Dungeon
The following day, I started learning teleportation magic from Beatrice. Though I could wield most spells, teleportation magic stood apart in its difficulty.
To cast a spell, you need the required formula. There’s no substitute for it. Thus, mastering magic meant memorizing every spell’s formula—lower-tier ones alone demanded roughly a full A4 page of equations. The higher the spell’s rank, the more formulas it required—and teleportation, a top-tier spatial magic, sat at the very apex. The formulas for teleportation magic were countless—seriously so.
“…Beatrice? You don’t mean…?”
I pointed at the stack of papers before me, praying she’d deny it, and Beatrice replied with a smile.
“There’s no way it’s this much, right?”
“Th…that’s right?”
“There’s more.”
- Thud!
As Beatrice spoke, another stack of papers—just as thick as the ones already before me—slammed onto the desk. I stared in despair at the endless sheets crammed with teleportation formulas.
- Flutter
Out of curiosity, I flipped over a sheet, and sure enough, the back was just as densely packed with teleportation formulas as the front.
“All… all of this?”
“You must memorize all of it. Not a single one left out.”
I denied the reality before me, but no matter how much I denied it, reality didn’t change. In the end, I began memorizing the teleportation formulas in front of me, staying up all night, and it took me a full week to memorize them all. There was only one reason I stayed up all night to memorize them. It was to conquer the unexplored dungeon that would appear soon. Unexplored dungeon. Soon, an unexplored dungeon would appear in Seoraksan. And what I was after was the magic stone of the Seoraksan Dungeon boss. Once the dungeon appeared in Seoraksan, others would quickly catch on and flock there. That’s why I needed teleportation magic to conquer the dungeon and escape safely. Of course, Beatrice could help me escape, but the Seoraksan Dungeon had a very troublesome characteristic. It was that the monsters’ strength adjusted to match the strongest person inside the dungeon. If someone of the lowest rank entered, monsters of equal strength would appear; if a mid-rank entered, mid-rank monsters would emerge. The dungeon boss was even stronger than that. When the Seoraksan Dungeon first appeared, many were thrown into chaos, unaware of this characteristic. But I already knew this, and I had to conquer the dungeon quickly before anyone stronger than me entered—so I couldn’t go in with Beatrice. And the day the Seoraksan Dungeon would appear was exactly one week from today. Which meant I had to succeed with teleportation, the highest-tier magic, within a week.... - Snap!!
“Haa... Another failure. This was already my 181st failed teleportation attempt. My mana, which could rival Upper-rank levels thanks to Gungcheongseokyu and other elixirs, had already undergone three mana depletions. Still, while practicing teleportation, I discovered one new thing.
“Here you go, my lord.”
“…Thank you, Beatrice.”
Beatrice was also an incredible specialist in alchemy. Until now, I hadn’t taken a single break despite suffering mana depletions. Because as soon as my mana depleted, Beatrice’s dozens of homemade mana recovery potions restored it. Beatrice’s potions were more effective than the highest-grade ones sold on the market, so I could practice teleportation magic without rest. Of course, mentally, I couldn’t help but grow exhausted. And for my mentally exhausted self, Beatrice…
- Squish squish
As for this… I’ll skip further explanation. Anyway, after using teleportation nonstop all day, I finally succeeded for the first time.
“It worked!!!”
“You’ve succeeded. Congratulations.”
After nearly 18 hours of practice, I finally succeeded in moving a small pebble.
“But… I succeeded, but somehow…”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Daddy! You’re back!”
“Did you do well, Cheon-seong?”
With no mental energy left to practice, I returned home via Beatrice’s teleportation. Upon arriving, Hana and Yuna—who had been caring for Hana in my and Beatrice’s absence—approached me as I collapsed exhausted on the floor.
“Wow~~! Daddy—!”
- Thump
- Whoosh
“Hana, Daddy smells like sweat.”
“Uuung.... Hehe.”
Hana, as always, ran to hug me upon my return. Sweating from consecutive mana depletions, I tried to tell her I smelled, but she just rubbed her face against my chest like marking territory.
“Hehe. Daddy smells like sweat.”
“Daddy said he smells like sweat.”
“But it’s Daddy’s smell, so I like it.”
Seeing Hana smile brightly at me, my exhausted mind felt healed.
“Hana, Daddy’s sweaty, so let’s hug later. Cheon-seong, go wash up quickly.”
“Okay, Yuna. Eochi! Hana, let’s play after Daddy washes up.”
“Okay. Wash up quickly.”
“I’ll be right back.”
I lifted Hana down, grabbed clothes to change into, and entered the bathroom.
- Shhhhhhh
Warm water poured down, washing away the grime from my body.
“…Maybe I should move.”
While washing, I seriously considered moving. Until now, Hana was young and Beatrice could shrink her body, so it was fine, but as I trained and Yuna took care of Hana, the house felt too small.
“When Hana grows up, she’ll need her own room.”
Money wasn’t an issue—it was overflowing. I’d already invested the proceeds from selling elixirs into coins that would rise in value, so funds were more than sufficient.
“For Hana’s kindergarten… once I learn teleportation, either I or Beatrice can take her.”
Click
Lost in thoughts about moving, I realized I’d already finished washing.
'I’ll need to discuss the rest with Beatrice and Yuna before deciding.'
I simply manifested red mana to evaporate the water from my body, put on the clothes I’d brought, and exited the bathroom.
“Ah, you’re done washing, Cheon-se…ong.”
“Huh? What’s wrong, Yuna?”
As I came out, Yuna’s face turned red upon seeing me.
“Hoo… I knew it, but no matter when I see it, your body is really great.”
Beatrice explained why Yuna was reacting that way.
“Hmm? Really? I thought it was ordinary.”
My body wasn’t built through exercise but through cultivation, resulting in fine muscles, so I thought it was ordinary—but apparently not to them.
“Th…though, Cheon-seong. The… the clothes seem a… a bit revealing, don’t they?”
A white short-sleeved T-shirt and shorts. Since I didn’t feel the need to buy pajamas, these were the clothes I often wore to sleep. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure if it was flexible, but it was the first set I’d worn since regressing.
“Isn’t it comfortable to wear like this?”
“Hawa…”
As I spoke, fluttering the collar, a cute exclamation came from Yuna.
“Daddy~~! Hug me!”
“If Hana asks for a hug, I have to give one. Eochi!”
“Sniff sniff. Daddy smells good.”
“I just washed up.”
Click
As I patted Hana, who was pressing her face to mine to smell, I heard the sound of a camera flash from Yuna’s side.
“Hehe. It turned out well. Want to see, sister?”
“Let me see. Hmm… You definitely smile a lot when you’re with Hana!”
“Hana wants to see too. Mommy!”
Yuna and Beatrice chatted about how cute and how much I smiled while holding Hana, looking at their phones. Hana then got down from me and ran to them.
“Look at this. Daddy is really, really cute, right?”
“Wow! Is this what Daddy does when he holds Hana?”
“Yes. Even when you’re usually expressionless or in a bad mood, whenever Hana runs to hug you, you often smile like this.”
As the three of them talked, a warmth began to spread across my face.
“…Let’s stop looking and just eat.”
“Hehe. Okay! Cheon-seong. And there’s no need to be embarrassed.”
At my words, Yuna smiled and started setting the table, while I prepared the dishes.
“Let’s eat!”
“Eat well.”
Hana, now somewhat familiar with using utensils, smiled as she picked up the side dishes Yuna had made.
“It’s delicious!”
“There’s plenty, so eat slowly. You’ll get indigestion otherwise.”
Just seeing Hana’s smile as she ate made me feel full.
“Come on, Cheon-seong. Open up~.”
As I watched Hana eat, Yuna picked up a side dish and offered it to me.
“I’m… I’m good.”
“Really… you won’t eat it?”
When Yuna looked at me sadly, saying I wouldn’t eat, I couldn’t refuse her pleading gaze and took the food she offered.
Chomp
“How is it, Cheon-seong? It tastes better when I feed you, right?”
“…It’s tasty.”
Whether out of embarrassment or not, Yuna looked at me fondly, seeing a resemblance to Cheon-seong’s childhood, and offered another side dish.
Tap
“This time is this lady’s turn.”
“Bu… I cooked, can’t I have one more turn?”
“Absolutely not.”
Beatrice’s chopsticks blocked Yuna’s, and Yuna pouted, lowering her chopsticks at Beatrice’s words.
“Now, eat, my lord.”
“…Beatrice, why are you doing this too? I’m done. What are you doing with Hana watching?”
“…Yuna, cover Hana’s eyes for a moment.”
“Hmph. Next time it’s my turn!”
At Beatrice’s request to cover Hana’s eyes, I looked between them in confusion. Yuna, knowing what Beatrice intended, said it was her turn next and covered Hana’s eyes with her hands.
Munch munch
Gulp
“Mommy. I can’t see.”
“Mommy will give you a Ten X later, so hold on a little longer, Hana.”
“Really!? Hana will hold on!”
At the promise of a Ten X, Hana’s corners of her mouth curled into a beaming smile.
And Beatrice, bringing side dishes to my mouth… I have no idea how things got to this point.