Chapter 110: B-Class Hero Promotion... Field Trip (1)

I'm participating in the B-class hero promotion test. This is an opportunity I absolutely can't miss.

I can earn more money, and my popularity will also increase.

'If I become popular, I'll get countless DMs from beautiful women, right?'

Throb-

It's time to restart my romance business that was temporarily suspended, not that I'm aiming for B-class promotion just for dating.

But if I can run my romance business as a bonus, that would be great. In that sense,

"Hey, my daughters. Dad's leaving home."

I announced to the dragon kids that I'd be away from home for a while. The children frowned and reacted.

"What are you talking about! Who's going to feed me if Dad's not here!"

"Who said you could leave home, Dad?"

"Father! If you're leaving home, you'll have to step over me!"

The dragon kids stretched out their arms to block my way. Their eyes said they absolutely wouldn't let me through.

"I'm busy packing. A sudden protest, really? You kids are determined to interfere with Dad until the end."

"We absolutely won't let you go!"

Gulp-

The tiny dragons spread their arms to block my way. In case of a surprise protest, you have no choice but to use force. I lifted the kids and moved them out of my way.

"Move. Don't interfere with Dad."

"Raaah-"

In an instant, the kids' defense line crumbled helplessly. I cleared the way and continued packing my backpack.

"Packed all my underwear too. Done."

I guess it's time to leave.

I put on the backpack with my supplies and headed to the front door. Then, looking at the kids who were staring at me resentfully, I pointed to the refrigerator.

"It'll take about 2 days. 3 days if I'm late. There's rice in the rice cooker, and I've prepared delicious side dishes in the fridge, so Hwaryeon, heat them up. Dad's going."

Bye bye-

I waved to the kids who were glaring at me. I guess they couldn't just let me go like that.

"Wait!"

Hwaryeon stepped forward as a representative and shouted at me.

"Dad! Check your bag well! You might have forgotten something important!" 

"I checked everything and packed all I need."

"No! You didn't pack everything! Check quickly!"

They're starting to throw a tantrum.

But since I won't see them for a few days, I decided to listen to Hwaryeon. I put my bag down on the floor and rummaged through it.

"I didn't forget to pack anything..."

Hmm. Is this what they were aiming for?

I looked at where the dragons had been until just now.

"Where did these kids go? They were right in front of me a moment ago."

The dragon kids disappeared as if on cue. Even looking around, I couldn't see their horns or tails at all.

I couldn't help but snort at this.

"Ha, you still think Dad's a fool."

These kids.

I immediately rummaged through the bag I had briefly looked away from. During this, I felt something strange in my hand. I grabbed that strange thing and pulled it out of the bag.

A blue lizard's tail was caught in my fingers, dangling in the air.

"Hiss-"

"Did you think Dad wouldn't know if you used polymorph and hid? Dad's not falling for it anymore. I've been fooled by you many times."

Suryeon was apprehended. When I put the blue lizard Lee Suryeon down on the floor, she scurried away at lightning speed.

"...Hiss-"

She seemed embarrassed about being caught by me.

"Ha, you kids underestimated Dad too much."

I rummaged through the bag to find the next target. As I searched through the neatly folded underwear, I felt another strange sensation.

"Got you, you rascal!"

"Hiss-!"

Dangle-

A green lizard hanging in the air. Lee Choryeon.

She seemed to have hidden between my underwear to leave with me.

"Lee Choryeon. You should play with Mangmung at home. Where do you think you're going?"

"Hiss-!"

"Stay at home and rest with Mangmung. I'll be back quickly."

"Hiss..."

Dejected-

The green lizard Lee Choryeon crawled away, looking downcast.

'Choryeon apprehended.'

Keeping up that momentum, I rummaged through the bag to catch the last culprit. However, no matter how much I searched the bag, I couldn't feel anything moist like dragon scales.

"...What's this? Why isn't she here?"

This is bad.

At this rate, I'll be late for the assembly time. As cold sweat started to form and wet my cheeks in slight urgency,

"Hiss-!"

Choryeon approached and spoke to me. She stretched out her stubby legs and pointed towards the bathroom.

I could hear the sound of a toilet flushing from there.

Whoosh-

"Hiss-!"

"What, Hwaryeon went to the bathroom?"

"Hiss-! Hiss-!"

Nod nod-

Choryeon nodded as if to say yes. At this, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief and put the backpack on.

"Phew, I can arrive before it's too late. Anyway, Dad's going! Don't cause any trouble while Dad's gone, and rest well over the weekend! Dad's leaving!"

"Hiss-"

"Hiss-!"

The two children seeing me off in their polymorph state. I kissed their foreheads and left the house to become a B-class hero.

"Ow, my shoulders. Did I pack too much?"

Although I felt my back was a bit heavy, I quickly headed to the destination to avoid being late for the assembly time.

***

The house after Dad left. 

Suryeon and Choryeon looked at each other.

"Why did I have to get caught? This is all your fault, Lee Choryeon."

"How is it my fault, Suryeon?"

"I hid in the bag first. You came in and got us caught. I don't like it. And."

Suryeon stared at the tightly closed door and said.

"I'm offended that the dumbest Hwaryeon didn't get caught. How could Dad not see Hwaryeon stuck to his back? And, Choryeon. Why did you help Hwaryeon?"

To that question, Choryeon answered as if it were obvious.

"It's good to help each other!"

"...This is why I don't want to talk to a dragon who has flowers for brains."

Huff-

Suryeon turned around and used polymorph to return to human form. Then, as usual, she started playing games on her A-pad.

"I don't like that Dad's gone. But if I keep using the A-pad, he'll come back."

Choryeon agreed that she didn't like Dad being gone and returned to human form too. The kids were dragons, but they spent much more time in human form.

"Now, Mangmung, come out of the bathroom!"

"Woof-!"

Mangmung pushing open the tightly closed bathroom door. Choryeon patted Mangmung and praised him.

"You ran straight to the bathroom when I told you! You did so well, Mangmung! Even flushing the toilet, you're a total genius!"

"Woof-!"

"It's sad that Father isn't home... But, let's play together and wait for Father! Okay?"

"Woof woof-!"

Choryeon looked at Mangmung admiringly and patted him. 

Although they were sad that Lee Ha-jun was away for the weekend, the dragon kids decided to spend time in their own ways, waiting for Lee Ha-jun.

They knew Father would return, so they didn't need to stare at the door all day waiting.

***

I rode the bus prepared by the Association.

They said it was safe, able to defend against external attacks using cutting-edge technology.

'...There are quite a few famous heroes.'

The bus was full of what you'd call successful heroes.

Including my supervisor Han Ji-soo, there were about 10 people sitting, combining A-class and B-class heroes. They were either chatting and socializing or wearing wireless earphones as if they had no interest.

'Am I the only C-class hero among A-class and B-class heroes?'

The old me would have envied them. But now, I don't envy them.

I have a family that's more precious to me than their power, fame, or money.

"Ah, I got a DM from that model I mentioned before."

Damn. That's a bit enviable. 

I sat in the front seat, seething inside. During this, I suddenly felt a pain in the nape of my neck.

"Ouch, what's this? Did a bug bite me?"

It stings.

I thought a bug had bitten me, so I ignored it.

"Hiss-!"

"?"

I started hearing strange sounds too, but since they said this erosion terrain would be accompanied by hallucinations and auditory hallucinations, I was barely able to relax.

"Have we finally arrived?"

Incheon.

The bus stopped at the A-class dimensional gate terrain that occurred in Bupyeong. I got off the stuffy bus and looked at the city eroded by the dimensional gate.

"It's hard to call it a city. It's more like a jungle."

A jungle covered in lush vegetation. It's a visual Choryeon would like.

And I heard this erosion terrain ironically has similar effects to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.

'Even if it helps the Earth. It only takes away humans' living space.'

If Choryeon had heard about this operation, she probably would have had a fit.

I had a thought close to certainty about that.

As I was looking around a bit away from people, my supervisor Han Ji-soo approached and spoke to me.

"Lee Ha-jun. Are you ready?"

"Of course I'm ready. I just move alone as instructed, right?"

"Yes, wander around alone and find the dimensional core. The dimensional core has likely come out to the surface too. Be careful not to get hurt while searching."

Han Ji-soo spoke to me, earnestly imploring.

I nodded to that.

After having this conversation and just as we were about to start the operation, Han Ji-soo pointed to my side and said as if puzzled.

"By the way, Lee Ha-jun."

"What?"

"You didn't think today was a field trip, did you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look to your side."

Swish-

I looked to the side as Han Ji-soo said. 

There was Hwaryeon, wearing clothes haphazardly and touching vines wrapped around a streetlight. She looked like she had just released her polymorph.

"..."

"..."

Hwaryeon met my eyes and asked in an innocent tone.

"Dad! Where is this?"

"Ah."

A sudden headache.

The mission to deactivate an A-class dimensional gate. Hwaryeon had followed me on this dangerous mission. Not knowing how I felt, Hwaryeon looked around with a big grin.

"There's so much Choryeon around! I want to burn it all! Raaah-!"

"Sigh, when will the eldest grow up?"

I just came to finish my promotion test.

But unexpectedly, an atmosphere of a picnic with just Hwaryeon and me was created.