The next day, Min-Ji woke up at dawn, left a note saying, “Thank you,” and returned home. Before leaving, she gently stroked Do-Jun’s cheek and mumbled something under her breath, but it was spoken so faintly, almost swallowed, that it was impossible to make out the words.
Meanwhile, Byeol was sneezing a bit too much. Do-Jun placed a hand on her forehead to check for a fever.
“I’m okie. I just need to eat bluey,” Byeol said, sniffling.
“Bluey?” Do-Jun asked.
“Yeah, bluey! Where I lived before.”
“Ah.” Do-Jun realized she was talking about the first floor of the Core. “Alright, then. Should we go there now?” he asked, ready to leave.
“Let’s eat bwekfast first.”
Do-Jun scratched his head awkwardly, knowing that Yoon-Hee, likely still exhausted from the previous day, was sound asleep and probably wouldn’t wake up for a while. This meant that making breakfast was entirely up to him. As he pondered what to prepare, his eyes landed on the blender.
“Don’t drink it too quickly,” Do-Jun cautioned Byeol.
“Daddy, this is yummy.”
Byeol sipped a thick smoothie made with strawberries, bananas, and milk. Judging by her delighted expression, it seemed to suit a child's palate perfectly.
“When you’re done, let’s go visit the Core.”
Do-Jun went into the bedroom, opened a drawer, and pulled out the Core Talisman. This talisman allowed movement to the first and second floors of the Core, excluding the tutorial area. It was basically a teleportation item that took one to any place that was in their memory.
Closing the drawer, Do-Jun noticed Yong-Yong staring blankly at the Core Talisman. His tail swayed gently, and his eyes sparkled with expectation.
This little guy always tried to tag along whenever Do-Jun went to the Core.
“You want to come too?” he asked Yong-Yong.
“You and I are like Batman and Robin—we’re a set, Master!” With his mouth curving upward, Yong-Yong’s face was full of anticipation.
Do-Jun stared at him blankly for a moment before he shut the door and walked out.
“M-Master! I was joking!”
The first floor of the Core was a peaceful place, unlike the lava-filled second floor.
It had been a long time since Do-Jun last visited. After completing its challenges and handing the strategy guide over to Behemoth, he hadn’t had any reason to return.
Byeol sneezed, suddenly stopping while happily running across the grassy fields. However, aside from the sneezing, she seemed perfectly healthy and didn’t seem bothered by it.
“By the way, what even is this bluey thing?” Yong-Yong asked.
Byeol pointed her finger toward a lakeside far below. A vast lake with tranquil turquoise waves shimmered in the sunlight.
“But we have to fish for it.”
Byeol nodded and walked toward the bridge that led down to the lake. Do-Jun and Yong-Yong exchanged glances before following her.
On the first floor of the Core, there was a marketplace run by adventurers. This was where artifacts, either looted from monsters or crafted from byproducts, were sold in exchange for mastery stones. Behemoth had frequented this market during its time on the first floor.
As they entered a shop with a sign reading “Kelvin’s Goods,” a middle-aged man with a stout belly and a scruffy beard greeted them.
“Welcome—eek!” However, as soon as Kelvin saw Do-Jun, his face turned pale, as if he’d seen a ghost.
“H-hello, sir! I heard you went down to the second floor...” he stammered.
Among the adventurers of the Core’s first floor, Do-Jun had become a figure of fear, and Kelvin was no exception.
“It’s been a while,” Do-Jun said with a faint smile.
Although he’d never bought anything from this store, he had visited a few times while writing the strategy guide for Behemoth.
“Could I get a fishing rod?” Do-Jun asked politely.
Fishing rods in the Core were quite different from those on Earth. While their appearance was similar, they lacked grooves to attach fishing lines. This was because they were special artifacts that generated both the fishing line and the bobber when infused with mana.
“H-here you go!” Kelvin hurriedly placed a fishing rod on the table.
Do-Jun pulled out the mastery stones he had obtained earlier by hunting monsters on the way to the store. The stones, about the size of a finger, glowed red. When used, they slightly increased the mastery of the red-colored stats in the status window and served as the common currency on the first floor.
“P-please, it’s on the house,” Kelvin stammered.
“I don’t like that kind of thing,” Do-Jun replied flatly, causing Kelvin’s face to turn even paler.
Kelvin quickly grabbed one of the mastery stones.
After getting their fishing rod, they stopped by nearby shops to buy snacks to munch on while fishing.
Since Do-Jun defeated the mythical creature Laikar, referred to as a catastrophe on the first floor, the area had grown vibrant, and the marketplace had especially thrived.
“This is tasty!” Byeol giggled as she bit into a bread roll.
“You’re right, this stuff is good,” Yong-Yong agreed, savoring a Pokopo skewer, a monster native to the first floor.
Do-Jun pulled a water bottle from his backpack and took a sip, then snapped a picture of Yong-Yong and Byeol with his smartphone. A small smile spread across his face.
“This must be the place.”
They stood by a lake known among adventurers as a Farming Zone for being rich with resources. However, not just anyone could come here—it required a certain level of magic resistance, making it accessible only to skilled adventurers of the first floor.
If the mythical creature Entusha emerged from the lake, everyone present could be wiped out.
Do-Jun expanded his qi senses to scan the lake and detected countless artifacts and fish resting within, but one small bottle glowed an intense blue, standing out from the rest.
That must be bluey...
Before Do-Jun could finish his thought, Yong-Yong jumped into the lake.
“Byeol! What does this ‘bluey’ thing look like?” he asked, bobbing on the surface with only his head poking out of the water.
It seemed he intended to retrieve it himself. However, artifacts in the lake could only be obtained using a fishing rod—a fact Yong-Yong wasn’t aware of.
Suddenly, Yong-Yong felt himself rising into the air and exclaimed in surprise, “Huh?”
Do-Jun had used a telekinetic skill to lift him and place him back on the shore. Typically, this technique couldn’t be used on objects that possessed qi, but Do-Jun’s infinite internal energy rendered such limitations meaningless.
“What are you doing, Yong-Yong?” Byeol asked.
“Uh... I don’t know... I just floated.”
“That’s bluey,” Byeol pointed at the bottle containing blue liquid as it floated to the lake's surface, drawn in by Do-Jun’s fishing rod.
Do-Jun collected extra information using the Interpreter.
[Holy Water of Blessing]
Category: Consumable / Miscellaneous
Description: A blue potion obtained from the Lake of the Deep Realm. When used, it cures status ailments or neutralizes deadly poison. There are rumors it can also be found in the lake on the first floor of the Core, but it is said to be unattainable without unlocking at least the Purple Status Window, making it little more than a pipe dream.
“Daddy is amazing!” Byeol, who had been sneezing nonstop, ran over to Do-Jun and leaped into his arms.
Do-Jun opened the cap and handed the potion to Byeol. As soon as she drank the Holy Water of Blessing, a light shimmered across her body for a brief moment. Then, as if by magic, the sneezing stopped.
“Tanks, Yong-Yong,” Byeol said to Yong-Yong.
“Huh? I didn’t do anything, though?” Yong-Yong replied, puzzled.
Byeol was still young, but she clearly understood that Yong-Yong’s earlier dive into the water was out of concern for her.
“Tanks,” she said again.
Scratching his head, Yong-Yong turned away awkwardly as if he were shy. “Ehem...”
“Byeol, it’s been a while.”
The Tree of Wisdom’s voice seemed slightly elevated as if genuinely pleased by Byeol’s visit.
Byeol stretched out her arms and hugged the Tree tightly. “Yeah.”
“You were just at the lake, weren’t you?” the Tree asked.
“How you know?” Byeol asked, surprised.
“I’ve been watching since you got here.”
The Tree of Wisdom had the ability to observe events occurring within the Core.
“Oh, and I’ve heard the news, Do-Jun. You defeated Tarantuloso.”
Tarantuloso was a disaster that gnawed at Yggdrasil, the massive tree located on the second floor of the Core. It was a byproduct of the distortions caused by the Transcendents’ expeditions into the Deep Realm.
The death of Tarantuloso, the monster that no one had dared to confront until Do-Jun, had become a major topic of conversation within the Core.
“The forum was in an uproar for a while,” the Tree explained.
“Is that so?” Do-Jun seemed to have no interest whatsoever in the Core’s forum.
The Tree of Wisdom found it difficult to understand how he could remain so indifferent.
“What you’ve accomplished is remarkable. Are you aware that you’re reshaping the Core?”
The Tree of Wisdom now held a great deal of goodwill toward Do-Jun. When it first learned about him, it harbored fear and doubt due to his overwhelming power, so powerful that it defied the norms of the Core. However, after witnessing the positive changes he brought to the first and second floors, its perspective had completely shifted.
“I hope I’m not interfering unnecessarily,” Do-Jun said.
“Not at all. Everything that’s been happening has been wonderful,” the Tree said genuinely.
What he was doing was nothing less than rewriting history.
Although adventurers below the third floor might not yet fully grasp the impact, one thing was certain: the Core was experiencing a storm of change, centered around one adventurer—Lee Do-Jun.
Do-Jun returned home using the Core Talisman once again.
Despite all that had happened, only about two hours had passed, and Yoon-Hee and Karsiel had just woken up.
“Hey, guys. Try this,” Yong-Yong offered a few Pokopo skewers, which they had bought on the first floor of the Core before making their way back home.
Yong-Yong placed the leaf-wrapped skewers on the dining table.
“What’s this?” Yoon-Hee asked.
“Pokopo skewers. They’re pretty good.”
Yoon-Hee and Karsiel each took a bite. There wasn’t any fancy sauce on the skewers, just a simple sprinkling of salt.
Still, with the first bite, a burst of savory juice flooded their mouths, melting away with rich flavor.
“This is delicious, Lord Izaas,” Karsiel murmured, visibly impressed.
“Got them on the first floor,” Yong-Yong said proudly.
“The first floor... You mean the Core?” Yoon-Hee asked, slightly surprised that they managed to go on such a big trip in the morning.
Do-Jun tidied up the pillows and blankets spread out on the living room floor, putting them away in the bedroom wardrobe.
“Now that I think about it, where’s Hunter Min-Ji?” Yoon-Hee asked.
“She went home,” Do-Jun answered.
“It would’ve been nice if we’d had breakfast together...” Yoon-Hee mumbled wistfully.
Do-Jun looked through the photos he’d taken on his smartphone, and Yoon-Hee leaned in to look at the pictures of Yong-Yong and Byeol. There were snapshots of them strolling through the first-floor market, enjoying snacks together, playing by the lakeside, and posing with the Tree of Wisdom.
Then, a photo appeared showing Yong-Yong shaking off the water like a puppy near the lake. Yoon-Hee couldn’t help but smile at the adorable sight.
Suddenly, she sneezed. Sniffing, Yoon-Hee grabbed a tissue and dabbed at her nose.
“Ah!” With a gasp, Byeol dashed over in a hurry and said, “Mommy needs bluey!”
“Huh...?” Yoon-Hee tilted her head, confused.
“You’re right, Byeol.” Do-Jun chuckled softly as he muttered.