A contract paper, as the name suggests, was commonly used by those wanting to create a contract—whether it be a fair agreement or a one-sided deal like a slave contract.
But how could a piece of paper bind a miracle holder? That's because the ink used to write the terms was made with a mixture containing the blood of a famous sea serpent.
One of the 7 wonders of the new world.
If someone breaks the contract, they will lose their miracle, possibly even their life.
Arvani nodded in understanding after Rian gave a brief explanation.
The black-haired girl held the contract paper, which stated that Rian would follow all of Arvani's orders, under the condition that Lena would be spared.
"I agree."
Now, both Rian and Arvani just needed to drip their blood onto the paper. A small chain reaction occurred—the contract suddenly floated and was engulfed in blue flames. For a moment, Arvani felt something on her left hand, but when she looked, there was nothing.
"That's it? That was too easy. I thought it'd be as complicated as getting an ID card—hoaaam~"
Arvani covered her mouth as she yawned.
"..."
From the corner of his eye, Rian glanced at Lena, who was beginning to show signs of waking up.
"Excuse me, Master Arvani. May I take Lena to the guard post? I swear I won't run or do anything suspicious."
Arvani, who was sitting on a rock with her legs crossed and her chin resting on her right hand, paused for a moment. She was already getting sleepy, and her brain could no longer function properly.
"Bring me a pillow when you come back."
"...Understood." Rian didn't know how to respond to that.
As he carried Lena, the blond man dashed toward the guard post. Seeing her pet move at such speed, Arvani whistled in admiration.
"Kensei... I'm sleepy. Please watch over me."
'You think I've been sleeping this whole time?! Don't you dare fall asleep. There's already an enemy watching us from afar, you foolish woman,' Kensei replied sharply.
Arvani lazily turned her gaze in the direction Kensei mentioned. Honestly, she couldn't see or feel any presence.
Meanwhile, on a distant hill from Arvani's resting spot—
"Damn it! Chief, it looks like the Red Rabbit already knows we're here!"
A man with a sniper rifle hurried down from his hiding place. He was dressed in all black and wore heat-detecting goggles.
"Are you sure about that, Leo? You're 3 kilometers away from the Red Rabbit."
The man referred to as chief asked in a calm tone.
"I'm sure, Chief. Besides, didn't you feel that terrifying aura coming from him? We should relocate immediately."
"No need. The Red Rabbit will only move if we attack first. For now, we'll just monitor her from a distance. Remember, as members of Salus, it's our duty to make sure the Hunter of Tower competition proceeds properly."
"Understood, Chief!" The sniper nodded with determined eyes.
Back on Arvani's side, the girl remained in the same position, waiting for Rian to return with her pillow. The night grew darker. Her missing left eye—replaced by Kensei—and the red rabbit mask she wore made it impossible for her to see.
Growing drowsier, Arvani leaned her back against the rock. She lazily pulled out her phone with her left hand, hoping to find some entertainment like any other person.
Tap!
"Ack!" The girl flinched as the phone's screen brightness blinded her for a second.
"You foolish woman, are you trying to reveal your location to the enemy?!"
Kensei yelled angrily and smacked her head, though the hit had no effect whatsoever.
"Sorry."
After switching her phone to night mode, Arvani opened an app people usually used to watch interesting videos. At first, she was unsure what to search for.
After a moment, she randomly typed "mad dog," recalling the type of monster she often encountered in Gotan City. Instantly, thousands of videos appeared showing tips and tricks to deal with this monster type.
Arvani watched several of them in turn until she came across one video about a Top Tier Hunter who met a tragic death. This hunter was named Kayril. His miracle was a control-type ability that allowed him to control monsters as long as they were weaker than him.
The video explained that Kayril died due to his arrogance—trying to control an ancient serpent on the verge of evolving into a dragon. The serpent was said to be capable of hypnotizing its prey.
Long story short, Kayril was eaten alive by the very monster he tried to control.
Arvani snorted softly. "Nonsense."
In an instant, Arvani realized that Kayril had died because of betrayal from his teammates. How did she know? Because she could clearly see the malicious intent on their faces.
Thanks to Daniel, who discovered Arvani's hidden ability. Ardi and Mariposa were the ones who trained her to hone her skill of reading faces.
A gentle breeze blew, and right on cue, Rian returned. The blond man knelt with one knee before Arvani.
Arvani tilted her head in confusion. "No need to act all respectfully. Just be normal."
Rian nodded. He then handed over a soft pillow he had bought using points from the guard post.
"Oh! Great job, now I can sleep peacefully!"
Rian nearly screamed that this wasn't the time to sleep. However, on second thought, only fools would waste their energy on the first day of the challenge. They still had 9 days left to endure.
"No wonder Master Arvani is so relaxed. He's already figured out a survival plan!" Rian thought, amazed.
He shouldn't have listened to his twin sister's idea to kill as many enemies as possible and stalk in the dark. He shouldn't have followed her plan in the first place.
"Alright, your first task as a guard dog is to—"
Arvani's sentence was cut short when Kensei suddenly tilted her head to the side.
Thunk!
A soft clang of metal against rock echoed behind Arvani. Her dark eyes glanced back and found a bullet mark.
"Whoa! So silent bullets really do exist," Arvani thought, both awed and horrified.
Thankfully, the red rabbit mask she wore prevented others from seeing her expression clearly. The black-haired girl immediately turned her sharp gaze toward where the shot came from.
'Damn it, I can't see anything. Kensei, I'm leaving the rest to you. Just use that technique.'
Kensei, who had been wearing a flat expression, suddenly grinned widely.
"Their souls will be mine."
'Do as you wish. I can't hold off sleep any longer.'
"Okaay~"
Kensei flicked his hair back with a wide grin. His killing aura erupted, making anyone nearby shudder in terror. Rian, still close by, froze again in fear.
"[Rohwaris]."