The weather was perfect for an outing—fluffy clouds, a gentle breeze, and cool, refreshing air. Byeol had woken up early in the morning and packed her bag with snacks. Just as the sun was starting to rise, she ran up to Do-Jun, who was reading the newspaper, and asked excitedly, “Can I go out to pway?” “Where will you play today?” Do-Jun asked her. “Fihst, I’ll go see the Squas.” “Then, I’ll go to the playgwound.” “Alright. But eat breakfast before you go.” Do-Jun smiled warmly as he mixed some misutgaru[1] with milk and honey. Byeol loved sweet things, and the honey-sweetened drink was a favorite of hers, which she eagerly drank. When Do-Jun was busy, he often made it as a quick breakfast. Licking her lips excitedly, Byeol grabbed the cup with both hands and hurriedly gulped it down, then stood on her tiptoes to place the empty cup on the table. Do-Jun pulled out a tissue, knelt down, and gently wiped the misutgaru that had smeared around Byeol’s mouth. He patted her head with a smile. “Going out now!” With that, Byeol put on her shoes, opened the front door, and headed outside. Taking a Choco Pie out of her bag, she munched on it while walking down the street. To reach the Horned Squirrels, she had to turn a corner in the alley. She took a big bite of her half-eaten bun and turned the corner. At that moment, a Fissure suddenly appeared in that spot and swallowed Byeol in an instant. It was a dimensional gate, created through the Book of Transfer. About ten seconds after Byeol was swept into the gate, Kiriel emerged from the same gate. “Eh? What’s this?” he said, picking up a discarded Choco Pie wrapper from the ground. He clicked his tongue. Someone must have eaten the bun and carelessly thrown the wrapper on the street. Kiriel stuffed the wrapper into his pocket and headed off to work at the food stall. Swept up by an unknown force, Byeol was pulled into the Fissure. Moments later, she popped out of a hole in the sky, briefly floated in the air, and started falling. Where was this place? A dark and grim world, filled with an oppressive atmosphere. Before she hit the ground, a gust of wind enveloped her, allowing her to land safely. Unbeknownst to her, Byeol was a being blessed and protected by the Core. Byeol looked around, turning her head this way and that. No matter where she looked, she couldn’t figure out where she was or understand why she was in this place. Her surroundings were dim, with only a faint green glow emanating from the ground. “Hello! Anyone there?” she called out. There was no response; only her own voice echoed back. What was going on? She had only turned the corner in the alley like usual. Realizing she was in an unfamiliar environment and lost, Byeol’s eyes began to water. Just as she was about to burst into tears, her stomach rumbled. Stopping her tears, she placed her hands on her belly. Plopping down on the ground, Byeol swung her bag around to the front and unzipped it. Reaching inside, she rummaged through the snacks. She grabbed something—a pack of gummy worms. Ripping open the package, she popped a gummy into her mouth and smiled contentedly, feeling a moment of happiness. Dusting off her bottom, she got back on her feet. As usual, Murmu was patrolling the Deep Realm today. Though one reason was to monitor the movements of other monsters in the Deep Realm, his primary goal was to find and clear new Trials to become stronger. Since new Trials could appear anywhere and at any time, Murmu always rechecked locations he had visited the previous day. The first place he arrived at was The Place Where Light Dwells. It was a land emitting a faint green glow. Murmu moved swiftly, scanning the area. After about ten minutes, something caught his eye—a small child, not even a full meter tall. The child was walking casually across The Place Where Light Dwells, chewing on something and looking around curiously. “Is that child... a Trial?” he wondered. The Place Where Light Dwells was a deadly zone. The ground was steeped in powerful magic, cursed with death. Any ordinary resident would die within seconds unless they had exceptional magic resistance. Yet, this seemingly insignificant child showed no signs of being affected. “Oh!” The child noticed him and ran toward him with tiny steps. Startled, Murmu tensed up, ready for a fight. He almost let his guard down because of how adorable the child was, but he quickly regained his composure. “Mistah,” the child called out. “W-who are you? Identify yourself!” Murmu stepped back, cautiously eyeing the child. “What are you doing here?” Byeol hung her head low and answered, “I got lost.” “I was supposed to pway with Squa... but I ended up here.” Murmu glanced at the worms in Byeol’s hand: brightly colored, translucent, worm-shaped gummies. Byeol noticed Murmu’s gaze fixed on her snack. She asked, “Wanna twy?” “If you help me get home, I’ll give you these,” Byeol said, pulling out a piece of paper from her pocket and handing it to Murmu. Murmu tilted his head and took the paper, unfolding it to see crude, scribbled handwriting: Unit 301, Changshin Villa, Bangbae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South Korea. “What is this?” Murmu asked, confused. “It’s my home address. Do you know where it is?” Murmu used his artifact to decipher the text. He understood it pointed to a specific location, but the names “Seoul,” “Seocho-gu,” and “Bangbae-dong” made no sense to him. He let out a sigh. “Sorry, but I have no idea...” He trailed off, but suddenly exclaimed, “Ah.” He thought of Wei Zhongqi. Surely, that guy would know something. Meanwhile, at Mount Yeongryunsan, Wei Zhongqi was studying the mnemonics of a swordsmanship manual under the light of an oil lamp. Although he had read it dozens of times and gained little new insight, he continued. It was said that the Heavenly Demon occasionally achieved major breakthroughs during such repetitions, experiencing flashes of insight that pushed his skills forward. Following that teaching, Wei Zhongqi never neglected his martial arts training. Hearing someone calling for him, Wei Zhongqi rubbed his forehead. Could it be Kiriel? No, this voice belonged to Murmu. Feeling slightly annoyed at being interrupted during his studies, he sighed and slid the paper door open. His expression hardened instantly. “Wei Zhongqi. I have a question. I found a baby, and she said she was lost. So, I thought maybe you could help me find her home... Why are you looking at me like that?” Murmu asked. Wei Zhongqi swallowed hard the moment he saw Byeol. Why, of all people, was Byeol here in the Deep Realm? Wei Zhongqi confirmed that Byeol was thankfully unharmed, and his tension eased. He decided to showcase the culinary skills he had honed over the years. As he diced green onions on the cutting board, Wei Zhongqi glanced at the yard where Murmu was playing with Byeol. “Hehe! Do it again! Do it again!” Byeol squealed. “Alright, here we go. Jump!” Holding Byeol in his arms, Murmu jumped a kilometer into the air from a standstill. Kicking off the sky as if there were invisible footholds, he soared and darted through the heavens. Utterly fascinated, Byeol kept begging him to do it again. The ramen broth simmered in the pot, with bits of dried ingredients floating in it. He tossed in chopped green onions and three bundles of noodles. Ramen was a rare treat, usually reserved and savored. But today was special, so he spared no expense. “Come eat!” he called out. At Wei Zhongqi’s call, Murmu landed on the ground. Holding Byeol’s hand, he hummed a tune as they walked toward the table where Wei Zhongqi had laid out the food. “Is this really free?” Murmu asked, taken aback by the rare delicacy. “Yes. You played with Byeol, so this is my treat.” “Incredible. I can’t believe I’m getting something worth ten thousand mastery stones for free.” “Don’t tell anyone else.” Murmu had learned Byeol’s true identity. She was part of Do-Jun’s family, living on Earth. Although initially shocked upon hearing this, Murmu seemed to have come to terms with it. Byeol’s incident became apparent around 5 PM. After finishing her academy classes, Yoon-Hee stopped by Hakase’s food stall and looked inside. Kiriel, who was chuckling at a comic book, briefly set it down. “Hi, Mr. Hakase, have you seen Byeol by any chance?” she asked. “And you, Mr. Kiriel?” “I haven’t seen her either.” With a worried look, Yoon-Hee bowed to Hakase and Kiriel before stepping out. Kiriel frowned and stood up. Come to think of it, Byeol, who usually stopped by every day to buy taiyaki, hadn’t shown up today. Could she have gotten... kidnapped? Kiriel occasionally checked the news on his smartphone. Although Earth was a wonderful place to live, it had its share of incidents and crimes due to the sheer number of people. If Byeol had been tricked by some villain and caught up in something terrible... The thought alone made Kiriel’s heart race. Just then, something rustled in Kiriel’s pocket and hit the ground. It was the Choco Pie wrapper. For a moment, Kiriel was confused about how it got there, but then he remembered the trash he had picked up when he returned from the Deep Realm earlier that morning. The wrapper still held a partially eaten chocolate bun. Couldn’t they finish it before throwing it away? How messy.... In that moment, Kiriel’s heart sank. Byeol had finished the ramen, even mixing it with rice, and scraped her bowl clean. She also ate a chocolate bun from her bag before falling into a deep sleep, oblivious to the world. Murmu did the dishes for Wei Zhongqi, happy to have tried both ramen and Earth’s chocolate buns. “What should I do with Byeol tomorrow? I have to figure that out,” Murmu muttered, brainstorming different ways to have fun with Byeol. “I’m going to send Byeol back to Earth in a bit,” Wei Zhongqi rained on the parade. “Oh, you are...?” Murmu shrugged and continued washing the dishes. Suddenly, a dimensional gate opened, and Wei Zhongqi recognized the figure stepping out. “Kiriel. Perfect timing—” Kiriel dashed toward the wooden platform where Byeol was peacefully sleeping. Scooping her up, he carefully examined her for any injuries. His heart pounded as if it might burst. Luckily, Byeol appeared to be perfectly okay. Kiriel let out a deep sigh of relief, and his expression finally softened. A single phrase, laden with countless emotions. Understanding the sentiment, Wei Zhongqi simply nodded quietly in response. 1. Misutgaru is a grain powder that you mix into water or milk! ☜