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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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‘At this rate…’
He was confident that he could reach the peak realm, the realm of masters, within half a year at the latest.
‘Amazing.’
In the past, when he was active as a martial artist in the Thousand Continents, it had taken him a full ten years to even discuss the peak realm.
Yet, less than a month after returning to Earth, he was already talking about reaching that level.
Even considering his past experience and knowledge, it was an unbelievable growth rate.
‘To think becoming stronger would be this easy.’
He could even confirm his increasing strength moment by moment.
Every time he leveled up and used bonus points, he could immediately feel the changes in his body.
‘Hunter… it’s a better profession than I thought.’
Becoming stronger, there was no greater joy for a martial artist.
Moreover, being a Hunter allowed him to earn a massive amount of money.
‘4.1 billion won.’
The promised 30 million won for clearing the E-rank Gate, plus an additional 20 million won bonus, totaling 50 million won.
Additionally, 75 million won from selling the Dimensional Nucleus and other monster byproducts and magic stones.
Finally, adding the 5 billion won signing bonus, even after taxes, over 4 billion won was deposited into his account.
‘With this much money…’
He could help his family, who were struggling with living expenses.
He no longer needed to just watch as his family worried about making ends meet.
As a smile formed on his lips, he detected footsteps descending the stairs beyond the front door.
Although he couldn’t see anything yet, his enhanced senses immediately told him who was approaching.
‘Mom, Dad, and Seo-yoon.’
3 PM. It was quite early for his family to be returning home.
Moreover, they never came home together like this.
However, Lee Seong-jun’s expression didn’t show any surprise.
It was because he, Lee Seong-jun, had made the appointment with his family.
Pushing himself up from the chair, Lee Seong-jun walked straight to the front door.
Clatter!
Lee Soo-hyuk, who was standing at the front, widened his eyes at the suddenly opened door.
“…Are you going somewhere?”
“No, I just came to greet you.”
“How did you know?”
“I heard you.”
“Being a Hunter is really something, huh?”
Led by Lee Soo-hyuk, who chuckled, his family took off their shoes and sat down at the dining table in the living room one by one.
Gathered together, they turned to look at Lee Seong-jun.
“Son, can you tell us now?”
“I’m curious why you suddenly asked us to take half-days off.”
In an ordinary family, he could have told them slowly after work.
However, everyone was so busy struggling to make ends meet that sometimes a family member would leave for work before everyone had even gathered.
Wanting to alleviate his family’s worries and hardships due to living expenses as soon as possible, he had boldly asked them all to take half-days off.
“I have a major announcement.”
“Major announcement?”
His family’s gazes focused on Lee Seong-jun.
Having prepared himself mentally beforehand, Lee Seong-jun nodded and spoke.
“To put it simply, you don’t have to work yourselves to the bone day and night anymore.”
Lee Soo-hyuk tilted his head back.
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Literally. You don’t have to worry about money anymore. So, instead of forcing yourselves to work like this, I want you to do what you want to do.”
He handed Lee Soo-hyuk a bankbook he had prepared and organized in advance for a clear understanding.
“First, see for yourselves.”
At Lee Seong-jun’s words, Lee Soo-hyuk opened the bankbook.
In an instant, Lee Soo-hyuk’s eyes widened.
“One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand, one million, ten million, one hundred million, one billion…”
Seeing Lee Soo-hyuk’s reaction, Lee Seo-yoon hurriedly checked the bankbook, her eyes shaking.
“Where did you get all this money?”
“Where else? Of course, I earned it as a Hunter.”
“…You haven’t even been a Hunter for a month.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“But you earned 4 billion won?”
Lee Seo-yoon, who had been observing and listening to the conversation, cautiously spoke.
“Are you… doing something illegal?”
Lee Seong-jun’s hand swiftly reached out and flicked Lee Seo-yoon’s forehead.
Smack!
“Ow!”
“What do you take me for?”
Lee Seo-yoon, rubbing her forehead, immediately apologized.
“Sorry, I was so surprised I spoke without thinking.”
Instead of replying, Lee Seong-jun chuckled and turned his head to continue the conversation.
“My regular income isn’t this much. It just looks like a lot because I received the signing bonus.”
Despite the reasonable explanation, Lee Soo-hyuk still couldn’t close his gaping mouth.
“Even so…”
He knew that Hunters’ salaries easily exceeded billions of won.
But that was only for high-ranking Hunters.
Among those who had been Hunters for less than a month, it was extremely rare for someone to receive a signing bonus worth billions.
It was probably a handful in all of South Korea.
Lee Soo-hyuk bit his lip.
‘Just how hard did you live in that Thousand Continents…?’
There was no reward without sacrifice.
It was one of the life lessons he had learned over the years.
Therefore, he knew that Lee Seong-jun must have gone through a lot to gain his current strength.
“You must have… suffered a lot.”
“It’s okay. I’m being rewarded now for my past efforts.”
Despite Lee Seong-jun’s bright smile, Kim Ji-young’s eyes were filled with worry.
“Son, are you really okay?”
Time didn’t just bring wisdom.
It also tended to instill quite excellent intuition and insight.
Kim Ji-young wasn’t just worried about the past.
She was also considering those who might be jealous or wary of him now that he had earned a lot of money and gained great power.
However, Lee Seong-jun had already prepared himself mentally and could answer confidently.
“Yes, I’m fine. So now you can all relax and do what you want.”
He knew his family was working hard due to their difficult financial situation.
However, knowing it intellectually and facing it in reality were completely different.
Therefore, his family couldn’t easily respond.
Their eyes held a mixture of complex emotions.
The silence stretched on.
But Lee Seong-jun waited patiently without saying a word.
“…”
It was a matter that naturally required deep consideration.
Even for a family that had spent their whole lives together, it wouldn’t be easy to readily accept such a large sum of money.
‘It must be a burden…’
As a family, they cared for each other.
They had always tried not to burden each other.
Yet, suddenly, one person was trying to shoulder all their burdens.
Even though the situation wasn’t ideal, it was natural for them to feel sorry. They might even belittle themselves, considering themselves incompetent burdens.
As various worries flashed through their minds, Lee Soo-hyuk, who had been observing his family, spoke.
“No matter how much I think about it, this doesn’t feel right. This is money you earned by risking your life…”
“Please don’t say that.”
Lee Seong-jun cut off Lee Soo-hyuk’s words.
Unlike his foolish past, he now knew for sure.
His father, Lee Soo-hyuk, was someone who had sacrificed his life for his family.
How could such a father feel guilty and reject his family’s sincere feelings just because of their poor financial situation?
It was absurd.
Rather, this could be seen as a rightful reward.
The past Lee Seong-jun would never have thought this way.
It was because he had taken his father’s sacrifice for granted.
He had thought that protecting the family was the head of the household’s natural duty.
But now he knew.
He had seen and learned a lot while living in the Thousand Continents and meeting countless people.
‘Nothing in the world is a given.’
Even among blood relatives, there were plenty of villains who would heartlessly abandon or exploit others.
Despite that, his father, Lee Soo-hyuk, had made sacrifices because he held sincere love for his family.
He was so grateful and wanted to convey these feelings.
However, expressing the true feelings deep within his heart was still too difficult.
A brief silence fell.
But in that time, Lee Seong-jun, seeming to have organized his thoughts, nodded once and cautiously spoke.
“…I’m doing this because I want to.”
“I know, you’ve said that before about being a Hunter, but…”
“No, it’s not just about being a Hunter.”
“Huh?”
Lee Soo-hyuk tilted his head slightly in question.
“It’s the same with this. I’m doing this because I want to. I… don’t want to see my family struggling anymore.”
“Hmm… I appreciate your feelings, but this dad isn’t struggling.”
“Mom’s really fine too, so don’t worry.”
“Right, I can manage myself.”
Bright smiles appeared on his family’s faces.
Seeing that, Lee Seong-jun felt a pang in his heart.
“It’s just how I feel. I want to see you all living happily, smiling, and doing what you want, not forcing yourselves to work because of financial worries.”
“Forcing… Since we have to live in society, there must have been times when you had to force yourself to work, but even on those days, this dad could get through it with a smile.”
Lee Soo-hyuk’s hand, placed on the table, covered Lee Seong-jun and Lee Seo-yoon’s hands.
“It’s all thanks to you and Seo-yoon. Ever since you two were born, this dad has always been able to smile, no matter how hard things got.”
A bright smile now adorned Lee Soo-hyuk’s face.
“So just seeing you two grow up healthy is enough for this dad to live happily.”
Lee Seong-jun’s eyes trembled as he felt the warmth of Lee Soo-hyuk’s hand.
“…”
Lee Seong-jun’s lips parted and closed several times.
But no words came out.
It wasn’t that he had nothing to say, but that the words were caught in his throat.
He couldn’t control the emotions welling up in his chest.
‘Right, this is who you are.’
He had always tried to embrace his family with love.
That’s why he wanted to return the favor even more.
The love and affection he had received.
Clenching his fists, Lee Seong-jun said,
“Just think of it as my selfish desire. I want to see my family even happier than they are now.”
“Sigh…”
A long sigh escaped Lee Soo-hyuk’s lips at Lee Seong-jun’s firm words.
Fortunately, the shadow that had fallen over his face had disappeared.
However, the wrinkles between his eyebrows remained.
Still, his sincerity seemed to have gotten through somewhat, as his face looked much more peaceful than before.
“Just in case, let me ask, can I refuse this?”
An awkward smile formed on Lee Seong-jun’s lips.
“…”
Of course, there was no option to refuse from the beginning.
He would ensure that his family could live happily, to the extent that they felt compensated for their past hardships.
Perhaps sensing Lee Seong-jun’s firm resolve,
Lee Soo-hyuk finally nodded.
“You’re incorrigible.”
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