Chapter 52: Date Is Set
’He figured it out,’ Hajin thought, staring back at the Guildmaster without a trace of fear or panic on his face.
If anything, he was actually genuinely impressed. He had always assumed that because Juna was originally a living person resurrected by his system, her signature would feel exactly like any other living being.
He never once thought someone would actually be able to tell she was a summon just by feeling the faint connection between their mana.
Allen was definitely living up to his title as Guildmaster.
"Yes," he answered calmly, "she is a summon. That is my power."
Juna didn’t react to the confirmation. She just kept her eyes locked on Allen, her posture completely relaxed but her ears twitching slightly to track every single sound in the room.
Allen slowly leaned back in his chair, a deep look of fascination washing over his tired features.
"Fascinating," he muttered, resting his chin on his steepled fingers. "I have read countless records on the Summoner class. They summon elemental constructs, tamed beasts, and on very rare occasions, powerful anomalies. But summoning a fully sentient, humanoid beastkin?"
He tilted his head, his eyes shifting over to Juna again.
"That completely defies the standard laws of summoning magic. A soul cannot be tethered and commanded in the same way you would bind a mindless beast," he noted, his analytical gaze dropping back to Hajin.
"Or are you going to tell me she isn’t a real beastkin, but some incredibly advanced, flesh-and-blood construct?"
"She’s real," Hajin replied bluntly.
"I can see that," he said, giving a small nod. "Which makes your existence even more of a headache for me."
"If the wrong people get a whiff of this," he continued, his tone turning serious, "the sheer amount of factions, nobles, and dangerous individuals that will flock to you will make you wish you were dead. A summoner who can bind a sentient being is a terrifying concept to anyone with power."
He paused, his gaze narrowing slightly. "Do you have any others? Any more summons like her?"
"No," he said, keeping his expression flat. "She is the only one. I’ve tried, but I can’t summon any more like her."
That last part was a blatant lie, since he could theoretically summon more souls from the Veil but there was zero reason to reveal the true depth of his power to a Guildmaster he barely knew.
Allen stared at him for a long moment, searching his face for any sign of deceit, before finally nodding.
"Then you are incredibly lucky," he muttered, rubbing his temples. "With a unique power like that, is that why you want to become a Ranker? To secure a position of power so you aren’t hunted down by the people who want to use you?"
"I have my own personal reasons," Hajin replied, keeping his answer as vague as possible.
Allen let out another exhausted sigh, though he didn’t look offended by the non-answer.
"Fair enough. Everyone has their reasons," he said, pulling a blank application form from a drawer and setting it on the desk between them. "But let me ask you one last question before I sign off on this royal recommendation."
He tapped a finger against the thick parchment, his gaze locking onto Hajin once again.
"Do you truly understand what the title of Ranker actually means?"
Hajin frowned, genuinely confused by the question. "It means I get unrestricted access to high-level gates and anomalies without needing to beg the guild for a permit every single time."
Allen didn’t laugh, though a dry, humorless smile touched his lips.
"That is what the public thinks it means," he said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "They see the wealth, the fame, and the VIP treatment. They see the badge as a free pass to do whatever you want."
He gestured vaguely toward the window behind him, where the sprawling capital city sat completely unaware of the horrors lurking at the borders.
"But that badge is a leash, Hajin," he continued, his voice completely flat. "When a category-five anomaly breaks out and entire cities are getting wiped off the map, normal adventurers are allowed to run, they are allowed to save themselves but rankers are not."
Hajin stayed quiet, listening as the Guildmaster laid out the reality of the situation.
"If the King calls, you answer. If the guild demands you step into a suicide mission to buy time for civilians to evacuate, you step into it," he said, looking at him with eyes that watched too many people die.
"You aren’t just getting a permit to farm better cores. You are signing away your freedom in exchange for power. You become a weapon for the state."
He tapped the blank application form again.
"If you just want to get strong and protect yourself and your summon, tear up that royal letter and walk out of here right now," he warned him plainly. "But if you sign this paper, you are stepping into a political nightmare. You will be used, targeted and eventually, you will be thrown into a meat grinder."
Hajin looked at the application form sitting on the desk. He didn’t look intimidated or conflicted by the warning. Instead, a faint, almost arrogant smile touched his lips.
"I know all that," he replied casually, leaning forward. "But those restrictions only apply to the lower ranks. If you step into the high tiers, the leash vanishes. You become your own boss."
Allen blinked, clearly caught off guard by the sheer audacity of the statement. A moment later, an amused chuckle escaped his lips as he looked at the unregistered rookie sitting across from him.
"You’re aiming for the absolute peak before you even have your permit," he noted, shaking his head. "Do you truly believe you have the power to join those monsters at the top?"
Hajin picked up the pen sitting next to the form, quickly signing his name at the bottom of the page before tossing it back across the desk.
He looked back up at the Guildmaster, his smile widening just a fraction.
"Yes."
Allen stared at him for a second before throwing his head back and letting out a loud, genuine laugh.
"Very amusing," he said, wiping a tear from his eye as he looked down at the signed application. "Very good. It has been a long time since I’ve seen an unregistered rookie with this kind of arrogance."
He stamped the form, sliding it into a neat pile on the edge of his desk.
"I will be overseeing your exam personally," he told him, the amusement still lingering in his voice. "Come back to the guild in exactly two days. Be well prepared, and bring the registration fee."
"Fee?" Hajin asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Normally, the entry fee for the Ranker Exam is one hundred gold coins just to keep the weak from wasting our time," he explained casually. "But since you are carrying a royal recommendation, you only have to pay ten gold."
Hajin just nodded as he had a thousand gold coins sitting in his inventory, not to mention the legendary boss core still in his bag. Ten gold was basically pocket change to him right now.
"Two days huh," he said, giving a brief nod before turning toward the door. "I’ll be here."
He didn’t wait for a dismissal, pushing the doors open and walking out into the hallway with Juna trailing quietly right behind him.
The moment the doors clicked shut behind them, the system panel appeared in front of him, completely halting his train of thought.
[ System Alert ]
[ Summoning Skill Cooldown Completed ]
[ You may now summon a new soul from the Veil ]
He stopped walking, staring at the floating text as a slow, dangerous grin spread across his face.