Mir El Hatches – And Shatters the Orb
Poke poke. – Ung... what? Something's pressing on my cheek... poke poke. – Uu... poke!! "What the heck... huh?"
As that rough, prickly something kept poking my cheek over and over, I woke up and came face-to-face with a black little creature.
"Ppii!!"
"...You don't mean."
"Ppi!"
She was born. My baby!
"So... cuuuute..!!"
I scooped up the adorable creature gazing up at me with those clear, sparkling eyes, and the little dragon nestled right into my arms without a hint of resistance, licking at my nape.
"Heehee, that tickles."
"Ppii~"
Meeting my child for the first time, she was so pure and cute that all the worries I'd mulled over before falling asleep vanished in an instant.
"Ah, you must be hungry, right? Let me get you something to eat... Oh, the order hasn't arrived yet."
After a brief moment of thought, I hurriedly got ready to head out. I grabbed a rubber band nearby, tied up my long hair into a bun, and stuffed it under a cap. Then I threw on a baggy cardigan and track pants – men's sizes, but roomy enough – and finished prepping in a flash.
"Beef... that should be fine, right?"
"Ppii~!"
She probably had no clue what pork even was, but she sent back boundless baby enthusiasm anyway.
"Yeah. But first, we gotta pick a name... Hmm..."
A casual pet name popped into my head right away, but this kid was a full-fledged intelligent being – destined to become an SS-rank dragon one day! She deserved something cool... The problem was, my naming sense was trash.
I considered crowdsourcing from the collective hive mind, but no way was I handing my baby's name over to strangers.
"...Mir El."
A dragon name I'd seen somewhere before. Unlike Raguna, the evil dragon that wrecked America, this one evoked a healing dragon.
"Mir El – that's your name. The dragon who'll heal the world. Whaddya think?"
"Ppii~"
Seemingly thrilled, Mir El climbed up my body, settled on my shoulder, and rubbed her cheek against mine.
"Ahaha, you like it?"
"Ppi!"
"Great! Alright then, Mir El. Let's go grab some food!"
"Ppii!"
As the sun dipped low into the dusk, I headed to the nearby mart for Mir El's dinner.
"Not many people around?"
Phew, good thing. I'd worried about crowds during dinner hours, but it was still early evening, so the place was pretty empty. Gotta grab food quick and get home.
"Mir El, you gotta stay quiet in there, okay? No ppii sounds either?"
At my words, Mir El's eyes gleamed from inside the bag as she nodded obediently.
"Welcome~"
As I stepped into the mart, even though I'd tried to downplay it, my silver hair must've stood out – staff and a few customers all stared right at me.
Awkward...
Butcher section first? I grabbed a basket and swept up everything in sight. Even the stuff Mir El poked her head out to point at – all of it!
Thud!
I plunked the basket on the counter, and the cashier lady blinked in surprise before chuckling warmly.
"My goodness... you're a hunter, aren't you?"
"Y-Yes!"
Damn, I bit my tongue in shock. But she just kept scanning items and chatted on.
"My daughter's a hunter too. Isn't it tough? She always says she's fine over the phone, but that just worries me more. Right?"
"Yeah..."
"That's just how moms are. No matter how strong your kid is, you fret even when they grab a kitchen knife to cook... let alone fighting out there."
"...Totally."
Yeah, even if Mir El grew into a super-strong dragon, I'd still worry if she charged into battle alone.
"Oh, need a weighted bag?"
"Yes, one please."
"That'll be 100 won~"
I packed all the meat into the bag, paid up, and was about to leave when I suddenly wanted to ask her one thing.
"Ma'am."
"Yes?"
"Even if your daughter turned out rotten, you'd still love her, right?"
"Hm?"
She looked flustered by the random question, and I was about to apologize and bolt – but then she smiled warmly at my back.
"Of course. If my girl turned bad, there'd be a reason for it. If a parent doesn't believe in their kid, who will? Moms and dads always side with their babies, no matter what the world throws at 'em."
"...Yeah, you're right. Weird question, sorry. See you next time."
"Sure thing~ Come again!"
It was just a quick grocery run, but somehow my heart felt a lot lighter.
Boil and grill the meat? Nah, that can't be it. Cooking meat is an art – from spices to the precise water temp and timing when adding it, all affecting flavor and texture. And I'd splurged on premium Hanwoo top-grade – no way I was messing this up!
Sizzle–
I listened to the even searing of the beef, flipping at the perfect moment. Juices locked in, surface perfectly caramelized via the Maillard reaction. I pulled the nicely grilled pieces, wrapped them in foil without slicing, and let them rest for five minutes.
...Mir El was drooling, dying to dig in, so I unwrapped the foil in a hurry and piled it all on a big plate.
"Here, eat up!"
"Ppii!!"
Maybe 'cause it was her first meal ever, Mir El dove headfirst into the plate like she'd been waiting forever, chomping away.
"Ppii~ Ppii! Ppi ppi!"
"Yeah, sounds like it's super tasty, huh?"
"Ppi!"
"Hehe, of course. Who grilled it?"
Is this why moms love it when their cooking gets praised? Felt so good I grilled up more.
Click–
Can't post to the gallery yet just in case, but once everything's out in the open, these'll be perfect growth record pics~ The camera already had over thirty shots of Mir El.
"Oh yeah, Mir El."
"Ppii?"
I suddenly remembered she was truly born from that evil dragon's essence – hard to believe – and asked.
"Can you fight, Mir El?"
"Ppii...?"
From what I'd seen so far, even a few days old, she looked like she'd lose to a street cat. Sure, she'd grown fast, but was she really dungeon-ready? Or Association-registrable?
She pondered my question for a sec, then nodded vigorously.
"Ppi!"
Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Whoa, haha! Copied from TV? You're good!"
"Ppi!"
Mir El stood wobbling on her hind legs like a boxer, flailing her tiny arms cutely. She thought she was going super fast, but it was too adorable – camera out automatically.
Click–
"Hm, but dungeon raids right away? Probably too much."
"Ppii..."
My body recovers quick anyway, but not hers? Better play it safe. We had money to spare for now... Registering while she's weak wouldn't hurt.
"Let's hit the Association tomorrow!"
"Ppi!"
Re-register later when she's strong, sure – but that's for folks chasing rank-ups. I just needed dungeon access, no biggie on re-testing.
"For now, eat lots and sleep tight!"
"Ppii~!"
"So, you're a summoner?"
"Yes."
"And that kid..."
"My summon."
"Hmm... some kind of baby wyvern...?"
The next day, I headed straight to the Hunter Association and registered Mir El as my summon. Law required tamers and summoners to register theirs. Get caught carrying one unregistered like I did last night? Massive fine. And as an unregistered hunter? Way worse than a warning.
But Mir El wanted to go out...
If your kid wants something, who cares about a fine? Worst case, name-drop Tae Hoon if things got dicey. That guy's generosity knew no bounds~ He'd clutch his neck and faint if he heard, but luckily he was off on a Chuncheon A-rank Gate expedition. Minimum a week, up to three. He'd even said the egg might hatch while he was gone.
Bet he didn't expect same-day hatching.
"Wyvern... okay, we'll register it. This way to the beginner measurement room."
"Yes!"
Followed the staff to the measurement room – huge crystal orb there.
"Have the hunter... er, summoner hit it with your summon's strike. It holds up to B-rank mana, so go all out, no worries."
"Hear that, Mir El? Go wild – one big whoosh!"
"Ppi!"
I grinned, snapping pics of the baby strutting confidently to the orb. Then–
Shwoooo–!!
BOOOOMMMMM!!!!!
"...Huh?"
Mir El's tiny punch hit the orb, whipping up a mini storm across the room – then the orb straight-up exploded.
"Ppiieee!!"
The victor's roar echoed through the half-destroyed measurement room.
Association President Kim Cheol Hwan recalled the tremor that had just shaken the building, a faint smile on his lips.
It reminded him of the urgent call from a certain young man last night – a hero from past wars.
'Name: Seol Yun. Requesting new identity creation and privacy via S-rank hunter authority. I'll take full responsibility for any issues.'
Kim Tae Hoon, who'd never once used his privilege since becoming S-rank, had called the president directly for this mystery woman.
"What could this woman be to Kim Tae Hoon...?"
Curious, but he wouldn't dig. If the Association got caught snooping, Tae Hoon's distrust would spread – from Association to the nation itself. No need to feed nosy politicians ammo.
"Hmm... A woman worth crafting a whole new identity for... Heh, young love."
Tae Hoon would've protested wildly, but the president stamped the document on his desk.
Approver: Association President Kim Cheol Hwan (Approved)