Chapter 553
No matter how much I leveled up or raised my stats, one unchanging truth remained: to one person, I was still just a childish son.
And… my mother, the esteemed Kim Jeong-hee, wielded hands that ignored all defenses and struck with absolute power.
“What are you doing, you two?”
A tightly clenched fist. A ladle in the other hand.
Sensing the danger, I quickly opened my mouth.
“Mother. Perhaps you forgot, but today is your son’s birthday.”
“So?”
“Which means I’m almost thirty now. Isn’t it a bit much to be hitting me in front of others?”
“I’ll be sixty soon.”
“Ah, ah…”
I had barked up the wrong tree.
Admitting my mistake from the bottom of my heart, I quickly changed tactics.
“Two months ago—no, just recently—I fought tooth and nail against monsters.”
“I’m so glad you returned safely, my son.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
“Then why are you fighting with your sister, who’s eight years younger than you?”
“Mother. I don’t fight with people. Therefore, that creature is not my sister but a monster.”
“Then you’re saying I gave birth to a monster?”
“Which do you prefer, the palm or the ladle?”
Checkmate. There was no way out.
Closing my eyes in resignation, I answered.
“The palm, please.”
“Forearm? Back?”
“My back, please.”
After much deliberation, I gave my answer—and the punishment was immediate.
“Mom says—” smack!
“—no fighting!” smack!
“I told you—” smack!
“—not to fight!” smack!
“Kyaaa!”
“Ugh!”
Was this the Flame God Palm?
No matter how perfect my body was—praised even in Murim as having the Heavenly Martial Body—right now, it was useless. This was a fear and pain carved into my very soul.
‘You can’t dodge.’
If I tried to dodge, I would be charged with disrespect and the punishment would be tenfold.
In the end, Ha-yeon and I were only released after our backs were branded with Mom’s handprints.
As we gasped for breath, I glanced at Team Leader Choi and Skeleton King, whose pupils were trembling violently.
“Uh, Mother, I was trying to stop them…”
“A-Ah, I’m American. U.S. citizen. Don’t touch. Please.”
Their desperate attempts to survive were almost pitiful.
But Kim Jeong-hee merely smiled serenely, as if nothing had happened.
“Hoho, my kids were a little unruly, sorry about that. They’re still immature. Breakfast is being prepared, so come join us.”
“Th-thank you.”
“Thank you, Jeong-hee.”
…What the hell?
No matter what, calling her “Jeong-hee” was a death sentence.
Sending a deadly glare at Skeleton King, I followed into the dining hall.
Given the sheer size of the mansion, the dining room was quite far, but thanks to the installed elevator and short-range [Teleport] magic circles inside the mansion, it didn’t take long.
“…Wait, come to think of it, isn’t it insane that there’s a teleportation circle inside a house?”
I stared at Team Leader Choi with disbelief. He answered with a calm expression.
“The mansion is so large, it was installed to save travel time.”
“…That’s exactly what teleport circles are usually for.”
It’s like saying eating food is for filling your stomach—stating the obvious.
But then again, maybe for Team Leader Choi, all of this was normal.
‘After all, his background is miles away from an ordinary citizen’s.’
Even the third-generation chaebols of Korea or the heirs of swordsmanship families would have to bow their heads before him.
His maternal grandfather was none other than the Immortal Hero who defeated the Demon King Asmodeus in the final battle and saved humanity.
‘Cheon Tae-min.’
Just as the birth of a prophet once divided the calendar into Before and After Christ, Cheon Tae-min decided humanity’s fate.
Tens of millions witnessed him, and hundreds of millions remember him.
The immense volume of records proving his existence would remain until the end of humanity itself.
‘And that Cheon Tae-min once lived in this mansion.’
Even though not even Team Leader Choi knew his grandfather’s whereabouts or whether he was still alive, it was still overwhelming.
Even if I was temporarily staying here because of meddlesome media scrutiny, sharing the same space as an immortal hero was touching in itself.
‘Amazing.’
Looking at the interior of the mansion, which constantly received energy from countless A-grade magic stones embedded like batteries, I took a deep breath.
“Hoo—”
At the sight of me, Team Leader Choi made a reluctant expression.
“…What are you doing?”
“Absorbing the energy. Savoring the scent of a hero.”
Rubbing her stinging back, Ha-yeon muttered.
“He’s just a pervert. He has a fetish for smells.”
“Impudent human girl, could you stay quiet?”
“Oh? Umph!”
“If you don’t want to get killed tonight, keep your mouth shut.”
I’m almost thirty now. I really didn’t want to show people me getting hit anymore.
Fortunately, before Kim Jeong-hee turned around and noticed anything odd, another person appeared.
“Good morning.”
A gentle, deep voice that sounded like it could belong in a premium coffee commercial.
Despite the early hour, he had perfectly slicked-back pomade hair and wore a neat yet dignified custom suit.
Walking at a steady pace, Kim the butler first bowed toward Team Leader Choi.
“Did you have a comfortable night, young master?”
Team Leader Choi nodded familiarly.
“I had some matters to attend to, so I went to bed a little late, but I’m in good condition.”
“It’s because of the proposal from Mr. Johnson’s side, isn’t it?”
“There were some adjustments needed in the agreement signed with the Wizard Guild. I’ve sorted the matter out…”
Listening to the conversation between the two, Ha-yeon muttered,
“Is this a scene from a drama or what?”
“It’s not a drama. If anything, it’s more like a web novel.”
Maybe if it were a webtoon, it’d make sense. But making something this fantastical into a drama would probably bankrupt a production company.
“Just get used to it. You’ll get used to it if you stick around.”
“To that?”
“At least try to get used to it.”
Honestly, I still felt like going crazy every time.
Until half a year ago, by modern reckoning, I was an F-rank Hunter who survived on blood sausage soup and cup noodles.
And yet, the media now hailed me as the new hero following in Cheon Tae-min’s footsteps. In my still-worn leather wallet, there sat an S-rank Hunter license crafted from top-grade magic stones.
‘I should be used to it by now, but somehow I’m not.’
Maybe it’s because I still had too many things left to do.
Juggling incidents exploding in both the modern world and Murim left me barely any breathing room.
Maybe it would be stranger if I fully enjoyed the wealth and fame I’d been given.
“We should talk about the detailed matters after breakfast, Young Master.”
“Ah, yes, let’s.”
Ending their brief conversation, Team Leader Choi and Butler Kim led the way to the dining room.
No—rather than a dining room, it felt more like a banquet hall.
It was that spacious, refined, and elegant. Robots equipped with advanced AI stood at attention at their respective positions, waiting for us.
But despite the thorough preparations, one thing was missing.
“Uh…?”
“Of course.”
Everyone except Ha-yeon and me blinked in confusion. Especially Skeleton King, who whispered in pure disbelief.
“O wicked human, may I ask you something?”
“Ask away.”
“Explain to me, if you will. We were summoned to eat, yet why is there nothing on the table?”
Skeleton King was right.
The large table at the center of the hall was completely bare. No dishes, no utensils, nothing.
Already expecting this, I nodded quietly.
“This is normal.”
“What?”
“It’s like an absolute rule. Or maybe a racial trait. Something like that.”
When Mom calls you to eat, it means the food is still being prepared.
Whether she shouts once or ten times, when you go check, the result is always the same.
Knowing this, Ha-yeon had already started looking for utensils.
“Excuse me. Where are the spoons?”
“Huh? Uh…”
“Spoons and chopsticks.”
Team Leader Choi blinked silently, then shifted his gaze toward Butler Kim.
“Butler Kim?”
A single strand of hair sprang up from Butler Kim’s perfectly slicked-back pomade.
“It should be all handled by the robots’ circuits… but why aren’t they moving?”
Just then, Kim Jeong-hee poked her head out from the kitchen, where she had gone with a ladle in hand.
“Oh, I turned them off.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Yes?”
“I felt bad enough already being indebted to you all. It seemed wasteful to waste electricity too. The kids can handle it quickly, so just stay seated.”
Of course, the robots in the mansion didn’t run on electricity but embedded magic stones. There was no need to worry about electricity bills—but such explanations would never reach her ears.
She was a professional housewife who had raised two children with an iron belt around her waist.
Under the pitying gazes of those around me, I clicked my tongue.
“Just accept it. I’ve tried to explain before, but it doesn’t work.”
Even the living expenses I sent her were mostly saved up, rather than spent.
Smiling bitterly at the memory of her working in restaurants, I smacked Skeleton King on the back of the head.
Smack!
“Why…?”
“What are you doing, you punk? Go help.”
“O wicked human! This is injustice! It’s not the American way!”
“Then go back to America. You’ll get arrested at the airport for being a monster.”
Team Leader Choi looked at me in disbelief.
“It’s the Pentagon, Jin Taekyung…”
“Octagon, Pentagon, whatever. Anyway, Team Leader Choi and Butler Kim, you should go help too.”
“Excuse me?”
“It’s a meal we’re sharing. Everyone should help prepare it.”
For a moment, Team Leader Choi’s eyes wavered.
“A meal we share…?”
“You heard right. Now hurry up and set the table. I’ll be watching to make sure you’re doing it right.”
His eyes steadied.
“Watching?”
“Yeah.”
“And what about you, Jin Taekyung? Are you not doing anything?”
“It’s my birthday today. Even at the Hunter Training Center, they gave birthday kids free time.”
“What are you doing? We need to get things ready before the seaweed soup comes out.”
Even though he was pushed out of the family after his parents passed away and his grandfather Cheon Tae-min disappeared, he was still a cherished young master.
This must be a first in Team Leader Choi’s entire life.
Watching his dazed back as he and Butler Kim shuffled away, I chuckled and pulled out my smartphone.
‘Nothing beats the news for catching up on current events.’
Tapping away a few times, I accessed a major Hunter community exclusive to registered Hunters. I stopped scrolling when I saw an article posted just ten minutes ago.
[Former Ares Deputy Guild Leader Lee Jeong-ryong (68) to be given a state funeral tomorrow]
[Where is the Immortal Hero, Cheon Tae-min?]
[Global attention focused on the departure of Ares Guild members remaining in Sichuan. Former Chief of Security Seo Go-jun draws worldwide curiosity…]
“Seo Go-jun, huh.”
Right. That bastard.