Daddy is too Strong-Chapter 42

In the Hunter’s Bureau Conference Room, five people were seated around the long oval table.

Chief Young-Chul, seated at the head, checked his wristwatch. It was now past 2:30 PM.

Yang Cheok-Gi, an S-rank Hunter from China, scanned the faces of everyone in the room. Even though he wasn’t from Korea, he naturally knew the identities of everyone here as they were all famous.

That’s Kang Min-Hyuk and Han Min-Ji from the Icarus Guild, and the other one must be... Kwak Young-Ho.

These were S-rank Hunters, ranked within the top ten in South Korea.

But who are we waiting for? Yang Cheok-Gi thought as he clicked his tongue and leaned back in his chair.

Dispatched from the Chinese Hunter’s Bureau, he had come to Korea to help with the expedition of the Core. Currently, Behemoth was the only group actively engaged in the Core expedition, and the Hunters gathered in this room were to add manpower.

Yang Cheok-Gi assumed more S-rank Korean Hunters would be joining and closed his eyes.

At that moment, the conference room’s automatic doors slid open, leading Yang Cheok-Gi to open his eyes slightly and turn his head toward the door.

Who’s that...? He couldn’t remember any S-rank Hunter who resembled the person.

“S-supervisor Lee Do-Jun?”

Everyone other than Young-Chul and Yang Cheok-Gi was visibly surprised.

Young-Chul quickly stood up and bowed deeply in greeting. “Thank you so much for attending our meeting despite your busy schedule.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you, Chief Jung. It’s because of you that my negotiations went smoothly. Thank you.” Do-Jun returned the expression of gratitude.

“Of course. If there is anything else you need, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”

Yang Cheok-Gi alternated between looking at Young-Chul and Do-Jun with a puzzled expression.

Young-Chul was the Chief of the Korean Hunter’s Bureau. Aside from the president, was there anyone in Korea he would treat with such respect?

However, the other S-rank Hunters were also frozen in place. All of them were showing deference to this man named Lee Do-Jun.

This situation wasn’t one that Yang Cheok-Gi could easily comprehend. The title Supervisor was only used for civil servants, and considering his young age, his rank couldn’t be that high either.

Or did I just mishear? Yang Cheok-Gi checked the ring on his finger. It was an artifact that eliminated language barriers. The green light was on, indicating that the real-time translation was working fine.

Do-Jun grabbed an empty seat, which just so happened to be right next to Yang Cheok-Gi.

After briefly glancing at Do-Jun, Young-Chul said, “Now that everyone is here, welcome. I am Jung Young-Chul, Chief of the Hunter’s Bureau. I believe everyone here is aware of why we’ve gathered today. Oh, and Supervisor Lee, please feel free to just listen in and take note of the Core.”

Do-Jun nodded.

Shortly after, the lights in the conference room dimmed, and a hologram appeared in the center of the table. It was an image of a massive hole located in Sotaesan Mountain, Gangwon-do—the Core.

Young-Chul tapped the table to zoom in on the hologram and showed the interior of the Core.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

“Ten years ago, when Fissures first appeared, a hole opened in Sotaesan Mountain in Gangwon-do. As you all know, we call this the Core. Three years ago, Behemoth Guild was selected to lead the expedition, and they commenced a Dive.”

The word “Progress” appeared next to the image, accompanied by a percentage.

“Excluding the most recent Dive, twenty Dives have been made over the past three years. We’ve managed to map out approximately 1.4% of the Core’s ecosystem to a depth of five hundred meters below the surface. However, Behemoth Guild has been stuck at this five-hundred-meter mark since the 18th Dive, and they’re likely to face the same situation this time.”

Behemoth Guild was an extremely elite group of only three members, including Kang-Hyun, one of the First Hunters. But even they had repeatedly failed to make progress in the Core.

The reason was simple—the difficulty level was too high.

“To be honest, making it down to the five-hundred-meter mark and returning alive is almost miraculous in itself. However, it’s our duty at the Hunter’s Bureau to complete the Core expedition. Since the current Dives aren’t yielding progress, I plan to increase the number of members in the expedition team. And all of you gathered here today are potential candidates for that team.”

Young-Chul glanced at Do-Jun, then back at the hologram.

Do-Jun could tell that everyone in the room, except Yang Cheok-Gi, was discreetly watching him for one simple reason.

They wanted him to join their Core expedition.

“I have a question,” Yang Cheok-Gi said as he raised his hand.

“Yes, Hunter Yang Cheok-Gi?”

“Who is this man?” Yang Cheok-Gi pointed at Do-Jun with his thumb, but he wasn’t asking for his name.

He simply wanted to know why this person was being treated with such respect and why everyone was so mindful of him.

Young-Chul responded, “This is Supervisor Lee Do-Jun from the Fissure Management Division of Seoul City Hall. And... he was the commander-in-chief during the S-rank Great Fissure subjugation that occurred the day before yesterday.”

“Commander? So, he has some sort of command skill, I assume,” Yang Cheok-Gi muttered, and Do-Jun smirked and shrugged.

At that moment, Young-Chul realized something and quickly added to Do-Jun, “Ah, I didn’t provide you with a translation ring. Please wait a moment—”

“It’s fine. I understand everything,” Do-Jun interrupted him.

“Did... did you major in Chinese in university?”

“Hmm. Something like that.”

He had spent who knows how long in the Central Plains, where people exclusively spoke Chinese. Honestly, for about a week after returning to Earth, the Chinese language had felt more natural to him.

Young-Chul nodded and continued, “We have just over two weeks until Behemoth returns. After that, we plan to increase the size of the expedition team with the current members and attempt another Dive. More detailed plans will be discussed after Behemoth submits their report upon return.”

At that moment, Min-Hyuk raised his hand and asked, “You mentioned new members. Does that include Supervisor Lee Do-Jun?”

“That has yet to be decided. It depends on what Supervisor Lee wants.”

At Young-Chul’s response, the other Hunters looked visibly disappointed. Of course, Yang Cheok-Gi was not one of them.

Do-Jun was someone who had killed the S-rank Great Fissure’s boss monster, Malanuh the Titan, with ease. If he were to join the expedition team, it would be more valuable than gaining a million-man army.

“He looks hella weak...” When Yang Cheok-Gi muttered those words, the expressions of the others hardened.

Except for Do-Jun.

Yang Cheok-Gi smirked and asked, “Or... are you strong?”

Everyone was taken aback by his words. It was evident to anyone that Yang Cheok-Gi was provoking Do-Jun. Even though he was currently ranked eighth in China, those who had witnessed Do-Jun’s power knew that Yang Cheok-Gi would be no match for Do-Jun.

However, his reaction was somewhat understandable, given that Yang Cheok-Gi was unaware of Do-Jun’s abilities. It was absurd to him that a mere civil servant could be considered a potential member of the Core expedition team.

He’s full of confidence. Do-Jun chuckled internally as he looked at Yang Cheok-Gi, who was glaring at him.

In the Central Plains, there was always someone like this. But having confidence meant having high self-esteem, which was worth praise.

How should I handle this? Do-Jun wondered.

He could crush that confidence in an instant, play along and gently deal with him, or even just ignore him entirely. Normally, he would have chosen the third option, but everyone in the conference room already had a vague idea of his strength.

It didn’t take long for him to decide.

“At the very least,” Do-Jun said, looking at Yang Cheok-Gi with disdain, “I think I can beat you.”

Yang Cheok-Gi laughed mockingly as he thought that the only person in Korea who could possibly defeat him, the Hunter who was ranked within the top ten among over a billion people in all of China, was the Sword Emperor.

“Shall we test that out?” Yang Cheok-Gi said as he stood up, his face twisted in anger.

***

In the underground training hall near the Hunter Bureau’s practical evaluation exam room, Yang Cheok-Gi wrapped his loosened bandages around his wrists.

He said to Do-Jun, “If you want to ask me to go easy on you, now’s the time.”

At that, Do-Jun simply shrugged, and his relaxed attitude made Yang Cheok-Gi grit his teeth without realizing it. In China, everyone was always subservient to him. So, how was Do-Jun so arrogant?

“If you don’t want to die, you should put on a Hunter suit,” he advised.

Do-Jun was dressed in a white dress shirt, black suit, and sharp shoes—the typical outfit of an office worker. He chuckled at Yang Cheok-Gi’s needless concern, then glanced at the calluses on Yang Cheok-Gi’s knuckles.

Soon, Yang Cheok-Gi finished wrapping the bandages around his fists, stepped forward with his right leg, lowered his stance slightly, and clenched his fists, ready to fight.

S-rank skill: Taeguk Divine Fist—the skill that had made Yang Cheok-Gi one of the top Rankers[1] in China.

He had gained enlightenment after combining the mana manipulation method of Infusion, the style developed by Kang-Hyun, and ascended to a higher level to become a Ranker.

Seeing Yang Cheok-Gi’s stance, Do-Jun recognized it immediately as the basic stance of Taeguk Divine Fist. At the same time, one of the many fragmented memories from his time in the Central Plains resurfaced.

Was it the Great Void Sage...?

This was the eleventh sect leader of the Shaman Clan. Do-Jun couldn’t recall the exact time, but he remembered that he had entered the Shaman Clan as a secular disciple during one of his countless lives in the Central Plains.

After being promoted to a formal disciple, he received direct instruction in the clan’s martial arts from the eleventh sect leader Great Void Sage, including the Taeguk Divine Fist.

But Yang Cheok-Gi’s stance was way too sloppy, even at a quick glance. It was pathetic. If the Great Void Sage could see Yang Cheok-Gi now, he would probably have asked to be killed from sheer frustration.

Do-Jun took his stance, and Yang Cheok-Gi’s eyes widened as he realized that it was the basic stance of the Taeguk Divine Fist. He simply assumed that Do-Jun was merely copying him, but there was something that Yang Cheok-Gi couldn’t overlook.

No openings... at all? It felt as if he was staring at a massive boulder.

“Should I go first?” Do-Jun asked flatly, seeing Yang Cheok-Gi’s pale face.

He then made his move without waiting for a response. He lightly stepped forward, and in an instant, his figure disappeared.

Yang Cheok-Gi was shocked. A shadow then appeared behind him.

Ethereal Shift, Do-Jun thought.

He held himself for a moment, wanting Yang Cheok-Gi to realize the truth for himself.

Yang Cheok-Gi turned around and threw a punch, but his fist barely missed Do-Jun’s neck.

“You bastard!” Veins bulging in his neck, Yang Cheok-Gi shouted angrily, charging at Do-Jun, who was still smiling as if amused by him.

His fists flew wildly through the air, but again, they missed Do-Jun by the narrowest of margins.

As the air crackled with each missed punch, Yang Cheok-Gi’s face turned pale.

This... this is... he thought in disbelief.

His punches weren’t just barely missing; they merely appeared that way. Although he was the one attacking, it was clear to him now that the one in control was, without a doubt, Do-Jun.

The longer the fight went on, the more suffocating the sense of helplessness grew.

Meanwhile, Young-Chul, who was watching the spar, swallowed nervously. He could only see the occasional afterimage of Yang Cheok-Gi; Do-Jun’s movements were completely untraceable.

At that moment, blue energy began to rise from Yang Cheok-Gi’s fists as his bloodshot eyes filled up with fury.

He kicked off the ground and charged at Do-Jun. His fists, crackling with energy, roared as the techniques of the Taeguk Divine Fist were executed one by one.

Why! To a bastard like this guy! Why is not a single punch landing?

The more Yang Cheok-Gi attacked, the more Do-Jun dodged. The crushing difference in their abilities weighed heavily on Yang Cheok-Gi’s body.

“Huff... how...?” Yang Cheok-Gi was beyond shocked by now.

Sweat gushed from his body, soaking the inside of his Hunter suit. In contrast, Do-Jun hadn’t even broken any sweat.

And just as Yang Cheok-Gi unleashed the final move with all his strength, Do-Jun, who had only been dodging until now, suddenly stood still. He then threw a punch aimed at Yang Cheok-Gi’s face, which stopped just short of Yang Cheok-Gi’s forehead.

Bam!

“A-ah...”

It was as if a storm had passed. Yang Cheok-Gi’s hair was disheveled. He simply collapsed on the spot, unconscious.

1. Just a reminder, Ranker is used only for S-rank Hunters. ☜