The First Summon
The mysterious entity that had been racing through the forest suddenly floated into the air. Everyone’s eyes turned toward it, and Kim Soyeon watched as the shadow it cast fell directly onto her.
“Kyaaaaah!”
And the moment that shadow touched her face—
Mong-geul!!
Squishy. Slimy. Wet.
It felt awful. Like the seaweed Kim Soyeon hated most.
She shuddered violently and flailed her hands in panic.
Her friends, who had been standing nearby, finally rushed over to help her. Only then did they come face to face with the creature’s true identity.
“Huh?”
“What is that?”
“A slime??”
It was white, oval-shaped… or maybe hemispherical?
It rose into a smooth dome on top and clung flatly to the ground as if it might melt and flow away at any moment.
It looked like liquid, yet also like jelly. It seemed like it would be chewy if you touched it.
And sure enough, it really did resemble a slime. It looked almost exactly like one.
Having regained her composure, Kim Soyeon crouched down in front of the slime-like being.
“It’s not a slime. Slimes are monsters. If the alarm scroll didn’t pick it up, then it’s not a monster.”
You scared me, you jerk!
She snapped off a transparent tree branch and poked it repeatedly. The slime-like creature trembled as if tickled. It showed zero aggression, so it definitely wasn’t a monster.
“Maybe it’s a fairy, Boss?”
“Yeah, Boss. It looks just like those floating bubbles, right?”
“You think so?”
As had been explained before, the ‘fairies’ the children spoke of were simply phenomena caused by mana scattering in the air. But Kim Soyeon and the kids had no way of knowing that, so they simply accepted it.
Well, in a mysterious world, what was one more mysterious creature? Especially if it wasn’t a monster!
Kim Soyeon’s gaze returned to the slime-like being… It needed a name. This was the perfect chance.
“From now on, you’re Mong-geul. Doesn’t Mong-geul sound better than slime?”
Mong-geul mong-geul.
“You can understand me?”
Mong-geul mong-geul.
“If you understand, try making a different sound. Like Mong-geu-reu~!”
Mong-geul mong-geul.
“Ugh, of course not.”
Anyway, although the sudden situation had startled them, the raid had to continue. That was what a raid was for.
Kim Soyeon took the lead again. She didn’t forget to say goodbye.
“We’re leaving now. Next time, even if you’re happy to see us, don’t scare us like that.”
Mong-geul mong-geul.
Take care!!
Waving their hands, Soyeon and the raid party moved forward.
But something was strange. Mong-geul kept following them.
No matter how much Soyeon waved for it to go away, it continued to trail behind.
This wouldn’t do. It kept catching her eye.
The way it followed them like a lost puppy made Soyeon feel incredibly uncomfortable.
Eventually…
“Stay right there. If you move, I’m leaving you behind.”
Mong-geul mong-geul!
“Ughhh.”
Before she knew it, Mong-geul had settled on top of Soyeon’s head.
It jiggled with satisfaction. The slimy sensation made Soyeon shudder along with it.
If anyone asked why it had to be on her head of all places, the answer was simple: it had copied Park Su-bin and his Gigant.
This was exactly why people said you had to be careful about sneezing in front of children.
They continued cutting through the mysterious forest for the raid. How long had they been walking? Kim Soyeon and the children’s raid party finally ran into a fundamental problem.
“How much longer do we have to walk?”
“Boss, my feet hurt.”
“I’m sleepy.”
“We’ve been walking forever and it’s still just forest. Are we supposed to keep walking aimlessly?”
Exactly.
The biggest problem with this raid was that the objective was unclear.
They knew clearing the gate meant completing it, but how exactly were they supposed to clear it?
They didn’t know where to go or what the destination was. If it was a gimmick gate, they at least needed to know the gimmick, but they didn’t.
Did they need to defeat the ‘boss’? If so, they needed to know where the boss room was. But Kim Soyeon and the children’s raid party truly knew nothing.
In a situation like this, the children’s fragile mental strength was bound to hit rock bottom quickly.
Not everyone had a clear ‘dream’ like Kim Soyeon.
Just when Kim Soyeon’s raid party seemed on the verge of a pathetic failure—
Mong-geul!!
It moved.
The Mong-geul that had been on Kim Soyeon’s head bounced away. It was as if it were saying, Follow me!
“Mong-geul??”
Where it led them was surprising. Another Mong-geul was there.
It was a ‘Tree Mong-geul’ with its roots embedded in a translucent hill.
The original Mong-geul bounced around in front of it.
“What is it? Is it trying to tell us something?”
“Maybe it wants us to pull it out?”
“It looks like it’s asking for something.”
“What should we do, Boss?”
The children hesitated and looked at Kim Soyeon. She stepped forward and asked Mong-geul.
“Mong-geul, is that your friend?”
Mong-geul mong-geul.
“It’s not?”
Mong-geul mong-geul.
“Tell your big sister properly.”
She didn’t know why she called herself big sister. It had just slipped out in frustration. At that moment, Mong-geul’s surface flickered like a hologram, and Kim Soyeon’s eyes widened.
— Big sister.
— Big sister.
— Dream.
— Dream.
Mong-geul kept repeating “big sister” as if recognizing something.
And then—
— Dream.
— Dream.
“……?!”
A message flashed through her mind like a dying breath.
Dream.
She didn’t know why, but that single word filled her with courage. Kim Soyeon strode forward and snapped the ‘Tree Mong-geul’ in one swift motion.
Snap!
What the children witnessed next was a miracle they had never experienced before—and would never experience again in the future.
“Wooooow——!!”
The transparent tree sparkled and turned into starlight.
The rocks floated up and became bubbles drifting in the air.
The hill burst into full bloom and became a galaxy.
The world was being purified.
In the middle of that dazzling miracle, Mong-geul had already settled back on top of Soyeon’s head.
— Three. Three. Three.
— Big sister.
— Dream.
* * *
It had been a first raid filled with noise and chaos.
But that final, breathtakingly mystical miracle had completely enchanted the children.
So much so that the first thing they said upon waking up was—
“Boss! Yesterday was so, so much fun!”
“Boss, we’re going again today, right?!”
“Boss!!”
“Boooooss!”
Children at this age were mysterious creatures whose stamina was determined by their mood.
If something was boring, they couldn’t last ten seconds. But if it was interesting and fun, they displayed infinite stamina that even adults couldn’t keep up with.
Faced with her highly motivated teammates, leader Kim Soyeon smiled brightly.
“Of course! Let’s go again today!”
Not a single child complained about lack of sleep. Their eyes sparkled, and every movement was filled with energy.
Just thinking about returning to the hill of dreams and mystery made their hearts race.
“Let’s eat lunchboxes today.”
“Really?!”
“Wow, that sounds so good!”
“I’m gonna eat tteokbokki.”
“I want cup ramen!”
“I want ice cream too!”
“We can’t forget the snacks!”
“Alright, everyone prepare what you want to eat. But don’t let anyone see. Got it?”
“Yeah—!!”
At Soyeon’s single command, the children sprang into action.
That day, the picnic table set up by the valley saw an unusually large number of disappearing snacks.
Things like tteokbokki and kimbap vanished in bulk. The snack and drink boxes stocked in the PC bang for the fathers were left riddled with holes.
Their movements were perfectly coordinated. Their routes were flawlessly planned. Their item retrieval technique was impeccable.
And so, late that night when everyone was asleep, the children opened the closet door once again.
“Mong-geul! Big sister was waiting for you.”
Mong-geul mong-geul.
“You did so well. Good job!”
Mong-geul mong-geul.
With Mong-geul’s enthusiastic welcome, the second day of the raid began.
The children, now far more experienced, began to enjoy this world with much more ease.
“Boss, look at this. You can play ball with the bubbles.”
“If you break this tree, it grows back.”
“The colors mix too. See? It really does look like a slime, right?”
And finally, the long-awaited mealtime arrived!
They took out their lunchboxes from the subspace pouch.
“Huh?”
“The tteokbokki doesn’t taste like anything.”
“Boss, this is weird. The kimbap tastes like sand.”
“The snacks are okay, but the kimbap and tteokbokki are all weird?”
There was a reason combat rations existed.
When fresh, unprocessed food went in and out of a subspace pouch, it completely lost its flavor.
Of course, Kim Soyeon had no way of knowing that. She stared at the tasteless kimbap and fell deep into thought.
Is this what Dad eats when he raids?
Suddenly, she remembered what Bokchi oppa had said.
Gates were far more dangerous than she thought. There was no such thing as a romantic or fun raid.
Soyeon stuffed the tasteless kimbap into her mouth.
It had no flavor, but she chewed it anyway. She thought of Bokchi oppa, Yeonu oppa, Lira unnie, Grandpa San, and her dad’s face.
Before she knew it, Mong-geul beside her was also chewing on the tasteless kimbap.
Together, they finished the prepared lunchboxes and defeated the second ‘Tree Mong-geul’.
And perhaps it was from that moment on.
Kim Soyeon began to see things she had never noticed before.
Yeonu oppa said becoming a hunter isn’t something you can do just because you want to.
The twins who shouted that they would become great hunters like the Giant God or the Genius. Mi In-hye, who loved Guardians. Kim Cheol-su, who dreamed of being a frontliner but shyly admitted it would be nice if he awakened as a hunter too.
And Kim Soyeon herself.
Everyone here dreamed of becoming hunters.
But—
How many of us will actually become hunters and return to the gates?
The twins might become the Giant God as they sang about, or they might end up as ordinary office workers. Mi In-hye might remain a lifelong Guardian fan. Kim Cheol-su would probably stay timid whether he awakened or not.
And what about Kim Soyeon?
As the daughter of Hwarang, she desperately wanted to become Mir Guild’s Next. But on the other hand, today might be the last time she ever returned to a gate.
When she reached that thought, Kim Soyeon began to tremble.
So this is it.
No one could guarantee anything.
It didn’t matter if you were good or bad. Your environment, your effort, your desperation—none of it meant anything. Only those who were chosen could do it.
That was what a hunter was.
That was why talent was so cruel.
Only now did Kim Soyeon begin to faintly understand the cruelty Baek Yeon-woo had spoken of. And little by little, she began to change.
“What do you guys think?”
“What should we do? Let’s think about it together.”
“Cheol-su oppa, what do you think we should do?”
Kim Soyeon, who had always been smart and brave, always taking the lead—sometimes even called rough and self-righteous—began to open her ears little by little.
She asked her friends for their opinions. She listened to the voices around her.
“Pretty unnie’s uncle.”
“Yeah?”
“What is a leader?”
“The person who commands the team.”
“Then what is commanding?”
“Hmm, what do you think commanding is, Soyeon?”
Having grown like this, Kim Soyeon was finally able to do something truly, truly difficult.
When Soyeon came out of the forest, Mi In-hye stuck to her side. Soyeon, holding tissues, had an extremely determined look on her face.
“……Did you do it?”
“Yeah.”
“A-amazing, Soyeon!”
There were no longer any children here whining that they were tired.
Although it had started as a little escapade and turned into an unexpected raid, the children had clearly grown through the experience.
And so, before long, the end of the raid arrived.
·
·
The children were pulling on the stem of the Boss, the ‘Giant(?) Flower Mong-geul’, like a game of tug-of-war.
“……Kids, pull at the same time.”
“Okay!”
“Heave!”
“Heave!!”
With Mong-geul and Kim Soyeon at the front, the children leaned their bodies back. As Kim Soyeon pulled with all her strength, she remembered what Lee Shin had told her.
Brilliant strategy, perfect insight, exceptional charisma.
These were known as the virtues of a great commander.
But Lee Shin had told Kim Soyeon there was something even more important than those.
Trust.
“Keep going!”
“Just a little more!”
“We can do it!!”
“You’re doing great!!”
The child who had once said “Just follow me” was now saying they could do it. That they were doing well! That they were amazing! She looked her friends in the eyes and asked them to hold on just a little longer.
Encouraged by their leader’s cheers, the children squeezed out every last bit of strength they had.
How long did they pull with one heart and one mind? Finally, the ‘Flower Mong-geul’ began to come loose.
And then—
Crack—!
Whoosh—!
The roots were torn free, and the ‘Flower Mong-geul’ scattered into the sky.
The hill of dreams and hope instantly filled with starlight.
The bubbles floating in the air glowed like rainbows, and the transparent flowers and plants transformed into fairies that roamed the world.
The world was returning to purity.
Floating within that world, Kim Soyeon had a premonition.
No matter what future awaited her, she would never forget this moment.
Kim Soyeon’s eyes sparkled brighter than the starlight.
Cleared.
* * *
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Oof.”
Crash, bang, thud.
Along with the clear message, children poured out of the closet.
The kids tangled on the floor laughed brightly, filled with overwhelming excitement.
“Boss, we did it!!”
“We actually did it!”
The twins clenched their fists tightly.
“That was amazing… the best…”
“I’m sad it’s over.”
Mi In-hye had a dreamy, enchanted look in her eyes, while Kim Cheol-su openly showed deep regret that the adventure had ended.
And leader Kim Soyeon was smiling like an idiot in a “fluffy embrace.”
“Hehehehehe.”
Because she had achieved her dream! Because she was so happy!
The overflowing happiness kept spilling out of her mouth.
That was why she hadn’t realized why she was in someone’s “embrace.”
“Heh, Soyeon looks really happy.”
“Yeah, Soyeon is happy……”
Twitch! Her head turned like a broken doll.
Wide-eyed. Her big round eyes captured someone’s face.
Crescent moon eyebrows. Fair skin. A smile as childlike as Kim Soyeon’s.
“……”
“……”
“……!!”
“……Eek.”
It was Yu Ri-ra.
It was Lira unnie!!
“Uwaaaaaah!!”
“Aaaaaah!!”
They had been caught!
Realizing that Yu Ri-ra had been rolling around with them the whole time, everyone jumped back in shock.
At that moment, a powerful voice came from behind them.
“Did you all have fun?”
“!!”
The children turned around at once and came face to face with an absolute being they had never seen before.
Lee Shin.
And not just any Lee Shin—this was Lee Shin in serious mode.
Standing with his arms crossed, looking down at the children, Lee Shin jerked his chin toward the chairs in front of him.
“If you’ve come to your senses, sit down.”
As the four children nervously glanced around and sat in the chairs, Kim Soyeon’s eyes darted back and forth.
There were only four chairs prepared?
No more chairs?
And Pretty unnie’s uncle was smiling terrifyingly?
What should she do right now? Her brain quickly searched for an answer.
Before long, Kim Soyeon dropped to her knees and thrust both arms into the air.
Lee Shin let out a small chuckle.
“As expected, you’re quick on the uptake.”