something called a 'license.'"

First, you had to register with the government-affiliated "Awakened Management Bureau," then complete roughly sixty hours of mandatory training.

Then you had to pass notoriously difficult written and practical exams, followed by an interview—only then could you finally obtain the so-called "license."

But...

There was an even bigger problem than the tedious procedures.

"Honestly, the procedures aren't the issue—it's the fee. Apparently, it costs a million won per person, and we don't have that kind of money right now."

"With all due respect, my Lord, this is unacceptable! For the sovereign who once reigned supreme over the world to stoop to being a mere porter—!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Crabsley suddenly dropped to one knee on the asphalt and bellowed, "MY LORD!"

"Please, allow this humble servant to shoulder the financial burden alone until our household stabilizes—!"

"Hey, enough with the dramatics. Get up. Everyone's staring at us."

Kang-jun glanced around, acutely aware of the attention they were drawing.

Pedestrians passing through the station area had all turned their eyes toward the two of them.

'Yeah, I'd stare too.'

A white-haired old man who looked well into his seventies was kneeling on the ground, bowing his head to a young man in his twenties.

Not to mention, the old man was decked out in a full blue tracksuit and wearing a comically mismatched monocle.

Meanwhile, Crabsley seemed utterly unfazed by the countless eyes on them.

"Even if a blade were pressed to my throat, I could never bear to see my Lord debase himself with—"

Just as Crabsley was about to continue—

"Hey, you not getting up?"

"......"

"You wanna die for real?"

At that, Crabsley's face paled momentarily—

"Ahem, hmm."

He cleared his throat awkwardly a few times before reluctantly rising to his feet.

Based on centuries of experience, Kang-jun's "You wanna die for real?" was essentially a final warning.

Those who had ignored that warning in the past had all met gruesome, miserable ends.

The first that came to mind was the so-called Heavenly Demon, the Absolute One of the Central Plains dimension.

'Looking back, what a pitiful fool. He never imagined that ignoring my Lord's warning would leave him spending the rest of his life drooling into a bib, barely able to chew the food spoon-fed to him...'

Moreover, Kang-jun hadn't just said "You wanna die?"

He had clearly emphasized it—"You wanna diefor real?"

'If I hadn't backed down just now, I too would've spent the rest of my days slobbering into a bib. Absolutely, without a doubt...'

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Crabsley's entire body trembled involuntarily.

"Relax, I don't plan on being a porter for long."

"Pardon?"

"At most, maybe a week or so?"

Kang-jun continued in a calm, measured tone.

"Porter pay is about 300,000 won a day. Even just working a day or two should cover all the overdue utility bills."

"And after that...?"

"We'll work a few more days as porters to save up for the Awakened license fee. After that, we won't have to do this kind of work again."

Then, Kang-jun lightly patted Crabsley's shoulder and added in a reassuring tone,

"You think I don't understand your burning loyalty? It already pains you to imagine me doing porter work, doesn't it?"

"Y-yes, it does..."

"Then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bear with it just a little longer. We need money right now, and there's no other way."

At that, Crabsley muttered, "My Lord..." and unconsciously stopped walking for a moment.

As he stared at Kang-jun's retreating back, he thought to himself:

'Truly, a saintly ruler...'

The emperor who once stood at the pinnacle of the world had, overnight, been reduced to a mere porter.

Even he felt his spirit crumbling at the thought—how much more unbearable must it be for the emperor himself?

'I couldn't even begin to fathom the resolve it took for my Lord to make this decision, yet here I was, stubbornly making a scene...'

Not only had Kang-jun read his heart, but he had even coaxed and comforted him, asking for his understanding.

Crabsley thumped his chest—"Thud! Thud!"—and muttered self-deprecatingly under his breath.

"This is all the result of my own unworthiness. I am too ashamed to even face my Lord..."

There was only one way to make up for this.

'Eternal loyalty.'

He swore to himself, again and again, that he would devote every remaining day of his life to serving his Lord with unwavering devotion.

Meanwhile, at that very moment...

Kang-jun glanced back at Crabsley and thought:

"Honestly, so simple-minded."

Before long, the two arrived at their destination.

"That must be the place."

The "Digital District Office Street," located not far from the station, was exactly what its name suggested—a dense cluster of corporate and office buildings.

Right in the middle of the main road sat what might as well have been a ticking time bomb—a Gate.

And yet, strangely enough...

Everyone seemed perfectly at ease.

Sure, barricades had been set up around the Gate.

And yes, five or six armed soldiers stood guard in front of it...

But that was it.

People simply walked around the barricades, going about their business as usual.

Laughing and chatting.

Talking on their phones.

Holding cups of coffee.

Nearby shops were still bustling with customers.

Kang-jun found the scene before him deeply unsettling.

'Do they all have zero sense of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠danger?'

Gates like this had been common on the Anux continent as well.

Officially called "dimensional rifts," they were essentially passageways that allowed free travel between different dimensions.

In the past, Kang-jun had led his undead legion through such rifts to invade countless dimensions.

The Spirit Realm, the Demon Realm, the Central Plains, and many others...

And though all had ended in failure, there had also been powerful beings from other dimensions who had attempted to invade Anux.

Which meant...

It wouldn't be strange at all if some unknown entity decided to invade Earth at any moment.

'Well, whatever.'

No matter who tried to invade, he was confident he could at least protect his family.

After all, he had amassed power worthy of being called divine—and still possessed that overflowing strength in full.

Just as Kang-jun was observing the Gate—

"Are you two here for the D-rank Gate porter support today?"

A friendly-faced young man suddenly addressed them.

Kang-jun nodded silently in response.

The young man muttered "Hmm..." before asking,

"You said there were two of you—where's the other...?"

At that moment, Crabsley, standing right beside Kang-jun, extended his hand for a handshake and replied,

"Pleasure. The name's Choi Dol-soi."

"Wait, you're also a... porter?"

"That's right. Circumstances led me here."

The young man scratched the back of his head awkwardly and muttered under his breath,

"Hmm, this is a problem..."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just..."

Just then, a bald, rough-looking man standing behind the youth clicked his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tongue and cut in irritably.

"Tch."

"Don't tell me you're the porters signed up for today's D-rank Gate raid? What kinda joke is this—a shriveled old man and some scrawny kid?"

"Heh heh."

"I may be old, as you say, but porter work is well within my capabilities. Anyway, pleasure to meet you. The name's Choi Dol-soi..."

"Listen, old man. Porter work is tough even for burly young men. There's no way some decrepit geezer and his scrawny sidekick can handle—"

Crabsley let out a low hum—"Hmm..."—before leaning in and whispering into Kang-jun's ear.

"My Lord, with all due respect..."

"What now?"

"Shall I kill them?"

His expression was the most serious it had ever been.