A Fox's Mischief and an Unexpected Awakening
Cuter than I expected? Hoya's words hit Cheonma like a bolt from the blue.
To think you would convert mana into Ghostly Qi. Is this even within the realm of human capability?
Even Cheonma herself could not transform mana into Ghostly Qi. And to replicate that Ghostly Qi at the exact same level as the original? It was hard to dismiss this as mere talent. This went far beyond anything the word “talent” could describe.
Haha. What a foolish thought. Human or not, it doesn’t matter. The fact that he is my disciple is more than enough. Anything else is meaningless.
Even in its unrefined state, this beautiful gemstone was so dazzling it stirred greed in the heart. How should she polish it?
To accept Ghostly Qi, one must form a contract with beings who wield that power. That much I already knew. In fact, I had gone beyond knowledge and actually formed such a contract. Why else would I be able to use both Ghostly Qi and formless techniques?
In the game, I had received the Ghost King’s techniques and Ghostly Qi through a contract with him. I had assumed that contracting with a yokai would only happen much later this time around. Never did I imagine the opportunity would come this quickly.
‘In terms of rank alone, Hoya might be considered lower than the Ghost King, but when it comes to pure ability, the story changes completely.’
And the one forming a contract with me was none other than Hoya, the nine-tailed fox who held an overwhelming advantage in power even over the Ghost King.
“Blood is needed for the contract, so please excuse me for a moment.”
A contract required each party’s blood. Hoya sharpened her nails and lightly pricked the tip of my finger, drawing a small wound. A tiny bead of blood welled up at the tip. She stared at it for a moment, then brought her lips directly to it… Huh?
Chomp.
“U-um, Lady Hoya?”
Even when I called her, Hoya kept my finger in her mouth. This couldn’t possibly be how a contract was done, right? And it wasn’t just holding it in her mouth—something warm and slippery was wrapping around my finger. Was she licking it right now…?
That lewd fox!
Boom!
“Kyaaan!”
Cheonma’s fist came flying like a missile. Hoya had no chance to resist and was sent flying. Wait, was that sound from a punch just now? Not a bang, but a boom? It sounded like a bomb going off.
“Ugh… What a disgrace.”
Fortunately, Cheonma’s punch seemed to have snapped Hoya back to her senses. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, clutched her head, and staggered to her feet.
“Haha, it’s fi—”
Zap.
“—ne! Just be careful next time, please.”
Cheonma said as she wiped Hoya’s saliva from my finger.
“Huh?”
What was she suddenly talking about? Wasn’t Cheonma the one who brought Hoya here in the first place? Hadn’t she prepared everything with this in mind?
“Wait a second. Calling Ghostly Qi worthless is a bit hard to let slide, don’t you think?”
As Cheonma tried to persuade me to give up Ghostly Qi, Hoya—who had already neatly fixed her appearance—raised her hand and cut in.
Heavenly Demon Divine Art? What kind of childish name was that? Even my old man wouldn’t come up with something like that. Ahem. Well… wasn’t that a bit harsh? The Heavenly Demon Divine Art was a magnificent name with tradition and history behind it. If we were talking about lame names, Ghostly Qi was more— No, that wasn’t the point.
Cheonma’s gaze seemed to say exactly that. Hoya’s eyes blazed with fury as she lunged at her.
…Karma?
Did that mean Hoya had also awakened Karma, just like Cheonma?
Crack.
Crackle. Rumble.
‘Are they seriously about to start fighting?’
Why were they fighting so fiercely over something like this? Whether it was Ghostly Qi or the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, as long as it worked well, that was all that mattered.
Sting. Sting.
‘Tsk. It’s been stinging nonstop since earlier.’
The persistent sharp pain had been bothering me for a while. I frowned slightly and examined my finger. It didn’t hurt that much, but the constant irritation was starting to get on my nerves.
Even as Hoya and Cheonma argued, I couldn’t focus properly. The strange sensation blooming from my fingertip kept stimulating my nerves.
‘What is this? Something just happened to my finger…’
Extremely low chance of acquiring yokai power.
Trait activates.
Probability fixed at 100%.
You have acquired the skill Ghostly Qi lv.1.
“…Huh?”
What the hell was that all of a sudd—
Kihihihi.
I thought I heard something like laughter in my ear. It sounded like a fox’s cry, yet carried a strangely captivating laugh.
I shook my head, overwhelmed by the Ghostly Qi that had suddenly awakened within me. I wondered if I was hearing things.
Um, I don’t think this is the time to be fighting?
I quietly slipped between the two of them. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked less like a fight and more like Cheonma unilaterally tormenting Hoya.
“Excuse me… Something incredibly important just happened.”
Whoosh.
Both Cheonma and Hoya stared silently at the silver flame flickering above my palm. They would have noticed immediately. This wasn’t mana converted into Ghostly Qi—it was pure, unadulterated Ghostly Qi itself. And it was obedient, recognizing me as its master.
How was I supposed to explain this? Under their persistent gazes, I hesitated for a moment before finally opening my mouth with great difficulty. Since it had come to this, I might as well be honest…!
“I… somehow ended up learning it.”
Both Cheonma and Hoya stared at me blankly, looking utterly dumbfounded. Hoya was the first to recover. With a sly, narrow-eyed smile, she pulled my arm close and said,
Crack.
Crack. Crack.
A cross-shaped vein throbbed on Cheonma’s forehead. Hoya, seemingly unafraid, flashed an even brighter smile and continued speaking to her.
Twitch.
In a battle of pure force, Cheonma’s victory was absolute. But looking at the current situation, if someone asked who the real winner was, I would gladly raise Hoya’s hand. It seemed that while Cheonma might win in combat, Hoya reigned supreme in verbal warfare.
“My master?”
Maybe that was because you haven’t been sliced up by her yet?
But Hoya, oblivious to my inner thoughts, simply continued sharing her evaluation of Cheonma.
“A-adorable?”
Listening to Hoya, I thought to myself.
Today had been a shocking day for me in more ways than one.