A Dog's New Name
The moment it was revealed that what I had obtained from the event was a mutt... no, a "summon-type item," not only the Hunter Administration Office but also tower management organizations around the world were thrown into an uproar.
To begin with, there were fewer than ten summoners in the entire world.
That was how rare the class was.
Summoners were those who formed contracts with spirits or beasts.
As powerful as they were, these contracts carried immense risks. They had to offer up their mana, their blood, or even their lifespan.
Even after making such a contract, they could only summon one or two entities.
The risk and burden on the summoner grew exponentially with each additional contract.
Even Ophelia of the United Kingdom, hailed as the greatest summoner in the world, could only summon three entities in total—and even she couldn't call all three at once.
Yet here I was, holding a "summon-type item" that allowed me to summon a creature without any risk whatsoever.
It was no wonder the world was in a frenzy.
The mere appearance of the first-ever summon-type item was shocking enough, but for the summon itself to be a boss-grade mythical beast?
It was a monumental event that would completely reshape the item market.
"Woof!"
"..."
Well, it didn't really feel real to me.
No matter how strong it was, it was still a beast I had already beaten to a pulp.
I doubted having one mutt around would change my life all that much.
Vrrr.
"Hey, mutt. Go get my phone."
"Woof!"
If there was one good thing about it, it was that I could use it to fetch items like this.
"Arf!"
"Good boy."
I picked up the phone the mutt had brought me.
The caller ID read: Kang Mina.
It wasn't a surprising call.
Thanks to the whole "first-ever summon-type item" uproar, my manager, Kang Mina, had been run ragged.
"Hello?"
"Hunter Lee! Have you eaten yet?"
"Yes. I had sweet and sour pork and jjamppong."
"Oh, that sounds delicious!"
"Well, Sangjin's cooking is better than most restaurants."
The sweet and sour pork was perfectly stir-fried, and the jjamppong was spicy and absolutely fantastic.
"In that case, how about a cup of coffee? My treat!"
"On a civil servant's salary? I'm fine."
"Oh, come on, don't be like that. It'd be nice to get some fresh air."
"Just be honest with me."
"Pardon?"
"You're not calling just to grab coffee, are you?"
"H-how did you know...?"
How could I not?
"It's about the summon-type item, right? I thought we already finished the interviews."
"W-well, yes. But it seems the Americans have a lot of questions."
"If they have questions about summoning, wouldn't it be faster to ask actual summoners?"
"It's more about the item itself..."
"Then wouldn't it be faster to ask item experts?"
"Even the item experts have zero information because it's the first 'summon-type item' ever discovered..."
"Like I said, I don't know much about it either."
As I let out a dry chuckle, the quick-witted Kang Mina immediately cut to the chase.
"If you cooperate with us on this, the Director said he will forcibly lift the New Guild Restrictions on the Typhoon Guild."
"And?"
"On top of that, he promised to negotiate with the government to exempt you from taxes for the next five years."
Oh.
Now that was tempting.
The taxes the government levied on guilds were astronomical.
I had learned this from Go Juhee.
While individual hunters didn't have to worry much about taxes, the taxes imposed on guilds were massive.
It was probably a measure to keep guilds from growing too powerful.
"Just 'helping' isn't enough."
"...What if I say it's ninety-nine percent guaranteed?"
"Is that remaining one percent up to your hard work, Ms. Mina?"
"Of course."
"..."
I paused for a moment.
Just as the silence was beginning to make her nervous, I spoke.
"Fine."
"R-really?"
"Since you're asking so nicely, I have no choice."
I agreed, pretending to reluctantly give in.
"Thank you, thank you so much, Hunter Lee! We'll do our absolute best!"
"Shouldn't the Director be the one thanking me, not you...?"
"Of course! The Director will express his gratitude to you separately!"
"Good to hear."
I was always sharp when it came to business.
"Should I bring the mutt to the Administration Office?"
"Yes. We just need to run a few tests at the office."
"Understood. I'll head over right away."
I didn't have anything else to do anyway. Might as well go get a free cup of coffee from the Administration Office.
"Let's go, mutt."
"Woof!"
As I was heading out with the mutt, I ran into Do Sangjin, who was just returning from grocery shopping.
"Ah, are you going out?"
"Ah, yes. Heading to the Administration Office."
"...Is something the matter?"
Do Sangjin's expression turned slightly serious.
He seemed to have become a bit sensitive lately due to the guild establishment and various other matters.
"No, nothing like that. Just taking the mutt out for a bit."
"Ah..."
"Woof!"
Do Sangjin looked back and forth between me and the mutt, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, I'll be back—"
"Um, Hunter-nim."
"Yes?"
Do Sangjin called out to me, not even putting down the grocery bags yet.
What was it? Was he going to ask what I wanted for dinner?
"About that little guy..."
Do Sangjin gestured slightly toward the mutt.
"Him? What about him?"
"I think... it might be good to give him a name..."
Do Sangjin lowered his head slightly in embarrassment.
How unexpected. He looked like someone who only cared about working out, yet here he was, worrying about the mutt.
Come to think of it, when I first showed him the dog, he had immediately boiled some chicken breast for it, even though a creature like this didn't need anything of the sort.
"A name? He has one. Mutt."
"Well..."
"Yes?"
"Still, calling him 'Mutt' seems a bit too harsh."
"They say dogs live longer if you give them a rough name."
"Ah..."
"But if it bothers you that much, Sangjin..."
I shrugged.
"Why don't you name him?"
"Me?"
"I can't think of anything else besides Mutt."
"Uh..."
Do Sangjin hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Then, how about Black?"
Black?
Hmm...
Was it because of his black fur?
Hmph.
Whether it was Black or Mutt, weren't they equally lazy names?
"Alright. Let's go with Black."
I scooped the mutt into my arms.
"Your name is Black from now on. Got it?"
"Woof!"
Do Sangjin patted the mu—no, Black, with a pleased look on his face.
"Black, make sure to behave for your master, okay?"
"Woof woof!"
Do Sangjin. He was softer than he looked.
Well, it wasn't a bad trait.
"Well, I'm off. I'll be back for dinner, so please have it ready."
"Yes. Have a safe trip."
"Let's go, Mu—no, Black."
I left the residence with Black.
As soon as we arrived at the Administration Office, Black was subjected to various tests.
They seemed to be the kind of tests summoners usually went through...
...Since it has nothing to do with me, how should I know what they're doing?
To me, all these tests just looked like Kang Mina playing with Black's soft paw pads.
"Is it impossible to summon him in his actual size?"
At the researcher's question, I shook my head.
"He was his actual size inside the tower, but he's been like this ever since we came out."
"Would it not work even if you ordered him?"
Hmm. Come to think of it, I hadn't tried ordering him to change.
"Let's give it a try."
"Please do."
"Just in case, everyone please step out."
The researchers conducting the tests filed out of the room.
Only Black and I were left behind.
"Black."
"Woof!"
"Show me your original form."
...!
Black looked around restlessly.
He looked exactly like a dog that desperately needed to relieve itself.
Whine, whine, whine...
Seeing him stomp his paws and whine, it felt less like he couldn't do it at all and more like something was blocking him.
"It's fine, just try it."
"Woof!"
Only then did Black stop whining and glare forward.
Tring.
It was at that moment. A notification window popped up before my eyes.
1,000 Magic Stones will be consumed to manifest Cerberus.
Huh? What?? Wait, what????
Whoosh!
Before I could even react, 1,000 magic stones vanished from my inventory in an instant.
And then...
Fwoosh!
Darkness began to seep out, centering around Black.
As the surroundings were enveloped in pitch-black darkness...
Flash!
Six crimson eyes flared to life.
Growl...
Along with a familiar growl, a massive forepaw slammed down, tearing through the darkness.
The darkness slowly receded, revealing the form of Cerberus.
Grrrrrr...
Baring its fangs and growling, the "real" Cerberus exuded an overwhelming pressure that made it hard to believe it was the same tiny dustball from before.
"..."
I glanced back.
Beyond the transparent glass window, the Administration Office staff and researchers were watching us.
Every single one of them stood with their jaws slack, staring at Black.
Their jaws looked ready to dislocate.
"This is it."
...
No voice came through the speaker. Only their sheer, stunned silence filled the air.
I let out a soft sigh and looked toward Kang Mina.
"Ms. Mina."
"Y-yes!"
Only then did Kang Mina snap out of it. So the speaker connection was working perfectly fine after all.
"Could you tell them that this is what he looks like inside the tower?"
"Ah, yes, of course!"
As Kang Mina relayed the message, the researchers finally came to their senses.
"Hunter Lee, they're asking if it's safe to approach him in this state."
"Hmm..."
I looked up at Black.
Leftie, Rightie, and Goldie all looked down at me.
He had been fine when he met my party members...
"Probably?"
"Ah...!"
"Don't worry. He obeys my commands perfectly, so there won't be any accidents."
The researchers bickered among themselves for a while.
In the end, they didn't all come in; only the youngest-looking woman and Kang Mina entered the room.
Tsk, tsk. What a bunch of cowards.
"T-then, we will proceed with the testing..." the trembling researcher stammered.
Grrrr...
Cerberus growled, baring his fangs in warning.
"Quiet."
Whimper...
I silenced him instantly.
"Oh, watch out for his drool. It's acidic."
"Heh, yes...!"
"I was fine, but just in case."
Sizzle...
Right as I said it, a drop of drool fell and melted the floor.
"It... it really is acid."
Good thing I warned them.
At any rate, the session finally ended after they conducted various tests and investigations on his true form.
"Woof!"
"...The difference in his image is quite drastic," Kang Mina muttered, staring blankly at Black.
"Well, he'll be in this form most of the time outside the tower."
"I suppose that's a relief..."
"Oh, right."
I spoke to Kang Mina, who was playing with Black's soft paw pads again.
"It cost some magic stones to manifest his true form."
"Of course, we should cover that!"
"Right?"
"Yes. Just tell me how many, and I'll submit a report to get it processed within a few days..."
"One thousand."
"...Pardon?"
Kang Mina's face froze instantly.
However,
"One thousand."
My answer remained unchanged.