Generally speaking, the skills available to Summoner-class Hunters fall into two broad categories.
The first is what's commonly called the autonomous combat type — where the summoned creature fights independently as its own individual entity.
The second is the link type — where the summoner's physical abilities are enhanced through the blessings of their summons, like spirits.
"The link type is usually the rarer one."
"Why?"
"Ah, well…. Think of a summon like a dog. Even an ordinary dog can become a fighting dog if you train it, right?"
"Right."
"But if you told that dog to cast a spell that makes its owner stronger — do you really think a dog could pull that off?"
"Hmm…. Probably not."
"Exactly. A dog — a summon — that can actually use enhancement magic is incredibly rare."
That was also why she'd wanted to check whether Arkiel had any link-type skills, Yoo Do-a continued, her explanation flowing naturally onward.
All while staring with laser focus at the wings jutting out from my back.
"Still, a link skill like this… I've never seen anything like it. It actually transformed you completely."
'…This was supposed to be a secret.'
Do-a's explanation made perfect sense, but there was one glaring problem.
The fact that I could transform into forms other than Fenrion was a secret — one only Kim A-rin knew about.
And now it was out. What do I do.
"Hey, Ji-woo. Could I maybe get a photo with you——"
"N-no photos!"
"Why? You look adorable. I won't show anyone else, just me."
"A… anyway, no. I'll get mad if you take one."
Up until now, I'd only used Assimilation when I wanted to. I genuinely had no idea there was an auto-activation feature.
Well — the feeling I got was that Arkiel had used Assimilation on my behalf, but still……
How do I salvage this.
If I can't salvage it here, I'm getting shipped off to a room with no internet.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
"Anyway, Ji-woo."
"Y-yes?"
"Arkiel really does seem like an incredibly rare summon. I've never seen anything like her before."
But — why was this?
Even after seeing me transform into Arkiel, Do-a didn't look nearly as shocked as I'd expected.
Well, she was surprised — but not in the way I'd been imagining.
"Come to think of it, you mentioned the dress you wore yesterday was made by Arkiel too."
"Oh…. Yeah."
"…This is genuinely a first for me. She doesn't feel like a summon at all — more like an actual person."
"Hmph. Who do you take me for? I am the noble Lady Ji-woo's very first serv——"
"Mmph-mmph-mmph-mmph-mmph."
Burning with embarrassment, I slapped a hand over Arkiel's mouth and shot a nervous glance at Do-a.
At least for now, it didn't seem like she was about to lock me in a room or anything.
Come to think of it, she still didn't seem to know that Arkiel was a Hidden Boss. And the only one who'd seen me transform into Arkiel was Do-a, right?
…Maybe I could still pull this back?
"Um, so…. Guild Master?"
"Now, now. Sis. Between us, 'Guild Master' is way too stiff."
"O-okay, sis. Could you keep this a secret?"
"A secret? What kind?"
"…This form. It'd be a bit awkward if other people saw it. I can't fight properly like this."
That wasn't a lie.
When I transformed into Fenrion or Hwaran, I could use Avatar Manifestation — but Arkiel had been locked out of that skill from the very beginning.
Right now, all I could do was fly.
"Well…. I wasn't planning on telling anyone else anyway."
"Oh? Really?"
"Yeah. We agreed to keep it secret that Arkiel is your summon in the first place. That's why it's just the two of us out here right now."
The fact that Arkiel was my summon — secret.
So naturally, the fact that Arkiel could transform me into something like a dragon beastfolk — also secret.
Do-a said as much, putting me at ease.
"However."
"…However?"
"Now that I think about it, the fact that Arkiel can transform you means…… …it sounds like other summons could transform you too."
"N-no they can't."
"That wolf beastfolk transformation from before — that was actually a different summon transforming you, wasn't it! I've figured it all out!"
"La-la-la-la-la, I can't hear you, la-la-la-la-la."
"Right, because two-class awakeners don't make sense. Being a transformation-type and a summoner at the same time doesn't add up."
"…Are you some kind of detective?"
She really wasn't Guild Master for nothing. She was a little too smart.
Even without knowing Arkiel was a Hidden Boss, she'd already figured out that I had other summons.
But that didn't mean I could spill everything to Do-a.
I could summon Fenrion and Hwaran too — but my summoning skill was still only F-rank.
There was a real chance she'd figure out they weren't ordinary summons but Hidden Bosses.
Getting caught transforming into Arkiel was already more than enough.
"Hey, Ji-woo…. Could you maybe show me that wolf summon too? Just for me?"
"Absolutely not! Never!"
The last thing I needed was more of my secrets getting out.
Kim A-rin might scold me.
Why would I do something stupid that only raises the chances of me getting dragged off to a room with no internet?
No matter how much Do-a asked, I just kept shaking my head and repeating the same answer.
I briefly considered just flopping down on the ground entirely, but that seemed a little undignified.
— Flap flap.
— Flap flap.
"If the test is over, I'm leaving."
I spread my wings wide again and lifted slightly off the ground, ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
Today was my first time flying, but somehow it felt like I'd always known how — like the knowledge had been there all along.
Was that the Assimilation skill at work too?
"W-wait, Ji-woo. I won't ask you to show me the other summon."
"…Then?"
"There's still more testing to do. Important tests that can't be skipped."
As it turned out, the real testing hadn't even started yet.
"I heard Arkiel can fight too. Is that right, Ji-woo?"
"Um…. Probably?"
I'd never actually seen Arkiel fight, but she was probably pretty good at it.
Actually, she could just revert to her true form — that massive dragon — and stomp down, and most monsters would be reduced to jerky.
"We need to test her combat ability too. The link skill alone is already an incredibly rare case, but…. If she can also fight on top of that——"
"…If she can?"
"Then you're not a Hunter who can simply be called S-rank, Ji-woo."
Clunk. Do-a pulled out something that looked like a remote and pressed it, and enormous iron walls began rising up on all sides.
In moments, a massive dome had formed.
Just a moment ago this had been a completely empty lot — now it looked like some kind of secret base.
…It was honestly kind of cool.
"Alright, we're going to test Arkiel's combat ability now. Ready?"
At Do-a's question, I glanced up at Arkiel.
I still wasn't sure exactly what kind of test Do-a had in mind, but Arkiel was a Hidden Boss regardless.
Whatever the test, she'd demolish it without question.
Even that time we'd gone to the association a few days ago, she'd reduced the entire rank assessment room to powder.
"Um, so…. Do-a."
"Yeah?"
"If something gets broken, do we have to pay for it…?"
"No, no, you don't have to pay for anything. It's a test."
"Phew."
"And I'll be conducting the test personally."
"Wait, what did you just say."
Crack crack. Do-a actually started stretching, loosening up her body.
Of course, since I hadn't given Arkiel any order to fight Do-a yet, Arkiel just stood there motionless while Do-a stretched away.
— Whisper whisper.
"A-Arkiel. You absolutely cannot hurt her."
"In a combat test?"
"Absolutely. You cannot hurt her."
Breaking some test dummy was one thing — breaking a person was irreversible.
No matter how powerful an S-rank Hunter Do-a was, no matter that she was the Haetae Guild's Guild Master.
The other side was a Hidden Boss.
Even Kim A-rin had been terrified when she first saw Arkiel — why would Do-a be any different?
Paying repair costs for a broken facility was nothing compared to paying medical bills for a broken person.
And Do-a's value — an S-rank's value — was astronomical.
"Arkiel, you can do it. Show her the difference in power without hurting her."
"…If that is your command, I will gladly oblige."
Right now they'd said we didn't need to pay for anything, but if Do-a herself got hurt, that could change everything.
The goal was to end Arkiel's combat test as peacefully as possible.
"Don't worry so much, Ji-woo~! It's just a spar! Not a real fight~! Arkiel won't get hurt~!"
Do-a had walked far off to the other side and kept calling out to reassure me.
The one I was actually worried about wasn't Arkiel — it was Do-a. Silly.
And then, to top it all off:
"If Arkiel beats me, I'll buy you the most expensive cake you've ever had! And I'll promote your account on our guild's official Instagram!"
Whether it was pure confidence that she'd win or something else, she shouted out a challenge like she was proposing a bet.
I didn't particularly care about bets or anything, but Arkiel was a different story.
Every single word was practically a provocation aimed straight at her.
"A-Arkiel. You're not angry, are you?"
"Not at all. I am not one to be rattled by a human's taunts. Please, trust me and watch."
Her voice was calm, but something about her eyes said otherwise.
She kept her gaze fixed on Do-a across the way.
Do-a, for her part, seemed to be doing something on her end as well.
She muttered something under her breath, and strange, swirling energy began to coil around her body.
【❮(A) Foresight❯: Activated!】
[ Entity: Yoo Do-a reads the future that Entity: Arkiel envisions……… ]
【❮(A) Acceleration❯: Activated!】
[ The flow of time as perceived by Entity: Yoo Do-a slows to an exponential crawl……… ]
"——Ji-woo, you can start~!"
She even yielded the first move to our side.
In a voice that sounded just a little bit smug.
"…Arkiel."
"Command me. I will obey."
"I want to eat the cake Do-a buys us."
"Understood."
"B-but you still can't hurt her."
"Not a single drop of blood will be spilled."
Whoosh. The moment I finished speaking, Arkiel vanished from in front of me.
At the same instant, Do-a vanished too.
After that, both of them were moving too fast to see — all I could make out was the sound of something colliding.
Neither Do-a nor Arkiel was visible.
***
Meanwhile, at that same hour.
London Heathrow Airport.
"Welcome to England, Hunter Kim A-rin."
Staff from the British Hunter Association, who had been waiting in the VIP-exclusive corridor, made contact with the Korean Hunter who had just appeared.
Kim A-rin of the Haetae Guild.
An S-rank Hunter dispatched by the Korean Hunter Association at the request of the British Foreign Office.
"A vehicle is already standing by — please come with us for now."
"Thank you for the warm welcome."
"Not at all. We're only sorry we couldn't do more for someone who traveled from the other side of the world."
As they made their way to the hotel where A-rin would be staying, the British Hunter Association staff began a more detailed briefing.
Why Britain had requested Hunter support from Korea and other nations.
What crisis the Hunters gathering in Britain — A-rin among them — needed to prevent.
"The projected rank of this Red Gate is A. However, considering the similar incident in Berlin, there's a possibility it could go higher."
A red Gate that had appeared above the Thames in London.
Commonly known as a Red Gate.
With an ordinary Gate, Hunters could be deployed to stabilize it — but this Red Gate made that impossible.
Even before any Hunters had been sent in, the Gate's entrance was already sealed shut.
In other words, no one could enter the Gate until a Gate Shock event occurred.
Put differently — all they could do was watch and wait until the Gate Shock happened.
"…This is already the third time."
"Yes, it is. All we can do is hope that this time, too, we manage to hold it off without major casualties."
That was precisely what made Red Gates so particularly dangerous.
Other Gates could be stabilized before a Gate Shock occurred — but Red Gates defaulted to Gate Shock from the very start.
That was why Britain had reached out to Hunters from other nations.
They'd determined that holding back the monsters about to pour out above the Thames on their own would be too much to handle.
"The full briefing is scheduled to begin at 2 PM tomorrow afternoon. All the other Hunters should have arrived by then as well."
"2 PM, huh……"
"For now, please get some rest at the hotel. We'll see you again in the lobby tomorrow morning."
"Understood."
With that, the British Hunter Association staff who had guided A-rin gave a polite bow and departed.
Only then did A-rin settle comfortably onto the bed and quietly take out her phone to unlock it.
"Korea is…. 4 PM right now."
She'd been planning to send Ji-woo a quick message — just a simple note saying she'd arrived in England safely.
But before she could do that, A-rin noticed something.
A new notification at the top of her screen.
[ Follow suggestion: HT_Jiwoo and several others ]
"Haetae, Ji-woo……? …Sis?"
A name she recognized immediately.
Almost in the same breath, she found herself tapping into the account page as if drawn there.
— Tap, tap.
— Ding.
───────────
HT_Jiwoo | 11:30
───────────
@HT_Do._A
The cake is delicious
♡ 17K 🗨️ 685 🔁 2,743 ➣ 4,591
───────────
"…Pfft. You've got cream on your cheek."
A faint smile spread across A-rin's face as she caught an unexpected glimpse of her sister's day.
She was exhausted from the long flight, but A-rin kept scrolling anyway.
Through the comments flooding in calling Ji-woo adorable, and the follower count steadily climbing.
— Press.
— Ding.
[ A__rin is now following HT_Jiwoo. ]
