Caller of Souls

"Why... do I have to be a man?" Arvani asked in a nervous tone.

"First, the public already knows that the Red Rabbit is a male. Second, it will increase your safety when you're being Arvani outside of the challenge period. Third, I can stay closer to you if you're disguised as a man. Well, but it's still your choice in the end. I will not force you, and things might happen outside our expectations later."

Arvani fell into thought. She considered the possibilities that could happen during the Hunter of Tower competition. True, she would face fewer dangers if she stayed near Daniel.

Although until now Arvani has not seen Daniel's abilities directly.

"Well, I don't mind. If I may ask, who exactly is going to target me?"

Daniel gave a faint smile and pulled a card from his jacket pocket. "Let's learn to read with me."

Arvani raised an eyebrow, confused.

The brown-haired man took out two cards and began explaining. The first card showed a crown, representing the Great Noble Family of Abraham

The second card had a black flag, symbolizing envoys from several countries wishing to establish ties with the Great Noble family Abraham .

"But don't worry, there are some parties who might be willing to work with you against the 'crown' and the 'nation flag.'"

Tap!

Daniel placed a lion-illustrated card next to the crown card.

"Salus. They are an organization focused on protecting humans from all dangers around them."

"Will they help me?" Arvani asked, not fully understanding Daniel's intent.

The brown-haired man shook his head. "They won't help unless your battle with the 'crown' and 'nation flag' causes great damage to other Hunter candidates."

"And the last party who will definitely help you take down the noble Abraham family is Ningrum."

Thud!

Daniel placed a dolphin card on top of the crown and lion cards.

"Dolphin?" Arvani was confused why a smart and cute animal like a dolphin would be the symbol of a criminal group.

"On the outside, they seem like a simple circus troupe, but inside, they're a bunch of psychopaths. You would better not form any alliance with them, Arvani."

Arvani gave a small nod. Although she still didn't fully understand, she decided to follow Daniel's advice, after all, he was her boss now.

"So, do you want to explain your miracle now? Of course, in return, I'll explain mine too."

"Sure." Arvani still didn't care about the risk of revealing her miracle.

Seeing this dangerous innocence, Daniel gave a faint smile.

"My miracle is a type that allows me to copy other people's miracles."

Srak!

Daniel revealed a small card from his jacket. It was white, with a picture of a knife. The next second, Daniel slowly pulled out the actual knife from the card.

"I can store inanimate objects, living beings, even other people's miracles."

Arvani's eyes widened in awe. The next moment, she realized it was her turn to explain.

Ahem "I still don't know exactly how this power works. Basically, I can summon someone's soul by sacrificing one of my organs."

'Don't tell him about your left eye or me!'

Kensei's sudden shout startled Arvani a bit. Luckily, she could control her expression.

'This guy, he's been quiet lately. Why is he so loud again?' Arvani grumbled internally, annoyed that she was the only one who could hear Kensei.

Daniel seemed to ponder for a moment. "Can the soul you summoned with your tongue obey your every command?"

Arvani paused to think of a safe answer. From that question alone, it was obvious Daniel suspected she had sacrificed her tongue, since she once pretended to be mute. She decided not to reveal more of her miracle.

"Yes. Though sometimes, that soul nags a lot."

The brown-haired man relaxed. He then took out two more cards—one with a red rabbit mask and a flowing red cloth beneath it, and another with a sword.

"Take these cards. Say 'release' in your heart if you want to use them. Once we get to the tower, you can do anything you want."

.

.

.

Long story short, the day awaited by all aspiring Hunters finally arrived.

Daniel and Arvani had a small accident that made them late. Well, it wasn't really an accident. Daniel deliberately overslept.

On the way, he also intentionally dropped the plane tickets on the road, causing Mariposa and Ardi to scramble trying to find them.

Why was the Guildmaster acting so strange? He was simply upset because Mariposa and Ardi had accidentally sold his vintage comic collection to someone untraceable.

"Even if it was cheap, that comic was a rare first edition. If you tried buying it now, it'd cost five times more, damn it."

That was Daniel's habit when angry, swearing at the end of every sentence.

Not wanting to get scolded, Arvani stayed quiet in the car, staring at the card with the image of a red rabbit mask and a thin red cloth.

Thankfully, her slim figure made it a bit harder for people to guess her gender. Plus, Mariposa had bought her black clothing designed to conceal body movements from enemies.

'Hopefully Mariposa doesn't turn me into an experiment subject as payment for these clothes,' Arvani muttered, a side effect of watching too many movies.

The location of the Hunter of Tower competition was a secret from the public—only a few powerful individuals knew of it. That's why they flew to the place where the portal to the tower was hidden.

Upon arrival, Daniel would head straight to registration while Arvani would find a secluded spot to put on her mask, hiding her identity from everyone.

Daniel wore a dark purple satin shirt with a spell design from someone's miracle that he had stored. His black pants had gold threads hanging as ornamentation.

He casually walked toward the corner of the registration area, ordering a coffee milk and spicy chips. His yellow eyes scanned the area briefly. There weren't many people left, which meant one thing—

He was already late.

"Well, it has its pros and cons," Daniel thought.

He pulled out his phone and sent a message to Arvani, who was still getting ready.

[You can enter now.]

[Thdre is a bit pf problem guildmater.]

Daniel frowned. He could still understand the message despite the typos.

[What problem?]

[I met a former Viarki.]

Daniel nearly spat out the coffee milk he was drinking. Meeting a former Viarki wasn't part of the plan. That could be trouble.

Ting!

A new message from Arvani popped up.

[But I think it is okay. That Viarki letf afer I gave her food.]

Arvani sent a photo of a bracelet made of purple crystal and jade.

[She gave me this.]

Daniel examined the bracelet closely. He then asked what the Viarki looked like.

[An old woman with yellow and blue eyes, gray hair. Her clothes were simple but looked expensive.]

[Did you understand her right away when she spoke?]

[She spoke in Egarta.]

Only one person came to Daniel's mind. There were only three former Viarki still alive, and based on Arvani's description, only one fit.

A Viarki who had been overthrown by her own adopted child. Kareen Paleis.