Chapter 2

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 2

Chapter Title: Rift Exploration with the Summoned Beast

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Suddenly acquiring a new skill?

And a Mythic-grade one at the highest tier, no less?

I was so shocked that I stared at the doll. The light from my hand had long since transferred to it.

Transparent ice crystals bloomed around the doll like frost, and in response, the doll's unpainted gray skin flushed brightly.

The joints at every segment softened, transforming into the smooth texture of pale skin.

Literally, like a real person!

"A Maker Hunter getting a Mythic-grade summoning skill... What the hell is this?"

The Mythic grade was one thing, but straying so far from my aptitude was another.

How lucky did I have to be for coincidences like this to stack twice?

'No, after going through all that hell for months, isn't this the least I deserve?'

That thought crossed my mind, but the situation was still absurd.

As a test, I shouted "Recall," and the clone before me instantly lost its vitality, reverting to the form of a cold wooden doll.

Conversely, when I shouted "Summon," it transformed back into Instructor Cheon Da-eun's perfect likeness.

A ability that used the doll as a medium to summon a clone of the observed target into reality.

This was the true nature of the unbelievable power I had just acquired...

Gulp.

That raised one unavoidable question.

Could it speak?

Could it converse?

And if so, how would this Instructor Cheon Da-eun right in front of me react to the current situation?

"Um, excuse me, Instructor?"

"What."

"Ah."

"If you're going to speak to me, get to the point, Kang Ihyeon. Why are you staring at me like some monkey in a zoo?"

"S-Sorry! I was just so shocked."

It was exactly the same!

Not only could it converse, it even remembered my name.

'It's got the exact vibe of getting scolded by Instructor Cheon Da-eun...!'

She continued coldly.

"I asked what you want. You didn't summon me here without thinking, did you?"

"N-No! Not that! I mean, just as a test?"

"A test?"

"Yes, uh, to check if the skill was working properly..."

My stammering response made her brow furrow slightly.

It was that exact expression she made when I did something stupid.

Damn, I knew it was my summoned clone, but it was so real it scared me!

"...Treating me like some machine part. How unpleasant."

"N-No, that's not what I meant! This whole situation feels so unreal that I'm still wrapping my head around it."

"Ridiculous. Are you saying you don't even understand what you just did?"

"I know it's weird too. But, um, do you understand what's going on, Instructor?"

Did it even recognize that it had been summoned by me?

Thankfully, Instructor Cheon Da-eun answered my question without issue.

"I'm the clone you summoned. Is any more explanation needed?"

"Th-Then what about your thoughts or memories?"

"I was pulled here mid-dinner—Hamburg steak with that sweet demi-glace sauce. The flavor lingers even now. As a clone, it's not hard to understand."

"I-I'm sorry for interrupting your meal..."

"Hmph. Just don't let it happen again."

Instructor Cheon Da-eun crossed her arms, looking miffed.

It really was a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠perfect copy-paste of her at the moment of summoning...

Still, my thoughts were starting to settle.

Regardless of the cause, I had acquired a clone summoned beast of an elite hunter serving as an instructor. In other words, I could now act on the request I'd made to Instructor Cheon Da-eun just hours ago.

Crossing the rift's deadly frontlines with her help.

Her scornful gaze was still vivid in my mind, but this right in front of me was my summoned beast, right?

She seemed pretty pissed, but I had to ask once more.

"Instructor, please. Conquer the rift with me!"

"...Again?"

The clone instructor frowned at my plea.

My heart sank for a moment, but her response was different from what I'd expected. She tossed her long hair back and grabbed my collar.

"Haa. Let me make this clear upfront, Kang Ihyeon. This isn't my original body. Right now, I'm strictly here as your summoned beast."

"Y-Yes! That's right!"

"A summoned beast obeys its master's commands. Is that rule too hard for you?"

"B-But, Instructor. Are you really okay with this?"

"Hmph. Don't overthink it. I refused earlier because I couldn't stand watching one of my students throw a tantrum. But this is within the bounds of a system-approved skill. Since you've summoned me as your summoned beast, my role is to fight at your command. Do I really need to explain something this basic? Were you sleeping through class?"

"N-No, sorry!"

Only then did the clone instructor nod shortly with a satisfied smile.

"At ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠least you're not hopeless. I'm content as long as the Academy produces even one more warrior."

The feeling was strange.

Even if there were control commands for the summoned beast, whether she helped me wholeheartedly was another matter.

This was practically borderline illegal summoning.

'I thought she was just strict, but she has a warm side after all.'

In any case, using this clone in combat was no problem.

But there was one lingering concern.

No matter the permission, she wasn't a summoned beast I could show to others.

Summoning a clone of a real person? If word got out, it'd spark massive controversy in hunter society.

They might even drag me to the frontlines, ignoring my wishes...

A Mythic-grade skill that let anyone create clone-type summoned beasts.

It was truly that powerful.

When I voiced my worries, the instructor replied nonchalantly, as if it were nothing.

"Hmph. Just don't get caught."

"Easier said than done."

"There are plenty of ways to evade the government's eyes. What matters is reaching that level of skill. What you should focus on now isn't that—it's your status as a student."

"Ah."

Right. Academy students needed a permit to conquer rifts, by rule.

"Well, since I'm in the Straggler Program, issuing a permit shouldn't be an issue."

It'd probably take two or three days.

"No need. Why wait? I'll just forge the paperwork in my handwriting."

"Pardon?"

"My will is my original's will. No need for tedious processes."

"But what about ethics as an instructor?"

"Don't cross the line. Didn't you command your summoned beast to do this?"

"W-Well, yeah...?"

Instructor Cheon Da-eun... turns out she's not exactly on friendly terms with the law.

Her lips even seemed to curve up slightly.

Screw it.

If she said she'd do it, she'd do it.

Strike while the iron's hot—I immediately used her signature to forge the paperwork.

'Since it's come to this, let's challenge it right away.'

It might be a bit rushed.

But after a whole year.

A year of nothing but failures.

I'd even received a virtual death sentence.

With a skill like this in hand, holding back and overthinking would make my heart explode.

I wanted to prove it.

That I could conquer rifts now too!

Slipping into the rift late at night wasn't particularly hard.

With an instructor and a permit, who could stop me even if they recognized my face?

Excluding rifts controlled by major guilds, security wasn't that tight anywhere.

Ever since humanity's domain shifted from Earth to the supergiant rift 'Tartaros,' administrative resources were stretched thin just managing the large-scale rifts.

"No different from my usual patrols. Bureaucrats are so slow."

"That's government work for you."

The place I chose was called '11-1 Rift' by its national designation number.

All rifts had such numbers.

As far as I remembered, this was the easiest rift near the Academy.

"Whew, shall we head in then?"

"......"

"W-Wait, don't go ahead!"

"What are you babbling about, you coward who freezes up at the entrance like a sluggish grub?"

Not even giving me time for deep breaths!

I adjusted the basic Academy gear I'd grabbed from the dorms and hurried after the instructor.

The closer I got to the rift entrance, the harder my heart pounded.

Yeah, honestly, I had some PTSD.

After months of repeated failures, just seeing a rift entrance could make you sick to your stomach, right?

'Get it together.'

A rift was a rift, after all.

The land I lived on was a rift too.

I swallowed dryly and stood beside the instructor.

Without a word, she walked toward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the pitch-black rift entrance. Naturally, there wasn't a hint of tension on her.

This was normal for her, of course.

"Let's go in."

"Yes, ma'am!"

She stepped into the darkness first, and I followed.

With my eyes squeezed shut.

One step, another.

The moment I crossed the boundary.

Whoosh—a completely different air stabbed into my lungs.

A damp, fishy smell utterly unlike the outside. And the sight unfolding before me was...

"Whew, this feels way too real..."

Towering trees so dense they blocked out the sky, packed impossibly thick. The squelch of damp leaf litter underfoot. And in the distance, the cry of some unknown beast.

The theme of this '11-1 Rift' was a primal forest!

Overwhelmed by the curtain of overwhelming green, I paused for a moment.

The sensation of a place seen only on monitors unfolding in reality never got old, even after months.

"This place is freaking huge. Hope no giant dragons show up."

Well, they did in the later stages.

The theme here was a literal primal forest.

Not just lots of trees.

Leaves oversized, brimming with excess oxygen like primitive pastures. A dungeon of great nature spawning insects, beasts, and mutant dinosaurs.

The instructor lightly leaped atop a massive cliff rock covered in green moss, as if it were nothing, then overlooked the primal forest below.

"It's been a while. Still no decent landmarks for navigation."

Unlike the instructor, who jumped several meters effortlessly, my physical abilities were the absolute worst.

Panting heavily after struggling up, I finally reached her side.

"This scenery, huff huff, stretches on steadily from here?"

"Exactly."

"So how do we conquer this place? Any strategies or..."

Truthfully, conquering 11-1 was simple.

Find the path and just follow it.

Roughly 1 area per 10 kilometers.

A dungeon of 20 areas total.

The problem was that even that simple task was brutally hard for me. Conquest basically meant leaving everything to the instructor's clone.

When I cautiously asked, she snorted lightly.

"Conquest? You have nothing to do. Just hide and follow quietly."

"Pardon?"

"Any questions? That's the summoner's duty."

"E-Even so—"

"No 'even so.' Kang Ihyeon, do you even realize you're a summoner?"

She stepped right up to my face and jabbed my forehead with her finger.

"Eek."

"Right now, we're not instructor and student—we're summoned beast and master. If you want more than just experience, behave yourself."

"Ugh... Got it."

I didn't think I could do much anyway.

Even with a Mythic-grade skill, the summoned beast was strong—not me. I knew my limits best after 30 failures.

'But it still feels off.'

She looked, remembered, and spoke exactly like Instructor Cheon Da-eun.

Honestly, giving orders felt heavy, and saying I'd just leech from hiding felt lame...

Not that the instructor cared.

"Then I'll clear the path."

Descending the rock, the instructor unleashed the power of freezing magic with a single gesture.