Chapter 780: Come up one by one.

Jjireureuk.

Jjireureuk.

It’s a night where the chirping of insects is unusually clear.

It felt like it was just daytime a moment ago, but the moon had already risen.

Amidst that, I was climbing the mountain path, facing the moonlight.

With the faint scent of grass and the autumn breeze blowing, my mood shouldn’t really be bad.

“Hoo…”

My expression as I moved my feet wasn’t exactly great.

How could it be good?

‘I’m dead tired.’

It feels like I’ve been with a typhoon all day.

I haven’t done much of anything, but maybe because of the situation, I feel like I’m going crazy from exhaustion.

The tasks I had planned for today were a mountain, but the only things I managed to do were attend the memorial service and eat the white horse stone.

I couldn’t do anything else I had planned.

Was it because I didn’t have time? No.

There was only one reason.

After walking up a bit, the plain I had scouted earlier came into view.

It’s quite a distance from Hanam, and the mountains are high and rugged, making it a place where people rarely tread.

After briefly surveying the surroundings, I swung my hand and threw what I was holding.

“Ugh!”

With a short scream, something fell to the ground.

Woong-!

“Huh?”

Seeing the scene that unfolded next, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

The guy who had spun around and was falling to the ground surprisingly stopped before touching the ground and floated in mid-air.

The identity of that guy was the very person who had been giving me a headache since noon.

It was Ttolttol-i, who looked like me when I was young.

After finishing my conversation with Mrs. Mi, I immediately went back to Ttolttol-i and brought him along as I climbed the mountain.

When I went back and snatched him away, I inexplicably let out a sigh of regret, but it wasn’t the time to worry about such things.

Because there were more than one or two things I needed to figure out.

“You can fly?”

Even in human form, does it mean he can still fly, given that he could fly originally?

As I watched him curiously, Ttolttol-i reacted.

“Kka…”

‘Kka?’

“Y-you startled me-!”

“Hmm?”

Seeing him yell loudly, I widened my eyes.

Well, look at this?

“Why are you throwing me around like that…!! What if I get hurt?!”

“What are you?”

What the hell is this guy.

“You talk well?”

Just a moment ago, he seemed like an innocent kid who couldn’t speak properly and knew nothing.

But now, looking at him, he was completely different.

His pronunciation was clear, and his eyes had gained strength.

This means…

“Were you acting?”

“Hmph.”

It means this guy, who was originally like this, was pretending to be innocent on purpose.

As I asked him, dumbfounded by the situation, Ttolttol-i scoffed.

“It wasn’t acting. I was just staying still.”

Ttolttol-i frowned as if displeased with something.

Maybe it’s because he has my childhood face, but I felt like punching him.

I held back for now.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why were you staying still?”

The reason he deliberately stayed still and innocent.

When I asked that, Ttolttol-i answered with a sullen expression.

“Everyone seemed to like it?”

“…What?”

“People like it when young humans are innocent. Young ones are less dangerous, so they seem harmless, right? Of course, I don’t think I’m that harmless human type, taking after my dad.”

“Huh…”

There weren’t many reactions I could have to his long speech.

Only eyes showing disbelief and a face showing disgust.

Those weren’t words a young body, maybe six or seven years old at most, should be spitting out.

He was cunning.

This bastard… he was too cunning.

Especially since he was saying such things with my face, he looked even more cunning.

Floating…. Thump.

The one flying lightly landed on the ground.

At the same time, his red martial uniform fluttered slightly.

That outfit he’d been wearing since earlier, why did it seem so familiar…

“Is that… perhaps my clothes?”

“Yeah.”

“This is driving me crazy.”

Being a red martial uniform, it must be Gu Clan’s clothes, of course.

Since he was found naked, it means someone brought him clothes.

Among them, it seemed familiar, and surprisingly, it appeared to be the clothes I wore when I was young.

However.

“…Where on earth did you get them?”

I mean, where did he get the clothes I wore at that age?

They should have been discarded long ago, but it was just strange seeing Ttolttol-i suddenly wearing them.

“Who gave you those clothes?”

“These? White Mom.”

“Ha…what?”

Hearing that, I frowned.

“What did you say?”

“White Mom gave them to me.”

“What kind of crazy term is that?”

“Huh? White Mom is White Mom.”

“No, who is White Mom….”

I stopped mid-sentence and thought hard.

White Mom.

White color.

White…?

No way.

“…Are you talking about Namgung Bi-ah?”

“Yeah.”

“But why such a weird choice of words?”

What’s with the ‘white’ and ‘mom’?

Putting aside why she had my childhood clothes, I was speechless at those absurd words.

The ‘white’ seems to refer to her white hair.

But the word attached to it made no sense.

“Why is she ‘Mom’?”

“Huh?”

“You’re saying ridiculous things.”

Why are you turning a perfectly fine maiden into a mother?

Moreover.

“Even though I’m not your dad, why do you call me ‘Dad’?”

“Dad is Dad.”

Ttolttol-i said that with a smirk.

Do you know what’s infuriating?

‘That guy looked hurt earlier when I said I wasn’t his dad.’

But now, he had eyes that looked like mockery.

This bastard…?

Yeah, okay, I get it for now.

Since he was born by draining my energy, let’s just say I’m his dad. It’s incredibly unfair, but fine.

But.

“Why is she ‘Mom’?”

Where did ‘White Mom’ even come from?

As I asked with confusion, Ttolttol-i tilted his head while looking at me.

“She isn’t ‘Mom’, technically.”

“Right, she’s not ‘Mom’!”

“But she likes it when I call her that.”

“What, punk?”

“If she likes it, then it’s good, right? I liked Yellow Mom too, and Green Mom. Black Mom seemed to particularly like it.”

“…”

This isn’t some color game, is it?

Green, yellow, and black.

What’s funny is that I vaguely understood who he was talking about.

And the fact that he called them that because they liked it meant…

“Are you saying you knew and used it?”

“It’s just good if it’s good….”

Thump-!

“Kkyaak!!”

I swung my fist at his small head.

Hitting him on the crown like a knuckle-rap, Ttolttol-i clutched his head.

“It hurts! Ugh…!! Why did you hit me?!”

“I hit you because you deserved it. Who do you think you are, turning kids into mothers? You wanna die?”

“What did I do to deserve that! This is just violence!”

“Oh, really?”

I thought he just spoke clearly, but he can talk back too.

That made me hate him even more.

“I’m your dad, right?”

“So what?”

“Then this is education, not violence. Yes, this is education. Just think of it as home training.”

“Th-that’s ridiculous.”

Ttolttol-i quickly put distance between us. Then, he said to me resentfully.

“You didn’t get that kind of training either, Dad!”

“How would you know that?”

“I know! I know everything!”

Ttolttol-i shouted confidently.

“…”

I had nothing specific to say in response to that.

It was true.

‘Indeed. I didn’t receive that kind of training.’

Even though my father was terrifyingly scary. I don’t have many memories of being hit hard.

It was closer to neglect, actually.

So, I grew up without that kind of training.

“That’s why I know better.”

I moved forward with a smirk.

As I applied force, I was suddenly right in front of Ttolttol-i, who had put distance between us.

“Hikk!”

He startled and tried to back away, but my hand was already reaching out.

I know this because I grew up without being hit.

“Kids who don’t listen usually need to be hit a bit as they grow up.”

Isn’t this the reason I ended up like this?

Thinking that, just as my fingertips were about to touch Ttolttol-i.

“I don’t wanna!”

Hwarureureuk-!

“Hmm?”

Flames erupted from Ttolttol-i as he screamed.

It was a familiar azure flame. A flame that resembled my energy.

Ttolttol-i, engulfed in flames as if wearing the Azure Flame Wheel Formation, looked interesting as I wondered what he would do. The flames gradually grew larger, and…

Keureureureureureureu–!!

Before long, a huge body was revealed along with a rough roar.

“Oh.”

This was the Ttolttol-i I knew.

The form of a monster with an immense physique.

He had returned to his form from back then.

‘Looks like he can return to his original form.’

That was fortunate.

‘I was worried about what would happen if he couldn’t.’

If he couldn’t use that form, it would have been a headache figuring out how to use him later.

Fortunately, it seems the human form isn’t fixed.

The difference is that he’s half the size compared to when he was at his maximum?

‘Well, he can shrink and grow, so that shouldn’t matter.’

What’s important isn’t the appearance, but the density.

If something changed in me and caused a change in Ttolttol-i, then him taking human form must be for a similar reason.

So, what about his monster form?

‘There’s definitely a change.’

Externally, there isn’t a huge change, but his presence is different.

It felt incomparable to mere red-colored monsters.

‘Not quite White-grade… maybe the grade below that?’

In terms of monsters, it’s just below White. To be precise, it’s slightly below the level of the monster I weakened by stabbing it with the holy spear just before.

Even that alone was considerable strength.

Keureureureureu-…!

Ttolttol-i bares his fangs and lets out a growl.

Watching him, I stared calmly.

He doesn’t fly away.

He probably knows he’ll be caught soon.

Watching such a guy, I let out a slight sigh.

“Hey.”

Keureureu.

“Can you return to human form from that state?”

Keureureu….

It means yes.

“Then come back.”

…

There’s a hint of hesitation.

Seeing that, I clicked my tongue briefly.

“Do you think you won’t get hit just because you grew bigger? Just come back. I won’t hit you.”

Keureu…?

“Yeah, really. I won’t hit you.”

I never intended to catch and beat him anyway.

The knuckle-rap on his head was a mistake made in anger.

If it were up to me, I’d ditch the excuse of ‘education’ and just hit him, but…

‘Also, the fact that he looks like me as a child.’

When it came down to actually hitting him, I hesitated a bit…

The bigger problem is that my current body can’t control its strength.

‘It was the same with the hit just now.’

The force that should have been weaker came out much stronger than expected.

It was called a knuckle-rap, but for a second or first-rate martial artist, it would have been enough to blow their head off.

It was fortunate that Ttolttol-i’s durability was higher than expected. Otherwise, it could have been really serious.

“…So. Come back for now. If you don’t, I’ll catch you and really hit you?”

Keureureureureu…. Ttolttol-i, who had been hesitating, finally started to move after hearing my last words.

Hwarureureuk–!! The same flames from before enveloped his body, and as the flames subsided, his small form landed on the ground.

“…You’re really not going to hit me?”

“I won’t.”

I let out a small sigh and looked at him.

The more I looked, the more alike we looked.

“Hey.”

“Yeah. Dad.”

“No…. Not Dad… Never mind.”

What does the title matter? Let’s move past this for now.

“How did you end up in that form?”

Why did he end up looking like that? I asked, filled with questions.

Then.

“You don’t know, Dad?”

“I’m asking because I don’t know. If I knew, why would I ask?”

“Then how would I know? If I knew, I would have told you first.”

“…”

I received quite an impudent answer.

…Should I just hit him, regardless of strength control or anything?

‘Shit.’

It’s not just his face; his way of speaking is similar too.

Do people who talk to me always feel this way?

‘It makes sense that they get angry.’

For some reason, everyone seemed to get angry when talking to me.

Now I understand a little. I should hold back more next time.

Anyway.

“So you don’t know the reason either.”

“I was just eating, and when I came to my senses, this is how I was.”

“What about being in my quarters?”

“When I got smaller, there was nowhere to hide… But White Mom was there.”

“…”

So he happened to run into Namgung Bi-ah at that time?

Why was she even in my quarters?

I should ask her later when I see her.

So, what’s important now is….

‘This guy doesn’t know the reason either.’

It’s true that if something changes in me, he changes too.

Although a change occurred this time too, why would a monster become human?

Furthermore.

‘He got caught, of all times.’

Damn it, he got caught. That’s the biggest problem right now.

If he could just turn into a monster, I could have just told him to hide somewhere.

‘I’ve already finished talking with Mrs. Mi.’

I had already decided on his residence.

It was awkward to say no now.

“Hmmmm.”

“Dad?”

No matter how much I racked my brain, there was no immediate answer.

So what should I do?

‘What is there to do?’

There was only one predetermined answer anyway.

“For now, you go.”

“Huh…? Uh, where?”

“Remember the lady who came earlier?”

“Yeah.”

“Go live at her place.”

“Huh?”

At my words, Ttolttol-i wore a dumbfounded expression.

“I live there?”

“Yeah. You have to live there. There’s a reason, so even if it’s a bit inconvenient, just bear with it….”

“Okay.”

“Huh?”

With his nonchalant reply, I was taken aback this time.

“…You’re okay with it?”

“Yeah.”

Ttolttol-i seemed genuinely unconcerned.

“Why are you okay with it?”

“Huh? Why shouldn’t I be okay?”

“No….”

Is he nonchalant because he’s a monster by birth?

From my perspective, having been (or being) human, it was a bit strange.

“It’s fine. From what I saw, I think I can stay comfortably.”

“…Didn’t you see something wrong?”

“Huh?”

You think you can stay comfortably together in Mrs. Mi’s residence?

I couldn’t comprehend what Ttolttol-i said so calmly.

Just walking together felt overwhelmingly burdensome, but staying there is comfortable?

‘Ah, but Mrs. Mi is busy anyway, so maybe she won’t be at her residence often.’

The reason I agreed to let him stay together was for surveillance, so she herself wouldn’t be there often.

Yes, surveillance.

Otherwise, there would be no reason to send him to her residence.

Although Ttolttol-i was inadvertently sacrificed…

‘If needed, it won’t be difficult to retrieve him, so it should be fine.’

Give what needs to be given, and gain what needs to be gained.

That was all I could do right now.

“Anyway…. That’s how it is. Stay quiet there starting tomorrow.”

Just like how he appeared earlier. Live as if you know nothing. As I said with that intention, Ttolttol-i nodded.

“Got it.”

“Just in case I need to say it: If you get caught causing trouble secretly, be prepared for some education.”

“…Tsk.”

“Tsk?”

“Nothing.”

His voice clearly sounded disappointed. It was as if he had intended to cause trouble.

What is this guy really? Who does he take after to be so utterly incorrigible?

I felt like giving him another little smack, but I stubbornly held back.

‘Not yet…. Not yet.’

I endured with all my might. At least for now, I had to endure.

If I were to do it, it should be after this.

‘…I need to check first.’

Kkuuk.

I put Ttolttol-i on standby first and recalled the reason I came up this mountain.

Perhaps because I consumed energy, I felt a drastic change.

It was to see the extent of it.

Wooowooong…!! As soon as I released my sensory control, all sorts of information flooded in from all directions.

The range of my sensory perception seemed to have easily doubled. The sensation, enough to cover the surrounding mountains, made my stomach churn.

“Hooou….”

I focused my mind and circulated my energy.

If it’s this much even in a secluded mountain, I really should keep it closed most of the time normally.

‘For now, my sensory perception… I’ll refine it slowly.’

I moved my hands slightly.

Sensory perception is one thing, but the most important thing is something else.

Hwarureuk.

Flames appeared above my hand.

Along with the increased sensory perception, there was one more thing I felt.

‘My firepower has increased.’

Even if the energy in my body didn’t increase, the density at which I could unleash firepower did.

It was something I knew instinctively. And the fact that I wouldn’t be able to control it right now.

If I tried to unleash it to check, I might not be able to control it and wipe out the entire area.

Thus, I came all the way up to this mountain to check.

‘So, indeed.’

How much has it increased?

It’s time to satisfy the curiosity I’d held back all day.

‘If things go well, maybe I’ve become about thirty percent stronger.’

Such expectations arose.

Even thirty percent would be an enormous figure. It’s probably not that much.

Judging so, I applied power to the flames.

Consequently, the azure flame shone.

“…For starters, just a light burst.”

Making it as weak as possible, I aimed at the rock in front and fired.

My expectation was a thin stream of fire.

Enough to reach the rock and dissipate.

I activated my energy, focusing on maintenance rather than explosion.

Woong—! A vibration erupted, and…

Kuaaaaaaaaah—-!!

“…Huh?”

Hwarurururureureuk—!!

The target rock was engulfed in flames and melted.

“…?”

Seeing that, my expression melted away too.