You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿ - Chapter 24

Jung Da-on (ì ë¤ì¨)
Potential Ability Evaluation: S-Rank
Stamina: LV. 18 (Limit: None)
Strength: LV. 14 (Limit: None)
Mana: LV. 28 (Limit: None)
Overall Level: LV. 12 â 20
Suitable Dungeon Levels: C~D Rank Dungeons
 
Surpassing an overall level of 20 results in a significant boost to physical abilities.
Of course, aside from the psychological toll, the result wasnât bad.

âA judgment of righteousness.â
Thereâs a word that doesnât suit me at all.
Unsuitable, suitable, righteous.

From the increase in my stats after being judged righteous instead of just suitable, it seemed that the level of approval from societyâs members influenced the outcome.
Reaching level 20 so quickly was surprising. Typically, as levels rise, the increase becomes harder, but this was an incredible feat.
Reaching level 20 puts one at the lower tier of C-rank hunters, meaning itâs the minimum required to live off being a hunter. Usually, it would take at least one to two years of focused dungeon runs to reach that level.

But I, having only awakened three days ago, reached level 20â¦
If regular hunters heard about this, theyâd probably be furious with jealousy at how quickly Iâd progressed.
âThe collar is still there, but itâs not all bad.â

If the rewards are this great, I might even consider engaging in ârighteousâ actions, even if I have to set aside my pride as the former Demon King.
I shouldnât risk having my level drop again by acting âunsuitable.â
Of course, despite what I was thinking internally, the kids, thinking they were safe, were chatting excitedly.

"Hey, but the hunter sister is hurt!"
"Are you okay? Should we call 119?"
"Isn't she 119?"

"Do you want me to give you a hug?"
"...."
In movies, heroes look so cool, but standing in front of kids, I wasnât cool at all. I felt a headache as I tried to avoid the children who ran up, trying to hug my legs.
Avoiding their small hands so they wouldnât get blood on them was the best I could do.

Heroes in movies always seem to interact so kindly with children at times like this, but what kind of face do they make to do such things?
As I tried to dodge, the children looked at me with wide eyes, like dogs chasing chickens, confused by my movements.
That innocent gaze, which I didnât even know I had, hurt. Is this what they call a conscience?

âThere's blood on me. Can you get the kids away... Please hold them back.â
âOh, yes, yes!â
"How do we treat the hurt hunter, friends from the sunflower class?"

"Give her a hug!"
"Take her to the hospital!"

...Definitely better handled by professionals.

After glancing briefly at the camera monitoring the daycare from the office upstairs, I looked at the teacher holding the kids.
"Do you have water? Maybe a simple chocolate bar?"
"Ah, yes. We have some candy we give as a reward to the kids..."

"Everyone, eat one and drink some water. We canât afford to pass out in a situation like this."
"Ah, yes�"
"But... Miss, I need to go to the bathroom!"

"Can I go now?"
"I want a snack."
Were they finally convinced they were safe?

Amid the childrenâs chatter, the teachers exchanged looks and one carefully asked me.
"Um, has the dungeon been cleared?"
"No."

With that sharp response, I saw resignation in the teacherâs eyes.
At first, they must have thought I was part of a rescue team, but after looking around, they seemed to realize otherwise.
But, I couldnât lie either.

Honestly, aside from dealing with the monsters around here, the situation hadnât really changed.
Sure, I had taken out the monsters in the emergency stairwell, but that was it. There was one useful hunter now by the childrenâs side, but the fog surrounding the area hadnât lifted.
âTo end the Dungeon Break, we need to find and destroy the core that caused this rift.â

Each world is protected by a solid dimensional wall.
For an invader to breach this world, breaking down the protective wall surrounding the dimension is necessary. When successful, a crack forms in the wall, connecting the rift to the invaderâs world, creating a portalâwhat we call a dungeon.
Humans conquer these dungeons to prevent monsters from invading. However, sometimes, by unfortunate luck, the rift forms in a weak part of the wall, and monsters immediately break through.

This is what Yoo Han-ul had explained to the rookie hunters earlier as a type 2 dungeon.
In these cases, the monsters hide a material that helps maintain the rift, called a core.
There are various kinds of cores.

Material from the same world naturally attracts one another, so anything could potentially be a core.
Simply put, unless we find and destroy the core maintaining the rift, the crack wonât close, and the Dungeon Break wonât end.
âThenâ¦â

âDonât worry. Itâll be resolved in 30 minutes.â
It wasnât the bleakest of situations.
Right now, hunters, including Han Jae-young, were swarming around the building. Once the smoke clears, Han Jae-young would take care of it. I had done all I could for now in this Dungeon Break.

My task now was to protect the children until the core was destroyed, and then I could just wait for the real rescue team, the true heroes, to return.
So who had this lazy thought?
âUm, I think 30 minutes passed alreadyâ¦â

â...Yeah, itâs been an hour.â
According to Han Jae-youngâs earlier explanation, the magic circuits should have been recovered by now, but why was there still no change?
I tried to hide my anxiety, glancing at the teachers, and then I looked outside.

âCould something have happened to Han Jae-young?â
If so, my plan would fall apart.

If the Dungeon Break didnât end soon, itâd be for nothing, and monsters would keep pouring out.

I hesitated a bit longer, but no change was evident.
âCould something have happened to the other hunters?â
âNow that you mention it, since the hunter came, thereâs been no sign of activity inside the building. Before, there were some signs here and there.â

âWhat should we do? The kids are almost at their limitâ¦â
â...â
The teachers asked in anxious tones, but I couldnât give them an answer.

The kids, who had been happy to see me before, now started whining. Realizing they still had to stay quietly in the daycare, they were nearly at their breaking point.
Honestly, the only way to fundamentally resolve this situation was for the Dungeon Break to end.
â...Should I go find the core?â

Waiting indefinitely for the Dungeon Break to end wasnât an option.
Even the sunlight, which had been so bright before, was now starting to fade. If the shadow ghosts attacked again when darkness fully set in, weâd be in trouble.
The problem was the daycare.

I had rescued the kids, but I couldnât just leave them here. At least one more hunter should be here to guard them, but right now, I was the only one.
âWhat do I do?â
In the past, I would have created a clone to guard them while I dealt with the core, but now, as a level 20 mage, that was impossible.

No, wait. A clone?
âAh.â
I slapped my palm.

âThatâs right, there was that method.â
I had completely forgotten.
Though not exactly a clone, I could summon my familiarâthe three spirits I created in my past life.

Typically, the familiars used by mages are lifeless puppets moved by magic. But my familiars were different. They were imbued with pieces of my soul, like family spirits.
The reason I had forgotten about them was that summoning them into this world was beyond my current ability.
To summon someone from another dimension into this one required a massive amount of manaâfar more than massacring a few shadow ghosts.

But now, the situation was different.
âSince the Dungeon Break already created the rift, I can use it.â
The invaders had already made the rift. I didnât need to create a new hole in the dimension.

âNow, the only thing left is to identify whom to summon. Since theyâre tied to my soul, thatâs not an issue.â
Like a famous line from a comic, even though my body has changed, my soul remains the same.
Just like how the core maintaining the Dungeon Break attracts the original world, my familiars are bound to my soul, so by using the pull of my soul, I can summon them through the dimensional rift to Korea without needing to use mana!

âThis should be theoretically possible, right?â
Despite all the dimensions in existence, the power of a human soul should not be underestimated. Especially the soul of a stubborn, experienced archmage like me.
Even small creatures that are born and raised in the same place attract each other, so how could I not summon my own soulâs fragments?

I focused, and after some time...
Pop!
A sharp, exhilarating sensation like a spark.

Something materialized in my hand, which had been floating through an intangible void.
âJung Da-onâ has summoned an entity from another world.
 
At the same time, a system message appeared, and something fell to the ground.

Thud!
A small clump of fur landed on the floor, four-legged.