Chapter 60   – The Meaning of Family (3)

(TLN: Hey guys. This is a regular chapter for next week. I’m releasing early. Please turn of adblockers if you are able to. Thanks and enjoy~)

This was the 4th day she guarded the house without her master.

Bibi let out a sigh.

“Uh-whew.”

The little human still kept bugging her to play. Her master dropped off a dog, and he hadn’t been home for two days.

The little human cried that the dog was already too big. Moreover, she still pointed the laser pointer and the fishing rod towards her.

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Still, the middle of the day was her free time, since the little human was at kindergarten. The great mother, who gave birth to her master, went out today, so she didn’t’ have to keep the pretense up.

She looked looked like a cat, but she didn’t have to act like a cat. Bibi opened the refrigerator, then she took out a salmon.

Since she had materialized into this body model, her appetite and behavior followed some weird instinct.

She was ripping open the wrap covering the salmon when that bastard approached her.

“Grrrrr. Kuhng, kuhng.”

“Eh-whew. Get away from me-ahong..”

Bibi chased away the annoying dog.

He was a pain in the ass left here by her master.

He was only a dog yet the bastard was larger than her. It seemed the little human had wanted a small dog.

“Ooh-roo-roong, kuhng.”

“Go away, Noorungah-ahong.” (TLN:Dog name is Noorung, generic name usually given to yellow-brown dogs or cows.)

The dog was given the name Noorungi since her master didn’t put too much thought in naming him. The dog continued to growl as he looked at Bibi.

She had a small body, and she had a tempting morsel in her possession. It seemed he saw her as a pushover, and he was going to try to take the fish away from her.

Bibi snorted.

“You won’t be able to climb up here-ahong.”

“Ooh-roo-roong.”

When she saw Noorungi continue to growl, Bibi let out a sigh. She was reduced to being treated as an easy mark for a dog. How had it come to this?

“Go away, while I’m saying it nicely-ohng.”

Bibi swung her pink paw, and she struck Noorungi’s head.

Puhk!

“Ggae-gaeng. Ggging.”

Noorungi was surprised, and he quickly ran away.

“Uh-whew. When will master come back?”

Every time her master returned from a Dungeon, his level increased incrementally. Bibi also wanted to quickly level up, and become powerful like the old days. However, her situation didn’t allow it.

As the time ticked forward, she became bitter.

Soon, the little human will be coming home from her kindergarten.

*

Guild Alandal’s office.

<You’ve consumed ‘Magic Crystal’>

Woojin absorbed the Reinforcement Stone, which increased his stats. He kept eating the Reinforcement Stones until the point where the consumption will delay the absorption.

Sunggoo was sitting across from him, and he was absorbing the Reinforcement Stone given by Woojin. Sunggoo had various wounds on his body, and one could feel a wild coarse energy from him.

Every time Woojin made an appointments to a 5 star or 6 star Dungeons, he let Sunggoo experience fighting various monsters. Still, most of the monster were defeated by Woojin. Sunggoo only defeated a small portion of monsters, but even that small amount was very important.

Sunggoo was able to hunt monsters at a high rank Dungeon. He was a respectable 4th Circle Rank C Roused. Sunggoo was using his abilities in extreme life and death situations, so he was quickly becoming stronger.

Ddok ddok.

“Come in.”

After a knock, Jung-minchan entered carrying a box.

“These are the Skill Books president was talking about.”

“You finally purchased them.”

Woojin put on a puzzled expression when he received the box. He instructed Minchan to get 3 items, yet there were only 2 in here.

“The last one?”

“A 4th Circle Skill Book is very pricey. We also keep buying Reinforcement Stones, and on top of that, most of the guild’s finances is being used to purchase items.”

“Are we short on money?”

“Yes. However, we aren’t in the red. It just means it’ll take a little bit longer to acquire the item.”

They already possessed a 6 star Dungeon and a 5 star Dungeon, so they earned a good income. However, the amount wasn’t immensely large. They kept spending the money, so the surplus fund they had stacked up in the beginning was being rapidly diminished.

In the past, they had to buy items like Reinforcement Stones to increase Woojin’s stat. Moreover, they now had to buy items to strengthen Sunggoo. This is why they had to spend much more.

The guild’s funds comes out of the Dungeons.

A guild had to either increase the number of Dungeons one possessed, or increase the number of Roused, who will clear the Dungeons.

“Are there any Reset Dungeons?”

“Recently, we’ve had some rotten luck. We are newly formed, so it isn’t easy for us to get to a Dungeon sooner..”

Woojin had been in the right place and the right time to clear the Seoul National University Station. If not, it would have been possessed by Hwarang.

The Dungeon Reset only happened occasionally. It wasn’t easy to find a newly formed Dungeon.

The large and mid-sized guilds were firmly entrenched here. It wouldn’t be easy for Alandal to squeeze in between them to win the competition.

Moreover, even if Sahdang Station was right in front of their nose, a large guild was next door. Hammer guild was competing with Alandal. Moreover, Alandal wasn’t large enough to have branches near other stations yet. They didn’t have enough people to spare.

“Look for 6 star Dungeons that’s about to blow up.”

The training of Sunggoo was a worthwhile endeavor, but he couldn’t slack off in leveling himself. The EXP he was gaining decreased by a significant amount, but the 6 star Dungeons still gave him a lot of EXP.

“Yes. Understood. I’ll look into it.”

“All right. So what happened to Hwarang?”

“We are still in negotiations. I believe it’ll be resolved soon.”

“Don’t be too lenient towards them. If it isn’t progressing well, then we can just smash them.”

When he heard Woojin’s words, a chill ran up Jung-minchan’s spine. Woojin smiled at his nervous expression.

“I’m joking. It was a joke..”

“Haha. I’ll quickly resolve it, so president won’t have to worry about it..”

It didn’t sound like a joke to him. Minchan thought he had to resolve the negotiations as fast as he was able to. He would do it even if they suffered some minor losses.

“Contact me immediately if you acquire any information.”

“Yes, sir. The 6 star Dungeons are closely tied to the Ministry of National Defense. It is highly likely we’ll lose part of our profit from the commission.

If everyone gave up on clearing a 6 star Dungeon, then the Dungeon would erupt from the Dungeon Break. It was understandable why the Ministry of National Defense was in charge of these Dungeons.

“That’ll be better for me. Let’s quickly fulfill my military obligations.”

He’ll lose some money, but he’ll be able to monopolize the EXP. Moreover, Woojin will get a bigger cut of commission than the others.

If he had an opportunity to clear a 6 star Dungeon, it was no real loss.

“Yes. I’ll inquire about the Dungeons as fast as I can. Also, when are you going to hire new Roused?”

“That? Let’s do it after I come back from the US.”

Before that happened, he planned on intensively molding Sunnggoo into a Rank A. Woojin will stuff all the information and knowledge about monsters into Sunggoo, and Sunggoo will be able to train the newly hired Roused by himself.

“Then, I’ll be heading out now.”

“All right. Go do your work.”

Minchan exited the president’s office after he finished his business. Only Woojin and Sunggoo was left in the room, and Sunggoo spoke with a sheepish expression on his face.

“Hyung-nim. Am I really worth investing so much….”

Sunggoo was being trained and supported like a special Roused in a large guild. He was in an enviable situation. Woojin answered without any hesitation.

“It’ll be easier for me if my director of miscellaneous works become stronger.”

Ah, that damn miscellaneous…

“Money is only a means to an end.”

He just wanted to become stronger using the money. What was the point in saving money? Unless the Dungeon raids come to an end, the money will continue to flow in, and be gathered.

“Don’t value money too much. Just think about how you will be able to live on without dying. I’ve grown you this much. How unfair would it be if you died? If that happens, you’ll only be useful as a medium for summoning my Skeleton Soldier.”

“I…I guess so.”

Woojin spoke such frightening words as if it was nothing, so Sunggoo scratched the back of his head. Woojin grinned as he looked at Sunggoo.

“When is your appointment time for the 3 star Dungeon?”

“It is at 6 o’clock. I’ll have to start heading out soon.”

“All right., Go suffer.”

“Yes, sir.”

This will be the first time Sunggoo will be attempting a 3 star Dungeon by himself. He had gone to much higher ranked Dungeons, but he had always been with Woojin. Sunggoo won’t have Woojin, so his survival couldn’t be guaranteed. The difference was quite stark.

He couldn’t help becoming nervous about soloing a 3 star Dungeon for the first time without Woojin.

“Have some confidence, dude.”

“Yes, hyung-nim.”

He was a Rank C Roused.

This 3 star Dungeon had already been in circulation, so there was no reason why he wouldn’t be able to clear this Dungeon. Sunggoo went through his own thoughts, and he realized he should probably have more confidence in his skills. He probably was better than he thought.

“Then keep up the good work.”

“Yes, hyung-nim. Please have a good time with your family..”

“All right.”

Woojin headed home after leaving Sunggoo and his office family. He had promised to have dinner with his family. It had been a long time since he had done so.

He came back to earth, because he had missed his family. However, he had to level up and become strong to protect his family. Ironically, the time he spent with his family lessened.

He had to quickly get ready for the gloomy future, but at the same time, he couldn’t ignore the present.

Each moment was precious to Woojin.

He had been wishing for this time for 20 years.

When Woojin came home, Sooah was always the first one to greet his return.

“Oppa!”

“Aigo. Our Sooah was waiting up for oppa??”

“Yeah. Heh heh..”

Maybe it was because she was a child?

Sooah quickly adjusted to the current situation.

She had a large house now, and she had been transferred to a nearby kindergarten with good security. Since she was young, she was able to quickly befriend the other children, and everyday was very fun for Sooah.

On the other hand, his mother had struggled everyday to get by in the past. When her son came back home, her environment drastically changed, so she was still having a hard time getting used to everything. He had told her to quit working, but it seems she still went out to Soongmi’s restaurant to help out.

It wasn’t because of money. She felt nervous when she didn’t have anything to do.

Woojin worried he might have to set up a store for his mother soon.

“Son. Go wash yourself. I’ll bring out delicious foods soon.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Well, he’ll talk to her during dinner.

Woojin headed towards the bathroom to take a shower, but someone blocked his path.

Bibi stood on her hind legs, and she grabbed tightly onto Woojin’s leg.

“What is it?”

Bibi looked around her surrounding, then she jumped on Woojin shoulder. She whispered into his ear.

“Master. Please take me along-ahong.”

“Where?”

“I’m going crazy from boredom-ahong. I miss going into a bloody battle with Dolsae-jjing ohng..”

Woojin grinned at Bibi’s word. She must have been bored to death rolling around the house. Since she missed the battlefield, it reaffirmed Bibi was a demon by nature.

“How’s Sooah doing?”

“Don’t even say anything-nyahng. You brought a brute of a dog, so she doesn’t even play with him. She just keeps bothering me-nyahng.”

Sooah said she didn’t like cats, but it seemed Sooah played well with Bibi.

“Bibi! Where are you?”

When she heard the sound coming from the living room, large tears fell from Bibi’s eyes.

“Master. Please-ahong. Just tell her I ran away from home-nyahng.”

Then he wouldn’t have an excuse to sleep by Sooah’s side at night.

“Mmmm. I’ll come up with something.”

“You promised-ahong. Please take me to the next battle-ahong.”

When Woojin nodded his head, Bibi felt relieved, and she jumped down.

“Bibi. Unni was looking for you. Where have you been?”

“Nyahhhh.”

Woojin secretly put on a small smile as he showered when he heard the sounds coming from the living room.

Soon, a feast was set up on the dining table, and three people were sitting around it.

“Is it some kind of a special occasion today?”

“I want my son to eat a lot. You are enduring a lot of hardships..”

Lee-soogyoung looked at Woojin with a thankful and a reassured expression.

“I went to Soongmi’s place today. They said my son is doing bigger things than I thought?”

His mother didn’t watch a lot of TV, so she was slow to pick up on what was happening around the world. It seemed her friends at Soongmi’s Restaurant must have said something to her.

Woojin guessed what was said, so he spoke.

“Eh-ee. It isn’t dangerous work. You don’t have to worry about it.”

At Woojin’s words, Lee-soogyong grabbed her son’s hand tightly.

“You mother has ears. I know how dangerous your work is..”

“Mmmm. That’s….”

“Dont’ worry. My son is doing something big. So, how could I stop you because of a single person’s selfishness? Don’t worry about your mother.”

“Mother….”

Woojin held Lee-soogyung’s hand.

At that moment, his mother spoke.

“Moreover, I heard you have a girlfriend….”

Ah, she even heard about that.

“You aren’t too young any more. You should marry quickly to continue your line. I think that’s a good idea.”

Woojin let out an awkward laugh at Lee-soogyong’s sincere words.

His Mother was thinking too far ahead.

Woojin thought he should at least introduce Jiwon to his mother once. In the midst of the enjoyable dinner, his hand phone rang.

Woojin smiled when he saw Jung-minchan’s name.

[President. I’ve found a Dungeon without a waiting list.]

If there weren’t anyone on the waiting list to raid the Dungeon, it meant they were waiting for a Dungeon Break. From Woojin’s perspective, it was basically a report on the EXP and Artifacts he’ll be able to obtain.

“Where is it?”

[It’s in Pyongyang.]

Woojin’s ears twitched. Did he hear wrong?

“North Korea?”

[Yes, president.]

Woojin let out a laugh of disbelief.

He had talked about Pyongyang, and now it seemed he would really go there.