A Father's Misunderstanding and a Flood of Trouble
However, Tae-hyun had accumulated enough experience by now that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him a celebrity. He wasn't about to lose his temper in front of innocent students.
“I'm so jealous...”
“Right?”
Lee Da-saem and Lee Da-sol's friends cast envious glances at them. To be on such close, family-like terms with the most famous Pan-On player in the world...
“Do you think we could ask him to play Pan-On with us?”
“Are you crazy? What do you think a pro's time is worth?”
“You're not even a pro, so why are you acting so smug?”
Watching the students bicker, Tae-hyun spoke up casually.
“I don't mind playing together.”
“R-Really?!”
“Sure. You're their friends, so I can do at least that much.”
The shoulders of Lee Da-saem and Lee Da-sol, already stiff with pride, puffed up even higher. It was a moment of pure, unadulterated satisfaction. Having held back while their classmates bragged about all sorts of things, the twins couldn't have been happier.
“By the way, what levels are you guys?”
“89.”
“111...”
“174!”
“Uh... if we play together, it's going to be incredibly tough on you guys.”
“Gasp. Will you let us be human bombs too?!”
“...That's not exactly a good thing, you know?”
Tae-hyun was bewildered by the students' warped tastes. Why on earth did they want to experience that of all things?
“I suppose it is my fault.”
After heading into a cafe and buying drinks for Lee Da-bi's younger sisters, Tae-hyun felt a pang of guilt as he listened to their grievances. Because of him, Da-bi's wrath was about to be unleashed upon her siblings.
“I'll put in a good word for you.”
“Thank you!”
“No, that's not going to cut it,” Da-saem said to Da-sol. She was looking one step further ahead than her twin.
“Why? If Oppa speaks up, Unni always listens to him.”
“That's true, but the moment Oppa leaves, we are dead meat.”
“...!”
Da-sol gasped as the realization hit her. Come to think of it, she was right. In front of Tae-hyun, Da-bi would probably say, 'Oh, I see. Since there was such a reason, I'll let it slide this time.' But the second Tae-hyun went home, she would immediately order them to assume the push-up position.
Da-bi was not soft enough to overlook the fact that they had tried to use Tae-hyun as a shield to hide their misdeeds.
“Da-bi isn't that kind of person, is she?”
“...Of course Unni isn't like that,” Da-saem quickly said, defending Da-bi. Naturally, this was also for her own survival. If she said anything weird in front of Tae-hyun, her life would truly be in jeopardy. Da-bi was a kind and diligent older sister, but she was also someone who could be incredibly firm when the situation called for it. If she were a complete pushover, she wouldn't have been able to run a guild like Power Warrior in the first place.
Da-saem had once seen Da-bi utterly obliterate someone online who was badmouthing Tae-hyun. The sight of their sister typing away furiously with a completely expressionless face, unleashing a torrent of savage insults, had been the definition of pure terror.
“Even if Oppa speaks up for us, we need to do something to touch Unni's heart.”
“Something to touch Da-bi's heart... Hmm. That's tough. What does Da-bi like?”
“She loves watching broadcasts featuring you, Oppa.”
“She also likes rewatching your tournament matches and tracking down people who leave malicious comments.”
“That doesn't really help. Those aren't things you two can do.”
“Maybe we could make some money...”
“I think Da-bi would get even madder if you guys tried to make money.”
That was also true. The twins groaned in frustration before hanging their heads in defeat.
“Maybe it's better to just take the scolding for a while. No matter how much we think, nothing comes to mind.”
“Maybe if we give Oppa a present, she'll be in a better mood and won't be as angry...”
There was a limit to what their high school brains could come up with. Listening to their fruitless conversation, Tae-hyun let out a yawn.
“If you've decided, is it okay if we go talk to her now? I'll do my best to speak up for you.”
“You're not that worried because Unni never gets mad at you, right, Oppa?”
“How did you know?”
“...”
Da-bi stared in disbelief at the two hiding behind Tae-hyun. Are they seriously...
“Tae-hyun-nim, could I ask you for a favor?”
“What is it?”
“I've run out of toothbrushes, and I forgot to buy some.”
“Oh, that's easy. I'll go grab some for you.”
“Yes. Thank you so much.”
“...?”
The twins blinked, only realizing the situation a second too late. With just a few words, Tae-hyun had been sent out of the house.
No...!
More importantly, isn't he way too gullible?!
To think he would get tricked by a few simple words and just wander off like that. They were utterly dumbfounded.
“Girls. Kneel.”
“...We're sorry.”
Sensing that their doom was sealed, the two meekly dropped to their knees. And with that, Da-bi's nagging began. Having spent so much time with Tae-hyun recently, Da-bi's nagging had evolved to become even more sophisticated and relentless. It was a lecture so agonizing that the twins could only groan in misery!
“Do you understand? You must never cause trouble for others. And absolutely never for Tae-hyun-nim.”
“Yes...”
“Understood...”
Hearing the sound of the front door opening, Da-bi quickly whispered to her sisters, “Get up now. And don't say anything weird to Tae-hyun-nim.”
“Sniff... Okay.”
The twins could only marvel at their sister's terrifying precision, having timed the lecture to end perfectly with Tae-hyun's return.
“Tae-hyun-nim, I have something to consult you about regarding my move.”
Having finished disciplining her sisters, Da-bi called Tae-hyun over. She had been meaning to bring it up, and figured now was as good a time as any.
“Did you pick out a house to move into?”
Tae-hyun didn't mind if Da-bi continued to stay upstairs, but he decided to respect her wishes. Since Da-bi had younger sisters to look after, it was only natural for her to find her own place and move out.
“Yes. Would you mind taking a look at it with me?”
“I don't know much about real estate... but sure.”
Though he wouldn't be of much help, he had no intention of refusing when Da-bi asked. Tae-hyun walked out with Da-bi toward their destination.
“It's a detached house?”
“Yes. I liked it because it has a yard.”
“It's not too far from our team house either. Seems pretty good.”
Tae-hyun nodded after inspecting the interior. The facilities were clean and well-maintained, and the yard was spacious...
Wait, why does this place look so familiar?
He couldn't quite put his finger on why the house felt so recognizable.
“Uh, wait a minute. This is...”
Tae-hyun realized why it was so familiar.
This is my dad's building!
“Ah, you've arrived! I heard the landlord happened to be nearby, and he said he'd come over right away.”
“Right now? Sure. It wouldn't hurt to meet him since we're already here.”
The real estate agent walked out to the street and gestured. Soon, a very familiar figure walked in, offering a greeting.
“To choose this house, your taste is truly outstand—”
Kim Tae-san froze mid-sentence. Standing before him were two young people he had never expected to see here.
“...???”
Kim Tae-san looked at Tae-hyun, then at Da-bi, and then looked back again. Then, with a face full of sheer shock, he asked:
“Are you two getting married?!”
CRASH!
The Lake Spirit staggered backward. Every time the undead exploded inside it, a massive shockwave rippled through its body.
[An undead has exploded!]
[The rebellion rate of the undead is rising.]
[Your current Death Aura skill level is high. The undead will not rebel...]
[......]
[......]
This is actually working better than I thought.
Lee Se-yeon watched the Lake Spirit in fascination. The undead bomb teleportation tactic was surprisingly effective. She had originally intended to use it merely as a keeping-at-bay measure, but it was powerful enough to force the Lake Spirit back.
A skill that teleported her summoned undead nearby—which normally wasn't all that powerful—had combined with the bombs to become an unimaginably vicious technique. It was so effective she wondered if she could use it in official tournaments!
[The Lake Spirit's HP has dropped below 50%!]
[The Lake Spirit begins to draw in the energy of water.]
Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon didn't bother shouting warnings to each other. They both knew to be careful without needing to say it.
What kind of attack is coming?
If it's a powerful skill used by a water-attribute Lake Spirit... will it be rain-based?
The fact that a system message had popped up meant it was bound to be a devastating skill. The crucial part was figuring out what form it would take. Only then could they prepare for it.
[The lake is beginning to overflow!]
[Flee to high ground to escape the chasing water!]
“...”
“Do not stop, adventurers! You must run quickly and escape to the high ground above!”
The prince shouted to cheer on the two adventurers. Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon let out deep, heavy sighs.
Maybe we should have just asked for an easy dungeon.
They had greedily aimed for a difficult dungeon to reap massive rewards, but now they felt like they were suffering needlessly because they had run into such a bizarre one. But what choice did they have? As rankers, they had to clear any dungeon they entered.
“Nantione, speed up! Watch out so you don't fall into the water!”
WHOOSH!
Water surged violently from the lake, beginning to swallow everything in its path. Nantione dashed forward with all her might.
“Faster! Faster! Impressive, adventurer! I didn't expect that Basilisk to be so fast!”
The prince marveled as he ran at the very front, watching Tae-hyun keep pace right behind him. Tae-hyun's skill in handling the massive Basilisk at such high speeds was indeed remarkable.
[The dissatisfaction of the undead is high!]
[They struggle and refuse this command!]
“...!”
Lee Se-yeon was startled. Occasionally, when she flew on an undead mount that was higher than her control limit, it would act up. However, the mount she was currently using was by no means above her level. For it to behave so wildly meant the penalty from her earlier undead bomb tactic was coming back to bite her.
I didn't expect this to happen!
RUMBLE!
The water rose at a terrifying speed, swallowing her wyvern. The struggling wyvern flapped its wings frantically as it was swept away by the rapid current. Se-yeon made a split-second decision.
“Dismiss summon!”
She immediately unsummoned the beast and tried to call out a new mount. However, the speed of the Lake Spirit far exceeded her expectations.
[The rapid current summoned by the Lake Spirit wraps around your ankles!]
[It disrupts your magic!]
[The summoning has failed!]
When bad luck struck, nothing seemed to go right. With misfortune piling up from her mount to her spells, even Lee Se-yeon couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
“Lee Se-yeon!”
“...!”
Tae-hyun, whom she thought had already sped ahead, was flying back toward her on Heuk-heuk. As Tae-hyun reached out, Se-yeon extended her hand to grab his. Tae-hyun grabbed her hand... or rather, he didn't. Instead, he grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and hoisted her up.
“...?!”
“Sorry! I thought you'd be too frantic to reach out your hand!”
It was utterly absurd how he had picked her up by the back of her robe like a stray cat, but it had saved her life nonetheless. Climbing onto Heuk-heuk's back, Se-yeon unconsciously patted the back of her neck.
“I said I was sorry.”
“Who grabs someone by the neck instead of their hand?!”
“Master! I think the spirit is angry!”
Having lost its prey, the Lake Spirit seemed to have shifted its target to Heuk-heuk. The rising water below began to reshape itself, zeroing in on the Black Dragon.
“We've definitely drawn its aggro! Is there any way to redirect it?”
“Should we jump off and let Heuk-heuk fend for himself?”
“...I don't think that's a good idea!”
Lee Se-yeon rejected the proposal. No matter how pragmatic they had to be, she felt far too guilty doing that to Heuk-heuk, who was currently carrying them both.