Chapter 12
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 012
Chapter Title: Second Summon (1)
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How are the magic stones and materials obtained from gate subjugations distributed?
There are complex criteria for that, but taking ordinary magic stones as the baseline, the gate-owning corporation takes a 35% fee.
On top of that, subjugation and acquisition fees add another 15%, so in the end, the subjugator gets 50%. But out of that 50%, 13% goes back to taxes.
Of course, that's only for hunters operating as individuals.
If that hunter is affiliated with a corporation, another fee is tacked onto the final amount.
But at least that didn't apply to Jeong-woo.
'One of the few perks of being a national hunter.'
Gate subjugation-related magic stone taxes are exempt.
The nation already takes taxes from the corporations using the gates anyway.
So they apply pretty lenient standards to their own personnel.
Is it okay for public-service hunters to get these benefits?
There was a very realistic and reasonable answer to that.
'That's the only reason the national hunter system even holds together.'
No matter how nicely you package it, hunters are ultimately mercenaries risking their lives.
Who would sacrifice themselves for some vague notion of the greater good without material rewards?
Magic stone tax exemption is the bare minimum safety net against that sense of deprivation.
It was all part of that context.
Seoul gate circuit.
Thanks to the greedy higher-ups blatantly ignoring gate density control standards, every gate he entered meant grinding down hundreds of magic beasts.
If the Teddy Warrior's drawback could even be called one—its omnidirectional energy blasts left no corpses, so no materials, but even so, the magic stones alone numbered nearly 10,000.
The proceeds from selling them had hit his account.
Jeong-woo opened the banking app and stared, a queasy look on his face.
'I've... really got a ton of money now.'
The balance was in the tens of billions.
Less joy than a vague unease.
No matter what, thinking of it as profits seized by force underscored just how bad Korea's gate situation was.
'No regrets, though...'
He needed to show some restraint.
Monopolizing gate profits this aggressively wasn't exactly looked upon kindly to begin with.
Public opinion, justification, and the recognition of irreplaceable force kept it suppressed—for now.
Right here, no more greed. Just save the money he had.
'Segi's growing up, so I need to support whatever she wants to do.'
Who knows. She might suddenly decide she wants to go into arts or athletics.
Music if she wants music.
Art if she wants art.
Sports if she wants sports.
'If she wants to put on a concert or something, I'd have to rent out a venue for the day...'
His daydream stretched that far before Jeong-woo chuckled to himself.
'Don't get ahead of yourself on kimchi soup.'
His head had gotten too hot. He took a breath to cool down.
Then he looked up at the living room.
Segi, in her frilly dress, was facing off with the Teddy Warrior.
Full-on pretend play.
The Teddy Warrior stood there blankly, butterfly bowtie and all.
Segi planted her hands on her hips and shouted brightly.
"Give me everything from here to there!"
What was she asking for?
If he had to guess, the answer was embarrassingly simple.
Special magic stones.
The Teddy Warrior had lined up the special magic stones from champion-grade beasts it'd hunted since its first awakening, picking them up one by one and stacking them beside Segi.
There was one reason they were being used as pretend-play props.
Champion-grade special magic stones can't be traded through normal channels.
The alien mana in them makes them unusable as general energy resources.
Usually, they're used for custom hunter gear or modern mana weaponry, so trades require reporting to the state for certification—but who has time for that?
Processing and safety-sealing them to toss around the house was the only option left, and now... well.
Segi was peering at the glittering surfaces like they were shiny gem toys.
'As long as Segi likes it.'
That flimsy conclusion let her play princess with magic stones pricier than jewels.
The Teddy Warrior diligently stacked them, and Segi stomped excitedly, grinning ear to ear.
Then she threw her arms up in triumph.
"Segi's rich now!"
She really was a rich girl now.
Though it didn't seem to matter much to her in practical terms.
Anyway, playtime was over.
"Segi. Time to head out soon."
"Eek! Okay!"
Segi toddled over and hugged him.
Jeong-woo scooped her up and stood.
In her favorite airy dress.
On this clear, spring-perfect day.
"Do they have sea otters at the zoo!?"
"Yeah, they do."
Their first outing together.
This life, he had to grant Segi's true wishes.
From the moment he resolved that and started pondering, one regret always nagged at him.
'I never even took her on a picnic.'
Busy with life or whatever—excuses be damned.
Just the facts: in his previous life, Segi had no special family memories from childhood to cherish.
Can you miss what you don't know?
Silly question.
"You know~ I bragged to Eun-ha, Yu-jeong, and Min-ji~ that we're going to the zoo today~!"
Kids have their own world.
Their own relationships, through which they hear how other families spend time together.
So relative deprivation exists, even if ignorance spares the absolute lack.
Especially for kids who want to brag about everything.
"Gotta take pics with the sea otters today! All the kids have seen them! Segi's seeing them for the first time!"
"Yeah, sea otter pics. If we can, that'd be great."
"Heehee..."
Jeong-woo felt his eyes sting at Segi's pure smile.
An emotion he couldn't get used to.
Probably for life—maybe till death.
Every time he faced her happiness, he'd recall the Segi who wept bitterly before that smile.
A stubborn original sin.
"We're here!"
He drove to the zoo.
From the moment the entrance came into view, Segi wouldn't sit still.
Jeong-woo smiled.
Parked, got out, and headed in, watching her clutch his finger with her tiny hand instead of asking to be carried—wanting to run on her own today.
That was when he realized he was famous.
"Nice to see you, little one! Welcome to the land of fantasy animals... Huh? S-Si-Sis...!"
"Haha... Hello?"
Staff mid-script froze with jaws dropped.
Passersby halting, gasping—that drove home his changed status.
He'd taken leave on a weekday expecting this, but couldn't avoid it entirely.
Luckily, no one approached to chat.
So Segi's zoo day was a smashing success.
"Bear! Bear! Daddy! Bear over there!"
"Yeah, it's super chubby."
"Bigger than our Teddy!"
Comparing the summon doll to the real bear in shock.
"Cute..."
"Desert fox looks sleepy. It's napping."
"Those are fox eyes!"
"Yeah, well, it is a fox...?"
Manga logic about sly foxes biting her—seeing its sleepy slits, declaring those the true fox eyes.
"Sheep!"
"Oh, experience booth? Wanna try petting one, Segi? You can touch them."
"Eek! Yes!"
Modern zoos were so well-equipped, with kid-animal interactions—Segi even fed them by hand.
And they reached the main goal.
"Sea otter!"
"They really have them. Sea otters."
"Sea otter! Clam!"
Segi had begged for sea otters nonstop since he first mentioned the zoo.
Nearly singing about it, leading them here.
Good thing.
'Only place in Korea.'
Even that used mana batteries for the habitat as a test run.
Sea otters floating on artificial seawater, clams on their bellies, basking in the sun—adorably cute.
Segi lit up like a firework.
Regressed and raising her, he'd learned this: she studied whatever interested her to proudly share her knowledge.
Not just kid-level trivia.
"Sea otters, you know~ are actually weasels, but~ their bones are purple~!"
Sea otter bones are purple? News to him.
Quick search confirmed it.
'Too many sea urchins... pigment buildup...'
He huffed a laugh.
Segi might really have teacher potential.
She had this habit of chaining "~you know~" when rambling, but it made sentences easy to follow anyway.
He was musing when—
"Daddy! Picture! Picture!"
Segi bounced wildly.
Jeong-woo pulled out his smartphone, framed her with the otters, and snapped away.
Then it hit him.
'A photo together... might be nice.'
He wanted to capture every moment of hers.
And for her to remember he was there in them.
That she wasn't alone.
Glanced around.
A family nearby. He asked them.
"Sorry, but could you take a quick photo for us?"
"Pardon? Oh, sure... Huh?"
The dad recognized him, gaped, then grinned awkwardly, took the phone, and snapped pics as Jeong-woo held Segi.
She didn't get it at first, then realized, cheeks flushing pink, beaming wide.
Just an everyday moment, stretching through the day.
"Sea otter doll!"
"Want to get one?"
"Really!?"
"Yeah, really."
Segi laughed.
Laughed so hard he worried about wrinkles.
So precious it wouldn't hurt to put her in his eyes.
Jeong-woo laughed too.
"Kids see and feel so much!" Went to the zoo with your child! They felt with their body that the world has so much more than just people breathing and living! [Great Parent (8/10)] *Collect stickers to unlock a skill!*
"Kids need memories!" Framed a happy moment! Now they have a forever memory? [Great Parent (9/10)] *Collect stickers to unlock a skill!*
That was their day.
No need to ask—he knew it was a good one, especially seeing Segi giggling with the sea otter doll clutched tight.
Jeong-woo felt fulfilled.
Like that, he buckled her in and drove home.
Time to wind down.
Bedtime, but Segi came to his room.
"Can we sleep together tonight?"
Her eyes sparkled—she was too excited to sleep.
Jeong-woo tucked her into his bed, blanket up to her chin.
Clutching her otter doll, she chattered on before sleep finally claimed her.
There was comfort in sharing sleep with someone.
Her soft breaths lulling him, Jeong-woo drifted off more peacefully than usual.
Just before sleep weighed him down:
'I'm glad.'
That she loved the day so much.
And so he slept.
Without hearing the chime.
"Kids feel safe in warmth!" After a fun day, they fell asleep to their favorite person's touch! Do this more often! [Great Parent (10/10)] *Collect stickers to unlock a skill!*
[Great Parent (10/10)]. Congratulations! Collected all Praise Stickers!
Skill: [Kids Need Heroes!] has evolved!
Sea Otter Archmage (S) has been summoned!
It was early morning.
Pop!
Pop!
Pop!
The sound reached Jeong-woo's ears.
Too clear for half-asleep hallucination, so he cracked his eyes open cautiously.
Realized it came from the living room, frowned, and got out of bed.
That's when he faced it.
Pop!
"...?"
A human-sized sea otter doll wearing a black conical hat.
It was shoving special magic stones scattered on the living room floor into the mouth of a clam doll on its hand.
Then it turned its head toward him.
Pop?
"???"
Jeong-woo's thoughts blanked for a moment.