The sight of hundreds of troops revealing only their fins above the water as they sliced through the waves was a magnificent spectacle.

It was immediately apparent that this was no mere spectacle to marvel at.

Chwaaaak—!

The shark shadow avatars leapt out of the water in unison.

Their movement evoked the image of a school of swordfish.

The result was devastating.

Chwajwajwajwak—!

The magical beasts, transformed into dolls, were torn to shreds.

Much like fruit being pulverized inside a blender.

Jung-woo could clearly see the sharks’ teeth glowing with mana the moment they leapt and bit into their prey.

It was as if they were shredding the magical beasts with those very teeth.

The marine magical beasts scattered like cotton wads as they died.

The sight of thread-like debris that had floated to the surface sinking back into the sea stretched endlessly, and soon, the waters below began to clear.

However, the situation was not over.

*Kirurururuk—!*

A doll resembling a seagull screeched from high up in the sky.

It was a champion-class magical beast, accompanied by a horde of ordinary flying magical beasts charging in to escort it.

“Above!”

The moment he shouted—

Taaaaang—!

A shark avatar shot forward like a rocket, seemingly piercing through the champion beast’s belly, but…

“Missed!”

That was not a beast that could be caught so easily.

The champion beast was elsewhere.

What the shark had pierced was an ordinary flying magical beast.

An illusion?

Cognitive hypnosis?

No.

Jung-woo knew the identity of that ability.

Of course; he had come here specifically targeting that champion’s special ability, so how could he not have analyzed it beforehand?

“It’s Phase Shift! Don’t just target one!”

Phase Shift.

The ability to swap one’s spatial coordinates with those of a subordinate entity.

It had used that to evade danger.

Let us rewind to the story before the regression.

Around this same time back then, during the summer when tourists flocked in, the gate density in Gangneung had spiked to A-Rank.

Haeparang had first requested support from Seoul, but the Management Bureau at the time refused, citing internal issues within Seoul.

Left with no choice, Haeparang’s guild master, Pyo Min-hyuk, and the executive team attempted an internal subjugation, but the results were catastrophic.

Three executives dead, Min-hyuk critically injured.

That was the outcome of over a dozen repeated attempts.

Unless the entire swarm was wiped out in one fell swoop, that magical beast—endlessly evading attacks via Phase Shift while bombarding them—stalled their progress completely.

It was the birth of the A-Rank Champion, identification name: Trickster.

Only afterward was the beast’s danger properly recognized, and Jin Hae-seo, Chairperson of Athens, was dispatched from Seoul to resolve the situation. Yet, due to the uniqueness of its ability, it remained a particularly infamous magical beast.

Would it explain things if I mentioned that equipment crafted from that beast’s magic stone eventually became Jin Hae-seo’s signature gear in the future?

Anyway,

“If anti-air attacks don’t work, we swap. Bring out the Sea Otter…!”

Ppok!

The main shark body abruptly popped up beside Jung-woo.

The shark shook its head, making a show of its wounded ego.

Jung-woo asked.

“Are you sure? You might have a lot of avatars, but there are too many flying beasts.”

Even if it shot them out like rockets to intercept them as before, a slight misstep could allow some of them to reach this isolated island.

The shark nodded as if to say it was fine.

Jung-woo hesitated.

‘Has it not shown all its abilities yet?’

It wasn’t an urgent situation.

So, let’s watch for a bit.

“…Alright. Do whatever you want.”

The shark smoothly sank back into the ground.

Then, revealing only its fin, it darted forward with a *Chwak!*

How did it intend to eliminate all those countless flying beasts at once?

Curiosity lingered, and then it happened.

Chwaaaak—!

The sharks began to change formation.

They stopped moving in straight lines and began swimming in circles, as if drawing a circle on the sea.

Their momentum built.

Chwaaaak—!

Chwaaaak—!

Chwaaaak—!

Hundreds of sharks split the waves, creating a massive current.

Like that, a whirlpool began to form in the sea.

‘What is it trying to do?’

The moment he narrowed his eyes.

Hwiririk!

The whirlpool began to surge upward into the sky.

What happened next was enough to blow Jung-woo’s mind.

*Kwarurururung!*

Jung-woo’s jaw dropped.

‘Waterspout…?’

The swirling seawater shot up into the sky, forming a massive pillar.

The sharks spiraled within it, accelerating and producing a gruesome roar.

The waterspout charged toward the magical beast formation.

At a phenomenal speed.

Kwagwagwagwagwa—!

Flying magical beasts began to be swept into the massive tornado that even reversed the air currents.

The sharks’ mana-infused teeth tore apart the beasts caught in the waterspout.

It was a majestic sight.

Even the champion could not escape the flow.

Compounded by the innate limitation of being a flying beast, even if it tried to escape via Phase Shift, all its subordinate beasts—whose positions it could swap with—were being sucked in. The champion could only flail helplessly, firing indiscriminate shots.

It was only a matter of moments.

*Kirurururuk—!*

The very despair that had once half-destroyed Haeparang was caught in the tornado and finally perished.

Hwaaaaak—!

The green sky of the gate began to turn blue.

The gate was resetting.

The tornado subsided, and the shark avatars swarmed back to the island, spitting out the magic stones they had carried in their mouths onto the isolated island.

Even then, Jung-woo was still in a daze.

Only when the main body brought over the Trickster’s special magic stone and presented it did he feel a sense of reality.

Ppok!

The shark puffed out its chest (or whatever that part should be called) with a proud air.

The dagger was held high, just like when it first appeared.

An attitude that seemed to say, “Whatever happens, I’ve proven I’m an S-Rank summon.”

Seeing this, Jung-woo suddenly felt curious.

‘But that dagger… didn’t it not use it during the fight?’

When it actually fought, it didn’t use the dagger.

It just wrapped mana around its teeth and chewed through enemies.

Thinking back, the only thing it had done with that dagger was carve sandcastles.

“…That dagger, do you just carry it around for looks?”

A question asked out of genuine suspicion that it might just be an accessory.

*Ppok?*

The shark merely tilted its head.

Late at night, having witnessed the sight of Jung-woo and his new summon wiping out the enemy in unison beyond the gate with fixed coordinates, Haeparang’s master, Min-hyuk, gaped in awe.

“Whoa… Whoa…!”

Truthfully, the scenario Min-hyuk had envisioned was the Teddy Bear coming out and grinding the enemy to dust in one blow.

Or the peculiar Sea Otter driving back the enemy with a flashy display of mixed skills.

But opening the lid, it was a new summon.

And a legion-type summon, no less.

So, didn’t a certain thought come to mind?

‘Reinforcing physical attack capabilities? Hunter Shin Jung-woo’s weakness has been resolved.’

One might wonder what weakness a Born S-Rank hunter could possibly have, but looking at the various indicators of hunter aptitude, it was a glaring one.

Shin Jung-woo was the undisputed apex of Korea, unmatched in firepower, but from the Teddy Bear to the Sea Otter, his attack types were specialized in magical projectiles, showing a weakness in physical response.

Because of that, there had been concerns that the upcoming expedition to North Korea might not be easy for Hunter Shin Jung-woo if the opposing S-Rank Champion entity possessed a mana absorption gimmick.

But seeing that weakness resolved right before his eyes, how could he feel?

‘North Korea is seriously going to get cooked.’

This was a major issue.

Still, as the master of a regional defense guild, ideas on how to utilize this issue were popping up in Min-hyuk’s mind left and right.

Amidst those thoughts, Jung-woo emerged from the gate.

Min-hyuk scrambled to run up to Jung-woo.

“Great work! Hunter Shin Jung-woooo!!!”

“Haha, thank you.”

“As expected of a Born S-Rank! If our guys had gone in, someone would have come out crippled!?”

It wasn’t just an empty statement; Haeparang lacked the firepower to take down a flying champion entity with Phase Shift abilities.

If Jung-woo hadn’t come all the way here, a quite troublesome situation would have definitely unfolded.

Jung-woo smiled awkwardly and bitterly at that moment.

He was doing so because he was recalling the original history, but Min-hyuk had no way of knowing that.

“I’ll have the kids collect the magic stones right away. Ah, should we process the surface of the special magic stone and deliver it to your home?”

“Yes, whether it’s the Association’s Disaster Management Department or my home, anywhere is fine. Thank you for your consideration.”

“Aw, don’t mention it! But…”

Right when the atmosphere was good.

“If it’s not too presumptuous, there’s this combat footage. It was recorded on the gate observation equipment, and I was wondering if we could upload it to our video channel…”

Normally, this would be an impossible proposal between guilds.

Because a video of an affiliated guild member’s combat performance was treated as very important promotional material.

However, Jung-woo’s affiliation was directly under the Association.

And since the Association had just been established, it didn’t even have its own video channel.

It was a win-win, so to speak.

For Hunter Shin Jung-woo, it was a chance to build his brand without extra effort, and for Haeparang, it was an opportunity to draw viewers to the channel they operated.

Of course, if he was reluctant, there was nothing to be done.

But Jung-woo readily granted permission.

“Yes, I’d be grateful if you did. Especially since public attention is focused on the North Korea expedition right now. It shows I can do well. Showing it might not be a bad idea.”

“Heo-eo-eok! You are truly magnanimous! Thank you!!!”

“It’s not that big of a deal…”

“I’ll edit the video to be absolutely killer! Kya! With Hunter Shin Jung-woo, wouldn’t it surpass even Chairperson Jin Hae-seo’s channel views!?”

Chairperson of Athens, Jin Hae-seo.

She was a legendary figure who had placed her guild among the Three Great Guilds at the young age of her twenties, and was an S-Rank influencer representing the current era.

With the value of a single channel video easily exceeding hundreds of millions, the revenue she earned through SNS promotion was astronomical.

Min-hyuk was certain that if this video garnered even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of that buzz, it would have a very positive impact on guild promotion.

Then, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Ah, by the way, Hunter Shin Jung-woo, do you have any thoughts on a personal channel?”

“Not really, right now?”

“Hehe, it’s quite good for pocket money. If you ever feel inclined later, please contact me at this number.”

Min-hyuk offered his business card.

“We might not be as big as the Seoul guilds, but we’re pretty good on SNS.”

“Oh… Thank you. If I ever feel like doing that in the future, I’ll definitely contact you.”

“Yes, yes, please reach out without hesitation!”

Jung-woo took the card and tucked it into his pocket.

Min-hyuk decided to be satisfied with this much.

After all, he had at least formed a connection.

“Then I will escort you to the hotel! This way!”

“I’m sorry for only receiving your hospitality. Thank you so much for staying up late.”

“Not at all! We’re the ones who are thankful you handled it! Ah, and for lunch tomorrow, Jang Kalguksu! I highly recommend the place I mentioned! They have a lot of side dishes for kids too…!”

Pyo Min-hyuk, a Gangwon-do man who loved Gangneung.

He did not forget regional promotion until the very end, concluding his meeting with Jung-woo like that.

Three days had passed since the Gangneung gate subjugation.

Jung-woo fully enjoyed his vacation until lunch the next day, then returned to his daily life with Se-gi.

There were some decent gains.

Se-gi’s happiness went without saying, but there was also the Trickster’s special magic stone, and the third summon.

He had gained a whopping three benefits from a single trip.

The special magic stone had not yet been delivered, as its processing was incomplete.

It was the weekend anyway. Besides, he didn’t need the stone immediately, so he wasn’t paying it much mind.

No, to be precise, he didn’t have the luxury to worry about the magic stone.

Parenting is war.

War is parenting.

This weekend was a time that made Jung-woo realize that truth once again.

Why?

If you ask for the reason, the answer is one.

Because the shark doll’s integration into daily life took a painful form for Jung-woo.

“Shark! Peel an apple for me!”

Ppok!

Chwajwajwajwajwak!

The dagger that had never been used in combat was being used very diligently in daily life.

The shark displayed the art of fruit carving with the dagger, and the problem was that Se-gi became obsessed with it, requesting all sorts of animals.

Right, fruit.

It was a good snack for kids and looked pretty, so it was quite fun.

The problem was that the only person who could eat and dispose of all that carved fruit was Jung-woo.

“Rabbit apple! Daddy! This is a rabbit apple!”

“Yeah… it’s a rabbit apple…”

“Hehe, it looks delicious!”

*Asak!* Se-gi ate a slice of apple.

Eight slices remained, and these were now Jung-woo’s share.

“Daddy, eat too!”

“Yeah… Daddy will eat too…”

Jung-woo had eaten five whole fruits today alone.

The terrifying fact was that this food torture would continue for a while until Se-gi’s interest in fruit carving waned.

“Shark, can you make a Teddy Bear too? Can you make a Sea Otter too!?”

Ppok!

“Wow!”

Jung-woo closed his eyes.

‘Well, I won’t be lacking vitamins.’

He decided to think positively.

During summer vacation season, people flocking to resorts nationwide is a given.

Separate from the busy workings of the hunter industry, the daily lives of the masses—freed from the threat of gates thanks to the hunters’ efforts—were like that.

Everyone was worrying about how to spend this summer.

It was a time when people searched for resorts that were generating buzz.

One piece of news emerged that set SNS ablaze.

[Shin Jung-woo’s third summon dropped, apparently?]

└ Go check the Haeparang official channel lololol Wow, is it for real?

└ ?? What’s Haeparang?

└ Gangneung’s #1. This is why Seoul country bumpkins…

Jung-woo’s third summon was revealed to the world.