Feeding the Egg and the Deadbeat Dad Scandal
Misunderstanding. Unlike PigeonMaster, HatchingMaster was one of the pretty famous high-nics in the gallery. HatchingMaster's true identity was Han Chae Rin, the guild master of Phoenix Guild, one of the top 10 hunters in Korea. She was an AAA-rank hunter who fought with monsters she'd personally tamed and spirits she'd contracted with. Considering there were fewer than 20 triple-A ranks in the whole country, that made her a seriously skilled powerhouse. So why the hell had she suddenly reached out to me in the gallery?
She went straight for the acquisition source. What to do? I couldn't exactly say I laid it... So I played hardball.
If she got pissed, oh well. She didn't know whose egg it was anyway. So I figured no big loss and went strong... but surprisingly, she just straight-up apologized.
She gave way better info than expected, like atonement for prying. More importantly, mana? Mana: 18. I had 18 mana. How the hell was I supposed to give it? When I asked HatchingMaster, she replied with a sigh-laced tone.
Following her advice, I searched near my dantian for... something. Mana, I guess. A warm, soft mana registered in my senses, and once I felt it, guiding it to my fingertips wasn't hard.
Thump— Thump—!
The moment I touched the egg, it latched on like a baby gulping milk after a long wait—it wouldn't let go of my palm.
"Warm... gotta hold it."
Cradling it, I kept feeding my scant mana while listening to some classical music for a bit.
"Hmm... what about the bed?"
Suddenly, my room's state caught my eye. I'd wiped up the slippery fluids—probably amniotic fluid and blood—ditched the blood-soaked sheets, and now it was barren. The floor mats were stained with blood too; I'd probably need new flooring. Sigh, not much money left this month. More expenses incoming.
"Ugh, whatever."
Thump-thump—
"Yeah, hurry up and hatch so you can treat your mom right. Preferably a super cool dragon. Rawr! And all the beasts drop dead? Hehe."
Thump-thump—
"Huh? Was that a reply?"
I tried talking again, just in case.
Thump-thump—!
It shook even harder in response. A weird joy bubbled up, like watching a toddler take its first steps.
"The more I look, the more I love this thing. Is this maternal instinct?"
Please hatch soon so we can at least hit a D-rank dungeon together.
Another week passed.
Roll—!
"Whoa, no, bad! Dangerous!"
The egg, which had only bounced a little before, was now rolling around freely like a three-year-old kid on a rampage. When it headed for furniture corners, I'd freak and buy corner guards to stick on.
"I'm gonna die at this rate..."
A week of constant worry it'd crack if it fell wrong. Now the shell was cracking slightly, signaling imminent hatching.
"Sorry for keeping you cooped up inside... Once you're out, let's go walking together?"
Even with my changed looks drawing eyes, carrying a huge egg would be too much—I wasn't ready for those stares.
"Gotta feed it something once it hatches... It won't expect me to breastfeed just 'cause I laid it, right?"
Imagining a grotesque lifeform suckling me felt weird. A quick search said most ate magic beast formula or went straight carnivore post-hatch.
"Carnivore... Pork okay?"
Thinking ahead since it'd hatch soon, I checked my bank balance—
Balance: 140,300 won
"...Yeah, short on cash."
My own food budget was shaky.
"No choice. Time to hit up a connection. This is kinda his fault anyway?"
I messaged the culprit(?).
***
~♬ "Huh? Isn't that Tae Hoon's phone?"
Korea's undisputed No.1 guild, Starlight Guild. In their upper conference room.
S-rank hunter Tae Hoon's phone blared while he was away.
"Tae Hoon, seriously—silent mode during meetings."
He'd stepped out, probably to the bathroom. But the phone kept ringing.
"Sigh, I'll shut it off."
A fellow guy stood, grabbed the phone casually.
"Just mute it—"
His face froze.
"...Huh?"
Not a notification. Texts. And the content...
Silence fell over the room as they passed the phone around. Everyone pictured the same scene.
'Tae Hoon, we're having a baby...'
'Get rid of it.'
'Tae Hoon...?'
'I said abort. It was just a one-night stand.'
The woman, mere one-night fling to the S-rank hunter, bowed her head weakly.
'But the baby's innocent...'
She decides to raise it alone, but society's sharp eyes force her to hide and birth in secret. Yet raising a kid solo in modern times is brutal. Body weakens, belly swells. Costs pile up—formula, diapers, endless despair.
Then she sees Tae Hoon thriving on TV.
'For the baby... just once.'
Mothers are great, huh? She doesn't give up. Swallows pride for the child. Cradles her swollen belly, types and deletes on the long-silent phone, pouring out pleas.
Each line drips with feeling: 'What if he rejects?' 'Still... gotta ask. For the baby.' Pride crushed, polite to the end, but a mother's heart for her child.
"This is..."
Someone muttered.
"Totally... that drama."
No one said it, but all reached the same conclusion.
S-rank hunter Tae Hoon. Woman with his baby begging for help. Him, the responsible guy...?
"No way, insane?"
Hard to imagine—the diligent guy they knew. But the woman's pain seeped through the screen; they couldn't brush it off as his friends.
Then—
Screeech—the door opened.
"...Why so quiet? Weren't you supposed to continue without me?"
Tae Hoon. All eyes locked on him.
"...Why stare like that?"
"You trash bastard!!!"
"How could you!"
"Take responsibility!!"
"Acting like you don't care about girls!!"
Like neighborhood aunties cursing a drama villain, the No.1 guild's execs glared in contempt.
"What the hell..."
Guild master Lee Seo Ran approached with his phone, face stern—unusual for her usual calm.
"Tae Hoon, I know you're diligent and kind."
"Uh, thanks...?"
"But take responsibility for your relationships."
"Pardon?"
Before he could process, she thrust the phone at him, genuinely furious.
"Go now. No return until you fix this."
Suddenly branded a one-night scumbag, Tae Hoon was bewildered as they shoved him out.
"What the—everyone lost it over...?"
He checked his phone and got it.
Tae Hoon floored it straight to Seol Yun's villa complex.