HBSHF | CH 06

Chapter 6 – The Homeless Knight’s Return

The homeless man, Kim Daebang — also known as Mikael — frowned deeply.
“…Yeah, this isn’t right.”

He stood up suddenly, waving the golden cloth that was always with him.

“Huh? Hey, Kim! Where are you going? The free meal service is about to start!” shouted Dalyong, another homeless man nearby.

“I’ll be right back. Please get mine for me, Mr. Dalyong.”

“You know they said you can’t get someone else’s portion!” Dalyong yelled desperately, but Mikael ignored him and dashed out to the street.

Today’s meal was spicy pork stir-fry.
Even though the air smelled faintly of that delicious dish, he didn’t stop running.

‘That kid… I can’t get her out of my head.’

He was thinking about the little girl he saw that morning — a girl whose strange, foreign-looking appearance stood out in the middle of Seoul.

‘If she’s wandering around alone without parents, something bad could happen.’

Mikael walked quickly toward the place where the girl had disappeared earlier. But soon, he was met by a wave of panicked people rushing toward him.

“It’s a Dungeon Break!” someone screamed as they ran.

A Dungeon Break — Mikael had heard a bit about such things from Dalyong: gates, monsters, chaos. But this was his first time seeing one in person.

When he saw the massive tentacles tearing through the sky, his heart dropped.
A Kraken — an enormous, terrifying sea monster — was emerging.

“No way…”
If that girl was still over there…?

Mikael’s heart started pounding violently.
He couldn’t be sure — maybe she had found a police officer and gone somewhere safe.
But his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

“Why… am I trembling?”

He clenched his fists, trying to calm down, but his eyes were already fixed on the monster destroying the city.

“I have to find her.”

When he reached the site, his fears were confirmed — the little girl was there.

Without thinking, Mikael threw himself forward and grabbed her.
The moment he held her in his arms, a strange light burst from the child’s small body and wrapped around him.

A divine power flowed through his veins — awakening something long forgotten.

Fragments of memory flooded back:

“Papa, this one’s the Tiger Punch! And this one’s the Tiger Combo Punch!”
“You have to protect Daddy, Eire. Don’t get in trouble.”
“Papa, let’s live happily forever, okay?”

Every precious memory — his daughter’s laughter, her warmth, their bond — returned all at once.

And at last, Mikael understood why he’d been drawn to the child.

He hugged her tightly.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Daddy’s late.”

***

Eire blinked up at the man who had just saved her.
Her dad — her real dad — looked like a ragged beggar, but his eyes were kind.

He gently set her down somewhere safe and reached behind his back.

A flash of golden light erupted — a Holy Knight’s greatsword appeared where nothing had been before.

“Stay here, sweetheart. Daddy will finish this quickly.”

Mikael Arcanyd — once the Grand Knight Commander of Asteria — felt mana surge through him like a storm.

He gripped his sword tightly and leaped into the sky.

“Whoa… Daddy’s flying…” Eire murmured in awe.

High above the city, Mikael faced the Kraken’s enormous eye. Sunlight glinted off glass windows and haloed him in gold.

“Don’t scare my daughter, you overgrown squid!”

He swung his sword.
A crescent of light tore through the air—

And with a single strike, the mighty A-rank monster was cut clean in half.

The tentacles that had wrecked the streets turned to ash and blew away.

Mikael landed softly on the broken sidewalk, his golden cloak fluttering behind him.
He turned and smiled at his daughter.

“How was that? Daddy’s Tiger Strike.”

Eire jumped to her feet and ran full speed toward him.
Someone shouted for her to be careful, but she ignored it.

She threw herself into his arms.
“Daddy’s the best… I missed you so much!”

“I missed you too, Eire,” Mikael said softly, his voice warm and full of laughter.

As father and daughter embraced, a blue screen appeared before Eire’s eyes.

[Sub-Quest: “Find Your Father, Holy Child.” — Completed]
[Reward: Passive Skill — “Cuteness Saves the World (Mythic).”]
[Effect: The more you are loved and adored, the more Love-Love Points you gain.]

“‘Cuteness Saves the World’? ‘Love-Love Points’?”
Eire tilted her head in confusion. She was only four, and none of it made sense yet.

Just then, a familiar voice shouted—

“Eire!”

It was Harin, running toward her. She’d just woken up after the battle and looked half-crying, half-relieved.

“Thank goodness you’re okay…”

When she finally noticed the man standing beside Eire, her expression changed to shock.

“Wha—AHHHH! What is that!?”

She screamed and covered her nose.
Mikael may have defeated a monster, but he was still a homeless man who hadn’t bathed in two weeks.

“Dirty! Dirty! DIRTY!” she yelled, swinging her wand wildly.

[Harin casts ‘Sparkling Clean (E)’!]
[Harin casts ‘Sparkling Clean (E)’!]
[Harin casts ‘Sparkling Clean (E)’!]

With three quick spells, Mikael’s filthy clothes became spotless, and his hair and skin returned to their original neat state.

“Oh…” Mikael blinked, touching his now-clean face. “Amazing magic.”

“Wow! The princess turned Daddy into a prince!” Eire giggled, spreading her arms.

Harin, still panting, turned in surprise.
“Daddy? Wait—this beggar is your dad?!”

“Yes! He’s my daddy!” Eire said proudly.

Harin stared at Mikael, completely speechless. He could practically see what she was thinking:

“How could this smelly guy have such an adorable daughter?”

Mikael chuckled.
“Thank you for protecting my daughter.”
He reached out a hand politely.

Harin hesitated, then pinched his fingertip between hers for the lightest handshake imaginable.

“I didn’t do much. But… did you just defeat that monster alone?”

She was still trying to process what she’d seen.
A spontaneous Dungeon Break, a monster appearing out of nowhere—and this man had ended it in seconds.

“I’ve never seen you on the news. Are you an A-rank hunter? Or… did you just awaken?”

Mikael only gave a small hum and stared at the glowing screen before him.

“You mean this level here?” he asked casually.

“Yes, that’s your rank…”

He looked for a while, then said quietly, “It says S-rank.”

Harin’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
“S… S-S-rank?!”

“Daddy, what’s that? Is X-rank good?” Eire asked.

“Not X, sweetheart — S. I think it means Daddy’s really strong.”

“Wow! Daddy’s stronger than me?”

“Haha, no, not stronger than Eire.”

“Heehee, I knew it!”

They chatted and laughed as if the city weren’t half-destroyed around them.
Only Harin stood frozen, internally screaming—

“S-RANK?! S-RANK?!!!”

She understood exactly what that meant — S-ranks were legends in Korea, practically gods among hunters.

But what Harin didn’t know…
was that the little girl smiling beside him, Eire, had a status screen even more shocking than her father’s.

***

Meanwhile, above them, a helicopter circled the ruins, its camera light flashing.

In the Hunter Management Bureau headquarters, the live feed from Seoul played on a giant monitor.

A man sitting in the director’s chair tapped the armrest impatiently.

“…Find out who that awakened man is. Now.”

His cold voice cut through the silence.