Beginner Parenting
"I really don't know what to do about this…"
[What exactly are you worrying about?]
Beatrice flew over to Cheon Seong, who was deep in thought, and asked. He turned to look at her and replied.
"It's just… Hana's education. I'm a bit worried about it."
[Education? But aren't you already taking care of that?]
"I am, but there's a limit to what I can do on my own."
The reason children attend kindergarten and elementary school isn't just for academics. Playing and studying alongside peers, developing social skills — that was also essential education for a child. No matter how hard he tried, there was one thing he simply couldn't replicate.
So sending Hana to kindergarten was the right call. But then there was the matter of her identity.
"…Ugh… That guy really hates going after people."
[Hmm? Is there a way?]
"There is. Someone who can solve Hana's identity problem and find a suitable kindergarten right away."
[Then there's no problem, is there?]
"No, it's just… The guy's a professional broker, but the thing is… he's gay."
[.....?]
Seeing Beatrice momentarily doubt her own hearing at the word, Cheon Seong sighed.
"To be exact, calling him gay is a bit ambiguous, but before I regressed, he came at me as a man, so I'm a little hesitant to go see him."
Just thinking about it gave him chills. That guy — tanned brown skin, blonde, muscular — had come at him with that body. The thought made him want to eliminate any contact with him in this life entirely. But there was no one else he could trust to quickly handle Hana's identity.
"Sigh… There's no choice. Beatrice, can you teleport us there?"
[I can, but are you sure it's okay?]
"…What else can I do? There's no other option. I'll just have to endure it."
Cheon Seong searched for the address on his smartphone and showed it to her, resigned. Beatrice looked at him with a pained expression and comforted him.
[For Hana's sake, hold strong.]
"…Sigh, I know that much… Hana. We're going out for a bit."
"Wum? Where are we going, Dad?"
"Yeah, I have something to take care of, so come here."
"Wung!"
Tap tap tap tap
Whoosh
Hana ran over at his words, leaped up, and hugged him. Cheon Seong caught her as if it were second nature now, holding her close. Beatrice watched and activated her teleportation.
Whoosh
The scenery shifted abruptly. They arrived in a dark, dingy alley reeking of foul odors.
"Ugh! It smells!"
"Ah… Right. Hana, you're a nine-tailed fox, right? Wait a moment."
Hana had been acting so like an ordinary child lately that Cheon Seong had momentarily forgotten she was a Yoho. Seeing her pinch her nose, he spread white mana in all directions.
"Wow! Now it doesn't smell at all!"
"Then that's good."
White mana, the symbol of purification, cleansed even the stench. He circulated white mana through his own body to eliminate the odor, then stepped into the alley.
"Let's see… Was it this one? Ah, here it is."
Click
Creak
He pressed a button hidden in the inner wall of the alley, and a passage opened downward. Cheon Seong descended into the dark, pitch-black space below.
Creak creak creak creak
As they went deeper into the darkness, Hana began to tremble. Cheon Seong silently summoned a small glowing orb, and as the surroundings brightened, Hana realized what he'd done and kissed his cheek in gratitude.
Creak
【Who the hell are you? State your purpose. And how did you find this place?】
At the bottom of the stairs, a single robot stood guarding the way, speaking to Cheon Seong with hostility. He approached the machine.
"Still making these childish toys, I see. Really."
Thwack
Thump—thud-thud!
Cheon Seong yanked the robot's head off and threw it aside, continuing forward. Every robot he encountered along the way, he smashed the head off and kept walking.
[My lord, how much further must we go? It's already been thirty minutes.]
"Ah. I guess I forgot to mention it. There's no end here. The path just loops."
[Hmm? Then why keep walking?]
"Nothing special. This guy made these robots with his own money, so if I keep smashing them, he'll eventually come out. Or something."
At his words that he'd come out soon, Beatrice was puzzled but trusted him. And his words proved true in less than a minute.
"Hey, you trash!! Stop smashing! I said stop smashing!!"
"Now you show up. Still as slow as ever."
"You piece of trash! What the hell are you doing! How are you avoiding all the traps! Do you have any idea how much these robots cost!!"
"Hmm… About three billion won, I'd say."
This guy's robots — four or five of them together could take down a Lower-rank hero or villain. Lower-rank heroes meant nothing to him, but to others, they were still formidable opponents. The fact that robots alone could defeat them meant their performance was absurd. And he had already destroyed about fifty of them.
"How do you know that… No, that's not it! You knew and still came here!! What kind of grudge do you have against me!!"
"Ah, nothing much. I just need you to make an identity for this kid."
"Don't act like we're friends! And this kid—!" Bang!!
"Kyaaak!! Why are you hitting me!"
"Watch your mouth in front of the kid. You might get roughed up."
Thump
Thump thump
Seeing Cheon Seong release his grip and speak, a figure who looked somewhere between a girl and a boy asked him with a bewildered expression.
"You're not telling me you caused all this chaos just to make one identity for this kid?"
"That's exactly it."
"I've seen some crazy people, but not like this! Hey! Does being good-looking mean you can do whatever you want!?"
"This guy's repertoire never changes… Anyway, it's noisy. Just make the identity and I'll leave quietly. Hurry up."
"No, do you think I'm your servant!? You just caused me three billion in damages and you want to leave quietly!? Is that what you call quietly!?!"
As the guy kept screaming, Cheon Seong covered Hana's ears, annoyed by the noise, and replied.
"You were watching the whole time and didn't come out fast enough. That's your fault. And your losses are none of my business. Just make the ID. Or I'll smash your lab too."
"Wash… Wash, what kind of crazy person is this! And how do you know where my lab is!? My lab has state-of-the-art protective barriers — unless a Mid-Upper rank attacks at full power, it won't even get scratched!?"
Seeing the guy's smug expression, Cheon Seong briefly set Hana down and steadied his stance.
"Your lab's right below here, and it's not like Mid-Upper rank at full power is the only way to damage it. I just need to break the weak spots."
Boom!
The oppressive pressure of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art spread out from Cheon Seong.
"A… Ah, you look so young but already… W… Wait, that's not— that's not allowed!!!"
"Make it. Or make it after your lab gets destroyed. Your choice."
His fist was aimed at a spot with significantly weaker durability than the rest. The guy panicked and stepped in front of him.
"I… If you attack now, I'll die and you won't get what you want!"
"Then I'll go to someone else. And that body is fake anyway. Where do you sell those pills?"
"No, damn it, really! Fine! Fine! I'll make it! How much do you know!!"
"You should've said that sooner."
At the guy's words that he'd make it, Cheon Seong relaxed his stance and picked Hana back up. The guy slumped to the ground with a defeated expression.
"You're a real bandit… Where on earth did you get this information…"
"Stop whining like a pathetic old man and make it fast. I want to go soon."
"You… You… You! You know my age too!?"
"Maybe."
At the mention of his age, the guy jumped in surprise and asked. Cheon Seong pretended not to know and simply held Hana.
"Dad, who is this person?"
"Just someone a little lacking. Hana, you understand, right?"
"Who's lacking! And are you married!? I mean, you look young, so it's like… speeding… but the kid's too old for that!?"
Seeing the guy fussing about whether he'd committed a "speeding violation," Cheon Seong clicked his tongue and replied.
"Why do you think I asked you to make an identity for this kid, you idiot."
"Ah… I guess so… But don't call me 'mojiri'! Seriously!! Ugh, fine, I'll make it fast and send you away. How old is the kid? What surname? Is the name Hana?"
Cheon Seong quickly told the guy, who was eager to finish and send him away, the details needed for the ID. The guy said to wait a moment, disappeared, and returned about five minutes later with the ID and documents.
"Here, I gave you what you wanted, so get out fast!"
"Thanks. Let's go back, Beatrice."
"What? Who are you talking to—."
[Is it okay to speak of this lady?]
"Whoa! What? Where did you come from? I set it so magic gets dispelled automatically inside…?"
"That's none of your business. Here, this is a gift. I'll owe you one next time, Imir. Let's go, Beatrice."
[Understood.]
"What is this… No, more importantly, how do you know that name—!"
Click
Whoosh
"Hey…! W… Teleport…? No, what the hell is your identity… What is this!!"
[My lord. What was it that you gave to that last person?]
"Ah… When we raided the Underground Auction House, I grabbed some things that looked useful. One of them was a Gargoyle core. The other stuff I could dispose of without leaving traces, but the Gargoyle core was tricky to handle, so I gave it to him as a favor for later."
Gargoyles — stone statue-like monsters with bodies made of rock. They rarely yield a core, and its value is so high that the disposal process is extremely complex. Cheon Seong had given one to Imir because he couldn't process it himself.
Gargoyles themselves don't appear unless it's an Upper-rank dungeon or higher, and even then, they're among the top-tier Upper-rank monsters. A single core might drop from ten Gargoyles, maybe. If auctioned, it could fetch tens of billions, but then he'd leave a trail.
"Imir seems like a half-wit, but his talent is outstanding. He'll probably be more helpful than expected when things get troublesome later."
[Indeed, the Gargoyle core was somewhat difficult to process.]
"We have plenty of money anyway. And—"
"Dad! I'm hungry!"
Rumble rumble rumble
As Cheon Seong was talking with Beatrice about the Gargoyle core, Hana announced she was hungry — both with words and with her stomach.
"Heh… Alright. Is there anything you want to eat?"
"I don't know. Hana likes whatever Dad gives her!"
"Got it. Wait a moment. I'll get it ready soon."
At Hana's words that she liked everything he made, Cheon Seong smiled and went to prepare a meal. He had grown accustomed to laughter, childcare, and the duties of a father. Beatrice watched him and smiled with satisfaction.
"Hey, miss. You alone?"
"…."
"No, don't ignore me. I'm not that bad of a guy. If you're alone, I was just asking if you want to hang out. We've got some good stuff over here, you'd have fun."
"Excuse me, I'm not interested, so please go away."
Yuna looked at the men who were showing her lewd desires and asking her to join them, her face twisted with irritation.
"Ha, damn… What's with all this 'you're so pretty' crap. A bitch who'd freeze solid if you just pinned her down is so damn annoying."
"Excuse me, what did you just say!—Ugh!!"
"Come on, let's go together. We'd both have a good time, why are you making such a fuss!"
As Yuna snapped back, the men covered her mouth and dragged her into a secluded alley. She struggled to resist, but Yuna wasn't a combat-specialist ability user — she couldn't break free from multiple men and was helplessly dragged into the alley.
'No. Cheon Seong, please help me…'
Whoosh
Boom—!
As she was dragged away, Yuna silently called out the name of the one she loved, tears streaming down her face. At her call, something flew at high speed toward the men and collided with them.
Bang!!
Boom!!
"Kuh—!!!"
"Kyaaak!!"
Thwack
"Who the hell do these bastards think they're touching?"
"Shame on you, grown men, doing this to a weak woman. Don't you feel any embarrassment?"
The men who had been restraining Yuna flew backward and slammed into the wall. Freed, Yuna looked toward where the voices were coming from.
"Yuna, are you okay?"
"Excuse me, are you alright?"
There stood Cheon Seong, the one she had been silently calling for, and a beautiful woman with long red hair and red eyes, both looking at her and asking.
"……Hmm?"
"Hmm?"
At a voice that shouldn't have been heard from that direction, cold sweat broke out on his skin. The woman also turned to the side, as if she recognized the voice from somewhere.
And watching from a distance, a young man…
"F***!!! Why are those bastards coming out of here!!!"
Inside a barrier he had set up around himself — one that made it impossible for anyone outside to see or hear him — he kicked the ground in rage.