Deep in the slopes of Umyeonsan Mountain, an elderly man clad in a pristine white robe walked leisurely atop the lake’s surface. He was known as a Sanshinryeong—a mountain spirit tasked with guarding the mountain. This lake, his home and refuge, had long been a place of tranquility. However, recently, a certain person had been visiting regularly. The visitor looked human at first glance, but the aura radiating from him was far too powerful for an ordinary person. The spirit briefly entertained the idea that he might be a monster that escaped from a Fissure. However, the visitor’s fluent use of human language and his overall demeanor seemed completely out of place for a monster. The lake was home to fish imbued with the mountain’s spiritual energy. The man, who had been coming here for several days, passed his time by catching the fish. The Sanshinryeong silently submerged into the lake. Today, as well, the man was fishing along the lakeshore. He baited the hook and cast his line into the middle of the lake. Then he took out a monthly fishing magazine from his bag and started reading. The fishing magazine offered plenty of tips for catching good fish. One of them was: The shallow spots are the prime spots! “I see,” Kiriel said in understanding. He reeled in his line and cast it into a shallower spot, following the magazine’s advice. Whether it was because of the suggestion or mere coincidence, it didn’t even take ten minutes for him to get a bite. The fish struggled fiercely, but it was no match for Kiriel’s strength. Kiriel inspected his catch: a sizable carp, roughly thirty-five centimeters long. He pulled out his smartphone, took a photo, and gently unhooked the fish before releasing it back into the lake. Meanwhile, Byeol, who had accompanied Kiriel, watched the fishing with great curiosity. However, her interest waned as she started to doze off, nodding off and jerking awake repeatedly. “Want me to read you a book?” Kiriel suggested, noticing her dozing off. Hearing that, Byeol perked up. Her eyes widened with excitement, and she exclaimed, “Oh!” Finding her reaction endearing, Kiriel chuckled softly and pulled a picture book from his artifact pouch. The title of the book was The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe, a story Kiriel hadn’t read before. The plot of the story was simple. A lumberjack dropped his axe into a lake, and the Sanshinryeong appeared to offer him a golden axe, a silver axe, and his original iron axe. Byeol found the story delightful, giggling as she listened. “Gwempa is so nice! He gave him all thwee axes!” she said. Kiriel nodded with a faint smile. Still captivated by the tale, Byeol turned her gaze to the lake and asked, “Is there a Gwempa here, too?” She seemed to believe the story was true. Kiriel hesitated, unsure how to respond. He scratched his head, debating whether to tell her the truth before finally saying, “Maybe?” “Weally?!” Byeol blinked in amazement, then toddled over to the lakeshore, her eyes scanning the water in search of the spirit. “Gwempa, are you there?” she called out. Startled, Kiriel quickly improvised. “T-the Sanshinryeong is taking a day off today.” “Oh, I see. What about tomorrow?” “H-he’ll be here, of course.” Hearing that the Sanshinryeong grandpa will be back in business tomorrow, Byeol broke into a wide smile. The next morning, Do-Jun put his newspaper aside. It wasn’t even 7 AM, but Byeol was already awake and dressed for an outing. She had packed a variety of snacks in her bear-shaped backpack and was sitting in the living room, lost in thought. Suddenly, she grabbed the picture book from the sofa. “Are you going out to play?” Do-Jun asked. “Yep! I’m gonna see the mountain gwempa!” Do-Jun glanced at the book The Golden Axe and the Silver Axe in her hands and remembered the Sanshinryeong he had encountered during the S-rank Great Fissure raid at Umyeonsan Mountain. Could Byeol have met the spirit? “Kiriel said the mountain gwempa took a day off yesterday but is back to work today,” Byeol explained confidently. “Kiriel said that, did he?” Do-Jun quickly made a simple banana, milk, and honey smoothie for breakfast and handed it to Byeol. She quickly gulped it down, showing how eager she was to meet the Sanshinryeong. “See you later, Daddy!” By the time Byeol arrived at the lakeside, it was a little past 8 AM. The effort to reach the spot had left her exhausted, and she had considered turning back and going home multiple times. However, the moment she spotted the lake, her exhaustion seemed to vanish entirely. Byeol ran toward the lake, but her steps came to an abrupt halt. Under the tree that Kiriel had leaned against while fishing yesterday, some neatly folded clothes were placed, alongside a fishing rod. Byeol didn’t understand why Kiriel’s belongings were there, but since the mountain spirit was her priority, she didn’t give it much thought. “Mountain Gwempa, are you here?” Byeol shouted loudly toward the lakeside. As if waiting for her, an old man emerged from the surface of the water. The man wore water-soaked robes, had white hair, and a beard. Byeol stared intently at the old man before narrowing her eyes suspiciously. His hair and beard matched the image of the mountain grandpa, but something about him felt off. Moreover, his voice sounded oddly familiar. “Are you weally Mountain Gwempa?” Byeol’s eyes squinted even more, her suspicion growing. The old man flinched and stammered as if caught off guard. “O-of course! I-I am the great Sanshinryeong!” “The story said that Mountain Gwempa knows everything,” Byeol said. The old man gulped nervously. Was there really such detail in the storybook? But he couldn’t afford to argue. “Y-yes, that’s right! There isn’t a single question in this world that I cannot answer!” the old man said. “Hmm, okie. Then, can I ask a question?” Byeold asked him. “Mountain Gwempa knows everything, right?” Kiriel, disguised as the mountain spirit, grew tense. He was certain that one wrong answer would spell the end. Byeol scrutinized Kiriel closely, then posed her first question. “What do I like the most?” Curses! The first question was already a tough one. Kiriel’s legs trembled as he wracked his brain for the answer. What was Byeol’s favorite thing in the world? Choco Pie, maybe? It had to be some kind of food, right? No, perhaps it was the teddy bear pajamas she’d recently gotten. After a moment of contemplation, Kiriel grinned upon realizing something. “The answer is Daddy.” Byeol’s eyes widened in surprise, and she said, “T-that’s wight.” Kiriel chuckled confidently, but Byeol shook her head as if unimpressed. “But that question’s too easy,” she said. “Who came here with Byeol yesterday?” Kiriel smirked. This was a much easier question. “Heh. You came with me, of course.” Kiriel frantically waved his hands, adding a panicked exclamation. “W-wait! I mean, the answer is Kiriel!” Byeol decided to stop the questioning. Although she still had her doubts about the Sanshinryeong, her hunger from the climb took over. She pulled two chocolate buns from her bag, unwrapped one, and tucked it into her pocket before opening the other. Then she said, “Mountain Gwempa, eat this.” She held out the chocolate bread to Kiriel. “You’re giving this to me?” “Yeah. You pwayed with me, so.” “Thank you.” Kiriel quickly devoured the Choco Pie Byeol had handed him. Things seemed to be going smoothly. Suddenly, Kiriel recalled the details from the storybook. Ah! I almost forgot, he thought. He hurriedly pulled a bag of taiyaki from his artifact pouch. Then, clearing his throat, he altered his voice to mimic the old man’s tone again. “Child, you’re so kind. As a reward, I give you these taiyaki.” Byeol’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the taiyaki. Staring at the suspicious mountain spirit, she muttered under her breath, “H-he weally is Mountain Gwempa.” As the sun slowly set, Hakase glanced at the white robe, wig, and fake beard tucked into the corner of his food stall. Kiriel had left his nest at dawn, saying he had something to do, and had just returned a few moments ago, looking slightly worn out. He let out a deep sigh. “Man, I thought I was gonna get busted,” Kiriel muttered. “Busted...? Doing what?” Hakase asked. Kiriel held up a storybook. It was a well-known tale Hakase was familiar with. Pointing to the robe, wig, and beard in the corner, Kiriel explained the day’s events, leaving Hakase with a confused look. “Do you know what I had to do today? I had to become a Sanshinryeong. For the whole day. I waited underwater for two hours for Byeol to arrive.” Hakase chuckled. Although Kiriel was an idiot, the amount of effort he was putting into pleasing someone else was endearing. Once, Kiriel had been as detestable as a sworn enemy, but now Hakase found himself growing fond of him—perhaps even affectionately exasperated. Kiriel’s good-hearted nature was undeniable. “Being a Sanshinryeong is a tough job. Staying underwater all day is no joke,” Kiriel muttered as he donned his work uniform, the food stall’s apron. Soon, the dinner crowd would flood in. “Well, if the Sanshinryeong were real, I suppose.” After finishing work and dinner, Do-Jun headed to Umyeonsan Mountain. His steps were light and left no trace, a testament to his mastery of Snow Steps, the art of walking on snow without leaving a mark. The mountain path was pitch dark, the kind of darkness where even a single step ahead was invisible, but Do-Jun hiked effortlessly. Eventually, he reached the lakeside where the Sanshinryeong supposedly resided. Do-Jun walked across the lake's surface as if it were solid ground, headed toward the center. Soon, an elderly man with white hair emerged from the water. It was the Sanshinryeong Do-Jun had met before. Do-Jun smiled at him. “It’s been a while,” the Sanshinryeong said and gave a respectful nod. Though he didn’t know the full extent of Do-Jun’s identity, he was well aware that this was an unbelievably exalted being. The first emotion the Sanshinryeong experienced upon meeting Do-Jun was pure awe. With a slight flick of Do-Jun’s hand, a portion of the lake’s water rose to form a small table. Sitting at it, Do-Jun laid out simple snacks and liquor he had brought. Despite the direct contact with the water, not a single spot on his body or the food got wet. “Care for a drink?” Do-Jun offered. The Sanshinryeong hesitated before sitting across from Do-Jun, humbled by the offer. He could guess why Do-Jun had come—it had something to do with the baby and the young man disguised as him earlier that day. Do-Jun poured a drink for the Sanshinryeong and said, “I apologize for the disturbance today.” “No, not at all. I truly enjoyed it.” The Sanshinryeong recalled the visitors from earlier. Not only did he not find them noisy or bothersome, but he also found them refreshing. Watching them from a distance was a rare joy for him. “What is this?” the Sanshinryeong asked, pointing to one of the snacks. “It’s haemul pajeon. I packed it from the food stall where that man from today works.” “Haha, I see. Please tell him I enjoyed it.” Do-Jun smiled faintly and replied, “I will.”