Absolute One's First Time Being a Dad - Episode 6

Kang-jun frowned deeply as he stared at the status window that had abruptly appeared before his eyes.

"What is this?"

The reason was simple—his displayed level was a measly "1."

"This is complete nonsense."

In a way, it was laughable.

Even Kang-jun himself couldn't fully grasp the depth and breadth of his own power.

He likened his strength to the universe.

Everyone knew the universe was vast, but no one could truly measure its exact expanse.

And now, someone had the audacity to quantify his might into mere numbers and letters?

"Who dares?"

It was as absurd as trying to calculate the exact width of the cosmos—an outright impossibility.

The fact that most of his stats were displayed as "???" was proof enough.

'By the way, what's this "Divine Power" stat?'

Strength, agility, stamina, mana—those were understandable.

But "Divine Power"? He had never even heard of such a thing.

Still, his curiosity didn't last long.

He was too busy scanning the rest of the status window.

'Huh, the titles are kind of interesting.'

Several titles were listed, each tied to his past deeds and achievements.

'"Ultimate Necromancer"—probably from reaching the 9th Circle in dark magic, right?'

The others made sense too.

The title "Dimensional Invader" likely came from the countless worlds he had either annihilated or brought to the brink of ruin.

'Most of them were unintentional casualties while searching for the path back to Earth...'

"Demon Slayer" was another obvious one.

'I never kept count, but I've probably slaughtered millions of demonkind with my own hands.'

Then there was "Dragon Slayer," presumably earned from slaying the dragons of the Anux Continent...

And "World Tree Plunderer," no doubt from stealing the sacred "Divine Tree" that the spirits of the Spirit Realm worshipped so fervently.

'The imperial garden looked too empty, so I took it. Well, it withered pretty quickly, but...'

But the most intriguing part of the status window was this:

[Bound Servants: ??? (Player level too low to summon any bound servants.)]

Kang-jun tilted his head slightly.

'So if I raise my level, I can freely summon the familiars I've contracted with?'

Back in the Huang Kingdom, the imperial court had five "Core Organizations."

The "Chancellery," led by his trusted advisor and Grand Duke Crabsley...

The Imperial Household, the Royal Guard, the Marshal's Office, and the Treasury.

The five ministers overseeing these organizations were all bound to him by unbreakable servant contracts.

If...

He could summon the rest of them to Earth?

'That'd be incredibly convenient.'

Just then, the bald man, Lee Byeong-cheol, suddenly shouted.

"Hey, you!"

He stomped over, shoving his face aggressively close to Kang-jun's.

"We're literally stepping into a life-or-death situation here! And you're just spacing out like an idiot?!"

Kang-jun adjusted the heavy backpack slung over his shoulder and replied flatly,

"Let's go."

The party moved in formation—Lee Byeong-cheol, the tank, took the lead, followed closely by the party leader, Kim Bong-gu.

The porters, including Kang-jun, trailed a few meters behind, moving only when signaled.

The atmosphere was thick with foreboding.

A dense fog blanketed the lifeless forest, making it impossible to see even a step ahead.

"Damn, this place gives me the creeps."

"Yeah..."

"Let's finish this quick and get out."

Everyone seemed to shrink under the oppressive gloom—everyone except two.

"My liege, though it pains me to say so... this place is oddly cozy."

"Nice."

"It's like my weary soul is being healed."

Kang-jun and Crabsley were enjoying themselves.

'They said undead monsters spawn here, right?'

This place reminded him of the "Deadlands"—a forbidden zone on the Anux Continent, where his empire once stood.

A desolate wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew, saturated with the energy of death.

Since Kang-jun's power was rooted in darkness and death, this environment suited him perfectly.

'Ah, feels refreshing for once.'

How long had they been walking?

"Hold up, everyone stop."

Lee Byeong-cheol raised his hand, signaling the group to freeze.

Everyone held their breath, staring into the distance.

As the fog parted, a massive graveyard came into view.

A burial ground large enough to hold thousands of corpses. And beyond it—

"Keeek..."

"Keeek..."

"Keeek..."

Skeletal soldiers clad in rusted helmets, cracked armor, and wielding crude swords and shields.

A handful of "skeletons" shuffled sluggishly through the graveyard.

"Time to work."

Lee Byeong-cheol glanced at Kim Bong-gu, who nodded grimly.

"Right."

Kim Bong-gu focused "mana" into his palm.

The condensed energy took the form of an arrow, spinning rapidly in place before—

"Haap!"

With a shout, the mana arrow shot forth, piercing straight through a skeleton's ribcage.

"Keeeeek!"

The skeleton collapsed into a heap of bones.

The others turned, their hollow eye sockets locking onto the group.

"Keeek—!"

They lurched forward, weapons raised.

"Magic?"

Kang-jun smirked under his breath.

'Interesting.'

Most skeletons didn't even make it close before being struck down by Kim Bong-gu's spells.

Of course, his casting speed had limits. Occasionally, one or two would slip through, swinging their swords—

Clang! Clang!

—only to be blocked effortlessly by Lee Byeong-cheol's massive shield.

'Pathetic, but at least they're trying.'

Once the battle ended, Kim Bong-gu wiped the sweat from his brow, panting.

"Let's... gather the mana stones first, then move on."

The rest of the gate raid proceeded smoothly.

Kim Bong-gu and Lee Byeong-cheol took down skeletons while the porters collected mana stones and other loot.

But then—

Midway through another skirmish, Lee Byeong-cheol suddenly tensed.

"Baldie, watch out!"

"Huh?"

"There's archers mixed in!"

Clang!

Blocking another attack, Lee Byeong-cheol whipped his head around.

"What the hell are you talking about—?"

Just then, arrows shot ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through the fog like bullets.

"Shit!"

Lee Byeong-cheol barely raised his shield in time.

Thunk! Thud!

Most arrows clattered harmlessly to the ground—but one slipped past.

Straight toward the porters.

Straight toward Kang-jun.

"Aah—!"

Both men paled.

The arrow was aimed directly between Kang-jun's eyes. No normal human could dodge at that speed.

But—

Snap.

Kang-jun casually plucked the arrow out of the air like swatting a mosquito.

"Tch, what the hell is this?"

He examined the arrow for a second before tossing it aside in annoyance.

"Hey, you two—wake the hell up!"

"H-How did ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you—?"

"How? Got lucky, I guess."

He scowled, rubbing his temples.

"Get your shit together. I almost died because of you. Ugh, why is making a living so damn hard and terrifying...?"

Kim ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Bong-gu and Lee Byeong-cheol could only stare, dumbfounded.

'Wait, did he really almost die just now?'

Something felt off.

'No, more importantly—'

Could catching an arrow mid-flight really be chalked up to "luck"?

But their thoughts were cut short.

"Keeek—!"

"Keeek—!"

"Keeek—!"

More skeletons emerged endlessly from the fog.

As the frontline fighters clashed, Kang-jun and Crabsley passed the time with a game of "Rock-Paper-Scissors Forehead Flick."

Whack!

Crabsley clutched his forehead, tears welling in his eyes.

"Guhhh... My liege..."

"Again."

"P-Please, have mercy..."

"Why? It's fun."

"J-Just kill me instead..."

"One more. If you don't play, you lose by default—"

Nearby, the "F-Rank Hunter" watched with a blank expression, fingers twitching toward the dagger hidden in his coat.

'That bastard... He's been pissing me off since earlier.'

Something about Kang-jun rubbed him the wrong way.

Before entering the gate, his arrogant attitude was irritating.

Inside, his unnerving calmness stood out.

And now, that impossibly fast arrow catch...

'Is he from the Management Bureau?'

His thoughts were interrupted by Kang-jun's voice.

"Hey, what're you gonna throw next?"

"M-My liege... Please, let's play fair..."

"Huh? You calling me a cheater?"

"N-Not at all, I merely—"

"Whatever. I'm throwing rock."

"T-Then I have no choice but scissors..."

The F-Rank Hunter sighed and shook his head.

'No way the Bureau would send a lunatic like that.'

He took a deep breath.

He was so close to his goal.

'Almost there...'

His eyes gleamed with madness.

A lone skeleton twitched on the ground, its bony fingers clawing weakly at the dirt.

"Think this is the last one?"

Lee Byeong-cheol stomped on its skull, crushing it to dust.

Crunch.

At that moment, the sky above them split open with a thunderous crack.

"It's over."

The gate's clearance condition had been met.

A dimensional rift formed, revealing Earth's landscape beyond.

Kim Bong-gu exhaled in relief.

"Good work, everyone."

Lee Byeong-cheol planted his shield into the ground, grinning.

"Yeah, real tough job spectating, huh?"

He added cheerfully,

"Either way, today was a success. We got plenty of loot and decent EXP."

The porters' bags were stuffed with mana stones and skeletal remains.

Kim Bong-gu nodded.

"Shall we head back?"

Just then, the silent F-Rank Hunter suddenly pointed into the distance, stammering.

"Uh... L-Look...!"

The fog over the graveyard began to clear. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Hundreds of meters away, a structure resembling a "monastery" slowly materialized.

At first, it was just a blurry mirage—but with each passing second, its form grew sharper.

"Hmm?"

Simultaneously, a translucent window popped up before Kang-jun's eyes.

[Hidden Dungeon: "Monastery of the Demon Worshippers" has been unlocked.]