Deeper into the Gate: Goblin Chief and Dmol's Arrival

I resolved not to let my guard down anymore as I pressed forward. Gripping the Sword of Judah tightly, I steadied my breathing and scanned the surroundings. Psi crouched low beside me, alert to every shadow. We didn't need words; the tension between us was palpable. I advanced slowly, one deliberate step at a time. Psi moved silently in sync. This time, there was no rushing in. I stayed hyper-focused, ready to react to the slightest movement.

The gate's interior remained damp and dim. Strangely, monsters weren't as plentiful as I'd expected. Is it because this is the lowest-grade gate? I wondered. Or are Psi and I stronger than we think? No way to know for sure, but things had gone smoothly so far.

Then it happened. A wide open space loomed ahead—a large clearing. I halted instinctively, and Psi stopped in perfect unison. Our eyes met. We cautiously peered into the clearing's entrance.

And there they were. Goblins. A cluster of green-skinned monsters huddled together, clutching crude wooden clubs. Their ragged breathing echoed with that signature goblin rasp. I quietly raised my sword.

One stood out among them—far bulkier than the rest, with broad shoulders and a massive club. It looked like the leader of the pack. I glanced at Psi. She was already primed for battle. I whispered softly,

"Let's go, Psi."

In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the next instant, we surged forward together. I swung the Sword of Judah.

"Feather Missile!"

Feather-like energy burst from the blade. At the same moment, Psi launched into the air, her tail feathers glowing red. Dozens of feathers rained down from above.

Shooo!

The feathers plummeted into the goblin horde. Several crumpled instantly, pierced clean through. But the hulking leader goblin stood firm. A few feathers lodged in its flesh, red blood trickling out, yet it endured.

"Grraaaah!"

The leader bellowed and charged straight at me, its enormous club slicing through the air. I gritted my teeth.

Boom!

I blocked with the Sword of Judah, but the force was overwhelming.

"Ngh—!"

My body slid backward several meters, feet scraping the ground. My arms went numb. That's when Psi struck. She swooped behind the leader ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from above.

Crunch!

Her sharp beak tore into its back. The goblin leader shrieked in agony. But in the blink of an eye, its hand snatched Psi.

"Peep!"

It hurled her away. I dove forward.

"Psi!"

I caught her mid-air. The impact shoved me back a few steps. I checked her immediately.

"Psi, you okay?"

She caught her breath and nodded, as if saying, 'I'm fine.' I steadied myself and raised my sword again.

"Good."

I murmured,

"One more time."

Psi took to the air once more. I lifted the Sword of Judah.

"Feather Missile!"

Feathers from Psi and my blade launched in tandem, a barrage hurtling toward the leader. It charged through its wounds, closing in right before me.

Then—it froze and collapsed forward.

Thud.

Its body hit the ground and began to fade away. I stood there, panting heavily.

"Hah… hah…"

My hands trembled slightly. I looked at Psi. She descended and perched on my shoulder. I smiled faintly.

"Psi."

I stroked her head.

"Good job."

She wagged her tail, seeming to reply, 'You too, Dad.' I took another deep breath.

"We… we really did it."

I scooped her up triumphantly.

"We did it, Psi!"

Psi panted wearily but rubbed her face against my shoulder, tail flicking gently. Her small body felt warm.

That's when the instructor, who had been watching quietly from behind, approached slowly. He glanced at the spot where the goblin had vanished and said gruffly,

"Not bad… better than I expected."

I caught my breath and met his gaze. He nodded slightly.

"Honestly, I didn't think you'd pull this off."

He crossed his arms and continued,

"Figured you'd handle a few regular goblins at best."

He paused, then added,

"Didn't see the leader going down."

I straightened a bit with pride. Psi flicked her tail smugly on my shoulder. Afterward, I gathered the scattered mana stones one by one. Small glowing stones piled in my palm. I counted them.

Lowest-grade mana stones — 20

Low-grade mana stone — 1

The leader must have dropped the low-grade one. The rest were all lowest-grade. Staring at them, I muttered,

"This should get me… about two gacha tickets."

A bit disappointing, but not bad for a first gate haul. The instructor said,

"Training's over for today."

He pointed toward the gate entrance.

"Let's head out."

Stepping outside, the school air hit me—back to reality. The instructor stretched ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠casually.

"Good work."

He added,

"Grab lunch and rest up."

He eyed me briefly.

"See you tomorrow."

I bowed my head.

"Yes, Instructor."

I carried Psi toward the cafeteria. Classmates were already there: Kang Tae-jun, Han Yura, Seo Ha-rin, and Lee Sea. As I entered, Lee Sea spoke first.

"Heard you cleared the gate."

She asked,

"How was it?"

I took a spoonful of food and replied,

"Not as easy as I thought…"

After a moment,

"In every way."

Kang Tae-jun chuckled.

"But you're back alive."

Han Yura's eyes sparkled.

"Real monsters?"

I nodded.

"Rats and goblins."

Light chatter followed briefly. But as we finished eating, Psi in my arms grew quiet. I looked down. She was dozing against my arm, head bobbing slowly. I chuckled softly.

"Must be exhausted."

I gently lifted her and stood.

"Psi's tired… and so am I. Heading out first."

Psi was nearly asleep, face buried in my chest. I slipped quietly from the cafeteria.

Today had been long, but oddly satisfying. I returned to my dorm room, carefully laying Psi on the bed. She was out cold, her tiny body rising and falling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠steadily under the blanket. I smiled and stroked her head.

"You did great today."

Then I headed straight to the incubator. Inside the transparent device, Dmol's egg glowed faintly. I crouched down and whispered,

"I'm back, Dmol."

At that moment, the egg trembled slightly. I stared in surprise.

"Huh…?"

I hurriedly checked the status window. It popped up before my eyes.

"Almost… there."

I swallowed hard. It was on the verge. I quickly grabbed a towel, small blanket, and water, then knelt carefully by the incubator again. My eyes never left the egg, afraid to miss a thing. While waiting, I reached over and stroked Psi on the bed. She wagged her tail faintly in her sleep. I turned back to the incubator.

The quiet room was filled only with the soft tick of the clock. How much time passed? Then—tap.

A tiny sound. I held my breath. A fine crack appeared on the egg's surface.

"Dmol…"

I leaned forward. The crack widened. Pop. A small beak pushed through the shell—sharp and precise. I smiled quietly.

"That's it… good job."

I encouraged softly.

"You can do it, Dmol."

"Just a little more."

Movement stirred inside. Shell fragments broke away. Soon—crack. The egg split wide, revealing a tiny body. Damp wings. A newborn Dimorphodon.

I exhaled carefully.

"Whoa…"

I reached in and gently lifted Dmol out. Her body was still slick with albumen. I dried her slowly with the towel. She blinked her tiny eyes, dazed. I spoke tenderly,

"Hi, Dmol."

The little life stirred in my palm. I cradled her close. She was small and warm. Smiling, I said,

"Nice to meet you."

Then softly,

"Thank you for coming to me, Dmol."

At that instant, Dmol let out a faint chirp—like a first greeting to the world. And with it, the status window appeared.

It was just like Psi's hatching. I chuckled softly, gazing at Dmol.

"Welcome."

As if in response, Psi's tail twitched slightly on the bed.