It's a Secret-yot!
Shin So-mang returned home, cradling the Hedgehog Summoner God in her arms as she caught her breath. The moment she slipped through the front door, she dodged her parents' eyes and headed straight to her room. Creak. The door clicked shut behind her.
"Phew."
A sigh of relief escaped her lips.
"Dochi."
"Um... sorry for yelling earlier. I was just startled and... I should've thanked you first."
Shin So-mang set the hedgehog down on her bed. She finally delivered the gratitude she'd held back before.
"If you hadn't come, I would've been in big trouble. Thank you so much. And sorry again."
Shin So-mang let out a soft chuckle at the hedgehog's innocent reply. It felt like looking at a pure, guileless child.
"Got it. Let's eat together later and then dance."
Only now did the tension finally ease from her body. Shin So-mang gently stroked the hedgehog's fur, staring intently at it all the while.
"No... you're just so cute and amazing. I've never seen a real monster before. Only on broadcasts."
"Not a country girl—our world doesn't have races like yours to begin with. Sure, there are normal hedgehogs that look kinda like you... but they can't talk or summon anything."
"That's the normal one. You're the special one."
Shin So-mang stifled a laugh. A talking hedgehog. A hedgehog that summoned spirits. A creature with strange, extraordinary powers—a monster. For Shin So-mang, witnessing her first monster up close, her impression was simply, "It's cute."
Any other monster might have inspired awe. But among those tamed by Kang Geon, the Hedgehog Summoner God had such an adorably compact appearance that it just looked cute. Of course...
The spirits it had summoned earlier were not cute at all. Her legs had gone weak on their own, and just looking at them had nearly made her faint. If those spirits had been summoned with malice, Shin So-mang—and probably any other human—would have passed out on the spot.
"By the way, Dochi."
"That monster your spirits ate earlier... was it pretty strong? Like the Psycho Clown?"
"Oh, really? So it was a weak monster..."
"Then why'd you summon such huge spirits? You could've gone with smaller ones."
Shin So-mang blinked at the hedgehog's response, tilting her head.
"Those were your smallest spirits?"
"Then what about the ones summoned in the labyrinth?"
After hearing the Hedgehog Summoner God's explanation, understanding dawned in Shin So-mang's eyes.
"Right. Labyrinth monsters sometimes get nerfed in size too. Spirits aren't an exception..."
Power and ability nerfs only applied around the explorer. But size nerfs were always active across the entire labyrinth. Shin So-mang recalled what Kang Geon had shared from the explorer's journal.
After that, Shin So-mang and the hedgehog sat side by side on the bed, chatting amiably. Midway through, she unconsciously started stroking its fur again.
"So soft and fluffy."
The gentle texture slipped between her fingers.
"Is this fur or spines...?"
As she petted it vigorously, it hit her.
"Ah."
Shin So-mang's eyes wavered.
"I forgot to thank Geon oppa for the help."
She hurriedly grabbed her smartphone.
"Dochi, can you see this broadcast?"
"Even monsters tamed by Geon oppa can't see it, huh."
Opening the chat window, Shin So-mang thanked Kang Geon and slowly explained what had happened.
Mi-si had posted in the chat. Instead of her usual emoji-only style, she used words to recount every detail of the incident.
She'd encountered a monster in an alley. Asked me for help. The Hedgehog Summoner God appeared. Summoned two massive spirits... She described the event from start to finish.
The goblin's body hadn't remained. The spirits had sucked it up alive and devoured it. And those two bizarre creatures causing chaos in Korea right now? They were the true forms of the Hedgehog Summoner God's spirits. In the labyrinth, they were always size-nerfed to tiny versions.
"In the end, it was my misjudgment."
"I didn't realize the Abyss undead spirits were actually that huge. If I'd known ahead of time, I would've sent a different monster instead of the Hedgehog Summoner God. No chaos like this."
Summoning spirits that big was unavoidable from the hedgehog's perspective—all its spirits were that size.
"The Hedgehog Summoner God has no offensive power without summoning. It has to call spirits to fight."
"It wouldn't lose, but it probably wouldn't win either."
Not quite a normal hedgehog. Its attack power was abysmal with no lethality, but its evasion was near-maxed. It danced to toy with foes and dodge most attacks. Defense was solid too, if not quite as high.
Anyway, no blame for the mishap. The hedgehog wasn't at fault. News said no casualties either.
Korea's in an uproar... but I can ignore that.
It was too massive an incident to die down soon. But I didn't need to intervene. Only jo-ryeokja knew I was involved. They wouldn't pinpoint the Hedgehog Summoner God either—the spirits were summoned from high in the sky, not near the hedgehog and Mi-si in the alley.
Of course, worst-case: trace the goblin's ascent from when the spirit devoured it, scour CCTV, ID Mi-si. But I decided not to worry. Nothing I could do about it. Just hope their investigative skills weren't that sharp.
Mi-si posted a photo. A shot of the Hedgehog Summoner God she'd brought home. Probably to show she had it safe.
While the jo-ryeokja bantered in chat, I drifted into thought.
A goblin on Earth means that slime from the YouTube video was probably real too.
Why were monsters appearing on Earth? Definitely not native—they'd have been discovered by humans long ago. So, monsters leaking from another dimension. Very recently, too.
I had no idea why. Maybe an issue with the dimensional barrier. Either way, a bad feeling churned in my gut. Like an omen of something bigger.
What if monsters keep trickling in little by little... until one day they burst through all at once?
Ominous. I was a bit worried my homeworld might get wrecked by monsters.
If I were on Earth, no need to worry.
My power was sealed. But facing otherworlders or a torn dimensional barrier would unseal it. I'd handle the monsters solo then.
For now, with jo-ryeokja on Earth, dispatch them immediately if something happens. Best I can do.
Scour the labyrinth for vending machines. Stock up on designated dispatch tickets. Just in case.
The next day.
The Hedgehog Summoner God returned to the labyrinth. Psycho Clown greeted it first.
Holding a grudge from before, huh.
The hedgehog trotted over to me.
It climbed onto my shoulder, lowered its voice to a whisper.
"What is it."
"That's the secret?"
"Shin So-mang?"
"Got it."
"But who was Shin So-mang again..."
A name that didn't ring a bell. An acquaintance from somewhere? As I rummaged through memories, the hedgehog spilled details on this Shin So-mang.
With the details, hazy memories sharpened. Scattered fragments clicked together, and Shin So-mang slowly came into focus.