Caller of Souls

29 days had passed.

Lintang City, the outside wall area.

In the forest where sunlight was partially blocked by tree branches, Arvani sat quietly on a rock while reading one of her books titled 'The Igarashi Family Documents', written in the Egarta language.

Srak!

Arvani's black eyes glanced briefly toward the source of the sound. It was a cat with two tails, each twice as long as its body.

"Oh, this one looks tame," Arvani thought.

As much as possible, Arvani didn't want to waste energy fighting docile monsters that could potentially befriend her. She wasn't the type to look at monsters with disgust.

She closed her book and took out her lunch box. Inside were rice, two boiled eggs, pieces of fried chicken, and sautéed water spinach.

She picked up a piece of chicken and tossed it near the cat. The cat sniffed it a few times and then began eating the fried chicken.

"If I'm not mistaken, two-tailed cats like this come from the myths of the Land of the Rising Sun, right? Their name was... Uhh... I forgot."

'Nekomata.'

Kensei told.

"Oh? Thanks."

The black-haired woman tied her hair back. A few rabbit-like monsters were looking from a distance, watching her.

Arvani recognized this rabbit species. They physically are the same as regular rabbits, but they were carnivorous, capable of lightning-fast movement and hiding within underground tunnels.

That was the reason why Arvani sat on a large rock under direct sunlight, where the rabbits would suffer temporary blindness upon exposure to light.

She was waiting for Ardi, who was hunting a bit farther from her. If it had been the old her, Arvani would have screamed for help immediately.

However, she was no longer a scared little girl who always ran away when she met a monsters.

She took out a small tube object from her jacket pocket, pressed a button, and it extended turn into a long staff.

Arvani frowned slightly, then pressed another button at the staff's center to shorten its length.

"I'm not that good at using a staff."

Once satisfied, she glanced toward one of the holes in the ground, where a pair of red eyes was watching her.

These rabbits' weaknesses were sunlight, which could blind them, and their relatively fragile endurance but their speed was deadly.

Arvani jumped down from the rock. From the corner of her eye, she saw three rabbits emerge from a hole beneath a shady tree.

They didn't perceive Arvani as a threat. The black-haired woman looked weak, with a thin frame and an unsteady battle stance full of openings.

The red-eyed rabbit that had been watching her leapt out of its hole and dashed forward, aiming for her ear.

Tang!

The sound of metal clashing against the rabbit's head rang out. While the rabbit was in midair, Arvani swung her staff as if hitting a baseball.

Thud!

The rabbit's body slammed against a tree trunk.

"Too bad, little rabbit. Your speed can still be tracked by my eyes," Arvani said with a faint smile.

Angered by their friend being struck, the three other rabbits attacked Arvani at once. She gasped and quickly sidestepped to the right.

Swish!

The rabbits retreated back into their tunnels underground.

Arvani smiled slightly. Although her eyes could track their movements, her body still struggled a bit to keep up. She took up the sword stance Kensei had taught her.

Just as the rabbits leapt again, Arvani spun and slashed.

Thud!

She took down one rabbit.

"These rabbits always follow the same attack pattern. They go for the head first," she thought.

Armed with her knowledge, Arvani managed to defeat all three rabbits. Now she had something for dinner.

The dorm only provided breakfast and lunch. If she wanted dinner, she had to cook or buy it herself.

Arvani examined the four rabbits she had caught. They were still alive, but by tying their legs, they wouldn't dare misbehave.

Meooow~

Arvani looked toward the sound. The two-tailed cat she had fed earlier was walking toward her.

She glanced up at the sun, still high in the sky. Ardi would finish hunting once the sun had dropped slightly, probably around 3 p.m.

Arvani picked up one of the rabbits and handed it to the cat.

"Now go, before Senior Ardi hunts you," she said, stroking the cat's head.

After securing the other three rabbits, Arvani sat back on the rock and reopened her lunch box. The two-tailed cat grabbed the rabbit with its mouth and trotted away.

Time passed, and just as Arvani finished her lunch, she heard the sound of something heavy being dragged. She turned to see Ardi hauling a pile of various monsters.

"Wow, three today, huh Arvani? Congrats~"

Arvani gave a dry smile. Compared to her haul of three rabbits, Ardi's catch—five triple-horned buffalo, ten mad dogs, and ten large black chickens—was far more impressive.

Fortunately, Ardi had brought a large cart to help carry both of their catches.

Riding in the jeep, Ardi and Arvani headed to the trading post, a bustling place visited by Miracle users and regular humans alike. Only afterward did they return to the guild base.

Arvani's now-empty lunch box was filled with rabbit meat. She had already sold the skin and bones to a merchant.

"Arvani, since you'll be leaving with the boss tomorrow for the Hunter of Tower competition, don't train today—just rest," said Ardi as they arrived at the guild.

Arvani nodded. "Of course."

Upon entering the guild, she saw Daniel reading a horror comic while the TV showed news about the Hunter of Tower competition.

The reporter said that this year's competition would be more dangerous than ever. More and more contestants were getting trapped inside the tower. For context, any Miracle user who fails to complete all 100 challenges must remain in the Tower forever.

Arvani was slightly worried, but she was ready. For the sake of a monthly salary—err, a better future, she would keep moving forward.

"Arvani, have you made your fake ID yet?" Daniel asked, done with his comic.

Arvani nodded.

She sat near Daniel. Mariposa was out on a medical assignment, and Ardi was now counting the guild's money.

"So here's the plan: you'll register directly as the Red Rabbit. Then, when the challenge starts, you'll be the Red Rabbit, and outside of that, you'll be Arvani, my teammate. That way, no one will try to kill you while you sleep."

Arvani nodded, half-understanding.

"The issue is... Are you ready to disguise yourself as a man?"

"Eh?"