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Chapter 105

“Cheers~”

““Cheers!””

The three who had been sledding in the desert for quite a while found themselves at the boundary where the environment changed, taking a moment to shake off the sand that clung to their bodies.

Yeon-woo hardly rolled around much, so it was easy for him to shake off the sand, but since they had been sledding for a while and later rolled down the dunes without a sled, returning to the orphanage like this would surely earn him a scolding from Claire.

Yeon-woo raised his arms above his head and shook himself off, laughing as he brushed the sandy bodies of the two excited kids who started dancing.

“Pfft, what kind of dance is that?”

“My body just moves on its own!”

“Hehe!”

Even Tae-oh, who was usually shy, was shaking joyfully, which made Yeon-woo laugh naturally. Thanks to that, it was easier to get the sand off.

“Are you all done?”

“Not yet~”

“Aww.”

With Shar’s cute little pout, Yeon-woo smiled broadly but only let her go after he had completely shaken off the sand.

He got rid of the sand that had gotten into their clothes roughly, thinking it would be fine to use magic for the rest. He also grabbed Tae-oh, who was shaking his cute little butt beside him, to shake off the sand.

Then, with Shar’s magic creating wind to blow away the remaining sand, Yeon-woo joyfully headed back to Hayan City for lunch with the now-in-a-good-mood Tae-oh and Shar. Of course, they had neatly stored the hoods and shoe covers in the warehouse.

Even though he didn’t have to take on requests to have enough money, he understood that increasing the number of completed requests would make his future a bit easier.

Most likely, they’d be fulfilling requests in the White Sea, so he made sure not to discard anything.

“What should we have for lunch?”

Unconsciously muttering the words that started around noon like employees following a set program, Yeon-woo looked down at the two kids.

“What should we eat?”

Most parents want to feed their kids healthy food whenever possible, but Yeon-woo was different. When he was in the dorms, he could get a proper meal without worry, and at the orphanage, he knew Claire would take care of it.

So, he would eat something delicious at times like this. While in the dorms, he devoured countless pizzas and chickens over the four months.

Of course, he could do that because he was undergoing intense training every day, and both Shar and Tae-oh digested calories as mana, allowing them to eat only tasty things. It meant he wasn’t making the kids obese.

“Tae-oh feels like having just a bit of a hamburger.”

“Hamburger? Hamburger! I like hamburgers too!!”

“Wow, a quick agreement this time. Alright, let’s go eat hamburgers!”

The burger brand the kids chose was Burger Prince. A burger joint known for its deliciously dense patties. Yeon-woo liked it too. Recently, it had been competing in the burger industry not only with beef but also trying out monster meat.

After ordering the hamburgers the kids wanted, Yeon-woo fell into intense contemplation. Should he stick with the stable taste of beef patties, or be adventurous with monster meat?

Though he hadn’t eaten monster meat before his regression, when he did, he often cooked it roughly just to survive, so he hadn’t experienced a properly cooked version.

With his eyes shut tight, he operated the self-service terminal and chose the Beast Burger, which boasted “Expert-selected top monster meat! Breathtaking wild aroma!!” in its advertisement.

“I wonder what it tastes like?”

“Hehe, I know because I watched it on YouTube.”

“I saw it too! I saw it too!”

“Wait a second. No spoilers, okay?”

As he threw that in to the beaming kids, the gaze of those around them gathered. When he opened his ears, he could hear the surrounding voices.

“Those kids are so cute,” or “They’re just too adorable,” were the clichés that could no longer echo deep within. Oh dear, my kids aren’t just that…

‘Wait, I’m included in that too.’

Feeling a bit pleased that compliments that typically directed at the kids were also aimed at him, he thought, ‘In novels, this kind of moment leads to “Do you happen to do YouTube?” and hints at starting a kid’s channel.’

Should I try it? But revealing they were a Dragon and a Spirit would probably make too many enemies, and showing off my clumsy parenting was embarrassing, so that idea was dismissed.

There wasn’t really a need to expose their private lives just to gain fame. After all, they were already quite popular.

Leaving the two kids who were intensely focused on the video streaming from the smartphone aside, Yeon-woo approached the counter to receive the burger set he’d been notified to pick up.

He checked the tray neatly topped with burgers, picked up three straws, and turned back.

Handing each kid their burger and grabbing the remaining large one, Yeon-woo swallowed nervously as he took a bite of the gargantuan burger that could easily cover his face.

Watching the kids enthusiastically lunge at their oversized burgers as if they were their faces, Yeon-woo brought the Beast Burger to his mouth with excitement.

His teeth tore through the soft bun, passed the crunchy lettuce, and reached the tender meat patty.

With just a bit of pressure, the meat easily squished, breaking the connection between the meat parts. The sweet flavor spilled out, coating his mouth with scrumptiousness, and only then did the ingredients in the burger fully showcase their charms.

The freshness of the lettuce, the tanginess of the tomato, the sweet and salty taste of the sauce.

Chew, chew, chew! From the moment he tasted the juicy drippings, Yeon-woo’s mouth showed no signs of stopping.

He had no idea what kind of monster meat it was, but he thought it was worth even twenty thousand won, not just ten.

After that, he began chomping down just as passionately as Shar and Tae-oh. Once they had devoured their hamburgers, the three of them looked at each other and laughed, wondering why they had gotten so engrossed in eating a burger.

“The Beast Burger… was moving.”

“Was it really that good?”

“I want to ask what kind of monster meat went into it!”

Burger Prince must comply with guidelines on origin labeling…!! Yeon-woo felt like protesting but conveniently, the origin was clearly labeled. It simply stated it was monster meat.

“Tae-oh also wants to try it!”

“If we come again next time, let’s get you some. Right now, you can’t fit it in.”

Yeon-woo gently patted Tae-oh’s bulging belly as he burst into a giggle, covering his stomach. Such a glutton, that cute little guy.

“So where should we go next?”

“Anywhere is fine!!”

“No, that won’t do.”

Yeon-woo firmly rejected, and it seemed Shar and Tae-oh began whispering to each other, perhaps deliberating. Well, having two voyagers is a good idea.

By the time the pile of fries they had gathered was nearing its end, it seemed the two kids had finished their discussion. Looking up at Yeon-woo with triumphant smiles, he nodded to them to go ahead.

““We want to go swimming!!””

“Hmm, excellent choice…”

But swimming? Sadly, Hayan City is inland, so there’s no sea. It might be faster to find a way to the Namgoong family where they were going to visit in three weeks. That place would be more convenient for the kids to play.

‘Should we head to the gorge then?’

What gorge is nearby for water play? The best gorge for fun is the Earth Hammer Gorge. Just as Yeon-woo briefly considered that, he suddenly recalled the moment when the Earth Serpent seemed to awaken, sending chills down his spine.

“Dad, what’s wrong?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing…”

Speaking with an unfamiliar accent for no reason, Yeon-woo desperately worked to erase that scene from his mind. The power he felt was far too enormous for a mere individual to handle.

‘Demon King, or perhaps a god-level entity.’

If that Earth Serpent were hostile to humanity, it could become a Demon King to be reckoned with, and if it were friendly, he would need to arrange a contract with someone immediately…

Unlike the celestial gods, who were restricted in their display of power on the surface, it would be a god descending to the Earth.

‘Whichever it is, I’m too scared to approach it…. No, that’s not it. I need to find a gorge.’

While pondering there, a fitting location popped into Yeon-woo’s head. After organizing the trays, they exited the shop.

“Come again~” The slightly heated voice of the waitress echoed behind them.

*

[Not boring at all.]

Haah, Jung Yu-jin let out a sigh without even realizing it. Although he knew it wasn’t acceptable behavior in front of a god, what could he do if it slipped out?

“Where did you hear that?”

[Do you think I wouldn’t know something?]

“There are many things you’re unaware of.”

At Jung Yu-jin’s nonchalant remark, the contracted god, Girminir, let out a surprised sound.

Despite being labeled an omniscient god, this goddess certainly didn’t know everything. She only synthesized the information gathered by her believers to draw conclusions.

In other words, she had no intention of gathering information on her own and waited for someone to spoon-feed her the information, like a typical group project slacker who depended on others.

‘How infuriating…’

Of course, he was well aware of that from past experiences, but after going through countless group assignments during the first semester at the academy, Jung Yu-jin found it hard to forgive.

Even though she was supposed to be his goddess!

[Bring me information about Choi Yeon-woo!! The only Dragon contractor in this world!!]

He couldn’t help but envision a brat throwing a tantrum in a supermarket, demanding snacks.

‘At least Shar seems a bit more mature.’

Thinking that, Jung Yu-jin sighed and began scattering the information he had gathered recently.

If it won’t work with quality, then go with quantity. He needed to make Girminir dizzy by presenting an overwhelming amount of varied information.

[Huh? Huh? Huh?]

Perhaps the strategy was working, as Girminir’s voice began to sound flustered. As he blurted out a wealth of information, one relatively concerning detail caught his attention.

“Hey, I heard the Crescent Moon Order’s knights are on the move. Girminir, do you have any info on that?”

[The Crescent Moon Order? Unlike Solaris, they’re shady women, so I don’t really know.]

“Is that all? Come to think of it, I heard the nun from Yeon-woo’s orphanage is affiliated with the Crescent Moon Order.”

[Hmm?! That sounds like a scoop…!!]

(To be continued in the next episode)

 

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