Chapter 123.
That day, Lee Ji-han and his father finally faced each other again after a long time.
An awkward, strained moment between father and son.
“…Ji-han. Do you… also think of this as paying off a debt?”
At his father’s careful question, Ji-han hesitated, then nodded.
“Parents who force a debt onto their children… are fewer than you think.”
His father used a slightly ambiguous expression.
There are countless families in the world, all different, so he didn’t want to generalize.
“But I am not one of them. Not once have I thought your training… or your injuries… were burdens I had to carry.”
His father’s tone was firm.
Ji-han exhaled a trembling breath at those words.
“Dad…”
“I know you can’t believe it yourself.”
His family had always been like that.
He had wondered whether they were hiding the truth—covering things with lies for the sake of their sickly son.
“Still… just as you trusted our granddaughter.”
His father, who had avoided Ji-han’s eyes until now, finally looked straight at him.
His gaze held nothing but Ji-han.
Ji-han’s eyes grew red.
“This father of yours… wants you to trust him too. And trust our family.”
Just that one sentence.
The quiet voice echoed in Ji-han’s ears, and something in his heart started to move.
It was a sign that his long-lost self-esteem was cautiously returning.
Receiving love through streaming, earning money…
And slowly, the self-esteem he thought had vanished without a trace began lifting its head again.
His mind felt clearer.
Only then did he really see his father’s face—
The wrinkled skin, the strands of gray hair,
And the warmth in the eyes he had once thought only looked tired.
He gasped softly.
“I’ll trust you, Dad.”
“Yes. That’s all you need to do.”
His father smiled gently at him.
Ji-han lifted the corners of his mouth to match.
Of course their smiles were alike—they were father and son.
“But, Ji-han…”
With a heart that looked ready to hug his son tightly—
Ji-han stepped forward… then froze.
“…When will ‘Braver Maker’ go up on YouTube? Will it take long?”
“…Huh?”
…The deep emotional moment.
Where did it go? What?
“…It’s just—when I see young Rae, I keep being reminded of when Ji-hye was little. I want to see more of our granddaughter when she was a baby…”
From a warm, caring father—
He instantly switched into his true identity:
a viewer with the nickname “OurGranddaughterIsTheBest,” overflowing with embarrassing grandpa-fan energy.
“H-hahahaha! I’ll tell Sua right away. Dad.”
The heavy atmosphere evaporated in an instant.
Ji-han burst into bright laughter over and over again.
Yeah, being able to laugh with Dad like this… I’m so grateful.
Many times over.
* * *
Rae’s weekly activities were mostly filled with adventuring together with Ji-han.
Of course, most of those adventures were…
— Master! Milady! W-what is this mess!? Th—the house is completely destroyed!?
…due to the panicked screaming of their house guardian spirit, Faro.
And all the nagging, nagging, and more nagging that came after.
This disaster(?) had happened while Faro stepped out for a moment—to do grocery shopping, basically.
“Dad—phew! All cleaned up!”
Only Rae was purely excited.
Her fiery red hair and golden eyes sparkled with constant enthusiasm:
“I’m adventuring with Dad!”
[It’s fascinating how her puberty is passing like this…]
[She’s not even in a rebellious phase. She just wanted to adventure with her dad.]
[…Still, you’re happy she’s smiling, right?]
[Ji-han’s happy too—because Rae is smiling.]
“You worked hard, Rae. Then let’s gather the rewards and keep going.”
The father and daughter moved identically.
Rae grew up watching Ji-han, and Ji-han found that resemblance deeply precious.
Yesterday’s heartfelt conversation with his father now made perfect sense.
“Dad, did something good happen?”
“Hm? No, it’s just… adventuring with my daughter… turns out it’s more fun than I thought.”
Feeling as though the distance between him and his father had shortened through Rae—
He naturally smiled.
“Let’s finish cleaning this dungeon. Then let’s go back and have Faro’s cooking, Dad.”
“Let’s do that. He’s probably waiting, worrying about our Rae.”
[But Rae really fights well;;]
[LOL the two of them are so alike they have insane synergy]
[Usually the dad does manual labor while the kid trains… but this family is different huh?]
[The problem is, this is also manual labor for money LOL]
[Ji-han… are you planning to raise Rae as a hero?]
Back to the core question:
Would Rae be raised as a hero?
It was the central theme of Braver Maker.
If Rae becomes a hero… she’ll have to step onto the battlefield.
She would be hurt, broken, face danger.
But that is the hero’s ending—
The one who brings true light and peace to the world.
The “true ending” that everyone talks about.
But Ji-han…
…I don’t want my child to fight.
He couldn’t accept the idea of the “hero ending” that most players viewed as the true or happy ending.
Ji-han, who thought of NPCs as real living beings.
Who hyper-focused and immersed into game worlds more deeply than other streamers.
And more importantly—
Rae wasn’t just any character.
She was the one who closed the awkward distance between him and his father.
The beloved daughter he raised himself.
What kind of father…
Would willingly send his daughter into battle?
[His expression looks dangerous]
[He looks like he decided something]
[Uh… Ji-han?]
[You’re not thinking something weird, right?]
Seeing the chat, Ji-han firmed his resolve.
If Rae truly wants to become an adventurer…
[I’m scared every time he makes that face…]
[Why? You worried about dopamine spikes?]
[Yeah… I can’t live without the dopamine Ji-han gives me now…]
[LOL same though]
…then I’ll make a world where she can adventure safely.
Just like the birthday party he prepared for her when she turned ten—
He would turn this entire world into a place she could run around freely and safely.
And to do that?
Kill the Demon King.
The monster called “fatherhood”…
Had begun to move.
* * *
After “Dungeon Day”—her weekly adventure with her dad—Rae would go back to school again.
Even now, she hated being away from her father, just as when she was younger.
“Master, thanks to the money you earned… the mansion feels bigger. I mean, I have more to clean, but… milady is fifteen now.”
Faro fluttered around, looking half-annoyed yet oddly pleased.
“But Master, why are you going out again? Aren’t our finances stable now?”
Seeing Ji-han gather his gear, Faro asked.
“Well, since the mansion is bigger, upkeep costs more.”
“Haha, well yeah— …Huh!? You’re going to the dungeon again!?”
Faro’s eyes widened.
“Of course.”
“Milady is going to get angry! She’ll say why you went alone!”
“Well, if you keep it a secret for me…?”
[LOL but Faro can’t lie]
[They’re gonna argue again]
[But Faro also knows the house might explode again and he’s terrified]
[Look, he’s already rolling his eyes lol]
“And besides, I used to run dungeons alone until recently. Nothing strange about it.”
“That’s true, but still! Master, stay safe! Safety first!”
[But why is Ji-han running dungeons again?]
[There are other ways to earn money…]
[Most people open shops, but Ji-han genuinely loves combat content LOL]
[To be fair… so do we]
[Very few things provide dopamine like combat does]
Ji-han stepped outside, smiling at the fast-scrolling chat.
“I’ve decided on a direction.”
[Direction? Like how you’ll raise Rae?]
[Adventurer route?]
[Hero route?]
[Or just turn her into an academic? Her grades are good LOL]
“She’ll be an adventurer.”
Ji-han said it calmly—
Like a father outlining his daughter’s future.
“But I’m planning to kill the Demon King so she can adventure safely and happily.”
[?]
[?????]
[What]
[Huh?]
[Did I hear wrong??]
[Excuse me?]
[Ji-han?? What did you just say?]
The chat exploded.
[Bro, only a hero can beat the Demon King!!]
[That’s literally the game’s entire premise!]
[LOL sure, some streamers attempted Demon King runs…]
[But the patterns were insane.]
[Most give up and let their kid do it in the end]
[This is a child-raising game, why are you suddenly doing raids LOL]
“But the Demon King’s army is everywhere… and some dungeon bosses are commanders under him. Isn’t Rae in danger?”
[That’s the POINT of the game!!]
[Overprotection level 9999!!]
[Rae: Dad… you’re suffocating me… too much pressure…]
[No! Rae would never say that!]
[I don’t know… I’m getting persuaded…]
[Don’t fall for the wicked Heavenly Demon tongue-technique!!]
[But look at him… those sad eyes… handsome face…]
[LOL the face-simps have arrived]
[Look at their nickname—he’s tagged as “Saint-Faction” lmao]
[Y’all are impossible]
[But honestly… the face is persuasive]
[If Ji-han wants it this much, let him kill the Demon King]
[Bro we can’t allow or deny it, the Demon King doesn’t care LOL]
“What do I need to defeat the Demon King?”
The chat answered:
[A holy sword?]
[You need hero qualifications]
[You need blessings too]
[Rae’s a hero seed, remember]
[She could already match you in stats]
[She was toe-to-toe with you AND crushed spirits you farmed for weeks]
“A holy weapon. Like a holy sword.”
Ji-han murmured.
“Lighty.”
He summoned Lighty, the spirit of light—
A tiny golden bird.
“When we fought Asura, the weapon coated in Lighty’s energy dealt damage, right?”
[Well, yeah…]
[…No way…]
[Ji-han… no, right?]
[That’s not a holy sword, that’s just a ‘spirit-enchanted iron sword’…]
The chat grew anxious.
But Ji-han chuckled.
“Well, the holy sword is ready. So—who do we go after first? Someone close to this village?”
[Hey hey hey HEY STOP]
[JI-HAN NO]
[ABORT MISSION]
[THIS IS WRONG]
Ignoring the viewers’ desperate pleas—
Ji-han toggled the portal and began scrolling through dungeon names.
Like a dad shopping for the best ingredients for his daughter—
He wore a soft, contented smile.
