"…The most pressing matter would be getting you properly dressed, first and foremost."
We'd somehow managed to settle on an outfit, but Arkiel still looked dissatisfied.
A pink sweater and a light-colored denim skirt.
The clothes I had on seemed perfectly fine to me, but apparently not to Arkiel.
Apparently, this was the best pick out of everything currently in my wardrobe.
Up until just a few days ago, I'd been happily living in a ratty hoodie — this already took some courage to put on.
"Well then, I'll be off."
Anyway, getting to the Association was the priority right now.
After breaking the Hunter Association's measuring device, I had to go get interviewed as the newest S-rank Hunter on the nine o'clock news.
Whatever Arkiel considered "proper attire" for me could wait until after all that.
"W-wait. I'm coming with you."
But then another problem came up.
Arkiel announced she was coming along and rose to her feet.
Naturally, Kim A-rin went sheet-white.
"No. You're staying here."
"You dare interfere, human. I have an obligation to protect her."
"Nothing's going to happen to Ji-woo. If anything, you coming along will cause problems that wouldn't have existed otherwise."
"Ha. As if I'd trust a mere human."
Arkiel refused to budge an inch.
Whatever Kim A-rin said, there was an iron will radiating off her — she was not leaving my side, period.
Come to think of it, Arkiel was something like my bodyguard, wasn't she.
"Arkiel. You can just stay home, you know."
"Did you not already grant me permission to protect you? Please, I beg you — do not rescind that command…!"
Even when I tried to talk her down, Arkiel didn't budge.
She looked ready to follow me by any means necessary.
"Then, Arkiel. You won't cause any trouble if you come, right?"
"Correct."
"She says she won't cause trouble. Let's just bring her."
"W-wait a moment, Ji-woo. It's not that simple!"
Right now, Arkiel was something like my summoned creature.
I'd clearly seen with my own eyes that I'd gotten some skill earlier — something about Ancient Dragon Arkiel.
Sure, she was a bit on the extremely powerful side for a summon.
But was it really such a big deal for a Summoner-type Hunter to show up at the Association with their summon?
"There is no summon like that in the world."
"Then I'm the first?"
"No, summon or not — it's dangerous, that's why she can't come…!"
Bringing Arkiel to the Association would be like walking in with a nuclear bomb in hand, Kim A-rin insisted, vehemently opposing the idea.
Just Arkiel's presence alone would cause enormous chaos, she said.
And there was no hiding Arkiel's existence with that overwhelming aura of hers, she kept warning me.
But wait — couldn't we just hide Arkiel's power? If we dealt with those horns and wings somehow, she'd just look like a regular person.
"Arkiel."
"Yes."
"Can you hide your horns and wings? And suppress your power too. Make yourself look as weak as possible."
"If that is your command, gladly."
Fwip. Arkiel's horns and wings vanished in an instant.
Now she looked like a perfectly ordinary human to anyone watching.
No — correction. A very, very pretty human.
That face was nowhere near ordinary.
Anyway, the transformation was done.
"Let's go, Kim A-rin. If we drag this out any longer, the Association will be closed."
"…Ugh…."
Kim A-rin made a face like she was in tremendous pain, but ultimately accepted the reality that we were bringing Arkiel along.
She tossed her own going-out clothes at Arkiel and told her in a deflated voice to hurry up and put them on.
"Hmph. You should have done that from the start."
Arkiel took the clothes from Kim A-rin and began pulling them on, piece by piece.
Incidentally — they were clearly Kim A-rin's clothes, but somehow they looked even better on Arkiel.
Fashion really does come down to the face, doesn't it.
—Pause.
"…I will protect you. Even if it costs me my last breath. Without fail."
"Yes, yes, I get it, now finish getting dressed…!"
Arkiel stopped mid-dressing to swear her undying loyalty, and I flinched on pure reflex.
Her shirt was still half-unbuttoned, and her underwear was visible through the gap.
Did Arkiel have no sense of embarrassment?
Well, right now it was only women in the room, but still.
Even so……. …Ugh, forget it.
Let's just get to the Association before we're late.
"You're sitting in the back."
"Nonsense. I cannot be separated from her for even a moment."
Whomp. Arkiel carefully scooped me up and climbed into the back seat just like that.
She held me the entire way to the Association.
A human car seat. No — a Hidden Boss car seat.
…Would she get mad if I said it was slightly less cozy than being held by Hwaran last time?
***
"We've been expecting you. Right this way."
"Oh. We're not late."
We finally arrived at the Association, and a staff member who'd been waiting outside came to escort me and Kim A-rin inside.
Arkiel stuck close behind me and followed along.
"Excuse me, but… who is this?"
"Sh-she's an employee of our guild."
"Ah, I see."
The Association staff member's puzzled inquiry about Arkiel was resolved just like that.
Kim A-rin personally vouched for Arkiel's identity, so there was no further ID check.
Well, right now Arkiel just looked like a regular woman.
I wondered if they'd faint if they knew she was a Hidden Boss.
"Good day, Hunter Kim A-rin. It's been a while."
"…Director."
Whether Kim A-rin had contacted him in advance or not, partway through our escort the Director himself took over from the staff member.
His name was Kang Baek.
Another S-rank Hunter in Korea, and the highest authority in the Hunter Association — a white-haired, muscular old man.
Surprisingly, no hair loss. Quite a full head of it, actually.
The Hunter Association Director in neighboring Japan was completely bald, and I'd laughed a little seeing his photo.
"So, this would be…."
"Lee Ji-woo."
"I'd heard, but you're even… younger than I expected."
"I'm not that young."
Director Kang Baek looked down at me with a slightly curious expression, but said questions could come later and led us further inside.
Still, S-rank really is different.
I'd heard that Awakened of middling rank just got handled by regular staff without much fuss.
Already feeling like I was getting special treatment, my mood lifted a little.
"The basic assessments… won't be necessary, I suppose. You've already cleared an S-rank Dungeon on record."
"Heh heh. You've done your homework."
All the basic tests were skipped entirely.
On paper, I was already a monstrous Hunter who'd solo-cleared an S-rank Dungeon, so most of the standard checks were unnecessary.
Precise physical ability measurements and the like would be handled by the Haetae Guild, my registered guild.
Today was strictly for rank assessment, Kim A-rin explained from beside me.
"…A shame, really. If Ji-woo were Association-affiliated, all those minor tests would be free of charge."
"Wait. Seriously?"
"Indeed. If you'd consider it even now…."
"Director."
"Ha ha. That was an old man's jest. No need to take it so seriously, Hunter Kim A-rin."
Kim A-rin fixed the Director with a long, steady stare, then leaned close to my ear and spoke.
The Haetae Guild's tests were all free too, she said.
Just as professional and thorough as the Association's, she said.
Which meant, in other words—
"He was just trying to poach you, Ji-woo."
"I-I knew that."
…Honestly, I hadn't. The word "free" had gotten to me.
Anyway, that wasn't what mattered right now.
"Well then, Hunter Lee Ji-woo."
—Beep.
—Clunk………
"Would you show this old man what you've got?"
"Heh heh. Don't blame me if you faint."
The door to the Hunter rank assessment room finally swung open.
Inside was nothing but pure white walls.
And, floating in the very center — a black sphere.
That had to be the measuring device I'd only ever heard about.
"I just need to break that, right?"
"Ha ha. If you can manage it."
His face said he was absolutely certain I couldn't break the measuring device no matter what I tried.
But this, too, was a classic setup.
Honestly, I would've been a little disappointed if it weren't.
You need someone looking down on you like this to make the payoff satisfying.
"Kim A-rin. What do I do now?"
"…Use your transformation skill in front of that orb. It'll measure your rank automatically."
"Heh heh."
I walked up to the Hunter rank measuring device with a confident smile, cracking my neck and loosening up.
Honestly, I was a little tired right now, but I still had to do what needed doing.
"───Assimilation!"
【Rank: F → S (Entity: Fenrion — Assimilation active)】
【Currently assimilating: Fenrion (37%)】
Director Kang Baek and Kim A-rin.
And Arkiel, standing right behind me — I activated Assimilation in front of all of them.
The Director gave the faintest twitch.
Oh no, if he's already surprised now, we've got a problem.
"Don't come asking me to pay for the measuring device later. Understood, Director?"
Soft wolf ears had sprouted on top of my head, and a fluffy tail had appeared behind me as I reached out my arm.
I could transform using Hwaran too, but that was a secret.
When other Hunters were watching, like right now, I could only use Fenrion's power.
Anyway, the next part of the cliché was the measuring device exploding because it couldn't handle my overwhelming mana.
I concentrated all the power in my body into my right arm.
"Here goes!"
…But nothing happened.
The black sphere was still just floating there.
It didn't even crack.
"…This can't be right."
Something had clearly gone very wrong.
There was no way the measuring device was still in one piece.
What kind of measuring device survives an S-rank hit?
"That's a hologram, Ji-woo."
"…!"
Only then did Kim A-rin reveal the truth.
Apparently, every so often the measuring device couldn't withstand the mana and broke, so they'd switched to a hologram type.
Replacing the measuring device cost taxpayer money, she said.
Which meant — it was impossible to break in the first place.
How dare they trick me.
"I never tricked you."
"Ugh!"
My face flushed red with belated embarrassment as I lunged at Kim A-rin.
Strictly speaking, Kim A-rin hadn't actually lied, but it was still her fault regardless.
She could've told me it was a hologram from the start.
What does it make me look like, having confidently declared I'd smash the measuring device like it was nothing?
"You're not getting any braised beef later!"
"S-still, the measurement worked properly. The entire assessment room is made of magic stone, Ji-woo."
"…Really?"
I turned to Director Kang Baek to confirm what Kim A-rin had said, and the Director, who'd been quietly laughing, gave a nod.
He'd tricked me just the same, but.
"Ho ho, this old man did tell you. Break it if you can, I said."
"……Whatever."
"In any case, I was surprised myself. You truly have Awakened as S-rank, Miss Ji-woo."
"Hmph."
It was becoming clear that all S-rank Hunters had rotten personalities.
Kim A-rin, Yoo Do-a, the Director — they were all just looking for a chance to mess with me.
What's going to become of this country. Good grief.
"…Shall I break that for you."
Arkiel, who had been watching me quietly, spoke up.
She asked whether shattering that black orb into pieces was what I desired.
"That — you can't break it, Arkiel. It's a hologram."
"Command me and I will break it."
It's a hologram, I'm telling you.
Oh, wait — maybe she doesn't know what a hologram is.
"So, it's like an illusion."
"It makes no difference. Command me, and I can reduce any illusion to dust."
"Ho ho. If you're that confident, why not give it a try yourself."
The Director, who only knew Arkiel as Haetae Guild Employee A, extended the same offer to her.
The chance to break the hologram measuring device.
Of course, even Arkiel couldn't break something with no physical form.
But she didn't seem like the type to give up without trying it herself, so I told her to go ahead.
[ Entity: Arkiel has confirmed the master's permission. ]
[ Entity: Arkiel partially releases her true power……… ]
Oh, wait—
—CRACK.
—KABOOOOOOOOOOM─!
"AAAAAAAAAH───!"
The moment Arkiel extended her hand forward, a terrifying force exploded outward in every direction.
The ceiling of the assessment room came crashing down, the walls split open with a crack, and everything around us was, in short, completely destroyed.
[ You cannot attack during dialogue. ] [ You cannot attack during dialogue. ] [ You cannot attack during dialogue. ] [ You cannot attack during dialogue. ] [ You cannot attack during dialogue. ] [ You cannot attack during dialogue. ] [ You cannot attack during dialogue. ] [ You cannot attack during dialogue. ] [ You cannot attack during dialogue. ]
"…You see. Not even a trace remains."
Through the thick dust blanketing everything, Arkiel wore an expression that seemed to be asking for praise.
Whether hologram or otherwise, she'd just demolished the entire assessment room, so there was genuinely nothing left to see.
But there was one much bigger problem.
"Wh-what on earth are you……!"
Director Kang Baek, who had briefly covered his face against the billowing dust, stared in absolute shock.
That was supposed to be my reaction.
"I am bound to the one called Lee Ji-woo, present here. There is nothing else I need tell you."
After that, Arkiel ignored everything Director Kang Baek said.
Only Kim A-rin beside her scrambled desperately, insisting she'd explain everything later and frantically trying to smooth things over.
…That was supposed to be my reaction too.
I don't like Arkiel anymore.
***
"I'm stronger than Arkiel, you know? If I do this and this, I can beat Arkiel too!"
"How could you say such a thing. Even if it costs me my life, I would never raise a hand against you."
"I don't CARE!"
