“Y-Yeji-ssi! Don’t resist against the water!”, Kai advised as loudly as he could, feeling the water slosh against his feet repeatedly.

“But it’s so cold and strong!”, Yeji yelled back as he leaned against the barrier, turning to look at her group of friends that she was separated from. In a minute or so, the water stopped swishing around, levelling out. Immediately, she ran towards the others, her hands gripping the straps of her bag as tightly as possible.

Yeonjun swiftly jumped to his feet, pulling the others up along with him. “Yeji-ssi, w-what happened? Y-You shouldn’t be here!”

“I don’t want to be here either!”

“Okay, wait. Let’s talk this out.”, Taehyun suggested as he helped Soobin stand with his crutches. Looking at the others for a second, he carefully observed the barrier and ignored the people outside. He slowly turned towards the two creatures that were as still as a log; he wondered if they would attack or harm them, perhaps even swallow them like with Kai. Clearing his throat, he gained everyone’s attention. “The barrier’s expanding, which means that soon enough, it’ll be big enough to cover more of the city, making movement easier. More people will gain access to the barrier, and… Well, I just don’t get it. Those creatures… They’re supposed to attack, right? I mean, they’re supposed to be the villains, right? They can’t just rise from the water with no purpose! They’re just standing there!”

“Should we approach the creatures?”

Everyone turned towards Yeji with surprised looks and wide eyes; they were not expecting the new fighter to be so brave and curious already.

“Well, I mean, I saw the live video, so I know what’s happening. Umm… Soobin-ssi, y-your cast is wet. I think you should wait behind while we check out the river more closely.”, Yeji said as she removed her bag from her shoulders and rummaged through as quickly as she could. “Snacks?”, she asked as she pulled out two packets of chips and a box of cookies.

Suddenly, it seemed like Yeji was their leader; she had everything under control or so it appeared to be. Ranging from providing snacks to having a clear mind and being considerate of injured members of the party, she was the perfect candidate to be guiding them.

Unsurprisingly, Yeonjun was the first to agree. “Yes, oh my God, thank you so much. L-Let’s restore some strength and then try and get closer to the abnormally static creatures, or slimes, as Kai says so.”

They all refrained from sitting down, trying not to get their only nutrition soaked with water. Nibbling on the crispy, thin potato slices and the sugary cookies, they awkwardly leaned against the barrier in silence, the commotion behind the barrier being the least of their concerns. They had their eyes fixed on the two creatures and each of them took time to intently note the appearance of the slimes; being about ten feet tall, their bodies were undoubtedly slippery and unpleasant, covered in a shade of dull grey and green, with googly eyes that slowly moved within a fixed radius – anyone would find it extremely comical if it weren’t for the fact that these creatures had the ability to throw out enormous waves of water that seemed potentially harmful, as well as the fact that they could entirely swallow up items and people to the extent of suffocation and blindness.

“Is anyone else feeling really hot, or is it just me? I feel like there’s a fire inside me.”, Kai suddenly said.

“W-What?!? It’s so cold! I will literally freeze to death!”, Beomgyu complained as he snuggled closer to Taehyun, rubbing his hands on the other’s shoulder for warmth, forcing a smile as he watched the packet of chips fall into the water in an instant. “Sorry, baby… Hehe…”

“Say, Kai… Umm, c-can I call you that? Can we all just drop the formal tone please?”, Yeji started off with a dubious look. Upon receiving a firm nod from the younger, she continued, “Not that I’m a stalker of any sort, but I’ve seen you on campus before and you never had a tattoo, did you?”

“Whatever do you mean by that?” Kai tilted his head, letting Soobin look at his neck and exposed shoulders – his shirt wasn’t exactly intact. He then looked down at his arms, his eyes widening immediately; just below his palm was a small, intricate design of a reddish-orange fire, looking exactly like a typical tattoo of a beginner. “Oh.”

“What the ?!? That was never there before!”, Yeonjun yelled as he grabbed the youngest’s hand and examined the pattern closely. “I-Is that why you’re feeling hot? What is this supposed to mean? Do you, like, have superpowers now? Fire magic?”

Soobin let out a sigh, shaking his head to move away a strand of his purple hair; he tightened his hold on his crutches. “Hyung, pinch me and end this nightmare.”

“Nightmare?!? This is ing awesome!” Yeonjun jumped around like a child before coming back to his senses. Realising that Yeji was standing right in front of him, he cleared his throat and pointed straight towards the river. “We’re going to test out his powers. Maybe completely incinerating those monsters will break the barrier, and then we’ll be crowned heroes under the guidance of our leader, Yeji. After that ceremony, we’ll buy tickets to Hawaii and pay Kai’s grandparents a visit, how does that sound?”

He sulked at the lack of response from the others. Rolling his eyes, he began walking forward. “I’m just trying to liven things up, but anyways… Soobinnie, stay there! We’ll be right back!”, he said out loud as he raised his hand, gesturing the others to follow.

Kai reluctantly trailed behind the others, wondering if he would meet his life’s end in an attempt at testing out his possible powers. He gulped down a lump in his throat as he looked at the slimes in front of him, looming over with large shadows – only then was he truly able to grasp the monstrous f