First Raid: Breeze Turns to Storm
I guess this is a raid? Buses always make me so sleepy. I never doze off in a taxi, but for some reason, buses hit me with waves of drowsiness. Is it because my brain's gotten smaller? Holding back sleep is way harder than before. So I had no choice but to nap until we reached the training site.... Not that I'm making excuses for leaning on Suyeon unnie—just saying.
"We're here~"
Luckily, traffic was smooth that day, so it didn't take long. I stretched my arms wide, yawning, and hopped off the bus holding Suyeon unnie's hand.
"Shiro, this is your first raid, right?"
"Yep!"
Of course, I'd accidentally fought alongside Grandpa on the street once, but that hardly counted as a proper raid. I wasn't even sure what I'd done myself.
"Not nervous?"
"I don't get nervous...."
Dohun was watching, so I put on a tough front, but yeah, I was a little tense. Grandpa worried but didn't tag along. It would've been so reassuring if he had. Though Se-eun unnie called me a worrywart and held him back. She knows my powers inside out—what's dangerous about academy practice in a grade-1 gate? Don't be nervous, Shiro. I get it logically, but fully convincing my heart is another story....
The bus dropped us off and sped away right after. Gates weren't clustered in one spot, so it dropped off assigned teams one by one before heading out again. We walked toward the cordoned-off road. Gates could pop up anywhere, even smack in the middle of the street—like that triceratops had.
An academy staffer who'd arrived early ahead of us counted heads and nodded. He looked super competent.
"No missing team members? Suyeon, Yonghun, Dohun, Shiro—all present?"
"Yup~ All here~"
"We're all here...!"
By the gate stood one Hunter Association staffer and one from the academy.
"Hey, squirt. Know why there's an Association staffer at every gate?"
"...To report if monsters come out right away?"
"Pfft, you haven't studied properly, huh?"
I vowed to freeze Dohun mid-pretend-mistake once the raid started. But seriously, isn't that the only reason...? I really had no clue.
"Shiro's not wrong, but go easy on her~ She's just a kid."
Even Uncle Yonghun treating me like a child? Betrayed by my own axe.
"Lemme explain it right. Gates that aren't instant-spawn can mostly be predicted by machines for when they'll pop and what rank they are."
"Oh...."
"Association staff handle those machines. Plus, every gate has 'clearance rights.' Monster byproducts are super valuable, so they check eligibility and prevent disputes. Got it?"
"Got it...."
He looked the type but had brains too? His needless thoroughness pissed me off. Suyeon unnie covered her mouth, chuckling softly.
"You flunked tests on that 'cause you couldn't memorize it. Acting like you know."
"Unnie!"
Nope, not him. Figured he was my kind—looks don't mean brains.
"About 20 minutes till gate activation, so let's do a briefing first. I'll just observe—you trainees handle it."
The academy staffer adjusted his glasses and stepped back. It's practical training, after all—no hand-holding.
"Shiro, you know roles by position, right?"
"Yup~"
"Unnie's main thing is mana barriers. She'll tank aggro max, so hit the weak points Dohun oppa points out. Think you can?"
"Of course!"
"So reliable~"
Machines couldn't predict exact bosses, sadly. We reviewed positions lightly and shared abilities.
"I got a weak-point finder skill and short-range teleport. Even up close with the boss, I'm fine—don't worry."
"Uncle heals wounds and buffs~ Best not to get hurt, but tell me if anything hurts?"
"Um, I handle ice. And make it snow."
"Huh? Snow? How do you fight with that?"
"Ugh...."
I'm seriously strong, but explaining's hard. I've barely used my powers. Froze a dino, attacked with Absolmi, but honestly, I don't get the mechanics yet. I gave a vague rundown, and he nitpicks? Getting more annoying by the minute.
"It's coming soon."
The Association staffer announced activation and evacuated. The gate rippled wildly, hole expanding as it floated up.
Boom—
The boss dropped to the ground: a hopgoblin. A massive goblin the size of a utility pole, limbs freakishly elongated. Minions were classic cartoon goblins with wooden clubs or bows.
"Formation up!"
Raid start flipped Suyeon unnie's switch. Grade-1 gate, but her vibe screamed caution— one slip and you're injured. We shifted to our planned setup: unnie front, Dohun, me, Uncle Yonghun. Watch the boss first.
"I'll handle small goblins first—Dohun, find weak points meanwhile!"
"Roger—"
"Shiro, go wild your first time? Experience matters!"
Unnie's usually quiet, but raid-mode Vanguard barked orders and charged. Whumm— A yellow barrier wrapped her. Sparkly effects drew monster eyes naturally.
Perfect—my turn.
"Absolmi, let's show 'em our power!"
—Kyaak!
Absolmi launched skyward on cue. Like in the test, I spread my hands toward him, channeled mana, and triggered Breath of the White Night.
"Go! Brave Absolmi!"
—Kyaaaak—!
Absolmi, gale-wrapped again, dove at the hopgoblin's heart. Goblins below froze—literally—unaware, eyes wide. Hilarious.
Pop—!
Air burst; Absolmi punched a bowling-ball hole clean through the chest, exiting the other side. Like the orc, upper body iced solid. It keeled over—shatter.
"Absolmi! You're the best!"
—Kya—ak!
Absolmi preened his beak and returned. I hugged my star performer tight, bouncing with joy.
"...?"
"Huh?"
Sensing the awkward silence mid-celebration, I turned. Suyeon unnie, Dohun, Uncle Yonghun—plus Association and academy staff—all stared blankly. What just happened?
Did I finish too fast? It's practice—should've held back, synced up?
"...Ehehe~."
Embarrassment hit; I scratched my cheek.
Suyeon unnie thunked her massive hammer down. Asphalt chunks flew from road impact. Dohun gaped, forcing awkward laughs.
Admit it: I'm future S-rank material.
"Shiro... what was that...?"
"No way, bullshit—that an artifact? Item?"
They dropped combat stance, swarming me with questions, sweating bullets in shock. Academy staff looked stumped on how to report. No evaluation material here. I didn't follow theory perfectly—just brute-forced it. Raw power's strong, but tough for raid academy to grade.
"Hehe... Nothin' special...?"
Today's wrapped, but next time dial it back—
Beep—
Association staffer's belt device chimed. Alerts for nearby high-level gates.
"...!"
Gates split mainly: instant-spawn (dino-style, high-risk spew-on-birth) vs. standby (practice-type, timed safely). Standby ~60%, instant ~30%.
What's the last 10%?
"It's a Trap Gate! Everyone back!"
Trap, mutant, composite—'special types' fill the rest. Traps trigger hidden after clearing one.
And...
"Grade-3! Grade-3! Fall back—!!"
Traps usually two grades higher. Wind from inside whipped my hair. Suyeon unnie and Uncle Yonghun gulped tensely.
Whoooosh—
Through dust clouds, the boss emerged from the gate.