Rina took the wheel and drove down the road. She didn't trust Jinyo's driving skills one bit. If Jinyo were behind the wheel, who knew what bizarre incidents they'd encounter before reaching the exam venue.

  Jinyo didn't let the time go to waste. He picked up his Botanical Arts textbook and began reading. He was absorbed in it because he was close to fully interpreting this tome.

  Gretel played mobile games in the back seat. The boy glanced at his mother driving and his father buried in a book. In other families, the father would be the one driving. His family was the complete opposite—making the woman drive while the man sat comfortably.

  Hmph. Pathetic.

  Gretel didn't yet know the truth about just how "marvelous" his father's driving skills were. Nearly every time Jinyo drove, something heart-stopping happened. Most recently, Jinyo had wrecked the Beetle until it was nothing but scrap metal. He currently owed the rental company 2.5 million.

  "???"

  Jinyo noticed a notification that Gretel's Affection had dropped again. It was only 5 points, but this was yet another instance of his son's Affection decreasing for unknown reasons. Why were this mother-son pair so hard to please?

  "Rina, can I ask you something?"

  "Go ahead. We have plenty of time."

  "Why is Ryse so afraid of being abandoned? Did something bad happen before?"

  Jinyo fired off the question that had been bothering him. He heard a sigh from the young woman. The sound of the mobile game from the back seat quieted until it was barely audible.

  "I don't know either. All I know is that before I took Ryse in, she was left alone for two whole weeks."

  "Why!?"

  "Because they couldn't confirm Norn's status yet. It took two weeks to officially declare Norn as missing. It wasn't like she was truly alone—there was a housekeeper who came to clean and bring food and water. But for Ryse, it was no different from being alone. Even though it looked that way, Ryse has a very hard time with strangers."

  "Ah..."

  Jinyo could picture it. Alone in a large house. Waiting for her mother—who was her entire world—to return. Praying without knowing when her mother would come back.

  Jinyo understood Ryse's feelings all too well. At least he'd had Naho as his younger sister. But Ryse had no one. Even though she lived in the same village as Gretel, she and Gretel didn't share the same house. In Ryse's mind, waiting for a mother who had vanished without a trace while a housekeeper only came to clean and prepare meals—for that little girl, it was the same as being abandoned.

  With driving skills far above standard, Rina brought her boys to the exam venue in just one hour—even though Jinyo had needed to budget three hours in advance the day before. The training center was far more lively today than previous days. The parking lot was so packed there was barely a spot left. She didn't want to imagine what would've happened if they'd arrived an hour later—they probably wouldn't have found parking at all.

  Gretel jumped out of the car. He looked at the gathered crowd and was about to dash off, but his mother grabbed his arm to stop him from running wild.

  Jinyo walked into the training center building and registered as an examinee. He received a queue ticket for the basic aptitude test. Only those who passed the basic aptitude test would be allowed to take the practical exam in the afternoon. It was currently eight in the morning, but the first exam wouldn't start for another hour—leaving plenty of time to take Gretel around exploring.

  Gretel was a boy. He had energy to spare for running around. Normally, Gretel barely paid attention to his surroundings—he only cared about things that genuinely interested him. But the moment he set foot in the training center, his entire world filled with color and fascinating things everywhere.

  Gretel had grown up in a military camp village. It was natural for him to dream of becoming a soldier or a skilled Hunter like his mother. He had never been to a Hunter exam venue before—not even once. To put it accurately, before meeting Jinyo, Gretel was hardly taken anywhere because the military camp village had everything one could need: supermarkets, schools, hospitals, sports fields. The security level was so high there was no need to worry about danger.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  The training center today was as different from the day Jinyo came for his teaching license exam as heaven and earth. Not only were there ten times as many people, but vendors had set up shops like a festival market. Of course—between teaching exams and Hunter exams, society paid far more attention to Hunter exams. Because even though being a Hunter was a dangerous profession, it received government support and held higher social status than other occupations in the current world.

  Rina led Gretel by the hand to the Hall of Honor. This place displayed trophies and a roster of achievements inscribed in history since the training center's founding. Golden trophies and many photographs were kept behind high-durability security glass. Several children and adults were gathered here. The children's eyes sparkled with fascination—because this was a place that collected the accomplishments of people from the past.

  Gretel looked up at the very top, where a mural told the history of the world and legendary tales.

  "Mom, what's that painting?"

  Gretel pointed at the mural. Rather than being interested in other people's trophies, Gretel was more fascinated by the stories depicted on the walls. Rina walked over with her arms crossed, but she wasn't good at remembering things. The knowledge she'd learned in elementary school was mostly forgotten.

  "That painting is called 'Progenitor of the World.'"

  Jinyo stepped in to serve as narrator instead. He gazed at that mural filled with nostalgic memories. It depicted a man in ancient garb whose age was impossible to determine—neither clearly young nor old. He was surrounded by many people who followed him as disciples.

  "Legend says the Progenitor of the World came from the far side of the moon. In an era when the world was ruled by demons and supernatural beings, he taught humanity how to use power and protect themselves. He was the teacher of all mankind. He lived for a thousand years and showed humanity the Path of Ascension to Heaven."

  "What's the Path of Ascension to Heaven?"

  "The path to a perfect world. A long lifespan. Transcending the limits of life and death. I don't really know what it means either. But the ultimate goal humanity strives for is to achieve liberation from the human lifespan. Though I believe true immortality doesn't exist."

  "Why not?"

  "Because the Progenitor of the World is dead. If the Progenitor walked the Path of Ascension to Heaven, why did he die? Even if he lived for a thousand years."

  "Oh, I see. I thought if someone was strong enough, they could become immortal."

  Gretel's expression showed disappointment. In his imagination, if you kept training, you could live forever.

  "No one has ever lived to a thousand years. But according to historical records, besides the Progenitor, the longest-lived person survived to 890 years."

  "Who was that? Living almost 900 years—they couldn't have been ordinary, right?"

  "He was the youngest principal disciple of the Progenitor. One of the founders of our country. He used a Divine Armament to build this nation from the legacy the Progenitor left behind before dying."

  Jinyo reached out to take Gretel's hand and led him to explore the murals that told countless stories.

  "The Progenitor of the World used six Divine Armaments to create an era where humanity could fight supernatural beings on equal footing. Before he died, he bestowed Divine Armaments One through Five upon his principal disciples. Those disciples used the Divine Armaments to establish the Sacred Dynasties. They swore an oath among themselves not to interfere with each other's territories for 1,000 years. Thus, the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, and Central Continents each had only one Sacred Dynasty per continent."

  "But now only the last Sacred Dynasty remains—in the Central Continent. Our country once had a Sacred Dynasty too. It just collapsed several hundred years ago."

  "What about the Divine Armaments? Where are they? I want to see a Divine Armament!"

  Weapons used to build nations and establish dynasties! As a boy with dreams, Gretel wanted to see one at least once. In his understanding, such things should be in some museum. But unfortunately, he was wrong.

  "All five Divine Armaments vanished long ago."

  "Aww..."

  "If they weren't destroyed, they disappeared. I mean, they were important, sure, but weapons are still just weapons. What's interesting, though, is the Sixth Divine Armament..."

  Jinyo brought his son to stand before the final mural. It depicted the Progenitor of the World gazing down from heaven, watching over the world ruled by his disciples. No one could interpret what the Progenitor was feeling. Perhaps pride, despair, or emptiness. What was certain was that he had taken a sword with him—even in death.

  The Divine Armaments were weapons that truly existed in history. So the Sixth Divine Armament should exist as well. However, aside from stories, there was no evidence of the Sixth Divine Armament's appearance. Not even its name.

  If the Progenitor left Divine Armaments One through Five for his disciples to use in protecting the world from supernatural beings, why did he covet the Sixth? While Armaments One through Five had names that were remembered, not a single person knew the name of the Sixth. There was no record of when the Progenitor ever used it.

  From Jinyo's scientific perspective, there was no way a dead person could take an object to the afterlife. He had believed since childhood that the Progenitor must have hidden it somewhere and never told his disciples before passing. But if it were ever discovered, humanity might finally learn why the Progenitor never gave it to mankind.

  "Jinyo, Gretel, come here."

  Rina called the father-son pair over. Gretel released Jinyo's hand and ran to his mother. What Rina wanted her son to see was a photograph and trophy protected in a glass case. Gretel's eyes sparkled immediately.

  The framed photo, preserved under coating, showed a nine-year-old boy and girl standing on a podium receiving a trophy.

  It was Jinyo in 1st place and Rina in 2nd place.

  Both had won the championship in the Swordsmanship Competition for the Under-12 category at just nine years old. Following that was Jinyo taking 1st place in the Combat Competition for Males Under-12, and Rina taking 1st place in the Combat Competition for Females Under-12.

  "Pretty amazing, right? Your mom and dad when we were young. This was the first trophy I ever won. Even though there's one trophy that someone snatched right in front of my eyes."

  Rina turned to glare at Jinyo, who scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

  "I didn't know Mom and Bro Yo were so skilled since you were kids. I'm going to win a championship at nine years old too!"

  The flames of competition blazed bright. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Jinyo as a child must have been truly talented. He, who inherited bloodlines from both geniuses, had to produce results no less than his birth parents. Yes—he should set his expectations to win a championship at eight instead!

  Rina watched her son with a complex expression. She gave him a faint smile of encouragement as he aspired to follow in her footsteps. As a mother, her duty was to pave a path for her son so he wouldn't repeat her mistakes. She turned to look at Jinyo, who watched Gretel without letting him out of his sight. The gaze he directed at their son was warmer than even her own.

  "Do you think Gretel can do it?"

  "Of course he can. No matter how difficult it gets, I'll help Gretel make it happen."

  Jinyo still remembered clearly what gifts Gretel possessed. His eldest son had the potential to grow into a supreme genius. Dominant genes from both parents gave Gretel a future without limits. But he also carried two severe recessive genes that could endanger his life and make his future difficult. Still, Jinyo believed that with his power and knowledge, he could make his son's dreams come true.

  "Is that so? I'm counting on you then."

  Rina patted Jinyo's shoulder before taking Gretel to explore other trophies. But after seeing his parents' trophies, Gretel lost interest in anyone else's.