Chapter 90: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Absolute One Is Also New to Fatherhood - Episode 90
The next morning.
As Kang-jun was fully immersed in preparing Seol for daycare, his gaze drifted toward the live news broadcast on TV.
Below the young anchor's chest, the scrolling text read: "Breaking: Korea's top-ranked S-grade hunter Jung Yoon-chan returns alive."
"We have breaking news that Jung Yoon-chan, Korea's number one ranked S-grade hunter who went missing in the Calamity-grade Gate in New Delhi, has safely returned."
The screen abruptly cut to a press conference where Director Seo Do-cheol of the Awakened Management Bureau stood at the podium.
"Our bureau has determined that Hunter Jung Yoon-chan currently requires rest and stabilization. We've arranged for him to focus solely on recovery and treatment at an Awakened-exclusive hospital—"
A barrage of questions erupted from reporters.
"If it's recovery and treatment, does this mean he's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder like other Gate survivors?"
"Can you share any details about the circumstances of Hunter Jung's return at this time?"
Director Seo, appearing accustomed to such situations, handled the questions with practiced ease.
"Fortunately, he isn't suffering from severe aftereffects. We simply judged it premature to begin a detailed investigation into the circumstances."
After a brief pause where he gathered emphasis with an "Moreover—", Director Seo looked directly into the camera and enunciated clearly:
"Our bureau anticipates that Hunter Jung Yoon-chan will be able to return to active duty in the very near future."
As he finished speaking, camera shutters exploded in a frenzy of click-click flashes.
"This concludes the press conference."
With that terse statement, Director Seo neatly gathered his documents and promptly exited the venue.
"Daddy—!"
Seol tugged lightly at Kang-jun's sleeve, puffing out her cheeks slightly.
"Ah, sorry."
Kang-jun murmured softly as he began tying Seol's hair neatly with the hairband in his hand.
"All done."
A glance at the clock showed it was nearly time for Seol's daycare shuttle to arrive.
"Seol, let's go."
As they stepped outside the villa, Kang-jun and Seol paused at the corner of the alleyway entrance...
"Pwetty..."
Seol's soft murmur came as she gazed up at the cherry blossoms blooming lavishly along the residential street.
"Cherry blossoms."
The recent days had grown noticeably warmer—spring had arrived, and with it, cherry blossom season.
"Cherry blossoms..."
Kang-jun echoed quietly before asking:
"Should we go see them on Saturday?"
"Really?!"
"Mhm. The whole family."
Seol shouted "Yay!" and began bouncing around excitedly.
"Daddy, when's Sawday?"
Like most children her age, Seol still hadn't fully grasped concepts like "time" or "days of the week."
Finding her adorable, Kang-jun smiled faintly and explained in terms she could understand:
"After one more sleep."
Suddenly, Seol hugged Kang-jun's leg tightly, rubbing her cheek against him as overflowing happiness colored her voice:
"I wuv Daddy mostest!"
Meanwhile, Kang-jun unconsciously let out a pained "Ugh..." and reflexively clutched at his left chest.
It was undeniably spring.
And this spring...
Might just be remembered as the most beautiful spring of his long, long life—a thought that filled him with a happy, pleasant premonition.
At the same time.
Though no one was watching, the news anchor on the living room TV continued reporting in an urgent tone:
"B-breaking news!"
Her voice grew tense.
"The Global Awakened Association has just officially announced signs of a Calamity-grade Gate forming near Shimane Prefecture, Japan..."
"The Japanese government has dispatched numerous S-grade hunters for immediate containment, but reports indicate they're encountering difficulties..."
One way or another...
This world remained.
A perilous place.
Beneath the Seoul branch of the Awakened Management Bureau lay a massive training arena.
Originally designed for one-on-one combat training—part of the Awakened ranking exams—it now stood empty save for one man.
Korea's top-ranked S-grade hunter, Jung Yoon-chan.
Using rehabilitation as pretext, he'd commandeered the entire arena as his personal training ground.
"Krrrgle..."
"Keeeeegh..."
Before him stood dozens of high-tier monsters—trolls and ogres among them—all holographically projected using cutting-edge technology.
Clack.
His hand slowly rested on the sword at his waist as he closed his eyes, focusing his mind.
"Was it all wasted time...?"
He'd been privileged to train under a master who could only be described as heaven-sent.
Having grasped the sword's ultimate secrets, he'd believed himself to have reached the pinnacle.
But.
Not long after, he came to bitterly realize how arrogant and foolish that assumption had been.
"You possess some interesting tricks."
The words spoken by the boss monster he'd faced in New Delhi's Calamity Gate resurfaced in his mind, dripping with contempt.
"No matter how many times you repeat this, the outcome won't change."
It had been an insurmountable wall.
"A primitive thing like you could never touch me."
He'd rewound time again and again.
"Go on, try as much as you'd like."
Despite exhausting every possible approach, he couldn't so much as scratch Hela's body.
"Why...?"
It left him feeling like insignificant cosmic debris adrift in the vast universe.
All his years of grueling training meant nothing.
This was something he couldn't accept.
Something he refused to accept.
"Quit gawking and wrap this up."
A man's voice echoed clearly in his memory.
The man who'd shattered what seemed like an insurmountable wall.
"Let's finish this quick."
That man's figure flickered in his mind.
"I've got my daughter's school entrance ceremony to attend."
Even amidst utter despair, he'd remained unshakably composed.
Immortal.
The man his master Nazgûl served.
A human no different from himself.
"I'll reach it too..."
Jung Yoon-chan's grip on his sword tightened until his knuckles turned white.
Even if it meant walking the razor's edge between life and death countless times...
He wanted to at least glimpse that distant realm the man inhabited.
"I will reach it..."
As the words left his lips, he drew his sword and unleashed a sweeping slash that sent sword energy radiating in all directions.
Swish. Clack.
With flawless execution, he flicked away nonexistent blood and sheathed his blade.
Moments later.
The holographic trolls and ogres collapsed into neatly severed polygons that scattered into nothingness.
"Haaah..."
Exhaling deeply, Jung Yoon-chan turned toward the observation room and called out:
"Can't you project stronger monsters?"
The response came through arena speakers from monitoring staff:
Jung Yoon-chan reluctantly nodded and was about to respond when—
When Jung Yoon-chan asked, "Emergency mobilization order?" in response, a voice thick with palpable anxiety began to echo through the speakers.
"Signs of a Calamity-grade Gate have been detected near Oda City in Shimane Prefecture, Japan—our neighboring country."
Jung Yoon-chan responded immediately.
"Understood."
Despite it being less than a week since his miraculous return after vanishing inside the Calamity-grade Gate in New Delhi, India...
There was not a trace of fear in him—only the dignity befitting the word hero.
"Though it hasn't been long since you all returned from arduous missions, I sincerely thank you for responding to this emergency mobilization order..."
Seo Do-cheol, the director of the Bureau, had just entered the conference room. After straightening his suit, he surveyed the assembled S-rank Hunters.
Most of them had only recently returned from the Calamity-grade Gate in New Delhi.
"Let's assess the situation first."
The lights dimmed, and a projector flickered to life, casting a bright image onto the screen.
"Good god..."
Footage from Oda City, where signs of the Calamity-grade Gate had been detected, began playing.
"This is footage captured by Japan's S-rank No. 2 Hunter, 'Oni Minami,' and her guild, the Oni Slayers, using action cameras."
The state of Oda City was nothing short of catastrophic.
The sky was choked with dark clouds, blotting out even a single ray of sunlight.
The storm accompanying the Gate's emergence had spiraled out of control.
Wooden houses crumbled like sandcastles, and cars on the road were flipped over like toys.
Store signs and even uprooted trees were sent flying through the air.
Meanwhile, a jagged tear had split the sky above the northwestern coastline.
"Unfortunately, the Gate's emergence point has been confirmed to be in the East Sea, between Korea and Japan."
In other words, if they failed to suppress the Gate early, the damage could spread to their own country.
"The typhoon originating from the northwestern waters of Oda City is already moving rapidly toward the Korean Peninsula."
"Then..."
"Before we even worry about the monsters emerging from the Gate, we'll have to deal with the typhoon's destruction first."
A collective sigh filled the room.
"What's the current response plan?"
At Jung Yoon-chan's sudden question, all eyes in the conference room turned to the director.
"The Japanese government has already deployed all of their S-rank Hunters and major guilds to the vicinity of Oda City, but..."
He trailed off before continuing.
"They've determined that their current forces alone won't be enough to suppress the Gate, so they've requested support from Korea and other nations."
The people gathered here knew better than anyone just how dangerous a Calamity-grade Gate was.
Though some Hunters seemed reluctant, feigning distraction as if indirectly expressing their unwillingness to deploy...
"Then we don't have time to waste."
At Yoon Hee-soo's blunt remark, Director Seo licked his dry lips and cautiously asked,
"It hasn't been long since you all returned from the Reclamation Team's mission. Are you truly prepared to deploy again so soon?"
Yoon Hee-soo picked up the sword resting on the table and replied flatly, "It's fine."
"I've never feared death to begin with, but after recent events, I've found myself with no choice but to wait for it."
Jung Yoon-chan joined in.
"This seems like a fitting stage for my official return. I'll participate in suppressing this Gate as well."
Next was Go Du-yeol.
"A man's life is nothing but a straight path forward."
Kang Sung-hyun followed immediately.
"I'll join too."
One by one, the S-rank Hunters voiced their intent to deploy—until...
"Wait..."
Director Seo's phone, tucked inside his suit pocket, suddenly vibrated. He pulled it out and answered.
"Japan's S-rank No. 2 Hunter, 'Oni Minami,' and all members of her Oni Slayers guild who were first deployed to the scene..."
His face paled as he listened, then he asked in disbelief,
"They were... annihilated?"
Inside the Calamity-grade Gate.
A man clad in ornate armor sat cross-legged atop the head of a massive serpent.
The serpent, shockingly, had eight heads.
The man sat atop the central head, his cold gaze fixed on the scene before him.
"Pathetic."
At his waist hung a finely crafted sword, its blade engraved with the words Ame-no-Habakiri.
"Eat."
With that, the man leaped down from the serpent's head.
The eight-headed serpent began devouring the corpses of the humans who had dared oppose its master.
They were the remains of Japan's S-rank No. 2 Hunter, Oni Minami, and her guild.
"P-please... spare me..."
The man strode toward the sole survivor—Oni Minami herself—as she trembled violently.
"One question."
She looked up at the being who had slaughtered her entire guild with a single stroke and whispered weakly,
"A-anything..."
He spoke.
"Where is ■■■?"
She shook her head frantically, signaling she didn't know.
"I'll spare your life. Find ■■■ and deliver this message."
He gripped her hair, forcing her to her feet, then added,
"Tell them that the divine being of Takamagahara, 'Susanoo,' has descended to punish the one who dared insult his mother."
Then, coldly:
"Go."
With a terrified nod, Oni Minami sprinted toward the Gate's exit.
Same time.
After sending Seol off to daycare, Kang-jun returned home and glanced at the gloomy weather outside the balcony.
"Huh. The weather..."
They were supposed to go flower-viewing tomorrow.
"Suddenly turned nasty."
Just then, his gaze shifted to the breaking news on the TV.
[The Japanese government has officially declared the emergence of a Calamity-grade Gate in the northwestern waters of Oda City, Shimane Prefecture.]
[Japan's S-rank No. 2 Hunter, 'Oni Minami,' and her Oni Slayers guild were deployed to suppress it, but...]
[The Japanese government has begun evacuating civilians and enforcing a complete lockdown of the area to minimize casualties...]
[The typhoon currently forming over the East Sea is believed to be a side effect of the Gate's emergence...]
[The government has confirmed that the typhoon is rapidly moving toward the Korean Peninsula and has already passed Busan...]
[Citizens are strongly advised to avoid unnecessary outings until the Gate is suppressed...]
Kang-jun scratched his head.
"Tch... damn it."
The memory of his daughter clinging to his leg, beaming with excitement about their weekend flower-viewing trip, made his mood sour.
"We were supposed to go see the flowers..."
He grabbed the training jacket he'd tossed on the couch and pulled it on.
"What a pain."
Well, if the typhoon ruined all the flowers, they wouldn't have much to see anyway.
"Guess I've got somewhere to stop by first."