The Second Companion
“...My god, how... such magic... It's more sinister and ferocious than a kaiju's...” Kim Na-hyun muttered, her eyes completely out of focus.
I glanced at her briefly before turning my gaze back to the front. She had definitely called it 'more sinister and ferocious than a kaiju's.'
...But what could I do? It would look even weirder if I panicked now.
So, after careful consideration, I decided to play it cool.
“Hmm... Is that all a Purple Elk is capable of? Impressive.”
Was that the right thing to say? Ah, whatever.
I summoned the gate once more. A tail shot out in a straight line from the small portal. Perhaps sensing the danger of the tail, the Purple Elk nimbly dodged. Or rather, it was barely grazed.
Yet, despite only being lightly brushed by the tail, the Purple Elk instantly lost its vitality the moment of contact. Seeing it like this, it was a truly chilling sight. Darkness swirling where the tail had passed, and a kaiju losing its life force from a mere graze...
“......”
Kim Na-hyun’s jaw dropped, showing no signs of closing anytime soon.
“Shall we, uh, start moving?”
“Ah... Yes.”
An awkward silence settled over us. It felt like a silent war of nerves, both of us holding back the questions we desperately wanted to ask.
“Just a moment. I’ll go check on it.”
Kim Na-hyun approached the dead Purple Elk to evaluate it. I casually followed her, worried she might discover something strange from the corpse.
The first Purple Elk I killed had been completely impaled by the tail, making the cause of death painfully obvious. But the second one only had a single graze. A scratch, really.
Kim Na-hyun examined the second elk closely, then nodded.
“It makes sense why you’d want to hide this ability. Does your mana itself possess a unique property? If so, even with a small mana capacity, the destructive power would be...” she murmured to herself.
I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, but I nodded anyway.
“...Your insight is remarkable. I suppose one doesn't become an Association Team Leader for nothing.”
At my praise, the corners of Kim Na-hyun’s mouth twitched. She seemed to be the type who was weak to compliments.
“Ahem. Shall we keep going?”
I suppressed a chuckle and shook my head.
“Let's stop here. I believe I've shown you enough of my ability.”
And indeed, I had shown her everything I needed to. I didn't have extensive knowledge of subjugation, nor did I possess brilliant combat instincts. If I pushed my luck, I might arouse suspicion or lose points. While I wanted a high rank, I couldn't afford to let Yugi's identity be exposed just yet.
Unaware of my thoughts, Kim Na-hyun widened her eyes and tilted her head. Her expression practically screamed, You're stopping after catching just two?
But she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Instead, she nodded, her face still filled with doubt.
“...Well, it's a bit of a shame, but this should be more than enough to fill out the report.”
I felt like she was being incredibly considerate of me. However, I didn't take her consideration at face value. I was slowly starting to realize that my ability was truly extraordinary. As the Team Leader of the New Recruit Discovery Team, Kim Na-hyun needed to get on the good side of talented prospects. And my ability was special enough to warrant this level of extreme hospitality.
Thus, thanks to her consideration, we began retracing our steps. Going back the way we came meant a lower chance of running into more kaijus.
“Once I submit the report, the higher-ups and the evaluation committee will hold a meeting to finalize your rank. So, it might take a little time,” Kim Na-hyun said, keeping a watchful eye on our surroundings. The silence must have been too awkward for her.
“I thought it would be decided quickly. Is that not the case?”
“For ordinary awakened, it is. But the story changes when an awakened candidate is projected to receive a B-grade right from their very first evaluation.”
Had she already decided on B-grade for me?
When I looked at her, she smiled warmly and continued.
“And actually, there's one more secret.”
“A secret?”
Kim Na-hyun stopped walking and gripped her wand. A bluish light began to gather at its tip. The light rippled outward like a wave, eventually transforming into a video projecting past events. It was a recording of me summoning the gate and defeating the Purple Elk.
“It's one of my skills. I can project scenes I've witnessed as a magic video. That's why any awakened who scores well on the mana measurement undergoes a practical evaluation with me.”
So that was why they couldn't award a C-grade or higher without a direct witness. They had to submit this magic video along with the report. I watched the projection closely and asked, “But why are you suddenly telling me this?”
“Because I want to get on your good side. Ah, I mean on behalf of the Association, of course.”
“Yes, I know.”
“Ahem. Anyway, that's not the secret I wanted to tell you. The real secret is that I can distort this video. If you want, I can do that for you, Yoo-cheon. Honestly, this ominous darkness might cause some controversy.”
Distorting a video meant for the higher-ups just to protect the Association's image? It sounded contradictory, but somehow, I understood. Kim Na-hyun was just a team leader. If a massive uproar occurred internally, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Rather than trying to coordinate with the entire organization, she chose to act on her own.
Still, I felt it was a favor I didn't need to accept. It might be convenient right now, but it could leave me at her mercy in the future. You should never trust people too easily. Especially the good-looking ones.
Besides, I wanted to see the reactions of others—not just Kim Na-hyun—to this trick of using Yugi's tail. I wanted to gauge how people would react to this method of attack.
“There's no need to go that far. But if you really want to help, could I ask for one favor instead?”
Kim Na-hyun dispersed the magic video and asked, “...What is it?”
“I'd like you to tell me how the evaluation committee reacts when they see that video.”
“Eh? That's way too easy to be called a favor.”
“I'm glad to hear that. It makes it easier for me to ask.”
Darkness. A deep, quiet void.
Suddenly, a series of glowing blue system messages materialized before my eyes.
The Bond with Xuanwu-Yugi has increased.
Current Bond: 100/100
[Condition Met] The Bond with your contracted kaiju, Xuanwu, has reached its maximum.
A new territory has been unlocked.
The Bond system for the second kaiju is now active.
“Finally...”
A day had passed since my practical evaluation with Kim Na-hyun.
When I first got home and saw 'Bond: 99/100', I couldn't believe how agonizingly close it was. I stayed up all night trying to raise Yugi's Bond. It had been rising so easily before, but that last 1 point was stubbornly stuck.
So, I spent a grueling twelve hours straight with Yugi. I sang to him, bought him delicious treats, played games, danced... I literally tried everything.
But because I was a terrible dancer, Yugi apparently found my clumsy movements hilarious. Only then did the Bond finally tick up.
I was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, but the moment the system messages updated, a massive rush of dopamine washed over me, chasing away all my fatigue.
“...Well then, shall we head to the next territory?”
With a fluttering heart, I headed in the direction indicated by the system. Yugi had already fallen fast asleep after our intense play session.
Meanwhile, around the same time, in a conference room on the second floor of the Association.
An Association employee dressed in a sharp suit bowed deeply to the people entering.
“Thank you for making the trip. Please, take any seat you like.”
From Kim Hosung, hailed as South Korea's strongest, to the leaders of the nation's top guilds. They had all gathered at the Association after hearing an intriguing piece of news. They were here as the evaluation committee.
An awakened candidate being evaluated for a B-grade immediately after awakening? There was no way they wouldn't be curious.
“So, you came too?”
A man who had already taken his seat spoke up. He was the Guild Master of a guild ranked sixth in the world. Kim Hosung swept his gaze over him, a mocking smirk playing on his lips as he replied.
“A B-grade right after awakening? Is there anyone else in Korea besides me who can properly judge such a thing?”
The Guild Master had thrown a jab to needle him, but Hosung brushed it off with ease.
“Judge? Or are you here to check their potential and crush them before they can grow, just like last time?”
“...That was not intentional.”
At Hosung's murderous tone, the Guild Master let out a low whistle.
“Haha... You guys never change, do you?”
The others watching them chimed in. The evaluation room instantly fell into a chilling silence. Amidst the quiet, the remaining empty seats were gradually filled.
A total of five evaluators. Every single one of them was a household name in Korea.
Click.
The lights went out all at once. Kim Na-hyun stepped onto the platform.
“Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules. Since everyone here is very busy, I will cut straight to the chase and show you the video.”
A magic video was projected from Kim Na-hyun's wand. It showed a man defeating a Purple Elk.
“Whoa—!”
“A tentacle? Is it a summon-type ability? The way he uses it is quite unique.”
“...Why did it die from a mere graze? I can feel an ominous energy from that tentacle. Is it because of that?”
“He definitely deserves a B-grade.”
They murmured in admiration, showing keen interest.
This was the result of Kim Na-hyun distorting the video to a certain extent, even though she hadn't received permission. She had feared that showing the raw, unedited footage to these top-tier awakened would cause absolute chaos. Even as a mere B-grade, Kim Na-hyun had shuddered at the sheer ominousness of it.
However, Kim Hosung alone stared at the screen with a dead serious expression. Sensing his gaze, Kim Na-hyun swallowed hard.
And for good reason. Kim Hosung was widely considered to be in a league of his own compared to the other evaluators. He was South Korea's very first S-class awakened, and even now, he was regarded as the absolute strongest. Perhaps he had noticed the distortion itself, or perhaps he had sensed something anomalous from even the faintest trace of energy.
And Kim Na-hyun’s ominous premonition proved to be correct.
“You call that a human? No... that is a kaiju.”
Kim Hosung spat out the chilling words.
Though he spoke calmly, Hosung was in a state of extreme inner turmoil. He could feel the raw energy emanating from beyond the gate where the tail had emerged. Even though it was merely a magic video projected by Kim Na-hyun, the pressure felt as if it were physically crushing his entire body. A suffocating weight pressed down on him.
But that tension was quickly shattered by a petty provocation.
“This crazy bastard is starting again. Are you planning to kill this one too?”
“...You'd better watch your mouth.”
A massive wave of mana erupted from both men. What started as a gentle ripple of energy quickly swelled into a raging torrent, exerting enough pressure to cause cracks to spiderweb across the building's walls.
“P-Please, stop this!”
The Association staff rushed in to intervene, but they were utterly powerless. Only after the other evaluators stepped between them did the two finally withdraw their mana.
“...Anyway, if the Association has any brains, you'd better keep a close eye on that bastard, Kim Hosung. Secure some evidence. If the time comes when we need to put him down, I'll be the first in line.”
The Guild Master spat out the words through gritted teeth before storming out of the evaluation room.