It was an incredibly sudden appearance.

The shark plush doll, holding a dagger high in a striking pose, seemed to be basking in the surrounding attention; it didn’t move a single millimeter from its spot.

The gazes of the people around converged on them.

Jung-woo realized that a few among the crowd had begun to recognize his face.

It wasn’t exactly a predicament, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward.

Squealing with delight, Se-gi swam over with eager strokes, as if wanting a closer look, and reached the sandy shore.

‘She swims quite well.’

Just as a surge of pride swelled within him, Se-gi waddled over with her swim ring and threw herself into the shark’s arms with a thud!

“Mr. Stylish Shark! You’re so cool!”

Perhaps because she had always loved baby sharks, she didn’t feel any sense of intimidation from the summon.

Then again, the shark’s appearance was incredibly goofy-looking to begin with.

Regardless, he had expected a summon to appear today, but even taking that into consideration, the entrance was quite abrupt.

Jung-woo was sporting an awkward smile when—

Ppok…!

The shark staggered, losing its balance.

Wondering why, Jung-woo looked down…

Suaa—

A rolling wave had washed over the shark’s tiny feet, soaking them.

‘Ah, it doesn’t like getting wet because it’s a plush doll?’

Meanwhile, Se-gi, who was thoroughly drenched from being in the water just moments ago, was still clinging to it, unable to be shaken off.

This was a common trait among all three of his summons, so it was practically confirmed now.

‘The most important thing to the summons is Se-gi.’

His suspicion had simply turned into conviction, so it wasn’t all that surprising.

Shadow Monarch, indeed.

The dagger, the scarf, the naming—there were clear associations to be made.

‘An assassin-type?’

It was a fairly rare class among hunters.

If one were to ask, “In what way?”, the answer would be that assassins in the hunter world were a class of ‘melee dealers with all their stats dumped into attack power.’

This was different from standard game assassins who stealthily sneaked up and snapped the enemy’s neck.

They were a class specialized in annihilating enemies with truly explosive attack power and evasion.

If one were to force a similarity between the two, it would be the concept of leaving no witnesses behind.

What kind of abilities would it have?

He pondered for a moment, but it wasn’t a situation where he could dwell on it for long.

The shark was losing its balance more and more.

“Se-gi, I think the shark is having trouble standing because it’s getting wet.”

“Gasp! You’re a shark, but you can’t swim!?”

“It’s because it’s a plush doll.”

“Gasp…!”

Se-gi’s eyes filled with a sense of betrayal.

The shark, who had been striking poses until then, belatedly scrambled about with soft ‘ppok ppok’ sounds, trying to show off something, but how could it possibly overcome its innate limitations?

Ppok…

The shark hung its head in despair.

Despite not having what one would call a facial expression, its dejection was painfully obvious.

Se-gi blinked her eyes.

Then, flashing a bright smile, she spoke to the shark.

“Then should we make a sandcastle???”

Ppok?

“Daddy brought a sand shovel, you know~ Se-gi has to make a sandcastle today, so you have to help, Shark!”

Ppok…! Ppok!

Delighted by Se-gi’s consideration, the shark plush doll bounced up and down.

Jung-woo let out a hearty chuckle at the sight.

He stepped out of the water and patted Se-gi’s head.

“Se-gi, you’re so sweet. You’re even considerate of your friend.”

“Se-gi is sweet!?”

“Yeah, the sweetest in the world.”

“Hehe… Right! Se-gi is sweet! The teacher said Se-gi is sweet too!”

After all, how could it be easy for a five-year-old to consider another’s perspective without being told?

He had heard that girls were more developed in this area, but even taking that into account, Se-gi had an exceptionally strong ability to empathize with others.

“Then shall we play with the sand? We can play in the water a bit more after we finish.”

“Yay!”

Ppok!

For now, let’s just enjoy the vacation.

Complicated concerns could wait until after Se-gi went to sleep; besides, if it was just a spec test for the shark, he could simply use the gate he had reserved for the early morning hours.

Jung-woo took out the sand play set and handed Se-gi a shovel.

Se-gi energetically dug up sand and packed it into a plastic bucket, pressing it down firmly before flipping it over to create a sturdy pillar.

“I’m going to build a castle for a princess! Do you want to sculpt too, Shark!?”

Ppok!

The shark stepped up.

For some reason, it exuded an air of overflowing confidence, and it turned out not to be baseless; the shark, taking its stance in front of the cylindrical sand tower, looked quite convincing.

With the dagger gripped in a reverse hold on its fin tucked behind its back, it leaned its upper body forward in a pose that looked as if it would charge at any second.

It was immediate.

Chwajwajwajwajwak!

The shark’s figure blurred, and the sand pillar was carved away madly.

In about a second, the explosive sculpting was over, and the result that unfolded before their eyes was astonishing.

“W-Woaaaah!!!”

“…Oh.”

How could it sculpt something like this with that cotton-stuffed dagger?

The sand grains were shaved down to the millimeter, popping out a perfectly sculpted structure complete with ornaments atop the spire.

Se-gi was awestruck, and Jung-woo’s jaw dropped.

Applause began to pour in from the onlookers who had been secretly watching.

Jakjakjakjak—

“Whoa…”

“Wait, S-Ranks can do things like that?”

“But I haven’t seen that summon before. Is it a new summon?”

A minor drawback of being a celebrity.

But, at least for now, it wasn’t acting as much of a drawback.

“Hehe…”

Se-gi’s shoulders puffed up with pride.

It seemed she was quite satisfied that strangers were cheering for her.

Ttiring!

【”The recognition of others is always sweet!” The child has experienced what it feels like to have her achievements acknowledged! Everything is more rewarding when others recognize your efforts! [Great Caregiver (1/10)] *Collect stickers to unlock skills!*】

Even a Quest Stack.

This was definitely an ‘Outstanding’ rating.

‘Filling up the stack is going to be harder from now on.’

Since it was hard to fill the stack through repetitive actions, it was certain that raising the stack would become more difficult going forward.

Of course, there was no need to be disappointed by that.

If anything, it served as motivation.

‘You’re making me search for and ponder the things I couldn’t do for Se-gi on my own.’

The Perfect Caregiver aptitude was like a parenting guide.

It constantly made him worry about how to make his child smile, which was exactly what a guide would do.

He inadvertently thought of it again—just what exactly was the true nature of this aptitude?

It was still a question too difficult to answer, so it ended with mere contemplation.

In the meantime, the child’s vacation was proceeding in full swing.

“Let’s make a carriage next!”

Ppok!

Se-gi and the shark, burning with enthusiasm, began to frantically scoop up sand from the beach to create works of art.

It was a peaceful moment.

The summer vacation was a success.

At the very least, the smile that hadn’t left Se-gi’s face all day proved it.

After playing with the sand to their hearts’ content, he unsummoned the shark and they resumed swimming.

Then, after eating at a restaurant and returning, she had fallen asleep before it was even nine o’clock, seemingly having completely run out of battery.

He spent a long time looking down at the face of the child who had fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Only then did Jung-woo find the time to reflect on the changes that had occurred today.

‘First, the special quest.’

He turned his gaze to the interface.

【[Special Quest: Se-gi’s World] Please show more of the world to your little treasure, who can only discover it through you! So that her imagination can bloom more vibrantly!】

【Se-gi’s World (1/?)】

It was a new skill quest.

Hunter quests consisted of continuous quests to grow one’s main aptitude, and special quests to unlock skills with different mechanics than those currently in use.

This was clearly the latter, and it was obvious that clearing it would add a non-summoning skill to his interface.

The only issue was that the quest’s destination was unclear.

‘Why is it marked with a ‘?”

He pondered it, and the answer that came to mind was this:

‘Ah, a format where rewards are determined by milestones?’

It wasn’t a rare type.

The quest would continue semi-permanently, granting rewards every time a certain number of milestones were filled until the final reward was reached. Generally, the rewards would enhance the skill provided at the first milestone at each subsequent checkpoint.

His aptitude was just unique; the systemic mechanics still followed the lineage of the standard hunter system, so he didn’t think there would be any deviations in that regard.

It was just deeply moving.

‘Showing the world to Se-gi…’

It felt strange to see the realization he just had reflected back at him as a quest.

He could figure out the details later, and since the quest content simply floated tasks he needed to do for Se-gi’s upbringing like a memo, he didn’t feel any resistance to it.

‘Step by step.’

Just like other quests, he thought that if he faithfully spent time with Se-gi, the destination would eventually reveal itself.

Next was the shark summon.

There was no reason to prolong his deliberation.

‘Should I get going soon?’

The scheduled gate subjugation time was at midnight.

It was two hours from now.

Jung-woo summoned Teddy Bear.

Pang!

“Stay by Se-gi’s side while she sleeps. I’ll be right back.”

Ppok.

The gate he was subjugating today was A-Rank.

Above all, since it was a performance test for the shark, there was no need to employ Teddy Bear’s front-line annihilation.

Teddy Bear plopped down next to the bed where Se-gi was sleeping and waved him off as if telling him to go ahead.

Jung-woo smiled brightly and carefully left the hotel room so as not to wake the child.

His destination was the headquarters of Haeparang, the guild in charge of Gangneung.

It was a place that took eight minutes to reach by taxi from the hotel.

Unlike the large guilds in Seoul, regional guilds typically operated by renting out floors in office buildings.

This place was no different.

“It is an honor to meet you! I am Pyo Min-hyuk, the master of Haeparang!”

“Hello. I’m sorry for the late hour.”

“Not at all! You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this day!”

Normally, a night gate exploration would be guided by the company’s duty staff.

However, the person in charge would naturally vary depending on the situation.

Jung-woo knew exactly where he stood in the current hunter world.

He was well aware that if he were to conduct a night subjugation for personal reasons, the person in charge of the jurisdiction might come out to meet him.

This was just how the world worked.

Jung-woo handed over the paper bag he had brought.

“It’s nothing much, just some snacks. I figured I should bring something like this at least.”

“Gasp! You shouldn’t have…! I will treasure this as a family heirloom!”

“It’s food, so maybe you should eat it before the expiration date?”

“Yes, sir!”

At the passionate response of the short-haired young guild master, Jung-woo couldn’t help but smile awkwardly.

Anyway, the greetings ended there.

“Then allow me to guide you to the gate!”

“Yes, thank you.”

Jung-woo followed Min-hyuk to their destination.

Where was the Third gate of Gangneung located?

To answer that question, it was in a very unusual location.

“You just need to come aboard!”

Chwaaak!

At the harbor, where waves surged under the night breeze, Jung-woo boarded a boat.

They set sail, and in less than ten minutes, he saw the gate situated in the center of a fleet of fishing boats camped out in the middle of the sea.

“Welcome to the marine gate, the pride of Gangneung.”

Min-hyuk flashed a wide grin.

Jung-woo also felt a sense of novelty.

“I’ve heard about it, but it really is on the sea. It must take a lot of effort to manage.”

“Haha! Actually, managing it is rather easy! There’s the issue that guys with severe seasickness can’t join our guild because they have to pull shifts on the boats… but regardless, in the event of a shock incident, civilian casualties converge to zero.”

“Ah, I suppose that’s true.”

“We just have to be careful during summers like this. We have multiple safety measures in place, but it gets tricky if the density isn’t managed when there are a lot of tourists coming for beach swimming.”

Jung-woo nodded.

It was certainly something he could understand.

If a tourism-focused city like Gangneung were to give up this slice of the pie, the impact on the local community would be massive.

Therefore, the hunter world needed to operate in a way that protected this, and while that might be easy under normal circumstances, things were different nowadays when people frequently entered the sea where magical beasts directly operated in case of an emergency.

‘That’s why density management is especially strict during this season.’

It wasn’t just Gangneung; all the gates along the East Coast were like this.

Busan even went so far as to cap the gate density so it wouldn’t exceed the B-Rank threshold during the summer.

That was the reason Jung-woo was able to take over the subjugation today.

In Seoul, A-Rank hunters were a dime a dozen, but to a regional community like this, an A-Rank gate was a massive disaster.

It was an incident that required a manpower support request to the Seoul headquarters, and since Jung-woo already knew about the situation during this season, he took on the job with the goal of acquiring a Special magic Stone.

“Thank you for reporting it at the appropriate time.”

“Not at all! We’re the ones who are grateful that you came all the way here to help in person. So, how was Gangneung?”

Jung-woo could read the anticipation in Min-hyuk’s eyes, the kind unique to people who took pride in their region.

There was no need to add flattery.

“It was the best vacation of my life. You have no idea how much my daughter loved it.”

“Hehe…! Is that so? Gangneung really is a great place! Everyone thinks of Busan first when it comes to the sea, but…!”

Min-hyuk began to endlessly expound on what a wonderful place Gangneung was.

There wasn’t a single word he didn’t want to hear.

In particular, the local restaurant recommendations from a resident were something Jung-woo needed to pay close attention to.

After all, he had to solve lunch right here tomorrow before leaving.

Before long, they were in front of the gate.

“Have a safe trip! We’ll be standing guard!”

“Yes, I’ll be back.”

There were buoys to use as footholds up to the gate, making entry easy.

Jung-woo took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Hwaaaaak—!

The scenery instantly flipped.

A green sky, a blue sea.

And where Jung-woo stood was a small, isolated island the size of a house’s living room.

[Initiating Calling Protocol!]

The operator’s voice came through his earpiece.

“Yes, please begin.”

Then, a sharp ‘kiiiii’ noise rang throughout the space.

Immediately after, countless hordes of magical beasts leapt from beneath the sea surface, and the sky was no different.

[Kiiiiii—!]

In the distance, a flying magical beast with a strikingly pure white body appeared.

That was the beast.

‘Found it. The Special magic Stone entity.’

It was an A-Rank beast, but its utility alone gave it a value rivaling S-Rank, an entity that had caused bidding frenzies at auctions.

He felt greedy.

“Come out.”

Ttiring!

【[All-Ages Filter] is activating!】

【[Children Need Heroes] is activating!】

【Slot 3! Shark Shadow Lord (S) is being summoned!】

Ppyoppyoppyoppyoppyoppyoppyong!

The magical beasts charging toward the island all turned into plush dolls simultaneously.

Even so, since the beasts retained their inherent traits, the plush doll beasts that fell into the sea didn’t sink.

They had simply slowed down.

At the same time, the shark plush doll was summoned with a pang!

Seeing the guy frozen in another striking pose, Jung-woo spoke.

“Can you handle it?”

The shark looked at the magical beasts ahead and nodded.

Just what kind of combat would it show?

It was a moment where his chest filled with anticipation.

Seureureuk—

The shark suddenly began to seep into the ground.

Then, leaving only its top fin above the surface, it completely submerged into the floor.

Jung-woo let out a gasp of admiration.

‘Fluidification?’

It didn’t seem to simply phase through matter; judging by its movements, it looked more like it set environmental resistance to zero, allowing it to exhibit perfect performance in any environment.

Then came the next ability.

When it activated, Jung-woo realized.

Why the shark’s name was ‘Shadow Lord’.

Poong—

Poong—

Poong—

Poong—

Black fins began to sprout all over the space.

They were the shark’s avatars.

They began to emerge, phasing through the space, regardless of whether it was land or sea.

The number of sharks multiplied madly.

Eventually, they became something that rivaled an entire army.

Jung-woo’s eyes widened at the sight.

Ppok!

Chwaaaaak—!

The shark army simultaneously cut through the water and charged toward the enemy lines.