It was well past 9 PM by the time Do-Jun came home from work. In the past few days, there had been an increase in Fissure activity, resulting in a heavier workload and more frequent overtime. Because of this, Do-Jun found it hard to join his family for dinner, often eating alone at the table or eating out when it got too late. Byeol, who had been sleeping soundly in the bedroom, woke up and dashed toward him. She was wearing an adorable bear pajama set, complete with a hood pulled over her head, making her look just like a little teddy bear. Finding the sight endearing, Do-Jun chuckled softly, pulled back her hood, and patted her head. “Daddy, you worked overtime again?” she asked Do-Jun. “That’s right, I just got back.” “Will you work again tomowow?” “And the day after that?” “Probably then, too.” Byeol trembled as if deeply shaken by this information, then said, “Okie.” The next morning, Byeol woke up after Do-Jun and Yoon-Hee had already left for the office and school, respectively. Yong-Yong was snoring loudly beside her, deep in sleep, while Karsiel was in the living room folding laundry as she watched TV. Noticing that Byeol had woken up, Karsiel microwaved the side dishes Yoon-Hee had prepared—braised potatoes and stir-fried sausages with vegetables—and set the table for her. To her surprise, Byeol devoured two bowls of rice in no time. Was she that hungry? “Thanks for the food!” With that, Byeol dashed back to the bedroom. She retrieved her sketchbook, crayons, and coin purse, then changed into outdoor clothes. Thanks to Kiriel and Hakase’s wild shopping sprees, Byeol had plenty of autumn outfits to choose from. Today, she picked a sweatshirt with an attached bear hood. “I’m heading out!” she told Karsiel. “Where are you going to play today?” Karsiel asked. But Byeol shook her head and replied, “Not pwaying, I’m going to work!” “Okie!” Byeol opened the front door and darted outside. Karsiel resumed folding laundry but then paused. “Wait... what?” She said she was going to... work? Confused, Karsiel grabbed Yong-Yong’s Nest Management Log, got up, and quietly followed the little girl. Byeol’s first stop was the Changshin supermarket. “Hello!” Byeol greeted the shop owner grandma. “Oh my, it’s Byeol,” Kim Ok-Soon greeted her warmly with a smile. Byeol opened her coin purse to check her total savings. Thanks to her diligent penny-pinching, she had 8,400 won. Smiling broadly, she muttered, “I’m rich!” She then enthusiastically began picking out snacks. Soon, Byeol selected everything she wanted and tiptoed to heap them all onto the counter—Choco Pie, jelly, candy, and even ice cream. “This all!” Byeol said. “That’s a lot,” Kim Ok-Soon pointed out. “Yep! I have to work awot today!” What did this little girl mean by work? Kim Ok-Soon chuckled and rang up the items. Byeol immediately tore open the ice cream wrapper and began licking it eagerly. Then, as if remembering she had no time to waste, she gave a polite bow and dashed out of the store. From her hiding spot behind a pavilion, Karsiel stealthily followed Byeol’s movements. Meanwhile, Kim Ok-Soon smiled warmly, finding the child’s antics adorable. After weaving through a crowd of people, Byeol arrived at her destination: a newly discovered F-rank Fissure in Bangbae-dong. It was a typical F-rank Fissure, teeming with goblins and yet to be explored. The narrow entrance was less than three meters high, but Byeol slipped through easily. This was the Goblin’s Meadow, where fluffy clouds drifted high in the sky and the wind softly rustled through the grass. Feeling invigorated by the fresh breeze, Byeol skipped across the meadow, but soon stopped and slapped both cheeks with her hands. “No time for fun!” she said firmly. She returned to her starting point, pulled out her sketchbook, and began drawing the scenery. She recalled a previous visit to an F-rank Fissure with her dad, where he had used his SpacePad to take photos and document the surroundings. “I’m making a map so people can travel safely.” That’s what her daddy had said when she asked what he was doing. Mapping the terrain, identifying traps, and gathering information on monsters were all part of his work. The meadow was filled with goblins—small, green-skinned monsters about a meter tall. Since Byeol was shorter than that, she had to tilt her head slightly to look up at them. Deciding it was too difficult to map the area by herself, Byeol decided to recruit a goblin for help. “Mistah!” She ran toward the nearest goblin. The goblin, seeing a human child running toward him, immediately got on the defensive. Humans always caused trouble for their kind, and even a child couldn’t be underestimated. “What are you doing here?” Byeol asked. “Kerk! Go away, or I’ll teach you a lesson or two!” The goblin assumed the human child couldn’t understand his language. “Look at this!” Byeol held out a piece of hard candy and waved it in front of the goblin. “If you help me, I’ll give you this.” To most humans, goblin talk would have sounded like unintelligible “kerk, kerk” noises. So, the goblin’s jaw dropped when he heard Byeol’s response. “K-kerk! You can understand me?!” the goblin asked. The goblin gaped at her in disbelief. No human should be able to understand the language of monsters. Was this child a monster? “But... what is candy? Kerk.” “Wanna twy it?” Byeol placed the candy in the goblin’s hand. The goblin sniffed it cautiously. It smelled sweet. He hesitantly popped it into his mouth. A delightful sweetness spread across his tongue. “It’s delicious! Kerk! Give me more!” Byeol popped one into her own mouth, munching happily. “Only if you help me.” Goblins were monsters that possessed some intelligence. They often lived in groups and would set up traps or dig pits to defend against external threats, making them a nuisance for novice Hunters. “Kerk, this is the last of the traps I dug.” Following the goblin’s instructions, Byeol used a red crayon to draw circles on a roughly sketched map. After three long hours, the Goblin Meadow map was complete! Admiring the completed map, Byeol smiled in satisfaction and handed the goblin a candy as a reward. The overjoyed goblin accepted it and, watching Byeol, began savoring it slowly by rolling it around in its mouth. Byeol rummaged through her bag and pulled out a Choco Pie. After three hours of working without food, her hunger had reached its limit. Ready to reward herself for her efforts, she unwrapped the bread and took a bite. “Is that thing tasty too? Kerk,” the goblin asked in interest. Though her payment was in candy, delicious food was best when shared with others. So, Byeol decided to share a bit of her Choco Pie with the goblin who had worked so hard alongside her. “But only a little,” she warned. However, the goblin, possessed by temptation, snatched the entire piece of bread from Byeol’s hand and stuffed it into its mouth. It chewed with delight, savoring the burst of the rich taste of chocolate. Byeol watched the goblin eat her Choco Pie, then looked down at the empty wrapper in her hand. Her gaze shifted back to the goblin, her body trembling in disbelief. “You... you ate it all...” She peered into the empty wrapper to make sure she wasn’t just seeing things. “B-but I told you to eat only a little...?” Meanwhile, watching from afar, Karsiel debated whether to step in. She chose to wait a bit longer, promising to punish the rude goblin as soon as Byeol cried. Suddenly, a new figure appeared—a goblin unlike the others, with a large belly. This goblin wore a luxurious suit and carried a massive sack on its back. The rotund goblin rushed toward the offending goblin and let out an enraged screech, “What do you think you’re doing?!” “K-kerk! Y-you’re...” “I’ve been watching! How dare you lay a hand on our VVIP’s Choco Pie? Are you insane enough to face the organization’s wrath?!” “N-no! Kerk! What are you talking about? What do you mean this little kid is a VVIP?!” Maxim was furious. “You will repay the value of that Choco Pie in full!” Karsiel recognized Maxim, having seen him once before. But the claim that Byeol was a VVIP? That was baffling. When Do-Jun got home, it was after 10 PM. He had dinner with coworkers while working overtime at Seoul City Hall and planned to take a quick shower before bed. Towel-drying his damp hair, he stepped out of the bathroom and sat on the sofa. On the table were a sketchbook and Yong-Yong’s Nest Management Log. Yoon-Hee brought out a cup of warm tea and sat beside him, softly recounting the day’s events. Sliding the journal toward him, Do-Jun started reading. Soon, he found out what had happened that day: Karsiel, worried about Byeol’s safety, had followed her when she said she was going out to work. They went to Goblin’s Meadow, and Byeol had drawn a map of the Fissure in her sketchbook. He opened the sketchbook to reveal a crude but adorable map of what was presumed to be Goblin’s Meadow. A faint smile formed on Do-Jun’s face, partly amused and partly guilty. “Should we eat out tomorrow?” he suggested to Yoon-Hee. Do-Jun decided right then that he would leave work exactly on time tomorrow. Still, one thing about the map confused him, and he thought, But what is this ‘construction’ thing here? “K-kerk. Sir Maxim, the sign has been installed,” the goblin said. “Hmm. Let me see.” With his hands clasped behind his back, Maxim inspected the signpost at the entrance to the Goblin’s Meadow: Map of the Goblin’s Meadow. It displayed a complete map of the Goblin’s Meadow, including all the traps set up by the goblins. Maxim glanced briefly at the goblin, then motioned with his chin. “You may go.” “K-kerk, thank you, sir!” As the goblin scurried away, Maxim, now alone, picked up a permanent marker. He carefully inscribed something in the lower-right corner of the sign: Created by: Byeol. Only then did Maxim smile warmly.