They were father and daughter?
The age gap between parents and children varied, but generally, a difference of about twenty-five years was typical.
Jin-Soo recalled Do-Jun’s appearance and thought, Does... does he just look really good for his age?
With recent advancements in skincare and cosmetic techniques, it wasn’t uncommon to see people in their fifties looking as young as their twenties. Even on entertainment programs, there were cases where women in their fifties, introduced as “college moms,” looked no different from college students.
“Is that really your dad, Yoon-Hee?” Hye-Jung exclaimed in surprise.
Her words were mixed with a hint of guilt as she had somewhat badmouthed him to Yoon-Hee, not knowing who he was.
Yoon-Hee gave a slight nod, but she didn’t want to discuss the matter any further. If others found out about their contractual father-daughter arrangement, they would surely find it odd. It was something neither she nor Do-Jun wanted to be exposed.
Noticing Yoon-Hee’s uncomfortable expression, Min-Ji clapped her hands, bringing everyone’s attention back to her, and shifted the topic.
“Alright then, let’s start with the map training first.”
Do-Jun glanced at the piles of gold coins scattered on the ground, along with several artifacts.
Typically, when a Treasure Goblin was taken down, one artifact from its treasure bag dropped randomly. However, the Treasure Goblin before them had given up quite literally everything he had.
Looking at the trembling goblin before him, Do-Jun almost felt sorry.
“Master, this guy’s broke as hell.” Yong-Yong clicked his tongue in disapproval.
“Hey, this is considered wealthy in our industry!” the Treasure Goblin protested, looking wronged.
“That’s not for you to decide, is it?”
“Master, is there anything you need?”
There were various artifacts—armor, weapons, accessories—but Do-Jun only needed one thing.
He picked up a book lying on the ground.
[Skillbook – Binding Chains]
Description: Upon completion, grants the skill Binding Chains. (The skill book will disappear after one use.)
Skill Effect: Summons chains to bind the target. The strength of the chains increases in proportion to the user’s mana. (Minimum mana requirement: 10)
It was a Skillbook and an A-grade one, at that.
Though he appeared nonchalant, Do-Jun was actually quite surprised.
Lucky me, he thought happily.
Most people who acquired a Skillbook sold it, and the sale would end up on the front page of the news. Out of the Skillbooks that were made public that way, the highest grade ever dropped by a Treasure Goblin was B. Of course, unofficially, higher grades might exist, but they were almost unheard of.
As for the rest of his stuff...
The other artifacts were nothing special. Though they could all be converted to cash, the selling process was cumbersome, and Do-Jun didn’t need the money right away. Taking them would just be extra baggage for now.
“Please, just let me live...” The Treasure Goblin trembled violently.
Do-Jun looked down at the goblin with a cold gaze. He was planning on taking down a Treasure Goblin for the Skillbook, so he had no further use for the monster.
With a smile, Do-Jun said, “I’ll let you go if you give me this.”
“A-are you sure you don’t want the other stuff?”
“I’m okay. Besides, you need to have some stuff in your bag, don’t you?”
For some reason, the Treasure Goblin felt tears welling up in its eyes. Most humans would be eager to kill them for their treasures. But this man only took what he needed and spared his life.
The Treasure Goblin bowed and said, “Thank you, thank you. Oh great, Master of Dragons.”
“No, I should be thanking you. I’ll make good use of this Skillbook.”
The Treasure Goblin gathered the scattered artifacts into its bag.
“Make sure to hide better next time. And don’t get caught and beaten up by someone else,” Yong-Yong added, turning his head away with a snort.
The Treasure Goblin stared at Yong-Yong in awe.
Dragons were a mighty species that many lived their entire lives not seeing even one, but not only did he see two, one of them was concerned about his wellbeing. What an honor for his entire family.
“Well, should we finish up here and head back?” Do-Jun said as he placed the Skillbook into his briefcase.
At that moment, the Treasure Goblin cautiously approached Do-Jun and handed him a card.
[Treasure Goblin Company Pass]
Effect: Transports the user to the “Treasure Goblin Company.” (Single-use)
“What’s this?” Do-Jun asked him.
“If you visit us sometime, I’ll give you a proper reception.”
The Treasure Goblin bowed deeply, and a brilliant light enveloped its body before it vanished.
The mana bullet fired from the mana gun spun through the air and pierced the orc’s head with precision. The orc was standing more than fifty meters away.
Watching this, Min-Ji let out a genuine expression of admiration.
Yoon-Hee’s marksmanship was quite impressive, even among other Hunters. No, it was more than impressive—it was so precise that one could hardly believe she was just a student.
“That’s amazing. To be honest, just based on your mana gun control, you’re on par with most A-rank Hunters. There’s a bit of mana residue during the Charging phase, though. If you can work on that, you’ll be able to eliminate your mana wastage entirely.”
Blushing in embarrassment at Min-Ji’s praise, Yoon-Hee shyly looked away.
Seeing this, Min-Ji smiled and whispered in her ear, “You must be getting some private lessons from Supervisor Lee, huh?”
Though most Hunters weren’t aware of Do-Jun’s strength, the S-rank Hunters who had been with him at the boss zone of the S-rank Great Fissure in Umyeonsan Mountain and the Chief of the Hunter’s Bureau knew just how powerful he was.
Min-Ji was one of them. Naturally, she assumed Yoon-Hee had been learning from him.
“Ah... haha.” Yoon-Hee laughed awkwardly, choosing not to answer.
If anything, it’s the opposite... Why did I even say that back then? Yoon-Hee thought, suddenly recalling the words she had said to Do-Jun not long ago.
“Father, let me remind you that I’m an aspiring Hunter. Let’s train together on the weekends. I’ll teach you the basics step by step.”
She had forgotten this moment, but now the memory came rushing back, and she wanted to crawl into a hole out of embarrassment.
“I have to check in with the other groups now, so I’ll leave it here,” Min-Ji said.
“Ah, yes. Thank you so much for your help today, Hunter Min-Ji!”
The three students thanked her.
“I’m glad I could be of help. See you around.”
Min-Ji gave a soft smile and walked toward the next group. After taking a few steps, she stopped and turned to glance back at Yoon-Hee’s retreating figure.
With a bittersweet smile, she muttered to herself, “Must be nice.”
Do-Jun had stayed a little late at the office, catching up on some of Hyuk-Soo’s overdue work.
A delicious aroma hit his nose as he walked through the door of his apartment. The two mini dragons came running from the sofa.
“Master, today’s dinner is insane!” Yong-Yong reported as he panted, sticking out his tongue in excitement.
After removing his shoes and stepping into the living room, Do-Jun spotted a grand dinner spread on the table. The care and effort put into the meal were evident at first glance—it wasn’t just about expensive ingredients; the dishes were prepared with genuine attention.
“You’re home? Give me your coat,” Yoon-Hee said to Do-Jun.
“What’s all this...?”
Yoon-Hee stood proudly, smiling. She had earned about 2 million won by selling the by-products and mana stones obtained from the Fissure class. Since she finished school three hours earlier than usual, she had taken Yong-Yong and Karsiel to a large grocery store and bought all the ingredients for the recipes she had seen in a cookbook, cooking ever since.
“Do you want to take a shower first? Or eat right away? Or—”
“I’ll go wash up first,” Do-Jun interrupted her, loosening his tie as he headed to his room.
Left in the living room, Yoon-Hee hid her hands behind her back. She took the small gift box she had been holding and tucked it into a kitchen drawer with a smile.
“I hope he likes it.”
Humming a little tune, Yoon-Hee went back to focusing on her cooking.
“I wish we could eat every day.” Yong-Yong grinned happily as he gnawed on the ribs piled high in his bowl.
Given the special occasion, even Karsiel, who usually ate pet food, changed into her human form to join the meal at the table.
“Ugh... Chopsticks are so hard to use,” Karsiel whined as she dropped a potato she had been trying to pick up, her expression crestfallen.
Watching her struggle, Do-Jun sighed and handed her a spork, a utensil for children that combined a spoon and a fork.
“I-I can use chopsticks just like you guys, Master,” Karsiel said, seemingly slightly embarrassed.
“Sure, sure. But let’s use this for now.”
“But I really can...” Karsiel pouted as she reluctantly accepted the spork from Do-Jun.
Do-Jun had taught her how to use chopsticks some time ago, but she hadn’t quite mastered the skill yet, which slightly hurt her pride.
Do-Jun chuckled as he watched her, thinking, Karsiel is adorable.
“Hmm?” He noticed Yoon-Hee staring at him intently.
When their eyes met, her face turned red, and she quickly averted her gaze. She leaned under her chair for a moment and then pulled out a gift box.
“T-this is for you, Father.”
Yoon-Hee nodded, twisting her fingers through her hair, hesitating momentarily before speaking. “I-it’s nothing crazy...”
Do-Jun untied the ribbon and opened the box to reveal a sleek-looking metal watch. He picked it up and examined it, noticing the brand name Armani engraved on the back.
“Your wristwatch looked pretty worn out, and you mentioned it breaks down often. So, I stopped by the department store on my way home and grabbed one. How do you like it?” Yoon-Hee fidgeted nervously with her fingers, cautiously looking up at Do-Jun.
Do-Jun glanced at his old watch. The faux leather strap was on the verge of snapping, and the second hand was broken, spinning aimlessly inside the watch face.
He took off his old watch and strapped on the new metal one Yoon-Hee had given him. Though he hadn’t adjusted the strap, it fit perfectly.
Showing her the watch on his wrist, Do-Jun smiled. “Thanks. I’ll use it well.”
It wasn’t an overly dramatic reaction, but considering that Do-Jun was usually stoic, even a simple thank you one brought a bright smile to Yoon-Hee’s face.
“I have something for you, too,” Do-Jun said.
Do-Jun went into his room, retrieved a book from his briefcase, and returned to the table to hand it to her.
Yoon-Hee initially accepted the book with a puzzled expression, but her eyes gradually widened as she recognized what it was. Her hands trembled, and her face paled as she extended the skill book back toward Do-Jun, her voice shaky.
“I-I can’t accept this,” she said.
“What do you mean ‘why not?’ This thing is worth at least 10 billion won!”
“And? Do you not understand? If you sell this, you won’t have to work another day in your life—”
“Yoon-Hee.” Do-Jun interrupted her stammering. He paused, giving her a moment to calm down.
Once she had collected herself, Do-Jun spoke again. “You’re far more valuable to me than 10 billion won.”
Hearing those words, Yoon-Hee froze. Do-Jun tilted his head, waving a hand in front of her face.
“Ah... Uh...” Her face flushed bright red, and she quickly lowered her head.
Grabbing the hem of her skirt with both hands, she suddenly stood up and said, “I-I’ll be right back! I need to go to the bathroom!”
It sounded like she had bit her tongue at the end.
The bathroom door slammed shut as if it were about to break.
Yong-Yong tapped Do-Jun’s arm with his paw. “Master.”
“Maybe just ease into it next time.”
The three Hunters of Behemoth Guild stood at the entrance to the Core. Each of them held the Tutorial Zone Entrance Token that Do-Jun had acquired for them, and an emergency cam was hung around Kang-Hyun’s neck.
[Are you sure you want to use your entry token to enter the Tutorial Zone?]
[Warning! Once you enter, you may never return.]
[Recommended magic resistance for the tutorial zone is 0.5. Challengers with lower magic resistance are advised to proceed with caution.]
Recalling Young-Chul’s words and reviewing the materials Do-Jun had provided about the Tutorial Zone, Kang-Hyun tapped the button linked to the cam.
[Would you like to begin your stream?]