…Dad?
Thinking about it, it was obvious. On that day, the hero who sacrificed his body to save people from annihilation wasn't just Mom.
"Ah, D-Dad…."
No doubt about it. No mistake.
How could I forget the sight of him striding confidently toward the city engulfed in flames? His entire body cloaked in a black robe. The ten rings on his slender fingers unleashed terrifying mana, sweeping away the sinister aura blanketing the area.
People would praise that man as the Ma-do King, Hwang Hyun-min. But to me, he was simply my one and only father—the man I loved and respected.
From my lips, reunited with the dad who'd died ten years ago, only broken radio static poured out.
"Ah, Dad…."
"Uh, uh…?."
"Dad!"
"Huh?!"
Thud! I leaped down from the mountain of piled-up demon corpses and charged toward Dad.
And… whoosh!
I threw my arms wide and hugged him fiercely.
"Dad…. Dad…."
"……."
The embrace I'd longed for endlessly. A special warmth I might have forgotten forever if even a little more time had passed—it filled my chest.
What should I say? If I could meet Dad again. There were so many words I'd wanted to say if this miracle happened, reuniting me with the father who'd passed when I was young.
But now that the miraculous moment had arrived, my mind went completely blank.
Then.
A soft touch brushed my empty back. Dad was hugging me in return.
"……!"
I tried not to show such an ugly crying face in front of Dad, not wanting to disgrace myself as a man. Damn it, no good.
Holding back tears here would make me a sociopath. In the end, I couldn't hold back the wave of joy and emotion crashing over me. I opened my throat and wailed….
Soul Exorcism Ritual (A-rank) has descended upon your body!
The fierce exorcism energy drives out the demon possessing your flesh!
ERROR! Skill failed to apply!
…or tried to, but my tears stopped dead.
In this dramatic father-son reunion after ten years, Dad had suddenly hit me with a skill. An A-rank exorcism ritual, no less—rat poison to undead monsters.
The problem was, why hit me—a guy who was neither zombie nor ghost—with this out of nowhere?
"…Dad?"
"Damn it. Soul Exorcism Ritual doesn't work? You don't look like some high-level bastard calling me 'Dad' like that…!"
"……."
"Honey…! Hang in there, even if it's tough! I'll drive this thing out of your body soon!"
Oh, right. I'm currently possessing Mom's body….
I briefly imagined the situation from Dad's perspective.
If his wife—who'd smack his back at the slightest annoyance—suddenly screamed "Dad" and hugged him? …Yeah, that'd be kinda scary.
"Hoo…."
I let out a deep, weary sigh. Then, with all traces of tears gone, I flashed a big smile….
"Surprise~."
"……."
"S-Surprised, right, honey? I thought we needed a laugh on a day like this, so I planned a little surprise event… um…."
"……."
Looking at Dad's furrowed brow twisting like a river character (川), a certain painful truth suddenly hit me.
People usually regret things too late….
***
"You know the idiom ilsimdongche—one heart, one body?"
I couldn't even remember exactly how many years ago it was—just some distant memory from long, long ago.
I was still so young my baby fat hadn't fully melted away, listening intently to the bald guy on TV.
Normally, I'd watch kids' anime even if it meant skipping meals, but I skipped it for this boring political commentator's rant. For one reason only.
"In short, watching those two—known as the S-rank couple—their fighting style screams ilsimdongche. Even Siamese twins probably wouldn't sync that perfectly."
The bald guy on TV was randomly talking about my mom and dad.
And kid-me, hearing that bald claim? Pfft! …Snorted in derision.
'Bald guys must all be idiots!'
What? Ilsimdongche? Even Siamese twins wouldn't match that well?
What did that bald guy know, spouting nonsense?
'Mom leaves red handprints on Dad's back over the tiniest excuses!'
Unless they were blood enemies (with Dad always on the receiving end, of course), ilsimdongche? I vowed never to become one of those bald guys and swiftly changed the channel.
Years later, now.
I'm sincerely repenting.
'…Sorry for laughing back then, Mr. Baldy.'
The Great Godhead's Protection has descended upon your body!
Infinite mana surges forth!
I swung the Sword of Salvation through empty air.
That was it. No skills added—just a simple swing.
But that alone….
Krraaaack! Crimson lightning-like slashes erupted everywhere, annihilating the clustered demon hordes without a trace.
Just as I was struggling with unexpected mana depletion, Dad buffed me.
I hadn't even said I was out of mana or acted obviously distressed.
And it didn't stop there.
Activating skill, High-Speed Dash (B-rank)!
Whoosh!
I dashed like a gale, kicking off high-rise walls until I reached the rooftop.
Target: the giant demon atop the building. Immune to magic attacks, so I had to handle it myself in Dad's place.
Kraaaah!
As I hit the rooftop edge, it opened its jagged-toothed maw and roared.
Fwoooosh! Superheated flames gathered in its throat.
Slash! My casual swing severed its head effortlessly.
'Mom really is a total cheat character!'
…No sooner had the thought crossed my mind.
Grrrgle! The headless body began inflating like a balloon.
And as it swelled, it spewed intense heat. The moment I realized….
"No way, self-destruct…?!"
Probably exploding in one second. With the massive inertia from High-Speed Dash, escaping the blast radius was impossible.
'No choice…!'
I crossed my two swords overhead and wrapped my body in mana. Only way to mitigate the damage, even a little.
Damn, Mom's toughness means I won't die, but it'll hurt like hell.
The moment I squeezed my eyes shut.
BOOOOM! A thunderous explosion rocked the earth.
Not right in front of me, but far away.
"…What?"
I opened my tightly shut eyes. And….
"That was close. You okay?"
After a sigh of relief, Dad's smiling face came into view.
A blue portal—big enough for a person— was just closing in midair.
Only then did I realize: right before the blast, Dad had warped me to safety.
Oh, and I was currently cradled princess-style in his arms.
"No need to thank me. You knew I'd pull something like this. Right?"
"……."
If it were Mom, she'd snap something like, "What princess carry crap in the middle of the apocalypse?" to hide her embarrassment with a sharp tone.
But I'm not Mom, and honestly, the Dad before my eyes right now….
If I were a girl, I'd be totally smitten. …Though as his son, getting princess-carried fills me with massive self-loathing.
"Think you can put me down now…."
"Something's off."
"…O-Off? What's off?"
"You'd never talk so elegantly…."
Twitch! Damn it. Gonna get suspicious.
Uh… what would Mom say here…?
"Put me down now if you don't want your back smacked later?"
"Now that's you."
What is this? This weird, unfilial guilt trip feeling….
I slipped from Dad's arms and planted my feet on the ground.
That instant.
Keeek! With eerie cries, demons lurking everywhere emerged en masse.
From collapsed building rubble, craters gouged in the earth, roaring flames all around—they appeared with glowing red eyes, instantly surrounding us.
Maybe every last demon left in the city center had gathered.
A situation anyone would call hopeless.
But.
"Not tired already, are you?"
"You neither."
I knew. This level of "hopelessness" was nothing to the S-rank couple.
Dad and I pressed our backs together. No blind spots now.
Kraaah! With savage roars, the demons leaped. The crimson sky turned pitch black.
The Sword of Salvation shines brilliantly in response to the pact with its partner!
The Great Sage's Ring shines brilliantly in response to the pact with its partner!
And we became a single beam of moonlight, driving out the darkness cloaking the sky.
***
Successfully annihilated over 1,000 demons!
Perfectly cleared <Advent Day – First>!
Due to perfect completion rate, the Reverse Dungeon grants you the highest-grade reward!
'Igor's Necklace' has been added to the reward list!
After slaughtering the endless demon waves without leaving a single one, the system message appeared.
Sweet text promising rewards.
'Well, rewards are nice, but first….'
Shff. I extended a fist toward Dad, sprawled on the ground catching his breath.
Fist bump. The ritual clash to cheer each other's efforts.
One thing I'd always wanted as son with dad. Doing it for real felt dreamlike and happy.
Happy, but….
"…Why the sudden guard pose?"
"Oh, uh. Thought for a sec you'd hit me…."
"……."
Resolved. Later, grill Mom on why she tormented Dad so much.
I roughly bumped fists with Dad, then checked the rewards.
'Igor's Necklace….'
Rewards from the Reverse Dungeon could be taken to reality. Meaning, couldn't use them right away.
But I already knew what this item was.
Igor's Necklace only dropped for top quest completion rates in the Reverse Dungeon. Famously rare pre-regression.
◈ The lifelong artifact invented by the demon of desire, Igor, infused with his deepest wishes.
◈ Activates trait, Alternate Dimension, allowing storage of items up to 2 tons.
In simple terms, like a subspace pouch. Though performance-wise, worlds apart.
'Even top-grade ones only hold 300kg. Calling it worlds apart is no exaggeration.'
Even wealthy A-rank players had to tighten their belts to buy a top-grade pouch.
Yet here I was, getting something incomparably superior for free.
'After fighting demons till I was gasping, sure.'
High completion in Reverse Dungeon quests required deep understanding of your sponsor constellation. Pre-regression, only a handful got Igor's Necklace.
Worldwide, maybe around twenty?
'And no player understands their sponsor like I do right now.'
With proud satisfaction, as I plopped down to rest.
Second quest begins shortly!
"……."
Seeing that message, a chill ran down my neck.
Foolish. No time to celebrate one good reward.
'The Reverse Dungeon has two quests total.'
Meaning, the final one was next.
And….
'That guy's about to show up.'
Thirteen years ago. No, post-regression, ten years ago? Or maybe even "today."
'The bastard who killed my parents.'
Disaster Ender, Germanodon.
Squeeze.
"…Honey?"
I grabbed Dad's hand. Gripping it tightly.
This hand I'd helplessly let go that day—I held it firm now.
'Mom and Dad drove him off with their deaths.'
But today would be different.
I'd make it different.
I knew how to kill the Disaster Ender, thanks to them.