Was there any reason for an extra event, different from that time, to slip into a dream where he revisited the regrets of his life?
A sense of disconnect welled up inside him. And rightly so—Jeong-woo's aptitude had never been something as bizarre as this.
'I was a Solid Spearman.'
D-Rank aptitude: Solid Spearman. It was an aptitude that gave him an edge in every action involving a spear, and through training, he'd advanced it to 'C-Rank Seasoned Spearman.'
But Perfect Parent? That alone was strange enough, yet the rank beside it was even stranger.
'L? Was there ever an L-Rank?'
He'd even served as a survey team leader at a mid-sized company, but he'd never heard or seen of any hunter aptitude with such a rank. As far as Jeong-woo knew, ranks ran from F to A as standard. Beyond that, outliers were simply classified under S-Rank. That was it.
Was it a glitch because it was a dream? He furrowed his brow absentmindedly at the thought—
"Daddy, do you have to go to work?"
"...Ah."
Segi clutched tightly at the hem of Jeong-woo's sleeve. Her face, which had been blooming with brightness just moments ago, had already reverted to unease. Startled, Jeong-woo shook his head vigorously.
"No. Daddy's not going to work today. I was just thinking about what to play with Segi."
"Really...?"
"Of course, really."
Only then did Segi relax a bit, though she still wouldn't let go of his sleeve. There was a flicker of doubt in her eyes.
"Lying is bad...!"
In that moment, Jeong-woo realized. Segi was sharper than he'd thought. She was adept at reading adults' moods, pretending to be mature just to avoid troubling her parents. With Segi already phrasing it like you promised, so keep it, guilt stabbed deep into Jeong-woo's chest.
So he smiled to reassure her. Whatever else, he decided to focus on the Segi right in front of him.
"For now, shall we eat?"
"Yeah!"
All the while, he thought to himself.
'A dream...'
Right? But everything felt too vivid for that, with none of the omnipotence typical of lucid dreams, deepening his doubts. It didn't take long for that doubt to turn into certainty.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
By lunchtime that day, Jeong-woo was convinced.
'This isn't a dream.'
This couldn't be called a dream. If it truly were, he wouldn't recall trivial details from his one-room apartment that even he'd forgotten—like minor issues there, stains on the walls, or the hot news topics of the time—through the information around him.
Beyond that, time wouldn't flow so continuously. And that wasn't all.
'Even setting aside how sharp my senses are, dreams can't generate information I don't have.'
"Look at this! Teacher taught me!"
"A swan?"
"Yeah! I can make these, and Teddy Bear~ Turtle~ Frog too~"
Segi put on a paper-folding show. She was so eager to show off what she'd learned that an hour later, she was still tirelessly folding and displaying all sorts of things. At the very least, Jeong-woo didn't know how to make any of them.
Information he didn't possess was manifesting. So, he had no choice but to conclude.
'Time has rewound.'
It was then.
"Here! A present for Daddy!"
"Teddy bear, huh."
"Yeah! Daddy Bear! This one's Baby Bear!"
Jeong-woo took the two teddy bear heads, neatly folded from blue paper, and felt a pang of déjà vu.
'Parents' Day...'
About two years from now, perhaps. He remembered Segi bringing home carnations from kindergarten as a Parents' Day gift. She hadn't pinned them on him herself.
That day, too, the survey had dragged on until dawn. When Jeong-woo got home, he saw Segi asleep, clutching the carnations tightly. He'd only been able to pin them on himself come morning and thank her then. He recalled how Segi had giggled, yet chewed her lip.
Back then, he'd thought it was just shyness, but now...
'Maybe she regretted not being able to pin them on me herself.'
The emotion he'd suppressed surged again. At the same time, reality hit him.
'If...'
If all this was real.
'...I can fix it right now.'
Spend more time with his child. See the world through her eyes. Protect her properly, maybe. The moment that longing surged, the reason for this phenomenon ceased to matter to Jeong-woo.
He held the paper teddy bears close to his chest. Felt a lump in his throat.
"Thank you. Since it's a gift from Segi, Daddy will treasure it always."
"Heehee!"
If this was truly a chance, he wouldn't stray wrong this time. He'd right every wrong.
It was as he thought that—
["Kids Need Praise!" Affirmed the child's achievement! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! Great Parent (2/10). Collect stickers to unlock skills!]
Jeong-woo's eyes narrowed.
'So, what the hell is this?'
He had no clue what this aptitude was.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
On December 31, 1999, dimensional gates suddenly appeared, spewing out monsters. Those exposed to the gates' mana awakened abilities and hunted the beasts—they were called hunters. It was common knowledge to everyone in this era.
Among it all, Jeong-woo knew more about hunters than most.
'You get a game interface. It assigns roles based on the aptitude listed there.'
The hunter system closely resembled a game's character mechanics. First, a 'aptitude' that granted a job; then 'skills' obtained via job-specific quests; and ranks that could be raised through proficiency.
Straightforward enough to grasp. There were tons of minute data details if you dug deeper, but that wasn't important now. What puzzled Jeong-woo was one thing.
'A parenting aptitude...'
His head tilted. Who else had time rewound and reawakened? But his original aptitude had changed. Just a side effect of this time travel? Were awakening aptitudes random to begin with? No way to know.
Beyond that, though.
'A trait to help care for kids better?'
Awakening produced all sorts of bizarre traits beyond combat, sure—but this was too much.
'What kind of skills even come from this?'
Lullaby tone buffs? Cooking tailored to a kid's tastes? With his limited imagination, that was all he could picture. Useful, sure—but worth a hunter awakening?
He spent the day in a haze of confusion. Meanwhile, quests kept completing nonstop.
["Playing Together Is More Fun!" Played with the child! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! Great Parent (3/10). Collect stickers to unlock skills!]
["Picky Eating Is Bad!" Guided eating habits! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! Great Parent (4/10). Collect stickers to unlock skills!]
["Grow Big? Sleep Plenty!" Put her down for a nap! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! Great Parent (5/10). Collect stickers to unlock skills!]
·
·
·
["Today's Kid Is Extra Cute!?" Braided the child's hair! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! Great Parent (9/10). Collect stickers to unlock skills!]
By dusk, it was [9/10]. One more, and he'd unlock a skill. By then, Jeong-woo decided not to overthink it.
'...It's not like I'm being nice to her just to get a skill.'
That would be putting the cart before the horse. What mattered to him was making Segi smile—not using her for gains. In short, if a useful skill came from it, great; otherwise, no big deal.
Better to focus on the here and now.
"Wanna go eat some mashmallows!?"
"Yeah, let's eat yummy stuff. Super yummy stuff."
Jeong-woo scooped up Segi and headed out. It had suddenly hit him: how many times had they even eaten out together? At least before she started school, never. Even after, he'd paid for her outings with friends, but the two of them eating alone? Rare enough to count on one hand.
So, they'd eat out. Try a buffet together. Arriving at the bustling district restaurant, Segi's eyes sparkled.
"Whoa...!"
"Tons of food, right?"
"Yeah! So much!"
"Eat as much as you want, Segi."
"Really!?"
"Of course, really."
Her face said she could hardly believe it. Then, with a worried look:
"But I can't eat all that..."
"Huh?"
"Can't waste food..."
Segi looked confused. 'Ah, Segi doesn't get buffets yet.' She probably thought they had to eat it all before leaving. Realizing this, Jeong-woo said,
"You don't have to eat it all. The people here will eat what you can't."
Only then did she exhale in relief, whew! Then they ate. Jeong-woo smiled wryly, watching Segi happily dig in.
'Just a kid, after all.'
She spoke quickly and clearly, polite to a fault—seeming so mature. Now he saw it was just her consideration.
It started on the way out. Her clumsily braided hair must've pleased her; she giggled, fiddling with it. On the bus, she sat on his lap, clinging tight. In the district, she chattered about shops she recognized. Now, she shared every impression of new foods.
The outing itself thrilled her; her smile hadn't faded all day. Things he could've learned in a single day. Yet he'd lived his whole life ignorant. What a pathetic parent.
His heart ached, but he didn't wallow. 'I'll learn bit by bit like this. Better than before.' That would be his task this life.
Dinner ended. Jeong-woo carried the belly-bloated, exhausted Segi out to the street. Had it been a good day? Would today become a memory for her?
As he wondered, he asked, "Did you have fun today?"
"Yeah...!"
"Good. Wanna go play again sometime?"
"Really?"
"Really really."
"Really really really?"
Her eyes sparkled again. Jeong-woo burst out laughing, pfft. As he went to answer—
"Rea..."
KUGUGUGUGU—!
"Kya啊啊啊啊악!!!"
"!?"
The ground shook. The sky trembled. People screamed. Jeong-woo's spine chilled. He looked up—and horror engulfed him.
'A gate...?'
Deep crimson. A Second Gate, type that spits out a single powerful entity. It settled atop that tall building.
A black arm emerged from the gate. Then a horned beast-skull head, spine-exposed torso, gaunt waist furred black, reverse-jointed legs. Height: about three stories. Empty red glow in the skull's eye sockets.
The monster eyed the bustling district.
Whyyyyyya아아아앵—!
Sirens wailed. The lively city drowned in terror. Panic spread as people shoved each other. Jeong-woo hugged Segi tighter. He knew what it was. His legs trembled.
'A-Rank Champion...?'
Fear. The unique wave emitted by Champion entities A-Rank and above. It took five peers staking their lives to barely take one down. Why now? Here?
No—run first. Thoughts flooded. But his body wouldn't move. Then—
"Hic..."
A sob from his arms. Jeong-woo looked down.
"Sniff..."
Segi was sniffling. Seeing people scream and flee, she'd burrowed into him, curled up—now peeking up with teary eyes. In that instant, Jeong-woo's mind cooled coldly.
'Segi.'
Segi above all. No time for this. Without thinking, he turned and ran, shielding her head in his arms.
"It's okay. It'll be okay. Let's go home."
"Uuuh..."
"Daddy's here. Daddy's right here."
But—
KWAAAAAANG—!
The thing from the building top slammed down right in front of him. Their eyes met. Jeong-woo's movements froze. Abyssal terror blanketed him.
Action bypassed thought. Whoosh! Instinctively, he spun, shielding Segi from the beast's view.
'Must protect Segi.'
His mind blackened, filled with that phrase. This life for hers? Never. He squeezed his eyes shut. That instant—
["Must Protect the Child No Matter What!" Prioritized the child amid mortal threat! One Praise Sticker has been distributed! Great Parent (10/10). Congratulations! Collected all Praise Stickers!]
The unreal.
[Skill unlocked!]
Began turning real.
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