I’m the Only One Who Can’t See Ghosts - Chapter 77: Myeong-Myeong and the Familiar League (5)

What was the first sacred thing humanity ever witnessed?

It was fire.

Untouchable by mere humans, it was sacred.

It brightened the dark world, so it was sacred.

It provided warmth like life itself, so it was sacred.

It purified disease and burned away corruption, so it was sacred.

There was a family that claimed to have first mastered this holy fire.

That family was known as the Jin family of the Sacred Flame.

The strongest family in the Sect Alliance.

The noblest bloodline.

The first priests.

And here stood the heir of that family.

Who was this heir of the Sacred Flame? Someone born with the purest of the Jin family’s blood, possessing the phoenix’s spirit form, and whose connection to the primordial fire was unmatched.

The one destined to reclaim dominance over the world one day from the Cheonji. That very person stood before them now—Lady Jinari of the Sacred Flame Clan.

“My Lady…!”

The young master, who had been struck down by Yoo Hajin’s lightning-quick low kick, muttered as he stared at Jinari, momentarily dazed.

Lady Jinari was astonishingly beautiful.

If she were an ordinary mortal, she’d be of high school age. Though still too young to be called an adult, her beauty hinted at the future. So much so that the young master’s heart thumped loudly.

Without realizing his face had turned red, the young master thought.

Lady Jinari would never tolerate such audacity.

To dare threaten someone of noble blood like him in a sacred blood competition.

Lady Jinari would punish this brute.

With those thoughts in mind, the young master looked to Jinari. She, however, was blushing and fluttering her wings.

“…?”

Something felt off.

And so, the conversation between Jinari and Yoo Hajin began.

“Chick. It’s been a while.”

“Oh, oh… it’s been a while… you.”

Calling the great phoenix “chick”?

Well, technically, a phoenix’s chick is still a chick, so it’s not entirely wrong.

The crowd was shocked by such bold words.

But Yoo Hajin didn’t notice the astonishment.

So he casually continued.

“Hey, this doesn’t break any rules, right?”

“No rule violation? The Sacred Blood Competition is a contest of chobiom’ strength! It’s not a competition for using brute force like you!” yelled the fallen young master.

Yet, Lady Jinari only shot him a cold glance.

“And you are…?”

There was a difference in their status.

And a difference in their family’s rank as well.

“Don’t you know it’s rude to interrupt others’ conversations?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

The young master could only bow his head in shame. To have angered such a being… if it weren’t for the honor of his family, he would’ve wanted to flee immediately.

To be fair, you couldn’t really call him a coward.

Most of the people present had similar thoughts.

With just a single remark, Jinari silenced the entire arena. Yet, the man who called her “chick” continued speaking without stopping.

“Chick, come on. Answer me already.”

“Wha-what did you say?”

“I’m asking, there’s no problem with me fighting while holding Myeong-Myeong, right?”

He carefully avoided saying he’d fight in place of the beast.

Such debates often hinged on word choices.

The chick pondered over his words for a moment.

“I can’t say there isn’t room for controversy. This is unprecedented, after all. However, the lack of rules on this matter is because the competition exists to showcase the trainer’s physical prowess. So, in the end… wait a second, Myeong-Myeong?”

Jinari glanced at Yoo Hajin’s chest.

There was a peculiar but adorable puppy in his arms.

“Is that a puppy with demonic beast blood? How did you manage to come this far with a creature like that?”

“‘How did we make it this far?’ If it’s about our strength, we could even win the whole thing.”

“Win… the whole thing?”

Jinari repeated.

Yoo Hajin nodded lightly.

They said the grand prize for this competition was extraordinary. A life-changing opportunity. That meant it must be something worth a fortune.

Yoo Hajin could not give up on it.

But the chick before him had other thoughts.

The grand prize for this competition was this:

The right to summon Yi Hwa-ya, the youngest daughter of the Black Dragon Yi Clan.

To summon Yi Hwa-ya meant becoming the son-in-law of the Black Dragon Yi Clan.

The thought of Yoo Hajin marrying another woman…

“Pii…”

For some reason, Jinari ’s heart darkened.

With a trembling voice, she whispered,

“Your match is invalid.”

“…What?”

“The Sacred Blood Competition is a contest to compete over sacred blood that strengthens the trainer’s beasts. If thebeast doesn’t fight directly, it’s meaningless!”

“Wha-what?!”

Yoo Hajin stared at the chick in shock.

Just a moment ago, hadn’t she implied it was okay?

She mentioned something about the lack of rules and summoners’ strength.

Why the sudden change of heart?

“Chick.”

“…”

But the chick simply turned her head away, sulking.

****

“Chick.”

“…”

The chick had turned her back on me.

The chick… betrayed me.

Just like how the drama adaptation of ‘The Youngest Son of the Sega Clan’ betrayed me, Jinari, the youngest granddaughter of the Jin family, has betrayed me too!!!

Who would’ve thought I’d be betrayed like this?

I thought, since we were friends, she’d be on my side. Even though that young master is from the same sect, how could she make such a blatantly biased judgment?

A kid, not even an adult yet, acting like they understand adult matters?

I was furious, but there was nothing I could do.

So what now?

What can I do?

Other than getting super angry or begging the chick, what else is there for me to do, you fool Yoo Hajin?

Wait… did I just say I could get super angry or beg? That means I can do that, right? Yeah, let’s do it. I can’t just let this chance to turn my life around slip through my fingers.

First, I’ll beg. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll get mad. I took a deep breath and called the chick’s name.

“Jinari .”

“Wh-why aren’t you calling me ‘chick’ all of a sudden…?”

“I’m disappointed in you.”

I slowly continued.

“Winning? I don’t care about that anymore.”

Of course, I needed to win. To be precise, I needed to get my hands on that prize money. But if I say I don’t care, it’ll give me the moral high ground when I get angry later.

“I just wanted you to be on my side.”

That much was true.

To be more precise, I wanted her to be on my side so I could win more easily. If I’m being honest, I wanted her to make a biased decision in my favor.

“I…”

Her eyes wavered.

Oh? Is this actually working?

Of course, she’s just a chick, after all. She’s got a soft heart.

If it were someone like Jamsuni, they would’ve already brushed me off and started tea-bagging. But now that I see it’s working, I’ve got to push a little harder.

“In fact, I wasn’t even aiming for the prize. What I really needed was the sacred blood to heal this little one. And yet, here you are, trying to knock me out before the semifinals, not even the quarterfinals.”

“You weren’t aiming for the prize? Wh-why didn’t you want to win?”

“Obviously, because of you.”

“…!”

If you look back at our conversation earlier, you’ll find the answer.

At first, the chick seemed to be on the verge of siding with me over the young master. Then, the moment I mentioned I’d win, her attitude did a complete 180, and she declared my match invalid.

She must be under some obligation to make sure someone wins. If I pretend to give up on winning, she’ll fall for it.

And sure enough, her reaction was promising.

“Peep, uh, you’d give up winning because of me? The prize for winning the Sacred Blood Competition is that thing, and you’d give that up because of me?”

Her face turned bright red.

Then she just stood there, chirping to herself.

What’s wrong with her…?

Well, either way, it seems to be working.

“I’ve heard you need to place in the top ranks to get the sacred blood. I need it to save this little one. So, let me ask again.”

I looked at the chick and spoke.

“Is fighting with Myeong-Myeong really against the rules? Tell me clearly, right here and now.”

If the chick confirmed that it wasn’t against the rules, then nothing could stop me from winning. I’d become the top dog of the Sacred Blood Competition. I’d just win it outright.

What? I promised the chick earlier that I wouldn’t win?

I only said I wasn’t thinking about winning at that moment.

Plans can change, right?

“As the one presiding over this competition, I’ll give you my opinion. The Sacred Blood Competition is also a test of the trainer’s physical abilities. Therefore, the way you’re fighting alongside your beast isn’t in violation of the rules…”

The moment the chick started talking, a grin spread across my face. As soon as I get my hands on the prize, I’ll blow it all on gacha pulls.

Just then, a girl appeared in front of the chick. She seemed older than Jamsuni but younger than the chick.

She was a traditional beauty with jet-black hair and eyes, though her smile felt a bit awkward, like someone who’d been taught how to smile but had never quite mastered it.

“I greet you.”

The black-haired girl in a hanbok bowed to me.

“I am Yi Hwa-ya, the prize of this competition and the daughter of the Black Dragon Yi Clan. You said you don’t need to win? And you’re willing to give up on me because of the phoenix chick? As the prize, I find that quite unacceptable.”

The girl stood up gracefully, but her eyes were filled with murderous intent as she stared me down. Upon closer inspection, her hands were already stained with blood.

Wait, what? This girl is the prize?

What in the world is going on?

“The girl is not pleased.”

And with that, she pulled out a dagger.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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