The Summoner's Rebirth: Awaken, Milady

Chapter 39: The Unknown Variable

Aria was the fifth one to enter the stage. There were already four contestants on the platform.

At the same time as her, another contestant stepped up.

Instantly, the 'round' started.

A voice rang from the speakers hanging from the tall ceilings.

It was a monotonous, cold voice.

"Welcoming Contestant One, Yoon Ji-min from [Ice Palace],"

"Welcoming Contestant Two, Lily from [Gardenia],"

"Welcoming Contestant Three, Song Kang from [Will],"

"Welcoming Contestant Four, Aria Schreiner from [Magnolia],"

"Welcoming Contestant Five, Reik from [Blazing Swords],"

"Welcoming Contestant Six, White Fox. Team-less,"

"That is all," The commentator ended their report. No explanation, no iteration, no nothing.

A light introduction to announce everybody's attendance.

Just six Hunters who were standing on top of a circular stage, set to fight against each other.

Aria had prepared herself for the battle, but an unexpected variable arrived.

The Sixth Contestant, [White Fox]. Someone who wasn't included in Lein's data.

'Five? I thought that there were only five candidates in total.' Aria raised her brows, finding something to be amiss.

The sixth contestant was wearing a fox mask. Aria couldn't sense any danger from her, but she had a discomforting aura.

Aria didn't know what caused it.

Hell, how was she even admitted? Team-less and maintaining anonymity. Was that allowed?

If so, Aria wanted to follow in her footsteps. Why did she have to go through all the trouble of registering as [Magnolia]'s faux member?

Like Aria, the other members also did their research. They were more or less familiar with each other.

The only abnormality was, the Sixth Contestant.

She was mysterious to say the least. Her petite body was covered in all black clothing. Her hair, which dropped down to her waist was also jet black in color. All in all, your focus would be drawn towards the apparel that covered her face.

A white fox mask with red marks.

Everyone knew what they were here for. To fight for the last seat.

Naturally, they were all geared up.

However, this one girl appeared to be so harmless that it was suspicious.

She didn't bring a weapon, nor was she clad in defensive armor.

She wore an all black tracksuit and that was all. She didn't look ready to fight at all.

The commentator never said anything more, but the intent was already clear to begin with.

Someone just needed to start the fight.

Song Kang was the first one to move. He wielded a giant claymore, swinging it across as if testing his fluid movements.

The thing must be heavy, but he was swinging it like a child's toy.

"I can start, right?" Song Kang's head turned to look at the five candidates apart from him.

Three of them, he was familiar with. They were rising Hunters, and it made sense why their teams signed them up for this position.

Aria Schreiner from [Magnolia] was a nonexistence presence. Never heard of. But because she was listed in the data, he was able to acquire some information about her.

Aria's application to the Hunter's Association should've been 'confidential', but the law could be broken.

On Aria's documents, she stated that she was a spirit user. She was discouraged from typing in Summoner because she didn't exactly have summoning skills.

Thus, Song Kang at least knew the gist of Aria's abilities: affiliated with Spirits.

Even though he hadn't seen her fights, he could make prior measures to not be shocked upon the reveal.

Song Kang's gaze then finally fell on White Fox.

This girl.

Who was she?

A strange contestant indeed. Nothing was known about her.

It made him want to start with her.

Well, Song Kang was a very decisive and willful person.

Breaking into a grin, Song Kang further strengthened his will, pointing his claymore at White Fox.

"I don't know who you are, but I'll take you down first!" Song Kang started his attack, running towards White Fox with full speed and swinging his blade.

A 100m distance was covered in less than five seconds. There was a reason why Hunters were not allowed to participate in sports competitions. Because they would be able to do impossible things like this. It would ruin the balance.

However, Song Kang's blade slashed only thin air.

White Fox was nowhere to be seen.

He raised one brow in interest. He was renowned for both his power and speed. To think that someone would be able to escape into nothingness was mildly interesting.

He was focused on his strike, so he couldn't see when the girl escaped.

However, Aria saw. She was standing by the side and trailed White Fox's movements to wherever she went.

'Oh? So this is why she's a 'White Fox'?' Aria observed the girl that maneuvered around the arena with ease.

Before Song Kang slashed, White Fox had jumped, stepped on his claymore, and propelled herself to the other side.

Song Kang's head turned left and right, but White Fox was not there.

It was because, the girl was behind him, standing in the farthest corner of the arena.

She was light and agile. Like a fox.

If Song Kang was fast, then White Fox's speed would be multiple times that of Song Kang's.

Yet, that could not be the end of it.

Agility wasn't enough to guarantee her a spot in this selection.

Excluding her, the four people that were registered all were talented individuals that had bright futures.

They excelled in two or more fields.

For example, Song Kang with his speed and offensive abilities.

Something else... something had to be hidden. Another special skill.

A White Fox.

What else would it be?

Nonetheless, Song Kang continued his pursuit. He located down White Fox and started chasing after her again.

Not once did White Fox attack back. She dutifully dodged, while Song Kang learned about her tendencies and started to forge a plan to counter her even as he launched his attacks.

They were invested in their own battle, leaving the other four humans by the side.

Since Song Kang and White Fox's battle started, Aria also decided to start her fight.

She marked down Lily, a member of the [Gardenia] team. According to the data, she was a poison user.

If she wasn't careful, she could be poisoned before she even notices it. She was a troublesome opponent that made her not be able to catch a breather at all.

Lily's Main was a defense-type plant. She was able to summon a gigantic flower that would close up its petals and act as a shield. An additional feature also existed. The flower was able to exert a poisonous odor and materialize tentacles that could be used as an offensive measure.

It was indeed troublesome to handle.

"Dianthe, Rallaka, take care of the flower. I'll take on the girl," Aria was confident in her skills.

If it was a one-on-one combat fight, she would definitely win. The flower was where Lily's main prowess thrived.

However, since poison and other hindrances were involved, she had to be careful.

Dianthe and Rallaka appeared simultaneously into the field, reaching a consensus and marking down Lily as well.

During Aria's many training sessions, she had experimented with the two spirits' compatibility and cooperation.

The result was pretty satisfying.

The two spirits were also taught the contestants' information. They knew what to do and what not to do.

The other contestants, noticing Aria's spirits also got back to their fighting mind.

With her eyes, Aria sent a signal to the other two contestants, Ji-min and Reik that she would face Lily.

Six contestants. Three pairs.

Isn't it a perfect match up?