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When I showed the badge, the staff opened the doors for me.

"Oh-ho."

The Familiar League arena.

No, the Sacred Blood Tournament hall was an enormous building.

"As expected from the Sega Union. They've got plenty of money."

And it wasn’t just big.

The decorations were extravagant.

So extravagant, in fact, that parts of it looked like an obscene display of wealth.

"All participants for the Sacred Blood preliminary rounds, please gather at the north gate."

As soon as the announcement came over the speakers, the crowd started moving in one direction.

I didn’t know where the north gate was, but following the people would get me there, I figured. Holding Myeong-Myeong, I followed the crowd.

"Myeong-Myeong."

Myeong-Myeong, snuggled in my arms, let out a soft cry.

Seeing that, a group of people scoffed at Myeong-Myeong.

"What breed is that? Doesn’t look like a pureblood."

"Is that a low-grade Familiar that doesn’t even have a discernible breed?"

Why were they picking a fight all of a sudden?

Couldn’t they tell Myeong-Myeong was a Haetae just by looking?

How impressive must their own familiars be for them to mock mine? I casually turned my head to check out their cases or leashes.

Of course, I couldn’t see anything.

There was just… nothing.

"Damn."

As I thought, I couldn’t see their familiars.

Which meant I couldn’t tell what kind of attacks their familiars would launch or even what forms they had.

Should I close my eyes and focus on the sounds they make? But then again, I couldn’t hear a ghost’s sounds either. Chances were, I wouldn’t be able to hear the chobiom familiars either.

In the end, Myeong-Myeong would have to carry the team solo.

Could my little Myeong-Myeong do it?

Even though Myeong-Myeong was a Haetae, it had never displayed any special powers. Of course, Myeong-Myeong might have used its abilities without me noticing. Maybe I just missed it.

But in situations like this, it’s always best to assume the worst.

I patted Myeong-Myeong and muttered softly.

“Phew, if things get bad, we’ll just run.”

“Myeong?”

Is the Sacred Blood really only obtainable through the Sacred Blood Tournament? Since it’s a regularly held event with prizes, the Sega Union must have a way to acquire it.

With that thought easing my mind, I looked up at the stage. Several employees of the Sacred Blood Tournament facility were standing there.

"We welcome all participants to this year’s Sacred Blood Tournament."

One of the employees, who seemed to be the leader, spoke up.

The leader introduced each person standing on the stage and said they would be responsible for overseeing this year’s preliminary rounds.

“I have something to tell the participants. This year’s preliminary rounds will be conducted differently from previous Sacred Blood Tournaments.”

Differently?

I could hear the crowd murmuring around me.

“The Sacred Blood Tournament was originally a competition to select familiars deserving of the Sacred Blood. However, over time, it has become corrupted, with victories going to those who simply acquired familiars that were born powerful, rather than those who trained them.”

The lead employee continued.

So, familiars…

It seemed the Sega Union referred to trainers as familiars.

And the staff member continued speaking.

“Therefore, in this year’s Sacred Blood preliminary round, participants will need to prove how good of a familiar trainer they are. Without using any powers, you will have to correctly identify the most exceptional familiar with just your eyes.”

I was doomed. How was I supposed to pass a test that required me to see something when I couldn’t see anything at all? But before I could voice my frustration, the crowd around me erupted in outrage.

“What kind of nonsense is this? Isn’t finding a good familiar considered a skill?”

“Who came up with this idea? No matter how skilled a trainer is, they’ll never beat someone who relies on a naturally powerful familiar.”

The staff member listened to the complaints and then added one line.

“By the way, the person who decided to change the preliminary round format is one of the heads of this year’s Sacred Blood Tournament.”

With just that one sentence, the attitude of the participants changed completely.

“Gasp. Of course, it’s important to assess a trainer’s skill. If someone just buys a strong familiar to win the Sacred Blood, it’s like they’re buying the Sacred Blood with money!”

“I’ve always thought there should be a preliminary round that focuses on the trainer’s ability.”

“The head of the Sacred Blood Tournament must be someone very important… Maybe that’s why the rewards are more substantial this time.”

It was unsettling how their attitudes flipped 180 degrees so suddenly.

But who exactly was this “person”?

Unfortunately, no one seemed interested in answering my question.

“The finals will still be conducted as battles between familiars. And just so you know, you’re not allowed to use any powers during the preliminary rounds. If you do, your participation badge will burn to ashes.”

So that’s the purpose of this badge.

I fiddled with the black card hanging around my neck.

“The moment you lose your badge, you will be expelled from the tournament. So, make sure to take good care of it. Now, let’s begin the preliminaries.”

With that, the lead staff member turned and started walking away, only to pause and return.

“Oh, right. I didn’t mention this earlier because I thought everyone already knew. Participants who score high in the preliminary round will earn a higher seed in the finals. In the last tournament, there were byes up to the top 16. This time, since the preliminaries are harder, byes might be granted up to the top 8. Good luck to you all.”

Though he mentioned something about bye rounds, I wasn’t really listening. I was almost certain I’d be eliminated in the preliminaries anyway.

After finishing his speech, the lead staff member disappeared. The other staff began spreading out, guiding participants.

“In that hallway, there are hundreds of chobiom creatures. You will need to choose the most exceptional one and explain why. Just so you know, participants cannot select the same creature, so it’s better to make your choice quickly. You have 10 minutes.”

As soon as the staff finished speaking, participants rushed forward. But the staff calmly stopped them and added,

“Oh, and during the preliminaries, you cannot receive help from your familiars. Please seal them in the provided containment devices.”

Groups of ten were then allowed to enter the hallway.

After about 10 minutes, murmurs started coming from the people who had completed the test. They were saying things like, “There were really hundreds of chobiom creatures in there,” and “Only the Sega Union would throw this much money at a preliminary round,” and “Isn’t this a bit excessive, even for a prelim?”

Of course, they were careful not to mention exactly what creatures they had seen, since there were still competitors waiting to take the test. There wasn’t much else to overhear.

About two to three hours passed.

Time for some mobile gaming.

“No more retries…”

Just as I was engrossed in my phone game, I heard a staff member calling out.

“The next group, please enter!”

Is it finally our turn?

I placed Myeong-Myeong into the containment case and spoke to him.

“Myeong-Myeong, I’ll be right back.”

“Myeong!”

The hallway doors slowly opened.

As soon as the doors were fully open, the others in my group bolted forward. But I didn’t run. What was I supposed to run for when I couldn’t even see anything, for crying out loud?

The hallway was empty.

An empty hallway.

“...”

My group members were frantically looking through the glass panels lining both sides of the hallway. Some of them had already made their choice and sat down, as if they were confident.

“You’ve chosen this one. Why?”

A voice suddenly echoed through the hallway.

Before I knew it, a woman dressed in a traditional hanbok had appeared.

She was a young beauty with her hair pinned up with an ornate binyeo*.

Her character was striking.

That of a powerful individual.

“Huff. I can’t believe someone of such high standing is personally judging the preliminaries! The reason I chose this Flame Monkey is because, first, compared to other Flame Monkeys, its fire...”

As the man began explaining, the woman’s face immediately fell into one of disappointment. It seemed that wasn’t the correct answer.

After listening to his full explanation, the woman gracefully left the spot, muttering to herself.

“Disappointing. Not a single one meets my expectations. Should I just scrap them all?”

The chill in her voice sent shivers down my spine.

Who was this woman to speak so ruthlessly?

However, the others didn’t seem to hear her words. They were too busy sending envious glares toward the guy who picked the Flame Monkey (which, of course, I couldn’t see).

Anyway, only 6 minutes remained.

I needed to choose a spot soon.

But there were no partitions or anything, so I had no idea if there was even an chobiom creature near where I was about to sit.

What if I picked an empty spot? Would that woman think I was mocking her and get genuinely mad?

She already seemed pretty irritated.

“We clearly announced that this year’s Sacred Blood Tournament comes with a precious reward, yet no one has recognized it. Are today’s trainers all such pitiful fools?”

Clearly, this woman held some high status. Angering someone like her was akin to declaring you wanted to ruin your life. Ever since the Awakening of Spiritual Eyes, provoking a person of such standing was a one-way ticket to disaster.

Maybe I should just forfeit? Sitting in an empty spot and waiting for her would be worse than giving up, right?

But at that moment, the woman muttered again.

“And now, there’s even one coward ready to quit just because they’re afraid of me. How pathetic, pretending to have noble blood. It’s a shame I can’t punish them more severely, being from a rival clan.”

So, forfeiting wasn’t an option either.

Damn it. How did things get this bad?

“There’s only 1 minute left!”

Hiding my growing panic, I scanned my surroundings. Still, I couldn’t see anything. Not a thing, damn it. But just then, something small caught my eye.

At almost the very end of the hallway, I spotted a tiny creature.

It was a snake.

A small, black snake.

Nothing particularly special—just a snake.

It looked unimpressive, but the fact that I could actually see it mattered most. Without hesitation, I sat down in front of it. And before even 10 seconds had passed…

The woman with the binyeo was standing in front of me, a look of utter shock on her face.

“You… why did you choose this creature?”

Her tone had suddenly changed.

W-Wait, did I mess up somehow?

“Why would you choose such a plain, unimpressive snake? Why?”

“T-The reason is…”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

[TL: Binyeo: Binyeo is a Korean traditional hairpin.

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