Demon and Kitten
Clack, clack, clack.
An enormous cavern whose height was impossible to gauge. From far away, the sound of something charging echoed through.
"Keruk?"
A cave goblin wandering the passage peered curiously into the darkness. In that instant—
Crunch.
A horse's hoof suddenly burst forth, smashing the goblin's head flat. Thud thud thud thud!
It was a massive, pure white horse. With enormous wings sprouting from its back. A summoned beast equivalent to an A-rank mana beast. A Pegasus.
Riding atop it was Seoyeun. She grit her teeth in frustration.
Damn it...! Why!
About ten minutes earlier, the responses from the summoned beasts watching over the students had cut off.
A Demi-Lich. An S-rank undead emerging from a C-rank gate. She'd seen it in reports before. Irregulars spawning in areas with high residual mana. But a rank difference this extreme shouldn't have been possible.
The students...
Seoyeun urged her Pegasus onward.
"Pegasus, let's hurry a bit more!"
Neigh—!
Pegasus flapped its massive wings, picking up speed. Far ahead, the entrance to the boss room came into view.
The oppressive pressure crushing the air vanished. Seha blinked. Darkness. Where the Demi-Lich had been, nothing remained.
"Sister Dahong...?"
Isol asked. Seha looked around, but there was no sign of the summoned beast anywhere.
"W-where did they both go?"
Jinho said, clutching his trembling arms.
"I don't know."
No one had noticed. Dahong had definitely been there right up until the moment the Demi-Lich deployed its magic circle. Then, at some point, they had both vanished simultaneously.
...Some kind of forced teleportation spell?
Meanwhile, Harin couldn't seem to stand, either from legs gone weak or the lingering pressure, even after it lifted.
"You okay?"
"......Yeah."
She nodded at Isol's question, but her face was still pale. Having been directly exposed to the Demi-Lich's terror, the effects apparently lingered.
"Let's send the rescue signal first. No telling when it'll come back."
At Isol's words, everyone pulled long crystals from their pockets.
Snap.
A faint light spread as they snapped them. That would send the signal outside. Maybe the teacher was already on her way with her summoned beast reporting back.
That was when it happened.
Squirm.
Something moved above Seha's head.
"Ah."
Seha reached up and grabbed whatever it was. Fur. Long, soft fur. He carefully lowered it in front of him.
It was the Behemoth kitten Dahong had left perched there. When he flipped it over, golden eyes gleamed. It looked like a black long-haired cat on the surface. If not for the red gem embedded in its forehead, the two small horns, and the tiny wings timidly folded back.
"...What do we do with this."
The Behemoth kitten bristled in Seha's hand. Its golden eyes glared at the group one by one.
Then.
"Hiss."
It stretched its tiny mouth wide and let out a fierce threat. Not threatening at all.
"It's an S-rank mana beast cub. We have to kill it."
Jinho raised the mace he used as a secondary weapon.
"But..."
"Think rationally. It'll grow up and cause a lot of damage later."
"......"
As Seha fell silent, Jinho turned to the other two.
"What do you all think?"
But no one spoke.
The Behemoth squirmed in Seha's hand, trying to escape, wriggling its whole body.
"Peep—!"
Its fluffy body wiggled fluffily. That was when.
"...Cute."
"?"
"...?"
At the sudden voice, everyone turned. There stood Harin, hand over her mouth, head turned away.
"......"
"......"
"......"
Unable to bear the silence, Harin flushed red and yelled.
"What! I just like cats, okay!"
"No, we didn't say anything..."
Jinho sighed in the end.
"Do whatever. Don't blame me if it causes trouble later."
"......"
That was when.
Clack. Clack.
Footsteps echoed from the darkness. Team 1 raised their weapons in unison.
"Who's—"
"It's me."
It was Dahong. Everyone relaxed.
Dahong looked perfectly fine. Not a speck of dust on her clothes.
"...What about the Demi-Lich?"
Seha asked.
"Dead."
"......"
Silence fell.
Harin spoke first.
"How...?"
"Just did."
"Just...?"
Jinho pressed, but no further explanation came.
Isol asked.
"Any injuries?"
"Nope."
Dahong answered curtly, then lowered her gaze. Toward Seha's hand. Golden eyes met red.
The Behemoth kitten bristled.
"Hiss."
Dahong slowly extended a finger. The kitten bit down ferociously.
Chomp chomp.
But Dahong didn't care. She lifted her finger, and the Behemoth dangled from it. It flailed its limbs and wings before going limp.
"Heh."
Dahong chuckled, then cradled it to her chest.
"...You're taking it?"
Seha asked.
"Yeah."
"For real?"
"Yeah."
Jinho let out a hollow laugh. That was when.
Neigh—!!
Snort...
A horse's neigh echoed from the passage. Soon after.
"Is everyone okay?"
A pure white horse leaped into the boss room. Its massive wings flapped, stirring wind. Seoyeun jumped down from atop it.
"That’s..."
Jinho froze. A Pegasus. Pure white body. Massive wings on its back. Light flowed from its mane. A species classified as a divine beast alongside unicorns.
"A-rank..."
Isol muttered lowly.
"Teacher summoned it..."
Seha said nothing. He stared at the Pegasus. The way its wings folded. The mana leaking from its mane. The thickness of the mana line connecting it to its summoner.
...Incredible.
Admiration from one summoner to another.
Seoyeun scanned Team 1. Fortunately, they all looked fine. She let out a relieved breath.
"The Demi-Lich?"
"Dahong took care of it."
"...What?"
Seoyeun turned to Dahong. Dahong met her eyes.
"How did you take it down."
"Just killed it."
"What do you mean 'just'..."
"Killed it till it died."
Seoyeun wore an incredulous expression. A Demi-Lich had near-immortal vitality and mana thanks to its phylactery. That alone put it in the S- category. And she took it down solo? In this short time?
Seoyeun's gaze slowly swept over Dahong. Not a speck of dust on her clothes. White hair undisturbed. Skin without a single scratch. No trace of battling a Demi-Lich.
As Seoyeun opened her mouth to ask more.
"...Huh?"
She spotted the black furball in Dahong's arms. A pair of golden eyes gleamed.
"...A cat?"
"Yeah."
No. Black long fur. Red gem on the forehead. Two small horns. Tiny wings folded timidly.
"That's a Behemoth kitten."
"Yup."
"Why are you holding it."
"Taking it."
"Taking it?"
Seoyeun was speechless. Dahong, unperturbed, slowly stroked the kitten's fur. Sensing Seoyeun's gaze, it narrowed its golden eyes and growled lowly.
"Hiss."
"Hey now, be good."
"......"
Seoyeun closed her eyes briefly as if dizzy, then opened them.
"No."
"What?"
"You can't. We can't allow taking living creatures from inside a gate without permission. Especially an S-rank mana beast's offspring."
"Don't wanna."
"You have no choice."
"Don't wanna."
"By regulation—"
"Don't wanna."
Seoyeun furrowed her brow. Dahong stared at her. Their gazes met in the air.
"Even if you don't want to, you have to. That's the rule in human society. If you want to live quietly, better follow it."
The red eyes stared blankly at Seoyeun.
Then.
"Seha."
Dahong called.
"Yeah?"
"Come here."
All eyes turned to Seha. He shuffled forward hesitantly.
Dahong held out the Behemoth kitten toward him.
"Contract it."
"...Me?"
"Summon contract."
Seha blinked.
"With me?"
"Yeah."
Seoyeun raised an eyebrow.
Summon contract.
Her mind raced through calculations. Living creatures from inside gates were forbidden from export without authorization. But summoned beasts weren't classified as gate creatures. The moment they contracted with a summoner, they registered as summoned beasts, not mana beasts.
She's aiming for that loophole.
Seoyeun looked at Dahong. Dahong didn't take her eyes off Seha.
Seha looked down at the kitten. Golden eyes looked up at him. Wary eyes. Fur slightly bristled.
A failing student who had never succeeded in a summon except for Dahong. Him contracting an S-rank mana beast?
He swallowed hard.
"Don't be nervous."
Dahong said.
"How could I not be."
"You'll be fine."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Just trust my eyes."
"......"
Seha looked at Dahong. Her face held nothing special. Not even particularly confident. Just stating the obvious.
Seha drew a deep breath. Extended both hands. Dahong placed the kitten on them.
The kitten flailed.
"Hiss—!"
Seha didn't let go. He drew up his mana.
This was his first time deploying only a contract ritual without a summoning one. Theory was perfect.
This and this, no need for spell 7 either...
He could do it. Mana spread from his fingertips. The kitten stilled. As if sensing the mana. Golden eyes looked up at Seha.
Please, I beg you!
Seha prayed inwardly. The kitten squirmed.
Then.
It pressed its nose to Seha's wrist and sniffed deeply.
Snap.
He felt the mana line connect.
"It worked!"
Seha shouted in surprise. It was thin. A thread-like line. But. Definitely. Connected.
Light etched onto the back of Seha's hand. A gem with horns and wings. The pattern faded quickly.
"...The contract's complete."
Isol murmured in astonishment.
Jinho stared, frozen. Harin was speechless.
The Behemoth kitten climbed Seha's arm to his shoulder, then rubbed its face against his jaw like it was showing off.
"...Haha."
Seha laughed. An expression like he couldn't believe it himself.
Seoyeun's eyes widened.
"Impossible..."
"Why?"
"Contracting an S-rank summoned beast is incredibly hard. Especially a mana beast, not a divine beast, spirit, or angel. And a first-year academy student did it?"
"But he did."
"...Hah."
Seoyeun was silent for a long time. Then she stared blankly at the Behemoth and Seha.
"Teacher."
"...Yeah?"
"We can go now, right? It's a summoned beast."
"......"
Seoyeun let out a short sigh.
"Yeah."
Dahong grinned.